WDW vs UO - Who leads in ride development?

[luv]

Uni.

I don't really care who leads and am not an expert on upper management of either of the Big Two, but Uni "wins" on this one.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I would also say that Disney needs to watch it's back because of Seaworld as well. TurtleTalk, Antarctica and hopefully a upgraded Wild Arctic will put Seaworld pretty high up on the charts...

And Manta! Awesome coaster, the best in Orlando since dueling dragons. Sea World is number one for me. Uni second - I'm just not that excited about FJ. Spidey remains a true wonder of the world though!

Dueling Dumbos wins third prize in this contest.

 

[ChrisFL]

When I think of this topic, I think of rides that break new ground in either making completely new ride systems, or combining existing things in such a way that it becomes a "brand new thing"

Rollercoasters (all built by other companies) shouldn't even be in this discussion at all except for the Mummy

Jurassic Park doesn't fit. Buzz Lightyear? Not really, shooting dark rides have been around in Japan for ages. They just took the existing omnimover track and added guns...not quite the same.

Unique ride design is:

Tower of Terror
Test Track (despite the 3 year delay)
Toy Story Mania
Dinosaur/Indy
Mission:Space
Soarin' (Iffy, I had the same ride idea back in 1992 )

Spiderman
Forbidden Journey
The Mummy (it combines the dark ride and rollercoaster so well)
MIB.....the ride system is unique and the shooting live animatronics (I use that term VERY loosely)

Most of Universal's have been more recent than Disney's, making the difference seem that much bigger.

 

[AEfx]

Universal, hands down.

Disney has done nothing nearly as impressive as Universal since IOA opened.

 

[captainkidd]

Disney has done nothing nearly as impressive as Universal since IOA opened.

I wouldn't go that far. Since IoA opened:

Rock n' Roller Coaster
Test Track
Mission: Space
Everest
Toy Story Mania
Turtle Talk

There's no doubt, the technology at attractions like FJ and Spider-Man are most impressive, but to discount the storytelling and detail of Everest, or the technology of Test Track, or the cleverness of Turtle Talk isn't fair. Some could look at the Universal coasters and say they aren't on the same level as some Six Flags coasters, and they'd be right. But that's not the point. Universal isn't trying to be Six Flags, and Disney isn't trying to be Universal.

 

[AEfx]

I wouldn't go that far. Since IoA opened:

Rock n' Roller Coaster
Test Track
Mission: Space
Everest
Toy Story Mania
Turtle Talk

There's no doubt, the technology at attractions like FJ and Spider-Man are most impressive, but to discount the storytelling and detail of Everest, or the technology of Test Track, or the cleverness of Turtle Talk isn't fair. Some could look at the Universal coasters and say they aren't on the same level as some Six Flags coasters, and they'd be right. But that's not the point. Universal isn't trying to be Six Flags, and Disney isn't trying to be Universal.

I didn't really count RnR, but you are correct - it opened within a month of IOA. As much as I like it, that said, it's a pretty standard roller coaster with plywood cutouts.

Test Track - no where near on the level of Spiderman, Potter, or, IMO, even Jurrasic Park. A lot more of those plywood cutouts, and the "thrill" of fast speeds - that one goes as fast if not faster than on the highway every day. Again, I like the attraction, but it's not terrible technologically impressive (especially since it's so common to break down, which I always thought was funny - not exactly a ringing endorsement of GM's vehicles, LOL - they aren't really GM's vehicles, but I digress).

Mission:Space is a tiny shadow of what it was intended to be - what we have now is really the pre-show to what would have been an impressive pavilion, not the entire attraction in and of itself. Personally, I have only ridden it a few times - the ride does nothing for me, and I find the video screen mini-projection thing terribly outdated looking and frankly hard to look at.

Everest is a monumental waste of money. The star of the attraction has been MIA since the first year, and while it's an OK coaster it's pretty terribly themed - the inside of the mountain is bare, except for the tarps you can see, and without the Yeti as the centerpiece, there is no flow. People go on and on about the queue, which I disagree with the quality of (I don't care if a tin can is authentic or not in the line I am waiting in), but even so - the whole build up is to see the Yeti, and that doesn't really happen now so it's all for waste.

Toy Story Mania is a ride that one could replicate in their living room with a wheeled office chair and a copy of the TSM Wii game. There is absolutely nothing innovative about it, and we really didn't need yet another Toy Story Ride where one shoots at things.

Turtle Talk - the back-end tech is kinda neat, but it's not exactly a "WOW!" attraction.

So I stand by my statement - Disney simply does not do rides on the scale that Universal does, anymore. As much as I know I will love TLM and the Mine Train, they still are by design not going to be anywhere near as impressive as some of the rides at IOA.

That's why it feels like Disney doesn't even try anymore - they know they don't have to. People come anyway. So they get away with doing the cheapest version of whatever they put together. I mean, MILF - that would have been so much neater with animatronics, but it's just a big video screen show. People bag on Eisner, but if it had been done in his day, it would have had animatronics and been a whole lot more impressive.

Disney used to be the best for immersive experiences. Now they settle for making the most money, not being the most exciting and innovative.

 

[ChrisFL]

Toy Story Mania is a ride that one could replicate in their living room with a wheeled office chair and a copy of the TSM Wii game. There is absolutely nothing innovative about it, and we really didn't need yet another Toy Story Ride where one shoots at things.

I'm going to slightly disagree with you there. The ride system is completely unique, the cars turn in different ways, and I don't think there's any track(?)

The "guns" aren't new, but they are unique. Plus there's Mr. Potato Head who can interact with guests and take his ear off.

Ok, there's a lot to be desired, but I can't totally write it off.

 

[marni1971]

I'm going to slightly disagree with you there. The ride system is completely unique, the cars turn in different ways, and I don't think there's any track(?)

TSMM has a new take on one of the oldest ride systems out there - the guide slot track and bus bar. Having said that, the ride vehicles are a very clever design and the scoring system is hi tech.

 

[Scuttle]

Space is good, I enjoy Orange, but it's not sure what it wants to be. And sadly is just part of what was meant to be. Soarin shouldn't work For what it is, it's truely greater than the sum of its parts, and wasn't Back to the Futures ride system as innovative in 1991?

But Everest, oh dear. A good coaster with some nice innovative touches, but the yeti debacle and lack of interior theming (aside from light leaks and structural framing) is such a let down. The 53 year old Matterhorn far surpasses it.

I agree the Yeti debacle and the light leaks are pathetic, but the two 100 ton track switches are very impressive when it comes to innovative engineering.

 

[AEfx]

I'm going to slightly disagree with you there. The ride system is completely unique, the cars turn in different ways, and I don't think there's any track(?)

The "guns" aren't new, but they are unique. Plus there's Mr. Potato Head who can interact with guests and take his ear off.

Ok, there's a lot to be desired, but I can't totally write it off.

For me, it's the overall end result.

If the unique take on the ride system showed you wonderful show scenes, it would be more impressive. But in this case, it's only purpose is to drag you from one big TV screen to the next. I wasn't really exaggerating - hook up two or three Wii's to two or three TV's, push your kids around in office chairs from one to the next - you basically have the ride.

I don't doubt kids love it - I don't think it should be ripped out or anything. And gosh knows, MGM needs a family ride, but I rarely ride because I refuse to spend that much time for such a simple ride.

So it's great it's popular, but I just don't think it holds a candle to many other rides in terms of who is leading in development of attractions.

 

[marni1971]

I agree the Yeti debacle and the light leaks are pathetic, but the two 100 ton track switches are very impressive when it comes to innovative engineering.

They were, but compared to drop floor switches now in use and I'm afraid that whilst still a nice feature, physically dropping the whole track and train (Th13teen at Alton Towers Resort, a US park last week) is far more impressive. Plus ROTM has a track switch plus a turntable, both taking a LIM powered train.

 

[erasure fan1]

You need to reverse that... Universal is leading in innovation and Disney needs to catch up... If you think NextGen tops state of the art attractions, then all hope is lost on theme park goers...

I agree, I would give up all the next gen stuff for 2 new innovating E-Tickets in a heart beat.

I hate to say it, but I will give props to Uni on this one. My only hope is that the competition lights a fire under Disneys rump and we start to see them take back the title. The frustrating part is that you know if Disney wanted to, they could impose their will at any time and make something absolutely spectacular.

 

[wayneway]

Universal is doing more when it comes to technology, however Disney can do way more....If they don't get moving in the right direction it will be too late for them to stay ahead in the long run.

 

[luv]

I'm going to slightly disagree with you there. The ride system is completely unique, the cars turn in different ways, and I don't think there's any track(?)

The "guns" aren't new, but they are unique. Plus there's Mr. Potato Head who can interact with guests and take his ear off.

Ok, there's a lot to be desired, but I can't totally write it off.

Mr. potato Head is cool enough, but I was never impressed by TSM. We already had MIB and Buzz. Did we really need a third ride where we ride around and shoot at stuff?

The technology involved in the screens and scoring may be new (I dunno), but the experience isn't. And MIB was still the best of the three.

Could be wrong, but I think I did the Simpsons and TSM for the first time on the same trip. Simpsons was much cooler.

I don't know or care about technology...just the fun.

I am glad it's popular, though. Cuts down lines at other stuff.

 

[Lee]

Here is my take on it...
Disney has too often reversed their old priority of developing an attraction story, then figuring out what ride system to use to tell that story. Now they come up with some cool tech, and then figure out how to use it. (TSMM, MILF...)

Uni has done the opposite. They are writing the story first, then figuring out the tech.

A generalization, I admit, but largely accurate.

Disney does a ton of innovation, but very little of it is ever implemented.
Uni builds a higher percentage of what they design, since they only really design what they actually plan on building.

 

[disney fan 13]

Anyone else love the fact that Uni leads in ride innovation on a Disney board?

 

[ChrisFL]

Anyone else love the fact that Uni leads in ride innovation on a Disney board?

Only if Disney execs are reading it and PAYING ATTENTION!! :drevil:

 

[marni1971]

Please don't lump EE and Rockit together. One is a good coaster with broken/deactivated effects and lacklustre in-ride theming. The other is a hi-tech one of a kind ride.

 

[MaryJaneP]

I agree, I would give up all the next gen stuff for 2 new innovating E-Tickets in a heart beat.

I hate to say it, but I will give props to Uni on this one. My only hope is that the competition lights a fire under Disneys rump and we start to see them take back the title. The frustrating part is that you know if Disney wanted to, they could impose their will at any time and make something absolutely spectacular.

Agree 1000%. If WDW would just fix all the broken stuff (Yeti, SE, BTMRR, SM, TT, Soarin, Imagination, F!, etc) I would completely give up not only all the next gen stuff, but also all the interactive queues and even FP+!

 

[Rowdy]

The other is a hi-tech one of a kind ride.

:ROFLOL:


Oooooooook.