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DisneyGator
03-19-2014, 01:55 PM
Just a thought. On our last trip, me and the family took the time to ride the Matterhorn. Once. 4 days at the parks and we only did it once. My kids were expecting something like Expedition Everest at WDW - boy were they disappointed. "It's just twists and turns and it HURTS!" And these kids were 6 and 8 yo.

So what if Disney gave it a "Frozen" makeover? Turned it into North Mountain complete with a Crystal Palace, a better and scarier giant snow beast, and some comedy relief from Olaf.

I know that traditionalists will say NOOOOOOOOO, but c'mon. Matterhorn is a painful, uninteresting, non-thrilling ride. It's in desperate need of help. Frozen is a film with staying power and good audience appeal of all ages and genders. For those who think it should stay the same as it has been for 50 years or whatever, I'll just say this: "It's a bit of a fixer-upper" that could be something great "for the first time in forever", so just "let it go" so that it can be worthy of a 90 minute line "in summer". So, "do you want to build a snowman"? :p

cstephens
03-19-2014, 02:02 PM
Nope, I disagree that it's uninteresting and non-thrilling, though yes, it's nothing like Everest. I'd ride it more often if it wasn't as painful as it has become. They just need to fix the bobsleds. And given the lines that I see for the ride all of the time, it's obvious many others like it.

As much as I love "Frozen" and as much as I do think it will be a classic, I'm not a fan of changing attractions to fit the newest things. If they're going to do a "Frozen" attraction, I'd rather they do it justice rather than just trying to shoehorn it onto an existing attraction.

candles71
03-19-2014, 02:53 PM
What C said on both counts.

oregontraveler
03-19-2014, 04:52 PM
Granted, Matterhorn is no longer thrilling because of recent changes. But if your kids are complaining as well as the 'big' kids who don't like the new sleds, at least I'm not alone in that thinking of going back to the old ones. But to change it up completely... I'd have to vote no.

It appears that Frozen will be able to stand the test of time as classic Disney film. The lines for the meet and greets plus merchandise sales are probably making corporate very happy. (not to mention another theater push with the Sing A Long version, not even Tangled & Princess & The Frog got that much attention)

I would prefer to see a new dark ride for Frozen, give people the chance to see Arendelle up close. If the Subs do indeed go away at some point. Perhaps you could use some of that space for it, plus whatever is left of the old Motor Boat cruise canals. And with it right next to the Matterhorn, you could create a new Alpine village of sorts.

As for repurposing an older attraction, what about revamping Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion ???

DwarfPlanet
03-20-2014, 07:36 AM
I also agree that the new Matterhorn bobsleds leave much to be desired. But I think it would be very easy to change Harold out with a Monster snowman and add the little snowman in also. The only place I could think of putting the sled, reindeer, boy and girl (only seen it once and can't remember their names) is where the Wells Expedition crates are at and I would hate to see those removed. Then again maybe they could add a Ice Castle to someplace in Storybookland.

DisneyGator
03-20-2014, 07:36 AM
As for repurposing an older attraction, what about revamping Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion ???

I, for one, would be all for that. It makes since since it's in the Norway pavillion. There are plenty of traditionalists who would say no way, but they're also the ones who think Horizons was better than Mission:Space and that Nemo ruined the Seas - loco! You wouldn't have to change much, just put the characters in a few spots. Of course, if it was completely changed, I'd have no problem with that either.

I just brought up Matterhorn because it's become an attraction that I'm not sure I'll ever go on again. There are long lines there because of what people remember used to be a good thrill ride. Today, though, it just lags so far behind every thrill ride that exists. I get it - it's a mainstay of Disneyland. Maybe I'm jaded by the awesomeness of ExEverest, but if the Matterhorn's purpose is to be a thrill ride, MAKE IT THRILLING. Make it fun. Make it less painful. I'm a few years shy of 40 - I can't imagine going on this ride 5-10 years from now without needing a morphine drip. Hey, if they can make Space Mt into the world class coaster that it is, they can do the same with Matterhorn.

cstephens
03-20-2014, 10:24 AM
There are long lines there because of what people remember used to be a good thrill ride.

Wow, that's an interesting statement to make based on no proof whatsoever.



if the Matterhorn's purpose is to be a thrill ride, MAKE IT THRILLING. Make it fun.

It's funny that you're positing your opinion as the TRUTH. I get that you don't enjoy it. That's fine. I do find it thrilling. I find it fun. I also find it painful, and that's really the only reason I don't ride it often. I know a number of people who share that sentiment. I also see a lot of people getting off the ride who seem to have had a good time.

candles71
03-20-2014, 10:29 AM
I was one of the very first people to complain here about the new sleds. I have been back twice since that trip and enjoy it just as much as I used to because I figured out how to hold my body (sitting up holding the bar in front of me instead of leaned back) that the new sled doesn't hurt me anymore, I still have issue getting up from the flat bottom but it is worth it to me. I love the Matterhorn just as it is. (I wouldn't complain if they improved the sleds but that is a whole other topic)

Janis and Aaron
03-20-2014, 05:25 PM
Since the Matterhorn is modeled on an actual mountain in Switzerland, it doesn't seem right to redo the ride based on a "fictional" Scandanavian-type setting. I'm probably the only one who would be bothered by that, but still.

The Matterhorn needs help, for sure. The vehicles are just painful (though I look forward to trying Candles' method). I do like the "no sitting in a stranger's crotch" style of vehicles, but maybe the track needs to be replaced or something.

pulltab
03-20-2014, 05:46 PM
Really???? Close Matterhorn for the better part of the Summer? Are you serious?

houseofmouse
03-20-2014, 05:57 PM
he didn't say anything about closing it for summer pull tab. He said make it worthy of a 90 min line in summer. I despise the new sleds. My poor husband was squished due to his height and painful cannot even describe it for me. I just pass on it now and that is sad because I do like it. It is going down for a long refurb, so I am curious as to what they will do with it.

I also tried to hold my body better but it doesn't always help. I love Everest too Disney Gator but really wish they would fix the darn Yeti!

oregontraveler
03-20-2014, 06:35 PM
Really???? Close Matterhorn for the better part of the Summer? Are you serious?

Matterhorn is scheduled for refurb from May 27th to August 13th, this summer.

BlkPearlCptn
03-20-2014, 08:15 PM
A Frozen overlay. As much as I love the film.. oh God NO!

HeavenOnEarth
03-21-2014, 07:37 AM
Heck No!!! Leave the classics alone. Its like turning Space Mountain into Buzz Lightyear coaster.

Mondo
03-21-2014, 10:49 AM
Threads on this topic keeps popping up, on other sites and now here. Every time I am like WHAT? WHY? It makes no sense. SMH. If they want a ride build one in the old Motor Boat Cruise area. Frozen is based on a Norway setting, Matterhorn is a Switzerland setting. I have not been on the ride with the new sleds but It is one of the cooler rides and a classic. No Frozen tie in.

DisneyGator
03-21-2014, 11:51 AM
Wow, that's an interesting statement to make based on no proof whatsoever.

It's funny that you're positing your opinion as the TRUTH. I get that you don't enjoy it. That's fine. I do find it thrilling. I find it fun. I also find it painful, and that's really the only reason I don't ride it often. I know a number of people who share that sentiment. I also see a lot of people getting off the ride who seem to have had a good time.

The proof is me. I stood in the line to ride the Matterhorn because I remember it (from 20 years ago when I was a teenager) as being fun. Compared to all the rollercoasters that exist today, it's not even close. My 6yo and 8yo didn't think it was fun, either. It's not like they're teenagers looking for the biggest thrill ride in the world. They complained that there weren't any drops or fast take offs - just twists and turns. Reall, though, it's about the pain. This ride make Big Thunder seem like Storybook Canal boats.

I guess for me or my family, this ride just needs something "more".

Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. – Walt Disney Let's imagine something better where the Matterhorn now sits. Frozen or not.

cstephens
03-21-2014, 12:04 PM
The proof is me. I stood in the line to ride the Matterhorn because I remember it (from 20 years ago when I was a teenager) as being fun.

So, if something is true for you, it must therefore be true for every single other person? OK, interesting perspective.

Painful ride aside, I agree that Matterhorn doesn't have some of the things that the ultra thrill rides have nowadays. That's why places like Knott's and Six Flags and such exist, which are known for the more extreme thrill rides. If I knew someone who was just looking for those kinds of rides, I'd certainly tell them that Disneyland isn't the place for them. Neither Space nor Big Thunder have drops or fast take-offs either, and I love both those rides. Come to think of it, I love Everest, and that doesn't have a fast take-off or a drop either. So, I get that some people might want "more" out of a thrill ride. But there are plenty of other places for that kind of ride.

spectromen
03-21-2014, 12:14 PM
It really wouldn't work to fly by the scenes so fast. As it is, we barely see Harold. I could see a snowy scene during the ascent with animatronics, but again, it'd be over before it started. Better to do a brand new attraction - perhaps in the Motor Boat Cruise area.

Disneyphile
03-21-2014, 02:03 PM
Um, no. Just no.

And, I find the ride thrilling and always have. Heck, I even find Monsters, Inc. to be a thrilling attraction, and that has no "nostalgia value" for me - it's too new. ;)

I also find roller coasters thrilling.

Thrill is different to everyone. Pretty much, I am easily entertained and take delight and thrill in everything around me. I even had a blast on Triton's Carousel earlier this week. I rode an otter, which is precisely the only place I can ever ride an otter. And, riding an otter is way cool.

So... Matterhorn is a place I can ride a bobsled and be taunted by a yeti. Quite far from boring. Although, I do agree that it is rather painful with the new sled design.

houseofmouse
03-22-2014, 02:46 PM
Come to think of it, I love Everest, and that doesn't have a fast take-off or a drop either. So, I get that some people might want "more" out of a thrill ride. But there are plenty of other places for that kind of ride.

Everest does have a huge drop after the ride quickly pulls you backwards up the hill and the track flips, it is a huge drop and quite fun.

Tinker44
03-22-2014, 02:51 PM
My take on it is simple... until and unless the ride becomes less painful (I'm not even asking for comfort... just less pain)... you can theme it anyway you want and I STILL won't ride it. We did try on our most recent trip, since it was the first since the new vehicles and by the time we were done I felt the need for a chiropractor for my back/shoulders and a dentist for my severely rattled teeth.

(No, I don't think it should be re-themed... but it's a heck of a lot closer to HOTH than anything else. The mountain itself is physically located close enough to Star Wars land... I mean, Tomorrowland, Disney might just be able to pull that one off)

Theme or no theme, the problem is with the physics of the ride and the ride vehicle. Without fixing the problem, all the lipstick in the world won't disguise it.

cstephens
03-22-2014, 09:43 PM
Everest does have a huge drop after the ride quickly pulls you backwards up the hill and the track flips, it is a huge drop and quite fun.

Oh, wait, is that the one where you go past the yeti? Hmmm, I wasn't remembering that as being a huge drop, but I have to admit, I can't remember it that well right now, so I will defer to your description.

Malcon10t
03-23-2014, 07:06 AM
There are long lines there because of what people remember used to be a good thrill ride.


The proof is me. I stood in the line to ride the Matterhorn because I remember it (from 20 years ago when I was a teenager) as being fun. And here I thought my kids enjoyed riding it over and over because they enjoyed it.

If your kids are wanting major thrill rides, Great America and Six Flags offer more thrill rides and are closer to you and cheaper than going to Disneyland.

MadasaHatter
03-23-2014, 08:02 AM
Disney Gator has a point. I bet that verrrrry few kids know that that is based on Walt's love for documentary/nature films and as the years go on even less will know( or care) that that was the first(right?) rubber wheel coaster. I love the nostalgia of the ride and have always felt it to be too herky jerky. (Hint: ride as if you are actually on a bobsled). I never noticed FROZEN was in Norway. I thought it was a fairy tale kingdom. If they put stuff from the pic in the Matterhorn I wouldn't be up in arms. I think a dark ride would be better but I would rather they lay a new track on the Matterhorn that was smoothe like SM. And DG also has a point that most people do not like that coaster compared to the rest. I have heard that at least 100 times just attending the parks. But then again I am mad.

BlkPearlCptn
03-23-2014, 09:06 AM
And here I thought my kids enjoyed riding it over and over because they enjoyed it.

If your kids are wanting major thrill rides, Great America and Six Flags offer more thrill rides and are closer to you and cheaper than going to Disneyland.

This!