Walt Disney World
I have a quartet of photo prints from our dear friend Irene, who passed away last year. All of these are from the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, likely from 1996-ish (based on other photos in the batch). The photos were either taken by Irene's brother Bruce or by his friend James.
First up is this shot of the sign for Alien Encounter - from what I've heard, it was one scary attraction! Apparently too scary, because there were complaints from some guests who were either frightened, or their kids were permanently traumatized. "Would you like a grilled cheese sandwich, Tommy?". "AAAIEEE!". That was Tommy's response to just about every question. The attraction officially debuted on June 15, 1995, and closed on October 13, 2003 (replaced by Stitch's Great Escape).
I really like this very pretty photo taken along the Rivers of America, with a Mike Fink Keelboat gliding along the glassy waters. I'm not sure if the photographer was standing on Tom Sawyer Island, but it seems likely. Out of curiosity I looked to see when the WDW Keelboats were retired, and it turns out they were gone by April 29, 2001, so these photos are from different visits to Florida.
Next is this nice detail from outside Splash Mountain, a dead tree supports homes for some birdie residents. Did the birds build the homes? How do they use a hammer and nails? No opposable thumbs! Unless the cartoon birds have them, which is just weird.
Finally, here's a very very dark photo of the sign at the entrance to the Swiss Family Treehouse attraction. You can tell that the Robinsons had some leisure time if they were making signs like this. How about making some beef jerky, yo? That's right, I went there! I'll say anything. As I write this (in March), Tarzan's Treehouse at Disneyland is supposedly being rejiggered back to a kind of Swiss Family Treehouse, but we shall see. There'd better be some beef jerky.
THANKS to Irene, Bruce, and James.
27 comments:
Just because a kid gets traumatized by a Disney attraction is no reason to remove it. When I was four years old I was extremely afraid of the Jungle Cruise ride; the hippos especially. Screamed all the way through it. This was when the Skippers' spiel was still very serious, not jokey. I was also afraid of the Snow White ride and going into Monstro's toothy jaws. And yet, I turned out fine. (Stifle your laughter, please.)
Hmm, it looks like WDW's Rivers of America is bereft of AEDs. Oh well, they have gators and brain-eating amoebas to spice things up. Major, I agree, this is a wonderful picture; like an early American painting, come to life.
The bird houses look like they are constructed from Lincoln Logs. They are very picturesque. I wonder if real birds use them? I suspect that the holes only go in a half an inch or so, so the birds (or bees) can't actually go in.
The sad thing is, Franz Robinson used up all their salvaged resources to make this sign. Their chisels, hammers and saws were pretty much useless and dull after making this sign. And there was no more paint. That's when the rest of the family considered Dad to be too much of a liability and made jerky out of him. (There's your 'beef' jerky, Major.)
Again, it's nice to see photos from the Dream Team. Thanks, Major.
I remember hearing about how Alien Encounter was supposed to come to Disneyland (in the former Mission to Mars space). I think it was even supposed to come to DL before WDW, in the original plans for "The Disney Decade," which was supposed to begin in 1990. There is artwork out there (I think in that big imagineering book, but maybe also in an issue of Disney News (The Disney Magazine). I was excited for this, just based on the artwork and the description of the attraction. Then some time in the nineties, a Disney manager who was a customer of ours, came into the office and told me that plans to bring the attraction to DL had been cancelled. When I asked him why, he said it was solely because Michael Eisner didn't like the attraction. He said there was a joke going around at Disney about how he didn't like Alien Encounter, because it requires people to use their imaginations, and Eisner has NO imagination.
I finally got to see Alien Encounter at WDW. I liked it. And I thought it was 1,000 times better than that monstrosity that replaced it. I don't go to a Disney park to have one of the characters burp their chili dog breath on me. Or to have camels spit on me. What depths is Disney sinking to here? That is a rhetorical question.
Thank you Major, and also Irene and her Dream Team!
Guests complain and we remove a zillion dollar ride...er uh...attraction? Seems like we are giving them quite a lot of power...A: TOUGHEN UP. B: GROW UP C: STOP YAKKIN AND GO ON YER SISSY RIDES. Although I would not be going on such a ride, I do know that people love to be terrified. Even Mr. Disney said so. I do not have the same emotional connection to Walt Disney World as the OG, but continue to love the history of the place. Even though Walt wasn't around, he was clearly "there" back then. The Rivers of America look lovely and peaceful and it would be nice if the Keel Boats came back re-engineered. They did add a certain amount of character to this part of both parks. The "West Side" of WDW kind of confuses me in layout, but my brain is so trained to Disneyland...it probably disturbs me unnecessarily. It was like being in a dream where everything looks kind of the same, but slightly different and every time you think you are going somewhere, it ends up being a different place. I think it's the location of big thunder and pirates that throws me. Also in my dream, the Plaza Inn becomes the set of Three's Company and it morphs into a 737 with Chrissy as a Stewardess who serves peanuts and then everyone needs a epi pen because they are allergic. It's a real dream. Must get it analyzed. The bird house are "A Door Bell". Say it fast, then it makes sense. I don't understand the context, but they are super cute. This is the first time I've actually read the Swiss Family Robinson sign...didn't know Mr. Robinson worked in the sign shop...but good for him...I guess they had a lot of time on their hands when they weren't having ostrich races and fighting pirates. Thanks to the Irene and the Dream Team for the photos!
Thanks to Major and the Dream Team, without these I would know even less about WDW.
I have never heard of alien encounter, but it sounds like meeting Eisner would be more terrifying. Imagine someone with no imagination? Worse than having no beef jerky.
I wonder why imagineering couldn’t settle on the name of the ship? First “Titus”, then “Swallow”. What’s next, “Gargle”?
I would name it the “Desperate Lark”, but that story is for another time.
Major, the Hammer Birds from the Tulgey Wood came over and knocked those bird houses together before going back to Wonderland.
Thanks for the views today!
JG
The story I've read about Alien Encounter was that Eisner asked his teenaged son about why he and his friends weren't interested in going to Disney parks, and was told that the rides were for little kids. So they went for a replacement for Flight to the Moon / Mission to Mars that skewed to teenagers with an attraction based on Ridley Scott's Alien movies (which they recently licenses in the Disney MGM Studios deal).
Placing it in Tomorrowland was the big problem. Surrounded by rides like Rocket Jets/Astro Orbiter, the Peoplemover and Delta Dreamflight and without a height restriction, parents assumed it was fine for little kids. Complaints followed and the ride was watered down to Stitch's Great Mistake, err, Sticth's Great Escape.
Yes, those poor suburban kids traumatized by a ride. Maybe they should move to a war-torn country, experience famine or be ripped away from their parents in a refugee to understand true traumatization.
When I was a child, I rode the Jungle Cruise for the first time and those hippos freaked me out so much that I jumped out of my mom's lap into another woman's lap. The boatload of people laughed. I look back on that with fond memories. It's good for kids to get scared.
I remember reading how this father was upset with the "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" because it showed the little brat girl from the movie scuba diving holding a fish in a plastic bag. He didn't want his daughter to see such a cruel act (eyes rolling). Whatever. Kids are resilient. It's the parents that can be the problem.
Nice pics today. Thank you, Irene wherever you are. You are missed.
JB, I’ve always theorized that the scary rides are the ones that kids eventually love the most. I was definitely scared to ride the Haunted Mansion for the first time. And yes, I didn’t know that Monstro wasn’t going to chomp down on our boat as we passed into his gullet (I was nervous, and also not very bright). It is a little weird that there are no ducks on the river, but there was probably a popcorn spill over by the Diamond Horseshoe. Lincoln Logs for a birdhouse? The equivalent of a pre-fab home, I’d say. Those birds are pretty smart. I like to imagine a rescue boat finding a bunch of Robinson skeletons on the island, but remarking on all of the beautiful signs everywhere!
TokyoMagic!, you’re lucky you got to see Alien Encounter before it was changed - I’ve always wished that I had that experience. I went to interview (sort of) at Imagineering at around the time they were working on Alien Encounter, and remember that the man I spoke to was instrumental in its design (his name was Ron Chesney, I believe). Oh yeah, they didn’t hire me! Maybe because I didn’t belch the alphabet very well that day? It seems amazing that they would nix a ride just because one man didn’t care for it, but Eisner was pretty powerful in those days, and he did do a lot of great stuff for the company.
Bu, I have to wonder how Alien Encounter would be perceived today, had it remained unchanged? Would it be considered a sort of 1990s classic attraction, after a generation had grown up with it? Small children don’t like being scared (I’ve seen young kids wailing in fear on “Pirates”), but most older kids appreciate the thrills. It evokes feelings in us that we don’t normally experience, but in a safe environment. Sort of like roller coasters. I’m not sure why the Plaza Inn would have anything to do with “Three’s Company”?? I watched that show, but it’s been many years, so I’ve probably forgotten many details. I assume the birdhouses are a nod to Mr. Bluebird, there were sentient bird species everywhere in Critter Country. Where did they buy their little hats?
JG, WDW really is largely a mystery to me. I’ve looked at many photos of course, and read some history, but overall I don’t have a feel for the layout of the place, and probably don’t have a true idea of the sheer size of the Magic Kingdom. Supposedly Florida visitors to Disneyland are shocked at how tiny it is, which tells us something. I never thought about the Hammer Birds and how useful they would be in constructing birdhouses. Genius!
Dean Finder, yes, there are stories about Michael Eisner leaving massive decisions up to the opinion of his teenaged son. It seems pretty incredible. Did the ride have signs warning parents that Alien Encounter was intensely scary, especially for the very young? They must have, but we all know that people ignore stuff like that. I still remember going to see “Natural Born Killers”, and the people next to us had two young children. WHY??
K. Martinez, I can only wish for any child’s worst nightmare to be a scary theme park attraction, and not war, famine, disease… etc. I don’t remember every being scared on the Jungle Cruise, but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t. As far as I can recall, I was fascinated by the animals and the jungle. Maybe I felt safer surrounded by lots of other people? My brother and I especially loved the gorillas that bobbed up and down (big surprise)! And yes, any parent who complains about a sight gag from an animated movie (“No actual fish were harmed!”) needs to have his head examined.
Alien Encounter was one of my favorites - I LOVED IT!
It was very realistic and scary and, while standing in the waiting area for this attraction, I would warn the parents of little children about how it wasn't a good idea to let their little ones see it. Of course, every parent ignored my warning, and would later end up with a child screaming their lungs out (no exaggeration) - but unable to leave the dark show room, torturing their kids for maybe 10(?) minutes straight, til it was over. And the kid would still be screaming bloody-murder while exiting.
While watching that show, you had shoulder restraints holding you in place, which made it even scarier - because you could not escape the 'torture' and you could feel the monster walk up behind you, breathing hot air on your neck and sort-of growling - all through the 'mechanics' of the shoulder restraint. And you heard the monster bite someone's head off - right by you. Plus, the show was extremely loud with added screams to the attraction 'sound track.' A child's scream would not be noticed above the actual LOUD attraction sounds - including the monster's sounds. There really should've been an age limit and super strong warning. Major, you would've loved it!
Fun pictures from a wonderful team - The Dream Team. We miss you!
Thanks, Major.
^ I should add that a lot of the Alien Encounter show was in complete darkness. Your imagination runs wild.
At first I thought the “bird” hole comments were regarding the Keelboat House … now I realized is was regarding space mountain prop “critter” homes. I was going to mention in colonial times people often built dove & bird coves into the eves and gables of buildings with the hopes that if birds nested there the chances of bees and hornets and other insects getting into the structure would be less likely …
Oh man I have so much I can say about ALIEN ENCOUNTER for Disneyland & Walt Disney World … and the one designed for Disneyland Paris in Discoveryland …..
Alien Encounter was going to be a key “anchor attraction” to the TOMORROWLAND 2055 project Eisner canceled in favor of splitting the new Tomorrowland budget into two and getting a TOONTOWN & nighttime show Fantasmic)
The Disneyland Alien Encounter was completely designed and ready to start fabrication when it was canceled . It was going to be double manufactured one for california and one for Paris ( the Paris alien encounter show building appears in the Sam McKim souvenir map with a Victorian rocket as “future”). The pAris version. Featured a completely different preshow.
The whole explanation that the theaters were too small to accommodate the “show” at Disneyland was a made up excuse devised as one off the many responses to explain why Tomorrowland wasn’t happening because of Eisners poor cheap last minute decision.
The Alien Encounter attraction was also proposed as a DISNEY MGM STUDIOS attraction …. Guests woyjd board the Nostromo and return to earth …. But the ship’s computer detects it has returned with a EXTRA passenger .
The Disneyland version preshow was a fictional future company that you get the impression its directors are cheap shisters and have had disastrous results with other projects …. And there’s rumors the new teleportation division is having problems … and the company is trying to hid this fact …. A preshow segment featured massive gold carved panels of the X-S TECH founders … all greedy people and one was a dead ringer for Michael Eisner …. Supposedly Eisner was aware of this and ALIEN ENCOUNTER was forever doomed at Disneyland .
Alien Encounter was also proposed for Tokyo Disneyland as part of their 90’s NEW TOMORROWLAND …. “SCI FI CITY”. Eddie Sotto the art director of the project said Eisner ended the proposal presentation and walked out after Sotto explained “ Sci Fi City is just like the JETTSONS “ - Eisner said “I HATE THE JETTSONS!!! “ and walked out. Alien encounter for Tokyo was -reworked as the TOMORROWLAND GALATIC ZOO where a trainer forcing a alien water creature to perform tricks goes rogue making the guest viewing arena drop below the “fog & mist “ level to the aliens aqua monster … this version was also first proposed for Florida’s new Tomorrowland .
When Imagineering was developing Disneyland’s New Tomorrowland “ TOMORROWLAND 2055” its theme was spaceport earth …. A Florida new Tomorrowland team was working on new TOMORROWLAND 2071 - Galactic Expo as its theme … by this time the “Alien Encounter for Disneyland and a variation for DISNEY MGM STUDIOS were both canceled …… the Paris version was killed when Disneyland’s was killed … as we know what happened with Euro Disneyland : EISNER HIRED HIS ELITE ARCHITECT FRIENDS TO BUILD SOME OF EUROPES LARGEST HOTELS EVER AT EURO DISNEYLAND THAT COULD NEVER POSSIBLY BE FILLED . THEN EISNER BLAMES THE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OF EURO DL ON IMAGINEERING SAYING THEY “OVER DESIGNED IT” ….. NO!!! EISNER BUILT TOO MANY MONSTER HOTELS TO IMPRESS HIS FRIENDS!!
Anyway … imagineers wanted Alien Encounter for WDW’s TOMORROWLAND 2071 - Galactic Expo … hence it’s changed preshow to
Tomorrowland Alien company demonstration. Eventually the lands theme evolved from GALACTIC EXPO 2071 …. To THE FUTURE THAT NEVER WAS IS FINALLY HERE 1920’s - 1930’s Deco-Tech metropolis .
Alien Encounter opened as part of Floridas 1994 New Tomorrowland ….. and it had some breaking in problems like most new technology based attractions do. It was constantly down during its early openings ……. And that’s when the rumors started that “it was too scary for guests and had to be changed” …. It was designed and intended to be as scary as possible . Adding to the rumors of WDI being forced to make it less scary ( sounds like the same rumors during the haunted mansion’s opening months) is that there was a problem with the show’s set up. It wasn’t a mechanical problem but a show writing flaw : so WDI decided to fix this mistake while its technical issues were worked on … the flaw was how the shows script flowed: 1) it started out serious with an explanation of how a alien corporation was enthusiastic to bring its newest product to earth … filled with new human consumers .
2) the preshow small sample demonstration was done like a comedy routine … infact comedian Phil Hartman did the voice of the demonstration droid that’s accidentally singed molecularly. Then the main show is TERRIFYING .
So having the attraction go SERIOUS -HILARIOUS-TERRIFYING it was a WDI discontent. So it was fixed to be
SERIOUS - OMINOUS-TERRIFYING. Tim Curry redid the comical demonstration droid as a evil character enjoying the misfortune the guinea pig creature “skippy” endures… as opposed to comedy stchick in the phil
Hartman comedy creature - torture version. Also the problem wasn’t with the voice actor’s performances but with the show writing ti begin with .
Thanks, Mike, for the interesting background info.
Can you tell us who were the creators of the "terrifying" portion of the show? Awards for creativity are due them. I'm serious.
Mike, I'm not sure if you ever mentioned if YOU liked that show??
So Alien Encounter was very popular with guests … the scare and thrill of it - they LOVED IT!!! It was funny to see nite vision footage of guests in the attraction …… with absolutely nothing REALLY happening to the guests other than sound and a few parlor tricks … and mentally being made uneasy with the use of shoulder restraints ( this wasn’t to keep guests in their seats from fear - but to line up the 3-D sound speakers to their ears) but guests screamed in terror despite it all being “ in their head”
Why did alien encounter close ? It was a victim of WED IMAGINEERING ORIGINAL STORY THEME. Dim witted marketing people don’t understand the art of theme story telling …. Only slapping on a cliche low hanging fruit idea … And marketing wanted to promote its newest character STITCH …. Alien Encounter didn’t have the 2000’s Disney protection of a IP character so it was changed into a TURD ATTRACTION in hopes to sell Stitch merchandise… and people don’t like trying to get frightened by a character designed to be lovable. So the attraction failed .
As a kid —- ask my mom or uncles : I was PETRIFIED of Pirates of the Caribbean ….. mainly because of the drops .. but I didn’t like the dark passageways between the scenes etc … there were sone situations I even turned around and high tailed it out of the pirates line and cast members had to catch me at bring me back …
I cannot even imagine how I would have reacted as a kid had a ALIEN ENCOUNTER existed !!
Actually during the time I was a kid a ALIEN ENCOUNTER attraction would be like an early 70’s audio animatronics dating game …. With voices by Rip Taylor as the host , Joanne Worrly as the 4 breasted alien bachelorette contestant …. And Ruth Buzzi as the 8 armed shy alien who is really “ handsy” and the One Eyed blonde alien is voiced by Sandy Duncan ….there was a delay at WED during the 1973 creation on ALIEN ENCOUNTERS because Sandy Duncan would be late showing up to voice over recording sessions … because she was always eating wheat thins … one right after the other … STRAIGHT OUTTA THE BOX!!
My favorite part of DISNEYLAND’s 1973 ALIEN ENCOUNTERS is when Rip Taylor’s AA character hold up a 4-cup bullet bra and says “ OH GOD SHE’S BACK IN TOWN!!” Then you hear Joanne Worrlys chatter yell “yohoooo!!!” Guests loved that almost as much as AMERICA Sings pop-goes-the weasel!!
Mike, LOL
My brain is recalling more of the terrifying portion of the show...
While in the dark, held down with the shoulder restraint, when the monster breathes hot air on your neck, you feel the shoulder restraint push down on your shoulders - and you then know the monster is behind you - leaning on YOU. And when the monster bites off someone's head, you hear it POP and blood (water) sprays in your face - thanks to the 'seat mechanics' in the seat-back in front of you. ALL VERY REALISTIC!
Mike, I'll ride POTC and hold your hand, the next time. We don't want you running away. It's all make-believe.
I believe Ryan Harmon was one of the alien encounter show writers ….. I’d have to look up the others … but they are people nobody is gonna recognize… long lost to to the Eisner layoffs of yore .
Sue: did you ever get the “wet lick” on the neck!! Freaky -and gross . The funny party is thinking the alien was right behind YOU!!! But it was actually “right behind” EVERY individual guest in the theater .
I remember a SNL weekend update news but regarding the temporary closure of ALIEN ENCOUNTER … that it reopened even more terrifying because imagineers forgot to put back 7 nuts and bolts !
Sue: I loved alien Encounter!
“X-S TELEPORTATION: what a way to go!!”
HA, Mike, I forgot about the alien's tongue on your neck! CREEPY!
And I remember, right before you entered the theatre for the terrifying act, what's-his-face saying to us, "Bon voyagggggggggggggge!"
I wonder how many adults are still in therapy, from experiencing Alien Encounter, as a child.
I was Anders Eisner’s babysitter while daddy was working at the park. We went on rides and hung out on Tom Sawyer Island and had a good time. The guests were mystified. Eric the older one was non-plussed by Disneyland itself and would have rather been somewhere else. He wasn’t part of the tour- but came and saw his dad on set then I think went surfing. The three of them were kind of normal. I have the dubious distinction of walking in the trailer with Michael with his pants down- literally. All very non plussed…”Hi, did you guys have fun?” He said. I was thinking : Nice boxers Michael. Note that Michael embraced the culture and wanted to be called “Michael”. Frank was only, and specifically: “Mr. Wells”.
DUMB ASS “AI” …. I type SPLASH MOUNTAIN and my phone changes it to SPACE MOUNTAIN … I type SPACE MOUNTAIN and it changes it to SPANISH MOUNTAIN ……
The future does NOT look bright ….
Wow, Disney-lore overload today! Kinda amazing. (And definitely interesting.)
Lou and Sue, just like with TM, I am jealous of your experience seeing Alien Encouter. I wonder if the parents of the traumatized children regretted their decision, or if they just shrugged and waited for the kid to stop crying? Those effects sound cool!!
Lou and Sue, I love that it was almost literally like having a vivid bad dream!
Mike Cozart, I’ve seen bird houses incorporated into old houses, but didn’t know it had to do with discouraging bees and hornets. I see that you have a LOT to say about Alien Encounter!
Mike Cozart, oy vey, I know people love Fantasmic!, but I just can’t bring myself to adore it the way so many others do. I have a copy of the Sam McKim Euro Disneyland map, I’ll need to find it and look for AE on it! I bought the map mostly because of McKim’s artwork, not that I cared that much about the Paris park. Wasn’t the Giger Alien a part of The Great Movie Ride? I know I’ve heard audio recordings of the original AE show, but, not being familiar with it, it was hard for me to picture what it was really like. And wow, how can anyone hate the Jetsons?? I loved that show when I was a kid. Still do.
Mike Cozart, it kills me to read about all the ideas that were cooked up for a revamped Florida Tomorrowland (several times!), only to have them cancelled. I understand that budgets are a real consideration, and the companies fortunes went up and down for various reasons, but still… a shame that so many cool concepts were scuttled. I know Eisner loved Michael Graves, and I like some of his work a lot, but in my opinion, many of his Disney works are not inspiring. Maybe they are better if seen from the inside? A “Metropolis”-themed Tomorrowland sounds pretty cool, but I feel like they would mess that up just like they did with the Jules Verne-inspired land.
Mike Cozart, Wikipedia says that at some point Michael Eisner actually wanted the attraction to be made even MORE scary. I wish the suits had stuck to their guns, but strong spines are not what executives are known for. Caving in to a vocal minority is a frustrating trend. I’ll bet people have even complained about the Haunted Mansion! I think the audio that I heard had Tim Curry, and he did a great job - now it’s hard for me to imagine Phil Hartman (as great as he was) doing the narration.
Lou and Sue, I have to wonder if Ron Chesley (I misspelled it as “Chesney” earlier) had much to do with it?
Mike Cozart, I feel like we will never see an original park IP attraction again - in other words, not based on a movie or TV show. It makes me sad, and the more I see and read about the Tiana additions to New Orleans Square, the less inspired I get. I dislike the facade of Tiana’s Palace, or at least some elements of it (that awful Home Depot stonework), but sure, let’s get rid of the classy French Market. “The one-eyed blonde alien is voiced by Sandy Duncan…”. D’OH!! Poor Sandy. Have you heard of the band called “Sandy Duncan’s Eye”? Not nice. But funny.
Lou and Sue, I love simple (or maybe they weren’t so simple) effects like the ones you describe. Like you said, they required a lot of imagination. One of Disney’s favorite words! But they don’t seem to trust the audience to use theirs very much.
Mike Cozart, like most showbiz jobs, Imagineering is a tough gig, unless you are one of the lucky few who manages to stay there for life.
Mike Cozart, they actually hired people to go around and lick people’s necks. That’s what I heard, anyway.
Lou and Sue, I wonder if the tongue effect was similar to the “mice” that ran over your feet in “Honey I Shrunk the Audience”?
Bu, I feel like it was Breck Eisner who gets name-checked often - in fact this is the first I’ve ever heard of Anders. How old was Anders when you had to watch him? Must be nice to have a company-provided babysitter! If he was old enough to go surfing, it doesn’t sound like he was pre-teen. Hey, when I’m CEO of a giant company, they’ll be lucky if I wear clothing at all.
Mike Cozart, I knew what you meant.
At first the WDW New Tomorrowland was pretty cool … all the posters based of Fantastic Stories and Popular Mechanics magazines of the 1920’s and 30’s … and the Rymond Scott area back ground music … but then it went too far in the tacky overdone low brow end …. And then there was the TWO lawsuits from Raymond Scott’s widow and family … so the WDI developed metropolis style : DECO-TECH …. A blend of art deco and 20’s industrial only went as far as the Astro ORBITOR . ( i actually keep DL PEOPLEMOVER Both DL & WDW music and the 1994 original WDW 3 track flight tunes of the Astro ORBITOR music in my car … ) but the 1920’s and 1930’s “FUTURE THAT NEVER WAS” wasn’t kept up very long … it was infected with BUZZ … TOYSTORY ….. Stitch and monsters Inc and became its own DUMP LAND. Currently the WDW Tomorrowland is being restored to a contemporary 70’s clean cool theme …. Sadly the pandemic slowed the transformation - restoration …. But it’s better than before … however it’s still lack on attraction substance…
Imagine a new 2023 version of the TERRIFYING ALIEN ENCOUNTER where the scary Joy Behar is accidentally transported into a demonstration chamber of Tomorrowland guests!!! PRESENTED FREE OF CHARGE BY Depends .
BYW: had Disneyland received WESTCOT CENTER ….. and it’s two themed areas FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD & FUTURE WORLD , Disneyland’s Tomorrowland would have become a Discoveryland …. The California version would have been more silicate to TDL’s PORT DISCOVERY than the Paris Discoveryland . This was the justification for the Florida Tomorrowland’s 20’s 30’s retro look … since EPCOT CENTER still had its vibrant FUTURE WORLD area ….
The idea of Discoveryland in Paris was a good one … but it tried to celebrate too many different past versions of the future all at once and with some exceptions turned out looking like a 1990’s NORDSTROMS store! They really needed to pick one “look” preferably a Victorian Jules Verne city …. And stick to that … its creators boasted that they had solved the “outdating of Tomorrowland” problem with the pAris Discoveryland …. But it was too much a product of the 1990’s …. And that became dated almost faster than a Tomorrowland …
Post a Comment