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Credit: DisneyThe old saying says that change starts with you, and that can certainly be said for the Disney Parks. Although places like the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland are brought to life by the company’s phenomenal team of Cast Members and Imagineers, sometimes their biggest fans are often their harshest critics.
Disney sometimes gets it wrong, and several Disney Park attractions have tried and failed. However, there have also been a remarkable number of classic rides and attractions that were altered or removed due to Guest’s complaints. While some concerns were legitimate, such as safety of the attraction and those on board, others changed due to unsatisfied audiences. Sometimes it’s for the best; other times it totally changes the way we experience the Disney Parks.
Aliens Attacked at Disney World
Believe it or not, there was a time and Disney’s history when they loved experimenting with theme park rides. One such experiment was ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter, a theater-in-the-round attraction that put Guests face to face with a carnivorous alien monster. That totally sounds like a Disney-approved concept, right?
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The experience with the animatronic alien creature was one of Michael Eisner’s bright ideas, and it was quickly deemed far too scary for Disney, and many Guests were outright terrified to go in. Naturally this led to a drastic decline in the ride’s popularity, ultimately leading to it being replaced by Stitch’s Great Escape. Unfortunately for fan’s of Tomorrowland’s resident troublemaker, that ride was also met with unfavorable reviews, largely due to Stitch’s chili dog breath.
“We Wants the Redhead!”
Pirates of the Caribbean has always been a quintessential Disney attraction. Some would even classify it as a true testament to Walt Disney Imagineering, but not everything from Walt’s day aged as well as some of these animatronics. In 2019, it seemed not everyone was totally on board with the pirates’ displays of debauchery.
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They’re “devils and blacksheep and really bad eggs,” it’s all right there in the song. So why should Guests be surprised when the pirates do piratey things? The scene in which the pirates had captured the lovely lasses of Port Royal and put them on the auction block was supposedly changed due to the Me Too movement of the late 2010s, resulting in a controversial alteration of a Walt Disney original, as well as the introduction of Captain Redd.
Time to be Movin’ Along
Perhaps the most infamous of Disney Parks changes in recent media is the closing of the iconic/infamous Splash Mountain. While Disney has stated that the upcoming re-theme based on The Princess and the Frog is due to an opportunity for new artists to tell a new story, evidence points another direction
According to NPR, a petition from Change.com with over 20,000 signatures stating that the ride was steeped in harmful stereotypes could be the smoking gun in the case. Whether it was due to Disney wanting to take the decades-old attraction in a new direction or a swarm of unhappy activists demanding the ride be changed, Disney Park Guests soon found themselves mourning the classic log flume attraction.
There are plenty of sound, logical, and understandable reasons for Disney to change some of their attractions. However, sometimes listening to the fans can have mixed outcomes. As demonstrated in the examples above, fan reactions have forced Disney’s hand in their designs, both for good and for bad.
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Not everyone is going to be satisfied with every last thing Disney creates. Then again, not everything created by Disney is meant for every flavor of fan. That’s why variety is the spice of life.
Do you think these attractions should have been changed or left alone? Tell us at Inside the Magic in the comments below!
