Prototype82
Well-Known Member
I've always felt this way.
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New Little Mermaid Video
- Thread starter ChristianG
- Start date
space42
Well-Known Member
I don't really think it is an obsession with a letter as much as it is an obsession with quality. Wouldn't it be great if the brand new Little Mermaid attraction was built with the same level of detail as past E-Tickets such as Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, 20K Leagues, or Splash Mountain? Instead we are getting a nice C+ ticket dark ride with an E-ticket facade...
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I've been on the new Little Mermaid ride at least a dozen times over the past few months. I know what it's like. And let me tell you the best of the YouTube videos don't do it justice, or capture all the rockwork, scenery and digital projection effects you experience around your clamshell.
The ride itself compares very favorably with Mansion, Jungle Cruise and the Submarine Voyage. The animatronics in Mermaid are much more advanced and impressive than anything you'd find in Mansion or Jungle Cruise, particularly. (Ever really looked at the Mansion effects? They are very basic animatronics who need all that darkness and cheesecloth hanging in front of them to make them look better.) And at least at WDW where they only operate the Stretch Room scene when it suits their fancy, the pre-show and build up of Mansion's ride experience can be cut very short quite often. The Jungle Cruise is a hokey animatronic experience by 21st century standards, only brought to life by the wise cracking skipper.
Now, Pirates and Splash are different things entirely, and clearly a much bigger ride experience than Mermaid. Mainly because they have not only a full slate of very advanced animatronics like Mermaid has, but they also offer physical thrills and G forces, and a physically larger set to house it all.
But Mermaid compared to Mansion or Jungle, or Subs or Small World? The rides compare quite favorably, actually.
In the 21st century I don't know that Jungle Cruise or even Mansion or Submarines could be considered an E Ticket. I would think they are solid D Tickets, and Little Mermaid is a solid D Ticket also. It's dramatically bigger and bolder and more sophisticated than the original Fantasyland dark rides like Peter Pan, Pooh, or Snow White.
Lee
Adventurer
Interesting...
You're the first person I've heard that from. The reviews I've been given, including those of CMs and Imagineers, haven't been quite so kind.
Uncle Lupe
Well-Known Member
I will always enjoy a good pair of C's. So call them what you will.
yeti
Well-Known Member
What quantifies C nowadays? Peter Pan? Mermaid trumps that by a mile, nostalgia notwithstanding.
But honestly, the Little Mermaid ticket-dispute is starting to become one of those WDWMagic clichés. It's a ride that some place in higher regard than others. No talk of Imagineer ratings or technology will ever change anyone's opinion.
I saw the Haunted Mansion comparison and knew this went a step too far.
But honestly, the Little Mermaid ticket-dispute is starting to become one of those WDWMagic clichés. It's a ride that some place in higher regard than others. No talk of Imagineer ratings or technology will ever change anyone's opinion.
I saw the Haunted Mansion comparison and knew this went a step too far.
nor'easter
Well-Known Member
Uh, no.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I'm no princess fan, but I thought Mermaid was a really fun Omnimover. However... it should also be noted that I have never been a Mansion Purist who quotes the Stretch Room dialog along with the Ghost Host and thinks that haunted house ride is somehow one of the 20th century's most important contributions to Western Culture. :zipit:
I don't know what folks were expecting here with Mermaid. Peter Pan, Pooh, Snow White, etc. are two and half minute long dark rides with wiggling manequins amongst plywood cutouts and blacklight special effects. Little Mermaid is quite obviously something bigger and grander and much more sophisticated. Plus it's over six minutes long.
Perhaps because I wasn't expecting to actually submerge beneath the water and have Ursula extend a slimy tentacle across the terrified face of every passenger in every passing Omnimover vehicle it appears to be a really good ride for me? Maybe I think it's a really fun, well-done ride because I had just expected it to be something cute like Small World but with better animatronics? It meets and/or exceeds my expectations for that.
Honestly, what were folks expecting from a cutesy Little Mermaid ride? The second coming? Cancer being cured at the Unload belt? Interactive lobsters calling you by name and reminding you of your priority seating at California Grill during the Under The Sea musical number? What exactly was the expectation here for a singing fish princess ride?
I haven't been on the Little Mermaid ride yet, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I finally do, but what I <i>really</i> expected from "a singing fish princess ride" was something more along the lines of the planned Disneyland Paris version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtDVjxt1fVE. I guess it kind of spoiled me.
I'll take it you must have had one too man drinks at Trader Sams over at the DL hotel before you rode "The Little Mermaid"
, because you'd have to be drunk to compare this sad excuse of a ride in comparison to the Mansion, Jungle, Subs, or even Small World. While the Animatronics are clearly far superior....technology does not make a ride. The ride is extremely weak, does a poor job at re-telling the LM story, and is all 'n all, under whelming. Even the "Under the sea" room fails to impress...it feels like something is missing to give it that extra "oomph". I tried to give this ride another chance last weekend, and it failed again to impress.I dont know of one person who truly has come off that ride and said "Wow - this ride is my favorite"...which is unfortunate. I've heard from a few people involved with the FLE project, and perhaps Lee can confirm this, that some tweaking/minor redesign of this ride is being done to compensate for some of the short falls that have become apparent in the DCA version.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I'll take it you must have had one too man drinks at Trader Sams over at the DL hotel before you rode "The Little Mermaid"
I'll have you know I don't need alcohol to enjoy a Disney theme park, or even a specific ride on the the Little Mermaid attraction!
I was most certainly not at Trader Sam's... I was at the Hearthstone Lounge, and the gin martinis are for medicinal purposes.
I wouldn't say that Little Mermaid is my favorite ride, and I don't think it makes the Top 10 really. And to be honest, I've never even seen that movie. I can kind of guess what happens though; mermaid wants to be human, gets trapped in evil spell by villain, falls in love with human prince and gets in a jam but true love conquers all and they live happily ever after. Exit to your left, and watch your step please.
I thought it was a cute ride with nifty visuals. The principal animatronics throughout the ride are really quite impressive (lightyears more advanced than anything you can see in Haunted Mansion or Jungle Cruise, honestly), although Ariel's hairdo in the Under The Sea room does look a little off somehow. The digital projections and lighting FX are impressive to see play out as you glide by. The audio is fantastic, and the lighting is nice now that it's been tweaked since opening. The overall ride facility is rich with details and looks very swanky and expensive. The ride operator uniforms are terribly cute and attractive, especially on the perky college girls DCA seems to be increasingly populated with.
Oh yeah, and it isn't saddled with Fastpass.
I guess I just don't get what folks were hoping for here, or expecting. :veryconfu
It should be interesting to see if/what they do change for the WDW version. The ride track and major show scenes and animatronic figures are already all baked in. What do they tweak at this late date? Lighting fixtures? The track locations the Omnimover clamshells pivot or turn? The location of some starfish?
Lee
Adventurer
Yeah...I don't know what they could change at this point. The ride is a direct lift from DCA, so any changes would have to be pretty minor.
nor'easter
Well-Known Member
So what? So is Stitch.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but it's just Stitch in that dark theater.
Mermaid is dozens of animatronics singin' and dancin' their hearts out for you. It's a fun and really cute ride, but kept me entertained as a non-princess guy due to its advanced technological level and rather sophisticated showmanship.
It's an impressive ride to take in, on several levels.
Not sure that we should be getting so down on the thing, anyway. It is being cloned as the headliner attraction of the FLE. It's the big deal! :lookaroun
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah, maybe lighting angles, or some minor re-placement of animatronics?
The one thing I think they should do is move Scuttle about five feet further down the track in the Finale' Scene. His dialogue gets muddied and loses the closing impact with him so close to the happy couple waving goodbye. Maybe they could move him just a few feet further along the track, closer to the unload belt?
And thats the worrysome part - a ride which has suffered with numerous bad reviews is being put in as a "headliner" for a major expansion project!
I get what you're saying about it looking nice - however, the whole point of a ride is to tell a coherrent and cohesive story - and lets be honest, it fails to do that. It's scenes are kind of choppy when it comes to transitions (for those who have seen the Little Mermaid, which is practically everybody who enters a Disney theme park), and despite its special effects, the "show-stopper" Under the Sea room isnt fluid enough or dramatic enough to match up with the energy of the film.
The best way to describe the failure of the Little Mermaid is to compare it to a beautiful wedding cake designed by an expensive cake designer. It may look amazing, and have rich detail on the outside...but if you bite into it and it tastes disgusting or of a quality of a Wal-Mart cake, whats the point of its beauty? It ultimately fails to do what it was meant to do, which is disappointing.
I love the Little Mermaid as a movie, and made sure I was at DCA the first day they did soft previews to check the ride out, but was sorely disappointed. In contrast, a few weeks later, I made a visit to Tokyo Disney Seas to ride Sinbad - a far better ride that shines from both a technological standpoint as well as a from an immersive story-telling perspective. Thats the ride that the Little Mermaid should've been.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Do you speak Japanese? I only know a little to get by, and I've been to DisneySea three times and been on Sinbad 1.0 and Sinbad 2.0 and I have no idea what's going on. :lol:
If I knew more Japanese phrasing, or at least stuff beyond Hotel Lobby Etiquette and Ordering A Mocha At Shinjuku Starbucks, I might be able to enjoy the ride more.
But, I do like the Sinbad ride. It's basically a PG version of Small World dealing with the Sinbad stories that they apparently teach in Japanese grammar schools. What 7th grader in America knows who Sinbad and his seven voyages are? The animatronics are fantastic, although the monkeys and giant birdbeast thing are kind of creepy.
But I think much of Sinbad's impressiveness comes from the overall excellence of the maintenance of any of Tokyo's animatronic attractions. Have you seen their Country Bear Jamboree? The animatronics are so fluid and so well maintained at Tokyo's bear band you would swear you just walked in to the Disney World original on opening day, 1971. Versus the same attraction at WDW circa 2011 where most of the animatronics are suffering from mange and the whole thing takes on the aura of a Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlor show on a good day.
This Mermaid ride is the big deal for FLE! I really worry if the WDW community starts thinking it's a failure of some sort because the underwater hairdo looks funky, or the spinning starfish don't enchant bloggers enough. Mermaid is the biggest thing WDW will be getting until 2016 or 2017 when Avatar Land opens. If the WDW fans don't warm up to Mermaid fast, it's going to be a very long wait for whatever Avatar Land can offer. :lookaroun
I speak very little Japanese (so little, that while I'm a regular at that specific Shinjuku Starbucks across from the JR Rail station, that I always have to point to the menu to get my Matcha Green Tea Frap..ha), but have seen translations online to understand it slightly better. The best thing about the ride, though, is that you dont need to understand Japanese to understand what its trying to tell because its done so well. Also - all the signs and anything written in the actual ride scenes are in English, so its not too hard to tell whats going on..allthough it did take me about three ride throughs to truly grasp everything going on.
But, I do like the Sinbad ride. It's basically a PG version of Small World dealing with the Sinbad stories that they apparently teach in Japanese grammar schools. What 7th grader in America knows who Sinbad and his seven voyages are? The animatronics are fantastic, although the monkeys and giant birdbeast thing are kind of creepy.
But I think much of Sinbad's impressiveness comes from the overall excellence of the maintenance of any of Tokyo's animatronic attractions. Have you seen their Country Bear Jamboree? The animatronics are so fluid and so well maintained at Tokyo's bear band you would swear you just walked in to the Disney World original on opening day, 1971. Versus the same attraction at WDW circa 2011 where most of the animatronics are suffering from mange and the whole thing takes on the aura of a Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlor show on a good day.
Sadly though, even the awesome maintenance of the Country Bear animatronics arent enough to keep my attention...I'm often snoozing in that attraction, even though Tokyo Disneyland's is probably my favorite version. Again, I think Sinbad's strength lies in great story telling by the use of great visuals and music.
NMBC1993
Well-Known Member
I just hope they manage to add an actual ending to the WDW version which is my only complaint with the overall attraction. I swear, every time I watch a Youtube video of the DCA version and see Ursula sinking into the water with her arms in the air, all I can think of is Bruce from Family Guy screaming "ohhh nooooo":ROFLOL:
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Okay, OT here, but I'm referring to the Starbucks on the walking deck outside the Hotel Century Southern Tower across from the station. I've stayed in that hotel on business sometimes, and then moved on to the Resort for a couple days at Disneyland/DisneySea. How funny that two wdwmagic folks may bump into each other there! :wave:
Sinbad is a great ride. I read somewhere that it was pitched to the Oriental Land Company because the Sinbad stories were popular with post-war Japanese children who now make up the older senior leadership of OLC. But that the Sinbad stories aren't really being taught in the Japanese grammar schools any longer, and that's why the ride was revamped and turned into a musical ride five years after park opening.
An interesting reminder that WDI's stuff needs to be truly timeless to all park demographics, lest you create a visually stunning attraction experience that doesn't really reach people. I think Mermaid proved its staying power over the last 20 years, and so it passed the timeless test.