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| Cinderellas Caslte |
What kind of superheroes will an Indian a la Disneyland have, I wondered, when I visited Disneyland in Orlando, Florida. Some friends of mine instantly recalled our very own Chacha Chaudhari and Sabu. Instead of the simulated launch on to Mars in the ‘Mission Space’, we could go to Jupiter ofcourse after traversing the planets that come in between. We could have a 3D movie with Sabu throwing off evil villains off peaks.
Or how about a Rajani ride…It would ofcourse include rides which would flout all laws by Newton, Einstein or any scientist! If Disney had an Epcot World Showcase, our Bollypark could have all the locales which SRK spread out his arms and sang to his heroines. That would pretty much cover all the gorgeous places there are in the world.
Instead of delving into the fairy tales of Snow White, Cinderella, we can always dig into our treasure trove of popular mythological characters like Ganesh, Hanuman, Bhim, Ram, Krishna who have already been animated too.
Anyway, I guess, there is no point in me speculating about what can be, when I have just returned from a trip to this truly magic kingdom…a kingdom for the kids actually. It was fun walking through the Main Street, Adventure Land, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Mickeys Toontown and Tomorrowland in this fairyland. It certainly made me wish I was back there as a kid. However as an adult, I did enjoy the two Parades, the one in the day time and the electric parade at night, which were fabulous and I enjoyed watching them and calling out to my favorite characters swinging by me. The electric parade was a dazzling display of illuminated floats and wonderful lighted up costumed dancers and characters. The shows ended with a spectacular display of fireworks with the backdrop of Cinderella’s castle. Unforgettable. Amongst the rides and shows, I did enjoy the 3D movie with the popular Disney characters, the jungle cruise on the boat, and the Space Mountain rollercoaster ride.
But as an unfortunate adult in the world dominated by kids in this magical land, most of the rides such as Winnie the Pooh, the Magic Alladin carpets, Peterpan, Snow-Whites adventure etc, were for ages 2-8.(we read to our consternation after enjoying them earlier!). The lines were long and winding and the waits were intolerable 30-80 minutes for each ride. Though after the first crazy wait, we discovered using our ‘Fastpass’ to beat the lines. And this was supposedly in the off-peak season. I reckon, the lines would be even worse in the vacations and summers.
Epcot was the other Disney Park I visited, and though the Rain Gods spitefully tried to dampen our spirits and us all day, we still managed to have a great time, especially as the crowds thinned and there were no lines as compared to those in the Magic Kingdom! Epcot was certainly one targeted to adults and teens and was an educational as well as a fun experience that helped kids and adults alike learn about a variety of burning issues. It taught environmental consciousness through the ‘Circle of Life’ short film through the eyes of Simba, Timon and Pumba. Another show explained power and energy sources with the Ellen DeGeneres dream that took us through a journey from the Dinosaur jungles to the nuclear age today in a vast moving theater. The fun rides were the space mission ride to Mars, the fast paced drive on Test Track, the entertaining 3D video by the King of Pop Michael Jackson as Captain EO and the Soarin’ ride to California. However, the best part about Epcot was the World Showcase with its miniature country pavilions. Dining at an Aztec temple in Mexico, riding a Norse boat in Norway, seeing miniatures of the Teracotta warriors, and learning about the various other cultures of France, Germany, Itay, Japan, Morocco, France, UK and Canada through short films in huge theaters were highlights. I particularly enjoyed the China video that was very well done and was projected in a 360 degrees absolutely humongous theater. All in all, a wonderful experience for people of all ages.
Beautiful pics and write up!!!
ReplyDeleteSurely India must have such theme parks to introduce epic characters to gen next
You must have relived fond memories of the past
@Amruta: Thanks Amruta. It certainly was an experience I'll remember for ever!
ReplyDeleteYour immensely enjoyable blog on Disneyworld took me down memory lane and I re-lived those days when I used to read out to you all those bed time fairy tales. It must have been wonderful at Disney world adventure where you actually saw all those characters of long ago well entrenched in your mind actually leaping out of the pages and taking form and performing their acts. This is not to imply that only those who know the background can enjoy this once in a life time experience .
ReplyDeleteFrankly speaking I cannot think of such a project on such grand scale coming up in India. Undeniably as you say we have the world's greatest epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata from which we can take inspiration and create something along the lines of Disneyworld. But from such effort what would emerge is anybody’s guess… a poor version of Disneyland and an imitation. Even if it is better than the original it would not evoke the same feelings of awe as would the original thing. Essel world our poor cousin of Disneyland is a case in point.
aai
@Aai: Thanks for your comment. However, I don't know why a project like disneyland is so impossible in India. Perhaps the shortage of space in the city would be a constraint, or the profitability of such a project would be questionable considering the fact, that having to keep those technical marvels going would have considerable capital and operational costs..and I m not too confident about Indian people willing to pay Rs 3000+ for a days of rides when they can get them at Esselworld too for much cheaper. I don't see any other reason as to why this can't come up in India when corporates are so flushed with funds and are willing to take on expensive projects if they promise to pay well.
ReplyDeleteThis is one place I always wanted to go to but could never! my folks went there back in 1997 and all i could do was see pics :( :(
ReplyDeleteMust save up money to go abroad! Never stepped out of India!
@Vinni: Take your kids there someday when you have them and they aren't grown up enough! But seriously, go out of India! For starters, I hear Calcutta-Bangkok airfare is Rs6000 return!..don't need too much money, see!
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