-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
DCA turns 19 this Saturday (2/8/2020)
- Thread starter Darkbeer1
- Start date
Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I enjoy Superstar Limo more than Rise.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Come on, Rocket Rods was cool! They kind of resembled the Batmissile from Batman Returns and you got to zip all over Tomorrowland.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Sure beats an empty track rotting away in the California sun for 2 decades.
D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
Well, these nineteen years haven't been all bad, but certainly quite an odd journey. I would say 2013 is about when the park peaked: A new entrance, Cars Land, Ghiradelli, Aladdin, Tower of Terror, Mad T Party and a Pier that looked a little better than it used to. That halcyon time didn't last and as the California theme became less important we've witnessed some back sliding. Here's hoping that this period of identity crisis ends soon and while we won't get that park back, we have one that seems more appropriate sitting next to Disneyland.
Last edited:
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
I still have the Spring 2001 issue of the Disney Magazine which hyped the then new DCA and the Disneyland Resort to high heaven.
And I totally bought it. I thought it looked great! Credit goes to the magazine department at the time who did that issue.
And I totally bought it. I thought it looked great! Credit goes to the magazine department at the time who did that issue.
D.Silentu
Well-Known Member
I remember that cover article and especially how sensationally impressed the author seemed by everything. For some reason I specifically remember them comparing one of the corn dogs to a Louisville Slugger. Somewhere I have one of the "Anaheim Wins" pins, from when the park deal was made.
Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
And you got to go through the areas of 2 previous attractions: Circlevision and the Peoplemover. The attraction graveyard in the queue was neat.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I'm sure I would have. We'll never know.
Curious Constance
Well-Known Member
I never realized how little of an effort they put into Monsters Inc until now.
That ride looks like my worst nightmare.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
It's at least a bizarrely entertaining dark ride. Monsters Incorporated overlay is fine, but it's a very safe ride. Superstar Limo is utterly off the rails.
Curious Constance
Well-Known Member
I’ve always hated that caricature style of art. It’s soooo gross.
And I don’t even want to know what that scuba diver was doing to that shark.
And I don’t even want to know what that scuba diver was doing to that shark.
Evil life is getting in the way.
So some short thoughts about the 19th BD of DCA.
As someone who was an involved spectator in WestCot, Port Disney, Anaheim winning over Long Beach, and then the change from WestCot to what was delivered in DCA.
My first chance to visit DCA was in November 2000, in an escorted tour, and just seeing facades. Then a couple of full (well, almost all things) days in December. And I think 4 times in January 2001, I think it was $25 for a preview ticket.
I was there opening day, a disappointing day for CM's and execs, as the expected crowds didn't show up. (Excuse me, how many preview tickets did they sell to AP's, and how much bad word of mouth came from those guests...)
All the spin, and all the major adjustments to pricing, especially AP prices, and free kids tickets, and the few lame fixes they tried.
The Burbank and TDA folks were told the park is just fine, had no issues. It was the fact the public didn't get it, and folks like Al Lutz, Jim Hill, MousePlanet and others were the cause of the lack of attendance. (I didn't include myself, as all I was doing then was photography and providing info to other writers). I can't count how many TDA CM's and even outside vendors sought me out to spend time with me to walk around the park, to show me all the wonderful things they built. One outside vendor was discussing the GRR lift hill, at that time, no covering at all. He points to the large support post for the top of the lift hill, showing me the bases and trying to say how wonderfully themed they were. I took a LOT to hold my tongue, and not laugh out loud. What a bunch of BS. I wanted to scream, heyt, how about all that stuff above our heads?!?!?!
So I was there for the conception, all the time in the Womb, arriving at the hospital before the actual birth, then became a nanny, trying to make the child the best I could, even if the parents didn't listen, believing their child was the best, even comparing it to the older child standing right next to the baby.
Finally, after a few years, that baby became such a handful, getting to those terrible tot years, that the parents finally said, well, maybe our child isn't perfect. And then all the people just laughed out loud. And said, why did you take so long.
Music Series, X Games Experiences and other total failures also joined the original ones.
And then to see the child actually blossom. Still the ugly child compared to the older child. One big difference, The older child had Walt as its Father. The new kid had a different father, but no one knew if the true father was Michael or Paul. Mom never took a DNA test.
When a Step-Dad named Bob came into the picture, well, that kid was sent to military school for a major changeover.
I stayed a Nanny until the teen years, where I took a step back, but still watched DCA grow and change.
And recently, I became part of the family, yes, the crazy Uncle now, still mainly looking, but at least asked for some input, but as a late teen, well, that child doesn't want to listen, instead distracted with new shiny things, things that might look pretty for a bit, but things that won't last long.
I truly hope for the best, and that DCA grows and matures into a better person. Yes, never will be better than the older sibling, but one who hopefully looks at the past, and tries to use that as a guide to improve.
It has been one Heck of a ride, and it looks like my seat belt is stuck closed, so staying on the ride for more.
But with any child, there are always good things, and bad things. And when the original Dad bought that Superstar Limo outfit, sorry, that picture will haunt them for the rest of their life. But then, every time I see that photo, I break out laughing, and say, how bad/ugly that thing was.
So Happy Birthday, and realize that Shiny isn't always Quality. And when you date, look beyond the beauty, and check out the mind also!
Hey, spent more time on this than I expected.
But I look at my personal actions in my photos/reporting/writing, and the best way to sum it up.
Tough Love. And that is something we all need.
So some short thoughts about the 19th BD of DCA.
As someone who was an involved spectator in WestCot, Port Disney, Anaheim winning over Long Beach, and then the change from WestCot to what was delivered in DCA.
My first chance to visit DCA was in November 2000, in an escorted tour, and just seeing facades. Then a couple of full (well, almost all things) days in December. And I think 4 times in January 2001, I think it was $25 for a preview ticket.
I was there opening day, a disappointing day for CM's and execs, as the expected crowds didn't show up. (Excuse me, how many preview tickets did they sell to AP's, and how much bad word of mouth came from those guests...)
All the spin, and all the major adjustments to pricing, especially AP prices, and free kids tickets, and the few lame fixes they tried.
The Burbank and TDA folks were told the park is just fine, had no issues. It was the fact the public didn't get it, and folks like Al Lutz, Jim Hill, MousePlanet and others were the cause of the lack of attendance. (I didn't include myself, as all I was doing then was photography and providing info to other writers). I can't count how many TDA CM's and even outside vendors sought me out to spend time with me to walk around the park, to show me all the wonderful things they built. One outside vendor was discussing the GRR lift hill, at that time, no covering at all. He points to the large support post for the top of the lift hill, showing me the bases and trying to say how wonderfully themed they were. I took a LOT to hold my tongue, and not laugh out loud. What a bunch of BS. I wanted to scream, heyt, how about all that stuff above our heads?!?!?!
So I was there for the conception, all the time in the Womb, arriving at the hospital before the actual birth, then became a nanny, trying to make the child the best I could, even if the parents didn't listen, believing their child was the best, even comparing it to the older child standing right next to the baby.
Finally, after a few years, that baby became such a handful, getting to those terrible tot years, that the parents finally said, well, maybe our child isn't perfect. And then all the people just laughed out loud. And said, why did you take so long.
Music Series, X Games Experiences and other total failures also joined the original ones.
And then to see the child actually blossom. Still the ugly child compared to the older child. One big difference, The older child had Walt as its Father. The new kid had a different father, but no one knew if the true father was Michael or Paul. Mom never took a DNA test.
When a Step-Dad named Bob came into the picture, well, that kid was sent to military school for a major changeover.
I stayed a Nanny until the teen years, where I took a step back, but still watched DCA grow and change.
And recently, I became part of the family, yes, the crazy Uncle now, still mainly looking, but at least asked for some input, but as a late teen, well, that child doesn't want to listen, instead distracted with new shiny things, things that might look pretty for a bit, but things that won't last long.
I truly hope for the best, and that DCA grows and matures into a better person. Yes, never will be better than the older sibling, but one who hopefully looks at the past, and tries to use that as a guide to improve.
It has been one Heck of a ride, and it looks like my seat belt is stuck closed, so staying on the ride for more.
But with any child, there are always good things, and bad things. And when the original Dad bought that Superstar Limo outfit, sorry, that picture will haunt them for the rest of their life. But then, every time I see that photo, I break out laughing, and say, how bad/ugly that thing was.
So Happy Birthday, and realize that Shiny isn't always Quality. And when you date, look beyond the beauty, and check out the mind also!
Hey, spent more time on this than I expected.
But I look at my personal actions in my photos/reporting/writing, and the best way to sum it up.
Tough Love. And that is something we all need.
smooch
Well-Known Member
I much preferred the Mickey loop to the sun they switched it to. I don't get why they did, though? When they started redoing the park, they worked on adding Disney characters to things (Goofy's Fly School, Silly Symphony Swings) yet turned the Mickey Mouse loop which looked super cool the way the ears looked like part of the track, and turned it into the sun icon. Why would they transform all the non-Disney IP stuff into Disney and then turn the biggest, most iconic, basically only Disney IP into a generic sun.
shambolicdefending
Well-Known Member
I've always felt that if DCA were a stand-alone park basically anywhere in the world other than next to a flagship Disneyland, it would be considered one of the best and most beautiful in the business.
Its great curse is to forever be viewed through the lense of what's next door.
Its great curse is to forever be viewed through the lense of what's next door.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
They swapped the sun and Mickey icons around. Mickey was used to transform the Sun Wheel into Mickey's Fun Wheel, and the coaster loop became a sun. I'm pretty sure this was done mainly to help the new World of Color have a better backdrop for the show. It went from this...
To this...
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
No you don't.
smooch
Well-Known Member
They swapped the sun and Mickey icons around. Mickey was used to transform the Sun Wheel into Mickey's Fun Wheel, and the coaster loop became a sun. I'm pretty sure this was done mainly to help the new World of Color have a better backdrop for the show. It went from this...
To this...
I forgot how ugly the sun on the ferris wheel was oh my gosh. I do agree the Mickey on the wheel looks a hundred times better and I did really enjoy WoC when I watched it with friends two years ago, but I still wish we could've kept the Mickey loop. Their goal was to infuse more Disney IPs into the park, why not have two big Mickeys as the backdrop for WoC
