Disney Controversies That Proved Overblown
Now that Splash Mountain has closed for good, some critics have decried Disney’s decision to re-theme the attraction.
Of course, criticisms like this aren’t unique. Disney faces a firestorm of headlines whenever it changes anything.
Splash Mountain
This behavior happens because media headline writers understand that few topics prove as popular as Disney theme park updates.
So, people come after Disney for reasons that often prove absurd in hindsight. Here are some recent Disney criticisms that proved overblown.
Disney Skyliner Rides Don’t Have Air-Conditioning!
Skyliner
Out of everything we’ll discuss here, this one makes me laugh the hardest.
As the opening of the Disney Skyliner approached, common sense suggested that Disney had solved many of its congestion problems.
Photo: D23
The company took to the skies to add a third dimension to transportation. In the process, Disney reduced the gridlock on the streets of Orlando.
Also, Disney returned to its past, as many fans still recall a previous generation of park visits.
Back in the 1990s, guests rode the Skyway in Magic Kingdom to reduce the amount of walking between themed lands.
In short, the Disney Skyliner system is full of win for park officials and Disney fans alike.
Photo: Disney
Still, some critics locked in on one element of each gondola. Disney used air vents to cool down the vehicles.
Disney haters capitalized on this knowledge. They ranted about Disney cutting corners by not adding air conditioning.
Then, the Disney Skyliner opened, and many analysts ran tests in the midst of Florida’s hottest summer up until that year.
The testing revealed that the gondolas kept cool enough thanks to the air vents, just as Disney Imagineers had anticipated.
Even better, when the pandemic occurred, Disney appeared downright prophetic by hosting a form of transportation that didn’t recycle air.
In short, critics weren’t just wrong about the Skyliner. Disney had thought of everything!
The Guardians Take over the Twilight Zone
Here’s the change that bothers me the most, at least on a personal level.
I’m one of those people who believes that Twilight Zone Tower of Terror personifies the greatness of Disney Imagineering. It’s a perfect ride.
Still, whenever we discuss Disney, we must acknowledge that the company’s history leads to strange forks.
For example, if Disney tried to re-theme Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, fans would riot down Sunset Boulevard.
Photo: LA Times
However, the Disney California Adventure (DCA) version came later, which means it’s not as iconic. So, fans are less reverential about it…but only slightly less.
Disney discovered this when management attempted to solve a longstanding problem at the park.
On DCA’s opening day, fans quickly deduced that it simply wasn’t up to snuff.
This park didn’t even come close to approaching the daily entertainment of Disneyland Park. It was a bust.
Photo Credit: Alan Rappa: https://www.flickr.com/photos/popkid/8675208490
Disney has spent more than 20 years correcting that mistake, and it’s fully accomplished that feat by now.
However, in 2016, when Disney announced that Tower of Terror would change into a Guardians of the Galaxy ride, fans freaked out.
Photo: Disneyland
The fact that Disney only re-themed the West Coast version of the ride assuaged them, though.
Plus, nobody can deny that the rock music theming on Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! works shockingly well with the bouncing elevator ride mechanic.
Photo Credit: www.coaster-nation.com
Somehow, Imagineers have crafted an entirely different ride experience in a limited space with one option for how the ride carts can move. It’s a remarkable feat.
The success of Mission: BREAKOUT! and the continued existence of Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have ended the outcry for the re-theming.
Pirates of the Caribbean Changes a Scene
Okay, I’m about to say which scene Disney changed on arguably its most iconic ride, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Before I tell you which one, do you remember what it is? I’ll state right now that if you do, it’s probably because of the controversy, not the memorable nature of the scene.
Credit: Disney
In fact, if you shut your eyes, can you remember any specific visual from the now-defunct scene?
Some of you, probably older Disney fans, will say yes because you rode it so many times over the years.
For younger Disney fans, the media obsession with the change involves the subject matter rather than the update itself.
I say this with confidence because I get the occasional media interview invite. When Disney updated to Mission: BREAKOUT!, no media outlet contacted me.
Photo: MaleficiousVillain/https://disney.fandom.com/
That’s strange since I wrote one of the most viral articles of my career about that change.
However, when Disney updated Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain, I received several interview requests for each discussion.
Photo: Atlas Obscura
Obviously, the explanation for this behavior is political in nature.
A Tower of Terror update may upset Disney fans, but it won’t get traction outside the Disney Bubble like the other two attractions did.
Photo: SF Gate
Of course, the whole thing with Pirates of the Caribbean proved wildly overstated. Here’s the old scene you may or may not recall:
Contrast that to the updated version:
The new scene is objectively better and more engaging. Every image tells a story, and I’d definitely like to know more about the dude with the grandfather clock.
Photo: Renie Bardeau / Associated Press
Meanwhile, the older version was decidedly not Disney in its tone or implication.
So, Disney was once again correct to make the change.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Looks Cheap
Photo: Disney
Occasionally, the danger of accurate theming is that you raise awareness for problems people wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
For example, in early 2022, Disney released a promotional video for the impending opening of the so-called Star Wars Hotel.
Photo: Disney
Disney hired Sean Giambrone, the star of ABC’s The Goldbergs, to appear.
Obviously, Disney thought that a character with a televised history of loving Star Wars would encourage other Star Wars fans to visit.
Credit: Kent Phillips, photographer/Disney
For whatever reason, Disney’s promotional video proved ineffective. The camera angles poorly displayed the bridge of the Halcyon.
This intergalactic cruise ship transports you to Batuu. It’s integral to the concept of a visit to Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
Photo: skillastics.com
Critics latched onto this visual and eviscerated Disney for cutting corners on the hotel’s design. They pointed out the $1,000+ per night price tag.
That promotional video didn’t demonstrate anything worth $1,000+ per night, at least according to people who – let’s be honest – hate Disney.
Photo: Disney
The video vanished overnight as Disney reconsidered the marketing plan.
Then, something funny happened. Guests visited Galactic Starcruiser for the first time. Their videos about the experience proved nothing less than euphoric.
(David Roark, photographer)
Everyone looooooved Galactic Starcruiser. Just as importantly, the livestreams revealed that the ship’s bridge looked quite lovely.
What people forgot was that Disney honored many of the early visuals from the 1970s Star Wars franchise.
Photo:(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
For this reason, the bridge was always going to look a certain (lovingly dated) way.
If Disney hadn’t done that, Star Wars fans would have struck back that the experience didn’t honor George Lucas’ vision.
Photo: Disney
In short, Disney made a call to remain true to the look and feel of Star Wars. The results have spoken for themselves.
For whatever reason, some people still want Star Wars Hotel to fail, though. It’s weird.
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Feature Photo: Disney
