Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[Californian Elitist]

Hard to say - I'm ridden Mermaid in both DCA and Florida, and the ride just doesn't carry me off the way Pan does... so a lot of it is just subjective "feel." I - and I think I'm not alone in this - always feel a little removed from reality in Pan when we float over London. There's no scene in Mermaid that does it to me.

That said, Mermaid is NOT an awful ride. It's just not an especially good one, either. When I was in DCA over the summer I was with my daughter, who was 6 at the time. Prime target for this ride, right? We were there - at DL and DCA - for a full week, and while she wanted to ride plenty of rides again and again (and again and again and again), she had zero interest in going on Mermaid again after the first time. Not just that day - the entire trip, despite the ride being a walk-on the entire time.

I know that anecdotal, but that to me says the ride is missing something on some level.

I think all the rides in Fantasyland (Disneyland's Fantasyland) are better than Mermaid.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm not calling him a troll but I feel like you can't compare the FLE to a entrance of a theme park

Port of Entry is like the MSUSA of IOA. You absolutely can compare the detailing and quality of layering in two themed areas.

 

[Donald96]

They did put Garland and wreaths up this year (If you look closley by the ride entrance you can see they have it going over the arch), not sure if they did in past years but IMHO Norway doesn't look too shabby... Oh and I remember Mexico looked pretty cool as well.. (all new LED lighted Garland inside) While there still is no LOW at least they're improving!

 

[nytimez]

That is interesting, because I had the exact opposite experience with my girlfriend at DCA. She wanted to get back on the ride right after we got off. Also anecdotal, but also says something.

Is there anything specific you can point to? For instance, I wish the Mermaid ride had done more to hide the lights and ceiling in some scenes, and overall I wish they had pushed the traditional dark ride technology more, like incorporating a trackless car system instead of doing the old omni-mover that we've seen before. But compared to the older dark ride attractions, I just don't see how Mermaid doesn't compete in these areas.

I think the figures on the ride look too plastic-y, for one. Maybe there was a decision that this would make them look more true to the animation or more modern or something, but I don't like the "look" of them here.

I also think there's a storytelling problem. Ursula comes across as the heroine - a creepy heroine, but still the heroine - if you take the telling of the story as it is in this ride in a vacuum. She promises to "help," and next thing you know Ariel has feet and she's getting married, as if Ursula has delivered on her promise. The main conflict in the story isn't just glossed over, it's gone. Or if it's there, I missed it.

 

[ParentsOf4]

Hard to say - I'm ridden Mermaid in both DCA and Florida, and the ride just doesn't carry me off the way Pan does... so a lot of it is just subjective "feel." I - and I think I'm not alone in this - always feel a little removed from reality in Pan when we float over London. There's no scene in Mermaid that does it to me.

That said, Mermaid is NOT an awful ride. It's just an especially good one. When I was in DCA over the summer I was with my daughter, who is 6. Prime target for this ride, right? We were there - at DL and DCA - for a full week, and while she wanted to ride plenty of rides again and again (and again and again and again), she had zero interest in going on Mermaid again after the first time. Not that day - the entire trip, despite the ride being a walk-on the entire time.

I know that anecdotal, but that to me says the ride is missing something on some level.

Wow, my family had almost the exactly same reaction to Mermaid. It wasn't bad but absolutely no one wanted to ride it again, even though it was only a 5 minute wait. I've wondered if it's the lighting; too bright so it doesn't scare little ones. With its bright colors, it reminded me of the front window displays in the old Disney Stores at everyone's local mall, very plastic looking, very cheap (for Disney). Would a more subdued lighting like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, or IaSW work better? Maybe more subdued colors as well?

Maybe it was the lack of privacy? At several points in the attraction, I felt as if I was watching Mermaids with dozens of strangers. It spoils the ride, making it feel like a less personal experience. Compare that to Winnie the Pooh, the old Snow White, or Cat in the Hat, where separate rooms help isolate the action.

I found myself comparing Mermaid to Peter Pan, and found Mermaid coming up short.

P.S. Just read your latest post. Yes, I thought the whole story with Ursula was completely muddled. As I posted last month, if I didn't know the story, I would have been completely confused by her role. Was she a 'good' witch or a 'bad' witch? Again, in keeping with the lighting, I wonder if this was so small children were not frightened.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Again, can you provide specifics?

The Little Mermaid lacks heart. It's an overly expensive endeavor to recreate one scene without ever committing to being an experience or narrative-based attraction all done in a wrapper that was handled more by the computer than designers.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Disney most definitely has the technology to do amazing AAs that are more reliable with more movement than the current gen ones. The problem is that the initial cost will be expensive, keep in mind WDW hasn't a REAL AA heavy attraction since the 90's in SM. If you've seen Sinbad and Pooh from Tokyo, they can do really good AA's. "Holograms" are a cop out because all management cares about is making the numbers look good for the short term.

 

[nytimez]

Disney most definitely has the technology to do amazing AAs that are more reliable with more movement than the current gen ones. The problem is that the initial cost will be expensive, keep in mind WDW hasn't a REAL AA heavy attraction since the 90's in SM. If you've seen Sinbad and Pooh from Tokyo, they can do really good AA's. "Holograms" are a cop out because all management cares about is making the numbers look good for the short term.

Sindbad is actually a great example - really well-done ride.

 

[TalkingHead]

I noticed some garland strung on the aquculture tanks in Living With the Land and was shocked ... then saw some decorations on a few plants and realized that was likely done by the area manager with his/her own funds.

If the decorations were in the last ("experimental") greenhouse with the hanging plants and the laboratory windows, they were probably put up by the greenhouse team. I know years ago those hanging plants were made to look like Christmas trees with garland and ornmanents. Wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't even the area manager, but just the greenhouse people who decided to do it.

 

[JLW11Hi]

The Little Mermaid lacks heart. It's an overly expensive endeavor to recreate one scene without ever committing to being an experience or narrative-based attraction all done in a wrapper that was handled more by the computer than designers.

But how is it that Mermaid does this any less than Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh or Snow White? I'm not trying to give you guys a hard time, I just hear a lot of conclusions being said without any specific details. Like, if I were an imagineer who had helped design Mermaid, what specifically would you tell me that I could have done better on Mermaid?

 

[WDW1974]

I
I totally agree with you about celebrate the magic. It had a lot of nostalgia and had great music. My mom even said its one of the most beautiful things she's ever seen. Btw what was your view of Tomorrowland during ur visit?

I thought what I've thought for years now, which is that it is a thematic mess. I only rode the Peoplemover ... some of my entourage rode Buzz Lightyear as well.

I think the X-mas show there perfectly displays what's wrong with the land as it headlines Buzz, Mike Wozowksi and Experiment 626. What do toons have to do with the future? Nothing. Then you have a great classic attraction in CoP sitting and decaying with TDO looking to remove it. And you have Space Mountain that is still a relic from the 70s with a three-year-old coat of paint on it.

You're probably too young to recall, but there was a time that every land in the MK had a meaning, a story, a purpose ... and that purpose wasn't shilling the Disney BRAND or now the Pixar or Marvel or Lucas BRANDS. Now, everything is watered down and the entire package is a lesser one.

 

[TalkingHead]

Sure you can ask anything you like ...
... but I can't ... or won't answer that specifically. My sources are from WDW Co. employees and others familiar with Disney's plans.

Admit it. You made up this "news" while you were in the new FLE restroom marveling at the incredibly Gaston-themed toilet seats.

By chance, did you get any good pics of construction walls?

 

[WDW1974]

Did you seriously just question the Spirit? You must be new...

Excuse me, @wdwmagic, but are we getting a LOVE button for Christmas?

Just wondering ...

 

[JLW11Hi]

With its bright colors, it reminded me of the front window displays in the old Disney Stores at everyone's local mall, very plastic looking, very cheap (for Disney). Would a more subdued lighting like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, or IaSW work better? Maybe more subdued colors as well?

I love the black light effects of the older dark rides (hey, that's why they are called dark rides!). I wish they had done some modern version of this on Mermaid.

Maybe it was the lack of privacy? At several points in the attraction, I felt as if I was watching Mermaids with dozens of strangers. It spoils the ride, making it feel like a less personal experience. Compare that to Winnie the Pooh, the old Snow White, or Cat in the Hat, where separate rooms help isolate the action.

I agree, I love the attractions that have you in your own little car separate from others in the attraction. Actually, although I love Haunted Mansion, this is one of my biggest problems with it. It is supposed to be a spooky attraction, but the fact that you always feel surrounded by others really washes over that feeling. You always feel "safe" in numbers.
But again, there is a specific problem that is not relegated to Mermaid alone.

 

[WDW1974]

I have to agree. DM is a building gut with the exception of the motion base platforms. ST is a new software/ridefilm package, queue re-theme and soft refresh. Not quite the same. ST 2.0 is a significant update, and a very well done one, but not a new ride to the extent DM is. Simpsons is more in line with what was done with ST, but even there...the experience is the same as it was for BTTF, but the scenic overhaul was more extensive, as opposed to the ride experience being redone to a larger extent for ST, but the scenic was a light refresh.

I agree with the above and, frankly, I enjoy all three attractions quite a bit and much more than what existed prior. My favorite is probably the one I am riding when one asks the question.

 

[lazyboy97o]

But how is it that Mermaid does this any less than Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh or Snow White? I'm not trying to give you guys a hard time, I just hear a lot of conclusions being said without any specific details. Like, if I were an imagineer who had helped design Mermaid, what specifically would you tell me that I could have done better on Mermaid?

I'm really not interested in spending that much time detailing the attractions flaws. There are plenty of threads and posts on the subject out there.

You're probably too young to recall, but there was a time that every land in the MK had a meaning, a story, a purpose ... and that purpose wasn't shilling the Disney BRAND or now the Pixar or Marvel or Lucas BRANDS. Now, everything is watered down and the entire package is a lesser one.

But so many Disney fans do not care. If it's pretty, it's Disney®. They find comfort in the brands. It may not be quite as watered down as Walt Disney World, but I still have this problem with so much going on at the Disneyland Resort and so much of the praise heaped upon the executives who pose with fans.

 

[WDW1974]

No, the eels will never work. And "very plastic" is exactly how I describe Mermaid. It's all hard, spinning plastic things. Including you, in your clam. Better than Skyway over the lagoon? No. You did unfortunately miss the best thing about NF though, if you weren't able to at least stick your head in BoG. The interior of the place is absolutely WDI at their best. Gorgeous.

I have seen pics and I like to eat, especially in nice environments, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it in the future.
But it truly seems like BoG is the highlight of the land, and if that's the case then something is fundamentally wrong about the whole project. Disney has numerous dining facilities shuttered and others operating very limited hours/days. Another food locale isn't what was most needed no matter how beautiful it may be.

The new dining locations at EPCOT are all very, very nice. But dining wasn't, and isn't, EPCOT's big problem.

 

[WDW1974]

the lack of food options late in the evening at MK is a major peeve of mine.

Why not leave you brand new featured dining locale open for walk-ins during hard ticket parties? They left plenty of money on the table because Disney is great at reaching down to snatch a few pennies as dollars zoom over their heads.

 

[JLW11Hi]

I'm really not interested in spending that much time detailing the attractions flaws. There are plenty of threads and posts on the subject out there.

Join the discussion!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

SPOILER:

When, near the end of the projection show, Walt himself appears on the Castle and says, "I hope we don't lose sight of one thing...that it was all started by a mouse"...man, I wanted to cheer. A lot of the people in the crowd actually did. Great moment.

I just saw a video and I really liked that part, plus Sword in the Stone featured in a Disney night show?! And Wreck-it-Ralph and Alice and Jungle Book? Great variety of clips.