News Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

[matt9112]

it’s an exact clone, turned sideways. Find one person that says otherwise (besides you).

and you clearly have a lot to learn about the world outside of the US (like most Americans) and what Disney parks in those countries are like. Visit them all multiple times (like me) and get back to me.

Until then, keep enjoying the worst space mountain and pirates on the planet.

I mean let me know when to pack my bags oh wise world traveling master of attractions.

 

[aliceismad]

No one is asking for Disney to build Top Thrill Dragster. Just a few more rides that move slightly faster than a park bench. More stuff like ToT, Everest, and RnR.

I mean, they are building Tron and GOTG. I did say I would prefer a dark ride to a coaster in general, but dark rides also don't have to be kiddie rides like Peter Pan. And now that I think about it, Tron probably could be considered a dark ride or at least an enclosed coaster akin to Space Mountain.

Everest is a fantastic ride, and I'd love to see Disney take on more rides with that balance of escapism and thrill. But I don't think any of the rides at Disney could really be described as high-thrill. Maybe RnRC? Even California Screamin/Incredicoaster is pretty tame compared with anything a real thrill seeker would enjoy.

Elsewhere in the thread was a discussion of adding something like Velocicoaster at Disney, and while personally I think it looks like it will be a pretty cool ride, I don't see it as being super well-themed or immersive in the way that I would hope a Disney ride would be. There are reasons why Dinoland and some other areas are not well-loved by many Disney fans.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Not when one outright states a preference for big coasters, Six Flags and Cedar Fair.

I mean, if ALL they are looking for is record breaking big steel, then yeah, Cedar Fair is where they need to be (I would be hard pressed to recommend Six Flags to anyone for any reason). But most folks are more nuanced than that.

I love big steel. I also love highly themed environs. But for me, it is not about "immersion". It is about coherent eye candy. I actually LOVE seeing the steel tracks AND a plethora of eye candy. Coaster fans can appreciate sexy steel and theming. I love this drawing a fan did.

 

[doctornick]

Non-sarcastically, I think what everyone is actually asking for is Magic Kingdom's Indy Equivalent. Which is both thrilling, but a high capacity dark ride and not a total retread of anything already in the park.

Would Journey to the Center of the Earth (from TDS) qualify?

(Or even better, actually building Fire Mountain)

 

[UNCgolf]

Elsewhere in the thread was a discussion of adding something like Velocicoaster at Disney, and while personally I think it looks like it will be a pretty cool ride, I don't see it as being super well-themed or immersive in the way that I would hope a Disney ride would be. There are reasons why Dinoland and some other areas are not well-loved by many Disney fans.

This is the thing.

It's not about whether it's a good or bad ride. I'm sure the Velocicoaster will be a great ride. But that doesn't mean it would be a great ride for Disney -- it's all about whether it fits the area and the market. As I've said, you really can't theme a large coaster like Velocicoaster to Disney standards without enclosing the whole thing in a box, which is neither feasible nor advisable. It would always seem out of place at the current WDW parks, both for how it would detract from the theming of the surrounding area (hard to suspend disbelief that you're on another planet at Pandora, for example, if there's a giant roller coaster over your head) and because of how the ride itself can really only have light theming. You're not going to feel like you're in a different location or immersed in any kind of story while on one.

Again, that's not a problem -- it can be a great ride without those things. It has nothing to do with the overall quality of the ride in a vacuum; it's all about the fit for the park. Disney could build a new gate that focused on coasters and do whatever they wanted there without any complaints from me, but I'm pretty sure that will never happen.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

This is the thing.

It's not about whether it's a good or bad ride. I'm sure the Velocicoaster will be a great ride. But that doesn't mean it would be a great ride for Disney -- it's all about whether it fits the area and the market. As I've said, you really can't theme a large coaster like Velocicoaster to Disney standards without enclosing the whole thing in a box, which is neither feasible nor advisable. It would always seem out of place at the current WDW parks, both for how it would detract from the theming of the surrounding area (hard to suspend disbelief that you're on another planet at Pandora, for example, if there's a giant roller coaster over your head) and because of how the ride itself can really only have light theming. You're not going to feel like you're in a different location or immersed in any kind of story while on one.

Again, that's not a problem -- it can be a great ride without those things. It has nothing to do with the overall quality of the ride in a vacuum; it's all about the fit for the park. Disney could build a new gate that focused on coasters and do whatever they wanted there without any complaints from me, but I'm pretty sure that will never happen.

How many people actually believe they walked to another planet?

 

[UNCgolf]

How many people actually believe they walked to another planet?

Hopefully no one, but that's not the point.

The point is to create an environment that evokes that feeling, even when you know you haven't actually gone anywhere. A huge coaster overhead completely voids that. There's little reason to bother with elaborate theming at all if it's going to be so obviously broken. That's one of the big reasons people hate the Harmonious barges so much.

You can hide giant coasters back in a corner of the park and keep it out of view from most other areas -- Disney did this to an extent with SDD, although it's obviously not on the same scale as something like Velocicoaster. But it's hard to build a themed environment around something like that.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Hopefully no one, but that's not the point.

The point is to create an environment that evokes that feeling, even when you know you haven't actually gone anywhere. A huge coaster overhead completely voids that. There's little reason to bother with elaborate theming at all if it's going to be so obviously broken.

That's one of the big reasons people hate the Harmonious barges so much.

Fair point! The "Harmonious barges", simply put, are not very harmonious with anything.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Hopefully no one, but that's not the point.

The point is to create an environment that evokes that feeling, even when you know you haven't actually gone anywhere. A huge coaster overhead completely voids that. There's little reason to bother with elaborate theming at all if it's going to be so obviously broken. That's one of the big reasons people hate the Harmonious barges so much.

You can hide giant coasters back in a corner of the park and keep it out of view from most other areas -- Disney did this to an extent with SDD, although it's obviously not on the same scale as something like Velocicoaster. But it's hard to build a themed environment around something like that.

Yeah, I don't mind the Harmonious barges at all.

DisFan: "OMG, the monstrosities are blocking my view of the German Pavilion!!!!!!"

Me: "You know, if you move 10 feet to your left, you will be able to see the German Pavilion"

DisFan: "That's not the point! Disney is ruining my life!"

 

[UNCgolf]

Yeah, I don't mind the Harmonious barges at all.

DisFan: "OMG, the monstrosities are blocking my view of the German Pavilion!!!!!!"

Me: "You know, if you move 10 feet to your left, you will be able to see the German Pavilion"

DisFan: "That's not the point! Disney is ruining my life!"

Which is fine. Nothing wrong with them not bothering you but that's just personal preference (although that seems like a pretty serious misrepresentation of the complaints).

Disney has done things a certain way for a long time, and been incredibly successful doing things that way. They've set expectations for their parks based on that way of doing things. They obviously don't have to continue doing things that way (and are already changing, with the barges as one major example), but they'll lose some customers.

They might easily replace them with new customers so it won't matter for their bottom line, but no one should expect people to just happily go along with everything they do and continue to give them money for it. Disney offers an experience that you really can't get anywhere else (Universal is pretty close, but moreso in certain areas than others), so it will be unfortunate if that experience goes away and WDW becomes more like every other park. There'd be little reason for me to go then.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I've experienced Tron in Shanghai and am actually really glad it's coming to MK. The box can be distracting, but considering Pandora from AK's entrance, Galaxy's Edge from World Drive, and Cosmic Rewind from everywhere, it's hardly the biggest offender among this group.

It doesn't help that to many, Magic Kingdom is somewhat sacred ground, with Space Mountain in particular possessing iconic status (and providing an unbeatable point of comparison in terms of 360-degree themed structures), but for the actual ride experience, I'd easily take Tron.

Maybe one day Space Mountain will get the rebuild it desperately needs, but until then, Tron will make it feel like a joke. Overall, this one's a positive for me.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

BTW, I jumped in here saying that Disney could use some more big boy rides and that they were building 2 as we speak. Yeah, Disney.

And Velocicoaster looks amazing.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

BTW, I jumped in here saying that Disney could use some more big boy rides and that they were building 2 as we speak.

Does MK need more big boy rides? They need more people eating attractions. A rebuild of Stitch and a theatre on Main Street would be good examples of such.

I’m not against MK getting a new e-ticket, but it’s a pretty strange choice all around. If we are going to add another IP to Tomorrowland I would vote for wreck it Ralph to take over the speedway. It’s a fun mix of technology and nostalgia that fits current Tomorrowland, is a modern popular IP so that should please Chapek, and it could finally fix the Tomorrowland to fantasyland transition.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Would you say an expensive, high draw, low capacity indoor coaster next to an existing indoor coaster in the worlds most visited theme park is what’s needed?

I’d still like the villains water ride...

 

[MisterPenguin]

I’d still like the villains water ride...

You mean, "It's a Small World"?

 

[ToTBellHop]

You mean, "It's a Small World"?

 

[JoeCamel]

View attachment 533009

Ohhh he is cute!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Ohhh he is cute!

Wittle Chernie-poo.

 

[nor'easter]

Not really?

SDD and 7DMT are family coasters. Tron is essentially a family coaster too -- it may have higher thrill/intensity levels, but it's not even remotely close to something like the Velocicoaster or Incredible Hulk at Universal; they're on a completely different level (and coasters at other parks are even more intense). I'm sure major coaster fans will scoff at Tron. It's also a clone of a ride they already built elsewhere, which is the biggest reason it's going in at WDW.

Guardians is kind of its own separate thing. It's an attempt at a themed story coaster which they have specifically called "family-friendly". It's almost certainly not going to have the intensity levels of something like Velocicoaster either.

I actually prefer semi-intensity...don't like to have my brain shaken and my guts heaved. Those that do are welcome to Universal and the others. Frequently those intense coasters are not well themed either. Rockin' Rollercoaster is even a bit much for me. But I love BTM at all parks and and even Space Mtn in Disneyland.

 

[Giss Neric]

I wished they made one like Velocicoaster instead.

I wish Disney would for once stop working with Vekoma and work with Intamin. On second thought, whatever the coaster manufacturer they work with, if Disney has significant control of the overall layout and time of the ride then it's useless.

Mine Train is super disappointing cause of the length of it and the swaying is useless unless you physically exert effort in trying to make it sway.

SDD is Mack but I wonder if Mack actually had significant control of SDD cause ride is fun but not long enough.

Hagrid's and Expedition Everest for me are the perfect example of how a family coaster should be. Mild to moderate thrills, good coaster elements, good duration (not so short but not too long either).