Save Small World! (Why the Classic Shouldn't be changed!)

[mousechild]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

I'm willing to bet that come holiday season 2008, the entire marketing campaign will center around "it's a small world" celebrating the holidays with your favorite Disney characters.

These additions aren't being added because they enhance the show. They aren't being added because "it's a small world's" numbers are dropping.

The characters are being added so they can be sold as a new attraction for the holidays. I wouldn't be surprised if the toy shop at the exit gets expanded, too.

There's loads of DVDs, keychains, and plush to be sold now at "it's a small world."

I think you just agreed with Mr. Liver and me as far as the motivation for the changes.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by mousechild

I think you just agreed with Mr. Liver and me as far as the motivation for the changes.

I agree that the additions are being made as a promotional draw for the 2008 Holiday Season.

I disagree that they're being made because the attraction is seeing dwindling numbers and needs the enhancements to stay relevant to park guests.

[MrLiver]

The issue isn't staying relevant or drawing guests. Small World can do both in it's current form forever and forever.

The issue is spending a fortune of money keeping it open, and trying to recoup your costs somehow.

[fo'c's'le swab]

Originally Posted by mousechild

I think you just agreed with Mr. Liver and me as far as the motivation for the changes.

I think you must have misread this, as I am usually the only one fool enough to agree with you--however infrequently .

[mousechild]

Personally I think they are doing it because they would like to increase the numbers, increase merchandise sales, and have something new that they can promote the hell out of. I don't think any of them including, John Lasseter, give a damn about theme anymore so thematic violations don't come into the discussion.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by mousechild

I don't think any of them including, John Lasseter, give a damn about theme anymore so thematic violations don't come into the discussion/

Well, to that I would have to agree. The lack of adherence to theme is becoming increasingly more apparent.


So much for the "theme park" concept.

[The International]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

Fantasyland utilizes bavarian architecture to create a storybook aesthetic.

Fantasyland's theme centers around those of the Disney fairy tales featured within. By entering Fantasyland, you're entering a storybook filled with classic Disney fairytales.

Essentially, the land is the home of Disney's animated film characters, or rather, it is supposed to be. The cartoonification of the rest of the park is negligible on Disney's part and detracts from Fantasyland's overall purpose.

Just a reminder of how you defined Fantasyland's theme from another thread, MasterGracey. If Fantasyland is the home of Disney's animated film characters, as you claim, then surely there is no theme violation in their addition to it's a small world.

[merlinjones]

>>The issue is spending a fortune of money keeping it open, and trying to recoup your costs somehow.<<

How many millions are spent on executive perqs and travel? - - Or silly whims that can't be recouped like the Disney Dreams Suite - - or hell, the whole Dreams campaign?

Bet small world maintenence is a drop in that bucket comparitively.

It's a question of priorities.

[3rdshiftCM]

So I haven't read the article yet but, as long as the characters are well placed and well themed and don't take away or distract from the overall show than I don't see a huge problem with it.

Besides who knows, maybe Walt would add some new life to a ride that has been basically the same sine it opened 40 years ago.

I think the way the additions are handled will make all the difference.

[MasterGracey]

Originally Posted by The International

Just a reminder of how you defined Fantasyland's theme from another thread, MasterGracey. If Fantasyland is the home of Disney's animated film characters, as you claim, then surely there is no theme violation in their addition to it's a small world.

"it's a small world" is not part of the Bavarian storybook village.

[The International]

Oh, well please make sure to keep us updated on all of the arbitrary thematic distinctions you make, it's certainly very hard for me to keep track of exactly what's what!

[MrLiver]

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

"it's a small world" is not part of the Bavarian storybook village.

???

The architecture of the individual attractions in the castle forecourt is modeled on the predominant architectural styles of the countries/times where the stories came from.

Snow White is German, Pinocchio is Italian, Toad and Pan are both English.

It is not predominantly Bavarian at all.

[Coheteboy]

Originally Posted by MrLiver

Popularity alone cannot keep an attraction open. If the maintenance budget for an attraction far exceeds the value assigned to each person riding it, than the attraction cannot stay open.

Small World could get 5x the riders as Winnie the Pooh, but if it costs 15x as much as Pooh to keep it open, it wouldn't be worth the cost, regardless of the popularity.

Disney is trying to make the effort in keeping the attraction open by investing countless millions in keeping the ride running (fresh paint, AA maintenance, replacing the flume and roof) and to justify that huge expense, they want to add something that they think will get more people riding the attraction.

The alternative of course would be to say that the cost of keeping it open is no longer worth the investment and the ride would have to be closed.

If the alternative is having the ride closed out-right and replaced with something else, I think that adding characters is a nice compromise.

Can someone tell me what the hell he is talking about? You're talking about Disney investing to get more people to ride it. But you also say that popularity cannot keep a ride open.

You always run threads off on an awkward tangent to prove no point at all don't you?

[MrLiver]

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

Can someone tell me what the hell he is talking about? You're talking about Disney investing to get more people to ride it. But you also say that popularity cannot keep a ride open.

If popularity alone could keep attractions open, than the Flying Saucers and the Rocket Rods would have never closed.

Small World is popular enough, I'm not saying it isn't. What I am saying is that it's not popular enough to justify several million dollars worth of improvement without any chance of getting that money back.

They want to spend the money to fix it, but they also want to make some of that money back. What's so hard to understand about that?

[Datameister]

You always run threads off on an awkward tangent to prove no point at all don't you?

Whoa, whoa. Careful with the personal attacks, there.