It's not so much "the way it was" based on the parks themselves....that's just nostalgia.
What I'm talking about is the shift in TWDC's thinking.....instead of focusing on quality and thematic congruity in the attractions and shows, they're focusing solely on the corporate end of the equation; "How can we make the biggest return on investment?"
That in itself wouldn't be such a bad thing, but without an eye towards quality and congruity, we wind up with...
- The Norway Pavilion becoming more about "Frozen" than Norway. Whereas I gave Gran Fiesta Tour a pass because the Three Caballeros were actually exploring the country of Mexico, and I'm likely to give the Ratatouille ride a pass because it actually takes place in a Paris restaurant (as well as the Mary Poppins attraction rumored to be in the works for the UK Pavilion, because the movies actually take place in London), Frozen Ever After has absolutely no connection to Norway. It's a basic retelling of the movie, just like Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and Pinocchio's Daring Journey. It needs to be in the Magic Kingdom.
- The closure of Magic of Disney Animation in favor of Star Wars Launch Bay. I just learned through Facebook that former Disney animator Peter Reymundo is now doing drawing classes for kids at Orlando's Crayola Experience.
http://attractionsmagazine.com/crayola-experience-disney-drawing/
There exists a demand for it, Disney used to do it, but then got rid of it because hand drawn animation isn't where the money is anymore.
- The closure of the Great Movie Ride in favor of Mickey's Runaway Railway. That one is a real head-scratcher for me, as the new Mickey shorts aren't in keeping with the Chinese Theater exterior of the building. Ideally, they should have kicked out Launch Bay and built the ride in the animation area. Because.....animation. In that way, at least they would be paying tribute to what was there before. In fact, parts of the "Magic of Disney Animation" could have been kept as the pre- and post-show areas.
- Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot. Not only are we getting a GotG roller coaster in the former Universe of Energy, which is a slap in the face to Epcot's mission statement.....but they've announced a GotG dance party at the American Adventure's American Gardens Theater.
https://blogmickey.com/2018/02/guardians-galaxy-dance-party-coming-epcot-may/
- The loss of Off Kilter at Epcot....in favor of a lackluster "Canadian Lumberjacks" show that was so terrible it only lasted a year before being shuttered ("axed" if you will).
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...canadian-lumberjacks-epcot-20151124-post.html
