not so Frightening Fridays
Let's continue looking at Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort.
Review part one here.
Review part two here.
Welcome back to Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort.
This week let's do some traveling.
We will travel into space & then across the esplanade.
*******************************************************
We begin our travels in Tomorrowland with Space Mountain:Ghost Galaxy.
This seasonal overlay to the classic Space Mountain is back.
The concept behind this "ghostly" addition is sound. Take an already popular attraction, that millions of guests have ridden many times, and add a mildly scary twist for the season. But, does it really have the proper affect? Let's explore and find out.
Your first impression that something is different about the ride starts outside.
If you listen carefully you will hear that the normally quite outdoor line queue area
has some eerie music playing, setting the tone for something ominous to come.
As we enter the internal queue area we hear the familiar spaceport sounds.
But listen carefully and you will hear the eerie music undertones.
As we proceed down the ramps towards the spaceport we even
see/hear the normal safety message. So nothing to worry about, right?
As we approach and enter the spaceport all seems to be normal.
But while waiting on the ramp we notice something...
The spaceport monitor, normally showing the spinning planet below
seems to have a glitch. But is it really just a glitch or something more sinister?
While I would love to provide on-ride video of Ghost Galaxy it proves difficult
to get stable and clear shots of any of the ride, since it is primarily all dark.
However, to give you an idea of what happens,
here is a breakdown of the ride experience.
As you leave the spaceport dock all is normal.
As the launch sequence engages you enter the launch tunnel.
Normally you see pulsing lights, propelling you forward.
This time it's pitch black. No lighting at all.
On the launch ramp, normally pulsing with power,
we get a lightning/electric shock affect - something is wrong!
At the top of the launch hill we see our first glimpse of the Space Ghost.
As we complete the launch sequence and begin our journey
the ominous soundtrack forebodes what is to come.
While the entire ride is primarily in utter darkness
we do encounter the Space Ghost along our journey.
At specific points we see a ghostly skeletal hand reach for our rocket.
At other moments we are chased by the actual ghost or spectral image.
The soundtrack swells and crescendos at the final tunnel
where we get our final "glimpse" of the ghost in the flashes.
Then, suddenly, we have made it safely back to the space port.
So, does the overlay accomplish its goal. Sort of...
If you are a regular visitor to Disneyland or have ridden Space Mountain before then you know what normally happens, and therefore the Space Ghost affect are a fresh and new take on a classic attraction. You will recognize where things are different from your standard experience and may appreciate the subtle changes. You may notice the spooky exterior music and the creepy glitches in the monitor inside. You might even detect the different soundtrack and ghostly affects and understand the fact that your normal rocket ride through space has been "hijacked".
But if you haven't been to Disneyland or have not ridden Space Mountain in the past you might not even realize that this is an overlay and not the standard experience. That's not to say that this scenario is a bad thing, just a different result than what may have been intended by the imagenears. I have ridden Ghost Galaxy several time this season and always hear cheers and whoops from riders after we exit the rocket. Not all of these guest are first timers to the mountain, but even if they are this is still a thrilling rocket ride in "Disney Space". So it works either way.
Final Note: In the night hours, after dark, we get to see ghostly colors and projections on the outside portion of Space Mountain. This adds another layers of foreboding that is not present during the daylight hours. I hope to have some clear photos of that in our last update, just before Halloween.
*******************************************************
Next we travel across the entry plaza to Disney California Adventure.
In honor of the new Tim Burton film, Frankenweenie, the lobby of the Animation Building has been transformed into a little show area featuring some of the props and actual sets used in filming this stop-motion creation. Guests can get up close and even interact with some of the displays. It's a cool way to see the magic behind the movie.
A quick bio and background of Tim Burton
Figures and props from the movie
A schoolroom setting from the film.
The attic set. Complete with interactive lights.
A kitchen set. Breakfast anyone?
In addition a 3-D trailer is being shown in the Muppet Theater.
And, as a special treat there is a lot of cool movie related merchandise
available at Off The Page, the gift shop attached to the exhibit.
Come back next week as we start to wrap up our look at Halloween - Disneyland style.
We will creep back into Disneyland for the first half of our look at Mickey's Halloween Party.
No comments:
Post a Comment