Old attractions - Would they hold up in 2012 and beyond?

[bayouguy]

I believe CBJ would work very well in the future, if it were not allowed to become stale or boring. There ought to be several seasonal shows and occasional brand new shows so that guest could look forward to fresh shows.

[CASurfer65]

You hit the nail on the head. I think most people that think this ride would work (as it was) today are looking through glasses of the rose tint and/or never actually went on the ride. It was so corny, even in the '70s when I went on it.

Now, if they updated it with today's technology, it could be awesome.

And I think that's what we're all assuming would have to happen if they were to hold up in 2012.

Almost all of those attractions would have to be updated to live up to today's standards.

As for ATIS though, as an attractions host for ten years through the 80s and into the 90s, guests came up to me all the time and asked where that attraction was after it was closed.

So I would have to say that for every person such as yourself who considered it hokey, even back in the 70s, there was at least one person who liked it. They sure seemed to want to ride it again, and were disappointed when they heard it was closed.

I think I saw the creators of the attraction interviewed one time about it, and even they admitted it was a pretty simple ride, even for the time it was built.

So I agree that it would need to be updated.

And if it was, it would be of way more interest to me than Star Tours is. ST is a passive ride with nothing educational about it...located in a land that was intended to have something educational going on.

ATIS with an upgrade would be futuristic and didactic. Something Tomorrowland needs more of.

Flight to the Moon>>Mission to Mars were flight simulator wannabes (of their time), but IMO were pretty darned interesting for the time in which they were built.

I have to say though that even though they didn't live up to the modern day technology that Star Tours does, I found them more interesting. Again....ST, passive....Moon>>Mars, educational.

[PiecesOfEight]

So I would have to say that for every person such as yourself who considered it hokey, even back in the 70s, there was at least one person who liked it. They sure seemed to want to ride it again, and were disappointed when they heard it was closed.

Hey, I liked ATIS when I was 5!

Also, nostalgia tends to blind people.

[Bob Weaver]

Adventure thru Inner Space was a fine example of Imagineering at its best. Nothing corny about it, and Walt approved it.

[indianajack]

Can't say I'd want CBJ to come back, it's so corny and the music/jokes are unappealing (to me). It's beyond salvation and is just fine with me being in Yesterland.

People Mover is a no-brainer to come back and would be great to tie Tomorrowland together.
An updated ATIS could be really cool.
A Skyway faux-balloon ride connecting the two parks is an interesting idea except too much of backstage would probably be exposed.

[ttintagel]

The PeopleMover and Country Bear Jamboree are still going strong at WDW; I don't see any reason they wouldn't still do well at DLR.

I'm terribly nostalgic for Mission to Mars, but I agree that it would have to be a modern reworking of the same concept rather than a clone. Same goes for ATIS.

[TylerDurden]

Adventure thru Inner Space was a fine example of Imagineering at its best. Nothing corny about it, and Walt approved it.

That's great, that's your opinion, no one is wrong or right. But I will say that just because Walt approved it doesn't mean it's not corny...all the old exhibits of '50's-era Tomorrowland were pretty corny and also Walt-approved.

[Syndrome]

The fact that most of these rides are from Tomorrowland says 2 things:

1. The current Tomorrowland is a trainwreck
2. These rides were outdated and needed to be replaced

But they could have been replaced by updated versions of themselves. I agree that all of these rides would need to be updated(except maybe Nature's Wonderland), but that doesn't mean they couldn't still work. Would the original ATIS work today? Initially yes, but since we're talking long-term, not a chance. Are BLAB, Winnie the Pooh, and Nemo better than their predecessors today? Of course. But are they really the best rides Disney could come up with for their spaces? I don't think so.

ATIS
I'm not sure this would be all that successful even if it were updated.

Circle Vision
Might work today with new films but with limited space at Disneyland, I don't think it should return.

Country Bear Jamboree
I don't think it would work today. Could make sense near Grizzly Peak in DCA

Old Subs
Wouldn't be more popular than Nemo

Motor Boat Cruise
No way

People mover
Yes, even in its original form it would work today but any ride that uses that track layout will be a success, it's not limited to just the peoplemover.

America Sings
Wouldn't be interesting enough today. I also fail to see how an American musical history show could fit Tomorrowland's theme.

Carousel of Progress
Of course an updated version would work well

Skyway
I think this could still work, but I'm just fine without it

Nature's Wonderland
Could work but it would need new AAs and there's no way it would replace Big Thunder anytime soon

[Retrocool]

PeopleMover - As I've said before, I'm 100% open to having the existing PeopleMover tracks demolished and rebuilt so that they are OSHA-compliant, if that's what it takes to get a new PeopleMover. Although I love the classic PeopleMover design, I'm open to new designs as well. In the process, the bottlenecking issue at the entrance to Tomorrowland can also be relieved (those rocks definitely need to go; and the Star Tours queue could be redesigned). But in addition to a new PeopleMover, I'd also bring back a simple classic that never goes out of style - the Rocket Jets.

Adventure Thru Inner Space - I'd love to see ATIS come back, storywise, but with a complete redesign and newer technology, of course. The original's effects, much as we may love them in hindsight, are definitely products of their time. In a sense, though, Disney DID re-do ATIS before, when they did Body Wars at Epcot back in 1989 (since removed), but it was primarily a Star Tours-style motion simulator, and little else. If ATIS were to be brought back, the Imagineers would really have to dazzle and amaze us, as well as tell us a really engaging story, or it wouldn't work so well.

Mission to Mars/Flight to the Moon should definitely be brought back, but again, with much newer technology, and with a more expansive story. I've expounded on this before. What I propose would be the third iteration of the original Flight to the Moon/Mission to Mars attraction idea - a hard-science-oriented, NASA-approved exploration of our solar system, perhaps called Voyage Beyond, which would be an in-depth trip to and exploration of one of the planets of our solar system, only instead of it always being the same destination every time, each time it's different - this trip it's the Moon, and when it's done, you can get back in line and you'll be off to Mars; go again and it's Saturn, or Jupiter, or Neptune, or Venus, or even a moon of the other planets, or the asteroid belt! True classic Disney science infotainment.

The Skyways should definitely be returned, although I'm open to the cars being enclosed and not open-air like they were before, if that's a safety concern. Plenty of Skyway transporters exist around the world (including original Von Rolls, the same brand as Disneyland's), and they work just fine.

Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland would be wonderful to bring back, if there was sufficient space to do so. However, it, too, would need a bit of an improvement in the AA effects, as well as the landscaping. I think they could do a really great job of it, if they invested enough into it. Plus, I'd also love to see them bring back the Pack Mules. Nothing spells "family memories" more than seeing some toddler crying while sitting atop a listless donkey. Nah, I'm kidding. But bringing the Pack Mules back would be fun....and stinky (and stinky is fun!).

CircleVision 360 should definitely be brought back, but it wouldn't "need" 3D (which is hardly new technology) to be effective and enjoyable. It would be nice, however, to see the image on a seamless 360 degree screen, without breaks between projected shots. The important thing, though? LOTS of different titles available, always changing. One of the reasons people got "bored" with CircleVision originally wasn't the technology, but the fact that it was always the same show, every time (first America the Beautiful, then Wonders of China & American Journeys). I think a wider variety of film subjects, offered daily or weekly, would encourage Park guests to check it out. I'm thinking possibly 4 films a day, shown in a daytime/nighttime double feature format. Travelogues would no doubt still be the primary subject, but they could also offer up a double feature of space & sea-related stories, to complement the Tomorrowland theme better. This way, the films could add some special effects, which would be a tremendous challenge for the CircleVision teams, no doubt, and they would be appealing to audiences. Imagine - a 360 degree view of space travel, and also of undersea travel!

I'm not sure if America Sings would work these days (it was primarily related to the Bicentennial, and thematically, it has little to do with Tomorrowland), but Carousel of Progress, I think, is a show that never goes out of style, and can only be improved as time passes, specifically because it's about the passage of time and how technology impacts our lives as time goes on. So I would say bring back Carousel of Progress, just updated (in the last section) for this decade.

As for the Submarine Voyage, I don't think a return to the original fake fish is the answer but a non-Nemo, science-oriented attraction would be better appreciated. If it's at all possible, of course, it'd be really nice to have actual live fish and other aquatic creatures (not sure if it's really feasible, though). Personally, I was never very enamored of the Subs as a ride, even originally, although I liked how they looked in the Lagoon, with their grey US Navy paintjobs. I'm fully cognizant of the expense and history of the subs, as well as what they mean to a lot of folks; I certainly don't propose junking them (I would make sure they were preserved, perhaps even restored), but the Submarine Lagoon could very likely benefit from a complete overhaul, with a much more immersive undersea adventure, with a greater emphasis on marine science and a lot more exciting technological bells and whistles, replacing it. I think the time for Submarine Voyage 2.0 is finally here.

The Motor Boat Cruise? Nah. The boats were pretty expendable even back in the day. I doubt anyone would really want them back THAT much. Besides, there's no story or theme. It's just rambling around in a boat on a track. I do think something should be done with that section of Fantasyland, though. A smoking area is....well, not exactly the best idea.

Country Bear Jamboree? Hey, I'm game for it coming back. I was never a huge fan of it originally, but I liked it just the same. It was entertaining. I'd love to see it come back.

[PiecesOfEight]

Disneyland needs these cool boats:

[DisneyIPresume]

There's a reason they closed down ATIS. And it wasn't because it was boring. Quite the contrary - let's just say many young men and women considered it one of the most exciting rides in the park.

[4th Gen Disney Fan]

I have thought a lot about the rides mentioned ever since I saw this thread pop up. Most of these attractions closed when I was relatively young and I wanted to make sure I would post my opinions based on reality and not nostalgia. I have watched videos of as many as possible to refresh my memory. I have posted links to some videos I found in case any of you need reference material like I did.

ATIS - I always like this one as a kid. I think that it could still work if it were re-tooled and the queue was updated. It tells a good story and it was pretty high capacity.

Adventure Thru Inner Space - Ride Highlights - YouTube

Mission to Mars - Ok attraction. It would have to have some drastic updating if it still existed. Perhaps a visit to deep space instead? The animatronics look old as well.

DISNEYLANDS "MISSION TO MARS" ATTRACTION 1989 - YouTube

Nature's Wonderland - This one was well before my time. Based on what I have heard from family, it is missed. The video below tells me that it had a good story and the scenery is beautiful. I would be against it if bringing this back meant losing Big Thunder though.

Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland - YouTube

Circle Vision - I never cared for this attraction. I would only go in if it was hot out and I needed to cool off. Buzz Lightyear isn't much better though.

People Mover - I miss this one a lot. I'm sorry it had to go. Seeing the track still in place is a sad reminder. Tomorrowland is so congested and has too few attractions to handle the crowds. People Mover and ATIS as well as Mission we pretty good people eaters. Tomorrowland desperately needs more of these.

Skyway - I miss this being able to hop in a gondola and zipping between the lands. A rebuild would cost a lot and I don't know how they could make it wheelchair accessible.

America Sings- This was one of my favorite shows and I really miss it. I don't know how it would still work today in the same building. As others have noted, it was built for the Bicentennial and it didn't belong in Tomorrowland. I'm glad that Splash Mountain is there as a "ghost" of this show.

DISNEYLAND AMERICA SINGS AUDIOANIMATRONIC SHOW April 1988 CLOSED ATTRACTION - YouTube

Old Subs - I don't miss it at all. I always have been bored on this ride. I'd like to see this one taken out altogether.

Motor Boats - Agreed that it was boring and slow.

Country Bear Jamboree - I believe the fact that this still exists at WDW is proof that it could still work. My kids really like Winnie the Pooh though.

The Country Bear Jamboree HD - YouTube

[PiecesOfEight]

There's a reason they closed down ATIS. And it wasn't because it was boring. Quite the contrary - let's just say many young men and women considered it one of the most exciting rides in the park.

If that were the case, wouldn't the Haunted Mansion be gone too?

[Retrocool]

FYI, there are similar gondola lifts that are wheelchair-accessible. Obviously, a revision of the Skyway would necessitate ADA-compliant gondolas. That isn't hard.

[LordVader]

I'm sure if America Sings was moved to Main Street somehow it would fit. Put a refurbished Carousel of Progress back were it belongs.

Peoplemover shouldn't have left in the first place.

Country Bears would still work as well.