The “what building, theres no building!” Is like genuinely funny and not even too out of place in the context of toontown tbh. Good on them for that one.
Disney sightlines are SO genius. It's really a work of art. It makes me wonder what life would be like if cities and neighborhoods were designed with this much care
Oh absolutely, especially with another focus on the area being walkable and accessible for as many people as possible. You don't need a car to get around Disney and that's how it should be in all cities imo
I was injured when a ride malfunctioned at Disney. I was swiftly taken to a train station looking building and whisked back behind to where guests wouldn’t see. When the ambulance came, it was silent, no lights. And was hidden behind a large wall. No guest ever had any idea that just feet away from them someone was being loaded into an ambulance.
Love that Morocco pavilion so much. It's the only pavilion in which the country's government aided in the design. During the pavilion's construction in the 1980s, then King Hassan II actually sent Moroccan artisans to design and create the many mosaics. Due to Islamic religious beliefs on the content of art, the mosaics contain no representations of people. The pavilion's minaret is based off one from the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh, and the real mosque's minaret was built around 1195. Because of its religious meaning, the pavilion doesn't light up during fireworks. The pavilion's fortress walls were based off Chellah which was once a heavily fortified necropolis in what's now Rabat, the country's capital. Not a tree having to do with sightlines but another special tree at Disneyland is the Dominguez Tree in Adventureland. It's a Canary Island date palm that was originally planted in 1896 by the Dominguez family who once owned the orange grove that's now Disneyland. The tree was originally a wedding present given to the grandparents of Ron Dominguez who later sold the grove to WED Enterprises for Disneyland, under the condition that they leave up the palm. Hence why it's there! Ron didn’t leave Anaheim after Disneyland arrived, in fact, he started as a ticket tacker on opening day! He held several positions within the park. He retired in 1994, and was honored with a window on Main Street!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniconism_in_Islam#:~:text=The%20representation%20of%20living%20beings,Mshatta%20Facade%20now%20in%20Berlin. "Generally speaking, aniconism in Islamic societies is restricted in modern times to specific religious contexts. In the past, it was enforced only in some times and places."
Unfortunately after COVID, whatever Moroccan entertainment company was in charge of maintaining the pavilion (Epcot is quite a special park, one of the reasons is which some of the country lands are actually managed and run by foreign companies from the country they are representing) was not able to remain in business, Disney took over entirely, as far as I can tell they never reopened the restaurant that had the most iconic mosaic work, And then according to recent park updates they've remodeled the area and replaced all that artisan hand place tile with absolutely atrocious, non-matching generic tile prefabs
Sometimes I wished I have billions of dollars more than Elon musk and build one of the greatest grandest best park in the world. The land will have dug up areas and high hills big attractions
At Hollywood studios Galaxy’s Edge, you can see slinky dog while waiting in line for rise of the resistance. I wish Disney would continue to ensure appropriate sight lines.
There's even immersion when it comes to the transit built to take people to the parks. This is not a sightline thing but on the MTR's Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Line, it's a shuttle service between two stations, Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort. Sunny Bay station has a futuristic theme, while Disneyland Resort station has a Victorian theme. The idea was that the train would act like a time machine, taking people from the future to the fantasy world of Hong Kong Disneyland. The trains themselves are very different from the rest of the MTR network as they have Mickey-shaped windows, Mickey-shaped handles, and bronze statues of Disney characters in glass displays. Another example is Magic Kingdom. The reason they put the parking lot on the other side of Seven Seas Lagoon and you have to take a boat or monorail to get to Magic Kingdom from the parking lot is they wanted the immersion of feeling like you're on a journey to a magical place, with the castle revealing itself as you get closer. On top of working around the fact the site of the lagoon was deemed unstable and unsuitable for construction, so the earth that was removed from that site was relocated to form a ground-level floor for Magic Kingdom, and it became Seven Seas Lagoon. When they cleaned up Bay Lake, they found pure white sand, which was used to create the beaches.
I actually got to talking with one of the managers of the Tower of Terror, and the sightline with morocco and the tower is actually a myth! it was a complete coincidence, and they mentioned that if it was planned, the tower would've been painted the same color as morocco
I did think it was odd that it wasn't mentioned in the Behind the Attraction thing, but I figured they just couldn't fit all of the information in one episode.
I absolutely love these videos about Disney, found it through the Urban Exploring video and am excited to see you continue on the topic! As someone who's never been to Disney parks, or cared much for Disney itself, you've definitely made me a lot more interested with your videos
There is one big "weenie" at Disneyland that helps the park as a whole -- the Matterhorn. But this is a sightline from *outside* the park. For years, when my family would come to visit Anaheim, we kids played a game -- who could spot the Matterhorn first? That mountain was a promise of a magical day ahead and drew us, as a family, in the direction of Mouse Town :-)
The Matterhorn is definitely a prominent landmark (beacon) for one's journey to Disneyland. Perhaps more visible before the arrival of taller hotel towers.
Getting to the middle of toontown and being surrounded by fake hills that blended in perfectly with the sky was a little bit terrifying. It was so seamless
I beg to differ on the opinion that you won’t find high levels of detail at the universal parks. Diagon Alley is easily the most well themed land in any park I’ve visited. Fantastic use of sight lines and utilizing a superb weenie (the dragon).
I recently went to Diagon Alley and seeing it for the first time was better than I could ever imagine. Universal proved you can do good theming and have actual good rides
but universal as a whole doesnt function that way- disney does. Also, I found that diagon alley was NOT immersively themed because the staff and merchandise felt out of place to the theme. Disney, on the other hand, did the opposite with Batuu, where not only it is completely immersive with good sight lines, but the staff and merchandise fit in with the fantasy world.
@@avercado4132I mean, the whole idea and theme behind Universal originally was that you enter a land that would allow you to experience a movie. This is why only the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has an immersive land. It was their first attempt at it. It wasn't really a factor. In the recent Epic Universe introduction video, they said that the origin of their theme park is the studio tram tour. Though Universal does seem to implement this immersive nightlife with the Epic Universe, I would also argue that the guests at Batuu break the immersion. In regard to the Wizarding World, it's not that bad. Batuu is the only one at Disney with that amount of immersive detail. If there's anything that Wizarding World is bad at in comparison to Disney's other land, it would be the sight line.
Loved loved loved this video. Thank you for taking the time to make it. I’ve seen sideline videos, but they don’t cover all of the types of variations. Thank you for putting it all in one video.
I've always been obsessed with the strong theming in Disneyland and other Disney parks. The very deliberate sightlines play a big role in that. Excellent video!
One of the most surreal experiences I've had at a Disney Park was because of sight line of Cars Land. I was staying in one of the hotels blocked by the sight line. It was possible to look into the park from my hotel room. It took me a while to realize that because a big part of the sightline was that cut out. Broke the illusion of how big Disneyland was. When I went to Cars land it took me awhile to realize where i was and what I was looking at even though I had already seen the back of the illusion. I really enjoyed this video talking about the massive attention to detail in the Disney Parks. My favorite part was the explanation about the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.
When i was at disneyland, i happened to see the tree that blocks the matterhorn. I thought it was just a coincidence at first, but then i remembered it was disney.
There's a big sightline problem at the Magic Kingdom with the addition of the Tangled restroom section. The Rapunzel tower should be viewed as a visual weenie for the west side of Fantasyland, leading you down that path past Small world and Peter Pan's Flight. Instead, the tower is off centre which means you can't see it. The tower is mostly visible from the Haunted Mansion end of Liberty Square, and it totally takes you out of the immersion of that land. It was an early indication that all was not well in the world of Imagineering.
Mission Breakout is a great ride but good god is that building an eyesore. Just a hideous mass of industrial pipes and garbage ruining the views in the whole resort.
You don't realize how important this aspect of disney is until you go to universal. Universal does NOT control sightlines and it severely affects the impact and immersion of their parks for the worse. Disney does it right.
I agree even though I like the rides in Universal way more Disney just has such great immersion I always forget it's pretty small and only realize when I go home via train/car
They especially don't care about inward looking sight lines at WDW because it's surrounded by heavily forested nature reserve that is also all owned by Disney. In this day and age I think it's safe to say that only the threat of litigation - from NIMBYs mad about their backyard views - is the only thing that could get Disney to care about inward sidelines looking forward.
Looking at vintage aerial photographs of Anaheim, and Southern California in general, it’s amazing just how many orange groves there actually were. Locations that are now suburban sprawl and theme parks were devoted to oranges.
Been watching amusement park content for over a decade now and your videos always teach me many new fun facts- no matter the topic. Keep up the great work!
I recently came across ur Disney videos, I’ve been watching these type of videos for years, and I’ve never seen many detailed videos for Disney newbies in these past few years, it’s amazing especially for a new Disney theme park youtuber, a keep up the good job 👍
Yeah they don’t care about this at all anymore. Look no further than DCA: you’re immersed in Buena Vista Street and all its elaborate theming and then…. the Guardians building sticking out like a giant, industrial, radar-covered sore thumb.
Exactly, also they made no attempt to cover up web slingers. Meaning you can see the huge web slingers building from maters junkyard jamboree and the cars land entrance. So it’s like they don’t care about sight lines anymore
@@Geyser_Guy same although I mainly hate it because of how bad web slingers is. It honestly is probably worse than superstar limo ever was. They have been promising us it for 4+ years but it would be nice if they actually started construction on the avengers e ticket
I enjoyed the presentation of the controlled view and the journey. There seems to be a subconscious trick to transport it's guest into different times and scales ... I would add that the weenie of the Astro Orbiter at Disneyland was a diminished relocation of the Rockets that once flew above the people mover. The rockets and the people mover both drew people into tomorrowland whereas the current Astro Orbiter is a visual barrier to the depth of Tomorrowland. Ironically there is really nothing else to discover ... except for the uncelebrated arrive to space mountain. I'd also say that the sightlines are better managed at Disneyland verse Magic Kingdom. great video!
You deserve these subs mate, I'm a new subscriber and to be honest I had zero interest with Disney but after watching a lot of your videos, now I have a great appreciation for what goes into creating such a place
very informative video! I'd always wondered about some of the design choices in individual spots but now I think I've gained even more respect for the skill and creativity that's needed to make such well quilted parks
This is something i never took into account when being there, but after watching this video its so accurate, it always felt like you were in another place...
The Tower of Terror and Morocco blending is actually totally false. It was 100% a coincidence and the hotel is themed after multiple hotels based (mostly) in California and different aspects from the 30’s. The color of the tower was totally coincidental and was a shade that I think was titled “Moroccan sunset”. Imagineers didn’t put that much effort into forced perspective. Pinks and various shades of terracotta were popular then and common out west. It just happened to play out well for Morocco’s skyline. Any cast member you ask will gladly debunk it.
I think my personal favourite is the tower of terror looking different from both sides. That's some great attention to detail. It's also kinda disappointing how out of place mission breakout is
Have you ever covered the vertical sightlines? The way in which the park appears so much bigger for a child because of the added perspective from their level. Ingenious. Would love to see your video about that!
I have been to Disneyland in California like 15+ times in my life as I only live 2 hours away and I have never noticed that tree and that it is blocking the Matterhorn. Actually blew my mind
Lived about a block away from Disneyland for a few years. While the park does a great job of keeping the real world out it does a terrible job of keeping the park noise in. I still have nightmares with the steamboat whistles in the background. One of my best memories though was pranking park guests using the "family radios" which were used quite frequently in the park before cell phones became ubiquitous.
I got into a little bit of garden design this year, and realized much of theme park design is based on garden design. The weenie in garden design is called the focal point. You build up garden walls and hedges to hide the focal point until it’s the perfect time for it to be revealed, then it leads towards it, past the hedge wall and into the new garden room, kind of like weenies in Disney world. I’m not an expert by any means. Just wanted to share. 😊
Loving these videos! Been a big fan of imagineering and Disney Parks history for years now and these mini docs you’ve been putting out are exactly what I’ve been looking for! Definitely becoming one of my favourite channels! Ps. If you have any more ideas for Paris videos I’d love that as it’s my “Home” Park 😁
I love this channel man. You do an excellent job discussing theme park concepts and staying entertaining. I really hope to see your channel grow so more people can see this kind of quality work. Thanks!
Dude, diagon alley is so hidden it was hard to find for me. Also Kong and Jurassic blended well. Universal definitely does have sight lines. Have you been there?
These are so cool and I had no idea about them but now I know I'll see them everywhere! Especially on my trip to Portland soon I'll look out for that mountain
This is a really good video. I have subscribed. This takes me back to when I was young and went to DisneyWorld with my parents. I am very aware of how things look and even then I recall how everything was immersive, even though I didn't know how to articulate that at the time. My parents noticed it too.
I know this video is about Disney, but the reveal in Port of Entry at Islands of Adventure is incredible. It uses curved paths and overhead bridges to reveal the lagoon and the entire park once you reach the shore
Designing scenes with sightlines in mind can be very challenging since making one sightline better may require major architectural changes and can affect other sightlines. Will Nintendo be able to make use of sightlines in their open world 3D Mario platformer?
18:20 I’d be curious to know if there are any examples of these kinds of sight-lines and attention to detail at the Disney World hotels and resorts or only at the parks? 🤔
I grew up in SoCal so visited Disney, MM, Knott's, Universal (although it wasn't really a theme park back then as much as an actual studio tour), many times, and YES...I always felt like Disney was like being transported to other worlds, where the others were just places with rides.
Excellent video, thanks! A discussion of sight-lines at Disney parks would not be complete without pointing out the worst sightline issues at Disney California Adventure, which are the power lines and Pixar Place Hotel, which can both be seen from inside the park. I saw a video with one of the Imagineers who designed DCA who said that it was intentional that "the outside world" was allowed to be seen from within DCA -- but the reasoning was left unclear. It could be that DCA was influenced by Disney's "festival marketplace" projects dating back to the late '80s, like the Burbank backlot entertainment center complex (which also had a ferris wheel) -- these projects were less "bermed" theme park and instead were more integrated into the city environment. Anyway, hopefully Disney remedies these DCA sightline atrocities with backdrops as they've done in Cars Land and Toontown...it would be interesting to know how tall and in what position these backdrops would need to be to block the views of the power lines and Pixar Place hotel.
The ceiling actually DOES lift up in the HM elevators, in addition to the elevators going down. If you pay close attention, you can feel yourself being lowered down and reaching the lower floor. You can also see the point where the walls start to extend upward and the ceiling along with them.
4:56 i fr thought it just lifted up the ceiling cuz it was easier Edit: he was talking about the dsny land one with the floor decreasing but and world (where i go) the ceiling DOES go up
I just found your channel yesterday and binged all of your vidoes. You're already becoming one of my favorite theme park TH-camrs. Might I suggest a video on the differences between Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland?
Interesting. I had many visits to the original Disneyland, when we lived in San Diego, without understanding the design features. But, having spent the last 40 years in a small town in Alaska, I can see how my tolerance of crowds has largely vanished. Good memories, but so many people.
Favorite sight line is the one in Tomorrowland WDW- the one that hides the castle when you look back the way you came. I remember being so giddy when I noticed it.
Another fun thing I noticed is the amount of service routes for personel throughout the park, that you can see clearly on google earth, but that are also completely hidden from the visitors.
Absolutely genius work! Heard about it before in other videos, but this is the first one explaining and showing it! "What big building? There is no big building here!" Disney gaslighting its guests and customers, nothing new there, tho.
It’s crazy how the design and layout of Galaxy’s Edge on both coasts was dictated by Disneyland’s Big Thunder and the space available behind its Rivers of America.
I feel like it’s worth mentioning that the Matterhorn originally had the skyway running directly through it. When Disneyland originally opened sight lines were definitely valued less than they are now.
Speaking of weenies and sightlines (man that just does not sound right...) what is the deal with the Matterhorn. Is it part of any particular land? Is it just it's own thing? On one half of it you get views of Tomorrowland & whatever the submarine of theme was, on the other side you get Fantasyland, all the while a monorail track is right next to it. Just seems something out of place.
Universal has, however, been working more on the impressiveness aspect of the parks, and with the new park that seems to be one of their most important goals. And I feel like Disney has realized the public really appreciates as much immersion as possible, so hopefully we will keep seeing more of this :)
When DCA first opened their sight lines were not so great. You could see the power lines from Karelia and Harbor Blvd in the parks. It was one of the things that was overlooked when they were cost cutting before opening that park. When they did the remodel and added cars land it was something they really concentrated on fixing. That’s why those hills behind Radiator City Racers is so tall. Great video though. One area Universal created great sight lines is Diagon Alley. They made it so you do t see any part of it from the “muggle” world outside the entrance. The exception is the dragon on top of Gringotts because it is escaping. Otherwise your right they aren’t as good as Disney on that
haha all these years and I didn't realize that the two Stretching Rooms were that different. Nice stuff overall! That's funny about the Matterhorn-blocking-tree- I can see that mountain from so much of the park I forget sometimes there are other things blocking its view in certain areas.
Besides at a theme park; sightlines are important in the home. How many homes have you been into that you can see into the bathroom door with a direct view of the toilet from a long distance? I have. Or out a window on an unappealing view. Sightlines are very important.
i always wondered what the ugly blue building was at epcot… very upset to hear that it’s a poorly disguised building for the guardians ride 😬 it definitely takes away from the magic of the experience
Wait - you show the GotG show building, with Taco Barge Germany in the foreground, but don't mention Harmonious? My favorite sightline trick is the way MuppetVision 3D's facade was modified to tone it down. Then you get to wander through the tunnel into Batu'u
The weenies remind me of level design in games like Elden Ring, you see one big point of interest you start moving towards, and then along the way see closer points of interest you then move towards.
Ugh that cars land tunnel is amazing. I want to see it irl so bad. My family are Disney world people but I need to get out to California to see cars land
An opposite example of how to destroy a sight line is "Nintendo world" within Universal in LA; it is just a pile of boxes droped wherever they got a piece of land and you feel certain claustrophobia inside the area
It is amazing what they do to eliminate sightlines, but one thing I did notice is that the peaks from Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in Hollywood Studios at WDW are clearly visible from areas external to the park, but still on the resort property, so it appears like they are giant triangle mountaintops held up by poles, and just looks tacky when driving by. Sightlines were definitely not considered there...
I recall a conversation with an Imagineer at the former Disney Institute regarding the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Apparently the designers of the resorts had a stipulation in the contract that the structures couldn’t be visually blocked. Has anyone else heard of this or have further information to share if that is the case?
Awesome video. As someone who religiously goes to Disneyland California, I can confirm guardians of the galaxy is a sore thumb. I miss tower of terror. Not only did it feel more original, it did not look out of place.
I think Zelda: BOTW and TOTK are good examples of the landscape being used as a story element. They use sightlines and 'weenies' to lead players though quest progressions in an open world.
The “what building, theres no building!” Is like genuinely funny and not even too out of place in the context of toontown tbh. Good on them for that one.
I was gonna say, that’s actually pretty much in line with toontown
You are a furry. What a fool.
Disney sightlines are SO genius. It's really a work of art. It makes me wonder what life would be like if cities and neighborhoods were designed with this much care
Oh absolutely, especially with another focus on the area being walkable and accessible for as many people as possible. You don't need a car to get around Disney and that's how it should be in all cities imo
@@chubbyghost lol public transportation is trash
They would be so cool!
They used to be genius, then they totally abandoned them at Epcot.
@@fauxbro1983 troll
I was injured when a ride malfunctioned at Disney. I was swiftly taken to a train station looking building and whisked back behind to where guests wouldn’t see. When the ambulance came, it was silent, no lights. And was hidden behind a large wall. No guest ever had any idea that just feet away from them someone was being loaded into an ambulance.
Hope you’re alright
what ride was it?
@@snoogiepewyeah fr
details plz
Disney must’ve come good on that NDA they made them sign.
Love that Morocco pavilion so much. It's the only pavilion in which the country's government aided in the design. During the pavilion's construction in the 1980s, then King Hassan II actually sent Moroccan artisans to design and create the many mosaics. Due to Islamic religious beliefs on the content of art, the mosaics contain no representations of people. The pavilion's minaret is based off one from the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh, and the real mosque's minaret was built around 1195. Because of its religious meaning, the pavilion doesn't light up during fireworks. The pavilion's fortress walls were based off Chellah which was once a heavily fortified necropolis in what's now Rabat, the country's capital.
Not a tree having to do with sightlines but another special tree at Disneyland is the Dominguez Tree in Adventureland. It's a Canary Island date palm that was originally planted in 1896 by the Dominguez family who once owned the orange grove that's now Disneyland. The tree was originally a wedding present given to the grandparents of Ron Dominguez who later sold the grove to WED Enterprises for Disneyland, under the condition that they leave up the palm. Hence why it's there! Ron didn’t leave Anaheim after Disneyland arrived, in fact, he started as a ticket tacker on opening day! He held several positions within the park. He retired in 1994, and was honored with a window on Main Street!
Mr. Dominguez was the Executive Vice President of the Park and Attractions. RIP
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniconism_in_Islam#:~:text=The%20representation%20of%20living%20beings,Mshatta%20Facade%20now%20in%20Berlin.
"Generally speaking, aniconism in Islamic societies is restricted in modern times to specific religious contexts. In the past, it was enforced only in some times and places."
Unfortunately after COVID, whatever Moroccan entertainment company was in charge of maintaining the pavilion (Epcot is quite a special park, one of the reasons is which some of the country lands are actually managed and run by foreign companies from the country they are representing) was not able to remain in business, Disney took over entirely, as far as I can tell they never reopened the restaurant that had the most iconic mosaic work, And then according to recent park updates they've remodeled the area and replaced all that artisan hand place tile with absolutely atrocious, non-matching generic tile prefabs
What made Disney World and Land so good is immersion and world building within the Theme Park industry.
MK, EPCOT, and DHS are not as immersive has Disneyland and DAK
Sometimes I wished I have billions of dollars more than Elon musk and build one of the greatest grandest best park in the world. The land will have dug up areas and high hills big attractions
@@td3053have you been to galaxy’s edge at HS?
At Hollywood studios Galaxy’s Edge, you can see slinky dog while waiting in line for rise of the resistance. I wish Disney would continue to ensure appropriate sight lines.
@@xEric1993 the same thing is at Disneyland, bro. Calm down
There's even immersion when it comes to the transit built to take people to the parks. This is not a sightline thing but on the MTR's Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Line, it's a shuttle service between two stations, Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort. Sunny Bay station has a futuristic theme, while Disneyland Resort station has a Victorian theme. The idea was that the train would act like a time machine, taking people from the future to the fantasy world of Hong Kong Disneyland. The trains themselves are very different from the rest of the MTR network as they have Mickey-shaped windows, Mickey-shaped handles, and bronze statues of Disney characters in glass displays.
Another example is Magic Kingdom. The reason they put the parking lot on the other side of Seven Seas Lagoon and you have to take a boat or monorail to get to Magic Kingdom from the parking lot is they wanted the immersion of feeling like you're on a journey to a magical place, with the castle revealing itself as you get closer. On top of working around the fact the site of the lagoon was deemed unstable and unsuitable for construction, so the earth that was removed from that site was relocated to form a ground-level floor for Magic Kingdom, and it became Seven Seas Lagoon. When they cleaned up Bay Lake, they found pure white sand, which was used to create the beaches.
I love that reveal at magic kingdom. The boat is my favorite way over. Going today in fact
I actually got to talking with one of the managers of the Tower of Terror, and the sightline with morocco and the tower is actually a myth! it was a complete coincidence, and they mentioned that if it was planned, the tower would've been painted the same color as morocco
I did think it was odd that it wasn't mentioned in the Behind the Attraction thing, but I figured they just couldn't fit all of the information in one episode.
Suuure. Cool story.
@@MrRobarinowdym by that, why on earth would a park employee have a reason to deny that specific rumor if it was true?
I absolutely love these videos about Disney, found it through the Urban Exploring video and am excited to see you continue on the topic! As someone who's never been to Disney parks, or cared much for Disney itself, you've definitely made me a lot more interested with your videos
There is one big "weenie" at Disneyland that helps the park as a whole -- the Matterhorn. But this is a sightline from *outside* the park. For years, when my family would come to visit Anaheim, we kids played a game -- who could spot the Matterhorn first? That mountain was a promise of a magical day ahead and drew us, as a family, in the direction of Mouse Town :-)
The Matterhorn is definitely a prominent landmark (beacon) for one's journey to Disneyland. Perhaps more visible before the arrival of taller hotel towers.
My family did that too!
Getting to the middle of toontown and being surrounded by fake hills that blended in perfectly with the sky was a little bit terrifying. It was so seamless
I mean a Roger rabbit style existence would be genuinely horrifying in a lot of important ways
I beg to differ on the opinion that you won’t find high levels of detail at the universal parks. Diagon Alley is easily the most well themed land in any park I’ve visited. Fantastic use of sight lines and utilizing a superb weenie (the dragon).
I recently went to Diagon Alley and seeing it for the first time was better than I could ever imagine. Universal proved you can do good theming and have actual good rides
but universal as a whole doesnt function that way- disney does. Also, I found that diagon alley was NOT immersively themed because the staff and merchandise felt out of place to the theme. Disney, on the other hand, did the opposite with Batuu, where not only it is completely immersive with good sight lines, but the staff and merchandise fit in with the fantasy world.
@@avercado4132I mean, the whole idea and theme behind Universal originally was that you enter a land that would allow you to experience a movie. This is why only the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has an immersive land. It was their first attempt at it. It wasn't really a factor. In the recent Epic Universe introduction video, they said that the origin of their theme park is the studio tram tour. Though Universal does seem to implement this immersive nightlife with the Epic Universe, I would also argue that the guests at Batuu break the immersion. In regard to the Wizarding World, it's not that bad. Batuu is the only one at Disney with that amount of immersive detail. If there's anything that Wizarding World is bad at in comparison to Disney's other land, it would be the sight line.
Loved loved loved this video. Thank you for taking the time to make it. I’ve seen sideline videos, but they don’t cover all of the types of variations. Thank you for putting it all in one video.
I've always been obsessed with the strong theming in Disneyland and other Disney parks. The very deliberate sightlines play a big role in that. Excellent video!
No other theme park feels so authentic.
One of the most surreal experiences I've had at a Disney Park was because of sight line of Cars Land. I was staying in one of the hotels blocked by the sight line. It was possible to look into the park from my hotel room. It took me a while to realize that because a big part of the sightline was that cut out. Broke the illusion of how big Disneyland was. When I went to Cars land it took me awhile to realize where i was and what I was looking at even though I had already seen the back of the illusion.
I really enjoyed this video talking about the massive attention to detail in the Disney Parks. My favorite part was the explanation about the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.
4:09 YEAHH STRETCHING ROOM! My favorite factoid to share in line EVER
I've only been to WDW so I didn't know it went down in DL. I have the alligator below the umbrella lady tattooed on my forearm 😁.
You are absolutely crushing it with these Disney videos and you can tell by the viewership on them too! Congrats!
When i was at disneyland, i happened to see the tree that blocks the matterhorn. I thought it was just a coincidence at first, but then i remembered it was disney.
There's a big sightline problem at the Magic Kingdom with the addition of the Tangled restroom section. The Rapunzel tower should be viewed as a visual weenie for the west side of Fantasyland, leading you down that path past Small world and Peter Pan's Flight. Instead, the tower is off centre which means you can't see it. The tower is mostly visible from the Haunted Mansion end of Liberty Square, and it totally takes you out of the immersion of that land. It was an early indication that all was not well in the world of Imagineering.
Mission Breakout is a great ride but good god is that building an eyesore. Just a hideous mass of industrial pipes and garbage ruining the views in the whole resort.
Oh, tell me about it! Ugh! Horrible!
You don't realize how important this aspect of disney is until you go to universal. Universal does NOT control sightlines and it severely affects the impact and immersion of their parks for the worse. Disney does it right.
I appreciate when I find someone who can articulate the differences between Universal and Disney and it has nothing to do eith media content. ❤
I agree even though I like the rides in Universal way more Disney just has such great immersion I always forget it's pretty small and only realize when I go home via train/car
It’s been 14 years since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened and the showbuilding behind Hogwarts is still exposed.
I think one sightline failure that’s worth mentioning is WDW’s clear view of the backside of Galaxy’s Edge being in clear view from the highway.
they dont care about views from outside the park lol
The Skyliner shows off a lot of backstage areas too
They especially don't care about inward looking sight lines at WDW because it's surrounded by heavily forested nature reserve that is also all owned by Disney. In this day and age I think it's safe to say that only the threat of litigation - from NIMBYs mad about their backyard views - is the only thing that could get Disney to care about inward sidelines looking forward.
Your videos feel like they scratch an itch in my brain in a way that's so satisfying. Great analysis!
Also very interested to see you tackle non-Disney theme parks in future too🤠
that's the plan! 🧐
@@GeorgesSpace can't wait!
Looking at vintage aerial photographs of Anaheim, and Southern California in general, it’s amazing just how many orange groves there actually were. Locations that are now suburban sprawl and theme parks were devoted to oranges.
This is such a great video! Informative, funny, great history, tiny details. One of the best Disney design / architecture videos I’ve ever seen!
Been watching amusement park content for over a decade now and your videos always teach me many new fun facts- no matter the topic. Keep up the great work!
I recently came across ur Disney videos, I’ve been watching these type of videos for years, and I’ve never seen many detailed videos for Disney newbies in these past few years, it’s amazing especially for a new Disney theme park youtuber, a keep up the good job 👍
Yeah they don’t care about this at all anymore. Look no further than DCA: you’re immersed in Buena Vista Street and all its elaborate theming and then…. the Guardians building sticking out like a giant, industrial, radar-covered sore thumb.
Exactly, also they made no attempt to cover up web slingers. Meaning you can see the huge web slingers building from maters junkyard jamboree and the cars land entrance. So it’s like they don’t care about sight lines anymore
@@dayoldbread1696I hate web slingers just because it ruins Junkyard Jamborees :(
@@Geyser_Guy same although I mainly hate it because of how bad web slingers is. It honestly is probably worse than superstar limo ever was.
They have been promising us it for 4+ years but it would be nice if they actually started construction on the avengers e ticket
So essentially, Marvel is ruining disney about as much as disney has recently ruined Marvel
I enjoyed the presentation of the controlled view and the journey. There seems to be a subconscious trick to transport it's guest into different times and scales ...
I would add that the weenie of the Astro Orbiter at Disneyland was a diminished relocation of the Rockets that once flew above the people mover. The rockets and the people mover both drew people into tomorrowland whereas the current Astro Orbiter is a visual barrier to the depth of Tomorrowland. Ironically there is really nothing else to discover ... except for the uncelebrated arrive to space mountain.
I'd also say that the sightlines are better managed at Disneyland verse Magic Kingdom.
great video!
I gasped at that Matterhorn tree block, wow!
Dude great video, George, thanks for all of your contributions
You deserve these subs mate, I'm a new subscriber and to be honest I had zero interest with Disney but after watching a lot of your videos, now I have a great appreciation for what goes into creating such a place
very informative video! I'd always wondered about some of the design choices in individual spots but now I think I've gained even more respect for the skill and creativity that's needed to make such well quilted parks
For me its the tree that blocks the Matterhorn. It's hilarious when you know its there and look for it.
This is something i never took into account when being there, but after watching this video its so accurate, it always felt like you were in another place...
The Tower of Terror and Morocco blending is actually totally false. It was 100% a coincidence and the hotel is themed after multiple hotels based (mostly) in California and different aspects from the 30’s. The color of the tower was totally coincidental and was a shade that I think was titled “Moroccan sunset”. Imagineers didn’t put that much effort into forced perspective. Pinks and various shades of terracotta were popular then and common out west. It just happened to play out well for Morocco’s skyline. Any cast member you ask will gladly debunk it.
I think my personal favourite is the tower of terror looking different from both sides. That's some great attention to detail. It's also kinda disappointing how out of place mission breakout is
And the Tower of Swan and Dolphin behind France. 🤣
Have you ever covered the vertical sightlines? The way in which the park appears so much bigger for a child because of the added perspective from their level. Ingenious. Would love to see your video about that!
That's what I love, it's like in video game level designs and art design
I have been to Disneyland in California like 15+ times in my life as I only live 2 hours away and I have never noticed that tree and that it is blocking the Matterhorn. Actually blew my mind
Lived about a block away from Disneyland for a few years. While the park does a great job of keeping the real world out it does a terrible job of keeping the park noise in. I still have nightmares with the steamboat whistles in the background.
One of my best memories though was pranking park guests using the "family radios" which were used quite frequently in the park before cell phones became ubiquitous.
Family Radios? Like walkie talkies? Sounds hilarious!
I got into a little bit of garden design this year, and realized much of theme park design is based on garden design. The weenie in garden design is called the focal point. You build up garden walls and hedges to hide the focal point until it’s the perfect time for it to be revealed, then it leads towards it, past the hedge wall and into the new garden room, kind of like weenies in Disney world. I’m not an expert by any means. Just wanted to share. 😊
Wow that was surprisingly cool to watch! Super interesting topic and I didn't expect this quality :D
Loving these videos! Been a big fan of imagineering and Disney Parks history for years now and these mini docs you’ve been putting out are exactly what I’ve been looking for! Definitely becoming one of my favourite channels! Ps. If you have any more ideas for Paris videos I’d love that as it’s my “Home” Park 😁
I love this channel man. You do an excellent job discussing theme park concepts and staying entertaining. I really hope to see your channel grow so more people can see this kind of quality work. Thanks!
Dude, diagon alley is so hidden it was hard to find for me. Also Kong and Jurassic blended well. Universal definitely does have sight lines. Have you been there?
Another great video! Love your content. Keep it coming!
awesome video! didn’t know how big of a deal sight lines were at the disney parks since the beginning!
These are so cool and I had no idea about them but now I know I'll see them everywhere! Especially on my trip to Portland soon I'll look out for that mountain
This is a really good video. I have subscribed. This takes me back to when I was young and went to DisneyWorld with my parents. I am very aware of how things look and even then I recall how everything was immersive, even though I didn't know how to articulate that at the time. My parents noticed it too.
I know this video is about Disney, but the reveal in Port of Entry at Islands of Adventure is incredible. It uses curved paths and overhead bridges to reveal the lagoon and the entire park once you reach the shore
Wonderful work!!! Elements of architecture and landscape design. Wonderful video!
I think Universal's Epic Universe is stepping up their sightlines based on the construction photos I've seen.
Designing scenes with sightlines in mind can be very challenging since making one sightline better may require major architectural changes and can affect other sightlines. Will Nintendo be able to make use of sightlines in their open world 3D Mario platformer?
Fantastic video; you put in a ton of work and research for this and it really shows!
18:20 I’d be curious to know if there are any examples of these kinds of sight-lines and attention to detail at the Disney World hotels and resorts or only at the parks? 🤔
amazing video, never know so much design were given to theme park designs!
I grew up in SoCal so visited Disney, MM, Knott's, Universal (although it wasn't really a theme park back then as much as an actual studio tour), many times, and YES...I always felt like Disney was like being transported to other worlds, where the others were just places with rides.
Excellent video, thanks! A discussion of sight-lines at Disney parks would not be complete without pointing out the worst sightline issues at Disney California Adventure, which are the power lines and Pixar Place Hotel, which can both be seen from inside the park. I saw a video with one of the Imagineers who designed DCA who said that it was intentional that "the outside world" was allowed to be seen from within DCA -- but the reasoning was left unclear. It could be that DCA was influenced by Disney's "festival marketplace" projects dating back to the late '80s, like the Burbank backlot entertainment center complex (which also had a ferris wheel) -- these projects were less "bermed" theme park and instead were more integrated into the city environment.
Anyway, hopefully Disney remedies these DCA sightline atrocities with backdrops as they've done in Cars Land and Toontown...it would be interesting to know how tall and in what position these backdrops would need to be to block the views of the power lines and Pixar Place hotel.
The ceiling actually DOES lift up in the HM elevators, in addition to the elevators going down. If you pay close attention, you can feel yourself being lowered down and reaching the lower floor. You can also see the point where the walls start to extend upward and the ceiling along with them.
I had no idea about the suspiciously Matterhorn-shaped tree. That's both really cool and really funny.
4:56 i fr thought it just lifted up the ceiling cuz it was easier
Edit: he was talking about the dsny land one with the floor decreasing but and world (where i go) the ceiling DOES go up
the ground theming around mission breakout tries to sell the transported narrative - the jagged edge - would be cool for you to talk about that some.
I didn't know a core part of the attraction of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was utilizing a weenie to weenie waypoint system.
I always respect it when people give so much attention to details I care nothing about
I just found your channel yesterday and binged all of your vidoes. You're already becoming one of my favorite theme park TH-camrs. Might I suggest a video on the differences between Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland?
Interesting. I had many visits to the original Disneyland, when we lived in San Diego, without understanding the design features. But, having spent the last 40 years in a small town in Alaska, I can see how my tolerance of crowds has largely vanished. Good memories, but so many people.
the park who does this even better is phantasialand, foot example rookburgh, you can't see it from the outside so the immersion is impressive
The Skyliner was a necessary evil, due to how much of a clusterfuck the layout of WDW is, particularly around the Epcot/ DHS cluster
Favorite sight line is the one in Tomorrowland WDW- the one that hides the castle when you look back the way you came. I remember being so giddy when I noticed it.
This is a really cool video. Really well done man!
Another fun thing I noticed is the amount of service routes for personel throughout the park, that you can see clearly on google earth, but that are also completely hidden from the visitors.
Absolutely genius work! Heard about it before in other videos, but this is the first one explaining and showing it!
"What big building? There is no big building here!" Disney gaslighting its guests and customers, nothing new there, tho.
It’s crazy how the design and layout of Galaxy’s Edge on both coasts was dictated by Disneyland’s Big Thunder and the space available behind its Rivers of America.
Haha
Ellen’s World of Energy.
Thanks for making me feel old (47), as I still remember that as the update to Exxon’s universe of energy!
I feel like it’s worth mentioning that the Matterhorn originally had the skyway running directly through it. When Disneyland originally opened sight lines were definitely valued less than they are now.
Speaking of weenies and sightlines (man that just does not sound right...) what is the deal with the Matterhorn. Is it part of any particular land? Is it just it's own thing? On one half of it you get views of Tomorrowland & whatever the submarine of theme was, on the other side you get Fantasyland, all the while a monorail track is right next to it. Just seems something out of place.
Universal has, however, been working more on the impressiveness aspect of the parks, and with the new park that seems to be one of their most important goals. And I feel like Disney has realized the public really appreciates as much immersion as possible, so hopefully we will keep seeing more of this :)
When DCA first opened their sight lines were not so great. You could see the power lines from Karelia and Harbor Blvd in the parks. It was one of the things that was overlooked when they were cost cutting before opening that park. When they did the remodel and added cars land it was something they really concentrated on fixing. That’s why those hills behind Radiator City Racers is so tall. Great video though. One area Universal created great sight lines is Diagon Alley. They made it so you do t see any part of it from the “muggle” world outside the entrance. The exception is the dragon on top of Gringotts because it is escaping. Otherwise your right they aren’t as good as Disney on that
haha all these years and I didn't realize that the two Stretching Rooms were that different. Nice stuff overall! That's funny about the Matterhorn-blocking-tree- I can see that mountain from so much of the park I forget sometimes there are other things blocking its view in certain areas.
Great content 👏👏👏you give clear examples illustrating your point
Besides at a theme park; sightlines are important in the home. How many homes have you been into that you can see into the bathroom door with a direct view of the toilet from a long distance? I have. Or out a window on an unappealing view. Sightlines are very important.
Great Video! What was the song used for the "Blending Sightlines" section?
The sailing ship over the rooftops in New Orleans Square! The way you can locate the monuments in Epcot through other things (example: the China arch)
i always wondered what the ugly blue building was at epcot… very upset to hear that it’s a poorly disguised building for the guardians ride 😬 it definitely takes away from the magic of the experience
''Funnelling people from one weenie to the next''.. why am I getting strong phallic vibes here.
I really enjoy the bathroom sight lines. The other guests can’t see me taking a shit.
Wait - you show the GotG show building, with Taco Barge Germany in the foreground, but don't mention Harmonious?
My favorite sightline trick is the way MuppetVision 3D's facade was modified to tone it down.
Then you get to wander through the tunnel into Batu'u
Harmonious was removed.
@@toddjones1480 I know. I was there. The video does not limit itself to what is still in place, as of today.
Harmonius was totally on my mind when making this video, but I had already mentioned so much and the video was ballooning in size lol
The weenies remind me of level design in games like Elden Ring, you see one big point of interest you start moving towards, and then along the way see closer points of interest you then move towards.
A full everest video would be amazing! Please do!!
Ugh that cars land tunnel is amazing. I want to see it irl so bad. My family are Disney world people but I need to get out to California to see cars land
An opposite example of how to destroy a sight line is "Nintendo world" within Universal in LA; it is just a pile of boxes droped wherever they got a piece of land and you feel certain claustrophobia inside the area
This is a really good video
Agreed!
In the parking lot trees are added on both sides of drains to make a swamp scene that also blocks views of the park
This was a great video! I'm a newer subscriber and have really enjoyed everything I've watched so far!
It is amazing what they do to eliminate sightlines, but one thing I did notice is that the peaks from Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in Hollywood Studios at WDW are clearly visible from areas external to the park, but still on the resort property, so it appears like they are giant triangle mountaintops held up by poles, and just looks tacky when driving by. Sightlines were definitely not considered there...
Brilliant video!
I recall a conversation with an Imagineer at the former Disney Institute regarding the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Apparently the designers of the resorts had a stipulation in the contract that the structures couldn’t be visually blocked. Has anyone else heard of this or have further information to share if that is the case?
Awesome video. As someone who religiously goes to Disneyland California, I can confirm guardians of the galaxy is a sore thumb. I miss tower of terror. Not only did it feel more original, it did not look out of place.
7:39 tell me you've never been to the American desert without telling me you've never been to the American desert
I think Zelda: BOTW and TOTK are good examples of the landscape being used as a story element. They use sightlines and 'weenies' to lead players though quest progressions in an open world.