What do you find to be "non-Disney" at Disney?

[Suz333]

No, I don't mean anything like guest or CM behavior, but actual things that were put into the parks on purpose that make you do a double take.

Here's mine, from my trip just prior to Thanksgiving.

I guess I need someone to explain Kim Possible to me. I know it's something interactive at EPCOT, you get some electronic device, you get missions, etc. All right, I'm good with that. However, ....

[don't keep reading if you plan on doing Kim Possible and need things to be a surprise. Well, if you were doing a mission maybe it wouldn't actually be a surprise, I have no idea. It sure as heck was a surprise to me!]

There I was, waiting by the trains outside of the Germany pavillion, enjoying the new Christmas decorations in the mini-village. (My last trip, the Food & Wine stuff was up - also very cute.) The bell in the clock tower started to bong, and the clock lit up - how neat! Oh, it's doing it again. Hey, wait a minute ... that little person's eyes are lighting up. Red. Their eyes are glowing red. That's got to be a flaw.

OMG ... it's happening again - and there's another one! And their little arms are coming up ... is that a double-handed Nazi salute? What the heck IS THIS???

Some of my thoughts must have been out loud, because a nearby parent explained to me (rather tersely, as he obviously thought I had the IQ of a rutabaga) that it was part of the Kim Possible adventure, and that those were zombies, of course. Zombies are very popular, didn't I know.

Ummm, ok? Yes, I realize that there's a zombie show on tv (they shut down a local highway to film an episode), and all kinds of shows are out there about various types of the undead, but ...

that is NOT my idea of Disney!! And what the heck is it doing in the Christmas version of the train set??

I'm not particularly religious, I loved the Harry Potter books, I enjoy Halloween, and have no problems with all of the Disney movie tie-ins in the parks. (I never understand why people get upset with this ... the original park was themed to support the tv shows, after all.)

But what the heck are zombies doing in the Christmas train display at the Germany Pavillion at Epcot??? I was having a nice little Christmas-y/Disney moment - right up until I was attacked by the undead!


Okay, so is there anything that just rubs you as "non-Disney" that's part of the theme parks?

[a1000monkeys]

I thought the Alien Encounter experience was really out of place but I guess so did the park execs since it was rethemed for Stitch.

[jedwards]

I think the whole carnival type atmosphere in Dino-land at AK is out of place at Disney. It is tacky and I would expect to see it at a state fair not Disney.

[ocean702]

thanks for explaining the light up red eyes on those people figures in the train display. I thought I was going crazy the day I saw it happen. Could not for the life of me come up with a logical explanation.

[nicsmom]

Originally Posted by jedwards

I think the whole carnival type atmosphere in Dino-land at AK is out of place at Disney. It is tacky and I would expect to see it at a state fair not Disney.

[crushturtle]

Originally Posted by jedwards

I think the whole carnival type atmosphere in Dino-land at AK is out of place at Disney. It is tacky and I would expect to see it at a state fair not Disney.

I agree, just does not fit.

[erikthewise]

I'm sure this is not what the OP had in mind, but....

Last year I was in the Stave Church in the Norway pavilion looking at the exhibit while background music was playing. Then a very non-Disney thing happened. A tune from the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy started playing!

Let me explain that
(1) I am almost as much a LOTR freak as a Disney freak. I have watched the movies and listened to the soundtracks many times, and I am 100% sure (not 99%, 100% !) that the piece was from LOTR.
(2) Every single note in the LOTR movie soundtracks was composed for that purpose. There is no music from other sources used in the movies.

So Disney was using copyrighted music from a non-Disney source in their theme parks. I have to assume they have paid for the privilege. For a moment I felt like I was in a LOTR setting rather than a Disney setting.

[SSRFred]

Epcot sponsorship.....

Club cool anyone?

[It's Me]

Originally Posted by jedwards

I think the whole carnival type atmosphere in Dino-land at AK is out of place at Disney. It is tacky and I would expect to see it at a state fair not Disney.

I completely agree. What a waste of perfectly good park space. I never understood what they were thinking with this.

[lovindisney]

Originally Posted by jedwards

I think the whole carnival type atmosphere in Dino-land at AK is out of place at Disney. It is tacky and I would expect to see it at a state fair not Disney.

agree