New modern day costumes coming to American Adventure?

[cspencer96]

I just did.
I don't see any similarities at all. The styles are totally different, colonial and federal.

I'm calling shenanigans on that theory.

You are right. I was mistaken, it's Independence Hall that I see the similarities in (Clock tower, etc.), not the White House. Don't know why I immediately agreed with the White House thing...it's been a very long and eventful day, I'm afraid.

 

[cspencer96]

Who is this cspencer96 anyway? 9 posts in a year and a half and 5 of them are in threads I started in the past two days(taking the Company line of course)? Am I gaining a Spirited cult following?

No. I just found your threads interesting, and it's a coincidence. And I'm sorry that I haven't had much reason to join the discussion since becoming a member until now, I didn't know that was 'illegal' in the world of Disney fans. Either way, I am me. Yes, I am wrong sometimes, but so is everyone. Jeez.

 

[Tom]

I just did.
I don't see any similarities at all. The styles are totally different, colonial and federal.

I'm calling shenanigans on that theory.

Agreed. The "White House" story is Grade A Bull Plop.

When designing costumes that help tell a story (which is exactly what the WD pavilions do), you have to be extremely careful, because once you choose a style, you lock in on that very moment in time. This is why many pavilions (and lands, attractions, etc) go back to long gone times, because those "styles" will never become dated - they're history.

The 80s, 90s and 2000s will instantly become dated, and will not be "historic" for a long time. The American Adventure attraction tells the story - in a very small nutshell - of the start-up and evolution of the United States of America. Thus, it was (and still is) most fitting to timestamp the pavilion in the late 1700s....the time of Independence.

I'd still like to see the supposed new costumes. So many claim to have seen proof in print, or leaked images...but I call bluff since nothing has hit the web. Leaks don't stay secret this long.

 

[WDW1974]

Who is this cspencer96 anyway? 9 posts in a year and a half and 5 of them are in threads I started in the past two days(taking the Company line of course)? Am I gaining a Spirited cult following?

That IS the surest sign you are respected and admired!

 

[WDW1974]

Agreed. The "White House" story is Grade A Bull Plop.

When designing costumes that help tell a story (which is exactly what the WD pavilions do), you have to be extremely careful, because once you choose a style, you lock in on that very moment in time. This is why many pavilions (and lands, attractions, etc) go back to long gone times, because those "styles" will never become dated - their history.

The 80s, 90s and 2000s will instantly become dated, and will not be "historic" for a long time. The American Adventure attraction tells the story - in a very small nutshell - of the start-up and evolution of the United States of America. Thus, it was (and still is) most fitting to timestamp the pavilion in the late 1700s....the time of Independence.

I'd still like to see the supposed new costumes. So many claim to have seen proof in print, or leaked images...but I call bluff since nothing has hit the web. Leaks don't stay secret this long.

Absolutely.

This is yet another in a long sad list of examples of Disney thinking its making its product 'more relevant' while simply Walmarting it and taking layers of detail and storytelling away.

It is an ignorant decision IF it is being made as CM Lonnie expressed (and I also have every reason to believe he was speaking the truth at thee time).

The folks who make WDW what it is every day are simply out of touch with reality and have a woeful lack of understanding for what their product was and is supposed to be. They really are that flat out dumb.

 

[Flip83]

Just wait till costumes are freakin made before you go nuts. Dear Lord.

 

[Tom]

Absolutely.

This is yet another in a long sad list of examples of Disney thinking its making its product 'more relevant' while simply Walmarting it and taking layers of detail and storytelling away.

It is an ignorant decision IF it is being made as CM Lonnie expressed (and I also have every reason to believe he was speaking the truth at thee time).

The folks who make WDW what it is every day are simply out of touch with reality and have a woeful lack of understanding for what their product was and is supposed to be. They really are that flat out dumb.

If Disney was just recreating the same, or similar costumes, using more person-friendly fabrics - I'm all for that. I'd like the CMs to be more comfortable while at work...perhaps it would make some of them a tiny bit more magical.

But if it's change for the sake of change....or change for the sake of saving a buck....or change for the sake of "when we surveyed 50 teenagers we found sitting on benches, texting friends back home while their parents enjoyed World Showcase pavilions, we found that they didn't care much for the 'old fashioned' clothes our Cast Members were wearing" - boo on them.

Just wait till costumes are freakin made before you go nuts. Dear Lord.

For the record, in case I was lumped into your chastised group, I have not passed judgement yet. I am making it clear though as to what I will, or will not, accept....and for what reasons I will accept. I'm hoping Disney doesn't pull yet another blunder, and I will wait and see what they spew forth from the costume shop.

Maybe someone should ride the Backlot Tour all day to see if they can catch a glimpse of the fabrics, patterns or even production.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Just wait till costumes are freakin made before you go nuts. Dear Lord.

Again, the issue is with the idea, not the particular aesthetic.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

But if it's change for the sake of change....or change for the sake of saving a buck....or change for the sake of "when we surveyed 50 teenagers we found sitting on benches, texting friends back home while their parents enjoyed World Showcase pavilions, we found that they didn't care much for the 'old fashioned' clothes our Cast Members were wearing" - boo on them.

That made me laugh!
I wouldn't put it beyond them if this was really pretty much how this went.

 

[Flip83]

Now from what I read... I havent read everything in this forum because I dont have enough Aleve... Wasnt their idea to update costumes coming from guests saying they should update the out of date costumes? The costumes were nothing I truly noticed as being outdated. I liked the theming but if they changed it, it wouldn't affect my experience in Epcot. Hell... The only thingthat affected my experience was UK not having Sherry Trifles anymore lol. We know they aren't going cheap or crappy. The updated outfits will be fine. Some will miss the old ones and that's ok. Many people don't like change, I understand that. But some comments I have read just got me all boiled up.... Which is typical in these forums lol.

Oh, and it was no direct stab toward anyone in particular. I am not like that. I am just VERY against so many judging SO MANY things about WDW before finished product. There are announcements and so many just stomp and crap on everything.

FLE for example was crapped on by so many.... And every little thing that has been opening so far (which hasnt been very much yet) has been getting very good reviews. Except for the trollers, but we know who they are and we know most of us just pay no attention to them. ( at least we try not to). My main thing is man people need to stop ripping Disney a new before they see how something is or looks. Then, if you don't like it... Swing away.. Hate all you want. That is when most people will listen to opinions. Opinions now, on this subject, mean nothing. It's mosty folks who try to stir people up for fun.

Dammit... I guess they got me. Hahaha

 

[The Empress Lilly]

You are right. I was mistaken, it's Independence Hall that I see the similarities in (Clock tower, etc.), not the White House. Don't know why I immediately agreed with the White House thing...it's been a very long and eventful day, I'm afraid.

Well to be fair I think the AA looks like it draws from many early American sources - all the monuments in Philadelphia and Washington.

Most importantly, it draws from monuments that are late 1700's / early 1800s. Not modern American. However, this being EPCOT, at one point, the AA was designed to look very much like this, a big round pavilion at the lake end of FW, with the ride at the second floor, open at the ground floor, when walking underneath it you would get a reveal of World Showcase, much like the reveal when walking underneath the Train Station at the MK:

...but the AA didn't end up being build like this. They opted for the colonial instead of modern style. For better or for worse. Maybe for worse is that it does all resemble Liberty Square a great deal. Too bad. The choice has been made. So stick with it. Modern uniforms in the colonial AA are as mistaken as colonial costumes would be in that modern pavilion.

 

[cspencer96]

Well to be fair I think the AA looks like it draws from many early American sources - all the monuments in Philadelphia and Washington.

Most importantly, it draws from monuments that are late 1700's / early 1800s. Not modern American. However, this being EPCOT, at one point, the AA was designed to look very much like this, a big round pavilion at the lake end of FW, with the ride at the second floor, open at the ground floor, when walking underneath it you would get a reveal of World Showcase, much like the reveal when walking underneath the Train Station at the MK:

...but the AA didn't end up being build like this. They opted for the colonial instead of modern style. For better or for worse. Maybe for worse is that it does all resemble Liberty Square a great deal. Too bad. The choice has been made. So stick with it. Modern uniforms in the colonial AA are as mistaken as colonial costumes would be in that modern pavilion.

Thank you for being insightful without ridiculing me.
I see your point about the monuments, I just used Independence Hall because to me it is the most prominent inspiration. It's true, we will never know how it would have been if the host pavilion were designed to be more modern and stark, although I would imagine the costumes would be incredibly different. I personally am glad the Imagineers went the way they did, but that's just my opinion, and I'm sure everyone else has their own opinions on all sorts of things. My opinion on the costume issue is that we should wait and see what actually happens before going off and ranting about 'declining by degrees'. In fact, if a lot of people on this forum did just that about a lot of things being done lately, things around here might get a little more positive.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The costumes are outdated, especially to my generation, and look incredibly uncomfortable. And with the dramatic advances in clothing and fabric technology (think Nike and Under Armour technologies, they pour millions into research on how to keep people comfortable), the Imagineers could seriously do better than thick petticoats and multi-layered cotton garb in the Florida sun.

So the new WS costumes will be 11% faster than the old ones?

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Well to be fair I think the AA looks like it draws from many early American sources - all the monuments in Philadelphia and Washington.

Most importantly, it draws from monuments that are late 1700's / early 1800s. Not modern American. However, this being EPCOT, at one point, the AA was designed to look very much like this, a big round pavilion at the lake end of FW, with the ride at the second floor, open at the ground floor, when walking underneath it you would get a reveal of World Showcase, much like the reveal when walking underneath the Train Station at the MK:

...but the AA didn't end up being build like this. They opted for the colonial instead of modern style. For better or for worse. Maybe for worse is that it does all resemble Liberty Square a great deal. Too bad. The choice has been made. So stick with it. Modern uniforms in the colonial AA are as mistaken as colonial costumes would be in that modern pavilion.

But is AA really colonial or is it modern America celebrating the past in an "old" building? There are still buildings that look like that. Personally, I always found the "theme bleeding" between AA and Liberty Square to be a little strange. I think it's easier to focus on putting out a quality product in both areas if you're clear about the idea you're trying to convey or (forgive me) the story you're trying to tell. What's a Liberty Square and what's an American Adventure? What's a Future World and what's a Tomorrowland?

 

[crazgurl]

LOL, try telling a Canadian that they are Americans.

LOL I was waiting for a Canadian to say something about that one... amazed it took so long! My thought through all that nonsense is that Canadians have this reputation of being peace keepers and sitting back, never acting on things, and generally just being really friendly, but we are also the only country to ever defeat the United States in a war. The Americans TRIED to conquer us and they failed...

As for costumes, I think if they can make the cast members more comfortable overall, that should be a priority, theming is really important, but if they can have a decent theme where the cast members are more comfortable, I think that should be their goal. I always feel sorry for those poor people in the hot costumes!

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

As for costumes, I think if they can make the cast members more comfortable overall, that should be a priority, theming is really important, but if they can have a decent theme where the cast members are more comfortable, I think that should be their goal. I always feel sorry for those poor people in the hot costumes!

Funny thing is...the Canadian ladies costumes are the most comfortable ones in the entire showcase. Trust me, my roommates in the other pavilions (over the years that included every one except for Morocco) were very jealous that I got to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt while they had layers of skirts on.

If they start putting Canadians in shapeless sacks or generic flight attendant wear it is most likely going to be a big move downhill from the comfortable theme wear they have now.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Personally I am all for the change to modern day costumes for all of WS, or at least more professional ones. Maybe I'm not giving the average tourist enough credit, but I wager that most people don't take the time to think "this is a costume to represent the time period presented by this pavilion", and rather think "I feel sorry that Disney makes them wear that ridiculous thing." It probably appears stereotypical and degrading.

Also I can't help but shudder as to how many times some dumb redneck American asks them "SO IS THAT HOW Y'ALL DRESS IN GERMANY??"

 

[Disnee4Me]

The entire American Adventure Pavilion at Epcot needs to be redone. It is a total lie from beginning to end. First of all, America includes the entire continents of both north and south America. The story told at Epcot revolves around the founding of the United States of America not America. Please remember that Brazilians are Americans too as are Canadians!

Well there is already a Mexican pavilion and a Canadian pavilion (and rumors of a Brazilian pavilion) so they are covered. And yes, I believe this pavilion is strictly for the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, not the continents of South & North America.

 

[aladdin2007]

Personally I am all for the change to modern day costumes for all of WS, or at least more professional ones. Maybe I'm not giving the average tourist enough credit, but I wager that most people don't take the time to think "this is a costume to represent the time period presented by this pavilion", and rather think "I feel sorry that Disney makes them wear that ridiculous thing." It probably appears stereotypical and degrading.

Also I can't help but shudder as to how many times some dumb redneck American asks them "SO IS THAT HOW Y'ALL DRESS IN GERMANY??"

While I agree there are dumb dumbs whom would say such things,,,it shouldnt be degrading/ridiculous when your representing your country, culture, history, and traditions. It should be an honor. I know the Norwegians are proud of their costume. They may not be comfortable in it true but its part of the rich culture just like the other pavilions. And now Disney wants to walmart it. Of course at the same time though the comfort/modernizing issues have a point. It would be nice to see a middle ground actually with the costumes they end up doing. And maybe they will but so far its sounding like the AA costumes anyway are a horrible move.

 

[muse1983]

I personally love the colonial outfits in the American pavilion and would hate to see them go. I can't imagine how a "modern look" could look anything less than ridiculous. So does this mean that the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps would disappear as well?