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Hot takes! Get ‘em while they’re hot! Mmm!
- Thread starter britain
- Start date
Hot Take with Tabasco (but we can’t say Tabasco, just Tiana’s Foods):
Tiana’s Bayou is fine.
Really, the bones of Splash Mountain are still so strong that even though I see some Tiana additions that aren’t quite right, it’s still a killer ride. And personally I think the nighttime setting with projected golden fireflies is superior to “It’s daytime, trust us it’s daytime, see the blue walls!” of HDYD. Is “Special Spice” as good a song as Zip? Heck no, but all of the jazz and Randy Newman songs are, yes I’ll say it, better than Splash’s Non-Zip songs.
It’s a shame there’s no Friends on the Other Side, but I have to admit, my daughter said that she was comforted by the happy music going up the hill as opposed to her memory of Splash’s intense score
Tiana’s Bayou is fine.
Really, the bones of Splash Mountain are still so strong that even though I see some Tiana additions that aren’t quite right, it’s still a killer ride. And personally I think the nighttime setting with projected golden fireflies is superior to “It’s daytime, trust us it’s daytime, see the blue walls!” of HDYD. Is “Special Spice” as good a song as Zip? Heck no, but all of the jazz and Randy Newman songs are, yes I’ll say it, better than Splash’s Non-Zip songs.
It’s a shame there’s no Friends on the Other Side, but I have to admit, my daughter said that she was comforted by the happy music going up the hill as opposed to her memory of Splash’s intense score
Hot take from a world NOT on the move:
Man, Tomorrowland is bad! I mentioned this in another thread, but it’s not like it needs a different aesthetic approach. It just needs to be rebuilt using modern construction materials. Way too many dated or cracked things with poorly designed band-aids over them.
AND this is on the attractions that are working! Let alone the defunct spaces. The fact that Space Mountain is still so good is sadly holding off wrecking balls leveling the whole place. Even Buzz and Star Tours feel dingy and uninspired.
Man, Tomorrowland is bad! I mentioned this in another thread, but it’s not like it needs a different aesthetic approach. It just needs to be rebuilt using modern construction materials. Way too many dated or cracked things with poorly designed band-aids over them.
AND this is on the attractions that are working! Let alone the defunct spaces. The fact that Space Mountain is still so good is sadly holding off wrecking balls leveling the whole place. Even Buzz and Star Tours feel dingy and uninspired.
Hot take from a place that’s supposed to look dingy:
My kids’ favorite spot to visit AND to linger? Galaxy’s Edge. I know I’m supposed to walk around it with my nose upturned at the lack of walk-around characters, lack of third ride, lack of Williams background music. But everything that IS there is top notch!
Man, Rise is fantastic! It’s not quite my favorite ride (it’s up there though) but the queue! The QUEUE! The benches! The waterfall! The cooling fans! The rock textures! The transition from earthy Batuu to the Star Destroyer! The snide First Order cast members! We were all happy to stand in a 50 minute line for our second time going on it.
And the Falcon? Five years ago I thought Star Tours was still a better ride experience. But that simply doesn’t compare to the miracle of bringing this film experience to life. Every square inch is worth looking at and appreciating.
And the shopping & dining is great too …and I don’t even bother with the cantina or the workshop stores. Just the marketplace and docking bay is enough for me.
Could it improve? Anything could improve. Right now I have no complaints.
My kids’ favorite spot to visit AND to linger? Galaxy’s Edge. I know I’m supposed to walk around it with my nose upturned at the lack of walk-around characters, lack of third ride, lack of Williams background music. But everything that IS there is top notch!
Man, Rise is fantastic! It’s not quite my favorite ride (it’s up there though) but the queue! The QUEUE! The benches! The waterfall! The cooling fans! The rock textures! The transition from earthy Batuu to the Star Destroyer! The snide First Order cast members! We were all happy to stand in a 50 minute line for our second time going on it.
And the Falcon? Five years ago I thought Star Tours was still a better ride experience. But that simply doesn’t compare to the miracle of bringing this film experience to life. Every square inch is worth looking at and appreciating.
And the shopping & dining is great too …and I don’t even bother with the cantina or the workshop stores. Just the marketplace and docking bay is enough for me.
Could it improve? Anything could improve. Right now I have no complaints.
Hot take from a different bayou:
Now this next one may anger some of you. You may think I’m either not old enough to appreciate it, or I’m so old I’ve lost my marbles. But I have to say this:
Pirates feels like a museum piece and needs a drastic overhaul.
The first act is still strong. The bayou, the caves, the skeletons… all still good. It doesn’t need to be sped up, it’s still a good pace. But right after the ship attack, the thing just doesn’t work anymore.
I’m trying to put my finger on what it is. Perhaps it’s because all the staging is meant to represent “wild activities” ransacking, etc. But everything is a limited movement animatronic. These are OLD animatronics.
Jack Sparrow’s presence doesn’t really help. He is a person from a much more lively world than this wax museum.
The revision of the auction scene also doesn’t help either. I don’t think the original auction scene would come off as engaging and lively today, but at least you understood what was really going on. It was a quick bit to get. I don’t think rum and chickens make sense.
I didn’t really mind losing the pirates chasing the women scene 20 years ago, but now with the new auction scene the lack of direct storytelling is becoming obvious. Before it was “oh no look at the pirates do these bad things (in kind of a funny way)!” Now, it’s a stiffly moving vague party going on?
Honestly, I think if I were in charge, I’d use the space in the middle of the town for another lift and drop down a chute. Put more emphasis on sword play and more battles. Baxter was right to put another waterfall in towards the end of the Paris version.
And the scene where all the creaky wood is catching fire? It’s so dusty! It’s hard to maintain an illusion that this is a lived in place that JUST caught on fire when there’s flakes of dust everywhere!
It brings me no joy to say this, because it used to be my favorite ride. But it needs serious help. Perhaps, like tomorrowland, it’s waiting for a rebirth of IP to justify an overhaul.
More hot takes to come!
Now this next one may anger some of you. You may think I’m either not old enough to appreciate it, or I’m so old I’ve lost my marbles. But I have to say this:
Pirates feels like a museum piece and needs a drastic overhaul.
The first act is still strong. The bayou, the caves, the skeletons… all still good. It doesn’t need to be sped up, it’s still a good pace. But right after the ship attack, the thing just doesn’t work anymore.
I’m trying to put my finger on what it is. Perhaps it’s because all the staging is meant to represent “wild activities” ransacking, etc. But everything is a limited movement animatronic. These are OLD animatronics.
Jack Sparrow’s presence doesn’t really help. He is a person from a much more lively world than this wax museum.
The revision of the auction scene also doesn’t help either. I don’t think the original auction scene would come off as engaging and lively today, but at least you understood what was really going on. It was a quick bit to get. I don’t think rum and chickens make sense.
I didn’t really mind losing the pirates chasing the women scene 20 years ago, but now with the new auction scene the lack of direct storytelling is becoming obvious. Before it was “oh no look at the pirates do these bad things (in kind of a funny way)!” Now, it’s a stiffly moving vague party going on?
Honestly, I think if I were in charge, I’d use the space in the middle of the town for another lift and drop down a chute. Put more emphasis on sword play and more battles. Baxter was right to put another waterfall in towards the end of the Paris version.
And the scene where all the creaky wood is catching fire? It’s so dusty! It’s hard to maintain an illusion that this is a lived in place that JUST caught on fire when there’s flakes of dust everywhere!
It brings me no joy to say this, because it used to be my favorite ride. But it needs serious help. Perhaps, like tomorrowland, it’s waiting for a rebirth of IP to justify an overhaul.
More hot takes to come!
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Agent H
Well-Known Member
I’m more shocked then anything.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
I do agree that the second half of Pirates is a bit wanting, and I would put Captain Jack Sparrow as the primary reason why.
POTC had a wonderful structure that was perfectly fine until the second half of the attraction was butchered by having "Captain Jack Sparrow!!1!" not merely inserted into the ride as an actual figure or three, but even worse, by having his name uttered in what feels like every. single. sentence. of ride dialogue until practically the jail scene, at which point the most impressive section of the attraction is effectively over. The most epic portions of the attraction are now simply a backdrop to the most annoying game of Where's Waldo this side of IASW.
I didn't ride POTC between 1998 and 2010, so I didn't really understand how much the attraction had changed from my vague childhood memories until I experienced the Paris version of the ride in 2015, which did not yet have Jack Sparrow at that point in time. It was immediately clear just how much his presence and influence had seeped into, and subtly ruined, the town portion of the ride. And contrary to his presence making the attraction feel more timeless, more "Disney", it makes the thing seem all that much more dated now that the Pirates movie franchise, despite efforts in vain by Disney to keep it relevant, has largely receded into the rear view mirror.
It turns out that good themed design really does win out over flavor of the month IP! Who knew?!?
POTC had a wonderful structure that was perfectly fine until the second half of the attraction was butchered by having "Captain Jack Sparrow!!1!" not merely inserted into the ride as an actual figure or three, but even worse, by having his name uttered in what feels like every. single. sentence. of ride dialogue until practically the jail scene, at which point the most impressive section of the attraction is effectively over. The most epic portions of the attraction are now simply a backdrop to the most annoying game of Where's Waldo this side of IASW.
I didn't ride POTC between 1998 and 2010, so I didn't really understand how much the attraction had changed from my vague childhood memories until I experienced the Paris version of the ride in 2015, which did not yet have Jack Sparrow at that point in time. It was immediately clear just how much his presence and influence had seeped into, and subtly ruined, the town portion of the ride. And contrary to his presence making the attraction feel more timeless, more "Disney", it makes the thing seem all that much more dated now that the Pirates movie franchise, despite efforts in vain by Disney to keep it relevant, has largely receded into the rear view mirror.
It turns out that good themed design really does win out over flavor of the month IP! Who knew?!?
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I’ll just start by saying Disneylands Pirates of the Carribbean and “drastic overhaul” should never be in the same sentence. Now I will say the pacing / flow is not ideal. You have the physical climax at the very beginning of the ride and the best show scene with pirate ship battle half way through the ride. I guess the reason that’s never bothered me is because the not only is the ride so unique but the first half of the ride is so great it almost doesn’t matter. Not to mention the attraction is so great that you almost view the drops as a bonus. Not necessarily something you expect or need on a 15 minute AA extravaganza with amazing set design and show scenes.
The first half of the ride through the pirate ship battle is perfection. The next 2 scenes is where I see some room for improvement. They killed the auction scene. I have a soft spot for the Lazy Susan prates but they don’t really make much sense in their current form. Still think the Old Bill with the cats and Pirate with the pig vignettes work very well. The burning town is still pretty solid and you have the energy of the main Yo Ho theme. Still love the intimacy of the jail cell and armory scenes and think both of those scenes are very effective.
With all of that said POTC is a classic and still very popular. If any attraction deserves to be a “museum piece” it’s Pirates. I don’t think you do anything too drastic aside from a little plussing here and there. I would hate to lose anymore Marc Davis designed AA’s or charming vignettes. And we all know the likelihood of what they change being better than what it replaces its extremely low. Then, you also have the challenge of making the changes feel harmonious with the rest of the ride. For example, those new projections on Indy I find to stick out like a sore thumb. You suggest more action but you can’t really do that convincingly with AAs so now you re talking about a big screen fest for the action and that would just not jive with the rest of the attraction.
My personal favorite segment of POTC is the turn from the bayou into the darkness before the first drop through the Skelton steering the ship in the storm.
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mickEblu
Well-Known Member
It’s true that the repetitive Jack Sparrow dialogue is obnoxious but the middle of the ride would still be the low point for me even if they removed all of that. And now thinking about it - that’s kind of interesting for me as we always talk about one of POTC’s greatest strengths being the sheer # of AAs and yet my favorite parts of the attraction have the fewest. It’s really just his transportive it is and the atmosphere/ ambiance for me.
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D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
Interesting! I feel like once a blue moon I run into someone who feels exactly the same way. This prompts me to wonder how many people share that sentiment, but keep it to themselves because the ride is so venerated. Personally, I appreciate it for what it is. Yet, I can understand the desire for some improvements to make it feel more dynamic. As wonderfully historic as the attraction is, I think it’s safe to say that they’ve crossed a line as far as alterations go so there needn't be any hesitation about change for preservations sake. Conceptualizing a way to tastefully modernize Pirates might make for an interesting thread.