That Pesky Last Scene in COP

[Kman]

Our family are big fans of this attraction. My 16 year old INSISTS on doing it at least once per trip (which I find strange considering is opposition to other "uncool" things we propose to him)- this year we did it twice. Part of it is the charm of the thing- we somehow just love the nostalgic feel of the attraction. Our boys love it when the phrase "cat's meow" is used in the 1920's scene- they have heard my dad use the same description and they bug him that he must have been around back then- he is only 67! It's a running joke in our family. Obviously it's the last scene that is problematic.

My wife thinks they should take it back to the 60's as it would have been so that the attraction maintains it's original charm. I think they should really think about it and make it totally modern and mix in some possible technology that could be coming down the pipe. I would not want it to look like the Jetsons but based on what we know today I think they could update it and buy themselves probably 20-25 years. It just seems laughable that in the final scene they mention a car phone, have a video game where scoring 975 is a high score and the ski boots the daughter is holding are circa 1985.

I can accept some of the corniness of the ride (ie. the song) but I wish they would really think about and plan a major change to that final scene. If I was going to pick it apart further I would say they need to replace the t-bar ceiling which is a disaster and just give the place a fresh coat of paint etc. Freshen it up. I realize it is probably very low on the list of priorities so this is more about wishful thinking.

We love this attraction an would love to see it given some REAL love.

 

[Retroman40]

You may have also noticed some of the effects are working either - like the smoke from the burnt dinner and the pump not pumping water come to mind (although they may be fixed as it's been about a month since I've been to the attraction) - all minor and probably unnoticed by most - especially first time riders. To me the attraction is a "classic" and could use some real love. Sadly I think the OP is right about wishful thinking. Of course, it's a great place to catch a few winks if you do the 24 in May!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

My dream is that they would take it back to the original intent of the attraction... er, at least how I see the intent, anyway. When the CoP premiered in 1964, it went back about 60 years in the first scene. Lots of people in the audience could remember the time depicted in the first scene, or at least remember their parents talking about it. The times were times that people had actually lived through, so it was more of a look back and less of a historical exhibit. The year 1900 may as well be 1800 today... nobody remembers either one. Showing a lifetime of progress makes it more personal and relatable. The problem with the last scene isn't that it's stuck in 1994... it's stuck in a hypothetical year 1999 as viewed by the imagineers making the attraction in 1994. It's not really a bad concept, but when we see that VR headset and hear "car phones and laser discs", we know something's off. There's a lot of comedy that could be mined from the 80s, 90s, and 00s. I've put a bit of thought into a 90s scene: the kids tying up the phone line with dial-up Internet, the parents picking up the phone and hearing the modem sound, the way you used to wait forever for pictures to load in your browser, getting Internet metered out in hours by AOL, and so on. Nowadays, we have autocorrect text, Siri, etc. Tell me that talking oven joke in the current last scene didn't get a lot funnier when the masses actually started dealing with voice recognition!

People would freak out, because it would be an entirely new show, but I think it could actually be popular once again.

 

[WhatJaneSays]

I’ve recently thought a break down of having act 1 as just having gotten home from the 1964 World’s Fair, act 2 as the early 1980s, act 3 as the mid 2000s, and act 4 in the near future (say 2020-ish) pays homage to the concept’s origin while hitting all the best highlights era wise.

 

[Goofyernmost]

If we have any hope of keeping CoP, we all have to change our way of defining what that last scene should or shouldn't be. CoP is no longer a current and surely not a futuristic show. There is too large a gap in the the last two scenes. Any further and they have to lose the first scene. That would be a tragedy, frankly. As a historic show it is perfect. You are in Tomorrowland that isn't even about tomorrow. It's now just Sci Fi.

What CoP does that makes it worthwhile is to show, with a large degree of accuracy, what life was like through the 20th Century. We live in the 21st Century so we know what we have now, but, ask yourself, how many people of today's, or even the last generation, have any idea what life was like in the early 1900's. I'll bet almost zero. If you want an actual picture of where we are today we need a way to see what it was like just a few generations back. From the 50's on, things started happening pretty quickly, but, it wasn't always that way, which is something that young people today are truly not aware of. My own children are now in their 40's and when they were kids they didn't even know there was a time when TV's weren't in color. It is impossible to see where you are or where you are going until you have a clear picture of where you have been.

So, we need to stop thinking that CoP needs to be updated. You have to understand that two reasons exist for that and the first is that there is nothing to update. Disney no longer attempts to forecast the future, it is all moving to fast to be even close to accurate and second, the only way that Disney Co. would have the slightest interest in even keeping it is if they don't have to do that. It is futile to attempt and I believe that if the short sighted executives that currently run Disney had their way they would level it and probably expand the executive parking lot in it's place.

There are other reasons that I have expressed often, but, I'm not going to repeat them now. CoP needs nothing except maintenance and marketing to explain the current purpose and the historic value (which is great) to have all we need for that attraction. If some find that objectionable then the solution is simple. Walk right by it. However, the inability to recognize how important CoP is to our expectations of any theme park is a huge mistake. As I stated on another thread. Once that history is gone, it is gone forever.

 

[POLY LOVER]

Our family are big fans of this attraction. My 16 year old INSISTS on doing it at least once per trip (which I find strange considering is opposition to other "uncool" things we propose to him)- this year we did it twice. Part of it is the charm of the thing- we somehow just love the nostalgic feel of the attraction. Our boys love it when the phrase "cat's meow" is used in the 1920's scene- they have heard my dad use the same description and they bug him that he must have been around back then- he is only 67! It's a running joke in our family. Obviously it's the last scene that is problematic.

My wife thinks they should take it back to the 60's as it would have been so that the attraction maintains it's original charm. I think they should really think about it and make it totally modern and mix in some possible technology that could be coming down the pipe. I would not want it to look like the Jetsons but based on what we know today I think they could update it and buy themselves probably 20-25 years. It just seems laughable that in the final scene they mention a car phone, have a video game where scoring 975 is a high score and the ski boots the daughter is holding are circa 1985.

I can accept some of the corniness of the ride (ie. the song) but I wish they would really think about and plan a major change to that final scene. If I was going to pick it apart further I would say they need to replace the t-bar ceiling which is a disaster and just give the place a fresh coat of paint etc. Freshen it up. I realize it is probably very low on the list of priorities so this is more about wishful thinking.

We love this attraction an would love to see it given some REAL love.

It's an original Walt creation, it's basically historical at this point. The corniness as you say is really part of its charm to me. We never miss it when we go.

 

[Texas84]

I like that idea of taking the last scene back to a past decade instead of trying (and failing) to predict the future. They could pick a decade like the 70s, 80s or 90s and talk about those 'new-fangled' inventions of the time.

 

[Kman]

I like that idea of taking the last scene back to a past decade instead of trying (and failing) to predict the future. They could pick a decade like the 70s, 80s or 90s and talk about those 'new-fangled' inventions of the time.

I think that's what they have now (1990's) and it doesn't work terribly well...if they stay in the past they should go back to the 1960's per the original attraction

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think that's what they have now (1990's) and it doesn't work terribly well...if they stay in the past they should go back to the 1960's per the original attraction

Although, I wouldn't object to that, I don't really think that much would be gained by resurecting the 60's. It was a pretty turbulent time. Those of us that lived it are aware of it and those that didn't would not be able to see the times based on one act in a play. Again, that would require a major expenditure to change back for very little return in popularity or content. To me, it should just stay the way it is. Updated AA's would be alright, but, in the historic sense I don't think it is necessary as long as they are all working.

Someone mentioned that the water no longer came out of the pump on the kitchen sink. That has been that way for years. I don't think that they plan to fix that, but, they could. That last time I was there smoke did come out of the oven in the last scene. That was in January '15.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I think that's what they have now (1990's) and it doesn't work terribly well...if they stay in the past they should go back to the 1960's per the original attraction

That 90s scene is a 90s that never happened: big VR headsets, car phones, and laserdiscs. Yes, those things all existed, but were never widespread enough to be believable for an "everyman" family to have them in their home.

 

[JIMINYCR]

It is situated in Tomorrowland. So I wouldnt mind them using their imaginations and updating the final scene to show some wild futuristic things that might be around in the future. We say that there arent enough things in Tomorrowland connected to tomorrow. This would be a fun final scene where we could get a glimpse of the unknown possibilities into the future.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It is situated in Tomorrowland. So I wouldnt mind them using their imaginations and updating the final scene to show some wild futuristic things that might be around in the future. We say that there arent enough things in Tomorrowland connected to tomorrow. This would be a fun final scene where we could get a glimpse of the unknown possibilities into the future.

No, No, No... that would be like painting graffiti on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. It needs to stay as is, in it's final incarnation. Build a new attraction for that other stuff, it is not necessary to desecrate a work of art to appease a few. If those idiots in the Disney Company would earn their money and market that attraction properly it could be a unique and sought after attraction. It is a museum piece within a theme park that defines what later became the theme parks that we all loved to visit. Losing that would be the epitome of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot.

 

[rct247]

The current sets need to be preserved, but shown in a recreation at the Smithsonian. It will never survive in it's current or even it's 1964 version for another 50 years. It will have to change or removed.

I'm all for preserving the historical significance, but it needs to be updated for a new audience. Every one of these COP threads is posted, I always suggest switching from electricity as the focal point to computers instead. We've come a long way since 1964, so why not showcase it and not just in a scene that isn't quite accurate for 1999.

 

[KikoKea]

I agree that this is no longer anticipating the future and is a showcase of history. Took our 86 and 90 yo moms on this last year with our 22 yo son, and they talked to him the rest of the day about the scenes in CoP. I don't see a need to change it, but if it is updated, I do not want the earlier scenes changed at all.

 

[marni1971]

Wasn't looking bad this last month. Noticeable issues were no pumping water and no moving dishwasher in act 3.

Expect a refurb soon.

 

[Chef Mickey]

The last scene is not problematic to me, other than the outdated wardrobe (easy fix), a mention of a "car phone" and "laser disc", and perhaps the home's decor.

In my opinion, the last scene is just to show how far they've come from before, not necessarily be a scene of "today" from the audience's point of view.

With a simple wardrobe update, a few dialogue changes, and a few set changes, the last scene is perfectly fine.

Where the COP really needs help is in the TLC area.

1) New seating and carpets - They are in awful shape currently.
2) New Audio system (restore original audio, new speakers, remove the hissing that's always there).
3) Completely cleaned and the "scrimms" redone.
4) Animatronics refurbed and converted to newer versions.

I would keep the script, audio, and basic scenes completely the same and make a few minor changes to the last scene. Other than that, it's a perfect attraction that is not a dinosaur. It's still a relevant topic and great presentation for Tomorroland. It does a good job showing progress, even though the scenes are old....that's the point.

Sadly, I somehow doubt it will be properly refurbished, although I hope I'm wrong.

 

[rsoxguy]

"Car phone".
Need I say more?

 

[Goofyernmost]

The current sets need to be preserved, but shown in a recreation at the Smithsonian. It will never survive in it's current or even it's 1964 version for another 50 years. It will have to change or removed.

I'm all for preserving the historical significance, but it needs to be updated for a new audience. Every one of these COP threads is posted, I always suggest switching from electricity as the focal point to computers instead. We've come a long way since 1964, so why not showcase it and not just in a scene that isn't quite accurate for 1999.

If it can live in the Smithsonian it can live in the theme park. It just has to be marketed as historic, which is what happens if it were located in the Smithsonian.

As for your idea... it's great, but, it can be it's own show it doesn't need to displace what once was. We know what is now. We don't know what is tomorrow until we get there and we cannot allow the past to be forgotten. It is more important for future generations then it is for us.

Maybe they could call it the Carousel of Tomorrow (CoT) and be in Epcot. Things need a connected line to be fully understood.

 

[Jeff456]

I like it in its current form... It just needs a but of TLC the attraction is still relevant... It still shows progress, just not up to the present day. I don't see anything wrong with that.. It's one of my favourite attractions and I just hope it stays at WDW for as long as possible.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Wasn't looking bad this last month. Noticeable issues were no pumping water and no moving dishwasher in act 3.

Expect a refurb soon.

The pumping water didn't work in July and neither did the smoke from the oven in the final scene. The dishwater started working a few days after I arrived and the refrigerator in Act 3 never opened (I think it does, right?)