The New Hitchhiking Ghosts

[MadEye]

Ok. On-topic this time:

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD

Got to ride HM once yesterday with the new HHGs. First off, the new animatronics look really good. Second, the effects in the mirrors are cool. We got Gus on top of our doombuggy. He reached down, touched our heads and they turned "ghost" (for lack of a better word) but then went back to being regular. I think he was trying to switch our heads but something happened to prevent it and Gus actually reacted to it going wrong by scratching his head wondering what just happened.

Oh and the videos here don't do it justice!!!

[Mr.ToadWildRider]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen them! I guess we only get that ride sequence on the other shaft.

It wouldn't matter what ride sequence you get, which set of characters from the ride depends on what side you are riding on.

Well I'd defer to your encyclopedic knowledge of DHS, but I believe it's off of the side + sequence. When I've gone over the last couple years I'd ride ToT several times in a day and the shaft determined some things, i.e. whether there were the faceless mannequins w/ the strobes or the window shattering scene in the drop shaft but the screens with the people weren't always used nor was the glass shattering. It seemed to be based on how long you sort of idled in the middle of the shaft. I suppose they could play regardless it's just that if your sequence isn't right you don't see it because your car is not in front of the screen when it plays?

[cousininmiami]

Woo-Hoo... we will be there this weekend to see all the new stuff!!!!!!!!!

[momeja]

Mad Eye, since you know Disney better than many of us, do you know whether there are any plans to fix the mist system at ToT?

[MadEye]

Mad Eye, since you know Disney better than many of us, do you know whether there are any plans to fix the mist system at ToT?

Maintenance hates the system. The only time they really do try and work with it is when told to by the higher ups to do so. So, it would be up to whoever the maintenance managers answer to.

[MadEye]

Well I'd defer to your encyclopedic knowledge of DHS, but I believe it's off of the side + sequence. When I've gone over the last couple years I'd ride ToT several times in a day and the shaft determined some things, i.e. whether there were the faceless mannequins w/ the strobes or the window shattering scene in the drop shaft but the screens with the people weren't always used nor was the glass shattering. It seemed to be based on how long you sort of idled in the middle of the shaft. I suppose they could play regardless it's just that if your sequence isn't right you don't see it because your car is not in front of the screen when it plays?

The system would choose the sequence (out of the four there are) the nanosecond second before it starts, so technically, the tower itself doesn't even know which one you will get until it starts happening. Of course the screens and see through characters were/are not always used in every sequence but if you look close, the characters are always there, used in the sequence or not.

[Polynesian Princess]

When I asked about it the last two summers, I was told both times that it was broken.

Awww, I hate that. I wonder if the usually short line is why it's not a big priority to them to fix it.

It wouldn't matter what ride sequence you get, which set of characters from the ride depends on what side you are riding on.

Yes, I understood that. What I meant was that I must not have ever gotten the ride sequence where you see the ghosts on that side, only on the side with the girl and nann.

[Wizzard419]

The mist part was what they used to replace the mirrors right? I remember reading about how they had to ditch the "floating through space" effect because the tracking system didn't like it.

[momeja]

The mist part was what they used to replace the mirrors right? I remember reading about how they had to ditch the "floating through space" effect because the tracking system didn't like it.

No, it was a queue element. In the summertime, when you walked through the queue outside, you walked through a light mist/steam. It was a very atmospheric and cool effect.

[Future Guy]

Ok. On-topic this time:

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD

Got to ride HM once yesterday with the new HHGs. First off, the new animatronics look really good. Second, the effects in the mirrors are cool. We got Gus on top of our doombuggy. He reached down, touched our heads and they turned "ghost" (for lack of a better word) but then went back to being regular. I think he was trying to switch our heads but something happened to prevent it and Gus actually reacted to it going wrong by scratching his head wondering what just happened.

Oh and the videos here don't do it justice!!!

That's amazing! Some folks who I greatly admire and respect are very upset about the new effect, and I really can't understand why. Now, I'm really not an HM fanboy, I'm more of an Adventureland/Tomorrowland/EPCOT Center guy. And I've heard some folks who don't like the new effect object to it on the grounds that it ruins the attraction's balance between the scary and the humorous. But it's not like they've ripped out the mirrors and replaced them with video screens; they're still using the Pepper's Ghost effect, but with a 21st century twist. In 10 years, this is going to be a Classic Disney magical thing, and the fact that it used to be any other way will only be a piece of trivia.

[Wizzard419]

The mist part was what they used to replace the mirrors right? I remember reading about how they had to ditch the "floating through space" effect because the tracking system didn't like it.

No, it was a queue element. In the summertime, when you walked through the queue outside, you walked through a light mist/steam. It was a very atmospheric and cool effect.

Oh the cooling station things? If Florida has hard water like they have here, then they probably plugged up really fast.

[MadEye]

Ok. On-topic this time:

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD

Got to ride HM once yesterday with the new HHGs. First off, the new animatronics look really good. Second, the effects in the mirrors are cool. We got Gus on top of our doombuggy. He reached down, touched our heads and they turned "ghost" (for lack of a better word) but then went back to being regular. I think he was trying to switch our heads but something happened to prevent it and Gus actually reacted to it going wrong by scratching his head wondering what just happened.

Oh and the videos here don't do it justice!!!

That's amazing! Some folks who I greatly admire and respect are very upset about the new effect, and I really can't understand why. Now, I'm really not an HM fanboy, I'm more of an Adventureland/Tomorrowland/EPCOT Center guy. And I've heard some folks who don't like the new effect object to it on the grounds that it ruins the attraction's balance between the scary and the humorous. But it's not like they've ripped out the mirrors and replaced them with video screens; they're still using the Pepper's Ghost effect, but with a 21st century twist. In 10 years, this is going to be a Classic Disney magical thing, and the fact that it used to be any other way will only be a piece of trivia.

There are those who will like/love the new effects. And then there are the fanboi whiners who don't want anything at Disney to change. While I like the classic Disney rides, I accept change as a good/great thing (depending on how they execute whatever the new thing is).

[theBIGyowski]

I don't see how anyone could legitimately be upset with the changes to the HHGs. It would be different if they were replaced by other ghosts...or maybe if they put Donald in there instead . It's the same exact ghosts as before...but now they actually look alive and not just stationary. Not to mention...if you were a single rider and were sitting in the middle...the effect wouldn't look right in the mirror with the ghost sitting on you. This was a true case of "plussing" an attraction...just like they did with all of the other updated elements of the attraction.

The only downside would be if there was a computer glitch, but even then I would imagine they would have some kind of temporary or static HHGs in place until the problem is fixed.

[Wizzard419]

I don't see how anyone could legitimately be upset with the changes to the HHGs. It would be different if they were replaced by other ghosts...or maybe if they put Donald in there instead . It's the same exact ghosts as before...but now they actually look alive and not just stationary. Not to mention...if you were a single rider and were sitting in the middle...the effect wouldn't look right in the mirror with the ghost sitting on you. This was a true case of "plussing" an attraction...just like they did with all of the other updated elements of the attraction.

The only downside would be if there was a computer glitch, but even then I would imagine they would have some kind of temporary or static HHGs in place until the problem is fixed.

Give them time, they will call for it to be razed.

Look at the outcry here over adding stuff to the queue at WDW without ever actually seeing the final product. Once it was done people cooled off and were fine with it.

I think they hate it because they like the craptastic old gimick and feel that anything new is "just not the same" or "not what Walt would have wanted".

I'm guessing that if the cameras, systems or whatnot fail they have a backup video that just runs in place of the interactive parts. If a project blows then they may be SOL.

[mindflipper]

I didn't mind the addition of Constance to the attic because there was some concept art that had supported the idea of a Black Widow Bride ghost.

I wasn't fond of taking out the old graves and replacing it with something "inter-active" because part of the fun of the original graves was they were tributes to those imagineers who contributed to the ride. Luckily, the inter-active tombs were additions and not replacements, and the original graves were restored with new ones added to give tribute to those imagineers overlooked with the original graves. In the end, I think they did the right thing.

As for the HHGs, I think I'm okay with it because they are still the same ghosts, just now better done and more active. They tried to have a more active spirit crawling into the doombuggy at the PM over at DLP and the effect did not work well. After seeing how well this worked, I wonder if they will take this technology and see how they can re-shape it into the PM storyline over at DLP.