Underrated Aspects of Disney Attractions

[Tom Morrow]

Something that Disney absolutely nails that basically all other theme parks get wrong is attraction pacing. Most Disney attractions employ some degree of cinematic pacing. Not just through storytelling but also what the attraction does and shows you. Most guests will never think about this, but effective pacing produces enhanced excitement by properly building anticipation and a greater emotional reaction when pulled off correctly.

Rather than jumping right into it, guns blazing, more often than not, Disney's attractions start off slower and build up to a climax. If it's a dark ride, the story and visuals typically increase as you traverse through the attraction. If it's a thrill ride, the most thrilling moment is typically reserved for the climax of the attraction.

A few examples:
- Haunted Mansion does not show you a materialized spirit until after the seance. The buildup to the ballroom scene keeps you wondering and anticipating about what you're going to see. Finally, the attraction concludes with a massive spectacle in the graveyard, and a little epilogue/cliffhanger for a goodbye.
- Splash Mountain, as mentioned, slowly increases your visuals, beginning with a peaceful cruise around the mountain where the focus is on what's around the mountain more than the story itself, though you do get little hints of the story. You then plunge into the cartoon world and are fully immersed in it. Everything from this point forward is leading up to the climax of the big drop, followed by a spectacle finale.
- Dinosaur - starts off slow and careful, gradually picks up pace until the point where it's absolute adrenaline pumping chaos.

Even on attractions that are more full-on chaotic, such as Disney's simulator attractions (sans Soarin'), Disney makes a point to include "breather" moments where the action stops, allowing you to collect yourself and avoiding feeling like overkill. Examples: hypersleep in Mission: Space, the transmission on Star Tours, and the glowing cave moment in Flight of Passage.

Universal, and most other parks, do not take this approach, and instead choose to bombard you will full throttle action the entire time. The result is the attractions simply do not resonate with you on the same level that Disney's do.

 

[eliza61nyc]

not sure if it's underrated but I love the gravestones in the HM que. lol some of them are super witty.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

For me it has to be the bootleg Mickey Mouse image in Harambe Market.

Firstly Disney even admitting that their products get ripped off by third parties is pretty clever, but then the sheer paradox of a Disney character in the hyper realism, but still entirely fictional Harambe village just blows me away.

It’s like they want us to feel like we have left Disney and have traveled to Africa, and they are so darn confident they have pulled that suspension of belief off, that they slap a Mickey Mouse on the wall. For me, rather than diminish the idea of being in an African town, it actually makes it seem more real.

Oh the paradox. Well played

The ever present Coca-Cola is handled in a similar way in Anandapur in Asia.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

I like the trashcans that go along with many of the rides and lands. It’s just a nice little detail to me that takes something ordinary and makes it special.

 

[HongKongFooy]

What’s an aspect of a Disney attraction that you personally find underrated? It could be an effect, a scene, a piece of music.

The "Escher" like stairs in Haunted Mansion is greatly underappreciated.


When I read or hear about Mansion it's close to always:

omnimovers/doombuggies
stretch room
hitchhiking ghosts
Paul Frees narrations/ghost host
which is better Dl's or MK
ballroom

Once in a while the attic pops up in conversation but not much chatter or love for the staircase scene; I guess to many it's just as noteworthy as say the library.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Pre-shows.

Specifically when folks just talk very loudly through them.

 

[Brer Oswald]

The "Escher" like stairs in Haunted Mansion is greatly underappreciated.


When I read or hear about Mansion it's close to always:

omnimovers/doombuggies
stretch room
hitchhiking ghosts
Paul Frees narrations/ghost host
which is better Dl's or MK
ballroom

Once in a while the attic pops up in conversation but not much chatter or love for the staircase scene; I guess to many it's just as noteworthy as say the library.

I love the staircase scene. It’s probably my favourite scene

 

[bennyw01]

*The impresssive mechanism for getting AAs onstage for American Adventure.

Someone has gone through the looking glass

 

[MouseMelly]

I loved the original Star Tours queue and "pre-flight" movie.
My current favorite detail (although probably not underrated) is the shadow march of the seven dwarfs.

 

[HoustonHorn]

One thing I appreciate is that most every attraction ends with hopefulness - especially the "futuristic" or future-looking attractions (Spaceship Earth, Space Mountain (specifically, the post-attraction corridor), Carousel of Progress). Obviously, attractions should bring joy in order to make them attractive and re-rideable, but bringing hopefulness for what's to come is something that keeps me coming back.

Honestly, that feeling of hopefulness is one of the things I fear we will lose as IP takes over everything.

 

[dabigdog]

Spectromagic music. I'm not sure why.

 

[JugglingFreak]

I like the trashcans that go along with many of the rides and lands. It’s just a nice little detail to me that takes something ordinary and makes it special.

Yes.. I was particularly pleased when I first went to "Galaxy's Edge" not only all the writing in Aurbesh (Star wars writing) but the trash cans have the instructions to deliver the trash to number "3263827". Which, as a major Star Wars freak, is the number to the trash compactor that Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia were . (After C3P0 and R2D2 stop the compactor and Luke is telling them they're alright he says "Open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number, Where are we? 3263827" Now, that's some clever detailing)

Not to mention the "rust stains" etc, on them.

 

[Smooth]

Interesting.... So far, all of the comments reference attractions that have been around for many years.

 

[celluloid]

Interesting.... So far, all of the comments reference attractions that have been around for many years.

At least a couple of reasons for that.
For one, The Disney founding years of the resort and renaissance/Disney Decade leadership would have most agreeing things were better. It is why those attractions are still around and rightfully respected.
There are great things to discover but even the more in depth large attractions that have been less frequent are not as explored yet.

 

[Djsfantasi]

Dinoland. It started as a run down gas station and lodge. Once fossils were found at the Boneyard, the lodge was taken over by the scientists and became Restaurantosaurus. Each section of the restaurant is different as they added on to the original structure. Eventually the Dino Institute comes in with the time rover technology. As the area became more popular the gas station become a gift shop before the owners really cashed in and built an amusement park in a parking lot. The entire land tells a full, cohesive story from start to finish and most people just ignore it and call it a blight on the Animal Kingdom.

The problem that I have with Dinoland is that the theme concept is everything that Walt hated about Amusement parks

 

[EagleScout610]

This scream you hear going down the dip drop on Splash. It really adds to the illusion the story is playing out in front of you

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

Yes.. I was particularly pleased when I first went to "Galaxy's Edge" not only all the writing in Aurbesh (Star wars writing) but the trash cans have the instructions to deliver the trash to number "3263827". Which, as a major Star Wars freak, is the number to the trash compactor that Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia were . (After C3P0 and R2D2 stop the compactor and Luke is telling them they're alright he says "Open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number, Where are we? 3263827" Now, that's some clever detailing)

Not to mention the "rust stains" etc, on them.

That is so cool! I love it.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

Yes.. I was particularly pleased when I first went to "Galaxy's Edge" not only all the writing in Aurbesh (Star wars writing) but the trash cans have the instructions to deliver the trash to number "3263827". Which, as a major Star Wars freak, is the number to the trash compactor that Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia were . (After C3P0 and R2D2 stop the compactor and Luke is telling them they're alright he says "Open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number, Where are we? 3263827" Now, that's some clever detailing)

Not to mention the "rust stains" etc, on them.

There's also a dianoga (the species of the monster in the trash compactor) inside the water fountain at Galaxy's Edge.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

The line in Splash Mountain

 

[Poseidon Quest]

The disappearing butterfly in the current iteration of Journey Into Imagination. While a mediocre attraction, that's a nice old-school effect that would simply be done with screens if created today. I appreciate how it was also reused for the new pirate near the octopus in the updated Disneyland PotC, but it's just a neat little effect.