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You’ve heard this before, right?
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“You’ve been to one , you’ve been to em’ all.”
, , , Paris, Anaheim, hat’s even the difference anymore?”
It’s a common criticism, and recently, the age-old debate has started up again; “are Disney’s theme parks too similar”?
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rides at almost every
Let’s get the obvious out of the way.
I think most people would agree that a castle is pretty universal. It’s what makes a a , after all.
Though for my two cents, it does peeve me when there isn’t much variety in the castles. Take and , for example. Both copy the castles at and Disneyland respectively. What would be much cooler is if each had a distinct castle, for a different , to give it its own identity. However, at least the at Paris put its own spin on the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle, to give it a unique feel. Hong Kong will also follow suit by replacing the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle with the Castle of Magical Dreams, of course.
As for and choices, I’m personally fine with the classics being at every . When I first visited , for example, I was gutted to find that there was no Space Mountain and no Haunted Mansion. (I’m now aware that Shanghai Disneyland doesn’t have The Haunted Mansion for cultural reasons, FYI).
When it comes to an iconic like these two or Pirates of the Caribbean, my personal view as a is that it is an intrinsic part of the , and I’d be sad to visit a without each classic .
Some Disney fans have also expressed sadness that their favorite is becoming too obsessed with intellectual property. To some, they want to see a new that isn’t based on or the latest Disney movie.
I am inclined to agree. As much as I love the idea of ‘s Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, the iconic Tower of Terror can never be replaced.
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Should each have at least one exclusive or ?
While this is just the opinion of one , I’d say yes. Part of the reason that ‘s and Tokyo ‘s are such beloved theme parks is their completely unique theming including many an exclusive .
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The same goes for , as well as the options; and Typhoon Lagoon.
They all feel unique. And don’t get me wrong, I love The , , and Disneyland, but compared to other parks, they’re all pretty similar. Many Disney fans feel the same way about Paris’ Walt Disney Studios , which is in many ways similar to Studios in .
Going back to my Disneyland trip, I can’t express how excited I was to the Tron Lightcycle . As an experienced hopper, it was so cool to find something totally new that I’d never experienced at any other .
But now Tron is coming to The , and while that’s truly a good thing for everyone who visits the , it does take a little bit of magic away from what makes Disneyland unique.
Particularly for non-hardcore Disney fans, I feel like each isn’t doing itself any favors by introducing several of the same attractions. If every includes a very similar land or a variation on Studios, your average Joe may not bother experiencing a park like or while abroad if they can get the same experience on their doorstep.
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While I love almost everything that Disney introduces to each (and Tron is a banging ), the mouse needs to be careful to make each distinct if they want the general population to consistently buy a to each individual .
However, in my opinion; mainstays like The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are what made so initially appealing, and the wouldn’t be the same without them.
What do you think? Is each losing what makes it distinct? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.