The strange obsession with discontinued rides

[DisneyIPresume]

If Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers is something naostalgic to you then I assume that you must be fairly young, and not old enough to witness a major ride that you love being closed and shut doen for good.

What if Disney decides to shut down Splash Mountain or Indy? Or more likely, Fantasmic! will be gone in about 10 years.

I'm thinking that if something like this happens, which it will just might becuase they've done it in the past, I bet you will be equally as nostalgic for these rides (as may I).

[PleaseRemainSeated]

Well, for one thing, comparing axed Disney attractions to old cartoons doesn't make good sense. Some things from our childhood aren't as appealing to us when we look back as adults because our tastes have changed so much. Some things really are fads, of course, but even when you cringe at old episodes of whatever show, your kids may love it, because they're still kids. The only reason you find it terrible is because you've changed.

And I'm just guessing that you're not a huge history buff. While there are those who actively wish for the return of old attractions, much of what I see expresses more of a "I wish I could have been there" emotion. If your particular interest happens to be Disney theme parks, it seems natural to wish you could participate now, in the height of your interest, in attractions that are no longer available to you, that you remember as a child, or that you never experienced at all. It's a natural human desire to want to see and experience things for yourself. I can hardly consider that strange. Are there really people in the world who don't at least idly, vaguely, casually think that it would be nice to have been present for every historical moment that interests them? Or was I just a weird kid?

[techskip]

I gotta go with Kiss on this and say that it depends on the attraction, some were closed due to lack of popularity, others closed to make room. I think most reminisce about about PM because nothing has been done with the tracks. People complain about Pooh and wish for CBJ because the execution of the attraction, in their eyes, was a downgrade from a previously entertaining show. HISTA to a lot of individuals has become stale, understandable given the area it is themed to and the amount of time the show has been running.

But not everything has a battle cry to be called back. It has been FOREVER since someone even mentioned Captain EO... or Motorboat Cruise... I think I was the last one to mention the Mark Fink Keel Boats, or some variant of Mine Train through Natures Wonderland. No one brings up the Stagecoaches, or the Mule Train... This thread is the first time I have read anyone asking for America Sings to be brought back. People pick and choose, but there are specific ones that come up time and again. In those cases it is likely more then just nostalgia, it was likely something a majority of individuals enjoyed. While they may not want an exact carbon copy to be built, they would like some version of it.

If I had to compile a "most common" list it would be
People Mover
ATIS
Skyway
CBJ
Subs (there is actually a pretty strong following of individuals who do not like the current version)

When you compare that list to the actual amount of attractions that have come and gone... you realize rather quickly that this is a small percentage... so as I said not everything has a mass following or echoing battle cry from the masses.

[Athlonacon]

We want what we don't have. It's as simple as that.

If we're broke, we want to be rich. But if we get rich, we long for the "simple" days of how it used to be. We see a nice car and want so badly to own one, then we buy it and find out what a pain it is to maintain.

We long for the past because we can't have it. It's human nature and it's one of the things that SUCKS about growing up.

[MickeyMousePal]

chiablo Wrote:

Remember watching Transformers, or Ninja Turtles back when you were a kid. Those shows were amazing and entertaining. Go watch an episode now and realize how absolutely terrible it truly is. Your memories make those shows and those rides great.

You do have a point that TMNT and Transformers might not be as good as it was 20 some years ago. The fact is that 80's cartoon shows or other shows are not forgotten. We still can reclaim these memories with DVD sets.
When a ride at Disneyland is gone for good we still have memories that want us to remember those experiences. For example I never went on Skyway or PeopleMover so I really can't compare my experience with others. I did manage to see Captain EO and the Country Bears back when I was younger. I don't really remember that Captain EO loss it's audience as much as HISTA did. Instead of takeing out rides why can't Disney just upgrade them like Star Tours 2. I do miss both shows and would like them to return but they can't so why complain about it. It's not like nobody ever filmed it or it's not on YouTube. Out with the old in with the new.

[Circa1966]

I think there are two aspects of this. There is nostalgia for lost attractions and for lost experiences. Personally for me, there are really no specific rides I really care about coming back. I wouldn't mind the Bears coming back and a new ATIS would be cool, but I'm not begging for their return. I would like the experience of a quality AA show and a classic Disney dark ride in Tomorrowland though.

I would like the experiece of traveling high over the park and the sense of motion that the PM, Skyway and RJ all offered to return in some form since that experience has been lost. Other then that, it's dissapointment that the new attractions aren't better than the old like others have said.

I think you hit the nail on the head, Uncle Bob...its not so much the specific attraction but the experience. Right - a birds-eye view of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, a cutting edge dark ride in Tomorrowland and an AA show in the Carousel Theater - something different than what's been there before. New attractions that "out-wow" the old...

[KISSman]

I did manage to see Captain EO and the Country Bears back when I was younger. I don't really remember that Captain EO loss it's audience as much as HISTA did. Instead of takeing out rides why can't Disney just upgrade them like Star Tours 2.

While I don't know for a fact, wasn't EO's demise, in part, due to the swirling circumstances surrounding the star of the show? I loved Captain EO and while I would love to experience it again, I would not really want it to come back for a 10 to 20 year run.

As for removing vs. upgrading, it all depends on the attraction. As for Star Wars/Tours, it's the most popular movie franchise of all-time so that alone is enough reason to keep it around. But how many times can we revamp Innoventions? Did we really want an upgraded Superstar Limo? Would a new selection of songs and outfits really going to make the Country Bears a lot more appealing? Sometimes it's just time to move on.

I think it all depends on the attraction. Not everything is equally as good as everything else.

If I had to compile a "most common" list it would be:

People Mover
Skyway
Subs (there is actually a pretty strong following of individuals who do not like the current version)

When you compare that list to the actual amount of attractions that have come and gone... you realize rather quickly that this is a small percentage... so as I said not everything has a mass following or echoing battle cry from the masses.

I'm so on-board with bringing back the PeopleMover that it's not even funny! It's the only ride that doesn't exist that I want to return.

The Skyway was fun and missed, but that's something that probably has zero chance of ever returning due to the nature of the attracton. I'd like it to come back, but I don't long for it.

And I almost hate myself for saying it, but I really wish the Subs would go back to the way they used to be. Having something is still better than having nothing, but still... Actually, I'd be open to it being different than the way it used to be so as long as they just un-Nemo'd it. I'm not anti-Pixar or anything, but for this particular attraction, it's not very fun nor very re-rideable.

[Radiobarry]

We want what we don't have. It's as simple as that.

If you mean the overall more entertaining park of the past, compared to what they have now, I guess I'd have to agree. They have eliminated attractions and left those spaces with lesser ones. They took a popular section of the park and tried to "fix" it and look what's happened to Tomorrowland.

Yep, guess you're right. I want what we once had...but don't now.

Nostalgia? Partly I guess. A lot of people yearn for Disneyland "the way it used to be". Because it was quite simply, better.

- Barry

PS...as for the subs...I've seen the Nemo thing three times, and really have no desire to see it again. Bring back the old subs, and while we're at it, the mermaids!

[CASurfer65]

I agree that had ATIS hung around, it probably would have been taken up to more contemporary standards by now, and I think it would still be received quite well. The concept of being shrunk down to the size of an atom is quite provocative actually.
Star Tours is a good attraction, but once or twice was enough for me. And being that the movie wasn't a Disney property, I have always felt somewhat disconnected from it, even if the attraction was a collaboration of forces that included Disney.
What made ATIS for me was the narration and the music. Very dramatic and thought provoking. It was a simplistic attraction, but still interesting in many ways.
Though ATIS would be my preference, I can see why Star Tours will trump ATIS in the opinions of most. So keeping it at this point is certainly understandable.
If they could fit an updated ATIS where Buzz Lightyear is though, that would be very cool.
Subs, taken back to its original incarnation, but implementing the technology being used for Nemo would be quite spectacular.
America Sings, though dated, still seemed a more popular choice for that show building than Innoventions has proven.
I don't think nostalgia is a bad thing. Especially when the feelings that are being expressed due to that nostalgia are being directed toward certain attractions that were popular.
Taking out Mars and putting in a restaurant? Wouldn't have been my choice. Mars was dated and not as heavily visited as it once was, but at least it was something. With some upgrades, it too could still be a very cool attraction. Only now are we starting to make strides toward learning more about the Red Planet as we physically explore the planet.
Having the PM track sit idle for so long? There is something wrong with that. Some might wish for a return of PM for nostalgic reasons (and there was really nothing wrong with the concept of the attraction in the first place---other than some mechanical issues), but others will wish it back simply because it's better than having nothing up there.
Apparently CofP and PM remain popular at WDW. Having PM and Sings/CofP back at DL would at least provide some action in those areas of Tomorrowland.
I know that Mr. Disney wanted things to progress and move forward with the times....but when you're taking things out, only to let them sit vacant, or are replacing them with things that are not all that provocative, that's not real progress, and it's what brings the nostalgia back for many. We'd rather have some of those originals back than having nothing interesting there at all.
I guess it all comes down to personal opinion.

[Retrocool]

Remember watching Transformers, or Ninja Turtles back when you were a kid.

Nope. I was an adult when those were on TV. Never watched 'em.

If they were to recreate and open some of these rides, there would be a sudden burst of attendance, then it would immediately drop off. There's a reason these rides were closed down. In particular: Adventures Thru Inner Space. I think this ride would be more embarrasing to ride on than any nostalgia could ever make up for.

If they were to remake that attraction exactly as it was, yes, it would be popular for a brief time, then fall off. But most of us are intelligent enough to recognize the passage of time (having lived through the passing of so much of it), and realize that a more modern take on the general story idea would be appropriate, with accompanying technological advances as part of the show.

I'm betting that 5 years after Honey I Shrunk The Audience is closed and replaced that people on Micechat will be begging for it's return.

Mmm, not likely. I saw Captain EO plenty of times and while I enjoyed it, I'm not clamoring for its return, either.

Maybe I'm missing something, or just particularly cynical.

Maybe both!

Yes, to some degree, positive nostalgic feelings are part of it. But not always. Sometimes, it's just a matter of better-executed attractions, better backstories, or just overall better design.

Compare the original Star Wars trilogy to Episodes I-III. Better analogy that Saturday morning cartoons from the 80s. Not everything made before you came of age sucks. Sometimes, the old things and ways really WERE better.

[cticket]

Some rides were replaced for better ones. Some I miss e.g. Skyway because I loved them so much as a kid.

[Cuddles McHenry]

..and yeh bring back the peoplemover. Obessed? heck ya!

[Not Quite Cpt Jack]

A lot of the peoplemover pining is due to the track's visibility in the park. It screams for use!

[vonrollskyway1]

obsessed with a single ride.yes im proudly obsessed with the disneyland skyway.i have a vonroll tattoo on my arm(the manufacture of the skyway)i run a disneyland skyway group on yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/disneylandskyway/ i have a model operating skyway in my backyard.i collect all kinds of skyway items.log books from 1979,operating manuals,even a vonroll type 101 grip from the disneyland skyway.i was the last person to ride on the disneyland skyway back on nov 9 1994 at 6:23 pm.i ride the san diego zoo and seaworld skyrides weekly because i need the skyway fix.the skyway was a great attraction that should have never been removed.love ya skyway.

[Saddlesore Swanson]

I definitely have a "strange obsession with discontinued rides."

But even more than that, I have a strange obsession with rides that were never even built!

What sense does that make?