ThemeParks4Life at the Movies: My Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2014

Hope everyone is having a great holiday! December was sort of my month off with the blog thanks to real life, but I'm back and ready for some theme park madness! However, these next few weeks we'll be shifting course to another field I love: movies. Oscar season is upon us, but so is the new year, which means that I'm going to start making some lists. To kick things off, let's go to my most anticipated movies of next year.

Something Big is Coming

Spooky!

Does Universal need a new parade?

Earlier over on Orlando United I was discussing Universal's Superstar Parade with a few other members regarding wether or not the parade has enough IPs. The discussion starts around this post so if you want to read it there you go. I rarely talk about it, but I'm not a fan of the parade. The problem is that the parade is too small and the stops are only there to make it longer. Worst of all, the whole thing is a 2-3 minute parade if you're not watching in New York or Hollywood. Many say the parade just needs more IPs, but do they just need to start over and make a new parade?

If every dark ride in Orlando had a turkey

Happy Thanksgiving! As you know, the most important part of Thanksgiving is the turkey and that's the only answer. Theme parks just normally celebrate Thanksgiving by putting Thanksgiving items on their menu Thanksgiving Day, but what if every ride had a turkey in it year round? It's simple, in this blog post I'll tell you where a turkey would fit (or at least fit the best) in all of the dark rides in Orlando. The only rule is that it has to be in an existing scene. Let's begin!

Off Topic- My review of Thor: The Dark World (SPOILERS)

A few days ago I went to see Thor: The Dark World. I went in with really, really low expectations after the mixed reviews. I can safely say those reviews were wrong. This was a great movie and it's in my Top 5 comic book movies. While I wouldn't say it's the best of the year (Gravity takes that title), it's pretty close. Granted there's still plenty of other movies coming out. In this post I'll go over what I did and didn't like about the movie. There will be spoilers ahead, so if you haven't seen it yet, GO SEE IT.

Wait, wrong poster.

There we go.

Has Universal been overusing 3D?

There's no doubt about it, Universal has been on a role with rides lately. They're no longer the one day companion to Disney and are now a vacation destination. Ever since Comcast took over the parks from Blackstone nothing but good things have come since (well ok, they're not perfect, but mostly good things). However, one of the complaints a lot of people say is that they're using too many screens, particularly 3D. Forbidden Journey is half screens half physical sets, Despicable Me is all 3D, and Transformers is about 85% screens 15% sets. Now that doesn't sound much of an overload, except Gringotts is going to have 3D screens in addition to sets, a rumored Lorax ride is supposed to be a mix of 3D and sets, and the rumored King Kong ride is rumored to be partially 3D with live sets but no King Kong audio animatronic. In this post I'll be giving my thoughts on the whole 3D debacle.

What Halloween Horror Nights 24's lineup should be

Halloween is only 3 days away, so to get in the Halloween spirit, today's and Wednesday's blog post will be Halloween based! Of course, with Halloween around the corner, this means the end of Halloween at theme parks. I didn't get the chance to visit Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando this year, but that was more out of the fact I was only interested in a few houses. In this blog post I'll be going over what next year's HHN lineup in Orlando should be.

An Ideal Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland Refurb

Many consider Tomorrowland to be the worst themed land in every Disneyland-style park. I whole heartedly agree with that statement. Don't get me wrong, there's fun to be had there, but the theming is far from great.  In this blog post I'll be going over what needs to be done with the land.

Renaming the blog and introducing the forum

I'm ready to reinvent this site and expand. No longer is the site called Blog of Amusement, but it's now Theme Park Expedition! From now on enter in themeparkexpedition.blogspot.com when visiting the blog. That's not all, but I'll be doing 2 columns a week, and in the near future I'll be looking into hiring columnists. Who knows, it could be you! Now for the biggest news of all, I'm pleased to introduce a companion forum! Right now it has categories on Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Disneyland, the Busch parks, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Six Flags with other parks going into a general forum (if a park has enough demand it'll get it's own section). The site's domain is themeparkexpedition.proboards.com. Exciting things are on the way for Theme Park Expedition, stay tuned!

Off topic: My Emmy Predictions

Ok, you might be asking "TP4L, why are you making an Emmy post on a theme park blog?" Because screw you, that's why. I'm actually making this because I've been anticipating the Emmys for months and it's FINALLY happening Sunday at 8 on CBS, AKA The Laugh Track Channel. I'll be posting predictions on Movie/Miniseries, Comedy, and Drama in that order. Click after the break and let's get started!

BREAKING: DOCTOR WHO THE RIDE

Inside sources have told me that in 2016 a Doctor Who ride will be coming to Epcot Park: World Showcase at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.



 My sources are telling me that it will be replacing the beloved Maelstrom ride at the Norway Pavilion. It'll be a shame to see this classic that's been enchanting guests for years go, but space is limited in the park and this is the only space they had. My sources told me that the ride will be utilizing KUKA robotic arm technology, breaking Universal's previously exclusive deal. Oh, and speaking of which, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey will be shutting down at the end of the year to make way for Sharknado: The Ride 3D.

Back to Doctor Who, the facade will be the TARDIS and the vehicles will look like mini TARDIS'. The story is that the twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald are stuck in an alternative universe where Epcot is overrun by Daleks. Join them for this fun adventure with twist, turns, and surprises! With the magic of FASTPASS+ you can book your magical ride 60 days in advance and enter with a Magic Band! (Magic Band t-shirts are optional). The ride is expected to begin construction later this year and open in 3 years, such a quick timeframe! That's all for tonight, and I'm as excited as you are!



NOTE: WHAT I JUST SAID ISN'T TRUE AND I HAVE NO SOURCES. DON'T GO COMPLAINING ON FORUMS THAT I WAS LYING.

What I'd like to see in the Imagination Refurbishment

Hey look, a new blog post! Yes, I'm going to actually give a damn about this blog and write posts. With that said, a few weeks ago Spirit at wdwmagic.com said that the entire Imagination Pavillion at Epcot will be closing this winter and all of next year for a major refurbishment. This includes making a new ride and getting rid of Captain EO. Now, let's take a dive into Imagination!



 Let's talk about the abomination known as Captain EO first. As you may or may not have known, when Michael Jackson passed away Disney decided to bring back Captain EO in it's original theaters for a limited time. Well that limited time must have been 3 years, since that's how long it's been here and at Disneyland. Insiders are saying DL's is getting replaced with a clone of Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (can't wait to see locals' reactions), but no word on what's replacing the Florida version. My suggestion? A show with Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker. Having the Muppets in two parks isn't an overkill, and they fit really well. Remember the Muppet Mobile Labs that were at Epcot a few years ago? If they mixed that with a full 3D show, it would be amazing. I would have said Phineas and Ferb, but God knows how long it's shelf life will be.

 Now it's time to talk about the Imagination ride itself. First thing's first, DON'T SCREW UP. We don't need a reincarnation of the current version. Second, bring back Dreamfinder! Obviously this is what everyone wants. Last but not least, what should the ride be? I have a suggestion: A trackless remake of the original. I'm not sure if it would be possible, but it would be excellent to use the trackless system after that piece of crap known as Antarctica opened in May at Seaworld. The ride would bring back many scenes from the original with a few new ones and different ride paths for the trackless system.


 In the end, whatever they do can NOT be worse than the current pavillion. Thanks for reading! If you want to catch up with my latest musings give me a follow on Twitter @ThemeParks4Life

Welcome!

Welcome to the Blog of Amusement! I'll be posting theme park trip reports, rumors, my own ideas, and maybe even a bit more. Hope you guys enjoy, and you can follow me on twitter @ThemeParks4Life