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

[Biff215]

You rode it last week. In July. It's hot outside. With air conditioning inside. How long is the ride? 30 minutes? Yeah, I would go on that and the 45 minute Energy as it currently exists on a hot summer afternoon in July also.

Not at all. Didn't bother to ride Energy, even in the heat and the possibility of it closing. You can't even compare the two. My kids, 8 and 3, who have only seen a few of the movies, love this ride into the movies. It could use some love, but it's still relevant to enough people that wait times run from 15-45 minutes regularly. Clearly surveys were designed to doom this attraction.

We can debate how good or bad GMR is all day, but that's not even important here. The truth is DHS needs more attractions, and GMR seems like a silly place to start. How are Indy or Launch Bay going to remain once the park is renamed and SWL opens? Sure it's cheaper to gut GMR for this, but is that best long term?

Disney used to add attractions to spread out crowds and give guests something new to experience. Now it's just reusing what's already there, regardless of whether something needs replacing or not. Crowds keep growing, capacity stays the same or even lessens. Terrible plan IMO.

 

[marni1971]

Lol, well, interesting. I forgot where I read that or if I'm just making #### up. Anyway, this sounds incredibly promising. By chance, I just got back from DLP and the Ratatouille ride was executed perfectly. Something similar with Mickey through his evolution as a character could be absolutely excellent.

Here's to hoping they don't cheap-out on it/make it shorter as the ride plans get closer to completion like they did with Seven Dwarves.

I think the ride in question will be very impressive. Maybe a tad short, it's lost a bit of its funding but the amount that stands (and what the ride will consist of) is not insignificant. It just shouldn't require the GMR to close.

I'm also concerned about parallels to the SW biggy being literally side by side. The execution will be very different but the basis will be very similar.

 

[Cletus]

I don't know of any Universal ride that is trackless. The trackless ride system is a disney thing (started with Energy, actually, I believe and used by GMR). It was taken to a whole new awesome level with Pooh's Hunny Hunt in Tokyo. Orlando has been too cheap to use it, but it looks like we are finally getting not one, but two LPS rides in the same park no less.

Pretty sure Kong is trackless

 

[brb1006]

I don't know of any Universal ride that is trackless. The trackless ride system is a disney thing (started with Energy, actually, I believe and used by GMR). It was taken to a whole new awesome level with Pooh's Hunny Hunt in Tokyo. Orlando has been too cheap to use it, but it looks like we are finally getting not one, but two LPS rides in the same park no less.

The LPS system for Pooh's Hunny Hunt really makes you feel like your actually in the 100 Acre Woods.

 

[orky8]

Pretty sure Kong is trackless

Oh, possibly. I haven't been since that opened and like to be surprised, so have avoided all info on it. Way to ruin it for me

 

[csmat99]

Aside from going from one identity crisis to another, a bigger issue is no increase in actual park capacity.

Don't worry they will fix that. I heard they will be building more seats for Indy stunt show.

 

[WeLComeHomE OKW]

I think the ride in question will be very impressive. Maybe a tad short, it's lost a bit of its funding but the amount that stands (and what the ride will consist of) is not insignificant. It just shouldn't require the GMR to close.

I'm also concerned about parallels to the SW biggy being literally side by side. The execution will be very different but the basis will be very similar.

As you stated earlier, rides getting shorter as the years go by is a terrible trend in the parks. It really cuts into their overall goal to increase visitors/making it an all day/2 day park instead of a half day.

Spending the money now to make it as long as GMR would save them the trouble 20 years from now to replace it again because people got disinterested. Maybe that's assumptive, but I don't think I'm off here.

It also worries me that Disney is going the Universal route and will make more and more rides like this, going in line with Universal's quick/cheaper construction of E-Tickets and lose their shine as leaders in theme park storytelling.

Joe Rhode seems like he's gone the Lasseter route, evolving into a figure head and PR machine than an actual visionary.

 

[LAKid53]

Princeton does not have a Business School

See, I said it must have been a nightmare....

 

[britain]

I'm also concerned about parallels to the SW biggy being literally side by side. The execution will be very different but the basis will be very similar.

Trackless is the wave of the future. It's like worrying about Pinocchio, Toad, Snow White and Alice all being too close to each other.

(...That's right. In yo' face WDW Fantasyland!)

 

[LAKid53]

If this closing of GMR is based on surveys, I would think they should be other attractions in MK that should close other than Stitch. Most of MK park actually.......

What??!!

 

[PorterRedkey]

I think the ride in question will be very impressive. Maybe a tad short, it's lost a bit of its funding but the amount that stands (and what the ride will consist of) is not insignificant. It just shouldn't require the GMR to close.

I'm also concerned about parallels to the SW biggy being literally side by side. The execution will be very different but the basis will be very similar.

It's crazy. You don't have a single LPS ride and then you put two in the same park. Why not spread this cool tech to the other parks as well? Storybook Circus would be a fine place for a trackless Mickey ride.

 

[LAKid53]

Pretty sure Kong is trackless

Thanks for the spoiler.

We visiting in 30 days. Can't wait to ride the updated Hulk, along with Kong.

 

[DinoInstitute]

No, but I can't say more at the moment. It's not a totally done deal.

Is this referring to just DL, or both versions?

 

[marni1971]

Is this referring to just DL, or both versions?

DLR.

 

[Phil12]

Sooner they get rid of the GMR and the Chinese Theater facade the better. The facade is just way too small. The park needs a massive icon such as the other parks at WDW. The attraction had a 27 year run and that's more than enough. They could put a GotG dark ride inside. For the icon they could have a huge Ferris wheel in the shape of a giant film reel.

 

[DinoInstitute]

DLR.

Thanks!

Honestly, and I know this argument often gets rebutted with the fact that most people don't ever visit both resorts, but if this really is to be the new big centerpiece attraction for the park, it'll feel a lot less special if there's an identical version in another park.

 

[Horizons '83]

Sooner they get rid of the GMR and the Chinese Theater facade the better. The facade is just way too small. The park needs a massive icon such as the other parks at WDW. The attraction had a 27 year run and that's more than enough. They could put a GotG dark ride inside. For the icon they could have a huge Ferris wheel in the shape of a giant film reel.

That is a beautiful building, I would hate to see it go.

 

[WeLComeHomE OKW]

Sooner they get rid of the GMR and the Chinese Theater facade the better. The facade is just way too small. The park needs a massive icon such as the other parks. The attraction had a 27 year run and that's more than enough. They could put a GotG dark ride inside. For the icon they could have a huge Ferris wheel in the shape of a giant film reel.

I don't think the Chinese Theater facade is all that bad. With a Mickey Mouse thing, it might be better since it could be themed as a premiere, instead of just the landmark.

HOWEVER, that being said, constantly covering it up with a stage completely disregards what Weenies are supposed to do in the first place. The whole point of a centerpiece is that you can see it as you enter the park and use it as a hub for how to navigate around the park/be the focal point of the theming for the park as a whole.

Crapping on that by putting a half-###ed stage in front of it just looks like they're ashamed by the Chinese Theater as their weenie, which is why it makes less sense that they're leaning towards it staying.

 

[marni1971]

Pretty sure Kong is trackless

It is. Maybe I should explain.

Kong is trackless, as is Tower of Terror. And GMR. And Energy. They may be trackless, but follow a single predetermined path.

LPS is used in reference to a trackless ride with several ride paths for groups of vehicles which usually cross each other. They may also involve the vehicles starting, stopping, spinning, following each other or moving around each other. As in Poohs Honey Hunt, Mystic Manor, Ratatouille, Antartica, Alcatraz and now this.

 

[DinoInstitute]

Sooner they get rid of the GMR and the Chinese Theater facade the better. The facade is just way too small. The park needs a massive icon such as the other parks at WDW. The attraction had a 27 year run and that's more than enough. They could put a GotG dark ride inside. For the icon they could have a huge Ferris wheel in the shape of a giant film reel.

Kinda like this?: