First up, it’s Barry from East Boston. Who writes in today to say:
Dear Jim:
What the hell is going on at Epcot? All of the rides that I used to love as a kid – “World of Motions,” “Horizons” and “Journey in Imagination” – are being ripped out and replaced by these pale copies of the original attractions and/or by stupid hi-tech thrill rides.
Why is the Walt Disney Company turning its back on its own heritage? What’s the matter? Is there some sort of corporate conspiracy currently in place that calls for all of Disney’s AA-based shows to be replaced with cheaper-to-produce movies & off-the-shelf rides?
I mean, how expensive can it be nowadays to produce an attraction that features a few Audio Animatronic figures?
Color me Dis-gruntled & Dis-appointed, Jim.
Barry B.
Barry –
Well, to hear my friends at Walt Disney Imagineering explain it, there IS considerable cost involved in creating an AA-based attraction for one of the Disney theme parks. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars you have to spend annually to maintain these highly sophisticated robotic figures.
But — honestly, Barry — that’s really not the reason that the Mouse has begun to shy away from these sorts of shows. To hear the guys in WDI tell it, the real reason that Disney has pulled the plug on elaborate attractions like Epcot’s “World of Motion” and “Horizons” is that … well … tastes change. When WED was initially putting together rides, shows and attractions for Epcot’s Future World section (back in the mid-to-late 1970s), the Imagineers felt that elaborate shows loaded with AA figures were really the way to go. That this was the sort of stuff that would really dazzle Disney World visitors.
The only problem was — when EPCOT Center finally opened in the Fall of 1982 — all of these earnest, well meaning, thoroughly researched and incredibly-expensive-to-produce shows failed to really wow the public. WDW guest surveys that were done during this period showed that — while Disney World visitors appreciated all the obvious effort that had gone into the creation of Epcot — they weren’t all that enthusiastic about the place. When these folks got back home and friends and family would ask them about Disney’s newest theme park, these people would invariably say something like “Oh, EPCOT Center was nice enough. But it’s no Magic Kingdom. The rides and the shows there were kind of boring.”
This is why — when Michael Eisner came on board in October of 1984 as the new CEO of Walt Disney Productions — one of his very top priorities was to revitalize / jazz up Epcot. To bring some real color and excitement to this well-intended but still rather dull theme park.
Which was why the Norway pavilion and its flume ride, the “Maelstrom,” were quickly added to World Showcase. Not to mention the “Wonders of Life” pavilion with its hi-tech thrill ride (“Body Wars”) and its two colorful, celebrity-filled film-based shows (“Cranium Command” and “The Making of Me”). Eisner did everything that he could think of to try and re-energize Epcot.
And — given that it was typically the slower moving shows like “World of Motion” and “Hozizons” that were scoring the lowest on Epcot’s guest satisfaction surveys — this is why, when the leases were up on these particular shows, that Disney would push these pavilions’ corporate sponsors to allow them to replace the previous attraction with something bright, something colorful. Ideally, a brand-new thrill ride.
It wasn’t that Disney was deliberately trying to destroy Epcot’s Future World section. Pulling out all of these highly themed rides, shows and attractions that Disneyana fans now look upon with such fondness. But rather, they were just trying to fix a park that was performing poorly with the public.
And the fixes continues, folks. Even today, almost 20 years after Michael Eisner came to power at Walt Disney Production, this CEO is still trying to make the place a success with a broader segment of the theme-park-going public. After all, what is “Mission: Space” — with its centrifuge-based simulated-flight-to-Mars ride — but a flat-out naked attempt to make the Future World section of this troubled theme park into something that will be much more appealing to teens?
And “Project Gemini?” That’s really Epcot’s “Hail Mary” play. The Imagineers’ last-ditch effort to re-invent / re-energize / revitalize WDW’s science and discovery park. Given how radically that once-ambitious plan has now been downsized, one wonders if “Project Gemini” will now even be worth the effort. Will a new version of “Soarin'” and a “Finding Nemo”-themed overlay for the “Living Seas” pavilion really be enough to make a significant number of tourists come back to Epcot?
Time will tell, Barry. But — for now — given that “Mission: Space” is already shaping up to be an incredibly expensive near-miss (And the Imagineers are reportedly really regretting all that pricey carpet that they laid down directly under each of the centrifuge units. Given all the “protein spills” that they’re regularly having to deal with here, WDI employees in Florida are already supposedly taking bets on how long it will be before “M:S”‘s carpeting gets torn out … only to be replaced by a much-easier-to-maintain-and-clean tile floor), it’s pretty safe to say that we’ve seen our last multi-million dollar make-over of a Future World pavilion for a while.
Even that once-ambitious “Spaceship Earth” redo — featuring its hi-tech “Time Racers” thrill ride — is reportedly being rethought. So — at least for now, Barry — you can assume that there are no “World of Motion” / “Mission: Space”-style radical redos in Epcot’s future.
But — beyond that — Future World’s future does look rather bleak.
Anyway … next, Ted E. writes in to ask:
Jim –
Love the site. I was wondering, though, if you could answer a theme park related question for me. As in: What became of all the great themed queues & pre-shows that Disney used to do for its theme parks attractions & rides. These days, particularly over at DCA, it’s just painted steel rails and overhead monitors. You don’t really get a sense of a story anymore. That you’re about to embark on some magical adventure. You’re just crowded in like cattle.
So am I wrong, Jim? Are the glory days of the Disney pre-show – where we’d get an elaborate queue like the one is “Star Tours” that set up the whole story before you even got on your Star Speeder – really dead and gone?
Please say it isn’t so.
Thanks in advance for whatever info you can throw my way.
Ted E.
Sadly, yes, Ted. I honestly do think that — at least for the foreseeable future — the elaborate queue (An item that — back in the late 1980s / early 1990s, anyway — was the hallmark of a truly great Disney theme park attraction) is dead.
At least here stateside, where WDW and Disneyland Resort visitors are constantly complaining about the amount of time that they have to spend in line, no one at WDI is thinking about creating elaborate queues anymore. They’re just looking for ways for even faster ways to load guests onto attractions.
The introduction of Fast Pass did help to deal with this issue a bit. But what’s complicating that matter is the significant number of complaints that Disney Guest Relations Dept. has been received from theme park guests who now find themselves stranded in the “Stand By” line. People who really seem to resent being held back as those guests who are clutching their “Fast Passes” are allowed to board these attractions that much faster.
Strange as this may seem, Ted, there are actually Disney theme park regulars who are strongly advocating that the Mouse drop the Fast Pass system entirely. To go back to the old ways. When everybody had to stand in line together. When no one got special treatment.
Even more intriguing are the folks with WDI who are suggesting that the Disney theme parks take a real step backwards. Abandoning the pay-one-price-to-ride-every-attraction-in-the-park-as-often-as-you-like admissions media in favor of returning to ticket books. That’s right. Ticket books.
Mind you, this may not be as odd an idea as it initially appears to be. After all, back in the day when both Disneyland and WDW’s Magic Kingdom used tickets, guests were more evenly distributed around the theme parks. In order to get the most out of their investment in Disney admissions materials, these folks would deliberately try to use every one of their tickets. So they’d go out of their way to visit the park’s A, B, C, D and E Ticket attractions.
Which is how attractions like the Mike Fink Keelboats and Disneyland’s Motor Boat Cruise were able to justify their existences. By turning over the admittedly-not-large-but-still-rather-steady number of tickets that guests handed over each day. Which allowed the operators of those Disney theme park attractions to say “See? People DO like us. They’re still willing to pay good money in order to ride us.”
And — based on the number of tickets that a Disney theme park attraction would taken in annually — WED could then justify making additions and/or improvements to that attraction during its yearly rehab. How would the Imagineers do this? By pulling an annual tally for the number of tickets that had been collected for a particular ride, show or attraction. “Snow White’s Scary Adventure,” for example.
WED’s reasoning would go something like this: “4.5 million rode ‘Snow White’s Scary Adventure.’ Given that a C Ticket has a cash equivalent of 50 cents, that means that this Fantasyland attraction made $2.25 million for the Disney corporation last year. Which is why I think it’s reasonable for Imagineering to spend $100,000 next year on upgrades and upkeep for this show. So that ‘Snow White’s Scary Adventure’ will continue to stay popular with the guests. So that this Fantasyland dark ride will continue to pull its weight — financially, that is — for Disneyland.”
But once the stateside Disney theme parks switched over to the Passport system in the late 1970s, that financial model flew right out the window. And the Imagineers found it harder and harder to justify to increasingly cost-conscious executives how it made sense to continually attempt to improve (or — at the very least — maintain the status quo) the theme park’s older attractions. This was just about the same time that Disney management became fixated on the idea that they’d use a brand-new E Ticket — something that they add to the parks, with much hoopla, every 3 to 4 years — to keep attendance levels at the theme parks consistently high.
Of course, when you tie this mentality in with all of the cost cutting that Disney has done at its stateside theme parks over the past few years, you can end up with a pretty lame lean bunch of new attractions. Rides like “Aladdin’s Magic Carpets” at WDW’s Magic Kingdom and “Tricera Tops Spin” at DAK — even though they are new rides — don’t exactly inspire tourists to catch the next flight to Orlando.
So what’s it going to take to bring back the good old days at Disney’s stateside theme parks? That time when you got to wander through a wonderfully detailed queue like the one you find in Disneyland’s “Star Tours” and/or that quarter of a mile of thrills and chills you encounter while you’re making your way through the Temple of the Forbidden Eye? According to some folks at WDI, ticket books would be “just the ticket” to clean up this particular mess.
I know that this all sounds rather unlikely, folks. But there are some staffers at Walt Disney Imagineering — some rather senior staffers, I might add — who are actively advocating for this idea. We’ll keep you posted as to whether they actually make any progress.
Finally, Jeff L. from Connecticut writes in to say:
Jim:
I had just finished making the travel arrangements for my next trip down to Disney World when I learned that the Mouse had suddenly pulled the plug on this year’s version of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights . $%#&@ !? That was one of the main reasons that I was headed down to Disney this holiday season, Jim. Just so I could walk along Disney-MGM’s Residential Street and check out this over-the-top Xmas lights display that I’ve heard so much about over the past few years.
Obviously, I’m disappointed, Jim. As well as kind of annoyed. I mean, the Walt Disney Company owns 43 square miles of land down there in Orlando. Surely they could have found some empty spot down there at WDW and set the Osborne Lights over there.
So what’s the real deal here, Jim? I know that they’re currently doing all sorts of work on New York Street (replacing facades and all that) as well as tearing down the “Golden Girls” house to make room for an Americanized version of WDS’s auto stunt show. But surely there was somewhere else at Disney World — Downtown Disney, for example — that could have served as a temporary home for the Osborne Lights. At least ’til all the construction was completed over at Disney-MGM.
So what gives, Jim? Inquiring Disneyana fans wanna know!
Jeff L.
Jeff –
Believe me, you’re not the only person who’s upset at Disney’s seemingly sudden decision to pull the plug on this year’s Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Given that this somewhat garish holiday display was recently voted the resort’s most popular holiday attraction by WDW annual passholders, I’m told that Disney World got hundreds of letters from angry and disappointed would-be guests. Many of whom — just like Jeff L. — had been planning their WDW vacations to coincide with the previously announced dates for this year’s light display.
I’m also told that there were many veteran Disney World cast members who were surprised that the Mouse didn’t at least try to jury-rig a smaller version of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights display for Disney-MGM this coming holiday season. Maybe just set up a highlights version along Mickey Avenue.
When asked about doing something like this, WDW management’s response went something like this: “Oh, there’s not enough time to do something like that. We’re just going to have to wait ’til 2004 — or maybe 2005 — for all the construction to be completed on the stunt show.”
Oh, really? Five months isn’t enough time to find a way to display the Osborne Lights this year at MGM? How many of you remember when “Mickey’s Birthdayland” debuted at WDW’s Magic Kingdom back in June 18, 1988? That entire land (which was built specifically to help Disney World’s visitors celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 60th birthday) was designed and constructed in just three months. From the initial meeting where someone said “Wouldn’t it be cool if …” to the moment then-First Lady Nancy Reagan cut the ribbon at Mickey’s House … just 90 days. And that involved changing the layout of the Grand Prix Raceway to accommodate the footprint of the new show buildings, creating a new station for the Magic Kingdom’s railroad, erecting steel, putting in new pipes and electrical wiring, etc.
Obviously, that was no lightweight project. But still — with three months of hard work — the folks at Walt Disney World were still able to pull it off. Creating something that — even 15 years later — millions of WDW visitors are still getting a kick out of.
Now contrast that with what happened with Disney World’s current management team was given FIVE months to come up with a new place on property to display the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Their response was: “There’s not enough time. It would cost too much to quickly put together a temporary place to display those lights. It’s better that we should wait ’til all the construction is complete on MGM’s backlot.”
Well, while Disney is sitting around waiting, Universal Orlando is really on the move. Sensing that there are some seasonal customers that they can snatch away from the Mouse this year, USF is ramping up the holiday displays at both of their Central Florida theme parks. Universal Studios Orlando will be bringing back the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloons for the holiday parade that will run daily through that theme park. While — over at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure — a bigger, beefier version of Grinchmas will be bowing over in Suess Landing this holiday season.
Will these customers come back to Disney-MGM once that the management team at that studio theme park gets its act together again? Maybe. But — right now — there are certainly a lot of angry WDW annual passholders (as well as Dis-appointed vacationers) who really feel like they’ll be missing out on something this holiday season … just because the dim bulbs who currently run the Walt Disney World Resort couldn’t find a new place on property to display the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.
Okay. That’s it for this week, folks. Again, my apologies for my exceedingly low profile at JimHillMedia.com this week. But we’ve nearly gotten all the worms and viruses taken care of at this end. So — hopefully — things will get back to normal around here next week. (By that I mean: As normal as things usually get around JimHillMedia.com. Which isn’t very normal at all.)
And remember … come by on Saturday and Sunday to catch Parts V and VI of Jim Korkis’ on-going “History of the Comic Book” series. The first four installments made for some pretty fascinating reading.
That’s it for now. Talk to you next Monday, okay?
jrh