The Unofficial Guide to Things They Hope You Don't Notice

agingerbugg · Post by **agingerbugg** » Aug Mon 24, 2009 8:34 am

Soarin08 wrote:It looks like a big creepy yellow glowing moon..... Very out of place.

The balloon isn't totally out of place. It isn't unreasonable to think that someone might be flying a hot air balloon in Germany. Now the silhouettes of Disney characters on the fabric is a bit out of place.

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Aug Mon 24, 2009 9:25 am

See the two Mickey faces I think the first one is almost just re-imagined Mickey face. It could just be by chance shadows but it looks like a side profile. Maybe when I get home I'll outline what I'm talking about. It jumped out at me immediately.

Soarin08 · Post by **Soarin08** » Aug Tue 25, 2009 11:06 am

agingerbugg wrote:
Soarin08 wrote:It looks like a big creepy yellow glowing moon..... Very out of place.
The balloon isn't totally out of place. It isn't unreasonable to think that someone might be flying a hot air balloon in Germany. Now the silhouettes of Disney characters on the fabric is a bit out of place.

Well, yeah.... but it just looks weird hovering about World Showcase like that.

Though I bet watching Illuminations from that balloon would be a sight!!

Jessie7 · Post by **Jessie7** » Aug Fri 28, 2009 3:15 pm

Does anyone remember the Oddyssey Restaraunt in Epcot? I've looked through the windows and see flags of all nations inside but haven't been in there since the 1990's.

And what ever happened to Discovery Island? Also on the boat tour from the Wilderness Lodge to the MK. This could be done over and tied in to the Pirates theme; maybe dock a mock up of the Black Pearl there? Just a thought.

rknrlrcstr · Post by **rknrlrcstr** » Aug Fri 28, 2009 3:49 pm

Discovery Island was closed soon after Animal Kingdom opened. Their themes were similar and Disney didn't need to run both.

When Discovery Island opened in 1971 (or 1972) it's original name was Treasure Island and it was themed as a pirate's island.

I don't recall when the Odyssey Restaurant closed. They use the building for some of the Food & Wine Festival seminars. It also houses some restrooms as well as the Baby Care Center and First Aid Center for Epcot.

Soarin08 · Post by **Soarin08** » Sep Wed 02, 2009 6:56 pm

rknrlrcstr wrote: I don't recall when the Odyssey Restaurant closed. They use the building for some of the Food & Wine Festival seminars. It also houses some restrooms as well as the Baby Care Center and First Aid Center for Epcot.

Hence why WoL does not need to sit there rotting. They have plenty of other space for F&G/F&W without utilizing a whole pavilion.

timekeeper · Post by **timekeeper** » Sep Thu 03, 2009 7:05 am

agingerbugg wrote:
MW1218 wrote:In order for Soarin' to be as immersive as possible, the screens really do have to be that large, and unfortunately, so that they can move people through the queue, there need to be multiple screens. The unique design of the screens mean that they had to tailor the building to it, so unlike the ToT behind Morocco, they couldn't make it look like something that belonged in Canada. The debate over whether Soarin' belongs in Epcot is a different matter entirely.
I disagree with not being able to disguise the building. They could have screened it with trees or made it appear to be a mountain. There are both trees and mountains in Canada. The trees would probably ruin the forced perspective, but a mountain wouldn't as long as they utilized the same ratio as the buildings.

I have to admit after reading this thread I noticed Soar'n all last week in Epcot. It was driving me nuts. And the darn yellow balloon everywhere!

briandancer · Post by **briandancer** » Sep Fri 04, 2009 3:37 pm

How about Discovery Island? Overrun with vegetation and wildlife, but the remnants of human-built structures are still there.

spodie · Post by **spodie** » Sep Sun 06, 2009 10:44 am

briandancer wrote:How about Discovery Island? Overrun with vegetation and wildlife, but the remnants of human-built structures are still there.

Yeah, you can still see some of the things that used to be on Discovery Island. I was never able to experience it, but I took a lot of time to drive around it when I rented a Sea Raycer in March. You can still see the dock where the boats loaded and a couple of the paths that run around the outside of the island (that haven't been taken over by weeds yet). It's kind of mysterious-looking - I would love to walk around in there and see what's still there.

Post by **Len90** » Sep Mon 07, 2009 12:07 am

spodie wrote:
briandancer wrote:How about Discovery Island? Overrun with vegetation and wildlife, but the remnants of human-built structures are still there.
Yeah, you can still see some of the things that used to be on Discovery Island. I was never able to experience it, but I took a lot of time to drive around it when I rented a Sea Raycer in March. You can still see the dock where the boats loaded and a couple of the paths that run around the outside of the island (that haven't been taken over by weeds yet). It's kind of mysterious-looking - I would love to walk around in there and see what's still there.

We did the same exact thing when we went in July. We rented a bigger pontoon boat and took the trip around Discovery Island and River country. It is really sad to just see all of those old, classic disney places just rotting away. It is starting to get tough to see everything though with the trees, brush, grass, and weeds. I really wish that Disney would try and maintain some of this property. They might be able to do something with it one of these days.

mindflipper · Post by **mindflipper** » Sep Mon 07, 2009 6:31 pm

I really can't stand the wasted space in the parks. I know people go on about Odyssey and WoL at EPCOT, but what about the sections of the old communicore that are closed off? Originally, there were large hallways through the old communicore that allowed people to walk freely around. Since they blocked them off, you have to walk far out of the way than needed when walking around Future Showcase. I also would love to see them get rid of the old Skyway buildings that are just left there to rot in MK.

MadEye · Post by **MadEye** » Sep Mon 07, 2009 6:46 pm

mindflipper wrote:I also would love to see them get rid of the old Skyway buildings that are just left there to rot in MK.

They are demolishing the one in Tomorrowland as we speak.

boilerbabe · Post by **boilerbabe** » Sep Mon 07, 2009 7:38 pm

MadEye wrote:
mindflipper wrote:I also would love to see them get rid of the old Skyway buildings that are just left there to rot in MK.
They are demolishing the one in Tomorrowland as we speak.

Are they putting anything there in it's place?!

MadEye · Post by **MadEye** » Sep Mon 07, 2009 7:47 pm

boilerbabe wrote:Are they putting anything there in it's place?!

Don't know. To be honest, I hope they don't. All I know is if the waterfall to the right of the entrance to Space is gone, I'll be sad.

boilerbabe · Post by **boilerbabe** » Sep Mon 07, 2009 7:49 pm

I agree, they should leave the waterfall. I always thought they should've done something with those Skyway buildings?! But, they've been vacant for so long, don't know if it's possible. I'm a little nervous about the Space Mountain refurb. I guess we'll find out in Dec.?!

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The Unofficial Guide to Things They Hope You Don't Notice

They hope you don't notice