Five Walt Disney Attractions in Desperate Need of a Makeover
Recently, an article was posted regarding "5 WDW Attractions that Should be Mothballed". I read it with some trepidation; it's someone's opinion, and was sure to get some angry responses. I wasn't wrong; the mere mention of mothballing The Jungle Cruise sent nearly every commenter to the ER. They were so outraged that a young whippersnapper dared suggest Disney remove the iconic and corny (and, yes, outdated) ride, that some were saying she wasn't a "true" Disney fan.
They were all wrong, of course; she IS a true Disney fan; Walt himself said the company should keep moving forward, trying new things, etc. She noticed those attractions were tired and said something about it; those who verbally attacked her were not showing their Disney spirit, that's for sure. Being a true Disney Fan isn't measured by how many times you've visited the parks, if you're a DVC member, have annual passes, stay on-site, seen The Little Mermaid the most, or cried more times than anyone else when Dumbo's mom sings "Baby Mine". Disney Fans are measured by their truthfulness, loving hearts, strength of character, the ability to see and create magic wherever they go--and singing Disney tunes at the drop of a hat.
Disney folks, typically, don't like change, and when it does occur, or the mere mention of it happens, there's rioting on Main Street, USA. Flame wars begin, band-wagons are jumped on... It's chaos--and goes against the very essence of what Walt hoped to create--fun for the family.
But let me get back to my point: her list was a good one, but I politely disagree on ONE thing: Do not mothball those attractions... refurbish them! Every one of those attractions is worthy of Disney, but they need some fresh Pixie Dust.
Journey Into Imagination: With Pixar and many other exciting technologies at Disney's disposal, this Little Attraction That Could would be even more spectacular. Bring back the play area and Dreamfinder for a whole new generation, but with newer updates and fun social media connections. Have a meet and greet with rare characters--and make THAT the FastPass+ attraction. Disney could offer a guided tour, like Behind the Seeds in The Land, that shows how Disney's Imagination works.
Ellen's Energy Adventure: Who doesn't love Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy? Well, if you don't, that's cool, so let's agree on one thing: the opening show is tired and could be refilmed. There are so many new energy resources; why not give them their own time to shine? Oh, and would you turn down the volume on The Big Bang? I'm trying to sleep, here.
Stitch's Great Escape: Now that I think about it, there's no refurbishing this one. It should be scrapped all together and something thrilling that includes Lilo, Nani, Jumba, and Pleakly trying to rescue Stitch from being captured would be neat--like Soarin' mixed with Star Tours.
Jungle Cruise: Please, Disney, for the love of all things Jungle-related, put Tarzan and The Jungle Book into this ride; there will be more opportunities for new corny jokes to run alongside the old ones. How about getting guests a bit wet, too? Make the elephants randomly squirt boats, so you never know who's going to get it.
Norway, hereafter known as Elsa's World: I'm torn; this could be a good thing--or not. I'll admit two things: 1) I'm thawed out over "Frozen", and 2) it was really sad the day Disney announced the end of Maelstrom, and it was heartbreaking when it actually closed. The largest issue was how Disney seemed to plan on turning a real country into a fictional one and, then, hold it up higher than the rest of the ACTUAL ones. I agreed with suggestions like: Fantasyland would have been a better place for Arendelle (there's already three castles there, what's one more?) ... or, better yet, Hollywood Studios. Goodness knows THAT park needs a turkey-leg sized dose of Pixie Dust. I agree that Epcot needs some updating; World Showcase isn't "hip" enough for the younger crowd. Despite my grumbling about this subject, I'm looking forward to seeing the new Arendelle, especially if Sven is prominently displayed, because reindeer are better than people.
They were all wrong, of course; she IS a true Disney fan; Walt himself said the company should keep moving forward, trying new things, etc. She noticed those attractions were tired and said something about it; those who verbally attacked her were not showing their Disney spirit, that's for sure. Being a true Disney Fan isn't measured by how many times you've visited the parks, if you're a DVC member, have annual passes, stay on-site, seen The Little Mermaid the most, or cried more times than anyone else when Dumbo's mom sings "Baby Mine". Disney Fans are measured by their truthfulness, loving hearts, strength of character, the ability to see and create magic wherever they go--and singing Disney tunes at the drop of a hat.
Disney folks, typically, don't like change, and when it does occur, or the mere mention of it happens, there's rioting on Main Street, USA. Flame wars begin, band-wagons are jumped on... It's chaos--and goes against the very essence of what Walt hoped to create--fun for the family.
But let me get back to my point: her list was a good one, but I politely disagree on ONE thing: Do not mothball those attractions... refurbish them! Every one of those attractions is worthy of Disney, but they need some fresh Pixie Dust.
Journey Into Imagination: With Pixar and many other exciting technologies at Disney's disposal, this Little Attraction That Could would be even more spectacular. Bring back the play area and Dreamfinder for a whole new generation, but with newer updates and fun social media connections. Have a meet and greet with rare characters--and make THAT the FastPass+ attraction. Disney could offer a guided tour, like Behind the Seeds in The Land, that shows how Disney's Imagination works.
Ellen's Energy Adventure: Who doesn't love Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy? Well, if you don't, that's cool, so let's agree on one thing: the opening show is tired and could be refilmed. There are so many new energy resources; why not give them their own time to shine? Oh, and would you turn down the volume on The Big Bang? I'm trying to sleep, here.
Stitch's Great Escape: Now that I think about it, there's no refurbishing this one. It should be scrapped all together and something thrilling that includes Lilo, Nani, Jumba, and Pleakly trying to rescue Stitch from being captured would be neat--like Soarin' mixed with Star Tours.
Jungle Cruise: Please, Disney, for the love of all things Jungle-related, put Tarzan and The Jungle Book into this ride; there will be more opportunities for new corny jokes to run alongside the old ones. How about getting guests a bit wet, too? Make the elephants randomly squirt boats, so you never know who's going to get it.
Norway, hereafter known as Elsa's World: I'm torn; this could be a good thing--or not. I'll admit two things: 1) I'm thawed out over "Frozen", and 2) it was really sad the day Disney announced the end of Maelstrom, and it was heartbreaking when it actually closed. The largest issue was how Disney seemed to plan on turning a real country into a fictional one and, then, hold it up higher than the rest of the ACTUAL ones. I agreed with suggestions like: Fantasyland would have been a better place for Arendelle (there's already three castles there, what's one more?) ... or, better yet, Hollywood Studios. Goodness knows THAT park needs a turkey-leg sized dose of Pixie Dust. I agree that Epcot needs some updating; World Showcase isn't "hip" enough for the younger crowd. Despite my grumbling about this subject, I'm looking forward to seeing the new Arendelle, especially if Sven is prominently displayed, because reindeer are better than people.