The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[PiratesMansion]

"If you ignore the fact that Disneyland has the Rivers of America and the fact that Calico is surrounded by steel roller coasters, Calico is better than Frontierland"

"If you ignore the fact the park is regularly cleaned, has themed attractions, and better food Six Flags is better than Disneyland"

You would be the first I've seen on any park board ever to have the opinion that Ghost Town is no better than Six Flags simply because there are some roller coasters around it, or that it's not one of the best park areas ever built. Do those coasters, which I've already said are poorly placed, negate everything about the area automatically? I would have thought you would have appreciated that many of the buildings in Ghost Town are authentic, something that can't be said about the buildings in Frontierland. Or that you get more of that authentic Frontier feeling you were opining about earlier through that Stagecoach attraction that's still operating there. Or the Calico Mine Ride, which impressed Walt Disney, and the Log Ride. both obvious classics. If that's not enough, both of those attractions clearly inspired Tony Baxter to create some rides you feel pretty strongly about. But nah, neither they nor anything in the area can't possibly live up to Disneyland in any way, even though it directly inspired parts of that park.

Have you even been to Knott's?

I'm not even the only one in this thread that expressed admiration for the area. I didn't trash Frontierland. I acknowledged the validity of the other posts in this thread. All I said was that there were elements of Ghost Town that I liked better, and that ultimately the two areas were complimentary to each other. Not sure why that is apparently an issue for you.

At any rate, I thought you LIKED Six Flags' food and didn't see anything wrong with it? But now Six Flags is obviously being used in your comparison to represent trash? It can't be both, my friend.

 

[SuddenStorm]

You would be the first I've seen on any park board ever to have the opinion that Ghost Town is no better than Six Flags simply because there are some roller coasters around it

That's not what I said at all.

Knott's is perfectly fine as a regional park with local appeal- and some of the creatives that worked there or got their start there have gone on to influence the industry in many ways. It's remarkably well ran and does a lot right- like live entertainment.

In regards to Six Flag's food- it's been improving and is adequate for what it is but I still think Disneyland has far more diverse and generally higher quality food and beverage offerings.

 

[mickEblu]

You would be the first I've seen on any park board ever to have the opinion that Ghost Town is no better than Six Flags simply because there are some roller coasters around it, or that it's not one of the best park areas ever built. Do those coasters, which I've already said are poorly placed, negate everything about the area automatically? I would have thought you would have appreciated that many of the buildings in Ghost Town are authentic, something that can't be said about the buildings in Frontierland. Or that you get more of that authentic Frontier feeling you were opining about earlier through that Stagecoach attraction that's still operating there. Or the Calico Mine Ride, which impressed Walt Disney, and the Log Ride. both obvious classics. If that's not enough, both of those attractions clearly inspired Tony Baxter to create some rides you feel pretty strongly about. But nah, neither they nor anything in the area can't possibly live up to Disneyland in any way, even though it directly inspired parts of that park.

Have you even been to Knott's?

I'm not even the only one in this thread that expressed admiration for the area. I didn't trash Frontierland. I acknowledged the validity of the other posts in this thread. All I said was that there were elements of Ghost Town that I liked better, and that ultimately the two areas were complimentary to each other. Not sure why that is apparently an issue for you.

At any rate, I thought you LIKED Six Flags' food and didn't see anything wrong with it? But now Six Flags is obviously being used in your comparison to represent trash? It can't be both, my friend.

I’m pretty sure this is not what he saying. He was making a comparison to illustrate that comparing two lands while eliminating two major components (one in each land) is kind of ... well, silly.

 

[mickEblu]

Like I said last night it’s an apples/ oranges comparison, Frontierland’s mission statement is take us to the wild Frontier. Not an old Western town like Calico. At Disneyland it’s just a small part of the equation built as an entrance to the land really. The “town” in Frontierland is what, a solid 40 feet long?

 

[PiratesMansion]

@SuddenStorm It came across to me as:
1st quote: Disneyland is obviously better because of these things.

2nd quote: Knott's=Six Flags
Six Flags=trash
Therefore, nothing within Ghost Town can AT ALL be comparable to Disneyland and may as well be Magic Mountain, the other park whose company name was invoked in your comparison.

I'm trying to think of other possible interpretations for the second quote particularly and coming up blank.

And because it seems like an inordinate amount of our time discussing things together on the boards this year hasn't been particularly nice from either side, I interpreted it through that lens. If that was not your intention I apologize but would still appreciate some sort of clarity on that second quote. What can I say? This year has been a mess and has made everything HEIGHTENED on and off these boards.

 

[mickEblu]

Adventureland is an entrance to the Jungle Cruise.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Adventureland is an entrance to the Jungle Cruise.

And now Indy too!

 

[SuddenStorm]

@SuddenStorm It came across to me as:
1st quote: Disneyland is obviously better because of these things.

2nd quote: Knott's=Six Flags
Six Flags=trash
Therefore, nothing within Ghost Town can AT ALL be comparable to Disneyland and may as well be Magic Mountain, the other park whose company name was invoked in your comparison.

I'm trying to think of other possible interpretations for the second quote particularly and coming up blank.

And because it seems like an inordinate amount of our time discussing things together on the boards this year hasn't been particularly nice from either side, I interpreted it through that lens. If that was not your intention I apologize but would still appreciate some sort of clarity on that second quote. What can I say? This year has been a mess and has made everything HEIGHTENED on and off these boards.

I think mickEblu did a wonderful job of summarizing what I meant by my comment. I meant nothing more than that, and the second quote in my comment didn't even mention Knott's.

I’m pretty sure this is not what he saying. He was making a comparison to illustrate that comparing two lands while eliminating two major components (one in each land) is kind of ... well, silly.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Like I said last night it’s an apples/ oranges comparison, Frontierland’s mission statement is take us to the wild Frontier. Not an old Western town like Calico. At Disneyland it’s just a small part of the equation built as an entrance to the land really. The “town” in Frontierland is what, a solid 40 feet long?

There's a fundamental difference in the creative approach for each land. Walt didn't name it 'Westerntownland' he named it Frontierland. While its offerings have changed over the years Disneyland's focus was never in recreating a western town, but instead creating an environment that depicts an idealized version of the untamed frontier.

Knott's has attempted to depict an idealized western town.

Sure, both are 'western' themes but that's about where the creative similarities end. It's also why removing Rivers of America- the best themed portion of the land- from the equation is such a ridiculous idea. Let's judge Frontierland without the portion that depicts the frontier...

 

[mickEblu]

There's a fundamental difference in the creative approach for each land. Walt didn't name it 'Westerntownland' he named it Frontierland. While its offerings have changed over the years Disneyland's focus was never in recreating a western town, but instead creating an environment that depicts an idealized version of the untamed frontier.


Knott's has attempted to depict an idealized western town.

Sure, both are 'western' themes but that's about where the creative similarities end. It's also why removing Rivers of America- the best themed portion of the land- from the equation is such a ridiculous idea. Let's judge Frontierland without the portion that depicts the frontier...

Yup. I had seen the Calico is better than Frontierland sentiment a few times on the internet (or maybe just here lol) over the years and wanted to put my two cents on it. I think Calico also gets some possible unfair bonus points for not only being in Knotts but for being the best land in Knotts by a mile.

 

[truecoat]

As best I can tell. 'Good' Star Wars is all about name dropping and easter eggs for fan service. As long as you keep referencing the same old obscure characters from the 1980s, you're golden.

The worst part of Star Wars that I will never understand, is how they keep ending up back on Tatooine. A planet that was created for the sole purpose of being the forgotten, farthest outpost in the galaxy, is literally the only planet where anything noteworthy happens in this universe.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

He had a legitimate reason for going back to Tatooine. I'd say the first season's visit was fan service. The character of Peli Motto (the repair lady) was introduced in that episode, so to have her as an established character already was nice.

 

[DrAlice]

As someone who has little experience/exposure/what have you to anything Star Wars, what is it that separates The Mandalorian and its reception from the rest of the recent Star Wars films and lands?

Different personnel? Better fidelity to the established characters/universe? Some unexpected X Factor missing from the other new works?

Character development and story. They exist.

 

[DrAlice]

I feel like the last episode of The Mandalorian would have worked far better as a mid season episode than an opener. It also wasted the longer runtime. It felt like it padded for time with a lot of riding back and forth in the desert to hit a longer episode length just to please people that complained about the shorter episodes in Season 1.

One thing I liked about season 1 was the shorter episodes, since that prevented them from having too much padding just to fit a certain episode length.

I don't know... I enjoyed that bit. It's "world building". Of course, my bias is that I'm a little more than obsessed with the theme song, so any time there is space to enjoy the music and "exist" in that world, I'm happy.

Is this show award-winning television? Probably not, but who cares? Not everything has to be ground-breaking. This show is old-school TV fun. It's a little cheesy (what Star Wars isn't cheesy??), but it's also beautiful to look at, with fun characters that you want to know more about. That's enough to keep me watching.

While I'll agree with @el_super, that they will likely have to do more than "the save of the week" to keep people interested long term, they also need to remember to keep it simple, too. Star Wars failures happen when they try to overly complicate the story with unnecessary contrivances that don't make any sense (*cough* sequel trilogy). Keep it simple: cool worlds, cool creatures, good vs. evil. Period.

BTW, how about that poor Tusken raider that was stuck brushing the Bantha's teeth? I seriously LOLed at that one. Classic Star Wars cheesy fun, right there.

 

[Rich T]

Walmart just emailed me this very important sale info:

Is it 2021 yet? Can I open my eyes now?

 

[PiratesMansion]

 

[Californian Elitist]

You mean the super spreader event?

Yes, Debbie. That one.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

With the short sighted changes Disney has been doing, and dumping incredible amounts of money into these projects nobody asked for - I can't help but wonder what will happen to seasonal rides and changes like decor, HMH, Hyperspace, Powerplant after dark, etc.. and how alive the parks will be without the entertainment since a ton of people were let go.

 

[mickEblu]

Anyone have an Oculus Quest 2? The Star Wars game on there looks really cool. Price point seems reasonable too. Haven’t bought a gaming system since N64 so I was curious to hear some thoughts on it before I go buy.

@Phroobar

 

[LastoneOn]

Yes, Debbie. That one.

By the way, I think the baseball one is much more difficult and well earned. No doubt about that.

 

[Rich T]

Anyone have an Oculus Quest 2? The Star Wars game on there looks really cool. Price point seems reasonable too. Haven’t bought a gaming system since N64 so I was curious to hear some thoughts on it before I go buy.

@Phroobar

I would’ve bought one, but the Facebook login requirement is a deal-breaker for me. The price is right, but I think we’re still one more hardware gen away from really great visuals.