Monster's Inc Ride

[oldenewguy]

When I went to DLR at the end of December Monsters Inc was closed. Does anyone know if it's open.

 

[DLR29]

It is scheduled to reopen February 14th, so just in time for your next trip

 

[mindylovesmickey]

Is it a ride or a show? Last year was the first time we had been to DCA and we didn't get a chance to do much in that area.

 

[DangerMouse]

It's a ride, a dark ride, but not scary at all.

I know chances are slim, but I'm secretly hoping they re-open it a couple days early when we're there on the 12th. We missed it when we were there in November, and would love to see it again.

 

[BecBennett]

Woo hoo! I was expecting it to be shut for our trip in March!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I can't wait to go on this one. DS loves Monsters Inc.

My username, Monkey Monkey, is what DS calls Mike Wazowski.

 

[oldenewguy]

I'm so glad it will be open by the time I go in February. I love that ride and we were very dissapointed when it was closed in December.

 

[MunkyMe13]

I love this ride... I am so excited it will be open when we get back to DL this March! Woo Hoo!!!

 

[ctamama]

I can't wait to go on this one. DS loves Monsters Inc.

My username, Monkey Monkey, is what DS calls Mike Wazowski.

I think you and DS will love it!! I ALWAYS thought after seeing Monsters Inc. with all of the "moving door" scenes that they could probably create a fabulous DL ride from that movie inspiration!

It is my favorite dark ride now!!! While there in November, it was always a walk on ride--no wait at all. I hope you have that same good luck!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

Thanks! I'll probably go back towards the end of Feb. I just watched a video of the ride on YouTube and DS said "More Monsters!" So we had to watch the movie.

I think he'll like it.

 

[Tangent_]

Does anyone know if this closure is just a clean-up and repair or if there will be upgrades? I like the ride, but honestly it doesn't feel up to par for Disney to me. Instead of animatronics that at least make a passing effort to lip sync with the dialogue, they just wag their heads back and forth, etc...

 

[DLR29]

Does anyone know if this closure is just a clean-up and repair or if there will be upgrades? I like the ride, but honestly it doesn't feel up to par for Disney to me. Instead of animatronics that at least make a passing effort to lip sync with the dialogue, they just wag their heads back and forth, etc...

As far as anyone knows, there won't be any huge upgrades. But your comment has me thinking. Does that mean that you don't believe that ANY of the Fantasyland dark rides, Roger Rabbit (can't remember if if he lip syncs at the end though) or Winnie-the Pooh are up to Disney par? The only attractions at DLR I can think of that have animatronics lip sync would be:

-Pirates
-Indy
-Tiki Room
-Splash
-It's a Small World (kinda)
-Muppet Vision and It's Tough to be a Bug have a couple
-Pirate's Lair has one I think
-Buzz Lightyear's que line

Am I missing something?

 

[Rhonna]

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this attraction! Went on it over and over again. (And I am an adult, no kids.)

IMO if this attraction were in Fantasyland it would have just as long of lines as the other top Fantasyland rides.

It is hidden out of the way in the less attended park and really doesn't get the traffic it deserves. But, hey, that suited me since there was never a line!

 

[Tink208]

We had a 20 minute wait to get on this ride when we were there in November. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, though, so I think crowd levels were on the higher end of the range. It was actually the same day that Miley Cyrus was performing over at DL and I think CA got a good boost in crowds that day because of people wanting to get away from the crowds in DL.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We love the Monsters Inc. ride! It's almost always a walk on ride for us when we go (gotta love the off season for that!). But I agree if it was in FL it would have a longer line for sure. The door scene really makes the ride IMO.

 

[DLR29]

When it opened, Monsters had just as long (or longer) lines than Soarin and Screamin. And a bunch of people complained that it didn't have FP. But now, the line is never very long ever and FP would be useless. A similar situation would be Pooh at DL. What a waste of FP machines.

 

[Tangent_]

As far as anyone knows, there won't be any huge upgrades. But your comment has me thinking. Does that mean that you don't believe that ANY of the Fantasyland dark rides, Roger Rabbit (can't remember if if he lip syncs at the end though) or Winnie-the Pooh are up to Disney par? The only attractions at DLR I can think of that have animatronics lip sync would be:

-Pirates
-Indy
-Tiki Room
-Splash
-It's a Small World (kinda)
-Muppet Vision and It's Tough to be a Bug have a couple
-Pirate's Lair has one I think
-Buzz Lightyear's que line

Am I missing something?

I definitely don't think the Winnie the Pooh ride is up to Disney's usual level. The Fantasyland dark rides are a bit different for me because I put them in their own "classic" category almost. Still, Peter Pan shows more attention to detail than Monsters/Pooh. While there's speech in it, it's presented in almost a voice-over style instead of supposing to be the actual characters talking. The lip-syncing in Monsters is really noticable to me because it's a very large part of the ride experience. Roger Rabbit is a "woah-we're-gonna-crash" ride that happens to have speech in a couple of spots. Imagine Pirates of the Carribean if the pirates just did back and forth motions instead of the more complex ones they do and if their jaws just flapped.

The real telling part that I think shows that many people agree with me is the long-term attraction of the rides. Peter Pan is over half a century old but it still typically has one of the longest waits in the park. Splash Mountain with its wonderful attention to detail still generates long lines even on cold days. Monsters Inc on the other hand officially opened 2 years ago, yet I haven't seen it's extensive queueing area use more than 1 section out of about 10 for well over a year. Winnie the Pooh opened nearly 5 years ago and it's pretty reliably a walk-on. For kid-pulling power it should be the reverse. Winnie the Pooh still seems to be fairly popular and what kid hasn't seen Monster's Inc? Peter Pan has made some movie comebacks in the last several years but even before them it was hugely popular, and you could probably buy an anti-tank missile easier than you could get a copy of Song of the South...

 

[AndyLL]

That's a little unfair Tangent. Peter Pan is one of the best rides in the Park.

Compare Monsters to all the other Dark Fantasy land rides and it comes out favorably. The door room is one of the better dark rooms.

Pooh... My now 5 year old has always loved the ride. It is just way to far away from the rest of the toddler rides. If it was in Fantasy Land it would have the same crowds.

Pooh just doesn't have the adult pull that many of the Classic Disney Movies have. If I was browsing thought the TV channels and came across peter pan or Alice I'd probably stop and watch it. I'd never watch Pooh without my son.

A

 

[DLR29]

Also one reason why Pooh and Monster's don't have as long of lines is because of location. Both are in pretty remote places for their target age group. Many families with young kids won't go into Critter Country because "all there is is Splash Mountain" or Hollywood Pictures Backlot "all there is is ToT".

 

[MunkyMe13]

Also one reason why Pooh and Monster's don't have as long of lines is because of location. Both are in pretty remote places for their target age group. Many families with young kids won't go into Critter Country because "all there is is Splash Mountain" or Hollywood Pictures Backlot "all there is is ToT".

I agree. Both are cute fun rides and its " a shame" no one rides them. Except it means a shorter line for me!!! hehehe!