Official Fantasyland Expansion Q & A (Mickey gets evicted) PART II

[BebopBaloo]

I'm excited because The Little Mermaid film is probably my favorite and holds special memories... admittedly I haven't watched the video for the ride in DL and probably won't. I want to just go and experience it for myself.

 

[mefordis]

This is what I THOUGHT it was going to be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHh4ci2kn_k

I'm wondering if they just didn't have the budget for it and had to pare it way down.

 

[AliceinMaryland]

This is what I THOUGHT it was going to be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHh4ci2kn_k

I'm wondering if they just didn't have the budget for it and had to pare it way down.

And this video is the reason why I'm just not into the ride!!!! I remember seeing this last year and thinking it was going to be sooooo freakin awesome! I love the idea of hanging, the shape of the car was really cute, I love how it had the right amount of scary to it. LOVE LOVE LOVE that one!! The scenes were all around you not just in front of your car and turning you to what ever side the scene is on.

 

[HsvScrapGirl]

I'm perplexed right now. We are planning a fall of 2012 trip and I had settled on dates in mid-September. Now I am nervous that one of two things is going to happen:

1. We will miss the opening of the first phase by a week or even a day and not get to see any of the new stuff (just my luck!)
2. We will be there for the opening and it will be packed and chaotic (I choose to go in September to avoid the crowds!)...

Ideally, I'd like to be there a week or two AFTER the phase one opening. In the past, how far out has Disney given set dates for openings such as this?

We are planning on going Sept 2012 too. I figure if it is done by then great. If not, then oh well. I just hope it isn't too crowded either way. Like you I am watching with invested interest for those opening dates.

 

[supersuperwendy]

I am extremely excited about the little mermaid ride! I'm not watching any videos of the ride at DCA. I want total surprise once it finally opens.

 

[disneyphilip]

I very much agree!! I'm also one of the Nemo fans too - I love that ride!! Not every ride needs to be super-fast or sensory overload - I really like the simple rides and enjoying every minute of it!

No matter what you ride in Disney, its better than being at work lol!

I totally agree. I like the Nemo ride, too. And you're completely right in saying that not everything has to be an in-your-face extravaganza.

And the Little Mermaid ride is not really a Nemo clone either.

Just because an attraction doesn't meet your EXACT expectations doesn't mean that it's bad or that you should hate it.

 

[Berlioz70]

More WDWMAGIC Construction Photos

 

[think-like-tink]

^ thank-you. Looks like things are coming along nicely

 

[DCTooTall]

What is making you excited for the Little Mermaid ride??? I'm so not being confrontational, I just don't get it. I love everything about Disney as much as the rest of you but I can't get excited by this ride. Is it just that you've grown up with watching the movie and love it so much that any ride that features Ariel would be worth it to you?

Personally I'm looking forward to it because nobody does a dark ride like Disney. It's something new, and something uniquely Disney.

Sure, They could do another awesome ride like ToT, or Soarin, or Test Track..... but in many ways I've almost felt like the unique Disney omnimover style ride has been seriously lacking in recent Disney history. I actually miss World of Motion and Horizons... not just because of the nostalgia factor, but because of the truly unique Disney way of telling a story and creating an experience that I just can't get anywhere else.

This attraction, to me, is one of the first new experiences we are getting in quite awhile along that vein. (And the current JIIw/ Figment doesn't count because it's a pretty iffy ride, especcially when compared to what the pavilion used to house.)

I wondered the same thing too. Yes, it's new. Yes, it's Little Mermaid which hasn't really had a ride. Yes, the expansion as a whole is very exciting!! But.....for anyone who has seen the video of the DL version, it's basically the same thing as Nemo. I mean, even down to the ride vehicles. I guess I'm disappointed that with all of Disney's AMAZINGLY talented imagineers, this was the best they could come up with.

Honestly, I really don't see it as anything like Nemo. ok... so we get a clam shaped Omnimover vehicle, but that's where the similarity ends. (If we replaced the Haunted Mansion Doombuggies with Clam shaped vehicles, would you consider it the same ride?)

Nemo, in many ways, would compare a lot better with the old If You Had Wings than Little Mermaid. Both rides were basically omnimovers moving you in front of movie screens placed within sets. That being said... i'd almost say IYHW did it better.... but that may just be the old fuddy-duddy in me since I'm a slight be annoyed at the way I feel Nemo pretty much ruined the cohesive theming the Living Seas used to have.... and I miss being being able to see the aquarium surrounding your vehicle when you were entering SeaBase Alpha. (vs now where most of that tunnel has had it's windows covered over with sets and songs)

 

[Berlioz70]

I LOVE this mural - hope WDW will get one too!

Not So Little Mermaid Mural at Disney California Adventure Park

 

[Gonzo82]

I LOVE this mural - hope WDW will get one too!

I doubt we'll get that mural (or any mural at all), mainly because instead we're getting a 3D, PHYSICAL version of it as our facade. The California version of the ride is inside a Victorian-style building that has very little to do with the ride itself, necessitating a mural. The FL version, on the other hand, will have a lavishly themed facade with the beach-front castle and rock work and basically everything in the mural minus the characters, and word is that it'll have an interactive scavenger hunt element. With all that going on, I don't think anyone is going to miss some 2D paint.

 

[nytimez]

Honestly, I really don't see it as anything like Nemo. ok... so we get a clam shaped Omnimover vehicle, but that's where the similarity ends. (If we replaced the Haunted Mansion Doombuggies with Clam shaped vehicles, would you consider it the same ride?)

If Haunted Mansion took place under the sea and featured cheerful aquatic life, sure.

 

[squirrel]

This is what I THOUGHT it was going to be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHh4ci2kn_k

I'm wondering if they just didn't have the budget for it and had to pare it way down.

That's a great version. I like the seashell ride vehicles better.

 

[homie wanna liv]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1oft0EsaWY

Construction UPDATE 6/10/11

 

[Berlioz70]

OOOO - interesting!!

From Disney Parks Blog: A New Look at Storybook Circus at Magic Kingdom Park

 

[GDubDIS]

The concept art looks fantastic. I'm just a bit confused about what is under the blue tent to the right. Obviously Dumbo is to the left, so what am I forgetting? Or have they not announced what is in this space yet?

 

[angelmichelle]

The concept art looks fantastic. I'm just a bit confused about what is under the blue tent to the right. Obviously Dumbo is to the left, so what am I forgetting? Or have they not announced what is in this space yet?

I wanna know, too!!

 

[mom2rtk]

The concept art looks fantastic. I'm just a bit confused about what is under the blue tent to the right. Obviously Dumbo is to the left, so what am I forgetting? Or have they not announced what is in this space yet?

DUH! It's the official Dumbo merchandise shop!

 

[Berlioz70]

Did you mean blue tent on the left?

The giant blue tent is the Merch shop (link in the first post of image), featuring the 3 Little Pigs. The tent behind it is rumored to be a meet and greet, the former Princess/Fairy area, called Pete's Sideshow.

 

[Invisable89]

I'm not sure what i think of the new Storybook Circus artwork... i do prefer the new Circus Tents but the whole area looks alot smaller...