Sometimes the real magic is in the details…
Walt Disney World has always been famous for their attention to detail. From tiny Easter eggs on rides to immersive nuances in land scenery, Disney is great at highlighting the little things that make the Most Magical Place on Earth so captivating. Even in refurbishments, improvements to rides don’t always have to be huge, sweeping changes. Little details can make a big difference, like the improvement on graphics for Mission: SPACE Orange Team or fixing immobile dinosaurs on Animal Kingdom’s Dinosaur.
Even Disney misses the little things sometimes, and repeat visitors might start to notice areas of popular Disney attractions where small changes could make big improvements. These aren’t deal-breakers—their presence or absence doesn’t make or break a great ride. They’re wish list items that would make attractions even more magical or address minor irritations. Have you ever found yourself fixating on an odd detail missing or that needs to be addressed in Walt Disney World rides or shows? Here are nine that have stood out to us over the years… Oh, and #10 is a real earworm!
1. Avatar: Flight of Passage – Where is the banshee’s head?
Image: Disney
I know it feels like utter blasphemy to start this list off with one of Disney’s most popular attractions. Avatar: Flight of Passage is an unbelievable attraction that definitely deserves its popularity as one of Disney’s most captivating experiences to date. Riding Pandora’s native banshees is an ultra-immersive experience, down to being able to feel the beast breath underneath you as you fly. Unfortunately, there’s one little detail that breaks that immersion for some guests.
Where is the banshee’s head?
Pandora’s banshees have good sized heads, and Navi riders aren’t situated directly above them. In theory, for the most immersive experience possible, you should be able to see the banshee’s head as you fly through Pandora’s gorgeous landscapes. It’s understandable that Disney opted to skip solving this issue. It would likely involve adding an animatronic banshee component to the ride vehicles that would definitely make the ride more complicated (especially since you would have to reveal it after the ride starts). It is certainly possible with Disney magic, but it would be challenging.
The addition of the banshee’s head is definitely a long shot wish list item for Avatar: Flight of Passage, but if Disney ever finds a way to solve this little detail, it would definitely make the ride even more immersive than it already is.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean – Black sails
There is probably no Disney attraction that has gone through more tweaks to details than Pirates of the Caribbean. From changing the tone of scenes that became scandalous over the years to the adjustment of major effects in the ride, you can never trust Pirates of the Caribbean to stay the same for too long.
One of the most significant refurbishments to the ride came with the unforeseen success of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, starting with Curse of the Black Pearl. Captains Jack and Barbossa were both added into the attraction’s storyline, with one of the ride’s biggest reveals being Barbossa captaining the massive pirate ship in the battle scene. The additions looked great, with one little exception.
Why doesn’t Barbossa’s ship have black sails?
This detail isn’t as noticeable as the film series has aged. After all, Barbossa isn’t always the captain of The Black Pearl. However, The Pearl is definitely the most famous ship in the series, almost a character unto itself. If you’re going to run with marketability (more on that later), making the ship in the iconic battle scene The Black Pearl would make for a great cinematic moment. The change would be as simple as putting black sails on the ship and maybe adjusting some paint and lighting, and we’re honestly surprised Disney never decided to try this. Once again, it’s not a deal breaker, but it certainly would have been cool to see The Pearl in all her glory.
3. Fantasmic! – Replace the bubble montage
Image: Disney
We did a pretty in-depth exploration into the differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland’s versions of Fantasmic—particularly why it seems like Disneyland’s version has always been so much better. While rumors are on the rise that Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic is likely to receive an update soon, there is one little detail that could improve the show without a full refurbishment.
Our biggest complaints about Fantasmic were areas where it felt like the Florida show cut corners rather than incorporating some of the high energy scenes and effects from Disneyland’s original version. This problem is most apparent in the show’s bubble montage, a lengthy segment where Disney’s most popular characters appear in bubbles projected on the water screen. It’s a particularly dull moment in the show, one that feels like a cop out meant to push as many IP’s as possible without much creativity or effort.
To add a bit of energy into the show, it would be fairly straightforward to replace the bubble montage with a version of the “Pink Elephants on Parade” scene from either Disneyland version. This fan-favorite segment is undeniably catchy and gives audiences a great taste of what Disney can do with Fantasmic’s insane light and color effects. It fits pretty seamlessly with the jungle sequence, and it could still lead to parts of the bubble sequence (shortened) once Mickey ends up underwater. This alone would help keep the energy moving and improve Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic for some viewers.
4. Expedition: Everest – Fix the poor yeti
It’s no secret that the Expedition: Everest Yeti has had some problems over the years—it’s decade long malfunction has become something of a running joke. What was originally meant to be the attraction’s climactic effect—an ENORMOUS yeti swiping at the train below—ended up suffering from non-stop technical problems. The animatronic was so large, it actually couldn’t support its own weight and ultimately was left inert with a strobe effect to replicate movement.
Fixing the Eddie-the-Disco-Yeti would definitely be a great upgrade to Expedition: Everest. The good news is that this little detail is no longer a wish list item. Disney made the announcement in 2018 that repairs on the yeti and an overall refurbishment of Expedition: Everest was “imminent”. We still don’t know how soon “imminent” is (it’s been a year), but at least this particular detail has made it onto Disney’s to-do list.
5. The Tower of Terror – The cable snap effect
I almost was loathe to include this one on the list because it’s debatable if this was really part of the original ride. Still, it is a cool enough detail that it is worth revisiting.
The Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has gone through several different versions. In the original version, guests only dropped in the elevator shaft once. This sequence was so short that guests were left disappointed, especially considering the ride’s long waits. The ride was refurbished into The Tower of Terror 2, where guests were dropped once, launched back to the top, and then dropped again. This version was great since it still allowed you to really savor that full faster-than-gravity drop rather than being yo-yo’d about like in the current version. Finally, the ride was updated to utilize the random drop sequence guests are familiar with today.
There are conflicting reports that the original version of Tower of Terror included a truly terrifying sound effect just before guests were dropped down the shaft—the mortifying sound of a cable snapping. We still don’t know if it was real, but many guests (myself included) swear by it. This was such a great moment in the ride, one that perhaps may have been too much for some visitors. Speaking for ourselves, we would love to see the cable snap brought back. It added a truly terrifying element to the Tower drop, one that tied the supernatural to the natural in a way that really set your teeth on edge.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean – CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow ™©
We’ve picked on this one before, but it still goes without saying. There’s something just a little bit… off about Captain Jack Sparrow™© in the updated version of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Perhaps it’s the way Captain Jack Sparrow™© doesn’t quite look like Johnny Depp—like he’s a little too gaunt in the face. It could also be the way Captain Jack Sparrow™© just doesn’t sound like his usual glib self, like he’s suffering from a bit of depression when he sings the ride’s namesake song. Maybe’s it’s -Captain Jack Sparrow’s™© overly on-the-nose references to popular movie lines or the dead look in Captain Jack Sparrow’s™© eyes.
Or it could be the fact that the current voiceover has his full name repeated way too many times. On one trip, we heard it a whopping seven times. Not Jack. Not just Captain Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow™©.
We’re having a bit of fun here, but there’s no subtlety to what Disney was up to. Particularly when the films came out, Jack was one of Disney’s most marketable characters. Pirates of the Caribbean was an unmitigated success, and Disney has pulled no punches making sure that everyone who rode the ride knew exactly who that extremely-marketable Captain was.
Unfortunately, the weird use of Jack’s full name comes across like a series of not-really-subliminal messages and makes the character dialogue feel unnatural at times. An easy fix? Dial back the uses of Captain Jack Sparrow™© a little bit. Have someone call him just Jack or Captain Jack. This tiny fix would do worlds for improving the realism of the ride.
7. Gran Fiesta Tour – Where is the rest of Mexico?
Epcot’s Gran Fiesta Tour isn’t exactly a monument to realism. The attraction’s depiction of Mexico definitely lies on the lighthearted side, to the point of feeling like a mushroom trip at times. However, there is one teensy detail of the ride that drives some people from the US border and from northern Mexico CRAZY.
Where the heck is northern Mexico on the map at the end of the attraction?
Most guests would never notice it, but those familiar with the actual layout of Mexico might be left scratching their heads at Disney’s map of Mexico. In Disney’s map, it seems like everything north of Mexico city is depicted as a desert wasteland. The entire state of Chihuahua and Sonora is completely missing as well as major cities like Juarez and Tijuana. The country is even tilted on its side as if to hide these areas in shadow.
Perhaps the map is meant to depict Southern Mexico only, but the omission really does end up bugging people from these regions or with family from there. Many families of Hispanic and Mexican heritage visit Walt Disney World, and it just seems like a head scratcher to leave the northern half of Mexico out of Disney’s picture of this beautiful and eclectic country.
8. Avatar: Flight of Passage – Fix the pre-show
Image: Disney
Alfred Hitchcock once said that drama is life with the dull bits cut out. We already lauded Avatar: Flight of Passage as one of Disney’s most successful and immersive attractions to date. Even the queue for the ride is surprisingly engaging, and guests often comment that the time flies waiting for this ride thanks to its excellent queue. There is one part of Avatar: Flight of Passage, however, that just feels lackluster in comparison to both the queue and the actual ride.
The pre-show.
This is going to be controversial. Some guests love the pre-show, and that it fine. Particularly some people we know who work for the government or major corporations noted how realistic the pre-show felt. That might be the problem. Compared to everything else about the Flight of Passage, the pre-show feels like a stop at the DMV. Sure, it’s a DMV with cool effects and a clever parasite cleansing, but it still feels like the DMV. Maybe it’s the pre-show’s narrator who just feels like an intern Disney found on set and handed a script to. Maybe it’s the distinct “corporate orientation” feel to the experience. The whole sequence drags for too long without any necessary drama to keep audiences engaged.
Small improvements could make a big difference in the Flight of Passage pre-show. Maybe some sort of twist could be thrown in to leave audiences in suspense—like a malfunction with one of the Avatars that the orientation guy sheepishly plays down. Perhaps it could be shortened or the pre-show could be tweaked for the delivery to be more engaging. Either way, some adjustments to details could definitely help Flight of Passage’s pre-show catch up to the level of the rest of the attraction.
9. It’s a Small World – A quiet room
Image: Disney
THIS.
One of our dear Theme Park Tourist contributors, David Mumpower, suggested this one, and it was just too funny not to mention. If you don’t have to wait long, It’s a Small World is such a sweet-spirited attraction. It’s a charming look at what the world could look like if we all just stopped being such knuckleheads and could get along.
Unfortunately, it also includes the song… THAT song… on a loop… in all areas of the ride.
The repetition of the It’s a Small World song is the stuff of psychological warfare. In 2013, a man who got stuck on It’s a Small World sued Disney and actually won, citing psychological damage done by the blaring song (in fairness, the man was also disabled and suffered from panic attacks). Sometimes families visiting the ride have people in their party who just can’t handle the repeated song and the in-your-face sugary-flavor of the ride.
It actually would not be a terrible idea for It’s a Small World to include a quiet room—perhaps with a time limit—for families waiting for their loved ones to get off the ride. The room could still be themed to match the attraction but without the earworm of a song playing non-stop. Is it an off-the-wall suggestion? Yes. Would this little detail change be a good idea? OH YES.
What are some other little details you’ve noticed that could dramatically improve Walt Disney World attractions?
