Al Lutz Update: Small World Critique

[HydroGuy]

Al Lutz published another DLR update today. Note that he has decided to publish shorter but more frequent updates. This is a one-pager.

Here is a link:
http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al021009a.htm

Highlights:

o Its A Small World refurb critique (he does not like it)
o New CD Box set 1964 Worlds Fair
o Pending layoffs at Team Disney Anahiem (he does like it )

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Thank you very much, HydroGuy!

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

I am completely the opposite - I LOVE the characters being added - when I saw the Alice in Wonderland one it made me so happy! We just returned from WDW and it is so hard to find anything Alice to buy,and now I have found out they are selling the Alice doll at the exit of this ride - she will be coming home with us! We are huge Alice fans and can never find anything much with her or the chesire cat on it!

 

[Mike_M]

Personally, I've stopped going to micechat because it's pretty much just a complainers paradise. I can only hear 'They're ruining Disneyland" and "Too much Pixar" so many times before I have to say enough already. I think the people over there would be much happier if DL returned to it's mid 80s version and never changed again.

The posts here are much more open minded and willing to give change a chance before slamming it as abominations of Disney's legacy.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[nunzia]

Al hated it..(that's a mild statement) but the Disneyland guy posted many links of reviews. I guess I'll see for myself when we go..I don't know..it seems a little too in your face and away from what it was. Maybe I'm more of a purist than some, but not as extreme as others.

 

[HydroGuy]

Personally, I've stopped going to micechat because it's pretty much just a complainers paradise. I can only hear 'They're ruining Disneyland" and "Too much Pixar" so many times before I have to say enough already. I think the people over there would be much happier if DL returned to it's mid 80s version and never changed again.

The posts here are much more open minded and willing to give change a chance before slamming it as abominations of Disney's legacy.

Just my 2 cents.

I am reminded of my visit to Paris a couple weeks ago. The (now) beloved Eiffel Tower was detested when it was first built because it was conisdered a blight on the landscape of Paris.

I agree that the MiceChat crowd tend to complain about every small change at DLR. And it does get old. However, Al Lutz has a lot of insightful comments. And Disney does do stupid things sometimes. While I do not always agree with Al, I still appreciate his columns.

 

[PrincessKell]

Well, I was not excited about the new change when hearing about it, but I will wait to form a true opinion for myself when we head out next...

Its different but doesn't mean that is bad, nor good just different... yet anyway in my eyes

 

[Mike_M]

I am reminded of my visit to Paris a couple weeks ago. The (now) beloved Eiffel Tower was detested when it was first built because it was conisdered a blight on the landscape of Paris.

I agree that the MiceChat crowd tend to complain about every small change at DLR. And it does get old. However, Al Lutz has a lot of insightful comments. And Disney does do stupid things sometimes. While I do not always agree with Al, I still appreciate his columns.

I can admit that Al does play an important part in keeping Disney Parks in check, it just worries me that he has such a vocal (and a bit cult-like) following that it could possibly interfere with "good" change as well as the bad due to the vibe over there. His reports tend to lean on the dissent side and the micechat members love to run with that.

 

[lntsmom]

It seems to me as if there will be a very small group of folks to whom the changes have any major emotional meaning.

I will say, I would rather they have tinkered with the WDW version, but I'll hold off on opinions about the ride until I've seen it myself.

I guess the big question is: has the ride changed or has the value of the ride changed? If it's just a change, I can't see myself getting stressed. However, if we come out of the ride and feel as if we've just endured an info-mercial, I would be disappointed.

This ride has always held a special sweetness...a spirit of goodwill from a less cynical time.

Even with that thought, the reality is that for probably 80% of the people who visit DLR and all the other parks, riding Small World isn't something they do often enough to notice small changes or care enough about to worry about the large ones!

 

[zeitzeuge]

After seeing some videos on Laughing Place and Youtube as well as pictures over at MiceChat, I loved it and can't wait to see it when we go in October.

There is always going to be a group of people opposed to any sort of change at all. It wasn't like IASW was drastically redone, it was only slightly enhanced, including lighting, sound system and music.

Only thing I thought was odd looking was the America scene at the end.

 

[pixiewings71]

We just rode this yesterday. We LOVED it! All 4 of us thought it was absolutely adorable and the dolls are so cute!!!! We loved finding them and pointing them out, we loved the way they look, we loved that they added them. The Americana scene is cute too, Woody, Jessie & Bullseye are a GREAT addition as is the whole small section. It was really fun to see it!

 

[Corpsebride]

I like it too , but I am not a purist, I like HM regular and HMH NBC lay over too.
Now, I did think it was fun the whole boat pointing out where the new characters were. I disagree that looking for the new characters make it harder to take in the rest of the ride. I mean ,there is SO MUCH to look at, I myself couldn't see or remember all of it in one ride.
I do however limit my riding of IASW to 1 ride because the song drives me a little stir crazy by the end.I do think the rooms are just beautifully done though. I think my favorite was the water scene with The Little Mermaid.
But I didn't see Mickey or Minnie. Did I miss them?

 

[M4travels]

We rode it on Saturday and it was far from "in your face;" seemed cleaner, brighter, and just a fun, lazy ride.

 

[Sherry E]

I haven't seen it yet but I am sure I will sometime this year, and I am sure I will like it. I was tired of IASW anyway, once I got past the age of 20, and I really only ride it now when it is in its holiday overlay form. The new stuff will give me an excuse to ride it again. The only problem I think I will have is that, because I looked at photos online last week, now I know where all the characters are in the ride. I think I would have had fun trying to spot them, but I spoiled it for myself. Some of the additions seemed slightly questionable to me, or like they were put in odd locations just to work them in somehow, but it does not deeply, personally offend me or annoy me like it seems to do with Al Lutz. I will still enjoy seeing the new things. Plus, as has been said before, the dolls that have been added in as Disney characters look pretty much like the other dolls in the ride, or in that same style, so it is not like Disney characters were added in in their regular Disney forms. Now then they would stick out like a sore thumb. This way it seems like they will blend in.

And I should point out, I grew up with the old Small World. I first went on it in 1972, so I mean, I am pretty used to that version of it, but I welcome the changes! Some rides, I think, need some freshening up and some new life infused into them and others would suffer from changes. There was a time when I didn't understand why the 'new Dumbo' area had water put into it while the original version had no water. But now I like the way it looks and it's fine. There are ways to make changes and updates and still maintain the integrity of the rides. The Autopia cars have changed in appearance over the years, too, and the riders got 'licenses,' which never used to happen in the old versions of the ride. Sure, they could keep the ride exactly as it was from the beginning and it would be very retro and cool, but sometimes retro and cool stops being cool after a while and just seems dated and blah.

 

[Diznygrl]

There's a difference between not liking change at all and not liking certain changes. I get tired of people who oppose this particular change being labeled as purists who don't want any change and want the park to stay exactly the way it is forever and ever.

You know, for me it isn't even about the characters themselves anymore. I think what bothers me the most is the addition of Disney movie music. As someone with a musical ear, it is SO glaringly obvious and distracting to me. They can keep the characters, but I really wish they would at least drop the movie music.

 

[M4travels]

..... but I really wish they would at least drop the movie music.

What movie music?

 

[kikiq]

What movie music?

We rode IASW on Sunday. I was so busy looking at the spruced up dolls and looking for the Disney characters that I barely noticed that in some areas the song is sung in native language. Also when you pass the Disney characters, the movie music is "laced" into the Small World song. I only really noticed it in one area that there was another tune being played along with the Small World song. I don't have the "musical ear", just a "hyper nose" FYI - there is some freshener being used in that ride. Maybe that's why I couldn't hear the other music, I was distracted by the "freshener" smell.

I'm going to DL tomorrow to meet some friends. Maybe I'll sneak another ride in before I go home.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I’m excited for seeing the addition of the character dolls. From pictures and youtube it looks so much better than I thought it was going to be.

I’m pretty excited for the new music too! I love the ride and the original song. I can’t wait!!!

I also agree about the MC thing. It's scary over there.