When it comes to technology and creative, new ideas, Walt Disney World has always been an industry pioneer. From first-class performances, to groundbreaking ride designs, they’ve set the standard for amusement expectation. In recent years, Disney has lost a bit of its brilliance – or perhaps, pixie dust. While there are so many new developments throughout the parks, how much of it is really “new”? Has Disney adopted an obsession with duplication, rushing out the next new thing at the cost of innovative quality?
1. Lack of ride variation
Clearly, Dumbo the Flying Elephant is one of those rides that you simply have to do at least once. Much like Mad Tea Party, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s a Magic Kingdom icon; but it is far from being an overly exciting ride. Once really is enough.
It is easy to appreciate Disney’s decision to add a second set of flying elephants as part of the Fantasyland expansion. The ride’s queue is often well-populated, and demand warranted increased capacity. What baffles the mind is the decision to add yet two more Dumbo attractions. They may not be sporting airborne pachyderms, but it’s Dumbo all the same. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and TriceraTop Spin are an identical ride design, with different vehicle overlays. Aside from the fact that the ride itself is rather uninventive, it’s simply less endearing without the happy little elephant.
Another example of creating much hype around a small reward – if characters were swapped between Journey of the Little Mermaid and The Seas With Nemo and Friends, would you even notice a difference? Whether they’re calling it a clamobile or a clamshell, the ride vehicles (which were raved about for originality during construction) are the same. There were countless ways to imagine up under sea rides, noting the unique elements in each of these films. Designing a clone as part of a much-exaggerated expansion project is simply a cheap offering from a company that can do much better. After all, 20,000 Leagues… it was right there!
2. All the same characters…unless guests pay extra
Obviously, character greetings are in no short supply at any of Walt Disney World’s theme parks. At any given moment, you can meet the resident mice, princesses, ducks, chipmunks, and many other furry or elegant ambassadors of the land. However, if you want to meet a villain, a Disney “sidekick”, or some of the older, classic characters, there’s a price tag for that.
There was a time when a wide variety of characters from the entire Disney catalog would spring to life, spontaneously, at random locations throughout the parks. You never knew who you might encounter, or where – and that was a genuinely magical aspect of a Walt Disney World visit. Now, character greetings aren’t often spontaneous at all. They are scheduled, and sometimes Fastpassed. While this is mildly discouraging (a little less magical to “plan” the encounter than to just randomly create a surprising moment), it doesn’t justify the fact that the characters appearing only represent a tragically small percentage of the Disney stock, so to speak.
All of the old (and evil) favorites still reside at Walt Disney World. They haven’t been packed up and shipped off for destinations unknown. They’re there, lurking… in storage. But, there are those magical times when these characters emerge – hard-ticket times, to be exact. Seperately-priced, special events boast of “rare” character appearances – open to guests opting to purchase event tickets at an additional cost.
3. Starbucks is taking over
I’ll admit that I’m in the minority in the sense that I am not a fan of Starbucks. I’m even less of a fan of blatant commercialism. Let’s face it – Disney itself is commercial enough, even without the cooperative flex of corporate giants like McDonald’s and Starbucks. McDonald’s never got too far with their attempt to infiltrate Walt Disney World, but now Starbucks is having a crack at it.
There are currently four Starbucks locations at the Walt Disney World Resort – three in theme parks, and one at Downtown Disney. Many a lifelong Walt Disney World fan shed a tear the day that Starbucks slithered its way to the Main Street Bakery. Put simply, the addition of corporate entities within the park gates reeks of a shopping mall, especially if this is merely the first of many commercially-driven refurbishments. Corporate sponsorship of an attraction is one thing; corporate takeover is a whole other mouse trap.
4. Ongoing food festivals at Epcot
Who doesn’t love Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival? It’s one of those events that people will specifically plan their visit around – an annual treat that undoubtedly lures many with its palate-pleasing perks. Once again, Disney saw something that worked, and they ran with it. Unfortunately, they ran a bit too far and made a favorite seasonal tradition into an almost everyday event.
Suddenly, it seems as if there is one colossal, non-stop Food-and-Wine-and-Flowers-and-Gardens-and-Concerts Festival throughout Epcot’s World Showcase area. Special, pop-up kiosks offering varied, evolving menus are not so special anymore. They’re there more often than not, and the menus aren’t as alluring when they’ve become just another quick-service selection. The urge to make the most of the event by taking in all of the unique, limited-time offerings that you can handle doesn’t seem quite as essential when you can always just come back to it another time. Even the concerts associated with the events have all seemed to blend together as a who’s who of the 60s-80s (with a 90s one-hit wonder thrown in for good measure), with no real differential line drawn between event themes.
For those who make the journey to Walt Disney World once in a lifetime, or even every few years, everything is appealing and it’s not always easy to spot the earmarks of redundancy. But frequent visitors may find the repetition tiring, and the build-ups disappointing. We’ve learned to hold Disney to a higher standard; our expectations being set by the company’s earliest foundations. Sometimes, it seems as if a bait-and-switch tactic has been employed, or perhaps they have decided we’re too simplistic and distracted to take notice of tired parallels and multiplicity. With the company’s tradition of originality and innovation, is it fair to assume we can be pacified with less than their very best, or is it more appropriate to hope that they learn to push the boundaries of imagination once again, providing the guest experience we’ve all come to expect and crave over the last forty-four years?
