Mickey’s Toontown Fair is Officially Gone

Last week Mickey’s Toontown Fair officially closed.  I’ll be honest.  In all my trips to Disney World I never once went through this area of the Magic Kingdom.  I never rode any of the rides or saw any of the characters there.

If I had been able to get down to Disney before the area was shut down I would have gone through it.  It sounded ok and seemed like it had some fun areas and details.  I guess that’s my only regret is the fact that I never got to really see Toontown.

I know a lot of other people are really upset at seeing this area close.   I can understand that.  I feel bummed every time I think about the original Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, World of Motion, and the Original Version of the Universe of Energy.

Most of the time people are not upset about the attraction closing.  Most of the time people are upset because it feels like something is being taken away and there is nothing they can do about it.  People like to go back to Disney and share their memories with family and friends.  You can stop and point to an area and reminisce about a fond memory.  When that area is no longer there you are just left with a memory.  When the area no longer exists you can’t relive the experience with your children or friends.  I think that’s what really bothers people.

One thing I try to keep in mind when anything is replaced is the “Norway Syndrome.” The Norway Syndrome is when something is left in place for too long and it goes from relevant to annoying to humorous.  Of course I am talking about the movie in Norway.  Believe it or not but that was an ok movie when I was a kid and saw it the year it opened.  Within ten years it was bad and needed to be replaced.  If it had been replaced I guarantee you that there would be people today who would claim the movie was good and wish it hadn’t been replaced.

Even though we loved Horizons and other long gone attractions would we still love them today?  Sometimes we would.  Sometimes Disney makes a timeless attraction like the original Journey Into Imagination.  If Horizons was still around it would have needed some major rehabs over the years but we might still like it.

Let us hope that the Mickey’s Toontown Fair attractions are remembered with more smiles than frowns ten years from now.

Kodak Flees the Scene

Years after funding the worst ride overhaul in the history of Walt Disney World, Kodak has ended their sponsorship of the Imagination Pavilion.

There is a long, well documented history of the downward spiral of this pavilion. I encourage everyone to look into it. It’s quite the story and less believable than half the stuff I write on this blog.

The best overview was done by the guys over at Walt Disney World News Today. They did a back to the future episode on the imagination pavilion that was epic.

I had a good laugh when I heard that Kodak had ended its sponsorship. Why? Because they didn’t state a reason for ending the sponsorship. For once a company just laid it out like it was. They didn’t need to state a reason. Everyone knows why they dropped it. If you don’t know why then ask yourself who would want to sponsor that pavilion. The answer is simple – NO ONE!

It’s a real shame too. From the outside it’s the most attractive pavilion in Future world. It’s too bad the inside is rotten to the core.

The other sad thing about Kodak pulling out is the history involved. Since Epcot opened Kodak has been there. They’ve been a huge supporter of Disney through the years. I bought my first camera and film from a Kodak booth in Epcot when I was a kid. I know times have changed and Kodak is a shell of what they once were but it’s always hard to say goodbye to someone you’ve been with for over twenty years.

Miracle Ear Must Have Boosted Their Sponsorship

I know Miracle Ear is not an “official” sponsor of Disney but I am now convinced that they are paying big bucks to get Disney to crank the volume. I swear Disney is much louder now that it was before.

La Nouba: This show is very loud, far too loud. Not only that they have signs that say they have equipment for the hard of hearing. If you can’t hear this show, check your pulse because you are most likely dead. They should have noise canceling headphones for the rest of us so we don’t go deaf.

The Circle of Life: Wow. That’s all I can say about this one is wow. It’s so loud it hurts. I guess because the movie is awful and preachy they thought it would add some excitement if they cranked the volume. It’s either that or the cast member in charge id deaf.

Journey Into Imagination: This ride is bad to begin with. It didn’t need to be louder but they made it much louder. I am glad my wife didn’t go on this ride with me. She had a headache so skipped it. This ride would have killed her.

Dinosaur: I’ve never noticed this being a really loud ride but my wife can’t stand parts of it because it hurts her ears. Our ride photo was identical because she’s shying away from the sonic boom that hits you when the dinosaur charges you.

Those are just the worst offenders. There are many more. I am not kidding when I say my wife and I are planning on bring ear plugs for our next trip.

Tower of Terror Update

I was a little bummed when I heard about the upcoming changes to the Tower of Terror. I have to admit I feel that way because I'm being selfish. I don't want the Tower of Terror to be down for my upcoming vacation.

One thing I wonder about when it comes to the Tower of Terror is - how can you make it better? The only think I could think of was to make it longer. You can't really do that without major changes. Just adding a few drops wouldn't be a big deal.

The next thing that came to mind was to add some more special effects to it. The only problem with that is we'd end up comparing it to the original or even complaining about it and claiming the original was better.

The biggest issue is the simple fact that the Tower of Terror is one of the best rides in Disney World. With so many rides badly needing updates why would you change the best ride you have? Put the money into Journey Into Imagine, Ellen's Energy Adventure, or Stich's Great Escape. Make Disney really better not just a little better.

The Problem with Planning

I’ve heard some people complain that attractions are not timed correctly. They feel that an attraction is coming out after the fact. Two good examples are Pooh and American Idol.

Pooh had made a little comeback in the early to mid nineties. I don’t know what caused it but I remember people liking Pooh. For Disney to time the opening of Pooh correctly they would have had to open Pooh around 1994. Instead it opened years later.

Idol opened about three years too late. A lot of people have scratched their heads trying to figure out the timing. Why would you open a big attraction when what it’s based on seems to be waning?

The big thing to remember in both cases is the risk / reward. Opening Pooh in 94 would mean you’d have to start planning it around 91. Construction is typically is fastest step. It takes a long time to develop a ride and get it off the drawing board. In 91 the Pooh thing had barely started if it had started at all. In 91 the idea would have seemed foolish. It would have been a huge risk.

What if Disney had opened Idol a few years ago? Big risk. The first season was huge. The second season was big too. However, how many TV shows, especially reality shows, last more than three or four seasons? Disney could have found itself opening an attraction for a canceled show. By waiting they know the show will be around for at least a few more years and they found a sponsor to pay for it. In other words – low risk.

In both cases if Disney could have opened them during the peaks of Idol and Pooh they would have attracted far more people but that just wasn’t possible. Despite the rumors, Disney does not have a crystal ball or a time machine (yet). If they did do you think they would have opened Stich’s Great Escape, overhauled Journey Into Imagination, or opened any of the other shockingly bad attractions over the years?

The Jumping Fountains

Now that “Honey I Shrunk the Audience” has been allowed to stay around far longer than it should have and Journey Into Imagination has been converted into a shameful wreck of what it once was, why should you go to the Imagination Pavilion? You need to see the fountains. One of the best parts of the Imagination Pavilion is the jumping fountains.

The jumping fountains are off to the side and could be missed by a militant family trying to cover everything in one day. They are as described. They are fountains that jump. They are not like the normal jumping fountains that just jump straight up in the air. They jump in arcs from one circle to the next. They don’t go nonstop either. They jump at intervals and can catch people off guard.

They can also be used to trick people. When I was a kid I didn’t know about the jumping fountains but my sister did. She convinced me to climb up on the small three foot wall that they are on. You can imagine what happened next. The fountain went off and I got hit in the back of the head. Being a “bright” child I turned around to see what happened and got another shot of water in the face.

At first I was upset but then I decided it was fun and started jumping in front of all of the spouts. My parents just gave up and realized that I was going to be soaked for the rest of the day.

If you ever find yourself in Epcot and want to cool off or think someone else needs to cool off, just take a trip over to the Imagination Pavilion.