Good-bye New Guinea, Hello USA

[Isaac]

Courtesy of Al:

Regardless of what was causing the boats to ride lower in the water, what really got Disney's goat was when we ran the news that they were planning on adding Disney character dolls to all the sets inside the classic 1960's ride, and were considering replacing the Rainforest and Papua New Guinea scene with an "Americana" scene. That really sent both Glendale and Burbank into damage control mode, and not since we told you about Tom Sawyer Island being changed into Pirates Lair have we gotten the evil eye from Disney like we did with that one.
And now, with the attraction six weeks away from reopening, we can tell you that the original Rainforest and Papua New Guinea scenes from the 1964 World's Fair have in fact been removed from the room between the Polynesian scene and the Grand Finale. In their place, the latest version of the "Americana" scene has just been installed.

As your boat drifts through the gentle curve of that room you will pass by pastel colored versions of haystacks, cactus, football stadiums and modern cities. Multi-cultural American children will sing next to Pixar's Woody as your more buoyant new boat nears the end of its voyage 'round the world. You will have passed plenty of other Disney characters by this point as well, as they join the children of the world in song just as they have in Hong Kong's eight minute long version of the fifteen minute long Disneyland original.

http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al100708a.htm


There is no emoticon for what I'm feeling.

[innerSpaceman]

Grrrr. Well, everything has it's time ... and sometimes when they are for a limited time, they have a certain fanasticness for the very reason that they will not be there forever.


Those few years when it's a small world was magically restored, inside and out, to its 60's Mary Blair / Walt Disney magnificence were a gift. I'm glad I got to share my first ride on the restored version with zapppop. That was a wonderful quarter of an hour ... and we enjoyed many subsequent ones.


Now it seems I may go back to my avoidance, like the decade when the retardledly pastel-colored building was home to the insanely repetitive song from the Disneyland Paris version that makes mockery of those who complain the original score is an annoying earworm.



Farewell it's a small world. i loved thee well.

[Kevy Baby]

I look forward to seeing what the new segment looks like.

[BDBopper]

[wolfy999]

I'll miss the old, but looking forward to the new.

[Alex]

I don't care for anything about the ride beyond the building exterior. So, on the off chance that these changes somehow improve it I'd give it a chance (though it may be years before I'm next in Disneyland) but I doubt it so it probably would have been best to just leave it alone. So far as I know, it has continued pulling in crowds.

But I'm not opposed to trying to make it less horrible on the inside.

[BarTopDancer]

IASW would be much better as a shooting game.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

IASW would be much better as a shooting game.

I agree.

They should have just added guns to the boats so that we could blast at various targets around the world. It would especially have been well-themed in the China area during the holidays, because the firework rockets are probably WMDs in disguise anyway.

It would have represented the current United States in perfect patriotism.

They should have Sam the Eagle from Muppet Vision 3D introduce the ride, since it's just like his slated finale - a "tribute to all countries, but mostly America".

Er, wait a second... they parody IASW during that finale. Maybe the Muppets gave the idea to WDI??? If so, Kermit should be drawn and quartered.

[mousepod]

Actually, it's a smart move, I think. Imagine if they hadn't changed it. In the not-too-distant future, some kid will turn to her mother and say "What's a rain forest?" This way, there'll be no awkward and guilty silences.

[Chernabog]

From the description the America scene seems to be about how America is a melting pot of a lot of different cultures. Which is stupid because it says that while there are these discrete cultures around the world, America is the best because it has a moosh of all of them.

I mean, why not turn the whole last scene into the America room? Have everyone doing a maypole around the Statue of Liberty?

Another reason I am mad is because Marty Sklar, who was once a respected imagineer, is a wheezing fvcking liar. Dumb bastard wants to keep his job, so he lies lies lies for Disney. May I be the first to say: Marty Sklar, STFU, you geriatric hypocrite.