Guardians Tower announcement Saturday in SD ...

[yellowrocket]

Speaking of personal insults, it's a bit sad that 90% of the comments on the Guardians announcement video are people going on about Rohde's ear...

It *is* a bit sad that so many people have to comment on his ear, but Rhode isn't exactly the definition of the Walt Disney tradition. I respect the man and his creativity, and I would imagine he has gotten far in the company because he stands so far apart from what the rest of his fellow Disney employees are supposed to look like.

Still... if all employees are supposed to be held accountable to a certain business look, he shouldn't be granted an excuse to be so outwardly defiant of his employers definition of suitable dress standards - regardless of how creative he is (#DiscoYeti, Rivers of Light, DinoLand USA).

 

[PorterRedkey]

Here is Brian Crosby from Marvel taking about the new attraction- GotG: Mission Breakout ...so stupid.

A little more info, but not much.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Tower of Terror is impossible to see from Buena Vista Street or the Carthay Circle area. It only becomes visible once you leave that land and walk at least 50 yards into Grizzly Peak and look to the northwest.

But the sightlines on Tower of Terror from around the rest of DCA aren't very impactful. It's off in the middle distance, but never really commands the view because it is pivoted at a weird angle to the northwest which is an angle that few vistas or streets align with. It does peek above several lands, but it never dominates them. And honestly a Pueblo-Deco hotel tower with half its side blown off doesn't really theme with any other existing DCA story or land besides its own.

Here's Tower of Terror from the Paradise Pier bridge, smack dab in the middle of the park, looking across to the Pacific Wharf food court, as an average point of reference for mass and scale and impact on DCA.

The most prominent horizon view is from Grizzly Peak Airfield, as its the only pathway or open area in the park that aligns with the northwest facing facade of Tower of Terror. But when they added Carthay Circle Theater tower in 2012 (seen below in front of Tower), it blunted the impact of Tower of Terror on this area of the park.

See above, but the one part of this that I think will be weird is the Red Car Trolley passing directly in front of the redone building. Not sure how that will mesh or work. And I think it's that juxtaposition that shows just how unfortunate this concept would be for DHS!

The sightlines of Tower of Terror are a big issue.

Here's the thing. I buy the story line. Within the context of the movies/comics there are elements of the attraction premise that make total sense. It's not a book report. If that's the storyline for a new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction I buy it and I'm excited about it.

What should also be considered is that Hollywoodland is a thematic mess. You've got Monster's Inc, The Frozen Musical, Turtle Talk with Crush and Tower of Terror all mixed together. Hollywoodland is far from sacred ground.

The Tower of Terror at DCA is also the worst of the three versions I've experienced and it's not even remotely close. Painted on exterior detail as opposed to proper theming looks cheap relative to Tokyo and Florida. For me, this ride isn't sacred either.

Honestly, I don't hate this announcement for California only. It's not the best decision, but I don't think this is anywhere near as big of an issue/thematic break as Frozen Ever After. Of course had they opted to also do this in Florida I would be leading the way with pitchforks and torches.

My objections here are that I'd rather see the Tower demolished for a Guardians ride than retrofitted. It's not that I don't think the drop tower ride system wouldn't effectively tell the story (As I said, I buy the storyline). I just think having a shorter ride for Guardians fixes the glaring sightline issues throughout the park.

The other objection is while most of the changes are facade work and art direction, 6 months seems way too short for Disney's normal time frame. I suspect this will feel cheap, even with Rohde's presence on the project.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

DCA will finally have a tangible identity as a Marvel / Pixar park.

It has long been my understanding that Walt's company was driven by creativity, which is an abstract quality. If it is your position that a Disney Park be tangible, which means clear, definite, and real, then there is no reason whatsoever for elaborate theming. Real would be a ride devoid of theming with a fitting moniker. If it is necessary for Disney California Adventure to be real, as you say, why not simply build rides like this:

It is certainly tangible because the colors are appropriate for the name.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The name of this attraction sounds like something you'd find at Six Flags.

As a name structure is it any worse than The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Test Track

Tron Coaster

Is there a rule that you can't have blue lights on two different attractions? I forgot that rule in my Imagineering handbook.

 

[yellowrocket]

The name of this attraction sounds like something you'd find at Six Flags.

"If it's good enough for Six Flags..." - Paul Pressler

 

[Sue_Vongello]

The sightlines of Tower of Terror are a big issue.

Here's the thing. I buy the story line. Within the context of the movies/comics there are elements of the attraction premise that make total sense. It's not a book report. If that's the storyline for a new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction I buy it and I'm excited about it.

What should also be considered is that Hollywoodland is a thematic mess. You've got Monster's Inc, The Frozen Musical, Turtle Talk with Crush and Tower of Terror all mixed together. Hollywoodland is far from sacred ground.

The Tower of Terror at DCA is also the worst of the three versions I've experienced and it's not even remotely close. Painted on exterior detail as opposed to proper theming looks cheap relative to Tokyo and Florida. For me, this ride isn't sacred either.

Honestly, I don't hate this announcement for California only. It's not the best decision, but I don't think this is anywhere near as big of an issue/thematic break as Frozen Ever After. Of course had they opted to also do this in Florida I would be leading the way with pitchforks and torches.

My objections here are that I'd rather see the Tower demolished for a Guardians ride than retrofitted. It's not that I don't think the drop tower ride system wouldn't effectively tell the story (As I said, I buy the storyline). I just think having a shorter ride for Guardians fixes the glaring sightline issues throughout the park.

The other objection is while most of the changes are facade work and art direction, 6 months seems way too short for Disney's normal time frame. I suspect this will feel cheap, even with Rohde's presence on the project.

I am firmly opposed to this ride change but I have to give @RSoxNo1 credit for crafting a very intelligent, thoughtful, and logical counter argument; that may have softened me a bit ... may ... a bit.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Yeah. I swear his ear will rip off eventually. P.S he is the worst Imagineer of them all I must say.

On what grounds?

 

[WDW862]

On what grounds?

People dislike Rohde because Disney shareholders and executives want marvel thrown into something.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Where are the boos? People said there were boos...

Hall H is huge. A friend of mine was there and said he didn't hear any so it wasn't substantial booing if any.

 

[Miceberg]

Does anyone have good pics of TOT from different views around the DLR? Would be interesting to make some photoshops to see how it will look

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I love the explicit contradictions from the haters on this one.

Tower of Terror shouldn't be replaced because it's only twelve years old... but it also shouldn't be replaced because it's a classic! And Tower of Terror shouldn't be replaced with Guardians because we like original ideas and not shoehorned IP, so we demand that it remains The Twilight Zone!

That's what you call cognitive dissonance.
Marvel is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Twilight Zone is owned by CBS Television Studios. Rocket Raccoon is more Disney than Rod Serling ever was whether you like it or not.

 

[RSoxNo1]

And if you believe DCA has the worst version of the attraction, I would hope that you agree it is still a masterpiece of Imagineering. Because if you don't, then I am saying rip out WDW's Pirates because -- no, the queue most certainly doesn't count in the way some say -- it now is the worst version out of the now five on the globe. Let's put in a Jungle Book ride using the same show building and ride system.

DCA's version is still a very fun attraction, but the painted detail and inferior ride profile make the gap between DCA and DHS's version of Tower far more substantial than the gap between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom's Pirates, IMO.

There were many things wrong with DCA from 2001. A lot of those mistakes were fixed by the extreme makeover (remember that Phase II that should be nearing completion about now?) But many weren't. A basic rule of Theme Park 101 should be simple common sense "If it ain't broke, don't break it." But that is what is happening here. A haunted hotel from the 1930s that meshes so perfectly with the new Hollywoodland conceit is going to be destroyed, so that the egos of twin Bobs (talking Iger and Chappie here, Weis can't be blamed for this as it was in the works before he got his new gig and it is being shoved down his throat) can be stroked.

That is incredibly misleading. Hollywoodland is a thematic mess. This isn't Sunset Boulevard which only helps further the gap between the two versions of Tower of Terror. DCA's Tower is the equivalent of DINOSAUR to Disneyland's Indy. It's not a knock on DINOSAUR or DCA's Tower, but they are among the lower rung of E-tickets.

The fact is that, despite his professed liberal leanings, Bob Iger is a very conservative man. One who doesn't trust his creatives and their output. This has been the case with WDFA, but it certainly is also the case with every other division. His prized IP acquisitions are being thrown into places they don't belong because he never had the trust to say "these films are going to be huge, let's have quality attractions ready to go" so you wind up with a low-capacity Frozen boat ride in a freaking World Showcase pavilion. And you wind up with GotG in DCA's ToT and EPCOT's Future World. And, in so doing, they dilute all of the parks even further. They all become BRAND extensions, tools if you will (not quite the same as social mediawhores are tools ... heck, I wonder how many O-Towners are going to rush to SoCal for last rides and photo retrospectives instead of say ... I dunno ... ripping the decision-making process?)

This is the much greater issue. It's the IP trend that is disheartening. Moreover, it's the shoehorning of that IP as a means of playing catch up when there's no confidence in the project. I keep re-posting this article but it's still incredibly relevant.
http://micechat.com/101023-tim-grassey-addicted-easy-money/

 

[ParentsOf4]

I fail to see how Disney investing heavily in this attraction and making it the keystone of a new Marvel land is a bad thing.

Disney absolutely is not "investing heavily in this attraction". Disney is doing this exactly because it's (for Disney) inexpensive.

Inexpensive can be good. However, let's keep in mind that this is an overlay. The basic ride system will remain largely untouched. Bells and whistles aside, it's still the same basic attraction.

As such, this adds nothing. It replaces one popular attraction with another in a shallow attempt to cash in on a popular IP and fool people (like you) into thinking that corporate Disney is doing something of substance.

This "new" attraction is all style, no substance.

 

[RSoxNo1]

View attachment 152996

Honestly that doesn't look any worse than the current Tower in the background. And before anyone asks, I've complained about that for years.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Did Steve not just ask everyone to be respectful?

Lots of posts, still catching up. If things turned hostile and the mods had to step in, I apologize. My comments were directed towards the people who wrote the petition and not anyone in particular in this community.

You're welcome to disagree with folks, but name-calling?

I'm not name-calling due to disagreement, I'm name-calling based on a point that is objectively nonsensical. Arguing that The Twilight Zone is superior to Guardians of the Galaxy because you don't like IP is nonsensical. It's like arguing that you think Maelstrom is better than Frozen because you prefer boat rides. It doesn't apply because it's the same thing.

Disney absolutely is not "investing heavily in this attraction". Disney is doing this exactly because it's (for Disney) inexpensive.

Inexpensive can be good. However, let's keep in mind that this is an overlay. The basic ride system will remain largely untouched. Bells and whistles aside, it's still the same basic attraction.

I disagree with the implication that what you're describing is inherently bad. You dismiss "bells and whistles" off-the-cuff as if they're illegitimate to the guest experience and I think that's a mistake. The only thing that makes The Haunted Mansion different from The Seas with Nemo and Friends are those "bells and whistles," yet I suspect you'd agree that the two have fundamentally different guest experiences.

As such, this adds nothing. It replaces one popular attraction with another in a shallow attempt to cash in on a popular IP and fool people (like you) into thinking that corporate Disney is doing something of substance.

This "new" attraction is all style, no substance.

I am absolutely not an expert on Disneyland, but is it even possible for them to add per se, even if they wanted to? My understanding is that, with a few exceptions, their footprint is fully built and anything new they get in the future will need to replace something old.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

View attachment 152996

The eyesore in that picture are the cones, not the tower.

But I know, nobody is supposed to say anything bad about blessed Carsland.

 

[mmartin046]

Nice sleeper account!

Long-time reader (since the early 2000s), no-time poster.

This well-crafted position statement reads like a press release from the Walt Disney Company.

Thank you?

I mean what I said. I don't know what to tell you if you believe my post is part of some kind of conspiracy.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Long-time reader (since the early 2000s), no-time poster.

Thank you?

I mean what I said. I don't know what to tell you if you believe my post is part of some kind of conspiracy.

Buckle up. If you disagree in any way with The Narrative, you're obviously a TDO shill.