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snappy
12-10-2003, 06:24 PM
Does anyone have information/pictures on this float Disney is entering in the Rose parade. I heard winners of a contest will be riding it along the parade route? Do you think the float will actually have the falling elevator shaft?????? Pretty good way for advertising their new ride. Too bad it can't be open on January 2nd, to draw in the tourist...

Grover2001
12-10-2003, 06:40 PM
I saw a clip of it on the news. It's huge!! There is an elevator shaft. The weird thing was the news said the parade's theme this year is "Music Music Music". I don't see how the TOT fits that but oh well.

zapppop
12-10-2003, 06:49 PM
Perhaps the float will play the theme song from The Twilight Zone ?

:geek: :fez:

tod
12-10-2003, 07:28 PM
This wouldn't be the first time that Disney usurped the Tournament of Roses for its own use. I remember quite a few years ago when Walt Disney Productions (not yet The Walt Disney Company) was celebrating its 50th annniversary and the "special" presentation that started that Rose Parade with several float-like structures whizzing down Colorado Boulevard.

Every schoolchild in Southern California knows that Tournament of Roses have to be fully covered with plant material. Leaves, seeds, flowers, something. None of the Disney structures had as much as a poppy seed on it.

Walt Disney was Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade, maybe even more than once. As good citizens of Burbank, Walt Disney Productions probably gave contributions to The Tournament of Roses in nearby Pasadena.

It still looked bad.

--T

Baloo
12-10-2003, 07:28 PM
The theme of the float is "A sudden drop in pitch"


I know many will say that it is quite a strech from the theme of the parade Musicv Music Music but if you have seen some of the other floats especially the Auto club the themes are quite distant from the overal Music theme. The auto club float is called "a wild Vacation" Usually all floats don't have to deal directly with the parade theming the ones that are are judge and one is awarded for the best representation of the Parade theme.

if it is ok with the moderator here is a link with a concept drawing of the float as well as some pictures of conept art for Tower of Terror landscape. Disney had a cast preview and photos were allowed to be taken

http://disneyforever.com/iboard/index.php?showtopic=880&st=615&#entry46499

lindyhop
12-10-2003, 08:07 PM
Originally posted by Baloo
The theme of the float is "A sudden drop in pitch"


I know many will say that it is quite a strech from the theme of the parade Musicv Music Music but if you have seen some of the other floats especially the Auto club the themes are quite distant from the overal Music theme. The auto club float is called "a wild Vacation" Usually all floats don't have to deal directly with the parade theming the ones that are are judge and one is awarded for the best representation of the Parade theme.

The Auto Club float will be playing music from The Lion King so they've got Music, if not Music Music Music.

Morrigoon
12-10-2003, 08:26 PM
Of course a Rose Parade float is being used to promote something - who do you think spends all that money on those floats? Well meaning, artistic citizens?

Every float in the parade is there to promote one thing or another. The City of Arcadia's float, for example, is there to promote the City of Arcadia. The California Association of Realtors float is there to promote realtors (note that they ALWAYS have a house on theirs), Disney floats will always promote something disneylike, be it a particular line of business, or their family-entertainment image. Likewise, the Auto Club will always feature cars.

Admittedly, some entrants are more subtle than others, but please don't fault Disney for using the Rose Parade to promote their business... that's what it's all about. Float builders, like Bent (are they still around) get millions of dollars to support the massive warehouses that house their float building operations. To build a float takes many months (they will start almost immediately after the parade) of hard work. This is not all financed by public goodwill.

All that said... the float is going to look kinda silly with the whole DCA at the bottom going on. But... it's their problem, not mine :) So they won't win the president's trophy, I'm pretty sure they don't care. :)

tod
12-11-2003, 09:07 AM
Originally posted by Morrigoon
Of course a Rose Parade float is being used to promote something - who do you think spends all that money on those floats? Well meaning, artistic citizens?

'goon is absolutely correct in her well-written post, and I agree with her. The Tournament of Roses is, to a great extent nowadays, a promotional vehicle.

However...

My point, as illustrated here by this (corrected) excerpt from my post


Every schoolchild in Southern California knows that Tournament of Roses [floats] have to be fully covered with plant material. Leaves, seeds, flowers, something. None of the Disney structures had as much as a poppy seed on it.

was that Disney did not bother to observe the proprieties of the Tournament of Roses and just dumped their flower-free parade floats into the Rose Parade for that 50th-anniversary celebration.

And the Tournament officials let them.

This year, with Disney ham-handedly shoehorning a bare-faced plug for Tower of Terror into the theme "Music, Music, Music," triggered unfortunate feelings of deja vu. "Rules? What rules? We wanna do it, and that's that."

--T

Morrigoon
12-11-2003, 09:09 AM
Agreed. They do need to stick to the rules. The rose parade is special for a very specific reason... the plant rule.

Demigod121
12-11-2003, 09:21 AM
This year's TOT float will be covered in flowers and plant material in accordance with the Rose Parade's guidelines (as far as I have heard up to now!). Matter of fact, they're signing up CM volunteers to help decorate the float.

-Demigod

Doodle Duck
12-11-2003, 09:21 AM
This is going to sound bad I know...but I don't mean it to be...
curious as to how one makes the blown out tower NOT look like a terrorist news item?

Everytime I see that ride structure it's what comes to mind...or is it just me?

tod
12-11-2003, 09:27 AM
Originally posted by Demigod121
This year's TOT float will be covered in flowers and plant material in accordance with the Rose Parade's guidelines (as far as I have heard up to now!). Matter of fact, they're signing up CM volunteers to help decorate the float.

If anybody wants to decorate a Rose Parade float and gets turned away from Disneyland's float, the city of Burbank welcomes volunteers to help decorate its float. Check out http://burbankrosefloat.com/ for details.

--T

Morrigoon
12-11-2003, 09:38 AM
That site also has a link to the entry form for next year's float design... due by Jan 28

blusilva
12-11-2003, 09:59 AM
Here's a description of the TOT float from HGTV.com:

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_roses/article/0,,HGTV_3612_2456669,00.html


Disneyland Resort (#41)
Float Theme: "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror"

Thrills and chills are coming to Disney's California Adventure park this spring with the grand opening of "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror." This float, the tallest in Rose Parade history at nearly 100 feet, depicts the attraction with live, shuddering passengers riding its shaky and unpredictable elevator. "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror" is inspired by the classic CBS television series, The Twilight Zone. The float--decorated with roses, iris, gerberas, tulips, Heliconia, bird-of-paradise, ginger and orchids--features the musical accompaniment of the world-renowned Twilight Zone theme.

Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney Co. have a long relationship with the Tournament of Roses, dating back to 1939 with a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs float. Walt Disney was Grand Marshall in 1966, and Disneyland presented a Mickey's Toontown float in 1994. The Rose Queen and Royal Court have paid yearly visits to Disneyland Resort since 1960, and visiting college football teams make Disney's California Adventure their first stop when they arrive in Southern California to play in the Rose Bowl.

(edited: Thought it was going to be in front of the City of Downey Float, but, whew, it's not. I was looking at the alphabetical list, not the numerical one. I'm glad. Our float doesn't need to be upstaged that badly!)