| # | Author | Message |
1
| vbdad55
Sun 11/9/2008 5:26p | Okay - I am going to start this.I am somewhat fearful and ask please - no comments on the world sucks because of any political individual -- the world has changed from 1955 and 1971 - dramatically- so I put my question from another thread here .
the question is, is the era of Classic Attractions over ?
Various reasons I ask. 1/ Many of those who created these attractions are sadly no longer with us,nor is their vision 2/ in today's world - with kids with an attention span of how long it takes to go from level to level on the latest viseo game before putting it in a drawer and moving on. 3/ teen/adult attention spans last from one text message to the next.......
If a 'pirates' themed ride had not been in place before and came out now- wouldit be similarly received ?
I don't know the answer to that. I look at the 'themes' from when I was a kid - exciting adventures from pirates and haunted mansions,andouter space and the wild west drove a lot of the attractions. The wild west seems to already be so passe to kids it has disappeared -- hard for space stuff to keep up with even reality.
The world itself has changed - and like most generations before me, I don'think for the better. Doesn't make me right ( doesn't make me wrong either ) --
Maybe this should be it's own thread - but I am fearful the 'fantasy' and naivete that drove much of what builtDL and WDW is a thing of the past. Kids these days are bombarded with sexuality - and war and drugs and politics at such a young age...not sure they have timeto secure their childhood dreams like the ones many my age still hold on to. We know they're not real - but they are a nice escape from reality for a week or so- here and there.
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2
| vbdad55
Sun 11/9/2008 5:26p | Okay - I am going to start this.I am somewhat fearful and ask please - no comments on the world sucks because of any political individual -- the world has changed from 1955 and 1971 - dramatically- so I put my question from another thread here .
the question is, is the era of Classic Attractions over ?
Various reasons I ask. 1/ Many of those who created these attractions are sadly no longer with us,nor is their vision 2/ in today's world - with kids with an attention span of how long it takes to go from level to level on the latest viseo game before putting it in a drawer and moving on. 3/ teen/adult attention spans last from one text message to the next.......
If a 'pirates' themed ride had not been in place before and came out now- wouldit be similarly received ?
I don't know the answer to that. I look at the 'themes' from when I was a kid - exciting adventures from pirates and haunted mansions,andouter space and the wild west drove a lot of the attractions. The wild west seems to already be so passe to kids it has disappeared -- hard for space stuff to keep up with even reality.
The world itself has changed - and like most generations before me, I don'think for the better. Doesn't make me right ( doesn't make me wrong either ) --
Maybe this should be it's own thread - but I am fearful the 'fantasy' and naivete that drove much of what builtDL and WDW is a thing of the past. Kids these days are bombarded with sexuality - and war and drugs and politics at such a young age...not sure they have timeto secure their childhood dreams like the ones many my age still hold on to. We know they're not real - but they are a nice escape from reality for a week or so- here and there.
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3
| vbdad55
Sun 11/9/2008 5:31p | darn site connection locked for a bit- sorry for duplication |
4
| dshyates
Sun 11/9/2008 7:18p | Well, we will see when Disney opens The Little Mermaid at DCA. It will be the fist stateside large scale Omnimover/AA old school type classic Disney attraction since EPCOT opened.
I do believe that to make one work in the modern era, it will need a lot more bells and whistles than HM. But WDI also has a lot more cool stuff in their arsenal these days. I am excited to see what they come up with. It will end up being compared to the HP dark ride which is going to be a pretty elaborate old school type dark ride with a decidedly NOT old school ride system. As you can tell, I'm excited about that one too. Both Disney and Universal throwing a ton of money at old school dark rides. COOOLL!!!! |
5
| vbdad55
Sun 11/9/2008 7:26p | I guess my view of the'classic' rides also includes the fact that they were not tied into a specific movie or even characters -- Potc and HM are basedon 'classic' ideas - without having an audience built in because they like the movie or the characters.
Not saying a tie in ride can't be a 'classic' in many respects - just sharing my opinion and what made the 'classics' not age - |
6
| dshyates
Sun 11/9/2008 7:29p | I think Peter Pan is a "Classic Disney Dark Ride". I see The Little Mermaid as similar to that, only BIGGER with more WOW. |
7
| Spirit of 74
Sun 11/9/2008 9:36p | I have posted a similar question but it was buried in anothe thread so in keeping with VBDAD's spirit I'll ask it here: how many attractions at WDW that have opened since 1993 will be considered classics and have the possibility of being around in 40 years (like Mansion, Pirates, Peter Pan, Small World and even things like Dumbo and the WDW RR).
Sorry for the semi-hijacking but I think my question follows quite logically from yours. |
8
| avromark
Sun 11/9/2008 9:57p | Now part of this I know vbdad will hate me for is what I call corporate rot. Very few thinks boards/committees do rival that of a visionary. The concessions made to keep everyone happy. The lack of taking risks. Novel ideas shot down for a more traditional approach. Caution.
The other part is we are much more jaded now. There's a 13 year gap between myself and my youngest sibling. Take for example an hour and a half drive to Detroit. When I was young (and my middle brother) sitting in the back of the wagon playing licence plate games with a cooler at our feet kept us entertained. When you'd make a face at the person behind you they'd usually laugh. Fast forward to my sister/kid brother, they have VCR/DVD (respectively) on a CRT/LCD screen, my parents both had minivans. They faced forward. The rear window wasn't down, but instead had 3-zone (instead of front only a/c) climate control. I'm going to guess but if he made a face at another driver it would probably end up with road rage.
People used to queue up, now it's kind of a gathering and shoving match.
Now they have to have something to market at. It can't just be for example Pirates, It has to be Jack Sparrow. It can't be a fuzzy bunny. It has to be Bugs Bunny.
Walt had what the monorails, the sub lagoon and I forget what the other major attraction going on at the same time. None of them had any marketing tie in. Now it seems everything has to have some sort of tie in, and they slug at it only one at a time.
But I think things do cycle. If things keep going where they are with raised prices and nothing novel to attract people, then well no one will come. Henry Ford realized for example you pay your workers well, they become your own consumer.
Getting back on topic. I think people react well to big budget rides (Let's see how many HM fans there are compared to Peter Pan. Just youtube and see how many Jungle Cruise or Indy videos you find. But it doesn't seem like they want to either put the money or give the Imagineers enough latitude.
That said these days they can't "wing it" nearly as much as before kind of building things and then kind of just drafting the plans (As a certain column here gave us insight into). They need approval through how many VP's. It seems part of it is the process of getting the ride to life. I'm pretty sure people would love a Mermaids or even a River Expedition ride. But would it get made to a 12 minute ride time these days? Would it be all AA's or would it be projection (Or plywood cutouts). I'm pretty sure a Classic ride like the Western River would be talked about and loved for years and years if it was built. But would they invest the money, the time? Would they give enough creative control to the Imagineers? Would they shrink the budget? |
9
| brotherdave
Mon 11/10/2008 4:32a | Tower of Terror comes to mind instantly. Even though it is based on an old TV show, it does so loosely. If Disney lost the rights to the Twilight Zone tomorrow, the ride would survive regardless. The fact that Tokyo Disney Seas has one that's not based on the Twilight Zone is proof that it can exist without it.
Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain RR are more great classic rides since 1971. No recognizable characters, no merchandising other than for the rides themselves. Just plain fun.
Splash Mountain also falls into this somewhat. It utilizes lesser known characters from a movie that's basically 'banned' in the U.S. by Disney. It's also timeless and wonderfully designed and will certainly thrill riders for years to come.
Spaceship Earth is also classic Disney, but has been modified and updated several times to 'keep up with the times'. Still, the theme remains relatively the same, as do most of the historical AA scenes.
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10
| brotherdave
Mon 11/10/2008 5:14a | Let me also add Expedition Everest and the American Adventure to that list. Both are outstanding. Countdown to Extinc... er, Dinosaur also has the potential to be around for a long time. It may not be as well received as Indiana Jones Adventure is in Disneyland, it still is popular at DAK and is a 'not miss' attraction for us when we visit WDW. Sadly, most other recent additions I couldn't classify as 'classic'. |
