Fans of Tower of Terror make sad faces for its last day at Disney California Adventure

Lord Gonchar said:

But people will be excited to see the rat and the tree and the chubby dude from Parks & Rec.

For the record, this is what I think Guardians Of The Galaxy is:

Lord Gonchar said:

Harry Potter? Don't care. GotG? Crap. Star Wars? Yawn. Transformers? Didn't even dig them as a kid. Avatar? No thank you.

Making my larger point here, exactly.

What IP overlay would make an attraction appointment riding for you? Are there any?

Bemoaning that Marvel-based themes are crappy is one thing, but if there aren't any current major properties you like, then what's the point? Name everything FireHawkDeck or Looping Rollercoaster 1 and be done with it.

I like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Twilight Zone, but find Marvel (and superhero movies in general) to be lame. That said, Spiderman at Islands of Adventure is one of the best dark rides ever, so it's possible to make a great ride despite an unappealing IP. The big difference, however, is that the IoA ride was build with Spiderman in mind. If they were building a GotG ride from scratch, I doubt they would have decided to make it a dropping elevator. Therefore, I can't help but think this will end up like other half-baked re-theme attempts like Stitch's Great Escape.

I understand that GotG is more marketable, part of me is still puzzled that they would pick one of the best and most popular rides there to re-theme. Why not pour money into re-doing something unpopular, like the nearby Monsters Inc ride?

matt. said:

Making my larger point here, exactly.

Yeah. I was agreeing with you.

Separate idea. Separate post.

matt. said:

What IP overlay would make an attraction appointment riding for you? Are there any?

Bemoaning that Marvel-based themes are crappy is one thing, but if there aren't any current major properties you like, then what's the point? Name everything FireHawkDeck or Looping Rollercoaster 1 and be done with it.

Two words. Pauly Shore.

...

Honestly, there probably are none. But that doesn't mean there is no option. You know what I tend to find most interesting? Original themes/stories. I said in a post a long while back (that oddly, I can't find now) that I'd prefer a 'Raptor' to a 'Superman' any day. Create rides with unique personalities.

So as far as IP, why not tell me your own story instead of someone else's. Going back to ToT, that's kind of what it does - tell a great original story that fits the experience perfectly. Like several of us have said already, you can remove TZ and still have the same, top tier, world class, experience. A great priginal story. Great theme. Great ride.

Give a ride personality, give it a story, create something...and I'll have the best reason of all to come to your park - I can't see that thing anywhere else.

Mystic Timbers' "What's in the Shed" is more interesting to me as a park customer than any of the IPs listed from the Orlando parks.

With that said, let me reiterate - I am agreeing with you in general. These IPs serve to draw people in and sell merchandise. It's a no-brainer. I doubt anyone has ever decided NOT to go to a park because of the IPs the park uses, but I can guarantee people HAVE gone for those same IPs.

The Twilight Zone theme around the Tower of Terror ride is very similar to Outer Limits: Flight of Fear. The Outer Limits name and theme (loose as it was) were dropped later, and it's evident now that it wasn't necessary. The queue video got incredibly annoying those first years since lines were so long it was easily viewed 78 times per visit, but I will say that it was a decent way to build excitement in first-time riders for what was to come. I had absolutely no clue what was "inside" the flying saucer when I queued up for it opening year, and man did it deliver. But even with the video, no one cared (and many likely didn't even know) that it was themed to a TV show.