My opinion of the biggest problem Disney parks has to face

[eliza61nyc]

1) I think Disney is not going back to some magical time in the past. Deal with it.

2) the rides changed because the clients have changed.

3) "wrong " with Disney could be a matter of perspective.

 

[JIMINYCR]

As much as times change and as techhie advanced as we get, Disney doesnt have to worry. Guests are happy/ satisfied with a combination of the old and the new. They have kept pace on the new tech attractions by bringing in something new occasionally to keep from falling behind the times. The problem has been when they scuttle the old favorites that guests still enjoy because they would rather replace instead of adding on. As long as guests continue to receive a good variety of entertainment, with some thrills included they will keep coming back, and be accepting what Disney brings. Disney still rules and doesnt have problems keeping us entertained.

 

[LUVofDIS]

I have heard the tech thing all my life. When2D CAD was first becoming popular in my business the older engineer would always complain saying they could do it faster and better on the board. After they used it for a few years and understood it they loved it. Than when 3D CAD became mainstream the same engineer's and some younger ones complained saying they could do it faster and better with the 2D CAD. Now they love 3D CAD, I am sure as virtual CAD becomes more mainstream they will complain about that.
Don't get me wrong, I feel that drawing on the board and doing hand calculations are awesome and fun to do, but the new tech does a much more accurate and fast job.

Anyway, for me it is simple, a good ride experience is a good ride experience. It doesn't matter what tech is used as long as it has all the elements to make it entertaining. Weather it is all AA or all screen, it is the story and presentation that matter. The cool thing with the new tech for rides would be the possibilities of constantly changing the story and on the fly. Very few attractions have taken advantage of this but it is something that can easily be done. So lets hope the future keeps updating and the rides become more immersed.

The biggest problem I see is how lazy the developers seem to be getting. If you have been to Universal you can see the number of 4D rides and the sequences all seem to be the same, they just have different characters. Each ride needs to be unique and I feel that is where people are quickly getting bored.

 

[NickMaio]

I hate the screen rides, i will ride something with alot AA's in it 20 times , while the screen ride with 3 or 4 AA's once maybe twice . Can you imagine HM just a screen ride .
Please Disney, dont go the way of flat screen rides . ( mickeys runaway railroad, ratatouille, flat screen rides for the most part)

Amen Darth.....totally agree.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Amen Darth.....totally agree.

If we listened to you folks we would still be communicating with smoke signals. The world moves ahead. We either keep pace or get left behind. That applies to Disney as well as to people. Thirty five years ago the new technology was AA's. There were some screens (i.e. Journey to Mars) but they were really awful, but, interesting because it was different. Now the technology would be the use of screens. Much more flexible, much more realistic, much easier to upgrade stories and much more immersive. I loved and still do love the AA's when done well. I think that the peak was hit with the American Adventure. Now screens are the current form of entertainment in theme park immersion entertainment.

 

[Darth Figment]

If we listened to you folks we would still be communicating with smoke signals. The world moves ahead. We either keep pace or get lift behind. That applies to Disney as well as to people. Thirty five years ago the new technology was AA's. There were some screens (i.e. Journey to Mars) but they were really awful, but, interesting because it was different. Now the technology would be the use of screens. Much more flexible, much more realistic, much easier to upgrade stories and much more immersive. I loved and still do love the AA's when done well. I think that the peak was hit with the American Adventure. Now it is the current form of entertainment in theme park immersion entertainment.

I agree with you , ( not the smoke signal part .....) i just prefer the AAs. Im just gonna have to wait and see how runaway rr and ratatouille look.

 

[erasure fan1]

The world moves ahead. We either keep pace or get lift behind. That applies to Disney as well as to people. Thirty five years ago the new technology was AA's. There were some screens (i.e. Journey to Mars) but they were really awful, but, interesting because it was different. Now the technology would be the use of screens. Much more flexible, much more realistic, much easier to upgrade stories and much more immersive.

Just like nick and darth figment have an opinion that they like AAs better than screens, everything you say is just your opinion. Screens aren't some magic new tech that if Disney doesn't use they will be left behind. I highly disagree with your screens are more immersive statement. Would the witch in the great movie ride been more immersive it was a real person being projected on a screen? No way. An AA sorcerers apprentice scene would have been a lot more immersive than just projecting the cartoon on the wall. Personally I want to go into my favorite stories not watch them on a screen as I go by. Screens have their place, but lets not make it seem like Disney needs them to compete.

 

[marni1971]

If You Had Wings. 1972.

(And the sorcerer Mickey projection in the GMR was there by necessity, not design)

 

[Goofyernmost]

Just like nick and darth figment have an opinion that they like AAs better than screens, everything you say is just your opinion. Screens aren't some magic new tech that if Disney doesn't use they will be left behind. I highly disagree with your screens are more immersive statement. Would the witch in the great movie ride been more immersive it was a real person being projected on a screen? No way. An AA sorcerers apprentice scene would have been a lot more immersive than just projecting the cartoon on the wall. Personally I want to go into my favorite stories not watch them on a screen as I go by. Screens have their place, but lets not make it seem like Disney needs them to compete.

As you say... it is my opinion. (see my signature below) I disagree with yours, and I think it is quite obvious that as far as technology goes Disney does need it to compete. By the sounds of the Mickey Ride as well as Star Wars they have even taken screens to another step up. But, you don't see many new AA's shows around now do you? You may be happy with just AA's, I like them as well, but, they are the technology of the past and until they are completely free moving and totally life like they will not replace the current screen technology anymore then a horse and buggy will replace a Mercedes-Benz.
JMHO!

 

[erasure fan1]

You may be happy with just AA's

Nope, if you read my posts I said screens have their place and are a good tool to use. So what you're saying is the future isn't screens, its free moving life like AAs. got it.

 

[eddie104]

1) I think Disney is not going back to some magical time in the past. Deal with it.

2) the rides changed because the clients have changed.

3) "wrong " with Disney could be a matter of perspective.

I agree some people are so stuck in the past its actually blinded them to what Disney or Universal can accomplish with a good balance of screens and physical sets. Everybody so caught up on this park has way too many screen rides but yet totally discounting whether its a good quality attraction. As we progress with time we have to learn to be more open minded about certain aspects of the "immersive" experience that might cause us loose out on something amazing.

 

[tomast]

I think -IMHO- in four years or so this discussion could be more relevant. Concentrating primarily on your worry about competition, Universal will have a third park very possibly open, and there is a realisation / admittance within Comcast Towers / Creative that the screens issue is a) very real and b) detrimental. This began to (finally) sink in during Fallon development, but by then it was too late to cancel that and F&F. The indifference from the general public, particularly to the latter, only cemented the opinion that "screenz is bad".

Screens will never be stopped to be used. I’d expect to see them more than 20/30 years ago. They offer so many advantages and the technology will only continue to progress. But I don’t think we will continue to see a plethora of "screen based” attractions at the expense of “physical”. I know of several attractions that Creative have developed that have minimal use of screens.

Falcon will primarily have screens. It’s the only way to do it. Escape will follow the Transformers model of having screens supplemented by physical sets to create an environment otherwise too costly and/or improbable to create. Rat will of course. UK might not. But they also have to learn (from River Journey in particular) that physical sets with screens embedded doesn’t get an automatic pass.

You have to perhaps travel back to the likes of Horizons where screens and projections supplemented physical sets - the perfect mix of media. And consider to what extent screens are actually screens. Do the projected clouds on the PotC cyc make it a screen? The silhouette projections of Splash? These are a perfect example of a complete mix of every media available making an attraction better, an addition not a distraction.

The problem is not Screen per se, the problem is how they use the screens and how well do they manage to use them without been too obvious. Screens can be the best adition to a ride and they can also be the reason of making a ride fail. Not because the screens are not amazing, the reason is because screens are in our everyday life and we can watch almost anything on them been in our sofa or in the bus or subway looking to our phone.

Universals Mummy RollerCoaster change actual fire with screen fire on the beattle part, and it sucks.

But on the other hand Universal Studios biggest win was HP land and not because of the cool screen/ the lame mapping over Hogwarts. It was because of hogsmade and how the whole place invite adults, teens and children to play. To put a silly robe and point with a plastic stick to windows. That simple thing makes people happy, the way they have done that is incredible as a total contradiction to fast and furious or king kong ride.

Furthermore I think pandora failed to recreate that and avatar boat ride has to many screen/projectors and they forget about the "let the people play" part

 

[tomast]

1) I think Disney is not going back to some magical time in the past. Deal with it.

2) the rides changed because the clients have changed.

3) "wrong " with Disney could be a matter of perspective.

Nobody says its wrong, what I say is that be carefull because new generation of visitors wont be impress by a screen and wont be so easyly impress. Show a metal thing that moves to a 60´s kid and it would get mad about it. Show MonsterIncs Fun floor to a kid from nowadays and he would show you how he can make it better with the phone with the animojis

 

[NickMaio]

If we listened to you folks we would still be communicating with smoke signals. The world moves ahead. We either keep pace or get left behind. That applies to Disney as well as to people. Thirty five years ago the new technology was AA's. There were some screens (i.e. Journey to Mars) but they were really awful, but, interesting because it was different. Now the technology would be the use of screens. Much more flexible, much more realistic, much easier to upgrade stories and much more immersive. I loved and still do love the AA's when done well. I think that the peak was hit with the American Adventure. Now screens are the current form of entertainment in theme park immersion entertainment.

We have seen what AA tech could be like in the 21st century. Yet we only have 1...... So sad and lame from a billion dollar company. Screens are cool and can be quite immersive. But I prefer the physcial effects in my rides not the blue screens.

 

[NickMaio]

As you say... it is my opinion. (see my signature below) I disagree with yours, and I think it is quite obvious that as far as technology goes Disney does need it to compete. By the sounds of the Mickey Ride as well as Star Wars they have even taken screens to another step up. But, you don't see many new AA's shows around now do you? You may be happy with just AA's, I like them as well, but, they are the technology of the past and until they are completely free moving and totally life like they will not replace the current screen technology anymore then a horse and buggy will replace a Mercedes-Benz.
JMHO!

I think the reason why we dont see amazing AAs is because of maintence and up keep money. A projector bulb replacement every 6 months or so is much cheaper than a staff of engineers to test and fix AAs.
Its usually about the benjamins.

I always thought Disney's AAs seperated them from all other so called theme parks. I would prefer more AA, is all I was trying to say......

 

[DisneyDoctor]

While I don't think the magic is waning in the slightest, I would prefer a bit more development, which is what I think OP was trying to get at. I'm sure that sentiment is shared by all.

With respect to screens vs. animatronics, I much prefer the animatronics. I love all the animatronics in Splash Mountain, no matter how outdated some believe them to be. A new ride with retro animatronics would please a very niche crowd, although I'm not sure how large that crowd is.

This leads in to the argument that underlies most Disney discussions on the forums. Should Disney stay retro and please its day-one fans? Or, should they fill the parks with new technology and IPs that bring in a new generation of fans? I'm not sure what the best answer is for Disney (I know what I prefer), and I'm glad I don't have to make the decisions.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Nope, if you read my posts I said screens have their place and are a good tool to use. So what you're saying is the future isn't screens, its free moving life like AAs. got it.

Sure... that's what I said.

 

[erasure fan1]

If You Had Wings. 1972.

(And the sorcerer Mickey projection in the GMR was there by necessity, not design)

Yes it was supposed to be part of the wizard of Oz, the tornado if I remember correctly. But the point I was making is if it was an AA scene, it would be a much more immersive scene.

I always thought Disney's AAs seperated them from all other so called theme parks. I would prefer more AA, is all I was trying to say.....

That is correct, it's something you really don't get anywhere else. I too believe AAs seperate them from the others.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think the reason why we dont see amazing AAs is because of maintence and up keep money. A projector bulb replacement every 6 months or so is much cheaper than a staff of engineers to test and fix AAs.
Its usually about the benjamins.

I always thought Disney's AAs seperated them from all other so called theme parks. I would prefer more AA, is all I was trying to say......

So would I, if I thought they would be done right and that the public would accept them, but, AA's really are only good in shows and slow dark rides. The type of public demand now is something much more exciting and quick paced. We may like it, but, the parks would not survive with just our interests being catered to, and that is why they must keep up with the current trend. When Disney introduced AA's back years ago, it was the future, it is now the past and many have just moved on and demanded a different kind of experience. We are not all alike. Screens are the current technology, AA's are now more historical to most.

 

[NickMaio]

Having seen what the Shaman of Songs can do. I respectfully disagree with you.
If you threw in 50 of those AA's as storm troopers, Vader, Luke, ect in an action dark ride. Disney would really explode with interest because everyone else IS using screens.