Phroobar
Well-Known Member
This one reminds me of the old E.T. ride. It would make a great base for a Tinkerbell ride.
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A Worse Dark Ride Than Mermaid
- Thread starter Rich T
- Start date
This one reminds me of the old E.T. ride. It would make a great base for a Tinkerbell ride.
Monsters is the most forgettable dark ride in either park. The queue is entertainingish but the only really good part going for the ride is Roz. I preferred Superstar Limo - at least it wasn't forgettable.
Pooh still wins my vote for worst dark ride though. The storyline could be good but it's pieced together so cheaply. And what's up with the distractingly dirty floors? It's just dumb and again a good queue can't overcome that.
As for TLM, too much story going on. Yes, there are good animitronics and the under the sea room has improved (but not enough to make up for the still bad ending scene), but it's still too much story for the ride. Ultimately the ride fails for me because of the lack of imagination. Animators already imagined the original story, the imagineers brought nothing new in developing the ride.
And yet, none of these rides earn as much disdain from me as Nemo. Now that's a bad ride that aside from the seagulls and bringing motion back to the lagoon, I can't think of a single redeeming quality.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Pooh is similar to the Fantasyland dark rides, only a bit slower and featuring larger vehicles as though Disney expected it to be mega popular like in WDW. The irony is so fantastic, it's charming. It isn't a particularly long ride, and also unlike the WDW version, it's a lot darker, but that's why it feels more like a DL ride. The outdoor waiting area is incredibly charming. Enjoy it for all two minutes of your wait before boarding! Compare to Monsters Inc. where they just repainted Superstar Limo and it's so obvious the TV screens should have a puppet of Joan Rivers speaking to you.
LongLiveTheKing
Well-Known Member
Pooh has a slight wait time usually. LMM is always walk on.
Ryan120420
Well-Known Member
Pooh is located in a dead end and next to one of the most popular attractions in the entire resort and doesn't the omi-mover ride system- so of course its going to have a wait.
I guarantee you Mermaid is more popular and higher rated amongst guests than Pooh.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Nailed it.
D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
It seems to me that Pooh could be well improved with only a bit more investment. For a start, some fur on the figures would help (they are toys after all) and use a few real animatronics for some of the main characters. Projection mapping could liven up many scenes . Also, like Mermaid, the final scene could use some retooling.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
If you guys think those rides are really that bad by Disney standards, you clearly haven't been on the 1999 Journey Into Your Imagination. It's worse than everything. Dare I say they trashed that one worse than The Haunted Mansion Holiday...
dweezil78
Well-Known Member
Honestly... as much as I love Figment, I think the 1999 version would have held up better than what's currently in there! Current version is a constant reminder of how much it is not the original version, does not feature Billy Barty as Figment, no Dreamfinder, and has an inferior version of 'One Little Spark.' At least 'Your Imagination' was its own thing.
Give it a look if you haven't in a while, despite the semi-insulting 'you have nothing in your head' thing, it's honestly no worse than what's in there now and I think there's a strong debate to be made that it's better.
dweezil78
Well-Known Member
@Kira Nerys -- Have you seen Geisterschloss in Europa park? It's like Haunted Mansion meets Troll 2 (which would be a much better overlay than NBC). Complete with their own stretching room and doom buggies.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
As much as 'Mermaid' as an Attraction disappoints, I ride it to enjoy seeing the Garner Holt animatronics, especially Ursula.
I always keep hoping one day I will ride and the 'clamshells' will stop in her cave so I can sit for more then 20 seconds and see her full performance.
The ride vehicles move by at too fast a clip in that scene...for me, anyway.
'Mermaid' is a disappointment for me primarily because I know it's a far inferior version to the original concept that was supposed to be built.
Now THAT version would have been fantastic and far more immersive of an experience with the better defined 'above water' and 'below water' staging and suspended ride vehicles.
The cutting of the climax where originally you were to battle Ursula and then see her demise also hurt to lose.
It would have given the visual ride 'story' a clearer narrative and added in a dash of excitement.
A darn shame neither of those things were included and allowed to happen...it really would have 'plussed' the experience tremendously.
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I always keep hoping one day I will ride and the 'clamshells' will stop in her cave so I can sit for more then 20 seconds and see her full performance.
The ride vehicles move by at too fast a clip in that scene...for me, anyway.
'Mermaid' is a disappointment for me primarily because I know it's a far inferior version to the original concept that was supposed to be built.
Now THAT version would have been fantastic and far more immersive of an experience with the better defined 'above water' and 'below water' staging and suspended ride vehicles.
The cutting of the climax where originally you were to battle Ursula and then see her demise also hurt to lose.
It would have given the visual ride 'story' a clearer narrative and added in a dash of excitement.
A darn shame neither of those things were included and allowed to happen...it really would have 'plussed' the experience tremendously.
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George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I personally don't have a "problem" with any of the dark rides and think you can find enjoyment in all of them. Some more than others. I think what most of us can agree on is that Mermaid, Monsters and Pooh are in the bottom 3 at DLR. I'm one that enjoys Pooh more than both Monsters and Mermaid for its charm and because it's more intimate. Monsters and Mermaid both have individual elements that are greater than anything in Pooh like Ursula and the doors scene but Pooh Is better as a whole.
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Professortango1
Well-Known Member
That's not saying much as Haunted Mansion Holiday is amazing. I enjoy it more than the regular Haunted Mansion.
That being said, the versions of Journey are both mediocre at best. They feel very dated. The original had some brilliant designs, but it did need to be updated. I just wish the updates actually improved upon the ride instead of being another dated attraction lacking ingenuity and character.
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
I like Mermaid more than Monsters and Pooh. Mermaid is colorful and has some good effects. The line moves very quickly and is air conditioned. Monsters has a good sense of humor and detail but the line should move faster. Pooh is nothing but Disney Store sculptures. The ride vehicles are huge and they provide no leg room. Why can't they just bounce? Why do I feel sea sick after riding Pooh?
D
Deleted member 107043
I wouldn't put Mermaid in the bottom three. I'd put it somewhere in the middle, definitely better than Snow White, maybe on par with Roger Rabbit, but not as iconic and memorable as Peter Pan. Factoring in the payoff for the typical wait for PP (it's currently 50 minutes!) I'd choose to ride Mermaid over it any day.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Wait but I thought I said we ALL agree. Lol but seriously, I think the slow speed and the omnimover system hurt the attraction experience (great for ride capacity though). That and there is just too much space and it's so bright that have time to take in all the non show stuff. With that said, I love Ursulas lair, probably because it's more what we have come to expect from dark rides, I've always loved that song and it has an amazing AA.
The reason I say the ominmover system hurt Mermaid is because we are going around every scene and not through them. So you re watching something and not in the middle Of the action.
But In the end they made a "dark" ride for the audience they were aiming for. Most of the FL dark rides probably traumatize any kid under 5.
All of the FL dark rides are great because they all have one tone and they just nail it. Mermaid is just a passive experience through the story instead of targeting one emotion/ feeling and using that as the main story telling device.
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dweezil78
Well-Known Member
It's awful... they're both bad. But which is is less bad?
D
Deleted member 107043
I thought not being able to take it all in was a feature of a good Disney attraction, not a bug. It's one of those things that Disney used to brag about when explaining all the details designed into Pirates, HM, Spaceship Earth, Small World, etc.
Again, a feature not a bug. Not discrediting your preference, but the cinematic approach works for me in this attraction.
I appreciate the classic black light FL rides for what they are. I don't go in expecting much, and I agree that they're fun and entertaining, as long as one has their expectations in check. Based on current show standards though most of the dark ride experiences in Fantasyland, especially Peter Pan and Snow White, are overrated given their iconic status.