BeemerBoy Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I mean, honestly, how many kids today know all of the Tom/Huck stories? Not very many, meaning that right there, the island loses a lot of marketability. Although you make a valid point, along those same lines, how many kids today could even name our last five presidents? Does that mean that the Hall of Presidents and Liberty Square is the next to fall in the name of high dollar marketable entertainment value? Trust me, TSI is near and dear to me, but even I admit that this "update" actually makes a little sense. But with that said, where does the "updating" to more popular trends end? It's happened with Epcot, and hopefully it doesn't spread too far beyond this TSI "update." Personally, I'd rather see the Imagineering department start to create more unique attractions from scratch, a la Tower of Terror, without cloning the heck out of it. An example would be Journey to the Center of the Earth. It gets great reviews, is unique to one park, and makes every American Disney fan wanna visit TDS (besides the simple awesomeness of the place itself, obviously). Another would be EE. To me, that's what's more interesting....variety among the parks. If every Disney park had the same plug and play attractions or themes, then where's the fun in traveling and exploring all of them? I guess that's a bit off topic, but I hope it made sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterFanatic Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 And how can you say "in a few years pirates won't be a hot theme?" Pirates has been a "hot theme" at the park since the mid-1960s! You do realize that Pirates has been the most popular ride in the park almost since it opened, and it had nothing to do with any movies that came out. Apart from the success of the ride, the Pirates movie franchise has become pretty damn popular in it's own right. To say that people won't remember it in a few years is like saying the Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Jurassic Park are dead themes. Evidence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
music11 Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I mean, honestly, how many kids today know all of the Tom/Huck stories? Not very many, meaning that right there, the island loses a lot of marketability. Although you make a valid point, along those same lines, how many kids today could even name our last five presidents? Does that mean that the Hall of Presidents and Liberty Square is the next to fall in the name of high dollar marketable entertainment value? Trust me, TSI is near and dear to me, but even I admit that this "update" actually makes a little sense. But with that said, where does the "updating" to more popular trends end? It's happened with Epcot, and hopefully it doesn't spread too far beyond this TSI "update." Personally, I'd rather see the Imagineering department start to create more unique attractions from scratch, a la Tower of Terror, without cloning the heck out of it. An example would be Journey to the Center of the Earth. It gets great reviews, is unique to one park, and makes every American Disney fan wanna visit TDS (besides the simple awesomeness of the place itself, obviously). Another would be EE. To me, that's what's more interesting....variety among the parks. If every Disney park had the same plug and play attractions or themes, then where's the fun in traveling and exploring all of them? I guess that's a bit off topic, but I hope it made sense. Good point. who does remember the last five presidents i dont even know and i am taking a civics class with presidents all over the room saying what years they served let alone a little kid remembering that. also a bridge to the island would not be good because then it would have to go really high to get over the river boat that goes around the island unless that is being removed which i hope doesnt get removed. on the lines of the river boat as i mentioned before what will happen to the river boat. that island was the scenery of the boat so what will they do about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 If the rumors are true, then it will be "Pirates' Hideway On Tom Sawyer's Island" meaning the rustic woodsy setting would remain, but pirates would have inhabited the island as well. There's also a section in the book where Tom, Huck, and Joe pretend to be pirates and inhabit an island, so it's not even that much of a thematic stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterviper Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 The whole time I was growing up and going to Disneyland I could of cared two craps who TS was! All I cared about was the TSI was fun and I enjoyed playing on it as a kid. Also enjoy going on TSI even now. So a retheming to me is no big deal. They can theme it to a mountain of poo for all I care as long as its still a fun island to go play on or just walk around on and just enjoy whatever changes they make to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Sounds great to me! Also, I didn't see any links to the direct source of the article, so here it is. http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al112806a.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastercrazy216 Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 other than the skull rock thing (which love seeing at any park) I found the island boring and stupid, not fun like Disney intended. This update probably wont help it much any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 well being that the PoTC ride was a huge success and popular ride for year before a movie existed I don't think a dying fad should be a concern. Pirates hold a lot of lore in kid's imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryH Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 If the Pirate makeover becomes reality, I next want a "Disney Princess Roller Coaster." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 I am sortof hoping that if this refurb/retheming works well, we will get something along the same lines (not necesscarily Pirates, but some kind of retheme). In all of my 16 years of going to Walt Disney World, I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island, and I didn't make too much of an effort to see it in Disneyland. Is it really worth experiencing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 I like it. It sort of has a different vibe than the rest of the park, which I enjoy. I spent a good deal of time over there last summer for work, and there's a lot of nice little areas and touches. If retheming it to Pirates is what it takes to keep it around, then so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan King Posted December 31, 2006 Author Share Posted December 31, 2006 I like it. It sort of has a different vibe than the rest of the park, which I enjoy. I spent a good deal of time over there last summer for work, and there's a lot of nice little areas and touches. If retheming it to Pirates is what it takes to keep it around, then so be it. I guess I can agree with you... I mean, the island is something very unique, and really is different from everything else. I guess its good to see that theyre going to fix it up and retheme it. Id rather have that then to loose the island all together. Its one of those things where well just have to kick back and see what happens... Hey..someone pass me a churro! -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zonga Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 I'm on the fences with this whole thing. I have always loved TSI, it used to be fun running about. Now it's just a nice place to hang out and relax. The major thing that concerns me is how Disney will do the theming. I just wonder how they'll be able to include neat Pirate themed stuff without having to just rope everything off with some employee standing there. The nice thing about TSI is that you can just roam about without being yelled at constantly. It's the only part of the park where you can pretty much do whatever you want. I just hope they can add some nice, new scenery to the island without over doing it. It seems like they will add a lot because they're adding $28 million to the island. I'm all for the retheming if they can pull it off. Let's just hope we don't end up with a 1998 Tomorrowland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allisonLOVEsTPR Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Disney got bad feedback on the Pirates of the Caribbean theme from a couple LA Times articles so they are leaning towards changed it to "Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer Island". Themed more towards chapters of Huck Fin where he pretends to be a pirate on the Mississippi River. Captain Jack will still be there though, Unfortunately there not going to open the fort back up till the Pirates Lair stuff is done because the island is basically falling apart. Yay Disney for doing something with that island. I wonder what they are going to do about the HUGE rodents that have taken over the island.... - allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socalMAN123 Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 I will surely miss the original TSI. I remember when I was really young and they still had all of the dangerous stuff (that you would only find in Europe) on the island. But, I can see the island falling into disrepair over the past years. This island is one of the biggest parts of DL for me and I always try to get out there every visit. Lets hope that this pirates makeover is for the better. Brent "out with the old, in with the new" Shenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastrfreak2000 Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 I fear as the years go by, Disney will be more worried about bringing in attractions themed to huge blockbuster films that will lose their appeal in few years. The parks will just be a huge advertising place for all their movies and all the magic we know at the parks will be gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DATman Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 ^Yes, because Pirates was definitley not popular before the movies. Honestly, this is going to be TSI still, just with updated theming and some pirates, which Tom and Huck were pretending to be, so I don't see why this could be conisdered a Pirates 3 advertisement... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryH Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Personally, I think Tom Sawyer's Island needs to be themed to the Rush song of the same name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Tom Sawyer's Island is just a shadow of what it was when I was a kid. Fort Wilderness is closed, as is its "secret passage" to the river, and I understand that the suspension and barrel bridges are often closed. So, I think that it's time for an upgrade. As for this simply being in response to a "pirate fad," bear in mind that most kids today have no idea who Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are, yet Disney did hold to that tradition when they last refurbished the island. Holding onto a pirate theme won't be any worse than clinging to the works of Twain long after they've ceased to be popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowfanman Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 As for this simply being in response to a "pirate fad," bear in mind that most kids today have no idea who Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are, yet Disney did hold to that tradition when they last refurbished the island. I know Chuck. That's just sort of why I dont want it to change. Selfish of me, I know. But the only reason I knew of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn growing up is because of Disneyland. In essence, despite the lack of popularity of the characters, the stories were kept alive because of my knowledge-by-association of Tom Sawyer Island. And now that I can safely say "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is one of my favorite works of literature ever, I was sort of hoping to keep the stories alive for new children, and I know that it's "selfish of me", perhaps. So basically, I'm going to stand behind one of Robb's complaints about the park....It's been over a decade since they have added a major ride and I've had enough of these tens-of-millions of dollar upgrades that TSI, the subs, space, etc. have been getting and marketed as new. I really enjoy the new Space greatly and I know the return of the subs will be a welcomed addition....but now, I'm just ready for something new. -Jahan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 ^ I concur. I think that what Disney is missing is the sort of thinking that the company was pioneered on which was pretty much out of the box thinking and innovation. Even thier rides based off of movies had something that made it different. But now you get rides like MI:M&S which are just regurgitated storylines into ride form with nothing new or impressive. What happened to the old days of Disney where Disney would come up with new concepts and story ideas? It seems to me that the most Disney of all the Disney parks isn't even fully owned by Disney, I'm refferring to, of course TDL Resort. Its seems like the only park, imo, that is consistantly putting out new original material for thier guests and taking the time to spend on quality of an attraction that will last for decades instead of just a quick fix to get as many people through those gates as possible during the next 4 months. The last time Disney got anything new and unique was Indiana Jones. It was amazing how they tied some of the most memorable moments from the movies (Whole temple idea similar to that of Temple of Doom, Boulder at the end from Raiders and the Lost arc, rat sequence similar to the one on Last Cruisade, though I remember it being something more then what it is now which is just a projection onto a smoke screen ) But they still had some pretty impressive scenes intertwined with its own original story. And its this need to innovate and create something new and original, which imo, is what got Disney started and what kept people coming back. Lately, though, everybody at Disney seems to think that its regirgitated storylines and characters from Disney's latest blockbuster that gets people into the park. And it does... to an extent. I think though that in the near future people will grow tired of it. I already have, and I'm sure the GP will grow tired of it, too. It shouldn't be about bringing entertainment that you can pretty much buy on DVD for $20 at you local walmart into the theme parks, it should be about creating a new and unique experience that you can only find at the disney theme park. I don't want to pay $80 for entry into a park to experience wait in line for 30 minutes to experience what I could have experienced for free (after purchase of course) at home with no waiting. Disney needs to get back to innovating, not copying and pasting. /rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 ^^Huck Finn and Moby-Dick are easily the best American novels of the 19th century, and it's a shame that miguided "political correctness" is keeping the former out of our schools. I agree with you in spirit here, Jahan--I'd like to see the old stories kept alive, too. The sad thing is that so few people read fiction, particularly classic fiction, anymore. (I love immersing myself in old Russian or British novels from time to time.) But if TSI isn't pulling in the visitors like it used to, it will never get the TLC it deserves in this era in which accountants rule the world. At least with the pirate rehab, they'll finally get the island's facilities up to snuff. One thing does puzzle me about this--will this mean that the island will now be part of New Orleans Square as opposed to Frontierland? (Unless you're talking about river pirates, it won't quite fit with Thunder Mountain and Davy Crockett--now talk about a fad . . .) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Honestly, this is going to be TSI still, just with updated theming and some pirates, which Tom and Huck were pretending to be, so I don't see why this could be conisdered a Pirates 3 advertisement... Well, perhaps it's just another wild rumor, but I do remember reading somewhere a while back that certain other animatronic characters may come into play. If that holds true, then it will certainly be another way to promote the series. And even if it doesn't, c'mon, really, were talking about Disney here. Is there really anyway that they won't take the opportunity to showcase their cashcow? Heck, I'd be surprised if there wasn't another Pirates gift shop at the dock when all is said and done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 ^ I don't think that's happening, I think that was more of a pipedream (or pipenightmare) that wasn't really fully thought out. As it stands, Pirates has no scheduled rehab between now and the premiere of the third movie to even do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 It seems to me that the most Disney of all the Disney parks isn't even fully owned by Disney, I'm refferring to, of course TDL Resort. Its seems like the only park, imo, that is consistantly putting out new original material for thier guests and taking the time to spend on quality of an attraction that will last for decades instead of just a quick fix to get as many people through those gates as possible during the next 4 months. Really? TDL hasn't gotten anything new in years, and everything in the park is a copy of something from somewhere else. (Pooh being one huge exception.) As for TDS, there was quite a bit of originality in the park when it was first opened, but most of the rides were created using old ideas. (Sinbad is Small World, Journey is Rocket Rods done right) The additions for the last three years have been two cloned rides and a character greeting area for Ariel. Don't get my negative tone here wrong, though. TDR does the Disney schtick very, very well, but it is the same schtick at the other parks around the world. I agree that the original Disney ideas of innovation, quality, family-friendly and immersion in a special world seem to be giving way to corporate greed and advertising synergy. I'm not sure that the GP is bothered by that though. I still love Disney parks, I just worry that it has become more about the money than the magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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