News Disney Not Renewing Great Movie Ride Sponsorship Deal with TCM ; Attraction to Close

[ToTBellHop]

clos

I agree it is. It's fleshed out, with a theme, mostly. But it's fleshed out with a lot of flat rides. A rapids ride (albeit better than Kali). I'd argue DHS has great theming as well. I like DHS, but it's a small park. The front half is fine. We have nice attractions. But there's not many of them.

I'm not defending getting rid of GMR, lol. I hate it. I feel I've made that clear. But I don't DHS is as awful as it's made out to be. It had the Hollywood theme before DCA expanded on it. TOT, Star Tours, GMR, Mania, RnRC are all great attractions.

One other problem is the park has stale stage shows. And a lesser Fantasmic. No parade. A lack of entertainment that isn't Star Wars (besides Hollywood Citizens).

But take away a lot of flat rides, swings, etc. from DCA and it's similar to DHS. What people are criticizing about being added to DHS is what pads out DCA.

TOT/GOTG
Mermaid/GMR (or Monsters)
Soarin/Star Tours (both simulators)
Rock n' Roller Coaster/Screamin'
tough to be a bug/Muppets
Mania/Mania
Animation/Launch Bay
Disney JR/Disney JR

Symphony Swings, Jellyfish, Triton carousel, bumper cars, Heimlech, Maters, Luigi's, Goofy Sky School ... rides that would get panned if DHS added them but they get credited for a padded out DCA

DCA benefits from a great Cars Land with a great E-ticket. As well as Grizzly, a fantastic rapids ride.

DHS would benefit greatly if they redid Animation Courtyard and put the Mickey ride there and updated GMR.

DCA benefits from also having Mermaid and Monsters two dark rides. DHS would benefit greatly from a few more dark rides.

What's wrong with the front half of DHS? The back half that was dead but once served a purpose is gone. Some studio buildings could use a makeover but the front half is still the same and enjoyable. To each their own though.

I would agree with you that the back of the park, which is becoming SWL and TSL, were largely useless for years, so they are certainly going to be utilizing that space better by late 2019. My problem, as you say, is the shows. The park would feel much better in two years if they would replace almost all of the shows and enclose BatB and replace it with a higher caliber show (like Finding Nemo).

 

[Prince Thomas]

With the loss of GMR, we wouldn't bother wasting time at DHS if it did not have ToT or RnRC. In October, we're spending just enough time at the park to ride those two attractions and then we'll be quickly exiting that mess of a park

same here. i think that park seriously sucks rn. and they have nerve charging full price

 

[danlb_2000]

same here. i think that park seriously sucks rn. and they have nerve charging full price

But how many people actually pay "full price" to go to the park?

 

[MisterPenguin]

It's unfortunate really. When I was younger, DHS was my favourite park. I loved all the theming to the movies so it just felt like the place for me. But if/ when GMR closes, I propaly won't go to DHS anymore or if I do it'll be for ToT and RnR and then I'll just leave...

So... you're still going? But instead of three rides, it will be for two rides.

 

[AceAstro]

So... you're still going? But instead of three rides, it will be for two rides.

I would still most likely go. It just wouldn't be as necessary as the other parks anymore in my opinion.

 

[WildcatDen]

The park would feel much better in two years if they would replace almost all of the shows and enclose BatB and replace it with a higher caliber show (like Finding Nemo).

Better in 2, absolutely, but I think that timeline is going to be closer to 4 or 5. . .

 

[brb1006]

I honestly can't help but become more concerned about Great Mickey Ride. I admit I don't like screens at all as a primary driver of show scenes. They're good when used in scene transitions, or in supplemental roles secondary to detailed set pieces and AA figures. Digital mapping has also produced some cool effects (Disneyland upgraded previously flat painted surfaces on several classic dark rides to be animated instead and the results are generally great). But most "E" tickets lately have been 90% screen based (physical elements only really used to help frame and camouflage screen borders). Disney and even Universal are both still clearly capable of outstanding robotics as well as great physical set design. I wish they would focus more on that.

Great Movie Ride, age and all, is still a fantastic attraction with awesome setpieces and a large population of animatronic figures. Even scenes people question the "relevancy" of (Tarzan) are still extremely detailed and well designed. It will be tragic to lose yet another one of these types of rides, losing so many EPCOT classics was bad enough. These kinds of rides are becoming rare.

I'd love a quality Mickey Mouse ride elsewhere in the park, but even as a new build i'd still hope for a more physical ride (a long one too). Imagine if they chose to adapt some of the classic animated shorts into the scenes from the ride. For instance imagine scenes from Mickey and the Beanstalk like these, recreated in a physical environment-
https://one1more2time3.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/comp-beanstalk-aaa.jpg

Or imagine a (proper and physical) Sorcerer's Apprentice scene with tons of enchanted Broom AA's walking around (which wouldn't even warrant expensive and maintenance heavy robotics), with a Sorcerer Mickey AA atop a cliff moving the seas and the heavens (this is where a mixture of screens with digitally mapped water would work wonders, mixed with traditional practical fiber optics for stars).

I don't mean to be armchair imagineering, I was just trying to make a couple of points as to the incredible opportunity Disney has here for such a ride if done properly. And the concerns that they may completely squander it.

I'm also picturing the Fantasia segment to have ride vehicles spinning around on the cliff Mickey is standing on.

 

[PJBuckeye]

Can we stop with the full price thoughts? Nobody (not literal) enters that park at full price. And if you are spending more than a half day in that park, I question your planning skills.

 

[MaximumEd]

We spend more than a half day there, but we generally go to WDW for 8-9 day trips and spend the extra time riding TOT and RNRC over and over since we all really like them.

 

[marni1971]

Can we stop with the full price thoughts?.

We can, so we can then discuss the lessened value of overall admission compared to five or ten years ago.

 

[Kman101]

We can, so we can then discuss the lessened value of overall admission compared to five or ten years ago.

And it's very true but we all know they'd never drop the price even if we think they should.

 

[Bocabear]

What happened to the importance of the "First CLick" that they were all about when DCA rebooted? If that were important now, they would quickly see that DHS gets about no"First Clicks" and I am sure even less one day tickets.
And I agree Marni...the value is just not there anymore... The argument for what makes a full day should not have a caveat that you must also meet every possible character, See every tired entertainment offering, reserve 2+ hours for shopping, hit every bathroom and eat three square meals there...The ONLY reason it would even take a half day is because of the horriffic lines because of the limited capacity and Fastpass Plus.

 

[Kman101]

Lights Motors Action and Backlot Tour are all we lost along with meet and greets and a QSR. That made a full day park? Oh and Jack Sparrow.

The rest of the park is the same for the most part. Animation Academy was better than Launch Bay.

You get no arguments from me about tired stage shows and no parade but what's all that different that 10 years ago? The price has gone up and we should have more things to do ... now a fair argument, to me is that they've removed things and still charge more.

Just because some of us don't do everything offered doesn't mean it's a half day park. It's not a fleshed out park. It hasn't added attraction capacity. It's taken away capacity. It's a lesser value.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Can we stop with the full price thoughts? Nobody (not literal) enters that park at full price. And if you are spending more than a half day in that park, I question your planning skills.

Yep. They had multi-day passes 23 years ago. Shall we compare those?

1994: 4-day Park Hopper): $134
2017: 4-day Park Hopper: $425

An increase of $291. 2017 Park Hoppers cost 317% of 1994 Park Hoppers.

Still want to argue over someone's planning skills over getting into DHS? Is DHS 317% of what is was the year Sunset Blvd. opened?

Enough of this garbage.

I won't even focus on the fact that 1-day tickets are still the most-often-sold ticket.

 

[PJBuckeye]

Is magic Kingdom 317% of what it was? Is Epcot 317% of what it was?

And which park are the 1 day tickets going to? I'll give you a hint... it's the one with the castle.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Is magic Kingdom 317% of what it was? Is Epcot 317% of what it was?

Are you honestly comparing those parks to DHS? They have at least been updated and MK has received an expansion. Things that have been updated or added at Epcot since 1994:

• Test Track
• Mission: Space
• Ellen's Energy Adventure
• Innoventions
• The Seas
• Spaceship Earth
• Soarin and then Soarin 2.0
• Imagination
• Pixar shorts thing

So basically all of Future World.

Meanwhile, at DHS...the park has shrunk.

 

[MisterPenguin]

K, then, let's compare the one day ticket of MK back then to a one day ticket now. Did the MK improve by the same percent?

 

[marni1971]

Is magic Kingdom 317% of what it was? Is Epcot 317% of what it was?.

Epcots about 50% of what it once was. If that.

An no, that doesn't mean shoving IP in everywhere will fix it. They need to go and look back at what made Epcot so great.

EPCOT Center was designed when some of today's decision makers weren't even born.

 

[PJBuckeye]

I agree Marni... We should all be irritated by under investment. And yes, the direction of Epcot in concerning to me as well.

My original comment was reacting to the thought that people pay $100 a head to spend a full day at DHS. While I am sure that this happens, a vast majority of the people in that park are on a multi-day ticket.

-

 

[geekza]

Epcots about 50% of what it once was. If that.

An no, that doesn't mean shoving IP in everywhere will fix it. They need to go and look back at what made Epcot so great.

EPCOT Center was designed when some of today's decision makers weren't even born.

I agree 100%. When EPCOT Center was built, it had the Imagineers, architects, etc. working their behinds off to make it something special. I know it came at a time when it ended up really hurting the company financially, but my gosh was it spectacular. My first visit there as a child seared itself into my consciousness.

I just don't know that Disney has the sheer amount of forward thinkers working for them any more to pull off a park like EPCOT Center. They certainly don't seem to have anyone like that in a position to make planning decisions. The physical environment of Pandora seems to be solid and amazingly-designed. It troubles me, though, that the queues for the new attractions seem to have more going for them than the actual attractions themselves. Projections just aren't able to deliver the same kind of memorable, tangible experience that practical effects and animatronics can deliver. The AA figure at the end of the River Journey is nothing short of astounding, but the rest of the attraction is short and lifeless. I don't believe it's an attraction that will linger in the imagination for long. Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land are rich with possibilities, but the attractions that have been announced for them just seem generic. I won't pronounce final judgment on them, however, until they are complete and I can experience them. One thing I will always say about Disney is that they like to surprise me. I'm just not very optimistic right now.