Mouse Extra

Today’s rumor comes courtesy of Ricky Brigante, from the extremely well produced “Inside the Magic” podcast.  According to Brigante, there is a possibility that a new Pirates of the Caribbean themed restaurant, likely a sit-down, will go into Adventureland, perhaps where El Pirata y el Perico is now. 

Brigante suggests it may have some audio animatronics as part of the décor.  The figure that was added to the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney immediately comes to mind.  My 3 year old niece stared at that thing for what seemed like hours, so it certainly works with the kids.  He also mentioned “characters running around”, to paraphrase the host.  Perhaps Captain Jack can move his tutorial indoors?

The other part of the rumor that I found most intriguing, and also less plausible, was that the theme of this new restaurant may be that of Tortuga, the famed pirate port in the films.  The only problem is that Tortuga certainly doesn’t fit the Magic Kingdom’s kid-friendly environment.  It’s a place that auctions women, sees is fair share of bar fights, and doesn’t exactly cater to the family crowd.

So this gets me to thinking…wouldn’t a Tortuga themed tavern make a great addition to the Disney-MGM Studios?  Or even better yet, Downtown Disney?  I know the Magic Kingdom is in desperate need of a good sit-down, but to water this idea down to make it fit there would kill the concept’s potential.  Any ideas?

So after months of voting, the Mouse Guest Weekly Disney World Attraction Tournament has reached the finals.  It comes as no surprise that the two most popular attractions in the tourney are the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, however I can’t help but to give my two cents.

While I personally adore both of these attractions, and I certainly recognize that they hold iconic status among the Disney fanatics out there, these two are not the best rides ever produced at Walt Disney World.  In fact, they are not even the best examples of their own individual concepts.  Pirates of the Caribbean, and even the Haunted Mansion to a lesser extent, is a much better experience at Disneyland.  It’s longer, more immersive and original.  At Disney World, it is only a copy, and a cheap one at that.

During this week’s Mouse Guest Weekly podcast, Eric (co-host) calls these two attractions, “the pinnacle of Disney Imagineering”.  I beg to differ.  From what I can tell, these aren’t even representative of the pinnacle of the ideas they are based on.  In fact, they are more representative of one of the most puzzling criticisms of WDI.  If you are going to take a concept and copy it for another park, why water it down?  Why make it a lesser version when you know the original is a masterpiece?  Shouldn’t we try and improve a concept and not dilute it? 

Well, the answers to these questions can be seen in the results of this tournament.  People don’t care that Florida got cheap versions, but to call it a great example of what Imagineering has achieved is not at all accurate.  It would be more accurate to call it an example of Imagineering being rather unimaginative.  They could have “plussed” these great concepts, but instead they “minused” them.

So what would the two finalists be in Dave’s world?  Certainly a top attraction would have to be originated or at least perfected for Walt Disney World, if not unique to it.  It would have to be immersive, eye-popping, and loads of fun.  So rather than name just two, here’s a list to choose from of attractions that fit into the above criteria…

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Spaceship Earth
Expedition Everest
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Mickey’s Philharmagic
The Monorail
Test Track
The Great Movie Ride

All of these attractions are either Disney World originals, or as in the case of Splash Mountains and the Monorail, improvements over the Disneyland version.  To me, these are the true essence of the best Walt Disney World has to offer, and not lesser representations of the essence of what Disneyland has to offer.  (If I were picking, it would be the Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain.)

Don’t mistake what I am saying here to mean I don’t like the Pirates or the Mansion.  That’s not my point at all.  In fact, I would say they should both be in the Elite Eight.  I just would not make them a finalist since they certainly do not represent what makes Disney World so wonderful, or even what makes Imagineering great.

The Mouse Guest Weekly podcast’s WDW Attraction Tournament is down to the final four.  After weeks of voting, the four finalists are Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Soarin’, and Splash Mountain.  Go to the link above to cast your vote.

Keep in mind that the show’s hosts, Eric and Dan, seeded their 64 top attractions in the tournament much like the NCAA does with basketball.  These four are not necessarily the four most popular attractions, but they are the 4 that came out winners of their brackets.  The match-ups pit Pirates against Splash Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion against Soarin’.

Soarin’ has a tall task ahead.  The Haunted Mansion is a re-make of a classic Disney creation.  Personally, I think some of the newer attractions are more worthy then either of these, especially ones that were unique to, or at least began at, Disney World.  Expedition Everest, the Tower of Terror, Spaceship Earth, and Kilimanjaro Safari’s are all attractions that fit this mold.  The Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom is the lesser step-child of the Disneyland attraction, and so is Pirates.  But that’s just one man’s view.  I like the old Disneyland re-makes, but I truly prefer the stuff that makes Disney World unique.

Pirates has yet to be truly tested in this tournament.  Spaceship Earth and Mickey’s Philharmagic have been its stiffest competition.  But if I were guessing, I would say that Pirates faces the Mansion and wins a tough one.  Adding Captain Jack Sparrow to the ride has really broadened the appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean, so I would guess that it would get more votes across the board.

by Dave

Podcasting the Mouse is going to be a recurring column about the army of Disney-related podcasts that are now available. I listen to many of them regularly, and when something sparks my interested I will post it here. Check back, and feel free to add your views on these shows as well.

The first one I would like to discuss and I will probably discuss often because I really like it, is Mouseguest Weekly. The hosts, Dan and Eric, have a unique format to their show. They don’t really fill the program with news, rumors, or interviews like many others, nor do they just babble endlessly about their opinions. There is a nice structure to the show, and no one else really does what they do. They also happen to have the single nicest website, hands down, of any of their peers, and they have plans to make it much, much better with a beta version that will offer virtual tours of the Disney parks.

Currently they are holding the WDW Attractions Tournament. What they have done is group the attractions into a bracket like the NCAA basketball tournament, pairing attraction into one-on-one match-ups, and allowing the listeners a weeks to vote on which they like better. They have a few weeks to go, so go and vote. Let me tell you, this is one of the great addiction feeders I know of.

This week attractions are going for a place in the Sweet 16. There are four pairings per week right now, and two are very interesting.

The first has Mickey’s Philharmagic, a #4 seed, against the #5 seed Jungle Cruise. Now besides the fact that I would have seeded them the other way around, I think this one should be very close. Jungle Cruise is an all-time favorite of the purists and still maintains some appeal to the younger generation, though limited appeal in my opinion. Mickey’s Philharmagic has been wildly popular and is brilliant. Will the new favorite beat out the old?

The second one that is tough to call has the Tower of Terror against the Monorail. (Yes, the Monorail is an attraction by any standard). To me, the Tower of Terror is one of WDI’s crown jewels. The ride is great fun, the building is amazing, and the themeing is terrific. It really is an e-ticket through and through. But this is the Monorail we are talking about, an icon of WDW to all who come there.

Go and vote. You can find them at mouseguest.com