Character Additions to WDW Attractions

[disneyvixen]

Hey everyone! This is Jackie O! I figured I'd start a thread on my current pondering. What classic disney rides do you feel would be absolutely demised if they added Disney movie characters to? Since I've had some time to actually think this over I figured I'd share a few that would really just burst my disney bubble.

Tower of Terror - I have loved this attraction since it arrived at MGM (Yeah, I know it's not a classic) and I just don't think I could bear to ride this attraction with the presence of a Steve Gutenberg animatronic.

It's a Small World - To many this attraction is excrutiatingly painful to ride, but it always makes me feel like I am 5 again. I don't really know WHOM they would incorporate in this ride, but I know I wouldn't be too happy to see it happen.


Now that I think about it, what DOESN'T have Disney characters in it?? Feel free to share, I'd love to hear everyones thoughts and opinions!

[djrmusic]

Hi Jackie,

Heard your voice mail on this weeks MouseTunes Podcast. I thought you had a great question. After giving it some thought (and because "jackie o wants to know!") I think if they introduced any characters to the 'classic' attractions (Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, POTC, etc.) I would drive me crazy. To me, those attractions would lose something and not gain something by adding the attraction.

For instance, the Tiki Bird Room. This was never an attraction I would wait hours for, however, I would always go see it because of the history there was. One of the original attraction. Now that they added Zazu and Iago, I just feel it takes away from the history of the show.

To be fair however...I don't mind the Jack Sparrow additions to POTC. Maybe it 'fits' better there.

Well anyway...that's my thoughts! Like I said..great question!

Dave

[YoPaulie]

Ah, but therin lies the rub. To some, adding a new character "detracts" from the original. To others, the original is old, stale, and dated, in need of some added zest.


To me, it totally depends on the attractiuon, and who they add to it; does it thematically make sense, and is the story improved, or at the very least, not made worse.

I enjoy The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management. I also enjoy Ellen's Energy Adventure. I like Stitch's Great Escape (minority view, I know, I know), although I completely agree that the story is weak, but I ALSO felt that Alien Encounter had NO business in The Magic Kingdom. In that regard, Stitch fits in better.

I have seen all of the incarnations of Journey Into Imagination, and while the latest is good, it PALES in comparison to the original.


And, while I liked the new Clamobile Nemo ride... I MUCH prefer the old Teh Living Seas attraction, as it originally was, with the preshow movie, the sea cabs, hydrolators, etc.


As for what doesn't have characters... the majority of Epcot...

[firemedic]

Some of the classics would be ruined for me if they added characters. Like HM would NOT be the same with Eddie Murphy in the ride. I like his movies, but he doesn't need to be there. And yes, Steve Gutenberg would definitely ruin Tower of Terror!

[timned88]

if they put eddie murphy in the haunted mansion, i would be tweaked to say the least. awesome classic attraction gets crappy second rate movie. POTC was a classic attraction which got an epic movie that was made with lots of TLC. haunted mansion gets dreck. where's the love?

i was really hoping the haunted mansion movie was gonna be like 'the haunting' (cath. zeta-jone).

[SamIAm717]

The Tiki Room Under New Management just doesn't sit right with me. After seeing the Disneyland version, the WDW version really just needs to be put back the way it was.

I'd be upset if they added Woody, Jessie or the Old Prospector to Big Thunder Mtn.

And, I don't think I want to see Pumba or Timon anywhere on the Jungle Cruise. I don't even want them in the queue line. The Lion King was not set in a jungle "per se" as lions live in the savannahs and on the plains of Africa, not jungles. Tigers live in jungles, but not lions. I would much rather see Mowgli or Sher-Khan, even Baloo on the Jungle Cruise, but I don't think that's what Walt wanted. I thought Walt wanted average people to be able to experience the jungle as it might naturally be. It's not something the average American in the 1950 or 1960's would ever be able to experience in reality, right? {{Not speaking for Walt of course.}}

Just my two-cents!!

[Grizzpyre]

Jackie-O - what a great question! I think there should be a "Jackie-O wants to know" segment on a semi-regular basis! (on that note, I'd be happy to record an intro for you...heheheh)

Hmmm...how to ruin my day with adding characters....

Scuttle flying with us over the California Coast on Soarin'?

Jedi Mickey and "Don" Solo flying the Millennium Village Falcon in a new rendition of Star Tours?

Lightning McQueen cars in Test Track? Or for that matter, the addition of pixar characters to every single undeveloped square inch of every single ride in every single park? (Hmmm....do I sound upset....?)

How about Professor Ludwig Von Drake narrating The Hall of Presidents?

Don't get me wrong - I love the characters, and when done well (PotC, etc.) I'm all for it. Let's just not get too overboard and start doing things that make no sense...

On the other hand...I think an evolutionary AA of Mickey through the years would kick butt on the Carousel of Progress - imagine - in each scene, a little Mickey somewhere who is in the style of that decade. That's not a bad idea, is it?

[disney fanatic]

Tower of Terror - I have loved this attraction since it arrived at MGM (Yeah, I know it's not a classic) and I just don't think I could bear to ride this attraction with the presence of a Steve Gutenberg animatronic.

hehe

[alalune042]

I think my main picks of SE, ToT, The CoP, SM, TM, HM, ...
They should add characters to something like universe of energy :X

[kngdmhrts3]

the addition of charactes could be cool... i mean if you do it right

i have always thought that Timion and Pumbaa could fit into the jungle cruise, if not AA then do voice overs like timon and pumbaa find a radio and are able to give you a tour of a certain part.
apes from tarzan could be "trashin the camp" in the camp scene, and anyway,

i cant see cars in test track, well maybe if i think hard enough. but i can see them at grand prix raceway or in Disney Land the tta is sitting rotting on it's tracks(even thou it doesnt have one) it can be turned into the Cars giving one a tour of tomorroland. Woody and prospector in BTM maybe,

if disney has this huge cast of characters why not use them, how come all we do is see them in an area similar to their home world, why not put them onto a ride or a little hint of their prescence,

[disneyvixen]

Thanks everyone for sharing all of your thoughts, I love hearing what other people think. It's good to know I'm not the only one who wants to know and wants to share! Lemme respond to a few of your posts

DJrmusic - Did you hear when I called in and raved about how much I loved the Mousetunes lounge music?? My thanks go out to you for a great intro to my favorite podcast! I must say I agree with you about the Tiki Room. I would do anything to have the original back. Iago's voice alone is enough to make me never go in that hut again. I know some people thought the original was campy and boring, but I would rather have the original than what we have now. I haven't seen the updated POTC yet, but from what I hear, it's great. I hate to sound like yet another Johnny Depp lover, but I don't think you can go wrong.. I mean him and Disney are two of my favorite things!

YoPaulie - I know exactly what your saying about those who want additions and those whoe don't. I mean after all, before Disneyland, what characters did Disney have to base his attractions on? I mean yes, he had quite a few films by then, but in todays world what good is a marketing dept if you can't make a profit on what already exists? That is Jackie O the marketing major talking haha..

I enjoy Ellen's Energy Adventure too, but I do miss those catchy energy songs! I don't like Stitch's Great Escape, but I loved Alien Encounter. I guess I can see what you are saying about it not belonging in WDW, but weren't some of the opening attractions for Disneyland and even WDW kind of random? I suppose maybe they related back to something Walt liked or had interest in. Just trying to span both sides of the spectrum.

I also really like the new Nemo ride, but I will always miss the hydrolators and that great movie ("And it rained, and rained, and rained"). Nothing compares to the original JII, oh how I miss the Dreamfinder AND the Imageworks.

Firemedic - I'm glad someone agrees with me about the Tower of Terror! How many sequels did they make to Police Academy?? I had enough of Gutenberg then!

Timned88 - Maybe if we are lucky in another 5-10 years they will give it another go and really give The Haunted Mansion movie the gusto it deserves!

SamIAm717 -Wow, what an amazing point about Timon and Puumba. Didn't we have enough of them in The Lion King 1 1/2? Was that movie even necessary? Alright, I don't want to sound like a complete basher here, since we know Disney does make some lame and uncalled for sequels (i.e. Cinderella 3). Wasn't Walt about being realistic and true to life? How realistic is it to imply that animals that don't live in a jungle, technically do at WDW? And one more thing, what place does Thunder Mountain Railroad have being at Magic Kingdom? NOT that I dislike this attraction AT ALL, but just like YoPaulie said, does the "story line" for this ride fit in somewhere that I don't know about along the Disney timeline?? Please anyone feel free to inform me!

Grizzpyre - Thank you for your wonderful comments! And I would LOVE to have a regular segment, so I guess I will just keep calling with "Jackie O Wants To Know" questions until I annoy the bejeesus out of Lou and Nathan so much that they think it's a good idea too I am thinking about investing in some recording equipment although I hear its quite pricey, so for now I will stick to the cell phone. If you would like to record an intro for me, you are more then welcome to and I would greatly appreciate it! I absolutely love what you've come up with for what would ruin disney attractions for you! I'm dying laughing over here. But, how could you say Professor Ludwig Von Drake would ruin Hall of Presidents! He's so awesome! Your idea for CoP is fantastic, I think it's an amazing idea and I think you should work on becoming an imagineer!

The voice of mousetunes, eh? Why do I know what you do for the podcast, but it's slipping my mind at the moment?? Fill me in here, PM me if necessary

disney-fanatic - Now I just have to wait till the biggest Steve Gutenberg fan comes around and sees this thread right?? :laugh:

alalune042 - The Universe of Energy has Ellen, but I don't know if technically she is a character... lol

kngdmhrts3 - I think that is key, doing it RIGHT. We have all witnessed how elements of the Disney company rush things, whether it be movies, products, parks.. you name it. That's what makes them one of the largest companies in the world. As Disney fans, I think we just have to deal with the fact that, things will remain ever changing for our favorite vice (in my case anyway ) from now on. Maybe with a little bit of faith, trust and pixie dust, they will slow down the pace and take pride in what has been created.

Phew! That's all for now! Talk to you soon.

[ERich2010]

ya know this has got me thinkin...they need an atraction with the fab 5 AAs. i think with the new technology. itd be really sweet. like mickey with jack sparrow's movement! wow!

[djrmusic]

Jackie-O

I did hear you call in that week talking about the MouseTunes Song Intro. I've been listening to MouseTune since the early part of 2006 every week. Your comments were very kind and very much appreciated!

[disneyvixen]

ya know this has got me thinkin...they need an atraction with the fab 5 AAs. i think with the new technology. itd be really sweet. like mickey with jack sparrow's movement! wow!

Yeah if anything I would love to see something like this. Although we kind of already have this in Philharmagic. Sadly, the only AA there is Donald Ducks rear end! I would love to be able to see the Mickey Mouse Revue, too bad its across the pond now

[brian666]

how about an audioanimatronic walt disney in an up to date refurbished carousel of progress at the first step introducing the show.