SPACE MOUNTAIN- I assure you, we are SOFT re-OPEN!!!

K

Kuhio

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the report and photos.

I'm incredibly pleased with this refurb. All I really wanted out of the refurb -- and all I thought was necessary to bring the attraction into the 21st century -- was to make the ride darker, and to have a queue and ride with props and effects that are clean and fully functional. I'm grateful that they kept the queue music and star windows, and I love the retro-futuristic scenes in the post-show -- in fact, I love the overall retro-futuristic theming. (But all that bright green in the exit ramp had better be in service of a cool green-screen effect, as it's frankly a bit nauseating on its own.)

I'm most happy that Disney did not feel it was necessary to add the gimmick of onboard audio. The design of the track layout, with its numerous pops of surprising airtime, is strong enough to stand on its own.

The only things I'm disappointed with are the lack of a silent lift hill (which would have immensely benefited the experience), the lack of external lighting (which can still be installed at some future point without disrupting the ride itself), and the fact that the vehicles no longer have glow-in-the-dark stripes. I think the last is the most dismaying, as it's the most unlikely ever to be restored. I'm not sure why this was necessary, as the stripes really did not add measurably to light pollution inside the mountain, and were a great effect for those on the TTA and elsewhere on the tracks -- even if people in the queue can no longer see them.

I'm not disappointed at all that neither the launch nor re-entry tunnels were changed. I've been on both the HKDL and DL versions of SM multiple times, and the re-entry tunnel isn't frankly that special. It's certainly cool and a bit surprising the first few times you experience it, but it's a relatively simple effect at bottom -- it's not like a hologram beamed into your brain or anything. I wouldn't have been terribly upset had we gotten the DL effect, but the classic red re-entry tunnel has its own charms. It confers a very visceral, menacing sense of heat, which is only abetted by the tight confines of the tunnel and the vehicles' inline seating. Although it's far from being a literal, realistic simulation of a re-entry, I've always found the red tunnel, when coupled with the accompanying sound effects, to suggest perfectly the violence and turbulence of a fiery re-entry. (I still take issue with the placement of the re-entry -- which is too far from the actual disembarkation point -- but that cavil has nothing to do with the efficacy of the effect itself.)

I'm still incredibly angry about numerous lapses throughout WDW, such as the removal of the Lights of Winter, but -- with the few exceptions mentioned above (silent lift hill, etc.) -- I'm glad more money was not poured into this SM refurb. To the extent any of the cash that had been earmarked for unnecessary and detracting "plusses" can be allocated toward making other parts of WDW better, I think it would be money well spent.
 
Main Street USA

Main Street USA

Well-Known Member
Kuhio said:
Thanks for the report and photos.

I'm incredibly pleased with this refurb. All I really wanted out of the refurb -- and all I thought was necessary to bring the attraction into the 21st century -- was to make the ride darker, and to have a queue and ride with props and effects that are clean and fully functional. I'm grateful that they kept the queue music and star windows, and I love the retro-futuristic scenes in the post-show -- in fact, I love the overall retro-futuristic theming. (But all that bright green in the exit ramp had better be in service of a cool green-screen effect, as it's frankly a bit nauseating on its own.)

I'm most happy that Disney did not feel it was necessary to add the gimmick of onboard audio. The design of the track layout, with its numerous pops of surprising airtime, is strong enough to stand on its own.

The only things I'm disappointed with are the lack of a silent lift hill (which would have immensely benefited the experience), the lack of external lighting (which can still be installed at some future point without disrupting the ride itself), and the fact that the vehicles no longer have glow-in-the-dark stripes. I think the last is the most dismaying, as it's the most unlikely ever to be restored. I'm not sure why this was necessary, as the stripes really did not add measurably to light pollution inside the mountain, and were a great effect for those on the TTA and elsewhere on the tracks -- even if people in the queue can no longer see them.

I'm not disappointed at all that neither the launch nor re-entry tunnels were changed. I've been on both the HKDL and DL versions of SM multiple times, and the re-entry tunnel isn't frankly that special. It's certainly cool and a bit surprising the first few times you experience it, but it's a relatively simple effect at bottom -- it's not like a hologram beamed into your brain or anything. I wouldn't have been terribly upset had we gotten the DL effect, but the classic red re-entry tunnel has its own charms. It confers a very visceral, menacing sense of heat, which is only abetted by the tight confines of the tunnel and the vehicles' inline seating. Although it's far from being a literal, realistic simulation of a re-entry, I've always found the red tunnel, when coupled with the accompanying sound effects, to suggest perfectly the violence and turbulence of a fiery re-entry. (I still take issue with the placement of the re-entry -- which is too far from the actual disembarkation point -- but that cavil has nothing to do with the efficacy of the effect itself.)

I'm still incredibly angry about numerous lapses throughout WDW, such as the removal of the Lights of Winter, but -- with the few exceptions mentioned above (silent lift hill, etc.) -- I'm glad more money was not poured into this SM refurb. To the extent any of the cash that had been earmarked for unnecessary and detracting "plusses" can be allocated toward making other parts of WDW better, I think it would be money well spent.
Click to expand...
Great post. Agreed.
 
K

Kuhio

Well-Known Member
Main Street USA said:
Nope, this is way better. Always has been. Always will be. ;)
Click to expand...

I have to agree wholeheartedly with this.

My second-greatest Disney disappointment* was riding DL's Reader's-Digest-abridged-version of SM for the first time. I was shocked and taken aback at how inferior it was: the condensed queue, without the star windows; the unimaginative, unexciting track layout with multiple lift hills, a lack of variety in turns, and barely any drops; and the standard, two-abreast seating that emphasized the mundane nature of this ride that was, after all, just a roller coaster in the dark. Lost was the majesty of size; instead of a sleek, gleaming icon that could be seen from far outside the park, DL had gotten a miniaturized, shrunk-in-the-wash parody. Instead of the feeling that you were flying around inside a vast, open space, you felt precisely like you were on a roller coaster that happened to be in an enclosed building, and nothing more.

All this was, of course, long before the advent of the internet. Had I known more about the nature of DL's SM, I think I would have been better prepared for what was awaiting, and thus not been as disappointed.

DL SM's refurb helped immensely, of course, but it could only do so much considering the baseline product. I've always thought of DL's SM, when compared to WDW's, as analogous to WDW's Pirates of the Caribbean compared to DL's. Even if WDW's PotC had fully-functioning, state-of-the-art effects, it would still be inferior to a rundown DL version that had seen better days. Although the upkeep of the DL version might be disappointing because of how much it had been neglected, it would still be a fundamentally superior product to the WDW version.

*My greatest Disney disappointment -- by far -- is a combination of learning that the original Journey Into Imagination was being shuttered, and experiencing the steaming turd that replaced it.
 
Main Street USA

Main Street USA

Well-Known Member
wdwfan94 said:
How long would it take to add onboard audio anyway?
Click to expand...
Not sure, but apparently it's not just a matter of how long, but also there was talk of there being an issue with the existing cars being able to handle the speakers (which I'm not sure I buy).

It was said that they had already tested the existing DL audio against this WDW version and it turned out pretty good. Money, money, money.
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
Kuhio said:
I have to agree wholeheartedly with this.

My second-greatest Disney disappointment* was riding DL's Reader's-Digest-abridged-version of SM for the first time. I was shocked and taken aback at how inferior it was: the condensed queue, without the star windows; the unimaginative, unexciting track layout with multiple lift hills, a lack of variety in turns, and barely any drops; and the standard, two-abreast seating that emphasized the mundane nature of this ride that was, after all, just a roller coaster in the dark. Lost was the majesty of size; instead of a sleek, gleaming icon that could be seen from far outside the park, DL had gotten a miniaturized, shrunk-in-the-wash parody. Instead of the feeling that you were flying around inside a vast, open space, you felt precisely like you were on a roller coaster that happened to be in an enclosed building, and nothing more.

All this was, of course, long before the advent of the internet. Had I known more about the nature of DL's SM, I think I would have been better prepared for what was awaiting, and thus not been as disappointed.

DL SM's refurb helped immensely, of course, but it could only do so much considering the baseline product. I've always thought of DL's SM, when compared to WDW's, as analogous to WDW's Pirates of the Caribbean compared to DL's. Even if WDW's PotC had fully-functioning, state-of-the-art effects, it would still be inferior to a rundown DL version that had seen better days. Although the upkeep of the DL version might be disappointing because of how much it had been neglected, it would still be a fundamentally superior product to the WDW version.

*My greatest Disney disappointment -- by far -- is a combination of learning that the original Journey Into Imagination was being shuttered, and experiencing the steaming turd that replaced it.
Click to expand...
You probably visited Disneyland during the Pressler-Harris years.
 
Expo_Seeker40

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
Sounds like new speakers in the queue...star tunnel and zig zag music both very audible. They didn't update the warning video....that's still from 1993. :zipit:
 
Brian_B

Brian_B

Member
ChrisFL said:
no, they're NEW astronauts, pics were posted in the other thread, you know the one of a dozen other SM threads
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Before you post snide comments, you ought to find out what you're talking about.

The SSE astronauts are the ones that either are still or used to be in the POST-SHOW, not on the ride, at least as far as I've come to understand. Aside from the banner and green-screen wall, I don't think we've seen a picture of what the old fed ex post show area looks like now, which is what worries me.

Is there still the nonsense with the package shipping? You can kind of see a little bit of it from the TTA video...
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
ChrisFL said:
no, they're NEW astronauts, pics were posted in the other thread, you know the one of a dozen other SM threads
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OK let me straighten this out. the "Astronauts" that the pics showed were astronauts that are replacements for the astronauts that were there since the ride opened. The Astronauts I am talking about are/were in the post-show and were originally from Spaceship Earth.
 
Expo_Seeker40

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
No, he's referring to the astronauts from SSE that were installed in the postshow in 1994. They are gone as far as I can tell, replaced by an underwater scene of some sort.

There is a hilarious semi-reference to FX at the beginning of the post show with a "Lost and Found" checkpoint of bags and suitcases that are repainted props from the boxes that could be found all over the placed from the FedEx years.

To see the OA video in HD is right through their website:

http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/video.php

Looks like the star windows in the star tunnel DID NOT got their old projection effects restored...only starful since the 80s...oh well.. :o
 
K

Kuhio

Well-Known Member
HMF said:
You probably visited Disneyland during the Pressler-Harris years.
Click to expand...

I've visited DL more times than I can remember since the 1980s -- which wasn't that hard, as I was a SoCal local at one point.

These days, I consider WDW my "home" Disney resort mostly because I enjoy WDW, on the whole, much more than I do DLR (despite the fact that I consider DL to be a far superior park, on the whole, than the MK).
 

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