Spaceship Earth preview poll - for those who have ridden the previews

[RWilliams]

They might as well have made SSE a thrill ride. At least some part of the population would have been completely satisfied with it. The people who really value the AA scenes think the descent is crap. The kids who think the touch screens are cool! think the AA scenes are boring. So basically WDI tried to please everyone and ended up pleasing no one. Except for Str8 and Servo.

I used to work with teenagers and I can tell you they are generally bored by video screens. Those types of things are fine for when they are at home but when they are out they want something different. So in my opinion I don't see anyone over the age of 11 or so truly being entertained by the touch screens. But it seems I'm less in touch with the populace than I've always thought, so what do I know. :lol:

 

[Chape19714]

I think that the 1st part is a great improvement.

-Better screen for Cavemen entrance
-New AA Caveman
-Animated Cave Paintings
-AA Pharaoh for Egypt
-Huge boat rocking (rather roughly) for Phoenician Scene (very nice effect)
-More wall painting on left of Greece
-More AA in Greece and AA Professor is very real
-Islamic Scholars better
-Narrator actually references characters in the ride
-Better Cinema and Home TV Scene
-Computer room is very cool
-Garage scene
-Laser tunnel was neat, but could be improved. Seemed a bit "Matrix" like.
-Projection was cool, but same effect, can be improved

On the Decent, the 1st part with the LED grid was very neat, other than that, not too much to discuss. The animation reminded me of Little Einsteins meets the Jetsons. The ending can use serious work, but the 1st decent room impressed me. As for the screens what does a person do if the screen doesn't want to work? :lookaroun

I gave it a yes, but the decent needs the work, I love what they did to the History.

 

[DisneyAnole]

I used to work with teenagers and I can tell you they are generally bored by video screens. Those types of things are fine for when they are at home but when they are out they want something different. So in my opinion I don't see anyone over the age of 11 or so truly being entertained by the touch screens. But it seems I'm less in touch with the populace than I've always thought, so what do I know. :lol:

That's quite possible. I'm just assuming that's the demographic WDI and Disney execs were most directly targeting w/ the touch screens. It wouldn't be suprising if Disney got it wrong, since they tend to shoot themselves in the foot when they intentionally try to appeal to a younger demographic.

 

[Chape19714]

That's quite possible. I'm just assuming that's the demographic WDI and Disney execs were most directly targeting w/ the touch screens. It wouldn't be suprising if Disney got it wrong, since they tend to shoot themselves in the foot when they intentionally try to appeal to a younger demographic.

Well, on the Flip Side, Rock N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, MTV (at DL, now closed), Alien Encounter, the New Pirates, and Everest were successful at bringing teens into the parks.

 

[tirian]

I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here...and if I do, plz dont flame and I apologize in advance.

I hope everyone realizes that this thing isn't "Officially" open untill February, which is still two months away. Construction walls are still up, so, in my opinion, they will close it back up after the hollidays to finish everything up before February. Be fortionate and appreciate the fact that you get a chance to experience an always classic attraction and be thankfull that it got the TLC it has deserved for such a long time (and the wand is gone AND SSE is not a rollercoaster).

On the other hand, so far, I've seen some good and bad things. The musical score, from a musician's perspective, doesn't fit in as well as I would have liked (either that or I'm so used to the old score and it will just have to grow on me). I pray more is done with the last half of the ride by the time February comes around.

Don't worry. This is a nice, well-balanced opinion.

 

[CrashNet]

Let's not get carried away based on initial view of a ride that is far from complete. There is a lot that still has not been finished yet I can assure you. This is why they have previews, for as many of you probably noticed there were people outside of the exit surveying riders. Give it time, as I'm sure you will reconsider your opinion when it officially opens in February.

 

[DisneyAnole]

Well, on the Flip Side, Rock N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, MTV (at DL, now closed), Alien Encounter, the New Pirates, and Everest were successful at bringing teens into the parks.

Fair enough. Though it seems a couple of those appealed to all age not just teens. And AE, though loved by many of us, was a genuine Eisner miscalculation from day one.

 

[SGT623]

Let's not get carried away based on initial view of a ride that is far from complete. There is a lot that still has not been finished yet I can assure you. This is why they have previews, for as many of you probably noticed there were people outside of the exit surveying riders. Give it time, as I'm sure you will reconsider your opinion when it officially opens in February.

You can not assure anyone that the issues will be fixed by Feb. Why would you do that? There is no way.......OK, I'll wait til Feb.

 

[Rob562]

Well, I had to vote "No" in the poll for SSE *as I saw it this week*. I fully understand that these are Sneak Previews, and that the attraction isn't done yet. That's why I'm withholding my final judgement until I ride the finished attraction next year.

Here's my take on the finale, and what I hope it really is, in a perfect world...

I'm kinda thinking/hoping that the animation we've seen is SSE's "B Show". That there are scenes and effects either not installed or not working yet that use the captured images, and constitute the "A Show". But, much like the Yeti animatronic, if the photo capture system/effects should break down (or not be installed yet...), they have a "B Show" in place to capture your attention during what would otherwise be a very boring descent.

At least I'm hoping that's the story... The first starfield room on descent seems very permanent and well done. Almost everything else seems like black sheets hung up in a rush with christmas lights poking through.
But overall, I look at the descent (as I rode it this week) as an even trade-off to what it replaced. Not worse, not better.

And has anyone ridden it and not chosen anything on the options? I overheard the audio from the empty seat behind me on one ride, and heard them slip in the phrase "great big beautiful tomorrow"...

Though I hope they work on Judi's narration a bit before official opening. Specifically, the "World Wide Web" and "first backup" lines elicited actual groans from me and my friend...

-Rob

 

[Matpez]

I got on today, and I HAVE to vote NO.

It seems so "dumbed down" if you will....

the musical score (if/when you hear it) is completely forgettable.

There is no build up or rhyme or reason for arriving at the 180 top starfield... the music doesn't have the big crescendo, nothing... and the descent....
you already know... NOTHING, watching a jetsons type cartoon....
so sad....

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

I voted Yes, since going up is about 2/3 of the attraction and going down is only about 1/3. I REALLY like what they did with all the scenes going up. Everything looked extremely great! Burning Rome smelt good too. But alas, it still needs work at the end of the ride. Our car's narration/screen just stopped at the end of the garage scene. We were bummed out, as we couldn't answer any of the questions. (We saw all of the other cars behind and in front of us working.) And just a question for everyone else, I thought the pic they took would be used on the screens in our car?

Lets see what they fix in the next month. (Which can be a lot of time if they use it wisely)

 

[Ned Brainard]

After a week of walking past SSE, I finally got to ride it today. I was a little disappointed at not hearing Irons narrating but I shrugged it off after a few minutes. Like others have already stated on here, my excitement level mimicked the ride vehicles height. My excitement level grew as we went up and plummeted as we went down. My GF liked the touch screen options and she watched the cartoon video on the way down. I just put my head back and stared at the dim lights.

 

[tecowdw]

I really like the scene improvements on the ascent. The animatronic figures are so much more "alive" acting. Love the "geek" in the garage but he could use some animation (sorry, I don't remember who he is).

However....why is the newspaper boy now facing the back wall?? I don't think there is anyone back there to buy his papers. He sure gets lost in the scene now. I also noticed the female ticket seller is reading a newspaper...is business that slow that she has nothing to do?

The decent scenes, or lack thereof, are dull and boring. The interactive screen routine is not really exciting and could be eliminated, IMHO. I also don't think the new narrator is very emotional in her speaking.

Overall. it's a so-so improvement for me so far. I would have liked to have seen scenery with more AA's showing glimpses of what the future might be. I'm not into all the interactive stuff so the whole second part is boring to me. The cartoon is just a little cheesy.

I guess we'll see what the final version looks like in February. I previewed it twice this week but no one was there asking my opinion so what's the point of soft-opening?

 

[diddy_mouse]

I was able to ride it twice while I was there last week. The first time I was just excited to get on and see it for myself. I loved the work that was done to the "history" aspect of the ride. The caveman scene and projection were wonderful, as were the AA's in the Greek and Renaissance. The decent did leave a lot to be desired. Yes, I was waiting for a big swell in music as you get to the 180 top and see the Earth projection but I was a little dissapointed.

The second time I got to ride it I started to analyze and make comparisons to the Jeremy Irons version.

I can see what they were trying to do with the interactivity of the touch-screens but is seems like they missed a few steps. The new narration is something that I think will grow on me. It is hard not hearing the dramatic presence of Jeremy Irons coupled with the score we all know and love. I'm hoping that there is still some work to be done and that we might see a little more changes come February.

 

[Tom Morrow]

After three trips to Epcot, I was finally able to ride yesterday. Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to agree with the majority here - this version is one step forward, two, maybe three steps back. That is, at least what they've shown us so far.

I only have a few positive things to say. One is that everything up to 180top looks better. The new animatronics are great, the new scenes are all very well done, and like the HM refurb, everything looks new and fresh. However, the music and narration - like everyone else said, is a shell of its former self. Judi Dench sounds alright for the script they gave her. In fact, I'd say she is perfect for the script they gave her. The problem lies in the script itself.

I understand what they were going for - a simplified narration that directly explains each scene as you pass, along with modern analogies, to hold the attention of today's riders better. They had to "dumb it down" so the average rider of today wouldn't think it was boring... I've accepted that. It’s just too simple, and lacks any real emotion or buildup.

And then there’s the music score. When you can hear it... it doesn't seem tied to the narration or scenes at all until you get to 180top. Instead, it just seems like any random documentary background music. I really like the music at 180top, but everything before it, I can't remember any of it because it was too quiet and disconnected from the scenes.

The Jeremy Irons' narration and musical score that went along with it drew you in, and as you progressed in time, the musical score and Jeremy Irons's delivery intensified, leading up to the perfect, dramatic climax at 180top. "on this... our Spaceship Earth" *turn to reveal Earth* - the dramatic impact that had gave me shivers every time.

And then there was the dramatic finale music and narration, which somehow made me feel better about life and our world... every time.

Well, this version didn't have that feeling... at all. Its amazing how much audio impacts a ride. The music feels like it is just there, and the narration's descriptions feel like a recording at any history museum.

AND of course, the descent - what more can I say that hasn't already been said? The descent was never great, but at least the music and narration was incredibly inspirational (unless you're an average guest who doesn't appreciate anything like that and just wants the ride to end so you can go get in line for Test Track...). Now we are left with a cheap flash animation that isn’t too different from online greeting card technology.

I just hope - and I have a good feeling - that this cheap video is not what the final product will be. If they change nothing else - at least have a better video. What they have right now... its just... if this is the actual ending, then it is probably the worst thing that WDI has ever come up with. Everyone's cartoon is essentially the same thing. If you chose "solar power" then it'll say "you'll travel in your solar powered vehicle" - if you chose "wind power", its still almost identical, only they say "wind" instead of "solar". The video doesn't even promise logical or helpful technologies of the future. Instead of showing technology that could fix the problems of today's world, it shows us a ridiculous Jetsons-like Future.

So basically, I'll learn to live with the new narration and audio, but the descent is unacceptable.

 

[RiversideBunny]

The new narration story line ties things together better. Several of the figures looked more antimated and many seemed to have a coat of fresh paint.

 

[mousermerf]

AND of course, the descent - what more can I say that hasn't already been said? The descent was never great, but at least the music and narration was incredibly inspirational (unless you're an average guest who doesn't appreciate anything like that and just wants the ride to end so you can go get in line for Test Track...). Now we are left with a cheap flash animation that isn’t too different from online greeting card technology.

I just hope - and I have a good feeling - that this cheap video is not what the final product will be. If they change nothing else - at least have a better video. What they have right now... its just... if this is the actual ending, then it is probably the worst thing that WDI has ever come up with. Everyone's cartoon is essentially the same thing. If you chose "solar power" then it'll say "you'll travel in your solar powered vehicle" - if you chose "wind power", its still almost identical, only they say "wind" instead of "solar". The video doesn't even promise logical or helpful technologies of the future. Instead of showing technology that could fix the problems of today's world, it shows us a ridiculous Jetsons-like Future.

So basically, I'll learn to live with the new narration and audio, but the descent is unacceptable.

It doesn't even always get the choices right, the times I rode it always had atleast one of the choices I made reversed in the video.

 

[wannab@dis]

I voted "Yes" but wished there was another option or two. Overall, the attraction LOOKS great. The exterior, signage and landscaping looked good. All the scenes looked wonderful and the new costumes, lighting and AA's were fantastic. The narration was OK, but was not loud enough in our car. Because of the level, the narration and score was very hard to hear.

The descent and touch screens need more work and my impression was they are still working on those areas. It appeared they had covered up sections where work was still progressing. But I'm not sure since it would be hard to pay attention to the questions and video if you're looking at show scenes so I'm not sure what else they have planned.

All the CM's taking feedback were busy so we were not interviewed. I would have given RAVE reviews for everything up to the top (except the audio level needed to be turned up on the 8th or 9th). However, I was disappointed with the descent and screen interaction and never saw anything that used our picture.

To sum it up, I was very pleased with everything but the descent and have to hope they are still working on that section. Otherwise, we will see SSE go into refurb in the near future to make some additional changes there.

 

[mkt]

My opinion... it's quite good until the ending, which is a Sopranos style Cop-Out.

I actually fell asleep during it and had to be shaken awake by my co-rider.

 

[Chape19714]

Now for those of you who claim the music is lacking, specificly at the top, I have to say this:

After being on twice now, I have to say I almost prefer the new music. Before you jump on the claim consider this: The Music throughout the entire attraction is MUCH more fitting to the location and time period. As for the top, yes I miss the dramatic crescendo, however, the new loop feels more like you are in SPACE and less like you are on a ride. It's calmer more subdued and really, to me, adds to the realism of the scene.

Just my opinion. I have to say, the 2nd time through the ride sort of grew around me. I am not near as disappointed, although nothing had changed. And the other around me on the ride really seemed to be enjoying the ride.

IMHO