My thoughts on Winnie the Pooh

[Dean Higgins]

I still think that if a kid visits the park for the first time; not knowing which rides have been there forever and which ones are brand new, they will find POOH to be one of the better dark rides. They will find something like MR TOAD to be the worst one and a lackluster effort of just mainly painted cut-out wooden boards. I personally love Mr Toad... and it has such a nostalgia factor for me. I hope they never take it away like they did in WDW. It was a great ride back in its day... but just riding it recently and trying to see it on an even keel with the others, it really comes off cheap.

I think the main reason we all complain so much about POOH is because it is the "latest" thing and therefore should have been the "greatest" thing... but unfortunatley Walt is not around anymore to surprise us on a PIRATES or HAUNTED MANSION level anymore. Its just Mike E skimping on the quality and paying himself all that Imagineering budget money instead. You'd think he'd give up one of his 100 Million dollar bonuses to make another "E Ticket" ride so that when he dies, there is a shred of gratitude for him left.

[Christiii]

its no excuse not having Walt around..Roger Rabbit was a good quality dark ride, not to mention the incredible Tokyo Pooh...We all miss Walt, but great quality can still be achieved inhis absence...we just got royally shafted..and I dont understand why they think we wouldnt notice?? Especially after Superstar limo!! SSL was actually better quality than pooh...they had the video thing in the car, and the characters actually moved...the Pooh ride really does look like characters in a store window...now, mind you, I hated SSL limo...it was so silly...but I must say we have actually gone done from that...I really thought the quality of a ride couldnt get worse than SSL...and at my beloved Disneyland!! Im so sad..I really hope this is not what we have to look forward to from now on...:crying:

[Gemini Cricket]

Will someone clue me in on what OLC is? :confused:


Here's why Pooh should have been a top-notch E-ticket ride:

The whole idea was to generate more foot traffic in Critter Country than the Bears were bringing to it. Splash didn't work because the first thing everyone wants to do after riding Splash is to dry off. They head for the bathroom. They don't want to go spend money because they're pants, shirts, wallets etc are all wet. They want to dry off and by that time, due to the location of the nearest bathroom, they head on down to NOS.

No one made Bears a destination, target attraction, it was merely an afterthought or a good place to go when it was hot. Now Pooh will be the same.

Pooh needed to be a great ride, uniquely different, with loads of current special effects so people would make the long journey from the entrance gates to Pooh (like they do for Indy). It should have been a ride where people waiting a half hour for the park to open would have one thing on their minds - go to the Winnie the Pooh ride. If the ride's good enough, people will walk far to get to it. ie. People walk crazy heights and lengths to ride the newest Magic Mountain ride (I mean, the park is a mountain for crying out loud!). It would have been an economically wise choice, too. The number of stores you have to pass to get to Pooh are a lot, which means you have to pass them again to get out. Everyone passes stores, most notice them, some go in, a few will buy... etc. They would have made their money back by this time in merchandise sales alone...

Pooh should have been targeted towards teens and adults. Because youngsters are guaranteed to want to ride it based on the characters alone! The ride should have targeted the parents so they could be entertained on the ride, want to go again and not feel stupid riding it. If the kid sees that the parents like it, they'll like it. Remember who their heroes are at the young ages before teendom - mom, dad and older brother/sister. It only takes them hearing "that was dumb" from a parent once for the kid not to want to ride it again.

I haven't been on the ride yet, but I've been on WDW's version and they seem to be almost the same. I'm saving my first trip on Pooh to go with Not Afraid, HB TiggerFan (if she'll go), Zapppop, iSm and cemeinke. :)

[Darkbeer]

OLC = Oriental Land Company, the company that owns Tokyo Disneyland

:fez:

[HBTiggerFan]

Originally posted by Gemini Cricket
I'm saving my first trip on Pooh to go with Not Afraid, HB TiggerFan (if she'll go), Zapppop, iSm and cemeinke. :)

I'll go with ya :) When are you coming down??

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally posted by Darkbeer
OLC = Oriental Land Company, the company that owns Tokyo Disneyland

:fez:
Doy! :rolleyes: I get it now. Thank you Darkbeer. (Here I was trying to figure out which ride started with an "O".)


Originally posted by HB Tigger Fan
I'll go with ya :) When are you coming down??
If I had my way... tomorrow. But I don't. I'm thinking in June sometime. I have to use my pass before it expires. :)

[innerSpaceman]

June or bust. Just don't even think of coming down tween July 4 and 15 while Zapp and I are in Paris. (better yet .... well, you know what.)


It was such a hoot to be with HB Tiggs on her first Pooh ride. Her reaction was priceless. From the insatiable Tigger fan, "I'm so sad." And then immediately from the diehard Disneyland fan, "That ride sucks!"

As above mentioned, she did kinda like the evil, psychedelic Tigger in Pooh's dream. (What is he doing to Pooh there anyway? Strangling the life out of him? Pouncing his zombified, coma-state body? Something, hmm, unmentionable on mousepad?)

[CrayZforDisney]

I still don't like the giant beehive cars! Could they have tought of any uglier ride vehicle? If I were a small child, I would be scared to go on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the beehive cars would frighten me :D !