Better Scripts for CMs - Lasseter having an effect

[TyrantBoss]

On my recent visit to Disney World (I go annually) I noticed a very distinct change on the vast majority of the attractions. The CM Scripts have noticeably improved from last year.

1) Haunted Mansion: The CMs are playing up the "death" angle more so than the last several years past. "Fill in all of the dead space", "I need two bodies", etc, etc.

2) Hollywood Studios (Art of Animation): In the mushu interaction the CM script was tighter, far more sharp and far more entertaining.

3) Jungle Cruise: Our tour guide was FANTASTIC! The rapid fire delivery of her puns was very much like the old scripts from the late 70's/Early 80's. The Jungle Cruise was getting rather boring. It was always the CMs that made the ride...and now the ride is awesome yet again.

Those are just some more notable changes. The overall scripts were better. The CMs were better and the parks as a whole are far more improved.

Has anyone else noticed this?


- TyrantBoss
"Now Get to Work!"

 

[TP2000]

That sounds like good news!

But I'm confused with the connection to John Lasseter in this change.

 

[TyrantBoss]

Lasseter - Parks and Disney Animation - OOPS

Oops is right. I thought that Lasseter took over the Parks as well as Animation. That's my mistake.

Either way, whatever changes they are making....are awesome. Just what the parks needed to up the ante.


Thanks for the catch.

 

[Mansion Butler]

On my recent visit to Disney World (I go annually) I noticed a very distinct change on the vast majority of the attractions. The CM Scripts have noticeably improved from last year.

1) Haunted Mansion: The CMs are playing up the "death" angle more so than the last several years past. "Fill in all of the dead space", "I need two bodies", etc, etc.

The Haunted Mansion doesn't have a script. There are suggested phrases to say and not to say, and for the most part what you hear depends on what the CM you get feels like saying.

Also, at least one of the things you like CMs saying they are explicitly told on signage and in information NOT to say.

 

[TyrantBoss]

The Haunted Mansion doesn't have a script. There are suggested phrases to say and not to say, and for the most part what you hear depends on what the CM you get feels like saying.

Also, at least one of the things you like CMs saying they are explicitly told on signage and in information NOT to say.

I was impressed thought because, even they are only "recommendations" pretty much every CM was making those comments. Much much better than in the past.

What are they told not to say?

Because they also said "Step lively now, no time to kill"

-TyrantBoss
"Now Get Back to Work!"

 

[darthspielberg]

When I went last March one CM was hilarious, although very un-intentionally. She had a very thick accent and just screamed DEAD CENTER! DEAD CENTER OF ROOM! to get guest to move to the center of the stretching room. I think she scared more kids than the Ghost Host did.

 

[MAF]

1) Haunted Mansion: The CMs are playing up the "death" angle more so than the last several years past. "Fill in all of the dead space", "I need two bodies", etc, etc.

Uh the last time I was there, 2008, they said the exact same lines. Its nothing new...

 

[Enchantâmes]

They've been saying things like that in HM for a long time now, I remember them saying fill in all the dead space back in the 90's.

 

[Bonemachine]

As far as the Haunted Mansion, what I noticed and was really ed off about was some jackass reciting the lines that the narrator was about to say, before he said them. In other words, completely ruining it for everyone besides the maybe two or three other fanatics in that stretching room. That is incredibly rude and obnoxious.

Did that happen the first time THEY rode it? Did someone blurt out the lines instead of the voice that the imagineers who built the ride themselves chose to have narrate the story, when they originally fell in love with the attraction? Probably not. Do they want their favorite attraction to have any new fans? It's incredibly annoying FYI, and isn't gaining it any fanfare.

 

[askmike1]

On my recent visit to Disney World (I go annually) I noticed a very distinct change on the vast majority of the attractions. The CM Scripts have noticeably improved from last year.

1) Haunted Mansion: The CMs are playing up the "death" angle more so than the last several years past. "Fill in all of the dead space", "I need two bodies", etc, etc.

2) Hollywood Studios (Art of Animation): In the mushu interaction the CM script was tighter, far more sharp and far more entertaining.

3) Jungle Cruise: Our tour guide was FANTASTIC! The rapid fire delivery of her puns was very much like the old scripts from the late 70's/Early 80's. The Jungle Cruise was getting rather boring. It was always the CMs that made the ride...and now the ride is awesome yet again.

Those are just some more notable changes. The overall scripts were better. The CMs were better and the parks as a whole are far more improved.

Has anyone else noticed this?


- TyrantBoss
"Now Get to Work!"

Hate to tell you, but those attractions have been like that pretty much forever. You are just as likely to go on Jungle Cruise and get a skipper who goes by-the-book (12 inch wingspan, inspiration falls, etc) as you are to get one who goes far above and beyond. There are Haunted Mansion CMs who really get into it while there are others who do what they need to do.

When you see a CM go above and beyond, it should rightfully be attributed to that CM... John Lasseter has absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

[El-Fuego]

CMs Rule

I have to agree that the CMs are key to the enjoyment of the ride.

While some are absolutely fantastic others can fall short of the mark and put over a lazy performance. That being said it must be so difficult to keep up the levels of enthusiasm when they must've done the ride / show several times that day / week / month already.

I am always appreciative of a great CM and make sure they know it with a round of applause and a thank you on the way out.

Anyone know if there's a policy of rotation for interactive CMs to stop them getting stale and if so what's the average length of time a CM will spend on one particular ride?

Surprisingly some of the best CMs in Disney are the resort bus drivers. When you get a good one they're pure gold. They'll be telling jokes, spouting information and singing you all the way back to your hotel.

 

[askmike1]

I have to agree that the CMs are key to the enjoyment of the ride.

While some are absolutely fantastic others can fall short of the mark and put over a lazy performance. That being said it must be so difficult to keep up the levels of enthusiasm when they must've done the ride / show several times that day / week / month already.

I am always appreciative of a great CM and make sure they know it with a round of applause and a thank you on the way out.

Anyone know if there's a policy of rotation for interactive CMs to stop them getting stale and if so what's the average length of time a CM will spend on one particular ride?

Surprisingly some of the best CMs in Disney are the resort bus drivers. When you get a good one they're pure gold. They'll be telling jokes, spouting information and singing you all the way back to your hotel.

There is no such policy I am aware of. There are some CMs who have been in the same role for years upon years. It's really a matter of their own circumstances. Also keep in mind that many roles are filled via the Disney College Program and International Programs. These Cast Members are only in the role for 4-18 months and a new wave comes in every January, May and August.

 

[Jrn14]

Yeah I think this is all completely coincidence... I love the variety of skipper's you get on The Jungle Cruise... that's what makes it so much fun it's different every time.

I love the spointinatiy and when CMs vary a little bit.

I wish the CMs on the great movie ride could/would change up the script a little bit... The "I see Dead People" line only works so many times.

 

[MysticOrient]

PLEASE change the spiel of The Great Movie Ride!

My daughter (fortunately or unfortunately) LOVES the Great (Big) Movie Ride and we must go on it all the time. I'm generally OK with that as I like the ride as a nice place to rest, cool off, and see the stuff. However, what is like nails on a chalkboard is the fact that every single CM says the exact same thing...

"I see dead people... the horror genre is one of my favorites" (or something like that).

I wish they'd give them a little (a lot) more leeway to improvise, but every single one says the exact same thing! (Oh, did I mention that already???)

Judy

 

[TyrantBoss]

Judy-

I have to agree with you on this one. I actually have to force myself to go on that ride because I know I am in for the same thing time and time again.

More often than not the CM that plays Mugsy never plays the part right. This visit was no exception. While he played the part tough you couldn't hear a word that he said.

I wish Disney would introduce new movies or vary the themes a bit. Back in the 80's when they build MGM the movie piece at the end worked. Now, with the easy access to movie clips on the web, that piece no longer really works. We have all seen these clips a billion times.

I think something knew should be done at the end. Perhaps a reveal of a room filled with animatronics. Tons of celebrity animatronics surrounding the passengers on all sides and have those animatronics in the roles that made them famous.

I would be amazing to see the Imagineers do this and integrate them all into one central theme "Hooray for Hollywood" perhaps.

Disney could do so much more with that ride in particular.

-Tyrant Boss
"Now Get Back to Work!"

 

[Malvito]

Now, with the easy access to movie clips on the web, that piece no longer really works. We have all seen these clips a billion times....


I think something knew should be done at the end. Perhaps a reveal of a room filled with animatronics. Tons of celebrity animatronics surrounding the passengers on all sides and have those animatronics in the roles that made them famous.

I would be amazing to see the Imagineers do this and integrate them all into one central theme "Hooray for Hollywood" perhaps.

The concept sounds nice. The problem would lay in the licensing and the construction of the new AAs, both of which would be both costly and time-consuming. One responder to the Unofficial Guide requested such movies as The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire, among others, which would be a licensing nightmare.

I always considered the different tableau to represent genres as often as specific movies, especially the Gangster and Western rooms.

Not that change would not be welcome; since the superhero genre has bloomed, a room dedicated to it would be a nice change, easier now that Disney has acquired Marvel. (It would work better than Condorman.) And definitely something that could represent the older musicals better than the Busby Berkely Revolving Wedding Cake Decoration.

Just because the film clips are available on The Web doesn't necessarily mean that they are legally available. For an official usage, such as in the Great Movie Ride, royalties would be involved.

As a performer at Renaissance Festivals, I can relate to the desire for fresher scripts; it is just as wearying to repeat a script ad infinitum as it is to hear it. At the same time, there are two things to keep in mind:

A) Not everybody is a regular/repeat visitor; the OP heard lines that may not have been fresh but were delivered with enough verve to make them seem to be fresh. It's not the script; it's the performer.

B) Thinking up new lines is not as easy as it appears. Especially since it's Disney, i.e. gotta keep it reasonably positive, family-friendly, etc.

Once again, I am not opposed to change; I am just noting that it is easier on the WDWMagic boards than in real life, especially in the case of an attraction like this one.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

The Haunted Mansion doesn't have a script. There are suggested phrases to say and not to say, and for the most part what you hear depends on what the CM you get feels like saying.

Also, at least one of the things you like CMs saying they are explicitly told on signage and in information NOT to say.

Ugh. I've read before that the butlers and maids have been discouraged from using some of the more macabre phrases by management.

I think it's ridiculous. All those death puns are some of my favorite things about not just the ride, but any Disney experience I can think of. I hate the idea that they're trying to water down the Mansion (and I like hearing that some CM's have selective hearing when it comes to those edicts).

 

[Neverland]

Actually, from my understanding, Jungle Cruise is being cracked down upon. My skipper friend got in big trouble because a manager had actually hidden on his boat, and my friend had gone off-script. He also told me that managers will hide out in the bushes and watch the boats, listening for any unapproved jokes. If your skipper says something that is hilarious, but off-script, he's risking his neck to do that, so appreciate it. :lookaroun

And if I'm not mistaken, Lasseter was once a jungle skipper in DL, so, yeah, I don't think he would be behind making the scripts more bland. :/ And it's also my understanding that Disneyland's Jungle Cruise is way more strict about scripts than WDW's is. My DL friends were amazed when I showed them videos of our JC, because the skippers were saying things that weren't on the script, and apparently that does not happen in Disneyland.

 

[RSoxNo1]

On my recent visit to Disney World (I go annually) I noticed a very distinct change on the vast majority of the attractions. The CM Scripts have noticeably improved from last year.

1) Haunted Mansion: The CMs are playing up the "death" angle more so than the last several years past. "Fill in all of the dead space", "I need two bodies", etc, etc.

2) Hollywood Studios (Art of Animation): In the mushu interaction the CM script was tighter, far more sharp and far more entertaining.

3) Jungle Cruise: Our tour guide was FANTASTIC! The rapid fire delivery of her puns was very much like the old scripts from the late 70's/Early 80's. The Jungle Cruise was getting rather boring. It was always the CMs that made the ride...and now the ride is awesome yet again.

Those are just some more notable changes. The overall scripts were better. The CMs were better and the parks as a whole are far more improved.

Has anyone else noticed this?


- TyrantBoss
"Now Get to Work!"

I had 3 excellent Skippers on the Jungle Cruise last week 2 guys and a girl. I remember the best guy's name (Josh), but all 3 had unique jokes.

 

[juniorthomas]

John Lasseter is Chief Creative Officer at Disney, so his reach does extend to the parks.