And repeat what’s already been said?Oh trust me, I could write a whole essay about this
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Wookies, & Rebels, & Droids... OH WHY?! The Anti-SWL in Disneyland Thread
- Thread starter Californian Elitist
- Start date
NateD1226
Well-Known Member
I was being a bit sarcastic...
The precedent was set a long time ago since we haven’t had another similar attraction like those for decades. Those attractions are all Walt era. Are you not impressed by Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Everest, Mystic Manor, etc? Star Wars is actually not that hot. With how things are going with the botched sequel trilogy, Star Wars Land will be a nostalgic attraction in no time fast. Guests will enjoy Grandpa’s fantasy sci-fi fairy tale.
Do I need to repeat that Star Wars was regarded as a Disney style movie when it debut? They found 14 acres, it’s not limited in any stretch. The other parts of Disneyland is certainly limited in space. The land is separated to create an isolated immersive experience. The Batuu mountain range will be visible from Frontierland and will seem to fit. Star Wars is already accepted in Disneyland with Star Tours, Launch Bay, Path of the Jedi, Hyperspace Mountain (limited time), Jedi Academy (now closed), and merchandising taking a huge portion of Tomorrowland.
flynnibus
Premium Member
You've simply bought into the narrative being spun by some...
The same FUD could be said about many past changes... the only difference here is SCALE.
They didn’t buy into anything, that’s their opinion. Some of us have the same opinion.
No one is spinning anything.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Star tours blends seamlessly? You walk into a hallway of aliens... you walk into a spaceport simply behind a almost flat building? A building that wasn’t purposed for this attraction at all minus a mural and sign??
That show how all these attractions were “in the spirit of Walt” and these new ones... which aim to take immersion, scale, and believability to levels beyond anything built since pirates somehow aren’t?
It’s a narrative constructed to support a dissenting opinion towards the project... not actual opinions that can be supported on their own.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Making a mistake bigger than a previous mistake doesn't mean it's not a mistake anymore.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
I take comfort knowing that if you want to actually see Galaxy's Edge- you have to ride Big Thunder, or Splash. The entrances to a good job at hiding any actual Star Wars from ground level.
Of course, they did kill the view from the Mark Twain- now the Rivers of America is a trip around the Rivers with Star Wars looming in the background.
flynnibus
Premium Member
I’d love to time warp and watch the same dissenters argue “omg.... why on earth would they dedicate all that space to the Wild West! What a sell out... he’s just trying to cash in on the fad! I mean, why dedicate so much of the park to this ONE topic? It’s not like everyone likes westerns... in 5 years it’s all gonna be has been such and then be a boat anchor.
I mean... you can’t even see it all from the other areas of the park!!!!”
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
You bring up an excellent example of a land done way better than Galaxy's Edge- and it's 64 years of popularity backs that up. Comparing Frontierland to Galaxy's Edge is almost an insult to Walt's creative genius.
He didn't call Frontierland "Davy Crockett: Edge of America" to cash in solely on his Davy Crockett TV show phenomenon. He created a land that celebrates the frontier as a whole- with a sprinkle of Davy Crockett to give it that Disney flair.
Frontierland has far outlived Davy Crockett because of it- and has been able to grow, change, and adapt to changing consumer tastes all while remaining faithful to what was there in '55.
Rich T
Well-Known Member
I'm on your side. But, you know... I grew up with a Disneyland that had no Fastpasses, no reservations, no Big Thunder, Space Mountain or Star Tours. There were ticket books, Nature's Wonderland, live Big Band music, and the (bare interior) Matterhorn was the park's most thrilling ride. And the park was still crowded during summer and stayed open until 1:00 AM, giving folks the pleasure of walking through Walt's park late at night without worrying about Fantasmic crowds.
Most of the people on this forum never got to experience that version of Disneyland. Walt's version. The version where Frontierland had a lot more depth due to Nature's Wonderland, and the whole park felt perfectly balanced with Mine Train, Jungle Cruise and the Subs forming three huge iconic adventures. But that version of the park would struggle today. The park needed coasters like Big Thunder and Space Mountain. During an era when the studio couldn't make a good movie to save its life, the park needed a boost from Lucas. A changed-but-still-high-quality DL is better than an extinct DL.
So now, here we are on the brink of another huge change... but maybe not as huge as we think. If we don't want to visit SWGE, the entire rest of the park is still there, minus a good bit of the river. It's space that wasn't being used for anything else (attractions-wise), and most likely would not have been used for the foreseeable future. The only ones who really lost out were the poor Main Street horses, now "saddled" with a longer commute. This all would be a lot more intrusive if it had indeed taken over all the Tomorrowland space.
Personally, I'd rather this wasn't happening, but at least it will be high-quality. Nothing will hurt DL as much as the botched and budget-cut Tomorrowland redo, which STILL damages the park's rep on a daily basis. The landscape of SWGE is generic-looking enough that the infrastructure could be repurposed with a new theme if SW ever wears out its welcome.
So, here we go into a new era for DL. Changed, but still DL. Things could be worse. Remember, at one time Pre-Eisner, the parks were in very real danger of being sold off to the highest bidder, and could very well have been Six Flags coaster fests by now.
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SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Uh, you're thinking New Orleans Square.
flynnibus
Premium Member
But Almost nothing of the original westerners theme stuff lasted... the dirt roads.. the donkeys.. the stage coach... the ride through fake deserts... the fake Indians.. the cowboy shows.
The idea of replicating the west was a singular, stereotypical topic that itself has fallen out of favor with the public. Frontierland endures... but not the western theme really. Critter country and the IP based attractions anchor what used to be the western theme. The building facades are the last hold out of this western theme.
Not focusing on DC did not save Frontierland, nor add any longevity to it. The emphasis on the huckleberry Finn familiarities and staging of TSI and the RoA were just as strong as any direct IP use.
The only thing really lasting about Frontierland has been the ROA... and that was spun around story telling of a well known author (IP).
Jack Sparrow has meet and greets on the Island now called Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. Princess Tiana regularly appears and performs on Mark Twain Riverboat.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
And brer Fox used to be seen in Tomorrowland. What's your point?
Rich T
Well-Known Member
The pack mules and stage coach went away mainly for safety and capacity reasons. The mythical Wild West endures in popularity--nothing like it was in the 50's currently, but it's seeing a comeback with the under-forty crowd through darker-toned genre films, Westworld, and Red Dead Redemption 2, an open-world cowboy adventure which was the biggest game of 2018. Just about every non-U.S. park features a Wild West land. The imagery is just too magical and unforgettable to fade. It's a powerful, unique theme that will always be with us. "Lone Ranger" bombed because it was awful, not because it was a Western (it was the best adventure in Disney Infinity, though). All it takes is one great movie (or ride at DL) to make Frontierland bigger than ever. Maybe someday it will reclaim the Galaxy's Edge space. Stranger things have happened.
Nothing left from 1955 and IP added.
Here’s a small sample of removed attractions and restaurant.
- American Rifle Exhibit & Frontier Gun Shop (1956–1986)
- Burning Settler's Cabin (1956–2003)
- Ceremonial Dance Circle (1955–1971)
- Aunt Jemima's Kitchen (1962–1970, 1975–2003)
flynnibus
Premium Member
It will never fade... but is it something you build or operate around? The trend says no. Westerns are not popular film subjects right now, and even in the last decade or so... the number is down.
The reality is dl has swapped everything out... and nor because of Daley Crockett or not. The land was picked due to its pop culture significance and the bulk of it has been completely replaced y different subjects.