TPR's West Coast Trip 2009!

[robbalvey]

Wow! Lots of Bag-o-Crap winners already! Remember, there is a chance to win a HUGE bag-o-crap on page 5 of the update!

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=63&linkid=8973&pageno=5

 

But we need a really good story to get the bigger bag-o-crap!

 

--Robb

PS. I don't quite understand all these people who have submitted answers to get a bag-o-crap, but did not send me their mailing address! I'm not sure how you expect to get your bag of crap when I don't have any clue as to where to send it! And no, I'm NOT going to be spending extra time looking up your email from our TPR Store Database or something to see if we have your address on file. If you want something free...make it EASY for me to send it to you!!!

[Rotura Violenta]

It's the rides finale! The turntable is inside there.

 

Is there a projection in there? All I remember is taking a smoke machine to the face.

[Huge_Wonderland_Fan]

^^ I 'signed' my answers with my user name, I thought that putting my address would have been a bit pushy I probably didn't win anything though..

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Did Universal offer any explanation why the ending on Revenge of the Mummy was changed from a mini imax projection to a dark room with fog?

 

 

 

Great update, one of the best on the site in a while.

[cfc]

The Mummy video was great--really makes me wish I had been on the West Coast Trip.

[robbalvey]

Did Universal offer any explanation why the ending on Revenge of the Mummy was changed from a mini imax projection to a dark room with fog?

No, I don't think it ever came up. Remember that most of the people on this tour were probably riding Mummy for the very first time as the group was not So Cal locals.

 

--Robb

[Mozart67]

Good times Have a blast and if all works out to plan this year, artistically, I'll be joining you next year.

 

Scott

[chadster]

super cool, thanks! i think it looks better from the video than the one in Florida, maybe one day soon I'll get to compare for myself.

[Paul_Hollibone]

Universal was great, but I am with Bas, I also missed out on a few said attractions, but it was mostly by choice. I missed out on Backdraft (I was at the time thinking "What is this Backdraft crap?"), Shrek (already seen it, wanted to use the time attending attractions I hadn't seen/ ridden), Creature from the Black Lagoon, Waterworld and T2. It was a great day though, the park did seem a little busy, but a good day none-the-less.

[fudgey]

Great, great update. Lots of memories!!! Had a really excellent day at Universal with the group and the lights on backstage tour was so cool! I love geeky stuff like that. It is all these extra bits which make TPR trips so awesome!!!

[Groteslurf]

^^ + ^ : It was indeed a great visit that day. The backstage tour was very, very cool.

 

^^ : I explored the park on my own that day. Didn't do Terminator & Black Lagoon, but I really had ample time to do all the other attractions, all the shops and I even spend the time after the Waterworld show and the departure of the bus, at the Universal shopping area outside of the park. And I didn't run all the time

[piers]

This was one of my favourite trip days, it was so relaxed and we didn't rush but we still managed to do every attraction (except that terrible show...)

I lost the shirt I was wearing there though and it was my favourite!

[robbalvey]

Here is a great ET story! If this person emails me their mailing address I'll send them a big Bag-O-Crap!

 

Send Dan your ET story! Read the update and find out how!

http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=63&linkid=8973

 

Hi Dan,

 

I am a long time reader of TPR, but this is the first time I have emailed you. I was 6 years old when ET was released. I remember my mom asking me when I was going to ask my dad to take me to see ET. I did not know anything about the movie, but I headed outside to where my dad was weeding the strawberry patch. A day or so later my father and I went to see it. The showing was uneventful until the scene when Elliot went into the cornfield looking for ET. You have to remember that I had not seen any pictures of him and in those days they did not show him CGI jogging across the landscape like they have in recent years. So here I am sitting in my chair when ET jumps out at Elliot screaming. I screamed, jumped up and put my face in the seat of the chair. For the next couple of minutes I was freaked out and did not want to look. I was curled up in the fetal position in the chair facing the seatback. After a few minutes I calmed down and was able to watch the rest of the movie.

 

That night started years worth of nightmare where ET would jump out of my closet to screech at me, then he would be chasing me through the house and such. Even as a teenager, when it was finally released to video I was wary of watching it.

 

These days when my sister watches the movie, I can watch it too. However, I do not. All I can think of is how much better the movie would be if ET was several stories tall and a robot. Iron Giant is the far superior alien being befriended by little boy movie. There are real stakes in the Iron Giant. The soldiers carry actual guns, not walkie-talkies. When Iron Giant dies, his revival makes more sense. They show him rebuilding himself earlier in the film. He doesn’t just come back like ET does.

 

I don’t care if I ever see ET again.

 

Sincerely,

 

Melonballer

[fatdaddy]

^What the hell?

[robbalvey]

^ In the update there was a "Send us your story of why you hate E.T. to Dan" link. Those who submitted the best stories will get posted here and will get a TPR Bag-O-Crap!

 

It's on this page:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=63&linkid=8973&pageno=5

 

--Robb

[dandaman]

Iron Giant >> ET, save for maybe the score. Maybe.

[fatdaddy]

^^Hey your in the video game world, do you know where they burried all the E.T. Atari games? I heard the dug a hole in the desert somewhere.

[deathbydinn]

Just sent in my ET rant!

 

I agree with whats been said that ROTM is much more a family coaster but when you add the building, theming and dark ride section, it becomes a pretty kick @$$ ride!

[robbalvey]

^^Hey your in the video game world, do you know where they burried all the E.T. Atari games? I heard the dug a hole in the desert somewhere.

I actually was just talking to someone recently who worked at Atari when all that was going on. Some great stories! Here's a recap:

http://www.snopes.com/business/market/atari.asp

 

--Robb

[robbalvey]

Okay, here goes:

 

I'm not really an E.T. fan because I found the movie to be somewhat boring and stale. Sure, I wasn't alive when the movie was originally in theaters (I was born in '91, the year legends were born!), but when I did see the movie, I just wasn't really impressed with it. Maybe it's because I was raised on movies that had more advanced special/visual effects than E.T., like "Jurassic Park," or "Toy Story," but even the storyline isn't all that in my opinion.

 

A film with a similar story is "The Water Horse." However, I feel that "The Water Horse" has a deeper storyline and is much more effective in executing its plot. In that film, the characters interact with the Water Horse (named Crusoe), and develop a sort of friendship, which makes Crusoe's departure at the end more emotional. With "E.T.," it seems like it was more of E.T. controlling Elliott's brain, which caused them both to almost die, leading to why E.T. had to depart. No real attachment, just a need to get away from each other in order to survive. Yeah, um, not a great plot if you ask me.

 

E.T. also isn't a very memorable character, especially when compared to other Universal symbols such as Bruce (aka the shark from "JAWS"), Doc Brown and the DeLorean from "Back to the Future," or even the various dinosaur species from the "Jurassic Park" trilogy. When I hear "Universal Studios," the characters that first come to mind are those that I previously mentioned as well as the classic Universal Monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc). But then again, it doesn't help that the E.T. Adventure doesn't exist anymore (or at least not in Hollywood).

 

While I've heard stories about how some people were frightened by E.T., I personally was not. But I can see why he could be seen as scary to some...I mean, have you noticed how ugly he is?! He just looks downright freaky. I haven't had nightmares about E.T., I'll admit I'd be somewhat creeped out if I found an E.T. in my closet or in my room. My grandparents have an E.T. figurine in their china cabinet (don't ask why, I don't know), amongst other collectibles, and when I look at their collection the E.T. figure sometimes catches me by surprise. It's kind of like if you were looking at a baseball collection and then found a taxidermied snake next to one of the balls...it's really not all that scary, but it'll catch you off guard sometimes. But at least it's creepier than the Universal House of Horrors...xD

 

So that's why I'm not much of an E.T. fan. While I love some of Spielberg's other films, I don't think this one leaves as big of a legacy as the others. Sure, it's certainly a better sci-fi film than say, "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus" (look up the trailer if you don't know what I'm talking about), but it doesn't hold a candle to other movies with creatures from another planet/galaxy like "Star Wars" or "Alien."

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! I'll be waiting for my BIG TPR bag-o'-crap!

 

-Tyler aka TPR screenname disney4me2001

[Brad_G]

Awsome update Robb.

[robbalvey]

Here’s my rant about why I didn’t really care for ET. Enjoy.

 

Well this movie is just so screwed up is so many ways. First off, the family. Those kids need some freaking discipline. What 4 year old kid goes around calling his brother penis breath?!? [Yes, this actually happens in the movie!] and then the MOM starts LAUGHING?!? WTF? Yet again this was the mom who had 14 year olds smoking so I guess I can't get too mad at that. Now the really screwed up part is "ET" Real original name huh? An Extra-Terrestrial named...Extra-Terrestrial. Lets start naming people Homo Saipan. I'm sure everyone would be fine with that. Now his unoriginal name is just a small part of what’s f***ed up with him. The main thing is that he doesn't even look like an alien, he looks like my grandpa when he gets out of the tub. Aliens are supposed to be 10 feet tall with 6 arms, 20, eyes and on a mission to destroy the earth and enslave man kind. Not look like a potato who sat in the sun too long. And dear god the way it talks. I don’t know if I wanna hit him with a bat (which would also hurt the boy! ) or give him a flu shot.

 

I know those are little details but things like those just ruin movies for me. Even the high school bus scene made me want to turn it off. No high school bus is THAT bad. I want something somewhat realistic. I’ve gotten to the point where I cant watch ET without skipping at least half of it to the at least some what good point (which is very little of it).

 

Obviously I feel that this move could have been made a lot better. And cmon is it really an alien movie when if at least half the world isn’t destroyed? At least blow up Canada!

 

END RANT

 

- Deathbydinn

[robbalvey]

More updates coming VERY soon!

[robbalvey]

Next stop on the TPR West Coast Tour...

 

Sea World San Diego!

http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=177&linkid=8991

 

 

Why are we all dressed like Shamu? Click the link to find out!

 

--Robb

[deathbydinn]

Yay mine got posted. Another great update although IMHO it seems Sea Wolrd CA. is kinda neglected ride wise compared to the other Sea Worlds. It's about time they got a nice full sized coaster. While they might be focusing more on there animals than in the other parks, they really don't have anything that will make people want to go there more than Sea Word Orlando or Sea World SA.

Edited June 1, 2010 by deathbydinn