The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[CaptinEO]

To be honest, I don't think any of those three help the argument.

Although, Ellen's Energy Adventure was one of those things that even at the time you could tell it was schmaltzy and wouldn't age well at all. So that made me enjoy it all the more...

The uncomfortable Sapphic tension with "Stupid Judy" in the pre-show, followed by WDI's first Lesbian animatronic wearing painfully stereotypical chinos and denim shirt, with a wash-n-go hairdo, battling some bizarre swamp dinosnake thing that defied Genus or Family; even by the smirky standards of the late Clinton Era, this was clearly not going to age well at all.

So of course, I loved it.

This ride was one of the craziest experiences of all time.

For anyone who never went:
You're sitting in a movie theater for 15 minutes watching Ellen play jeopardy and then your movie theater row turns into individual cars that form a train that moves.

Next you move through the animatronics set with dinosaurs fighting ellen then go into another theater. All with mid 90s stars throughout the show. I think Kramer even appears as a cave man and Bill Nye shows up.

My first time riding was in 2012 and it felt like a weird fever dream where I was watching 90s sitcoms while hallucinating.

I swear some parts of Disney World have been abandoned since the 90s. Even the Figment ride has all these posters up promoting Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Flubber.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Ellen's Energy Adventure was so old that Ellen wasn't even out yet when the attraction opened!

It was the sort of thing you did because you wanted to sit down for 50 minutes in air conditioning while technically doing something, and also there was one pretty cool part with dinosaurs.

It (and the pre-Ellen original version) is an attraction I respected more than I actually enjoyed.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

@mickEblu to be honest, Maelstrom wasn't a great attraction. It was novel because it was kinda weird, but don't feel like you missed out on anything brilliant there. It fit better than Frozen in Norway because it was actually about Norway and not a fictional Scandianavian kingdom that you can maybe pretend is Norway if you squint, but Pirates of the Norwaybean it was not.

It definitely wasn't a great attraction, but it was a weird, unique slice of Disney history which got replaced with the generic sanitized IP monolith.

 

[PiratesMansion]

It definitely wasn't a great attraction, but it was a weird, unique slice of Disney history which got replaced with the generic sanitized IP monolith.

No denying that. Just saying that in the grand scheme of things Maelstrom isn't really worth mourning for those who didn't get to experience it.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

I found Maelstrom fascinating and repeatable. More so than FEA.
The lightning flashes, the storm at sea, the weird polar bear and then the gnomes (or whatever they were called).
It was fun and unique and culturally relevant. I even enjoyed the film.


Ellen's Energy Adventure was a very poor makeover compared to Universe of Energy.

 

[Too Many Hats]

@mickEblu to be honest, Maelstrom wasn't a great attraction.

How dare you

I'll say this about Maelstrom: WDI will never build an attraction like that again. Accordingly, it's tragic for any Disney fan to have missed out on it.

I'm also very much in the minority on this, but I also never much cared for Great Movie Ride. The way you feel about the rooms in Runaway Railway is pretty much exactly how I felt about the rooms in GMR, and though the attraction had actual animatronics, many of them were a little...off-model for my taste (and the very first AA setpiece stopped working early on in the attraction's history and was never fixed lol). It's a cool sounding idea that never quite coalesced into a meaningful hole for me.

Great Movie Ride ruled, and inspired 10 year-old me to check out Singing in the Rain, Casablanca, and Alien. Sparked an interest in classic Hollywood. I know I'm not the only one.

(along with Impressions de France at Epcot and the super old school, multiple-island expansion pack version of TSI, complete with tourable fort).

Impressions de France is charming, classic Epcot, and is clearly being phased out. Definitely worth checking out before it's gone forever.

And Tom Sawyer Island is -- and I'm not even kidding here -- maybe my favorite thing in all of WDW. Pure childhood/nostalgia-soaked joy. Love the fort. Inspired me to read everything Mark Twain ever wrote. Love the views of Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion. Seems like MK's Frontierland might one day soon be gone forever (replaced with New Orleans Square?) -- I understand times change, but I will mourn the loss.

 

[Nland316]

Upon seeing the final product, there is no doubt in my mind that this land was designed with DLR in mind to some degree..



I know HKDL is pretty identical in scale to DL, which may just mean this is purely coincidental, but I can easily see this fit in the Motorboat/Autopia plot with the Matterhorn as part of the backdrop.

I do hope this land stays a HDKL exclusive (I know WDS), but I remember prior to MMRR being greenlit that rumors were swirling about an Arendelle expansion coming to the resort.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Upon seeing the final product, there is no doubt in my mind that this land was designed with DLR in mind to some degree..



I know HKDL is pretty identical in scale to DL, which may just mean this is purely coincidental, but I can easily see this fit in the Motorboat/Autopia plot with the Matterhorn as part of the backdrop.

I do hope this land stays a HDKL exclusive (I know WDS), but I remember prior to MMRR being greenlit that rumors were swirling about an Arendelle expansion coming to the resort.

I think I'd love this in the Motor Boat area, actually!

 

[Consumer]

Upon seeing the final product, there is no doubt in my mind that this land was designed with DLR in mind to some degree..



I know HKDL is pretty identical in scale to DL, which may just mean this is purely coincidental, but I can easily see this fit in the Motorboat/Autopia plot with the Matterhorn as part of the backdrop.

I do hope this land stays a HDKL exclusive (I know WDS), but I remember prior to MMRR being greenlit that rumors were swirling about an Arendelle expansion coming to the resort.

I love everything except for the castle and the North Mountain. I fully embrace a small Scandinavian village to play compliment to the Bavarian Village that is the rest of Fantasyland, but I see no benefit to have another full scale castle to compete with Sleeping Beauty Castle. Like you said, let the Matterhorn serve as a backdrop and then they can save the castle for inside the ride.

 

[Californian Elitist]

 

[Too Many Hats]

I know HKDL is pretty identical in scale to DL, which may just mean this is purely coincidental, but I can easily see this fit in the Motorboat/Autopia plot with the Matterhorn as part of the backdrop.

Frozen Land looks beautiful so far, and I’d fully support WDI incorporating aspects of it (whatever fits) into that back corner of Disneyland.

I’d even support bulldozing and rebuilding/modernizing the Matterhorn as part of such a project. But that’s a whole other topic.

 

[PiratesMansion]

How dare you

I'll say this about Maelstrom: WDI will never build an attraction like that again. Accordingly, it's tragic for any Disney fan to have missed out on it.

To a point. I agree that it's the sort of thing they would never build now. I agree that it had a certain charming weirdness about it. It objectively fit better than Frozen, as well as being a better ride. But I'm not going to pretend it was a masterpiece, and I genuinely don't think it's worth prolonged "I wish I'd done that" speculation for most people that never got to experience it.

Great Movie Ride ruled, and inspired 10 year-old me to check out Singing in the Rain, Casablanca, and Alien. Sparked an interest in classic Hollywood. I know I'm not the only one.

No doubt that that was the case for you or many others, I just never liked it. It always felt hokey and awkward to me, with those tank-like ride vehicles, warehousy feel, weird and off-putting AAs that didn't always quite look like who/what they were supposed to, and a contrived ganster/cowboy takeover. Undoubtedly it should still be there and was an icon/thesis attraction for the park. But am I personally upset I will never get to ride it again? Not in the slightest.

I did accidentally luck into getting the Cowboy version on my final ride, so I'm happy I got to experience that once. It felt like a poetic way to say goodbye to the thing.

Impressions de France is charming, classic Epcot, and is clearly being phased out. Definitely worth checking out before it's gone forever.

And Tom Sawyer Island is -- and I'm not even kidding here -- maybe my favorite thing in all of WDW. Pure childhood/nostalgia-soaked joy. Love the fort. Inspired me to read everything Mark Twain ever wrote. Love the views of Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion. Seems like MK's Frontierland might one day soon be gone forever (replaced with New Orleans Square?) -- I understand times change, but I will mourn the loss.

I'll never understand why they're choosing what's clearly the best film, and the only one with seats, to replace. I mean, I know why-marketable IP-but still. It seems plainly obvious that almost no one likes the BATB sing along.

MK easily has a better Frontierland than DL IMO; it'd be a huge loss if/when they gut it. While I haven't done Tokyo's TSI, I have a hard time imagining it could possibly top WDW's. Just a completely unfathomable scale compared to the others.

I’d even support bulldozing and rebuilding/modernizing the Matterhorn as part of such a project. But that’s a whole other topic.

Absolutely not, nope, never, nope.

 

[mickEblu]

@mickEblu to be honest, Maelstrom wasn't a great attraction. It was novel because it was kinda weird, but don't feel like you missed out on anything brilliant there. It fit better than Frozen in Norway because it was actually about Norway and not a fictional Scandianavian kingdom that you can maybe pretend is Norway if you squint, but Pirates of the Norwaybean it was not.

I'm also very much in the minority on this, but I also never much cared for Great Movie Ride. The way you feel about the rooms in Runaway Railway is pretty much exactly how I felt about the rooms in GMR, and though the attraction had actual animatronics, many of them were a little...off-model for my taste (and the very first AA setpiece stopped working early on in the attraction's history and was never fixed lol). It's a cool sounding idea that never quite coalesced into a meaningful hole for me.

To be fair, the press releases surrounding Dinoland in Animal Kingdom weren't particularly definitive, so Dinosaur may not necessarily be a goner yet. Even if it does go, it's a 'bad in a fun way' sort of ride that you'd probably be happy you did, but then never need to ride it again.

Splash Mountain and Country Bears are a bummer, but (small comfort, I know) they're still in Tokyo, at least for the time being. @Ne'er-Do-Well Cad has good recommendations about things to make sure you hit if/when you do go (along with Impressions de France at Epcot and the super old school, multiple-island expansion pack version of TSI, complete with tourable fort).

Yeah Splash and CBJ sting the most. CBJ I haven’t seen since I was in my late teens and that was Vacation Hoedown. I’ve actually never seen the original show. Neither CBJ or Dinosaur are enough to make me rush a trip to WDW. Right now we’re looking at Spring 2025 so they’ll most likely be gone just then.

You mentioned this in another post and I agree… Maelstrom does looks like the type of older attraction one respects more than they actually ride or enjoy. With that said, it just looks like the kind of thing that will never be built again and just that alone puts it near the top of the list. Kind of wish it had leaned more fantasy, trolls, Forest etc. Great Movie Ride I did watch a ride through when they announced it was leaving. It looked unique but probably the kind of thing I’d only ride once or twice a year if I was a local. Definitely should have stuck around though as the parks thesis attraction. In a Multi verse somewhere I think there’s a DHS that still has GMR. If it had managed to survive the Chapek days I could see it sticking around for a while. Especially if it was re- done with more Disney IP.

 

[Disney Irish]

Yeah Splash and CBJ sting the most. CBJ I haven’t seen since I was in my late teens and that was Vacation Hoedown. I’ve actually never seen the original show. Neither CBJ or Dinosaur are enough to make me rush a trip to WDW. Right now we’re looking at Spring 2025 so they’ll most likely be gone just then.

You mentioned this in another post and I agree… Maelstrom does looks like the type of older attraction one respects more than they actually ride or enjoy. With that said, it just looks like the kind of thing that will never be built again and just that alone puts it near the top of the list. Kind of wish it had leaned more fantasy, trolls, Forest etc. Great Movie Ride I did watch a ride through when they announced it was leaving. It looked unique but probably the kind of thing I’d only ride once or twice a year if I was a local. Definitely should have stuck around though as the parks thesis attraction. In a Multi verse somewhere I think there’s a DHS that still has GMR. If it had managed to survive the Chapek days I could see it sticking around for a while. Especially if it was re- done with more Disney IP.

Both CBJ and America Sings were some of my favorites when I went to DL as a kid.

We'll never see the likes of AA shows like those ever again, and I blame modern audiences....

 

[Consumer]

Both CBJ and America Sings were some of my favorites when I went to DL as a kid.

We'll never see the likes of AA shows like those ever again, and I blame modern audiences....

When I first got interested in theme parks, I absolutely loved watching old recordings of CBJ and America Sings. Have we finally found a common ground, @Disney Irish?

 

[Disney Irish]

When I first got interested in theme parks, I absolutely loved watching old recordings of CBJ and America Sings. Have we finally found a common ground, @Disney Irish?

There is always common ground as we're all just Disney Parks Fans.

The differences are just in the different view points based our personal experiences.

 

[mickEblu]

Snow White
Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Primeval Whirl

Forgot about Snow White! Purposely left the other two off my list. Lol

 

[PiratesMansion]

The original WDW Snow White is another one of those rides that I'm amazed got built. There aren't any AMAZING videos of it up, but WidenYourWorld has a video on YouTube that will allow you to appreciate the messed-up level on which that ride was operating. The still-existing Tokyo ride has parts that are fairly similar to the OG WDW version, only for the ride to ultimately pull its punches by incorporating aspects of the 1983 ride into its design.

I do miss the original WDW two-tracked Mr. Toad quite a bit.

Primeval Whirl, heck no. A generic spinning wild mouse coaster that's no different from its many, many clones is not an attraction to be mourned; potentially worse than the other examples of the ride type, actually, because of how ugly and tacky the theming was at what otherwise was the best themed Disney park in the United States. And if anyone really misses Primeval Whirl, they could go ten minutes down the road to Fun Spot Kissimmee and do what is basically the same ride for $10. Arguably nicer looking too even it it's "less themed" than its WDW counterpart.

 

[Rich T]

Both CBJ and America Sings were some of my favorites when I went to DL as a kid.

We'll never see the likes of AA shows like those ever again, and I blame modern audiences....

To be fair, IMO, America Sings (which I thoroughly enjoyed and admired) felt dated from Day 1 for most guests under the age of, say, 50, and the only real update was to turn one extremely stereotypical Mexican accent into a grizzled prospector voice. They could have periodically updated the show—at least it’s “modern” act—with not too much fuss, and they didn’t.

The Bears—one of my all time favorite attractions—was unwisely overbuilt with two theaters at DL, which created the impression that it wasn’t popular because there was never a queue, and seldom a full house.

You can’t force audiences to like something that doesn’t speak to them. It was Disney’s job as the entertainment producer to 1) update the content 2) build theaters that more closely matched the demand to begin with and 3) Come up with a better plan than total closure.

I do think we’ll see shows like this again someday when technology comes full circle and the idea is right. I don’t think it’ll be Disney, but someone will do it.

 

[PiratesMansion]

To be fair, IMO, America Sings (which I thoroughly enjoyed and admired) felt dated from Day 1 for anyone under the age of, say, 50, and the only real update was to turn one extremely stereotypical Mexican accent into a grizzled prospector voice. They could have periodically updated the show—at least it’s “modern” act—with not too much fuss, and they didn’t.

The Bears—one of my all time favorite attractions—was unwisely overbuilt with two theaters at DL, which created the impression that it wasn’t popular because there was never a queue, and seldom a full house.

You can’t force audiences to like something that doesn’t speak to them. It was Disney’s job as the entertainment producer to 1) update the content 2) build theaters that more closely matched the demand to begin with and 3) Come up with a better plan than total closure.

I do think we’ll see shows like this again someday when technology comes full circle and the idea is right. I don’t think it’ll be Disney, but someone will do it.

I don't think the mistake was necessarily to build two theaters; I think it was the location, more than anything else, that doomed it. Had they put the Bears, say, where Golden Horseshoe is (obviously they wouldn't have actually done that in 1972, given the revue was still going and wildly popular at that point, but just using the location as a hypothetical example), it'd probably still be there, even if they downgraded to one theater at some point. But putting it at a dead end of the park where there's nothing else around is perhaps an even bigger blunder. Lincoln typically affords more respect than CBJ among a certain brand of Disney parkgoer, but has a very similar location problem that means it will almost never fill a theater.

But perhaps the location vs. double theater problem is just another chicken/egg situation.

I still feel like the original CBJ was by far the strongest show they ever did for the bears-you can't top Marc Davis, and Marc Davis had nothing to do with the subsequent versions.