Fantasyland Rumor Gaining Steam

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I find it amazing that so many Disney fans who spent years lamenting Pixar's penetration into the parks as homegrown Disney IP was tossed aside are now moaning about Frozen.

It's here to stay. It's a cultural landmark, a phenomenon. And it's a homegrown Disney IP in the vein of earlier celebrated fairy tale classics. The backlash in the fan community astounds me. For years they longed for a Disney hit to happen and get into the parks. It happened, and now they complain.

People would honestly rather have a perpetually half closed Toontown than a stunning high budget Frozen E ticket? They'd rather have a 13 year old stage show that painfully shows its age in light of its far superior Broadway incarnation, than a brand new spectacular show that will bring the Hyperion into the realm of modern stagecraft? I got $10 that says the new Frozen musical won't feature Barbie dolls as a legitimate staging effect.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

For years they longed for a Disney hit to happen and get into the parks. It happened, and now they complain.

This surprises you?

 

[Curious Constance]

I find it amazing that so many Disney fans who spent years lamenting Pixar's penetration into the parks as homegrown Disney IP was tossed aside are now moaning about Frozen.

It's here to stay. It's a cultural landmark, a phenomenon. And it's a homegrown Disney IP in the vein of earlier celebrated fairy tale classics. The backlash in the fan community astounds me. For years they longed for a Disney hit to happen and get into the parks. It happened, and now they complain.

People would honestly rather have a perpetually half closed Toontown than a stunning high budget Frozen E ticket? They'd rather have a 13 year old stage show that painfully shows its age in light of its far superior Broadway incarnation, than a brand new spectacular show that will bring the Hyperion into the realm of modern stagecraft? I got $10 that says the new Frozen musical won't feature Barbie dolls as a legitimate staging effect.

It seems like people are never willing to embrace anything new. Once Frozen has been around for 25 years, like Aladdin and Lion King, maybe they will be ready to embrace it then. But lately anything new seems to equate to substandard in most people's minds.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I will never embrace Frozen. But then all my favorite Disney films are apparently forgotten cult films such as Return to Oz, Roger Rabbit, The Rocketeer and Dick Tracy. All of those kick the crap out that mushy princess snowman crap that they replaced Maelstrom with and would have made for amazing theme park attractions, Roger Rabbit excepted because it did make it to the parks as a ride and sort of a land.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I will never embrace Frozen. But then all my favorite Disney films are apparently forgotten cult films such as Return to Oz, Roger Rabbit, The Rocketeer and **** Tracy. All of those kick the crap out that mushy princess snowman crap that they replaced Maelstrom with and would have made for amazing theme park attractions, Roger Rabbit excepted because it did make it to the parks as a ride and sort of a land.

Amen. I'll never embrace Frozen either, and there's really nothing anyone could say that would change my mind.

 

[Kate F]

I find it amazing that so many Disney fans who spent years lamenting Pixar's penetration into the parks as homegrown Disney IP was tossed aside are now moaning about Frozen.

It's here to stay. It's a cultural landmark, a phenomenon. And it's a homegrown Disney IP in the vein of earlier celebrated fairy tale classics. The backlash in the fan community astounds me. For years they longed for a Disney hit to happen and get into the parks. It happened, and now they complain.

People would honestly rather have a perpetually half closed Toontown than a stunning high budget Frozen E ticket? They'd rather have a 13 year old stage show that painfully shows its age in light of its far superior Broadway incarnation, than a brand new spectacular show that will bring the Hyperion into the realm of modern stagecraft? I got $10 that says the new Frozen musical won't feature Barbie dolls as a legitimate staging effect.

The only reason I am complaining about it is that everyone makes it out to be as great of a film as Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White etc., and it just isn't. If the film were truly as great as its made out to be then I would have no problem with it being everywhere, but I'm sorry, I just can't understand at all how people hold this film in such high regard. It's filled with bland and annoying characters, unfunny jokes and most of the songs have horrible, cringe-worthy lyrics. If I think the film is not that great, of course I would get sick of seeing it shoved in my face. Should I just keep all of my negative opinions towards the film to myself? Maybe, but I don't know why you seem to have a problem with me thinking that it is getting more attention than it deserves.

Yes, I get that it is such a huge phenomenon, I just wish that it wasn't. Not that I don't want Disney to have an incredibly successful film, but why did it have to be this one? I think Princess and the Frog and Tangled were much better.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I find it amazing that so many Disney fans who spent years lamenting Pixar's penetration into the parks as homegrown Disney IP was tossed aside are now moaning about Frozen.

It's here to stay. It's a cultural landmark, a phenomenon. And it's a homegrown Disney IP in the vein of earlier celebrated fairy tale classics. The backlash in the fan community astounds me.

Disney is a very generational thing, and the backlash is really about how something new has replaced the movie(s) some fans liked so much as a child as the next BIG Disney thing. It's happened before, and it'll happen again in 20-25 years. There's no science behind it, something just clicks and it becomes a cultural event. But the offense is still felt because it appears to them that what THEY liked is no longer valued (even if "Under the Sea" is still played ad nauseam throughout the park...).

For years they longed for a Disney hit to happen and get into the parks. It happened, and now they complain.

Besides Dole Whip, Wishes and Orange Bird plushies, most Disney fans don't know what they want at any given time beyond what is already known to them. They like the comfort of the familiar. It's why most Armchair Imagineering amounts to little more than "[insert movie here] dark ride".

 

[mickEblu]

I will never embrace Frozen. But then all my favorite Disney films are apparently forgotten cult films such as Return to Oz, Roger Rabbit, The Rocketeer and **** Tracy. All of those kick the crap out that mushy princess snowman crap that they replaced Maelstrom with and would have made for amazing theme park attractions, Roger Rabbit excepted because it did make it to the parks as a ride and sort of a land.

You must be an 80s kid like me. A Return to Oz ride would be AWESOME. I'm seeing a "flying" Peter Pan style ride with sleighs instead of ships. I wonder if this IP ever had a shot at an attraction? I'm guessing no... but the settings and characters could make for a classic ride.

(SIDE NOTE: it just hit me not too long ago that Jack Pumpkin Head most likely was Tim Burtons inspiration for Jack Skellington )

Maybe the imagineers thought that audio animatronic Wheelers would be too scary for the kids lol. Sigh. I don't know when kids movies became so kiddy? I was a 6 year old watching movies like Willow, Return to Oz, Roger Rabbit ( Judge doom melting was one of my favorite scenes). Then again I would also watch Child's play on VHS so maybe I'm a special case.

And what happened to all the epic villains? We went from the Wicked Witch to King Candy and Hans. Lol.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Yeah, I always imagined you would ride in the Gump sofa. It would be perfect!

To be honest, my favorite thing about Main Street at Disneyland is walking down it with the knowledge that a Return to Oz Electrical Parade float once graced it in the summer of '85.

 

[mickEblu]

I had no idea. I'm going to see if I can find any YouTube footage.

 

[Curious Constance]

I've always been in love with Return to Oz ever since I was a kid. My brother used to be terrified of Mombi, and now my son is lol.

 

[mickEblu]

Lol yes the Gump sofa! That's what I meant by "sleigh". Been a while since I've seen the movie. That would be the best ride vehicle in the park. Especially if Gump head was a speaking, moving audio animatronic. Sigh. The more I think of the possibilities the more sad I get.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Unfortunately, the closest thing we have to a Return to Oz ride now (or ever will) is the Emerald City in DLP's Storybookland:

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It's amazing! Better than all of DCA!

 

[FigmentForver96]

The only reason I am complaining about it is that everyone makes it out to be as great of a film as Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White etc., and it just isn't. If the film were truly as great as its made out to be then I would have no problem with it being everywhere, but I'm sorry, I just can't understand at all how people hold this film in such high regard. It's filled with bland and annoying characters, unfunny jokes and most of the songs have horrible, cringe-worthy lyrics. If I think the film is not that great, of course I would get sick of seeing it shoved in my face. Should I just keep all of my negative opinions towards the film to myself? Maybe, but I don't know why you seem to have a problem with me thinking that it is getting more attention than it deserves.

Yes, I get that it is such a huge phenomenon, I just wish that it wasn't. Not that I don't want Disney to have an incredibly successful film, but why did it have to be this one? I think Princess and the Frog and Tangled were much better.

In your eyes it may not be the greatest thing ever but obviously it holds value and has earned its way into the Disney classics whether we like it or not. Yea it has been a little over pushed, but so was Lion King, and others.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I watched Return to Oz for the first time in my early 20s (quite some time ago!). It's absolutely dumbfounding. It unfolds as if there were no writer and was creepy as all hell. I didn't mind the creepy, but I did mind the absence of character development. It had some charms, but without the benefit of childhood nostalgia, it just came off bizarre.

Just think, if Oz the Great and Powerful had been good and made over a billion, we'd be getting ready for an Oz expansion at DL.

 

[Phroobar]

I watched Return to Oz for the first time in my early 20s (quite some time ago!). It's absolutely dumbfounding. It unfolds as if there were no writer and was creepy as all hell. I didn't mind the creepy, but I did mind the absence of character development. It had some charms, but without the benefit of childhood nostalgia, it just came off bizarre.

Don't forget about the lobotomy they try to give Dorthy at the beginning of the movie or the hallway of heads. Pumpkin head was the prototype for Jar Jar Binks. Good stuff to traumatize kids there.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

I watched Return to Oz for the first time in my early 20s (quite some time ago!). It's absolutely dumbfounding.

Return to Oz is one of the worst films I've ever seen. Nothing like The Black Hole, which is The Disney Studios' finest masterpiece.

 

[Curious Constance]

LOL Hans. You may be a BIT biased

 

[Phroobar]

Yeah, just a little biased. I remember Space Mountain use to have production stills from the Black Hole as you leave the ride. They were at the top of the stairs (speedramp).