Dizknee_Phreek
Well-Known Member
Nah, don't apologize...I didn't feel attacked or anythingEpcot82Guy said:This is one of the more interesting statements made, I think. I completely understand your point, but I think this may be the crux of where Epcot has steered wrong (or society has steered wrong, not sure which yet). When Walt was designing attractions (using this as a reference, not a Long Live Walt statement), he explicitly said not to aim for children. The reason: you bore adults and the trip becomes a chore. However, the solution to that is not to make attractions that have something for the kids and something for the adults like using childrens' characters to promote and adult message. Instead, it takes developing an attraction, story, ride system, etc. that can be appreciated by everyone. Look at some of the most successful attractions: Pirates, Mansion, the original JII, etc. They have are one cohesive attraction (each). It's not like children ride Pirates because they see Pirates and adults ride it to get some concept of historical pillaging. Every person developed their own personal backstory and understanding from their experience. There is no explicit, blatant story or moral. There is no "this for the kids" and "this for the adults" dichotomy. It's a great attraction because it creates a sense of wonder and challenges the imagination of everyone. Although I have not ridden it myself, it sounds like Soarin' is this EXACT type of attraction (although it has a limitation from a safety perspective, I'm sure small children would enjoy it just as much). I guess if you create something that is "interesting" and "wonder-inspiring," the total package, everyone will enjoy it, regardless of age.
I appologize for getting so passionate about this. It just hits a big nerve with me! :wave:
You have some very excellent points, and I agree with you completely. Reading back on my post, what I meant was not to "dumb it down" to a kid's level, but to make it where kids and adults could equally relate to it. ...More like what you said But I do feel that Disney has been doing less of that these days. To me, it seems, they tend to aim for age groups when making new attractions. Perhaps I'm completely wrong in saying that, but it seems like they're going "Ok, the young kids can do this, while the teens and young adults are doing this, and the older parents/grandparents can go over here and do this". I just feel like they're resorting to other companies' tactics of bringing in certain attractions (ie thrill attractions) to bring in certain age groups; and I know Walt was against that, and I'm against that as well.