News American Adventure Refurb, New Projectors and Ending Video

[whiterhino42]

So, using your logic...all the following should be cut from the show, or at least re-worked to prostrate themselves for the morality police.

The Thomas Jefferson scene with Ben Franklin, gone (he cheated on his wife)
FDR's radio scenes and his animatronic, gone (he cheated on his wife)

And then we get into Golden Dreams:

JFK's speech portion, gone (he cheated on his wife)
MLK's speech portion, gone (he cheated on his wife)
Billie Jean King, gone (bet you don't even know who she is, and that she cheated on her husband in a lesbian relationship with her hairdresser)
Bill Clinton, gone (he...hahahhaa, well...see a pattern?)
Muhammad Ali, gone (and yep, over and over again)

Well, whom would you suggest should take their places?

Thomas Jefferson didn't cheat on his wife, she died.

 

[jt04]

There is a video floating around on twitter of the new update. Lots of new folks including Michael Phelps, Madonna, Serena and Venus Williams, Barack and Michelle Obama, LeBron James, Beyoncé, Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk, the women gymnasts from the last Olympics and probably others that I missed.

I applaud the Williams' sisters and Elon. Possibly Phelps. But this cult of celebrity has gone waaaaaaay too far.

I mean, Madonna and Zuck? Are you kidding me? It has become parody at this point.

So many unsung heroes who should be acknowledged. This had to be put together at WDI in insulated Hollywood. Completely out of touch with the average guest.

 

[jt04]

Wow, what a shame that they removed the Hoyt’s. I remember seeing them when I saw my dad run the race back in 2003.

The trend is not towards recognizing such examples of average people doing great work.

Somewhere along the journey we have become sidetracked.

 

[NearTheEars]

I applaud the Williams' sisters and Elon. Possibly Phelps. But this cult of celebrity has gone waaaaaaay too far.

I mean, Madonna and Zuck? Are you kidding me? It has become parody at this point.

So many unsung heroes who should be acknowledged. This had to be put together at WDI in insulated Hollywood. Completely out of touch with the average guest.

I disagree. They want the average guest to easily recognize most of these new additions. If it was a bunch of unsung heroes in a musical montage without explanation many would leave confused as to who the heck they were.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Zuckerberg is problematic... Besides the accusations of intellectual theft (all settled) it is now undisputed that Russians were involved in the last US presidential elections stirring up division on all social media platforms including Facebook. But Mark was super slow, to the point of almost obstruction, of denying that Facebook was used for that and super slow to eventually agreeing to cooperate with authorities. Then there are his political aspirations. He's doing a lot of things that someone planning on running for office would be doing. And then WDW would have a presidential candidate in its Golden Dream. You know WDW would have to act to change it.

 

[tirian]

That was odd, too. Especially with her Marilyn Monroe look after having already had a clip of Marilyn. And since Madonna's still around and has huge Milkshake Duck potential.

If you're going to look for someone to represent modern pop's marriage with video and stage presence without regard to their personal character or foibles, then you'd go with Michael Jackson.

I can imagine some senior execs asking, “Who do the kids like these days? Madonna? Beyoncé? New Kids on the Block?”

 

[tirian]

I disagree. They want the average guest to easily recognize most of these new additions. If it was a bunch of unsung heroes in a musical montage without explanation many would leave confused as to who the heck they were.

Most of the additions are pop-culture entertainers, hardly any of whom should share a stage with Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Most of the additions are pop-culture entertainers, hardly any of whom should share a stage with Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.

It's coming down to a point where they could throw anything on that screen..All of a sudden a montage of Memes will be on it...

 

[yoda_5729]

I got to see a video of it, and for the most part I like the video. I always liked the montage at the end, as it fills in the years from WWII to the present, but also pays tribute to the arts, which I feel is always ignored or glossed over in history. The show is narrated by a politician (Ben Franklin), and an artist (author Mark Twain) after all. Some of the celebrities may not merit it, depending upon the audience analyzing there place or not, but I've always appreciated seeing Marilyn and Elvis, Disney and Ali, along with the political historic figures as well I do think a case could be made for Bruce Lee as well. Part of the reason as to why I like seeing the people from different backgrounds is that it can be an example to others, that you can still be impactful and important, without necessarily being a politician. Obviously some in the montage have greater importance, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Kennedy, but I enjoy the fact American Adventure isn't a rehash of the Hall of Presidents.

A sad reality with many of the figures, when analyzed by some, is that they are always aware of the negatives associated with a person, but not the positives. No human being is perfect, and though many of these figures had controversial lives, it's sometimes the controversies that change and effect history. There is no one thing that is American, as it involves everything from doctors, lawyers, teachers, construction workers, Wall Street analysts, movie stars, and presidents (and everything in between). I'm sure it helps if a person is easily recognizable, like Einstein or Ali. Madonna for example I believe was used as an example and icon of the 80s, which is accurate as she was huge during that time period. Of the examples I am always surprised by their sports choices, as though I'm not going to get into a debate about various players, Lebron James was added, yet I don't think Michael Jordan was ever in the attraction. Magic Johnson was for Dream Team, but the Miracle on Ice was taken out for the female gymnastics team. Phelps and the Williams sisters make quite a bit of sense. Misty Copeland's inclusion was cool, and John Williams as well, especially with his ties to the Boston Pops and the Olympics. I was a bit surprised to see Oprah removed though?

 

[jt04]

I disagree. They want the average guest to easily recognize most of these new additions. If it was a bunch of unsung heroes in a musical montage without explanation many would leave confused as to who the heck they were.

They could artistically add captions and I think it would resonate profoundly with audiences. To equate celebrity with achievement and excellence over the characteristics celebrated in the architecture of the theater is quite a disconnect. And while some of the celebs chosen over the years are deserving of such recognition, most often these extraordinary characteristics are found in everyday Americans who do amazing work and are more deserving of such an honor.

There is something else much deeper going on here and the montage is just a symptom.

 

[jt04]

I got to see a video of it, and for the most part I like the video. I always liked the montage at the end, as it fills in the years from WWII to the present, but also pays tribute to the arts, which I feel is always ignored or glossed over in history. The show is narrated by a politician (Ben Franklin), and an artist (author Mark Twain) after all. Some of the celebrities may not merit it, depending upon the audience analyzing there place or not, but I've always appreciated seeing Marilyn and Elvis, Disney and Ali, along with the political historic figures as well I do think a case could be made for Bruce Lee as well. Part of the reason as to why I like seeing the people from different backgrounds is that it can be an example to others, that you can still be impactful and important, without necessarily being a politician. Obviously some in the montage have greater importance, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Kennedy, but I enjoy the fact American Adventure isn't a rehash of the Hall of Presidents. Also, a sad reality with many of the figures, when analyzed by some, is that they are always aware of the negatives associated with a person, but not the positives. No human being is perfect, and though many of these figures had controversial lives, it's sometimes the controversies that change and effect history. There is no one thing that is American, as it involves everything from doctors, lawyers, teachers, construction workers, Wall Street analysts, movie stars, and presidents (and everything in between). I'm sure it helps if a person is easily recognizable, like Einstein or Ali. Madonna for example I believe was used as an example and icon of the 80s, which is accurate as she was huge during that time period. Of the examples I am always surprised by their sports choices, as though I'm not going to get into a debate about various players, Lebron James was added, yet I don't think Michael Jordan was ever in the attraction. Magic Johnson was for Dream Team, but the Miracle on Ice was taken out for the female gymnastics team. Phelps and the Williams sisters make quite a bit of sense.

It is odd to me that some celebrities get pushed as icons while others don't. Michael Jordan is a perfect example. Humility does not seem to be something we celebrate much anymore. It seems we prefer those who demand the most camera time rather than those who achieved through dedication, hard work and perseverance. Which describes Jordan perfectly. His humility probably disqualified him.

PS- Tim Tebow and many other athletes are likely disqualified for the same reason.

 

[yoda_5729]

I think the more I think about the montage as the way it's presented, it isn't necessarily about who are Great Americans, as that to some degree means the person is going to have to be famous to begin with, to even qualify. I think many are hallmarks of time periods, and somewhat like a time capsule of the times. Similar to Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire. Many of the people shown in the montage may actually be there for a completely different reason then what we would think on the surface. For example, with John Williams, I think it has more to do with the Boston Pops and Olympics, then it does Star Wars or Jaws. When you are as big an icon as Elvis or Marilyn, it may very well be true others were more talented, their impact is almost impossible to calculate, as they affected dozens of things from fashions and broadcasting, to movies, music, art, magazines, and culture in general. In the facts that those people are icons, they then reach the status of representing dozens if not hundreds of things, and I don't doubt that some are negatives. But some are positives as well, and globally, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley are two of the most famous Americans of all-time. I think they deserve credit for that, however, I do not think they are Abraham Lincoln or George Washington or MLK Jr. I think they deserve a shout out, and that's what I think this is.

 

[aladdin2007]

Most of the additions are pop-culture entertainers, hardly any of whom should share a stage with Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.

This. Don't know who put this together but the focus was really misguided to make this more hollywood. And did anyone else notice the song was really sped up especially at the very end?

 

[peter11435]

This. Don't know who put this together but the focus was really misguided to make this more hollywood. And did anyone else notice the song was really sped up especially at the very end?

I don’t really think this is any more Hollywood than the previous version.

 

[NearTheEars]

Most of the additions are pop-culture entertainers, hardly any of whom should share a stage with Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.

I can’t disagree with that. They definitely are. At least nearly everyone on the list posted above are huge into charity work. Depending on the future of SpaceX, musk may be the only one that might be remembered as making a historic impact on the world. Technically Zuckerberg already has in regard to social media, but 100 years from now people might be pointing to that as the downfall of society haha.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

having listened to Golden dreams it didn't sound as good as it did in the previous version. I don't know, it just seemed too soft and not as dynamic as the original singers it seems slower and pop-ish...

 

[wannabeBelle]

I’m sad to see the most gratuitous upper torso shot ever to grace a Disney park has been removed. But it will live on forever in my heart.

???

 

[RSoxNo1]

Update on the Hoyt's / Mystery Paralympic Athlete. The @WDWToday twitter account is "researching" the question for me. That's one of Disney's official ones, not the podcast.

 

[FigmentForver96]

They could artistically add captions and I think it would resonate profoundly with audiences. To equate celebrity with achievement and excellence over the characteristics celebrated in the architecture of the theater is quite a disconnect. And while some of the celebs chosen over the years are deserving of such recognition, most often these extraordinary characteristics are found in everyday Americans who do amazing work and are more deserving of such an honor.

There is something else much deeper going on here and the montage is just a symptom.

I must be having a stroke cause we agree on something.

 

[DznyRktekt]

And the trap set lives on.