Will they change Small World at WDW too?

[CanadianGuy]

Wow!!

Thanks for posting those Brian... Not at ALL what I had pictured in my head and I think some of them look pretty darned cool...

I gotta agree with you overall, I'll have to wait and see the changes for myself I think.

Knox

 

[Cinderumbrella]

. POTC still works DESPITE the Depp character -- because the POTC movies, good as they were, won't be remembered in 40 years the way the ride is! Thank God they never put Eddie Murphy or Jennifer Tilly into The Haunted Mansion!

Please tell me you didn't just equate the PotC movies to The Haunted Mansion movie!!

To the PP, thanks for the photos! It didn't look as horrible as I thought it would...

 

[belleatheart]

After seeing those pictures I think that it isn't all that horrible. I was way defensive when first reading, but those pics don't exactly destroy it. We will have to wait and see and hope for the best.

 

[JoePa4Ever]

IMO IASW should stay as is. The pictures of the HK version only strengthen my aversion to the rumors of possible changes. I really like Toy Story, but having Woody & Jesse in IASW would be ridiculous. I'm also a huge fan of Stitch, but having him in IASW would also be ridiculous. From the pictures, the only ones that do not seem out of place are Aladdin & Jasmine. I have no problem with change - I don't think adding Johnny Depp to POTC was necessary, but I don't have a problem with it either. However, these rumored changes for IASW IMO would cheapen the ride & its original concept.

 

[momtosam]

"Thank God they never put Eddie Murphy or Jennifer Tilly into The Haunted Mansion!"

I like the addition of JD to POTC, but this is a good point.

 

[EnnEss]

Why on earth is there a mermaid and merpeople in IASW? That is an example of changing the essence of the ride. They don't blend in with the international theme.

Maybe toss in some dragons and aliens. OH WAIT! They already threw in stitch.

I don't mind the characters being added, but those pics show they didnt do it in the spirit of the original ride. However, they said the one in Anaheim isn't going to match the asian one.

 

[Rora]

I know they've spruced it up, but the idea of taking out the rainforest for some kind of "salute to America"? and putting Stitch and Mickey in there? My stomach is hurting just thinking about it.

I'd be a little disappointed if they changed Small World but if they kept it pretty much the same, I wouldn't have much of a problem.

But.. STITCH?!?!? I'd be very very upset

 

[Rora]

Yes, it's for sure that some characters will be added to DL's IASW, But no, there is currently no talk of changing WDW's version.

Before people start to praise or condemn the planned changes for DL's IASW, it might be good to have a better understanding of what those changes might be. First, DL has stated uncategorically that Mickey and Minnie Mouse will NOT be added to the attraction. That probably rules out the rest of the Fab Five as well (although I think that Pluto might fit in).

As for other characters, we can look at HKDL's new IASW to see what some of them might look like at DL. Click on the following pictures to see them full sized:

Woody and Jesse


Woody and Jesse close-up


Aladdin and Jasmine


Ariel


Lilo and Stitch


Marie


Cinderella


Pocahontas


Personally, I think that Woody, Jesse and Stitch look very much out of place. But the rest of the characters seem to fit in pretty well. If DL plans to use the same sorts of designs for its changes, it may not be too bad. I plan to reserve judgement until I actually see it for myself. And then I'll decide whether I should start worrying about WDW's version or not.

This actually looks pretty cool BUT I think it works better because HKDL has never had IASW before. If they changed WDW or DL, there would be uproar.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Why on earth is there a mermaid and merpeople in IASW? That is an example of changing the essence of the ride. They don't blend in with the international theme.

Well, there already is a mermaid scene in DL's IASW. It's part of the South Seas section that was added when the attraction moved to DL in 1966 (it wasn't part of the original World's Fair version). So the addition of Ariel wouldn't change much.

IMO IASW should stay as is. The pictures of the HK version only strengthen my aversion to the rumors of possible changes. I really like Toy Story, but having Woody & Jesse in IASW would be ridiculous. I'm also a huge fan of Stitch, but having him in IASW would also be ridiculous. From the pictures, the only ones that do not seem out of place are Aladdin & Jasmine.

Just to play devil's advocate here: Why do you think Ariel, Lilo and Pocohontas look out of place? Aren't they basically just regular IASW dolls dressed in character clothing? And does Marie look all that different from any of the other stylized animals in the attraction? (I should point out that she's located in the Paris scene.)

Cinderella (and her prince) look like normal IASW dolls, too. Their fantasy setting does seem to make them stand out, but since there are already mermaids, is that really such a big departure?

I'm not going to defend any potential changes, since as I said I'm taking a wait and see approach. But if HKDL is any guideline, I'm not seeing all that much to get in an uproar over...except perhaps for the Toy Story characters and Stitch.

 

[HesATramp]

I personally don't see that big a deal if those changes were to occur per-se. I do have an issue with the Pocahontas scene as it looks like there is a Mounty in the front of the scene which is completely wrong as Pocahontas was an American Indian that lived in what is now Virginia....

Aside from that, the changes might be kind of cute, and they seemed to look like the original dolls.



Until next time,
John

 

[Macca1111]

No one had a problem with Disney changing "Pirates" to add Johnny Depp. And, as it turned out, the changes made the ride more topical and more fun. The Imagineers did it seamlessly and stayed true to the original intent of the ride.

Actually, many people had a problem with adding Depp, if not in execution in concept. It's not seamless, and not more fun. One of your points is the exact problem many of us have with the current imagineers, that things have to be topical to be relevant and cool. How on earth did Pirates survive 40 years without being topical before? Because they relied on timeless classic storytelling, instead of adding a hottie into the ride to "plus" it.

 

[WDSearcher]

Actually, many people had a problem with adding Depp, if not in execution in concept. It's not seamless, and not more fun. One of your points is the exact problem many of us have with the current imagineers, that things have to be topical to be relevant and cool. How on earth did Pirates survive 40 years without being topical before? Because they relied on timeless classic storytelling, instead of adding a hottie into the ride to "plus" it.

But I'll bet if Walt had developed a "Pirates of the Caribbean" film back then, he'd have been the first to put characters from it into one of his own classic rides. Walt knew that part of keeping things fresh was to appeal to the younger guests -- those who would grow up and bring THEIR kids to his parks. Look at all the Davy Crockett stuff that showed up in Frontierland once that franchise became popular. Walt understood the connection between what kids are watching on TV and in the movies and what they want to see in the park.

If there was a lot of outcry about Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones being added to Pirates, I don't remember it. Certainly not at the level that this new "Small World" outcry has come. And really ... how did it hurt the "timeless classic storytelling" of the ride to integrate a character from a film that was based on the ride? Now if they had plunked Jack Sparrow down in the middle of PhilharMagic or Haunted Mansion ... THAT's messing with the storytelling!

 

[WDSearcher]

I personally don't see that big a deal if those changes were to occur per-se. I do have an issue with the Pocahontas scene as it looks like there is a Mounty in the front of the scene which is completely wrong as Pocahontas was an American Indian that lived in what is now Virginia....

If you pull back on the picture, the actual "scene" represents all of North America which, of course, includes both Virginia and Canada. And if the point of "it's a small world" is that all of the people of the world can indeed live together in peace, then it's very appropriate that the American Indian and the Canadian Mountie share their space. The ride is set up to show geographic regions, not just specific countries.

 

[fairestoneofall]

Based on those pictures, I totally agree that Woody, Jessie and Stitch look completely out of place. I'm not entirely sold on Cinderella and Prince Charming either. The rest don't bother me too much. However, I hope they do not change the WDW version. It seems that WDW gets the horrific make-overs (Tiki Room UNM and the removal of Mr. Toad's). So, for once I'm glad it's not WDW getting this. And I hope they don't.

The addition of Captain Jack Sparrow made sense to me. And I normally don't like my classic rides messed with. But it fit and it wasn't too much of a Jack overload. Now, if they had removed the auction, the fire scene, etc., I would've not been too happy.

But to me, these characters aren't needed in IASW. They don't really have anything to do with it and are not relevant to the ride at all.

My kids and I watched a podcast of the Gran Fiesta Tour and my six-year old thought it looked "more fun" than before, but I think it just seems cheesy. Some things just need to be left alone.

 

[WDSearcher]

It seems that WDW gets the horrific make-overs (Tiki Room UNM and the removal of Mr. Toad's). So, for once I'm glad it's not WDW getting this. And I hope they don't.

I really didn't like Mr. Toad and was thrilled that Pooh took it's place. The Tiki Room makeover wasn't one of my favorites though.

But to me, these characters aren't needed in IASW. They don't really have anything to do with it and are not relevant to the ride at all.

I like the addition of the characters. It's kind of like having characters at Epcot. They don't make any sense there, really, but when you put Belle in France or Snow White in Germany, it works. Same with IASW. The ride is cute now, but for little kids, think of how much fun will it be for them to be looking at all these generic dolls and then, in the back or up on a hill, they see Pocahontas or Marie the cat? Little kids don't "get" Small World anyway, from a "peace on earth" message standpoint. They think it's cute because of all the dolls and animals and stuff. But if they can put in Cleopatra, why not Jasmine? I think it'll end up being like the hidden Mickeys -- kids will want to ride it and find all the characters. Nothing wrong with that, IMO.

My kids and I watched a podcast of the Gran Fiesta Tour and my six-year old thought it looked "more fun" than before, but I think it just seems cheesy. Some things just need to be left alone.

I thought the Mexico ride was more cheesy when it was just "generic Mexico." At least with the Cabelleros in it, it makes the old outdated pictures of Mexico City and other areas seem less outdated. It makes it seem like they're the backgrounds to a classic Donald Duck film, and less like the Mexican Tourism folks simply didn't want to pay to update their film.

There are probably many many people who would put Haunted Mansion into the "some things just need to be left alone" category. But then we would have never had the Nightmare Before Christmas version at Disneyland which is, IMO, the coolest thing in the entire Disney universe. It's gotta be a weird line to walk for Disney -- keeping things fresh while also keeping things classic. They know they're never going to please everyone.