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

G

grunter

Member
Ralphlaw said:
And Judi Dench's Spacehsip Earth narration sounds more like an old schoolmarm than the timeless traveller of history that Jeremy Irons' voice brought. I like Judi, and I like the update, but Jeremy's voice was better for that attraction.
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Actually the Walter Cronkite / "Tomorrow's Child" version of Spaceship Earth completely puts the Jeremy Irons' version to shame.

:kiss:
 
ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
Florida_is_hot said:
Got to love Apple fanboys.

Apple products, there are many more Android devices, a huge selection at half the price. They are more functional and out sell the iPhone.

Tablets are next, Apple's solution "innovate" no all the iPad got was a better screen and processor hardly innovation but Apple has a solution take competitors to court.

Computers Apple is less than 5% and after close to 30 years they will not ever become mainstream. Friend had a Apple laptop replaced it with a Windows Laptop because it did mot and was half the price.

EPCOT has nothing to do with Apple.

What drives, motivates Disney to make changes is gate receipts nothing less. They will not spend millions or maybe billions if the people come.

Corporations, sponsors do not seem to be lining up to invest money either.

You know I hate Apple for trying to control everything from iTunes to software to hardware, by selling product for too much money but they do not seem to be interested either.

But what do you know HP a windows company is an Epcot sponsor.

Want really change at Disney Parks, do not go.
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Not sure why Apple bashing is warranted, Apple takes big risks...they often get rewarded for it, but not always. You're right, Apple has nothing to do with Epcot, but the philosophy of pushing the envelope and creating new things is the philosophy that they should both have.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Florida_is_hot said:
But what do you know HP a windows company is an Epcot sponsor.
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HP acquired their sponsorship when they "merged" with Compaq. HP's past year also shows the dangers of trying to eliminate risk.

Florida_is_hot said:
Want really change at Disney Parks, do not go.
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This ignores the reality of how the parks are actually operated these days. Since Disney has given up on the big picture, not going to the specific places is not going. The Resort names are now more geographic descriptors with the financial analysis being done at a smaller level. Yes, this is a method many hate, but it does allow for this "loop hole."
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
Ralphlaw said:
I think that the "no sacred cow" "let's blow up what we have" brainstorming method of doing things also has a serious downside. I fear such sessions blind people to the strength of what you already have, and allows some truly mediocre changes to gain momentum. Stitch's Great Escape, which nobody seems to like, may have arisen from this. It's a bad attraction that gained momentum somewhere without true thought going into a truly good alternative, or even keeping the old attraction until something good could be developed.

The new and terrible narration for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority is a bland atrocity that appears to have been born from a desire to point out the gift shops while tearing the heart out from a cleverly written attraction. The old narration, with great voices and a tranforming way of making you feel as if you really were in a spaceport somewhere, was dumped because of some stupidity somewhere. Was it a short-sighted brainstorming decision that ripped out the old narration?

And Judi Dench's Spacehsip Earth narration sounds more like an old schoolmarm than the timeless traveller of history that Jeremy Irons' voice brought. I like Judi, and I like the update, but Jeremy's voice was better for that attraction.

All changes, yes, but the positive properties of a valuable established component appear to get lost because momentum leads to something that everyone wrongly thought could have been so much better. Perhaps I'm conservative by nature, but I instantly assess the old and discardable thing for its positives before jumping onto some new bandwagon that leads to lesser results. New Coke is a prime example. Unfortunately, once that momentum get's going, people are less likely to speak up and say, "Is this really any good?" Sometimes that emperor just doesn't have any new clothes, and the old outfits are good and sitting back in the closet.

Blowing up, at times, can lead to this result, in my opinion. For me, blow it up by first asking, "What are the true positives of Epcot?" Search for those first, then consider blowing it up after your positives are well considered. Otherwise, the blow up may gain momentum and the positives are forgotten. Who wouldn't get excited about transforming Epcot into something completely different? Once that energy starts flowing, it's fun. Meanwhile, the beauty of the current Epcot is ignored, looking old and stale compared to that transforming idea that everyone is abuzz with. You walk around and think about the changes, becoming blind to the greatness of what you already have. Therein lies a true dowside, and some care must be focussed to keep such obviously bad changes from being made.
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Nuking something is predicated on replacing it with something enormously greater, otherwise don't do it. As you say, you can become infatuated with change for it's own sake. David Duchovny once said about making script changes too rashly "It's easy to confuse newness with greatness". You eventually reexamine your direction, but Apple has done pretty well so far.
 
KevinYee

KevinYee

Well-Known Member
The fear of failure is a far more crippling creative death than the fear of messing it up. In other words, you have to take risks, even knowing that you might fail. If you don't take those risks, you stagnate - and that's much worse than taking risks and failing.

Failure is PART of the creative process. A necessary part. That suggests another book title: "Failure IS an option"
 
Slowjack

Slowjack

Well-Known Member
grunter said:
Actually the Walter Cronkite / "Tomorrow's Child" version of Spaceship Earth completely puts the Jeremy Irons' version to shame.

:kiss:
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I'm always surprised by the affection for the Cronkite version, which I regard as rank three of the four. Cronkite read the narration like he was bored by it. Irons and Perrin read it like it meant something to them. And the music at the end of the Irons version was some of the best original theme park music I've heard. "Tomorrow's Child" was treacle. Don't get me wrong; it's better than what we have now. But not the best.
 
IanDLBZF

IanDLBZF

Well-Known Member
Disney seriously needs to WAKE UP here and start fixing up their parks because WDW is starting to become F-BARd and is starting to break!
 
IanDLBZF

IanDLBZF

Well-Known Member
I do regret for what I just said because I felt somewhat p'd off. Also I do hope they start maintaining their parks soon or I will be sueing them.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
KevinYee said:
The fear of failure is a far more crippling creative death than the fear of messing it up. In other words, you have to take risks, even knowing that you might fail. If you don't take those risks, you stagnate - and that's much worse than taking risks and failing.

Failure is PART of the creative process. A necessary part. That suggests another book title: "Failure IS an option"
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It does happen and the great example is how many light bulbs it took Edison to get to the one that worked. I'm not sure it's so much an option as it's an unexpected result. I do like the title!
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Eddie Sotto said:
Good news. Today's overview has lots of big rehabs.

http://micechat.com/blogs/orlando-p...sch-gardens-new-ice-show-seaword-turtles.html
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It is good news, I do not want to be a sourpuss about that.

But is it the right good news? To me, the real problems in WDW are not about maintenance. If only it were that simple. The problems are the two decades of lowering the standard of the product itself.
Yes, MS will look pretty. But it will still be a Walmart with pretty façades. The real make-over MS needs is the re-opening of Centre Street, the return of the open air flower market, the return of the cinema, the return of the Penny Arcade, the return of small-scale specialty shops (Magic Shop).

MS ought to look like a nostalgic, idealised turn of last century MS. Not like an idealised themed shopping mall. The MK feels dissatisfying, emotionally empty, a loose collection of empty shells. (SotMK only serves to reinforce that effect)
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
Empress Lilly said:
It is good news, I do not want to be a sourpuss about that.

But is it the right good news? To me, the real problems in WDW are not about maintenance. If only it were that simple. The problems are the two decades of lowering the standard of the product itself.
Yes, MS will look pretty. But it will still be a Walmart with pretty façades. The real make-over MS needs is the re-opening of Centre Street, the return of the open air flower market, the return of the cinema, the return of the Penny Arcade, the return of small-scale specialty shops (Magic Shop).

MS ought to look like a nostalgic, idealised turn of last century MS. Not like an idealised themed shopping mall. The MK feels dissatisfying, emotionally empty, a loose collection of empty shells. (SotMK only serves to reinforce that effect)
Click to expand...

I too miss the texture of something that resembled a "small town" with a diversity of businesses with interesting nooks and crannies, versus a singular generic shopping experience. It's funny that Main Street USA, like the main drag of any small town, is a "mirror" reflecting it's local culture. It is the "marketplace" of the park, and so in a sense it reflects the collective sensibilities of the company and what the company thinks it's public wants. You could project your critique on a grander scale as well. Times have indeed changed and so the priorities of the company have followed that lead.

Being a Main Streeter,I'd love to see more authenticity, heck, I've even stoop to Steampunk!
 
Florida_is_hot

Florida_is_hot

Well-Known Member
They have taken risks.

Changing the feel inside the building on left, making it into a large store instead of a series of small shops make economic sense.

Having a real 1900s main street was never really possible because like all Disney buildings it is a modern, 2 story concrete box with the external side facing the stage modeled to look like stores.

Improving to flow inside makes it easier for guests to buy stuff.

Great news.... on face lifts.

Really WDW is and always has been a business, people keep coming and keep spending money.
 

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