We're Pollinators!
Written: Mar 14 '08 (Updated Mar 14 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: short cycle time, infrequent crowds, attractive theatre, nonstop action, excellent effects,
Cons: hard to find excuses for singing the catchy song when back at work
The Bottom Line: It's Tough to Be a Bug is full-scale Disney Magic that sets the bar high for how 3D entertainment ought to be.
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| Liffey's Full Review: It's Tough To Be A Bug - California Adventure |
It's funny to look back and remember how A Bug's Land at California Adventure was more or less an afterthought, something a scurrying design team quickly added to turn the frowns at least sideways, if not upside down, when the poor reviews of the new gate started sailing it. To this day the area has its detractors, but I remain in awe of its themeing and smooth connection to the important agricultural aspect of California living. (Spend some time twirling the "info blocks" over by the Farmer's Market if you're skeptical.)
You might think I'm a little biased, what with A Bug's Land containing one of my favourite attractions from Walt Disney World, It's Tough to Be a Bug. Actually, if anything, I should be a fussing over how this one doesn't have the Tree of Life or the gorgeous queueing. And yet, the presentation wows me too much to dare a single complaint. This is the best 3D movie in the Disneyland parks. I like Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. I like MuppetVision 3D. I am in love with It's Tough to Be a Bug.
The spacious theatre means that everyone in the waiting area will be seated when the doors open, and the doors open about every 10 minutes. I've hit this attraction at some of the most miserable times of the year crowd-wise (except for Christmas proper and the 4th of July), and I never waited through more than one show cycle. Like I said, the queue doesn't benefit from WDW's breathtaking Tree of Life, but there are still several cute "show" posters that parody Broadway hits, now with an insect angle. ("Hello Dung Lovers," "A Cockroach Line," "Antie," "Barefoot in the Bark," and "Beauty and the Bees" all spring to mind.)
Once inside, the earthy wood seating (as if nibbled out of a tree trunk) is entirely comfortable and all views of the screen are good. If you've seen Pixar's A Bug's Life, you'll soon be amongst old friends again, but even if you don't know the characters, you'll "get" the show..
I hate giving out spoilers, so let me get away with just saying there are more effects than just what you see through your special 3D bug eyes. (A cast member will hand you a pair as you enter the waiting area and, alas, a cast member will make sure you deposit them in the designated receptacle as you leave. Darn - they're just so cute!) These extra effects are more numerous and pronounced than in the other 3D attractions and, knock ample wood, so far they've worked for me every time. (Unlike the pops of air in HISTA, for example.)
The only thing I will give away is that if you are genuinely afraid of enormous spiders descending from above, or if you are traveling with a small person who may develop this fear after seeing a bunch of plush arachnids hurl toward them in the mist, then this is an attraction to avoid. Even I give myself a little shake sometimes.
I said that all seats are good, but there is one row that is, I suppose, really good because it has a velvet rope and only people who are somethings-or-others get to sit there. I don't know who these SOOs are, as I've only seen anyone in that row once. I think it's just preferred seating in the event of a crowd, but to me a crowd on It's Tough to Be a Bug is when you flail your arms to the sides and the breeze touches someone.
The message of this attraction is a neat one: it is tough to be a bug, and they don't always get a lot of credit for the good they do, so maybe we shouldn't be so quick to swat. (The closing song, especially the lines the dung beetles sing, is a great tune to remember for the car trip home.) This is Disney with the switch set on "Total Awesomeness" – family friendly, educational, cool (in every sense), and original – just take a seat and they'll put the grin on for you!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
Liffey
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Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 71 members
About Me:
I like thinking.
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