Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

[HMF]

\ I think that the most factual ride in Future World is the Land boat ride, and the Universe of Energy, maybe this is why these pavilions have stood the test of time.

U of E has not passed that test at all.

 

[ChrisFL]

U of E has not passed that test at all.

Besides the obvious hosts and old jeopardy setup, as far as the energy message, they're really not that far off. They discuss all of the major forms of energy that we're using in a very broad, generic way.

 

[HMF]

Besides the obvious hosts and old jeopardy setup, as far as the energy message, they're really not that far off. They discuss all of the major forms of energy that we're using in a very broad, generic way.

Not really, The attraction as it is now is an outdated relic from 1996 that focuses heavily on fossil fuels, literally dodges the issue of Global Warming and is only still running because Disney is not willing to fund an update to bring it into the 21st Century.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

U of E has not passed that test at all.

As far as I know, Universe of Energy is still open.

Horizons is not, Wonders of Life Pavilion is not, old World of Motion is not, . . . Not saying its a great ride, but it has passed the test of time, it is still there.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Not really, The attraction as it is now is an outdated relic from 1996 that focuses heavily on fossil fuels, literally dodges the issue of Global Warming and is only still running because Disney is not willing to fund an update to bring it into the 21st Century.

I think it is still open because it has the dinosaur scene, and because it does present some factual information. It could have closed, but it is still open.

 

[lazyboy97o]

As far as I know, Universe of Energy is still open.

Horizons is not, Wonders of Life Pavilion is not, old World of Motion is not, . . . Not saying its a great ride, but it has passed the test of time, it is still there.

I think most of that had to do more with sponsors willing to keep paying than timelessness.

 

[celluloid]

No attraction is open due to one reason. But with Universe of Energy I would not doubt the major reasons include huge capacity eator, cheap to operate and no funding for anything better for an idea has come along. I don't think it is due to anything standing the test of time and working.

If that were the case, we would not be stuck with the current characterization and and version of Figment and Imagination.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The car leaving the shaft is one of those unexpected moments that really sets off the WDW version of the ride. It takes the attraction out of the realm of being a glorified drop tower and turns it into something truly amazing. To me it seems to be one of those special elements that attraction designers search for and what park owners want to promote. I am surprised why it was cut from the subsequent versions. It would be like Universal building "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" at their CA park without the robotic arm technology to save on costs.

I remember when I went on this with a good friend of mine for his first time. When it lurched forward he was stunned. His exact words were, "Wow... this is some Willy Wonka [stuff] going on here."

 

[ChrisFL]

Looks like Eddie received his own "attraction-that-never-was" write up over at micechat:

http://micechat.com/18700-automata-mericana-the-disneyland-paris-attraction-that-never-was/

Sad, I love the concept.

 

[Omnispace]

Looks like Eddie received his own "attraction-that-never-was" write up over at micechat:

http://micechat.com/18700-automata-mericana-the-disneyland-paris-attraction-that-never-was/

Sad, I love the concept.

There was a Musee Mechanique on the lower level of San Francisco's Cliff House that I used to love going to. It was displaced in the remodel and I think is now somewhere in the Fisherman's Warf area. I like the examples in the video at Micechat because it shows the mechanics of each figure. What I find intriguing is that it takes you back to the basics of animation -- the minimum you need in order to convey the attributes of the character and their actions.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Looks like Eddie received his own "attraction-that-never-was" write up over at micechat:

http://micechat.com/18700-automata-mericana-the-disneyland-paris-attraction-that-never-was/

Sad, I love the concept.

It's too bad they did not go for it. As some have said, it's one of those little things that make the whole land seem more special. You try and develop ideas that could organically spring from Walt's own fascination with that period, and try and make the land feel personally connected to his childlike curiosity.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

There was a Musee Mechanique on the lower level of San Francisco's Cliff House that I used to love going to. It was displaced in the remodel and I think is now somewhere in the Fisherman's Warf area. I like the examples in the video at Micechat because it shows the mechanics of each figure. What I find intriguing is that it takes you back to the basics of animation -- the minimum you need in order to convey the attributes of the character and their actions.

I've been there and enjoyed it. Recommend.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Just returned from touring one of those great "time capsules", Hearst Castle. So much to say about it after roaming the grounds at night with the Docents dressed in period garb. Read two books in preparation for the visit, so it was an really immersive and rich excursion. For extra immersion, I brought the TOT queue music on headphones!.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Just returned from touring one of those great "time capsules", Hearst Castle. So much to say about it after roaming the grounds at night with the Docents dressed in period garb. Read two books in preparation for the visit, so it was a really immersive and rich excursion.

I just missed you! I'm going there tomorrow. It'll be my third time, it really is great to have something so historic and cool so close.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I think it will be better without the LED Xmas decor inside. Should be removed by tomorrow. I'd go back to see it in the daytime. Read some books on how it was done and the times they had there. Julia Morgan the architect, had quite a client on her hands. They were both perfectionists and would tear down huge amounts of work just to make it right. What a challenge. Really fascinating, as he was not really like the character in Citizen Kane. Like Disney, he wanted to do something and found the way t make it happen.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Not really, The attraction as it is now is an outdated relic from 1996 that focuses heavily on fossil fuels, literally dodges the issue of Global Warming and is only still running because Disney is not willing to fund an update to bring it into the 21st Century.

But we DO still focus heavily on fossil fuels, and this is more than 15 years after the (re-done) attraction premiered. Yeah, alternative energy is sexier, but fossil fuels are going to be doing most of the heavy lifting for the near- to mid-term future. U.S. oil production is up 25% recently. I think the attraction is pretty fair. Considering it was paid for by an oil company, I think it's remarkable. For all of the fossil fuels, they give the number of years that we have left. Ellen even says, "60 years?!? That's only ten more than 50, 20 more than 40, 30 more than..." Then that all ties in with the Final Jeopardy answer: the one source of power that will never run out is brain power, Alex. We have to think our way out of our energy problems.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

It's unfortunate that the messaging in the pavilions does not add up to a cumulative whole.

For example, Cars are becoming more efficient and they run on fossil fuels. Cleaner and leaner uses of fossil fuels (PZEV) and alternate fuels that run in existing Fossil engines (like Algae) are interesting too. Exxon and GM coexist because of each other. That story crosses pavilions, Algae comes from the "Living Seas", and it takes "Imagination" to innovate and "The Land" to make these things really pay off. Knowing how to treat this world, informs how to treat those we discover in Space Exploration.

Ok, that was a lame way of connecting the dots, but what if there was a connective tissue, song or theme to the whole Future World? Like "Great big beautiful Tomorrow" threaded together all those decades in the GE pavilion. It carried you from Toasters and Radios right along to Progress City. "Future World" (like the present one) seems fragmented and not very cohesive. I guess what I'm really saying is that all the pavilions could be under a larger umbrella in purpose where their stories compliment each other and build on each other's strengths. Treat them as one collection, not competing elements. I would not mind seeing Figment or Dreamfinder "introduce" the other pavilions as the sort of host of the whole future World. As if Imagination and innovation was being applied to Energy,Space,The Seas, the Land or creativity itself. You create your ways out of problems. They would not be beyond the opening or closing of the show, but to provide some kind of continuity to the whole experience. If not something like that, then have a theme melody with different lyrics and treatment that opens the show in each pavilion. A Future World signature opening that introduced each element like True-Life Adventures did. Imagine seeing a futuristic SSE graphic and another "puzzle" piece (pavilion logo?) dropping into it when you enter. It would be nice to make them a collective of something more overarching and powerful. That way you might leave the place with a subliminal "call to action" or more of an emotional impact.

Just a rambling thought.

 

[Omnispace]

It's unfortunate that the messaging in the pavilions does not add up to a cumulative whole.

It seems that EPCOT Center attempted to do that and I think it's one of the main features of its earlier days that people miss the most. Because it was such a new concept for a theme park, Disney went through greater lengths to reinforce the "cohesiveness" with: Earth Station, the logos, the publications and educational fact sheets. I like your idea of tying the pavilions together even more by blurring some of the distinctions between them -- borrowing elements from each other.

Somewhere along the way, Epcot got the reputation for being boring and the ex-television-network executives in charge of the company at the time freaked out in their usual desperate way when a sitcom gets bad ratings in it's fourth season. They started doing all kinds of crazy and bizarre things -- (it's why the Brady Bunch started singing and dancing.) I have friends who have visited the park almost from day one and they admit that things did get a bit stale after a while. Epcot just couldn't remain static for so long and not lose relevance.

I think that Disney really dropped the ball on maintaining the Concept of Epcot. They managed it like the magic kingdoms and pretended it was just another theme park. Epcot needs an active creative team that is focused on "plussing" the park incrementally and maintaining a cohesive theme -- that way it is always fresh. It needs to embrace the future and not be apologetic about what it wants to achieve. Instead of saying "This is your future" it needs to say "This is what you can make of your future". To me that is the ultimate guest interaction.

 

[Omnispace]

I think it will be better without the LED Xmas decor inside. Should be removed by tomorrow. I'd go back to see it in the daytime. Read some books on how it was done and the times they had there. Julia Morgan the architect, had quite a client on her hands. They were both perfectionists and would tear down huge amounts of work just to make it right. What a challenge. Really fascinating, as he was not really like the character in Citizen Kane. Like Disney, he wanted to do something and found the way t make it happen.

Aaaaah! And we were just talking about LED Christmas lights. Sorry to hear that they found their way into the Christmas displays in Hearst Castle. When I saw it several years back there wasn't that anachronism to take one out of the mood. Still looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on the experience. Julia Morgan was definitely one weird bird but what she did with architecture is nothing short of pure poetry. I studied her and Maybeck when I was trying to pin down "California Coastal" for a project.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

So here are the LED decorations. Given the fact that everything down to the Ketchup bottles on the dining table are period perfect, I think the LED screams Walmart compared to what used to be. I don't personally care for holiday decorations, so it just obscured the art.

Julia Morgan was an inspiration, as she was the first woman to attend the famed "Ecole Des Beaux Arts" in Paris. Her blend of perfectionism, talent and humility made her uniquely qualified to delicately play Heart's bottomless deck of "Antique Cards" and make sense of it all. She said to "Never avoid problems, they could be opportunities in disguise". Good point. I found it all to be stunning, as like Walt's Disneyland, it is one's specific vision and the evidence of their will to have it executed with little compromise. An immersive world indeed. Truly a "time travel" experience. Take the virtual tour HERE http://www.regal360.com/clients/hearst/hearstcastle/index.html

Julia did LOTs of other important buildings.
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/jmindex/genericindex.html