Unpopular Opinions: DLR Edition

[Magic Feather]

Yeah, but if it was just you and the characters stalking you around the park... that would be creepy.
Also: If only the Roger Rabbit walk-around character was still a park regular.
Also: Donald Duck shoving the Mickey plushies onto the floor is the best thing ever. Anyone here have a GIF of that?

https://i-download.imgflip.com/2x4ow6.gif

 

[mickEblu]

Yeah, but if it was just you and the characters stalking you around the park... that would be creepy.
Also: If only the Roger Rabbit walk-around character was still a park regular.
Also: Donald Duck shoving the Mickey plushies onto the floor is the best thing ever. Anyone here have a GIF of that?

Wow I’m surprised you remember that level of detail. When was the last time you saw it?

 

[Jones14]

WRT Haunted Mansion, I think the Florida exterior looks more menacing, so the graveyard functions to add some levity. It wouldn't work in Disneyland, with a more stately-looking approach, but it was (I think) a good choice for Florida.

That said, here's my unpopular opinions:

• Monsters, Inc. is better than every other C-Ticket dark ride except Alice and Pan.
• Big Thunder shouldn't be there. The smaller layout takes away any oomph the coaster has, and the Bryce Canyon hoodoos look for the mountain isn't nearly as effective as the Monument Valley of its siblings.
• Incredicoaster was a better switchover than Guardians was.
• Grizzly Peak is the best land in California Adventure.
• The Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah run at park opening is the single most terrifying thing in the world.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

While many things are better on the West Coast, the tighter pacing of Pirates of the Caribbean and Enchanted Tiki Room coupled with better queue/preshows makes the Florida versions better even if they are missing elements.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Looking forward to experiencing Tokyo's for the first time and being able to compare all three soon enough!

Tokyo is the best HM. It's the original (or really close it to) WDW ride in perfect working order. You can actually see the graveyard ghosts (and they move too!), the audio is clear, they don't raise the ceiling in the stretch room without closing the door first, no CGI hitchhiking ghosts, cool queue without interactive junk, attic has older bride and pop up ghosts instead of Constance etc.

But they do the Holiday version, so it's not open year round.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Wow I’m surprised you remember that level of detail. When was the last time you saw it?

I can't speak for Rich, but I have the whole sing-along memorized in my head...most of the DLP version too!

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

So when I went on this ride I never had an interactive queue and I saw no hitchiking ghosts. I might be misremembering but I remember the queue (fastpass) was just a standard queue. Also, it did have a stretching room elevator, just like DL, so I’m not sure what that comment meant.

Well then last time you went to Disney world's mansion must have been before 2006 because in 2007 they added a interactive queue that was at first "optional" then they made it main stand by queue and the fast pass queue took over the orginal queue line. the hitch hiking ghosts AIs were replaced by cgi animations using still using the pepper ghost effect but they look waaay to cartoony with non of the charm. and Disney world does have a strectching room but they are not elevator's like Disneyland's are. the roof is the only thing that rises. Disneyland's stretching room serves a actual purpose as it helps guest get past the Disneyland railroad and into the show building so it was a creative way to solve the problem. art through hardship. Disney world's mansion is a pale imitation that starts stretching before guests even enter the room sometimes ruining the atmosphere and ambiance of the attraction and the overall tone. in the words of Ariana, "thank you, next!"

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Tokyo is the best HM. It's the original (or really close it to) WDW ride in perfect working order. You can actually see the graveyard ghosts (and they move too!), the audio is clear, they don't raise the ceiling in the stretch room without closing the door first, no CGI hitchhiking ghosts, cool queue without interactive junk, attic has older bride and pop up ghosts instead of Constance etc.

But they do the Holiday version, so it's not open year round.

Disneyland will always have the superior mansion. even before the updates, wdw mansion was sub par to Disneyland's. a pale imitation in every sense.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Said it before, will say it again: I don't think there's one definitive, totally perfect version of the mansion.
DL Pros:
-Pre-ride portion is better
-Hatbox Ghost
-Less of a cluster before load
-Classic hitchhiking ghosts

DL Cons:
-The load area and the random rise to nothing before you enter the endless hallway. It's ok when they forget to turn the lights on in that part of the load room and you can't see the wall right next to you on your left and a giant featureless unthemed empty space on your right.
-Maybe just me but I've had WAY more issues with audio in the doom buggies in DL.
-Post-Florida, ride feels much shorter
-HMH means the real ride is missing 1/4 of the year
-soapbox having to hear about DL's being better because of something tied to Walt (other than decreeing the look of the exterior, he really had nothing to do with the final product) OR because "you enter through the front porch," something that in the grand scheme of things doesn't really matter and shouldn't be used to totally discredit the other mansions the way it sometimes is. off soapbox


MK Pros:
-New scenes (immediately after load) help add to the immersion of the ride and help pad it out a bit
-Through the music in the piano scene, it adds a touch of melancholy that I love and miss in CA.
-Cool stairway addition
-Better lighting
-Doesn't have HMH, so the MK version is maintained better. Half the time you wonder if the person in charge of taking down HMH every year in CA really cares about getting everything 100% back to how it's supposed to be.
-Better attic scene (if it MUST be there...)

MK Cons:
-Loading area is always a cluster (really could be extended to everything prior to boarding your vehicle)
-New Hitchhiking ghost effect is dated and weak
-No Hatbox ghost (although I expect this to be temporary)

I honestly don't care about the MK queue. It's not perfect but, again, there's more to look at than DL's (which is fine but hardly exceptional) and soapbox again I really don't care for the way it is used, again, to totally discredit WDW's mansion and declare DL's obviously better as a result.off again

Personally I come on the side of WDW's overall, but both have their strong points. Looking forward to experiencing Tokyo's for the first time and being able to compare all three soon enough!

disagree with you flat out. Disneyland's will always be superior.

 

[fctiger]

Tokyo is the best HM. It's the original (or really close it to) WDW ride in perfect working order. You can actually see the graveyard ghosts (and they move too!), the audio is clear, they don't raise the ceiling in the stretch room without closing the door first, no CGI hitchhiking ghosts, cool queue without interactive junk, attic has older bride and pop up ghosts instead of Constance etc.

But they do the Holiday version, so it's not open year round.

I agree, TDL is probably the more superior one. I have not done the WDW with the updates yet but compared to all the others I think TDL's slightly edges out DL version.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Tokyo definitely has the more fitting queue when it comes to accurately representing the first act (compared to WDW)

Edit: This is my 666th post. How fitting.

 

[Rich T]

Wow I’m surprised you remember that level of detail. When was the last time you saw it?

Oh, about twenty years ago. But the whole Sing-along VHS series was a huge hit in my family and DL Fun was (of course) the most-watched with the kids. When I first saw that GIF of Donald a couple years ago, I busted up laughing—It was always my favorite moment in the production.

 

[Rich T]

https://i-download.imgflip.com/2x4ow6.gif

View attachment 359634

Yes!!!! Thank you!!!

 

[PiratesMansion]

disagree with you flat out. Disneyland's will always be superior.

So why are all the non-DL versions so clearly inferior to you?

1. I agree that the ops issues with the doors closing before the room starts stretching (and have railed against pre-boarding issues in other posts), but clearly that's not a design feature, that's just modern WDW being operationally stupid, something that's hardly new. I don't hold that against the designers because that was clearly not their intent.
2. I agree that it's cool that DL's stretch room is an elevator, but the need for it is gone in the other parks. They could have jettisoned it completely (a la much of Florida's Pirates) but they chose to retain a similar effect. To me that's ultimately the better approach even though I agree that CA's stretch room is better. FL's stretching room ultimately works just fine in the context of the overall experience there.
3. The SAME PEOPLE put together both HMs at the same time. They literally built two versions of everything at the same time, with one set going into storage until the FL show building was ready. Despite all the minor differences myself and others hem and haw over, they're ultimately not that different. Given that, by what basis do you say that DL's is far superior and FL's is a pale imitation? Because I just don't see it.

 

[Californian Elitist]

So why are all the non-DL versions so clearly inferior to you?

This poster is very, very biased. It seems they prefer the DL version simply because DL is their favorite park. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve never visited every Disney park.

Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

Personally I come on the side of WDW's overall, but both have their strong points. Looking forward to experiencing Tokyo's for the first time and being able to compare all three soon enough!

Tokyo is by far the best HM worldwide, not hyperbole.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Hyperspace Mountain was awesome and better than the normal Space Mountain.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

That outside line at Japanese The Haunted Mansion looks a bit cartoonish. You can trace the evolution of the redone line at Disneyworld to that stuff. It's just slightly more subtle. It has a really odd special FX where a face pops out of a painting like Vigo in Ghostbusters II.

 

[mickEblu]

Are you saying the one at Disneyworld isn't an elevator? I was just there they have the elevator room with stretching pictures as well.

No it’s not. The walls just move up.

 

[mickEblu]

Holy cow. That is insane. I didn't even know. I thought it was going down the whole time. That's really cool actually.

It’s a cool illusion but I like the thought of a real elevator more. I love how the land restrictions at DL made them to do some pretty cool things layout wise that made the stories and experiences richer.

Would their be the stretching room scene? Nope. Drops in the POTC ride? Probably not.