It's a small world interactive queue concept art leaked

[RSoxNo1]

I'd also say they are more than capable of building what it takes to become the market leader again. The longer they leave it the harder it will be and more costly. 3rd parties build better Animatronics. Other parks have more cutting edge ride systems. Other parks can consistently match, or overtake, theming and detail. They can still do it. They just need to be allowed to.

Yeah, that's the problem. We had this discussion with Ron Schneider a few weeks ago (name dropper). But we made the point that Disney needs to listen to the fans, and Ron immediately opposed. His point was that Imagineers have done a good job and will be far better at coming up with ideas than 99% of the fan community. He's right, except these Imagineers were constrained by budgets.

On the same show, we had Jim Hill so I was quick to pull up one of my favorite series of articles he had written titled "Is DAK's Beastly Kingdom DOA". The article was written in 2001, and in it, Hill discussed the various reasons that Beastly Kingdom was delayed. But he also talked about how the Imagineers hoped that Islands of Adventure would be a huge success in hopes that the gloves would come off and they could be given carte blanche with some great ideas. Here's a quote from Part 3 of the article:

You see, Disney CEO Michael Eisner is a very competitive guy. He hates to lose -- at anything. If attendance at WDW started to noticeably slip due to the Mouse losing customers to Universal's new theme park, Michael would have to do something. Eisner's enormous ego just wouldn't be able to handle the idea of Disney being No. 2 in the Orlando market.

So he'd turn to the Imagineers and say: "Make the best attractions you can."

Not "Make the best attraction you can on a limited budget." (i.e.: WDI's recent controversial rehab of Epcot's "Journey into Imagination" ride. During its three months of operation, the revamped version of that Future World attraction racked up more guest complaints than most shows produce in a year.)

Not "Make the best attraction you can with minimal changes to the pre-existing ride building." (i.e.: The Magic Kingdom's "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin" actually runs its ride vehicles along the very same track and layout the building's previous tenants -- Delta's "Dreamflight" and the unsponsored "Take Flight" -- used.)

Not "Make the best attraction that reflects the sponsor's agenda" (i.e.: Any exhibit you'll find inside either version of "Innoventions.")

Just "Make the best attractions you can." Period.

This is what I want. I want management to go in and say, "we used to amaze guests with our attractions, do it again."

No really. What would you consider new in the queue?

Fake snow? Done right on Main Street
Projections onto mylar? Done a ton before.. heck you can see some examples right over at Disaster in USO.
Large floor to ceiling place setting structures in the queue? Done at Disney for decades

Honestly the only thing really refined in the FJ queue is their animated artwork.

There really isn't anything new and unique in it.. what makes it great is the fully immersion and placing you in the intended storyplace.. instead of just dumping you right from the outside world onto the ride.

It's not bad to develop the technology before you have a final application (See Living Character Initiative) but what is bad is simply applying stuff because you have it.

What Universal did with Harry Potter is that they used the best of what was available to present an incredible queue. Everything in that queue is used appropriately, it's not overkill, it's just amazing.

 

[Thrill]

I agree with you on this... Pooh's queue would be nice if those noisemakers weren't included...

And Haunted Mansion's queue would have been much nicer if it were mostly static. Its only major flaws are too many effects (they disrupt the story's flow, and are too loud) and that some of the headstones are placed in spaces which are too small.

Five at most

Really depends on scale. I think Radiator Springs Racers will clock in between $300 million and $400 million, while Mission: Space and Expedition Everest were relatively cheap, as I remember both of them being below $150 million.

While the monitors may not be ideal, contrary to popular belief, WDW is NOT a museum. Walt always wanted to move forward and look for the next thing - its easy to lose sight of that since the parks were largely developed and conceived a long time ago when technology was so different - BUT it was advanced at the time. Don't be afraid of moving forward - be afraid of misused technology. I hope they do it right on the classic rides.

Screens aren't the next big thing. Screens are the way to do something on the cheap.

If you want a truly immersive experience, you can't beat actual effects. No screen can replicate audio animatronics moving around in well-constructed scenes. If screens could do that, we wouldn't go to WDW, we would just go to the movie theater.

I'm not against new technology. I'm against the idea that all new technology is good and that all old technology is bad. There's no need to re-invent the wheel.

The HM queue is extremely well done. If the queues are still themed appropriately, as the HM and Pooh queues are, why shouldn't they be more entertaining? And the descent for SSE is significantly better now than it was.

WDW is not a museum or an encyclopedia. It's entertainment.

SSE has a descent? And, yes, it's entertainment, but entertainment that costs 4 figures to see. If I want to see a screen, I can see one for $10 at the movie theater.

 

[TheBeatles]

The Guests' attention is already taken up by the backdrop of iasw's load area. Notice how many stop in the queue to look at it.

I think that's a good indication that attention is being held... and at $0 cost

 

[WDW1974]

Why not wait until something is announced before flipping out? A few pieces of concept art don't mean much, other than...concept art exists.

Plans exist ... this has been leaked well before this thread appeared here.

And there is nothing wrong with expressing disgust withe the direction WDW is taking.

Making the whole place a giant video game that will interact with the chip in your nec ... I mean card key... and your tech toy phone/tablet may excite the OCD fanbois, but some of us are looking to escape from the REAL world at WDW ... that's the line I hear from some of its staunchest defenders in the fan community when I talk about how those days have passed sadly. This is just icing on that fetid cake.

Why actually build new attractions, add new entertainment, parades and shows when you can simply find some small ways to 'enhance' your giant data-mining expedition?

Boy, this is like Bruce and the 1401 Flower gang and TDO got together, threw their hands up and said 'we know these parks are terribly stale and outdated and since the BoD ONLY wants to spent a billion dollars plus, how about we actually forget all the reasons why people come and play with tech since we're all geeks about our ipads anyway!'

 

[TinkerBelle8878]

I used to think Jim MacPhee would be a good replacement.

But is he the one in charge of Next Gen? Or was it RFID?

I also heard that Nick Franklin could be the culprit. Martin, who is in charge of this stuff?

In your opinion, would JimMacPhee still be a good choice?

Can we possibly get someone who's not out to use WDW as a 'test kitchen' for all these harebrained ideas while the other parks all get new rides and rehauls of existing ones that need it?

Perhaps someone that will do something with the sorry state of Future World and try to court another company worthy of sponsoring the Imagination Pavillion? Kodak may be out of the camera business now but there are other companies. As long as its not Apple. That I believe would be the final nail in the coffin. Instead of Figment merch at the end, there would probably be some I Store.

 

[WDW1974]

First, this art was "leaked" on purpose. There's no such thing as a leak, especially when it comes to Blue Sky development. This "leak" will tell Disney more than the Guest Surveys they do in the parks.

Absolutely ... you wanna bet every post in this thread is getting read?:wave:

Secondly, everyone is jumping to the conclusion that this is the beginning of a trend. Small World is just about the most boring attraction in the parks...especially for children (in my opinion and experience). However, it eats a lot of people and absorbs a lot of the crowd - so the more people they can cram into its queue and vehicles, the better.

Interactivity is coming to as many attractions as Disney can cram it in (in Orlando, that is). Guests must be dumber in the swamps or need constant stimulation more than elsewhere.

But as to your opinions on Small World, all I can do is disagree strongly. It is a classic and is beloved by many as Mansion, Pirates, JC, Space etc ... It isn't one of my favorites, but I greatly appreciate both its artistry and message. And I really enjoy the other versions around the world.

This said, if adding some interactive screens to help encourage kids to WANT to ride it, I guess I'm for it. And based on the article, it sounds like it's designed for the RIDE and not the QUEUE, which is a huge difference. If little Johnnie designs his persona at home and knows it will greet him on IASW, it's a guarantee that Johnnie's family will ride it...perhaps more than once.

I don't give a flying (expletive deleted before being written) what someone's brat likes or doesn't. The MK wasn't designed to only appeal to mentally feeble seven-year-olds and adults trying to relive a childhood that never was and never will be. It's supposed to appeal to the MASSES. As many people as possible.

And I saw someone made a comment about Disney not being a giant nursery, but I've been getting that feeling more and more for years ... from character dining everywhere to foamheads replacing real entertainers to even setting up coloring tables in WS. Here's a message to anyone reading at WDW Co: People don't pay thousands of dollars for MAGICal WDW vacations to watch their kids color. They can do that at home for FREE!

I don't see this as a cheap excuse for an attraction like Cabaleros. I see it as a "plus" to an existing classic that has run it's course and outlived its actual entertainment value. Granted, I hope they do it well, and blend the video seamlessly into the sets instead of just standing up a bunch of monitors.

Just again going to strongly disagree. Small World is still one of the most popular attractions in the park and a signature one. It is (unlike many others) a timeless attraction.

Now, if they were to even consider this in the more entertaining, and thematically perfect attractions (pirates, JC, ToT, mountains, etc, etc), I'd personally set the place on fire. Video has to fit the theme and environment to work. There's no thematic place for any sort of audio-visual involvement in rides or queues that are already completely immersive.

When people talk about NextGen, they often get too narrowminded. This is an EXTREMELY broad spectrum we're talking about. Having a CGI doll follow you around IASW on video monitors is first semester crap, and hopefully just a way to start testing the waters. It's relatively cheap to implement, and would boost ridership at an otherwise walk-on attraction. Win-win.

They aren't testing the waters, though. They are sailing as carelessly as the Costa Concordia captain trying to impress his dancer girlfriend. It's just a case of one step at a time ... but I don't see Disney stopping to reassess things in the future. This absurd waste of capital has already been funded ... the money has been approved. They aren't gonna take and say 'well, let's not do (blank) and add a $300 million pavilion to EPCOT.

This is a plan to reinvent the (WDW) park going experience. They are committed (one might think the folks behind this should be) and we are just starting to see this ... wait 2-3-4 years.

 

[WDW1974]

It gets more nefarious in the details than even that when they unleash RFID.

Far more of NEXT GEN and the RFID chips is back of the house ways to get information on YOU and YOUR FAMILY and use it to strip you of every last dollar you have.

It really is that MAGICal.

Whatever you see in the parks will be some extras (many that you'll have to pay extra for!)

 

[HMF]

Absolutely ... you wanna bet every post in this thread is getting read?:wave:



Interactivity is coming to as many attractions as Disney can cram it in (in Orlando, that is). Guests must be dumber in the swamps or need constant stimulation more than elsewhere.

But as to your opinions on Small World, all I can do is disagree strongly. It is a classic and is beloved by many as Mansion, Pirates, JC, Space etc ... It isn't one of my favorites, but I greatly appreciate both its artistry and message. And I really enjoy the other versions around the world.


I don't give a flying (expletive deleted before being written) what someone's brat likes or doesn't. The MK wasn't designed to only appeal to mentally feeble seven-year-olds and adults trying to relive a childhood that never was and never will be. It's supposed to appeal to the MASSES. As many people as possible.

And I saw someone made a comment about Disney not being a giant nursery, but I've been getting that feeling more and more for years ... from character dining everywhere to foamheads replacing real entertainers to even setting up coloring tables in WS. Here's a message to anyone reading at WDW Co: People don't pay thousands of dollars for MAGICal WDW vacations to watch their kids color. They can do that at home for FREE!



Just again going to strongly disagree. Small World is still one of the most popular attractions in the park and a signature one. It is (unlike many others) a timeless attraction.



They aren't testing the waters, though. They are sailing as carelessly as the Costa Concordia captain trying to impress his dancer girlfriend. It's just a case of one step at a time ... but I don't see Disney stopping to reassess things in the future. This absurd waste of capital has already been funded ... the money has been approved. They aren't gonna take and say 'well, let's not do (blank) and add a $300 million pavilion to EPCOT.

This is a plan to reinvent the (WDW) park going experience. They are committed (one might think the folks behind this should be) and we are just starting to see this ... wait 2-3-4 years.

I fear that WDW may get so caught up in this BS, we won't even recognize it in a few years.

 

[WDW1974]

Oh dear.

FJ has one of if not THE best queue ever. Anywhere. It's an attraction in itself. So much to see. To Watch. To Be drawn into. 100% immersion.

And not one bit of interactivity.

As an aside, imagine what Space Mountains ride visuals would have been like if they'd not blown so much on primitive video games that shouldn't be needed in the first place.

THIS ... says it all.

If people are bored out of their minds in Disney queues, maybe it's because Disney hasn't done anything that comes close to this level of immersion at WDW. ... And, no, all that camping/hiking gear at EE doesn't count!

 

[Tom]

Interactivity is coming to as many attractions as Disney can cram it in (in Orlando, that is). Guests must be dumber in the swamps or need constant stimulation more than elsewhere.

*sigh*

But as to your opinions on Small World, all I can do is disagree strongly. It is a classic and is beloved by many as Mansion, Pirates, JC, Space etc ... It isn't one of my favorites, but I greatly appreciate both its artistry and message. And I really enjoy the other versions around the world.

I guess I need to experience the other worldly versions. I'd really like to experience the DL version, since it's actually the original and - based on photos and videos - appears to be nice looking. The WDW version just rubs me wrong. I don't know why. Maybe I get bored because it NEVER fails that our boat is backed up from unload for 5-10 minutes every time I ride. We only ride it when we're killing time and the wait is 0.

I don't give a flying (expletive deleted before being written) what someone's brat likes or doesn't. The MK wasn't designed to only appeal to mentally feeble seven-year-olds and adults trying to relive a childhood that never was and never will be. It's supposed to appeal to the MASSES. As many people as possible.

And I saw someone made a comment about Disney not being a giant nursery, but I've been getting that feeling more and more for years ... from character dining everywhere to foamheads replacing real entertainers to even setting up coloring tables in WS. Here's a message to anyone reading at WDW Co: People don't pay thousands of dollars for MAGICal WDW vacations to watch their kids color. They can do that at home for FREE!

I do agree that there is WAY too much junk at WDW that caters to 0-attention-span people. People paying thousands of dollars so their kids can color at Epcot: hillarious!

Just again going to strongly disagree. Small World is still one of the most popular attractions in the park and a signature one. It is (unlike many others) a timeless attraction.

There's a difference between it being a timeless classic, and being a tad on the un-entertaining side. I appreciate classic attractions and I'm huge on nostalgia...but IaSW just doesn't do it for me. I usually spend the ride checking the boards on my phone (yup, like all the kids in line) :lol:

They aren't testing the waters, though. They are sailing as carelessly as the Costa Concordia captain trying to impress his dancer girlfriend. It's just a case of one step at a time ... but I don't see Disney stopping to reassess things in the future. This absurd waste of capital has already been funded ... the money has been approved. They aren't gonna take and say 'well, let's not do (blank) and add a $300 million pavilion to EPCOT. This is a plan to reinvent the (WDW) park going experience. They are committed (one might think the folks behind this should be) and we are just starting to see this ... wait 2-3-4 years.

Very disappointing. Biggest waste of a billion dollars (at least in the private sector).

 

[Tom]

I fear that WDW may get so caught up in this BS, we won't even recognize it in a few years.

That's a scary thought. Drinking the Kool-Aid can be very dangerous.

THIS ... says it all.

If people are bored out of their minds in Disney queues, maybe it's because Disney hasn't done anything that comes close to this level of immersion at WDW. ... And, no, all that camping/hiking gear at EE doesn't count!

EE's queue is a pretty lame excuse for a queue. The ride makes up for it (if you ignore that tiny AA glitch), fortunately.

The last queue I give WDI any kudos for is ToT.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Someone said it before, but I will say it again, those character dolls in the DL version don't look so bad now, huh????

 

[WDW1974]

I fear that WDW may get so caught up in this BS, we won't even recognize it in a few years.

Well, that's the direction they are heading, no doubt. ... When many of us oldtimers (I HATE using that term because WDW isn't old enough for any of us to be that old ... unless we were 89 when we visited in '71 like that CBOMB character:wave visit today, it sure doesn't look like the WDW of the 70s and 80s ... and 90s to some degree.

It was always new, fresh and exciting ... and then suddenly, it wasn't ... it was tired, stale and boring. And it is a conscious decision here. They are so cheap, they can't even replace the stage show in front of the castle once in five years ... or a parade once in a decade (s).

Ah, but maybe it's just the cold snap (it's 47 out now!) that has me in a Spirited crotchety mood.

~If this were a zombie apocalypse, then which MAGICal member would I eat first?~

 

[WDW1974]

Perhaps that expression was too ambiguous. My point is that it's troubling that people seem to need constant stimulus, in the same vein that Ray Bradbury characterized television as a sort of opiate for shrinking attention spans. Has it really become so troubling for people to "smell the roses" and take in your surroundings at a Disney park (which contain enough stimulus and fodder for the imagination as it is, if your head isn't buried in an iPad)?

Once again, I'm not saying that Disney shouldn't have interactivity in the queues. The examples we've seen so far, and that seem to be the model for what's to come, cater to the lowest common denominator. We all know this stuff can be done better because it has been done before successfully.

I don't want to go too afield with your post, especially since The Mom and I have been getting along so well ... (I bought her Valentine's chocolates ... but then ate them, so please don't let her know! -- btw, do we have a cupid smiley around here? if not I'll have to get Lee on that!) ... BUT what I find amazing about having all of this 'information' at our fingertips is that people are dumber than ever. It's almost like the fact they can ask Siri Jobs for an answer means they don't need to think for themselves ever. ... And they mistakenly assume that if they have some information on a subject that they possess knowledge -- two different things entirely.

I think it's sad that people are opting to be ignorant (although due to tough economic times many simply can't be bothered with learning new skills or developing knowledge when they can get a fact -- I mean if it's on wikipedia, it HAS to be accurate, right?) ... but worse, Disney is playing down to the LCD of its audience instead of trying to bring them up, what it used to do.

You know things have gotten bad when they have to put up signs in the restrooms telling you how to wash your hands ... of course, this was preceded by the great anthrax soap scare where the wonderful, MAGICal pink powdered Pixie Dust soap disappeared in early 2002 because guests were concerned that it was anthrax. Ah, but I could go on all cold night (where's a fanboi to warm your toes when you need one, right?:ROFLOL about the human condition, but who would care?

~Anyone want to buy an EPCOT 95 guidemap?~

 

[WDWGoof07]

BUT what I find amazing about having all of this 'information' at our fingertips is that people are dumber than ever. It's almost like the fact they can ask Siri Jobs for an answer means they don't need to think for themselves ever. ... And they mistakenly assume that if they have some information on a subject that they possess knowledge -- two different things entirely.

People are bombarded with so much trivia and factoids that they mistake that for knowledge and can't be bothered to get at the substance and details of any subject. It's very interesting that you bring that up because Bradbury warns us about this very phenomenon. In the author's own words, "Television gives you the dates of Napoleon, but not who he was." Replace television in that quote with any mobile internet device, and take note that these factoids can be anything from Napoleon to the latest Hollywood celebrity news. Hence, the no-attention-span crowd craves instant gratification and a constant stream of quickly-varying, sensory stimuli in order gloss over the lack of depth of their knowledge and feel engaged in anything.

I think it's sad that people are opting to be ignorant (although due to tough economic times many simply can't be bothered with learning new skills or developing knowledge when they can get a fact -- I mean if it's on wikipedia, it HAS to be accurate, right?) ... but worse, Disney is playing down to the LCD of its audience instead of trying to bring them up, what it used to do.

This. This is key. I remember reading a story somewhere that Walt refused the advice of businessmen to build Disneyland basically as a glorified carnival because that was "good enough" for the masses - basically playing down to the lowest common denominator, which is the idea behind these noisy, jungle gym "interactive" queues . Walt basically rejected the premise that people always know what they want. His approach was to try to offer something people didn't know they wanted, and it is on that philosophy that Disneyland became successful.

 

[PlaneJane]

I don't want to go too afield with your post, especially since The Mom and I have been getting along so well ... (I bought her Valentine's chocolates ... but then ate them, so please don't let her know! -- btw, do we have a cupid smiley around here? if not I'll have to get Lee on that!) ... BUT what I find amazing about having all of this 'information' at our fingertips is that people are dumber than ever. It's almost like the fact they can ask Siri Jobs for an answer means they don't need to think for themselves ever. ... And they mistakenly assume that if they have some information on a subject that they possess knowledge -- two different things entirely.

I think it's sad that people are opting to be ignorant (although due to tough economic times many simply can't be bothered with learning new skills or developing knowledge when they can get a fact -- I mean if it's on wikipedia, it HAS to be accurate, right?) ... but worse, Disney is playing down to the LCD of its audience instead of trying to bring them up, what it used to do.

You know things have gotten bad when they have to put up signs in the restrooms telling you how to wash your hands ... of course, this was preceded by the great anthrax soap scare where the wonderful, MAGICal pink powdered Pixie Dust soap disappeared in early 2002 because guests were concerned that it was anthrax. Ah, but I could go on all cold night (where's a fanboi to warm your toes when you need one, right?:ROFLOL about the human condition, but who would care?

~Anyone want to buy an EPCOT 95 guidemap?~

Here is your MAGICal soap http://bitlu.com/itemdetail.php?itemvar=100000082

 

[PlaneJane]

Spirit.. I'll do you one even better here is the complete line with dispensers http://www.dialprofessional.com/index.cfm?page_id=45#

 

[CBOMB]

Well, that's the direction they are heading, no doubt. ... When many of us oldtimers (I HATE using that term because WDW isn't old enough for any of us to be that old ... unless we were 89 when we visited in '71 like that CBOMB character:wave visit today, it sure doesn't look like the WDW of the 70s and 80s ... and 90s to some degree.

It was always new, fresh and exciting ... and then suddenly, it wasn't ... it was tired, stale and boring. And it is a conscious decision here. They are so cheap, they can't even replace the stage show in front of the castle once in five years ... or a parade once in a decade (s).

Ah, but maybe it's just the cold snap (it's 47 out now!) that has me in a Spirited crotchety mood.

~If this were a zombie apocalypse, then which MAGICal member would I eat first?~

You've been up all night sticking pins in your Bob Iger doll again haven't you.

 

[googilycub]

I don't give a flying (expletive deleted before being written) what someone's brat likes or doesn't. The MK wasn't designed to only appeal to mentally feeble seven-year-olds and adults trying to relive a childhood that never was and never will be. It's supposed to appeal to the MASSES. As many people as possible.

Kind of how I could give a flying rat's rear end what a angry person, who hides behind his internet name instead of letting TDO know who he/she is, thinks about the direction that the park is going.:shrug: Judging by the time I have spent in the lines at Pooh, HM and Space, people seem to like the new stuff that has done. While far from scientific, my time in line has shown me that the MASSES do enjoy the changes.

Bert

 

[HMF]

People are bombarded with so much trivia and factoids that they mistake that for knowledge and can't be bothered to get at the substance and details of any subject. It's very interesting that you bring that up because Bradbury warns us about this very phenomenon. In the author's own words, "Television gives you the dates of Napoleon, but not who he was." Replace television in that quote with any mobile internet device, and take note that these factoids can be anything from Napoleon to the latest Hollywood celebrity news. Hence, the no-attention-span crowd craves instant gratification and a constant stream of quickly-varying, sensory stimuli in order gloss over the lack of depth of their knowledge and feel engaged in anything.


This. This is key. I remember reading a story somewhere that Walt refused the advice of businessmen to build Disneyland basically as a glorified carnival because that was "good enough" for the masses - basically playing down to the lowest common denominator, which is the idea behind these noisy, jungle gym "interactive" queues . Walt basically rejected the premise that people always know what they want. His approach was to try to offer something people didn't know they wanted, and it is on that philosophy that Disneyland became successful.

I strongly feel that if any of the executives at Disney today were around in the 50s they would have told Walt he was insane. The modern Walt Disney Company has turned into the very thing Walt hated.