ellie-badge
Well-Known Member
As everybody else has stated before me, I would much rather Walt Disney Imagineering spruce up and bring all four of our theme parks to their former glory and prove that they can keep up with them before even thinking about building a fifth park. As everybody is making a list of things they’d improve upon, I figure that I may as well do the same.
1. Magic Kingdom
Adventureland: Looking over a map of the Magic Kingdom online (as I sort of lack a new one in my possession at the moment), I can see that there’s something called Tinker Bell’s Magical Nook. For the love of all things holy and sacred, get rid of the direct-to-video faeries and shove Lilo & Stitch in the area instead. With the leis around both characters’ necks and their tropical appearance (well, Lilo’s anyway), they’d be a much better fit for the area.
Although I hate the tight spaces it creates, I can live with the Flying Carpets of Aladdin. Tweak the Enchanted Tiki Room a bit further so that it has the fountain in the center and more closely resembles its counterpart at Disneyland. Give Jungle Cruise a thorough refurbishment (update the animatronics to look more lifelike, spruce up the que accordingly, etc) and this land would be fine.
Frontierland: Give Splash Mountain a well deserved and lengthy refurbishment, updating the sound system and a vast majority of the animatronics and effects. The same applies to Country Bear Jamboree.
Personally, I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island in all of the years I’ve been attending Walt Disney World, and I have absolutely no desire to do so in the near future. As such, I think recent times have called for a re-theming of the area to draw in some more people to the island, including myself. With Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland, something tells me that a Woody’s Roundup theme would do well to bring in a decent crowd. I have no idea what people currently do at Tom Sawyer Island for entertainment (to my understanding, there was a scavenger hunt involving paintbrushes that was recently discontinued). Perhaps there could be a special meet-and-greet for Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye on the island, as well as maybe some interactive elements. I don’t know. Something with Woody’s Roundup in mind, please.
Liberty Square: It’s fine as is. Perhaps there’s a possibility for a meet-and-greet of characters from The Princess and the Frog to hang around the area, but it’s not necessary. I’d personally like to see more of Dr. Facilier, Prince Naveen, and Louis, though.
Fantasyland/Storybook Circus: Nothing. The expansion is more than anything I could have ever hoped or asked for. It’s just a matter of waiting for it to reopen at this point.
Tomorrowland: Either re-theme or get rid of Tomorrowland Indy Speedway altogether. It’s a common carnival ride that looks more like something from a NASCAR theme park than something that’s supposed to be themed to the future. As somebody suggested in an earlier post, a TRON theme would fit beautifully within the area, especially during the evening hours. Oh, yes… most definitely.
Are the planets rotating on Astro Orbiter anymore? If not, let’s start doing that again. Let’s update the last show scene in Carousel of Progress to something a little more modern, that or either return it to the first show scene it originally had. I myself enjoy the ride and would like for it to stick around, as it is a big part of Walt Disney history.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is fine, but I would really like to see a Mr. Potato Head-esque animatronic of Buzz Lightyear to be placed in the que instead of the one that is currently there. I think it would definitely add to the overall experience, as well as blow the young children’s minds when he actually speaks and interacts with everyone.
As much as I love Lilo & Stitch and everything relating to it, Stitch’s Great Escape! needs either to be MASSIVELY reworked or completely gutted for something else to be put in. How so and with what? I’m not entirely sure, but there’s no question in my mind that WDI won’t mess up quite as badly as they previously did this time around. As for Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, I can live with it still lingering around, but I’d much rather it be something else. Perhaps something with Ludwig von Drake introducing some of his latest discoveries and inventions?
2. Epcot
Spaceship Earth: It’s okay, and nobody aside from locals like me notice the emptiness near the end of the ride while you’re busy “creating your future.” I would much rather have something at least mediocre to look at and notice, though.
Universe of Energy: Berate me as much as you all want, but I love this attraction with every fiber of my being. It’s entertaining, amusing, as well as interesting, even if it isn’t the most accurate thing in the world. I’d like for it to stick around for a little while longer before I see it replaced.
Mission: SPACE: I don’t like it, but it’s good enough.
Test Track: I’m waiting to see what the refurbishment will be like before I start making any suggestions to improve the attraction and general area.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends: Perfectly adequate, no complaints here.
The Land: I love Soarin’, but I’d rather they replace the California film with a Florida one sometime in the future, whether it be later (likely much later) rather than sooner or the other way around. Living with the Land is okay, I guess. There’s not much to complain about in regards to that. The Circle of Life, though… either get rid of the attraction and change it to something else, or re-theme it. I personally would re-theme it to Wall-E, as that film seems more appropriate for the issue this poor excuse of an attraction is trying to address.
Imagination!: I love Captain EO, as do many other people, so I see no problem with allowing it to stay for a while. Journey Into Imagination with Figment, though… please, Disney, put this sorry excuse of an attraction out of its misery and actually put some hard work and love into it. Keep Figment around and bring him back to his former glory, or do something with him that will wow everybody that visits. Bringing Dreamfinder back would be great, but I won’t mind if Dr. Nigel Channing is still around, either.
Wonders of Life: Second in priority, right behind the re-imagining of JII. I would love to see this area revived as a pavilion about the body again, perhaps to coincide with Pixar’s planned film of “a journey inside the mind” in the distant future?
World Showcase: Spruce up every country that’s featured around the lagoon and give them each their own minor attraction (probably on more of a Grand Fiesta Tour level more than anything; I’d really enjoy it if there was something like that at every country), with the exception of The American Adventure.
I would either change it into a different country altogether or, as somebody else suggested, build an attraction themed to Disney/Pixar’s Up in the area. Rather than being about floating around the world in Carl Fredrickson’s house, the blimp he acquires from Charles Muntz at the end of the film would make much more sense, as you couldn’t comfortably fit a crowd’s worth of people inside such a small home. Have Carl, Russel, Doug, and the other dogs take guests on a flight over America (not necessarily the world, as it’d be placed in The American Adventure), perhaps featuring threats of thunderstorms or the folks at Shady Oaks Retirement Home chasing after Carl during the journey. It’d definitely be a cool and fun ride to experience.
Hell, it could even be about Russel educating visitors about the weather and wilderness that’s to be explored for all I could care. It’d be a lot better than what’s currently there.
They can keep Agent P’s World Showcase adventure, as it’d be a cool scavenger hunt for younger guests to experience (aw, what am I saying, even my parents and I thought it was a cool experience to try). As much as I like all of the references to Kim Possible they left behind, I’d update it more thoroughly to relate more to what’s on Phineas and Ferb.
3. Disney’s Hollywood Studios
With the exception of Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror, my suggestion to WDI would be to give it the Disney California Adventure treatment: tear down everything and start from the ground up. This park used to be incredible in its heyday, especially while they were still filming television shows and animating Disney films there, but almost the entire park is in shambles now and is in such poor condition that it’s almost embarrassing.
Get rid of the tourist trap that is the hat.
I used to like The Great Movie Ride, but now it’s awful. I really wish they would give it a massively needed refurbishment and re-theme some of the movies that’s featured inside. Also, train the cast members better so they seem like they’re actually a part of the experience instead of just sounding like they’re doing their job. It ruins one of the only interesting ride elements in the entire attraction.
Tear down Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and give us our own version of the Indiana Jones Adventure that’s over at Disneyland. Change the ride track up a bit so that it’s different from Animal Kingdom’s DINOSAUR. Boom! Instant E-Ticket.
Demolish both The American Idol Experience and Sounds Dangerous to make way for something that’s actually timeless and unforgettable. Personally, watching a bunch of people sing a bunch of songs that everybody already knows and sitting in the dark for half an hour is not something I want to do at a Disney theme park.
Give Muppet Vision 3D a massive refurbishment. Update the pre-show and the actual film so as to include characters from The Muppets (the new movie that was just released, of course; including characters from The Muppets franchise is kinda redundant). Update the 3D effects as well so that it’s on par with Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
Re-theme Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure into A Bug’s Life. Gut Lights, Motors, Action! and Studio Backlot Tour completely so as to expand Pixar Place. Put in a ride about Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, The Incredibles… I don’t care, just put something that’s actually relatively entertaining and something both locals and tourists would rush to see again and again in the wasted space that’s over there now.
Re-theme what was once Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian into a Once Upon a Time experience. That television show would be perfect there with how popular it’s becoming. I myself love it because it has a ton of twists on the classic fairytales Disney retold in their various films, but I digress.
Refurbish Voyage of The Little Mermaid, that or change it into a new experience entirely. I myself would actually like to see it re-themed into a stage show about The Princess and the Frog, but The Little Mermaid is good, too.
The Magic of Disney Animation… oh, what a disappointing experience this is, especially to an animation lover such as myself. Keep the “draw your favorite character” experience, as I and a lot of other people enjoy that, but turn the area into more of a historical ode to Disney’s classic animated features instead of the selfish advertising joke that it’s become. Instead of there being a show that features an obviously scripted guy talking to Mushu about how a turkey was originally going to be featured in Pocahontas, turn it into an educational experience about how artists and animators go about creating their various cinematic masterpieces. Show us more art and rough animation from the Walt Disney Animation Archives, give us more maquettes and character models to look at. Show us props from Mary Poppins and Enchanted. Display the various awards Disney films have won throughout the years. Then, at the tail-end of this exhibit, there could be meet-and-greets for the various and beloved animated characters (preferably the Fab Five, but they could be switched for other characters intermittently).
They can keep Disney Junior—Live on Stage!, as it will always be the one place little kids and adults can experience together. Keep updating it to coincide with what’s currently on television and I won’t mind it being around at all.
Beauty and the Beast—Live on Stage… eh, it’s okay for what it is. I myself liked The Hunchback of Notre Dame show that used to be at the park, but again, I digress.
Finally, refurbish Fantasmic! It shows its age, especially now that their most recent animated films have grown in popularity throughout the last couple of years (Lilo & Stitch [though not very recent, it’s still highly popular], The Princess and the Frog, and Tangled). I think it’s an amazing nighttime show otherwise, and I still see people who are blown away by it on my recent trips to the world. It just needs a lot of love.
I’m not going to review Animal Kingdom, mainly because I haven’t visited this park nearly as much as I have the other three. All of you have probably said what you needed to about it, anyway. This post is long enough as it is, too.
1. Magic Kingdom
Adventureland: Looking over a map of the Magic Kingdom online (as I sort of lack a new one in my possession at the moment), I can see that there’s something called Tinker Bell’s Magical Nook. For the love of all things holy and sacred, get rid of the direct-to-video faeries and shove Lilo & Stitch in the area instead. With the leis around both characters’ necks and their tropical appearance (well, Lilo’s anyway), they’d be a much better fit for the area.
Although I hate the tight spaces it creates, I can live with the Flying Carpets of Aladdin. Tweak the Enchanted Tiki Room a bit further so that it has the fountain in the center and more closely resembles its counterpart at Disneyland. Give Jungle Cruise a thorough refurbishment (update the animatronics to look more lifelike, spruce up the que accordingly, etc) and this land would be fine.
Frontierland: Give Splash Mountain a well deserved and lengthy refurbishment, updating the sound system and a vast majority of the animatronics and effects. The same applies to Country Bear Jamboree.
Personally, I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island in all of the years I’ve been attending Walt Disney World, and I have absolutely no desire to do so in the near future. As such, I think recent times have called for a re-theming of the area to draw in some more people to the island, including myself. With Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland, something tells me that a Woody’s Roundup theme would do well to bring in a decent crowd. I have no idea what people currently do at Tom Sawyer Island for entertainment (to my understanding, there was a scavenger hunt involving paintbrushes that was recently discontinued). Perhaps there could be a special meet-and-greet for Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye on the island, as well as maybe some interactive elements. I don’t know. Something with Woody’s Roundup in mind, please.
Liberty Square: It’s fine as is. Perhaps there’s a possibility for a meet-and-greet of characters from The Princess and the Frog to hang around the area, but it’s not necessary. I’d personally like to see more of Dr. Facilier, Prince Naveen, and Louis, though.
Fantasyland/Storybook Circus: Nothing. The expansion is more than anything I could have ever hoped or asked for. It’s just a matter of waiting for it to reopen at this point.
Tomorrowland: Either re-theme or get rid of Tomorrowland Indy Speedway altogether. It’s a common carnival ride that looks more like something from a NASCAR theme park than something that’s supposed to be themed to the future. As somebody suggested in an earlier post, a TRON theme would fit beautifully within the area, especially during the evening hours. Oh, yes… most definitely.
Are the planets rotating on Astro Orbiter anymore? If not, let’s start doing that again. Let’s update the last show scene in Carousel of Progress to something a little more modern, that or either return it to the first show scene it originally had. I myself enjoy the ride and would like for it to stick around, as it is a big part of Walt Disney history.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is fine, but I would really like to see a Mr. Potato Head-esque animatronic of Buzz Lightyear to be placed in the que instead of the one that is currently there. I think it would definitely add to the overall experience, as well as blow the young children’s minds when he actually speaks and interacts with everyone.
As much as I love Lilo & Stitch and everything relating to it, Stitch’s Great Escape! needs either to be MASSIVELY reworked or completely gutted for something else to be put in. How so and with what? I’m not entirely sure, but there’s no question in my mind that WDI won’t mess up quite as badly as they previously did this time around. As for Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, I can live with it still lingering around, but I’d much rather it be something else. Perhaps something with Ludwig von Drake introducing some of his latest discoveries and inventions?
2. Epcot
Spaceship Earth: It’s okay, and nobody aside from locals like me notice the emptiness near the end of the ride while you’re busy “creating your future.” I would much rather have something at least mediocre to look at and notice, though.
Universe of Energy: Berate me as much as you all want, but I love this attraction with every fiber of my being. It’s entertaining, amusing, as well as interesting, even if it isn’t the most accurate thing in the world. I’d like for it to stick around for a little while longer before I see it replaced.
Mission: SPACE: I don’t like it, but it’s good enough.
Test Track: I’m waiting to see what the refurbishment will be like before I start making any suggestions to improve the attraction and general area.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends: Perfectly adequate, no complaints here.
The Land: I love Soarin’, but I’d rather they replace the California film with a Florida one sometime in the future, whether it be later (likely much later) rather than sooner or the other way around. Living with the Land is okay, I guess. There’s not much to complain about in regards to that. The Circle of Life, though… either get rid of the attraction and change it to something else, or re-theme it. I personally would re-theme it to Wall-E, as that film seems more appropriate for the issue this poor excuse of an attraction is trying to address.
Imagination!: I love Captain EO, as do many other people, so I see no problem with allowing it to stay for a while. Journey Into Imagination with Figment, though… please, Disney, put this sorry excuse of an attraction out of its misery and actually put some hard work and love into it. Keep Figment around and bring him back to his former glory, or do something with him that will wow everybody that visits. Bringing Dreamfinder back would be great, but I won’t mind if Dr. Nigel Channing is still around, either.
Wonders of Life: Second in priority, right behind the re-imagining of JII. I would love to see this area revived as a pavilion about the body again, perhaps to coincide with Pixar’s planned film of “a journey inside the mind” in the distant future?
World Showcase: Spruce up every country that’s featured around the lagoon and give them each their own minor attraction (probably on more of a Grand Fiesta Tour level more than anything; I’d really enjoy it if there was something like that at every country), with the exception of The American Adventure.
I would either change it into a different country altogether or, as somebody else suggested, build an attraction themed to Disney/Pixar’s Up in the area. Rather than being about floating around the world in Carl Fredrickson’s house, the blimp he acquires from Charles Muntz at the end of the film would make much more sense, as you couldn’t comfortably fit a crowd’s worth of people inside such a small home. Have Carl, Russel, Doug, and the other dogs take guests on a flight over America (not necessarily the world, as it’d be placed in The American Adventure), perhaps featuring threats of thunderstorms or the folks at Shady Oaks Retirement Home chasing after Carl during the journey. It’d definitely be a cool and fun ride to experience.
Hell, it could even be about Russel educating visitors about the weather and wilderness that’s to be explored for all I could care. It’d be a lot better than what’s currently there.
They can keep Agent P’s World Showcase adventure, as it’d be a cool scavenger hunt for younger guests to experience (aw, what am I saying, even my parents and I thought it was a cool experience to try). As much as I like all of the references to Kim Possible they left behind, I’d update it more thoroughly to relate more to what’s on Phineas and Ferb.
3. Disney’s Hollywood Studios
With the exception of Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror, my suggestion to WDI would be to give it the Disney California Adventure treatment: tear down everything and start from the ground up. This park used to be incredible in its heyday, especially while they were still filming television shows and animating Disney films there, but almost the entire park is in shambles now and is in such poor condition that it’s almost embarrassing.
Get rid of the tourist trap that is the hat.
I used to like The Great Movie Ride, but now it’s awful. I really wish they would give it a massively needed refurbishment and re-theme some of the movies that’s featured inside. Also, train the cast members better so they seem like they’re actually a part of the experience instead of just sounding like they’re doing their job. It ruins one of the only interesting ride elements in the entire attraction.
Tear down Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and give us our own version of the Indiana Jones Adventure that’s over at Disneyland. Change the ride track up a bit so that it’s different from Animal Kingdom’s DINOSAUR. Boom! Instant E-Ticket.
Demolish both The American Idol Experience and Sounds Dangerous to make way for something that’s actually timeless and unforgettable. Personally, watching a bunch of people sing a bunch of songs that everybody already knows and sitting in the dark for half an hour is not something I want to do at a Disney theme park.
Give Muppet Vision 3D a massive refurbishment. Update the pre-show and the actual film so as to include characters from The Muppets (the new movie that was just released, of course; including characters from The Muppets franchise is kinda redundant). Update the 3D effects as well so that it’s on par with Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
Re-theme Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure into A Bug’s Life. Gut Lights, Motors, Action! and Studio Backlot Tour completely so as to expand Pixar Place. Put in a ride about Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, The Incredibles… I don’t care, just put something that’s actually relatively entertaining and something both locals and tourists would rush to see again and again in the wasted space that’s over there now.
Re-theme what was once Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian into a Once Upon a Time experience. That television show would be perfect there with how popular it’s becoming. I myself love it because it has a ton of twists on the classic fairytales Disney retold in their various films, but I digress.
Refurbish Voyage of The Little Mermaid, that or change it into a new experience entirely. I myself would actually like to see it re-themed into a stage show about The Princess and the Frog, but The Little Mermaid is good, too.
The Magic of Disney Animation… oh, what a disappointing experience this is, especially to an animation lover such as myself. Keep the “draw your favorite character” experience, as I and a lot of other people enjoy that, but turn the area into more of a historical ode to Disney’s classic animated features instead of the selfish advertising joke that it’s become. Instead of there being a show that features an obviously scripted guy talking to Mushu about how a turkey was originally going to be featured in Pocahontas, turn it into an educational experience about how artists and animators go about creating their various cinematic masterpieces. Show us more art and rough animation from the Walt Disney Animation Archives, give us more maquettes and character models to look at. Show us props from Mary Poppins and Enchanted. Display the various awards Disney films have won throughout the years. Then, at the tail-end of this exhibit, there could be meet-and-greets for the various and beloved animated characters (preferably the Fab Five, but they could be switched for other characters intermittently).
They can keep Disney Junior—Live on Stage!, as it will always be the one place little kids and adults can experience together. Keep updating it to coincide with what’s currently on television and I won’t mind it being around at all.
Beauty and the Beast—Live on Stage… eh, it’s okay for what it is. I myself liked The Hunchback of Notre Dame show that used to be at the park, but again, I digress.
Finally, refurbish Fantasmic! It shows its age, especially now that their most recent animated films have grown in popularity throughout the last couple of years (Lilo & Stitch [though not very recent, it’s still highly popular], The Princess and the Frog, and Tangled). I think it’s an amazing nighttime show otherwise, and I still see people who are blown away by it on my recent trips to the world. It just needs a lot of love.
I’m not going to review Animal Kingdom, mainly because I haven’t visited this park nearly as much as I have the other three. All of you have probably said what you needed to about it, anyway. This post is long enough as it is, too.
