Reliving Fond Memories: Catchin’ Up At the Park - Part One
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The new entryway. Is that a hidden Mickey??
The effects at the beginning of the ride are a lot of fun. Colorful and Disorienting, the car heads into the blackness. The new tracks are smooth and faster, though still familiar after close to thirty years of riding it. The flyby windows have been sealed off, the coaster space is completely in darkness with star fields splattered everywhere. But where is the flying cookie?
The effects at the end are also fun and a good way to finish the ride. I liked the music too. I couldn’t quite understand the Dick Dale in Space music, though I loved the idea of music in the attraction. I think the new stuff is superior and really adds to the experience.
But wait! That’s not all. Now I’m interested in seeing what they do at night when Space Mountain transforms into “Rockit Mountain�?, aiming directly into the heart of teen guests. I would be very interested in seeing that, since the entire attraction is already more than “teen friendly�? (could it be Raven in Space??).
In all, the changes to the attraction are satisfying. I think they are all great improvements. I would have liked them to do a little more with the final exit, at least some kind of screens or holograms or whatever showing the current state of space travels. That would have been a nice cherry on the sundae.
Once was lost…I took this photo late Summer ‘04
The other attraction I had to see was the Tiki Room. Driven, you see, there is no choice. Since I am a hopeless Disney classicist, I will always have a soft spot for the older attractions, no matter how quaint they become. In fact, the cornier the better. Disney was always taken to task by the Elites for his corny (low brow, they sniff) humor. Disney, in turn, laughed his way to the bank. But that kind of old timey jokiness takes me right back to the times when I sat in front of my TV as a kid in jammies at the grandparent’s house, watching Disneyland on TV. I was always bored with “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh�? or “Sammy the Way-Out Seal�? (Though they worked in a pinch); I really wanted to see behind the scene stuff about Disneyland. I loved it when they showed scenes from the Haunted Mansion as the Osmonds and PJ Beaker tiptoed on, or how they made the pirates move. The scene of the Imagineer making faces, and the pirate head mechanically imitating him will live in the back room of my mind forever. I’ll be 300 years old, sitting quietly in my nursing home on the Moon, and I will be telling nurses about when I saw The Wonderful World of Color for the first time. Or Jose explaining how the audio animatronics work (along with making coffee). That was mother’s milk to me. I stared slack jawed until the program was over much too soon, the wheels moving in my head. I loved it so much that not only did I want to be at Disneyland enjoying the attractions but I wanted to be a part of the team creating it. I wanted to wallow in Disneyness, roll around and swim in it.
The Master playing with an expensive toy.
So it was my duty to see what had been done to the Tiki Room. The new queue area was pleasant and open, the sounds of the various gods cleaned up and the animations all in working order. Only the area seems a little too far out in the open. I thought that some plant life, some foliage modestly masking the grandeur of the Tiki gods would be cool. I thought the new sign was well done, but then again I’m a sucker for torches. Adventureland needs more torches. I was always a fan of the torches along the entrance. At night, the flickering lights make the jungle seem much more mysterious, exotic, elusive.
Inside the attraction is basically the same show (Am I imagining things, or is the show getting chorter and chorter each year?). The lighting is brighter, and the busted singing star gazers and irises have been repaired. That was disheartening to watch flowers with broken necks straining to sing lilting Hawaiian ballads. The place is spotless and dusted. The feathers on the birds are lively and clean. The effects are crisp, and it’s good to see ALL the totem tikis winking and singing. In short, it doesn’t look like a neglected elderly relative because he is no longer a profitable wage earner. It looks like a respected member of the community once more. And the guests love it. They were laughing at the corn and singing with Fifi and Gigi. And what’s not to enjoy? The signature tune is as engrained as “It’s A Small World�?. The kidlets were standing on their parent’s lap, eyes wide, pointing.
Nice new entry. Me like fire lots!
I’m very pleased the attraction remains, playing to full houses during the day. I think an attraction this old has gone through some very public phases of initial surprise and pleasure, familiarity and boredom, then a vague hostility, blooming to robust respect and enthusiasm as the people accept and trust something that has survived the tastes of a fickle public and a management team trying to second guess the fads. In the end, quality always wins out. That’s another lesson from the “corny old man�? the hotshot MBAs in Burbank needs to listen to.
Welcome back to both attractions. I never realized how much I missed them. Space Mountain had been gone for so long that I had gotten used to the idea of Tomorrowland being a wasteland I passed by. Now the spokes have been fixed and the park rotates completely again. I’m excited for the submarines to return. I’m a fan of the water attractions (even IASW), so I can’t get enough of that.
Now…if WDI would pull out Aladdin’s Storytime and reinstall the Tahitian Terrace…
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-- Posted September 2, 2005