On the other side of the coin - Animal Kingdom is pretty much the half-day park like MGM was for the most part and arguably HS and Epcot border on today. As pristine as it might be to adhere to the vision - its not a draw without appealing attractions. Tastes and attitudes change. Personally, I don't want Animal Kingdom to change because it's like an oasis amongst the chaos,
Oh no am I the only one that misses Maelstrom? It was so damn cool and I love the whole Norwegian mythology! I mean Frozen is just...meh. Maelstrom had that old Disney ride nostalgia for me.
Lots of good stuff in your post and the ever changing dynamic to manage - and Disney would benefit from a "Walt"/"Roy" combo again at the helm.
No, you are not the only one. We loved Maelstrom. Not only was it a must ride every time we went to Epcot, we usually rode it more than once. It fit perfectly in the Norway pavilion (and yes, it's Norway not some fictional land). We did ride Frozen once a few years ago and didn't care for it at all. It was laughable how little effort they put to in the revamp - it's basically just a cheap overlay of Maelstrom. And we thought the Elsa and Anna animatronics were kind of creepy looking. They seem to have improved that technology with MMRR, so maybe someday they will update those animatronics. But right now - they just look weird to me. On a positive note, I will admit the Sven and Olaf animatronics are adorable. The only other good thing I'll say about Frozen is that when we walk by and see that long, long line we know that's just less people competing for things we want to do. It's a great people suck - so I'll give it that.
We’ve never had the opportunity to ride Maelstrom, but I think we would have liked the storyline better than frozen. But that’s just us. Frozen we such a big thing when they revamped Maelstrom so I get it. Just saying I think we too would have preferred Maelstrom over frozen.
I think the issue isn't with the IP itself but rather how the IP is being used in attractions. In a lot of cases it feels like the IP is being shoehorned into rides that didn't previously have any and it feels like an underwhelming experience.
Exactly. For instance Frozen. I don't hate the IP or having a ride for it. I hate how they incorporated into the park with a cheap overlay.
That is another valid point. While Disney was never cheap, they crossed the point where people question the value, whereas in the past it was just thought of as a luxury spend.
and now we have the internets and disboards ...
Indeed, now I can watch a youtube video on X on my couch instead of wasting park hours I could be going on rides. It honestly baffles me that lots of folks want more educational pavilions. There are so many better places to go to for educational experiences like interactive museums that are way cheaper and probably better on the educational front.
There is something to the original vision - a uniqueness - Epcot was and is my favorite park for many of the pre-IP era reasons folks have stated. But what worked in the 1980s versus 2022 is largely different - including your observation of alternatives. Its a mixed feeling for me, because I don't like the jagged edges of hodge-podge theming regardless of how well executed they are. So either go one way or the other I guessIndeed, now I can watch a youtube video on X on my couch instead of wasting park hours I could be going on rides. It honestly baffles me that lots of folks want more educational pavilions. There are so many better places to go to for educational experiences like interactive museums that are way cheaper and probably better on the educational front.
