I'll give my final message on this and then I'm done. I don't want anyone to think I'm writing this in an angry manner. It's more of a tired manner.
I was very anxious to see any pictures and/or video of the refurbed IASW in CA, and after I did and got my impressions made, I think the worst part was the numerous battles between sweatshirt moms and fanboys on the various forums.
I have never been a hard core fan of IASW, I have ridden it occasionally...the florida version that is, but after WDW refurbed their IASW in 2005....something made me intrigued about it....the enhanced sound and light, the new costumes, better moving dolls, and we got a clock tower...finally! My only lasting gripe is that there are many ceiling tiles not replaced since 2005 and you can still look up and see the "warehouse" :lookaroun
Be that as it may....I agree with MouseDad, the foreign parks could use characters and perhaps a ton of characters in their small world to tell the message using music from the movies and having an american scene.
They could actually do it to the one at the MK as that has a global audience moreso than Disneyland in CA.
But they have now altered the original one.....yes its just a ride you could say....but even Walt and Pepsi knew where not to go with this ride, and they didnt add characters and plush and cash registers at the end of the ride. It stayed in theme and focus because Disney....well...atleast at that time....was an innovative company coming up with new and unique things to do and kept theme and purpose in mind. As a businessman this is what Walt did quite well....and I don't understand how people say "WELL YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WOULD DO EXPO GAWWWWD :fork:" Isn't it obvious that he knew his movie characters were successful, but made sure they were simply part of vast and ever growing brand that included unique journeys for adults and the whole family into places such as pirates, ghosts, and adventures into inner, liquid, and eventually outer space? :shrug: He knew were to expand and to contract.
Disney now is a recycled brand. We know what they are. We know what they do, and very rarely can we ever be surprised. They take the same thing and repackage it over and over again. They have hurt themselves when other average joes say "oh its just for kids, etc, etc,etc" and I used to defend Disney....and tell these average joes that "NOOOO its more than that". Now....I am finding myself agreeing with them.
While the average joe does go to WDW or DL with little to no understanding of the parks and their message and meaning....Disney....and lets admit it...has taken the easy way out because they know they can get away with mediocre character themed overlays...rides that have the unfinished "industrial look" to them, and onslaught of merchandise carts, pin carts, etc. Disney used to pride in being above people....now they have no problem compromising theme and details for brand recycling and average joe expectations.
Disney parks are so ironic that they, and especially at Disneyland use in their marketing...the "famousness" of their old and classic rides like Spc Mtn, HM, etc and the nostalgia factor, etc because lets face it.....the parks were better with the respect to form, content, and purpose back then. There was cohesive theming throughout DL and WDW. You never felt like you were going to a six flags park like you do now. The only saving grace is some thematic leftovers from the 1970s and 80s that still work and Disney clings to saying "LOOK HOW THEMED IT IS....LOOK ....LOOK"
With a few expections going through the Disney parks is like going into a film vault....its like Universal Studios....we are riding the movies basically......we are seeing sequals, prequals to movies. :hurl: The rides will become outdated in a few years and well have no timelessness to offer. It also alienates the new generation of fans going to Disney parks will now think that....no character?....must not be a Disney ride.
They make it like they have to do it because kids demand it. Had Disney never had their Disney Decade of the 90s with the onslaught of merchandise and start of character tie ins...these kids would still be seeing and probably appreciating the classic Disney that we saw in the 60s through the 80s. They would know no different than we did. And they would still be entertained with new unique attractions of the time such as soarin, TT, everest, tower of terror, etc.
Of course the parks have to and do need to change...HOWEVER...that doesn't mean you rely on movie characters all the damn time. We are not opposed to ALL change....will you get over that and go back to buying your sweatshirt at the emporium? We are however opposed to not using ones Imagination and coming up with mediocre, character themes that are now prominent in all the Disney parks. Use your damn brain and tell us a unique and immersive story! We are sick of seeing a movie, watching it at home, and then riding it.
"WELL THAN STOP GOING EXPO...GAWDD YER SO MEANZ! :fork:" I may stop going....if this trend keeps on chugging along...I really will have lost an interest in Disney parks....and refuse to pay the amount of money for one park one day or a pass if the few rides I want to see are country bears, space mountain, HM, and a few others that stay true to theme but are upgraded with new technology.
And now that the original IASW has had these changes made to it....I find myself so obligated to look for characters...to find them...to notice them. SOME blend in well....but not ALL of them. I payed little attention to the other kids and set pieces in Arabia because I was too busy noticing Aladdin and Jasmin....and payed almost no attention to anything in Mexico because I was too busy watching the three caballeros bouncing up and down with lights pointed on them....same goes for Pinocchio...who has lights around his window.....and was it Marty or Tony that said none of the characters would have a "Look at me!" approach.
Because this has happened I must CHANGE my mind and hope and pray now...that the one in Florida never gets these changes......it's now the last version left in the spirit of the original that doesn't include America or characters.
Going on the refurbished florida version is....somehow relaxing...drifting pass the other countries...knowing that we are in America, the country hosting this version of the ride and we don't need our scene in there, and there is no obligation to see a certain character, or hear music to movies in the background.
Its not like the ride isn't popular. It always has crowds, especially when people have worked their way into Fantasyland in the afternoon.
I have seen children, videos of children, and from my experience....knew the basic idea of the ride when I was a child....I have never seen a child not be engaged about the ride unless they were already sleeping, or are some big kid who thinks its cool to act like the ride is stupid.
As for the children I have seen them point, look, stare, and laugh but they are doing this at a ride where the children are all equal. Disney thinks they have made a success because "well...they'll like it they are pointing at their favorite chartacter!" So what if a child giggles at an Alice in wonderland AA? Children would laugh if you saw cinderella wearing a space helmet at a tomorrowland meet and greet! Just because someone may like a character doesn't mean that change has to be done with character overlays. It is talking down to children and taking the easy way out, something Walt refused to do.
Disneyland would never be completed as long as Imagination was left in the world. I truly believe Walt would be saddened to know that his brand has expanded very little since he passed. While intriguing rides have been created, and better fireworks shows, parades, and other experiences have made Disney stay true to their name....these rides and experiences are in the shadow of the almighty dollar the Disney company is out after, and will talk down, overlay, and overprice whatever they have to do to get it from one's pocket.
Disneyland was never meant to be a museum....and yet it is becoming one....its a museum of characters used in movies in the 1940s, 1950s, the 1990s, and the 2000s....its a museum where you see them from their passe movies in all the lands of Disneyland....you can ride their movies...buy their sequal to their movie merchandise....and go on classic rides like it's a small world which offered a prayer...a little squeak for peace....and now you are going through Disney's international film vault to see some cute and adorable characters who in most cases....take center stage.
Have a great big beautiful day :wave:
