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06/19/2006: X-E’s Disney World Adventure – Part 2!

Well, that took a century. Here’s Part 2 of my Walt Disney World Adventure, spanning three pages and covering fifteen more Hot Disney Things. Again, I remind you to fish around for expertly hidden video links in addition to the ones in text. Lots of big stuff this time, with everything from Splash Mountain to drinks-in-pineapples making the grade. There’s still enough worthwhile stuff to warrant a Part 3, but if you’re getting bored of reading about rides in Disney World, I’ll mention that much of Part 3 deals with the best part of any vacation: souvenirs.

Me and this article had a big sword fight over the past week or so, and the fact that it’s been published means that I won. It doesn’t mean that I had enough blood left to proofread it as hardcore as I’d like, so if you notice a bunch of typos, please tell me so I can fix them and pretend they were never there.

In other news, caught a screening for Monster House tonight, and Sony decided to rock by turning it into a veritable Halloween party for the many children who attended. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy, and a party footnoted with orange balloons and skull-headed swizzle sticks turned what would’ve ordinarily just been a free movie into a free movie with orange balloons and skull-headed swizzle sticks. Dig it.

That’s all for now. Thanks for your patience re: Disney, and please arrange the universe so that it makes it okay for me to sleep for the next 70 hours. Thanks.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 189 comments

Noticed something about the two girls,they say the exact same thing during the Blizzard Beach segment:
"And the wedgies are free with admission!"

However Kryssa>Stacy,Stacy seems as she had a caffeine shot from Disney. I’m still cracking up at gigondo,who the hell says that?

Ghosted by Felix @ 06/23/2006 12:22 PM EDT

Roddy, Is Lasseter bringging back traditional animation or Iger. ANd what do you think would be so great about Lasseter doing Imagineering?
And Kiwi, what are they doing to the dark rides? THose things are cool.
ANyway, Matt I love those articles! I’ve never been to Disney World, but your articles make me really want to go. But, unfortunately, my dad thinks it’ll be hellish because of long lines and crowdedness (Just to clarify, I am NOT one of those losers who lives with their parents, I’m just 14)and my stepmom is scared of Florida, because she was snatched away there as a child. I really effing want to go there.

Ghosted by TOM @ 06/23/2006 2:21 AM EDT

you = awesomness! good job dude! also? here’s a place for those "flash mountain" shivs of radness

http://www.europa.com/~cabelsa/flash/

Ghosted by Josh @ 06/23/2006 2:50 AM EDT

Kryssa is so much better than Stacy. Probably just because of the hair, but better nonetheless.

When Kryssa says "surfs up dude", I believe her, when Stacy says it, all I hear is "I will make your life a living hell, and you can never leave me…I mean the Magical Kingdom, NEVER NEVER".

Did you notice they both did the golf fake-out leading into the waterparks?

Ghosted by Knegative @ 06/23/2006 4:44 AM EDT

Stacy said, "slingshot on steroids." Oh boy.
There is a California equivalent to Stacy but I have no idea what her name is. Honestly, I think the Calif one is worse. Whereas Stacy is a cutie if you can get past the bubbly-super-duper-ness, the Cali one is probably some woman in her thirties who acts like she’s 15. I just found it depressing. Stacy kinda reminds me of Sarah Silverman, you know, if she got really high and wouldn’t shut up.

And Stacy does the Mark McKinney head-crusher–maybe I’m in love . . . anyway, the bubbly blonde in Cali, I won’t forget–the worst part is when she gets a fast pass and is so friggin excited it’s like Mickey Mouse just placed some biological material in her palm.

Now, it looks like Stitch’s Escape is in the place where Extra-Terror-Estrial once was. Please, please, someone link me to a picture of the evil wicked man-eating alien that used to be there before Stitch. I heard about this attraction, became absolutely fascinated but have never been able to see what this wicked monster looks like. PLEASE I need to see a picture before it vanishes from obscurity.

When I was last on Small World I looked up and noticed . . . well, ceiling tiles. Not Disney neato ceiling tiles but Dentist office ceiling titles, completely visible because of all the light in that place. Sorta took me out. No longer was I traveling the world over, I felt like I was just floating in a weird warehouse, like Home Depot, which still felt surreal but not in a good way.

And before I go to bed, anybody else think the idea of Pleasure Island is a little not-Disney? I mean, Pleasure Island was where kids go to become sinful and turn to donkees.

Oh, so tired.

Ghosted by inkmage @ 06/23/2006 5:50 AM EDT

TOM, Lasseter is the one pushing for traditional animation to return to Disney. I suppose Iger gave him his blessing to do whatever he seems fit. And as for Imagineering, it’s pretty interesting. Back when Pixar fist started cranking out hits with Toy Story, everybody was amazed at how Disney-like those guys looked. And in fact, many Pixar crew members were once Disney workers who left disillusioned because of the way Eisner was leading the company. So to me, in a way, we now have a bunch of really Disney guys back in Disney, with geekiest one of all being Lassiter. If he actually manages to mess with the parks any way he wants, updating and creating attractions, there could only be greatness ahead. If the suits don’t hold tight on the money, obviously. But I think it’d be an end of this pimping-out characters tren we’re seeing, at least in the parks. I mean, you can barely see the classics anymore. It’s all Pixar, Pooh, Stitch and the Princesses.

Ghosted by Roddy @ 06/23/2006 8:14 AM EDT

Man I like stitch and everything I think he’s a pretty funny character but did they really have to get rid of the scary alien ride? That alien was the shit, he looked like he could really eat you and shit out your bones.

Ghosted by PRSense @ 06/23/2006 8:37 AM EDT

So Matt… How long before it’s ok to start buggin ya about part three? Like I said, this is my vacation this year! We finally made it out of the baggage check, and got on a ride (We’ll say "It’s a Small World") but the ride stopped halfway through! What’s worse is that even though the ride has stopped, the lights, animatronics, and (worst of all) soundtrack keeps going, an we’re locked in our seats, surrounded by water, with no escape! Yargh!!!!

Ghosted by Dr Sketch @ 06/23/2006 9:35 AM EDT

or you are riding the Universe of Energy ride and you are stuck below a dinosaur chewing on some swamp muck…. and he’s chewing and chewing and you aren’t moving in your super big theatermobile….and you keep waiting and waiting and he’s chewing and chewing…..

yes, Matt… we are anxiously anticipating the next and sadly FINAL installment!

Ghosted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/23/2006 10:07 AM EDT

inkmage: This might be as good as you’re going to get.

Seeing the alien is kind of the "money shot" of the ride, so my guess is that no promotional pictures were released. Did someone above say they had a toy version? Pictures?

Ghosted by Spoodles @ 06/23/2006 10:12 AM EDT

Only wrote the above because it really happened when we visited EPCOT once. They turned on the lights after we sat there in our supertheater-moving-thing a while and the whole Jurassic charade was over! I realized the dinosaurs weren’t real … what a disappointment! JK!
Anyway, it does take away the magic when the ride stalls…..HINT HINT MATT! ;)

Ghosted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/23/2006 10:12 AM EDT

I think Matt really is sleeping 70 hours! There hasn’t been a post from him lately! :0

Ghosted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/23/2006 10:21 AM EDT

~~~Kevin wrote… "speaking of lost disney… "the black cauldron"! does disneyworld/land have anything from the black cauldron contained within their kingdom walls?"

DISNEY’S
POP CENTURY RESORT

If you stay in the 80s building your room has a wall collage of Disney 80’s memorabilia. On the poster it had Ariel, Oliver & Co, Figment, Roger Rabbit, Black Cauldron, Fox & The Hound and a few others.

Ghosted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/23/2006 10:41 AM EDT

Good site for onride disney videos. So yes, you where a pussy for not taking pictures :P .

http://www.geoffreynease.com/news.php

just register and hit download up on the top. Alien Encounter videos on there too.

Jungle Cruise better get a mention on your blog. It’s easily one of the best rides left at Disney.

Ghosted by Methodis @ 06/23/2006 11:10 AM EDT

Can’t get the "Geoffrey Nease" site to work but it looks pretty neat.

I’ve never understood the bad rap Epcot gets. To me Epcot IS Disneyworld as some of my most vivid childhood memories in general stem from my family’s trips to that park in the mid-late 80’s. As cool as some of the new rides are I’m one of those people that misses the old "edutainment" dark rides of yesteryear—"The World of Motion", the original "Universe of Energy" and HORIZONS. Lordy, lordy I loved "Horizons". I still do, really. I can still smell the oranges! (If you’ve been on that ride you know what I’m talking about).

The Magic Kingdom was and is great but there was just something about Epcot Center back in the day. As silly as it might seem you really felt like you were seeing what the future was going to be like. It was just an all-around immersive experience and for an imaginative kid like me anything but dull.

Ghosted by Chris D. @ 06/23/2006 12:14 PM EDT

Tom, what do you mean by what are they doing to the dark rides? Which ones? Pirates of the Caribbean is closed now for refurbishment, and they’re adding some things from the recent movies… I really hope they don’t change things too much, though.

"And before I go to bed, anybody else think the idea of Pleasure Island is a little not-Disney?"

Somewhat, but it’s a good place for adults to go after hours to have some fun… they don’t really have any late night entertainment, and going to a comedy club at PI (or a dance club, whatever you prefer) is a great way to wrap up a day.

Ghosted by kiwi @ 06/23/2006 12:14 PM EDT

ok, I know this is ridiculously off topic, but I figured if anyone could help me, you people could. I’m looking for a video clip of the old sesame street cartoon where the kid is going to the grocery store and he keeps repeating "a carton of milk, a loaf of bread, and a stick of butter". apparently, this is a hard to find clip…

Ghosted by bitchpants @ 06/23/2006 1:03 PM EDT

Stacy has got more quotes than Bill Cosby,I laughed my ass off when she said: "In the name of all that’s rock..".And she went NUTS in Blizzard Beach,rofl. Awesome job Matt with part one(Poynesian Resort FTW)and this one,I can’t wait to go to WDW someday. Now we’re waiting for part 3..

Ghosted by St205 @ 06/23/2006 1:56 PM EDT

I can still smell the oranges! (If you’ve been on that ride you know what I’m talking about).

I know exactly what you’re talking about ;-) I always loved that section of the ride… Horizons was one of my favorite rides as a kid… being able to pick how you "got home" was always fun… too bad it’s closed now :-(

Back in the 80s (maybe early 90s) we actually got to go to a "backstage" area at Horizons… my grandfather worked for GE, who sponsored the ride, so we got to go to some special lounge… nothing special, but back there they had these tangerine candies that tasted EXACTLY like that part of the ride smelled, haha… so that’s what I always think of when I think of Horizons and the orange/tangerine smell.

Ghosted by kiwi @ 06/23/2006 2:05 PM EDT

I know I went through Horizons but honestly I do not remember it at all. So…

*Chris D.* please relive your HORIZONS experience and describe it for me. I am truly drawing a blank! That section of EPCOT has been closed sooo long.

By the way, has the Wonders of Life pavilion been open recently. It seems every year when we go to Disney it is closed. Well, I think it was open in 2000. But since then…. what happened? I really liked the ride where you get shrunken and stuck into a needle. Body Wars…..AHA! That was the name of it! Is it still running? Any news on this ride?

Ghosted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/23/2006 2:28 PM EDT

Threebee, if you’re interested in Horizons, check out http://www.horizons1.com/

Lots of pictures, and lots of audio from the ride as well.

Ghosted by kiwi @ 06/23/2006 3:07 PM EDT

that link I posted in my above comment has a Horizons on ride video.

http://www.geoffreynease.com/

Like I said before, just register and go to the top on the download. It’s got lots of videos of defunct rides and such. You guys can also search Disney Central Torrents at:

http://www.dc-torrents.com/index.php

Ghosted by Methodis @ 06/23/2006 4:15 PM EDT

Thanks for the link kiwi. I knew there was a Horizons tribute site around somewhere!

Horizons was very similar in structure to the "Spaceship Earth" attraction (which is still going strong, thank God, despite a few cosmetic changes).

The vehicles themselves were basically 3 person benches (sort of like a ski lift chair but with a back, sides, and a dashboard. Unlike a ski lift you moved "horizontally" through the ride (if that makes any sense). If I recall the concept of the ride was about future life in 3 zones (under the sea, in the desert, and outer space). It also took you through some scenes of the past ala "World of Motion" and "Spaceship Earth".

For it’s time it was a pretty advanced ride. In one scene you saw an animatronic family in outer space talking to a "real" person a TV phone. Then when you got to the "under the sea" part you saw the same guy from the TV in animatronic form talking to the family now in "real" form on his TV phone dealy. Kinda of a neat concept.

The best part (and the one kiwi mentioned) was at the end where you got to "vote" along with the other people in your car which scene you wanted to see (outer space, under water, or desert landscape). The car tallied the vote and then gave you a neat little 12 second modest motion-simulator experience. One of the first rides to include rider "participation" which was carried over onto the new Mission:Space ride that replaced it!

Wonders of Life has been closed for a while and I don’t think there are plans to open it again.

For more Disney park info and fun check out the Inside the Magic podcast:

http://www.distantcreations.com/insidethemagic

also http://www.miceage.com has a lot of commentary and articles on Disney park developments.

Ghosted by Chris D. @ 06/23/2006 4:22 PM EDT

I’m no scientist, but I’m willing to bet that "desert landscape" didn’t get elected very often.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 06/23/2006 10:08 PM EDT

I think Matt’s voice is at the end of the pearl video saying "oh, i’m sorry". or it may be at the end of the gift shop video. PS the pineapple drink story was AWESOME :D

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 06/24/2006 12:55 PM EDT

Wow – after watching that Stacy video from Google video, I have to ask: what substance is that Stacy chick on, and where can I get some?

Ghosted by Jeff @ 06/24/2006 2:48 PM EDT

I remember the Polynesian arcade from my visit back in ‘92 or so.

I was BLOWN AWAY by Sega’s Time Traveler. First off, there was never anyone in the arcade but my sister and I, and then I see this friggin’ game-of-the-future!

Ghosted by Stephen @ 06/24/2006 11:08 PM EDT

In my two years of reading XE I’ve never commented on a single article. So what does it say about me that the very first thing I’m going to say on this site is, "I have a huge crush on Stacy?"

Ghosted by Fleak16 @ 06/24/2006 11:39 PM EDT

kiwi Thanks for the Horizons link!
Chris D. Thanks for the Horizons memories! I recall the part with the underwater scenes best!
Methodis Thanks for the link to the geoffreynease site with all the video downloads. COOL! There are so many I want to watch! ;)

I have watched the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter because I remembered it being better than Stitch’s Great Escape. The actual "ride" was so much better because you sat in the dark with that THING breathing on you and jumping on you and was that BLOOD? or ACID? that got on ya… I can’t remember. Anyway, I do remember SCREAMING! So I have to say the actual experience was better that the video but it helped me to remember more that I had before!

Ghosted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/25/2006 3:15 PM EDT

he he np, it’s my duty to make people happy at work or out of work at Disney ^_^.

Ghosted by Methodis @ 06/25/2006 7:51 PM EDT

alien encounter figure

http://www.mastercollector.com/articles/reviews/review052503.shtml

Ghosted by PORCHLIGHT @ 06/25/2006 11:49 PM EDT

You know, I’m probably in a minority, but I liked the Tiki Room’s new incarnation. Admittedly, I never saw the old one, but I’m a nerd and the Iago and Zazu animatronics were just spiffy.

That, and I liked the use of "Friend Like Me." >_>

Ghosted by Paul @ 06/26/2006 7:53 AM EDT

I think it’s worth noting that when I visited DW as a Star Wars-obsessed 6-year-old boy (this was during the dark times when no Star Wars toys or movies were being made), I actually thought C-3P0 and R2-D2 were going to be on the Star Tours ride. Like, my younger brother and I were making plans on what to ask them about. Despite this, I still managed to love the heck out of it.

Also, on my second trip there, in 2004, I ate a Turkey Leg. And loved it. Every half-cooked-chunk-of-flesh bit of it.

Ghosted by Luke @ 06/26/2006 11:45 AM EDT

another great article! its just as i remembered when i was like 10 or so. Keep up the good work buddy!

Ghosted by Rusty @ 06/27/2006 10:44 PM EDT

Porchlight, you just made my day. Suffice it to say, though, I’m kinda-sorta disapointed. Under the right lighting, I’m sure the thing is freaky as all hell, but coming out of a little cup or what not, it’s barely an 80’s saturday morning cartoon villain. Still, I can put my mind to rest.

Ghosted by inkmage @ 07/02/2006 4:47 PM EDT

Hey, I was in Disney about the same time you were and I can attest to almost all that stuff. Except my friends and I kind of laughed at Stacy’s over-the-top exuberance.

Ghosted by Chris @ 07/03/2006 8:06 AM EDT

"And then, it happened. A neon dragon popped up out of the water and put on a concert for us…"

…Yeah…SUUUUUREEEE it did…WOW, you must REALLY drink alot!
…neon dragon…sheesh.

Ghosted by ASMx4 @ 07/05/2006 7:24 PM EDT

I’m actually sitting in my room at the Boardwalk Villas, here on business, doing a review of Disney Vacation Properties.

And I shit you not, when I read the section about Stacy, I turned on the channel to see her for myself….and literally five seconds later after I get to the section about her talking about Mickey, whatdya know: “Mickey…he’s my boy.”

Baaaaahahahahahaha

…in case you were curious. Awesome writeup.

Ghosted by Andy @ 10/17/2006 10:35 PM EDT

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