Deleted show elements

WDWCPF98

WDWCPF98

Member
Original Poster
Hi all,

So I just finished reading the thread: "Hidden/Secret/Unknown/Unseen Disney List" and it made me think if there were any other fun Disney details that I could remember. But then I remembered certain show elements that have been removed or changed from current attractions. I could think of about five things:
  • The jumping fish from the first indoor scene in Splash are no longer there. (I miss these most of all. They gave that scene more energy and made it more exciting.)
  • They no longer take your picture when the elevators doors first open in Tower. It used to be that the photo was shown in the giant eye when the elevator slides into the 5th dimension. Now the same generic picture is used in the eye each time. The photo made it more fun to ride! It was another oppertunity to make a silly pose!
  • When Dinosaur was still Countdown to Extinction, the time rover would pause before the first dino to lunge at the vechile and you would hear a voice say that the vechile lost power. Now when the time rover pauses you hear "loss of traction" but you neither feel nor hear tires spinning. The first phrase better fit the attraction.
  • Actually that attraction just seemed more fun in 1998. The name "Countdown to Extinction" was sooo much more exciting than, "Dinosaur"... and the Dino Institute looked more real without the huge "Time Rover Exhibit" banners. There was a greater sense of adventure because you couldn't tell what to expect from looking at the seemingly tame Institute from the outside or from the queue.
  • And correct me if I'm wrong but the shaking bridge before the elephant habitat on the sarfari no longer shakes...
Those were all the changes I could think of but unfortunately in these instances, I think they are all changes for the worse. Maybe someday those attractions will be brought back to their original glory. Can anyone think of any other changes, for better or for worse, to other current attractions?
 
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nyy102

Member
In addition to deleted show elements, there seemed to be quite a few things on the hidden/secret disney list they people later stated and confirmed to have been removed. It just seems like the level of detail in the parks is slowly decreasing.

100th post
 
Chape19714

Chape19714

Well-Known Member
The shaking bridge on the Safri's still exist. It sometimes doens't work, and can be turned off by remote, i believe, by the driver if a wheelchair or handicaped guest is onbaord.

I don't think CoP is that bad. test track's orignal effects are now gone, including the pryp during the truck sequence.
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
There`s a recent(ish) thread about the missing fx in CTX / Dino. Plus another about the original fx installed in Energy.
 
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uglybug2005

New Member
The bridge at Safaris depends on timing (and always has). If you're too close to the truck in front of you, or if you're going too fast, the effect does not work. The driver has a certain degree of control, and may bypass it for any number of reasons as he/she sees fit.

It is very natural to assume that the snapshot of one person's one-time experience is "the way it always is." That's what leads to so many "they took the hearse away!" threads.

The level of detail in the parks is not diminishing. Things break, and they are fixed. Unless the effect/show element is crucial to the story (i.e. Mme Leota's face in Mansion), the attraction will continue to operate and most guests will not notice. Is it ideal? no, but it's a heck of alot better for everyone than closing Jungle Cruise because one of the butterflies is not flapping its wings. In the time between damage and repair, thousands of guests might visit an attraction. For a handfull of those guests who notice, it might be an easy assumption to make that "The third butterfly no longer flaps." but that doesn't mean that it won't get fixed or that there is some concerted (or passive) effort to do things with less detail.

The Jack Sparrow figures in Pirates feature authentic reproductions of his "broken" compass. Did you notice that? If it hadn't been there, would the average guest have suffered?

Let's examine one small (and recently added) area of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Bob (of Norbu and Bob), one of the proprieters of Himalayan Escapes is from Australia. How do we know? He has a picture of his Mum in front of Sydney's iconic Opera House behind his desk.

Photos throughout the queue for Expedition Everest are actual photos of real Sherpas and climbers (including a photo of Sir Edmund Hillary).

There is a shrine on the riverbank near the Anandapur Tea Company that is shaped like the mountain. It even includes a statue of the yeti in the approximate location of the Yeti AA figure.

The red blobs in the small recessed areas on walls throughout Asia are actually statues of the Maharajah and his wife. Throughout the Himalayan region, it is customary to bless statues of kings, and even the Dali Lama by dripping red wax onto them. These statues are eventually covered completely with the wax and are unrecognizable.

There is a map of the kingdom of Anandapur on the wall of the DVC info area adjacent to the Royal Anandapur Tea Co. (A similar map of Harambe is found inside of the Tusker House restaurant in Africa).

I could go on and on, but I've gone on long enough.
 
HHI Surfer

HHI Surfer

New Member
thanks for bringing that up about the jumping fish in Splash Mountain. I remember when I first noticed that, but it had slipped from my memory since then.. there are a few other things that you missed that have bothered me too, but I think since I've been back multiple times since they were taken out I've kind of forgotten to notice they were gone.

Of course, one that springs to mind is on POTC, when the women in the houses chase the pirates in a circle in one of the scenes. The first couple of AA's in that scene used to be reversed, so that the pirate was chasing the woman.. and then later on the woman would be chasing the pirate. I always thought it was funny in that it showed how the tables could be turned (and was a very "classic Disney" joke), but they changed it around due to concerns about political correctness. It was a big controversy at the time IIRC as well.

There are tons of little things like that, things you think they could fix/replace if they malfunctioned.. I think you're right about the attention to detail slowly slipping over time :/ It's a little depressing, but I guess at some point they decided that it wasn't worth the time and effort to maintain those elements.

Hey, do they still have those side-by-side water fountains that only work if you push the button for the one opposite of you (forcing kids and their parents to work together to get a drink)? That's another part of the park that I loved that I don't remember seeing in my last few trips. I could have just missed it, I guess.
 
HHI Surfer

HHI Surfer

New Member
uglybug, you're right, there are a million tiny details that go into every ride (and yes, the lines). that's what makes Disney.. Disney. it's a true theme park, as opposed to an amusement park. they really take their themes and run with it, and that's why it's still my favorite place to go. though i do think the rides at Universal, for example, have some great elements and they do a pretty good job of theming (notice the music next time you're there.. each "land" has different styles, and every time you cross a bridge into the next one, you hear "transition" music.. and yes, i realize most of these ideas were directly copied from disney). still, it isn't disney.. it just doesn't feel as authentic, for some reason.

however, i still think disney does need to maintain those elements that are in place, and that people like you and i have always known and appreciated and look forward to in our visits. most of things that have been mentioned probably began as malfunctions and were just left that way.. and i do know that i am personally disappointed every time i notice something else that isn't there anymore, especially if it isn't a conscious change that was done in the context of a different theme or styling.
 
Expo_Seeker40

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
I too was thinking about the CoP.

Everything seems to have remained from act one since 1964: stove, well, radio, ice box,etc

However in the 1920s scene, in order to make the power go out, the segment where the appliances go crazy was shortened down in length. While that zany music is playing, things like the coffee purgulator and other smaller appliances no longer bob up and down like the bigger appliances still do.

In the 1940s scene both the oven and fridge would open along with the dishwater. The oven revealed a turkey or chicken roasting, and the fridge was stacked with goodies. Interestingly the fridge still has the GE logo on it. :cool:
 
D

darthjohnny

Active Member
I remember the eye in Tower of Terror. I used to like that. I asked years ago and they said it breaks a lot and they had to get parts from Michigan

HHI Surfer said:
Of course, one that springs to mind is on POTC, when the women in the houses chase the pirates in a circle in one of the scenes. The first couple of AA's in that scene used to be reversed, so that the pirate was chasing the woman.. and then later on the woman would be chasing the pirate. I always thought it was funny in that it showed how the tables could be turned (and was a very "classic Disney" joke), but they changed it around due to concerns about political correctness. It was a big controversy at the time IIRC as well.
Click to expand...

Weren't they supposed to change the pirates and the women to where it used to be? I remember them saying that on these forums.
 
Mad Stitch

Mad Stitch

Well-Known Member
NeedABreak said:
:eek: Everybody read this! I think I remember something like this went I went as a child. I was maybe in first or second grade at the time but that artical really rang a bell.

Wow I really wanna see that!!!
Click to expand...

I remember those blocks! Wow, I’d forgotten about those!
 
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uglybug2005

New Member
There are lots of things to keep up with, and things break all the time. Something taking a while to fix/being broken the one or two times you visit is not the same as those responsible not caring or intentionally removing show elements.
It seems to be just as natural a leap for some folks to make that "various pieces disappear occasionally = the folks in charge don't love it as much as me."
A symptom of instant communication, I suppose.
I ride Everest at 1pm on wednesday, and the yeti (for whatever reason unknown to me) is in "B" mode. I come home and post "The yeti's broken again." on the boards. Meanwhile, the yeti is back in "A" mode by about 2:30pm that same day, but in my mind, and on the internet, it's still "broken".

Also, when my little nephew closes his eyes, the universe does not disappear. He hasn't figured that out yet, but he'll be better off after that particular epiphany.
 
HHI Surfer

HHI Surfer

New Member
LudwigVonDrake said:
Have they fixed the "jumping waters" in Splash Mountain? I haven't seen that effect work in years.
Click to expand...

no :/ that's another thing that i was thinking of. and that's the sort of thing i'm talking about, uglybug, not something that's fixed the next day. your frustration with people complaining about that is totally understandable - but some things don't get fixed.
 

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