Today through Friday, we'll have four match-ups each day, as we narrow the 32 remaining rides down to 16. The match-ups get tighter from here on in, so don't miss a day, and spread the word to other theme park fans you know, to come to the site and have their votes counted.
The first second-round match goes to our top seed: (1) The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man vs. (32) Soarin' Over California
The second contest matches two neighbors, from Universal's Islands of Adventure: (5) Incredible Hulk Coaster vs. (28) Jurassic Park River Adventure
Disneyland's Haunted Mansion got the highest vote total of any attraction in round one. Can it defeat a fellow Disney attraction in round two? (13) Haunted Mansion (Disneyland) vs. (20) California Screamin'
Finally, the big upset winner in round one was Disneyland's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which eliminated the roller coaster Tatsu. In round two, can Toad keep pull another upset against... another B&M coaster with a five-letter name, ending in "u"? That's right, it's (56) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride vs. (41) Montu
I can't wait to read the comments about these....
BTW, I know that I had promised a bracket PDF today, and I am working on it. But I am swamped with much other work, so it might slide until tomorrow.
I couldn't help myself...you would of had to have spent a dilated pupil evening in Disney before this ride closed to fully understand why Toad will always be the best and will live on.
The Hulk vs. JPRA was extremely hard for me. So hard that I actually tossed a coin. I love both those rides way too much and I felt kinda guilty just picking one over the other, so I let the coin make the choice. The hulk got it 2 out of three times I tossed. :(
I'm a huge Toad fan, but I also know that Montu is an amazing inverted floorless. Although I voted for Toad against Tatsu, I had to lean back to Montu for my vote. Montu keeps it thrilling until the very end.
And why is everyone so anti-Soarin'? I'm a thrill buff, but I think this is a great family ride - one of the better ones in years. But Spidey definitely deserves it. Just to let you know, though, my college buds weren't wowed by Spidey (and they're Spidey fans), but they all loved Soarin'. They were just so tired of 3-D rides that sprayed fire and water, and one felt motion sick afterwards.
JP is heartbreaking. I like Hulk slightly more, but I love the JP ride and movie so much. If only they'd improve the Animatronics...
Montu is another heartbreaker, as it's my favorite inverted coaster, but I haven't ridden Toad, so I can't vote fairly.
"Where were all these Disney fans when Mission:SPACE was losing by 2% yesterday????"
I find the Disney-philes show the greatest support for the old. I badly wanted MS to take DD Ice, but it's new, and not terribly Disney-like. It would have lost just as hard, or harder, to a "classic", like Mansion, or Toad.
I would consider myself a THEME PARK fanboy. Disney, in general, produces the best theme parks, so they, in general, get my vote. However, Universal does a fine job as well, so when it comes to a battle between the two parks, I have no problem picking one over the other.
And while I love a nice comfy toilet as much as the next guy, Spider-Man is gonna win that vote every time! No matter how well Disney themes that toilet! =)
My biggest problem with Soarin' is the music, which I find bland. Imagine how much better Soarin's would be if it had a soundtrack with just a fraction of the power of Impressions de France's. Second, the conceit of Soarin' traps the camera in the air, robbing it of the ability to take close-ups that could have brought more emotional power to the film. I don't know an easy way around the second problem, but there's just no excuse for not solving the first. Again, as it is, Soarin' is a good ride, a welcomed family ride. It's just nowhere near being the best ride in America.
I did vote for Hulk over Jurassic, because I like Hulk. I do have a reality check for some of you though. Hulk isn't really a themed coaster. It has a station, green track and a soundtrack of Hulk yelling, but past that, nothing themed. It's no more themed than say...Maverick at Cedar Point. The launch is fantastic, the setting over water is cool and the ride is fun. Without the launch, it becomes just another B&M coaster (which isn't a bad thing), but it's set itself apart a little with that first hill.
There's no way Toad is winning again. Montu has too many fans and is too good of a ride. California Screamin shouldn't even be in the second round. Haunted Mansion has them by a longshot.
However, the Hulk does provide a strong sense of immersion due to the themed queuing area, the built-in mythology of the character, all the yelling as Bruce changes to the Hulk, and the fact that the attraction has the kind of massive power you would expect from the Hulk.
Additionally, the theming of the entire IOA park is so good, that riders are already immersed in the story before they even enter the attraction's queuing area. In a true theme park, the immersion-factor should begin the moment you enter the park. And at IOA, it does.
One could argue that the Hulk, while an excellent thrill ride in its own right, is simply reaping the rewards of being placed in one of the very best theme parks in the world. In fact, it has become nearly impossible to separate the Hulk coaster from the rest of the IOA "experience."
The question then becomes: "would the Hulk, in any other park, be as sweet?" Or would it just be another iron thrill ride called, um, B&M Coaster #925?
And worse, would it be getting pounded by some old school, much beloved dark ride like Mr. Toad???
Perish the thought!
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