News Another NextGen disaster in the making.

[HMF]

After destroying the finale to Spaceship Earth and turning the Haunted Mansion Queue into a McDonald's playground Disney's NextGen geniuses are at it again.

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-...e-queue-19606/
We thought a few years back that the addition of Disney Characters and America scene would do damage to the attraction, This makes that look like a minor dent. While it might not do much I propose we bring back the "Save the Small World" Campaign. This will be much worse than the character additions. We need to speak out! Polish your pitchforks everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35TbGjt-weA

[Witches of Morva]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

ORDDU: While my sisters and I are certainly not fans of this NextGen thing, we aren't clear enough on how this Small World interactive situation would impact us in a negative way--especially if we don't choose to participate. Maybe we're missing something here. Would someone care to explain further?

[ttintagel]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

I heard about this a while back and it disgusts me. It personally affects me even if I never ride iasw again. That ride is not only one of the most artistically pure creations in the parks, it's also one of the most thematically noble things the company ever built. I felt dirty just reading about what they did to the original California version, and reading about this turns my stomach. Money-grubbing vultures trying to squeeze another cheap, easy dollar out of one of the rare things in this world that's good, decent, and innocent.

[Santana]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

Y'all are ridiculous. If you don't want to take part in the NextGen queues, then don't. That doesn't mean you have to spoil the fun for everyone else who does want to take part.

[Witches of Morva]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

ORWEN: Well, us cauldron girls still don't understand enough about all this to have an opinion one way or another. What's it all about--Alphie?

[RegionsBeyond]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

This may be unconfirmed...but seems to me the objectionable bit isn't customizing Small World style dolls in line or at home so much, as the idea that they'd add video screens along the way in the ride showing said limited animation characters of guests doing things in presumably the same space as the pre-existing scenes. That would be negatively impacting the ride experience and unnecessary, if turned out to be true, to my way of thinking.

[KingEric]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

hmmm

[Disneytwins]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

I'm open to it.

[ChrisFL]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

This may be unconfirmed...but seems to me the objectionable bit isn't customizing Small World style dolls in line or at home so much, as the idea that they'd add video screens along the way in the ride showing said limited animation characters of guests doing things in presumably the same space as the pre-existing scenes. That would be negatively impacting the ride experience and unnecessary, if turned out to be true, to my way of thinking.

Agreed, much in the same way that the DL version was heavily criticized for losing the message of world peace and togetherness, when the kids only focus on looking for their own doll creation, they're going to miss the message of the attraction.

Overall though, I've been quite disappointed in this "next gen" stuff so far

[disneylandfan95]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

Y'all are ridiculous. If you don't want to take part in the NextGen queues, then don't. That doesn't mean you have to spoil the fun for everyone else who does want to take part.

As RegionsBeyond pointed out, this wouldn't be just limited to the queue. Sure, you can easily bypass the HM NextGen queue, but these rumored changes to It's A Small World would affect the ride experience in the form of video screens placed throughout the ride.

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of that concept, as the video screens and digital representations of dolls would stand out enormously with the very stylized and 3-Demensional sets they would be placed in.

[lazyboy97O]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

Disney is going to want those who chose not to participate to realize they are not participating because this is supposedly part of an upcharge experience.

[DisneyDork101]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

hey at least there (Disney) is gutting the ride (ie: Mr. Toads wild ride and The Country Bears!!) On my last visit to Disneyland, not to long ago, I seen the Disney characters added into the ride and they seem to bled in nicely and DOESN'T really "hurt" the attraction at all, and I'm a HUGE HUGE fan of the original.

[lazyboy97O]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

hey at least there (Disney) is gutting the ride (ie: Mr. Toads wild ride and The Country Bears!!) On my last visit to Disneyland, not to long ago, I seen the Disney characters added into the ride and they seem to bled in nicely and DOESN'T really "hurt" the attraction at all, and I'm a HUGE HUGE fan of the original.

They obviously did not blend in all that well since you saw them.

Disney has no interest in hiding this feature if it really is part of a paid package.

[HMF]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

hey at least there (Disney) is gutting the ride (ie: Mr. Toads wild ride and The Country Bears!!) On my last visit to Disneyland, not to long ago, I seen the Disney characters added into the ride and they seem to bled in nicely and DOESN'T really "hurt" the attraction at all, and I'm a HUGE HUGE fan of the original.

In credit to the Imagineers who worked on the Character additions they did manage to blend them somewhat well. If adding the Characters to Small World is a misdemeanor , This is a FELONY. If only we could get the Blair family involved like last time.

[HBG2]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

Like the character additions, what this shows is that WDI no longer understands the ride itself. What is Small World? How does it function as a work of art (which is certainly is)? It is a counterbalance to all the rides revolving around stories and characters that celebrate the individual who triumphs over adversity and becomes who they really are (Dumbo, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, etc.). Their message is, "We're all different, and each of us needs to find ourselves and be our true selves."

Small World and Small World alone gives us the necessary other side of the coin. It says, "On the other hand, we're all alike. No one is unique. Your experiences are such as are common to all mankind." That's why there are not supposed to be "characters" of any kind in the ride, only generic children from all lands.

This latest NextGen celebration of hyperindividuality ("Construct a unique 'small world' doll that looks just like you!!!!!") is utterly and absolutely at variance with the point of the ride. It goes against the very reason the ride exists as an artwork.

And look at the HM queue. Another example.

WDI no longer has people in charge that understand their own rides. What a travesty.

[FigmentJedi]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

I felt the character additions work in some places like how we've had Don Quixote since the beginning. That say, seeing Pinocchio in Italy or Alice and Pan in England are extensions of some idea of the countries of the world within Small World being accompanied by their stories. Figures like the Toy Story guys in America not so much.

Screens with custom characters on the other hand are just damn obtrusive and far more distracting to the message of the ride then Disneyland's character additions.

[HMF]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

I felt the character additions work in some places like how we've had Don Quixote since the beginning. That say, seeing Pinocchio in Italy or Alice and Pan in England are extensions of some idea of the countries of the world within Small World being accompanied by their stories. Figures like the Toy Story guys in America not so much.
Screens with custom characters on the other hand are just damn obtrusive and far more distracting to the message of the ride then Disneyland's character additions.

I was a very passionate supporter of the "Save the Rain Forest" campaign a few years back, since then my view on some of the characters has softened somewhat, at least the Fairy Tale based ones, 3 Cabs, Nemo, Dory, Lilo & Stitch, and of course that awful America Scene stand out like sore thumbs. What was really important with that campaign though it (mostly) failed was that we actually had Mary Blair's family supporting us (and of course Marty Sklar's concocted response letter of half-truths) I hope to hear their feedback on this as well.

[PSUMark]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

Like the character additions, what this shows is that WDI no longer understands the ride itself. What is Small World? How does it function as a work of art (which is certainly is)? It is a counterbalance to all the rides revolving around stories and characters that celebrate the individual who triumphs over adversity and becomes who they really are (Dumbo, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, etc.). Their message is, "We're all different, and each of us needs to find ourselves and be our true selves."

Small World and Small World alone gives us the necessary other side of the coin. It says, "On the other hand, we're all alike. No one is unique. Your experiences are such as are common to all mankind." That's why there are not supposed to be "characters" of any kind in the ride, only generic children from all lands.

This latest NextGen celebration of hyperindividuality ("Construct a unique 'small world' doll that looks just like you!!!!!") is utterly and absolutely at variance with the point of the ride. It goes against the very reason the ride exists as an artwork.

And look at the HM queue. Another example.

WDI no longer has people in charge that understand their own rides. What a travesty.

This is entirely true. And very depressing. It's maddening and heartbreaking that nerds on message boards understand and care about WDI's institutional history more than WDI does. Who the eff works there anymore?

[Bronco21]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

As weird as this sounds I think if they went away from the tv screens idea and went to a projection effect similar to Constance, which uses a projection effect on a white body shaped cast it might actually be cool. If they went that route, and made it as if the child's character was experiencing a travel across the world experiencing the different cultures and slowly gaining a little from each country it could actually be really cool and not infringe on the overall meaning of the ride. What really has me alarmed is how they will have more than 1 unique experience per car.(multiple at the same time from each boat... How's that going to work?) I have no problem with trying to increase guest interaction with rides/ queues Disneylands Indiana Jones queue is a perfect example of how it can be incorporated in a way that enhances the theme. Haunted Mansion is the exact opposite of how it should be an I'm afraid that Small World will fall into the same category as mansion.

[HMF]

Re: Another NextGen disaster in the making.

This is entirely true. And very depressing. It's maddening and heartbreaking that nerds on message boards understand and care about WDI's institutional history more than WDI does. Who the eff works there anymore?

The people on top tend to be people who could not care less about the integrity of the attractions .
Those several layers below them tend to be geeks like us who are forced into submission by those at the top and they have to do what upper management tells them despite objections they may have,The current Haunted Mansion Queue reeks of this since you can tell that they were trying to make up for a fundamentally wrong addition to the attraction by adding over-the top cryptic tributes and such.

---------- Post added 02-12-2012 at 02:56 AM ----------

As weird as this sounds I think if they went away from the tv screens idea and went to a projection effect similar to Constance, which uses a projection effect on a white body shaped cast it might actually be cool. If they went that route, and made it as if the child's character was experiencing a travel across the world experiencing the different cultures and slowly gaining a little from each country it could actually be really cool and not infringe on the overall meaning of the ride. What really has me alarmed is how they will have more than 1 unique experience per car.(multiple at the same time from each boat... How's that going to work?) I have no problem with trying to increase guest interaction with rides/ queues Disneylands Indiana Jones queue is a perfect example of how it can be incorporated in a way that enhances the theme. Haunted Mansion is the exact opposite of how it should be an I'm afraid that Small World will fall into the same category as mansion.

Leota effects would not work in Small World at all too aesthetically different.