Arendelle, Motorboats, and Monorails

[Disney Irish]

You guys are taking the word "portal" too literally. We aren't talking about a physical object such as a door that physically transports you to another location. As @Practical Pig described it, its a psychological transition that takes your mind through a journey to the new location.

Think of it this way, when you walk under the train tracks from the entrance gates to Main St you are walking through an imaginary portal into the world of Disney. Even if that portal is just in your mind, its still a portal.

And so by extension the entrance into each of the lands and sub-lands are also portals. For example when we walk into the new GE next year we will be walking through a portal into the world of Star Wars.

So if they did create a Zootopia sub-land in Critter Country, not saying they will or that I want it, but if they did a portal transition can be used.

 

[Professortango1]

The backstory for TT is that it was hidden from the world until Mickey opened the gates, the "portal", into TT. If the gates were permanently closed the portal would close and TT would be hidden from the world again, or so the story goes. Which I assume is the story they will tell if TT ever closes.

Again the "portal" is any storytelling device that is used to transition from one area to another that you couldn't normally get to. Its a common storytelling device used in many stories. Even in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the basis for DL TT, they have a portal device used when Valiant drives through the tunnel into TT.

There isn't a portal in the film, its a tunnel. I'm not going through a portal when I go through a tunnel to a different part of the city. The film also shows that Toon Town is an urban district as Valiant has a scene where they are at the berm to Toon Town and Yosemite Sam flies over a nearby wall of Toon Town. It's just an area of the city, an allegory for black communities which were destroyed to put in freeways.

And Portals in a Theme Park are troublesome as a land is basically a portal into a world. I'd be like having a National Treasure portal in Adventureland. Sure, the movies are adventure movies, but the world is so different from the land that it would just seem like a mini-land and attraction were shoved where they don't belong (see Mission BO for reference.)

 

[Rich T]

But it is an allegory on race in our world. And when they make such a statement, they better be prepared to receive criticism. Its like Bright. Yes, its a fantasy world, but the obvious allegory is more problematic than helpful.

Zootopia has similarities to our world, but it's not our world, and it's not a straight-forward allegory. In our world, we all evolved from one species. The movie asks the sci-fi question, what if a society evolved from all kinds of different species, yet faced the same kinds of issues we face? What weird twists would they have to deal with in an effort to make sure everyone is treated fairly? It's a neat speculative discussion point. The film makers were careful to mix things up so that there is no simple black/white divide. There are different types of bigotry witnessed in different situations that effect everyone at one point or another: The Police Force is the most species-balanced group in the city, yet they blatantly discriminate based on size, and Judy has to break that glass ceiling and force the Chief to face his own prejudices.

It's a movie that invites discussion (the opening history lesson--later proven inaccurate by Judy's discovery--you brought up is absolutely a huge talking point) and criticism. It's message, "Life is messy, but creating a fair, equal world is worth fighting for, no matter what," is wonderful. They didn't have to "go there," but they did, and I think they did it with a lot of creativity and brilliance. Just my opinion.

 

[Rich T]

Late to the party, but I'm also on the side that hates Pooh in Critter Country. They're stuffed animals who "live" in a kid's room in England. The only thing that would fix this is changing the land's name to "Folklore County" or something like that. The Pooh ride would still be awful, though.

 

[Rich T]

The DMV, lawyers, airport security and telemarketers.

The DMV and TSA are human beings holding down jobs dealing with an often-stupid and occasionally-dangerous public. Lawyers are not all the same (I know). Telemarketers...well, ya just gotta feel sorry that's the best job they could find, and they're fun to hang up on.

 

[Professortango1]

The DMV, lawyers, airport security and telemarketers.

Haha, I used to be a telemarketer. "Hi, this is Michael from the Pacific Monarch Gift Center!" I also used to work for a lawyer. Guess I need to go apply at the DMV for the trifecta!

 

[Disney Irish]

There isn't a portal in the film, its a tunnel. I'm not going through a portal when I go through a tunnel to a different part of the city. The film also shows that Toon Town is an urban district as Valiant has a scene where they are at the berm to Toon Town and Yosemite Sam flies over a nearby wall of Toon Town. It's just an area of the city, an allegory for black communities which were destroyed to put in freeways.

And Portals in a Theme Park are troublesome as a land is basically a portal into a world. I'd be like having a National Treasure portal in Adventureland. Sure, the movies are adventure movies, but the world is so different from the land that it would just seem like a mini-land and attraction were shoved where they don't belong (see Mission BO for reference.)

Again you completely missed the point, you still are thinking of the portal as a physical object. Its not, its a psychological transition that takes your mind through a journey to the new location. A book is a portal into another world, you don't physically walk into the book, you take the journey through your mind. The same goes for theme park lands, while you walk into the land its your mind that makes the journey through a portal into that world. The more immersive it is the easier it is for the mind to journey through the portal. Having a physical object that you walk through just makes it easier for some people's mind to make the journey through the portal.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You guys are taking the word "portal" too literally. We aren't talking about a physical object such as a door that physically transports you to another location. As @Practical Pig described it, its a psychological transition that takes your mind through a journey to the new location.

Think of it this way, when you walk under the train tracks from the entrance gates to Main St you are walking through an imaginary portal into the world of Disney. Even if that portal is just in your mind, its still a portal.

And so by extension the entrance into each of the lands and sub-lands are also portals. For example when we walk into the new GE next year we will be walking through a portal into the world of Star Wars.

So if they did create a Zootopia sub-land in Critter Country, not saying they will or that I want it, but if they did a portal transition can be used.

Portals denote contrast but you are trying to use one to create commonality.

 

[Disney Irish]

Portals denote contrast but you are trying to use one to create commonality.

No portals are transitions, something that takes you from one location to the next. Its not about contrast, its about transition.

The definition of Portal is literally an entrance way:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portal

 

[Professortango1]

Again you completely missed the point, you still are thinking of the portal as a physical object. Its not, its a psychological transition that takes your mind through a journey to the new location. A book is a portal into another world, you don't physically walk into the book, you take the journey through your mind. The same goes for theme park lands, while you walk into the land its your mind that makes the journey through a portal into that world. The more immersive it is the easier it is for the mind to journey through the portal. Having a physical object that you walk through just makes it easier for some people's mind to make the journey through the portal.

So you're saying that a land is a portal and a ride/area that doesn't fit the land can be added by just adding an entryway that's immersive? So we can put Spiderman in NOS so long as we put a portal? I don't understand this. First you said a portal could be used in a physical sense. Now you're saying a portal is a state of mind. Either way, it wouldn't make sense to have Zootopia in Critter Country. It doesn't fit. Even if you add the most immersive portal, its still a fictional cityscape with animals living as people in an area that's been established as the real world historic Southern wilderness where the critters talk.

 

[Disney Irish]

So you're saying that a land is a portal and a ride/area that doesn't fit the land can be added by just adding an entryway that's immersive? So we can put Spiderman in NOS so long as we put a portal? I don't understand this. First you said a portal could be used in a physical sense. Now you're saying a portal is a state of mind. Either way, it wouldn't make sense to have Zootopia in Critter Country. It doesn't fit. Even if you add the most immersive portal, its still a fictional cityscape with animals living as people in an area that's been established as the real world historic Southern wilderness where the critters talk.

Oh that's right I forgot critters actually talked back in the mid-1800s in the deep south, so of course its real world.

Its not meant to be truly historic, its a fantasy representation. Critters don't really talk, so why can't you have a sub-land where that narrative of animals talking is pushed into a fictional cityscape.

 

[lazyboy97o]

No portals are transitions, something that takes you from one location to the next. Its not about contrast, its about transition.

You don’t transition from this to this, so even a transition is about difference.

Theme parks are a built environment and a portal is a specific concept. They are exactly what you used as examples. The transition between Frontierland and New Orleans Square is not a portal. Portals are a type of transition, a binary transition, and therefore they do not effectively denote subtle change.

 

[Professortango1]

Oh that's right I forgot critters actually talked back in the mid-1800s in the deep south, so of course its real world.

Its not meant to be truly historic, its a fantasy representation. Critters don't really talk, so why can't you have a sub-land where that narrative of animals talking is pushed into a fictional cityscape.

Apples and oranges. The entire West side of the park is rooted in reality. Adventureland, Frontierland, NOS, and even Critter Country. Its an extension. Sure, the land is fantastical with talking animals, but they are meant to be real animals within our real world.

As many have pointed out Pooh is a break, but it works because people don't associate Pooh with England so the deep south locale doesn't feel disrupted and people also don't think of Pooh as a stuffed animal and different from Brer Rabbit, so the talking animals feels consistent to most guests. Zootopia breaks from the setting as it is a modern urban landscape. Its also animals that don't exist in our world, but a world of their own. That's two distinct breaks, making the inclusion seem out of place. It would be like adding National Treasure to Adventureland. Sure, its similar to Indiana Jones, but the tone and setting don't gel with the established land, even if there is a portal.

 

[Disney Irish]

You don’t transition from this to this, so even a transition is about difference.

Theme parks are a built environment and a portal is a specific concept. They are exactly what you used as examples. The transition between Frontierland and New Orleans Square is not a portal. Portals are a type of transition, a binary transition, and therefore they do not effectively denote subtle change.

Portals can denote any transition the creator wants them to, its not isolated to your specific definition. A Portal by definition is an entryway into something else, that entryway can be small or grandiose.

 

[shortstop]

The connection between Critter Country and Zootopia is nonexistent in terms of theme, aesthetic, location, etc. I don’t understand the appeal. Not to mention the idea of a mini-land inside Critter Country is silly considering Critter Country itself is basically a mini-land already.

Also, I know many here aren’t familiar with WDW, but the idea of Zootopia in DAK makes me want to hurl.

 

[Disney Irish]

Apples and oranges. The entire West side of the park is rooted in reality. Adventureland, Frontierland, NOS, and even Critter Country. Its an extension. Sure, the land is fantastical with talking animals, but they are meant to be real animals within our real world.

As many have pointed out Pooh is a break, but it works because people don't associate Pooh with England so the deep south locale doesn't feel disrupted and people also don't think of Pooh as a stuffed animal and different from Brer Rabbit, so the talking animals feels consistent to most guests. Zootopia breaks from the setting as it is a modern urban landscape. Its also animals that don't exist in our world, but a world of their own. That's two distinct breaks, making the inclusion seem out of place. It would be like adding National Treasure to Adventureland. Sure, its similar to Indiana Jones, but the tone and setting don't gel with the established land, even if there is a portal.

We just aren't going to see eye-to-eye on this, in reality (the true reality) Zootopia is not going into DL at this point anyways. My point was about how a Portal can be used to put in a property that can fit if they wanted it to.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

Y'all are crazy with all this portal talk...

Especially since Portal is actually a video game where you walk through walls.

 

[Phroobar]

 

[TROR]

Can we all just agree that Bambi would make a better attraction in Critter Country than Winnie the Pooh?

 

[Practical Pig]

Can we all just agree that Bambi would make a better attraction in Critter Country than Winnie the Pooh?

Something like this?