I still remain disheartened by it. Even if a new castle was warranted, it could have been so much better. The castle was inspired by a Disney Junior show and "unbounded by existing architectural conventions." Disney castles tended to be grounded in real places and buildings. One of the tragedies of Disney Imagineering has been its embrace of its own stereotype. A sizable group of people always felt like Disney Parks were lowbrow, infantile, and cartoonish. This unfair characterization remained with Disney regardless of what it created.
I agree with this. The land looks great. The coaster is not aimed at serious thrill seekers. It's a family coaster. Obviously, more is always better. But I also know that it's better than what was originally announced. I'll take that beautiful coaster any day over the spinner.
This is a fair critique. Marketing departments are often under pressure to use superlatives. But what you're saying has to match what you're selling.
Interesting, I guess my question becomes then do you not think it matches wider HKDL, due to the budget the park has always been small and “plasticy”, not to the extent of say Mickey avenue but you can really feel the difference in most of the legacy lands compared to the original 4 magic kingdomsI still remain disheartened by it. Even if a new castle was warranted, it could have been so much better. The castle was inspired by a Disney Junior show and "unbounded by existing architectural conventions." Disney castles tended to be grounded in real places and buildings. One of the tragedies of Disney Imagineering has been its embrace of its own stereotype. A sizable group of people always felt like Disney Parks were lowbrow, infantile, and cartoonish. This unfair characterization remained with Disney regardless of what it created.
A version of this conflict occurred with the Disney's America debacle. People did not want "low brow" Disney anywhere near history. Why? Because Disney is pathetic and childish. History is for adults, not for Disney. Disney cannot be expected to accurately represent anything or communicate anything of value or importance. Disney is something that you turn on for your kids to shut them up or visit when your kid is little. Adults who like Disney are immature.
Was this true? No, not at all. Disney Parks fans knew that Disney was so much more than a cartoon. Disney was a joyful celebration of life, of friendship, and of family. It often cut against the grain, but it changed the world while doing it. Sophisticated architects in the 1960s and 1970s hated Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but they conceded that they were creating meaningful spaces that people loved. Disney joyfully created exceptional architecture and stories in suburban Anaheim and the swamps of Florida.
And then, for whatever reason, Disney Imagineering lost its soul. It seems more and more like the cuts to Imagineering that occurred in the early 2000s left Imagineering unmoored from its history and purpose. Mediocrities like Bruce Vaughn replaced legends like Tony Baxter and Eddie Sotto. The generation of Imagineers going up the ranks today have no sense of what Disney was. To them, Disney Parks exist to bring Disney cartoons to life. Imagineers are responsible for learning as many obscure Marvel references as possible to throw in the queue for fan service.
The new castle is a reflection of Disney's cartoonification. It is childish and unrealistic. Disney has become its own stereotype. Cinderella's Castle and Sleeping Beauty's Castle have been replaced by plastic mcmansions. It's sad.
Of course, I'm in the minority with my critiques and I get that. I'm just someone far too curmudgeonly, cynical, and defeated for my 25 years of age.
The COMD is something else: it's very much of our current era; apparently it's "a celebration of diversity, inclusion, and dreams." (0:50)
What could have been:
View attachment 750444
We stayed at the Disneyland hotel. All 3 resorts seemed impressive for their price levels. Onsite hotels also get their own security and entry lanes.
The COMD is something else: it's very much of our current era; apparently it's "a celebration of diversity, inclusion, and dreams." (0:50)
What could have been:
View attachment 750444
Interesting post. See my comment above about the castle but I see what you mean about comparing it to the legacy park.
There is still 5 billion HKD that hasn’t been spent from the current expansion and the only thing left to build is the avengers E ticket
Wasn’t it strongly implied that ended up being WODS being changed to WOSS
So this means that they decided not to all in Marvel for Tomorrowland in the early stages?
Do you mean did they originally plan to not reimagine the two Tomorrowland attractions because if so no they always intended to reimagine them
I mean the change from WODS to WOSS is an early change for the plan. If the retheme budget (which I suspect is for Space Mountain) all went into the coaster, then this means they decided not to change Tomorrowland all into Stark Expo since 2019.
They still have 5 billion HKD unused but that was earmarked for the avengers E ticket as of the last time we got actual official info on the subject
