The Woo-Hoo? Post

This week was the first week that the new Simpson’s ride is open to the public. Part of a soft-opening before the grand opening next month, the ride is already pulling in large crowds to check it out. Bruce and I stopped by yesterday to give it a whirl, and while it was an enjoyable ride and pretty funny, the whole thing failed to really strike a chord with me. I just had an overwhelming sense of ‘this is just Back to the Future with a new coat of paint’ and despite the massive Imax screen and moving vehicle-seats, I never felt like I was doing anything more than watching a Simpson’s movie while my chair wiggled. Waiting in line was pretty cool though (as cool as waiting like a lemming can be I suppose). There where flat panel TVs each with a different character on them placed in walls and behind stands that made it look like the character was actually there talking to you. Its kind of weird sounding, but works really well. The ride doesn’t take itself as seriously as many others do and pokes fun at theme park food prices, gift shop placement and queue lines, as well as even taking a few jabs at Disney and SeaWorld, which also helps take the edge off the wait. Simpson’s fans won’t be disappointed though, the whole experience drips with Springfield’s finest and their accompanying sense of humor and the production values are clearly high. I just wish they did something other than a verbatim theme-swap from the old attraction. Maybe being around theme parks has jaded me and turned me into a ride-snob. I hope so, because I really want to like this ride a lot more than I did after my initial spin. D’oh.