Oh no, say it ain't so, Joe..

Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Very surprised quite a few don't seem to like the Oasis as the entrance to DAK.

I've always found it works beautifully as a transition from the outside world into the park. Coming out the other side and seeing the Tree of Life is also one of the most effective examples (if not the most effective) I can think of where Imagineers have planned the experience of walking through a Disney park as unfolding like a movie with a big reveal.

On a practical level, I've also been there at Christmas and during summer and the Oasis has never registered as particularly crowded. Had far more experience of that at MK now that they plan fireworks shows to require standing directly in front of the castle.
 
Brer Oswald

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
Very surprised quite a few don't seem to like the Oasis as the entrance to DAK.

I've always found it works beautifully as a transition from the outside world into the park. Coming out the other side and seeing the Tree of Life is also one of the most effective examples (if not the most effective) I can think of where Imagineers have planned the experience of walking through a Disney park as unfolding like a movie with a big reveal.

On a practical level, I've also been there at Christmas and during summer and the Oasis has never registered as particularly crowded. Had far more experience of that at MK now that they plan fireworks shows to require standing directly in front of the castle.
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I’ve never had an issue with Oasis. It’s from Discovery Island onward I start to have problems with layout.
 
HarperRose

HarperRose

Well-Known Member
RobWDW1971 said:
And yet we never ask how much of Pandora was James Cameron, we just assume it is all “his”.

It’s the definition of myopic fanboy perspective - what you like, he gets the credit, what you don’t, it’s executives, bean counters, Marvel designers, the villain behind the tree.

Since I’m not a 16 year old girl filling out my Tiger Beat magazine poll of who is more dreamy Leif Garrett or Shaun Cassidy*, I can actually just judge the work, whoever did it without cheerleading.

* Dated reference used intentionally
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We get it already. You hate Joe Rohde. You don't need to keep telling us.
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
I've got to say that I don't fully understand the complaints about DAK's layout or "choke points". At least, it doesn't really jive with my experience in the park.

Yes, the park at opening was a mess in terms of flow before Asia opened. If that is was people are basing their judgements, then I'd understand. Once Asia was fully completed and especially now with Pandora, it is a relatively straightforward hub and spoke. The paths aren't quite so straight and direct but I don't really get where people could get lost of confused or be hitting dead ends.

As for choke points, add me to the chorus of people who have not had a problemmoving around the park. Yes, sometimes I'd been "stuck" behind someone moving slower, but no different than any other park. Admittedly, we don't visit at peak times, so the experience might be different Christmas week, etc. The only issue I could see for that would be when RoL was going on and if people would leave en masse after it - but that would seem to be solved by adding a bypass from Dinoland to the Oasis or straight out of the park (if needed). IIRC RoL typically ended before park closing though so the crowd wouldn't all leave and some would go to Everest, Dinosaur, etc and meander rather than just leave.
 
H

HongKongFooy

Well-Known Member
RobWDW1971 said:
but his hideous design work on the exterior of Guardians, cheap asphalt carnival at AK, lame Kali Raft ride, and one of the most annoying pre-shows in Disney history with the repeated "RAISE YOUR HANDS TO BE SCANNED!!!"
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1)Was the Guardian's facade his personal design(meaning he himself drew it up) or did a team or another one under him do it or was a collaborative creative effort? I'm not excusing either way because ultimately he signed off on it whether it was his personal artwork or not. But I'm curious nonetheless.


2)cheap asphalt.........really? I'm not giving you that one. Not all Disney park walking surfaces get cool pavers like we see in select settings: Hong Kong and Paris Main Streets
But the Chester Zone is the single lousiest park section("land") in the 12 park chain. So yes, that is a stain on his legacy.

3) Kali: I find the attraction quite good......what is there anyway. Just like Dwarfs and Navi I really like what is there but it's way too short--- so short many of us feel cheated. We exit the ride thinking "is that it?!?!" Kali is such a squandered opportunity. Grizzly River out in California rips Kali a new one.

4) "Raise your hands to be scanned" along with the other pre-load instruction nonsense is an embarrassing feature to a stellar attraction. Agreed! It's hard to believe that that crazy beautiful over the top facade with amazing rock formations, water cascades and alien vegetation is home to the corniest instruction on property. But just because he was involved with that cringeworthy dialogue doesn't annul the high quality achievement on Flight of Passage as a whole.
 
O

Obobru

Well-Known Member
Absimilliard said:
Amazing post that goes back to a conversation I had years ago with Ira West, one of the most legendary park designer in the industry. Ira West was part of Randall Duell design firm and he helped design throughout his career Magic Mountain, Kings Island, the Marriott's Great America parks, Parc Asterix, Samsung's Everland (their 8 million guests a year theme park in South Korea), Hersheypark transformation to a gated park, etc.

I met him at an industry event where Joe Rohde was receiving an award for Aulani and where he did a keynote speech about designing it. After the speech, I asked Ira West his honest opinion of Joe Rodhe. His answer was similar to what you said: worried about details than substance. Animal Kingdom was an awful park design from a guest flow and operational point of view and its only in preparation for Avatar that they started correcting the infrastructure.

Research trips are not a bad thing per say, but it should not occupy most of your financial and time ressources. Six Flags Magic Mountain Roaring Rapids has primitive, but still nice rock work around the later portion of the ride. Research trip for what they should look like? Ira West just pulled his photos from his rafting trip on the Colorado river that he went on before and that was what they used to make the river look more natural.
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Yeah this definitely happened. I was at the same event actually (great canapes) and met Joe and had a chat with him, it went something like this.

Me "Hi Joe, what do you think of Ira West?"
Joe "Who the hell are you?"
Me explaining who I am
Joe "Still no idea who you are but I will tell you anyway what I think of Ira as it's unlikely you will ever post what I say on any internet forum. Just look who's been given an award, ME. Look at the Animal Kingdom it's one of the world's most visited parks, look at those amusement parks Ira worked on they are what Walt hated and if Walt hated them so do I. Who's Ira talking to over there, I bet he's bad mouthing me to some random stranger as always" (I guess the person he was talking to was Absimilladd)

This is totally true story and in no way made up 😉
 
A

Absimilliard

Well-Known Member
Obobru said:
Yeah this definitely happened. I was at the same event actually (great canapes) and met Joe and had a chat with him, it went something like this.

Me "Hi Joe, what do you think of Ira West?"
Joe "Who the hell are you?"
Me explaining who I am
Joe "Still no idea who you are but I will tell you anyway what I think of Ira as it's unlikely you will ever post what I say on any internet forum. Just look who's been given an award, ME. Look at the Animal Kingdom it's one of the world's most visited parks, look at those amusement parks Ira worked on they are what Walt hated and if Walt hated them so do I. Who's Ira talking to over there, I bet he's bad mouthing me to some random stranger as always" (I guess the person he was talking to was Absimilladd)

This is totally true story and in no way made up 😉
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Nice ad hominem attack. Really brings up the level of discussion!
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
tirian said:
DCA 2.0 came so close to being a better park than 1.0, only to be ruined with the 3.0 Pixar Pier (featuring skewered Jack-Jacks), Marvel, less live entertainment, etc. :(
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DCA 2.0 was an amazing park imho. Backlot was the worst. They needed to redo it with 1 consistent theme. Ideally they could have left muppets, changed superstar into a muppets ride, add in some unique meet and greets and call it Muppet studios.

If not that, leave monsters inc, and use the theatre for laugh factory and make that area monstropolis? Point is make that one themed area that was consistent.

Other than that, the park was in great shape until the IP invasion.
 

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