It's a Mickey world after all?
 

Per Lutz, It's a Small World at DL is getting integrated Disney characters. What's next, a Simba-Timon demonstration of the circle of life on Jungle Cruise?

Apparently, they're also tearing out (my favorite) rain forest scene to create a tribute to America.

<gag>

Indeed the world is getting smaller

Not the Gay-tor! Nooooo! :(

Perhaps someone should protest the rampant deforestation.

Of course, he could be totally wrong.

I just threw up a little in my mouth.




Ah well, I've seen Disneyland through nearly 4 decades. There have been highlights and lowlights. It appears to me the 50th Anniversary was a shining highlight that does not represent a permanent improvement. Perhaps the first thing done (purportedly) for that celebration was the glorious restoration of the original soundtrack and facade of its a small world. It was once again a gleaming treasure.

Too bad it could not last. But that's the nature of all things.



* * * *

As for the monorail problems. Hahahahahahaha! Submarine Voyage bilge pipe, anyone? Yes the new monorails are taking longer than the entire system including track took to build in 1959. Space Mountain took twice as long to refurbish as it did to construct. King Arthur Carrousel took longer to rebuild than the entire original contruction of Disneyland itself.

Lame, lame, lame and may I add ... LAME.

Unless they find a place for Chernabog in the new IASW, I won't be floating down the flume.

There are huge differences between original installations of these attractions and their refurbishments:

• Disneyland was built without guests around. Construction crews could move about freely.
• They were able to work around the clock much easier.
• There were far fewer Federal/OSHA/local government/etc. rules and restrictions that had to be followed back in the 50's and 60's
• It is FAR easier to build something new on a blank slate than to rebuild/refurbish something within the confines of a tight existing place (Space Mountain REALLY comes to mind on this point).
• Disneyland was built by an entrepreneur. It is now run by a corporation.

I now have an image of OUR Chernabog standing in one of the dioramas in iasw waving at everybody as they float by. I think that would be pretty funny.

Well, Bjork does need to be added to the Icelandic diorama, as well!

I wish I had time for some Photoshop fun :)

Oh no. They're ripping out the genius of Mary Blair yet again? First the murals in Tommorowland and now parts of "It's a Small World"? This is simply not right. And Disney characters being included makes no sense. I had no problems with the changes in the HM or PotC, but this stings.

Me, too......:evil:

Well, IASW already had Euro and Frodo Potter as an addition....how much worse could it be? ;)

Since I intend to go through life without ever again being inside Small World it doesn't much matter to me. Though unlike some other attractions that have been updated this one doesn't seem to have been suffering the passing of time so it seems like fixing something that ain't broke.

Making a suitable replacement for the Gay-tor, I might add. ;)

Well, will they fix the choke the chicken scene, finally?

zapppop predicted that Julie Andrews' head would replace the clock's head out front at IASW and now he may be right.
:D

Finally! A place where she can wear that swan dress again.

Which is funny, because until I read THIS post, I didnt realize that we were NOT talking about our Chernabog. :snap:

Hmmmm... Now there's an idea.... Re-theme the whole thing to honor gay & lesbian history. Have doll versions famous homosexuals (and homo friendly people) singing and dancing, and call it "It's A Queer World"!

In that case, Julie's clock face should be with hairpiece and make-up as Victoria from Le Jazz Hot.

MiceAge doesn't want to load for me :(

Not my rain forest! :( That'd be like tearing out the pink flowered hippo from the Africa scene, or the laughing hyenas :(

But seriously, did someone let the Florida folks have a say again? Because every time I hear of stupid sh*t like this, it always strikes me as an edict from Florida.

Is that a bad thing?

When I want to read it, yes.

Looks like miceage is still down.

Is that site hosted in Florida?

I dunno, but that news makes me almost sick to my stomach. Though it's a ride I can hardly stand, that is actually the part that makes it bearable. Ugh. Sad.

In other news, and in reference to a lack of being able to get miceage up, I can't get google.com to work for me.

And google's back.

Nevermind.

That's EXACTLY what I thought when I read the update this morning.

I threw up more than a little- I hope some errant fireworks shells take care of the whole damned building....













Of course, by that, I mean the TDA building :evil:

Ditto! I just read it. WTF?? Why can't they leave the good attractions alone? They will probably add Pixar characters too. :mad:

If this is the case, I have no more reason to renew my annual passport- I don't want to go to a Disney Park that just flushes any art and style it may have remaining down the pirates and princesses poopchute, so some marketing asshat can claim their superiority with a PowerPoint slide.

I WANT TO GO TO DISNEYLAND!!!

Not DisneyParks, a division of CrapCo - "We make it, so it must be good"

:mad:

I'm still pissed that they perverted the whole park by expanding Fantasyland out that far in 1964. The construction of this blight completely screwed up the natural path of the railroad.

I haven't been to Disneyland in 18 months and I'm not going back until they restore the original Fantasyland.

So you're mad enough about something that occurred in 1964 that you are not going to the park again now, 44 years later? *boggles*

Um, that was sarcasm, I believe.


Competely misplaced, I might add.


I don't think people are complaining about "change" or "progress" when they bemoan the cheapness of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean or Mickey Mouse in it's a small world.


But there will always be the prills who think any complaint is a plea for the world to stop turning. Ignore them.

Well, you never can be too sure! I wouldn't put it past some of the more contrary of my Swanky friends to do all sorts of things in the name of nostalgia.

I'm just glad the fat girl in POTC is chasing treasure again - and not food.

Isn't it ironic that in the modern world, gluttony far outranks greed on the list of socially deadly sins?

Visible mojo, Mr. iSm :snap:

Oh please. I don't give a damn about people complaining over change. I've yet to see a change to Disneyland that wasn't bitched about mightily unless it was to move back to the way something was in the past or was something obviously seriously broken.

What I found amusing in CoasterMatt's post was the repetition of the "this time it really will be the reason I don't renew my annual pass." It's the Disneyland version of the YAGE and it seems to come to pass just as often.

When did I say that before?

I'm not saying you said it before, I'm saying it has been said so many times before by so many people and so few of them actually cut off their visits to Disneyland that it is amusing to me.

If in fact you do let your AP lapse because of these changes then I retract my sarcastic kneejerk response.

I just stop going but keep renewing my AP - that'll show them!

Ummmm. It seems we've already done that.

It's Alex. He's an acquired taste.

I gotta say (taking Coaster Matt out of the equation) that I have to agree with you on this. I am in the "Disneyland is not a museum" camp.

You all can say what you please but for me the facts stand:

1. I have not renewed my annual pass since they crippled the teacups.

2. I will not purchase a new annual pass as long as the teacups are not free to spin.

Were there complaints about Splash Mountain? I don't recall any. Space Mountain also seems to have been greeted with general enthusiasm.

Alex's example of New Fantasyland met with zero bitching.

The people who complain about POOR changes at Disneyland are not advocating that it be a museum. I'm pretty sick of hearing that completely unfounded charge ... that I believe even the people making it know is full of sh!t.


Take a look at Mr. Lutz's update. There are photos of the America section of France's it's a small world. Note the competley generic, non-MaryBlair stylings of the cardboard cut-out sets. Now if WDI were to say we were getting those generic sets here in Anaheim, would that be an improvement? Would a complaint that they suck compared to the 1964 Mary Blair designs be calls for the Park to be a museum?

What, in fact, about the generic France it's a small world soundtrack that we were saddled with for over a decade? Was the restoration of the original World's Fair soundtrack an anachronism or was it an improvement?



Please don't insult our intelligence with those lame charges of museumification. Feel free to differ with our taste, but don't play those bullsh!t games with us of pretending we don't want anything in the Park to ever change.

Disneyland is not a museum, but why do Disney characters need to end up on IASW? Do something else, add more countries (besides America), and do it with quality. But "Disneyfying" the ride by adding Disney characters to it is silly.

And it is not the reason I am not renewing my AP when it expires in 2 weeks. ;)

Sorry, but I am sick of people bitching about changes, especially before they are seen! Yes, Al has a fairly good track record, but there is also a history of seeing people bitching about any and most every change. I am not going to name names, but I have seen it happen over and over again.

Change can be good. I LIKE the latest additions to PotC. I waited until I saw them to make my judgements. And I will do the same with iasw. It may be an interesting update.

Is it, in fact, possible to to disagree with a change to an attraction and not be accused of wanting Disneyland to be a museum? The word "purist" is also being used as if it's somehow a bad thing to not want parasites in one's glass of water.

I definitely disagree with the idea of inserting Disney Characters into the attraction, and I'm going to have to revisit this thread to post why. I'm way too sinusy and harumphy to write anything comprehensible right now.

I have to agree with Cheeseman; I appreciate all kinds of change to the park, and have very much enjoyed the updates to Pirates, Submarines, etc etc etc. But I very much like IASW the way it is and don't really understand they would choose to add the characters OR focus on America.

re: the changes to POTC, I don't mind the first two Jack AA's, and while I miss the dark tunnel and its voiceover, I'll even admit to liking the Davy Jones addition. But they screwed with the ride's soundtrack, which bugs the crap out of me and removes a great deal of the nostalgia factor. Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me is so iconic in part because it was repeated as a theme throughout the entire attraction. Now it's been reduced to only being played at the very beginning, and to future audiences will seem a weak nod to something young Miss Swann was singing at the beginning of the first film, rather than the ultimate Disney pirate shanty.

And I'm still mad about the rainforest. As a kid I was uber impressed with the rain effect. And I love the sparkly gator. I hope they at least place him somewhere else in the attraction.

Eh, the rain effect hasn't been working for decades.

Again, I wasn't responding to the complaints about the changes. My first post in this thread was saying that there didn't seem to be any good reason for making changes.

It was to the YAGE, which I admit may be unfair to CoasterMatt since he very well may let his AP lapse over this issue.

Complain all you want about the changes, I don't care. Though you can't deny that unless it has been a change to restore something to the way it was in the past (subs, IASW paint job) there hasn't been a significant change to the park in 15 years that wasn't met with teeth gnashing and hair pulling by some segment of the AP population (though of course not every person is in every group of tooth gnashers). I have no idea if there were teeth gnashers from an the earlier years but I do know that they didn't have easy access to places where they could gather and lick each others wounds.

I would be happy with the changes if they kept within the perameters of the ride. Keep the look and style and they could put a whole striper section for all I care. (hmmmm) What I don't like is when they take the liberty of puting in something that does not fit into the ride. I'll use "the Bride" as a blaring example.

IMHO - if they keep the Mary Blair theme and relocated the evicted animals, I would be very pleased.

I too am sick of the “museumification” response to complaints about the awful changes that have been made to Disneyland. It’ a trite and meaningless sound bite, used to try and silence those you disagree with without having to actually discuss the topic in a meaningful way.

I love the (IMO) positive changes they’ve made at Disneyland. But change is not always for the good, and I sure as hell will speak out when I see something that is stupid and ill advised.

I don’t want to see Disneyland kept as a museum. I also don’t want to see it turned into a cheap carnival.

And that's likely because there haven't been significatn changes to the Park in the past 15 years that have been positive.

Some exceptions: Buzz Lightyear. Generally greeted with postive response. Some bemoaned the loss of CircleVision. Buzz Lightyear did not replace Circlevision. I don't think I ever heard one complaint about the passing of Rocket Rods.

More to the point - - Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. This is case in favor of the wait-and-see response. There were many complaints from so-called "purists" about this change, but I believe the end result was met with general approval.

Each change is on a case-by-case basis. But the fact there there have been no large-scale improvements or new E-Tickets in the Park for the past 15 years is probably the true cause of the lack of positive reaction on the part of Disneyland fans.

Well, it's a world of laughter a world of queers.... :P *groan* hahah if anyone with camera and photoshop knowledge wants to have some fun for some new avatars, I'm game :D

Here's what I wrote on MiceChat:

I hardly consider myself a "Disney Purist" or even a big fan of iasw but I think that the addition of Disney cartoon characters in that ride sucks eggs.

It is one thing to "plus" the attraction in the spirit of the attraction -- see, for instance, the plussing done to the Jungle Cruise (perfect) and the Haunted Mansion (yes, I know it is debatable with Constance, but for me it doesn't take me out of the attraction... it's still the same mood as the ride).

Plussing that has really screwed up the mood, feel and/or spirit of the attraction? Pirates is a perfect example. It puts you into a specific time, place and storyline which is less fun, less imaginative, less evocative of the mood, less stimulating to the imagination.

Disney characters in iasw were sort of fun when, for instance, there was a little Stitch plastic item as a present on the surfer's board during the holiday version... stuff like that (i.e. the dolls were getting disney presents for xmas). But actually adding them to the ride? Aren't there other specific places for all of those characters? How does screwing with an attraction for the sole sake of changing it "plus" the attraction? How does it have to do with children all over the world holding hands and getting along? If these changes are made, then iasw will be about children playing with Disney toons all over the world -- did they re-hire Paul Pressler when we weren't looking?

Stupid, stupid idea Disney. If they add Disney toons it will cheapen the ride. There are other ways to plus it -- adding show scenes, adding special effects, covering up the tiled ceiling, adding more dolls, making it brighter and happier -- THAT is plussing the ride.

I don't even like IASW as it is. I just find it silly to put Disney characters on a ride with no "Disney cartoon" tie in. I like Nemo, I like the PotC make-over. I like HMH and regular mansion.

Disneyland will never be complete as long as their is imagination left in the world. What they need is better imagination. IASW could be amazingly re-done with updated effects and dolls. It's cute and classic as it is. It would be amazing if they made the billygoat and mountain climbers move up and down the mountain, a rolling wave for the surfing dude, stuff like that. Whatever happened to flooding the flume and having the sets look like they are coming out of the water?

Or look on the bright side. They are removing the gay-tor, but so far their leaving the kid choking his chicken.

I try not to resist change, but there are some things that are classic and really do not need to be updated. After all, at Al Lutz pointed out, IASW ferries 2000 guests per hour. Since it was installed, it's still significant that the ride still maintains this kind of ridership.

Given the original premise of IASW to be just that and dedicated to children all over the world, I do not see there to be a need to turn this into a Fantasyland/Toontown attraction with the addition of Mickey, Minnie and others. Upgrading and repainting and taking care of the wider berths of the visitors (such as myself) that's a good thing.

I can't comment on the Pixarization of the subs since I do not remember them from my youth. I know I rode it, but I'll be damned if I remember it. So, I rode it, enjoyed the Nemo subs and don't feel pressed to ride it every visit to the park.

Change is good, but I do not always think adding Pixar/Pirates theming to all the attractions to moderize them or upgrade them for the youth of today and the future. I'm still on the fence about Pirates as I think the franchise is dead (it died for me after Pirates I) and as previously mentioned (Morrigoon?) I miss the original soundtrack. The attraction came first and I'd prefer to see it remain true to the original. That said, the changes are not offensive and I can live with them.

I may be in the minority, I realize it is OLD, but I'd love to see the Swiss Family return to the treehouse. Of course nobody has seen the film or read the book, so it's probably moot. I've already expressed my sentimental desire to see a return of the Peoplemovers, that would be nice for movement in Tomorrowland.

A new, original, e-ticket somewhere in the park would be great!

I can't wait until they add Mickey to the Peter Pan ride. That thing's getting old.

I agree with this. I think as we've moved farther and farther from an age when significant major change at the park was a near constant thing with major attractions coming and going that it makes what change does happen all the more of an issue.

I agree that the "Disneyland is not a museum" charge is not all that useful but I also think the response to it is very typically "I don't think Disneyland is a museum but this particular thing is sacred to the core mission." Of course, since just about everything has a group of people who think it is vital representation of the magic that is Disneyland, that if they all were respected then Disneyland does become a museum even if nobody actually thinks it should be.

If I were running things I'd just have a hard 20-year rule or something. No matter how popular something is, it comes out by its 20th year and something new is tried. That something new may be worse (as would be a given for pretty much anything that would follow Pirates) but at least it would be new and keeping an eye towards striving for better. For all intents and purposes, Disneyland is almost exactly the same park it was when I first visited there with Lani in 1998. I don't think that is a good thing.

The interior of small world has been untouched for 44 years. That's a long time and based on several of the responses in this thread (and elsewhere that I've seen) has, in itself, become a reason not to make these changes. Now, that may not mean thinking that Disneyland is a museum, but apparently for some IASW is one.

I wouldn't mind a change, but shoe-horning in the Disney characters is not a change I welcome.

I agree, it doesn't sound like a good change.

OMG also they need:

-- Mulan and Mushu coming out of the snow in the Matterhorn (hey, they come popping out of snow in the movie, it's perfect!)

-- Alice in Wonderland's New Groove (hey, they both have crazy characters, just replace the Cheshire Cat with Yzma! It's perfect!)

-- Pinocchiohontas' Daring Journey (hey, they both have talking characters made of wood, replace that boring old Pinocchio with Grandmother Willow! It's perfect! It's plussed!)

-- we need to add Flora, Fauna and Meriweather to the Dumbo ride, it's about flying right, and the fairies fly! Yes! Perfect!

....

Frankly, I think we should add the current crop of Imagineer's heads to the shooting gallery. You know, just light gun those red stars next to their heads, and they yell, "Rocket Rods was the best attraction, ever!" ;)

Visible roommate mojo!

THis is very similar to where I stand. Let me see where my friend Gator shows up, then I will comment.
Yes, I am sad that America Sings is gone. But I also love Splash, BECAUSE all the critters are there for me to visit.

I'm still not getting an AP this year. :p

What IASW needs is a Starbucks. Somewhere near Australia.

Now there's an idea (sort of)! In the America section have the Statue Of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and a Starbucks Storefront!

As bad as this sounds, it makes since to me. First of all, I don't care for the ride other than at Christmas. I find it boring, and I'm not the only one. So updating a tired old ride makes since. I loved POTC before the "plussing" and I love it even more now. Of course I like the movies, so I'm partial.

But it's a dated look and dated ride. It no longer has the wow factor it had in the 50s, and do you think that the PSIII and WII generation is going to be wowed at it? Will they have a connection to "Children of the World"? And for the art of it, my son thinks Mary Blair was the girl in the Excorsist! :eek:

So, I know the purists out there don't want change. I guess it could be raized and replaced with Rocken rollercoaster since it wouldn't fit in DCA. IASWA sits on a pretty big chunk of realestate.

I don't mind change at Disneyland, even beloved attractions such as IASW; but for Gawd's sake, Disneyland was NOT founded to be for kids only- IASW has a lot of wonderful art design in it, and adding Disney toons just cheapens it.

Are they gonna change the snake in the Indiana Jones Adventure to be a giant Kaa next?

Heaven forbid a park founded by somebody with a legendary imagination has anything left in it that feeds the guests imaginations, rather than spoon feeding them 'cute' or 'thrilling'.

That just gets old and stupid. Have a Seagram's wine cooler.

If you want to see America represented in IASW, go to France.

I say, replace all the children with Build-A-Bear Bears and turn the IASW gift shop into an adoption center and sell look alike teddy bears.

Also, the flumes should be filled with Powerade.

I say re-theme it to the Little Land Of Duff and fill the moat with Beer.


......or are they going to do that at USH ?? ;)

Man, I'd never get Rose away from that ride...

Rose is that big of a Powerade fan? :p

I've had to pull her away from the dispenser at McDonald's- TWICE.

And.....that sucked. I was not a fan of the non-Mary-Blair style over there. If that's what's to come.....:mad:

Yes. Now he'll be jerking off Chicken Little.

It blows me away that zapppop is ok with the totally Jr-High Carny style of the un-MaryBlairiffic sets at DLP's iasw.

I'd almost forgotten how completely bland and devoid of style they are. Thank Lutz for including in his current Update.

Ya know, I sorta understand those who find small world boring. If you're not paying particular attention to the sets or the music, it comes off as a room full of dolls with a repetitive song.

I always want to take such people to France, have them look and listen to their pathetic copy with its generic sights and sounds, and then whisk them back via Star Trek Transporter to Anaheim ... to experience the lush musical soundtrack of international flavors and fantastic graphical design by Disney Artist Extraordinaire Blair. Only the most dim-souled could then fail to appreciate the orders of magnificence by which the original small world reigns supreme.


Yeah, I don't want to see it cheapened in any way. As soon as the likes of Mary Blair and Walt Disney walk this earth again ... feel free to improve it with the input of such resurgent geniuses.

...because it's not Disneyland, it's EuroDisneyland.
I don't mind their IASW being different from ours. If it was exactly the same as the one in Anaheim California, why'd bother to go to Marne La Vallee France ? I didn't think it was bad but I do think ours is still the best (pending the possible changes).

I couldn't have said it better myself. And I didn't. But I wish I had.:snap:

Sigh. Ugly and uninspired is not the same as different. It's a microcosim of the arguments being made in this thread. Difference is fine, as long as difference is not crappy.

Replacing magnificent with crappy is a terrible difference. But not all differnces are terrible.

Those ugly sets at DLP's small world are not worthy of that lovely park ... which outshines Disneyland in artisty and beauty on many fronts.



But not the small world front. :(

The ride was already ruined when the took out the laughing black children and painted the final scene room purple

You and I have been down this road before. Your problem is you demand a carbon copy or else it's just crap. You had complaints about every single clone attraction in that park & how it's not as good as Disneyland's.

It's not Disneyland. The art direction in that park & it's attractions was different. You however interpret it as crap.

You give the same song & dance iSm and I'm not buying it.

It's not Disneyland. It never was & never will be. Get over it & quit your old man bitching.

See you Friday ? ;)

Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!

Can we just go back to choking Chicken Little now?

And beating the bush, too! :)

Hmmm. Phantom Manor? Different, not crap. Big Thunder Mountain? Different, but not crap. Space Mountain. Very different, but so not crap (at least the version I saw). Pirates? Significantly different, and you know I didn't even really like it ... but it's certainly not crap. The three Fantasyland dark rides were not terribly different.

Um, I'm running out of DLP attractions. But how could I love all the architectural differences, too ... if I interpret all difference as crap?

Answer: I don't interpret all Disneyland differences as crap. I know (what I find to be) crap when I see it.



And sure, see ya Friday. Let's look longingly over the wall at small world.

You know, I hadn't thought of it that way. I figure adding the Disney characters to it is a way for the newer generations to connect to it. But now that I think about it, it is a flat, simplem and boardroom careless way of trying to sell a "New" IASWA on a 30 second TV ad.
Excelent points. It does make me think about the fact that while I may not care so much for it because I've been on it all my life, it has almost a heart and soul due mostly to those creative forces behind it. This is so hard to copy by anyone else. "Plussing" it would be like painting eyebrows on the Mona Lisa because we are pretty sure she had some before.

It's got what plants crave, it's got electrolytes!

For some reason I now have:

There are noooo cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese from American Tail in my head because of that comment Bill! :p

So would the added characters appear as usual or would they be "Mary Blair-ed" versions? And if the latter, would that make it more palatable?

If only they handed out baseball bats at the Hall of Presidents at WDW... :evil:

IF the new additions fit the look and feel, it will soften the blow. I will still be non-plussed with the addition of the characters, in any style.

Of course, if anyone complains (to City Hall, etc.) once they put in the characters, they'll just be dismissed as a stupid Disney purist nut who doesn't like anything to change and/or is opposed to progress, they'll be given a note with that stupid out of context quote about Disneyland not being a museum and/or not being complete as long as there is imagination left in the world, and then will be kindly sent off on their merry way while the City Hall CMs roll their eyes and make fun of the stupid APs.

Longest. Sentence. Ever!

Have you never read William Faulkner? The man is notorious!

That's true, I first pictured a plush Simba from one of the Main Street stores sitting in there. But if they make them look like Mary Blair it will at least help some.

It just goes to show you how may words he has to use. ;)

What is this make them look MaryBlairish fantasy?

Stich on a surfboard was apparently a coming attraction. He was not Blairified, and I don't expect the artificially inserted Disneytoons to be either. How much can a character be Blairistic and retain toddler recognizability anyways?

Based on how far the Japanese have managed to distort Stitch from the archetype and yet still have it be recognizably Stitch, I'd say quite a bit.

Not that I have any idea that they would try.

LOL sorry, I charge for my time. Why say in 5 words what you can say in 50. So sue me ;)

lol! :D
Oh you crazy guys with the long words and the big vocabulary and all them legal jargons. You an iSm should write a textbook.
:D

I realize it's not rational for me to expect them to be making rational decisions, but it was the only context I could imagine that would lead to someone thinking that was actually a good idea. I can't say I can agree with it, but if it was a Blaired-out Peter Pan flying around Big Ben, I could see some people thinking that was a way to add "Disney" to iasw.

(yes, I know iasw is plenty "Disney" on its own, but the powers that be, playing to an audience that apparently sees "Disney" as a world exclusively populated by direct-to-DVD animations, evidently disagree.)

Add Prudence to the law textbook writing team.
:D

Ugh, it just points out a bigger problem. That the cretins in charge don't realize how much Disneyland says Disney.


You do not need to put Goofy in the Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion says Disney. Johnny Depp was not necessary. Pirates of the Caribbean says Disney. And yes, I know that's not the reason he's there ... I'm just sayin'.


it's a small world is about as Disney as it gets. It's also about as kid-appealling an attraction as Walt Disney ever created, even without Mickey Mouse and Simba. That's why I think it's exempt from any ill-conceived Alex Rule of 20-Years. There's always a new batch of 6 year olds. No need to reinvent this ride. The tike audience is always new. And the adult audience has the sophistication to appreciate it without a flaming loop being installed along the deeper flume.

Do you think that 20 years from now the adults raised on todays technology and media would? Is it too simple for them to appreciate?

Perhaps, if they visited while 6 and it brings back memeories from their youth, otherwise I think not. When the ride first opened TVs and muscle cars were still new ideas. The biggest thrills were the massive wooden roller coasters on the boardwalks around the countries. And I can't imagin what IASW will compete with 20 years from now. Online holigraphic theme parks perhaps?

Now mind you I'm not saying that the shamefull Disney branding of the ride will save it from the wrecking ball, but it may just bring a little new life to it. Oh, and by Blairifing it, I mean that if someone had never been on it before, they would think the Disney characters had always been there, that's all. To not have them stick out like a sore thumb.

Why would the adults of 20 years from now be looking for thrills? Are they somehow going to be even less adult than the adults of today? Will lifespans reaching prod people to stay adolescent through their 50's?

I hate to say this .... because it makes Disneyland seem like a museum. But perhaps more than any attraction, the unique stylings of Mary Blair make a trip thru small world enjoyable for the exploration of art, not thrills. There's also the exploration of joy and the exploration of the world in a fun way. These are adult pursuits, and I don't see them changing in 20 years even if the dolls remain real and not holograms.


In fact, the more things go to holograms and 3-D movie screens, the more the wonder of elaborate physically created environments becomes fantastical in the extreme.

I agree with IsM. But I want to add that not all adults want thrills. Some of us are quite happy with simple delight.

What about ghoulish delight?

We're happy with him, too. ;)

Dunno, I like him better with the beard.











(and i don't mean Cadaverous Pallor)

My husband loves pu$$y.

The use of "$$" makes me think he only for the high priced hookers

Agreed.

He loves the pu$$y. You hearing me? Loves it!

While iSm answered the question more eloquently, my answer would be a simple "yes".
______________
How about moi?



(For those who don't know, I shaved off my beard a couple of months ago)

That's ok, I didn't know you had one to begin with.

Didn't you have one at the NYE party? I don't remember you being bald-faced.

I guess time will tell. Most of the teens I know hate the ride, so when they are the adults there with their kids 20 years from now I would think they would still hate it. But when a person ages, their tastes change so who knows?

But then again, I doubt this change to the ride will even effect their views anyway, so it's all moot.

I should have said I shaved it about a month ago - that is probably a closer time frame. But definitely after NYE.

Bald-faced - I like that. So many implications :)

Do we REALLY believe they'll Mary Blairify them? Really?

Because, you know, the Jack Sparrow additions to Pirates fit in seamlessly with the caricaturized pirates already in the attraction :rolleyes:

And the new pirate paintings on the entry walls fit in so perfectly with the cartoonish ones already there :rolleyes:

Yes, we must naturally conclude that every effort will be made to have the new characters fit in perfectly with the style of the attraction.

Oh, I don't think they'll actually Mary Blarify them. I was just wondering if people would consider that less objectionable.

I loved the ride as a child (Lest I remind you all again that I first experienced it a 4-year old before it ever came to Disneyland, in its original incarnation at the New York World's Fair). Then I went through a natural period of hating anything "uncool" as a teenager.

And then I've come to completely love it again as an adult. So it can and DOES happen.



I regret the 10 years when I couldn't stomach the ride because of the horrible Disneyland Paris soundtrack. I'll never get those 10 years of small world enjoyment back. If they Simba it all up, I'll be able to avert my eyes from certain things. But you can never avert your ears.

Teens hate things. It's what they do.

I think the first two JS AA's fit in VERY well - I think they did a damned good job with them. The main reason they stick out (IMO) is that one is LOOKING for them.

While the third JS AA is a little more noticeable, I think it is certainly better than what WAS there. The constipated pirate was just BAD.

No Kevy. They were made to look Exactly like Johnny Depp. His features were not exaggerated in the way the other Pirates' are. The "crew" of PotC are designed in the style of greek theatrical masks (though not nearly as exaggerated). They are caricatures made to play from a wee bit of distance.



Johnny is made to make me ill.

No, they were made to look exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow, who himself is a character. Considering that the character's styling is based on the attraction's characters, it is not like he sticks out like a sore thumb.

If somebody were riding through the attraction for the first time, with no knowledge that there was a CJS character in there, he or she would be hard pressed to really catch that there was a difference.

The AA functionality and motion of the first CJS AA is amazing - a very large step forward in the technology. That is probably what I like most about the CJS additions.

I understand that some people find the changes to PotC blasphemous. I myself like them. And so do many other people.

Whatever Kevy. It just so happens that Captain Jack sparrow is the spirit and image of, omg ... Johnny Depp. So, yeah, the figures look exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow ... and they DON'T match the style of the other Pirates.

I'll grant you that the average dolt guest wouldn't notice the difference. And the average dolt guest wouldn't care.

When I read the OP, I remembered that I had seen a Mary Blair picture of the "fab five" somewhere. I finally tracked it down. It was done for the cover of a program for a benefit event in 1948.

Consider this a model sheet:

Perhaps it's time for museumification - sell it off to a Blair collector and we can see it every now and then when someone does a Mary Blair retrospective.

Oh, I forgot. It's been 30 years since I was one. I've slept since then. ;)

Now that I think about it, what teen boy would admit to liking it?

My son also hates The Tiki Room. I think the music in both is a big part of it. But then his favorate band is The Kotton Mouth Kings. :eek:

And you know, NOW I will have to ride it at least three times to compare, because I didnt notice the difference, and cannot seem to call that difference up in my minds eye.

Write Imagineering and tell them I said --- OW!

Blazing Saddles Mojo to Bornieo!! :snap:

This morning on the radio in San Jose.CA (94.5 Kbay) they announced that they are "offically" taking out most the dolls & replacing them with "Disney" characters.

I hope this an April's Fool's joke.

Check out today's Al's Update for a photo essay on how it's a small world originally looked.

OMG, THE COLORS!!!!


Wow, I don't recall EVER seeing the attraction look that vibrant. Perhaps it's even a little too tacky ... but if that was the original Mary Blair color design, I want it back.


Maybe things were toned down when it moved to Disneyland. Or maybe years of decreptitude have simply dulled things down to a bland shadow of the former glory.

It's A Small World was more vibrant (and more condensed) when it was @ the New York's World Fair.
The dolls were more animated as well.


I hate it when Disney decides to do things like add dolls dressed like cartoon characters cause it cheats the younger audience of the experience we've had. To me, adding Peter Pan to It's A Small World is like giving the Mona Lisa highlights in her hair.

I think that in addition to natural color fading of the attraction itself over the years, there is also an issue of the color in the photos themselves not being accurate. Color film technology was still in its (relative) infancy in the early to mid sixties.

Even looking at the blue in Walt's sweater, I feel that the color represented is not natural.

Nice picture of Rolly Crump. I'd forgotten how hot he was!

Anyone have a numerical URL for MA?

HaHa, that's what I thought, too. :D

You meain ip address?

207.183.235.30 nevermind, that resolves to something else. Hmmm...

try 72.52.222.252

rats... they blocked the numerical too :(