Change is subtle, but inevitable, across Disney attractions

When I first visited Walt Disney World, the paint was just drying on the attractions at Epcot and “Disney Princesses” were a few favourites from some old films, rather than a global franchise with girl group power. I’ve been back countless times, watching the place grow and grow, the crowds multiply, the retail juggernaut gain speed.

There is a pleasing consistency here, in a “God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world” sort of way. No matter how the years pass, Tinkerbell still flies down from the castle at 10pm, Mickey and Minnie are still decked out in the same outfits and the same pirates are still hurling cannonballs against the same Caribbean town walls. It is childhood frozen in aspic, which is not only comforting, but a fine way to disguise the passage of time and the increasing ages of me and my cousin (left).

And yet, it’s not really frozen. There are subtle changes all over the place. One of the advantages to being a frequent visitor over the years is the ability to pick them out.

The most intriguing to me, this visit, is the subtle transformation of “Spaceship Earth” at Epcot. This is the iconic silver ball that looms over the front of the park. From its inception it was sponsored by AT&T and featured a ride celebrating the history of communication. You stepped into a moving pod and were guided by soothing voice of Walter Cronkite as you rode upwards through a spiral of time, witnessing Disney’s lifelike robotic figures as cavemen, Arab scholars, Renaissance artists, 19th century newspaper barons. This all ended in an exhibition hall filled with the promises of 21st century communications. (I never spent long in this final room as a kid, and doubt I would have believed you if you told me my career would be all about this stuff.)

A couple of years ago, Siemens took over the sponsorship. I’m amazed by how they managed to make it their own with a few subtle changes. All of the scenes up to the introduction of the computer are the same. A bit of clever script writing has simply changed the history of communication to that of innovation; thus from AT&T corporate messaging to Siemens’ with some elegant rephrasing. We now hear Judi Dench rather than Walter; a change nobody under 25 will notice but one that saddened me in the year of the great man’s death. Siemens’ master stroke was a bit of computer interaction that takes your photo, asks you some questions, then offers you a glimpse into your own future at the end of the ride. The interactive room at the end is now filled will a variety of computer games that all subtly reinforce Siemens’ businesses, from medical imaging to pure IT. I was deeply impressed. (And, of course, madly jealous that none of my sponsorships are anywhere near this fun.)

In fact, Epcot shows the most changes throughout the parks. This may be because it started out as the most worthy and educational of the attractions, and thus was always the least popular. Thus General Motors’ ride through the history of transportation has become “Test Track”, a thrill ride where you bump and zoom around the park at high speed. (Given the bankruptcy, one wonders when that contract ends and we’ll see this re-branded for Honda or Audi.) The Living Seas ride, once wrapping you in a fantasy visit to a deep sea research facility, is now a Finding Nemo ride. Though you do still end up in the same fascinating aquarium. The energy ride now has a comic, wise-cracking narrative from Ellen Degeneris. The Canadian pavilion’s film, once surging with ardent patriotism, has had comic commentary from Martin Short cut through the original footage to bring it up to date.

This is pretty much indicative of what’s happened throughout the park. The serious educational messages have stepped several paces back behind the light and comic. It’s rather a shame, but watching the eight-year-olds I am currently travelling with, I suspect it was necessary. Worthy and sincere just doesn’t capture the modern kid any more.

Over at the Magic Kingdom, Pirates of the Caribbean has also had a subtle makeover, injecting Captains Jack Sparrow and Barbarossa into the original sets. This could be done quite easily and without disrupting the flow of the ride, of course, since the films were based on the rides to start out with. (Good thing, too. This ride holds a sacred place in my childhood; if they were ever to mess with it too badly, I might have to boycott the place.) The Jungle Ride has seen a bit of freshening up, and the old Polynesian Luau is an Aladdin-themed show. Amazingly, the Swiss Family Robinson tree house still stands, though I find it hard to believe any of the current children wandering here have ever seen that 1960s classic.

At the Magic Kingdom, it’s Tomorrowland that’s seen the most change. Not surprising, since the “tomorrow” of my childhood would not only look laughable and a bit antique by now, but was wrong in so many ways. Again, this makes me a bit sad. Tomorrowland also had a stronger educational bent to it when I was a kid. We were invited to learn about, and imagine, what the future might be like. Now we join Buzz Lightyear in a high tech shooting gallery and watch a silly adventure with Stitch causing trouble for an Inter-Galactic Guard Force.

I must keep reminding myself. Change is good. It is part of human evolution, and necessary to keep the parks fresh and interesting to new generations. Fine. Just don’t mess with the pirates.