Spirited News & Observations II -- NGE/Baxter

[WDW1974]

I don't think I could have said it any better. Agree with all your points. On another point it is funny seeing a bunch of these corps whining about the increase in payroll taxes and gas prices hurt there sales. The last 30 years has been one giant shift of money from the middle class and poor to the 1 percent and it is now coming back to haunt them. People can't buy your products if they don't make enough money too. Well, I am done ranting.

I am NEVER done ranting. Life ain't worth living if you can't draw attention to the vast inequities that exist ... it's scary, but I heard Suze Orman saying the same thing on CNBC yesterday during a talking head segment about gas prices. We don't have an economy that can sustain $3 a gallon gas, yet the oil lobby wants $4 or $5. It amazes me that people think folks can survive on $7.75 an hour (BTW, I heard the minimum wage in Austrailia is over twice that ... probably explains all the lazy drunk Aussies I've had to work with on my international teams).

So ... any blogger snag a picture of Georgie K yet?

 

[WDW1974]

From what I read on other on another site, DVC members are very frustrated, and being frustrated by the online systems. Lost ADR's, and lost reservations for a few. Others are having no problem at all.
I'd love to read on here about what some of our fav insiders are hearing more about how the testing is going from inside Disney. The office watercooler stuff. From what I am reading, the front line CM's answering the phones are having tech difficulties also.

Tests have been a disaster -- at best. Ops folks are so far gone they've started pulling other people's hair out!

 

[HMF]

This Next-Gen just sounds worse and worse the more I hear about it. I really hope that this dies a quick death. People just can't be this stupid.

 

[RSoxNo1]

You're absolutely right but you're leaving out one all important factor. The reason why Pan, Snow White and Toad are considered to be better by some people is because of the heavy nostalgia factor. Their sentimental longing for the old days causes them to lose all sense of objectivity and the ability to make rational comparisons. They cling to these old attractions like stink on a skunk and any change is considered to be heresy. It does no good to advance logic into the discussion because facts and logic are not part of the world of nostalgia. They want to capture and keep their fantasies intact. New attractions such as Mermaid tend to threaten the neat order of their own personal fantasy land that they carry in their minds.

Frankly, I'd like to see a hip-hop version of Mermaid.

When I said that people romanticize things like Pan, Snow White and Toad, I absolutely meant that they are romanticized in part by childhood nostalgia. It is a very real reason why their status is inflated amongst fanbois.

 

[RSoxNo1]

See, I think this is one of my problems with the ride.

It doesn't know what it wants to be. It's a pretty close retelling, at least as close as you can feasibly get, until randomly...it isn't. The ride feels like it wants to be a retelling until the designers realized they wouldn't have room to do so.

I think the ride is fine, for what it is, and I think it's a decent addition to the MK, but it's definitely not something I would have chosen as the first ride added to a park in 20 years.

I look at the ride as a Journey through the music of The Little Mermaid and that should be the focus. While the music partially tells the story, it's not a full narrative. I obviously agree that the death of Ursula could have been better done, although I'm curious what type of grand effect could have been accomplished on a repeat basis for an omnimover attraction. That's for them to figure out and for me to enjoy.

I agree with your assessment that it is a perfectly fine addition. It's not an earth shattering attraction but IMO, it is the best ride in a land that has a lot of quantity over quality. In terms of scope it's only bested by it's a small world, and my labeling it as the best ride is a matter of opinion.

The problem that Mermaid faces though is the last thing you said, it's the first major addition in 20 years, and it simply isn't a sufficient follow up to Splash Mountain. It also doesn't make up for 20 years with no additions. As of right now, it is the principle attraction in the "biggest expansion in Magic Kingdom history" and it simply cannot live up to that hype.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Here's some slideshow pics showcasing Next Gen technology, RFID Tags, turnstiles, Pirates Interactive concept art, Fairytall Hall concept art, A possible EPCOT Imagineering Interactive Scavenger Hunt and MagicBands:

http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/w...d-tags-new-turnstiles-and-more#slide=45206291

Edit: As a side note, still no blog post from Blondie, Bland Tommy, Even Steven Miller, Shawn "Slayer Hater" Slater or Crazy Gary in regards to Tony Baxter's downgrade from Senior VP Creative Development WDI to Part time Consultant or what he's meant to the company for the past 47.5 years. Although Blondie did make the most commented about/most buzzworthy post today in regards to the BTMR interactive queue sneak peak.

Well this site is downright awful to navigate. Any chance someone wants to pull the content and host the pictures elsewhere?

 

[Figments Friend]

Agree.
Lots of pop ups and ads on there...beware!

Looks like some interesting photos though.

 

[WDW1974]

You're trying to quantify something that isn't really easy to quantify. I really think the fondness we have for things like Pan, Snow White, etc is that we're romanticizing things from our childhood. Perhaps the best measure would be to ask children what they like better.

Not really. I'm just viewing it based on what an attraction attempts to do and what it succeeds (or fails) at. I don't romaniticize much beyond my Spirited sexual prowess. And since I don't have children, it might be creepy if I asked them what they liked better -- unless I become a Mommy Blogger. ... BTW, is it true that Disney has killed the InsidEARS project?

I look at Pan now and I see a cheap looking attraction that fails to meet it's potential. I saw the same thing with Snow White and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as well. I think enhancements have been made to some of the Disneyland counterparts that haven't been replicated in Florida, but I think we're still looking at two different classifications of attractions. If the classic Fantasyland rides are C tickets, then Mermaid is a D ticket. It's simply on a grander scale and has more complex show scenes. Whether you like one attraction over the other is certainly a matter of opinion, but the scale of Mermaid vs. the other typical Fantasyland dark rides is undeniable.

I don't find the classic Disney attractions 'cheap' but charming ... and the MK has the worst of the lot. Anaheim, Paris and Tokyo all have better-kept enhanced versions.

But I am not going to argue that Mermaid aims to be better and more complex. Sure, it has a larger scale, but so does an elephant's house. I just believe it fails miserably. It's cheap and plastic. And for over $100 million, that is inexcusable.

 

[WDW1974]

Edit: As a side note, still no blog post from Blondie, Bland Tommy, Even Steven Miller, Shawn "Slayer Hater" Slater or Crazy Gary in regards to Tony Baxter's downgrade from Senior VP Creative Development WDI to Part time Consultant or what he's meant to the company for the past 47.5 years. Although Blondie did make the most commented about/most buzzworthy post today in regards to the BTMR interactive queue sneak peak.

Nice to see that she earned he paycheck today ... maybe the Celebration Place Social Media Cabal team and food blogger Pam Brandon (Spirited disclosure: she is a very good friend of a good friend) can write a post 'splaining HOW in the world the Trail's End buffet is close to $30 for dinner when less than a decade ago it was somewhere around $14.99 BEFORE a 20% DDE discount.

 

[WDW1974]

-

On a more serious note....

Tony has been on my mind a lot lately.
Been talking to a lot of folks...been getting a lot of different stories.
Lots of thought processes going on in my head these days as the number of different takes on the story are quite thought provoking. Many different sides...many different vibes out there. Who would have ever have dreamed things could be so complicated behind the scenes.

It is hard to know what to think, and hard to know who is really telling the right story, or telling the truth.
I wish him the best, and hope we have not heard the last from him.
Keep speaking your mind, T-man..

You can trust the Spirit. He KNOWS what went down and has said so here in this MAGICal realm. ... There is spin and lies and truth and SPIRITED TRUTH -- and that's the one you want to go with.

On another subject ...

Is it a bad sign for Oz that James Franco and Co aren't on Letterman now, but Captain Jack is talking about playing Tonto?

 

[WDW1974]

This Next-Gen just sounds worse and worse the more I hear about it. I really hope that this dies a quick death. People just can't be this stupid.

It can't and it won't.

It's like when you are flying a jetliner and about to take off ... you have a very limited time to abort. For NGE, that time was about 2010 ... maybe early 2011.

Now, no matter the cost (the really scary part), this is going to happen. Could be not in the full vision TDO dreamt up, but it will be happening.

 

[heatherkatheleen]

I can just see the newest DCL Vessel/ship(s) sailing the high seas: "The Disney Enchantment" as suggested by @heatherkatheleen and/or "The Disney Royalty". Looks like I'm going to have book my week cruise on the Fantasy in the Eastern Caribbean real soon.

Yayyy!!! 89 days till my Fantasy cruise... Can't wait!

 

[Figments Friend]

You can trust the Spirit. He KNOWS what went down and has said so here in this MAGICal realm. ... There is spin and lies and truth and SPIRITED TRUTH -- and that's the one you want to go with.

Thank you Spirit...this helps clear my head.

I was referring to a lot of the talk i have been catching up on with fellow peeps and on other Disney related fan forums...places i have not visited in ages...but thought i would have a glance at to compare notes.
Some of the comments i found there were insightful, but also at times many i found were disturbing from a appreciative Baxter fan perspective.
Always interesting to see how a story can be told so many different ways, with so many different agendas. Makes for interesting reading...but in the end it can leave one questioning what version of the story is the REAL version.

I thank you for you willingness to share your insights and opinions with us all here at WDWMagic.com...exspecially on this matter.

 

[WDW1974]

Yayyy!!! 89 days till my Fantasy cruise... Can't wait!

Have a GREAT cruise!!!

Headed to sea myself soon ...

 

[WDW1974]

Thank you Spirit...this helps clear my head.

I was referring to a lot of the talk i have been catching up on with fellow peeps and on other Disney related fan forums...places i have not visited in ages...but thought i would have a glance at to compare notes.
Some of the comments i found there were insightful, but also at times many i found were disturbing from a appreciative Baxter fan perspective.
Always interesting to see how a story can be told so many different ways, with so many different agendas. Makes for interesting reading...but in the end it can leave one questioning what version of the story is the REAL version.

I thank you for you willingness to share your insights and opinions with us all here at WDWMagic.com...exspecially on this matter.

Thanks for reading. And the nice comments.

I feel with Tony, a lot of stuff isn't being said (even on this site) ... and a lot of people are spreading/spewing their own agendas elsewhere. I saw that my old pal Lee MacDonald had suddenly risen from obscurity to take some more shots at Baxter on another site -- he might be better if he refunded folks the money for his fanzine that suddenly stopped publishing years ago. There's just a lot of mistruths and exaggerations and flat out lies and distortions out there.

And I'm saying that liking Tony personally, but damn well not saying the man is perfect and can't be tempermental and tough to deal with at times.

 

[Figments Friend]

-

Ah yes... nobody is perfect indeed, and creative types can often be difficult to work with, exspecially if they are very passionate about there own vision for a particular project.
It is either there way, or the highway...if you catch my drift.

I can relate to that, as i think anyone in any creative field can.

You can become so focused and engrossed about a project that you are utterly convinced that your way of executing it is the *best way* or in some extreme cases, *the only way*. People offer imput or suggestions, and you might not be open to that imput because of the above mentioned mental conditioning.
You might not even realize it, but it can make it very difficult for others to work with you if others are involved in said project and you do not let them have any imput, or make them at least feel like they are having some imput.

Having that strong vision in you head can really drive you to do great things, but if you are not careful, it can at the same time drive people away from you.

I am of course not saying this is the case with Tony...as i do not know him that well, on that personal a level.
I am just generalizing based on my own experience in the creative field.

I have a lot of respect for the man, and i am sure he has had his creative ups and downs like all of us do.
Mix into that the jealousy, grudges, political upheavals, and disheartening disrespect he has had to put up with over the last few years and it makes one realize that his strength of character and personal dedication to the concept was what kept his hopes up in what has become a very touch-and-go work environment.

 

[Scuttle]

Post-9/11 America at it's finest.

Thank the CIA for being completely worthless. Since they blow at what they do anyway can we please take some of their budget and fund NASA!!!!!!!!

 

[unkadug]

Here's some sad news from Disney that seems to be a regular deal:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ney-worker-child-sex-20130221,0,3119301.story

Something that sickens me even more:

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/toddler-wheelchair-heading-disney-cries-during-run/nWWGc/

Of the two stories, I find the former one far worse than the the latter.

In one you have a child sexually abused. In the other you have a child inconvenienced. Hardly comparable.

 

[Walt 1901]

I think in general the theme parks are losing there appeal to the company. I was just going my shareholder stuff for the up coming meeting and parks and resorts was a very distant second if not third to their media networks division. Iger being a network guy has built up the networks because that is what he knew. I can definitely see TWDC selling both parks and having a controlling interest. Disney is just another name in Igers stable, like Lucas, Marvel, and Pixar. The image of the company and Walt are slowing being washed away as people who remember the quality that Walt Disney once stood for pass on. I can honestly say that with in the next 10 to 15 years the company's name will be changed to just The Disney Company and Walt will truly be dead.

 

[HMF]

It can't and it won't.

It's like when you are flying a jetliner and about to take off ... you have a very limited time to abort. For NGE, that time was about 2010 ... maybe early 2011.

Now, no matter the cost (the really scary part), this is going to happen. Could be not in the full vision TDO dreamt up, but it will be happening.

This is going to be a Public Relations nightmare