Ask It Results: Update Attractions or Build New Ones?

Let me start by addressing the elephant in the room. (Oh hi, Dumbo! Wait. Wrong elephant…)

When it comes to a question of updating existing attractions or building new ones, there really is only one obvious answer that everyone wants: Both. In a perfect world, every attraction that we love would get all the TLC it needs to stay as vibrant and breathtaking and relevant forever and ever, and at the same time, new attractions would open all the time to give us exciting reasons to keep coming back. But because a poll where the results would be 1%, 1%, 98% wouldn’t be that thrilling, I didn’t give the option for both, just to see what people would choose if they had to only pick one. Here’s your results to the question:

Which would you rather see: updates to existing attractions or building of new attractions?

Updates to Existing Attractions (773 votes, 39%)

It’s a double-edged sword when it comes to updating existing attractions. On the one hand, we all can recognize attractions that we know need an update. When they closed, the film for Ellen’s Energy Adventure and the movies featured in the Great Movie Ride felt dated. Yet each of these rides had the potential to still be relevant with some carefully planned updates. That said, Disney hasn’t always had the best of luck with updates. I think almost everyone can agree that the second Journey Into Imagination iteration was about as far from an improvement in terms of an update as you could possibly get. Over at The Land, it depends who you ask whether Food Rocks was an update that was an improvement over Kitchen Kabaret, and Soarin’ was such a departure (get it?) from both of those that it was certainly a new attraction instead of an update.

That’s not to say that all updates are bad. When it was first announced that Disneyland would be adding actual Disney character dolls to Small World, there was a surprising amount of backlash, but I think that it truly adds something to the ride as a positive update. Likewise, updates on both coasts to Haunted Mansion are generally thought of well. And we’ll just skip by discussing updates to Pirates, okay?

We can all think of rides that need updates, whether it is getting the family of the future in Carousel of Progress to put down their car phones and pack up their laserdiscs to actual physical improvements, like making sure the PeopleMover cars don’t become bumper cars. Overall, there’s certain touchstone attractions–attractions that are timeless in their appeal–and those are the ones that we all would love to see get the proper care so that they will be around for the next generation of park goers. That is why updates to existing attractions has such a strong showing in this poll.

Building of New Attractions (1,192 votes, 61%)

Let’s face facts, however. Disney parks are always changing and evolving, and there’s so much that can be added in new lands, new attractions, and yes, even new focus on different intellectual properties. Nothing brings out the crowds like the opening of a new attraction, no matter how much the Internet world complains about its existence. And when the ride actually turns out to be good, expect long lines for months (and, when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens, years). Disney parks may keep people coming back for the nostalgia of their experiences, but to get people into the gates for the first time, you often have to have some sort of draw. And like a kid opening presents on Christmas morning, experiencing a ride for the first time has its own unique thrill.

So there you have the results for this week’s Ask It. If you could refurbish one ride at a Disney park, what would you fix up? Or, if you could build a brand new ride anywhere on anything, what ride would you build? Let us know in the comments.

Meanwhile, this week’s Ask It question is live on Twitter and on the blog here. We’ll be back next week with more of your answers and opinions!