Snow White closing date???

[Master Yoda]

Eh, I don't really see how getting a new ride in a totally different location calls for closing an existing ride. I don't see why they just wouldn't keep it open and build the meet and greet somewhere else.

Trust me, TDO does not want to build another meet n greet at all. From an operational standpoint they cost much more to operate and serve fewer guests per hour than a dark ride. However, guests want them in a big way. The Snow White building is an ideal location for a FL meet n greet and this is a big improvement over the original plans for the FL meet n greet.

 

[PurpleRose]

I do NOT get the love for this ride. I rode it in the beginning of May and I was completely unimpressed. It has, what, 2 AAs in the whole ride? 90% of it is cheesy cut outs. I know I am going to get flamed for this but it is only my opinion. I think people cling to the classic of it and the fact it's one of the few remaining rides from October 1971. But it's seriously time for it to go.

 

[Master Yoda]

I do NOT get the love for this ride. I rode it in the beginning of May and I was completely unimpressed. It has, what, 2 AAs in the whole ride? 90% of it is cheesy cut outs. I know I am going to get flamed for this but it is only my opinion. I think people cling to the classic of it and the fact it's one of the few remaining rides from October 1971. But it's seriously time for it to go.

I agree. If they go through with the concept art the new Snow White attraction will be a vast improvement.

 

[lebeau]

I do NOT get the love for this ride. I rode it in the beginning of May and I was completely unimpressed. It has, what, 2 AAs in the whole ride? 90% of it is cheesy cut outs. I know I am going to get flamed for this but it is only my opinion. I think people cling to the classic of it and the fact it's one of the few remaining rides from October 1971. But it's seriously time for it to go.

I think you speak for the majority. There is a very small, very vocal minority that disagrees with this point of view.

 

[britdaw]

I do NOT get the love for this ride. I rode it in the beginning of May and I was completely unimpressed. It has, what, 2 AAs in the whole ride? 90% of it is cheesy cut outs. I know I am going to get flamed for this but it is only my opinion. I think people cling to the classic of it and the fact it's one of the few remaining rides from October 1971. But it's seriously time for it to go.

Aww... I love it 'cause it's a classic and was one of my faves as a kid. I know that it's not one of the more flashy rides in the park, but it holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

Aww... I love it 'cause it's a classic and was one of my faves as a kid. I know that it's not one of the more flashy rides in the park, but it holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

agreed

 

[Millionaire2K]

I know the attraction will be missed, but anyone who loves Mr Toad or Snow white can visit Disneyland. Disneyland has that "Classic" Disney feel. Disney World has to keep moving forward. At times it means an attraction has to be removed to make way for something new. At least they are not removing the Haunted Mansion. Now that kinda move would be NUTS!

PS- I hate meet and greets. My kids do to! :snore:

 

[AEfx]

I think you speak for the majority. There is a very small, very vocal minority that disagrees with this point of view.

LOL is that me?

I think I'm one of the few around here that loves it.

It's because it was the first-ever Disney ride I went on, and it scared the pants off of me as a kid. I love the dark nature of it, and the witch.

However, after seeing Disneyland's version last year, I have to say I'm less sad to see ours go (theirs is better), plus we are getting a whole new Snow White ride.



All that said, when I was there last week I asked around - no one has been given an official date yet, but most have heard/are thinking sometime in January.

 

[David S.]

I happen to be in MK the night Mr. Toads Wild Ride closed and was last in line so was offically last person to ever ride it at WDW.

You must have been on the left track, since JT Toad of SaveToad.com was the final rider (guest) on the right side

http://www.math.miami.edu/~jam/toad/final.html

Just curious, does Disney usually do anything to commemorate an attraction's last go-about? (be it for the attraction itself or the final riders)

On the last day of my beloved Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends show at AK, guests were allowed to sign a giant "Thank You" card for cast and crew, which was circulating throughout the day at the various showtimes.

And then Disney decided to allow guests to attend the unpublished final show (not listed on the Times Guide), which was originally just going to be for cast, crew, and their families and friends. Word had gotten out about this among the fans of the show like myself who were watching the show over and over again on the last day, to be at the theatre entrance at a certain time for this final show and to be there early as the extra seats for park guests would go on a first come/first serve basis.

Before the show started, the creator of the show made a speech thanking everyone who supported the show over its ten year run, and made a special thank you mention to the die-hard fans who had found there way into the last, unpublished show.

On the way out, everyone was given a button, said to be "exclusive" to this final show that has a picture of Pocahontas and Meeko, in their boat, with Flik flying above. Above and below this picture, it says "Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends", "Disney's Animal Kingdom 1998-2008".

While I still strongly disagree with the decision to close this show (and the theatre STILL sits empty!), at least it got a classy send-off, which is sadly more than most attraction closures do.

"How high does the sycamore grow? If you cut it down, than you'll never know"
- Pocahontas

 

[David S.]

Actually we are getting a whole new Snow White ride that is shaping up to be much grander in scale than the existing ride.

Trust me, Snow White is my #1 ride and I'd be screaming to high heck if we weren't getting something "better" in return.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but as I'm also a HUGE Snow White's Adventures fan, I think you were the person who once said if the new ride had less storytelling than the current one, you would be saddened by the loss. You seem OK with it now, so I am wondering if there is any news I may have missed about the new coaster attempting to tell the story of Snow White like the current ride does? I'm sceptical that it will, but if it does I'd be more than happy to eat my words.

I do NOT get the love for this ride. I rode it in the beginning of May and I was completely unimpressed. It has, what, 2 AAs in the whole ride? 90% of it is cheesy cut outs. I know I am going to get flamed for this but it is only my opinion. I think people cling to the classic of it and the fact it's one of the few remaining rides from October 1971. But it's seriously time for it to go.

No, I won't "flame", but I will explain my love for the ride, since so many people in other threads on this and other boards have found it hard to understand. I don't go to WDW to be wowed by "the latest and greatest" technology. I'm more into the emotional connection, the goosebumps, the pixie dust, and the storytelling. The current version of the Snow White ride works brilliantly for me on all these levels, whereas many of the more expensive, high-tech attractions do not. It's really as simple as that; although I do recognize that most will disagree. Most of my favorite attractions in the Disney parks have always been the more low-key "C" and "D" tickets that are based on the animated classic films, and even my favorite attractions ORIGINAL to the parks not based on these films still have that cute, "toonish" quality (Small World, Country Bears, Figment, etc)

As for "clinging" to SW just because it's a classic, that may be true for some people but I cannot emphasize enough that this is not the case for me. I STILL enjoy being transported into the world and story of of the film NOW, in 2011. The sad scenes can still make me sad and the Happy Ending scene can still move me to tears/goosebumps. By the criteria that I look for in Disney park attractions, the ride is still "relevant" for me.

Again, I am not "trolling", "flaming", or "arguing" here - just presenting my HONEST feelings which sadly seem to be in the minority (at least online)

I know the attraction will be missed, but anyone who loves Mr Toad or Snow white can visit Disneyland. Disneyland has that "Classic" Disney feel. Disney World has to keep moving forward. At times it means an attraction has to be removed to make way for something new. At least they are not removing the Haunted Mansion. Now that kinda move would be NUTS!

To each their own. This is much more devastating to me than the loss of the Haunted Mansion would be. Snow White is my 7th fave attraction in the MK; and the HM is not even in my Top 20!

You make it sound so simple, about visiting Disneyland. I can't just push a button and appear at Disneyland It's not like WDW and DL are both DVDs on my shelf and I have equal, instant access to both. For those of us who live MUCH closer to one park than the other, I see nothing wrong with wanting one's favorite attractions at the park closer to home.

You're right about at least having the possibility of visiting Disneyland, though. They respect their classics a whole lot more. WDW has removed so MANY attractions that absolutely devestated me; whereas DL has made only 2 moves in the entire history of their park that really hurt - the loss of Country Bear Jamboree and America Sings (at least the critters from the latter made it into Splash Mountain).

For my taste, if Disneyland were compared to a a masterpiece by Michelangelo or Botticelli, than Magic Kingdom would be a competent, workmanlike, but clearly incomplete and inferior forgery by an art school student

Which is why, after Snow White closes, Disneyland will be getting exclusive dibs on my Disney theme park business for the forseable future, as I am also DEVASTATED by the loss of Toontown. I won't get to visit nearly as much as WDW, but I'll take quality over quantity (by my standards) ANY DAY! (There is a precedent for this, as I stayed away from WDW for nearly a decade after the "Great Purge" which killed Toad, Figment 1.0, 20 K, original Tiki Room, Walt Disney Story, Kitchen Kabaret, World Of Motion, and Horizons, all just a few years apart).

Still, ironically, the Snow White dark ride is one of the few attractions common to both parks that I prefer at Magic Kingdom over Disneyland. The DL version focuses more on the darker, more horrific aspects of the story. And the Happy Ending scene is tacked on somewhat awkwardly at the end, AFTER you exit the ride building.

Whereas the MK version is more balanced and faithful to the original film, with more lighter, cuter, and happier moments, and has the MUCH better, larger, eleborate, and more emotionally resonant Happily Ever After scene, which can consistantly move me to tears or at least goosebumps. This scene features the lovely, sublime, choral version of "Someday My Prince Will Come". The uplifting payoff of this final scene is the main reason I love the ride! I didn't care much for the ultra-dark, original version at WDW that omitted the Happy Ending, but the improvments to the ride in 1994 made it a favorite for me!

 

[Millionaire2K]

To each their own. This is much more devastating to me than the loss of the Haunted Mansion would be. Snow White is my 7th fave attraction in the MK; and the HM is not even in my Top 20!

You make it sound so simple, about visiting Disneyland. I can't just push a button and appear at Disneyland It's not like WDW and DL are both DVDs on my shelf and I have equal, instant access to both. For those of us who live MUCH closer to one park than the other, I see nothing wrong with wanting one's favorite attractions at the park closer to home.

You're right about at least having the possibility of visiting Disneyland, though. They respect their classics a whole lot more. WDW has removed so MANY attractions that absolutely devestated me; whereas DL has made only 2 moves in the entire history of their park that really hurt - the loss of Country Bear Jamboree and America Sings (at least the critters from the latter made it into Splash Mountain).

For my taste, if Disneyland were compared to a a masterpiece by Michelangelo or Botticelli, than Magic Kingdom would be a competent, workmanlike, but clearly incomplete and inferior forgery by an art school student

Which is why, after Snow White closes, Disneyland will be getting exclusive dibs on my Disney theme park business for the forseable future, as I am also DEVASTATED by the loss of Toontown. I won't get to visit nearly as much as WDW, but I'll take quality over quantity (by my standards) ANY DAY! (There is a precedent for this, as I stayed away from WDW for nearly a decade after the "Great Purge" which killed Toad, Figment 1.0, 20 K, original Tiki Room, Walt Disney Story, Kitchen Kabaret, World Of Motion, and Horizons, all just a few years apart).

Still, ironically, the Snow White dark ride is one of the few attractions common to both parks that I prefer at Magic Kingdom over Disneyland. The DL version focuses more on the darker, more horrific aspects of the story. And the Happy Ending scene is tacked on somewhat awkwardly at the end, AFTER you exit the ride building.

Whereas the MK version is more balanced and faithful to the original film, with more lighter, cuter, and happier moments, and has the MUCH better, larger, eleborate, and more emotionally resonant Happily Ever After scene, which can consistantly move me to tears or at least goosebumps. This scene features the lovely, sublime, choral version of "Someday My Prince Will Come". The uplifting payoff of this final scene is the main reason I love the ride! I didn't care much for the ultra-dark, original version at WDW that omitted the Happy Ending, but the improvments to the ride in 1994 made it a favorite for me!

I was just saying that at least for those who have the means, the ride is still around somewhere somewhat. Even if you feel it’s not as good. (My kids like Disneyland’s better, I like WDW), to each their own for sure. People who miss Horizons can’t fly to Disneyland to ride it.

And the same goes with the Haunted Mansion. I was just pointing out that I’d be more upset if the Haunted Mansion closed. I was not assuming you would care.

I’m sure some people would cry to no end if Stitch was removed. "To each their own."

 

[David S.]

I was just saying that at least for those who have the means, the ride is still around somewhere somewhat. Even if you feel it’s not as good. (My kids like Disneyland’s better, I like WDW), to each their own for sure. People who miss Horizons can’t fly to Disneyland to ride it.

And the same goes with the Haunted Mansion. I was just pointing out that I’d be more upset if the Haunted Mansion closed. I was not assuming you would care.

I’m sure some people would cry to no end if Stitch was removed. "To each their own."

Yes, I hope I didn't come off as arguing with you specifically. Your quote provided a few ideas that I could tie into how much I will miss the Snow White ride at WDW. The rest of my reply (going on about DL vs MK, and what Snow White ride is better) just flowed from that.

Thankfully, I do have the means to visit DL, but its location makes it logistically difficult to visit it in the way I have grown accustomed to visiting WDW, where I have been able to live seasonally; and WDW is also close enough when I'm not there to make quick 3-5 day getaways by car. Since I don't like/refuse to fly, DL will require a near 2,000 mile drive (3 days each way, versus 8.5 - 9 hours to WDW), which means I won't be visiting with the kind of frequency I could at WDW.

But it could be worse - at least DL is on the same continent

 

[Lee]

To each their own. This is much more devastating to me than the loss of the Haunted Mansion would be. Snow White is my 7th fave attraction in the MK; and the HM is not even in my Top 20!

Yeah, to each their own.
But......damn!
HM not in your "Top 20"?

Can't get my head around that one....:lol:

 

[ryanduggers]

Yeah, to each their own.
But......damn!
HM not in your "Top 20"?

Can't get my head around that one....:lol:

Don't even try, your head will explode.....HM not a favorite, now that's a new one

 

[cbconglom]

my wife and i both love disney and can appreciate the incredible level of detail and theming in HM but we just plain don't like scary things. though most of you will argue it's not scary for us personally it's just over that line. so sorry not in my top 20 either

 

[castevens]

my wife and i both love disney and can appreciate the incredible level of detail and theming in HM but we just plain don't like scary things. though most of you will argue it's not scary for us personally it's just over that line. so sorry not in my top 20 either

I won't even go through with an argument about whether or not something is scary ("to each their own" will win that argument), but WOW.

In pseudo alphabetical order by their "official" names:

1. Astro Orbiter
2. Barnstormer
3. BTMR
4. Buzz Lightyear SRS
5. CoP
6. Country Bear Jamboree
7. Dumbo
8. Tiki Room
9. HoP
10. iasw
11. Jungle Cruise
12. Riverboat
13. Tea Cups
14. Magic Carpets
15. Pooh
16. Philharmagic
17. Monster's Inc Laugh Floor
18. Peter Pan
19. Pirates
20. Carousel
21. Snow White
22. Space Mountain
23. Splash Mountain
24. Stitch's Great Escape
25. Treehouse
26. TSI
27. Speedway
28. TTA
29. WDW railroad

plus HM. So >2 out of every 3 from the list above must be preferred over HM for HM not to be in your top 20 (unless you start including parades/M&Gs/restaurants).

It's kinda mind blowing to me, but to reiterate, to each their own...

(also, if HM is scary - I would assume Pirates is also scary?)

 

[ChrisM]

Yeah, to each their own.
But......damn!
HM not in your "Top 20"?

Can't get my head around that one....:lol:

This is David S. we are talking about. He loves the cloying and sweet and has an anachronistic penchant for the most dated of attractions.

Just an observation. Hope you're doing well, David.

 

[Skipper03]

August may be a little early.
I'd guess more like early next year, after the hollidays.
The plan was to have the new M&G open in Q4 of 2012. That puts it in the July-Sept. range next year.

Right, they will keep the ride open through next summer to keep capacity up for the summer crowds...

 

[RSoxNo1]

No, I won't "flame", but I will explain my love for the ride, since so many people in other threads on this and other boards have found it hard to understand. I don't go to WDW to be wowed by "the latest and greatest" technology. I'm more into the emotional connection, the goosebumps, the pixie dust, and the storytelling. The current version of the Snow White ride works brilliantly for me on all these levels, whereas many of the more expensive, high-tech attractions do not. It's really as simple as that; although I do recognize that most will disagree. Most of my favorite attractions in the Disney parks have always been the more low-key "C" and "D" tickets that are based on the animated classic films, and even my favorite attractions ORIGINAL to the parks not based on these films still have that cute, "toonish" quality (Small World, Country Bears, Figment, etc)

People are allowed to enjoy whatever attraction they wish, and I appreciate your ability to explain why some things aren't necessarily for you. It doesn't mean that they're bad it just means that they're not for you.

Having said that, I look at an attraction like Snow White as a C-ticket attraction that doesn't really speak to me. I'd say the same thing about Peter Pan's Flight, but others in my family (mainly my nephew and brother) really like Pan so despite my opinions the family will go on it together (however often times I'll actually sit out, or use that time to go on a Fastpass run for everyone).

When new attractions are announced I'm excited whether they are an addition or a replacement. The reason being is that rarely does that mean my day at the park will be worse. There new thing will usually be an improvement over what was previously there.

For some people, the entire Fantasyland expansion is a net gain of nothing from the days of 20K Leagues Under the Sea. Whereas for me it as a gain of two attractions as I wasn't a big fan of 20K Leagues Under the Sea or Snow White's Scary Adventures. It took 15+ years from that point, but for me, I didn't really lose anything to my day at the Magic Kingdom when 20K went away.

I think taking this sort of "selfish" approach is a simple but effective way of measuring my excitement towards these additions. It also helps fuel my dislike of attractions like Journey Into Imagination, Stitch's Great Escape or Mission: Space. For me (and I'd guess several others), these replacements became subtractions to my day in the park. Certainly other things have been added to offset them, but when viewed in a vaccuum it puts added pressure on those attractions.

I think if Mission: Space was added to Epcot without removing Horizons my view of the attraction would be more positive. It's not necessarily fair to Mission: Space but it's the comparison math that I do. I would expect others to do the same thing with Little Mermaid and 20K Leagues Under the Sea or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with Snow White's Scary Adventures.

 

[David S.]

Yeah, to each their own.
But......damn!
HM not in your "Top 20"?

Can't get my head around that one....:lol:

Ok, I'll try...

Because since it doesn't have a linear "story", (like Snow White, Pan, Pooh, Splash Mountain, etc) it's all about atmosphere.

So my enjoyment of it will really depend on how much I like the atmosphere.

Now, Small World, Killimanjaro Safari, etc., are examples of rides where I LOVE the atmosphere, despite them having WIDELY different atmospheres. In Small World, you have the festive, happy, atmosphere of the children of the world, and their animal friends, singing in peace and harmony. It makes me feel "warm and fuzzy" inside , and makes me me happy, goosebumps, etc. The WHOLE ESSENCE of what Disney is about to me. And I LOVE the catchy music, too! In fact, IASW is my favorite attraction at WDW, which proves that despite my going on about the importance of "story", I can also love an attraction without a linear story, if the atmosphere blows me away.

Killiimanjaro Safaris has a completely different atmosphere than IASW, but one I also love. Being out on Safari, in awe of the real animals surrounding you in an atmosphere that looks convincingly like their real African homes. Again, this is very inspiring to me, emotionally.

In both cases, if one could suspend disbelief long enough to believe what one is seeing is real, and you could be zapped into this world in real life for a day, I'd love to do it!

This is the case for all my Disney favorites, as they represent interesting "escapism" from the "real world".

So where does that leave the Haunted Mansion? If I look at it "objectively", I can see that it does a good job (no, a FANTASTIC job!) of creating atmosphere, but it's an atmosphere I don't long for or enjoy being immersed in. I've never cared for haunted houses, the supernatural, the occult, horror, cemetaries, or the darker aspects of Halloween. I HATE all those things. Haunted Houses are almost always my LEAST favorite attraction in each park I visit that has one.

So if the world I am viewing on the ride could be "real" and I was given the choice of living in it for a day, I'd head for the hills! The real world, with all of its blandness (relative to most of my WDW faves), would be more appealing to me.

I do appreaciate that the tone of the Haunted Mansion is lighter than it could have been, or else I'd probably skip it completely. I'm NOT saying I don't ride it or find NOTHING redeeming in it - just that it's not in my Top 20, for the reasons I explained above.

Now, some might be wondering how I can love the Snow White ride so much since that ride has dark elements as well. The answer is multifold. Those darker elements in SW are part of the story and the dread they can induce makes the payoff of the Happy Ending even sweeter. Whereas after sitting through all the gloom, HM doesn't have the payoff of a euphoric Disneyesque Happy Ending - just a reminder that sadly, we too, will one day be dead ("Hurry back, be sure to bring your death certificate"). Also, the dark elements of Snow White don't deal with creepy things like corpses, cemetaries, and ghosts like the HM does, with the notable exception of the skeleton in the witch's dungeon - which thankfully only takes 1 or 2 seconds to pass by, and then it's over.

Where HM shines the most for me is the technology. Problem is, out of story, atmosphere, and technology, tech is the LEAST important thing I look for in a Disney attraction. Sure, every single time I see through the ghosts, I marvel at "how did they do that" (and I don't want to know, either, as that would ruin the illusion!) But since the attraction neither moves me EMOTIONALLY, or gives me that magical Disney "warm and fuzzy" feeling that at least 20 others in the MK do - well that alone right there explains why - when I am COMPLETELY honest with myself and my feelings - I couldn't possibly put it in my MK Top 20.

My EMOTIONAL response to the attractions is the number one factor in my personal rankings, just as it is the number one factor in how I rate movies.