ABC/Lost/Disney Question..........

[wickedsoccer22]

While it's not an entire gift shop devoted to it, there was a lot of Lost merchandise in the AFI gift shop after the Backlot Tour that last time I went on it... T-shirts, action figures, models of the (closed) hatch with the characters standing on it...

-Rob

The only thing LOST thats left there are a couple books, and some seasons on dvd. At least, thats all that was there in November. Did someone says they have Lost merchandise in the ToT gift-shop?

 

[Phonedave]

And unfortunately that's the problem with the show. Most people who are not fans of the show hear their friends talk about it, and are instantly confused. There is just so much random information and such that it's not going to lure someone to the park who is not a fan of it. Because unfortunately its a love it or hate it kind of show.

Unlike, say Monsters INC, where even if you aren't a fan of it, you still know the general gist of the movie and can enjoy a ride that is based off of it.

And in the Laugh Floor pre-show they do a whole speil that pretty much explains the concept for those that don't know it.

-dave

 

[devoy1701]

Im not sure if anyone has made this point yet, but I feel like its about time that its made. For all of you who say that "Lost would not make a good attraction because the show is ending in 2 years and it will no longer garner enough public interest to justify putting money into an attraction that won't open until it ends", you couldn't be more wrong. Let's apply some logic to the situation. Rumor has it that WDW is building a Monster's Inc. Coaster, correct? So lets compare the two:
With Monster's Inc. you get 92 minutes of run time from 2001. It doesn't have an ongoing tv series like say Little Mermaid or Stitch to carry it does it? So basically all you have to carry it is the DVD, which Lost also has thus taking into account multiple viewings of the same material, so thats a wash. Lost at its end will have over 100 hours of material, not including all of the fan-fiction and fan-sites associated with it. You may say "well I lost interest in it because I didnt understand it." Did you watch at least 2 episodes of it? Then you watched more Lost than you have Monsters, Inc. And although you may not understand it, or even like it for that matter, did everyone understand and love The Twilight Zone? I sure dont understand every episode of that that Ive seen, but its an amazing attraction.

Now let me summarize. Im not bashing Monsters, Inc (or any other Disney or Pixar film or attraction). Great movie and I would welcome the attraction. But you cant make relevency arguments when all movie based attractions come out long after the film and are drawing from a much smaller material pool. What it all comes down to is the Imagineering of the attraction and what they decide to do with the material that they have, which they will have more than enough of by shows end. An attraction doesnt have to be as intricate as the show. It can rely solely on the adventure and multiple exotic locations featured in the show.
And please dont try and come back at me with Ticket and DVD sales figures, because the two are near impossible to compare when taking into account repeat vs new viewing audience (like I said 2 episodes = 1 viewing of Monsters, Inc.), DVD price (As a casual fan of both I am much more likely to purchase a $20 dvd over a $60 series set), etc. Its too late in the day and my brain hurts too much to try and research and calculate these things. So dont hate, just admit that the material is there and that it all depends on what the Imagineers use it to accomplish.

I think the difference is more people would sit and watch a 2 hour movie over a tv series...most people whether they like it or not will sit through a whole movie and know the storyline...there's more exposure there. With a TV series, you watch one episode and decide, heck, waste of my time, I'm done with this! You don't get the rest of the story after that. And with a show like lost...it took a better part of 3 Seasons for then to haphazardly fit this into a flowing storyline!

The thing is, somthing like the Twighlight Zone is most of mainstream America know about it and gets the concept.

If you say "what is the Twighlight Zone" to somone on the street, chances are pretty high you will get somthing like "a freak place where weird things happen" They wont know particular episodes but they get the concept. All that ToT uses is the concept. You are on an elevator, it gets hit by lightning, and goes "somewhere freaky". Yes there are some elements in the ride that are specific to the show, like the vertical hold collapse, but if you did not know about that, you would at least think it was a cool effect and it "fits" the spooky theme.

Lets say they made a Narnia ride. You may not know the whole story, but you see people with swords and armor and various fantasy creatures and you can pretty much peice together "fantasy world, battels, magic, queen/king/prince/princess" and "get" the concept

Now, picture you are someone who is not a fan of lost. Maybe you have heard of it, maybe you have even watched an episode. You know its about people lost on an island. Maybe you even know there are some "odd" things on the island. But details as you list above would be quite confusing to a person who is not a "lostie"

If we were in the 1960's and maybe in England, I would suggest a ride based on "The Prisoner" would be interesting and viable. Not many people know about that show now, but if you were in a village in a ride vehicle trying to escape, and some person kept stopping you, and some freaky looking white plastic garbage bag looking things chased you around, any a lound speaker kept saying "why did you resign Number Six?" and some speaker in the ride vehicle would yell "I am a man, not a number" you would at least get the gist of it.

Heck, The Simpsons did an episode based on it. Most people got it, but had no idea about the original show.

You may be able to create a LOST ride that works, but it would not be able to have much specific information from the show, or else us "commoners" would not get it.

-dave

I agree with you Dave. White Mule's point about a movie broke me away from my thinking that a series would necessarily have to gain a huge cult following and have mutliple successful runs such as Star Wars or Star Trek. But a Lost ride would have to be VERY loose. Here's a plancrash on an island, strange things happen, smoke monsters, polar bears, food drops...that's about as far as it could go! Some make it back, we dont know about the others...It's hard for us seasoned fans to keep track of all of the characters and every background storyline.

But woah talk about background stories...this series sure seems like there might be some Imagineers working on these storyboards...making sure all of these bases are covered! I've never watched a show that spent so much time developing the backstory!

 

[AREM]

That actually is a great idea. A walkthrough.

And once again, Discovery Island would be the PERFECT place for that. They could have an 'open' set that you could explore to your hearts desire, and then have a 'roped' walkthrough a HIGHLY detailed recreation of the Swan Hatch. I mean, they have attractions that are based on shows that are already off the air, so those who say 'they can't do the Swan hatch cause it was blown up' are wrong. A Swan Hatch walkthrough would rank HIGH on the geek list of many Lost fans. And this could all be out on Discovery Island.

I think it would rock.

 

[WDW1974]

I consider Lost the finest hour drama on TV today and a show that has consistently kept me on the edge of my seat since Flight 815 crashed into my living room in September of 2004.

Saying that, I have to honestly fess up that I know some of the people who work on the show and have even been invited to the set (hoping to make it out there for season six filming).

I think most critics of the show either haven't watched it, aren't into sci-fi or like things explained in 60 minutes every week (that's what all those highly watched crappy predictable CBS procedurials are for).

Lost would make a fantastic attraction/show for the parks and the set up could be done very, very quickly in a way that you wouldn't have to be a longtime fan to get depending on how Disney approached it.

But they won't. I spoke with (name dropping alert for all my boneheaded critics coming up) the incredibly talented Michael Emerson last fall and he said he'd love to do something for the parks, but to his knowledge no one from WDI/P&R had approached the producers or cast. He thought it was amusing that Disney was creating an attraction based on American Idol, but not one of one of their own highly-rated properties (and to be fair we discussed other such as Desperate Housewives and Dancing With the Stars amongst others).

AREM's post above about using Discovery Island would be perfect if Disney decided on a limited capacity, interactive, premium priced product instead of something mass market for the parks (clearly this is something that would best fit at DHS, DCA and DSP otherwise).

Anyway ... I would love to see Lost in a Disney park, but I don't think it's going to happen and it has nothing to do with its end date in site either. As to popularity well, 20 million people tuned in to the opener and it is a big hit ... and Disney has done attractions based on properties that weren't big hits or had no tie-in at all. But Lost and its mythology would make one helluva theme park attraction, whether I am biased or not!

 

[matt_taylor1985]

The best thing I could see happening would be the walk-through set. It's the quickest and easiest thing to do.

 

[Future Ape]

A Keamy meet n' greet

 

[RyanS]

Did someone says they have Lost merchandise in the ToT gift-shop?

Not true, the Lost merchandise was phased out in August.

 

[Lee]

Saying that, I have to honestly fess up that I know some of the people who work on the show and have even been invited to the set (hoping to make it out there for season six filming).

I spoke with (name dropping alert for all my boneheaded critics coming up) the incredibly talented Michael Emerson last fall....

It's official. With those two statements right there....'74 reeks of awesome.
Too. Freakin'. Cool.

 

[WishingOnAStar]

I am a HUGE Lost geek. I love everything about the show and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see something related in the parks, whether it be a ride/walk-thru/shop/whatever (And there are Dharma cans in the ABC Commissary. Thats a start...)

However I do not think anything Lost would ever work in the parks because:
1) Lost is not a family friendly show. While there is nothing too risque involved, I don't know many six year olds that tune in

2) Lost is a show for the intellectually elite. It is a thinking-person's show and lets face it, the average person is not.

 

[Fashionista007]

I'm glad to see people comparing ToT with this Lost attraction idea. The first time I rode ToT I was about 12 years old and I had never seen an episode of the Twilight Zone. I loved the attraction so much that I went home and proceeded to video tape (no TiVo back then!) every episode of The Twilight Zone on Sci-Fi and now I've seen and own every single episode. I think a Lost attraction might have the same effect on someone who has never seen the show.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

Oh, nevermind. That said, I don't really know what would work as an attraction. I don't want to see a ride based on it, but something like what they've done with Narnia would be fun. You enter into a Dharma initiative base or something and see a show based on it or something like that.

A full attraction would be awesome, but it's sad that they won't even do a set recreation. Why is that Narnia thing still sitting there open when it flopped so hard? That's valuable space that could house something like a recreation of the Swan station that people could wander into, enter the numbers in every 108 minutes, check out the black light map, etc. I think it would help to get people interested in the show that might not be watching it. It could even be something that doesn't have to be marketed much, have it a pleasant surprise for Guests to discover, maybe have something subtle on the guidemap mentioning something to the effect of "The Dharma Initiative requests your assistance..."

You could argue the same about Twilight Zone as while it was once a popular show, its more about how great the attraction is.

Picture it like Dinosaur:
I could easily see the line-up looking like an airport and then you enter a crashed plane and then onto a VW dharma bus.

You casually drive around the beach with Sawyer calling random people funny names like 'hey Jumbotron' or 'freckles' and see some of the cool secondary characters.

Suddenly, you go into the jungle a bit and your engine gives out and you hear the 'spooky' whispers. The whispers get louder and you hear 'the monster!' Luckily the engine starts up again and you zoom through the jungle this way and that while running into characters screaming 'run this way, lets hide in the hatch!'

The Bus drives through the backdoor of the first hatch and you see the clock reach zero and that wonky stuff starts happening...quickly you race out from the hatch and through the jungle again.

While driving through the jungle you see 'the smoke monster' chasing you and catching up and suddenly you make it to the 'others' suberb. Things slow down a bit and you see Ben and Juliet talking about the losties. When they notice you they start firing at the bus and you tear off into the jungle.

While rounding a corner you run into face to face with the Smoke monster, who reflects you into his smoke. as he gets ready to strike Hurley comes out and says somethign really funny and the bus drives through this tunnel that takes you back to LA.

Thats just one idea, I'm sure you could come up with tons and tons of rides that would be super fun to ride.

They could totally redo Dinosaur that way! I can see it now, forget DinoLand, it will now be Smoke Monster-land!

 

[Captain Hank]

(And there are Dharma cans in the ABC Commissary. Thats a start...)

Actually, those aren't there any more. DHARMA jumpsuits have been put in, though.

 

[PaisleyMF]

I am lost in the Lost series, and I need to recap fast.

Any how, the attraction could be:

1. Enhanced Motion Vehicles
2. Motion Based
3. Walk through

Now this said, DHS or Discovery Island?

Could it be upgraded fast or retrofitted to change elements or theme all together?

Some rides come to mind, TSM is one that can be upgraded fast since is a screen, Dinosaurs has the perfect vehicle for this. Sorry but i will have to also include SpiderMan over IOA...

And it starts like this:

You have been selected to travel to Australia aboard flight 815 to a series of trainings, when the plane crashes...

Now this said, everything element can be a great experience, you can have a walk through either the cue or skip the cue, start as a Motion based attraction and then jump to the EMV, some elements can be used as physical effects other in 3d asking the guest to wear protective gogles when requiered. This projection elements can be upgraded or exchange (more likely TSM) and it can be completly random...

 

[Phonedave]

Saying that, I have to honestly fess up that I know some of the people who work on the show and have even been invited to the set (hoping to make it out there for season six filming).

Say hi to Damon Lindelof when you see him. He was a Sophomore when I was a Senior in HS, and probaly has no idea who I am, but what the heck

I think most critics of the show either haven't watched it, aren't into sci-fi or like things explained in 60 minutes every week (that's what all those highly watched crappy predictable CBS procedurials are for).

It's not that. And I can't really tell you what it is, but I just find the show - I guess - over the top. I like sci-fi. I like long running shows I just don't like THIS show. Admittedly I would much rather be watching somthing on Discovery or Nature or NatGeo, or even some news program, but I do watch the occassional series that appeals to me. LOST just doesn't.

As to popularity well, 20 million people tuned in to the opener and it is a big hit ... and Disney has done attractions based on properties that weren't big hits or had no tie-in at all. But Lost and its mythology would make one helluva theme park attraction, whether I am biased or not!

Now you know better than that. How many of that 20 million are also people who would go to WDW. THAT is the question. I don't have the answer, but that is the correct fact and figure to be stating.

-dave

 

[BillsFanGabe]

I am a huge fan of LOST, I have seen every episode and I do own some LOST merchandise, also I own all 4 seasons on DVD. It would be really awesome if there was a LOST ride. I really do think that Disney should have a ride based on LOST, the ride would fit perfectly in DHS.

 

[EpcotServo]

Maybe once, you know...they figure just what the STORY is they can check back in later.

:lol:


Oy. LOST makes me VERY sad for 4 reasons:

Reason 1: I pretty much love the entire cast. They're very talented. Then why is the resulting show a neverending vortex that sucks the life out of my brain?

Reason 2: It COULD be great. It COULD be. But maybe if they had like...a better story, or maybe give the audience SOME kind of inclination towards what is going on instead of just alluding to one and insisting that they "have all the answers" but somehow keep showing random carp season after season until popularity dwindles. I'd love nothing more for a good show. But instead of Sci-Fi-Action-Drama-Adventure it's Shocking-events-meant-to-shock you with. 'Splain ANY of it? Of course not.
:brick:

Reason 3: People I TRULY respect their tastes on this forum, and in the world in general, love it. And I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.
:lol:

Reason 4: I can happily point you to a thousand great Anime titles that have shocking twists, mysterious stories, Human Drama and conflict, and epic cliffhangers that are not only a THOUSAND times better than ANY of that that's been seen on Lost, but also have a clear story, Ending, and an explination for every event. (Because guess what? In other countries great TV makers finish their story in one or two seasons, because they're telling a story and aren't looking to suck money and time out of Networks and TV viewers.)

And not only will these amazing stories never see the popularity Lost has, they won't even BE SEEN at the level in America that they deserve.

That's why I know what the Shadow Smoke thing in LOST is...

It's my soul crying!

:lol:

:dazzle:

 

[Lee]

I can happily point you to a thousand great Anime titles that have shocking twists, mysterious stories, Human Drama and conflict, and epic cliffhangers that are not only a THOUSAND times better than ANY of that that's been seen on Lost, but also have a clear story, Ending, and an explination for every event:

Maybe, but....they're Anime.:shrug:
Probably just my middle-aged narrow mind, but...:hurl: Low tolerance for Anime has I.

Lost, on the other hand....like crack. I'm mentally invested in it like very few other shows I have seen, going back to probably X-Files or Twin Peaks (another show that some folks just didn't get.)

 

[piratetreasure]

Me watching Lost last night:


Me: This is kinda gay I mean....

Michael Emerson comes on screen

Me: Holy crud it's Zep!!


You won't get it unless you've seen Saw.

 

[EpcotServo]

Maybe, but....they're Anime.:shrug:
Probably just my middle-aged narrow mind, but...:hurl: Low tolerance for Anime has I.

Lost, on the other hand....like crack. I'm mentally invested in it like very few other shows I have seen, going back to probably X-Files or Twin Peaks (another show that some folks just didn't get.)

Lee, of all people on this forum, YOU would be at the top of my list for becoming a believer.

Have you seen all of Cowboy Bebop? I think there's some sort of law about people who like Firefly at least watching all of Cowboy Bebop.
:lol:

Seriously. If you realize the fact that Dragonball Z and Pokemon aren't all Animation from Japan has to offer: You'll find some of the best entertainment from ANYWHERE in the world, not just one country in specific.

And you can't imagine how emotionally investing some shows are. Gurren Lagann is a show of recent that covers a span of like 20 years and follows the characters througout their life, taking the story from underground to a battle ON TOP OF A UNIVERSE, and by the end of the show YOU yourself feel like you've been on such a journey that you can't help but cry.


and it's just 26 episodes long!
:lol: