Best Attraction Overhaul

[Chris82]

Thinking about the er... shall we say... more problematic overhauls at Disney World (Journey into Your Imagination, Tiki Room Under New Management, etc) can leave one a little depressed, so I thought, why not think about attraction overhauls at Disney World that actually worked? Granted, not everybody will think all of these were an upgrade, but I am curious which ones people think were the most successful and why. (Defining "overhaul" as an attraction that is significantly revamped, but without changing the central identity of the ride, as opposed to a "replacement.") I may have missed some, too, but these are the ones I came up with:

* Spaceship Earth '94 - Jeremy Irons, an awesome, epic soundtrack, new animatronics on the way down - the poster child of an awesome attraction overhaul!
* Universe of Energy - Not that Ellen is my favorite attraction in the world, but the original desperately needed something to keep it from being so dry and informational, and I feel that the addition of celebrities and a new, humorous tone was largely a success.
* El Rio del Tiempo - The Three Caballeros overlay added some life and humor while still retaining the "Mexico-ness" of the original ride, keeping things fresh and lively.
* Test Track - opinions may vary, but I actually really like the "design your own car" and "80's-tastic" aspects of the new revamped Test Track
* Star Tours - references to the prequels aside, "The Adventures Continue" added a lot with the random events, and the general upgraded technology
* Hall of Presidents '09 - better audio/video, the awesomeness of Morgan Freeman, and a much better theme/script IMO

So what do you think? What's been WDW's most successful overhaul? What is an attraction overhaul done right?

 

[spacemt354]

Might not be the glamorous choice...but I went with Hall of Presidents. That attraction got so much better with the new script. I went on it for the first time in a while last year, and I was really impressed. They even have a Mr. Lincoln speech by himself, which is just great.

Also...while not an overhaul...if we are talking best attraction refurbs...Haunted Mansion '07 has to take the cake for me

 

[Chris82]

Might not be the glamorous choice...but I went with Hall of Presidents. That attraction got so much better with the new script. I went on it for the first time in a while last year, and I was really impressed. They even have a Mr. Lincoln speech by himself, which is just great.

Also...while not an overhaul...if we are talking best attraction refurbs...Haunted Mansion '07 has to take the cake for me

Hall of Presidents is an excellent choice to me

Haunted Mansion '07 would definitely be a refurb done right. In fact, it's hard to think of a runner-up for that category. Putting Johnny Depp in Pirates? Tastefully muted, perhaps, but doesn't really add anything beyond character recognition, which has no emotional impact on me whatsoever. Country Bear refurb? While it's nice that it's shorter, I'd rather they have cut more songs and left the banter in - the banter was my favorite part. Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain refurb is awesome, but until it comes here, doesn't count It's possible that Carousel of Progress deserves some notice, but I never saw it prior to its current version, so it's harder to compare.

I'm also hoping that the new Soarin' film goes straight to the top of this list

 

[Miru]

Star Tours, due to its innovative randomization scheme, and being a well done mix of the originals and prequels, with even some minor TV elements mixed in.

 

[spacemt354]

Hall of Presidents is an excellent choice to me

Haunted Mansion '07 would definitely be a refurb done right. In fact, it's hard to think of a runner-up for that category. Putting Johnny Depp in Pirates? Tastefully muted, perhaps, but doesn't really add anything beyond character recognition, which has no emotional impact on me whatsoever. Country Bear refurb? While it's nice that it's shorter, I'd rather they have cut more songs and left the banter in - the banter was my favorite part. Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain refurb is awesome, but until it comes here, doesn't count It's possible that Carousel of Progress deserves some notice, but I never saw it prior to its current version, so it's harder to compare.

I'm also hoping that the new Soarin' film goes straight to the top of this list

Same! I really hope the new Soarin' is impressive. I mean I like the one now, but the screen is dirty, and I've memorized the scenes

And I agree...Haunted Mansion '07 is really in a class of its own when it comes to refurbs. CoP refurb probably was nice when it first started...but now it's just so outdated....I mean "carphones"...really?

 

[Chris82]

What, nobody likes Test Track 2.0? Or nobody likes it... quite enough?

 

[JohnnyDollaz89]

Star Tours, due to its innovative randomization scheme, and being a well done mix of the originals and prequels, with even some minor TV elements mixed in.

Agreed with this!