Monstropolis Coming to DHS?

[AEfx]

How are the Muppets only “in a few minutes of the film?” There’s two very, very brief sequences that only feature Waldo (and Statler and Waldorf are still present and reacting at those points).

The Muppets people know and love are like guest stars in their own attraction. Don't play stupid - you know what I mean. Even that "big grand finale". The "gang" isn't together once. For being the only theme park attraction in the world about the Muppets, it is horribly disappointing for someone who has loved the Muppets that practically everything they are known for is absent in the film. The most major Muppet characters barely get cameos in their own attraction!

As to Waldo, he is so stylized that the CGI really hasn’t aged badly, especially when compare to something like T2, where the CGI really had suffered over time. And I have no idea why “the spirit of 3D” is a dated concept

Let's not pull punches here. Waldo is practically a stick figure-level of the 3d artform. The film has belonged in a museum for going on two decades now. He is a little blob of a thing with googly eyes. I was animating (in 2D, mind you) comparable CG characters in junior high within a few years of the film opening. 3D by the end of the decade.

It is dated because it is so common place, yet it is treated as some novel concept, LOL. In 1991, sure, a 3D animated character was neat. It is 2017....*EVERY CHARACTER* is a 3D character now. And has been for going on multiple decades. I imagine to today's audience that it comes across like those 1960's filmstrips they used to still show us kids in the 1980's in grade school.

Not to mention, the 3-D itself isn't very good. It is easily the least immersive 3D experience the parks offer.

the most dated thing about the ride is probably the Muppets themselves, which is a shame, because they’re brilliant.

I don't know what ride you are talking about - but the film? Every ounce is so horribly outdated, the only thing keeping it even standing is the love people have for those Muppets. You don't seem to know anything about them, really, and your final statement proves just that.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

The Muppets people know and love are like guest stars in their own attraction. Don't play stupid - you know what I mean. Even that "big grand finale". The "gang" isn't together once. For being the only theme park attraction in the world about the Muppets, it is horribly disappointing for someone who has loved the Muppets that practically everything they are known for is absent in the film. The most major Muppet characters barely get cameos in their own attraction!



Let's not pull punches here. Waldo is practically a stick figure-level of the 3d artform. The film has belonged in a museum for going on two decades now. He is a little blob of a thing with googly eyes. I was animating (in 2D, mind you) comparable CG characters in junior high within a few years of the film opening. 3D by the end of the decade.

It is dated because it is so common place, yet it is treated as some novel concept, LOL. In 1991, sure, a 3D animated character was neat. It is 2017....*EVERY CHARACTER* is a 3D character now. And has been for going on multiple decades. I imagine to today's audience that it comes across like those 1960's filmstrips they used to still show us kids in the 1980's in grade school.

Not to mention, the 3-D itself isn't very good. It is easily the least immersive 3D experience the parks offer.



I don't know what ride you are talking about - but the film? Every ounce is so horribly outdated, the only thing keeping it even standing is the love people have for those Muppets. You don't seem to know anything about them, really, and your final statement proves just that.

I get that you have a problem with Waldo, but it seems that you're in the minority. Every time I go the audience laughs out loud at his jokes.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The Muppets people know and love are like guest stars in their own attraction. Don't play stupid - you know what I mean. Even that "big grand finale". The "gang" isn't together once. For being the only theme park attraction in the world about the Muppets, it is horribly disappointing for someone who has loved the Muppets that practically everything they are known for is absent in the film. The most major Muppet characters barely get cameos in their own attraction!



Let's not pull punches here. Waldo is practically a stick figure-level of the 3d artform. The film has belonged in a museum for going on two decades now. He is a little blob of a thing with googly eyes. I was animating (in 2D, mind you) comparable CG characters in junior high within a few years of the film opening. 3D by the end of the decade.

It is dated because it is so common place, yet it is treated as some novel concept, LOL. In 1991, sure, a 3D animated character was neat. It is 2017....*EVERY CHARACTER* is a 3D character now. And has been for going on multiple decades. I imagine to today's audience that it comes across like those 1960's filmstrips they used to still show us kids in the 1980's in grade school.

Not to mention, the 3-D itself isn't very good. It is easily the least immersive 3D experience the parks offer.



I don't know what ride you are talking about - but the film? Every ounce is so horribly outdated, the only thing keeping it even standing is the love people have for those Muppets. You don't seem to know anything about them, really, and your final statement proves just that.

I’m not playing stupid and I am very familiar with the Muppets, thanks. I’m also familiar with the WDW attraction, which is why I disagree with you. I suspect you don’t consider Bean Bunny a “real muppet,” but I believe Henson would have disagreed, and he was a bit of an expert. Think of Waldo as one of the guests on the old Muppet Show or Walter in the Muppets - the Muppets vehicles frequently centered around an outsider they could play off. In the attraction, Kermit, Fozzie, Beaker and Honeydew, Sweetums, Piggy, and Sam all get significant bits, which is actually an impressive balancing act considering how short the film is. In fact, the attraction does a good job of approximating the structure of a classic episode in a much briefer running time. It boasts a Muppet Labs sequence, several Fozzie vs. Statler and Waldorf bits, and two very Muppety musical numbers. These bits are interspersed with Kermit’s frantic attempts to maintain order. It’s all a pretty close approximation of a classic episode. The only thing it really lacks is an extended Kermit/Piggy bit.

As for Waldo, the idea of a “spirit of 3D” is not dated, no more than a “spirit of 2D” would be. It’s a very Muppety idea. Frankly, I find the 3D in the ride as good as that in any other 3D film attraction at WDW. Bits like the running nose and “just talking to you” gag work better then anything in Bugs. And the whole package - AAs, wall projections, other effects like the arrows - make it the most immersive all-around 3D theater attraction Orlando’s ever seen - and it isn’t really close.

I love the Muppets, particularly the original series. Unfortunately, modern audiences don’t seem to share that affection (not that, outside of the two films, Disney has given them the best treatment). I’d love it if they were as popular as Marvel, but they aren’t.

 

[PorterRedkey]

I get that you have a problem with Waldo, but it seems that you're in the minority. Every time I go the audience laughs out loud at his jokes.

I may be in the minority too, but I am not a fan of Waldo. The Muppet segments still have me chuckling every time.

Look at Waldo, he is so gimmicky and annoying.

I wish there was a way to lose Waldo and somehow keep the film even though I know that's not possible.

 

[yeti]

I may be in the minority too, but I am not a fan of Waldo. The Muppet segments still have me chuckling every time.

Look at Waldo, he is so gimmicky and annoying.

I wish there was a way to lose Waldo and somehow keep the film even though I know that's not possible.

I don't mind him just because that's exactly what he's supposed to be: gimmicky and annoying. He's the "spirit of 3D" and the whole show is a parody of gimmicky in-your-face 3D theme park shows.

 

[GlacierGlacier]

I don't mind him just because that's exactly what he's supposed to be: gimmicky and annoying. He's the "spirit of 3D" and the whole show is a parody of gimmicky in-your-face 3D theme park shows.

Ironically annoying is still annoying

 

[MisterPenguin]

Ironically annoying is still annoying

I've said this before: One of the Muppets' biggest story-telling failures is thinking annoying, by itself, is funny. Miss Piggy and Fozie are annoying, but they get their comeuppance, which is funny. Bean and Waldo and Scooter are annoying and it doesn't go anywhere, and that's just annoying.

That said, I still love MV3D and see it each time I go to DHS.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

I've said this before: One of the Muppets' biggest story-telling failures is thinking annoying, by itself, is funny. Miss Piggy and Fozie are annoying, but they get their comeuppance, which is funny. Bean and Waldo and Scooter are annoying and it doesn't go anywhere, and that's just annoying.

That said, I still love MV3D and see it each time I go to DHS.

I don't know about that, Miss Piggy certainly takes her anger out on Bean for being annoying in the show.

 

[PorterRedkey]

I don't mind him just because that's exactly what he's supposed to be: gimmicky and annoying. He's the "spirit of 3D" and the whole show is a parody of gimmicky in-your-face 3D theme park shows.

Personally, I don't like gimmicky and annoying characters, even if they fit the story.

Look at "new" Figment, not so gimmicky, but definitely annoying. Version 1 one was curious, lovable and excited about learning. Figment's latest version is an annoying pest, bothering Nigel and ruining the tour so we can't see the other sense labs. Sure this fits the story, but annoying is annoying.
If the current version of Figment was the only version I knew, I don't think I would be very fond of this character.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Personally, I don't like gimmicky and annoying characters, even if they fit the story.

Look at "new" Figment, not so gimmicky, but definitely annoying. Version 1 one was curious, lovable and excited about learning. Figment's latest version is an annoying pest, bothering Nigel and ruining the tour so we can't see the other sense labs. Sure this fits the story, but annoying is annoying.
If the current version of Figment was the only version I knew, I don't think I would be very fond of this character.

New Figment lacks the "dash of childish delight". That's the primary difference.

 

[JenniferS]

I may be in the minority too, but I am not a fan of Waldo. The Muppet segments still have me chuckling every time.

Look at Waldo, he is so gimmicky and annoying.

I wish there was a way to lose Waldo and somehow keep the film even though I know that's not possible.

I’m with you. No love for Waldo.

 

[FigmentJedi]

New Figment lacks the "dash of childish delight". That's the primary difference.

You'd lose your childish delight too if Eric Idle killed your dad and destroyed your home

 

[AEfx]

I suspect you don’t consider Bean Bunny a “real muppet,” but I believe Henson would have disagreed, and he was a bit of an expert.

You would be incorrect. The age of the character has nothing to do with it.

Think of Waldo as one of the guests on the old Muppet Show or Walter in the Muppets - the Muppets vehicles frequently centered around an outsider they could play off.

Well, at least you admit that it doesn't center around the Muppets. Progress!

That said - if this is the case, I would have preferred Pia Zadora...

In the attraction, Kermit, Fozzie, Beaker and Honeydew, Sweetums, Piggy, and Sam all get significant bits, which is actually an impressive balancing act considering how short the film is. In fact, the attraction does a good job of approximating the structure of a classic episode in a much briefer running time. It boasts a Muppet Labs sequence, several Fozzie vs. Statler and Waldorf bits, and two very Muppety musical numbers. These bits are interspersed with Kermit’s frantic attempts to maintain order. It’s all a pretty close approximation of a classic episode. The only thing it really lacks is an extended Kermit/Piggy bit.

I have got to give you props man - you really believe this, don't you? LOL. At a full 15 minutes, it is actually barely shorter than the Muppet show, once you took out credits/interstitials/etc.

That said...let's be fair here. Okay, you might be on to something - you know what, if we are being truthful - the original series wasn't perfect, either. At least in regards to showing off the Muppets.

As they later found out, the charm and attraction to the Muppets is how they interact, together, as a group. The chemistry they have together. There is so little of that in MV. That's why MV feels so empty to me as a "Muppet" attraction.

We clearly are looking for very different things in what should represent the Muppets in a theme park.

As for Waldo, the idea of a “spirit of 3D” is not dated, no more than a “spirit of 2D” would be. It’s a very Muppety idea.

It's nonsensical and really meaningless. Though I am sure you can write up a few paragraphs of mental gymnastics to make it somehow seem esoteric and not just the shallow plot device it really is LOL.

Frankly, I find the 3D in the ride as good as that in any other 3D film attraction at WDW. Bits like the running nose and “just talking to you” gag work better then anything in Bugs. And the whole package - AAs, wall projections, other effects like the arrows - make it the most immersive all-around 3D theater attraction Orlando’s ever seen - and it isn’t really close.

Again, we really couldn't disagree more. /shrug Even the in-theater effects aren't nearly as impressive as they were 25 years ago.

I would love for MV to be all these things you say it is - but it just isn't nearly as impressive as grief and nostalgia glasses has made it appear to some. They deserve far better than a gimmicky film in which they play second fiddle to a "guest star" who's expiration date was up last century.

Every time I go I fool myself, somehow I block out all this knowledge of how bad it really is - at least I get to enjoy the queue, the best part of the entire thing. But as soon as I sit down I get this feint sinking feeling...and then the moment Waldo appears, my shoulders start to slouch...and I remember, yeah, it really is that bad.

I love the Muppets, particularly the original series. Unfortunately, modern audiences don’t seem to share that affection (not that, outside of the two films, Disney has given them the best treatment). I’d love it if they were as popular as Marvel, but they aren’t.

Oh, I wouldn't want them to be that popular. They have always been somewhat counter-culture. The problem is, Disney just refuses to do the obvious with them. Particularly in the parks, by presenting them as this outdated and bland, they are not helping the cause of the perception.

 

[CalebS]

DHS needs a boat ride so badly and an omnimover then things would be halfway decent, aside from every show needing a revamp or redo

 

[Casper Gutman]

You would be incorrect. The age of the character has nothing to do with it.



Well, at least you admit that it doesn't center around the Muppets. Progress!

That said - if this is the case, I would have preferred Pia Zadora...



I have got to give you props man - you really believe this, don't you? LOL. At a full 15 minutes, it is actually barely shorter than the Muppet show, once you took out credits/interstitials/etc.

That said...let's be fair here. Okay, you might be on to something - you know what, if we are being truthful - the original series wasn't perfect, either. At least in regards to showing off the Muppets.

As they later found out, the charm and attraction to the Muppets is how they interact, together, as a group. The chemistry they have together. There is so little of that in MV. That's why MV feels so empty to me as a "Muppet" attraction.

We clearly are looking for very different things in what should represent the Muppets in a theme park.



It's nonsensical and really meaningless. Though I am sure you can write up a few paragraphs of mental gymnastics to make it somehow seem esoteric and not just the shallow plot device it really is LOL.



Again, we really couldn't disagree more. /shrug Even the in-theater effects aren't nearly as impressive as they were 25 years ago.

I would love for MV to be all these things you say it is - but it just isn't nearly as impressive as grief and nostalgia glasses has made it appear to some. They deserve far better than a gimmicky film in which they play second fiddle to a "guest star" who's expiration date was up last century.

Every time I go I fool myself, somehow I block out all this knowledge of how bad it really is - at least I get to enjoy the queue, the best part of the entire thing. But as soon as I sit down I get this feint sinking feeling...and then the moment Waldo appears, my shoulders start to slouch...and I remember, yeah, it really is that bad.




Oh, I wouldn't want them to be that popular. They have always been somewhat counter-culture. The problem is, Disney just refuses to do the obvious with them. Particularly in the parks, by presenting them as this outdated and bland, they are not helping the cause of the perception.

I think the core of the problem may be this: I consider the original TV series to be the apex of The Muppets. It remains the best thing they’ve ever done. I am not a huge fan of the films - actually, my favorite is (gasp!) the first Disney-made Muppets feature. Since the attraction fairly accurately reproduces the structure of the series, I love it - that’s my Muppets. If your Muppets was the Henson movies or one of the other series, I can understand some of your reservations about the ride, though perhaps not the vitriol.

 

[brifraz]

I get that you have a problem with Waldo, but it seems that you're in the minority. Every time I go the audience laughs out loud at his jokes.

That might just be me. I laugh out loud every time and that's got to be well over 100 times at this point.

 

[Fox&Hound]

Yeah as much as I would love to see Monsters Inc come to life I just do not see this:

1. Putting the Monsters IP on RnRc is like putting candy on a high shelf- the kids will want to ride and cannot because they don’t make the height requirement or they do and they will be shocked out of their minds with the first blast off. And the loop?!? Nope...

2. Plus- as others have said- bringing over Laugh Floor and some version of a dark ride sounds great too but at what point does each ride step on each other’s toes? That is a lot of monster gags that would be very repetitive...

At best I see maybe one ride coming. And I wish it would. I just don’t see this rumor having legs...or tentacles

 

[MisterPenguin]

1. Putting the Monsters IP on RnRc is like putting candy on a high shelf- the kids will want to ride and cannot because they don’t make the height requirement or they do and they will be shocked out of their minds with the first blast off. And the loop?!? Nope...

You mean like they did in DCA with the Incredi-coaster?

 

[Haymarket2008]

I think Monsters Inc in the parks in a big way could be very cool, but it has missed the boat, imho. A fantastic IP, but there are more creative things to be done in DHS.

 

[Kman101]

DHS needs a boat ride so badly and an omnimover then things would be halfway decent, aside from every show needing a revamp or redo

Very much agreed!

Although I'd take another coaster too if it meant the Monster's Inc Door Coaster were coming. Sadly ... the least they could do is clone one of the Monster's rides ... another dark ride is badly needed. They should have also moved Laugh Floor (or they never should have put it in Tomorrowland) to the Studios ... the park needs "extra padding" so to speak.

So much more could have been done. I've beaten to death what they could/should have done. Sigh. Lots of missed opportunities. But as a whole the park won't be bad at all. Just needs a few more things and desperately needs updated stage shows. (I also wish they had put Frozen where Mermaid is)