Can Disney no longer make classic rides?

[Cayaco]

Every ride people still talk about are decades old, the Haunted Mansion, Small World, the big old Epcot Ball ride, Space Mountain, heck, even People Mover. Tomorrowland Speedway, POTC... People view these as all time classics.

Splash Mountain is 25 years old, Buzz Lightyear is going on 20. They used to make rides people remember for their entire lives.

Everything new people have complains. 7DMT is way too short, Frozen and Pandora Dark Rides have fancy animatronics but are over in what feels like seconds. Nothing new has been built in a really long time that anyone stays excited about. Even Tron people are hating on because it hardly lasts, clocking in at only 120 seconds. Sure when it opens stateside in few years lines will be 5 hours long but for what? Everything Disney does now is about getting people on and off the ride as fast as possible and not at all about the experience.

So is Disney over? Is it simply riding on it's excitement from rides that made the experience a "World" and now simply pumping out cheap thrill rides that push as many people through as possible?

 

[MainMom]

People like to complain.

 

[umichigan10]

Eh.

Nostalgia clouds a lot of things. Especially with something like Disney.

There wasn’t a disboards to nitpick every little detail on attractions back in the day. If they could I bet they could’ve criticized the fact that MK Pirates is vastly shorter than the DL version of that western river expedition got axed because of budget issues.

Can they make classics? Sure. The criticisms you list are legit criticisms, and I’ve made plenty myself through the years. But I think your point is overstating the issue a tad

 

[mousehockey37]

The experience is what you make of it. Some people love Peter Pans Flight. I did it once and that was enough for me.

Also... look at those classic rides. The Haunted Mansion has been vastly untouched and as of late, more of the snowflakes are coming out of the woodwork to get the stretching room changed (the hanging scene). POTC? Yeah, goodbye to the redhead. She's been there for years, but is going away, if not gone already.

So yeah, those classics are being changed too.

 

[EsmeCullen]

I’m in agreement that the experience is what you make of it. Some people prefer the classic feel, some prefer new technology. For every person who complains, there are people who love the changes. The classics weren’t always the classics. At one point they were new technology. In 30ish years, the new stuff will be classic.

 

[Tigerlulu]

Wait Tron is really a two minute ride? Wow I didn’t realize that. That’s super disappointing.

 

[Gehrig1B]

For comparison... Space Mountain is only 2.5 minutes long.

 

[CAS239]

Wait Tron is really a two minute ride? Wow I didn’t realize that. That’s super disappointing.

Tron will be right on par with Rockin Rollercoaster, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, etc

 

[Tigerlulu]

For comparison... Space Mountain is only 2.5 minutes long.

Didn’t realize it was that short. Interesting.

 

[Wubar]

People like to complain.

Truer words have never been typed or spoken.

I'm looking forward to a less crowded Disney in the future. Taking into account all of the complaints over the rising prices, dog policy, room check policy, slow buses, $5 charge on resort deliveries, Good Neighbor hotels getting 60 day FP access, long lines, bad food, super Uber ultra mega crowded parks every day of the year, toiletry dispensing racks replacing the little Mickey ear bottles, bad housekeeping, rude CMs...Disney should be an absolute ghost town in the next 10 years.

 

[Gehrig1B]

I'm looking forward to a less crowded Disney in the future. Taking into account all of the complaints over the rising prices, dog policy, room check policy, slow buses, $5 charge on resort deliveries, Good Neighbor hotels getting 60 day FP access, long lines, bad food, super Uber ultra mega crowded parks every day of the year, toiletry dispensing racks replacing the little Mickey ear bottles, bad housekeeping, rude CMs...Disney should be an absolute ghost town in the next 10 years.

See you there Wubar... Imagining that 5 min standby line for FOP!

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage, and Toy Story Midway Mania are rides that I consider "New" but certainly will enjoy for years to come and can find no fault with (Yes even having experienced the fully functional Yeti).

The Word "Classic" denotes that it has been around for some length of time... many of Disney's newer rides that are much loved are not old enough to be considered classic.

Another factor is that the newness of a headliner ride increases the wait time for it which lessens the overall experience. 7DMT and Frozen seems shorter because you have to wait so long to ride without a FP... and then afterward you feel cheated.

I think the Classic Rides listed by the Original Poster are all rides that typically have reasonable waits with some advanced preparation.

 

[MKNJ]

It's more an issue of longevity vs. quality. No one could reasonably, in a vacuum, consider Small World a great ride. If someone opened the exact same ride, at a local amusement park today, you might enjoy it, you might not, but, you would never consider this a classic ride that will be remembered forever. However, the fact that you remember it from 25 years ago and can now relive that experience from your past, probably shared with younger family, makes it special even if the actual ride itself is not.

A newer ride, Expedition Everest for example, may be a vastly superior ride experience for some but, without the longevity, it really can't be considered a classic. I took my 5 year old daughter on it last year and, I promise you that 25 years from now she will

 

[Brian_WDW74]

POTC? Yeah, goodbye to the redhead. She's been there for years, but is going away, if not gone already.

The redhead isn't going anywhere. She'll remain in the auction scene. It's just that she'll be getting a costume change and will be one of the auctioneers instead of being part of the merchandise. Whether the change is needed or not can be (and has been) debated.

 

[BrianL]

It's more an issue of longevity vs. quality. No one could reasonably, in a vacuum, consider Small World a great ride. If someone opened the exact same ride, at a local amusement park today, you might enjoy it, you might not, but, you would never consider this a classic ride that will be remembered forever. However, the fact that you remember it from 25 years ago and can now relive that experience from your past, probably shared with younger family, makes it special even if the actual ride itself is not.

I will DIS-agree with you there. it's a small world is not about being a "ride" it's about artistry. No local amusement park is going to have that caliber of talent, Mary Blair, the Sherman Brothers, Marc Davis, working on their ride. That's why it IS a classic and will continue to be for years to come. The song, love it or hate it, is memorable, universal, and one of the most recognized tunes worldwide. Maybe it's not a technical marvel, and the animatronics are simple compared to some, but it all comes together to serve the greater vision and create a true work of art.