Eh... I blame Mr. Chapek.
Imagineering can design anything they want, and it can look gorgeous and lush and otherworldly. Have you seen the new version of Soarin' that just debuted this month at Tokyo DisneySea? It makes the DCA facility and queue look like an industrial storage yard, and makes the Orlando version look like a boring Midwest airport. Oh, wait, that's all WDI could give us in Anaheim and Orlando because that's all the money they had to work with.
Tokyo Soaring Fantastic Flight Interior Queue
Anaheim Soarin' Over California Interior Queue
Orlando Soarin' Around The World Interior Queue
I'm thinking Tokyo wins on this one. As it tends to do with every cloned ride they get from the American parks.
But Imagineering can only build what they are budgeted for. And Mr. Chapek gives them that budget. And then apparently Mr. Chapek even cuts the budget further after construction begins and removes all the entertainment and interactive stuff that WDI already went on record publicly stating that a project or new land would have. Because Mr. Chapek apparently knows better than the Imagineers what theme park audiences want and how to tell an effective story and IMMERSE you?
And so a Spiderman exit gift shop to the video game dark ride has to look like an oil change and brake repair place in Santa Ana?
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Yes, I blame Mr. Chapek for stuff like this. Definitely Mr. Chapek.