DisneyExaminer’s Soundsational Summer [The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure]
Welcome to DisneyExaminer’s Coverage of the Grand Opening of The Little Mermaid : Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
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Hello Swimmers! Here’s DEs day at the grand opening musical ceremony to celebrate The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure in Disney California Adventure Park!We arrived around 1:30 PM. Time to scout out the best spot to view!
We couldn’t go there! Where to watch?!
There was media everywhere! Time to scout out a place…and quick! The event was inching closer and the sun was blazing! In this case, it is better to be Under the Sea…
Finally. We got our spot! Prime as prime placement for guests can get!
It was time to start the event [The following photos are courtesy Disney]!
Sherie Rene Scott, who starred in the Broadway production of “The Little Mermaid”, performed “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”
Our new friend of the site – Ariel herself! Jodi Benson, the original (and only, for that matter) voice of Ariel was on hand to perform “Part of Your World” as part of the ceremony! Mrs. Benson previously performed for us last year at the “What’s Next” presentation concluding the media event for World of Color.
To close out the ceremony, Jodi, Sherie, and even our good friend Chairman Tom Staggs (Chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts) same a closing medley. Alan Menken – Disney legend for his award-winning composures and co-writer of The Little Mermaid songs, was also on hand to celebrate this occasion.
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…again, our sincere apologies for the Live stream technical problems…again! We did however get to save that Live stream video feed. You can view that recorded live footage on our UStream Page, or view a better quality video from our friends at AttractionsMagazine below.
After the event concluded, we were able to scout out some celebs, including Tom Staggs and Alan Menken! Very impromptu, but hey, we got ’em! Take a look below.
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Wrap-up of the attraction –
We sort of like. We do indeed like the attraction, but I’m sure that you, like most of us, felt a little underwhelmed. And that’s a good thing!
This attraction is certainly NOT an E-Ticket. Do not expect thrills, spills, and chills. A lot of our readers have wrote in complaining that this attraction “did not live up to their expectations.” We feel the same, but then again, I’m sure Disney was not aiming to please us critics, or college-aged individuals like me and our young team of writers and readers.
The ride itself does indeed have LOTS and LOTS of Disney’s newest technologies that bring forth a revived dark ride feeling (think Peter Pan’s Adventure with more eye catching elements), but we need to understand that this is still meant to be a DARK RIDE. Dark Ride, not as in Space Mountain “dark”, but Snow White Adventures “dark”. This type of ride is to evoke emotion and tell a story as your ride vehicle quickly moves – not an easy feat at all, but in this category of ride, Disney has produced one of it’s finest dark rides since the days of Fantasyland.
Personally, I did enjoy the ride the last couple times I rode it. Coming from a college-aged male teen, I will admit that I was expecting much more than just a slow moving clamshell, but I was taken back to reality when I stepped into the clamshell for the first time. It reminded me of Haunted Mansion and by golly, it felt like Haunted Mansion! No ghosts of course, but same dark ride experience. Think HM ride system and a dark ride from Fantasyland. That is The Little Mermaid attraction! With that in mind, I went riding on.
I loved the small elements that most don’t catch, like the re-arranged, re-orchestrated musical score. I also liked the detail they put in to the audio animatronics! Be sure to look at Sebastians eyes in the “Kiss the Girl” scene…you’ll know what I am talking about!
All-in-all, I’m glad that Disney went off the beaten path on this attraction. It is clear that they wanted a different experience for guests for CA Adventure. Mixing in a slow, heartfelt attraction to the growing mass of thrill rides as part of the expansion sure speaks a lot, something we really appreciate and love. Be sure to take your young ones on to this ride. They’ll love it for sure!
*Remember, my opinion is strictly opinion and will be limited at that and who I am as a person. I suggest that EVERYONE ride the attraction at one time or another and see how you like it yourself! In time, I’m sure you’ll appreciate what Disney does for not only you, but for others as well.
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