tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post8401696430471645479..comments2024-02-08T07:33:49.907-08:00Comments on Re-Imagineering: GettylandMr Bankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952506736745891323noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-90437477165085986642009-02-02T22:46:00.000-08:002009-02-02T22:46:00.000-08:00Thought you would all like a link to my high quali...Thought you would all like a <A HREF="http://web.me.com/okwhatev/getty/The_Getty_Villa.html" REL="nofollow">link to my high quality gallery of Getty Villa photos</A>, taken just days after it had reopened several years ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-2489500919362703512008-11-27T23:33:00.000-08:002008-11-27T23:33:00.000-08:00It is November 28, and no new topic has been poste...It is November 28, and no new topic has been posted for this month, which makes me a bit sad. I would venture to say that the improvements in museums are to some large extent the result of the trails which Disney blazed. Ihopce that the deep Disney spirit is not dead.<BR/><BR/>I wish that Disney (and I am a stockholder) would realize that "improving stockholder values" EVERY YEAR and enlarging corporate salaries byond all sense are less important goals than keeping longstanding product value.<BR/><BR/>Disney parks should be basically in the entertainment business and not the plush-toy and cheap plastic novelty business.<BR/><BR/>The toy dog is wagging the show tail.<BR/><BR/>Were I in charge, I would remove the souvenirs from the "Main Streets" all over the world, and replace them with various forms of entertainment.<BR/><BR/>That would be a start back to basics.theatremanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04803823338652745012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-91944781005935770342008-11-24T21:01:00.000-08:002008-11-24T21:01:00.000-08:00For the first holiday season since 1955, I won't b...For the first holiday season since 1955, I won't be going to Disneyland. Turning the NOS "Courtyard of Angels" into a merch location, as small as it is in the overall picture, was the proverbial last straw. <BR/><BR/>And if WDI/TDA continue their current run of craptastic storytelling (like the Nemo Submarine Cartoon Rehash Ridethru), calendar '09 will likely follow.mr wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690712121710850903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-76207262159207002932008-11-24T16:21:00.000-08:002008-11-24T16:21:00.000-08:00I'll actually be skipping Disney for 2009 as well,...I'll actually be skipping Disney for 2009 as well, but mainly for financial reasons. Though, I have to admit, it's not as difficult a decision to skip Disney for a second year as it used to be.Digital Jedihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02374739586203788564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-1178869911127103242008-11-17T20:35:00.000-08:002008-11-17T20:35:00.000-08:00Spent a total of $0 at Disneyland this year and I'...Spent a total of $0 at Disneyland this year and I'm glad. I will be foregoing a trip this Holiday season out of protest of the changes to it's a small world.<BR/><BR/>Will probably return for World of Color, though.<BR/><BR/>They always get you, the bastards. At least 2008 will have been a Disney-free year!Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-78418769215383875732008-11-12T18:52:00.000-08:002008-11-12T18:52:00.000-08:00" The "museum" quote stands as a valid argument in...<I>" The "museum" quote stands as a valid argument in terms of this blog. Very little posts and comments around here support the concept of change. As a matter of fact, the only change supported around here is internal. Its funny that you're all ready to take heads to the chopping block but resist to change the art on the wall."</I><BR/><BR/>The issue is that people are focusing on the wrong elements. What people are looking for when they long for the quality attractions of the past – is the QUALITY. Changes that embody the QUALITY, INTEGRITY and CREATIVITY of the past are more than welcome as long as they are also an improvement over what they are replacing. Unfortunately, recent changes are based on cost reductions, marketing and promotion, with little support for even the creative aspects, let alone the integrity or quality. And, more than often, they are NOT an improvement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-62363799834173855422008-11-11T04:41:00.000-08:002008-11-11T04:41:00.000-08:00Here's the bottom line these days. Disneyland pul...Here's the bottom line these days. Disneyland pulls in 10 BILLION dollars a year. That's not an exaggeration, it's the factual truth. Walt is probably rolling in his grave at the overcommercialization of the place. Greed takes the place of the simpler cultivation of joy.<BR/><BR/>And when are they gonna change the wierd greenish mucky water all over the park?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-7751946207399835922008-11-10T22:13:00.000-08:002008-11-10T22:13:00.000-08:00I'm late to the party but feel compelled to write ...I'm late to the party but feel compelled to write anyways.<BR/><BR/>One of the problems with going back and forth about the "Disneyland is not a museum" quote is that it really tells us more about what our perceptions of museums are than what the direction of Disneyland should be. There are certainly still the holdout institutions that pack cupboards full of things that you're not supposed to touch. But by in large, museums have changed and its the rhetoric about them that has yet to catch up (much to museums' chagrin, mind you).<BR/><BR/>Take, for example, any passable historical village. In addition to the antiquities, they have costumed interpreters, hands on activities, silent movie houses, penny arcades, and vintage vehicles up to and including full size steam trains and paddlewheelers... All the sorts of things that Main Street and Frontierland originally set out to have. <BR/><BR/>Or a reasonably modern zoo... The days of poor animals stuck in dreary cages is, thank God, a thing of the past. The prevailing model is of immersive environments carrying you in sound and sensation to the farflung places from which the animals themselves came. I couldn't help but notice that Animal Kingdom got applause, and it is basically a zoo pimped out with roller coasters (and therefore the only part of WDW that actually holds any interest for me). This was the original intention of True Life Adventureland's Jungle River.<BR/><BR/>If you want to see a true Tomorrowland - a true melding of past visions with a new spirit of discovery - skip Disneyland for one day and head over to the newly renovated Griffith Observatory. Over the last decade, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology has switched out those cabinets with endless rows of fossil shells for all-but living, breathing, animatronic, multimedia immersive dioramas of prehistory. <BR/><BR/>This example of the Getty Villa demonstrates that even those museums that are most akin to the classic stereotype can be vital places that provide not only objects for examination, but room and peace for aesthetic and historic contemplation. Like a modern zoo, a modern museum will not just diplay objects but build an environment around them that carries into the conceptual space of the culture. To see another example of how the manipulation of space can create an engaging experience, look at the Studio Ghibli Museum in Japan. <BR/><BR/>The fact is that museums aren't like museums anymore, going by the old perception. That brings the problems of Disneyland into sharper focus... Disneyland is not a museum. Compared to the shopping mall with rides (Mall of America? West Edmonton Mall?) it is proceeding towards, would that it were a museum!Cory Grosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12141983255020503557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-44799796422831858182008-11-07T11:44:00.000-08:002008-11-07T11:44:00.000-08:00Time to update the log...News is, It's a Small Wor...Time to update the log...News is, It's a Small World Holiday opens on November 21st. Lets see what happens...Any serious changes will be visible and seen on Nov 21.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-20307476667235385222008-11-03T19:11:00.000-08:002008-11-03T19:11:00.000-08:00The Getty Villa is a gem. I get to go twice a year...The Getty Villa is a gem. I get to go twice a year and I love it! The staff are very much a part of the magic of the place and it does have a Disney quality feel. Be sure to visit when the family room is open so you can have fun painting a vase or acting out scenes on pottery in a shadow vase.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-79988468454045321432008-10-25T06:02:00.000-07:002008-10-25T06:02:00.000-07:00> The "general public" doesn't al...<I>> The "general public" doesn't always know what they want; it is the job of a true innovator, one with imagination to spare, to TELL THEM WHAT THEY WANT, not GIVE them what they want. <</I><BR/><BR/>That's a good definition of the job of an innovator. <BR/><BR/>But it isn't the job of Disney. Not anymore.<BR/><BR/>Before Disney greenlights an attraction for Disneyland, they require proof that the project is connected to (read: derivative of) a property that people are familiar with (like Pixar toons); that people have proven they'll spend money on (like Pixar toons), and that Disney owns (like Pixar toons). <BR/><BR/>Sadly, the years of Disney innovation are long past. It simply isn't that company anymore.mr wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690712121710850903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-1839194508465655282008-10-24T23:46:00.000-07:002008-10-24T23:46:00.000-07:00Wow, what a terrific post! I never heard of this ...Wow, what a terrific post! I never heard of this Getty Villa but I would love to take a trip there. <BR/><BR/>I just received some terrible news that Busch Gardens in Williamsburg has been sold and rumor has it that it might go the way of the Mouse. I can't bear the thought of losing that beautiful, exquisitely maintained park too, along with the Clydesdales. I almost cried when people working in the park this September said it might be the last year. SOB!<BR/><BR/>Busch Gardens almost made up for the loss of the original Disney experience. I forget the name of the company that bought it. It certainly American. Belgian, maybe? <BR/><BR/>I am fascinated by the topic of this blog. It is so important to the quality of life in the future for us and our children. Nobody is saying that change itself is bad. Change is good when it is is made for a positive, carefully thoughout goal. Change merely to increase profit is bad because it destroys the original value of the commodity. That is the ultimate laziness, to expecting everything and giving nothing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-76185104893284111132008-10-22T19:15:00.000-07:002008-10-22T19:15:00.000-07:00I agree with the intentions of this post 100%. I ...I agree with the intentions of this post 100%. <BR/><BR/>I would like to point out and example, however, to the people pushing the stale "not a museum" argument: the Haunted Mansion changes at WDW are fantastic! Because the attraction was 'plussed'; nothing of the original spirit, intention, or overall execution of the attraction was compromised by the changes. Rather, the ride was in fact ENHANCED. These were very positive changes: the new effects and improved sound, the endless staircase scene where the goofy giant spiders used to be, the attic scene, etc.<BR/><BR/>The POTC changes in contrast, were PURELY a result of giving focus group participants what they wanted: a pointless tie-in for a movie that was based on the classic attraction in the first place. <BR/><BR/>My point(s):<BR/>1) Disney is quite capable of making positive changes to existing attractions. However, in 9/10 cases they choose not to, leaving some to decay and rot and making pointless changes to others.<BR/><BR/>2) You can't always cater to the lowest common denominator. The "general public" doesn't always know what they want; it is the job of a true innovator, one with imagination to spare, to TELL THEM WHAT THEY WANT, not GIVE them what they want.<BR/><BR/>- Mike, Tampa FL (Go Rays!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-54548137676921109202008-10-18T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-18T06:04:00.000-07:00The "museum" quote should be viewed in context, an...The "museum" quote should be viewed in context, and keeping in mind what a museum was at the time. It was meant to say that things should be interactive and not stale - not that old classics or anything resembling art should be dumped in the garbage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-29634915176096766122008-10-17T23:19:00.000-07:002008-10-17T23:19:00.000-07:00Anonymous said:>>>Its museum quote isn't ...<B>Anonymous said:</B><BR/>>>><I>Its museum quote isn't a straw man. What it says is that the original intent of the park was to NOT function as a museum. I would be a fallacy to think that anyone that wanted to preserve a park is against all changes. The sad fact is that this blog has actually has cried preservation towards almost every change in at a Disney park since it startd. Tiki Room, Small World, Spaceship Earth, Epcot's Leave a Legacy, Epcot's O Canada!, Baylake Towers, and new attractions 1989-2007.<BR/><BR/>The "museum" quote stands as a valid argument in terms of this blog. Very little posts and comments around here support the concept of change. As a matter of fact, the only change supported around here is internal. Its funny that you're all ready to take heads to the chopping block but resist to change the art on the wall.</I><<<<BR/><BR/>This is a classic example of why it precisly <B><I>is</I></B> a Straw Man argument. You've either chosen to ignore the precise sentiments of this blog, or you've just skimmed over them. Or maybe you've just bought into party line of this blog's critics. Because if you only see cries for a museum, then you've missed the point by a distance measured in light years.<BR/><BR/>The whole message of this blog has been clear as crystal for those willing to, if not agree with it, at least get the sense of it. No one wants change for the sake of change. They want <B>change for the better</B>. Anyone paying even the slightest attention to the recent election could tell you that, no matter who they're voting for.<BR/><BR/>Look at what your arguing against. Cleanliness, friendliness, idyllic environments that make people want to stay. What part of that is so inexorably tied to museums that it doesn't make the absolute most sense businesswise? "Disney is a museum" is most certainly a Straw Man argument, because no one wants or even promulgated what it implies: <I>Freeze drying Disney the way it was, so it can never move forward.</I> How antithetical to the purpose of this blog.<BR/><BR/>What you've linked to are criticisms of poorly thought out change. In fact, some of those articles you've pointed to even site how in some cases a new direction was needed, but the wrong direction was taken. One of them even encourages Imagineers to stop sticking to the same formula of <I>Something's Gone Wrong</I> type of attractions that have the potential to wear thin over time. It's actually advocating change!<BR/><BR/>The only thing this blog has been guilty of, as I myself have been, is advocating the ideals and business tenets of Walt Disney. And that's because those ideas are more progressive and forward thinking then the tired old brand placement business tactics that have historically done long term damage to companies as opposed to those who remembered where they came from and what made them great to begin with.Digital Jedihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02374739586203788564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-41989014256675224032008-10-16T23:06:00.000-07:002008-10-16T23:06:00.000-07:00To above anonymous I ask: When it comes to the cha...To above anonymous I ask: When it comes to the changes made at the Disney Parks, is it different or is it better?<BR/><BR/>Change for changes sake is not the answer.Mr Bankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12952506736745891323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-3011503078039735422008-10-16T22:19:00.000-07:002008-10-16T22:19:00.000-07:00The problem that has always existed with the "Disn...<I>The problem that has always existed with the "Disney is not a museum" argument is that it's a straw man argument. It misconstrues the reasoning behind why we think Walt's principles worked and why the new ones don't. Cry preservation, whether it's of an artifact, an attraction or an idea, and it's suddenly assumed you want the Smithsonian.</I><BR/><BR/>Its museum quote isn't a straw man. What it says is that the original intent of the park was to NOT function as a museum. I would be a fallacy to think that anyone that wanted to preserve a park is against all changes. The sad fact is that this blog has actually has cried preservation towards almost every change in at a Disney park since it startd. <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-one-approaches-our-classic.html" REL="nofollow">Tiki Room</A>, <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2008/03/world-of-tears.html" REL="nofollow">Small World</A>, <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2008/03/spaceship-dearth.html" REL="nofollow">Spaceship Earth</A>, <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-haunts-materialize.html" REL="nofollow">Epcot's Leave a Legacy</A>, <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2007/09/oh-god-no-canada.html" REL="nofollow">Epcot's O Canada!</A>, <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2007/05/walt-disneys-wonderful-world-of.html" REL="nofollow">Baylake Towers</A>, and <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2007/04/one-of-our-dinosaurs-is-missing.html" REL="nofollow">new attractions 1989-2007</A>.<BR/><BR/>The "museum" quote stands as a valid argument in terms of this blog. Very little posts and comments around here support the concept of change. As a matter of fact, the only change supported around here is <A HREF="http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2007/03/fixing-wdi.html" REL="nofollow">internal</A>. Its funny that you're all ready to take heads to the chopping block but resist to change the art on the wall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-82586442492897651672008-10-15T00:46:00.000-07:002008-10-15T00:46:00.000-07:00> To me, this is like a revision of The Goose t...<I>> To me, this is like a revision of The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg story. Instead of the guy cutting open the Goose to try to get to more eggs, he's hopped the Goose up on steroids and fertility drugs to try and get as many eggs as possible as quickly as possible, knowing full well the goose will probably not survive as many years or have the quality of life that it could have had, had it's owner been more caring, had it's owner not showed such unfettered greed. <</I><BR/><BR/>That's exactly right. Disneyland's business goals are the same as DTV (Disney TV Animation) and DisneyToons in the 80's and 90's -- the strip-mining of franchises that are first developed by other Disney divisions (or in the case of Pixar, by other companies). It's pure Eisner-think to take a hit show like <I>Millionaire</I> and run it into the ground with overexposure. He did the same thing years earlier with the <I>Winnie the Pooh</I> franchise -- a hit Saturday morning TV show in 1987, until years of corporate-ordered spinoffs and sequels overexposed it to death. Ditto the dozens of "Drek-to-Video" movie sequels that diluted Feature Animation's brands, until John Lassiter said "enough!" and fired DisneyToon management -- only to put his own stamp of approval on the same quick-buck crap with the Tinker Bell Movie. From Pirates, Princesses and Pixar to the tidal wave of Tinker Bell that's about to drown the park, Disneyland management is following the same philosophy.mr wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690712121710850903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-62826160476090911512008-10-14T23:15:00.000-07:002008-10-14T23:15:00.000-07:00The problem that has always existed with the "Disn...The problem that has always existed with the <I>"Disney is not a museum"</I> argument is that it's a straw man argument. It misconstrues the reasoning behind why we think Walt's principles worked and why the new ones don't. Cry preservation, whether it's of an artifact, an attraction or an idea, and it's suddenly assumed you want the Smithsonian. But if so, your picking up on the wrong points. The same line of reasoning could be attached to adding more places to eat. Well, Disney it not a restaurant either, but the logic that contributes to adding more eating places, whether good ideas or bad, is not solely born from the intention of turning Disney into a giant Ruby Tuesdays.<BR/><BR/>You'll notice, the aspects the posts lauds and even the pictures it features are not strictly the educational or archival aspects of Getty Villa, but the very Walt-like principles of the museum. The ambiance. It's cultured, it's clean and it's quite. An elegant feature of the parks that actually contributed to Disney's early success, as people used to only frequent amusement parks for a couple hours in the days before Disney was built. Walt got them to stay longer due to the graceful ambiance of the parks and in turn spend more on food and souvenirs due the extended stay. A simple concept the mall-minded accountants today might want to think about.<BR/><BR/>At first, when Mr. Banks spoke of "video game attention spans" I thought he was talking about short attention spans. But that's probably not the case with video games these days, which are expected to keep you entertained for several days if not weeks. In retrospect, I think he's referring more to the flashy aspects of the games, where your expected to have something happening at every moment. Not a thing that inspires any quite reflection or unwinding. And if we're to be honest with ourselves here, Disney's parks successfully had these quite areas long after the nation became a pill-popping therapy-driven dog-eat-dog nervous wreck. That's probably why we remember them so fondly and seek them out today.<BR/><BR/>I will say one thing for Disney today. Up until a short while ago, I thought modern day Disney had no plan or direction for the parks and that the utter chaos was simple mismanagement along with some greed. I realize now that it's far more destructive and greedier then that. There is a plan that appears to be to make Disney as efficiently lucrative as possible, even if long term it's not the healthiest solution for the company's well-being. To me, this is like a revision of <I>The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg</I> story. Instead of the guy cutting open the Goose to try to get to more eggs, he's hopped the Goose up on steroids and fertility drugs to try and get as many eggs as possible as quickly as possible, knowing full well the goose will probably not survive as many years or have the quality of life that it could have had, had it's owner been more caring, had it's owner not showed such unfettered greed.<BR/><BR/>Someone should do a blog post with a new mantra. "Disney is not a Mall".Digital Jedihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02374739586203788564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-19134877613526515072008-10-14T11:30:00.000-07:002008-10-14T11:30:00.000-07:00> With the "improvements" to Pirates,...<I>> With the "improvements" to Pirates, you have to wonder why Disney insists on fixing what isn't broken, while continuing let other areas of the park go forgotten. <</I> <BR/><BR/>It isn't about fixing or upgrading in the sense of Walt-era showmanship, it's about greenlighting those presold, franchise-driven concepts that will bring in the bodies who buy the merchandise. Depp was dumped into Pirates as a draw -- like hiring Hanna Montana to appear at your mall Disney Store -- not because Pirates needed an improvement. Ditto Buzz, Nemo, Toy Story and now Tinker Bell & her teen friends.<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>> Disneyland isn't too small for expansion, Disney's imagination is too small. <</I> <BR/><BR/>Blank-page imagination of the Walt/Imagineering era has squat to do with the concepts that get greenlit for Disneyland. It's about the marketing of presold franchises.mr wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690712121710850903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-32113489893106132552008-10-14T10:58:00.000-07:002008-10-14T10:58:00.000-07:00It wouldn't be such a big deal if those profits we...It wouldn't be such a big deal if those profits were invested back into the park. But they are clearly not. <BR/><BR/>There is no excuse for an empty People Mover track, a rotting Motor Boat Lagoon, a dilapidated Rivers of America, an empty second level of Starcade, a "Pizza Port" where there used to be an attraction, monorails that can't be operated on days above 80 degrees, an Innoventions that is less attraction and more of a commercial for brand name consumer products and the recent problems with Indy.<BR/><BR/>It was like pulling teeth to get the Subs up and running again, but only with a Pixar makeover. It took Buzz Lightyear to justify adding an attraction to the old Circle Vision building. <BR/><BR/>Now Pixie Hollow is going into an area that is already nicely landscaped and maintained while the areas I just mentioned continue to rot. The Disney Gallery was a quiet little spot to visit, and yet they had to "upgrade" it into a "Dream Suite". <BR/><BR/>With the "improvements" to Pirates, you have to wonder why Disney insists on fixing what isn't broken, while continuing let other areas of the park go forgotten. Disneyland isn't too small for expansion, Disney's imagination is too small.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-82763308515826767342008-10-13T19:52:00.000-07:002008-10-13T19:52:00.000-07:00> It seems like today they don't want guest...<I>> It seems like today they don't want guests to sit and watch, sit and wonder, or sit anywhere for that matter. <</I><BR/><BR/>It's not your imagination. The first thing Paul did when he came in was to reduce the number of places that people could sit, and increase the number of places where people could buy. <BR/><BR/>The #1 rule of mall management is that people on their butts aren't buying -- you gotta keep 'em moving past your POPS (Points of Potential Sale). Rule #2 is to fill every walkway and line-of-sight with POPS. Rule #3 is to shovel in the customers. And so it is at Disneyland -- from the cheap AP's that pack in the people; to the loud, uptempo BG music that hastens their pace; to the Fastpasses that move 'em quickly through rides and back on the walkways in view of POPS; to the proliferation of POPS themselves and the cheap, generic merch they carry. <BR/><BR/>The look and feel of the modern Disneyland experience is no accident. It's a carefully crafted application of modern merchandising, marketing and mall management techniques designed to extract the most cash from the most customers at the absolute least cost to the company. It's no coincidence that in 2007, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs alone raked in $36.75 million in compensation.<BR/><BR/><I>> Now another area in New Orleans Square, an area I forget the name of at the moment, is being turned into a marketplace for Holiday-related products. <</I><BR/><BR/>It's the "Court of Angels," Herb Ryman's masterfully designed courtyard. A thread about this latest monument to Disney greed is ongoing at http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/105509-courtyard-angels-now-store.htmlmr wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690712121710850903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-2740756178414628682008-10-13T17:34:00.000-07:002008-10-13T17:34:00.000-07:00Well, it's the difference between New Orleans Squa...Well, it's the difference between New Orleans Square on a night Fantasmic! is scheduled and on a night it isn't.<BR/><BR/>Both are interesting scenarios, at least to me. I like the anticipation of the crowd before each performance of Fantasmic! and I enjoy the show itself, obviously.<BR/><BR/>But there is something to be said for those nights when Fantasmic! is dark. Taking the last ride around the river on the Mark Twain (even if ROA is pretty dilapidated these days) on a cold winter night is still a great pleasure of mine. <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately these quiet spots at Disneyland are becoming more and more fare. The Disney Gallery was another favorite of mine. Now another area in New Orleans Square, an area I forget the name of at the moment, is being turned into a marketplace for Holiday-related products. <BR/><BR/>Even the People Mover, lumbering over Tomorrowland as it did, served as a break between the hustle and bustle of the park. It hardly ever had a line and allowed you to slow the hell down. They turned it into a thrill ride and then got rid of the whole thing.<BR/><BR/>It seems like today they don't want guests to sit and watch, sit and wonder, or sit anywhere for that matter. DCA has had a drought of benches over the years, believe it or not!<BR/><BR/>If guests aren't buying, management is crying. It's too bad. They seem to have forgotten to give us what many of us paid for in the first place, a relaxing, imaginative day at Disneyland.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-88857668109944306932008-10-12T23:00:00.000-07:002008-10-12T23:00:00.000-07:00> However, management would hardly be content i...<I>> However, management would hardly be content if attendance numbers reflected the bucolic and peaceful atmosphere you long for. Beyond a certain point, the presence of people -not all of whom appreciate peace and quiet- does spoil those qualities for the rest of us. <</I><BR/><BR/>You mean management's sky high <I>salaries</I> wouldn't be content! (Check Iger's compensation for 2007.)<BR/><BR/>As a fan who practically grew up at Disneyland since being an ankle-biter in 1955, I'd often see crowds in the 60's, 70's and 80's so thick you couldn't move down Main Street. Yet on the most insanely packed days, the quiet "eye rest spaces" that had been <I>designed into</I> the park were still there. <BR/><BR/>They disappeared under Eisner and Pressler, whose vision for Disneyland as a Disney-Store- merchandise-mall-with-rides is alive and well and raking in the cash.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, Disneyland is different today. But not for the reasons your post implies. From ODV carts cluttering up the view; to Herb Rhyman's quiet courtyard in New Orleans Square turned into a store to sell cheap Chinese-made merch at astronomical markups; to fewer benches so more people keep moving past potential points of sale; to the soundtrack from <I>The Good, the Bad and the Ugly</I> blasting from loudspeakers in Frontierland where quiet banjo music used to be heard, the junkification of Disneyland isn't the fault of overcrowding, it's the the plan of management -- to squeeze every dime out of every customer that it can.mr wigginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690712121710850903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22576594.post-39248644785248416402008-10-12T22:24:00.000-07:002008-10-12T22:24:00.000-07:00The Getty Villa is definitely worth seeing. Check ...The Getty Villa is definitely worth seeing. Check their web site, you need advanced reservations for parking. If you go with kids, spring for the headsets - worth every penny.<BR/><BR/>By the way, despite the fact that it's called the Getty Villa in Malibu, it's technically in Pacific Palisades. Guess more people know where Malibu is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com