Favorite effect at Disneyland?

[mickeyandme67]

The forced perspective on Main Street. Aww. Just kidding.

It has to be the swirling fire effect in Indy. I never get tired of seeing it!

[Lore]

Originally Posted by Jetlife

My favorite effect is at DCA, the end of Hollywood Blvd down next to the Hyperion Theater.
The way that the street goes off into the distance.
I don't know what it is called.

In Hollywood terms, it's probably a backdrop, but the illusion is called Trompe-l'œil.

[TwilitWings]

The best effect, hands down, is convincing the vast majority of people that the whole of HM and PoTC could fit in their respective facades. I know I was convinced when I was a kid and I've seen adults who are.

For an actual special effect? The HM Ballroom is a classic, but I think I'd have to give it to Indy's boulder.

[Datameister]

So many favorites...

The HM ballroom is definitely high on the list for me, as is the rolling boulder chamber in Indy. These are two of the most completely realistic and mindblowing effects in the park, and few people aside from us fan(atic)s would be able to tell you how they work. The singing busts and Madame Leota are pretty great as well. And then the sheer immersion in the likes of HM and POTC is just amazing, and really deserves its own thread. That transcends the definition of a special effect.

[BurtGummer]

Indy's Rolling Boulder is my first favorite, followed by the Chamber of Destiny.

The amazing thing is, the general illusions are extremely simple concept wise, but to get them so perfect is extremely complicated. The timing in the rolling ball chamber is REALLY complex. I won't go into detail here, but there is alot more than just a moving room.

The chamber of Destiny doesn't have to deal with timing issues as much as the rolling ball chamber, but what makes it a difficult effect to maintain is its sheer massiveness. The entire room, excluding the floor and the doors, is one piece, connected to one single pivot point. I always hear people talking about the 'different' doors, so the effect is a good one.

Both of these effects are massive, so just keeping them in working order amazes me, and of course the timing is on top of that.

[disneyfann121]

Along with the many good examples already mentioned, here are some more of my favorites:

* the wall of mist with Davy Jones in POTC (although the effect is more impressive at WDW);

* the Mickey that lights up at night on the grass at the entrance to the park;

* the hitchhiking ghosts showing up in your doombuggy;

* and (if we can include DCA effects) the breaking mirror effect in TOT. I have no clue how they pull that one off.

EDIT: OK, one more. The "darts" blowing past your head in Indy. I know that one isn't very high tech, but it's very effective. My gf was screaming as we zoomed through that scene.

[BurtGummer]

Originally Posted by disneyfann121

EDIT: OK, one more. The "darts" blowing past your head in Indy. I know that one isn't very high tech, but it's very effective. My gf was screaming as we zoomed through that scene.

For some reason, I don't get why so many people are convinced by it. I don't mean that as anything against people who are scared by it, but would Disney really shoot darts at its guests?

Wait, don't answer that question.....

[Auroraflame]

It's pretty stupid and simple, but my favourite has always been the magic mirror sequence in Snow White's Scary Adventures, where you see the queen's back and her reflection in the mirror, but when she turns around she's the hag. Looking back, it was probably my favourite mainly because I could tell how it was done by age four.

[disneyfann121]

Originally Posted by BurtGummer

For some reason, I don't get why so many people are convinced by it. I don't mean that as anything against people who are scared by it, but would Disney really shoot darts at its guests?

Wait, don't answer that question.....

Of course not, but it feels like they are. That's why it works. It doesn't mean that you actually believe those are real darts. Similarly, I know that there are no real ghosts in the HM, but on another level I'm saying to myself "cool, ghosts!" There are many levels in the willing suspension of disbelief; that's why kids are often the most scared in a ride. They're already at a high level of belief.

[disneyfann121]

Originally Posted by Auroraflame

It's pretty stupid and simple, but my favourite has always been the magic mirror sequence in Snow White's Scary Adventures, where you see the queen's back and her reflection in the mirror, but when she turns around she's the hag. Looking back, it was probably my favourite mainly because I could tell how it was done by age four.

That very simple trick startled me the first two times I did the ride (well, first times in ten years, so I didn't remember that effect at all). It's actually a clever trick because your mind naturally believes what it sees in the "mirror".

[Legacy]

Originally Posted by BurtGummer

For some reason, I don't get why so many people are convinced by it. I don't mean that as anything against people who are scared by it, but would Disney really shoot darts at its guests?

Wait, don't answer that question.....

I had a friend who was incredibly startled to see spikes slowly creep down from the ceiling in the Indy queue.

Aside from that, one of my favorite effects would actually be the layout of the park. Disneyland is organized really well so that everything flows together nicely and makes for a complete, coherent package. After spending several hours in Frontierland or New Orleans, it's always a shocker to enter the hub and "discover" that Disneyland is also home to worlds of Fantasy and Tomorrow, plus Main Street.