Space Mountain score: Dale vs Giacchino

[Phroobar]

What was that? I'd never heard it before now, and I never want to hear it again.

It was interesting. Imagine Space Mountain looking like Rock'n Roller Coaster with space Go-Go dancers. They tried it for grad night a couple of times and then did it one summer. It was called Rock'n both Parks. California Screamin' played "All Around the World". They should have played "Love Rollercoaster" if they had to have the Chili Peppers.

Disney was going to go with No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom but then an executive listened to it and had second thoughts.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

I really hate it when Disneyland tries to be hip/cool/trendy. It fails almost every time.

 

[Bairstow]

They should have played "Love Rollercoaster" if they had to have the Chili Peppers.

You would have thought that would have been a no-brainer.

 

[Rich T]

I really hate it when Disneyland tries to be hip/cool/trendy. It fails almost every time.

I'm trying to think of one time it ever worked for them and wasn't an insulting embarrassment... .... ... .... ... Nope.... Some great so-bad-it's-good moments of surreal unintentional comedy, though!

 

[Bairstow]

I'm trying to think of one time it ever worked for them and wasn't an insulting embarrassment... .... ... .... ... Nope.... Some great so-bad-it's-good moments of surreal unintentional comedy, though!

Electronica was okay.

 

[dweezil78]

What was that? I'd never heard it before now, and I never want to hear it again.

I never got to ride this version, but the video that exists of it makes it seem like it would have been fun to ride despite its cheesiness.

 

[dweezil78]

I do like the way his film music mostly enhances a movie without drawing much attention to itself. Doesn't always make a great album listen, but really sells the story. That said, when he comes up with a great theme, he hits home runs. His main instrumental theme for Zootopia and the film's saddest moment, "Some of My Best Friends are Predators," tear me up every time I hear them. I actually think his score is a huge (and underrated) reason the film was so successful.

I am a huuuugge Giacchino fan. His soundtrack is always such an important contribution to every film/series he works on IMO that they'd all have a drastically different feel if he were taken out of the equation. Lost, in particular, would have been a totally different show. I mean c'mon...

 

[Phroobar]

I never got to ride this version, but the video that exists of it makes it seem like it would have been fun to ride despite its cheesiness.

After Space Mountain was rebuilt, they were going to have a daytime and a nighttime experience. The idea was to switch from Space Mountain to Rock'it Mountain. The sign even had both names on it. That way they could offer Space Mountain and then a Rock'nRoller Coaster ride at night. None of this came to pass except the technology lets them put in Ghost Galaxy and Hyperspace Mountain in quickly.

 

[Erich]

It really works well on the ride, though-- Gives you a "what have we gotten ourselves into" chill.
(EDIT) I mean the new version. Reading back, I see you might have meant the Dale track. But the same applies... just a bit less.

Yeah I meant the Dale one, although I get what your saying I feel the current version has more of a "ok... I'm ready lets go" kind of a feel instead of a "what have I gotten myself into" feel.

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

I prefer the Giacchino version 100%

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

I definitely think Giacchino’s score has a slight edge over Dale’s score, because Dale’s feels a tad bit dated, and doesn’t necessarily fit the theme as well. If I had to pick a real winner here, it would definitely be Paris’s De la Terre a la Lune score, which resembles John William’s beautiful score to E.T. Not only was this soundtrack used at Paris for a short time, but it was also the old score that played when the old Tomorrowland Observatron was active.

 

[October82]

I definitely think Giacchino’s score has a slight edge over Dale’s score, because Dale’s feels a tad bit dated, and doesn’t necessarily fit the theme as well. If I had to pick a real winner here, it would definitely be Paris’s De la Terre a la Lune score, which resembles John William’s beautiful score to E.T. Not only was this soundtrack used at Paris for a short time, but it was also the old score that played when the old Tomorrowland Observatron was active.

Disney's treatment of Space Mountain in Paris is a tragedy.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

giacchino for sure, its a great all-original composition that really fits the mood. Much better than hyper or GG or Dick Dale's cover.

 

[truecoat]

I definitely think Giacchino’s score has a slight edge over Dale’s score, because Dale’s feels a tad bit dated, and doesn’t necessarily fit the theme as well. If I had to pick a real winner here, it would definitely be Paris’s De la Terre a la Lune score, which resembles John William’s beautiful score to E.T. Not only was this soundtrack used at Paris for a short time, but it was also the old score that played when the old Tomorrowland Observatron was active.

I started listening to it thinking, this is nothing like ET...oh, there it is.

 

[el_super]

Disney's treatment of Space Mountain in Paris is a tragedy.

As an American, yes. But to a Parisian? Is it fair to keep it as a museum piece? Keeping the original Space Mountain would be the same as advertising the Mona Lisa to the locals.

Someone could probably write a whole book on cultural appropriation and Disney's international parks.

Anyway, Giacchino's score, dare I say, is a tad better fit than the Paris original (Broughton?). At least for Anaheim.

 

[October82]

As an American, yes. But to a Parisian? Is it fair to keep it as a museum piece? Keeping the original Space Mountain would be the same as advertising the Mona Lisa to the locals.

Someone could probably write a whole book on cultural appropriation and Disney's international parks.

Anyway, Giacchino's score, dare I say, is a tad better fit than the Paris original (Broughton?). At least for Anaheim.

Is this also true of Discoveryland more generally.y? I have a hard time seeing cultural appropriation here - more clearly in other parks/lands certainly - DLP's space mountain/discoveryland has always seemed to me to be a respectful take on the source material, and I'm not sure it's any less fantastical for European audiences than American ones.

I don't mind Mission 2, but I think that whatever ways Discoveryland might have failed, that the Hyperspace Mountain overlay in Paris is particularly egregious.

 

[el_super]

Is this also true of Discoveryland more generally.y? I have a hard time seeing cultural appropriation here - more clearly in other parks/lands certainly - DLP's space mountain/discoveryland has always seemed to me to be a respectful take on the source material, and I'm not sure it's any less fantastical for European audiences than American ones.

I don't mind Mission 2, but I think that whatever ways Discoveryland might have failed, that the Hyperspace Mountain overlay in Paris is particularly egregious.

Appropriation in this case might be too strong a word to use, since it carries a negative connotation. More like a case of cultural irony ... maybe. We (the US) gave them something we thought of as being more "French," but what they really wanted was something more American (Star Wars). Where maybe we here in the US would rather see the French version of Space Mountain, maybe because Star Wars is a little passe here?

I do understand the pressure to keep things new and fresh though, to keep bodies coming in, and thats always going to require churn in attractions. Hyperspace Mountain may seem like a daft decision for them, but if it's popular and successful, it keeps the bills paid (hopefully).


I do hope though, that after enough time passes, the original makes a come back. I didn't get a chance to see Mission 2, but the Giacchino score for that was right in line with the DL version.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Someone could probably write a whole book on cultural appropriation and Disney's international parks.

I never thought about it as cultural appropriation. It always felt more like pandering to assumptions about regional tastes and preferences to me, but I see your point.

On a related note, I remember when DLP opened several of the press stories hyped up Walt Disney's French ancestry and/or referenced his WWI military assignment in France. It struck me as a bit desperate to reference such tenuous connections between France, DLP, and Walt Disney since he literally had nothing to do with the Euro Disney Resort.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Going back to the beginning of the thread...the revelation that the Dick Dale music is basically a rearrangement of the music used for Impressions de France is pretty mindblowing.

Giacchino's score is far superior to Dick Dale's.

All forms of Hyperspace Mountain are trash and all talks of it being being BETTER than Vanilla Space Mountain because "relevance", as if Space Mountain is some meaningless thing for old people that the youths of the day don't care about and is not already iconic in its own right, belong only in the bad takes bin.

 

[Professortango1]

Coming from a person that listens to the soundtrack in the car, makes vents blow air into my face to simulate space mountain... I like the new one better because it makes you feel like your going faster than you really are. The one one is a little creepy to me anyway.

I'd like to know why you like the 1996 version better.

The old one is creepier, that's why I love it! Space Mountain is cold and creepy in presentation, especially back in the 90's with the red lighting panels behind the steel walls. Space Mountain doesn't feel like an active Space Station, it feels vacuous and lifeless. That's why the Dick Dale version fit so much better for me.

The new one just makes me think of The Incredibles and doesn't fit the feeling and mood of the mountain.