slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
I said this in another post (I thought it was this one, oh well), but the whole ride just made me mad that they took something as interesting and thrilling as AE was and watered it down to such a drastic degree. I didn't see ANYBODY walking off the ride happy they rode it, with the exception of a few VERY young kids.
The most insulting point was, when the audience first sees Stitch, they have the voices of "kids" in the speakers in your seat saying stuff like "Look, Mom! It's Stitch! (Giggle) He's funny! He's cool!" Now, I understand the logic-if you're going to defang the ride, might as well make it completely toothless. Make sure any little kids on the ride know, for a fact, that nothing scary will happen, and what does that better than hearing another little kid telling you that what your'e seeing is "cool?" But the execution is so offensive, it makes my head spin. If the ride has to TELL YOU that it's cool, then it, by definition, IS NOT COOL. They might as well have a professional hypnotist standing outside putting the whamma-jamma on you as you leave, chanting "YOU LOVED THIS ATTRACTION! YOU WILL TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO EXPERIENCE IT! NO WAIT IS TOO LONG FOR STITCH!"
I think there's a faulty leap in logic here that I also think is partially responsible for Pleasure Island being so lame nowadays. Disney is the premiere family destination, but in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, Disney seemed to understand that there should be a few places where an adult could get a respite from the throngs of children. So you have bars and lounges, you have PI, and you have a few attractions geared towards an audience older than 7 or 8, like AE. But with the dawn of the 21st century, a new decision was made to make every square inch of the World family-friendly. It'd be great to have at least a few elements of the World that are made for adult tastes without looking like the red-light district of Amsterdam or something. But because certain people feel like they should be able to take their kids everywhere in WDW-that "I paid good money and I want to see this, and I don't have anyone else to watch my kids so they're coming in with me and just try to stop me" mentality-that ruins those adult-themed attractions. It's why you see 4 year-olds bumping and grinding with their slightly inebriated "cool" Aunt Gloria at 8-TRAX. It's why you see kids napping under the tables at the Riverside Roost while Dad decides he wants "one more for the road." It's why you get your linen shirt ruined because some baby threw her strained peas at you while her parents tried to enjoy a "romantic" dinner at the Cali Grill, thereby destroying YOUR romantic evening.
Sorry if I sound down on kids. And I AM aware that you're gonna find a kid or two at Walt Disney World. What makes me mad is that so many parents or guardians can be that selfish that they'd truck children to places that perhaps children shouldn't be, just because THEY want to be there, ruining the experience for the people who knew better than to bring kids to those areas. Maybe, when you're a parent, you accept that there are places you can't go unless you can find someone who will watch your kids for you. You wouldn't bring your child to a bar or dance club in your hometown, and you wouldn't bring them to a bar or club in any other vacation destination. So why do you think a bar or nightclub at Disney should suddenly be age-appropriate? I'd have to guess most kids aren't begging to go to Pleasure Island (with the exception of something like Adventurer's Club). And, to me, AE was one of those not-for-the-wee-ones areas.
I know, the need to sell T-shirts & key chains is high priority at WDW, but I would guess, if there weren't SGE t-shirts to buy, people would still spend that money on SOMETHING. A t-shirt would be bought by that person. I just think that Disney needs to realize that they have young adults (and not so young like I must sadly admit I am) who liked that there were at least a few not-suitable-for-children areas of the world. Now, I guess I'll need to learn to like golf or save up for a massage at Saratoga. Aside from my own room (for now), I can't imagine any other places that might not have screaming kids. And even there I'm probably wrong.
The most insulting point was, when the audience first sees Stitch, they have the voices of "kids" in the speakers in your seat saying stuff like "Look, Mom! It's Stitch! (Giggle) He's funny! He's cool!" Now, I understand the logic-if you're going to defang the ride, might as well make it completely toothless. Make sure any little kids on the ride know, for a fact, that nothing scary will happen, and what does that better than hearing another little kid telling you that what your'e seeing is "cool?" But the execution is so offensive, it makes my head spin. If the ride has to TELL YOU that it's cool, then it, by definition, IS NOT COOL. They might as well have a professional hypnotist standing outside putting the whamma-jamma on you as you leave, chanting "YOU LOVED THIS ATTRACTION! YOU WILL TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO EXPERIENCE IT! NO WAIT IS TOO LONG FOR STITCH!"
I think there's a faulty leap in logic here that I also think is partially responsible for Pleasure Island being so lame nowadays. Disney is the premiere family destination, but in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, Disney seemed to understand that there should be a few places where an adult could get a respite from the throngs of children. So you have bars and lounges, you have PI, and you have a few attractions geared towards an audience older than 7 or 8, like AE. But with the dawn of the 21st century, a new decision was made to make every square inch of the World family-friendly. It'd be great to have at least a few elements of the World that are made for adult tastes without looking like the red-light district of Amsterdam or something. But because certain people feel like they should be able to take their kids everywhere in WDW-that "I paid good money and I want to see this, and I don't have anyone else to watch my kids so they're coming in with me and just try to stop me" mentality-that ruins those adult-themed attractions. It's why you see 4 year-olds bumping and grinding with their slightly inebriated "cool" Aunt Gloria at 8-TRAX. It's why you see kids napping under the tables at the Riverside Roost while Dad decides he wants "one more for the road." It's why you get your linen shirt ruined because some baby threw her strained peas at you while her parents tried to enjoy a "romantic" dinner at the Cali Grill, thereby destroying YOUR romantic evening.
Sorry if I sound down on kids. And I AM aware that you're gonna find a kid or two at Walt Disney World. What makes me mad is that so many parents or guardians can be that selfish that they'd truck children to places that perhaps children shouldn't be, just because THEY want to be there, ruining the experience for the people who knew better than to bring kids to those areas. Maybe, when you're a parent, you accept that there are places you can't go unless you can find someone who will watch your kids for you. You wouldn't bring your child to a bar or dance club in your hometown, and you wouldn't bring them to a bar or club in any other vacation destination. So why do you think a bar or nightclub at Disney should suddenly be age-appropriate? I'd have to guess most kids aren't begging to go to Pleasure Island (with the exception of something like Adventurer's Club). And, to me, AE was one of those not-for-the-wee-ones areas.
I know, the need to sell T-shirts & key chains is high priority at WDW, but I would guess, if there weren't SGE t-shirts to buy, people would still spend that money on SOMETHING. A t-shirt would be bought by that person. I just think that Disney needs to realize that they have young adults (and not so young like I must sadly admit I am) who liked that there were at least a few not-suitable-for-children areas of the world. Now, I guess I'll need to learn to like golf or save up for a massage at Saratoga. Aside from my own room (for now), I can't imagine any other places that might not have screaming kids. And even there I'm probably wrong.
