Florida Project: Then and Now

A recent Facebook comment inspired me to write this blog post.

One of my friends had commented on how much larger Disney World is when compared to Disneyland. This person went on to detail the often repeated rumor that someone could fit three Disneyland parks inside the Magic Kingdom’s parking lot and still park 300 cars – which, of course, is not true.

Compare these two pictures of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom’s parking lot (both taken at identical scales) and decide for yourself.

By no means do I intend to imply that the Walt Disney World Resort property isn’t impressively large – because it is! It’s just not nearly as big as some of the urban legends (perpetuated by Disney bus drivers, no doubt) make it out to be.

The property is also not anywhere near as impressive at is once was.

Many people are probably familiar with the image above – Walt Disney, in October of 1966, showing off all the Floridian property he and his team had acquired.

Through “The Florida Project” (previously known as “Project X”) Walt’s team had come up with a way to make full use of the Florida property. EPCOT, the city, would be Disney World’s central attraction.

Arriving at the Disney World Airport (slated for the portion of property currently occupied by the town of Celebration) guests would be shuttled by monorail to the Disney World Welcome Center (shown just above-right of Walt’s pointer).

This Welcome Center, located on the acreage currently used by the All-Star Resorts and the World Wide Sports complex, likely would have resembles something closer to our current version of Epcot, the theme park. Here guests would be welcomed by a Disney host – fluent in the guests’ own language – who would then aid in planning every detail of the guest’s stay.

The next stop on the monorail route would be EPCOT’s Industrial Park. While your local city’s Industrial Park may not seem at all interesting or welcoming it was here that The Florida Project’s core concepts would be made real. It was Walt’s mission that many major American corporations would use these facilities to develop brand new technology for use in EPCOT, the city. Guests who chose to visit the Industrial Park would be allowed to go on guided tours of the facilities and given hands-on opportunities to see how many never-before-seen technologies worked. In much the same way Pinterest works, this facility aimed to jump-start the imagination of the visitors. Call it Walt Disney’s own version of crowd sourcing: inspire today’s tourists to create the technology we’ll all use in the near future.

Shown below, in the central green shaded area, is the current outline of the entire Walt Disney World entertainment complex. This area covers 25,000 acres (39 square miles) and resides in two different counties (Orange and Osceola).

Now, let’s compare that same property to a rough approximation of the original property lines Walt was showing off in 1966.

This considerably larger red property line occupies nearly 30,000 acres (47 square miles)… or, about twice the size of Manhattan Island.

It’s truly striking how much land was sold off during Michael Eisner’s time at the helm. The Magic Kingdom was never intended to be the main focus of The Florida Project – it was just Walt’s way of funding it. Walt knew that building EPCOT the city, plus all of the other things mentioned above, was going to require a LOT of capital. Therefore, the theme park was only a vehicle necessary to pay for all the really cool things he wanted to do.

Don’t misunderstand: the current property is pretty amazing. I’ve even written a blog entry detailing one of the amazing aspects of the property’s construction. However, I can’t help but wonder how much more awesome it could have been had Disney management carried on with Walt’s original plan.

2013 Book List

It’s that time of year! Here’s the list of what I’ve read over the course of 2013 (recommended titles are marked with an asterisk). If you’ve read anything over the last 12 months that you’d like to recommend, please let me know. I’m always looking for that next good read.

And speaking of Good Reads, if you haven’t had a chance to check out that particular social network (and you happen to love to read), I suggest you direct your browser to www.goodreads.com today. I’ve discovered a good number of books using that site and welcome you to connect with me (just click the link) so we can trade recommendations.

• Island of the Lost by Joan Druett  (carried over from December 2012)*
• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan*
• The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Masters of Doom by David Kushner
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
• 14 by Peter Clines*
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
• Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
• Inferno by Dan Brown
• Reclaiming History by Vincent Bugliosi*
• Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand*
• Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan
• Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser*
• Star Wars: Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg*

CURRENTLY READING

• Dream It! Do It! by Marty Sklar

NEXT ON MY LIST

• Last of the Blue and Gray: Old Men, Stolen Glory, and the Mystery That Outlived the Civil War by Richard A. Serrano
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Doctor 8.5

With Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary this coming Saturday the BBC has planned an all-out cinematic spectacular that has the hearts of die-hard fans (calling themselves Whovians) all a flutter. This special episode, called Day of the Doctor, brings fan favorited David Tennant (the tenth doctor) and Billie Piper (Rose) back into the action. It also introduces an interesting new character and may very well answer a nagging Whovian question.

For those not so intimately familiar with the Doctor, he has the ability to regenerate when he faces death – allowing the character to live on in another body. He has done this, that we know of, a total of ten times; thus creating 11 distinct Doctors. His new body shares all the memories of the previous incarnation(s) but may have a slightly altered personality and ego (certainly a difference in personal taste) than the previous Doctor(s).

The original series ran continuously from November 23, 1963 until December 6, 1989 before being cancelled. The very last episode of the original series (Survival) shows the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) walking off into the sunset; supposedly to have many more adventures. Indeed, the Seventh Doctor did live on in two short TV specials (1990 and 1993), dozens of audio dramas, and at least 60 novels published by Virgin Books.

The audience isn’t introduced to the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) until 1996, in a one-off made-for-TV movie. Near the beginning we are shown the Seventh Doctor changing into the Eighth; thus sealing the gap between the two Doctors and creating a sense of finality. However, much like the final December 1989 television episode, the movie ends happily with the Doctor piloting the TARDIS off to further adventures (realized in 8 novels, 38 comics and 75 audio plays).

The series started up again in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston taking on the role of Doctor Who. The BBC simply continued the stories, rather than reboot (as is the popular recent method), but chose not to show any regeneration. Eccleston was just introduced as the current Doctor, leaving fans to assume he was the ninth.

Thankfully, there has been some recent closure.

We now know from a short video, titled Night of the Doctor, that the BBC has posted on their website that the Eighth Doctor does officially regenerate…

…into someone the BBC is calling The War Doctor (played by John Hurt).

Please note the older style Sonic Screwdriver partially obscured by the War Doctor’s coat.

This has left some fans – myself included – wondering if this War Doctor will then regenerate into the official Ninth Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston); as his is the [now] one and only regeneration not shown on camera.

As of this blog entry, it is still possible that there have been multiple regenerations between this new War Doctor and the Ninth Doctor. No fan truly knows for sure… however, the director’s choice of wardrobe sure seems to indicate a possible connection between John Hurt’s and Christopher Eccleston’s depictions of the character (shown below).

One might conclude that the War Doctor’s wardrobe seems to be a near perfect transition between the Eighth Doctor’s debonair, overly stuffy, Victorian-era (steam-punk?) style and the minimalist Ninth Doctor’s worn leather jacket and V-neck jumper. I’d go as far as to say the War Doctor’s leather coat is an exact replica.

Anyone needing proof of the Whovian’s willingness to accept this theory, effectively renumbering the most recent Doctors, look no further than these two images recently posted to fan sites:

Re-numbered Doctors

12 Doctors

Exciting times, indeed.

As the Ninth (Tenth?) Doctor would say: FanTAStic!

Early Morning Adventure with Our Proper Pup

Bentley, our Cavalier Spaniel

In quite literally every sense of the term, like clockwork, my alarm went off at 5:15 this morning. It does so every weekday morning.

Bentley, our Cavalier Spaniel who sleeps on my wife’s side of the bed, was waiting for me at our bedroom door with his head cocked ever-slightly to the left. This is body language that I’ve learned roughly translates to, “Top o’ the morning t’ya gov’ner! Blimey, but don’t you look knackered!? I do say, if it’s quite alright, I really do need to ‘water the flowers’, wink wink nod nod.” (in my imagination Bentley is a proper Brit).

However, sometimes he wakes up and just follows me around because he knows eventually I’ll give him a treat. In that case the above translation is often confused for the very similar, “Well corking crackers! If it isn’t time for a proper biscuit!”

This morning it was the former. I knew this because, after taking him outside, Bentley spent all of 30 seconds before finding that special spot somewhere off in the dark. Through the dark and quiet of pre-dawn suburbia I could hear something not unlike the sound of a cow peeing on a flat rock.

He trotted proudly back and sat at my feet. After munching his well-earned treat and offering a quick hello to the neighbor’s Golden Retriever, Camy (also outside taking care of business) we went back inside. Then I was on my way to work.

Flash forward. I obviously wasn’t home but this is apparently how it went:

My wife wakes up to find the dog sitting on her side of the bed; staring at her like some sort of creeper who enjoys watching women sleep. Bentley smacked his lips a few times (generally translating to, “…annnnd I’ll have an English muffin, lightly toasted, with marmalade.”). My bride’s eyes begin to clear and she reaches out to pet him. He nudges his face forward. Suddenly she is face-to-face with the abomination that took the place of our little dog overnight.

Now she sits up with a start; very awake but trying to figure out if she’s still dreaming. “Oh Bentley, what’s happened?!”, she asks.

Bentley cannot answer her… because he’s a dog. Bentley only talks in my imagination and, as we’ve already established, I’m at work unaware of all of this. At this point, Bentley’s just thrilled she’s awake and has taken notice of him.

My wife reached me at my desk and begins our conversation with what some might consider a questionable opener: “Hi, honey. What did the dog’s face look like this morning?”

“Normal”, I say. “Why?”

Last night the dog was perfectly fine – this morning he was physically changed. The only people who’d any connection with the dog between 11PM and 6AM this morning had been questioned. It’s possible that at this point my wife might have felt like she was running out of options. I could not provide a reasonable explanation and neither could the dog.

However, if Bentley could provide an explanation, he might have told her that he had eaten a bee. That this bee stung his lips and gums and that he’d then had an allergic reaction. He’d tell us he tried rubbing his face on the carpeting but that this only intensified the swelling. Eventually, we’d find out that he drank some water and came back to sit near the bed to wait for her to help him.

Of course, since Bentley couldn’t tell us that, we had to pay a vet $54 to translate most of it for us (the rest was pure conjecture based on some basic evidence we found). A quick check-up and anti-histamine pills later and he’s doing just fine.

It’s all part of the joys of owning an animal.

96th Place

So, I ran my very first 5K on Saturday, June 15.

As of 7 weeks ago I had never run for sport before. In fact, the last time I have ever laced up was back in High School – where I failed the running portion of PhyEd by completing a mile in 16 minutes.

At the risk of dating myself: that was more than 20 years ago.

Four years ago I joined a health club where I would swim about three times per week. Swimming is my absolute favorite way to stay in shape; but gym memberships are expensive – so I let that drop after only a year.

Since then I hadn’t really done all that much to stay active.

Two years ago a friend recommended that I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Naturally, I was a bit hesitant to read anything on this topic due to my past experiences with running, but he convinced me it was worth my time – whether I enjoyed running or not.

He was right.

The book is quite excellent. The entire conceit of the book is that we’ve somehow become accustomed to the belief that heel-strike running is correct. Furthermore, shoe companies have designed footwear that minimizes the damage done to our bodies when using this method of running. The author suggests a different method: the forefoot strike – which happens to be favored by barefoot and minimalist runners around the world. Most notably, the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon who run hundreds of miles each week either barefoot or in handmade sandals. Interestingly, the Tarahumara (so named by the Spanish sometime around 1500 AD) refer to themselves in their native tongue as Rarámuri, or “the running people”.

It is not my intention to turn this blog entry into a book review but I would highly recommend Born to Run. It’s literally what piqued my interest in the sport.

Last November I purchased my first running shoes; a pair of light grey and red Vibram FiveFinger Bikilas. While purchasing running shoes in the earliest months of Minnesota winter is easy on the wallet (there are some seriously great sales to be found) it’s a real drag when you have to wait five months before you can hit the pavement.

In April of this year I downloaded a C25K app for my iPhone and began training.

I had my doubts (after all, I had never been able to run more than a quarter mile before becoming completely exhausted)… but by May I was progressing through the program well enough that I decided to sign up for my first 5K.

Then my daughter asked if she could run the 5K with me.

At first I was very hesitant. I mean, I had been training for a whole month! Surely, the kid would just slow me down.

My wife talked some sense into me, I relented, and my daughter and I began training together. Coincidentally, she never slowed me down. Quite the opposite! More often than not I was concerned that I was holding her back; as she constantly looked like she could run laps around me!

With our training miles increasing, and our miles per minute decreasing, we set a personal goal of completing the 5K in 30 minutes (which meant sustaining slightly less than a ten-minute mile). With our steady progress we were excitedly progressing toward that goal. A half hour of running at a steady pace was no longer out of the question. But how fast of a pace could we maintain?

Just over two weeks before the event I took off by myself one rainy afternoon with the sole purpose of breaking the ten-minute barrier.

I wish I had a snapshot of the expression on my face when the MapMyRun app announced that my split pace for my second mile was 9:48 seconds. I remember pumping my fists in the air and pushing on toward home. I’d done it and I was proud. There was not only a keen sense of accomplishment but also a feeling of empowerment; knowing that we still had two weeks of training left to improve.

However, I’m glad no snapshot exists of my blank expression upon witnessing my badly swollen right ankle when I got home. Apparently I had overdone it and would now pay the price. The question, of course, what was the cost?

The next morning I could barely walk up the stairs. Pressing the gas pedal in my car and pivoting on my right foot was sheer agony. Clearly, I had done something wrong.

Online research and advice from friends was all the same: stay off it for at least two weeks. No running.

I was crushed. How could I compete in the event with my daughter if I couldn’t run?

Against the recent advice I continued to jog twice each week; albeit at a much slower pace – and for nowhere near the same distance. Our time quickly increased up past a 13 minute mile. Knowing our 30 minute goal was no longer attainable we reset our new goal for the much more realistic 36 to 38 minute completion time.

Race day arrived. We woke up early, grabbed a light and healthy (and fibrous) breakfast and walked downtown register. After getting our bibs, our chipped timers, and dousing ourselves from head-to-toe in mosquito repellent we lined up at the starting line.

I’m happy to report we ran for all but two minutes. After completing the second mile, as we approached a healthy looking hill, I glanced over at my daughter who was now looking about as tired as I felt. We had already briefly discussed walking a small stretch of the course before we set out; so the approaching incline (appearing all the more daunting as we approached) appeared to be our best option for a short walk. I optioned this to her and she readily agreed. At the top of the hill we took off again – not stopping until we had crossed the finish line.

They say that running with a group can encourage you to go faster than you originally thought you could; whether you realize it or not. This is my only explanation for finishing my first 5K in 35:15.

Yes, that time is 5 minutes slower than my original goal (pre-ankle injury) but it’s also 2 minutes faster than my adjusted goal.

My daughter and I were thrilled – and still are.

I didn’t train for and run this 5K to win. I did it to prove to myself I could do it. I did it to get up off my ever-widening butt and do something about staying healthy. I did it to feel good about myself – and, to that end, I achieved my goal.

A lot of family, friends and acquaintances knew I would be running this 5K. Many were very supportive; which I appreciate immensely. Something I found to be very frustrating and – to be completely honest – disheartening were the number of people who, after hearing our finishing time, treated the entire event with an air of insignificance. Many conversations would end with the person claiming that what we did was “easy” or “no big deal”.

Naturally, the child in me wanted to jump up and demand, “Yeah?! If it’s so easy why didn’t I see you out there?”

Running 3 miles and 188 yards in 35 minutes may not be an impressive time… but, let me assure you, it wasn’t easy. My daughter and I made a lot of progress in the eight weeks that lead up to June 15. Both physically and emotionally. We had a lot of quality father-daughter time that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Placing 96 and 97 may be a long way from first… but it’s also a far cry from not running at all.

PS4 vs. Xbox One

Sony needed to come back strong – and they certainly have. In a big way.

But before we wade into this week’s big announcements from E3 let’s take a short trip down memory lane. Specifically, I’d like to refute the claim that MicroSoft was the clear victor from the seventh generation of console wars. One could certainly argue that there are many different ways to crunch the numbers. Bear with me for a moment while we briefly compare the recent history of these two competing giants.

As 2012 came to a close the numbers indicate that MicroSoft’s Xbox 360 officially has more units installed than Sony’s PlayStation 3 (by a mere 250,000 units); but the 360 was released one full year ahead of the PS3. Had they been released at the same time (as the PS4 and Xbox One will be) how might these numbers have differed?

Interesting, and certainly worth noting, Sony actually had two consoles out during the seventh generation – the PS3 and the PSP. Both sold about the same total number of units. Combined units sold (between 2006 and 2012) easily bests the sales of Microsoft’s last two home consoles combined (sold between 2001 and 2012).

Arguably, the PlayStation 3’s technical specs could run circles around the Xbox 360… but, since MicroSoft’s machine was so much easier to code games for the difference in graphic quality was rarely seen. In this case, Microsoft was the winner – but only by a bizarre technicality involving the opinions of developers and release schedules. When the production company releases a press statement that your game will be available on a certain date… you just don’t have time to figure out complex technology. Sony is well aware that inferior technology just wins sometimes.

But, honestly, it all comes down to games. Your particular machine could boast the most impressive technical specs and features. It could have the most intuitive controller and be available in nine different colors. It might even slice, dice, and make jullian fries… but if no one’s making any good games for it… who would want it?

MicroSoft’s top three best-selling titles were as follows (excluding pack-in titles):

1). Halo 3 – 14 million units

2). Call of Duty: Black Ops – 12 million units

3). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – 7.5 million units

Sony’s top three best-selling titles were as follows (excluding pack-in titles):

1). Gran Turismo 5 – 16 million units

2). God of War III – 10.4 million units

3). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – 8.6 million units

(I think we can both agree that, even though Sony comes out marginally on top here, the numbers shown above clearly indicate the obvious winner of the most recent console war was Activision).

Regardless of all the facts stated above the vast majority of the public believes Sony was way behind and needed a strong comeback.

Since the PS2 Sony has declared their console would become the “center of you home entertainment”. The PS2 was a miss and the PS3, while closer to that lofty goal, still didn’t really catch. It would appear that, with the PS4, Sony has decided to drop that business model and has instead re-geared their new product as a gaming machine first.

That’s a very wise move.

On the other hand, someone at MicroSoft must have decided they can do what Sony was never able to do (be the nexus of home entertainment). I’d say that’s a risky and foolhardy move. It also appears most gaming fans agree.

Another good move for Sony is finally embracing other company’s technology. It’s almost like, before now, they felt if it wasn’t 100% proprietary tech it wasn’t truly a Sony machine. I get it – Sony’s a hardware company… but so is Apple, and they don’t seem to have any issue with sharing the wealth with their competition (ie: Intel and Motorola). I’m thrilled Sony has decided to use “off-the-shelf” hardware to power the PS4.

Finally, the price.

.

All I have to say is that $499 isn’t an outrageous price for new tech. Besides being the cost on the new Xbox One is is also the cost of a new iPad. It could also get you a cheap laptop computer. Or a PlayStation 4 and a couple of games.

Time will tell, but the future is certainly looking bright for Sony right now. I couldn’t be happier.

In Defense of Mystic Manor

While perusing the comment section of the recently posted video of Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor I came across the following question: “What will it take for Imagineering to produce an original E-Ticket attraction at Disneyland or Walt Disney World?”

Allow me to translate for those readers scratching their heads and asking themselves “Didn’t Disney just open an entire new land in California?!”.

What the commentator means to ask is “What will it take for Imagineering to build attractions that tell new stories in the United States?”.

The person is bemoaning the oft-repeated gripe: Long gone are the days of the Pirates of the Caribbean style attractions; built for the sole purpose of telling entertaining new stories.

But that’s not entirely true – as I’ll point out in a moment.

It would appear that Disney is operating under the impression that there is absolutely zero reason to build a new attraction on an untested intellectual property. This is not an unfounded theory. I assume that fueling this opinion are their carefully researched points outline below:

• Low Risk. Recently added attractions are based on properties with proven financial success (Toy Story, Little Mermaid, Cars).
• Familiarity. They contain characters already familiar to an American audience that resists change or chafes at learning anything new.
• Popularity. The newly added attractions based on existing properties are quite popular (regularly commanding 45+ minute waits).

Building a new E-Ticket attraction isn’t getting any cheaper – and Disney wants to hedge their bets on a sure thing. They want the most bang for the buck. What better way to ensure low risk and popularity than to build an attraction around a beloved property?

Let me state the point regarding familiarity from another angle: When you’re far away from home are you more willing to try a new restaurant or an existing franchise? What do you think the vast majority of Americans say?… and before you answer please understand that there are more than 34,000 McDonalds for a reason.

In order to see it from Disney’s point-of-view, let’s quickly examine the four most recent attractions that were not based on any existing intellectual properties.

Test Track (1999, $200 million) was ridiculed before it even had a chance to open; mainly because of how long it took Disney to work through a particularly rough test-and-adjust phase of a new ride system. After it opened people complained that it was boring – less thrilling than the actual drive to the park. 14 years later a slower version of the same ride opens in California with a Cars overlay and it’s the best thing since audio-animatronics. The Epcot original gets a Tron-inspired overlay and suddenly all is forgiven.

Soarin’ (2001, $3.5 million) is still a massive success today and may be our one bright spot in this list. It’s relatively inexpensive to build (when compared to the rest on the list) and popular with guests. As far as ROI is concerned, Disney’s certainly making an impressive profit on this one. However, I would argue that this attraction introduces no new characters and doesn’t attempt to tell a story.

Mission: SPACE (2003, $100 million) received scathing media coverage. The most often repeated story was that this attraction could kill you. Those unaffected by the ride’s apparent dangerous ride system claimed it was nothing more than a slick spinner ride. Others complained about everything from Gary Sinise’s poor acting to the unimaginative queue. Meanwhile, Disney spent millions retooling the attraction; yet the media would not relent. Eventually, in order to appeal to the media and an American audience who had not (would not) ride the attraction, Disney turned off most of the thrilling (and expensive) effects for half of the ride vehicles. Today, we’re left with a $100 million ride that half-operates.

Finally, we have Expedition Everest (2006, $100 million). Of the four, it is the only attraction that introduces any new/memorable characters and attempts to tell a real story. It’s richly themed, fun, thrilling and insanely popular. There’s just one hitch: a few months after opening it broke. Not the whole ride, mind you – just the footings for the Yeti animatronic; which have cracked in a horrifically un-repairable way. What’s Disney to do with a brand new multi-million dollar attraction that regularly services 18,000 thrill-seekers per day? Well, they ask maintenance to leave the beast in a menacing pose and aim a strobe light at him (casually referred to as “B-mode” by Team Disney). Fixing the ride would require Disney to tear open the mountain façade and carefully remove sections of track just to get to the Yeti. Why would Disney risk taking a popular ride off the grid when, even when it’s broken, it still commands the longest lines in the park. Apparently a major, non-working, story-driven effect just isn’t that important to visitors. It’s certainly not driving them away.

Okay, so Disney hasn’t had very good luck locally with original attractions. What makes them think they should try adding them to Hong Kong, instead?

For starters, the Government of Hong Kong owns 52% of Hong Kong Disneyland. I’d imagine they have a lot of say in what attractions get green-lit for their park. The Walt Disney Company has the ultimate vote in what goes into their own stateside parks. The same cannot be said at any of the parks outside the US borders (Tokyo Disney and DisneySea are mostly owned by The Oriental Land Company and Disneyland Paris is mostly owned by European shareholders and Saudi Prince Alwaleed). When someone else is footing the bill… you’re obligated to do what they say.

Disney has worked very hard at localization – meaning, they haven’t just dropped exact copies of Disneyland onto Europe and Asia. They have wisely chosen to research the local cultures, customs, history and traditions before even developing the layout of the parks. Ask yourself, what reference do the Asian people have to the late-1840s American west gold rush?… other than being imported for slave labor on railroad lines. Do their customs and traditions include the same fantasy and folklore that Americans immediately understand? How would the Chinese, who respect and honor their dead elders, react to the graveyard scene in our beloved Haunted Mansion?

Disney’s careful research has lead them to replace Hong Kong’s Frontierland with Grizzly Gulch and Tokyo’s Main Street USA with the World Bazaar. Most excitedly, the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland’s Main Street will be replaced with an abbreviated avenue that opens onto a spectacular 11-acre garden hub. I can’t wait to see how this plan is realized!

Finally, what’s Disney to do when they realize that the Asian audience could really care less about Disney’s back-catalog of characters. This was made evident to Bob Iger at the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland (2005). As the story goes, Bob was on stage watching the parade go by; but also paying close attention to the guests. Floats carrying Mickey, Pluto, Belle, Peter Pan, Cruella DeVil, and a host of other classic characters were all met with polite applause. Then the Toy Story parade unit arrived… and the crowd went wild.

In 2006 Disney bought Pixar.

For a company looking to aggressively expand into the Asian market this was a very wise move.

How does Disney provide what the consumer wants when the consumer has a cool reaction to 75 years of material? Use Pixar where you can… then develop new stories for the other attractions.

So, in short, what will it take for Imagineering to develop attractions based on stories that have not already been films? Probably, a measurable (and sustained) drop in attendance coupled with a dramatic shift in how American’s consume classic content. And I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Humorous Revelation, Too Long to Tweet (plus more!)

As some of you know I can also be found on Twitter @1seat_theater where I post my humorous micro-blogs.

However, sometimes I come up with something much too long to tweet (as Twitter cleverly limits its users to 140 characters). Below is one such recent idea:

I have now reached the age that I always imagine my parent’s perpetually stuck at. Being a male, I will sometimes take notice of an attractive woman my own age – then chide myself, “No Shane! She’s old enough to be your mother!”

Getting older sucks.

In other news, sorry for not posting anything for a while – it has been crazy busy and I’ve had very little time to fine-tune my posts. As it stands right now, I currently have no less than 6 drafts awaiting final, personal, approval.

As an author of considerable fame once said (so famous that I can’t recall their name), “the first rule in writing is to write”.

Meaning, rather than try to perfect your novel – or blog entry – upon taking pen to paper… just write as it comes to you. Even if it doesn’t make perfect grammatical sense. Even if it’s out of order. Even if it’s complete and utter rubbish.

The idea is to fine tune it later – that’s what I do anyway. I write the very basics, then fill in the details, and finalize by correcting errors (and boring parts). Sometimes it works, other times… not so much.

At any rate, all of that to tell you this: there’s more coming soon. Stay tuned and thanks for your readership!

Metal Gear Rising Review

Let me begin by stating that this review will be horribly slanted. I have been a fan of the Metal Gear series since the original [heavily modified version of the superior Japanese title] premiered on the Nintendo back in 1987. I didn’t play the game until 1992 – and even though I was frustrated with the difficult gameplay I was mightily impressed by story.

Metal Gear – 1987

Six years later Metal Gear Solid was released for the PlayStation. For me, this is still the pinnacle of the series. The story and gameplay were both well thought out and clearly developed hand-in-hand. For instance, all of the items exist for a specific purpose. There’s not a single weapon in the game that doesn’t require you to use it at some point.

Metal Gear Solid – 1998

The same cannot be said for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. While this is easily my second favorite in the series the game loses a few points in design due to unnecessary inventory items. One could argue that this makes for a more open-ended experience. The gamer is allowed the freedom to choose how to play the game; rather than being steered in a certain direction. You can conquer the entire game using only the M9 tranquilizer gun… or you can employ an entire arsenal of firepower. Or, like me, play somewhere in-between.

Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty – 2001

This review wouldn’t be complete without pointing out the gaming communities outright hatred toward the Raiden character. Some felt they were cheated out of a true Metal Gear Solid experience because Snake was the playable character for only 20-25% of the gameplay. Others felt Raiden was weak and whiney (my wife included). To be honest, Raiden didn’t bother me all that much. I was back in the Metal Gear universe battling vaguely familiar foes in a vastly improved graphical environment. I could certainly agree that Raiden was a weaker main character but wrote it off as being an important aspect of the storyline (how society passes along information to younger generations).

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater – 2004

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was interesting because of how much back-story was explained… but the difficulty! With the loss of the Soliton RADAR it felt like we had stepped back to 1987 all over again. The series has consistently made improvements to gameplay with each new release. The Soliton RADAR was added to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (a title not released in America) way back in 1990. Removing it from the latest title was nothing more than an exercise in frustration. People argue that it had to be removed because, in game continuity, the Soliton had not yet been invented (Metal Gear 2 takes place in 1999 while Snake Eater takes place in 1964). While that makes sense I tend to believe that the RADAR was removed in order to make the game harder and last longer. I also found the story to become overly corny at times. Hideo Kojima repeatedly claimed that he was attempting to channel James Bond’s spirit. He missed and got Matt Helm, instead.

Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots – 2008

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was a solid multi-faceted game. It gave the fans what they were hoping for – more Solid Snake. More tactical action. More government conspiracy story arc. Most importantly, closure and a finality that offers explanations to a sometimes convoluted story.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – 2013

Which brings us to the newest Metal Gear title: Metal Gear Rising – which is a bit of a departure for the series. All previous titles were about a one-man army being sent in to rescue hostages and secure data relating to terrorist actions that often point to government involvement. The new game is about a cyborg ninja.

More specifically, Raiden the cyborg ninja (yes, that Raiden).

To say Rising takes the series in a new direction would be an understatement. For some Rising is outright blasphemy. For others it’s a chance to revisit a universe full of rich characters and story. Once again, I reside somewhere in the middle.

For those looking for stealthy cat and mouse gameplay you won’t find it here. Raiden moves around with all the stealth of a steam roller; albeit a very fast and angst-ridden steam roller. For anyone who ever wanted the chance to play the lightning fast cyborg ninjas from the previous Metal Gear titles – here’s your chance. He doesn’t have the depth of Grey Fox or the passion of Olga Gurlukovich. Instead, Raiden rips through his enemies with the same panache as he did as a non-playable character in Metal gear Solid 4; like a one-man wrecking machine. A wrecking machine that whines and complains and tries to sound tough but really comes off more like… annoying.

Fact: guys like to have friends that are dumber than they are. With that established it should come as no surprise that every guy has known a Raiden. He’s that guy we all knew in high school who tried a little too hard to fit in and be cool. The guy that, in an attempt to sound awesome, blurts out some string of words so completely bizzare and intense that all anyone can do is look around to see if everyone else heard it the same way. No one laughs. You just kind of nod and say, “…yeah, sure…” (which I’m sure encourages poor kid).

THAT’s Raiden!

Some of the dialog is so over the top that it’s laughable. Fortunately, the visuals are so stunning that it sort of makes up for the dork in the robot suit. The gameplay is, to quote the cover of the box, lightning bolt action (you’ve got to hand it to them for truth in advertising). The action is slick and stylized. More other than not I found myself grinning like an idiot over another “ah, cool!” moment. However, some of the gameplay is so fast it’s hard to tell what’s going on. Where previous Metal Gear games were all about striking at the precise moment, Rising is about moving the left analog stick as fast as you can. There are also some timed button mashing moments to change-up the game play.

The core game play is fun but this is not your father’s Metal Gear. If you’re able to trade in Harry Gregson-Williams’ score for some Rage Against the Machine this may just be your game.

In fact, maybe that sentence sums up this game the most. Where Solid Snake’s world of Metal Gear was a sly and slippery fox Raiden’s is a heavy metal death machine. The game’s are just that different – and if you can come to grips with that you might just enjoy this game.

If not, you may want to wait for Metal Gear: Ground Zeros.

Time for a Complete Overhaul – Part III

Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is not just an attraction – it’s an important piece of history (Disney and otherwise). Therefore, it should not be allowed to literally rust away.

First, a bit of history for those not intimately familiar with this piece of American pop-culture.

I think part of the reason I am so enamored with Disney is partly because of the time period it is positioned in. Exciting technological and industrial improvements were being made and discovered at a rapid pace – mostly without the aid of computers, and certainly not the internet. If somebody wanted to create something back then there was no way to build a computer model and test everything in a virtual environment; working out the most major problems before actual physical development. They just built it. Of course, money still needed to be considered. There wasn’t an infinite pile of wealth. There were still budgets and advisory committees and shareholders. So, not only did they have to just build it, they had to build it right… the first time.

Try imagining your boss coming to you with a sort-of technological problem and you’re unable to have instant access to answers via the worldwide web. During discussions with your boss you discover the problem is actually a project with a deadline. Furthermore, the technology for developing this project probably doesn’t exist yet. Also, there’s not really anyone practical you can ask for help because, as far as you know, there isn’t anyone with an expertise in this project’s scope. Oh yeah, and you’re not really familiar with this type of project either because your background is in camera work or animation. But none of that matters because your boss firmly believes you’re the person who can successfully pull this off.

At WED (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering) the above scenario was all too familiar.

In the early 1960s, General Electric approached Walt Disney to develop an entertaining, yet educational, show for their pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Naturally, Walt leapt at the chance because GE agreed to fund the project and (more importantly) the development of all the necessary new technology. This allowed Walt’s boys in WED to explore and create without spending a dime of Disney’s money.

The attraction originally opened as Progressland; and to say it was a success would be a gross understatement. It was a smash hit – one of the shining stars of the 1964 Fair.

After the fair the attraction was boxed up and moved all the way across the country to be installed in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland ’67 redo.

Once Walt Disney Word had opened all of the Carousel’s set pieces were once again crated up then moved back to the east coast; where, after a few minor tweaks and adjustments, the attraction reopened January 1975.

Some rather extensive changes were made at this point. For instance, the rotation of the theater changed from clockwise to counterclockwise. The Imagineers completely scrapped the entire post-show. A new song was written to replace “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”. New performances of the vocal tracks were recorded by an all new cast (with the exception of a cameo appearance by Rex Allen, the original Father). Even the breed of the family dog changed.

There were some minor cosmetic changes and “set refreshing” made to the first three acts; while the final act was completely overhauled to represent Christmas in the 1970s.

This means, even with the changes mentioned above, The Carousel of Progress is likely the only attraction in all of Walt Disney World to have been physically touched by Walt Disney. From the set pieces in the first three scenes to the Progress City model upstairs (the fraction of what’s left) chances are Walt had a hand in most of this attraction.

It also means that letting this attraction rot away in a reclaimed Orlando swamp is unacceptable!

I propose a complete overhaul of the entire attraction! Every single scene. The new attraction would honor the vision of, and pay homage to, the original (and not in the Michael Eisner / Paul Pressler definition of terms) while respectfully updating its message and theme.

Don’t go crazy and start sending me hate mail quite yet, Disney-fanatics! I think there’s a way to do this that avoids turning an old favorite into a travesty of justice (ie: The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management).

The basic message of mankind’s progress (and comfort) via technological advances would remain obviously the same; but updated and refreshed. More than a coat of pain and new carpeting this attraction needs a fresh revitalizing – especially as we approach its 50th anniversary.

Below, I have listed the most basic outline of the updated scenes:

Valentine’s Day 1925 –This should be the same basic scene from the current Carousel (giving prominence to electric lighting, radio, the sewing machine, home cooling, etc) with obvious updates to the dialogue. Allowing this scene to retain the original Carousel’s layout and design is not only a nice tip o’ the hat to the original; it sends an immediate message that “we desire to adhere to the original message”. More than a mere token hidden in the background – only identifiable by the purest of Disney geeks – beginning the attraction with an entire scene pulled from the previous attraction sets a tone that the attraction’s tone and story will remain faithful.

Fourth of July 1950 – This scene illustrates the full crossing over; or the general populace leaving the analog world behind while embracing the digital world. The nations’ building excitement and approval are paralleled with the excitement surrounding local Independence Day celebrations. This scene includes references to SciFi Movies (20K Leagues) and Television Westerns (actor Rex Allen), transistors and Cowboys and Indians (CinemaScope / Vista Vision). Additionally we could showcase color television, vaccines and Xerox technology.

Halloween 1975 – VHS and Betamax, 8-Track, muscle cars, transitioning from the space race to the space age, Earth Day, and the dawn of personal computers. Also, this is a good chance for some easy laughs as the 70s were generally a pretty goofy era.

Christmas 2000 – The year 2000 had, for many generations, been pinned as the year that represented the beginning of “the future”. Our scene will focus on translucent and fruity-colored personal computers, compact discs, microprocessors, Internet, medical advances, and a general sense of looking forward. Sure, the last scene is already dated… but that’s the idea. It’s stuck in a specific date; rather than an ambiguous “future” that already looks dated by the time the attraction reopens. By fixing the final scene at a specific year you run a much lower risk of the scene looking corny – at least no more corny than the other three scenes set in the past.

The key to any refreshing of this attraction – via my method decried above, or otherwise – will be completing it with excellence. I’m certainly not proposing a limitless budget, but doing things “on the cheap” (as Roy E. Disney used to say) should be avoided. Quality will out.

“Well, by this time my staff, my young executives, and everything else, are convinced that Walt is right. That quality will out. And so I think they’re going to stay with that policy because its proved that it’s a good business policy. Give the people everything you can give them. Keep the place as clean as you can keep it. Keep it friendly, you know. Make it a real fun place to be.” -Walt Disney