My Disney Top 5-Things That I'll Miss About Snow White's Scary Adventures by Chris Barry
Chris Barry returns with another Disney Top 5 list.
Read it here!
My Disney Top 5-Things That I'll Miss About Snow White's Scary Adventures by Chris Barry
Chris Barry returns with another Disney Top 5 list.
Read it here!
I'll certainly miss Snow White. I rode it 2-3 times every visit. The dark rides are quintessential Disney Parks to me. Hate to see them go one by one. As I have no children, I'll probably never have any use for the Princess Fairy Tale Hall...
So is the Dwarf's cottage at the end of the ride at WDW (only been there once)? It's the first part of the ride at DL.
It's about halfway through the ride, say around 2 minutes in. The WDW version began (inside the attraction portion) with the Magic Mirror and the Queen's transformation.
I think the WDW version has a much more comprehensive ending, though. At DL, the ending is 'Scary witch at the top of the mountain being chased by dwarfs and Snow White rides off with the Prince".
Cathy
Have to agree with you on the dark rides being quintessential Disney Parks. I think it's the simplicity. Sometimes the simplest rides are still the best and most beloved. I don't buy into the newer thinking that everything has to be some sort of "interactive" attraction because that's what people, especially kids, expect nowadays. For example, my kids love Peter Pan (judging by the lines midday so do a lot of other people) and there's a ride that's old school and simple. Just like Snow White. We've all agreed in this household...we will miss it.
I haven't been to DCA, but is the Mermaid ride a little bit of a throwback? It seems like it's basically a dark ride, albeit a really nice one. I'm very enthusiastic about it coming to WDW.
CB
In fact, wasn't the Dwarf's Mine Train not part of the initial "Princessland" redo? As in - that was added when they re-tooled the expansion?
Cathy
Pretty sad to see a classic like that go, especially for what they are replacing it with. I'm actually from Northern California and Disneyland is my home and they are doing similar things over here. They just shut down the Plaza Gardens to put in a princess meeting type thing. For those that don't know, it was a music stage/dance area at the end of mainstreet on the left (towards adventureland). This thing is an ICON of Main Street. Count Basie and Louis Armstrong performed on this stage among MANY other legends. There was also frequent swing dancing with live big band that added to the old feel of main street. I don't get how a princess meet and greet fits on main street at all, but its a real shame. I remember as a kid watching the piano player with all the dressed up swing dancers stopping by for a chat before heading over to the Plaza Gardens. Made you feel in a whole other time period.
I know that Walt wanted the parks to change over time, but I feel like these kinds of changes just aren't exactly what he had in mind.
Now I feel bad that I didn't go through when my brothers and some friends from the Air Force were there in February... I didn't know it was so soon.
I far to often take for granted the old attractions we still visit every time... Swiss Family Tree House is always a must along with the Jungle Cruise and Pirates. We just go through them so fast with our focus spent on "The Mountains", great food, and time together.
I am headed there next weekend for a weekend solo trip to blow off some steam and escape reality (plus BTMR was closed in February.), so I will see if I can get some pictures of what they are doing.
Does this remind anyone else of how they replaced Herbie with Lightning at the HS stunt show? I like Cars and cant wait to see Cars Land at DL, but Herbie was a classic that went away too soon. Granted, when I was there in November, 3/4 of that crowd wouldn't have known who Herbie was...but it still seems wrong to replace an Icon rather than adding to the show. At the very least, it was cool to see the split version of Herbie with 8 wheels and 2 drivers.
Yes TLM at DCA is very much a dark ride. It is technically way more advanced than the old Fantasyland rides but it follows the same basic story theme. The ride has actually gone through some changes since opening so the ride at MK will be improved from the start especially with Ariel's better hairdo under the sea.
I have been on the ride at MK and I am sorry to see it go for another meet and greet. I think they should have kept it open until the mine train opened.
As for the change at DL the PFF will be more than just a meet and greet. It will be an extension of the castle area and will still incorporate the old stage that many have performed on. It is supposed to be more of a themed area so it should be tastefully done not to damage the show on Main Street. Imagineering has really put a lot of work into all the changes on both coasts and I think as guests we will be pleased by the end result. I am excited to see the new Fantasyland and the remodeled DCA and Cars Land. I give Imagineering an A for effort.
The saddest part about this evolution which seems to be happening is that these are the visions Walt had and was a part of before he passed. Even for my kids (who are all now in their upper teens and low twenties), there is something about getting on a ride that Walt not only dreamed, but rode himself. I understand wanting to integrate the new stories (Cars, Toy Story, etc.) into the parks but it should not be at the expense of the originals that started it all. I know there is a high demand for the character meet and greets, but there is a better way to set these up without impacting a legendary attraction.
Bookmarks