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I have to imagine that MiB/CitH would both get retracked or both get demolished. Seems like it would be easier to take CitH out of commission soon over MiB.
- Nov 3, 2015
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I’d guess MIB will be replaced with another attraction before it’s ever renovated and CitH gets retracked.
- Jul 27, 2015
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Yep. CitH is the signature attraction of a timeless land, featuring a timeless IP and accessible story. I’d love for CitH to get an entire refresh.
MiB is isolated in the corner between two far bigger and timeless IPs, featuring one dead actor and another who’s most recent accomplishment is getting his son work. It’s a timeless, fun story littered with outdated references.
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I might be totally wrong here, but wasn't a coaster planned or proposed on the MIB plot at one time?
- Nov 3, 2015
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Last I checked, Tommy Lee Jones isn't dead, and he still has an active career.
Also, while the MIB movie franchise isn't exactly hot right now, I think the concept of joining a secret government organization to shoot some invading aliens is a pretty timeless and accessible storyline that doesn't require movie context to be enjoyable. I can't think of any dated references in the ride either.
Think he was referring to Rip Torn aka Agent Zed
- Nov 3, 2015
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Right. Rip Torn and Will Smith are the only actors from the movie in the ride.
- Apr 4, 2017
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Thanks. Guess I forgot because Will Smith is the only one who makes a visible appearance on the actual ride.
As far "pretty timeless and accessible storyline" - I agree, but Universal has shown a history of moving on from the past. Everyone would've argued Jaws was timeless and... well..
- May 26, 2010
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I'm of the opinion that Men in Black is timeless (as others have pointed out... shooting outer space aliens is pretty immune from going out of date), but I hear you that the movie franchise is at this point past its prime, with the latest attempt at a relaunch landing with a thud. It's also fair to say that Universal has historically removed and replaced attractions that would have soon required complete rebuilds or overhauls.
Cat in the Hat I think is likely to get the Spider-Man treatment. Same ride path, same basic story and show scenes, but with improved animation and effects - along with some permanent reworkings on the sequences that previously depended on you vigorously spinning. It's something that they can potentially advertise - like they did with Spider-Man. (Disney does this too - when rides require substantial rebuilds, they get a soft relaunch campaign.)
I'd like to see what 2021 Universal could do with a new CITH ride
As far as MIB, I'd sorely miss the interactivity and re-rideability of it in Studios....unless of course..there is an interactive pocket monster attraction someday
- Jul 27, 2015
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I think replacing Jay and Zed with generic agents and potentially refreshing the entire narrative as an Orlando “recruiting station” could do a lot to fix the lingering irrelevance. Update the animatronics and increase the resolution of the screens throughout. Maybe alter the ambush scene. Do that and at least the ride wouldn’t feel outdated.
- May 26, 2010
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I'm sure they at least talked about trying to get Emma Thompson and/or Chris Hemsworth and/or Tessa Thompson during the run-up to MIB: International. Had that movie not flopped, it would have been relatively easy to insert shots and V/O in the existing show scenes, add a few aliens recognizable from the film, replace the ride system, and market it as a rejuvenated experience.
Sort of like what they were thinking about re: Mummy and Dark Universe.
- Jul 8, 2019
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This needs to happen a lot of places.
Take a ride like Spiderman - literally the only dated part of that entire attraction is the queue video, which surely could be fixed by upscaling the video and making a trip to Best Buy.
- May 26, 2010
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Spider-Man bothers me less in the small monitors throughout the queue, but it is nuts that they have yet to update the large projection in that final switchback theater.
Men in Black mostly looks acceptable on-ride in my experience, but the multi-panel presentation of the "big queue room" has always looked a bit dicey, and a few of the monitors showing safety information in that final run to the load station have seen better days.
Didn't they redo the screen in the big room a few years back?
- May 26, 2010
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Did they? Memory may be playing tricks and it could be all one big screen now... but it definitely wasn't in HD, which is especially noticeable at that scale.
