Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[ford91exploder]

The attractions, starting with the one at Universal Studios Hollywood, are heavily influenced by the book (the River Adventure is never even seen in the film) where the park and John Hammond are far less noble.

True in the book John Hammond was borderline evil.

 

[ford91exploder]

Spider-man is technically a dark ride... Also, read the ENTIRE sentence about Lorax.. It will include sets and AA's.. just as the other rides you describe.. therefore, Lorax is and will be a dark ride...



Apparently you never watched Jurassic park where, you know, they do visit Amber Mines.. Therefore, it fits the theme...

You know what does NOT fit? Monsters Inc in Tomorrowland... Star Wars land in Hollywood... Or visiting another planet by walking through some arches in Animal Kingdom, but that won't stop Avatar from going there... Sometimes, you need to suspend belief.. Since there were Amber Mines in Jurassic Park, and since the back story of Jurassic Park in IOA is that it is another research facility only in Orlando, Amber Mines make total sense...

The only things which don't make sense there are the incoming carnival games... And no one in the online community is giving Universal a pass on adding those eye sores...

If you recall JP got the Dino DNA from blood sucking insects trapped in Amber, The trouble began when they spliced in frog DNA - Since frogs can change sex under the right conditions... And the rest is maurauding velocipraptors etc

 

[BryceM]

(Boat rides, jeep tours, helicoptor tours, walkthrough exhibits, labs,etc.)

Yes, but this formula can get old quickly. Jeep tours and helicopter tours would just be all too similiar to the already existing JPRA. IOA used to have a JP walk through attraction, but sadly it isn't in operation anymore. I would love to see a Discovery Center dark ride as much as the next guy, but how interesting could it be without the "something goes terribly wrong!" story?

But I digress. I don't think it would necessarily need a "story", as long as it was informative and stayed true to the canon. However, I just don't think it's the plausible and logical route to go.

 

[BryceM]

I know that I am sticking my hand in a hornet's nest by asking this question, but are there any expansion pads on Marvel Superhero Island?

Just curious.

Yes, if they demolished that darned ugly theater and that whole little dead zone of the park.

 

[BryceM]

That is just what Central Fla needs...another attraction involving the wearing of 3D glasses.

Except what he said isn't true, and it's going to be a dark ride with a few 3D elements.

 

[BryceM]

I'm not so sure you are exactly right...

I have art for the amber mine coaster. Looks fantastic, but I last heard they were going another direction.
And the Lorax attraction, as I hear it, is a ride, not a movie (though with some 3D elements).

And then there are the big plans for Toon Lagoon for 2017 or so....

So no plans for Lost Continent, but rather for Toon Lagoon?

YAY!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

So no plans for Lost Continent, but rather for Toon Lagoon?

YAY!

Mythos survives another day.

 

[BryceM]

That's a shame - they're two great rides, and it would be great if they could remain with a changed theme...

However, I'm sure people felt the same with Jaws, and BTTF, and Kongfrontation, and Universal have shown that they aren't afraid of removing "major" attractions...

Popeye is great. Dudley is so-so.

 

[BryceM]

Mythos survives another day.

And so does all of that beautiful theming! Hopefully they eventually put it to better use, though.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Popeye is great. Dudley is so-so.

Dudley also seems to be a maintenance nightmare...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Popeye is great. Dudley is so-so.

Just as a log flume ride I think Dudley Do-Right's Rip Saw Falls is a lot of fun. It has "good bones" as the saying goes.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I think Dudley the funnest water ride in Orlando. I always have a blast. I enjoy the themeing too.

It would be a pity if we lost Toon Lagoon. Dudley and Popeye have got Disney beat for water rides, Splash and Kali are less fun experiences. Granted that going to toon lagoon IoA and standing still while staring at my shoes for twenty minutes is a funner experience than Kali.

 

[FigmentJedi]

And then there are the big plans for Toon Lagoon for 2017 or so....

By any chance are these related to Dreamworks trying to revive the Jay Ward cartoons with their Sherman and Peabody movie and new Bullwinkle shorts and Genndy Tartakovsky's Popeye film at Sony?

 

[ParentsOf4]

I am almost out of play time ...but I have pointed out MANY times here that TINY WDP built EPCOT Center using early 80s tech in three years, while this relatively minor Fantasyland project will take 4 1/2 years from announcement to completion.

Ah, the good old days when Disney published attendance! (Eisner stopped it in 1985 because he couldn't control the spin.)

WDW's official numbers from the 1970's and 1980's (fiscal years runs from October to September so, for example, the 1972 number represents October 1, 1971 to September 30, 1972):

- 1972: 10,713,000
- 1973: 11,593,000
- 1974: 10,834,000
- 1975: 12,515,000
- 1976: 13,100,000
- 1977: 13,100,000
- 1978: 14,100,000
- 1979: 13,792,000
- 1980: 13,783,000
- 1981: 13,221,000
- 1982: 12,560,000
- 1983: 22,712,000
- 1984: 21,120,000

EPCOT is a good example of how a major addition can impact a theme park's attendance both before and after opening.

EPCOT construction began in 1979. EPCOT opened October 1, 1982 so the 1983 number represents its first 12 months. I was one of those 22,712,000! Drove 20 hours with brother and friends to get there. Our 3-day hopper tickets were $35!

That was the trip with the "bench incident" I've described before. We were at central hub at MK and noticed a bench with chipped paint on one arm. We joked about it for the rest of the day. We even took a photo. Wouldn't you know it, we came back the next day and the chip was fixed to the point that we couldn't see where the chip had been! That freaked us out.

Massive theme park addition in 3 years, cheap tickets, immaculate maintenance.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

 

[nytimez]

We were at central hub at MK and noticed a bench with chipped paint on one arm. We joked about it for the rest of the day. We even took a photo. Wouldn't you know it, we came back the next day and the chip was fixed to the point that we couldn't see where the chip had been! That freaked us out.

Did they put a giant scrim over the bench while they worked on it? Did they hold a press conference to reveal the new and improved bench? Did they announce it as the largest and most immersive bench repair in the history of the Magic Kingdom?

 

[WDW1974]

That's a shame - they're two great rides, and it would be great if they could remain with a changed theme...

However, I'm sure people felt the same with Jaws, and BTTF, and Kongfrontation, and Universal have shown that they aren't afraid of removing "major" attractions...

I'll take UNI's track record with replacement attractions over Disney's any day.

I just hope the talk I have heard about ET, O-Town's best dark ride still, staying are true.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I posted this before but this seems like a good time again. This was from the very first Birnbaum "Official Guide" ...

 

[Captain Neo]

Except what he said isn't true, and it's going to be a dark ride with a few 3D elements.

And you know this how? because someone else said so? How about we wait 1 year and see.

 

[Captain Neo]

Have you ever read, or even watched, Jurassic Park?

I have seen/read it more times than you can possibly imagine

 

[misterID]

I posted this before but this seems like a good time again. This was from the very first Birnbaum "Official Guide" ...
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I remember my parents about those prices

And that comb over is EPIC!