2/15: Worlds & Universes

[Al Lutz]

Kevin Offers a Quick Round-up (with pictures) of News and Gossip from the Orlando Parks... chat about it here!

[danyoung]

Kevin, I enjoyed this update, with once exception. How could you diss The Circle of Life movie? I really enjoy this presentation, and hit it at least once every trip. Just wondering what you don't like about it.

[KevinYee]

For some reason it rubs me the wrong way. At least it used to; I haven't been back in a number of months (tells you something about how much I don't like it!)

It might be the preachiness, but the Symbiosis movie was preachy too. I think it is actually more like the uneasy, oil-and-water mixture of preachiness (eco-conservation message) and Disney cuteness (Lion King characters). The two just don't go together well. I think it makes the characters say lines that are, well... out of character. That ends up diminishing the original source material, a magnificent tale on its own.

[BigDaddyKyle]

I agree with you Kevin, The two just don't mix all that well to me!

Great column as usual Kevin!!!!!

[Cousin Orville]

Good point Kev..

I agree that when you start to use the characters to deliver what some may even go so far as to say "agenda driven" messages then it erodes the trust you gave the WDC when you walk into the gate. EPCOT needs a call to action and the environment is as vanilla an example as you can get. Who thinks the Earth should be destroyed? Virtually no one. I think that the old film is hard hitting and didn't try to mask that. For example, the fantasy is broken very easily. At DCA I was surprised to see an image of Rodney King (it looked like him) in the Golden Dreams show. I was distracted by that for the rest of the day. Was it Jack Warner that said "If you wanna send a message, use Western Union."

[Club 33]

Another great article Kevin!

[Dustysage]

I like the way your castle looks right now, in its incomplete gussed up state. My grandmother always used to say: "Stop now before you screw it up".

Perhaps some bunting and the stainglass thinggy. But I'm really unsure about tooning up the castle with golden characters on it

[cellarhound]

I am a little bit skeptical about how Sourin' is going to play out in Florida... It seems out of it's context... I wonder if it is going to stick true to it's California Aviation theme... (I think it is kinda cool, because it would be like a California Pavilion at a World's Fair.)

[Seatac Toad]

Great column Kevin... you were right about the GoGos - Belinda was the lead on Saturday night. Tremendous show - only managed BTTF and ET with the crowds, but the VooDoo Juice and the band made it all better.

[Cousin Orville]

I like the WDW Castle too. Right now it looks tastefully enhanced, not encrusted. If they do too much more it may fall into the typical Disney "enough is never too much" department.

I looked at the D-Troops site (linked in article) for the first time too. Interesting, but a bit too protectionist for me. I love how articles are written that absolve Imagineers of all responsibility for bad shows and blame it all on the accountants. Thaty's not the way it really works, bad ideas are usually concocted knowing how they can be "sold" to the accountants (ooh, movie tie -in, merch sales) and they refine them into being worse ideas with no core.

[dsnylndmom]

Great article!!

I have to agree with the Dusty One, on the fact that the castle looks good as it is right now! I'm sure once they finsihing adding everything it will be totally over accessorized!

[Alchimedes]

Kevin thanks for the article on the rumors and stories at WDW. Also thanks for the link as well.
I just wanted to say it is interesting whenever I go overseas to see family in Europe, the hospitalilty and service is somewhat better then in the states. To hear about a CM trying scoop up every kernel, is someone doing the job they were trained to do. Over here (the states) it seems this is taken for granted. I have seen the same attitude at DL with Water bottles stuck in the Statues in the hub, and the CM just walks right by it.
Also sad to hear that some Imagineers are being let go, I know this doesn't sound great, but why not move them somehere else to still utilize their creative talents?

[BigPigletFan]

Skeptical

I am a little bit skeptical about how Sourin' is going to play out in Florida... It seems out of it's context... I wonder if it is going to stick true to it's California Aviation theme... (I think it is kinda cool, because it would be like a California Pavilion at a World's Fair.)

I am skeptical too. It is the the one of the only attractions that pulls people into DCA. It is the only thing my mom enjoys besides It's Tough to Be A Bug, HTH, and Screamin'. And now this makes one of the four more popular DCA attractions exclusive. How will that make people want to visit DCA? They will just say, it has ___? I've been on that in WDW. That too, and that, and that. Don't get me wrong, I love the attraction, but there needs to be a bit more variation between resorts! Hopefully it will be slightly different?

[SurfedUpDane]

Great article!!

I have to agree with the Dusty One, on the fact that the castle looks good as it is right now! I'm sure once they finsihing adding everything it will be totally over accessorized!

Very rarely is it possible to over-accessorize! But in the case of the castle I could see that happening.

[SpokkerJones]

Kevin Yee, do you think Space Mountain is the worst ride Disney ever built?

[MickeyMania]

Kevin Yee, do you think Space Mountain is the worst ride Disney ever built?

He used to maintain this S.M. site way back in the day, so... Uh....

[Rainfully]

I'm excited about Cinderellabration as well. However, it's a scaled down version of Tokyo's from what I understand. I've seen video of Tokyo's and is abslutely spectacular!