Guilty Pleasure & Innocent Pain

[PSUMark]

Guilty Pleasure: Spectromagic. I realize that objectively it's not as good a parade as the MSEP (though I would argue the MSEP's scale is off for WDW's MK which is why it belongs in DL), and everything about Spectro screams "Eisner" (and I'm no fan of Eisner), but I was the right age for this parade when it came out, and to this day, it's probably the most emotional/nostalgic experience on property for me. I just need to hear the soundtrack and I get goosebumps and start to tear up a little. I really wish they'd bring it back and send the MSEP (y'know, the special parade that was part of the summer promotion in 2009) back to CA where it belongs.

Guilty Pleasure Honorable Mention: Universe of Energy in its current incarnation (I honestly can't figure out whether I enjoy it genuinely or ironically).

Innocent Pain: Soarin'. Now before you jump down my throat, let me qualify this. Soarin' is enjoyable and a very relaxing experience. It has one of the best soundtracks of any Disney attraction ever. And... It has nothing whatsoever to do with The Land Pavilion or Epcot Future World. This represents one of the greatest missed opportunities in Epcot's history. There is so much more they could have done with the Soarin' technology - in World Showcase. Think about it - it could've been added to one of the existing countries that doesn't have an attraction. Or better yet, it could've been put in one of the expansion pad areas where it could've functioned as an airport to countries unrepresented in World Showcase (with several alternating films). That would've been so cool. What'd we get instead? An exact clone of the attraction in CA (but with a more boring/generic queue), placed in Future World where it has 0 relevance, and a show building that adds to the already-way-too-long list of visual intrusions in World Showcase. Blech

---------- Post added 06-14-2012 at 11:52 PM ----------

This! The dedicated theater for it in WDW holds nowhere near the wonder of the Rivers Of America or New Orleans Square parts of Disneyland.

Personally, I like being able to sit down at WDW, but the show itself is so much better at DL. That's the biggest difference IMHO, though you're right that New Orleans Square has a lot more charm than a generic, gigantic amphitheater.

[Twist1234]

Innocent Pain: Soarin'. Now before you jump down my throat, let me qualify this. Soarin' is enjoyable and a very relaxing experience. It has one of the best soundtracks of any Disney attraction ever. And... It has nothing whatsoever to do with The Land Pavilion or Epcot Future World. This represents one of the greatest missed opportunities in Epcot's history. There is so much more they could have done with the Soarin' technology - in World Showcase. Think about it - it could've been added to one of the existing countries that doesn't have an attraction. Or better yet, it could've been put in one of the expansion pad areas where it could've functioned as an airport to countries unrepresented in World Showcase (with several alternating films). That would've been so cool. What'd we get instead? An exact clone of the attraction in CA (but with a more boring/generic queue), placed in Future World where it has 0 relevance, and a show building that adds to the already-way-too-long list of visual intrusions in World Showcase. Blech .

While I partly agree Soarin' was considered for several World Showcase pavilions but WDI never found a good spot for it and I would say it does sort of fit with the Land because it's a pavilion on the land and what do you do in Soarin'? Admire scenery, but yeah could have been pulled off better.

[tofubeast]

Guilty Pleasure:
Carousel of Progress. My "let's pay tribute to Walt Disney" ride. Love the history of this ride (World's Fair) and that it is still spinning around all these years. Love the optimism too!

Innocent Pain: I really want to say Stitch, but I am going to saw Test Track. I never saw anything appealing about that ride. My drive up 95/turnpike to get to WDW is more thrilling. Really hoping that the refurb makes this ride a must do for me.

[ttintagel]

It has nothing whatsoever to do with The Land Pavilion

I disagree with the "nothing whatsoever" part. While it doesn't go in-depth, it does show an overview of the widely varying topography and geomorphology found in one area of the U.S.

That said, I would love to see Soarin' 2.0 encompass a wider area.

[PSUMark]

I would say it does sort of fit with the Land because it's a pavilion on the land and what do you do in Soarin'? Admire scenery

I disagree with the "nothing whatsoever" part. While it doesn't go in-depth, it does show an overview of the widely varying topography and geomorphology found in one area of the U.S.

I maintain that Soarin' has nothing whatsoever to do with The Land. The Land is about agriculture and environmental harmony, not "admiring scenery." And Soarin' doesn't present an "overview" in any meaningful sense - there's no discussion of how the different topographies developed, or why they're so varied in that region of the country, or how we can live on or otherwise utilize that land in an ecologically friendly manner - it's just a sightseeing tour of CA. That's all it is. Great for a theme park about CA; completely out of place in a Future World pavilion.

[englanddg]

I maintain that Soarin' has nothing whatsoever to do with The Land. The Land is about agriculture and environmental harmony, not "admiring scenery." And Soarin' doesn't present an "overview" in any meaningful sense - there's no discussion of how the different topographies developed, or why they're so varied in that region of the country, or how we can live on or otherwise utilize that land in an ecologically friendly manner - it's just a sightseeing tour of CA. That's all it is. Great for a theme park about CA; completely out of place in a Future World pavilion.

Wait...you mean you want to go to EPCOT and actually LEARN something?

Blasphomy!

[WDW1971]

MAGIC KINGDOM:

Guilty Pleasure: Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Innocent Pain: Tomorrowland Speedway

EPCOT:

Guilty Pleasure: Ellen's Energy Adventure
Innocent Pain: Captain EO

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS:

Guilty Pleasure: Animation Academy

Innocent Pain: Studio Backlot Tour

ANIMAL KINGDOM:

Guilty Pleasure: Festival of the Lion King

Innocent Pain: Finding Nemo - The Musical

[yoyoflamingo]

Guilty Pleasure: Sounds Dangerous. I know most people loathed it, but I always thought it was a cute diversion. Drew Carey was a likeable character and though it's not a headliner, it was always fun for me. (Though, if something fantastic replaces it, I 'm not going to mourn its loss too much. )

Innocent Pain: Festival of the Lion King. I just don't get the appeal. The Lion King never really resonated with me, and I have no interest in the cirque type shows, so this seems to be not the show for me.

[Dapper Dan]

Here's a weird one:

Guilty Pleasure: Pizza. I don't know what all the complaints are about. I actually liked the pizzas they used to serve at Pinocchio's and other places. I never found them to be gross or rubbery. My fiance also developed a weird obsession with the pizza you can get delivered to your room if you stay onsite. Granted neither of us are foodies, but I still don't get all the hate.

Innocent Pain: Soarin'. I don't get why this ride is the greatest thing ever. It's not even that it's the California film, or that it has no place in The Land, though I agree with that. I don't even get why the ride experience is so amazing. It's a motion simulator with a smelitzer. It's not like it's some marvel of model engineering no matter how much the dude that designed it and his erector set wants you to think it is. I went on Soarin once and all it did for me was make me wish Horizons was still around when the orange smell got blown in my face. In fact, that's how my cousin hyped it for me. "We have to go on Soarin," he said. "It has the Horizons smell."