A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...

[Katie G]

I spent this weekend at Universal and thought I would share some thoughts with this crew of critics:

Stayed at Portofino in a Standard room. The resort was beautiful with pros and cons.
Pros:
Free chilled water poolside, free pool noodles, sand castle building toys for kids, friendly wait staff at the bar
Fantastic theming and atmosphere. It took a double take to realize all the facades were painted on. Courtyards (Piazzas) were well manicured.
Nighttime entertainers: fantastic singers at 7:30 serenading you into the night. Live entertainment at the Harbor bar
Boat transportation to CityWalk was always really quick. Not sure if we were lucky or if they just are that quick. Boat captains are very friendly

Cons:
I HATE paying for parking
I noticed quite a few maintenance issues. chipped paint, dust, chipped marble tops on the furniture in room, cracks between the crown molding and wall/ceiling. dirty fixtures
On a walk around property, I went to use a door to get back into A/C, and there was no handle. It was just missing! Thankfully someone was walking by and let me in.

For as much as we critique Disney for lacking in maintenance, I think it comes from all older resorts. There is a level of upkeep that needs to happen. Not that either resort should get a pass, but I think the "sky is falling" attitude for Disney resorts may be a bit overblown.

 

[friedriches]

This movie finished principle shooting something insane, like August 2015. They've been doing reshoots and recording lately (heard Ewan McGregor on Empire Magazine Podcast two-ish weeks ago). That all tells me they committed to massive CGI elements from the get-go, and gave appropriate time to ensuring that the finished product would be the best possible outcome.

The truth is that even the films we KNOW have CGI going into them these days have more CGI then we're probably aware of. I saw this the other day and didn't realize some of these shots were CG.


This film is a remake, and not a live-action one. Here's to hoping it turns out ok. I'm concerned it's more of a straight adaptation than either Cinderella or Jungle Book (or Malifecent) were, but I'm not gonna put the cart before the horse. Especially after Cinderella and JB, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[JDL30]

And yet none of that was in the trailer I commented on... ever think of that angle before you dismissed the comments?

The trailer was all staging and scenery..

I believe there was an enchanted castle and a Rose in the trailer...

 

[mickeyfan5534]

This film is a remake, and not a live-action one. Here's to hoping it turns out ok. I'm concerned it's more of a straight adaptation than either Cinderella or Jungle Book (or Malifecent) were, but I'm not gonna put the cart before the horse. Especially after Cinderella and JB, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

And The Jungle Book was a live action remake? I'm pretty sure the only actual actor on set in that movie was Mowgli. Yes there's going to be CG Enchanted Objects because that's what you have to do in Beauty and the Beast. And this being a movie, you can make them objects rather than do what they had to do for Broadway:

There's no point in complaining about CG for this movie when you consider the alternatives and the big budget they demand. Because I'd rather have an animated wardrobe than one that looks like Rupaul.

 

[COProgressFan]

I spent this weekend at Universal and thought I would share some thoughts with this crew of critics:

Stayed at Portofino in a Standard room. The resort was beautiful with pros and cons.
Pros:
Free chilled water poolside, free pool noodles, sand castle building toys for kids, friendly wait staff at the bar
Fantastic theming and atmosphere. It took a double take to realize all the facades were painted on. Courtyards (Piazzas) were well manicured.
Nighttime entertainers: fantastic singers at 7:30 serenading you into the night. Live entertainment at the Harbor bar
Boat transportation to CityWalk was always really quick. Not sure if we were lucky or if they just are that quick. Boat captains are very friendly

Cons:
I HATE paying for parking
I noticed quite a few maintenance issues. chipped paint, dust, chipped marble tops on the furniture in room, cracks between the crown molding and wall/ceiling. dirty fixtures
On a walk around property, I went to use a door to get back into A/C, and there was no handle. It was just missing! Thankfully someone was walking by and let me in.

For as much as we critique Disney for lacking in maintenance, I think it comes from all older resorts. There is a level of upkeep that needs to happen. Not that either resort should get a pass, but I think the "sky is falling" attitude for Disney resorts may be a bit overblown.

Just wanted to comment on the positives you note. I haven't been to the Universal resorts in many years, though I would like to stay there at some point in the future.

We stayed at a resort in the Caribbean last month, and, of course, in my mind I'm noting all the things they did right/wrong and in comparison with WDW resorts.

The nice "extras" that make a resort feel like a resort are often missing at WDW these days. The place we stayed at had all those nice extras that make you feel welcome, like chilled water dispensers at various locations, also free pool noodles for kids, beach toys, as well as live music every evening and afternoon in the lobby bar and restaurant areas (piano players, soloists, full bands at night, etc.). Nice cloth hand towels in bathrooms (weren't these part of cutbacks at deluxe resorts? Such a shame if true.) These are many of the small touches that make you feel welcome that Disney has done away with. I know Disney would rather you buy toys in the gift shop or $3 bottles of water, but a dispenser of lemon water, or sand toys at the beach really do go a long way in terms of the resort experience. Live music always improves the atmosphere of any lobby (at the GF for example).

There were definitely negatives to the resort I was at as well. By comparison, Disney still does lots of things very well. But while Disney views many of those little extras as unnecessary costs, other resorts still recognize their importance. People notice.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Hulu is now estimated to be worth $25 Billion, up from $15 Billion. The company, which isn't expected to turn an annual profit until 2018, could help offset the Street's ESPN anxieties longer term.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-worth-25-billion-analyst-896612

 

[Cesar R M]

Part of me is saying, "let's wait and see." The other part is saying, "if it's not baroque, don't fix it."

The entire castle design and feel, reminds me way too much of the french movie "La belle et la bête" (2014). So bad 60% of the third act was ultra cheesy. Way cheesier than Disney's.


Still, I hope the movie is still in production. the castle looks hella fake, clearly CGI.
But considering how much teaser trailers change to the final version. Well have to see until the final trailer is released (which is usually the most finished).

 

[Cesar R M]

I grew up in the 50's, "favorite quote, back then". Respect your elders, and children are to be seen and not heard. I'm not saying that was fair, but we respected people and the things that are not ours. I went in the 70's, it was crowded back then too, as there was only the magic kingdom. But, I never saw people just throw trash on the ground, climb on things they weren't supposed to, or any loud and obnoxious behavior out of kids or adults. Times, were certainly different back at that time. I'm not raggin' on any particular age of people. The bad behavior can come from all ages, and economics.

Ironically, there are a lot of good cases nowadays about NOT "respecting" your elders now.

It's been 25 years since 1991...

And this is how you make someone feel hella old..
I mean.. ITS 25 ALREADY??? WHERE DID MY LIFE GO?

 

[Cesar R M]

This movie finished principle shooting something insane, like August 2015. They've been doing reshoots and recording lately (heard Ewan McGregor on Empire Magazine Podcast two-ish weeks ago). That all tells me they committed to massive CGI elements from the get-go, and gave appropriate time to ensuring that the finished product would be the best possible outcome.

The truth is that even the films we KNOW have CGI going into them these days have more CGI then we're probably aware of. I saw this the other day and didn't realize some of these shots were CG.


This film is a remake, and not a live-action one. Here's to hoping it turns out ok. I'm concerned it's more of a straight adaptation than either Cinderella or Jungle Book (or Malifecent) were, but I'm not gonna put the cart before the horse. Especially after Cinderella and JB, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

I honestly believe its going to be harder when theres no fastaction.
You can try "mask" bad CGI with motion blur (see Transformers saga, or those epically fail "epics" like Gods of Egypt).
But if you do a slow scene, you sure as hell need to make it as detailed as possible.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

A trip to disney if not staying on property is not crazy.... 4 days in the parks the tickets are $1300.00. Expensive but that is for 4 days in the park which is a lot..... Now I am not saying it is cheap but for a once every 5 year trip it really is not bad... I have friends that do disney every year for under 2500.00

Wow, that smart decision making. I guess a lot more people can plan WDW make WDW work for them than one would think.

 

[flynnibus]

some people will never get it.

Projecting awe requires maintaining a balance of believability and immersion.

This isn't set in wonderland... It needs to project a realistic environment if you want it to be a live action stage and not just a animated film

The stuff in the trailer missed on that mark

 

[JDL30]

some people will never get it.

Projecting awe requires maintaining a balance of believability and immersion.

This isn't set in wonderland... It needs to project a realistic environment if you want it to be a live action stage and not just a animated film

The stuff in the trailer missed on that mark

No, some people don't agree with you. The story is a fairytale - possibly one of the greatest fairytales of all time. Absolutely fine if you feel they should have gone down the realism route, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. However it is a story that does require a pretty heavy amount of CGI to make the story work on screen (or at least in our and the movies opinion)

 

[NearTheEars]

some people will never get it.

Projecting awe requires maintaining a balance of believability and immersion.

This isn't set in wonderland... It needs to project a realistic environment if you want it to be a live action stage and not just a animated film

The stuff in the trailer missed on that mark

I think we'd all agree you might just want to skip this one.
Not all films appeal to everyone, and that's OK.

 

[FigmentJedi]

everything is a lot of CGI these days...The settings look gorgeous and beautifully designed... that is good at least...though, the settings were gorgeously designed for The Haunted Mansion movie too...lol

They did a lot right with the Haunted Mansion movie in terms of production design, score, makeup, etcetera and the ghostly mystery stuff was neat. The biggest problem was making Eddie Murphy the star and making the A-Plot that tired old "Workaholic needs to learn to appreciate his family" story that Hollywood just won't let go, the current permutation being "Christopher Walken turns a corporate executive into a talking cat to teach him to bond with his daughter"

 

[ProfSavage]

Grading isn't fair. It's a reflection of how much they student has learned.

Oh I know. Some students never got the memo prior to taking my Intro to Public Admin course. They gonna learn, though.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Oh I know. Some students never got the memo prior to taking my Intro to Public Admin course. They gonna learn, though.

Are you suggesting that some of the students have the attitude of "I paid X amount of money to go to this university, so I deserve at least....."

 

[ProfSavage]

Thank you for the validation. My youngest is still in college and complains about the "Political Correctness" culture and the lack of discourse in his chosen field...emergency management. He, ummm, found out that a particular professor, despite disagreeing with said son, actually liked my son's "devil's advocate" positions and encouraged him to continue. He was stunned. He thought he would get a "D" for disagreeing with his teacher. Instead, he was rewarded with an "A" for a well thought out, well supported position.

Meanwhile, back at WDW which he attended only once...Epcot (back in better days) was his and his sister's favorite park and The Studios...then MGM still had the animation studio. Mulan was being drawn. My daughter is an artist/animator/illustrator because of MGM Studios. My son has an understanding of how his brain works because of Cranium Command. They both love Science Fiction because of me and the fact they got to see a Mars rover replica operated by NASA personnel in the courtyard near the fountain.

They loved the whole "behind the scenes" aspect of MGM and the joy of discovery at Epcot. We can never go back. Ouch!

That's what my Masters is in and what I teach! Public Administration with a government continuity and emergency management concentration.

And that's great he has a professor who enjoys being challenged. A lot don't. Mine in undergrad didn't. Grad school they did but it's a completely different environment. One of my students accused me of grading them low once because I disagreed with them politically. But it was an awful paper. Another student wrote a paper on a subject I disagreed on, but got an A- because it was well researched and argued.

The worst, however, is when I leave copious notes on papers on how to succeed and write better but they are not taken.

Anyways...

 

[ProfSavage]

Are you suggesting that some of the students have the attitude of "I paid X amount of money to go to this university, so I deserve at least....."

Yes. Yes I am haha

 

[lazyboy97o]

I grew up in the 50's, "favorite quote, back then". Respect your elders, and children are to be seen and not heard. I'm not saying that was fair, but we respected people and the things that are not ours. I went in the 70's, it was crowded back then too, as there was only the magic kingdom. But, I never saw people just throw trash on the ground, climb on things they weren't supposed to, or any loud and obnoxious behavior out of kids or adults. Times, were certainly different back at that time. I'm not raggin' on any particular age of people. The bad behavior can come from all ages, and economics.

Disney bragged about and was lauded for their efforts to keep Disneyland and Walt Disney World clean in the 1950s and 1970s. There would be no point to such publicity if people were not acting poorly.

 

[fosse76]

And The Jungle Book was a live action remake? I'm pretty sure the only actual actor on set in that movie was Mowgli. Yes there's going to be CG Enchanted Objects because that's what you have to do in Beauty and the Beast. And this being a movie, you can make them objects rather than do what they had to do for Broadway:

There's no point in complaining about CG for this movie when you consider the alternatives and the big budget they demand. Because I'd rather have an animated wardrobe than one that looks like Rupaul.

I just want to point out that this picture is from the current cheaply-produced non-Equity tour and NOT the Broadway production or original Disney-produced tours (not that these costumes are any worse than the originals). But your point is taken!