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

[yensidtlaw1969]

Oh thank goodness there’s still hope for the dark forest. Wonder if she’ll bend at all.

My post was to demonstrate that I believe that figure is from the new Finale - if the concept art is any indication, the Snow figure seems to be placed where the Dwarfs on the Cliff used to be before the Witch with the Rock, probably about where Happy is in this screenshot:

Meanwhile, the new Kiss scene seems to have taken the place of the old Hag offering you the Apple from the Dwarf's Cottage.

Before:

After:

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

@swge By the way, thanks for the previous insight into what this new refurbishment will bring to the table, and I also want to thank you again for debunking that ridiculous IASW rumor on my other thread about Untouchable attractions. It's refreshing to see insiders here like you who've given us accurate information recently, contrary to other recent ridiculous threads that've popped up on the WDW side of this forum (I'm sure many of you here are aware of those two threads ). It's always very refreshing to see legitimate insiders around here, especially nowadays!

 

[mickEblu]

^Basically this. I have a few more minor quibbles with Alice, but they really are minor compared to the wins we got. I tend to think of the fiasco with the Outdoor portion as a separate issue, so that kind of is what it is. Otherwise Alice mostly looks better than ever, and by a worthwhile amount.

I can’t think of anything else about Alice I don’t like. Yeah I also view the outdoor portion changes as a separate issue. Didn’t they happen at a different time then the interior changes? And you re right. In reality destroying the London scene probably did more harm to Pan than these changes will do to Snow. If they keep the cliff scene, a shortened Forest and the transformation scene it’s even a net gain (for the actual ride experience) especially considering what effects will be added to those scenes as well. I just can’t get behind what they did to the exterior and the dungeon. As someone who rarely rides Snow White anyway, I’m more impacted by the exterior changes then anything else.

 

[mickEblu]

I think it's just something that gets glossed over. Like the loss of the original Matterhorn howl. It was quickly overshadowed by losing the auction scene and now Splash.

But even back then only one or two people besides me even mentioned it. Plus wasn’t that back in 2015? The auction changes came when, 2018?

 

[Californian Elitist]

One thing about this refurb is it has given me something to whine and complain about again, which is exciting, given the lack of news recently. I’m definitely grateful for that.

In all seriousness though, I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

 

[mickEblu]

One thing about this refurb is it has given something to whine and complain about again, which is exciting, given the lack of news recently. I’m definitely grateful for that.

In all seriousness though, I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Me too. It can’t be worse than the exterior or the name. Plus it’s not as if Scary Adventures was some masterpiece. But it was unique and offered variety to the park that seems to be losing some every year.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Me too. It can’t be worse than the exterior or the name. Plus it’s not as if Scary Adventures was some masterpiece. But it was unique and offered variety to the park that seems to be losing some every year.

Exactly. I really do like the new animatronics seen in the video and I like the mining segment, so far. I appreciate the fact that they kept the new Snow animatronic in line with the ride and didn’t give us a super updated, fancy-shmancy one, as it would have probably looked out of place.

I’m nervous about the Witch scenes, but we’ll see. They could have removed the ride altogether and they didn’t, which is great.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I can’t think of anything else about Alice I don’t like. Yeah I also view the outdoor portion changes as a separate issue. Didn’t they happen at a different time then the interior changes? And you re right. In reality destroying the London scene probably did more harm to Pan than these changes will do to Snow. If they keep the cliff scene, a shortened Forrest and the transformation scene it’s even a net gain (for the actual ride experience) especially considering what effects will be added to those scenes as well. I just can’t get behind what they did to the exterior and the dungeon. As someone who rarely rides Snow White anyway, I’m more impacted by the exterior changes then anything else.

I'm not sure the issues with the Outdoor Ramp weren't at least partly an instigator for Alice's in-depth rework, but for sure the scaffolding went up a meaningful chunk of time before the ride went down for that refurb.

The already acknowledged White Rabbit projection is out-of-touch . . . the new projections of the Flowers blooming on either side of the Red Rose figure are similarly flat and inert, though I like the Bread and Butterfly and White Rose Mapping. The animation on the Croquet Hedgehog feels a little cheap, as do the projected Cards flanking the crash doors (several sets of which were removed, to seemingly no useful effect?). The rework of the re-entry tunnel seems like a nice idea that never really looks good until after Sundown, and the projected teapots huffing and puffing at the end feel like a cop out over a dimensional effect, but in truth there is almost certainly not room there for anything more dimensional.

So, you see, minor quibbles. None of it really impacts my enjoyment of the ride, just moments that fall a little short of actually punching things up.

Whereas the repaint of the London Floor totally knocks down the impact of the scene. Before you used to see depth and dimension where there actually was none. Now it looks flatter and less convincing than ever. The Second Star to the Right is as obvious as the White Rabbit projection. The hard edge of the projected water around Neverland Island makes the model feel like a toy in a bad way. Past that I don't really have any more complaints, but all of these are more serious issues. The ride lost more richness in its visuals than it gained, and it lost it in some of the most important places.

Snow White, for its losses, looks to be on track to gain some nice richness in the ride experience. Can't wait to see the rest of the ride.

 

[mickEblu]

I wonder if Indy was going to get the E ticket equivalent upgrades of what Snow is getting? Also, should we worry about Indiana Jones Adventure now that Indy 5 has been announced?

 

[mickEblu]

Exactly. I really do like the new animatronics seen in the video and I like the mining segment, so far. I appreciate the fact that they kept the new Snow animatronic in line with the ride and didn’t give us a super updated, fancy-shmancy one, as it would have probably looked out of place.

I’m nervous about the Witch scenes, but we’ll see. They could have removed the ride altogether and they didn’t, which is great.

That’s a good point. The figure looks like it could have been there all along. Now her face where she’s holding the Apple looks scary and kind of House of Wax-y but that’s a convo for a different time. The mines do look great and I like that the dwarves have a larger presence now. They weren’t even in there before. Just empty abandoned mines. I also won’t really miss the dungeon with the skeletons. I’m guessing that whole scene is probably gone. It’s the most expendable.

 

[TP2000]

Was there some big outcry at Guest Relations in recent years by Ladera Ranch housewives named Karen who were outraged that the Snow White ride scared their very special snowflake?

I think if there was some groundswell of Karen outrage over this ride in recent years we would have heard about it online, like the autistic kids who couldn't wait in lines at theme parks and needed immediate boarding privileges.

Maybe there was outrage over Snow White being too scary and I missed it? But it seems like I would remember something like that if it happened.

Why did they need to neuter this ride, rename it, and paint the exterior in Malibu Barbie Dreamhouse colors anyway? What was the point of this minor makeover again? Why did this even happen???

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I wonder if Indy was going to get the E ticket equivalent upgrades of what Snow is getting? Also, should we worry about Indiana Jones Adventure now that Indy 5 has been announced?

It would be nice to see Indy get a similar loving hand. The Projection Mapping in the first scenes were nice adds, but the ride has lost a lot of effects over the years. It would be nice to see them take a pass at either restoring or replacing some of those lost bits of visual thrill.

I'm hopeful the Haunted Mansion has some similar surprises in store, given how long it was planned to be down. It sounds like that wasn't the point of the refurb, but you know, you'd hope they'd toss in a new effect or two while they're in there.

 

[TP2000]

By the way, when Disneyland reopens I've decided I'm going to go straight to this ride with a bag full of change and dump it into Snow White's bedroom in the queue. Just to seed the process and keep the tradition alive for future generations.

I'll go down to my friendly banker at Farmers & Merchants and have him get me about $20 worth of dimes and nickels and about 100 pennies. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I'm not stupid enough to throw quarters in there.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That’s a good point. The figure looks like it could have been there all along. Now her face where she’s holding the Apple looks scary and kind of House of Wax-y but that’s a convo for a different time. The mines do look great and I like that the dwarves have a larger presence now. They weren’t even in there before. Just empty abandoned mines. I also won’t really miss the dungeon with the skeletons. I’m guessing that whole scene is probably gone.

Agreed about her face, she looks weird. I’ll get over it though.

I will miss the dungeon, but for personal reasons. As a CM, one of my leads one evening opened the dungeon and we went in there. Not sure why, but a lot of personal photos of Walt and the Disney family were hidden in the dungeon and I got a chance to look at them, which was very neat. If I never had that experience, would I care too much? Most likely not.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Looks like a decent update.

My only question is why not keep it Snow White’s Enchanted Adventures? Rolls off the tongue better and seems more fitting both to the theme and as an homage to the old attraction. Does WDI get paid by the word?

Generally intrigued now to see what name/tagline the new Splash Mountain receives...

 

[mickEblu]

Agreed about her face, she looks weird. I’ll get over it though.

I will miss the dungeon, but for personal reasons. As a CM, one of my leads one evening opened the dungeon and we went in there. Not sure why, but a lot of personal photos of Walt and the Disney family were hidden in the dungeon and I got a chance to look at them, which was very neat. If I never had that experience, would I care too much? Most likely not.

Wow really, personal photos of Walt and his fam are just lying around in the dungeon? That’s neat but also kind of giving me Illuminati vibes. Not sure how I feel. Lol

 

[TP2000]

Looks like a decent update.

My only question is why not keep it Snow White’s Enchanted Adventures? Rolls off the tongue better and seems more fitting both to the theme and as an homage to the old attraction. Does WDI get paid by the word?

Generally intrigued now to see what name/tagline the new Splash Mountain receives...

Snow White's Enchanted Adventures. That's a dramatically better name.

There's just something about the "Enchanted Wish" phrasing. It sounds smarmy and corporate. Probably because Disney keeps over-using the word Wish on everything from mid-range hotel towers to cruise ships to fireworks shows.

The word "wish" has been rendered meaningless by the bland corporate groupthink that infected the Disney company about 15 years ago, growing out of the Orlando swamp like a bad mold.

 

[swge]

@swge By the way, thanks for the previous insight into what this new refurbishment will bring to the table, and I also want to thank you again for debunking that ridiculous IASW rumor on my other thread about Untouchable attractions. It's refreshing to see insiders here like you who've given us accurate information recently, contrary to other recent ridiculous threads that've popped up on the WDW side of this forum (I'm sure many of you here are aware of those two threads ). It's always very refreshing to see legitimate insiders around here, especially nowadays!

You're too kind.... I try my best!

My post was to demonstrate that I believe that figure is from the new Finale - if the concept art is any indication, the Snow figure seems to be placed where the Dwarfs on the Cliff used to be before the Witch with the Rock, probably about where Happy is in this screenshot:

View attachment 520136

Meanwhile, the new Kiss scene seems to have taken the place of the old Hag offering you the Apple from the Dwarf's Cottage.

Before:

View attachment 520138

After:

View attachment 520137

Ok so the kissing scene is actually before the cottage.. I remember asking if the cottage was still there and I was told that it was but the door doesn't swing open w the hag anymore of course.. If I remember correctly, I believe there is a fairytale book open in front of the cottage to the "And they lived happily ever after" page... I remember hearing that there is animation on the book and it looks pretty.. It's just foggy where the book is exactly.. I'm almost certain they said it was in front of the cottage door.... I'm sure we will see in due time.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Wow really, personal photos of Walt and his fam are just lying around in the dungeon? That’s neat but also kind of giving me Illuminati vibes. Not sure how I feel. Lol

For real though lol. They were lying neatly stacked in the fake book. I asked my lead why they were there and she didn’t know either. Super weird and random, but lovely photos.

They were here:

 

[Disneyson]

My post was to demonstrate that I believe that figure is from the new Finale - if the concept art is any indication, the Snow figure seems to be placed where the Dwarfs on the Cliff used to be before the Witch with the Rock...

Oh, totally got that, no worries! I was just saying that, if she is there for the finale, then there is still some hope to have a relatively action-packed ('scary'?) middle.