With the imminent celebration of Disneyland’s 50th, Florida’s Walt Disney World resort is seeing its biggest expansion since Animal Kingdom opened. Last month I reported on some of the new additions to the Magic Kingdom and the Disney/MGM Studios. This week, we head over to Epcot to see what’s new there.
Soarin’ at The Land
For the past couple weeks, “Soarin'” has been the best-kept secret at Epcot. When this clone of the hit California Adventure attraction officially opens in May, you can be sure that long lines will fill its elegant queue. But the lucky few who knew to line up near the service gate behind “Imagination!” during the afternoons this past week were treated to a guided tour of the soon-to-open attraction, including a mostly wait-free ride. The ride is now closed to the public, but I was able to get in a few rides, which was enough for me to know I’ll be returning again and again, full queue or no. Soarin’ will be a major hit, and deservedly so.
Our tour started with a visit to the backstage area behind “Imagination” and “The Land.” Braving the sulfurous aroma in the air, we were given a brief introduction to the attraction by a cast member in an electric blue blazer. The new costumes are “inspired” by airline flight crews, and the queue takes its cue from airports like Chicago’s O’Hare, Paris’ Charles DeGaulle, and Orlando International (I detect a touch of Orlando’s upscale new Mall at Millenia, as well).
Photo by Seth Kubersky
After passing a circular reception desk (also home of the greenhouse guided tours) and the FastPass and “Single Flyer” lines, we wound through the beautiful steel and wood-appointed atrium. The ceiling rises to 5 five stories, and the largest wall is dominated by enormous backlit images of the Earth’s various environments – desert, tropical, mountain, forest, and arctic. Beneath each is a video screen displaying trivia questions. Though the overall design is tastefully ultra-modern, something about the inspiring music, curved neon lights, and polyestertastic costumes give the whole thing a wonderfully retro old-EPCOT feel.
The line splits, directing us to one of two “bays”, each serving up to 89 guests per show. Guests at each bay are dived into 3 sections, and then subdivided into 3 rows of 10 each (one row has 9, for accessibility I believe). Before entering the ride proper, there is a brief safety video featuring Patrick Warburton (“The Tick,” “The Emperor’s New Groove“) as a flight attendant. The safety briefing is standard-issue, but Warburton’s ironic dumb-lug persona makes it amusing (for the first couple viewings).
Upon entering the show bay, you are directed to one of the 9 long benches suspended from above. The seats are made of springy webbing, like a high-end office chair, and there are seatbelts instead of lap bars or harnesses. Once everyone is strapped in, the lights dim and you are hoisted up and over the railing to hang over what’s our guide billed as “the largest curved IMAX screen in the world”.
I don’t know that it’s really that much bigger than the screen at Universal’s “Back to the Future,” but the proximity and lack of obstruction below you makes it almost completely fill your field of view. The first time I rode I was in the middle row, and found the legs of the people above me a little distracting (but not fatally). Later, I rode from the front, and if you’re not bothered by the extra height, it’s the only way to go. No matter where you sit, when the film begins and you soar above the Golden Gate Bridge, the effect is absolutely stunning.
For the next four and a half minutes, you glide over the visual highlights of California. From the mountains and forests to the desert to nighttime L.A., the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. There are surprising and humorous moments, like when you narrowly miss a golf ball, and others that inspire simple joy, like skimming over a wave breaking in the Pacific surf. What really struck me is how gentle the ride is. It makes the subtlest of movements, mildly dipping and banking without ever feeling jerky or aggressive. The feeling of dramatic yet graceful flight is greatly enhanced by the wind effects. This is truly a simulator your grandmother would ride (provided she’s not scared of heights).
I found this hyper-evolved Circlevision travelogue to be thrilling and beautiful. It gives a feeling of freedom and exhilaration that is unique among simulator rides, and I look forward to riding it for years to come. There are however some minor criticisms. While I don’t mind the lack of plot or narration, I would like some way of knowing where the beautiful locations featured are. The orange scent sprayed as you glide over the citrus groves made me pleasantly nostalgic for “Horizons,” but the rotting Pinesol odor gives Stitch’s chili breath a run for its money as “worse attraction smell ever.”
My biggest gripe is with the editing. Scenes cut abruptly from one scene to the next, momentarily jarring your suspension of disbelief. I wish that cleverer editing and/or CGI could have been used to make it a seamless flight. Hopefully an upgraded film will address that in the future; Epcot’s 25th birthday isn’t far off, and would be the perfect occasion for a less California-centric ride film.
Mostly, I just worry if “Soarin'” has the capacity to handle the huge crowds it will justifiably draw. With approximately 178 people cycling every 7 to 10 minutes, they’ll be pressed to push through 1200 people an hour. California Adventure, where the original was the park headliner until Tower of Terror was imported, only gets a fraction of the crowds that Epcot does. Be prepared to work those FastPass and single rider systems, because “Soarin'” is certain to be mobbed all summer long.
Turtle Talk with Crush at The Living Seas
For many years, “The Living Seas” was the phantom pavilion for me. Between the interminable preshow film, the cheesy Hydrolators, the broken SeaCabs, and the creaky exhibits, I found no reason to pay a visit. But recently, “The Living Seas” has seen a bit of a resurrection, thanks to some CGI talking fish. The stars of Pixar’s much-loved “Finding Nemo” are gradually being added to SeaBase Alpha, with mixed results. The first few additions were simple museum displays, themed around Bruce the Shark and the like, that are barely worth a single visit. But the newest addition is a technological and creative wonder that once again makes this pavilion a must-see.
As a child, one of my favorite places was “The Land of Make Believe“, a small family amusement park still operating in Hope, NJ . While I loved the roller coaster and was terrified of the haunted house, what fascinated me most was Cornel Corn, the “famous” talking scarecrow. As a young kid, I didn’t figure out that it was just stuffed shirt rigged with a microphone and camera, and an operator hiding nearby. I was enthralled by the idea of an inanimate object that interacted with me like a living person. My current favorite expression of this concept is the Enchanted Fountain outside the Sinbad stadium at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The combination of an abusively sarcastic actor and high pressure water jets can keep me entertained for hours.
“Turtle Talk with Crush” is the major new step in the evolution of interactive characters. Small groups of guests are loaded into a theatre (adults on low benches, kids on the floor down front). Jim wrote an excellent article on the show last year so I won’t repeat it. I’ll just point out that for all the amazing technology used, the real magic is in the actor pulling the strings. From the spot-on vocal impersonation to the ability to wink at the parents without being condescending to their kids, this is a performance that deserves a standing ovation.
Hong Kong Disneyland Preview Center at the China pavilion
Tucked into a small exhibit room attached to the “Temple of Heaven” lobby is a preview of the new Disneyland park being built in Hong Kong. The Chinese park, opening this September, has been criticized for being under-built, in the not-so-grand tradition of Disney Studios Paris and California Adventure. Disney’s counter-argument is that the Chinese prefer picture taking and sightseeing over thrill rides, so the deficit of E-Ticket attractions is culturally appropriate. I can’t speak to the cultural issue. But — to my eyes — the preview makes the park look pleasant but underwhelming.
As previously reported, there are only 4 lands, and each has only a handful of attractions. Anyone looking for Big Thunder or Splash Mountain, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, or most other classic E-Tickets will be disappointed. Space Mountain is there, a clone of the track currently being installed in California. The highlight of the park looks to be the Jungle Cruise, which dominates an enlarged Adventureland. In addition to the classic scenes from the original, the ride features a climactic battle between the Tiki gods of fire and water. The rest of the park is filled by clones of minor rides like Dumbo, Teacups, and the Oribitron. The clone of Pooh is rumored to be weaker than the Florida version, the Buzz Lightyear better, and Philharmagic should be the same.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
The only unique attraction seems to be the Fantasy Gardens, which is simply a landscaped area with 5 gazebos where guests can take pictures of costumed character. More or less the same as the character trail in Camp Minnie-Mickey at Animal Kingdom. There appears to be good attention being paid to detail in the design and landscaping, and there are some pleasant touches like the Snow White Grotto. The adjacent hotels are beautiful, connected by a promenade with a character-filled performing fountain. The integration with Hong Kong’s mass transit makes me wish Orlando would finally build its long-proposed light rail. But overall the park is decidedly on the small size (good thing there’s room for it to grow).
Likewise, the preview center is equally underwhelming, with nothing but simple static displays. A video of construction footage or Imagineering rendering would go a long way towards livening it up. Still, it’s worth a visit for Disney diehards, if you’re in the park already. And with all the other great new additions, you know you will be!