"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."- - Walt Disney
"When completed, Disney's California Adventure will feel more immersive and richer. It will have more heart."- - Jay Rasulo
53 comments:
"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."
Good job.
"When completed, Disney's California Adventure will feel more immersive and richer. It will have more heart."
Good luck.
Who ever said DCA had ANY heart?
This is not really fair, as Rasulo was evidently referring to the announced Billion Dollar upgrade which has a completion timeframe, not the park as whole conceptually as Walt was referring to Disneyland. It goes without saying that DCA will have additions later on and over time. Surely it is foolish to compare Jay and Walt.
It's too bad Re-Imagineering has strayed into cheap potshots from it's mission of constructive criticism. The flaws are obvious enough without being unfair.
Just an opinion.
I agree that this is a cheap shot. The comparison is meaningless and the contrast is a misguided perception.
DCA is a troubled park and there are many folks working hard to fix it. Give these people a break already.
"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."
Maybe you should add the Re-Imagineering caveat --- as long as you don't touch any of the attractions we don't want you to.
(With apologies to the Sherman brothers)
There is just one thing you should never do.
Change an attraction we do not want you too.
Leave it alone.
Leave it the same.
Trapped in the past.
We're all so lame!
It's a hypocrit's world after all!
It's a hypocrit's world after all!It's a hypocrit's world after all!It's a hypocrit's world after all!It's a hypocrit's world after all!
(Ad nauseum until you can't get the song out of your mind!)
Shut up all you anonymous people.
Signed,
Anonymous
DCA sucks and nothing will ever change that. I want my money back just for thinking about it. It should be blown up.
Great post by the way.
I've heard it often said as part of any creative mandate, "failure is a by product of innovation as through failure (trial and error) come breakthroughs" Ask Thomas Edison.
"If you are not failing enough, you are not trying enough". WDI has been out there trying and not everything fails either.
DCA dared to stray from the formula of strict immersion and quality and was risky because they knew that they were breaking the very ethic of what makes a Disney park but thought they could stretch it. Those ethics are rules because they work. Tough lesson. Magic is not elastic. The good news is.. It seems those "economies" of DCA have brought a reverse effect in culture and now trend toward better products like Toy Story, so DCA will not have died in vain.
If all these Defenders of Management put their money where their hearts are and visit DCA, Jay should have no trouble snagging another big bonus this year. (And hey, no fair smuggling in your own bottled water and snacks!)
It's not a significant comparison, but it's great that it was noted anyway. It shows where Disney's current mindset is at. They just want to get the money flowing again and move on to something else.
"When completed, Disney's California Adventure will feel more immersive and richer. It will have more heart."
How the hell would he know? As Triumph would say, Jay's heart is about as cold as an Iditarod huskie's nutsack. He only cares about black ink on the park's bottom line. And he will get it by any means available.
Given the economic downturn and recent reduction in advanced bookings for the resorts, I doubt the DCA makeover will be as "immersive and rich" as previously proposed to the Anaheim City Council. The only two additions I see moving forward in the near future are the Little Mermaid attraction and Carsland. Everything else is probably up for grabs.
it's not a cheap shot if their telling the truth...........
Surely it is foolish to compare Jay and Walt.
Ain't that the truth.
As Triumph would say, Jay's heart is about as cold as an Iditarod huskie's nutsack. He only cares about black ink on the park's bottom line. And he will get it by any means available.
It's incredibly obvious by every statement that he makes that Jay's objective is the bottom line. I'm sure that endears him to many in the Disney organization. But the organization established itself on creativity...and except for creative accounting, I doubt seriously that Jay possesses any creative attributes.
I sort of agree that the two quotes are out of context when compared, but I also agree that the comparison gives insight to the corporate mindset.
>The comparison is meaningless and the contrast is a misguided perception.<
In fact the comparison is completely valid. As David Stainton was the inheritor of Walt's legacy for Disney Feature Animation, Jay Rasulo is the bearer of Walt's torch at Disneyland and DCA. He, more than any other single person, calls the shots on the guests' experience. Be it the in-your-face promotions, the dumbing down of the River Belle Terrace, the swell Disney Parks(R) T-shirts in every store, or a hundred other ideas that float like lead and taste like cardboard, it's from Jay's creative heart to yours.
"I liked it better as a parking lot" -John Hench
"In fact the comparison is completely valid."
No it isn't.
Jay, like Nunis and others that worked for Walt are the operators. The creative onus is held higher up in Lassiter and those beyond Jay. Rasulo would have never spent 100 million on Nemo had he not been mandated by Lasitter and Iger.
Jay Rasulo is a putz. I used to work merchandise at WDW. The WDW branded merch outsold the Disney parks dreck by a very, very large margin.
i agree that Rasulo doesn't get it. Then again, it is an out of context quote and poor form in my opinion.
I fear this blog has become miopic and lost its flavor in the last few months and this cheap shot is another indication that I should take it off my disney sites list.
sorry, just being honest. get back to being awesome.
-trent
The Toy Story attraction and TOT are evidence that the corporate mindset is about executing quality in that park and that that's their solution, so I would not fault that. They too think DCA is less than it should be and are spending big to make it richer and more immersive.
They took out the Country Bears and replaced it with Winnie the pooh and the DisnoFans said it was sad but ok.
They destroyed the ambience of the park with the daily nighttime multiple showings of fantasmic but the DisnoFans, said as long as I can lay down my tarp to save all the seats for me and my family to watch the show for the umpteenth time it is ok.
They replace the iconic and magical Golden Horshoe Revue with a substandard Hillbilly review, making fun of Country Folk, but hey the building is still there and it's yes another place to rest my butt after all this waiting for the prime spots for the parades. It's all-good.
They butchered Tomorrow land with millions of dollars in a terrible redo, with removal of park icons and crowd eaters such as Circle vision and People Mover, the motor boats replaced with horrific color schemes and terrible show but the DisnoFans said well as long as I have Honey I shrunk the audiences and innovations to rest in when I am hot and tired after camping for the parades all day it is good.
They removed the Atlantis Submarine Adventure, but the DisnoFans said at the time well at least they left the lagoon so I can remember the fond memories.
They removed the SkyRide, but DisnoFans said, well as long as we have the new "IceCavern" and Tribute to Frank Wells, that it was good.
They removed Swiss Tree Family Robinson and replaced it with a horrific Tarzan(tm) replacement. The DisnoFan said well at least there is a cool soundtrack and it's easier to access never mind it taking up more walkway space, it’s all-good.
They removed the Tribute to our former President Abraham Lincoln a truly educational and patriotic experience and replaced it with a interesting for a home DVD video with Steve Martin and the DisnoFan said "Well at least we have the opera house and they have not yet turned it into the Generic Trinket Mart, its another place to rest my butt after all the camping for parades and will prepare me for my long camp for the fireworks or fantasmic depending how I’m feeling" It's all good.
They close the Castle Walk Through and blame it on get this "Security reasons" the DisnoFans fall for the bait and say they "Understand"
They butcher up in my opinion the Pirates of the Caribbean, PC'ifying it in the 90’s; the DisnoFan says well it was a bit "extreme" it's all good.
They butcher it up even further in some ways with the movie tie in and changing key music cues and replace the transition tunnel narration and darkness into a cheapo projection gimmick that ruins the transition between the acts 2 and 3. Replace RedBeard's animatronics Iconic Face, Costume and Dialogue with Geoffrey Rush and then add a loud music cue from the film further destroying the transition between acts 2 and 3 and having the music disturb all show scenes near the battle. Not to mention replacing Red Beards iconic voice with Mr. Rush's. Listen to both versions and tell me which is better. I will take the original any day. But the Dipnoan says well I like the Johnny Depp Animatronics it was worth the 25million or whatever number they quoted. I like the projection effect. Rasulo and Co. can do no wrong, it is all good.
They plan on changing Walt and Mary Blaire’s masterpiece it's a Small World, but hey as long as they add in a U.S.A finale and make the boats support our larger weight, DisnoFan says it's all good. R&C can do no wrong, it's all good.
Once upon a time Disney Attractions were improved, or replaced with better attractions. Now it seems that we can remove and replace with crappier attractions, or spend Millions of dollars to "Plus" attractions only to leave them in worse shape creatively and waste the money that could have been put to much better uses elsewhere.
Small unique shops close only to have generic DisnoCrap shops replace them. The show degrades and yet the legions of guests continue to support everything Rasullo and his other overpaid executives do. As much as I love the magic that Pixar contributes, turning DisneyLand into PixarLand is not the answer for every single damn new attraction that is ever built. Thank you Mr. Wiggins and community for pointing out the truth in Rassullo and his clan. As they set out to redux the disaster that was DCA and fix it by turning into Pixars California Adventure, while no doubt looks much more fun and exciting, All is not good, I wish the day would finally come when the shareholders say enough is enough we are paying you way to big of a salary for such poor execution and implementations of ideas all across the board all across the globe at "Disney Parks(tm)"
Enough is enough.
Pretty sad commentary on the powers that be that let that monstrosity be buildt as is... too bad you can't sue them for managerial malpractice. If I could be CEO for a day, I'd send a note to Eisner, Pressler and Harris with three words "You were wrong" and as a token gesture I'd tresspass them.
David H
I dont understand the anti-Pixar sentiments with regards to their inclusion/overinclusion in the Disney Parks. They are clearly the spirtual succesors to the "Disney" formula(for lack of a better way of describing it) in most cases even "more Disney" than what comes out of the Disney Studios. There was always some sort of partnership/collaboration involved and now they are owned outright by Disney. While not all Disney is Pixar all Pixar is Disney in the noblest sense. Keeping them out of the parks would be to deny the most compelling Disney entertainment of the last 18 years.
That'll do, pig. That'll do.
"I dont understand the anti-Pixar sentiments with regards to their inclusion/overinclusion in the Disney Parks."
I don't think it's that we want to see no Pixar rides in the parks. I happen to think Monsters Inc. is a great improvement over the awful Superstar Limo.
However, we don't want every new ride to be based on a Pixar property. There are some of us who want to see original new rides in the spirit of Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Small World, Tiki Room, etc.
^John I think you need a time machine. Look at Disneyland in 1955 and then a decade later and how many things changed? You have basically said everything they have done has been wrong. How about pointing out some good things. Surely there have been some.
I believe it was the old management who shut down a lot of the attractions. Pooh, while IMO not as good as the bears is a good dark ride that appeals more towards children. The subs have returned and it is most likely that the people mover will as well.
It seems that the past five years have corrected a lot of mistakes that were made in the previous decade. Just give them some time. Thank god Disney doesn't listen to you hardcore fans that want everything to stay the same.
I do agree though that Rasulo is the wrong person to have in his position. Hopefully he will be pushed out now that more visionary people are working in other areas.
"Enough is enough."
Agreed. Let's say it much shorter.
"I liked it better as a parking lot" -John Hench
Wise man, that Mr. Hench.
Jay, like Nunis and others that worked for Walt are the operators. The creative onus is held higher up in Lassiter and those beyond Jay. Rasulo would have never spent 100 million on Nemo had he not been mandated by Lasitter and Iger.
If Jay is merely an operator, he has too much power - and right...he would have never spent $100 million on Nemo if he hadn't been told to...because he doesn't get it.
I feel alot of what Johng31 says is right. Not all, but alot! I feel and see the same wrongings of the park as he does. How much wasted money into redoing classic attractions? Whether its removing scenes, adding scenes, removing soundtracks, adding new soundtracks.. breaking classic storylines, adding new storylines... Where is the originality?
Where is the Creativity that Disney was once known for?
Has Disney really done it all that they cannot create anything else that is completly original, and not a spinoff of something they already did?
I just went recently, and was highly dissapointed with the "Year of a Million Parades".....Every land I crossed in the afternoon onwards, I had to dodge the rope people! I'm going for attractions, not sitting on curbs or walkways to see a bunch of parades. 2 parades a day maximum, and 1 fireworks show is more than enough for entertainment. It took us about 30 minutes after the fireworks to get from New Orleans Square to the backside of Frontierland....Sardines have a better life in a can....
DisneyParks new motto should be "If you can't pack 'em, Stack 'em!"
I think that was code for:
"When completed, Disney's California Adventure will feel like it provides more value to consumers. It will be easier to leverage its profit potential."
The billion dollar upgrade plans all look like crap to me. Imagine, they built Disneyland for 17mil, Epcot for 1bil, and now 1bil just gets you a bunch of cheezy paper cut-out clone rides. What I get from this is, when your goals are truly inspirational to all involved, the costs are much cheaper.
Apologies because this does not really belong in this thread but not sure where else to put it....
Disney has made the decision to close down Pleasure Island and with it one of the most unique and purely "Disney" experiences in the Adventurers Club. I know it's not the Disneyland or the Left coast but to me, loss of the Adventurers Club is a terrible terrible loss for the Disney company.
Oh yeah and icing on the cake? Disney is quoted as saying that it's "a bold new vision" for all of Downtown Disney and framed the Pleasure Island nightclub closures as a response to customers who say they want more broad-based dining and retail opportunities throughout the 120-acre district.
More shops and retail? My God...
Ok..KONGALOOSH!!!
Now they've REALLY done it. I think losing the Adventurer's Club is a far bigger loss than some new dolls in Small World.
We are talking about Alcohol by George! Hard liquor integrated into themed escapist environments! The future of innovation within a society hooked on themed stimulants depends on these ground breaking experiences. When they start shuttering bars that have incredible profit margins, then we're all staring down a slippery slope indeed. May the Balderdash Cup land in a good place..
They should move the Adventurer's Club into the Polynesian Resort or the AK Hotel. They both need something cool like that.
Maybe WDI can save it by adding some Disney Characters, so you can have an "adventure" finding Mogli in the bottom of your souvenir Mojito glass?
They will probably put in an Outback Steak House where it was.
The operative words are "when completed". Disney has pushed back completion of DCA's refurb multiple times now because Disney can't get enough amusement companies to work with them due to everyone under the sun working on Dubailand over in the UAE. You'd think a company that cleared thirty-five billion in profit could afford to build their own rides...
Great stuff! Great Stuff!
Except, for those brain dead individuals defending crumy Disney employees. "...there are many folks working hard to fix it". Fix it! Exactly what are they fixing? It's more like they're bulldozing the stuff, that actually possesed the magic it's creator made and gave it. Disney magic has slowly been diminishing, due mostly to the fact that it's creator is long gone. It's great to have excellent creative talent, but that doesn't guarentee instant magic. Put all the Disney creative talent together from the begining to the present (just the artist, I could care less about the execs who have no talent, but think they do. They think they have the talent of making money.... off of someone elses creation, of course). Now, take away Walt Disney and no magic is ever created or born. He truly was the Yensid of the whole operation. And his diciples have slowly died off. So, what ever little magic that did remain with them(nine old men for example), for being around the master for so long has also died with them. Even they could not create the magic without Walt's courage to pursue his dreams and showcase his imagination. Disney wasn't the best artist, but he did have the best mind when it came to the world of imagination. Unfortunately, he was born before I was and beat me to every one of my ideas, oh well. I guess I was born to rival NEW Disney. I hope everyone checks out Sosanimation and Sosaland.
On a side note: lasseter is no Disney, nor is Iger. Pixar does not have the magic and wonder that Walt Disney had. I never met Walt personally and perhaps he was a perfectionist jerk or an all around great guy to be with, either way he had some Great ideas and one child-like of an imagination.
I really miss the Swiss Family Robinson Tree, the Old Pirates of the Carrabean, the Penny Arcade with actual arcades down in Main Street, just to name a few. If it ain't broke... don't TOUCH IT!!!!!I fear for The Enchanted Tiki Room.
Disagree with me all you want, you know I'm right.
Goodnight.
"So, what ever little magic that did remain with them(nine old men for example), for being around the master for so long has also died with them. Even they could not create the magic without Walt's courage to pursue his dreams and showcase his imagination. "
So insulting to anyone that worked at WED or WDI post Walt. And IMHO not true. There are misses for sure in the magic department but also some hits.
I'm but a simple visitor to the park. My family have visited WDW from Ohio, (big surprise eh?) close to once a year for almost the last thirty years give or take a couple of years. WDW and especially EPCOT Center, in my opinion has ruined. When I was a child the attractions at EPCOT taught you something and made you dream of the future. Now its just lame attractions. One of the few in its original form is the Maelstrom. I was especially disappointed in the Nemo attraction, the Living Seas was WAY better. I believed i was traveling to Sea Base Alpha. Nemo, though the movie was OK , but as an attraction sucked a big Donkey PeePee. If wanted to ride spinny rides i would visit Six Flags and risk having my child's feet ripped off. If they change it's a small world with money i paid to visit and bought souvenirs with i feel like i've been ripped off. I care, but I don't care who designed what, my experience matters. Too bad most people today don't even care as long as mickey is anally inserted everywhere they go.
>There are misses for sure in the magic department but also some hits. <
Really? In the decade since Indiana Jones opened in Adventureland, what hits are you referring to? Tomorrowland '98? Nemo's Adventure thru Liquid Video Screens? Depp of the Caribbean? Winnie the Snore? Disney's California Billion Dollar Fixer Upper?
Just curious.
"Really? In the decade since Indiana Jones opened in Adventureland, what hits are you referring to? "
First off, it's hard to say because no new "E" attractions have been built since in the park. My comment was a response to the opinion expressed that everything that is post Walt is considered to be devoid of magic and a creative failure. Indiana Jones is a good example of a post Walt success. I would also add Big Thunder and Space Mountain. So is WDW, AK and other attractions in Japan and Europe. 1 and 2G Imagineers have done good things worldwide as well as bad.
WDI has had a ton of hits. For one there's the Haunted Mansion Holiday makeover which is hugely popular and- whoops.
Well, I guess there's It's A Small World Holiday and I think- whoops.
Uhm, how about Remember... Dreams Come True. Really fantastic fireworks show and- whoops.
Welp, the Aladdin show at DCA is really spectac- whoops.
But seriously, I think Soarin' Over California is a huge hit for WDI. Granted, it's a simulator, but Jerry's Goldsmith's score takes it to the next level.
Otherwise, I would agree. I think there have been more misses than hits.
Walt actually believed in and was excited by everything he and the imagineers did. His enthusiasm poured out of the television screen onto us, making us believe in whatever they did.
Current management is just that. MANAGEMENT. I don't believe a word of anything they say. They are insincere.
The only folks you can count on to show some real enthusiasm are the imagineers. That is, when management isn't muzzling and censoring them.
You can't compare Walt to anyone. It just isn't fair.
But Rasulo clearly doesn't have any clue how to speak for the company.
"whoops."
If you are referring to the Entertainment Department's contributions, they are great. But don't forget that post indiana Jones, the management had a "band aid" investment strategy of enhancing the park with shows and redos instead of adding new attractions. So WDI did not get any "at bats" other than the "E ticket" less redo of Tomorrowland.
I would argue that Buzz Lightyear as a solid C attraction and Nemo as a D are big wins for WDI.
"So WDI did not get any "at bats" other than the "E ticket" less redo of Tomorrowland."
Didn't they get to redo Space Mountain as Rockin' Space Mountain? I can't decide which is worse, that or Rocket Rods.
"Didn't they get to redo Space Mountain as Rockin' Space Mountain? I can't decide which is worse, that or Rocket Rods."
Yes, and it's gone because that was a temporary promotion, but they also redid the whole attraction (darker, new queue, better effects, new music ala Pixar) which has been very well received and I've yet to read of anyone on this blog hate it but I'll give it time.
The Space Mountain makeover is okay, but it's pretty obvious that the changes were spurred by the fact that poor maintenance necessitated the replacement of the entire track. So to sort of take focus away from that Disney scrambled to figure out how to market the "new and improved" Space Mountain.
While the soundtrack was improved I think I'm neutral on whether the special effects are improved or not. I could go either way.
The queue wasn't improved much and I think the removal of the observation windows was a bad idea. It was about the only pre-show the attraction had.
Getting in line for Space Mountain still feels like a back ally drug deal. I miss the speedramps that used to go up to the concourse.
^^^^^ The reason they had to come up with something to market the "new" Space Mountain was because they replaced the track with the IDENTICAL layout as the old one. they didn't make any effort to come up with a new design so that people would want to experience an entirely NEW attraction.
destino said...
"Walt actually believed in and was excited by everything he and the imagineers did. His enthusiasm poured out of the television screen onto us, making us believe in whatever they did. Current management is just that. MANAGEMENT. I don't believe a word of anything they say. They are insincere. The only folks you can count on to show some real enthusiasm are the imagineers. That is, when management isn't muzzling and censoring them. You can't compare Walt to anyone. It just isn't fair. But Rasulo clearly doesn't have any clue how to speak for the company."
Right. If you ever get the opportunity to talk to an actual Imagineer (that’s the creative ones, not the Imagineering management) when they aren’t being “chaperoned”, it’s great. They really exhibit their passion and enthusiasm for what they do, even if they aren’t thrilled with some of the projects they have to work on. It becomes obvious that they could probably pull off any conceivable idea if given the opportunity.
Find them is difficult in the wild, but there are opportunities if you know when to look. There was some sort of Imagineering day at Disneyland a couple of weeks ago (I think it was for the Toy Story Midway Mania opening). So there were hundreds of them there. I got a chance to talk to a few. Very rewarding. In a couple of weeks, I think that National Fantasy Fan Club will be holding their annual convention at a hotel near Disneyland. That’s another opportunity to connect with a few Imagineers (though not as many).
I just wish that the Disney Company would just let them run with some of their ideas. WED’s (the original Imagineering) creative capabilities with Walt’s creative guidance is what solidified the WALT Disney Company back in the 50’s. If it weren’t for them, there probably shouldn’t be much of a Disney Company left today.
IMO, DCA needs to toss out that creaky unfunny Muppet thing and put in Mickey's Philharmagic, as was originally planned. I pity the Californians who have never seen Philharmagic. It's a seamless mixture of terrific 3-D technology and the old Disney magic. Frankly I wish ALL the lameass Eisner purchases (Muppets, Power Rangers, etc.) were thrown out of the Disney parks. They have no place there IMO.
I just wish that the Disney Company would just let them run with some of their ideas. WED’s (the original Imagineering) creative capabilities with Walt’s creative guidance is what solidified the WALT Disney Company back in the 50’s. If it weren’t for them, there probably shouldn’t be much of a Disney Company left today.
I think what Walt did too was to encourage the creativity. He inferred that he was like a bee pollinating the ideas. It seems that the current structure encourages the bottom line at the expense of creativity...
The truth is that the current management of the Walt Disney Company does not seem to care about the parks and the overall guest experience at all. Walt Disney was always wanting to improve his parks with the latest and greatest technologies and looking for ways to improve the overall guest experience. Today, the management would rather outsource most of the attractions development and would look for the bare minimum they can get away with and still raise the prices. They do not love the parks and realize what true treasures they are. They are there to make money, no doubt about it, but they are also there to entertain and create one of kind experiences. The current management only gets the make money part and they will do whatever it takes to reach that goal even if it means lessoning the guest experience. In most cases, the problem is not with imagineering. They could still create the best experiences ever if they were given the budgets and the time to do it right. Unfortunately, they are normally given neither, so their great "blue sky" ideas get watered down to just a notch above Six Flags quality. This is not the legacy Walt Disney left and it is not the blueprint he left for running his company. The current management seems to be more like an old cold war communist party than a keeper of the Disney Legacy. They bring out pictures of Walt and distort his quotes to match their goals. They conveniently throw away any of his ideas and quotes that don't fit with their philosophy. For example, Walt said he always wanted the guests at his parks feeling as if they got more than they paid for when talking about their experience at the park. He also said he never wanted his captive audiences to feel like they were over charged for items in his parks and that all items in his parks would be of the highest quality. When was the last time the current management bothered to look up those quotes?
That is not nice...
Putting Jay's pic and quote next to Walt's?
That's just wrong.
As for the current management not caring about the parks I disagree. I'm not saying they're always coming up with the best ideas but I do think they care. As for Jay, he's the one part of the chain I don't care for. I pine for the days of Matt with the budgets of Jay...
Of course, there's always the future.
I know it has already been said once in the comments, but I think it bears repeating...
John Hench said it best when he quipped, "I liked it better when it was a parking lot."
I, for one, feel the same.
"I believe it was the old management who shut down a lot of the attractions. Pooh, while IMO not as good as the bears is a good dark ride that appeals more towards children. The subs have returned and it is most likely that the people mover will as well. "
Wait, did I just hear:
"...appeals more towards children."
Let's see how the idea of Disneyland was invented, shall we?
Walt Disney was sitting on a park bench, watching his kids enjoy the Griffith Park Merry Go Round on a day that was supposed to be for him and them. He realized that, not only was there not a "themed" park, but also there wasn't a park that had an experience for kids AND adults, one that both truly enjoyed. To show how wrong it was to believe that he wanted to make a kiddie ride, I'd have to write my full paper out on about four Winnie the Pooh ride cars.
Look at "it's a small world". Tell me it's "just" a kiddie ride. Yes, it's simple to give kids a smile and a song to annoy the heck out of their parents, but it's an unbelievably complex idealistic ride. Walt Disney gave children, his idea of innocence, with similar features but only differing by style of dress and looks a la Mary Blair, and uses that model of innocence to help us discover that, at heart, we are all the same.
Tell me that's a kiddie ride. Tell me that it "appeals more towards children."
Until you can prove that to me, I will discount this theory.
Part 2:
"Thank god Disney doesn't listen to you hardcore fans that want everything to stay the same."
Do we want everything to stay the same?
If you want proof, I will ask you to read Merlin's discussion on Tomorrowland. It's a bit far back on the blog posts, but it most accurately represents what Disney's idea of "plussing" meant. Not "HEY! Let's add some of our characters from other things so that we can maintain 'brand interconnectedness' and other stupid company jargon, as well as make more money selling dolls of the Disney characters!"
I love Disneyland and WDW. They could kill EVERY good ride and I'd still go. They could make it a parking lot-erm, another DCA and I'd still go. That isn't my issue.
My issue is that people say things without realizing what they're saying.
"You have basically said everything they have done has been wrong. How about pointing out some good things. Surely there have been some.
...
It seems that the past five years have corrected a lot of mistakes that were made in the previous decade."
Name the mistakes corrected. Name the good things. If you can.
~Toaster
Oh, and BTW, here's a Walt quote for ya:
"You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway."
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