Attraction effects Disney installed but doesn't use ( w/pics if possible )

[Evil Princess]

Does anyone else remember the fires on the RIGHT hand side of the tour tram on the Backlot tour?

I have very, very vague memories of this as a child, I always remembered it being on the right side but chalked it up to faulty old memory when I rode it last year and it was on the left.

I rode the Backlot Tour when I was 4, it completely terrified me (yes, I was that screaming, crying child in the shuttle) and I didn't ride it again until I was 21 years old.

What's the deal?

 

[MomtoGKC]

I'm another one who doesn't want Tom Sawyer's Island turned into a pirate island. I think I may be the only one in DW who isn't into pirates. I mean, I love POTC, but now there are pirates everywhere it seems. besides, they scare my kids and that would be one more place we couldn't go if they invaded it with pirates!

 

[Robo]

My DS did that when went went one Christmas years ago. He got a medal and a certificate naming him king for the day. It was the highlight of his trip and he still talks about it every time we go to Disney. (He was 7 and is now 22) For a while, it seemed that the show was a regular but I haven't noticed it lately.

Here ya go.

Sword in the Stone Ceremony -MK- (Show now closed) - In 2 Parts: (18:15)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UnrIOSCNuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdNXG2gadI

 

[ultimatemickeyfreak]

I have to agree about the Pirates also.... POTC is one of my favorite rides but THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!! My own personal theory is that DISNEY understands that little boys don't have any "role models" to dress up like and the pirates give them that. I mean think about it, its some what of a little girl's dress-up world....Being that I remember when my now 19 year old brother used to dress up like Peter Pan... HAHAHA (needless to say those pics went in his senior yearbook!) HE really had no choices other than BUZZ and WOODY....

I do hope that they do something with TOM SAWYER'S ISLAND SOON!

 

[ironz]

What about the bird that would fly over the torn up tracks at the top of Expedition Everest? Haven't seen it on the last couple of visits (last 2 months or so).

 

[Robo]

What about the bird that would fly over the torn up tracks at the top of Expedition Everest? Haven't seen it on the last couple of visits (last 2 months or so).

Yes, he was MIA the multi times I rode this past April.

 

[campinggal]

What about the bird that would fly over the torn up tracks at the top of Expedition Everest? Haven't seen it on the last couple of visits (last 2 months or so).

Good one! Exactly what I thought of when I was reading this thread. It wasn't there last month (Oct 2007).

Here is a pic from our 2006 trip when it was there...

 

[raider93]

What is the inside story of what future plans are for Tom Sawyer's Island? If Disney wants a pirate theme area then a pirate refurb of the tired jungle snooze ride would be great.

 

[Robo]

What is the inside story of what future plans are for Tom Sawyer's Island? If Disney wants a pirate theme area then a pirate refurb of the tired jungle snooze ride would be great.

There is already a pretty decent "ride-through" with a pirates theme.


TSI can just be left as it is, and so can the Jungle Cruise.

 

[TwitterMouse]

The line for Test Track has all kinds of stuff in/around it. When it first opened, all those little machines that are testing thing were moving around. I haven't seen them move in years.

And I'm sad that the birdie in EE is gone. Any ideas why he's not there anymore?

 

[Shorty82]

What is the inside story of what future plans are for Tom Sawyer's Island? If Disney wants a pirate theme area then a pirate refurb of the tired jungle snooze ride would be great.

There's enough Pirates things already. Jungle Cruise should be left alone, it is a classic and great the way it is.

The line for Test Track has all kinds of stuff in/around it. When it first opened, all those little machines that are testing thing were moving around. I haven't seen them move in years.

IIRC some of them were moving back in July.

 

[CharmedLife]

My own personal theory is that DISNEY understands that little boys don't have any "role models" to dress up like and the pirates give them that.

Yikes - I sure hope my son doesn't look to pirates as role models. In the real world, pirates aren't such nice people... It would be nice if Disney would add in more actual male heroes or loveable characters for the little boys (all I've seen lately besides Mickey and friends is Aladdin and Peter Pan - if you're lucky - while the pirates are everywhere...)

By the way, I love this thread - my memory is escaping me to come up with any contributions, but I'm glad yours are all sharper than mine!

 

[tlhbdm]

I love this thread, I remember most of the things that have been mentioned, I have been since 1992 but I was only 5 when I first went and now I am going on my honeymoon in 34 days! So I will have to look out for some new ones!

 

[orangekid13]

Yikes - I sure hope my son doesn't look to pirates as role models. In the real world, pirates aren't such nice people...

but Disney doesn't try to use real world pirates as role models... Jack Will and Elizabeth are the good guys in the movies. I don't see why it's bad for a kid to want to have an adventure instead of wanting to sit inside playing xbox all day

 

[Robo]

The line for Test Track has all kinds of stuff in/around it. When it first opened, all those little machines that are testing thing were moving around. I haven't seen them move in years.

IIRC some of them were moving back in July.

"Yeah, I think they should move them to Cleveland!"

-Statler and Waldorf

 

[goofyernmost]

Yikes - I sure hope my son doesn't look to pirates as role models. In the real world, pirates aren't such nice people... It would be nice if Disney would add in more actual male heroes or loveable characters for the little boys (all I've seen lately besides Mickey and friends is Aladdin and Peter Pan - if you're lucky - while the pirates are everywhere...)

By the way, I love this thread - my memory is escaping me to come up with any contributions, but I'm glad yours are all sharper than mine!

Time for an class entitled Boy's 101. They will always be attracted to an adventurous character over a "nice" character. In spite of this, the real situation is that boys use these characters as an adventure base, not a reality base. It is something to imagine and direct the ever increasing testosterone aggression through. Almost all of Disney characters have a "dark" side but that really is the reality of little boys. Unless it's an action character boys are completely uninterested, sweetness is for little girls. They will watch sweetness and even occasionally display some of it but never admit that it is anything but totally lame.

This is my theory based on almost 60 years immersed in the "boy" gender.

 

[fla4fun]

Ok I got another one. It will probably be gone or changed now since it is being refurbished. It involves Spaceship Earth. When you get close to the end before your car turns around so you are facing backwards and goes down the big hill to the bottom of the ball, there is a big picture of the earth and underneath it is a large space between you and the projection of earth. Besides the earth everything is pitch black.

From what I remember that large black area was some kind of futuristic model of a city or something. It's been so long since I saw it. Now when you ride by, the space is so large that when you look at it you could swear that there was something there at one time.

I could also be completely wrong. I hope there is someone out there to confirm this.

I think you are remembering two different attractions. At the end of World of Motion at Epcot, your vehicle circled a city of the future, with huge blacklighted skyscrapers and flying cars and other really cool stuff. It was my favorite part of the entire attraction.

The top of Spaceship Earth, at one time, had a huge exterior space station set, with a female AA looking out a window and appearing to give instructions to two astronauts working on a satellite. There was also another satellite visible. The earth projected at that time was a different size and in a different position than the one now. You would kind of come in facing the space station, pass by the astronauts, then the vehicle turned around backwards, and you went under the space station, which was then silhouetted against the star ceiling. I'm hoping they are doing something pretty dramatic in this area for the new rehab. Most of the old set, with the exception of the astronauts and satellites was simply painted black and left in place in the former rehab. If you remembered what was there, you could still see the shape of the space station outline blocking out the stars as you started the backward descent.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Great Thread.

Splash Mountain has a few things that aren't always up and running. The jumping fish in two of the scenes come to mind.

Also, in the begining as Brer Rabbit runs away there is sometimes a projected shadow of him running off in the distance with the fox and bear chasing him.

 

[DisneyDude10171]

The top of Spaceship Earth, at one time, had a huge exterior space station set, with a female AA looking out a window and appearing to give instructions to two astronauts working on a satellite. There was also another satellite visible. The earth projected at that time was a different size and in a different position than the one now. You would kind of come in facing the space station, pass by the astronauts, then the vehicle turned around backwards, and you went under the space station, which was then silhouetted against the star ceiling. I'm hoping they are doing something pretty dramatic in this area for the new rehab. Most of the old set, with the exception of the astronauts and satellites was simply painted black and left in place in the former rehab. If you remembered what was there, you could still see the shape of the space station outline blocking out the stars as you started the backward descent.

The space station you are recalling was actually a scene from Horizons.

The top of Spaceship Earth never had anything in it except what was there before the start of the July rehab.

 

[DisneyDude10171]

having difficulty editing last post... here is a link that somewhat shows the space station scene in Horizons (bottom image)

http://www.horizons1.com/img/horizons_guide.jpg