The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

[massimo]

Hi! I just watched the special featured in "The Little Mermaid" Platinum Edition dvd and dedicated to "The Little Mermaid" dark-ride that was originally planned for Euro Disneyland but never got built and was wondering why OLC didn't choose to build this ride (or an even more luxurious version of it) for TDS's Mermaid Lagoon: I always tought that land doesn't feature enough rides for the whole family like usually dark-rides are. Any ideas?

[Malin]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

Not sure could be the space or maybe its a second phase project.Also might be because Tokyo Disney Seas already has 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Imagineers didn't want two under sea based dark rides at the park.

I also think the problem with there not being enough family attractions reflects the entire park.But unlike Tokyo Disneyland this park seems to be based towards an older audience.

[The Goddess Mara]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

The Little Mermaid Ride looks to have been a pretty modest dark ride from the features on the DVD. All the figures had very limited movement and the only thing to really set it apart would've been the way the overhead track allowed you to go down below the "water" during the middle of the ride. So, perhaps the folks at Oriental Land Company, if given the choice between this or the Mermaid Lagoon complex (with many rides, a restaurant, theater, shop, playground, and water/splash area) chose what seemed like a better option to them.

Frankly, it would make more sense, considering how stingy they are with development at Walt Disney World, that this Little Mermaid ride would be built in the old 20,000 Leagues area rather than the entire Mermaid Lagoon complex from DisneySea.

[HeadlessRoland]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

It seemed to be a pretty cool ride. I don't think that the limited motion of the proposed figures was intentional, but rather a byproduct of the way they were created. They seem to be sprites placed into a fully-rendered landscape, so it probably would have been more trouble than it was worth to create the motion. It's a shame that they didn't go through with it; looks to be a very unique experience.

-Adam-

[kayoss]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

Not sure could be the space or maybe its a second phase project.Also might be because Tokyo Disney Seas already has 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Imagineers didn't want two under sea based dark rides at the park.

I also think the problem with there not being enough family attractions reflects the entire park.But unlike Tokyo Disneyland this park seems to be based towards an older audience.

*nods* bingo. Also, of course, 20K is an overhead monorial system like Peter Pan... so it would *REALLY* be a stretch to build two rides with a similar theme and also the same ride system. But most of the ride from the DVD appears to have been built-out in the lagoon area. Everything from Ariels Grotto to Ursula's Lair (in the walkthrough) to the big AA Ursula (in the show). They even built the sunken ship full size.

[kayoss]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

http://web.mac.com/okwhatev/iWeb/disneysea

Today's installment: Mermaid Lagoon

[Scorchio]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

This ride has suddenly popped up on nearly all of the park boards!

[Malin]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

So seems like the Little Mermaid attraction did kind of get built just not in Paris and under a differn't theme altogether.

[TDLFAN]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

http://web.mac.com/okwhatev/iWeb/disneysea

Today's installment: Mermaid Lagoon

Shameless plug kayoss....

[DisneySeaFan]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

I haven't watched that special feature yet but I did wonder why there was no dark ride for such a great movie and especially why there wasn't one in the land dedicated to it. I'm not sure if there's any room for it but I would hope for them to put in a Little Meramid dark ride. The park needs more dark rides. While DisneySea is aimed at adults, it might as well be aimed at kids because the adults are all over at TDL because of the cute and cuddly kids stuff.

[DisneySeaFan]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

Ok, I saw it. It makes me want to cry thinking that this ride will never be built. I know there's always the possibility but how was this not built. Not being built in Disneyland and then Disneyland Paris and then it wasn't even built in DisneySea. We don't even know if it was considered. It makes me sick knowing that there is a whole area dedicated to The Little Mermaid, yet that ride isn't in it. It's tragic really. Oh and the excuse that having two undersea dark rides just doesn't work for me at all. The park is called DisneySEA!

[kayoss]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

It's not needed. The Ariel's Grotto playground area has every single element of the darkride built out (only you can walk through the sets/scenes). Other elements are scattered about through all of Mermaid Lagoon. Their 20K Under The Sea ride uses the proposed Mermaid dark ride's ride system (overhead monorail), only majorly plussed from the modest Peter Pan-style Mermaid dark ride proposal. So, at least for DisneySea, building the Little Mermaid dark ride would be silly since it's basically there, but in another form. The Mermaid ride makes the most sense for installation at either Disney Studios Paris (or Disneyland Paris.... but they do have Peter Pan) or Hong Kong Disneyland (which needs any original attraction it can get).

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

The Mermaid ride makes the most sense for installation at either Disney Studios Paris...

Not really. It's my understanding that Crush's Coaster will encorporate several sea environments originally designed for the LM dark ride. Only difference will be Nemo characters instead of LM characters.

[EricMontreal22]

Re: The Litte Mermaid: the ride that was never built

It seemed to be a pretty cool ride. I don't think that the limited motion of the proposed figures was intentional, but rather a byproduct of the way they were created. They seem to be sprites placed into a fully-rendered landscape, so it probably would have been more trouble than it was worth to create the motion. It's a shame that they didn't go through with it; looks to be a very unique experience.

-Adam-

I disagree--i think it was going to be a more modest dark ride like the Fantasyland ones--where the movement is largely very limited (the original 1955 ones hardly had any movement at all and most of the characters were painted flats) but they're effective cuz of the tight spaces, the dark lights and black paint and you see each image VERY quickly. I *love* this low key effect and reallyr eally wish this ride had been built at TokyoSea--the movement is no more limited than, say, Peter Pan's Flight. Also it's a good example of a less expensive ride that still has Disney magic (ie not just a theme park round and round painted up) and would have broad appeal. Disney Sea looks to me to be the best of the secondary parks Disney ahs done by far (Besides Epcot probably) so I shouldn't complain but...

Rumour is there's more interest in the ride again now