News American Adventure Refurb, New Projectors and Ending Video

[FerretAfros]

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.

I'm 99% sure it's Tatyana McFadden, who was the first person to win all of the World Marathon Majors in a single year (able-bodied or otherwise) and has done a lot to fight for disabled athletes' rights. She's at the beginning of her career, where the Hoyts were at the end of theirs; even though she may not be as instantly-recognizable as them, I suspect she'll remain 'current' for years to come

I'm sad to lose the Hoyts because they really were pioneers in the field, but she's a worthy replacement IMO

 

[tirian]

Madonna is more than just a pop culture entertainer, she's a huge philanthropist and is more than deserving of a spot in a show celebrating American history. Its fine to not care for her music, personality, points of view; but to say she isn't worthy of being honored or to insinuate she's just another trashy, manufactured, pop star after all she has achieved over the last 35 years is frankly ignorant. But alas, I'm a super fan so no matter what constructive rebuttals people throw my way, I won't acknowledge them

Since nobody said that...

 

[The Empress Lilly]

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 ahve never agreed with you more than with your comments in this thread. But I fear celeb culture is so rampant in the US that the average guest really would want to see celebs as embodiments of American virtue and achievement.

And, also, just wants to look only at celebs period.

WDW's narrators and presenters were once ordinary unknown voice-artists, now look at just EPCOT alone: Energy, Canada (both the singer and the presenter), Imagination, SSE, M:S - all celebs nowadays. Even the toons are some sort of celeb culture, no seas or Mexico or Norway without some known character.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Martin, since you are across the pond and not in the US, what do foreigners (to the US) typically think of AA? I'm not sure if you have a sample size to work with but I was always curious since the show is a classy "Look how great the USA is" kind of show. I've always enjoyed it but I'm in the US and have always enjoyed all types of history lessons.

I don't want this question to get out of hand but I'm genuinely curious.

Me I bawl like a baby then wait for everybody to leave so nobody sees my red teary-eyed face that as a foreigner I can not have at this attraction with my dignity intact.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

LGBTQ rights movement is notably absent once again. Zuck has already been brought up, but it would have been nice to see some female representation for the STEM montage.

The show could use restructuring, given the passage of time, but I honestly do not have faith in today’s Disney to do the job right

 

[peter11435]

I ahve never agreed with you more than with your comments in this thread. But I fear celeb culture is so rampant in the US that the average guest really would want to see celebs as embodiments of American virtue and achievement.

And, also, just wants to look only at celebs period.

WDW's narrators and presenters were once ordinary unknown voice-artists, now look at just EPCOT alone: Energy, Canada (both the singer and the presenter), Imagination, SSE, M:S - all celebs nowadays. Even the toons are some sort of celeb culture, no seas or Mexico or Norway without some known character.

WDW has always used a mix of unknown voice actors and known celebrities.

Walter Cronkite, Lawrence Dobkin, Gary Owens.... not exactly unknowns of the time.

 

[FerretAfros]

Here's a quick rundown of who all is included in the updated montage. Figures marked with an asterisk are new to this version. Descriptions in brackets are ones I'm not sure about; I'd gladly update the list if anybody has a better idea how they are

1. Marines raising flag at Iwo Jima
2. War is Over celebrators
3. Mary Martin
4. Norman Rockwell (self-portrait)
5. Jackie Robinson
6. Rosa Parks
7. Jasper Johns (painting US flags)
8. Dwight & Mamie Eisenhower
9. Marilyn Monroe
10. Johnny Carson (on TV)
11. Lucille Ball (on TV)
12. Walt Disney
13. Chuck Yeager
14. Albert Einstein
15. [boy with walking crutches]
16. Jonas Salk
17. Babe Didrikson Zaharias
18. Frank Lloyd Wright
19. Aaron Copland
20. Frank Sinatra
21. Louis Armstrong
22. Ella Fitzgerald
23. Elvis Presley
24. John F Kennedy (dialogue) & Lyndon Johnson
25. John F Kennedy Jr
26. Civil Rights protestors
27. Martin Luther King Jr (dialogue)
28. Moon landing with Neil Armstrong & NASA ground control
29. Walter Cronkite
30. Bob Dylan
31. [hippie woman]
32. Cesar Chavez
33. Iron Eyes Cody
34. [protestors]
35. Alex Haley
36. US soldiers in Vietnam
37. Vietnam protestors
38. Joan Baez
39. Mourners at Vietnam Memorial
40. Gloria Steinem
41. Sandra Day O'Connor
42. Billie Jean King
43. Jim Henson
44. George Lucas
45. Steve Jobs
46. Challenger crew
47. [astronaut playing clarinet]
48. Ronald Reagan & Mikhail Gorbachev (at Berlin Wall)
49. *Madonna
50. *Quincy Jones
51. *John Williams
52. [AIDS scientists]
53. George W Bush & 9/11 firefighters
54. Army Special Forces (berets)
55. *Girl with flag
56. Military family reunion
57. *Michael Phelps
58. Bill Clinton & George HW Bush
59. *Bill & Melinda Gates
60. *Barack & Michelle Obama
61. *Venus & Serena Williams
62. *LeBron James
63. *Misty Copeland
64. Yo-Yo Ma
65. *Beyoncé Knowles
66. *Elon Musk
67. *Neil deGrasse Tyson
68. *Mark Zukerberg
69. Muhammed Ali (Atlanta Olympics torch)
70. *Tatyana McFadden
71. *2016 Olympic women's gymnastics team

Removed from this version: NWA, Whoopi Goldberg(?) and Billy Crystal(?) (at Comic Relief), Willie Nelson (at Farm Aid), Race for the Cure runners, Tom Brokaw, NYC police, Michelle Kwan, 1980 Olympic hockey team ("miracle on ice"), Tony Hawk, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Frank Gehry, Rick & Dick Hoyt, Lance Armstrong, 2004(?) Olympic women's volleyball team, kids with sparklers

 

[Otterhead]

That new finale is awful. Disney, if you read this, please pass this on to your current set of composers and arrangers: Having a well written piece of music will never sound dated and "un-hip." (See SpectroMagic, Refelctions of Earth, Fantasmic, and just about every attraction score for examples.) Trying to shoehorn a contemporary style into something timeless, does. If you want to make Epcot more Disney, than stop taking Disney out of Epcot.

The new finale was re-recorded for better audio, but is almost exactly the same style as what it replaced. It is in no way more 'contemporary' and simply has new vocals. Quite honestly, I've no idea what you're talking about.

 

[matt9112]

I despise cheaters. He could be on fire and I'd drink the bucket of water before I throw it on him to put it out.

sounds like a personal vendetta get over it.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

WDW has always used a mix of unknown voice actors and known celebrities.

Walter Cronkite, Lawrence Dobkin, Gary Owens.... not exactly unknowns of the time.

Cronkite to me is when it started.

I thought Dobkin and Owens were fairly unknown? (That is a question, not a statement!) More chosen for voice-acting quality than for celeb status. The nature of the job means you get (voice) actors, dubbing artists, radio or news presenters, people who work their voice for a living. Inevitably some will be semi well-known for that. I do not know these two outside of their Disney narration jobs, but admittedly I am not an expert on who was famous in the US to which extent 35 years ago.

 

[Mouse3268]

Here's a quick rundown of who all is included in the updated montage. Figures marked with an asterisk are new to this version. Descriptions in brackets are ones I'm not sure about; I'd gladly update the list if anybody has a better idea how they are

1. Marines raising flag at Iwo Jima
2. War is Over celebrators
3. Mary Martin
4. Norman Rockwell (self-portrait)
5. Jackie Robinson
6. Rosa Parks
7. Jasper Johns (painting US flags)
8. Dwight & Mamie Eisenhower
9. Marilyn Monroe
10. Johnny Carson (on TV)
11. Lucille Ball (on TV)
12. Walt Disney
13. Chuck Yeager
14. Albert Einstein
15. [boy with walking crutches]
16. Jonas Salk
17. Babe Didrikson Zaharias
18. Frank Lloyd Wright
19. Aaron Copland
20. Frank Sinatra
21. Louis Armstrong
22. Ella Fitzgerald
23. Elvis Presley
24. John F Kennedy (dialogue) & Lyndon Johnson
25. John F Kennedy Jr
26. Civil Rights protestors
27. Martin Luther King Jr (dialogue)
28. Moon landing with Neil Armstrong & NASA ground control
29. Walter Cronkite
30. Bob Dylan
31. [hippie woman]
32. Cesar Chavez
33. Iron Eyes Cody
34. [protestors]
35. Alex Haley
36. US soldiers in Vietnam
37. Vietnam protestors
38. Joni Mitchell
39. Mourners at Vietnam Memorial
40. [woman with long blonde hair and glasses]
41. Sandra Day O'Connor
42. Billie Jean King
43. Jim Henson
44. George Lucas
45. Steve Jobs
46. Challenger crew
47. [astronaut playing clarinet]
48. Ronald Reagan & Mikhail Gorbachev (at Berlin Wall)
49. *Madonna
50. *[hip hop producer]
51. *John Williams
52. [AIDS scientists]
53. 9/11 firefighters
54. Army Special Forces (berets)
55. *Girl with flag
56. Military family reunion
57. *Michael Phelps
58. *George HW Bush
59. *[woman with 2 small children]
60. *Barack & Michelle Obama
61. *Venus & Serena Williams
62. *LeBron James
63. *Misty Copeland
64. Yo-Yo Ma
65. *Beyoncé Knowles
66. *Elon Musk
67. *Neil deGrasse Tyson
68. *Mark Zukerberg
69. Muhammed Ali (Atlanta Olympics torch)
70. *Tatyana McFadden[?]
71. *2016 Olympic gymnastics team

Removed from this version: NWA, Whoopi Goldberg(?) and Billy Crystal(?) (at Comic Relief), Willie Nelson (at Farm Aid), Race for the Cure runners, Tom Brokaw, NYC police, Michelle Kwan, Tony Hawk, Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton & George HW Bush (HW is included with new footage in the updated version), Oprah Winfrey, Frank Gehry, Rick & **** Hoyt, Lance Armstrong, 2004(?) Olympic volleyball team, kids with sparklers

38. This is Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell is actually Canadian.
40. This is Gloria Steinem.
50. I think this is Quincy Jones during the "We Are The World" recording session.
58. Bill Clinton is still in there with George HW Bush.
59. Pretty sure this is Bill and Melinda Gates.

 

[wdwmagic]

 

[peter11435]

Saw the show today. Projection looks great and is a huge improvement. Sad to see several effects not working. Fiber optic welding not working, rain not working, several smoke effect not functioning properly.

 

[MisterPenguin]

40. [woman with long blonde hair and glasses]

Gloria Steinem

41. Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor is being sworn in be Chief Justice Warren Burger (they edited out her husband from the iconic pic).

50. [hip hop producer]

Quincy Jones directing We Are the World

52. [AIDS Scientist]

Appearing there also is...

Ryan Wayne White (December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990)[1] was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after failing to be re-admitted to school following an AIDS diagnosis. As a hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment (Factor VIII) and, when diagnosed in December 1984, was given six months to live. Doctors said he posed no risk to other students, but AIDS was poorly understood by the general public at the time. When Ryan tried to return to school, many parents and teachers in Howard County rallied against his attendance due to concerns of the disease spreading through bodily fluid transfer. A lengthy administrative appeal process ensued, and news of the conflict turned Ryan into a popular celebrity and advocate for AIDS research and public education. Surprising his doctors, Ryan White lived five years longer than predicted but died on April 8, 1990, one month before his high school graduation.​

​

53. 9/11 Responders.

Guy with the bullhorn is GH Bush.


59. [woman with 2 small children]

That's Bill & Melinda Gates with children

 

[marni1971]

Saw the show today. Projection looks great and is a huge improvement. Sad to see several effects not working. Fiber optic welding not working, rain not working, several smoke effect not functioning properly.

That’s sad to hear. Rains been intermittent over the last year.

So long as Mark Twain isn’t smoking out of his ears at the exposition again that’s a plus in my book.

 

[peter11435]

That’s sad to hear. Rains been intermittent over the last year.

So long as Mark Twain isn’t smoking out of his ears at the exposition again that’s a plus in my book.

The only smoke was for chief Joseph and it was only barely working.

 

[jt04]

I ahve never agreed with you more than with your comments in this thread. But I fear celeb culture is so rampant in the US that the average guest really would want to see celebs as embodiments of American virtue and achievement.

And, also, just wants to look only at celebs period.

WDW's narrators and presenters were once ordinary unknown voice-artists, now look at just EPCOT alone: Energy, Canada (both the singer and the presenter), Imagination, SSE, M:S - all celebs nowadays. Even the toons are some sort of celeb culture, no seas or Mexico or Norway without some known character.

Celebrity culture is attempting to supplant established societal moorings. Much of it is quite vacuous and those that get the stamp of approval to be our 'examples' often lack what is needed to make it work anyway.

This is new and not inspiring. And I tend towards optimism.

It is no wonder they are working so hard to legalize drugs and telling us implants might be what we lack.

 

[Figment82]

I remember taking the Backstage Magic tour, I think it was back in 2000? Around that timeframe anyway, and the tour guide went on and on about show quality, and how they would never run AA if even tiny effects were broken, like Mark Twain’s cigar not smoking. Every time I see that an effect in any attraction is missing/broken, I think of that comment and don’t know whether to laugh or cry...

 

[RSoxNo1]

I'm 99% sure it's Tatyana McFadden, who was the first person to win all of the World Marathon Majors in a single year (able-bodied or otherwise) and has done a lot to fight for disabled athletes' rights. She's at the beginning of her career, where the Hoyts were at the end of theirs; even though she may not be as instantly-recognizable as them, I suspect she'll remain 'current' for years to come

I'm sad to lose the Hoyts because they really were pioneers in the field, but she's a worthy replacement IMO

Agreed. McFadden won the 2014 and 2016 Boston Marathon's for what it's worth, but that footage is not from Boston.

 

[180º]

The new version of Golden Dream is alright. The female vocalist is really good. I miss a few things from the last version, though. There are a lot of unwelcome added drums that just kind of saunter around during the "Restless one..." verse, ruining some of the beauty of that section. I miss the lonely choir + strings there. I'm actually okay with the drums in the finale. If anything, they make it sound a little too energetic.