With expansions, Pandora, and Galaxies Edge in the rearview mirror is Disney "tapped out" for competing with Epic Universe?

[lugnut33]

I don't really recognize a distinction between "simulation" rides and "physical" rides. Screens, like any other technology, are just a tool in the box. It's like with movie special effects. There are "practical" effects and "digital" effects. There's really not too much of a difference between the two. It's all in execution. Practical effects can look just as goofy as digital effects if they're poorly done.

The same is true with rides. The Velocicoaster is a great ride with very few screens. Smuggler's Run is a great ride that is mostly screens. Rise of the Resistance is a great ride that uses every tool in the box. All three are great rides in my book. The ways they get there are less important to me.

Really? I hate the face projections. Not nearly as cool as an animatronic. I know, it's expensive, but so what? I'm paying a lot of money. Me and the kids (now adults) hadn't been for 5 years and one of their big complaints was all the screens and face projections.

 

[OppR2nist]

It's what the ride is made out of itself, the screens and the motions together that causes motion sickness for some they can handle a few and others it's one ride and that's it.

The repetitiveness is where people complain because it's "new" (because new doesn't always mean new, it can and often means replacement) ride after ride after ride of the same thing. It's what got on people's nerves with Universal. Mickey and Minnie is still a box (well you're sitting down in the same type of thing as some of the rides you mentioned), Smuggler's Run is still a box although you're in spaceship like seats, Remy is still a box (sure the way the trackless part is cool). Box in this context is just a ride vehicle that moves you but you're being moved for the purpose of starting at screens or you're being jerked around but with screens (smuggler's run jerks you around for instance well it's bumpy lol).

So when you see Disney having a lot of their "new" rides that have a lot of screens in them where the ride relies on those to immerse the guest it's basically what Universal was doing.

Because being bad is subjective. That's not what I'm at least meaning. FOP is a great ride, Fast and Furious isn't but both rely on screens. I don't care that FOP is technically amazing and Fast and Furious is..well IDK how to describe it lol. What they share is that they are both screen based. As is Remy, Mickey and Minnie, Guardians, etc Disney did not used to be like that with a lot of their rides.

Don't get me wrong I like some of these rides but if Universal can take the criticism for years it's now time for Disney to.

I guess the difference I'm drawing here is that the box is made out of the screens, not just the ride vehicle you're sitting in. Minnie and Mickey's especially is different because the screens themselves are three dimensional objects. Universal's projection rides (and Fast & Furious is the MOST heinous example) pretty much put you in a six sided cube and throw images at the walls. I guess the whole thing doesn't make sense to me, but, again, I don't understand because I don't get sick. I will defer to those who actually get uncomfortable.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Really? I hate the face projections. Not nearly as cool as an animatronic. I know, it's expensive, but so what? I'm paying a lot of money. Me and the kids (now adults) hadn't been for 5 years and one of their big complaints was all the screens and face projections.

I agree with you. For how much a trip to Disney costs (tickets, flights, hotels, etc.), I should expect the attractions to knock it out of the park in terms of immersion. I don't really want to spend that money for the majority of new rides to be screen based. I want to see more experiences like Pirates and Haunted Mansion in terms of theming, scale and usage of animatronics. It's Universal's biggest criticism along with barely having rides for small kids and that criticism can be extended to Disney too. Also yeah I hate the screen faces too. They're meh on Mine Train but awful on Frozen.

 

[lugnut33]

I agree with you. For how much a trip to Disney costs (tickets, flights, hotels, etc.), I should expect the attractions to knock it out of the park in terms of immersion. I don't really want to spend that money for the majority of new rides to be screen based. I want to see more experiences like Pirates and Haunted Mansion in terms of theming, scale and usage of animatronics. It's Universal's biggest criticism along with barely having rides for small kids and that criticism can be extended to Disney too. Also yeah I hate the screen faces too. They're meh on Mine Train but awful on Frozen.

Also, when animatronics malfunction it's hilarious.

 

[OppR2nist]

Also, when animatronics malfunction it's hilarious.

OH that's true across the board. I nearly get motion sickness from all the laughing I do watching video compilations of animatronics breaking down.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

OH that's true across the board. I nearly get motion sickness from all the laughing I do watching video compilations of animatronics breaking down.

OMG I think I'm still scarred from seeing the Ursula video

 

[OppR2nist]

OMG I think I'm still scarred from seeing the Ursula video

I think we ALL are.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I guess the difference I'm drawing here is that the box is made out of the screens, not just the ride vehicle you're sitting in. Minnie and Mickey's especially is different because the screens themselves are three dimensional objects. Universal's projection rides (and Fast & Furious is the MOST heinous example) pretty much put you in a six sided cube and throw images at the walls. I guess the whole thing doesn't make sense to me, but, again, I don't understand because I don't get sick. I will defer to those who actually get uncomfortable.

Yeah I think it's just a collective review of the rides in which it relies more on screens than other things, some are much better than others, some are heavy motion sickness inducers, some are boring.

I think to Great Movie Ride and what Mickey and Minnie ended up being as its replacement. A ride that sure has physical sets but by in large the point is screens, that's where your main attention is supposed to be focused. That's just an example.

FWIW I don't get motion sick on Fast and Furious it's just a waste of a ride for the franchise lol...and to Universal's credit I do think they realize it. It's sad though for reals given I actually enjoy the Fast and Furious franchise however ridiculous it has become though (I mean come on space?!)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

They're meh on Mine Train but awful on Frozen.

When I've been on Frozen I think to myself "hmm yeah this is cool how they are doing this but boy is it also creepy"..IDK if that's just me though lol

 

[Smugpugmug]

When I've been on Frozen I think to myself "hmm yeah this is cool how they are doing this but boy is it also creepy"..IDK if that's just me though lol

I think it looks creepy for human characters too. On Mine Train I don't love it but I don't think it's as creepy as it is for Anna, Kristoff and Elsa. Even before those rides (and Radiator Springs Racing that also had projected mouths on the cars), I would always remark on how weird Buzz's face looked on Space Ranger spin.

It also makes me annoyed because I look over at the new Beauty and Beast ride in Tokyo and I'm like. Why can't we get rides where the animatronics look like that? Granted that ride also has a decent chunk of empty space like Railway but the animatronics for the human characters are stunning.

 

[BrianL]

Yeah I think it's just a collective review of the rides in which it relies more on screens than other things, some are much better than others, some are heavy motion sickness inducers, some are boring.

I think to Great Movie Ride and what Mickey and Minnie ended up being as its replacement. A ride that sure has physical sets but by in large the point is screens, that's where your main attention is supposed to be focused. That's just an example.

FWIW I don't get motion sick on Fast and Furious it's just a waste of a ride for the franchise lol...and to Universal's credit I do think they realize it. It's sad though for reals given I actually enjoy the Fast and Furious franchise however ridiculous it has become though (I mean come on space?!)

The issue with The Fast & The Furious and Kong is that to my understanding they are clones of the set peices the used on the Backlot Tour at Universal Hollywood. In that case, they are just little experiences peppered into the tour and had to accommodate the tram. I have not ridden either one in Florida, but I'm not sure that trying to make those into full, stand-alone experiences was the best move. Of course, the Earthquake/Disaster attraction that was at USO previously was also a clone of a Backlot Tour set peice, but at least they added some stuff to that to flesh out the experience.

 

[BrianL]

It also makes me annoyed because I look over at the new Beauty and Beast ride in Tokyo and I'm like. Why can't we get rides where the animatronics look like that? Granted that ride also has a decent chunk of empty space like Railway but the animatronics for the human characters are stunning.

That's because OLC will pay for it. OLC will pay for anything - they never met a price tag that they didn't like. Heck, Disney originally didn't even want to build a park there and came at them with the "you pay for everything" line so that they would turn it down and stop bothering them. OLC was like, "Yup, no problem. How much and when can you start?" OLC rocks!

 

[Jonfw2]

Disney is far from tapped out on IP. The question is if they're willing to spend the money.

 

[Smugpugmug]

That's because OLC will pay for it. OLC will pay for anything - they never met a price tag that they didn't like. Heck, Disney originally didn't even want to build a park there and came at them with the "you pay for everything" line so that they would turn it down and stop bothering them. OLC was like, "Yup, no problem. How much and when can you start?" OLC rocks!

Haha, agreed. When I visited, I remember it being a weird feeling to see not only all of the effects working on Indiana Jones but Splash Mountain as well LOL.

 

[Jonfw2]

The issue with The Fast & The Furious and Kong is that to my understanding they are clones of the set peices the used on the Backlot Tour at Universal Hollywood. In that case, they are just little experiences peppered into the tour and had to accommodate the tram. I have not ridden either one in Florida, but I'm not sure that trying to make those into full, stand-alone experiences was the best move. Of course, the Earthquake/Disaster attraction that was at USO previously was also a clone of a Backlot Tour set peice, but at least they added some stuff to that to flesh out the experience.

They're both just fancied-up movies you watch as you're going by in a themed bus.

 

[BrianL]

They're both just fancied-up movies you watch as you're going by in a themed bus.

Right, which is what they are on the Backlot Tour, but it makes sense on the tour - they're examples of special effects to add an extra-fun moment to the long tour. That tour is great actually!

 

[BrianL]

Haha, agreed. When I visited, I remember it being a weird feeling to see not only all of the effects working on Indiana Jones but Splash Mountain as well LOL.

Man, and Tokyo Disney Resort is just overall FANTASTIC! I would tell people who would ask how it was that, "It makes the US parks look like a parking lot carnival." That's a bit of an exaggeration, but it simply cannot be overstated how absolutely amazing the Tokyo parks are. I want to go back so bad!

 

[Jrb1979]

Since we are on this topic of attractions new lands, the video I attached is what Disney and Universal should strive to be like. It's also a park I would love to visit. The way they update their dark rides and have those little themes attractions is something the US parks could use.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The issue with The Fast & The Furious and Kong is that to my understanding they are clones of the set peices the used on the Backlot Tour at Universal Hollywood. In that case, they are just little experiences peppered into the tour and had to accommodate the tram. I have not ridden either one in Florida, but I'm not sure that trying to make those into full, stand-alone experiences was the best move. Of course, the Earthquake/Disaster attraction that was at USO previously was also a clone of a Backlot Tour set peice, but at least they added some stuff to that to flesh out the experience.

Disaster was corny cool if that makes sense, miss that attraction.

To me the issue isn't that they are set pieces but rather that they chose to put them in Orlando in the first place in lieu of doing something really cool with the overall franchises. With Fast and Furious I have no idea why they didn't take an approach like you're actually in the car, speeding around avoiding capture, etc. It originally was all about the cars..so a party bus is like umm why?? Like sure you're sorta being chased but no it just doesn't work. It could have been either a family friendly roller coaster just on a more tame level but with speed in there or if they had wanted to stick with screens actually have the car be stand alone ride vehicle moving you in throughout the set hairpin turns and all.

With Kong I think my thing was I was just confused as to the plot, the ride isn't god awful terrible IMO but just lack luster in comparison to what I feel like it could have been but it's not as bad as Fast and Furious. I just don't think they needed to do Kong AND Fast and Furious even if they are in different parks

 

[john7994]

Since we are on this topic of attractions new lands, the video I attached is what Disney and Universal should strive to be like. It's also a park I would love to visit. The way they update their dark rides and have those little themes attractions is something the US parks could use.

They should continue to strive to be their own thing (albeit better) - why just copy some other park