News Disneyland to give Snow White’s Scary Adventures dark ride a major facelift in 2020

[mickEblu]

My biggest issue with this has always been what they did to the facade and the fear of them removing the Queen from the window. Not a fan of the name change and hate the new poster but I have a feeling the ride will be a lateral move for me at worst based on what I’m reading here.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Based on the videos I've seen, the changes may increase ridership, but it will still be a far cry from being on par with Peter Pan in any way you can measure it.

 

[el_super]

Well, the remodeled ride lives up to its stupid new name. What a bucket of barf.

Loved the mine, though.

LOL This is hilarious.

I got to ride the new attraction last night. Other than not really noticing a whole lot that changed in the first half, the second half still feels as strange and awkward as the previous incarnation. Now, instead of a forest sequence that seems to go on too long, the "awakening" scene just seems to go on too long.

The projections and enhancements really make up for it, and were long overdue, but yeah... linear storytelling in a 3 minute format is hard.

 

[britain]

Based on the videos I've seen, the changes may increase ridership, but it will still be a far cry from being on par with Peter Pan in any way you can measure it.

Well, sure. That was never going to happen.

 

[britain]

LOL This is hilarious.

I got to ride the new attraction last night. Other than not really noticing a whole lot that changed in the first half, the second half still feels as strange and awkward as the previous incarnation. Now, instead of a forest sequence that seems to go on too long, the "awakening" scene just seems to go on too long.

The projections and enhancements really make up for it, and were long overdue, but yeah... linear storytelling in a 3 minute format is hard.

Hey, and at least this version REALLY leans into the 'book report' format now!

 

[IMDREW]

Wait, the queen is gone from the window?!?!

 

[el_super]

Hey, and at least this version REALLY leans into the 'book report' format now!

I remember the story of the memo that came out in the 1950s, of the guests complaining that they couldn't see Snow White on the Snow White ride, since it was designed to be from her POV. They ended up adding a figure of her to the ride in order to compensate, and as I am thinking about it now, the Snow White ride basically existed for 60+ years with only ONE actual reference to Snow White in the first 20 seconds of the ride.

So I can see how adding her a couple times over makes sense. It's no longer false advertising.

Wait, the queen is gone from the window?!?!

You know... I didn't even look. The queue started over in the Fantasy Faire area, so I don't recall ever facing the window.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Hey, and at least this version REALLY leans into the 'book report' format now!

The original book report handed in got a C-. The comment from the teacher was "Do you understand what a 'book report' is? If you need help, see me after class."

It was corrected and resubmitted for a higher grade. Not a much higher one.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Wait, the queen is gone from the window?!?!

No. The queen is still in the window.

 

[mickEblu]

Based on the videos I've seen, the changes may increase ridership, but it will still be a far cry from being on par with Peter Pan in any way you can measure it.

I guess the real test is where do you see the lines bottoming out when it’s all said and done? If it’s still a 10 minute wait then the public has spoken And its not Peter Pan. Of course Snow White has a higher ride capacity so there’s that too

 

[mickEblu]

Have you listened to his most recent Season Pass interview? He talks about Galaxy's Edge at length.

So listened to this podcast yesterday. Tony drops a few nuggets of wisdom as usual but I think he leaned too far into the whole “the land will evolve with the public’s desires” thing. While true, I think he was avoiding some of the other issues with the land. Not sure the point he made about waiting for the land to evolve by making comparisons of Galaxies Edge to opening day are really valid. I’m curious to see what he would say now being that the interview is over a year old and ROTR had not opened or perhaps just opened. I think he was kind of under the impression that ROTR would change peoples perception of the land. It’s an impressive experience in many ways but personally it doesn’t change how I view the land or make me want to spend any more time there. Ironically, the point he made about NOS and how Disney undersold the land and over delivered in the 60s seems to work against him as it highlights the strength of NOS and how it can stand on its own without the rides. He is right about Disney over promising with GE but that point and the land being a little underwhelming are not mutually exclusive.

Also listening to Tony during this last interview kind of made me realize that he’s human and our opinions and what we like evolve as we experience life. If it’s true that the new Snow White is a jumbled mess of emotions at the end it kind of goes against his opinion on what makes the FL dark rides so strong - how they focus on one feeling or emotion. Yet he’s now saying Snow White is better than ever. I’m not saying he’s not being genuine but maybe he’s excited to just be at the park again or see a few neat special effects. Or things don’t always fit in the “box” we like to place them in. Maybe the new Snow White shakes up the narrative of what makes a strong FL dark ride.

 

[britain]

The original book report handed in got a C-. The comment from the teacher was "Do you understand what a 'book report' is? If you need help, see me after class."

It was corrected and resubmitted for a higher grade. Not a much higher one.

"What's with all this being chased by the wicked witch!? This isn't a book report, this is fan fiction!"

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I think I just see the FL rides different than many here. They're spookhouse rides. They weren't exactly intended to tell the story, that much is obvious from riding them. Mr. Toad never had much of anything to do with the movie. You're just riding through the universe of the movies with various low-tech things along the trackway. I have sort of the opposite opinion of most here when I see high-tech things being added when it's mostly plywood and mannequins to begin with. I think that's charming!

 

[Rich T]

LOL This is hilarious.

I got to ride the new attraction last night. Other than not really noticing a whole lot that changed in the first half, the second half still feels as strange and awkward as the previous incarnation. Now, instead of a forest sequence that seems to go on too long, the "awakening" scene just seems to go on too long.

The projections and enhancements really make up for it, and were long overdue, but yeah... linear storytelling in a 3 minute format is hard.

Whoever was calling the shots on this version had no interest in preserving Walt’s own “enchanted wish” that Snow White be the scary FL ride. They threw out nearly every good, thrilling concept from the original (including not being a book report) and acted as if the film’s final 30 seconds were worth sacrificing all the fun and chills...and after devoting too much space to the ending, they still muffed the last scene.

But I loved how they improved the diamond mine. If they’d just improved the effects in the dark forest, instead of replacing it with bland, repetitive yuk, they’d have had an excellent redo.

 

[el_super]

Whoever was calling the shots on this version had no interest in preserving Walt’s own “enchanted wish” that Snow White be the scary FL ride.

Was it ever really stated by Walt, that he wanted it to be scary? It leaned on being scary because that was just what a amusement park style dark ride was back in the old days. Not really any different from Toad having almost nothing to do with the movie. The idea of the ride being "scary" also seems contradictory to the thing he DID say: that it needed to be a place where parents and children can have fun together. If a slow moving dark ride is too scary for kids, and boring for adults, who exactly is it meant to appeal to?

 

[Too Many Hats]

Yet he’s now saying Snow White is better than ever. I’m not saying he’s not being genuine but maybe he’s excited to just be at the park again or see a few neat special effects. Or things don’t always fit in the “box” we like to place them in. Maybe the new Snow White shakes up the narrative of what makes a strong FL dark ride.

I imagine part of his enthusiasm stems from his direct experience with this very attraction. He seems genuinely impressed with what the Imagineers were able to do; I'm sure he knows better than anyone the challenges of creating a coherent experience within the various limitations of that building.

That said, it's interesting that he's endorsing an attraction many folks are characterizing as a book report (when he's torn Little Mermaid to shreds for that same shortcoming). I haven't watched the POV; I'll withhold judgment until I experience it in person.

 

[mickEblu]

I imagine part of his enthusiasm stems from his direct experience with this very attraction. He seems genuinely impressed with what the Imagineers were able to do; I'm sure he knows better than anyone the challenges of creating a coherent experience within the various limitations of that building.

That said, it's interesting that he's endorsing an attraction many folks are characterizing as a book report (when he's torn Little Mermaid to shreds for that same shortcoming). I haven't watched the POV; I'll withhold judgment until I experience it in person.

I’m expecting to like it based off Tony’s opinion and other things I’ve read here. I have a few concerns but I usually gauge things very simply. How did that ride or movie make me feel? With movies I’ve only seen once for example, it’s the only thing I’m left with after time passes. The old Snow White ride didn’t really make me feel anything. It’s not as if the scary forest was actually scary so if the pleasant stuff makes me feel good than I imagine I’ll view it a net positive even if it’s a little more book report style.

 

[Professortango1]

I’ll say this: At least it’s still a dark ride and not a princess meet n’ greet.

Meh. Its hard to watch something you loved be transformed into a patchwork of badly sewn ideas. I think I'd prefer a full replacement to this. This went from being a favourite of mine to a small step above Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and that hurts.

 

[Professortango1]

Was it ever really stated by Walt, that he wanted it to be scary? It leaned on being scary because that was just what a amusement park style dark ride was back in the old days. Not really any different from Toad having almost nothing to do with the movie. The idea of the ride being "scary" also seems contradictory to the thing he DID say: that it needed to be a place where parents and children can have fun together. If a slow moving dark ride is too scary for kids, and boring for adults, who exactly is it meant to appeal to?

Too scary for kids? I rode it as a kid a ton and loved it. I always see kids in line. Maybe its too scary for helicopter parents, but kids seem to enjoy the scary adventure.

And the FL Darkrides have an emotional throughline. With Snow White, it was scary. By focusing on one concept/emotion it helps the rides feel like stand alone attractions rather than scenes from the movie and it also helps them feel different from one another.

 

[Too Many Hats]

I’m expecting to like it based off Tony’s opinion and other things I’ve read here. I have a few concerns but I usually gauge things very simply. How did that ride or movie make me feel? With movies I’ve only seen once for example, it’s the only thing I’m left with after time passes. The old Snow White ride didn’t really make me feel anything. It’s not as if the scary forest was actually scary so if the pleasant stuff makes me feel good than I imagine I’ll view it a net positive even if it’s a little more book report style.

The spookier elements (in the Orlando counterpart; I grew up on the East Coast) loomed large for me as a child, but even then I could tell it was a very chintzy ride (so much plywood and visible emergency exit doors) compared to the much more sophisticated scares of Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror.

As an adult, like many others here, I find the chintzy quality charming and have real nostalgia for it. However, I find it hard to blame the general public for disagreeing and I can't begrudge Disney for wanting to upgrade the attraction. I'm open to a new interpretation of a Snow White dark ride. At least the ride still exists in Anaheim.