Little Mermaid Closure

[azax456]

Just posted: Looks like Little Mermaid will be closed from Monday, April 30 to Thursday, May 3rd.

 

[AutismMomma]

My daughter is going to be so sad

 

[californiamomof4grls]

This is the new ride we were looking forward to! Looks like we will be heading to Little Mermaid first thing April 29th! I hope they don't change their minds and do it a day earlier!

 

[Colo Nana]

Just posted: Looks like Little Mermaid will be closed from Monday, April 30 to Thursday, May 3rd.

Well thank goodness ill be there the weekend prior then cuz I am looking forward to it

 

[dnsmills]

Why are they closing it? Updating?

 

[bakerudall]

Why are they closing it? Updating?

They are giving her animatronic hair instead of the soft-serve do she has now. They are also doing some painting and adding bubble effects to sinking and rising portions of both ends of the ride.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

They are giving her animatronic hair instead of the soft-serve do she has now. They are also doing some painting and adding bubble effects to sinking and rising portions of both ends of the ride.

Just to add...

Here's what Al Lutz wrote on April 3: http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al040312a.htm

"Flounder;" not "Floundering"

There’s other good news arriving even earlier this spring, as the Little Mermaid ride is now scheduled to close for rehab for the first week of May. John Lasseter has bought off on the plans to rework some of the weak links in the ride (he doesn’t just care about Anaheim’s Pixar rides), and the updated attraction should open by Saturday, May 5th. As we noted before, new hand-drawn animation of Ariel is coming to the projection screens near the beginning and end of the ride, and the computer animation has now been scrapped for the Florida version as well. Additional projection bubble effects are being added in the descent and ascent tunnels, and reworked lighting and additional props are being added to the Under The Sea and Kiss The Girl scenes. And, most noticeably, a new animatronic hairdo will be installed on the swimming Ariel figure in the middle of the ride, erasing her similarity to a Soft-Serve ice cream cone.

Skeptical critics may not believe it, but the Little Mermaid continues to get rave reviews on the Guest Research feedback for DCA, especially from its target demographic of families with young children. With its 2,000 riders per hour Omnimover capacity, it continues to maintain short 5 to 10 minute waits and not only hosts twice as many riders per day as Toy Story Midway Mania, but it pulls in slightly more riders in a 10 hour operating day than Star Tours does next door with its longer 16 hour days. It was those huge ridership numbers that helped convince John Lasseter that spending money on purely cosmetic tweaks was the right thing to do for this newer attraction. The crowds descending on DCA this summer will appreciate the short waits for Mermaid, whether or not they understand the wonders of an Omnimover ride system and the cost of new animatronic hair.

- Al Lutz (April 3)

 

[Royal Consort]

Oh thank goodness. That animatronic is horrendous! The hair is just simply revolting. I'm not quite sure what they were thinking here and let's hope the new hair fits better. I'm very pleased to hear that she's undergoing this refurb.

 

[kailuagirl]

Her hair cracks me up! Hope I got a picture of it when we were there in Dec. before she get's a new "do"

 

[Royal Consort]

She reminds me of Marge Simpson.

 

[motherhoodandmickey]

The hair would have worked better if they'd added the fish that created the swirl-do.. Now it looks kind of random. As far as the bubbles go - to me, I'm not sure it matters. But they are perfectionists at Disney/Pixar, so I understand their changes.

Happy to see it will be up and running during the last two days of our trip. We can go see the new Ariel right after visiting with the 'real' Ariel for breakfast. DD will flip!

 

[Minuet888]

There is already a bubble effect as you go down isn't there when when you go up too?

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I'm sad I don't get to see the dolewhip do. But I'm excited to see the new one! Wonder what they have in mind.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

Here is Ariel's new do

https://twitter.com/#!/MiceChat/status/198496209726476288/photo/1

Gone is the Soft-Serve ice cream cone look

 

[sonnyjane]

here is ariel's new do

Oh! It's so much better! Thanks for sharing!

 

[yoyo93]

Oh my goodness, that looks SO MUCH BETTER.

 

[Royal Consort]

Oh thank goodness. That looks great.

 

[Astylla]

Oh so much better ! Thanks for sharing !

 

[PineapplePrincessCA]

So it's open now? We'll be there next week and the kids are really looking forward to going on this ride for the first time.

 

[skiingfast]

So it's open now? We'll be there next week and the kids are really looking forward to going on this ride for the first time.

Yes, it is open. It reopened on Thursday the 3rd of May.