A Spirited Valentine ...

[flyerjab]

You are not alone in your assessment of this ride. The group I rode with stated they would be willing to wait in a three or four hour line to experience it again. I am more than dumbfounded at the overall response but that of course doesn't make anyone wrong regarding their opinion. That being said, I as a designer of visitor attractions always look for specific reasons for audience reactions to any given ride or show. This one astounds me because I cannot pinpoint what makes this special in any way. With the exception of the beautiful video and media quality this was not much different than BTF/Simpsons in 3D. For me though there was nothing interesting in terms of the content either so that was the final nail in the coffin.

I am one that believes strongly that technology alone does not account for the success of an attraction but is merely a tool to deliver the experience. This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of Test Track, Mission Space, and most of the other recent additions to WDW in the past twenty years. FOP reads to me like merely a technology upgrade from Soaring with little substance. There was no emotional connection to any character or to the environment itself. As nice as the queue is it left me emotionally cold and I didn't care what happened on the screen during the ride. More importantly, I didn't even feel like I was flying but more that I was hunched forward on an uncomfortable chair looking at a screen. I compare that to how I can let myself go and suspend disbelief when riding Star Tours where the 3D adds to the realism, the motion is effective, the music is exhilarating (it's not really fair comparing John Williams' Star Wars music I know but it is a factor), and there are other show elements incorporated like animatronics. What does this ride add to the lineup of WDW attractions that hasn't been done before?

The answer to that question can be subjective in many ways and that is what is frustrating me as a designer for the first time in my career. Obviously FOP is offering a lot of people something new that I just didn't see on my first ride. I intend to ride it again and give it another chance.

Thanks for the response. I like being able to disagree with someone on the forums while still having a respectful conversation.

I have been thinking about this ride a lot having ridden it 3 times already. You can literally stand in the Windtraders gift shop and look at the expressions on people's faces that have just exited the ride and see looks of astonishment, wonder, joy, happiness, etc.

The one great thing I have been seeing a lot of is how people with motion sickness issues have been able to ride and enjoy this without problems. The Imagineers have done a great job with avoiding that problem. I have ridden The Simpsons once...and I will never ride it again as it was the a miserable nausea-inducing experience for me. To that end, those 2 rides couldn't be further apart.

Maybe it is more an issue of nuances. It is similar to Soarin', but you don't see people's legs dangling above you. The wind, mist and scent effects are perfectly coordinated with the video. And yes, the 3D and video clarity are both excellent, and the artwork throughout the video is vibrant and colorful. And the thought behind the action is quite simple, whereas you the rider are asked to simply take it all in.

The full range of motion is greater than Soarin', coupled with the fact that the theater itself raises and lowers. Maybe it is like @doctornick so excellently put it...with all of these components that make up this ride, none of them are new, it's just that they seem to be flawlessly executed in totality.

And in all honesty, this park needed that, with a static yeti, sunset safaris that are hit or miss, and a nighttime water show that only works if it isn't too windy. This park needed an expansion that was beautiful, but with a true E-Ticket attraction that was both breathtaking and consistently reliable. And they seem to have delivered it.

 

[Quinnmac000]

Thanks for the response. I like being able to disagree with someone on the forums while still having a respectful conversation.

I have been thinking about this ride a lot having ridden it 3 times already. You can literally stand in the Windtraders gift shop and look at the expressions on people's faces that have just exited the ride and see looks of astonishment, wonder, joy, happiness, etc.

The one great thing I have been seeing a lot of is how people with motion sickness issues have been able to ride and enjoy this without problems. The Imagineers have done a great job with avoiding that problem. I have ridden The Simpsons once...and I will never ride it again as it was the a miserable nausea-inducing experience for me. To that end, those 2 rides couldn't be further apart.

Maybe it is more an issue of nuances. It is similar to Soarin', but you don't see people's legs dangling above you. The wind, mist and scent effects are perfectly coordinated with the video. And yes, the 3D and video clarity are both excellent, and the artwork throughout the video is vibrant and colorful. And the thought behind the action is quite simple, whereas you the rider are asked to simply take it all in.

The full range of motion is greater than Soarin', coupled with the fact that the theater itself raises and lowers. Maybe it is like @doctornick so excellently put it...with all of these components that make up this ride, none of them are new, it's just that they seem to be flawlessly executed in totality.

And in all honesty, this park needed that, with a static yeti, sunset safaris that are hit or miss, and a nighttime water show that only works if it isn't too windy. This park needed an expansion that was beautiful, but with a true E-Ticket attraction that was both breathtaking and consistently reliable. And they seem to have delivered it.

I think you hit the thing on the head. If people can ride and can't get sick, more people will be happy. Especially for those who get sick. Which now means more people can ride together.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

2 things:

1. Pandora was GROUND BREAKING!!! No matter what people say.

2.with all this competition between UNI and Diseny, we are in for a real KONGFRONTATION!!!

I'm sorry I had to

 

[Mike S]

2 things:

1. Pandora was GROUND BREAKING!!! No matter what people say.

2.with all this competition between UNI and Diseny, we are in for a real KONGFRONTATION!!!

I'm sorry I had to

It's on like Donkey Kong.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

And the King Kong attraction. It was perfect!

 

[Daveeeeed]

After riding FOP for myself I'm still baffled by the praise it receives by nearly everyone that experiences it. I feel like the gas they must be using to put riders in a state of trance and believe this is more than just another simulator attraction must not have worked on me for some reason. In all honesty I have been questioning my own sanity and discernment as a result of my impressions of the experience and how it vastly differs from nearly everyone else.

Let me first state that at least I agree with most regarding the queue, especially the Lab segment. You really couldn't ask for more regarding that portion of the attraction. The set up and the build up is executed quite nicely. Where it begins to fail for me is just after the wall comes down and, low and behold, I'm staring at another large-format screen. I look to my left and right, without having to strain in any way, and I see rows of simulator platforms taking me consciously out of the illusion. Yes the video quality is fantastic and yes the 3D is well done without being "in your face" but that's all it is - another 3D simulator with an annoying way to sit.

I felt no connection with the content, the music was pleasant but not memorable like Soaring for instance, the wind and water effects were "been there done that," and the breathing element was more annoying to me than anything else. Sorry but halfway through I found myself thinking, "is this over yet."

To me Star Tours is a much more effective simulator than FOP. One reason is because I'm enclosed in the cabin and the motion/visual connection is more realistic. I don't have a point of reference to take me out of the illusion and every element in the cabin including sound, animation, lighting, and effects feels like they support the experience rather than having been added as an ancillary addition.

For example, in FOP there is a blower, meant to simulate wind, located in the center of the handle bar assembly of the Link Chair. It took me two seconds to feel it and see where it was coming from. On top of that there was no discernible variation on its intensity and direction as you would have if you were actually flying. Granted that would be an expensive and somewhat complex effect to achieve but it is absolutely doable and should have been done considering the budget this attraction received. Blowers located on the sides of the Link Chairs pointed at adjacent chairs as well as blowers located on the floor, all programmed with variable intensity and pulse and synced with visuals would have raised the experience up several notches. How it reads to me in its current form is having a fan in my face.

To me, in order to call this a "game changer" as so many have, it has to be more than another simulator with some technical upgrades. When all is said and done it is just another simulator with an uncomfortable seating arrangement, a six DOF (maybe there are more axis of motion but I didn't notice) base with a more aggressive motion profile than Soaring, a high quality video, and the same old tired effects (the breathing was the only new addition and I found it to be more annoying rather than adding to the immersion).

The danger for me here is we are now sending the message to Disney that all they have to do is give us a large-format screen with a great queue and throw some water and air in our face and we will go crazy for it! Even if you love FOP, how happy will you be to see three or four more attractions just like it instead of full on immersive dark rides? Thank the lord for Alcatraz in Star Wars Land. FOP to me is a huge, lazy cop out. I'm not saying there is no technical innovation and that it was a simple project, I'm saying that all the effort should have instead gone into something we haven't seen before and that this is not worthy of the first true WDW E-ticket in over a decade.

Great to see you back on the forum and I'm glad yu are sharing your opinion. But, I think you are missing the point.
Why need a connection to the material? I thought people hted IPs...
Just because you know how something works doesn't necessarily make it bad.
Also, if every ride at Disney World was a simulator like this it would be a problem, but seeing how there was not a single one at Animal I think it fits perfectly.
The reason I thought it was better than the likes of

Star Wars was because it just felt real to me -- it really did. From all the parks I've been to (Disneyland Paris, Universal, WDW, SeaWorld, and in 4 days Disneyland) it felt like a unique exhilarating experience that you enter the land and completed at the ride itself. The immersion from that entire experience is so strong that walking through it, it really left an impression on me, my family, and friends. I did not expect Flight of Passage could do that, but it did.
This ride hit the immersion, technology, pacing, story, music, queue, realistic thrills, to a tee for me. That's why I like it so much. To each there own though.

Interesting vantage point you have, but I definitely respect it.

 

[The_Jobu]

it felt like a unique exhilarating experience that you enter the land and completed at the ride itself. The immersion from that entire experience is so strong that walking through it, it really left an impression on me, my family, and friends.

Neat, I feel the same about ToT.

 

[BlindChow]

And boy did it look amazing

Ha! That second video is mine!

The hyper-articulation with quick, subtle movements really brings those animatronics to life. I assume the Sindbad character stylization is what makes them seem more "real" to me than so many of the "actual human" AA's used on, say, Pirates. I think humans are too familiar with how real people move and look, so it's harder to escape from just seeing "ROBOT" whenever one is in front of us (even with recent technological advancements...).

Or it could just be the Uncanny Valley (which, incidentally, is what I thought Disney should have called AvatarLand ).

 

[doctornick]

That being said, I as a designer of visitor attractions always look for specific reasons for audience reactions to any given ride or show. This one astounds me because I cannot pinpoint what makes this special in any way. With the exception of the beautiful video and media quality this was not much different than BTF/Simpsons in 3D. For me though there was nothing interesting in terms of the content either so that was the final nail in the coffin.

To address what I highlighted.... Again, I haven't ridden yet, but I think the answer is simply that FoP does a far better job of convincing riders that they are actually experiencing the depicted events rather than being on a theme park ride. I don't think Simpsons, Soarin', etc are really all that convincing -- they can be enjoyable experiences, but they aren't so engaging as to allow the riders to forget where they are and make it feel "real".

Again, from what I've read, FoP does this far better, including the entire conceit and ride start. Everything from the film quality, synchronization with movement, the ride storyline and execution of that, how the 4D effects are used -- they are perhaps each somewhat more effective that other similar rides and in combination the experience viewed as superior by many riders. It's possible that you might not have been as convinced simply because you are more familiar with ride mechanics and so your threshold for suspension of disbelief is much higher.

 

[Disney Analyst]

To address what I highlighted.... Again, I haven't ridden yet, but I think the answer is simply that FoP does a far better job of convincing riders that they are actually experiencing the depicted events rather than being on a theme park ride. I don't think Simpsons, Soarin', etc are really all that convincing -- they can be enjoyable experiences, but they aren't so engaging as to allow the riders to forget where they are and make it feel "real".

Again, from what I've read, FoP does this far better, including the entire conceit and ride start. Everything from the film quality, synchronization with movement, the ride storyline and execution of that, how the 4D effects are used -- they are perhaps each somewhat more effective that other similar rides and in combination the experience viewed as superior by many riders. It's possible that you might not have been as convinced simply because you are more familiar with ride mechanics and so your threshold for suspension of disbelief is much higher.

I'd also like to add I think people who are too heavily invested in the industry are the ones having issues with this ride. They aren't letting themselves be immersed, or buying in. They are too focused on figuring out where the fan is, looking around them, seeing the other guests.

The normal guest is so fully immersed they do not notice any of that, and they allow themselves to buy in to the illusion.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Why need a connection to the material? I thought people hted IPs...

Pre-existing connections to a brand are not the only ones. The experience itself can and should create its own connection.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'd also like to add I think people who are too heavily invested in the industry are the ones having issues with this ride. They aren't letting themselves be immersed, or buying in. They are too focused on figuring out where the fan is, looking around them, seeing the other guests.

The normal guest is so fully immersed they do not notice any of that, and they allow themselves to buy in to the illusion.

That makes no sense. They're exactly the ones who would be most committed to being immersed.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Rumor going around that Disneyland Paris's Pirates might be losing their auction scene because political correctness and movie synergy and this might come over to the other parks.

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2017/06/will-disneyland-paris-pirates-of.html

 

[Mike S]

Rumor going around that Disneyland Paris's Pirates might be losing their auction scene because political correctness and movie synergy and this might come over to the other parks.

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2017/06/will-disneyland-paris-pirates-of.html

Grab the torches and pitchforks folks.

 

[Andrew C]

Grab the torches and pitchforks folks.

50 Frenchmen can't be wrong.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Rumor going around that Disneyland Paris's Pirates might be losing their auction scene because political correctness and movie synergy and this might come over to the other parks.

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2017/06/will-disneyland-paris-pirates-of.html

A pirate's life for me!

 

[MaximumEd]

This is why we can't have fun things anymore.

 

[davis_unoxx]

It's because some Somali Pirates said Disney was stereotyping their culture, and some people want to make sure that we don't stereotype pirates.

 

[Disney Analyst]

That makes no sense. They're exactly the ones who would be most committed to being immersed.

Completely disagree.

 

[Cesar R M]

Rumor going around that Disneyland Paris's Pirates might be losing their auction scene because political correctness and movie synergy and this might come over to the other parks.

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2017/06/will-disneyland-paris-pirates-of.html

I find that a stupid idea.. rewriting history for the sake of "political correctness" is dumb. People forget what happened and when people forget history and their lessons..they tend to repeat the same mistakes.