News Tomorrowland Speedway and Walt Disney World Railroad to be impacted by TRON construction at the Magic Kingdom

[MisterPenguin]

Thematic purity is thrown out the window with the conceit you're on an old-timey railroad that goes through a fantasy land and a tomorrow land.

DL's detour through a museum of natural history only breaks the theming further.

Same deal when a Mississippi paddle boat winds up on all different places around the U.S.


You're in a *magic* kingdom. Start with the premise that your tour vehicle is *magic* and can transverse different lands and times. Bingo, cognitive dissonance resolved.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I don't think one post calling it underwhelming and one more saying "I can see why you say that" really counts as knocking it - and I also don't think we're forgetting the Grand Canyon. The poster was simply expressing that the PW was a let down to them. Perhaps The Grand Canyon didn't have that same effect.

And speaking of The Grand Canyon, while Disneyland's has some more nicely updated effects, the best use of the Diorama overall goes to Disneyland Paris, where the Grand Canyon is the first thing you pass through after Main Street Station and when you exit you're immediately met with the sweeping vista of Frontierland from along the backside of the Rivers of the Far West. It's a really great moment where the diorama seems to give way to you being transported in reality . . . and if you manage to catch it at sunset there's almost nothing better.

DLP features no dinos along their railroad, however.

My point was honestly that neither PW nor GC are particularly impressive nor are any visuals from the DLRR or WDWRR. So we shouldn’t have expected all that much from the TRON tunnel. It should actually look pretty cool in there at night.

I wouldn’t have wanted a high tech space using projections and there isn’t really enough room under TRON for a show building with actual sets.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

My point was honestly that neither PW nor GC are particularly impressive nor are any visuals from the DLRR or WDWRR. So we shouldn’t have expected all that much from the TRON tunnel. It should actually look pretty cool in there at night.

I wouldn’t have wanted a high tech space using projections and there isn’t really enough room under TRON for a show building with actual sets.

Honestly, looking "pretty cool in there at night" is more than I expected from this, so I'll consider that a simple win.

I would have loved to see them take this opportunity to finally bring some meaningful show elements online at the WDWRR, both at TRON and other places around the layout, but I certainly knew better than to expect it.

Will this be another "Brought to you by Philips Hue" project like the recent lighting reconfigurations at EPCOT?

 

[James Alucobond]

I think the tunnel itself is fine. You’ll be in it a matter of moments, it’s consistent with the look of the area, there aren’t a bunch of conduits on the wall like in the Adventureland tunnel, and assuming the cutouts are windows, you might see a lightcycle woosh by. It makes for a good transition as it opens up to Storybook Circus.

If they were going to expend the effort to do some sort of diorama or show scene, I’d rather they build some sort of trompe l’oeil city of the future on the horizon between TRON and Space Mountain. It would contribute to views from three attractions (railroad, TRON flyover, and PeopleMover) and could potentially be constructed in such a way to at least partially mitigate the look of the adjacent show building from the Contemporary.

 

[disneyC97]

I don't think one post calling it underwhelming and one more saying "I can see why you say that" really counts as knocking it - and I also don't think we're forgetting the Grand Canyon. The poster was simply expressing that the PW was a let down to them. Perhaps The Grand Canyon didn't have that same effect.

And speaking of The Grand Canyon, while Disneyland's has some more nicely updated effects, the best use of the Diorama overall goes to Disneyland Paris, where the Grand Canyon is the first thing you pass through after Main Street Station and when you exit you're immediately met with the sweeping vista of Frontierland from along the backside of the Rivers of the Far West. It's a really great moment where the diorama seems to give way to you being transported in reality . . . and if you manage to catch it at sunset there's almost nothing better.

DLP features no dinos along their railroad, however.

But Tokyo does!

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Thematic purity is thrown out the window with the conceit you're on an old-timey railroad that goes through a fantasy land and a tomorrow land.

DL's detour through a museum of natural history only breaks the theming further.

Same deal when a Mississippi paddle boat winds up on all different places around the U.S.


You're in a *magic* kingdom. Start with the premise that your tour vehicle is *magic* and can transverse different lands and times. Bingo, cognitive dissonance resolved.

. . . Was anyone talking about "thematic purity"?

If you're referring to the use of the word "random" to describe the Primeval World, it's only because both it and the Grand Canyon are so isolated from interaction with the rest of the park. It's not random to see the Native American village along the backside of Frontierland, but it is random to suddenly be seeing Dinosaurs when their presence has no meaningful relation with the park aside from "These were also from that World's Fair, so we put them here!" . . . which, again, is reason enough for those who know that, but they might seem out of left field for anyone who doesn't.

 

[larryz]

All of the plain, industrial tunnels along the Walt Disney World Railroad should have been replaced with themed tunnels during this extended closure, instead they’re adding another one.

Didn't you hear? "Imagineers" have been replaced by "Budgeteers."

 

[larryz]

DLP features no dinos along their railroad, however.

Who needs dinos when you've got a dragon in your castle basement?

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Hopefully, they can fit it in. I would hate if they pass on an opportunity to replicate this inviting segment:

I still say, if Disney bought the rights to WW, that would make an AWESOME dark ride!

 

[Bocabear]

I think we can all agree that the scenery along the route of the WDRR could use some major improvements.... To actually add better thematic settings related to the Attractions/lands it is passing behind would be wonderful...instead of mostly nothing and maintenance roads. Same with the Peoplemover... both cases these transportation attractions would benefit from new, upgraded and well done thematic sets added...

 

[JoeCamel]

I think we can all agree that the scenery along the route of the WDRR could use some major improvements.... To actually add better thematic settings related to the Attractions/lands it is passing behind would be wonderful...instead of mostly nothing and maintenance roads. Same with the Peoplemover... both cases these transportation attractions would benefit from new, upgraded and well done thematic sets added...

I would settle for a bunch of cast off props left to the jungle, something besides swamp

 

[lazyboy97o]

Didn't you hear? "Imagineers" have been replaced by "Budgeteers."

A few hundred million dollars isn’t exactly a small budget.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I think we can all agree that the scenery along the route of the WDRR could use some major improvements.... To actually add better thematic settings related to the Attractions/lands it is passing behind would be wonderful...instead of mostly nothing and maintenance roads. Same with the Peoplemover... both cases these transportation attractions would benefit from new, upgraded and well done thematic sets added...

One of the biggest mistakes that Disney made was the small “expansion” to fantasyland. They new the park needed as much space as possible expansion wise. They should have expanded fantasyland all the way up to the railroad tracks and designed it to be see from the tracks as well.

Obviously with more attractions as well.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I still say, if Disney bought the rights to WW, that would make an AWESOME dark ride!

Yeah, but knowing them they'd go with the Depp version instead...

 

[ToTBellHop]

Yeah, but knowing them they'd go with the Depp version instead...

Not now they wouldn’t…

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Not now they wouldn’t…

But, but it's Tim Burton..Disney's salvation to anything Goth..

 

[doctornick]

I think the tunnel itself is fine. You’ll be in it a matter of moments, it’s consistent with the look of the area, there aren’t a bunch of conduits on the wall like in the Adventureland tunnel, and assuming the cutouts are windows, you might see a lightcycle woosh by. It makes for a good transition as it opens up to Storybook Circus.

I don't think you'd be able to see the lightcycles passing by from ground level of the train through those windows, would you? I don't really get what the train riders are supposed to be seeing through them though obviously work is not done yet.

 

[marni1971]

Well it's not like they had a bunch of extra dinosaur AAs lying around...

...oh wait.

That would have dented Chapeks profits though.

 

[James Alucobond]

I don't think you'd be able to see the lightcycles passing by from ground level of the train through those windows, would you? I don't really get what the train riders are supposed to be seeing through them though obviously work is not done yet.

The cutouts to me look to be facing the under-the-entrance launch point for the cycles where they exit the show building.

 

[MisterPenguin]

In one of those cement cut-outs Disney has a surprise for everyone longing for Energy's dinosaurs. Look quick, you'll see... Ellen!!