Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

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GiveMeTheMusic

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
HenryMystic said:
Because its done on the spot and organic. It requires actual interaction with a guest and not uploading creepy data from a server.

You don't find it impressive that a person on stilts, in a heavy costume is not only navigating the suit but managing to offer a unique encounter with a guest?

I'm not sure who is controlling the dialog, but its so quick and seamless I almost wonder if the person in the suit is an equity improv actor.
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Just as a magic-ruining tidbit of info, the talking Transformers are two-actor jobs - one in the suit, and one backstage providing the vocals. USH had open auditions for the voice performers last month.

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/auditions/audition-calendar/

No less impressive! Anyone else remember when you could sit in KIT from Knight Rider and have a conversation with him at USH? Getting old.
 
Clever Name

Clever Name

Well-Known Member
HenryMystic said:
Remember the selling point of NextGen allowing custom/personalized character interactions?

Well, Universal Creative just quietly dropped this amazing tech into USH yesterday:

http://www./2013/05/interactive-tal...tudios-hollywood-at-transformers-the-ride-3d/

All done without the creepy wristbands and the billion dollar boondoggle.
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Thank you for posting that link! It is very impressive. Disney intends to take this to the next level just as most entertainers and politicians do.

As an example, it is very common for entertainers to use "local knowledge" when they are doing a gig in any particular town. If they're in Dallas, they might make a pleasant joke about the Cowboys football team. When they visit Washington, D.C. they use a similar joke about the Redskins. Politicians do the same thing. The idea is to endear themselves to their audience. The key is that they are able to make it look spontaneous.

I see the Disney characters doing the same thing. They'll not only know the names of their meet and greet patrons, but they'll also know where they are from and some of their interests (sports, hobbies, literature, etc.). That kind of knowledge can be a valuable tool. Magicians use such special knowledge to perform amazing "telepathic" tricks.

Just imagine if one of those children in the video had been a Yankees fan and the Transformer impressed the child with some baseball talk. This sounds like a grand slam to me.
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
GiveMeTheMusic said:
Just as a magic-ruining tidbit of info, the talking Transformers are two-actor jobs - one in the suit, and one backstage providing the vocals. USH had open auditions for the voice performers last month.

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/auditions/audition-calendar/

No less impressive! Anyone else remember when you could sit in KIT from Knight Rider and have a conversation with him at USH? Getting old.
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Man, I wanted to go see KITT so bad. And Cylons! I had a laser disc that had a tour of USH from the 80s on it, and I was so jealous! But, a trip from Germany would have been a bit...long.
 
B

Bolna

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
I had one of my best Disney trips in recent memory, although I think the person I was with had a lot to do with that. So did staying at my second favorite WDW resort ... and spending lots of time at the resort pool and water parks ... and doing special things like the Wild Africa Trek and touring the lounge at The Seas.
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Great company certainly makes a good trip even more magical. :)

WDW1974 said:
As to the Tangled toilets, they are nice enough on their own. BUT just dropped into MK they clash terribly with both Liberty Square as well as the tournament tent style of surrounding Fantasyland. They are a mess where they are and stick out like a toon tower would in my 'hood.

Love those relatively new Pirate potties though.
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Apart from the theming of the outsides toilets, I was actually quite impressed with toilet quality in the MK in general. Maybe after my trips last year to DLP which does not have very magical toilets at all, that was something I really noticed. I thought the newish Pirate ones were very nice and a great update. Also, the ones in the walkway between Adventureland and Frontierland and the new Storybook Circus ones. It seems like they are really doing a general toilet update park wide. Very nice! But then, I guess infrastructure updates like this ought to be standard and I am still baffled at how many places in the MK feel like a trip back in time - especially all the moving walkways. And after having been on my first Disney cruise earlier this year, I now know what a true excellent level of cleanliness in toilets looks like. The public bathrooms on that ship were so shiny clean, it was amazing!
 
BryceM

BryceM

Well-Known Member
TheMackMachine said:
So what exactly could Universal replace Toon Lagoon with? Toon Lagoon is my favorite island in IOA, and it just doesn't make sense why it should go.
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Who knows? I hope it isn't LOTR. I don't want Islands of Adventure to become the "Lord of the Rings AND Harry Potter theme park". Sadly, Toon Lagoon is my least favorite island. The characters are dated, it's bare around the theater (ugh), there are carnival games, too many shops, Dudley feels incomplete, etc. I do think the Sweet Haven area around Popeye is really nice. And I adore Popeye. And Dudley's facade is awesome and it's a lot of fun to watch.

Maybe a non-IP based island...? Ha. Doubt it.
 
Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

Well-Known Member
the.dreamfinder said:
Expanded Jurassic Park.
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Do they need more room to expand JP? A lot of basically unused space there, behind Thunder Falls Terrace, and where Triceratops Encounter used to be (still is, I guess.)

Part of me hopes that they'll be able to keep Sweethaven if they get ride of most of Toon Lagoon. It's the best-executed part of that area. So much of TL is kind of a jumbled mess (I get that it's supposed to look cluttered, and in the age of Instagram it's got a lot of opportunities for quick, funny picture taking, but I've never gone into any of the stores or restaurants there in all the times I've been to IOA, because it all just seems so generic.)
 
Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

Well-Known Member
BryceM said:
Who knows? I hope it isn't LOTR. I don't want Islands of Adventure to become the "Lord of the Rings AND Harry Potter theme park". Sadly, Toon Lagoon is my least favorite island. The characters are dated, it's bare around the theater (ugh), there are carnival games, too many shops, Dudley feels incomplete, etc. I do think the Sweet Haven area around Popeye is really nice. And I adore Popeye. And Dudley's facade is awesome and it's a lot of fun to watch.

Maybe a non-IP based island...? Ha. Doubt it.
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Is there a good reason that nothing's ever gone in that theater? Seems like such a waste.
 
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