I forgot to post my thoughts regarding my visit to Disneyland this past Sunday:
Grizzly Peak Airfield is absolutely stunning. Such a simple but effective extreme makeover. The fun details and intricate themeing and story telling is wonderful, and will be even better once the trees grow in! It fits in PERFECTLY with the Grand Californian in the background and the existing Grizzly Peak area. Just wonderful.
I will be honest and say that I miss and prefer the original Soarin' sign that was on the show building, building feels bare without it, but I guess it looks more genuine and period appropriate. I do like the new Soarin' sign (the logo is now identical to the one in Florida), although it's worrisome to me that the only sign that says "Soarin' Over California" is the main sign by the entrance, with the "Over California" part of it being separate and easily removable. Every other sign on the outside of the building simply says "Soarin". Definitely looks like they're planning to completely replace the film eventually as rumors have said, with more proof being that the interior of the queue wasn't touched AT ALL, including having the old logo everywhere. I'm not a fan of changing the film, it's such a classic and I love that it's exclusively "Over California". Leave the "Over the World" version to Epcot and Shanghai.
Now, on to the remastered Soarin' footage:
First the negative: I absolutely HATE how they got rid of the blackout in the beginning and the end. Totally kills the illusion initially. You now are raised into the theatre while the dome is still blue, and then the footage just fades in with the clouds. And then at the end, after the fireworks, the fireworks don't fade out to black, but again to the bright blue "standby" screen. Lots of fans are complaining about it.
Another negative, the colors are a bit off and need to be recalibrated. I was in the right theatre, I heard that one has had issues. Some of the footage is too dark, too contrasty, or too red/blue.
On to the positive: besides some technical issues they can work out, the restoration is GORGEOUS. My mom, sister and I were in shock and said "wow" or "oh my god" multiple times. The illusion of flight is absolutely incredible. The footage was super crisp, sharper, and the resolution was extraordinary. They are using multiple digital projectors stitched together like the Simpsons to project the original Omnimax resolution of the film. The restoration is beautiful, no spots or anything, there is also no flicker from the frame rate, the footage looks super smooth and lifelike, and just amazing. Amazing seeing new life pumped into my favorite ride. Outside of the issues with the contrast and tinting, as well as the horrible decision to fade in and out of the blue screen, it's amazing.
Now, on to the Hat Box Ghost:
I'll keep this short and sweet.....absolutely amazing. I had the chills seeing him. Love his little dilapidated moldy balcony, and his subtle but realistic movements are fantastic, and the actual effect of his head appearing and disappearing on his shoulders and then his head is just so magical and creepy, and his laugh is haunting in a funny way. I'd love to see all the figures and effects updated this way.