News 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences at Animal Kingdom

[UNCgolf]

Yeah... I'd take DHS with Star Wars over what the park was for most of its existence, which to me always felt empty and lacking. Epcot I can understand, though my only memories of Epcot are from the early 2000's, and I would definitely take today's Epcot over that one. Cosmic Rewind, even though its in the wrong place, is a must-do for me. While Ellen's Energy was a must-skip lol.

But I understand people preferring "old WDW" to today, there was more charm and consistency in theming, each park was more distinctive, and the economics of LL and merchandise have definitely brought negative side-effects. What I don't agree with is that what WDI has produced in the last decade has been "worse quality." There have been some world-class attractions that I feel like get nit-picked to death, while "classic" attractions get a lot of excuses made for them (I believe because of nostalgia more than reality).

Galaxy's Edge is good (albeit a little disappointing compared to what it could have been -- Smuggler's Run especially is a huge misfire IMO), but most of the rest of the park has lost the theming/character that made it interesting (which is why it still feels empty/lacking in many areas). There was more to occupy your time in the 1990s than there is now, outside of Galaxy's Edge. The shopping alone could suck up a decent amount of time back then because the shops were heavily themed and sold a lot of unique stuff.

 

[celluloid]

Yeah... I'd take DHS with Star Wars over what the park was for most of its existence, which to me always felt empty and lacking. Epcot I can understand, though my only memories of Epcot are from the early 2000's, and I would definitely take today's Epcot over that one. Cosmic Rewind, even though its in the wrong place, is a must-do for me. While Ellen's Energy was a must-skip lol.

But I understand people preferring "old WDW" to today, there was more charm and consistency in theming, each park was more distinctive, and the economics of LL and merchandise have definitely brought negative side-effects. What I don't agree with is that what WDI has produced in the last decade has been "worse quality." There have been some world-class attractions that I feel like get nit-picked to death, while "classic" attractions get a lot of excuses made for them (I believe because of nostalgia more than reality).

WDI does produce great things still, there are just near decade gaps between now.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Galaxy's Edge is good (albeit a little disappointing compared to what it could have been), but most of the rest of the park has lost the theming/character that made it interesting (which is why it still feels empty/lacking in many areas). There was more to occupy your time in the 1990s than there is now, outside of Galaxy's Edge. The shopping alone could suck up a decent amount of time back then because the shops were heavily themed and sold a lot of unique stuff.

This was true of Magic Kingdom as well, which had stores like The King's Gallery, House of Magic, Old World Antiques, plus smaller diversions like Main Street Cinema (when it was a Cinema).

The homogenizing of WDW didn't just dilute individual park themes, it made many stores and restaurants bland too.

 

[JackCH]

From 1986 to 1998, just over ten years you had..
The Living Seas
Maelstrom,
Wonders of Live Pavilion with Body Wars and Cranium Command
Disney-MGM Studios
Splash Mountain
Muppet Vision 3D
Tower of Terror
Alien Encounter
1994 Tomorrowlnland refurbs, Carousel of Progress retheme, Buzz and lande enhancements
Test Track
RocknRoller Coaster.
Animal Kingdom


One will notice most.of.tjese treats are still around, still well known, feature the bones that their replacements use or as seen as superior to their predecessors, including some empty voids.

Fair. That's pretty great. Especially 2 new parks. That was probably the most aggressive years of building, yeah?

Part of it is I just have a different opinion than most here seem to about DHS, which I feel has always been a deeply flawed park.

But, 2012-2024:
New Fantasyland and SDMT
Pandora and FoP
Star Wars and RoTR
Toy Story Land
MMRR
Rat
Cosmic Rewind
Tron
Not to mention some rethemes and new shows.

That's not bad, especially when the economics of it make building another park less realistic.

And I get a lot of it is difference in taste, but from purely an attractions standpoint, I would take 2012-2024 over 1986-1998, and certainly 2017-2029 if everything announced at D23 happens.

 

[James Alucobond]

WDI does produce great things still, there are just near decade gaps between now.

There definitely are not, especially if you consider that their output is spread across six resorts and multiple cruise ships, but that's not even true if you take WDW alone.

 

[celluloid]

There definitely are not, especially if you consider that their output is spread across six resorts and multiple cruise ships, but that's not even true if you take WDW alone.

It is for me and many others. Art is subjective though.

 

[Architectural Guinea Pig]

The Living Seas
Maelstrom,
Wonders of Live Pavilion with Body Wars and Cranium Command
Disney-MGM Studios
Splash Mountain
Muppet Vision 3D
Tower of Terror
Alien Encounter
1994 Tomorrowlnland refurbs, Carousel of Progress retheme, Buzz and lande enhancements
Test Track
RocknRoller Coaster.
Animal Kingdom

Many in your list were considered failures at their time, any more than half of these would definitely be big flops in the eyes of modern Disney fans. Compare it to the decade that @JackCH mentioned above, it’s pretty ridiculous to think that all the rides were show stoppers.

Oh- and WDI isn’t just WDW. That same decade gave us Radiator Springs Racers, the entire Shanghai Disneyland, Fantasy Springs to name a few. WDI isn’t failing; it’s the fans that are failing WDI.

 

[celluloid]

Fair. That's pretty great. Especially 2 new parks. That was probably the most aggressive years of building, yeah?

Part of it is I just have a different opinion than most here seem to about DHS, which I feel has always been a deeply flawed park.

But, 2012-2024:
New Fantasyland and SDMT
Pandora and FoP
Star Wars and RoTR
Toy Story Land
MMRR
Rat
Cosmic Rewind
Tron
Not to mention some rethemes and new shows.

This does not include all the closures and voids.
Nothing replacing many of the areas.
You list the lands and E ticket attractions. Hard to separate those. Toy Story' main appeal dark ride was actually from 2008. But that aside...



And I would say 1972 to 1982 was just asuggestive and still better to 2012 to 2020.

MK had many minor builds and then Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Frontierland expansion by 1982.
EPCOT, an entire park also opened.

So again, many showstoppers.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Yes, Disney theme parks today look great if we ignore decades of history and precedence along with exponential price increases and just write off all of that as nostalgia and a matter of taste.

 

[James Alucobond]

It is for me and many others. Art is subjective though.

It's silly to pretend that there are no objective measures of quality that one can take into account. Sure, a ride might not come together artistically or suit your personal tastes. That doesn't mean there are 10-year+ gaps between significant, impactful WDI projects, as you originally implied. It just means they're producing fewer things that interest you.

 

[celluloid]

Oh- and WDI isn’t just WDW. That same decade gave us Radiator Springs Racers, the entire Shanghai Disneyland, Fantasy Springs to name a few. WDI isn’t failing; it’s the fans that are failing WDI.

Never said they were all show stoppers, but there is a reason many are still around and have yet to be replaced by anything superior.

And let's but get into blaming the public.

 

[celluloid]

It's silly to pretend that there are no objective measures of quality that one can take into account. Sure, a ride might not come together artistically or suit your personal tastes. That doesn't mean there are 10-year+ gaps between significant, impactful WDI projects, as you originally implied. It just means they're producing fewer things that interest you.

Yes, let us do objective then.

With a straight face you can't say MMRR and Toy Story Land are on the level of Sunset Blvd.

So what did the decade before Galaxy's Edge bring to Hollywood Studios.

 

[JackCH]

This does not include all the closures and voids.
Nothing replacing many of the areas.
You list the lands and E ticket attractions. Hard to separate those. Toy Story' main appeal dark ride was actually from 2008. But that aside...



And I would say 1972 to 1982 was just asuggestive and still better to 2012 to 2020.

MK had many minor builds and then Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Frontierland expansion by 1982.
EPCOT, an entire park also opened.

So again, many showstoppers.

Well sure but I could point out similar things with the flaws of DHS and AK when they first opened, which were many.

Sure, many showstoppers, but not exponentially more than the last decade. In fact, I'd still argue less. You just prefer those ones to the new ones. Which is fine.

 

[celluloid]

Well sure but I could point out similar things with the flaws of DHS and AK when they first opened, which were many.

Sure, many showstoppers, but not exponentially more than the last decade. In fact, I'd still argue less. You just prefer those ones to the new ones. Which is fine.

Many flawed but most still around pleasing. And entire parks of success.
Define your term "showstopper."

There is a reason it was known as The Disney Decade.

 

[James Alucobond]

Yes, let us do objective then.

With a straight face you can't say MMRR and Toy Story Land are on the level of Sunset Blvd.

So what did the decade before Galaxy's Edge bring to Hollywood Studios.

Why are you focusing specifically on Hollywood Studios when you're invoking WDI as a whole (in the thread about Animal Kingdom's current expansion, to boot)?

 

[peter11435]

It's silly to pretend that there are no objective measures of quality that one can take into account. Sure, a ride might not come together artistically or suit your personal tastes. That doesn't mean there are 10-year+ gaps between significant, impactful WDI projects, as you originally implied. It just means they're producing fewer things that interest you.

Yep. In the past 10 years they’ve added Pandora, Galaxies Edge, Toy Story land, Runaway Railway, Ratatouille, Cosmic Rewind, Tiana, and Tron just to name the major highlights at WDW.

 

[JackCH]

Yes, Disney theme parks today look great if we ignore decades of history and precedence along with exponential price increases and just write off all of that as nostalgia and a matter of taste.

I mean... It is a matter of taste though. I would say 3/4 parks are better today (Epcot is worse I agree). And I think a large amount of people would agree with that as much as you might vehemently disagree.

 

[celluloid]

Why are you focusing specifically on Hollywood Studios when you're invoking WDI as a whole (in the thread about Animal Kingdom's current expansion, to boot)?

It where their recent big scale went. You brought up already across four parks. Should the additions or hits be at the same rate Than the 80s or 90s?

We ca do MK if you want. From new Fantasyland to Tron....what went significantly into MK?

 

[celluloid]

Yep. In the past 10 years they’ve added Pandora, Galaxies Edge, Toy Story land, Runaway Railway, Ratatouille, Cosmic Rewind, Tiana, and Tron just to name the major highlights at WDW.

So in ten years...

Each WDW theme park got less than two a new rides. Most rethemes of debatable if better than their predecessor.

Subjectivity side.

4 parks getting 10 attractions(one of them a flat ride and most replacements) over the course of a decade is not really something we can say tops the 1972-1982 or 1988-1998 era of Disney with it's constant new innovative and most remaining attractions to this day when we use the word "signifigant."

Again let's define our terms. Is Toy Story Land or Tiana a signifiant triumph of WDI's legacy?

 

[JackCH]

Many flawed but most still around pleasing. And entire parks of success.
Define your term "showstopper."

There is a reason it was known as The Disney Decade.

Showstopper I just mean major headliner attractions. E-Tickets, if you like.

I'm not trying to degrade "The Disney Decade," I granted it was in the discussion as the best for Disney expansion. But the way you are talking it is as if the recent decade isn't even remotely in the same ball park, which I just don't see at all.

If we want to degrade the mid-2000's to like 2015, then we can. I agree with that period being pretty awful aside from EE. That includes the early part of the decade I gave, which still ends up looking pretty decent.

Again, my point isn't even wanting to say this is "better" than the 80's/90's, but sometimes it feels like people engage in hyperbole about the recent years.