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Hypothetical Question
- Thread starter HMF
- Start date
TJJohn12
Well-Known Member
We know the weenie doesn’t need to be “in theme” for the entry land - a castle doesn’t belong at the end of Marceline, Missouri’s Main Street. In fact, the incongruity helps in that case.
I think the hat was a failure because it only worked as a central weenie from one particular angle. That’s the benefit of Cinderella Castle - although it works well to draw into the park along Main Street, it has the added wayfinding ability from anywhere in the park. DHS is missing a high central wayfinding element that helps guests avoid getting “lost.” If the hat had actually accomplished that, it might have actually reached the icon status for some of us. Instead of serving a function, though, it just ended up being a tall-but-not-tall-enough pin stand.
I think a new earful tower sprouting from the roof of GMR would actually deeply benefit the park, though the immersion necessary for SW:GE would likely prevent that sort of high altitude fix for the park.
I think the hat was a failure because it only worked as a central weenie from one particular angle. That’s the benefit of Cinderella Castle - although it works well to draw into the park along Main Street, it has the added wayfinding ability from anywhere in the park. DHS is missing a high central wayfinding element that helps guests avoid getting “lost.” If the hat had actually accomplished that, it might have actually reached the icon status for some of us. Instead of serving a function, though, it just ended up being a tall-but-not-tall-enough pin stand.
I think a new earful tower sprouting from the roof of GMR would actually deeply benefit the park, though the immersion necessary for SW:GE would likely prevent that sort of high altitude fix for the park.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Fair enough.
I wasn't it's biggest fan, just kind of was giving examples of how maybe it could have worked.
The wand was by far more offensive to me (as a whole; but at the same time I despised the hat and it's location). I was a happy Disney fan the day the wand started coming down but I was more than elated when the hat came down (that thread will forever be my favorite; everyone grabbed their coffee and joined in celebrating the daily pictures of the hat coming down. Truly a kumbaya moment for most of us where we finally came together to celebrate). Massive mistakes. Fine for a year (not really but if they insisted on doing them ...) but they lasted way too long and were eyesores.
Brian Swan
Well-Known Member
But neither were as heinous as the birthday cake castle in MK...
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
The difference is that the castle cake was just around for the 25th birthday celebrations and made some sort of sense in the context of the celebration. It also does kind of make photos from that brief period of time kind of novel.
The hat and the wand were entirely random and hung around for years after the celebrations. With the wand, they even went to the trouble of changing the "2000" over SSE to an "Epcot" to make it a more permanent installation. In the case of the hat, even the celebration didn't make much sense.
Disney has a massive problem with not "interviewing for positions," rather just staffing where the need is. GMR used to have the longest waiting list on property - people waited literally years for a transfer there. My last ride on it the cast member barely spoke English. It was embarrassing for her and the ride.
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
I vote 3rd option, remove hat, keep GMR and put Mickey someplace else. I get some people don't mind GMR was removed but I can never agree with that. Star wars is coming, and so are the hordes of people. Now instead of adding Mickey and refurbishing one of the biggest people eaters in the parks. You add two lands with garbage capacity vs what demand will be in a park thats embarrassingly lacking rides anyway. Its just another bad decision in a recent line of bad ride decisions.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
They've made some really poor calls regarding DHS. Just baffling and such a shame. I know it's not his fault but I want to blame Uncle Phil Holmes. Just because. #ThanksUnclePhil
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Yes, they do. I see so many times castmembers where they don't want to be or shouldn't be. They need to do a better job with that.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Ironically we started going to Universal after they put up the Castle Cake in the MK. I was young at the time so I'll have to ask if it was just a coincidence, lol. I'm sure it was. Though I did go to AK in 1998 when it opened with my dad. 1999 for IOA opening (though maybe that was in 2000; I'm pretty sure I went to MGM in 1999 but I can't really remember exactly lol; I definitely was in the world in 1996) ... I was becoming a teen so I imagine I wanted nothing to do with Disney (besides MGM and AK; Epcot wasn't really on my radar, unfortunately).
Anyway .... getting back on topic, slightly ...
I'd never want the Castle Cake again but I miss the days when they actually spent the money to do something like that.
It's also a big problem at the hotels. They need to staff the hotels according to experience, temperament and qualifications. As of now the same screening process can land you at All Star Music or at the Grand Floridian, when in reality the best of the best should be at the Deluxe resorts.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
I would have preferred to have seen 'The Great Movie Ride' get a full overhaul / refresh to some of the interior show scenes to keep it going into the next decade and a half.
The Attraction should have been kept...in my opinion.
Personally i find it to be a stupid move to remove it completely.
All it needed was some creative and financial investment, but alas, it was not to be.
A shame, as it still had a lot of potential.
The new 'Mickey's Runaway Railway' Attractions sounds quite fun, but it should have been built elsewhere in another space.
Not really agreeing with where it is to be located, and i would have preferred a purpose-built building instead of gutting a already popular and high capacity established Attraction.
The gigantic 'sorcerer hat' was novel for the quaint 2001 '100 Years of Magic 'campaign, but it should have been removed soon after it's conclusion or a few years later at most.
Instead, it long outlived it's welcome, and became a terrible eyesore.
I was looking forward to seeing it finally removed, as it was blocking one of the most iconic and beautiful buildings in the Park.
So glad that dang 'hat' finally gone.
So sad the 'GMR' is gone.
Mixed feelings on the 'Mickey Railway', primarily location and graphic design choice.
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The Attraction should have been kept...in my opinion.
Personally i find it to be a stupid move to remove it completely.
All it needed was some creative and financial investment, but alas, it was not to be.
A shame, as it still had a lot of potential.
The new 'Mickey's Runaway Railway' Attractions sounds quite fun, but it should have been built elsewhere in another space.
Not really agreeing with where it is to be located, and i would have preferred a purpose-built building instead of gutting a already popular and high capacity established Attraction.
The gigantic 'sorcerer hat' was novel for the quaint 2001 '100 Years of Magic 'campaign, but it should have been removed soon after it's conclusion or a few years later at most.
Instead, it long outlived it's welcome, and became a terrible eyesore.
I was looking forward to seeing it finally removed, as it was blocking one of the most iconic and beautiful buildings in the Park.
So glad that dang 'hat' finally gone.
So sad the 'GMR' is gone.
Mixed feelings on the 'Mickey Railway', primarily location and graphic design choice.
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docandblondie
New Member
Someone else in this thread mentioned not remembering a time before the hat, and I have to say that I'm in the same boat. I've gone to Disney probably close to 50 times in my short 20 years of life, and I never remember thinking that the hat was out of place-- because it's all I ever knew to be the center and icon of Hollywood Studios. I was actually upset when they took it out because it felt like they were changing the main identifying feature of the park. In the past few years though, I've become a HUGE Disney history buff, so in hindsight I understand why a lot of people were mad about the hat's presence in the first place.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
When rides like Horizons closed, it was after they lost their corporate sponsorship.
GMR still had one when it closed. One who, seemingly, was willing to continue and spend money to make changes to the attraction to promote their brand.
That Disney just threw that away for the short term gain of building Mickey in an existing building is just awful.
GMR still had one when it closed. One who, seemingly, was willing to continue and spend money to make changes to the attraction to promote their brand.
That Disney just threw that away for the short term gain of building Mickey in an existing building is just awful.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I would have to question whether or not this was a short term gain. Keeping GMR, even updated, would have been the short term gain. I don't know if they are going to get around to renaming the park, but, if they do, I will bet that it will make the "new" theme of the park more in alignment with the changes that they are making. Even if they don't the use of Mickey Mouse in a Disney Theme park is hardly out of theme.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Kids and even adults when it opened, had no idea what the movies were either, that is why it was a history of early Hollywood and the blockbusters of that time. It never was intended to be a current event display. With that show, many of those kids actually were exposed to a time long gone when movies were the miracles of the day and how it all started. As stated in the dedication... "The Hollywood that never was and always will be!"
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
How is Mickey a "short term gain"? Mickey Mouse is the 90 year old flagship character of The Walt Disney Company. It's not exactly a flash-in-the-pan. It's not like they're building Fortnite: The Ride.