Spirited Spring Break News, Observations & Thoughts ...

[WDW1974]

Oh and to amend my comment above, HOW could I forget the GORGEOUS trees around Main Street and the castle hub decked out with wonderful twinkling lights? I felt such a rush of childlike wonder and joy seeing them again. My god such beauty long since lost...

I was going to talk about that and the mess that the Hub is now in, but at some point, it's like why? How many people here even visited the MK before 2004? How many were old enough to recall when trees and shade and a park-like atmosphere were part of the charm and beauty of the place. I stood on the MSUSA RR platform on Monday and looked out and it was like a clear shot to the castle. Nothing at all to interfere with lousy pics of a fiberglass castle. I say, let the trees grow (like Walt wanted) and if you want nice castle pics, I'm sure @WDWFigment can supply you with a few.

Folks want to rip UNI for things like Potter's showbuilding and all I can think is ''have they stood in Town Square and looked to the right? Do they not see all of those unthemed backstage areas?''

And once the temp hits 80 or above, the Mk becomes grotesque and there is nothing to help cool it down. No their little show trees in New Fantasyland don't count.

 

[Magenta Panther]

The sequel hasn't performed well, no doubt. ... But if you think Oswald is somehow a significant character and not a footnote in animation history, you are mistaken. But I don't want to argue this with you endlessly. No one cares about Oswald beyond a few fanbois who give him much more significance than he has. He is the Orange Bird of the 1920s. The Muppets are beloved by a few generations and wouldn't be in the state they now are in if not for Disney's handling of them. But as I sit here, I just saw a Toyota commercial with the Muppets. I can't imagine that scenario for your wittle wabbit.

Good. I'd hate to see Oswald lowering himself to sell cars. Or Mickey either.

Oh, PLEASE don't be one of those people who blame DISNEY for the Muppets' failures. As I recall, the puppets empire was on the verge of being broken up and sold piecemeal before Eisner stepped in and wasted good money buying them. From what I've read, the puppets were on a downward spiral before Jim Henson died. He'd tried a new show, which flopped, and the characters were losing their popularity (which happens to EVERY character, even the sacred Muppets. It even happened to Mickey. Audiences move on.) Disney has invested a lot of bucks in those characters, given them tons of publicity, and let the people behind the characters pretty much do whatever they want with them. If the puppets can't hack it, it's not Disney's fault. They were given every chance. But they're puppets in a digital age who've already made 7 freaking movies and maybe, just maybe, enough's enough. Maybe, just maybe, the Muppets weren't that great to begin with. They were a novelty, a fad, whatever you want to call it. So was ALF. What's he been doing lately?

 

[bhg469]

Or you could find another place to post?

Been posing since 03 and lurking for a long time before then.. Im not going anywhere. Its a great product Steve puts out. His help doesn't always do what's best but they're usually great. Reopening the thread shows that.

This site has some great members and info and I especially like that they don't sugar coat everything. Even better is that the mods usually do a fantastic job.

 

[Cody5242]

Too bad this will likely be the last of the Muppets... The movie is fading away quickly

 

[WDW1974]

Umm...rack room rate for BW or BC or YC May 18-28 is $ 438/nite basically? I didn't really look at the monorail resorts but I think it's over $ 500/nite. And that is not club level.

O-Town isn't Paris, Tokyo, NYC or London. It can't command rates of $400-800 a night for standard hotel rooms even if they come with a side of Pixie Dust. The economy in the USA and the reality of the local hotel market won't allow it. Yet, Disney's business model is contingent on annually raising rates at all its resorts (even if it is $10 a night, although usually it is more). That is why they have lost the deluxe market and need to timeshare (or up as I like to say) all their top resorts. The freaking Four Seasons has opening rates just north of $400. And Disney charges almost $1000 at Christmas for parking lot views at the GF and Poly?!?!?

And no one stops and says 'this is utter insanity!'

 

[culturenthrills]

I drove by. I glared. I snorted. I may have passed gas too.

But I didn't stop at TSFKaDD. It is a mess and I have no need or desire to go anywhere near it right now. One thing not lacking in FL would be malls.

If you are by the Mall at Millenia, I have a burger suggestion for you ...Burger21.com

We got those in Tampa a couple of years ago. Really good and has various kinds of burgers. Which is great since I don't eat beef but love a good turkey burger.

 

[jlsHouston]

@ParentsOf4 describes it perfectly with "broken business model"

 

[WDW1974]

Good. I'd hate to see Oswald lowering himself to sell cars. Or Mickey either.

Oh, PLEASE don't be one of those people who blame DISNEY for the Muppets' failures. As I recall, the puppets empire was on the verge of being broken up and sold piecemeal before Eisner stepped in and wasted good money buying them. From what I've read, the puppets were on a downward spiral before Jim Henson died. He'd tried a new show, which flopped, and the characters were losing their popularity (which happens to EVERY character, even the sacred Muppets. It even happened to Mickey. Audiences move on.) Disney has invested a lot of bucks in those characters, given them tons of publicity, and let the people behind the characters pretty much do whatever they want with them. If the puppets can't hack it, it's not Disney's fault. They were given every chance. But they're puppets in a digital age who've already made 7 freaking movies and maybe, just maybe, enough's enough. Maybe, just maybe, the Muppets weren't that great to begin with. They were a novelty, a fad, whatever you want to call it. So was ALF. What's he been doing lately?

Learn your history. See where the Muppets stand in terms of what they have done ... they have been far more relevant than most of Disney's classic characters for the last four decades. And how you are comparing a franchise that featured multiple films, TV shows and guest appearances on major shows like SNL with a character no one but a few fanbois and animation buffs are aware exists shows a profound disconnect on your part.

Oh, and ALF is more well known by many multiples than the ancient bunny. Does your family know you have an obsession with a toon from the 1920s that isn't even Mickey?

 

[WDW1974]

Too bad this will likely be the last of the Muppets... The movie is fading away quickly

It won't be.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Oswald is no classic. A classic is something that has enjoyed staying power over the course of a long period of time. A character that was popular for a few years in the 20s, vanished for 75 years and then brought back to hawk merch is no "classic". Then again, this is a company that markets five year old DVD bonus features as "classic".

clas·sic
[klas-ik] classical (for defs 1–5, 8, 10).
1.
of the first or highest quality, class, or rank: a classic piece of work.
2.
serving as a standard, model, or guide: the classic method of teaching arithmetic.
3.
of or pertaining to Greek and Roman antiquity, especially with reference to literature and art.
4.
modeled upon or imitating the style or thought of ancient Greece and Rome: The 17th and 18thcenturies were obsessed with classic ideals.
5.
of or adhering to an established set of artistic or scientific standards or methods: a classic example ofmid-Victorian architecture.

The above is from Dictionary.com.

Oswald fits the first, second and fifth definition. He was of the highest quality for his time. He certainly set the standard for toons of that era (which was why he was a success). He is a classic example of early 2D toons. I see no reference up there as per "staying power over the course of a long period of time". That's your definition, not the dictionary's.

My contention is simply that Oswald is a part of Disney history and, for that alone, has earned his place in the company. The Muppets and all the other non-Disney created/adapted junk cannot claim that. End of story.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Thanks for the heads up that Lowes hotel employees can get discounts nationwide.... That's good to know. Very good to know. I have several friends who work for them.

It'll make my next hotel stay in Florida a no brainer.

 

[Magenta Panther]

It won't be.

Yeah, it will. Disney's not going to keep throwing good money after bad. The franchise was dormant until Jason Segal got all juiced up about it. And then even HE lost interest. So have audiences, it seems...

 

[jlsHouston]

clas·sic
[klas-ik] classical (for defs 1–5, 8, 10).
1.
of the first or highest quality, class, or rank: a classic piece of work.
2.
serving as a standard, model, or guide: the classic method of teaching arithmetic.
3.
of or pertaining to Greek and Roman antiquity, especially with reference to literature and art.
4.
modeled upon or imitating the style or thought of ancient Greece and Rome: The 17th and 18thcenturies were obsessed with classic ideals.
5.
of or adhering to an established set of artistic or scientific standards or methods: a classic example ofmid-Victorian architecture.

The above is from Dictionary.com.

Oswald fits the first, second and fifth definition. He was of the highest quality for his time. He certainly set the standard for toons of that era (which was why he was a success). He is a classic example of early 2D toons. I see no reference up there as per "staying power over the course of a long period of time". That's your definition, not the dictionary's.

My contention is simply that Oswald is a part of Disney history and, for that alone, has earned his place in the company. The Muppets and all the other non-Disney created/adapted junk cannot claim that. End of story.

You do make a really good argument for Oswald. I don't think he can command current love though but I do admire you for your loyalty.

 

[The Mom]

Could someone please educate me on why the other "spirited" thread, one of the most popular on here with hundreds of pages and thousands of posts, was locked? I didn't see anyone getting nasty. I kind of don't get the whole censorship thing anyway, to be honest, but I definitely find this one to be a head scratcher.

I was just trying to make it easier for "The Spirit" to keep track. But, hey, if you want to keep going back and forth....

 

[dhall]

Do they really claim that? I can think of several other examples. Aladdin's spinner for one.

Indy Speedway for another -- I think the footprint is even bigger than 7DMT

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Oswald fits the first, second and fifth definition. He was of the highest quality for his time. He certainly set the standard for toons of that era (which was why he was a success). He is a classic example of early 2D toons.

More so than Felix the Cat?

"Highest quality for his time" is your own definition. Not everyone else has been sold faux nostalgia.

This is coming from someone who owns the Oswald DVD set and has seen the included shorts and documentary.

 

[GoofGoof]

They could put it behind WoL and share the existing monorail station. buses and parking lot. Not much to look at from the balconies though.

They could build a high rise tower (think Bay Lake Tower). The bottom few floors would be standard view but above 3 or 4 could be sold as EPCOT view with views into the park and views of Illuminations at night. Probably a lounge or restaurant on the top floor too. They would probably need to design it so the balconies all face EPCOT. It would be hard to sell a bunch of rooms with views of a giant parking lot.

Another option is to build where the current bus stop is and relocate the buses. There are some backstage buildings there too between Sea and Land that could be relocated and they could get the building right up to the edge of the park. With that location they could even build a connector bridge directly to the current monorail station.

I agree with the opinion that there are way too many rooms already, but it's still interesting to speculate where they might build next. At least with DVC it won't be a big construction sight for 5 years

 

[Magenta Panther]

Learn your history. See where the Muppets stand in terms of what they have done ... they have been far more relevant than most of Disney's classic characters for the last four decades. And how you are comparing a franchise that featured multiple films, TV shows and guest appearances on major shows like SNL with a character no one but a few fanbois and animation buffs are aware exists shows a profound disconnect on your part.

Oh, and ALF is more well known by many multiples than the ancient bunny. Does your family know you have an obsession with a toon from the 1920s that isn't even Mickey?

I'm not obsessed, I'm appreciate of the character's history with Walt. And I'm quite happy to defend that history. What's your freaking beef with Oswald? As a so-called Disney insider, you seem to have a pretty negative view of the character that put Walt and company on the map. As for the Muppets, feh. Funny that, despite their VAST popularity and staying power, Jim Henson had to sell them to a company he was once considering buying (yeah, that's part of that "history" you mentioned. Disney was in such poor shape once that Jim considered buying it. Thank god that didn't happen. And how funny that Disney eventually righted itself while Jim went in the crapper). How do you explain that, if Henson's puppets are so evergreen and "relevant"?

 

[jlsHouston]

for your wittle wabbit.

Okay now I am laughing out loud. I don't want to because I see Oswald is something that matters but ..I can't help it

 

[Magenta Panther]

More so than Felix the Cat?

"Highest quality for his time" is your own definition. Not everyone else has been sold faux nostalgia.

This is coming from someone who owns the Oswald DVD set and has seen the included shorts and documentary.

Felix is a classic character too. In some ways, he was the ancestor of Oswald. But Oswald surpassed him. That's because the owner of Felix only wanted to profit from the character, and refused to invest in sound and color until it was too late. Poor Felix didn't have the advantage of being the brainchild of Walt Disney...