The World's Most Magical Celebration - Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary

aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
mnelson3 said:
When the railroad does finally reopen im curious how long the lines will be lol.

Sure will be nice to hear the whistle again!
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and I hope it has a narration, it was getting pretty much cut down to nothing before it closed,,,missing too for a long time was the "nowww approaching main street station...alllll aboard!!!!" more and more details like that continued to get cut, just like the howling dog outside haunted mansion.
 
T

TDLFan

Well-Known Member
I remember thinking during the 25th anniversary, I hope I make it to see the 50th, I bet it will be pretty spectacular. I'll give them a pretty big pass because of covid but it almost seems like the people involved in the 50th have contempt for the resort, it's history, and it's guests. Very bizzare.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
aladdin2007 said:
and I hope it has a narration, it was getting pretty much cut down to nothing before it closed,,,missing too for a long time was the "nowww approaching main street station...alllll aboard!!!!" more and more details like that continued to get cut, just like the howling dog outside haunted mansion.
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The best was the suggestion they used to have in the narration when passing through Frontierland that if you listened carefully you might hear members of the Powhatan tribe followed by a blast of "HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE WOLF CRY TO THE BLUE CORN MOOOOON..." 🎶
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
The best was the suggestion they used to have in the narration when passing through Frontierland that if you listened carefully you might hear members of the Powhatan tribe followed by a blast of "HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE WOLF CRY TO THE BLUE CORN MOOOOON..." 🎶
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I remember that! It was laughably terrible... How that ever even made it to the final cut before inflicting it on guests is a wonder... And there are so many things they could and should do to the train ride...settings and such to really make it an engaging and wonderful little adventure... Since we don't have the show buildings that Disneyland has, they could have added a ton more settings and props instead of nothing. That would be a wonderful added thing for the 50th... REALLY plussing up an original attraction...
 
Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Sir_Cliff said:
I really am so curious about why WDW's 50th has been so mediocre.

I'm sure part of it is just cheapness exacerbated by post-COVID cheapness. Beyond that, though, even the things they did do seemed weirdly disconnected from the fact they were supposed to be celebrating the 50th. The TV commercials, 50 (but not really) golden statues (remember those?), and two nighttime spectaculars that debuted at the beginning of the celebration all had next to nothing to do with the actual 50th anniversary of WDW.

Beyond the cheapness, it seems like it must be a management issue. What's noticeable at DLRP is that they seem to take pride in and want to celebrate the resort itself. You just get the sense WDW (and increasingly the parks more generally in the US) are being run by people sitting in offices for whom its just another job with little interest in or knowledge of the product and without the skills to hide that or anyone above them who notices. Whereas somewhere like DLRP at least seems to have good management at the resort itself, the rot seems to go from the top right down at WDW to people making decisions like the Main Street USA DJ or plastic bags for build your own lightsaber. My impression is that there are at least some talented people in Anaheim, but in Orlando executive offices, I'm not so sure.
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My prediction years ago…was that it never was going to be a big deal.

That prediction hit - but obviously the conditions changed.

Long and short - prior to the plague - was that they don’t really do these in Orlando anymore. Because the customers suck it up anyway. So investing in “celebrations” is a sunk loss. Why bother?

Nothing built/premiered has anything to do with the anniversary. That’s just cover. It’s all about how horribly underinvested they have been for almost 2 decades in Orlando. They don’t have the capacity to keep people happy or to properly monetize/exploit it. And take “partial measures” to fix it because they don’t like to tell the shareholders running parks cost money to make it…permanently. Period. It will never change: there will be no rest or savings.

Who can we blame for this?

1650290163277.jpeg
 
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AndyS2992

AndyS2992

Well-Known Member
The 50th is awful, but slightly better than the 40th at least where absolutely nothing happened except a few stands of retro merch here and there. No acknowledgement at all. No decorations, banners, signs, nothing.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
My prediction years ago…was that it never was going to be a big deal.

That prediction hit - but obviously the conditions changed.

Long and short - prior to the plague - was that they don’t really do these in Orlando anymore. Because the customers suck it up anyway. So investing in “celebrations” is a sunk loss. Why bother?

Nothing built/premiered has anything to do with the anniversary. That’s just cover. It’s all about how horribly underinvested they have been for almost 2 decades in Orlando. They don’t have the capacity to keep people happy or to properly monetize/exploit it. And take “partial measures” to fix it because they don’t like to tell the shareholders running parks cost money to make it…permanently. Period. It will never change: there will be no rest or savings.

Who can we blame for this?

View attachment 633965
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Given all this, I am always mystified when people bring up Epcot's 40th as a factor for any internal decision making. If WDW's 50th was barely on their radar, what makes anyone think they are planning anything to be open, closed, finished, or started for Epcot's 40th? I doubt more than a handful of executives even know it's coming up, and most of them are likely involved with merchandising.
 
castlecake2.0

castlecake2.0

Well-Known Member
aladdin2007 said:
and I hope it has a narration, it was getting pretty much cut down to nothing before it closed,,,missing too for a long time was the "nowww approaching main street station...alllll aboard!!!!" more and more details like that continued to get cut, just like the howling dog outside haunted mansion.
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I heard howling dog last summer, I was in the hub and could hear it and thought NO WAY and went over to Liberty square to be sure, and it was indeed working. Then I never heard it again after that day. Not sure if broken or someone wanted it turned off. I think a lot of times little effects like that break and no one notices more than a cost cutting measure.
 
Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Sir_Cliff said:
Given all this, I am always mystified when people bring up Epcot's 40th as a factor for any internal decision making. If WDW's 50th was barely on their radar, what makes anyone think they are planning anything to be open, closed, finished, or started for Epcot's 40th? I doubt more than a handful of executives even know it's coming up, and most of them are likely involved with merchandising.
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Those things were an Eisner thing in a time of expansion to bring people

The Bob’s have been damn near exactly the opposite.

It’s always mystifying when people expect anything of the sort. That toy was taken away long ago.

But hey…they’re not even bothering to deep clean between Flower and garden and food and wine this year…so there’s that 👍🏻
 
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brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
AndyS2992 said:
The 50th is awful, but slightly better than the 40th at least where absolutely nothing happened except a few stands of retro merch here and there. No acknowledgement at all. No decorations, banners, signs, nothing.
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Does the 100 Years of Magic Celebration count? Since WDW's 40th Anniversary took place the same year of Walt Disney's 100th Birthday in 2001. Heck, the WDW was the centerpiece for the celebration.

Update: Whoops, I was thinking of WDW's 30th Anniversary.
 
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AndyS2992

AndyS2992

Well-Known Member
brb1006 said:
Does the 100 Years of Magic Celebration count? Since WDW's 40th Anniversary took place the same year of Walt Disney's 100th Birthday in 2001. Heck, the WDW was the centerpiece for the celebration.
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Well no, since WDW's 40th Anniversary was ten years ago in 2011 lol

It's the 50th this year so it would have been WDW's 30th anniversary 20 years ago during the 100 years of magic celebration in 2001.
 
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