Thoughts about the progression of projection rides?

[yensidtlaw1969]

One of the big problems with screens is that they are exceptionally great as a storytelling medium, but also pretty exceptionally bad as an experiential medium.

The issue with Disney is that they continue to somewhat mistakenly believe that the Parks are more a storytelling medium, when they are actually much more an experiential one.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Thank you! I'm glad to see someone else say this. I think Na'vi River Journey uses them better than any other ride I've been on, and should be an example of how to successfully use them as an enhancement to physical sets (rather than a replacement) going forward.

Yikes. I disagree. Waaaay too many screens in that ride.

 

[ftblgenius]

I have no issue with using projection to accent a ride. However, the rides (such as Frozen) that project the face onto the animatronic, I find creepy.

 

[WishIWasRetired]

I would prefer to go on a ride and be amazed and wonder how'd they do that. Instead of a looking at a screen thinking they really mailed it in on that one.

 

[Walter Elias Disney]

Alice in Wonderland- Disneyland

Na'vi River Journey- Animal Kingdom​

Pirates Ride - Shanghai Disneyland​

​

BEST RIDE EVER.....​

Mystic Manor -Hong Kong Disneyland​

 

[Dayma]

I don't mind a combo of practical and projection/screen. I have issues with rides like Navi River Journey which I think depends on projection too much.

 

[Married5Times]

I brought one wife to Hong Kong Disneyland, for the most part just for her to experience what I saw 2 years before: Mystic Manor.

her exact words after riding: "It's ugly". That was the start of marital strife

 

[UNCgolf]

Yikes. I disagree. Waaaay too many screens in that ride.

Why does the number of screens matter as long as they're used correctly? You're never just watching a screen in Na'vi; it's always something in the background that blends with a physical set and adds additional movement that could not be accomplished as well in any other way.

It's not like the screens replace AAs -- the ride could (and should) easily have AAs in addition to the screens. Even if the ride was flush with AAs you'd still want the screens there doing what they do now; removing them would lessen the experience.

 

[Roakor]

I am waiting for Disney to create a working Holodeck

 

[WondersOfLife]

Why does the number of screens matter as long as they're used correctly?

Because in my opinion, too many screens is the definition of being used incorrectly.

You're never just watching a screen in Na'vi;

Correct. Sometimes it is just projections on a surface.

It's not like the screens replace AAs

They technically do. For instance, why project a film onto a statue on the first na'vi figure when he could have been another impressive animatronic.

-- the ride could (and should) easily have AAs in addition to the screens.

Correct.... So they should have put more AAs in.

Even if the ride was flush with AAs you'd still want the screens there doing what they do now;

Correct.... So they should have put more AAs in.

removing them would lessen the experience.

Correct.... So they should have put more AAs in.

 

[Poseidon Quest]

First question is what do you think of the updated version of the DLR Alice in Wonderland dark ride? I've never ridden it, but did a nearly equal ride-through on Youtube. In a 2-dimensional viewing, it seems to strike a good balance of animatronics and projection, but I'm wondering what people think who've actually ridden it. Did they strike a good balance? I've also Youtube ridden the Shanghai PotC ride which looks fantastic, but I credit the sets and creation of ships to ride through, which adds the needed realism to the projections IMO. It's been a few years since I've been to the WDW parks so when I did the same poor man's ride-through for M&MRR, it just looked like they too heavily relied on projections.

What are the thoughts here on whether Disney is striking the right balance in projection rides? Do they seem to be striking the right balance and improving experiences with them, or are they finding cheaper ways to "entertain", but ruining rides in the process? I'm a huge fan of the old Soarin' Over California, so I'm not anti-projection in general, but I'm just not convinced that Disney is using projections for the right reasons of improving the experience. Thoughts?

The projections are a welcome addition to Alice. I first went on the attraction in 2018, so I only experienced it in its current form, but having done comparisons, they modernize the ride without making it feel gimmicky. I felt the same with Snow White's Enchanted Wish. While I greatly preferred it as Scary Adventures, Enchanted Wish was definitely handled with care, which is rare from Disney these days. Speaking specifically on the projections there, they also enhance the ride to make it contemporary, but still leave it feeling like a "classic".

As for Runaway Railway, I have very strong feelings on it. A lot of people really like it and I've even seen it described as a "masterpiece", but it's very clearly the opposite to me. I would even go so far as to call it lazy. It suffers from serious pacing issues and really has no story. Where it lacks in story, the experience is poor executed. You're right in that it relies far too heavily on projections, it that it feels like you're riding around in an empty warehouse. Projection tech is a great tool when used to enhance physical sets or pull off an effect that is otherwise impossible physically, but with Runaway Railway, you're riding around in square rooms with sparse scenery and mostly just projections mapped to the walls. Also, while the attraction does feature a fair number of advanced animatronics, they all look odd and out of place with perhaps the exception of Daisy, which doesn't help the matter.

 

[UNCgolf]

Correct.... So they should have put more AAs in.

I completely agree it should have more AAs. I still don't see how that's relevant to the point at hand, though.

Even if the ride had 50 AAs, almost every single one of those screens/projections should still be there because they add something you wouldn't get with AAs alone. Having both AAs and the existing screens would be the best experience; adding AAs and removing all the screens would be worse than having both.

I maintain that I have not been on another ride that uses screens/projections as well as Na'vi River Journey. That's not the same thing as arguing that the ride doesn't need AA, or that screens/projections are better than AAs (they're not).

 

[WondersOfLife]

I completely agree it should have more AAs. I still don't see how that's relevant to the point at hand, though.

Too many screens. There is a disbalance. That is the point at hand.

Even if the ride had 50 AAs, almost every single one of those screens/projections should still be there because they add something you wouldn't get with AAs alone.

Agreed. But it doesn't have 50 AAs. It has 50 projections instead. I'd take literally ANY other dark ride over Navi any day... Except for maybe Nemo... Another example of way too many screens (even more poorly executed)

Having both AAs and the existing screens would be the best experience;

Yes.

adding AAs and removing all the screens would be worse than having both.

I actually disagree with that. It would be ideal to have both. But replacing everything with purely physical sets and animatronics would still be an upgrade. It'd be old school Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, 20000 Leagues quality rides. All of which, are better than Na'vi River Journey. So, either or would be an upgrade.

I maintain that I have not been on another ride that uses screens/projections as well as Na'vi River Journey.

I don't disagree that it is the best they have done with projection technology. But it's still super cheap of Disney to go that route... On a side note, another good example of an amazing blend of screens and AAs would be Rise of the Resistance. That is a great balance.

That's not the same thing as arguing that the ride doesn't need AA, or that screens/projections are better than AAs (they're not).

Agreed.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I have a love/hate relationship with screens. As a compliment to physical sets I typically love them, as the primary set I typically hate them.

The exceptions being Soaring, FoP, TSMM… they work in those situations. Ratatouille is the exception the other way, nice physical sets but the screens don’t work and really detract from the ride.

Fast and Furious is the worst of the worst though. Bad screens plus a bad story is just cringe worthy.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

screens should be illegal on rides.

corporal, tangible, physical sets please.

Not all animation translates to 3D well. I think Runaway Railway is a homerun, personally.

 

[Married5Times]

I think Runaway Railway is a homerun,

more like infield single due to a crazy hop, It is a hit, and I'll take it but it didn't really chase the pitcher from the game.

 

[UNCgolf]

Too many screens. There is a disbalance. That is the point at hand.

It wasn't the point I was making, though. I was never talking about the overall quality of NRJ; my point was solely about the excellent implementation of screens/projections as part of detailed physical sets.

I do think NRJ is better than Frozen Ever After even though FEA has a lot more AAs, but it's also lacking the physical sets that NRJ has. I also think it's better than Little Mermaid, which just looks shockingly cheap in places.

It's definitely not better (or even close) to rides like Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth, but they're also E tickets whereas NRJ is a C. I'm not sure it's really fair to compare it to those rides -- it probably makes more sense to compare it to something like Winnie the Pooh. I don't know if it's any better than Pooh, but I don't think it's significantly worse.

Regardless, I don't think we really disagree much. NRJ would be a much better ride with more AAs (and if it was a few minutes longer); there's no question about that. I only meant that when they do add screens and projections to a ride in the future, hopefully as a supplement to actual AAs, NRJ is a good example of the proper way to include them in the physical sets as opposed to something like Ratatouille, where you're just watching a scene play out on a screen.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I think the projection effects in Alice are a mixed bag. I prefer the rabbit hole scene when it was a proper room and not some swirls. Other clips are just that, clips from the movie on a wall. The hedgehog later in the ride is a better example of how the tech should be used. Same with the bread and butterflys that go above the dimensional flowers.

Snow White now has some of the worst projection stuff they've ever done, with the shattering mirror being both a sloppy effect and just nonsensical in its placement and as a narrative device.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Not all animation translates to 3D well. I think Runaway Railway is a homerun, personally.

More like, a run away from home.

 

[Mickey5150]

Alice in Wonderland is the best traditional dark ride at the US Disney parks. Projections enhance the ride. Snow White is another good example of a dark ride being enhanced with projections. Disney can do it right when they want to.