Disney Parks are incredibly popular places, and their fans tend to have strong opinions on their favorite parks and attractions.
So here are five of my most controversial Disney Parks opinions.
5. Intellectual Properties Can Work In World Showcase
One of the most common complaints among diehard Disney fans in recent years has been the increasing number of characters coming into the World Showcase in Epcot. But I really don't think that is all that bad.
Epcot is and has always been my favorite park, but if done well, characters really can work in the World Showcase. Frozen Ever After doesn't fit perfectly, but the Frozen meet and greet, Royal Summerhus was a wonderful addition to the Norway Pavillion. Ratatouille also fits perfectly in the France Pavilion, as the film itself was a celebration of French culture through food in Paris.
The issue is Disney pushing films into countries where they don't belong. I would have loved it if Mary Poppins had actually gotten built in the UK Pavilion. I think Coco would be an amazing ride for Mexico. World Showcase can still be an authentic worldly experience while using Disney characters, as long as those characters fit the world they are representing.
4. Test Track 1.0 Was Better
Test Track was redesigned in 2012 into a completely redesigned version of the same basic idea. But there were significant differences. It removed the preshow for a design your own car aspect, and traded out its real-world car testing facility theme for a simulated test track that you might find in a computer, giving the ride a Tron-like aesthetic.
But this robbed the ride of a lot of what made the original version great. The original queue line had amazing displays of test dummies and various car testing devices that built anticipation for the ride you were about to experience. It had character, and the current queue line, which is honestly reminiscent of a car dealership, does not live up to the original.
The redesign also took out many of the great practical effects in the ride itself, replacing them with projection mapping. While the projections are nice, they are not adequate replacements and some are even starting to look a bit dated.
The new version was not a positive change, and was at best a neutral move for the ride.
3. Pixar Pier Works
Pixar Pier has largely been met with apathy or anger by Disney Parks fans, criticizing the overall theme of the land as nonsensical, and the aesthetics not fitting with one another. The "a pier has nothing to do with Pixar" complaint or versions of it has been incredibly common.
But honestly, I think the land works. Pixar Pier honestly feels like a modern reinterpretation of the original version of Fantasyland. For those unfamiliar, Fantasyland in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom original featured a medieval carnival theme, with each attraction found in classic-style tents. This allowed the various locations of the early Fantasyland attractions to all be tied together by a common aesthetic as their locations were so different (London/Neverland, an enchanted kingdom, Toad Hall, Wonderland, and more).
Pixar films do not take place in a common location just as with Disney films, and this land allows for all of Pixar to have a place in the Disneyland Resort within a seaside amusement park-style setting.
While this does not make sense for any of the films in the abstract, the rides all work within their respective backstories. A roller coaster being dedicated to The Incredibles. A carnival-themed toy set. It is far from perfect, but it does what it is supposed to do much better than its reputation would suggest.
2. Disney World's Pirates of the Caribbean Isn't Good
Ok, it is fine, but it is easily the weakest version of this attraction in the world.
It is short, the storyline is presented out of order, and several scenes feel rushed compared to other versions. This ride was rushed into construction shortly after Walt Disney World opened to silence fan complaints of its absence, and the speed of its planning and construction can still be felt to this day.
This ride needs an upgrade desperately to bring it up to par with other versions of the ride. Even a few added effects exclusive to this version could make a huge difference.
1. Haunted Mansion Holiday Should Only Open at Christmas
While it is debatable whether Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or a Christmas movie, this seasonal overlay is undeniably a Christmas ride in my view. It features a story of Christmas being celebrated in the Haunted Mansion, with none of the preparation that the film features, instead only featuring the spooky characters and decorations in their final Christmas forms.
This is an amazing overlay that is an amazing experience for any fan of the ride or the film, and it adds so much seasonal charm to the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. But it is ridiculous that the Haunted Mansion, the spookiest ride at Disneyland, is not open for the Halloween season.
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