Sam Gennawey's Blog, page 20
May 9, 2012
May 7, 2012
LEGOLAND TRIP REPORT
LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA
The way my mind thinks, the concept of LEGOLAND is pretty simple. Combine one or more family rides, with one or more child only rides, a child’s playlot, a place to eat, a place to shop, and a bathroom. Find a theme that ties these elements together. Bonus points if the theme reflects a LEGO product. And stuff those lands with fabulous LEGO brick models that sometimes move or make sounds. Arrange these pearls around the perimeter of the park and link them together with a winding path string that has little surprises of its own and then place in the heart of the park Miniland U.S.A., the park’s soul.
Did I mention just how incredible the LEGO brick models are?
This was my first impression when I arrive very early that morning.
I had been to LEGOLAND before but that was many years. Because the park’s great strength is how it serves a particular demographic (families with children and that is not me) I didn’t have a strong desire to go back. But with time has come change so I packed up the car, plugged in my iPod to listen to my backlog of WDW Today podcasts, set the GPS for Carlsbad, and headed south for the weekend. I also planned on visiting Sea World in San Diego and will report back on that next week.
Like many of you, I got to the park before it opened, had my ticket in hand and glided through the turnstiles to wait in the forecourt plaza called The Beginning. It had rained on the drive but the sky look like it was going to cooperate as some patches of blue skies started to peek out.
The arrival experience is lacking. The utilitarian box that the SeaLife Aquarium came in dominates one side of the entrance and a construction site for the new LEGOLAND Hotel to open in the summer of 2013 dominates the other. In between are ticket booths that appear to be made of LEGO bricks and a lot of confetti embedded into the ground. I must confess that I have not seen a picture of what this hotel is supposed to look like but I can only imagine a structure made out a material that looks like huge Lego bricks. The idea reminds me a of BBC program starring James May who built a house, including a toilet, made out of Lego bricks. But I digress. My first impression was, “Okay, the magic must be inside.”
Merlin Entertainment (Owners of LEGOLAND) is following in the footsteps of Disney by creating a resort with multiple activity nodes (the theme park, the Aquarium, LEGOLAND Water Park, and the future hotel).
It seems they are also working hard to attract a local audience of young families with children who use the facility as their local park and older folks who find it a safe, pleasant environment for exercise.
Once past the turnstiles, you enter The Beginning. Here are the basic services such as Guest Services, strollers, the photo center, a snack store, and a store called The Big Shop. A gathering space faces a lake with many LEGO models including comical dinosaurs and LEGO people trying to build a bridge. I would later learn that these sculptures come alive with sound as the Coast Cruise boats pass by.
By the way, I learned the employees are called Model Citizens. Get it?
Like other parks, LEGOLAND allows guests to gather and ropes block the paths to the attractions until opening. I had two options; go to the right where most of the “thrill” rides are and where most of the crowd was waiting or to go the left. I choose the path less traveled.
First stop was Dino Land, which should not be confused with the one in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Mixed amongst the tropical trees and shrubbery are colorful “life-size” LEGO models of dinosaurs. The Coastersaurus is a cute kiddie coaster and there is a nice child’s playground where they dig up bones called Dig Those Dinos. Need to buy dino related LEGO sets? They have a store for that.
The next destination is DUPLO Village. Passing between Dino Land and DUPLO Village is one of those little “in-betweens” that I found to be a delight. As you walk along you will see an array of rocks along an embankment. Now normally you would hardly notice such a thing. However, these rocks appear to have faces. Even more awesome is that they are singing. You see they are LEGOLAND’s rock band. There are experiences like this throughout the park.
I must confess this trip is a lesson in the LEGO culture. I learned that DUPLO blocks meant for children age 1.5 to 5. DUPLO Village is geared to the toddler set. Personally, I found this frustrating at times. For example, a ride on the Safari Trek, a car ride on an electric rail that you through a collection of LEGO model animals, to see the models of monkeys, giraffes, and elephants meant looking like Gulliver while on his travels.
The scale of many LEGOLAND attractions assume that the primary rider is a child and in many cases the expectation is for the parents to patiently wait until their kids are done playing. Don’t get me wrong; there are family attractions, as we shall see. But there are far too many attractions where the family cannot share the experience. Okay, I am stepping off my soapbox.
Another attraction in DUPLO Village is the very surreal Fairy Tale Brook. What starts out as an innocent boat ride turns into a voyage into something that would have made René Magritte proud. Prepare to see the Big Bad Wolf snorkeling, the Three Little Pigs working out to kick his butt, and Prince Charming on a cell phone. There is so much more.
I also discovered one of my favorite things in the entire park. In the Waterworks interactive play area is a fountain with LEGO model instruments and little pads that you step on. If you step on the pads quickly enough in the right order you can actually play a tune. Okay, so I ran around the fountain a few times. It was early. There are other interactive fountains that are activated by turning wheels, pressing buttons, or doing some other thing.
The lush landscaping fades away and we are in the middle of the urban LEGOLAND, Fun Town. There is a lot going on at this end of the park. The Volvo Driving School returns to Walt’s original vision for Autopia; a place for kids to learn how to drive safely. With no tracks, children from 6 through 13 make their way around a street grid obeying the traffic rules or they get thrown into jail sanding down the rough edges of mutant LEGO blocks. There is even a Volvo Junior Driving School for the real little ones (3 to 5) that goes around an oval. Of course, the entrance is marked with a full-size Volvo has been modeled out of the plastic bricks.
Buildings with clever LEGO characters line the edges. There is an amphitheater featuring a cute slapstick show that teaches us the proper way to put out a fire. Remember; put the wet stuff on the hot stuff.
I enjoyed walking through Adventurers Club and activating all of the special effects. The LEGO Factory Tour features machines that press out the blocks in incredible slow motion. Like many spots in the park, there are places where kids can sit and play with the blocks. Other activities include The Police and Fire Academy where families can battle it out against one another.
Sadly the “high places” attractions were closed for refurbishment. The Kid Power Towers and the Sky Cruiser are family oriented people powered vehicles that give guests a chance to play and get and overview of the entire park.
Next door to is Pirate Shores, a land of water-based attractions including the Skipper School (not on a track but the world’s slowest boat ride) and the big family oriented attraction, Splash Battle. If you lost out to the fire challenge in Fun Town you can take your revenge on that other family with this ride. You get in a boat equipped with water guns that is not really a boat but a vehicle on a very visible track. As you move along, you are within shooting distance of the other boats and encourage hitting them before they hit you. Bystanders can also get into the action with the water guns triggered from outside the fence.
By the time you get to Castle Hill at the backside of the park, you realize just how compact this park is. This is one of the areas where people who got there early were running. The Dragon rollercoaster was one of my favorite rides. It starts off slowly moving through a castle where we encounter various crudely animated LEGO models. I was especially impressed with the dragon. As you exit the castle, the ride changes into a nice, reasonably long kiddie coaster.
The other big ride here is the Knight’s Tournament. Two riders are placed at the end of a Kuka robotic arm. There are five levels of ride intensity. One is very mild and five will twist your brain. In some cases, the intensity of the ride is determined by the height of the rider. I kept picturing myself strapped in at the end of one of these on a moving track inside of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure.
The Wild Woods Golf is a lovely miniature golf course that fully takes advantage of the LEGO models. This is one of the repeatable features for locals. As much as I would like to have ridden the Royal Joust, I am just too big. Another well-designed child’s play area is called The Hideaways. The variety of play areas is outstanding.
Castle Hill is also the home of the mythical Granny’s Apple Fries, which have become signature dish. These are Granny Smith apples deep-fried in a light batter, dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with a vanilla sauce. Do I have to say more?
The Land of Adventure contains the park’s one family dark ride. Lost Kingdom Adventure is like Buzz Lightyear at the Disney parks where you shoot at targets with a light gun and total up individual scores. Of course, all of the targets are LEGO models and the animation is limited or non-existent but the ride is cute, good eye candy for the kids, and has that tongue in cheek humor that permeates this entire park.
The Imagination Zone is where you will find the LEGO Technic Test Track, an incredible wild mouse rollercoaster. What may seem like a harmless kiddie coaster is a butt tightener of the first order. There is also the very clever Aquazone where you steer a hydrofoil while other guests are trying to get you wet with water cannons. The LEGO Mindstorms area is where the hardcore LEGO fans go and lots of youth groups. This is where you can board the Coast Cruise, which sails on the lake you see at the entrance. As it passes some of the huge models, they animate or make sounds that support the sculpture.
As I stated at the top of this piece, the heart of LEGOLAND is Miniland USA. The area is made up of six landscapes based on U.S. cities including New England, Las Vegas, New York, Washington D.C., New Orleans (under repair), and California. There is also a special area themed to the Star Wars series.
Of course I had to look up the statistics and LEGO claims that it took more then 100,000 hours of model making to put together what you see today. More then 23 million bricks have been used to build these models. And they are spectacular. In general, they are built at a 1 to 20 scale.
In many cases, pushing a button will active some form of animation. Whether it is cows and chickens moving in a barn, a marching band in from of the U.S. Capital building, or making a Stormtrooper fly around a tree.
I found myself sitting on the ground to get a really good perspective of the models and their attention to detail. I was recently in San Francisco and was riveted by their version of that beautiful city. The New York skyline is an exhibit for an architecture class. The highlight of Washington D.C. is the animated marching band in front of the Capital building. Look deep inside of the Lincoln Memorial and you can see the statue of the legendary President. The Las Vegas scenes are as over the top as the city itself. My one let down was Southern California. Northern California is well represented by the San Francisco set but all points south are summed by RVs parked by the beach, the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Bowl, and LEGOLAND sign replacing the iconic Hollywood sign.
The lineup of famous buildings at the same scale in such close proximity was just a joy. Not only are the buildings something to look at but also throughout the scenes are little vignettes of life such as band concerts, people picnicking, or people lining up to view a parade.
Sadly, some of the models are beginning to fade from the sun. In many cases, the animation was broken such as the cable cars in San Francisco not running, the President’s motorcade stalled or other small details. But those are minor quibbles and something that a little TLC should fix.
In the end, I enjoyed my visit. The bathrooms were clean and plentiful, the employees were there, and the food not bad. I know I will not be going back anytime soon but that has more to do with the fact the park is not targeting somebody like me then anything about the park itself.
For those that have visited, what do you think?
May 1, 2012
GIVE 'EM A RAISE
I say, if you love them so much, and you should, give them a raise. Watch what happens. Disney, be a leader and become even more loved for the right reasons. You will make so much more money.
April 30, 2012
April 26, 2012
A Trip to Knott's Berry Farm
In Persistence of Vision magazine, J.G. O'Boyle suggested that "a theme park is not ride-dependent. A theme park without rides is still a theme park. An amusement park without rides is a parking lot with popcorn." I am here to say that after my recent visit to Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, we still have a wonderful theme park and one that seems to be getting better and better under the new management team.Just ignore the background music. More on that in a bit.
It has been a couple of years since my last visit to Knott's Berry Farm. My colleagues at MiceChat have been encouraging me to go and see the changes that have been taking place, especially the improvements to the Ghost Town section of the park. I am glad that I did.
READ MORE AT MICECHAT
April 25, 2012
If I Were King - The Magic Kingdom
Imagine, for a few moments, that you are the queen or king of the Disney Parks in North America. You can change anything you want without regard to budgets or corporate politics. As the benevolent dictator you can command your minions to do whatever you want. My question to you is what do you want?
A few weeks ago I decided to have a bit of fun and crowned myself king. My focus was on Walt Disney’s original creation – Disneyland. I love Walt’s little park and have been there so often others have wondered about my sanity. But we know better, right? Many of you rose to the challenge and I highly recommend readers to cruise through the comments. There is some brilliant stuff in there.
Now it is time to travel east to the Walt Disney World Resort. We have four theme parks within our realm. The four theme parks that present a great opportunity to take what we may consider just acceptable or even regrettable and turn in into something exceptional. The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom need our benevolence. What to do?
This week I shall walk through the Magic Kingdom and give direction to my minions.
One thing I will tell them not to change is the way my people arrive to the park. The arrival experience at the Magic Kingdom continues to delight me. What is not to like? You start with a choice of a monorail or a ferry. Granted, some may arrive by bus but they benefit from the VIP treatment of being dropped off at the front door.
After choosing which form of conveyance, I enjoy how the journey becomes the experience of passing through a sequence of spaces punctuated by the shear anticipation created by the deflected views of the castle spires. As a person who tends to travel solo and without a bag, I appreciate the fact that my security team can just wave me through at the front door. I should teach my Disneyland minions to do the same.
First I must inspect Main Street USA. The grand facades of the buildings suggest that this is a prosperous town but the lack of vehicles up and down the street tell me a different story. The movie theater has been closed down and converted into a store. The biggest building on Town Square has been converted into a boarding house for women and is over run with mice and dogs. The city cannot even afford a fire department.
My economic redevelopment department must leap into action and resolve these issues. We begin with a fleet of vehicles that run throughout the day. I recognize that we have a couple of parades but after 57+ years of operating parks I am sure we can figure out something. Considering the Florida weather, I think the convenience of public transportation, as an alternative is more important then ever.
I am glad that the Fire Station is no longer a shop but I am not sure that minions got it right by letting the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom in to recruit common folks and putting them through a challenge. I understand the desire to be near the front gate but I feel there is a spot in Fantasyland where you would expect to find magic and Sorcerers. They tell me this is temporary. They tell me a lot of things.
While they are in the Fire Station can somebody fix the party line phone? There is one that was working in the Chapeau shop the last time I was there but it is hidden.
It is time to head into the world of cinematic exotica. It is time for visit to Adventureland.
I am not a fan of the Aladdin spinner but I understand that the little ones approve. It can stay. However, I think my minions missed an excellent opportunity with the Tiki Room. I am not suggesting that I had anything to do with the fire but let’s just say I am happy those two goons have flown the coop. What I would like to see happen is to return to the original show but update the technology to create a whole new magical experience.
This process is not unprecedented. For example, at Disneyland’s Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team combined classic dialogue by Royal Dano and Paul Frees from the original presentation with bits of The American Adventure and topped it off with the most amazing Audio-Animatronics figure at any of the six North American parks. The presentation is legible, compelling, and emotional. The Mr. Lincoln figure is remarkably lifelike. The advanced technology allows for an incredible range of facial expressions. He furrows his brow, his eyes twitch, and he is capable of forming vowels.
Imagine what you could do with the Tiki Room. Clean up the classic soundtrack and install a state-of-the-art audio system with three-dimensional sound. You did it with the Stretching Room at the Haunted Mansion. Rebuild the birds with incredible, fluid, lifelike motion and the watch the little ones eyes light up. Their parents will feel a sense of nostalgia while being awestruck and entertained by the latest technology.
There is one part of Adventureland that I would never want changed. That is the Swiss Family Treehouse. Unlike the heavy-handed story of the Tarzan treehouse at Disneyland, this one lets your mind fill in the blanks. I can always come here and imagine what it would have been like to sleep here. I would if the bed was anything near normal size. Did you know that Ray Wallace, the same guy who designed the Columbia at Disneyland, did all of the rope work?
Oh yes. I will be happy to spring for new light bulbs for Pirates of the Caribbean.
Liberty Square is a delight and I enjoy the rich backstory, the high level of detail, the variety of historic architecture exhibited through the building facades, and the little nooks and crannies where one can find a seat and relax. I know that at times I may be a bit naive but I do miss having shops that reflect, enhance, and embellish the theme of the land. As this is my fantasy, I would return the shops back into examples of early American craft making. People would get to see artisans in the Silversmith Shoppe or a Milliner crafting a hat. Slowly browse through the Olde World Antiques or stop to smell the wonders of Mlle. Lafayette’s Parfumerie. I am satisfied with the updated Hall of Presidents show but once again there is a chance to install the latest technologies and “plus” the show. President Barack Obama is a man that is very familiar to the audience. For years, they have seen the man in their living rooms in High-Definition. Take the facial technology used for Mr. Lincoln and do a makeover of our current President. This will take an already excellent and meaningful presentation to a whole other level by making the impossible plausible.
Once you leave the Hall of Presidents it would be a good time to reflect upon this great land of ours by cruising along the Rivers of America. The Liberty Belle is a fine ship but she is a lonely one along these waters. There is no life. That must change. Bring back the Keel Boats. Bring back a second stern–wheeler or maybe a side-wheeler. To make sure there is demand, show the banks of the river some tender loving care. Once again, Disneyland has set and example and has created a delightful experience.
Tom Sawyer Island should be an activity node but it has become almost deserted. The island serves and important function. Kids need a place to run around to let off steam. Walt was smart enough to put a playland within his park. It could use an infusion of life. My minions are very excited about the use of technology to assist in play as seen with the Kim Possible game at Epcot and the Menahune Adventure Trail at the Aulani Resort in Hawaii. Now they are trying the same thing at the Magic Kingdom with the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Why not make the island the showplace for this technology and create a singular experience. Limit the number of players and provide them more immersive rewards. Create a sequential adventure that is driven by multiple choices featuring multiple outcomes and you have a repeatable experience that will form long lines on the opposite shore.
As I pass through Frontierland, my requests for are modest. The Country Bear Jamboree could use some love. A better sound system, revamp Audio-Animatronics, and a return to seasonal shows. For my colleague Kevin Yee, I command my minions to fix Splash Mountain to its showroom glory and keep it that way.
I shall wait until my minions complete the construction of the new Fantasyland before I comment. I saw the model at the D23 Expo and it sure beats and empty hole in the ground. Progress.
Speaking of progress, the time has come to tear down the Sci-Fi Fantasyland that we have today and to create a truly forward-leaning Tomorrowland.
Let’s start with Stitch’s Great Mistake. I think that Len Testa and Bob Sehlinger from The Color Companion to Walt Disney World summed up best when they wrote Stitch the following letter:
Dear Stitch,
We have to talk. We tried to make this work. We really did. But you’re just not the kind of theme park character we need in our lives right now. We were happy for you when your parent’s gave you your own attraction after one mediocre film and TV series. And the ride’s story about you escaping as prisoner of the galactic authorities when they tried to transfer you to another prison – we totally get the whole “bad boy” thing. But no one likes what you have become. What’s with all the spitting and burping you do on the audience during the show? You never used to do that when we were just hanging out. And why is it that the audience has to sit there, strapped to their seats in the dark, so that parents can’t help when their kids start screaming? Is that what you want? Because it’s like…it’s like we don’t even know you anymore.
You say you’ve tried to improve – keeping the lights on low so kid’s can see what’s going on, for example, and making some of the story scenes less scary. But it’s too late. It’s not you; it’s us. We’ve changed, and we don’t want that kind of ride anymore. We just hope that we can be friends.
Best, Bob and Len
I can’t go in there. It is like a child torture chamber. This attraction is such a nuisance I want it gone right away so that means I need to find something that I could poach from someplace else.
Bring in the copy of Stormrider from Tokyo DisneySea. Imagine walking into The Center for Weather Control and board a Stormrider, a plane that carries a "Storm Diffusion Device." Our mission is to fly into a storm and detonate the device. Of course, in the tradition of many Disney attractions, something goes horribly wrong. The ride vehicle is a full-motion simulator like Star Tours with in car effects. The show features technology and enhances the current storyline of Tomorrowland is an intergalactic port city.
I told you what I want to replace Stitch Great Escape. I leave it to you to tell me what should replace Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory. Why should it go? It does not pass the plausible impossible test. First, what does the world of monsters have to do with Tomorrowland unless they are users of the spaceport outside?
Answer this. The monsters are three-dimensional objects, correct? Why do they appear in real time before us as two-dimensional figures? Are they on a television? It makes sense when I visit Turtle Talk with Crush. He is behind glass. But this doesn’t make sense. Toss in a storyline where many of the jokes are based on making fun of people and you have a large space that could be used for something else.
I know, sometimes I think about these things too much. Such is my burden.
I thought I would say a few words about the Carrousel of Progress but I keep tearing up and just cannot focus. It is like witnessing the death of a loved one. If you have read Walt and the Promise of Progress City you know how much this attraction means to me. Not long ago I wanted to jump on stage and fix father’s head since somebody left a large gap between the latex mask and the costume. And the final scene…(sob).
Sorry.
Just fix it. Build in a process where the final scene is always updated annually. Make it an event. The sharp pencil boys always make cuts to the attractions but they seem to spend money like drunken sailors on the promotions. So hype the changeover. Use the folks who are pimping Innoventions to find sponsors that get a quick mention in the show about their innovative products. Why can’t ASIMO who prowls the halls of Innovention at Disneyland walk on stage and hand Granny a drink? We play our cards right and we can earn a few extra shekels for the realm.
And Autopia. The boring track will give way to something more visual interest like the one at Disneyland. You will enjoy your ride in your little hydrogen-powered vehicle sponsored by an auto company. The company will be able to use the experienced gained from park operations as a test bed for reliability and people can become familiar with the technology.
While we are at it, restore the bit of the Progress City model to something near its previous glory. Make the vehicles move and rehab the model so that it so compelling people will be spinning their heads to capture a view.
Whew. There could be so much more. But that is another story. Time to move on. Time to go over to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom and see what we can do. But I need a nap.
What would you do?
