The Spirit Takes the Fifth ...

[the.dreamfinder]

Sad news, Walt's daughter Diane Disney Miller has passed away.
http://latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78252653/

 

[BrianLo]

What does this post even mean?

A joke, I took Soarin' over Horizon's literally that you would see an aerial of the Horizon's attraction being destroyed.

 

[BrianLo]

You are much more generous than I would be. Many of those are minor (B level) attractions. Some just aren't known. They also will have two E-Ticket caliber shows at opening. The Voyage to the Crystal Grotto is the ballyhooed boat ride that loads under the castle. I expect that to be one of the top rides in the park.

Ah ok, I thought that was the Once Upon a Time, Adventure... So what is that?

I should have said B through E, basically I was listing every "ride" sans main street vehicles.

 

[tongaloosh]

Brilliant! This made my day!

So, does anyone have any suggestions on writing letters to corporate bigwigs? Or an proof the letters actually reach their intended addressees?

 

[wogwog]

This post goes out to all the tin foil hat wearers out there, but thought it would be interesting for people to digest here, or at least tell me how this happened;

My family was a wdw last week and on 2 rides with ride photos, Dinosaur and Splash Mountain, the photopass photos on the ride showed up in my photopass account without any use of a magic band or photopass card?!?

On Dinsaour, me and my son got a ride swap pass so he could go with his mom on it after we went. He decided to skip riding a second time, but it was him an I tht used the ride swap pass first, no magic band scanning, no stopping at the ride photo booth to load it onto our phtot pass card! It just showed up?!?

Now splash is the creepy one. We were at the Xmas party on Friday, no line at all for splash, I literally walked the que and wa on the ride! Again, no magic band scanned or photopass card swiped to get a picture but it ended up on my photopass account?!?

How did this happen? I know someone on here should have some knowledge but I found it a bit creepy...lol

Btw I only used my phtot pass for my band once to meet Ralph and vanelope, my wife with her own Disney account kept track of all the photos on her band. I know our TT photo showed up on my account but thts because I scanned my band to make a car...

@lazyboyo is correct. More band readers are being added all the time. They know when you enter an attraction, shop, restaurant, or any other location on property they choose. That is not a secret and his been published as one of the "benefits". Now I will speak through my tin foil. I will not use a band. I always use a card. It fits in my wallet after I wrap it in aluminum foil after I enter a park. just for added fun I do it right next to the nearest suit I see at a park entrance. My credit card works fine for rare purchases and meals. When I can no longer get a paper fast pass I will do without. I seldom use more than one a day. Uni Orlando is only a few minutes up I-4. I hear rumors they even build new attractions.

 

[jdmdisney99]

The thing that irks me with Shanghai Disneyland is its un-originality. Almost every single attraction has to have an IP basis. Why oh why can't WDI create a properly themed Tomorrowland anymore? What do Stitch, Tron, and Buzz Lightyear have to do with each other or tomorrow? It's somewhat disappointing.

 

[Goofyernmost]

The thing that irks me with Shanghai Disneyland is its un-originality. Almost every single attraction has to have an IP basis. Why oh why can't WDI create a properly themed Tomorrowland anymore? What do Stitch, Tron, and Buzz Lightyear have to do with each other or tomorrow? It's somewhat disappointing.

It's a silly little trick to get people to actually go to the attraction. There is very little response for something that was never heard of before and it takes a while to build word of mouth. Disneyland was built and designed around IP's everything from Sleeping Beauty to the Davy Crockett connection. If a park, such as Epcot, were built under the premise of the future, the IP isn't as important as was witnessed by the popularity of that park, but, without IP identification, the rest would be toast in no time at all.

Stitch, Tron and Buzz were created as life forms that do not presently exist (to our knowledge) and therefore, if they ever were to exist for us as real time, as a story line it would be in the future.

 

[jdmdisney99]

It's a silly little trick to get people to actually go to the attraction. There is very little response for something that was never heard of before and it takes a while to build word of mouth. Disneyland was built and designed around IP's everything from Sleeping Beauty to the Davy Crockett connection. If a park, such as Epcot, were built under the premise of the future, the IP isn't as important as was witnessed by the popularity of that park, but, without IP identification, the rest would be toast in no time at all.

Stitch, Tron and Buzz were created as life forms that do not presently exist (to our knowledge) and therefore, if they ever were to exist for us as real time, as a story line it would be in the future.

But the storylines aren't in the future. From takes place in the '70s, Lilo & Stitch in the early '00s and Buzz Lightyear is a toy from a movie taking place in the '90s. Also, about you original DL IP claims, that is right. There were a lot of tie ins, especially in Fantasyland. But not Tomorrowland, it was ORIGINAL.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It's a silly little trick to get people to actually go to the attraction. There is very little response for something that was never heard of before and it takes a while to build word of mouth. Disneyland was built and designed around IP's everything from Sleeping Beauty to the Davy Crockett connection.

Expedition Everest and the media blitz surrounding the opening of that attraction show that Disney has the resources to inform people about new attractions.

Also, Davy Crocket became a hit as a segment on Disneyland. As a property it was created for the park. The included properties, which represented well under half of the park's attractions, were also chosen for their storytelling potential, not their previous financial success. Excepting Snow White's Scary Adventures, none of the Fantasyland dark rides at Disneyland would have been built using today's decision making process.

 

[ford91exploder]

This post goes out to all the tin foil hat wearers out there, but thought it would be interesting for people to digest here, or at least tell me how this happened;

My family was a wdw last week and on 2 rides with ride photos, Dinosaur and Splash Mountain, the photopass photos on the ride showed up in my photopass account without any use of a magic band or photopass card?!?

On Dinsaour, me and my son got a ride swap pass so he could go with his mom on it after we went. He decided to skip riding a second time, but it was him an I tht used the ride swap pass first, no magic band scanning, no stopping at the ride photo booth to load it onto our phtot pass card! It just showed up?!?

Now splash is the creepy one. We were at the Xmas party on Friday, no line at all for splash, I literally walked the que and wa on the ride! Again, no magic band scanned or photopass card swiped to get a picture but it ended up on my photopass account?!?

How did this happen? I know someone on here should have some knowledge but I found it a bit creepy...lol

Btw I only used my phtot pass for my band once to meet Ralph and vanelope, my wife with her own Disney account kept track of all the photos on her band. I know our TT photo showed up on my account but thts because I scanned my band to make a car...

There is a reason why some of us call the MagicBand the 'Mouse Arrest Band' with a combination of wireless technolgies used by the MAB The Mouse can track you to a resolution of about 20'

It's why mine lives in a RF Shield bag http://www.ramayes.com - no tinfoil haberdashery here it creeps me out being tracked so i disable the tracking features by preventing the MAB from contacting the Mouse

note an Altoids tin works almost as well and is much cheaper plus you get to eat yummy mints

 

[ford91exploder]

Brilliant! This made my day!

So, does anyone have any suggestions on writing letters to corporate bigwigs? Or an proof the letters actually reach their intended addressees?

Can't speak to that BUT NOT writing one means a 100% chance of it not being read and acted on.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Expedition Everest and the media blitz surrounding the opening of that attraction show that Disney has the resources to inform people about new attraction.

Also, Davy Crocket became a hit as a segment on Disneyland. As a property it was created for the park. The included properties, which represented well under half of the park's attractions, were also not chosen for their storytelling potential, not their previous financial success. Excepting Snow White's Scary Adventures, none of the Fantasyland dark rides at Disneyland would have been built using today's decision making process.

You may be right, but, I disagree. What everyone seems to forget is that even if it is a Disney original, when used in the park it is an IP. Of course there were some exceptions and Everest is one of those. It was also located in a park that had no connection to any IP's to speak of and like Epcot could introduce new things and be relatively successful with it. However, when all is said and done Everest, like Space Mountain, BTMRR are first and foremost roller coasters. That in and of itself is an IP. The fact that it is themed is really not relevant to it's identity. It's just a way to enjoy a roller coaster in a different perspective. Splash Mtn and RnRC are two other examples of that. However, if one were trying to sell a theme park visit to in a place that didn't previously have a theme park, you need recognizable subject matter.

 

[jdmdisney99]

You may be right, but, I disagree. What everyone seems to forget is that even if it is a Disney original, when used in the park it is an IP. Of course there were some exceptions and Everest is one of those. It was also located in a park that had no connection to any IP's to speak of and like Epcot could introduce new things and be relatively successful with it. However, when all is said and done Everest, like Space Mountain, BTMRR are first and foremost roller coasters. That in and of itself is an IP. The fact that it is themed is really not relevant to it's identity. It's just a way to enjoy a roller coaster in a different perspective. Splash Mtn and RnRC are two other examples of that. However, if one were trying to sell a theme park visit to in a place that didn't previously have a theme park, you need recognizable subject matter.

Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, It's a small world, and many more disagree.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, It's a small world, and many more disagree.

Pirates is the only one that really could be called original, but, even then, it wasn't the first time Pirates had been heard of or movies made about them. CoP and Small World were directly created for the 1964 Worlds Fair and therefore an IP on their own while Hall of the Presidents was an expanded version of Mr. Lincoln which also had its birth in that same Worlds Fair. Nothing new to see there. Haunted Mansion? That concept was as normal as a Merry go Round when it came to amusement parks, just a little more elaborate then most.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Pirates is the only one that really could be called original, but, even then, it wasn't the first time Pirates had been heard of or movies made about them. CoP and Small World were directly created for the 1964 Worlds Fair and therefore an IP on their own while Hall of the Presidents was an expanded version of Mr. Lincoln which also had its birth in that same Worlds Fair. Nothing new to see there. Haunted Mansion? That concept was as normal as a Merry go Round when it came to amusement parks, just a little more elaborate then most.

You really do not see the difference of specificity?

 

[Travel Junkie]

Themeparkinsider.com has a great 3 part interview with Tony Baxter. Part three was posted today and discusses IP's. Baxter comes off as a fan of IP's and should be noted sans Big Thunder and Journey Into Imagination he mostly worked on attractions that are IP based.

Although rides like Pirates and Haunted Mansion were not specific IP's, Disney had explored these subjects before the attractions came about. Treasure Island was made more than a decade before Pirates opened at DL. Every land at DL's opening except TL had IP's associated with it and Walt Disney worked hard to develop IP's for TL.

Also of note: He alludes to the mistake by Disney of missing out on Harry Potter. He calls it a once in a generation IP.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201311/3782/

 

[ThemeParkJunkee]

Thanks for the link Virtual Insanity. I'd forgotten there was a part 3. Very interesting.

 

[Rodan75]

This post goes out to all the tin foil hat wearers out there, but thought it would be interesting for people to digest here, or at least tell me how this happened;

My family was a wdw last week and on 2 rides with ride photos, Dinosaur and Splash Mountain, the photopass photos on the ride showed up in my photopass account without any use of a magic band or photopass card?!?

On Dinsaour, me and my son got a ride swap pass so he could go with his mom on it after we went. He decided to skip riding a second time, but it was him an I tht used the ride swap pass first, no magic band scanning, no stopping at the ride photo booth to load it onto our phtot pass card! It just showed up?!?

Now splash is the creepy one. We were at the Xmas party on Friday, no line at all for splash, I literally walked the que and wa on the ride! Again, no magic band scanned or photopass card swiped to get a picture but it ended up on my photopass account?!?

How did this happen? I know someone on here should have some knowledge but I found it a bit creepy...lol

Btw I only used my phtot pass for my band once to meet Ralph and vanelope, my wife with her own Disney account kept track of all the photos on her band. I know our TT photo showed up on my account but thts because I scanned my band to make a car...

It sounds like they are applying the same face reco software that they use on the cruise line. You scanned once, that gave them the 'template' to search and associate. Not a big deal...Facebook does it every day.

 

[Kuhio]

But by then WDW will have perfected MyMagic minus and FP minus and sell the system to China. It should be perfected any year now in Florida. (sarc)

There's virtually no chance MM+/FP+ will be put in place at Shanghai Disneyland. The Chinese government may be many things, but they're not stupid.

In fact, WDW is probably the only Disney theme park/resort that will ever implement the MM+/FP+ system in its current incarnation, simply due to a specific confluence of factors at WDW that (at present) doesn't exist at any of the other Disney properties around the world:

1) Four theme parks and multiple resorts, giving the illusion of an overabundance of attractions/options -- and generating the artificial threat of "missing out" if you don't reserve your entertainment choices well in advance.

2) Situated in a society that's moving ever further away from spontaneity in every facet of life, including leisure time options -- encouraging even entertainment for children to be rigidly structured and scheduled down to the minute.

3) A client base that, at its broadest, is utterly devoted to the ineffable idea of Disney "magic" and increasingly ignorant of the true benchmark of WDW's former level of quality -- a client base that has become so blindly wedded to the WDW brand that it has uncritically accepted (indeed, even embraced) a wholesale lack of innovation and a steep decline in quality at WDW over the past decade or so.

MM+ is a dreadfully foolhardy scheme. In addition to the above factors, it's being implemented at WDW because it has to be implemented somewhere -- the Disney company has invested far too much money and PR capital into it to simply pretend it never existed. To employ a Chinese concept: Disney has to stand by its multi-billion dollar folly in order to save face. In China, however, the government -- intimately familiar with the concept -- is shrewd enough not to put itself into a position where such an ultimately transparent gesture would be necessary.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Does anyone have the e-mail addresses of people that we can reach out to regarding Imagination?

You dont want email, you want real mail. Email is easy to dismiss... people who actually take the time to write a letter are taken very seriously.