If Ellen was Re-Filmed

[Chef Mickey]

I'm one of them.....Yeah I enjoy the attraction..But, if you think about it...The only reason she hosted it was she had her show on ABC...After the ratings drop she vanished for some time..After the Popularity of Finding Nemo in 2003 she got a talk show because of her popularity.

Oddly enough during one show when Jason Alexander was on he asked her if She has ever been on it....She stated she hasn't....However Bill Nye has mentioned it when someone asked a "Unique" Question...

I like Bill Nye, but his response makes me sad. It's so meaningless to him, he actually called it the "World of Energy" and described it as "Air conditioned." I realize he might not think it's great, but he did the work for the attraction in a field of interest professionally and personally for himself. It makes little sense to put it down.

 

[1023]

Is that still on-track to be released?

Last I heard, Pixar was basically throwing out the script and most of the movie and starting afresh.

Still listed as November 25th....

*1023*

 

[WondersOfLife]

Is that still on-track to be released?

Last I heard, Pixar was basically throwing out the script and most of the movie and starting afresh.

the film had been dismantled and "completely remained" - Wikipedia (because I'm too lazy to search anything more than that)

I think they got rid of the dinosaurs being farmers part of the movie*

 

[Chef Mickey]

Isn't all that equipment nearly two decades old at this point?
I would think at this point it's hardly an asset to be considered for a potential re-themeing.

If I can be pessimistic for a moment, what with the replacement of Norway by a Frozen pavilion, is there any real reason why the "energy" theme has to be kept at all?
Why not add a Star Wars ride?
Or something based on Tangled?

Disney World fans always seem to be clamoring for Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride; surely there's enough space on this plot of land to put one here.

Perhaps some of it has aged, but in the world of audio at least, 20 years old doesn't always mean bad. I would bet a lot of the equipment has been replaced/updated over the years. It still sounds good and the screens are in place for a MUCH more immersive, HD experience more similar to Soarin' or a traditional IMAX movie.

My point is, the existing concept and even ride system are salvageable into something great once again.

 

[Chef Mickey]

In watching another of @marni1971 outstanding videos, you will see the facts that confirm how big of undertaking this was when built. Look at the facts at the start of the video.

Two theaters with one measuring 210 feet wide by 30 feet tall and the other 157 feet wide and 32 feet tall. They have so much potential, it saddens me to think what it's become and what it might become.

I am always amazed just by the sheer length and size of the "drapes" in this building. The amount of fabric needed to go floor to ceiling is just ridiculous and probably alone cost more than my entire net worth.

 

[Tom]

Something that makes use of the building properly. The theme (Energy) is a very valid one still.

Dare I say moving preshow screens showcasing kinetic energy? Though obviously something more up to date than the temperamental Radok installation but giving the same effect.

Give the diorama some love. Being back the broken effects.

Bring back a mysterious, futuristic and optimistic feel for theatre two. Actually, for the whole attraction. With the drama, the scale and the grandeur of the 1982 version.

Make full use of the theatre two to finale reveal. Not just a game show. It wastes the story potential.

And, bring back a proper finale. Make it an attraction again and not a movie drive through. The original preshow theatre was so shaped so the mirrored walls produced an infinity effect. Use it again. Use the fact that the motorised curtain walls in theatre one made the room appear like a third theatre right until the lights came back up. That room is ripe for projected and actual laser effects. Make an all encompassing 3D environment without glasses. That would be a real finale.

In short find a balance of the awe, the drama and the scale of the original (and some fantastic music) but with less dry fact. You don't need to go for a gag every minute to tell an interesting story. And make something that puts the "future" back in Futureworld again.

In short.

When they have you open the UK branch of WDI, can I hire on as your construction consultant?

 

[FettFan]

Who is "most of us"

Most of the users on the General Discussion board, from what I've observed, as well as most Disney history types.

The main problem with Ellen's Energy Adventure, as you've said, is that it is horribly dated. If one was to re-film it, but keep the exact same presentation, you're only kicking the can a bit further down the road. Once you start putting in real-world references like Jeopardy!, you're practically building an attraction with a timer and people are going to hate it fast.

A perfect example would be the travesty that was Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management.
The reason Walt's original Tiki Room show lasted so long was that it was mostly original; with the exceptions of the Hawaiian War Chant and Heigh-Ho, all of the songs were written for the attraction by the Sherman Brothers. This gave the entire attraction a timeless quality.

Under New Management decided to throw in pop music to be more "hip", and we got the birds singing Gloria Estefan. The problem with pop culture is that it's constantly changing...Miami Sound Machine's peak of popularity was in the 80s. They were barely popular in the 90s when UNM opened, and today are virtually unheard of outside of devoted nostalgia-heads who remember how great the 80s were before things went to pot, and the occasional appearance of Gloria Estefan singing at the Republican National Convention.


Back to Ellen's Energy Adventure.... Jeopardy! has had declining popularity since the Ken Jennings Event of 2004.

Ellen DeGeneres' tv show was already waning in popularity when the original EEA was planned (it dropped from 13th place in ratings to 39th between Season 2 and 3), but it kept going until 1997 with "The Puppy Episode". After that happened, momentous occasion that it was, the tone of the show shifted (instead of being funny, it was more about social awareness) and people started losing interest. A year later, the show was cancelled.

Sure she's popular now, but popularity is a fickle thing. For the longest time, she wasn't...she had "The Ellen Show", in which she was a high school guidance counselor. It didn't even last a full season; 18 episodes were produced, but only 13 made it to air.
Her forte these days is being a television presenter, either through her talk show or hosting awards shows. Sure, folks love her as Dory, but apart from that, the days of Ellen as an actress are virtually over.




That all being said, if UoE were to become something truly timeless, and utilize that building to its fullest potential...upon closing, it would be something as lovingly remembered as Horizons, World of Motion, or the old Journey Into Imagination.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I chose option #3 because it could technically still work but I would be a lot happier if they scrapped the whole thing and started over.

I mean I hate to sound like an ingrate but after 20 years of riding that ride (the last 10 just for an air conditioned break) I kind of feel like they owe it to us old timers to bring something fresh and new out of the gate. I mean it is not like SSE where there is a definitive layout...it is a huge expansive building with a pretty open footprint so the imagineers could certainly bring forth something uber-cool if the budget was allocated.

 

[Otterhead]

Sure, for folks who've ridden it a lot, it's dated, but the surprising thing is how well it's held up.

Ellen looks virtually the same -- fewer floppy 90s jean-shirts, but other than that, she's the same Ellen and is way more popular in 2015 than she was then. Bill Nye hasn't changed much either, and he's still The Science Guy, though he's gotten more curmudgeonly as he's taken on the mantle of Public Defender of Science. The most dated part of the show is Alex Trebek's mustache.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

The most dated part of the show is Alex Trebek's mustache.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Something that makes use of the building properly. The theme (Energy) is a very valid one still.

Dare I say moving preshow screens showcasing kinetic energy? Though obviously something more up to date than the temperamental Radok installation but giving the same effect.

Give the diorama some love. Being back the broken effects.

Bring back a mysterious, futuristic and optimistic feel for theatre two. Actually, for the whole attraction. With the drama, the scale and the grandeur of the 1982 version.

Make full use of the theatre two to finale reveal. Not just a game show. It wastes the story potential.

And, bring back a proper finale. Make it an attraction again and not a movie drive through. The original preshow theatre was so shaped so the mirrored walls produced an infinity effect. Use it again. Use the fact that the motorised curtain walls in theatre one made the room appear like a third theatre right until the lights came back up. That room is ripe for projected and actual laser effects. Make an all encompassing 3D environment without glasses. That would be a real finale.

In short find a balance of the awe, the drama and the scale of the original (and some fantastic music) but with less dry fact. You don't need to go for a gag every minute to tell an interesting story. And make something that puts the "future" back in Futureworld again.

In short.

Like, like, like!

It's an absolute shame that last theater is designated for a Jeopardy show. The more I think about it, the more it makes me sad. It's such a waste of a cool building and large screens.

 

[Monorail Mike]

In short, the Epcot Center purist's dream?

Right, and sponsored by a crowd funding campaign that could originate right here!

Think of it - "The Retro Epcot Energy Coaster Experience starring <celebrity name> sponsored by WDWmagic forum members Community"

All we'd need to raise is a few hundred million for the new attraction. As a bonus the we'd have a few years of construction threads with daily pics until the grand opening. Then after the sponsorship expires, and show quality starts to deteriorate, we'd have tons more to discuss and debate. That sounds like a win/win to me.

 

[1023]

I'd rather crowd fund a rebuilt but upgraded Journey Into Imagination with the right tech to support the carousels that were problematic. Newer AA tech, sound, show systems would just enhance what Tony Baxter was looking for. I think "The Journey Into Imagination" sponsored by WDWmagic Community would be a nice sign.

~daydream~(It would allow for the crafting of an message that the fans care more than the company does.)~

*1023*

 

[MarkTwain]

The attraction as a whole needs to be rethought.

Sure, everyone loves the dinosaurs. But what are they really there for? The original ride presented the dinosaurs as a nod to "fossil fuels," as part of Exxon's statement that fossil fuels are the energy source for the future. 30 years later, after the Deepwater Horizon incident and when solar is cheaper than ever, is that still the message for a ride which is supposedly themed to the "future of energy"? Ellen's ride sets the scene up similarly but in the end debunks it by saying "well dinosaurs are just cool," so a third of the ride now knowingly ends up having little reason for being there, other than being the one reason a lot of people still ride it.

So yes, the ride needs to be rethought.

The dinosaurs should be relocated to DAK, perhaps spun off as its slow boat ride or something, as a replacement for Dino-rama. Replace the scene with something else that actually delves into the future of energy, or explains where energy comes from. Adventures thru Inner Space at Disneyland had a lot of fans - perhaps shrink guests down to the size of a molecule and have giant blacklit displays of spinning atoms, and then show a nuclear chain reaction happening. Then perhaps take guests through a giant-scale model of a nuclear- or solar-powered steam turbine, or a hydroelectric dam, as they watch the process of clean energy happening before their eyes. Real stuff relevant to the actual future of energy.

The vehicles should be reduced in number or somehow sped up. As others have noted, much of the ride's length isn't filled with valuable content, but rather just waiting for all the vehicles to catch up as a cheesy radio broadcast plays. Possibly even replace the vehicles all together - the "surprise" moving theater is a fun concept, but with all the necessary pre-ride safety information these days and yellow tape at the boarding areas, are many guests really surprised? Perhaps a theater of smaller trackless cars (like Hunny Hunt) that then break up and zip through the attraction at a faster pace would be just as effective. And could hold attention spans better.

The ride has a lot of potential, but in my opinion the attraction's own history is dragging the ride down these days (unlike other Epcot attractions, like Journey in Imagination or Living Seas, who could really benefit from borrowing from their history). I'm not saying the concept or even much of the current ride of UoE is bad... just that some of it could be better utilized.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Putting the Primeval World in AK is a great idea!

 

[1023]

The attraction as a whole needs to be rethought.

Sure, everyone loves the dinosaurs. But what are they really there for? The original ride presented the dinosaurs as a nod to "fossil fuels," as part of Exxon's statement that fossil fuels are the energy source for the future. 30 years later, after the Deepwater Horizon incident and when solar is cheaper than ever, is that still the message for a ride which is supposedly themed to the "future of energy"? Ellen's ride sets the scene up similarly but in the end debunks it by saying "well dinosaurs are just cool," so a third of the ride now knowingly ends up having little reason for being there, other than being the one reason a lot of people still ride it.

So yes, the ride needs to be rethought.

The dinosaurs should be relocated to DAK, perhaps spun off as its slow boat ride or something, as a replacement for Dino-rama. Replace the scene with something else that actually delves into the future of energy, or explains where energy comes from. Adventures thru Inner Space at Disneyland had a lot of fans - perhaps shrink guests down to the size of a molecule and have giant blacklit displays of spinning atoms, and then show a nuclear chain reaction happening. Then perhaps take guests through a giant-scale model of a nuclear- or solar-powered steam turbine, or a hydroelectric dam, as they watch the process of clean energy happening before their eyes. Real stuff relevant to the actual future of energy.

The vehicles should be reduced in number or somehow sped up. As others have noted, much of the ride's length isn't filled with valuable content, but rather just waiting for all the vehicles to catch up as a cheesy radio broadcast plays. Possibly even replace the vehicles all together - the "surprise" moving theater is a fun concept, but with all the necessary pre-ride safety information these days and yellow tape at the boarding areas, are many guests really surprised? Perhaps a theater of smaller trackless cars (like Hunny Hunt) that then break up and zip through the attraction at a faster pace would be just as effective. And could hold attention spans better.

The ride has a lot of potential, but in my opinion the attraction's own history is dragging the ride down these days (unlike other Epcot attractions, like Journey in Imagination or Living Seas, who could really benefit from borrowing from their history). I'm not saying the concept or even much of the current ride of UoE is bad... just that some of it could be better utilized.

<Stream of Consciousness>

How relocate our prehistoric friends.....?

Hmmm.... Dinosaur boat ride..... I think I've seen something like that before....Let's try jeep ride through time to "save" a dinosaur.... Nah...that one is already there.... Train ride through the Grand Canyon during the Jurassic period.... That seems familiar......

Wait.... Spinning car ride through dinosaurs while "tagging" them with lasers..... nah.....hmmmm....

<End of Stream>

I think we could put people in spinning hang gliders armed with a "tag gun" above the Jurassic valley of the Grand Canyon to mark dinosaurs for rescue prior to an extinction event. All the while being chased by a Jeep with my Uncle Bob in it holding his wallet remover 2000.


Anyone?

*1023*

P.S. Moving the "diorama" AAs is a good idea... DAK is as good a place as any...

 

[FettFan]

Putting the Primeval World in AK is a great idea!

Would be the better alternative for folks not wanting to get bounced around in the dark.

 

[WondersOfLife]

The attraction as a whole needs to be rethought.

Sure, everyone loves the dinosaurs. But what are they really there for? The original ride presented the dinosaurs as a nod to "fossil fuels," as part of Exxon's statement that fossil fuels are the energy source for the future. 30 years later, after the Deepwater Horizon incident and when solar is cheaper than ever, is that still the message for a ride which is supposedly themed to the "future of energy"? Ellen's ride sets the scene up similarly but in the end debunks it by saying "well dinosaurs are just cool," so a third of the ride now knowingly ends up having little reason for being there, other than being the one reason a lot of people still ride it.

So yes, the ride needs to be rethought.

The dinosaurs should be relocated to DAK, perhaps spun off as its slow boat ride or something, as a replacement for Dino-rama. Replace the scene with something else that actually delves into the future of energy, or explains where energy comes from. Adventures thru Inner Space at Disneyland had a lot of fans - perhaps shrink guests down to the size of a molecule and have giant blacklit displays of spinning atoms, and then show a nuclear chain reaction happening. Then perhaps take guests through a giant-scale model of a nuclear- or solar-powered steam turbine, or a hydroelectric dam, as they watch the process of clean energy happening before their eyes. Real stuff relevant to the actual future of energy.

The vehicles should be reduced in number or somehow sped up. As others have noted, much of the ride's length isn't filled with valuable content, but rather just waiting for all the vehicles to catch up as a cheesy radio broadcast plays. Possibly even replace the vehicles all together - the "surprise" moving theater is a fun concept, but with all the necessary pre-ride safety information these days and yellow tape at the boarding areas, are many guests really surprised? Perhaps a theater of smaller trackless cars (like Hunny Hunt) that then break up and zip through the attraction at a faster pace would be just as effective. And could hold attention spans better.

The ride has a lot of potential, but in my opinion the attraction's own history is dragging the ride down these days (unlike other Epcot attractions, like Journey in Imagination or Living Seas, who could really benefit from borrowing from their history). I'm not saying the concept or even much of the current ride of UoE is bad... just that some of it could be better utilized.

Regarding the part about the attraction taking so long for other vehicles to catch up.. Why not instead of having like 4 "boats" per ride, just make it two in a single row like GMR? Scratch the whole move screen concept altogether and make a cast-member interactive experience with the effects of nature and such rather than stopping in theaters to watch a movie.

 

[Ginzuishou]

Universe of Energy indoor family coaster/dark ride

 

[jloucks]

Install Anna and Elsa?

The kids would certainly like the ride more.

"Who's Ellen?"