This is a classic example of the typical DISboards member. The people who say they don't enjoy certain attractions anymore. Or who say that they are in "desperate need" of a refurbishment are just bored with those attractions because they go to WDW too much
The first time I went on this ride I was blown away. However, since I have been on this ride so many times, I really don't enjoy it any longer. I would love to see them put something new in its place.
Certainly, anyone who visits WDW frequently may more quickly grow tired of attractions which have less "repeat value", or especially those which just aren't personal favorites. This can be a more serious problem at
Disneyland where people may visit every week or month, but we should not just assume the problem lies entirely with the visitor who comes too often (though that is an issue). Consider the local movie theater, also an entertainment destination. Nobody is going to keep coming back to see the same movie every week for years - so they offer more than once screen at a time, and change the movies offered regularly (but it remains the same theater ("attraction"); Only the movie has changed).
Disney needs to keep its attractions fresh, to maintain and promote guest interest among repeat visitors, but often fails to do very much to update current attractions. Consider how long some of the World Showcase films have been around (some 1982 originals just replaced in the past few years). A movie ought to be one of the easiest attractions to update, too. So, while (too) frequent WDW visits does lead to over familiarity with attractions, Disney must do it's part by keeping things fresh and interesting - give us a reason to come back, or perhaps, a reason to see an attraction we otherwise would just pass by. Certainly Disney wants us to keep coming back, rather than give us a reason to take several years off between visits.
Sometimes Disney has updated attractions in this manner, such as the Tiki Room or Journey into Imagination, when we would have been better off if they had just left the original alone. But that's a different problem; Point is, Disney should be able to provide sufficient new, interesting, or updated experiences that the once-a-year visitor doesn't get bored and give up on the place. For The Great Movie Ride, some people will get tired of it sooner than others, but it is now 2008. The attraction has been there long enough, with only token changes, that it becomes a "new" experience to fewer and fewer people, and "old hat" to many. That doesn't mean it needs a gutting and replacement, such as became of World of Motion and JII, but rather enchancements to existing scenes, some "new" material, and changes in the movie finale.
While the problem can indeed lie with the guest who is just tired of an attraction (or the parks, etc.), because they come often and have seen the same show 150 times, if a ride has been around in essentially original form for two decades, the problem may be that the attraction needs updating.
I'm not sure a Narnia land would work too well... given the religious implications of the book it might tick off a significant number of people.
Why? This doesn't seem to be an issue for the series of movies, nor for the half-hearted Narnia attraction currently at Hollywood Studios. Given the popularity of the movies and books, and the obvious (and exciting) theme park attraction possibilities, why would people get upset over Narnia in a theme park?
I think as people become more thrill oriented and more sophisticated in their taste in rides, Disney has to put the right balance of thrill and Disney technology into their new rides.
Not to argue your point, but what basis do you have for believing that people are becoming more 'thrill oriented'? In other words, what's your source for this? What does 'more sophisticated' mean? People often do not realize or appreciate the type of attraction they would actually enjoy the most. Nobody, in 1980 or so, would have expressed an interest in attractions based on communications, transportation, and energy - yet Epcot Center was a huge success (and arguably a 'more sophisticated' experience). If you had taken a poll, people would have likely asked for roller coasters instead.
Technology has advanced through the years to permit progressively more extreme and thrilling rides, but the fact that there are more such attractions today does not necessairily mean than more people like them, that they are more popular than previously, or that people prefer more thrills in a theme park experience. Today's teen or 20-30-something WDW visitor, who firmly thinks the parks need more thrills, will also eventually be the 60-80 year old grandparent who thinks that drop in Pirates of the Caribbean is about as 'thrilling' as they can stand. You are quite correct, Disney does need a balance, but many of the bigger "e" ticket attractions recently have been thrill rides which already exclude many of Disney's daily guests - seniors, young children, those with various health impairments, and those who just don't like thrill rides. Disney is supposed to be about experiences for the entire family together.
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