Rivers of America (plus Railroad & Dioramas) Re-Imagineered 2017

SSG

SSG

Well-Known Member
I think the re-worked ROA and train look very good. I can't wait to try them out on my upcoming trip in September!

You know, I just realized there will be a lot of new things for me to see on this trip. Last time I was at DLR (February 2016), Soarin' Around the World was still Soarin' Over California; Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters was still Luigi's Flying Tires; and Mission: BREAKOUT was still Tower of Terror. Plus the updates to the train, ROA and Fantasmic. That's quite a lot of new experiences. (new to me at least)
 
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Hatbox Ghostbuster

Hatbox Ghostbuster

Well-Known Member
SSG said:
I think the re-worked ROA and train look very good. I can't wait to try them out on my upcoming trip in September!

You know, I just realized there will be a lot of new things for me to see on this trip. Last time I was at DLR (February 2016), Soarin' Around the World was still Soarin' Over California; Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters was still Luigi's Flying Tires; and Mission: BREAKOUT was still Tower of Terror. Plus the updates to the train, ROA and Fantasmic. That's quite a lot of new experiences. (new to me at least)
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I sincerely hope you find all these new experiences better than when you were there before.
 
Curious Constance

Curious Constance

Well-Known Member
HatboxGhostbuster said:
I sincerely hope you find all these new experiences better than when you were there before.
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You sound official. I've got my eye on you.

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George Lucas on a Bench

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
It was astonishing, that scene is one of the strongest imagineering has ever done. A marvel to behold.

Can't believe it will be gone in two weeks. I wanted to go now for a quicky, but I can only go in September. It will be brutal to see the building with a closed sign, knowing the dinos will still just be there and I shall never ride it again, after 35 years of being ingrained in my imagination.
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It's been a long time since I've seen an Empress Lilly post.

How are things at WDW? Really, I mean. Does Must Do Stacey still say "Epcot is phenomenal"?

It's a shame about the oncoming storm around those parts. I don't see why they can't just keep the dinos. I mean, Guardians of the Galaxy is a Marvel funny book. They could have dinosaurs on a spaceship!
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Here's the "Imagineer Q&A" from opening day of the Rivers of America.

Imagineer Zsolt Hormay did the rockwork. He also did the Cars Land rockwork.

 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The Empress Lilly said:
EPCOT had the best dino section by virtue of being immersed in it, in a slow moving vehicle, seeing the scenes from different angles, even from below. Bigger, prettier, longer. As always, WDW, once the superior, slowly let itself decay until we now find ourselves without a dino ride in the first place.

Wait, we still have the budget engineered version of Indy: dispense of scenery for darkness, with snippets of dino heads and loud noises.
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I don't disagree. I remember my first trip to Epcot Center in 1987, and I do remember the "holy crap!" moment at the Exxon pavilion when the traveling theater not only began moving, but when those dinosaurs woke up and rose up above the swamp. I agree that Walt would have loved it.

But a trip to the Energy pavilion since about 2005 has just been painful to sit through. It was really some of the worse examples of deferred maintenance and neglect I've ever seen. And I lived through the Paul Pressler era at Disneyland circa 1997-2003, so I know what that looks like.
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
I don't disagree. I remember my first trip to Epcot Center in 1987, and I do remember the "holy crap!" moment at the Exxon pavilion when the traveling theater not only began moving, but when those dinosaurs woke up and rose up above the swamp. I agree that Walt would have loved it.

But a trip to the Energy pavilion since about 2005 has just been painful to sit through. It was really some of the worse examples of deferred maintenance and neglect I've ever seen. And I lived through the Paul Pressler era at Disneyland circa 1997-2003, so I know what that looks like.
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The Energy pavilion was always a chore, any maintenance or other issues aside. It was perhaps THE reason so many people thought of EPCOT Center as boring or overly educational. You literally got trapped in that thing for 45 minutes a pop which was enough to make most people never journey into it ever again -- myself included -- and I am as big an EPCOT Center fanboy as you will ever find.

As cool as the dino scene was, it was but a very brief escape from the rest of the painfully boring (or overly cheesy, depending on the version) movies we were forced to endure throughout the rest of the show. Seriously -- the entire dinosaur part is only about 3-4 minutes once you very very very slowly reach the scene after all the theater cars slug their way to it.

I am sad to be losing an original EPCOT Center pavilion, but honestly, no love lost over Energy finally going extinct. It's been a very long time coming.
 
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TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
dweezil78 said:
The Energy pavilion was always a chore, any maintenance or other issues aside. It was perhaps THE reason so many people thought of EPCOT Center as boring or overly educational. You literally got trapped in that thing for 45 minutes a pop which was enough to make most people never journey into it ever again -- myself included -- and I am as big an EPCOT Center fanboy as you will ever find.

As cool as the dino scene was, it was but a very brief escape from the rest of the painfully boring (or overly cheesy, depending on the version) movies we were forced to endure throughout the rest of the show. Seriously -- the entire dinosaur part is only about 3-4 minutes once you very very very slowly reach the scene after all the theater cars slug their way to it.

I am sad to be losing an original EPCOT Center pavilion, but honestly, no love lost over Energy finally going extinct. It's been a very long time coming.
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Okay. I can't disagree with any of that.

And that's likely why there hasn't been a huge outcry over its closing. It was tired.
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Okay. I can't disagree with any of that.

And that's likely why there hasn't been a huge outcry over its closing. It was tired.
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(Sorry to be all off-topic, but I never venture into the WDW threads here haha.) Totally. The funny thing is, it was already beyond tired when it got the Ellen refresh in 1996 which instantly dated it even more than the original attraction in order to make it more 'fun' / less boring. Would you believe it still took me until a trip in 2009 to see that version because I was so scarred from the original as a child? I absolutely hated the pavilion with a passion and seeing the Ellen version after all those years actually made me want the original back, of course now I was in the my 30s and the Ellen version reeked of mid 90s corniness.

You know, for all the flak Disney gets about using IP in attractions -- people seem to forget that ABC's 'Ellen' was a very popular sitcom and was at its peak when the Ellen version debuted. While sure, not a direct tie to her show, it prominently featured 'Ellen' in the new attraction name and was just as guilty of trying to capitalize off the popularity of Disney owned IP.
 
SSG

SSG

Well-Known Member
'Themed Donut'
Disneyland Launches “Grand Circle Tour” Guided Tour
By Laughing Place Disney Newsdesk -

Jul 31, 2017
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DLRR inauguration with Engine #1
With the Disneyland Railroad once again open, the Disneyland Resort has added a new guided tour to their lineup. “The Grand Circle Tour” is a new tour that highlights the important role trains play at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.

Guests will enjoy a beverage and an exclusive, themed donut before the tour, during which they will learn about Walt’s love for trains and even climb aboard Disneyland’s VIP car, the Lilly Belle. The tour will cost $85, and discounts will apply.

A soft launch began on July 29, running on weekends at 8:15 a.m. Reservations can be booked at Tour Gardens; space is limited.
 

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