Big Disneyland Tribute in Ready Player One

Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just saw RP1. While Disney doesn't get much attention in the film's virtual reality world (that I could spot) beyond R2D2 and a couple of SW vehicles, there is one major scene which should make all Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor fans break into a big, goofy grin. There's no way it's not a direct tribute to the ride's most iconic moment.

I personally loved the movie. Crazy fun from start to finish, wisely focusing on the Willy Wonka-ish elements of the story. Much funnier, sweeter and lighter-on-its-feet than I expected. Better than the book. Mark Rylance's performance as Halliday is amazing. Spielberg actually managed to capture everything that makes the best video games exhilarating for the players and make it all work emotionally as a film.
 
Disney Irish

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Rich T said:
Just saw RP1. While Disney doesn't get much attention in the film's virtual reality world (that I could spot) beyond R2D2 and a couple of SW vehicles, there is one major scene which should make all Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor fans break into a big, goofy grin. There's no way it's not a direct tribute to the ride's most iconic moment.

I personally loved the movie. Crazy fun from start to finish, wisely focusing on the Willy Wonka-ish elements of the story. Much funnier, sweeter and lighter-on-its-feet than I expected. Better than the book. Mark Rylance's performance as Halliday is amazing. Spielberg actually managed to capture everything that makes the best video games exhilarating for the players and make it all work emotionally as a film.
Click to expand...

FYI, ILM did all of the virtual reality sequences, a lot of the pop culture Easter eggs are without Spielberg's knowledge. The big ones he of course was involved in, but the smaller ones are a direct result of ILM artists.
 
Stevek

Stevek

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
Just saw RP1. While Disney doesn't get much attention in the film's virtual reality world (that I could spot) beyond R2D2 and a couple of SW vehicles, there is one major scene which should make all Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor fans break into a big, goofy grin. There's no way it's not a direct tribute to the ride's most iconic moment.

I personally loved the movie. Crazy fun from start to finish, wisely focusing on the Willy Wonka-ish elements of the story. Much funnier, sweeter and lighter-on-its-feet than I expected. Better than the book. Mark Rylance's performance as Halliday is amazing. Spielberg actually managed to capture everything that makes the best video games exhilarating for the players and make it all work emotionally as a film.
Click to expand...
I thought the movie was very good...oddly enough, I didn't make the HM connection so much until you brought it up. I see it now, didn't resonate with me then (and I'm a big HM fan) maybe because I was so caught up in the story versus that specific visual...and I was focused on the other movie they referring to during that portion of the movie.
 
TROR

TROR

Well-Known Member
Someone spoil it for me since I have no plans to watch this movie. Also, when you say "the ride's most iconic moment," I'm confused because everything about it is iconic. Stretching Room, changing portraits, Madame Leota, the ballroom, the attic, singing busts, hitchhiking ghosts. Which is it?? I guess I can deduce not the hitchhiking ghosts because you said Phantom Manor, but still!
 
Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
TROR said:
Someone spoil it for me since I have no plans to watch this movie. Also, when you say "the ride's most iconic moment," I'm confused because everything about it is iconic. Stretching Room, changing portraits, Madame Leota, the ballroom, the attic, singing busts, hitchhiking ghosts. Which is it?? I guess I can deduce not the hitchhiking ghosts because you said Phantom Manor, but still!
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Yes, it's the ballroom dancers (my pick for the ride's single most iconic scene). The clue "A creation hated by its creator" leads the heroes to Stanley Kubric's version of The Shining where lots of hijinks ensue in the hotel until they finally find the ballroom dancers. The ghosts initially look classy until the dance is interrupted, and then things get all gnarly Phantom Manor break-apart corpsy. And the resolution actually made me tear up (Silvestri's excellent score at work).

And, honestly, it's a fun, sweet film. Don't be put off by all the talk about the 80's nostalgia and pop references: it's really not distracting in context of its Citizen Kane-like quest and pretty much serves as a "safe" way to portray the future without trying to guess what new pop icons will be around in 2050.
 
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Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just a couple of more thoughts about RP1 ftom a Disneyland fan's perspective:

The future world's "True Fans" of the Oasis's creator, Halliday, think of him the same way lifelong DL fans think of Walt Disney; with this huge feeling of gratitude for all the fun he brought into their lives. One of the film's final scenes really got me teary-eyed over that connection. And, of course, the way the film's villain is a non-fan who sees the Oasis simply as a money making machine that could be monetized much further... well, there one could see elements of DL's recent management direction.

George Lucas On a Bench made the best comment about how many AP holders treat DL the way everyone uses the Oasis in RP1. I love how at the end
the decision is made to close the Oasis on Tuesdays and Thursdays for everyone's good. I kinda wish they'd made it Mondays and Tuesdays to match the days DL used to close in the off-season. :D
 
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Ismael Flores

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
It is very Haunted mansion like, it also reminded me of the ballroom but they are not ghosts in the movie.
In RP1 They are zombies dancing
 
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Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ismael Flores said:
It is very Haunted mansion like, it also reminded me of the ballroom but they are not ghosts in the movie. In RP1 They are zombies dancing
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But Zombies don't float in the air. Yet, ghosts can't be struck, so your right, but... they're glowing, luminescent zombies that look like ghosts... until Artemis starts fighting them and their arms rip off... Do they change from ghosts to zombies? Are they zhosts? It's a VR video game, so anything's possible. I wanna see the screenplay! Mr. Spielberg! :D
 
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Ismael Flores

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
But Zombies don't float in the air. Yet, ghosts can't be struck, so your right, but... they're glowing, luminescent zombies that look like ghosts... until Artemis starts fighting them and their arms rip off... Do they change from ghosts to zombies? Are they zhosts? It's a VR video game, so anything's possible. I wanna see the screenplay! Mr. Spielberg! :D
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SPOILERS!!!!!



If I remember correctly they mention it in the dialogue when they are trying to figure out the clues. one of the characters say they are zombies and then say that it was odd because there were no zombies in the shining.

they later realized that it is part of the clue,

Halliday biggest regret was taking Kira to see the movie instead of taking her dancing. The dance scene representing the desire hat Karen had to go dancing and the zombies being her eternal damnation of never having had that dance with Halliday
 
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