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mcampisi
07-12-2004, 07:04 AM
I have yet to go to Disneyworld (next year is the year I hope). I'm anxious to compare the East Coast versions of some of my favorite attractions. I keep hearing about the missing "fifth dimension" room on DCA's ToT. What exactly was shown in this room?

Forbin
07-12-2004, 08:25 AM
The 'haunted elevator' leaves the elevator shaft and moves forward through a floor of the tower. It's full of story line about the 4 people who vanished and LOTS of Twlight zone screens (Like the spinning cone).

Crispy
07-12-2004, 11:04 AM
At Walt Disney World, the elevator procedds through two differet elevator shafts, a "show shaft" and the "drop shaft." First you enter the elvator and it immediately proceed up a floor to the scene with the vanishing guests. Everything fades to a black starfield with only a window remaining visible at the end of the hallway. The window rotates and breaks just as in the opening of the Twilightlight zone series.

Your elevator goes up another floor and the doors open. Then your elevator does something elevators don't normally do.... it moves forward. Surrounding you is an environment that seems infinate because of the mirrored finish on everything. You see images of the giant eyeball, the flying doll, and the E=MC2 flyning by, just as in the opening of the series. You near the end of the room to only see blackness in front of you. stars form and converge to form a sinlge bright dot. This dot extends up and down vertically to form a vertical line. This line splits in two horizontally.... its formed an opening elevator door. Your elevator now enteres the "drop shaft."

At the end of the drop sequence, your elevator comes to the bottom of the shaft where you see a projection of the black and white rotating spiral (also and image from the series) in front of you. As the spiral rotates, the elevator backs up while you hear Rod Serling voice. The elevator the turns around 180 degrees and the elevator opens and you disembark in a different location that you had entered.

Not only does WDW's version have the addition of the Fifth Dimension room, but it has the added extra ending of the spiral as the ride vehicle moves backwards to get out of the drop shaft and to the exit location. This provides a nice conclusion to the ride. In addition, having the elevator first operate normally and then only move forward when things get weird and you "enter the Twilight Zone" add to the pacing of the story. In Disneyland version, the elevator starts off acting strange as it backs up as soo as you enter the elevator.

Hope that helps.

Cris

C.B.
07-12-2004, 06:13 PM
"What was in the fifth dimension room that DCA removed?"

The "soul" of the attraction, as far as I'm concerned. Without it, the Tower is just an elaborate "ride". A very nice ride, but the real 'magic' of the Florida masterpiece is missing.

Pilot Mickey
07-12-2004, 06:20 PM
that's what is in WDW? man, tot in DCA would be 10x better if you felt like you were going to dismbark at the same loaction, but u got off in a diffrent loaction, they should of had it some how turn after the last drops, but not so u notice it, and open towards the back of the hotel, but make it look like the hallway you started in, it would disorent everyone, there's still time to change it i say :D

Forbin
07-12-2004, 09:37 PM
Can't happen stomper...there is no place to put it in the current tower

Pilot Mickey
07-12-2004, 11:13 PM
that's what is in WDW? man, tot in DCA would be 10x better if you felt like you were going to dismbark at the same loaction, but u got off in a diffrent loaction, they should of had it some how turn after the last drops, but not so u notice it, and open towards the back of the hotel, but make it look like the hallway you started in, it would disorent everyone, there's still time to change it i say :D

what i'm saying is when you are coming back down from the drops the elevator twists and faces u towards the back of the building, all they would have to do would be to extend the back of the tower out a few feet, cause they already have that hallway there, i think it was stupid in the first place to have you get off in the same place you got on, it ruins the effect that u are geting on an elevator, but i like the ride it's cool, don't get me wrong, but it just upsets me, as everyone else i think, that the mangenment doesn't care about the happiness of the guests and would rather worrie about money.

Forbin
07-13-2004, 08:14 AM
but it just upsets me, as everyone else i think, that the mangenment doesn't care about the happiness of the guests and would rather worrie about money.

Think about what you wrote Stomper. They care about happiness, that's why they made the ToT in the first place. But maybe the 5th dimension room was too much to put in. Maybe they don't have the license to use it anymore. Maybe the maintenance on the moving walkway was too much.

Saying Disney just put in something because they didn't care about guest happiness is going a bit far. Saying taking out a VERY good part of the ride and just going on with it because they can't think of anything better would be a more accurate thought.

I like the current ToT, I like the WDW better.

But in all fairness, I like our IASW MUCH MUCH better than WDW's. And that was built after Disney's. But does that mean Disney wrecked it because of they didn't want people happy? They probably wrecked it because they didn't realize part of IASW's magic is in the high roof...not a roof that is 6' above the water.

sami869
07-13-2004, 08:55 AM
Personally I thought the 5th dimension room wasn't well done and was hokey. I don't feel the DCA TOT is any worse for not having it.

Subsonic
07-13-2004, 05:11 PM
I've said it before, I'll say it again.

This is from my post here: http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=28274

This has been brought up before.

I think it's a very nice surprise how at WDW the elevator moves forward at the top. I recall during the beginning of the ride thinking it was going to just go up and then drop. I was amazed, simply amazed, that the Elevator moved forward into the 5th dimension. "This isn't what an elevator's expected to do." Then you move into the dark room and the doors open. You realize how high up you are. There's so much anticipation once you enter the 5th dimension. For me, this is how the theme/story differs drastically between DCA and MGM.

MGM:
You are narrated about how you are going to find out what happens to the lost people that were in the elevator. You then go up and see these people, "Oh, so that's what happens... But I'm still safe here because I'm in a normal elevator that moves up and down" But wait, the elevator moves forward? I, myself, have entered the Twilight Zone.. uh oh.

DCA:
Narration about what happened to these people. You then instantly enter the twilight zone by being in a elevator that moves backwards. You see the people.. You then drop.

All of the effects are good between each attraction, just the lead in isn't as good at DCA

Tigertail777
07-13-2004, 11:29 PM
I really need to find a way to link to my old posts on these topics, just havnt figured quite how yet....

Ok, the 5th dimension might not seem something super special to some folks because its execution didnt turn out as planned. Originally the whole room was to have well placed mirrors all over that would infinately reflect pinpoints of light, to make it look like a huge endless starfield. This would make the end of the 5th dimension room make more sense as well: the stars on the final door that form the line that cracks open into a door would be the "crack" in the endless void that was the 5th dimension. In addition there were going to be ghostly looking versions of the people lost in the elevator from the preshow movie. So in essence you are entering the weird dimension that they got zapped into, you are slowly moving in surreal motion making it seem like the elevator is floating. Unlike the poor souls before you, you find a way out via the "crack" in the star field. Once exiting the starfield, the elevator pauses and them plummets almost as if it cannot function properly since it crossed through that 5th dimesnion.

So what happened? Why did the 5th dimension effect turn out less impressive than planned? Well, they found out that all those mirrors were making the sensors embedded in the floor that guide the car, go wacky because the sensor "rays" were being reflected and bounced.

There is still several ways they could accomplish the original effect, but it would require sinking more money into the attraction and closing it down for a while to install. One way; make a overhead track beam that the elevator drops onto as it leaves the first shaft, at which point it would "float" along through the room by using the track overhead like peter pan does. They could then just do the original mirror effect as planned. This version would also add to the experience by truly making the elevator feel like its floating. They could also add scrims in certain parts, and project flickering images of the lost people, and maybe even an image of rod serling. Once you get to the other side of the room, the elevator car would drop off the overhead track beam into the second shaft. This would solve a lot of "down time" the ride experiences too, due to those finicky sensors.

Forbin
07-14-2004, 08:20 AM
So there you have it.

Removed because it cost too much and the ONLY person who can fix it was probably fired.

DL4EVER
07-14-2004, 10:14 AM
I heard pretty much the same thing. Except the version I heard of it was that they couldn't pull off what they wanted to, and they were in quite a quick bind to theme that part when they did find out they couldn't do what they wanted. I find the 5th Dimension Room interesting, but it does hint at a drop, especially once you see the multiple load shafts, most people would guess they can't all drop and rise in the same place.

From what I've read, although I haven't ridden it, the DCA version at least SEEMS like it drops in one shaft, besides whole backward movement thing.

I think that the Tower debate will be interesting when TDL gets theirs.

TP2000
07-14-2004, 01:37 PM
Personally I thought the 5th dimension room wasn't well done and was hokey. I don't feel the DCA TOT is any worse for not having it.

I've got to agree! The 5th Dimension at WDW is way, way over-rated.

I went on TOT at WDW in 1999 and 2002. Both times the 5th Dimension room seemed hokey and poorly done. You can see the tracks in the floor and the machinery off to the side. The star field effect isn't very convincing. The Twilight Zone icons that are in that room like the eyeball and stuff reminded me of Junior High Halloween spook houses. The car rattles and jolts over the track switches and pathway as it rolls through that room, and it gives absolutely no illusion of "gliding through the 5th dimension".

Maybe I just kept catching the attraction at a bad time, or when it needed a rehab or something. But the 5th Dimension thing seemed hokey and almost amateurish, and the show and illusions of it were not at all convincing.

While WDW has a far superior outside queue, I thought the interior effects and showmanship of DCA's TOT was a notch above. And the lack of the cornball and unconvincing 5th Dimension room is a positive in my opinion. Now, if they could somehow do the 5th Dimension effects so that they were convincing and impressive, that would be a different story. But WDW's version needs some help there.

Tigertail777
07-15-2004, 03:02 AM
Well, as I said the 5th dimesnion as it is NOW is kind of a unintentional stripped down version of what was intended. They could fairly easily make it a very impressive centerpiece if they were willing to put the money into it. I think the forwards movement is fairly impressive, and my fave effect in the whole ride is the ripping starfield. The eye I have heard they changed now; it used to be that you saw YOU reflected in the eyeball via some kind if closed circuit camera deal. I think there is definately room for improvement with the 5th dimension, but to me the point is without it the story is less coherent. To me the way the DCA version is presented its quite a jumbled mess storywise: first the elevator never gets a chance to act normal, so you dont get the feeling of slowly being immersed into a twilight zone story. Instead you are just suddenly pulled into "weird mode" for no apparent reason when the elevator slides back. In the florida one things start normal you go up normal the doors open, you see a normal hotel floor, THEN lightening strikes and things get weird. I am still puzzling how the mirror effect really works thematically into the story, unless you dont actually enter the twilight zone on the DCA version, but instead narrowly escape entering it? I dunno the story seems a lot less coherent in DCA, with no real beginning middle and end. In the Florida one you got the cool spiral effect at the end which gives you a sort of nice conclusion (plus all the "junk" from Twilight Zone episodes, which was a nice effect to give you the feeling that like those relics around you, you just came back from another dimension.)

I am guessing though that even without the twlight zone theming, Tokyo's TOT is going to blow both of ours out of the water. Just the story sounds awesome! I cannot wait to see pics of that (I would love to go in person, but thats a lot of dough).

shawn2ca
07-15-2004, 02:39 PM
Yeh, I've got to agree with TP2000. I felt no awe going through the 5th dimension. The first thing that I thought when the doors opened was "Oh, we've got to move forward into the drop shaft." I mean it's so obvious..what with the converging sets of very visible tracks. And it's quite confusing thematically. I didn't know what the imagineers were trying to portray through the use of that room. Instead of the fifth dimension, I thought we were going through an unused "attic-like" section of the hotel with weird ghosts and oversized movie props lying around.

One word to describe the 5th dimension: Lame.

DL4EVER
07-15-2004, 03:11 PM
I find the coolest part of that end video at WDW's ToT happened to be right after the ghosts appear on the screen, you get to see a faint outline of the Rod Serling look-alike before it fades out. I always enjoyed that when we went on our trip a month ago...Speaking of which, last day of our trip, I rode ToT 6 times consecutively, walking into the library directly almost every time.

I liked Tower 4 and the updated things they added to the drops (I was last there in 02) and didn't remember seeing the ghosts during the drops or the animations during the drops. I would have to say that upon further looking, the 5th Dimension room has a little more than I originally thought in it, and the ripping starfield is the best, I would agree with that. I guess that the whole thing I didn't like about the 5th Dimension room is that after the first time I ever went on it, I was just waiting to get to the drops.

I would like to guess at another reason why it was removed: It's been said that the sensors in that room are REALLY sensitive, so if anything, like a parkmap, happened to drop out, the ride would stop. Okay, maybe not so much of a reason, but it does sound like it could be a problem.

Jon Vincible
08-09-2004, 07:51 PM
Well i just visited Disneyland this past weekend with my friends and one of the first things we did was ride ToT. Having never been to Florida i was completely in the dark as to what to expect. Well, not completely. I knew that it was a free fall ride with some sort of cool effects in it, but i was impressed beyond my wildest dreams with what i actually encountered.

Just to make my point clear let me sum up my experience:

A cooky hotel man straps you in and tells you to scream if you need anything. The lights go out and your elevator backs away from the doors while the walls turn to stars. Everything fades to black (some doors must be closing i think) and you proceed up a couple floors or so and see a hotel hallway. The hallway runs left to right and a mirror lines the wall directly in front of you. The voice talks about the twilight zone and lightning strikes and your reflections in the mirror turn all purpleish green as everyone waves at themselves. Another ZAP and you stare at an empty elevator car. You drop a floor and see a very normal (forced perspective) hotel hallway with double doors at the opposite end. Fairly close to your side of the hall ghosts appear in a weird TV looking sort of teleport and then disappear in the same fashion. The voice says something about the people entering into a nightmare and the whole hallway turns to stars. You see the doors at the opposite end reveal 5 people standing in an elevator shaft. You see their bodies fall and their elevator drop a few seconds later. At this point your own elevator drops a little bit, pauses, and drops some more (You might actually ascend between those 2 first drops but it's completely dark and i don't remember it well enough). Then it shoots you up to the top floor and the doors are open revealing DCA to you. You drop 2 floors to the last exposed part of the shaft and then comes the biggest drop yet. Then it shoots you up again this time flashing the names of the floors on the elevator doors in front of you. Then you see DCA, and drop again. Then you see the stars and move forward. The End.

From what i read in Crispy's description of the WDW Tower there is no mirror room. Now maybe i'm incorrect but from that description i read i didn't see anything like that. I agree for the most part with the people who say the order of events is kind of a jarbled mess in the DCA version. I mean why do you immidiately enter the twilight zone (the stars in the beginning) and then enter it again (the mirror part)? And then again, are you only just looking into the twilight zone when you see the ghosts appear in the hallway? Or are you already in the twilight zone? Or is it when the hallway turns to stars that you enter the twilight zone? I guess you can explain it all away by recalling the intro movie in the library. You're told you're about to enter an elevator that leads directly into... the twilight zone. Oh who knows. I asked a lot of questions but any clarification would be appreciated.

smartypants723
08-09-2004, 08:35 PM
I have a question. I went on the TOT recently last Saturday, which btw was fun, and I was wondering how many stories was the elevator dropped for the last big drop. I was freakin' out like crazy because I was afraid of freefalls and when I experienced the freefall, it wasn't that bad, but I guess all the screaming took the attention off of how much the elevator dropped. :p

~Helen :)

3IdAlienKid
08-09-2004, 08:36 PM
originally posted by TP2000The Twilight Zone icons that are in that room like the eyeball and stuff reminded me of Junior High Halloween spook houses.
I thought that's what they were supposed to look like. You know, like on the 60's TV show, cheesy special effects and all. It's done this way more for nostalgia rather than actual atmosphere. You know if they'd updated the icons and used the best CG stuff, it would have been lame in a different way, like when CBS did that "New" Twilight Zone in the 80's -- they had updated icons and it just didn't feel right.

Anyway, I do like the Florida 5th Dimension room myself. Having just been on DCA's version last week, I was prepared for the worst, but have to admit I really didn't miss that room as much as I thought I would. And moving backward at the beginning definitely was odd storywise, but the crowd I rode with didn't seem to care, they were all pretty giddy when they realized it was moving back. Anyway, Florida is better for me, but DCA was still good enough.

Dlandmom
08-10-2004, 09:05 AM
The first time I rode TOT at DCA was a few weeks ago. The ride seemed really short. I went again yesterday, twice, and the first ride seemed much longer, but the second ride seemed shorter, and the two sequences seemed different to me (the first time I rode upstairs, the second time was downstairs). I thought they hadn't programmed different sequences into DCA's TOT yet. Am I wrong? Was I just imagining the differences?

SCUBAbe
08-10-2004, 09:09 AM
The first time I rode TOT at DCA was a few weeks ago. The ride seemed really short. I went again yesterday, twice, and the first ride seemed much longer, but the second ride seemed shorter, and the two sequences seemed different to me (the first time I rode upstairs, the second time was downstairs). I thought they hadn't programmed different sequences into DCA's TOT yet. Am I wrong? Was I just imagining the differences?
they seem different to me also. My mother said she perfered the ride when we went up the stairs. Foe some reason everytime we go on it we end up in middle left. Excpet when we bough the pictures. Both times for that we were in the back...LOL

Dlandmom
08-10-2004, 12:46 PM
they seem different to me also. My mother said she perfered the ride when we went up the stairs. That's funny...I liked it the upstairs time, too. Are they different elevators? Aren't there two levels of elevators so that you're getting the same ride whether you're up or down? I never really thought about it. I just assumed that they were all double decker elevators.

sdfilmcritic
08-10-2004, 11:49 PM
That's funny...I liked it the upstairs time, too. Are they different elevators? Aren't there two levels of elevators so that you're getting the same ride whether you're up or down? I never really thought about it. I just assumed that they were all double decker elevators.
From what I understand is the ride can open and run with UP TO six elevators in operational service. Two elevators are assigned to each elevator shaft. The two elevators will alternate running times. While one elevator is in operation the other is loading/unloading for the next operational cycle.

Jon Vincible
08-14-2004, 02:07 PM
That's what i assumed also. I mean it seems logical enough. But i didn't dare believe my own assumptions because, i mean, i think we all had our assumptions of how the indiana jones ride worked when it first came out. To my surprise, none of my theories were true. But more on-topic, when you first back away from the wall, that's when you're being loaded into the elevator shaft right? And one more thing, is there a mirror-room in the WDW Tower or not?