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Germboy
02-02-2004, 12:52 AM
What a thrill it was for many of us to learn that a new attraction is coming to Tomorrowland! Anything to change that part of the park into a bustling area again, right?

I admit that I knew NOTHING about Buzz Lightyear at WDW, other than what I had read online.

Recently, I downloaded two videos: one of the original "America The Beautiful" Circlevision movies at DL; and the other, a video of the inside of WDW's Buzz ride (which will go into the old Circlevision theatre here in Anaheim.) Comparing them directly offers quite a contrast.

Aside from the fantastic visuals on "America The Beautiful," the narration was outstanding and left me with goosebumps and a lump in my throat. It was not only lyrical, but overtly poetic.

For those who don't remember the original movie, it begins with the following line:

"She is a rich land, and a rare land-- a fresh and fair land. A land so blessed in natural beauty, resources and people, that she became the world’s best hope. Come! Take a look at her, Americans! Glimpse a nation’s splendor and be proud of your heritage!"

After some 15 minutes of a combination of American history lesson, an expose on its culture and diversity, and views of its monuments and national treasures, I felt extremely proud to be an American. I also understood much more about what that means than what I remembered from grade school. Perhaps that is the impact of the visuals. Perhaps it is the impact of the patriotic poetry painstakingly weaved to tell a story.

The movie ends with a portion of a very moving poem by Henry Van Dyke that goes like this:

"So it’s home again, and home again, America for me! My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be, in the land of youth and freedom, beyond the ocean’s bars, where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars."

Both the opening (over Mount Rushmore) and the closing (by the Statue of Liberty) scene's narratives were read over a chorus singing "America The Beautiful."

Then I turned to the home video of the Buzz Lightyear ride in WDW. From what little I saw, it appears to be a loud, "glow-in-the-dark" dark ride, lit by blacklights, that combines omnimovers (like HM) that spin (like Roger Rabbit Spin), that is more like a video arcade come-to-life on wheels.

It promotes another failed Disney partnership, Pixar, just like many of the rides created at Disneyland since the mid-80's (Captain EO, Star Tours, Indy, Winnie The Pooh, etc.) Splash Mountain is even based on a Disney movie that has been banned from distribution in the US--ha ha--as a kid, I wondered who the characters were!!

Since I haven't seen too much on these boards regarding people's opinions of "that ride under construction," I'm curious to see what others think of the choice of Buzz Lightyear for that location.

What do you think about the coming attraction and why?

CoasterMatt
02-02-2004, 06:33 AM
Well, I rode the WDW Buzz Lightyear, and it was the lamest light gun ride I've ever been on. There's almost no response from any targets when you hit them, and the coolest thing in the ride is actually the Buzz AA in the queue. I'll reserve judgement on Disneyland's version until I have a chance to experience it.

lisap
02-02-2004, 06:41 AM
I actually had a LOT of fun on that ride. I liked the interactive part of it, and who doesn't like Buzz, I ask you. I think my kids are going to really dig this ride. Really really really. It will be nice to have something in Tomorrowland that younger kids can enjoy besides Autopia.

blusilva
02-02-2004, 06:58 AM
I've never been a huge fan of any of the characters from the Pixar films (I don't know, maybe they aren't cuddly enough or something), so right there they've already lost my interest. I haven't been on the ride at WDW, so I have nothing to compare it to, except that it sounds a lot like Roger Rabbit with guns. Woo.

I'm not all that excited. Although I'll probably ride it when it opens, which is more than I can say for Tower of Terror.

Cadaverous Pallor
02-02-2004, 07:56 AM
Real judgement is reserved for opening day.

But I can say right now that a video game come alive sounds good to me. I also have an affinity for blacklight. :cool:

EandCDad
02-02-2004, 08:00 AM
I'm totally excited (well, as excited as I ever get about theme park rides, which probably equates to about medium level on most people.) I love things that the kids will love and get excited about, and it seems, from what lisap told me, this is one of those.

But like CP said, I'll reserve judgement till I ride it myself, but right now, I'm all for it.

diznydreamr
02-02-2004, 08:13 AM
Germboy~ I really loved "America The Beautiful" too, it was always very moving to me and I miss it. :crying:

We did ride Buzz at WDW last September and it was my kids (9&11 year old boys) favorite ride. It's like being in a giant arcade game and I reeeeeally suck at arcade games, so they enjoyed beating me at it repeatedly. I believe it was designed more for kids than adults, but is a ride all ages would enjoy. The wait time was usually 15-25 minutes, 2nd only to SM in tomorrowland, so somebody must be lovin' it.
:D

David R
02-02-2004, 08:23 AM
I've ridden Buzz at WDW a few times and I think it's a lot of fun. Like someone said, some more feedback from the targets would be great, but overall it's a fun ride.

It's bright and colorful, you are in this huge video game. You can control the spin of the car (that alone makes for some fun) and you get to compete with your friend.

It's no Pirates, or Haunted House. It's just a plain fun ride where you get to do some interaction as opposed to just sitting there.

dsnylndmom
02-02-2004, 08:29 AM
My kids are wayyyyyy excited which makes me excited! When we went to WDW last Aug. my boys(and hubby)loved this ride, my 5 year old rode it over and over and over on E-Ride night!! I'm very happy to see it come to DL, I'm happy to see anything in Tomorrowland!

Rallymonkey23
02-02-2004, 08:50 AM
Originally posted by dsnylndmom
I'm happy to see anything in Tomorrowland!

Enough said. Bring on Buzz!

Photographer
02-02-2004, 08:51 AM
I loved Buzz Lightyear at WDW and I'm excited to see it coming to DL. I think it'll be a nice addition...and hopefully more new things will go into Tomorrowland.

CoasterMatt
02-02-2004, 09:14 AM
How about anything "new"?

and I don't mean another copy of a ride that's at another Disney park.

diznydreamr
02-02-2004, 09:24 AM
and I don't mean another copy of a ride that's at another Disney park

They can stop copying as soon as DL gets their own RRC, because when they do this there will be NO reason for us to trek all the way across country again! :D

danyoung
02-02-2004, 09:29 AM
I'm with you, CoasterMatt. I'm tired of Disney porting the same rides all over the world. I guess it cuts down on development costs. With that said, I do enjoy Buzz in WDW, and have ridden repeatedly to get my score up (I think I'm a Planetary Pilot by now!). It's simple, but fun.

As much as I loved the original CircleVision shows, they're just not hip enough for today's youth. Picture one of them showing on MTV, and you'll see what I mean. Sad. . . . .

innerSpaceman
02-02-2004, 10:11 AM
Well, I do think that Buzz belongs right where it's going - across the way from Star Tours. And I think both of them belong across the Esplanade, on the Hollywood Backlot at DCA, and as far away from Tomorrowland as their utter fantasy, nothing-to-do-with-the-future themes should take them.

mad4mky
02-02-2004, 11:29 AM
My middle daughter's favorite ride at WDW was the 'Buzz Lightyear' ride.
We haven't been to WDW in almost 4 years...and she still talks about that ride!

She looks so forward to DLR having one!
So, for her sake, I look forward to it as well.:)

Personally, I could pass...but hey, like other people have mentioned, anything NEW (or finished being re-vamped and updated) in Tomorrowland is a good thing.

:)

merlinjones
02-02-2004, 12:46 PM
WDW's Buzz was fun as a target ride, but ugly and tacky as a Disney attraction, with its painted plywood cutouts. I wish there were some way to combine the best of both worlds, like a trippy Adventure Thru Inner Space target ride.

danyoung
02-02-2004, 01:13 PM
Originally posted by innerSpaceman
And I think both of them belong across the Esplanade, on the Hollywood Backlot at DCA, and as far away from Tomorrowland as their utter fantasy, nothing-to-do-with-the-future themes should take them.

Huh? Buzz and Star Wars having nothing to do with the future? They both seem like perfect Tomorrowland fits to me. Oh, are you buying into that a long time ago in a galaxy far far away theme?

stevemo
02-02-2004, 05:07 PM
"...and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future"

I agree with innerspaceman. I rode Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin at WDW. I had fun, but it felt incongruous to the theme of Tommorowland. It's almost as if there should be a section of Fantasyland dedicated to the non-fairytale characters and stories, an area like Toontown. One could also argue that Indy is incongruous to the original theme of Adventureland, where True-Life Adventures come alive.

sambo
02-02-2004, 11:19 PM
I'd much rather have something original, rather than a Buzz WDW clone. I've never been a big fan of Buzz, or of "interactive" shoot-em-up rides.

But I'll probably go on it when I visit. I'll take just about anything I can get in Tomorrowland. ...That is except more shops and ODV carts!

Germboy
02-02-2004, 11:44 PM
It's interesting that this ride, like Winnie The Pooh, Playhouse Disney, Bug's Land, Screamin', etc etc are indicative of a recent trend for Disney. That is, "dumbing down" the rides to target only certain audiences (namely children and adolescents). After all, it appears that many people may not want the ride themselves, but acknowledge that their children LOVE it.

As danyoung pointed out, Circlevision's patriotic message probably wouldn't make it with the MTV crowd. I wonder, however, if there was ever any generation of young people who didn't consider themselves "hip." As I remember when I was a teenager in the 80's, the Circlevision theatre was JAM-PACKED with people my age. And that was many years before patriotism came back with a roar after 9/11. (And we were jammin' and stoked that's fer shure...) But moreover, even if I'm wrong, then my next question would be "Why does everything have to revolve around whether a teenager would like it? (When being CERTAIN that most grandmothers wouldn't...)

POC, HM, CBJ, IASW and others entertain children and adolescents, my parents (in their mid-70's), my grandparents when they were living (in their 80's and 90's), and even 30-somethings like myself who have no children. Not only were they visually interesting for everyone, but they also used sophisticated humor that only adults would understand (ie: "It's sore I be to hoist me colors on the likes of that shy little wench!" and the idea of "auctioning off a 'wench' as a bride.") These things are what separated Disneyland from any other park, and put it up on the pedestal where it has sat for decades, across generations, cultures, and countries.

In fact, I've heard that Disney's motivation for creating Disneyland was BECAUSE of his disgust of the common amusement park--not to compete with it. I hope I don't offend anyone here, but wouldn't most young kids smile just as broadly while playing with blocks, feeding ducks at a duckpond, or going on a pony ride at the county fair? As classic rides that appealed to all ages continue to be closed or replaced with cheap carnival-style rides with little or no message except a marketing gimmick, I thought perhaps I wasn't the only one who sees a danger in the trend.

I agree innerspaceman. Walt built Tomorrowland to give us a realistic look into what we could expect in the future (although the WDC hasn't exactly followed this idea since the addition of ANYTHING in this land after Tron and the Super Speed Tunnel.) Now, it appears that this is flipped on its head, and that anything added in TL is fiction-based (Eo, HISTA, Star Tours, Buzz, etc.) One thing, "hope for the future," has been eliminated from the equation.

And one more thing: yes it's true--ANYTHING is better than nothing. By the same token, this ride and any others they put in will be there for decades to come. It will probably be there the rest of my life, as will any other ride that is put in. Once it's in, unless there is a mechanical failure that shuts it down, it will stay. Since so much of TL has been closed, it will essentially be "re-made" within a few years. My guess from the current level of creativity at the company (or lack thereof) is that the TL we grew up with will never be the same. And by then, the public will not know the difference.

Germboy
02-03-2004, 12:08 AM
Originally posted by blusilva
I'm not all that excited. Although I'll probably ride it when it opens, which is more than I can say for Tower of Terror.

I'm with you, blusilva! Being a sissy when it comes to heights, I don't ride Maliboomer or the Ferris Wheel. I'm already wondering what I'm going to do when TOT opens and all my friends want to go on. :rolleyes:

Want to meet me for a ride on the choo choo train at Bug's land?:)

3894
02-03-2004, 01:27 AM
Originally posted by Germboy
I'm already wondering what I'm going to do when TOT opens and all my friends want to go on. :rolleyes:

Want to meet me for a ride on the choo choo train at Bug's land?:)

I'm there, Germboy! Hate heights. Hate the sensation of imminent death.

Investing in the Buzz ride does mean Tomorrowland is reawakening, right? Right?

Germboy
02-03-2004, 03:06 AM
Originally posted by 3894
Investing in the Buzz ride does mean Tomorrowland is reawakening, right? Right?

Ha ha! Don't ask me. I'm trying as hard as I can (ok, until tonight ;) ) to keep my opinions to myself and let others talk. I started this thread to find out if I'm alone in my feelings. Apparently, as is so often the case, I'm in the minority. As EandCDad once said "It's tough to play the martyr, isn't it Germboy?"

I must say that I wouldn't classify Buzz as TL's "reawakening" necessarily. I might call it its "metamorphosis," (assuming it is the beginning of a trend)...as Cadaverous Pallor noted "Real judgement is reserved for opening day" (and by then...it's done.) I don't know of any other ride that has opened in the history of TL that so shamelessly promotes a Disney movie...and at the same time, has so little to do with tomorrow (well, ok, I said before, Tron in the Peoplemover Tunnel--but that was a small PART of a ride.)

And funny too, that I walked through TL the other night for the first time in a LONG time (bumping into plywood construction walls at every turn), and noticed how shabby and squalid the old arcade looks. Management did not see the need for a two-story arcade as it existed for decades, and reduced it to a dimly-lit hole-in-the-wall at a dead-end part of the park. I wonder how Buzz will be perceived 10 years from now (or 40 years from now), as it appears to be an "arcade game on wheels." Perhaps the full-grown children of today's parents will join them in their dislike of the ride. Hard to say...

Thanks, 3894. I'm sure there's room in the kiddie choo choo for you!.

If the choo choo won't do do, we can all head over to Playhouse Disney. I'm sure they can provide us with glow-in-the-dark fingerpaints so we can paint what we think the new Buzz ride might look like! We can play Romper Room or Sesame Street or Electric Company!!!...You know...the DCA California theme...er, the Hollywood Backlot Theme...er...sorry, I digress.
:D

stan4d_steph
02-03-2004, 06:21 AM
I enjoyed the Buzz ride at WDW the 2 times I've ridden it. I think it will be very popular with kids, but not exclusively. I don't have a problem with attractions being aimed at a certain age group. There are many attractions at DL that wouldn't appeal to a 3 year old and that he/she couldn't even ride. Playhouse Disney, the Pooh ride, etc. provide attractions that parents can enjoy with their young children and I think that's great.

As far as what theme Tomorrowland should have... space is as good as any as far as I'm concerned. What should it be? Toxic nuclear wasteland? Buzz fits in to the Tomorrowland theme as it exists at DL today. I think a film overview of the USA as it exists today along with a history lesson doesn't fit in Tomorrowland at all.