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Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway confirmed
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Marc Davis Fan
Well-Known Member
Exactly. When the theme was clearly, unambiguously "you are visiting a studio" (and when the idea of visiting a movie/television studio was more interesting to people than it seems to be today), the studio buildings worked well. Granted, they were still a clever way to save money on theming, but they worked nonetheless.
Now that the studio concept has been removed from several areas (e.g., Grand Avenue), the "beige box" soundstage buildings really stand out - and I suspect it appears to the public that Disney just didn't theme the buildings, which should be an unacceptable appearance. The "movie set" theming of the Star Tours in Indiana Jones areas also really stand out: why are there movie sets plopped down in the middle of Los Angles streets? The same goes for "backstage" buildings like Backlot Express (if we're no longer on a backlot).
In order to make DHS work consistently, Disney needs to re-theme all of the soundstage buildings AND the remaining "movie set" buildings (Star Tours and Indiana Jones) AND the "backstage" buildings (e.g., Backlot Express). That is going to take a lot of step-by-step work over years. I think ST and IJ are already being taken care of, since those attractions are set to be replaced, and thus the new attractions will have new facades that can be made to fit (and maybe Backlot Express will be replaced during the development of those areas, since it's in between them). Hopefully, the Animation Courtyard area will be redeveloped in the relatively near future as well. This leaves Commissary Lane, the areas around the Chinese Theater (sides and back) / Pixar Place entrance area / TSL entrance corridor, and the Muppet Store building. I have difficulty believing they'll do much to fix these areas anytime soon, because that's an expensive proposition without much/any direct return on investment.
Do our insiders have any idea of how much Disney is taking seriously the aesthetic problems that continue to plague DHS, and scheduling/budgeting to continue making improvements?
dothebrdwalk
Well-Known Member
Agreed. At least the Star Tours building needs to be redone. They did a nice job with that part of the park to get some Los Angeles consistency and then plopped in the middle is the Star Wars Sand Castle. IMO They could keep Animation Courtyard if instead they made it "Walt Disney Animation Studios." They should finish the sides of the Chinese Theatre for sure. Only thing I don't see is how they incorporate Toy Story Land transition into this LA theme park.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I always use the letter grading in terms of scale rather than a commentary on quality. In terms of scale Shanghai's Pirates is definitely not in its own entire category, but it is as big as they've gone and pushes its category higher.
The modern Super Headliners tend to be the big show stoppers with modern tech that stand out from a scaling side of things. Usually that means an abundance of rock work these days: Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Radiator Springs Racers, Shanghai's Pirates, Flight of Passage. Kind of the prototypical single ride that someone will talk about in reference to a park.
Pirates, Space and Mansion being the old Super headliners and Indy/Splash/ToT in Florida being the Eisner era versions.
tonymu
Premium Member
When they started building the little building just outside the exit to Star Tours, I thought they built it there to begin to block the view to the sand walls exit. Now that they are almost finished with it I think it was definitely built there to block the view of the sand walls. There is no reason for it to be as tall as it is unless they want it to block the view. I think in a while we will see some scrims go up around the exit to Star Tours to remove the sand walls and make it blend in better.
DinoInstitute
Well-Known Member
They actually designed it intentionally so that there wasn’t one big reveal, but rather the ability to have a view of the land as a whole as if you’re walking into a backyard.
Personally I don’t think just adding trees would be able to hide the transition area, the two buildings on the sides are rather tall and could just use some clever theming.
GlacierGlacier
Well-Known Member
Another explanation for the height: once crowds flood Grand Avenue, it's difficult to see anything that isn't taller than the tallest human. The old DVC booth does not fulfill this requirement. This one does.
DisneyDodo
Well-Known Member
Easy! Andy has a giant LA play set.
dothebrdwalk
Well-Known Member
Dr.GrantSeeker
Well-Known Member
Its never a good idea to book trips around attraction opening dates. But, myself and a few buddies want to head down in the fall (they would all be first timers) and it would be a nice surprise if this was open then. But do we have anything other than 'Fall' for an opening date at this point?
danlb_2000
Premium Member
There is a lot of pessimism about a lot of things around here.
flyerjab
Well-Known Member
You think that this thread is pessimistic? Check out any thread regarding Epcot changes. This site has almost become a living eulogy for how WDW used to be (especially Epcot related changes). For the record I don't feel that way, but after a while you'll notice how the opinions of many posters are more pessimistic than optimistic. But as they say, everyone has a right to their opinions.
rle4lunch
Well-Known Member
Personally I can't wait for MMRR! GMR was so long in the tooth and cheesy it became a parody of itself, especially the crap a$$ skit in the middle. It was a holdover from the 'studios' version of the park that had gone the way of the dodo years ago. GMR was cool back, say, 20 years ago, but it certainly wasn't a 'timeless' Disney attraction. The parks HAVE to evolve, they can't survive off of repeat guest nostalgia (as we're now seeing them go into overdrive with all the attraction builds), and to bring new tech and the first Mickey (really Disney, the first?!?) themed attraction to a sorely needed park like DHS should be a welcome addition by all. The naysayers are living in their deluded fondness for a mediocre slow moving people eater that, let's be frank, didn't age well.
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The naysayers, as you put them, want attractions of the quality the company used to do. In a park that has the capacity to handle the crowds it pulls.
Or of course they just want things to be refurbed properly when required. GMR never had a proper refurb.
rle4lunch
Well-Known Member
I agree with what you're saying, and I do too. Watching the vids on the new tech going into MMRR, it seems pretty neat and *fresh* to the eyes. Hell, the AA on POTC aged better than the waxy weirdo AA's on GMR.
I completely understand the capacity issue. GMR could've been relevant with a good refurb, but alas...
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I don't and apparently Disney didn't either. How would they refurb it? Put in more modern AA's in the same old story lines or update the movies to more modern ones and completely destroy the original purpose of the attraction to expose people to what built Hollywood to begin with. All historic movies that younger people probably have no exposure to in an effort to show how the movie business got it start. Everything from Silent Movies to more detailed modern ones, but, those were created after the Hollywood that never was, but, always will be was established.
I liked GMR myself, but, when it got to the point where the only reason I was riding it was to flash back to old memories of other times I rode it, then it no longer had a reason to survive other then to be a crowd swallower which it had stopped being most of the year. The new MM one will probably be a crowd pleaser when complete and will be far more technologically up to date and more entertaining as well. The reason why PoTC aged better was because Pirates is a fantasy (like Run Away will be) whereas, GMR was based on reality that ages just like the rest of us. Fantasies go on and on with no basis of belief or disbelief.
britain
Well-Known Member
If a refurb was all GMR needed, it needed it on day one.
Sorry, but I went on GMR within a year of its opening, and it was only okay. It was no Horizons, Energy, Spaceship Earth, Imagination, or World of Motion. Of all the 10 min+ AA-extravaganzas Disney ever built, GMR was probably lowest ranking of them.
Sorry, but I went on GMR within a year of its opening, and it was only okay. It was no Horizons, Energy, Spaceship Earth, Imagination, or World of Motion. Of all the 10 min+ AA-extravaganzas Disney ever built, GMR was probably lowest ranking of them.
Brainleech419
Well-Known Member
You think the epcot forums are bad check out the disneyland forums. Every thread devolves into imagineers are awful now and vloggers have ruined disneyland. (and then someone yells about mission breakout).
Best to remember not to take anything on this site too seriously, they are just theme parks.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Or maybe the topic didn't speak to you....
I don't know how anyone can downplay the oz room... that was awesome