20k Meet-and-Greet May Be Permanent...

[OliveMcFly]

Remember the days when characters would walk around the parks instead of taking up good e-ride space?

 

[OliveMcFly]

Empress Room - There was (I believe) although it was short-lived. My recollection (fractured as it may be) was that it came out right after the movie (1990). It may have only been at DL and not WDW, but there was such a promotion tied into the release of the flick.

Sorry for a double post. Was this the little show they performed on the street during the old Backlot Tour? We have video of that...they were robbing a jewelry store.

 

[speck76]

The D*ck Tracy show was at MGM....opened about the time the park opened, closed within a year or two.

D*ck Tracy was to be featured at MGM in a few attractions, but the movie was not well recieved, so those plans were canceled.

Roger Rabbit was also featured at MGM at opening, but he also went away after the disagreements with Amblin came to be.

 

[Empress Room]

Sorry for a double post. Was this the little show they performed on the street during the old Backlot Tour? We have video of that...they were robbing a jewelry store.

It was more than just a little street show. Full-blown stage-type show, not just street interaction with guests as I recall.

 

[speck76]

It was more than just a little street show. Full-blown stage-type show, not just street interaction with guests as I recall.

I think it was on the stage that later hosted Beauty and the Beast, before being torn down for the Sunset Blvd addition.

 

[Empress Room]

I think it was on the stage that later hosted Beauty and the Beast, before being torn down for the Sunset Blvd addition.

I believe that you are correct. It was at the Theatre of the Stars (name?) right next to The Hollywood Brown Derby in the old days of the infamous Catwalk Bar (RIP).

 

[NemoRocks78]

Also, the MK has had a lot of new rides built in the last few years....Pooh, Buzz, Philharmagic, Wishes, SGE.......the MK does not really need anything new right now.

True...but all of those are the same attractions with different theming. Not only that, but not one of them is a ground-breaking E-Ticket attraction, which is something that the MK could really use right now.

 

[AEfx]

I think it was on the stage that later hosted Beauty and the Beast, before being torn down for the Sunset Blvd addition.

I believe this was the case. It definately was a full-blown production, and was done quite well. I was really into ________ Tracy at the time and I saw it several times. I remember sitting next to an older gentleman who knew some of the cast members in the show and was recording it on video, he said he did it every week because the show changed so often.

Also if I remember correctly, the bad guys wore masks - so they really looked like Al Pacino, etc. Does anyone have any pics of this?

AEfx

 

[speck76]

True...but all of those are the same attractions with different theming. Not only that, but not one of them is a ground-breaking E-Ticket attraction, which is something that the MK could really use right now.

I am not so sure they really need an addition. The attendance at MK has been fairly consistant, something that can not be said for the other parks. Almost everyone that visits WDW goes to the MK, again, something that can not be said about the other parks. The other parks really need to be the focus of any major addition....the MK can still stand on its current selection.

 

[OliveMcFly]

Empress Room - It was more than just a little street show. Full-blown stage-type show, not just street interaction with guests as I recall.

I don't think I ever saw that one. All I remember is the street show. Thanks for filling me in. I wish I could have seen the big show.

 

[speck76]

Also if I remember correctly, the bad guys wore masks - so they really looked like Al Pacino, etc. Does anyone have any pics of this?

AEfx

http://members.tripod.com/~savehorizons/evenlost.htm

 

[OliveMcFly]

I remember the first pic. We have video of that somewhere. Does anyone have pics of the old theater? Where was it exactly...cause they said it was torn down to make way for Hollywood Blvd.

 

[speck76]

I remember the first pic. We have video of that somewhere. Does anyone have pics of the old theater? Where was it exactly...cause they said it was torn down to make way for Hollywood Blvd.

Looking at the Brown Derby, it was just to the right.....where the entrance to Sunset Blvd now is.

It was not very big....always "standing room only"

 

[OliveMcFly]

speck76 - Looking at the Brown Derby, it was just to the right.....where the entrance to Sunset Blvd now is.

It was not very big....always "standing room only"

Wow...I can't remember that at all. Maybe an exterior photo would spark my memory. Thanks for helping.

 

[speck76]

Wow...I can't remember that at all. Maybe an exterior photo would spark my memory. Thanks for helping.

It looked similar to the new theater that Beauty and the Beast plays at (stage-wise)....the big difference is that the seating area was very small, and it had no cover over the seats at all.

 

[Empress Room]

Looking at the Brown Derby, it was just to the right.....where the entrance to Sunset Blvd now is.

It was not very big....always "standing room only"

It was "temporary," much like the Winnie the Pooh meet-and-greet hopefully is!!

 

[djronnieb]

All I know is if this "temperary" meet and greet is still up or not in the progress of being burned down in 2007 (why 2007? because that will give them time to come up with a really cool e-ride) I will tie my self up to one the trees and hold Pooh's Honey jar hostage until they burn down the 100 acrer Woods....

 

[dandaman]

It'd better not be! Though, my opinion won't do much good...

 

[Richboy]

The former 20,000 Leagues lagoon is prime property at the Magic Kingdom. While the park is very big, most of the area has been used up already. The past decade, not since Splash Mountain, new rides at the Magic Kingdom always replaced old rides at the park (Mr. Toad's Wild Ride = The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Extra-Terrestrial Alien Encounter = Stitch's Great Escape, Legend of the Lion King = Mickey's Philhar Magic, etc.) I think Disney should do something useful and take advantage of the space left by the 20K lagoon. The area could be used to house one or maybe even two dark rides (the space is very large, even larger than its seems) The area could be expanded into Toontown, and instead of just being Toontown Fair, it could be the actual Toontown, like in Tokyo and California. Unfortunately, many sources have said that the area will be used as a "100 Acre Wood" Winnie the Pooh Character Meet and Greet. I think that is an unwise idea. The space is being wasted, and a Pooh ride is right across the path from the 20K lagoon. I think if Disney doesn't want to spend the money on another ride, they should create a walk-through ride, like "Alice's Curious Labyrinth" in Paris. That would be a much smarter idea, as well as a penny-saver, compared to building an E-Ticket Attraction. Unfortunatley, I doubt that Disney would ever put an E-Ticket Attraction in the 20K lagoon area. Firstly, a large ride would dwarf the castle, and the area would feel to crowded. Also, Disney would be smarter to put an E-Ticket ride in another park, like Animal Kingdom, Epcot, or MGM, that only have a handful of E-Ticket Attractions, instead of putting another E-Ticket in Magic Kingdom, which is comprised of many E-Ticket Attractions. The future doesn't look too bright for the 20K lagoon, but it doesn't look to bad either. Hopefully, if a "100 Acre Wood" Meet and Greet did materilize, it would be full of detail and have good atmosphere.

 

[Lynx04]

All I know is if this "temperary" meet and greet is still up or not in the progress of being burned down in 2007 (why 2007? because that will give them time to come up with a really cool e-ride) I will tie my self up to one the trees and hold Pooh's Honey jar hostage until they burn down the 100 acrer Woods....

I think a strong indication of the the replacement being temp or perm would be the cost of what they are putting in. I don't see them spending a lot of money on an addition just to clear it out 2 or 3 years later. I am sure they want to get a return on the money they put in before they start replaceing it with something else.