DHS: 2014 vs 2021

Which park would you rather visit?

  • Total voters
    194
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
rle4lunch said:
The only thing I miss is the Osborne family Christmas lights. Otherwise it's far better now.
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This is my take as well.

The entertainment not all running isn't ideal, but I think in general DHS is better than it has ever been with the current offerings. So, right now I'd say February 2020 was probably peak DHS before they shut down, but once they bring back Fantasmic! and the other entertainment, it will be solid.
 
Movielover

Movielover

Well-Known Member
skypilot2922 said:
I preferred the golden age theme and entertainment, Star Wars should have had its own gate with elements of both classic and Iger Star wars and there should have been ONE of them not two half baked ‘lands’ in DL and WDW
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While I do love Galaxies Edge I will agree that a whole new gate would have been incredible.
 
DonaldDoleWhip

DonaldDoleWhip

Well-Known Member
Following up here, I’ve walked around DHS a few times over the last two weeks - am really missing the Great Movie Ride.

Besides the unique format and length of the attraction, its final montage always felt like a thesis statement for the park. It’s similar in importance to some of Epcot’s major losses, but at least SSE fills a similar role, and Harmonious still might.

Seriously, this moment perfectly captured the ‘why’ behind DHS, working studio or not:




(Updated the link to show the pre-TCM montage)

Now, I feel like the park has nothing to say besides, “it’s Toy Story, you like this,” “it’s Mickey, you like him,” and finally, “it’s Star Wars, please like this!”

The headliners might be fun, but the park feels so empty and vacuous, and it would even if all the shows returned.
 
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C

celluloid

Well-Known Member
I miss having Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground more than Toy Story Land in terms of theme. Toy Story Mania was already there. Tower of Terror did not have the bad show elements and was not a constant limited operation. Great Movie Ride was a people eater and always a comfort ride. No Genie Plus and Fastpass Plus had more options to spread the crowds. There was still more of a variety of live entertainment as well.

Rise of the Reistance is great, but my entire day was better in this case of 2014.
 
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Y

YouMakeTheWorldGoRound

Active Member
Centauri Space Station said:
They had the GMR and Animation tour. But they also had lots of space wasted by backlot facades, a decaying backlot tour, aging Fantasmic, one track of TSMM, a book store instead of baseline, commissary was serving inedible crap and a bad car stunt show
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DHS definitely had a lot of problems in 2014 but I feel like for me on the whole, the recent additions have ranged from
"This is objectively worse" to "it's okay I guess"

GMR to MMRR is a downgrade in my opinion
Art of Animation to Launch Bay is a huge downgrade
And the continued watering down of the Golden Age of Hollywood aesthetics also makes me sad.

Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story land while popular feel like huge missed opportunities. With GE feeling bleak, static, and disorganized and Toy Story land disjointed and unsubstantial. Additions in the coming years and decades may make them more complete but as is neither of these lands lives up to the enormous potential.
 
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DisneyDebRob

DisneyDebRob

Well-Known Member
Centauri Space Station said:
They had the GMR and Animation tour. But they also had lots of space wasted by backlot facades, a decaying backlot tour, aging Fantasmic, one track of TSMM, a book store instead of baseline, commissary was serving inedible crap and a bad car stunt show
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I’ll take the bookstore with coffee and a treat while taking in Osborne lights. Commissary is still serving crap IMO. The extra tracks for TSMM and TSL are great additions but still favor 2014. Just not a Star Wars guy. Now if it was Star Trek I might have a different opinion.🙂
 
zipadee999

zipadee999

Well-Known Member
A few weeks ago, I went to this park and had the best time I’ve had in any theme park. This is from someone who’s been going to all of the Disney, universal, seaworld, and cedar fair parks his whole life. I’ve also experienced both versions of this park, as I went in 2013. This is easily my favorite of the 4 Disney parks. It has an energy to it that’s just unmatched. I could spend days here and never get bored just because it has such a nice feel to it. ROTR and TOT are my favorite attractions ever, and are the perfect headliners. The park today is AGES better than it was when I went before, and I think that it’s because it has adopted the old USF method of putting you in the movies. People say that the park’s disjointed, but I couldn’t disagree more. The front half is about seeing where the movies are made, and the back half is about stepping inside of them. Very reminiscent of old school USF. Could it use an extra ride? Sure. But it arguably has the two most major e-tickets in the whole resort. This sounds odd to say about DHS, but I actually couldn’t get everything done in one day and had to return the next day. There’s so much to explore and simply take in. If it keeps growing like it is, more people might finally start putting it at #1
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
2014 is not a great time for the studios...they had already begin to water it down and muddle the concept... To me, the park was never quite right...always seemed like a half day park...not quite enough to do....but fun. The 2021 version has some plusses but it feels like it is still not quite right. TSL area was just plain wrong... It needed to be a bigger vision... and Star Wars Land needed another attraction at least and more entertainment...huge footprint, not that much to do...like TSL... Maybe if they redevelop the Echo Lake area of the park based on the Indiana Jones movies... add a big headliner and a couple smaller rides it would start to feel more complete...Redo the Animation courtyard area into a true "Toontown"...that would have always been a way better fit for the park than another version of Toy Story Land
 
zipadee999

zipadee999

Well-Known Member
Bocabear said:
2014 is not a great time for the studios...they had already begin to water it down and muddle the concept... To me, the park was never quite right...always seemed like a half day park...not quite enough to do....but fun. The 2021 version has some plusses but it feels like it is still not quite right. TSL area was just plain wrong... It needed to be a bigger vision... and Star Wars Land needed another attraction at least and more entertainment...huge footprint, not that much to do...like TSL... Maybe if they redevelop the Echo Lake area of the park based on the Indiana Jones movies... add a big headliner and a couple smaller rides it would start to feel more complete...Redo the Animation courtyard area into a true "Toontown"...that would have always been a way better fit for the park than another version of Toy Story Land
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Agreed. Part of the reason I like this park so much is because it feels so alive and vibrant because of so much expansion. Echo lake and animation felt like the only two dead-ends that need something. Although a full Indy land would be great, they could at least take out a chunk of the parking lot behind the stunt show and build an upgraded clone of IJA. Uni has gotten away with Spider-Man and transformers having the same ride system, so as long as the theming is distinct from dinosaur it would probably work here.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
zipadee999 said:
Agreed. Part of the reason I like this park so much is because it feels so alive and vibrant because of so much expansion. Echo lake and animation felt like the only two dead-ends that need something. Although a full Indy land would be great, they could at least take out a chunk of the parking lot behind the stunt show and build an upgraded clone of IJA. Uni has gotten away with Spider-Man and transformers having the same ride system, so as long as the theming is distinct from dinosaur it would probably work here.
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It would work at the studios...there are multiples of other ride systems, so that is not a great excuse... and the original Indy ride is pretty amazing...With some updated tech and new storyline this could truly be amazing. Add another ride or two in the area and create a truly transportive land and it would add so much to the park...theme it to 1930s Hong Kong or Shanghai... then it keeps the flow going on the front half of the park being 30s-40s Hollywood.
and bring back the old streetmosphere performers. That was one of the things that made it feel uniquely Disney and immersive. I remember talking to "The Girl that just got off the bus from the Midwest"...coming to Hollywood to be a movie star.... She told me about her trip...I wished her luck.... Saw her a bit later talking to a little girl...sharing the story...showing her what was in her luggage.... it was adorable. a few hours later that day, I saw her again, in the back of a car, all dressed in Hollywood glam... she pointed to me and said "Look!!! I made it!!!!!" it was magical and sweet... those moments gave the park it's heart in the early days when there were not as many rides. The park need's it's heart... Perhaps bringing entertainers into the Star Wars area could help too...
 

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