Save the Rainforest - Keep "it's a small world" a classic.

[techskip]

Glad to hear that people are beginning to do more then just post on MiceChat. Please keep us informed of what the outside has to say.

[Sir.Mouse]

I called oc register and long beach press telegram and sent e-mails to the writers. No news yet but I've been interviewing people on film about this everywhere I go. so far it's 50/50 either people are indifferent or they think it's unnecessary. But nothing close to the many extreme feelings here on micechat, which is fine. The main concern however, is if the song will be changed! I even met this guy who said his mom was a member of the choir that recored the original track. When my film project is complete it's going on youtube.

Last night I e-mailed Disneyland guest relations just to see what the reply will be. I hope it's not the standard " we need to keep Disneyland fresh" bit. and is it me or is that word used to validate anything thats new? How many times can you tell people that you need to keep "fresh"!

If anyone would like to see my letter it's at the link on my signature line.

[Coheteboy]

I talked to a coworker's wife and kids today as they're avid disney goers (but not like me). I told them what's going on and here's the breakdown:

-wife had disgusted face "what? they don't need to do that..."
-boy, about 7 had a confused expression "that's dumb"
-girl, about 11 smiled and said "that's cool" but didn't look to care either way.

[Ghostbuster626]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

... this is exactly the same discussion about EPCOT.. which originally did not have the Fab5 at all... and now you have Nemo in the Seas... Donald+Crew in Mexico.. Character Greets all over... etc

I don't think the general viewership see these things as so negative.

It has been my observation that the general public is totally indifferent to these changes. What happens is they will shut a ride down, throw in a cheap cartoon overlay, reopen the attraction and put a big NEW! label on it in all the park maps and of course the attraction will (temporarily) see a spike in attendance for a few months as the general public, disney nerds, and annual passholders come by to see what is so new. But after the newness wears off the attraction returns to the attendance levels it had prior to the overlay. Occasionally, they actually go down to lower levels because thanks to the internet people spred the bad word about the ride and people start avoiding it like the plauge. So in essence disney is spending big money for a temporary increase in attendance and a long term diminshing of the brand because after awhile people start getting bored of seeing cartoon charecters in every ride (just like they got bored of watching films, 3D movies, and simulators).

This has happened with Stitch's Great Escape replacing Alien Encounter, Monsters inc. replacing timekeeper, 3 Cabelleros replacing El Rio De Tiempo, etc.

Disney stop trying to turn every ride into a cartoon tie-in and start building n new original attractions again you know like Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, IT'S A SMALL WORLD, Big Thunder, Matterhorn, Peoplemover, original Submarine Voyage, Spaceship Earth, Captain Eo, original Journey into imagination, Horizons and the original Pirates of the Caribbean.

A few movie tie-ins are good when done right. Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Tower of Terror are examples of that and hopefully Carslands Radiator Springs Racers will be added to that list. But stop with retooling rides into cartoon tie-ins. If you want to upgrade a ride upgrade it without turning it into a summary of a movie or cartoon I can watch at home.

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by Ghostbuster626

Disney stop trying to turn every ride into a cartoon tie-in and start building n new original attractions again you know like Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, IT'S A SMALL WORLD, Big Thunder, Matterhorn, Peoplemover, original Submarine Voyage, Spaceship Earth, Captain Eo, original Journey into imagination, Horizons and the original Pirates of the Caribbean.

A few movie tie-ins are good when done right. Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Tower of Terror are examples of that and hopefully Carslands Radiator Springs Racers will be added to that list. But stop with retooling rides into cartoon tie-ins. If you want to upgrade a ride upgrade it without turning it into a summary of a movie or cartoon I can watch at home.

Of all the things Disney management doesn't understand, shelf life tops the list. The entire corporate management acts as if they have a terminal case of sequelitis.

[Sir.Mouse]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OC REGISTER CALLED ME BACK!!!!
when I got home I had a message from Jeff s miller of entertainment, he left his number and asked me to call him back!!! YESS! I encourage every one to go to the OC Register contact page and notify the entertainment division about the rumored changes.

To read the unaltered version of the e-mail I sent him click on the link in my signature.

[techskip]

Originally Posted by Sir.Mouse

I called oc register and long beach press telegram and sent e-mails to the writers. No news yet but I've been interviewing people on film about this everywhere I go. so far it's 50/50 either people are indifferent or they think it's unnecessary. But nothing close to the many extreme feelings here on micechat, which is fine. The main concern however, is if the song will be changed! I even met this guy who said his mom was a member of the choir that recored the original track. When my film project is complete it's going on youtube.

Last night I e-mailed Disneyland guest relations just to see what the reply will be. I hope it's not the standard " we need to keep Disneyland fresh" bit. and is it me or is that word used to validate anything thats new? How many times can you tell people that you need to keep "fresh"!

If anyone would like to see my letter it's at the link on my signature line.

If you expected the attitudes of Micechat to persist into the outside realm you are sadly mistaken. Micechat is full of diehard fans, current CM's, and CM's who miss what they did when they worked at the park..

Originally Posted by Sir.Mouse

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OC REGISTER CALLED ME BACK!!!!
when I got home I had a message from Jeff s miller of entertainment, he left his number and asked me to call him back!!! YESS! I encourage every one to go to the OC Register contact page and notify the entertainment division about the rumored changes.

To read the unaltered version of the e-mail I sent him click on the link in my signature.

And you wonder how a few Jungle Skips could cause so much trouble... there was a reason the Management team hated us and our Leads loved us... we were "special" in that "ADD overly hyper don't get bored or else" sort of way.

[Mr. Eggz]

Originally Posted by techskip

And you wonder how a few Jungle Skips could cause so much trouble... there was a reason the Management team hated us and our Leads loved us... we were "special" in that "ADD overly hyper don't get bored or else" sort of way.

huh?

[techskip]

Originally Posted by Mr. Eggz

huh?

Read the "Save Campaigns" thread... for more info as to why individuals have begun to post to the outside, specifically to the O.C. Register and the L.A. Times...

I really have not sided either way on the issue, but I know others feel strongly about it. I merely suggested that they apply their passions in a more productive manner that might make a significant difference. From the sound of it the O.C. Register is possibly interested... only time will tell.

Congrats to all who chose to write, good to read about individuals exploits and not just their feelings!

[Coheteboy]

Originally Posted by techskip

If you expected the attitudes of Micechat to persist into the outside realm you are sadly mistaken. Micechat is full of diehard fans, current CM's, and CM's who miss what they did when they worked at the park..

And you wonder how a few Jungle Skips could cause so much trouble... there was a reason the Management team hated us and our Leads loved us... we were "special" in that "ADD overly hyper don't get bored or else" sort of way.

Okaaay okay we know.. you skipped on the jungle cruise.... we get it.

[flynnibus]

Since someone brought up 'similar' campaigns... here is a very timely story which includes some of the lengths people went through to get their message through to CBS about canceling a series.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080317/tv_nm/jericho_dc_1

CBS faces fallout from "Jericho" maneuver

By James Hibberd Mon Mar 17, 1:03 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The dramatic Season 1 finale of CBS' "Jericho" concluded with two high-stakes cliffhangers: Will a Kansas town of nuclear war survivors successfully fight off a lawless invading militia? And will a network that dares to renew "Jericho" despite its below-the-line ratings be rewarded for having faith in the show?

Nearly a year later, the citizens of "Jericho" are alive and well. But CBS' roll of the dice hasn't quite paid off.

The seven-episode second season of "Jericho" returned in February and is averaging just 6.9 million viewers to date.

By online standards, the show has done better. The premiere was streamed about 700,000 times on CBS.com, and "Jericho" is one of the most downloaded shows on iTunes.

But online success doesn't yet pay the rent on a broadcast scripted drama. Two "Jericho" episodes remain, and chances of a pickup are slim. Producers shot two endings -- one a cliffhanger, one more of a wrap-up -- and oddsmakers bet CBS isn't risking another cliffhanger.

Which isn't to say that the network's decision last year was a mistake. Season 1's narrative home stretch -- a tense and emotional ramp-up to civil war -- was a creative peak. Fans desperate for more episodes organized what has been called the largest protest ever mounted to try and halt the cancellation of a TV show. Playing off a line of dialogue in the finale, viewers famously sent about 45,000 pounds of peanuts to CBS.

With audiences increasingly distracted by other entertainment media, what network wouldn't be tempted to give a second chance to a show that sparked so much enthusiasm with a story that kept getting more interesting? After all, viewers never get this riled up about "Cold Case."

A completely different way of looking at the "Jericho" renewal, however, was that the network actually did not listen to its viewers. The first six episodes in 2006 averaged a 3.5 rating, while the last six averaged a 2.4. In the cold light of Nielsen math, departing viewers might not have been mailing peanuts, but they too were sending a message: The show wasn't holding their interest.

"No matter what happens with 'Jericho,' there will be no regrets here," one CBS insider says. "We listened to our audience, and the producers delivered seven terrific episodes at a time we needed original programming during the writers strike."

But fans have a different take on the saga. Despite CBS risking a pickup, many blame the current "Jericho" woes on the network's lack of support.

"CBS should have done the right thing and gave 'Jericho' a chance," a fan wrote on a "Jericho" message board. "They gave it a terrible time slot, a lower budget (and) tried to cram an entire season into seven episodes."

It's true that "Jericho" budget cutbacks resulted in noticeable differences. Season 2 has been a ghost of the first -- missing characters, less action, fewer exterior shots and plenty of two-people-in-a-room scenes.

Showrunner Carol Barbee defended the network's cuts as "a blessing in disguise." "We'd have come back if they gave us $1.95 and three days to shoot," she says. "I like two people in a room talking. We've earned the right to not have to run-and-gun every few minutes. I think the quality has taken a huge leap up."

So what's the lesson to learn from "Jericho?" That networks should always base programming decisions strictly on the ratings?

With media distribution systems reaching young viewers in new ways, such a strict stance seems foolish. At its peak, "Jericho" infused its drama with likable characters caught in impossible moral dilemmas. Maybe the show's lesson is that, sometimes, there's just no right answer.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

Okaaay okay we know.. you skipped on the jungle cruise.... we get it.

Seriously...

Skips were the class clowns of DL... understood... move along.

[fo'c's'le swab]

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

Okaaay okay we know.. you skipped on the jungle cruise.... we get it.

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Seriously...

Skips were the class clowns of DL... understood... move along.

He was a skip????!!!!!

[Twist_of_Fate]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Since someone brought up 'similar' campaigns... here is a very timely story which includes some of the lengths people went through to get their message through to CBS about canceling a series.

I know this has been addressed, but the two situations aren't incredibly similar. The Jericho people managed to come out in a big enough force to actually impact advertising dollars. I suppose people could be making threats of "I'll never take a Disney vacation again if you change IASW," but even a comparable number of people wouldn't put a dent in Disney's pocket, and thus, no change from the rumored status quo. Think about how much money Disney makes on a daily basis from its operations. Think how many visitors worldwide it puts through its gates on a daily basis. Now subtract the highest estimated number of people that would actually care enough about IASW staying the same that they would never go to a Disney park (or even simply Disneyland) again. These figures aren't exactly convincing.

The biggest problem is that these are all still rumors. Sure, these are pretty credible rumors given who they are from, but even if you get this to media outlets, responsible reporters can't go too far off of rumors because that is opening them to lawsuits.

I know "Save the Rainforest" is a catchier title/slogan, but I find it funny that Al deemed the Rainforest change to be less controversial than the addition of Disney characters. I, personally, am excited about the Hello/Goodbye room changes. The addition of Disney characters is a toss-up for me. It really depends on how obnoxious the placement is and how they look. If (and only if) they can maintain the same visual style as everything else in the ride and don't have undue attention called to them, I'm perfectly fine with it. These rumors haven't addressed this question as far as I can tell. As far as the Rainforest room, I always liked that room, so the change here is somewhat sad, but I guess I want to see how they get America in there. Who knows, maybe in the end the America scene will have more to it than the Rainforest scene.

[techskip]

Good point, next time I should keep my mouth shut and let a Save Campaign build to 40 or so pages, no one call the outside, and just enjoy the complaints that didn't do anything... or... someone could suggest actually organizing the campaign and getting the word out. Sorry to help out and possibly produce some results! Maybe if someone had suggested this we would have had a post about the O.C. on page 2 or 3 instead of 25+