Someone Else's P.G. Opinion

[rzalaskus]

I found this opinion on the www.jimhillmedia.com message board. I think it is very interesting. I think this proves the case for some of the unrealistic Project Gemini plans.


"The problem...

The picture Jim provides looks like a poorly drawn sketch by someone trying to make their own version of Epcot a la RollerCoaster Tycoon by using the "Cast Atlas" (which CM's really need to stop giving out or selling on Ebay) map as a guide, rather than a realistic layout of the park.

About the Hedge Maze.. funny, Epcot is getting one themed to Disney Dogs for the Flower and Garden gfestival, but it's going on the Future World East rose walk.. that's on the other side of Imagination..

You can barely drive a car between The Land and Imagination, the buildings are that close. If anything, you'd have a large fascade, a bottleneck, THEN lots of space to work with. The area is wedge shaped.

You cannot put a "Jr. Autopia" infront of Test Track. Perhaps if you used the Odessey area and the garden between Mousegear and Test Track, yes, but the area from the Interactive Fountain to the main Test Track entrance is "tiny" and going to the side near SPACE is impossible because that's where SPACE's lounge is located, there's only the 2 lane highway size walkway seperating the two buildings.

The walkways leading to and from Energy are directing traffic to the OLD entrance side, and the old Communicore exit is not aligned properly to the building.

Overall, the buildings look shrunken in the landscape. There's really not that much space in Future World itself. Increase the building sizes a bit and have them practically touching one another and you'll have a more accurate map.

Plus: Nothing official would include a building labeled "cool stuff."

-Rob "


'Nuff Said.

 

[DCA Fan]

Please tell me he's joking...
Hedge Maze, Jr. Autopia..now there's stuff that HIGH TECH and belong in the experimental prototype community of TOMORROW.

 

[EchoOfOphelia]

Originally posted by rzalaskus

Plus: Nothing official would include a building labeled "cool stuff."

I have to say that I found that a little suspicious too.... Though I also had some doubt that those "smaller" rides would fit into future world, I think that this confirms it. Future World just isn't big enough to house those things where they are located on the map. And the map does not look official at all. If the Disney team were going to speculate, I'm sure they would draw the map to scale at least.

 

[Lee]

Actually, as far as the map goes, it is not official.
The map in the article was drawn by the staff at Jim Hill Media, based on the official drawing they were leaked along with the info. They drew a new map, instead of posting the original, in order to protect their source.
They have admitted as much.
They are not making this stuff up, folks.

Steve can probably vouch for the problems that go with posting leaked art.

 

[WDWKing]

I think the whole project is B.S.

 

[Fievel]

Proof once again that Jim Hill is full of crap.

 

[Lee]

Originally posted by Fievel
Proof once again that Jim Hill is full of crap.

O.K., and your sources at WDI tell you what...? Different info?

It is not my job to defend Jim Hill, nor does he need it, but I happen to know that his sources at WDI are top notch. True, they doctored tha map to disguise it's origins, and filled in some gaps with conjecture, but the majority of his article is quite accurate.
Don't call someone full of crap unless you have better info.

 

[Fievel]

Originally posted by Lee
O.K., and your sources at WDI tell you what...? Different info?

It is not my job to defend Jim Hill, nor does he need it, but I happen to know that his sources at WDI are top notch. True, they doctored tha map to disguise it's origins, and filled in some gaps with conjecture, but the majority of his article is quite accurate.
Don't call someone full of crap unless you have better info.

While I believe that project gemini exists, I don't believe it'll be anything close to what Mr. Hill has envisioned.

We've discussed him numerous times on this board. He basically rides on what is circulating around some of the "inner workings" of disney. Then what he can't find out he'll simply guess at. That's not only bad journalism, that's bad show. You make one mistake in that article and the whole thing can be flushed, because the credibility is shot.

Now...we KNOW that he's been known to stretch the truth and at times lie about things. He's not in the inner-circle. He hears murmurs from it. If he was in the inner-circle he'd have been fired by now.

The fact that he can pretend to make a map of this new land doesn't impress me. In reality, any 16 year old with photoshop could have done a better job. Having a special little map means nothing in the long run.

 

[Lee]

Just a couple comments before we get back to the topic:

Originally posted by Fievel
Then what he can't find out he'll simply guess at. That's not only bad journalism, that's bad show. You make one mistake in that article and the whole thing can be flushed, because the credibility is shot.

He's not in the inner-circle. He hears murmurs from it. If he was in the inner-circle he'd have been fired by now.

The fact that he can pretend to make a map of this new land doesn't impress me. In reality, any 16 year old with photoshop could have done a better job. Having a special little map means nothing in the long run.

Firstly, Mr. Hill admits, that while most of what he wrote is accuate, and taken from official sources, a portion of the info. is based on conjecture and inferrence. That doesn't invalidate the information, but simply acknowledges that the original info. was incomlete.

Second, Mr. Hill is not a Disney employee. However, he enjoys close relationships with people who are in the "inner circle" as you call it. I know he and the others who run the site have contacts deep within the company, and at WDI, the late David Mumford who passed away a couple weeeks ago for one. Mr. Hill can't be fired, but his sources certainly can, therefore...

When they pass on official documents, such as a map or concept art, it is his responsibility to put the contents of those documents into a form where they can be put in to the public realm, without revealing their source. What is on that map is 80-90% accurate, and based on an official WDI map, which was altered into a generic EPCOT map.

What will Gemini turn out to be in the end? Who knows? Not Mr. Hill and certainly not me. The form he presented it in will probably never see the light of day, and in fact according to some who would know, most of the project was shelved last year, with the possible exception of Time Racers.

Anyhoo, let's let this go for now. Let's just enjoy the possibility that once in a while we get glimpses into the Blue Sky.