Clearly You've Never Been to Singapore
For some odd reason, I am on a blogging-about-Disney kick lately. I guess I just need the occasional relaxing release of tension and I can't get that from blogging about things like the 2006 State of the Black Union Conference (don't even get me started).
Today, I wanted to talk about the fact that Disneyland currently has the Pirates of the Caribbean ride closed for refurbishment and updating. By "updating" I mean that they are going to enhance the ride over the next few months with new characters, and add more of an obvious storyline based on the new Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
This fact is causing a lot of Disney die-hards a lot of stress and angst. Many people are completely immovable with the thought that no one should mess with the last ride that Walt Disney himself supervised. On the flip-side, many others are excited to see an older ride updated with new technology and new ideas.
This ride is definitely a particularly important monument to Walt's legacy because he died after it was started, but before it was opened to the public. With the exception of the creative rape it experienced at the hands of the political correctness crowd in the 90s (pillaging pirates are not supposed to chase fair wenches), the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is essentially as Walt imagineered it to be.
So, before I give you my thoughts on the issue, I would like you to weigh in. Leave a comment about whether or not you find this a good thing. Are you happy to see an updated attraction, or are you saddened that Walt's classic vision is being made-over?
posted by Michael Gray at
8:04 PM
2 Comments:
Well, you pretty much know my views on such things. I appreciate everything Walt did...and I think it does carry a legacy. I'm not saying that adding Johnny Depp's character or anything else for that matter will SHATTER Walt's dream--I think he would love things to be updated and such. However, I don't like the idea of making a timeless ride untimeless. Adding technology or new ideas is different than adding Johnny Depp into a ride at Disneyland. Agreed? That's all I'm saying. There is technological advancement, and there is celebrating a hit movie.
I'm glad I have other things to worry about in life than this, though.
3:15 PM
Interesting topic. I don't know how much of an issue the updating topic will be until we actually see the difference. The "old" Pirate figures are looking a little dated and mechanical compared to today's technology, but there's just something about the classics... Anyway, if they can blend the new with the old, so they can keep the feel of the original but add a little Disney Imagineering flair, I think they may have a successful "re-birth" of a ride.
Now for a blog within a blog... I think Disney stands at a crossroad right now. Millions of people will spend 18 months of Disney's 50th Anniversary fighting crowds, buying souvenirs, flooding the hotel reservation lines... but will the momentum continue. After seeing the 50th, will people now put Disney on the backburner for summer vacationing for a few years. I think Disney may see 2007 as being a slower year, because everyone wanted to come back and be a part of the 50th. So to keep the momentum up, do they change other classic rides in order to keep people coming back?
9:18 PM
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