peachykeen
Well-Known Member
Has anyone noticed the painting of Phil in Bonjour Gifts yet?
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Walls down - Fantasyland soft opening status
- Thread starter marni1971
- Start date
djkidkaz
Well-Known Member
Just got back, all I can say is WOW! AWESOME! The queue for Little Mermaid is probably the best queue on Disney property. Its right up there with the likes of Pirates, Mansion, Tower of Terror and the best of the best for sure. Just a couple notes, the walls block you from going into Circus, so you have to backtrack to get out right now. They have these little interactive crabs in the queue for Mermaid where you point stuff out and the crab will go and get it and remove it. Its a pretty neat effect. The "cider" at Gastons was just so-so, Im not much into apple juice. Butterbeer is definitely the better option of the two. The waterfalls in the area of Mermaid and Beast are just amazing! Everything is just so well done, this is definitely on the level of Potter, don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Oh and this was my first time seeing Mermaid ( I hadn't watched any videos of it or anything ) and its nowhere near as bad as folks make it out to seem! I was definitely pleased and its a GREAT addition to Magic Kingdom and Fantasyland. Any questions just ask?
I didn't take many photos as I decided to take video instead. Its uploading to the computer now and Ill piece it together and get it uploaded as soon as possible.
I didn't take many photos as I decided to take video instead. Its uploading to the computer now and Ill piece it together and get it uploaded as soon as possible.
RandySavage
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all these pics and vids.
All this is said without experiencing it in person, so opinions may change. We've seen for weeks & months that the exterior environment, architecture & fixtures were going to be at a high level and it's nice to see that, on closer look, WDI delivered on this promise. I'm a big believer in "the park is the e-ticket", meaning that just wandering around and taking in a great park's atmosphere can be worth admission, and in that respect this FLE, exterior-wise, evokes that holy grail of theme parks, DisneySea. Another re-assuring thing about this addition is that - environmentally & thematically - it has zero shelf-life and fits the wider theme of the land and park naturally and perfectly (a rare thing now-a-days).
I'm also a fan of elaborate, hyper-detailed queues (e.g., Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Adventure, Harry Potter, MK PotC), believing they are a key first act of an attraction. I was worried after seeing the interior finishes of the Wardrobe Room & Library at Belle, which I think are sub-par (just the physical room detailing, not the AAs (excellent) or show themselves), but am now gratified to find that the Mermaid queue took the opposite approach with respect to realism & detail... it looks outstanding. I also appreciate that the ride doesn't dump you directly into a gift-shop at the end. Mermaid the Ride: [spoilers] It is an improvement over California. The fantastic exterior, queue and load room certainly help build the story (Act I). I appreciate that WDI removed the cloned dancing turtle from the finale. Are the frog-like creatures in Kiss da Girl new? I still think the in-your-eyes show-lighting, static fish and hard-plastic skins keep it from being an immersive "A", and the slow-moving omnimover with no scenic climax should limit its demographic appeal. I'd rate it at or slightly above Pooh, but below Pan. Mermaid's full animatronics are far better, but Pooh has the unique ride vehicle motion (bouncing-river) which makes it a more interesting physical experience. Pan's soaring feeling gives it a moderate exhilaration which an omnimover can't achieve. I wonder if it will be a walk-on like DCAs or if the more family-based WDW audience will keep it crowded. The thing I go back to is Mermaid's very generous budget (recall reading $115+m), for that kind of money, and the beautifully executed exterior & queue, I remain a little disappointed in the ride itself - like your straight-A student coming home with a B.
Still, lots of As to handout in this project: the general atmosphere, the storybook architecture (WDI has perfected this field), the detailing, the rockwork, the water features, the signage, the lighting. As a themed environment, it is a stellar piece of work.
One sightline nitpick: There is a metal guard railing (to a roof-access stair) that is visible crossing the rockwork when looking directly at BoG:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...oct2012-inside-the-enchanted-forest/17080.htm.
Maybe something (remove it or theme it) can be done about that since so much effort was put into sightlines elsewhere in this addition.
All this is said without experiencing it in person, so opinions may change. We've seen for weeks & months that the exterior environment, architecture & fixtures were going to be at a high level and it's nice to see that, on closer look, WDI delivered on this promise. I'm a big believer in "the park is the e-ticket", meaning that just wandering around and taking in a great park's atmosphere can be worth admission, and in that respect this FLE, exterior-wise, evokes that holy grail of theme parks, DisneySea. Another re-assuring thing about this addition is that - environmentally & thematically - it has zero shelf-life and fits the wider theme of the land and park naturally and perfectly (a rare thing now-a-days).
I'm also a fan of elaborate, hyper-detailed queues (e.g., Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Adventure, Harry Potter, MK PotC), believing they are a key first act of an attraction. I was worried after seeing the interior finishes of the Wardrobe Room & Library at Belle, which I think are sub-par (just the physical room detailing, not the AAs (excellent) or show themselves), but am now gratified to find that the Mermaid queue took the opposite approach with respect to realism & detail... it looks outstanding. I also appreciate that the ride doesn't dump you directly into a gift-shop at the end. Mermaid the Ride: [spoilers] It is an improvement over California. The fantastic exterior, queue and load room certainly help build the story (Act I). I appreciate that WDI removed the cloned dancing turtle from the finale. Are the frog-like creatures in Kiss da Girl new? I still think the in-your-eyes show-lighting, static fish and hard-plastic skins keep it from being an immersive "A", and the slow-moving omnimover with no scenic climax should limit its demographic appeal. I'd rate it at or slightly above Pooh, but below Pan. Mermaid's full animatronics are far better, but Pooh has the unique ride vehicle motion (bouncing-river) which makes it a more interesting physical experience. Pan's soaring feeling gives it a moderate exhilaration which an omnimover can't achieve. I wonder if it will be a walk-on like DCAs or if the more family-based WDW audience will keep it crowded. The thing I go back to is Mermaid's very generous budget (recall reading $115+m), for that kind of money, and the beautifully executed exterior & queue, I remain a little disappointed in the ride itself - like your straight-A student coming home with a B.
Still, lots of As to handout in this project: the general atmosphere, the storybook architecture (WDI has perfected this field), the detailing, the rockwork, the water features, the signage, the lighting. As a themed environment, it is a stellar piece of work.
One sightline nitpick: There is a metal guard railing (to a roof-access stair) that is visible crossing the rockwork when looking directly at BoG:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...oct2012-inside-the-enchanted-forest/17080.htm.
Maybe something (remove it or theme it) can be done about that since so much effort was put into sightlines elsewhere in this addition.
CaptainShortty
Well-Known Member
Anyone heard any word on how long they're going to be doing previews today?? Hoping to stop off after work at around 5!! It all looks incredible from the pictures!!
asianway
Well-Known Member
If ever a prop screamed out to be defaced...
PeoplemoverTTA
Well-Known Member
Honestly, how is a painting like this even remotely necessary? Unless we're going to start a hallway of maligned TDO execs...
Now there's an idea
Cody5294
Well-Known Member
I just finished walking around the new fantasylanf and I all I can is WOW! The attention to detail is incredible. Every sight you see is just beautiful! I thought the cider was very tasty and refreshing. The LM que is my favorite on property and the ride itself is good but the ending is still under whelming. Overall I think once its all complete it will be better than potter due to how beautiful it will be
asianway
Well-Known Member
I don't know that Ouimet should merit that kind of tribute let alone this joker. How many millions has he pulled out of the MK while running it into the ground?Honestly, how is a painting like this even remotely necessary? Unless we're going to start a hallway of maligned TDO execs...
Now there's an idea
PeoplemoverTTA
Well-Known Member
I'm feeling a bit cynical today so this post will sound very doom and gloom (I apologize in advance), and I know this is far from the case, but....
The grumpy me today feels like this is almost a way of laughing at fans who are fighting to improve MK and WDW as a whole.
TGIF, lol.
As always, Randy, your comments and thoughts are much appreciated.
I'm a big fan of detailed queues as well, but I think that, in recent years, the queues for a number of attractions have outstripped the actual ride experiences. This is even -- or, perhaps, especially -- true for attractions at a place like TDS. You have incredibly detailed and immersive queues and show buildings (such as the entirety of Mysterious Island) that could be attractions in and of themselves, and when you get to the ride itself, it's very, very good, but just a degree below what the "first act" led you to expect. It's essentially having an E-ticket queue followed by a D-ticket ride.
Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids are probably the most obvious recent examples at WDW, but the Little Mermaid certainly makes a good argument for having taken the mantle of exemplar.
Although there are quite a few praiseworthy individual elements of the Little Mermaid attraction, the reason I rank it a notch below dark rides like Pooh, Pan, or even DL's Mr. Toad or Alice (none of which have effects as technically sophisticated as TLM) is the fact that, unlike those other FL rides, TLM is pretty much a straightforward re-telling of the movie on which it's based.
For that reason, it comes off a bit like a Reader's Digest condensed version of a richer and fuller story, and thus a bit flat and cold. The other FL rides generally eschew direct adaptation of a narrative in favor of engendering the emotions or sensations invoked by the original story: the magical feeling of flight in Pan; the chaotic and impulsive escapades of Toad; the nonsensical world of Alice; etc. As such, they offer and represent interpretive experiences rather than literal ones, and thus are both more sophisticated (despite having more primitive animatronics and set pieces) and satisfying.
In order to maintain the suspension of disbelief, I'm choosing to pretend that the guard railing is actually a faraway aqueduct.
I'm a big fan of detailed queues as well, but I think that, in recent years, the queues for a number of attractions have outstripped the actual ride experiences. This is even -- or, perhaps, especially -- true for attractions at a place like TDS. You have incredibly detailed and immersive queues and show buildings (such as the entirety of Mysterious Island) that could be attractions in and of themselves, and when you get to the ride itself, it's very, very good, but just a degree below what the "first act" led you to expect. It's essentially having an E-ticket queue followed by a D-ticket ride.
Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids are probably the most obvious recent examples at WDW, but the Little Mermaid certainly makes a good argument for having taken the mantle of exemplar.
Although there are quite a few praiseworthy individual elements of the Little Mermaid attraction, the reason I rank it a notch below dark rides like Pooh, Pan, or even DL's Mr. Toad or Alice (none of which have effects as technically sophisticated as TLM) is the fact that, unlike those other FL rides, TLM is pretty much a straightforward re-telling of the movie on which it's based.
For that reason, it comes off a bit like a Reader's Digest condensed version of a richer and fuller story, and thus a bit flat and cold. The other FL rides generally eschew direct adaptation of a narrative in favor of engendering the emotions or sensations invoked by the original story: the magical feeling of flight in Pan; the chaotic and impulsive escapades of Toad; the nonsensical world of Alice; etc. As such, they offer and represent interpretive experiences rather than literal ones, and thus are both more sophisticated (despite having more primitive animatronics and set pieces) and satisfying.
In order to maintain the suspension of disbelief, I'm choosing to pretend that the guard railing is actually a faraway aqueduct.
jugglingfanatic
Member
Actually, I've said 'this would stink....' once in all my posts. Put yourself in our shoes though and you can understand how ANYONE would be disappointed to see soft openings right before their week and then nothing while they are there. I have also said 'Will it be disappointing if the area isn't open, a little, but I'm not going to let it ruin my trip, plenty more to see.' My expectations are not high to see a soft opening knowing that CM previews start while we are there. Getting to see a soft opening would certainly be a treat (not an expectation) to everyone we are traveling with.
Thank you for taking the time to give a little more detail about how soft openings will sometimes happen during CM previews, I do appreciate that.
I have no knowledge of how any past soft openings have been handled, but I believe what I have read about in the past (and could be wrong) that once soft openings happen, they usually keep happening up to the announced opening dates/grand openings - and in this case, they will keep happening with CM/AP previews and POSSIBLY not regular park guests, but I think/fell it would be nice to include regular park guests in there somewhere.
Again, not at all disappointed if we miss a soft opening, and not at all wanting to come across as the kind of guest that thinks Disney 'owes' me anything - they owe me nothing more than what my park admission gets me (entering the park).
RandySavage
Well-Known Member
Yours as well. I agree that, ideally, the experience ought to escalate from queue to pre-show to ride (just like a great film builds from intro to set-up to pay-off). I think JttCotE, Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, and a handful of others do this very well, but I know opinions vary. As I look at themed attractions holistically (queue & pre-show are not separable from the ride portion), having a queue or pre-show outshine or over-promise the ride is still better than lowering the queue quality so the same ride can have the better-payoff. (A number of my favorite films have beginnings & middles that outshine the endings). I used to enjoy Alien Encounter for the awesome S.I.R. pre-show moreso than the main presentation. I think I would slightly prefer the legendary queue of Indiana Jones Adventure (even though all the effect were broken) to the ride (I rode it for the first time in 2011, so I believe it had seen better days).
But I think anyone would agree that, in a perfect world, an astounding queue like this Mermaid one would end in a mind-blowing, ground-breaking attraction. Not the case here, but still a nice, positive addition to the park.
DarkImage4
Member
Leave it to the innocent Disney fan in me...but when I read this I first pictured Phil from Hercules and wondered how he fit into the theme....
meyeet
Well-Known Member
That never stops people from leaving them where they are inconvenient.
Okay. Area is awesome. Mermaid line is great. So is the ride.
And we need something to remember Phil by when he moves to pastures new...
Expect soft openings through to next Friday, 10-6 barring no hold ups. Mermaid has some items needing attention but is still show ready.
And we need something to remember Phil by when he moves to pastures new...
Expect soft openings through to next Friday, 10-6 barring no hold ups. Mermaid has some items needing attention but is still show ready.
fractal
Well-Known Member
Having that come from you just made my weekend. Thanks for the report!
janoimagine
Well-Known Member
Any chance they will extend it past next friday?