The Imagineering Break Room

spacemt354

Chili's

Daveeeeed

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So how's life everyone? I was thinking we should figure out what are the best themeparks in the world attractions etc. This doesn't have everything I've been thinking about on it, but thoughts?

Just to give others an idea, here are some of the best things about themeparks in different categories. Remember though that there may be a land at The Magic Kingdom that is way better and different at another park.

The best Disney rides ever are as follows in my personal order from highest to lowest:
Pirates of The Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure (Shanghai Disneyland)
Journey to The Center of The Earth (Tokyo Disney Sea) Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland & Tokyo Disney Sea)
Radiator Springs Racers (Disney California Adventure) Splash Mountain (The Magic Kingdom & Tokyo Disneyland)
The Tower of Terror (Hollywood Studios) The Haunted Mansion/Phantom Manor (MK & DLP)
Kilimanjaro Safaris (Animal Kingdom)
Mystic Manor (Hong Kong Disneyland)
Big Thunder Mountain (Disneyland Paris)

Some of the best RIDES from other parks:
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (Islands of Adventure)
Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey (Islands of Adventure)

Some of the best SHOWS on Earth in a themepark:
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth (EPCOT)
Fantasmic! (Disneyland)

The best LANDS on Earth. While these lands boast absolutely epic rides, this is purely for the immersion.
American Waterfront (Tokyo Disney Sea)
Mysterious Island (Tokyo Disney Sea)
Frontierland (Disneyland Paris)
Diagon Alley (Universal Studios Park Orlando)
Africa (Animal Kingdom)
Hogsmeade (IOA, USH, USJ)
Tomorrowland (Shanghai Disneyland)
Sunset Boulevard (Hollywood Studios)

Best Mini-Lands:
Ratatouille (Walt Disney Studios Paris)
Skull Island: Reign of Kong (Islands of Adventure)

And Finally, the best themeparks:
1 Tokyo DisneySEA (it's not even close BTW)
2 Disneyland
3 Disneyland Paris
4 Tokyo Disneyland
5 Magic Kingdom
6 Shanghai Disneyland (Best park ever for being brand new though)
7 Islands of Adventure (Tough call since its rides are so good, but since its theming is not as good throughout like MK & Shanghai it's just below. And it makes it Universal's only park on this list).
8 Animal Kingdom
9 Disney California Adventure
9 EPCOT (It would probably be #1 had it not been left to decay)
Hong Kong Disneyland (Still a good park, just much smaller)
10 Hollywood Studios
11 Universal Studios
12 Walt Disney Studios

Of course, all of this is personal opinion. I'm not factoring thrill in this -- just a ride's quality of theming, execution, and scale. If you want that you can go to SeaWorld or Six Flags. And while Universal has some great coasters (as with Disney) they are nowhere near the most thrilling in the world. Although I prefer EPCOT & Animal Kingdom to The Magic Kingdom... it's the most built out park.
 

spacemt354

Chili's
For Me:

Top Attractions (In no particular order because the order changes all the time):

Splash Mountain (WDW)
Space Mountain (WDW)
Expedition Everest
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Universal)
Tower of Terror (WDW)
Haunted Mansion (WDW)
Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland)
Radiator Springs Racers (Disneyland)
Carousel of Progress
Spaceship Earth
Tomorrowland Peoplemover

Top Lands

New Orleans Square (Disneyland)
Cars Land (Disneyland)
Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley (Universal)
Frontierland (WDW)
Asia (WDW)
World Showcase (I consider a "land")

Top Resorts (This I have a list for)

1 - Wilderness Lodge
2 - Grand Floridian
3 - Yacht and Beach Club
4 - Polynesian
5 - Coronado Springs
6 - Port Orleans French Quarter
7 - Contemporary

Best Theme Parks (Only the ones I've been to)

1 - Magic Kingdom
2 - Disneyland
3 - Epcot
4 - Animal Kingdom
5 - DCA
6 - Islands of Adventure
7 - DHS
8 - Hershey Park
9 - Six Flags Great Adventure
10 - SeaWorld Orlando
11 - Universal Studios Orlando
12 - Universal Studios Hollywood
 

Suchomimus

Well-Known Member
And for me:

Top attractions (also like Space's, there is no particular order):
Big Thunder Mountain (Disneyland California)
Toy Story Midway Mania (Hollywood Studios)
Pirates of The Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure (Shanghai Disneyland)
Journey To The Center of The Earth (Tokyo Disney SEA)
Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey (Islands of Adventure)
Popeye and Bluto's Bilgerat Barges (Islands of Adventure)
Journey Into Imagination (Epcot Center (Technically I'm cheating because I'm referring to the original version)
The Great Movie Ride (Hollywood Studios)
Seven Dwarves Mine Train (Magic Kingdom)
Peter Pan's Flight (Shanghai Disneyland)
Spaceship Earth (Epcot)
Kilimanjaro Safari (Animal Kingdom)
E.T Adventure (Universal Studios Florida)
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (Islands of Adventure)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (Universal Studios Florida)
Mystic Manor ( Hong Kong Disneyland)

Top Zones A.K.A "Lands":
Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Hollywood)
Adventureland (Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland)
Diagon Alley (Universal Studios Florida)
Fantasyland (Disneyland California, Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland)
Frontierland (Disneyland California, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland)

Top theme parks:
1. Tokyo Disney SEA
2. Magic Kingdom
3. Shanghai Disneyland
4. Tokyo Disneyland
5. Islands of Adventure
6. Disneyland California
7. Hong Kong Disneyland
8. Animal Kingdom
9. Hollywood Studios
10. Epcot
 

MA Screamin'

Well-Known Member
Think I'll start posting some music I'm enjoying and offer some takes on whatever I feature. My struggle with mental illness has not been as serious as others, and I have been so grateful that I've been able to manage it, but with that, music has been my constant! :)



When working on the Fantasyland project, I was listening the album Wildflower by the legendary Avalanches, an Australian group which layer samples in such an meticulous, yet smooth way that really challenges what it means to sample. Their tone is just beautiful, very sunny and lively, almost whimsical... remind you of a certain place in the Magic Kingdom? ;) I just found this mix they did for BBC Radio 1, and since I'm a big believer in multi-media inspiration, maybe you will be inspired yourself! The mix has something for everyone, but blends it in a way where all the genres equal out.

While I'm at it, any thoughts on Stitch's Great Escape tentatively leaving? I'll be crushed when it happens, the franchise was so prominent in my childhood. The show, yes, it has it's flaws and I'd much prefer a more critically-acclaimed attraction for my beloved blue fuzzball, but I took what I could get! :D Wanna see that soon, and I'm just wishing that I can see Wishes before it leaves, I had a little existential crisis the last time I saw it last summer: we hit DHS, AK, and MK in a matter of a day, so we missed the fireworks, and I've never been old enough to remember it... that I wanna see before it's gone. Anyone got a house down in Orange County lmao
 

FigmentPigments

Well-Known Member
Really wish there was more to the ride, but love the AA in the beginning. They did make the lift hill somewhat entertaining. I just wish the actual flume portion was more like Teamboat Springs.
I couldn't agree more. Besides from some odds and ends it doesn't really seem that impressive. The AA is really well done, but otherwise it's a bit disappointing (at least on video).:(
 

MA Screamin'

Well-Known Member
I couldn't agree more. Besides from some odds and ends it doesn't really seem that impressive. The AA is really well done, but otherwise it's a bit disappointing (at least on video).:(

I hate to be a debby-downer, but from some angles, it looks they slabbed a water slide on a parking lot. The contrast is crazy, considering how great the AA is and then how tacky it appears afterwards.

Can't wait for Volcano Bay though, despite it not being perfectly themed either. I suppose I'm just rather hypocritical :confused:
 

FigmentPigments

Well-Known Member
I hate to be a debby-downer, but from some angles, it looks they slabbed a water slide on a parking lot. The contrast is crazy, considering how great the AA is and then how tacky it appears afterwards.

Can't wait for Volcano Bay though, despite it not being perfectly themed either. I suppose I'm just rather hypocritical :confused:
Yeah, I just wish there were more details. :( I thought we were going to see Mary Oceaneer ' s treasures and all the loot she collected over the years, maybe even inside her wrecked ship. My imagination overshot the reality by a mile. :hilarious:
 

spacemt354

Chili's
I hate to be a debby-downer, but from some angles, it looks they slabbed a water slide on a parking lot. The contrast is crazy, considering how great the AA is and then how tacky it appears afterwards.

Can't wait for Volcano Bay though, despite it not being perfectly themed either. I suppose I'm just rather hypocritical :confused:
I'd get lambasted by all the Uni-fans for saying this, but I think Volcano Bay is getting over-hyped similar to their recent attractions like Kong and so forth.

Don't get me wrong, it looks like a lot of fun, and I would like to check it out...but the proximity to I-4 worries me about noise, and also the colored slides coming out of a volcano just seem tacky to me.
 

FigmentPigments

Well-Known Member
I'd get lambasted by all the Uni-fans for saying this, but I think Volcano Bay is getting over-hyped similar to their recent attractions like Kong and so forth.

Don't get me wrong, it looks like a lot of fun, and I would like to check it out...but the proximity to I-4 worries me about noise, and also the colored slides coming out of a volcano just seem tacky to me.
You should see the discussion of that very topic on the news and rumors forum. The thread is about Miss Adventure Falls, but it has degenerated to Uni fans saying Volcano Bay is going to blow Disney away to others saying it's an over - hyped water park that will not live up to expectations. The colored slides are a particular sore point. :hilarious:
 

spacemt354

Chili's
You should see the discussion of that very topic on the news and rumors forum. The thread is about Miss Adventure Falls, but it has degenerated to Uni fans saying Volcano Bay is going to blow Disney away to others saying it's an over - hyped water park that will not live up to expectations. The colored slides are a particular sore point. :hilarious:
Haha!

Eh, that's why I don't venture over there as much anymore, if at all. Most conversations devolve into Uni > Disney and I have no time for that. I've participated in enough of those. :p

Personally, I would only go to Universal for Harry Potter, the rest is meh to me, but if Universal is someone's favorite resort...I'm not gonna chastise them and say they're wrong and DIsney is better because A,B,C :confused: But people have to prove that their opinion is the right one and start throwing jabs at anything Disney does to shut it down.

Miss Adventure Falls is kinda meh...Pandora though? That's another story:D
 

FigmentPigments

Well-Known Member
Haha!

Eh, that's why I don't venture over there as much anymore, if at all. Most conversations devolve into Uni > Disney and I have no time for that. I've participated in enough of those. :p

Personally, I would only go to Universal for Harry Potter, the rest is meh to me, but if Universal is someone's favorite resort...I'm not gonna chastise them and say they're wrong and DIsney is better because A,B,C :confused: But people have to prove that their opinion is the right one and start throwing jabs at anything Disney does to shut it down.

Miss Adventure Falls is kinda meh...Pandora though? That's another story:D
/\ Agreed!
 

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