Winnie the Pooh: Great attraction or classic attraction killer?

Winnie the Pooh: Great attraction or classic attraction killer?

  • Classic attraction killer

    Votes: 9 13.4%

  • Fine attraction

    Votes: 44 65.7%

  • neither

    Votes: 14 20.9%
  • Total voters
    67
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Not exactly Tokyos version is it?

A small shed in new FLE area (or even Toontown back then) could have held this cute and simple ride. Though there probably wouldn't have been enough room for the store.

Sadly Pooh and its obligatory gift shop still takes up less room than the twin tracked Toad did.
 
George

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
marni1971 said:
Not exactly Tokyos version is it?

A small shed in new FLE area (or even Toontown back then) could have held this cute and simple ride. Though there probably wouldn't have been enough room for the store.

Sadly Pooh and its obligatory gift shop still takes up less room than the twin tracked Toad did.
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For me, the two tracks is what made Toad. I liked the big open space and the racing around aspect. It was much superior to DL's Mr. Toad. It seems like they could put Toad or another ride like it somewhere. Very rare that addition happens without subtraction any more. Perhaps, that will change.
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
I enjoy Winnie the Pooh, but I loved Mr. Toad far better. There is absolutely no reason in the world (or the World) Disney couldn't have built Winnie the Pooh without destroying another attraction. Why any executive in their right mind would choose to replace an excellent attraction with another instead of ADDING to the attractions in their park is beyond me. Yes, I realize it's probably a little more expensive to build from scratch than it is to demolish and rebuild, but think of the added capacity!

I will always miss Mr. Toad's wild ride, and I'm grateful to those who have put on-ride videos on Youtube so I can still be reminded of it now and then.
 
E

Ernierich

Member
For me it's just a 'fine attraction'. Having said that I was never fortunate enough to ride what it's replaced. Maybe I'd think differently if I'd rode Mr. Toad?
 
bubbles1812

bubbles1812

Well-Known Member
I enjoy the Pooh ride a lot, especially the rain scene. And given the popularity of the characters, it was a smart move to build the ride. I hope they will enhance one day to what Tokyo Disneyland has for its ride system because that is awesome. But again, I rather enjoy it and at least it's a bit longer than some of the other dark rides.

That being said, I wished they could have built it in a different place. My family and I loved Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Most of my family has fallen out of love with WDW, but my dad for instance, still talks about that ride. I think he'd finally go back just for it, if it were rebuilt. They may have been cardboard figures but it was seriously fun the way they set it up, not to mention that awesome ending.
 
rsoxguy

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
I never liked the Toad ride, and I think of the Pooh ride as cute and whimsical. I don't ride often, but it's an improvement over the Toad ride.
 
A

Alexis

Well-Known Member
I've never liked Winnie the Pooh, even when I was a little kid. So I don't really like the attraction. I never go on it when I'm at the Magic Kingdom
 
Chrononymous

Chrononymous

Well-Known Member
I guess neither...or um...both?

I Love both rides about equally...even though they are quite different.

Toad was fabulous in that it was truly a different experience depending on what track you are on. Not many rides do that (though many claim to) and the classic carnival type dark ride on steroids was unusual enough of an experience that will never come again in a Disney park.
I loved it, but then I love history, and old school attractions.....and going to Hell. :D

Pooh is the next logical step in dark rides, and I think it's just as clever as Toad, and I really like the design of it. It has happy music, pretty scenes, and characters that are relate-able. When I exit, I am always smiling. So it's really the thought of they replaced an attraction I loved, with another one I love.
 
Kirk88

Kirk88

Active Member
Our entire family really enjoys Pooh. We will actually hit it several times during the day/night. "Pooh's dream" is the best room in the ride!
 
jmorri26

jmorri26

Well-Known Member
TubaGeek said:
Anyone that thinks that Toad was a superior ride is basing that decision ENTIRELY on nostalgia. That thing was rather inappropriate for a Disney park.
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I disagree. It's still out in Disneyland and still one of the busiest attractions, so clearly someone likes it. It was that old style, whipping around car ride you could go on with kids, but adults enjoyed. My son loves Pooh the character, but the ride is pretty yet dull. I like Pooh, I prefered Toad. Both are good rides.
And as for inappropriate, I always thought Toad was tame compared to having Brer Rabbit up in the park. But as with Toad, any of that stuff goes right over anyone young enough.
 
T

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Big Phil said:
Winnie the Pooh has replaced two classic attractions. At Disneyland Pooh is in the place of the old Country Bear Jamboree and at WDW it took over from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

How do you view it? Is it superior to what it replaced or do you miss the lost attractions?
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It is better in both parks. The Bear Jamboree was getting so old in the tooth it was really becoming a joke... lets face it bad animatronics in a stage show aren't fooling anyone today... As for Toad, while I liked it. It really isn't that great of a ride and it is a for a cartoon that a lot of people have never even seen. And lets face it the scare of running into a train is only neat the first time you rode the ride after that it wasn't that big a deal.

That isn't to say I wouldn't have rather seen other rides removed first, the tiki room comes to mind as one huge mistake that just wont leave... I'm also not really a fan of having both a Dumbo ride and magic carpets... pick one or the other and eliminate one for something different.
 
wolf359

wolf359

Well-Known Member
I think Mr. Toad's "inappropriateness" was the key to its popularity and in the end what has made it so memorable even 14 years after its closing. Is all of the love for Toad driven "simply" by nostalgia? Even if so, at least it was good enough to actually inspire some.

It was also a good example of how you could make an attraction based on the general idea of a film without needing to retell the film story verbatim.

Personally, I think Pooh is okay, but I'd never call it "great" and even "fine" is really pushing it for me. Beyond the music and the Heffulump and Woozle scene I think the whole thing is pretty bland. I've never really subscribed to the notion that everything in Fantasyland needs to be cheerful and completely harmless but Pooh certainly fits that description pretty well.
 

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