Disneyland's recent history and decoding its new direction

[TROR]

That's really nothing new or specific to Chapek though, is it? DL's carousel theater was used for two shows, the subs became Nemo, WDWs Tomorrowland omnimover has been seen three main iterations now, EPCOT has seen repurposing of the Mexico boat ride, Journey Into Imagination, the Living Seas, etc, every single 3D theater has hosted multiple shows, Mission to Mars became Alien Encounter, MK's Circlevision because Time Keeper... yadda yadda yadda. This type of thing has been going on at Disney parks since I was a little kid.

Carousel theater, movies, and live shows in the parks should change. I don't view those as "reskins." I also wouldn't say Mission to Mars to Alien Encounter is a reskin as they're two very different attractions. To me, that's like saying Star Tours is a reskin of Adventure Thru Inner Space or Winnie the Pooh is a reskin of Country Bear Jamboree. But look at some of the actual reskins in recent years. Ones like Journey into Your Imagination, Stitch's Great Escape, Finding Nemo subs, Star Tours 2, Soarin Around the World, Mission Breakout, Incredicoaster. As far as I'm concerned, these are all inferior product and not as good as what came before. Even if you're arguing this has always been a part of Disney's way of creating new attraction, at the end of the day they're still not seen as good new attractions.

 

[dweezil78]

Carousel theater, movies, and live shows in the parks should change. I don't view those as "reskins." I also wouldn't say Mission to Mars to Alien Encounter is a reskin as they're two very different attractions. To me, that's like saying Star Tours is a reskin of Adventure Thru Inner Space or Winnie the Pooh is a reskin of Country Bear Jamboree. But look at some of the actual reskins in recent years. Ones like Journey into Your Imagination, Stitch's Great Escape, Finding Nemo subs, Star Tours 2, Soarin Around the World, Mission Breakout, Incredicoaster. As far as I'm concerned, these are all inferior product and not as good as what came before. Even if you're arguing this has always been a part of Disney's way of creating new attraction, at the end of the day they're still not seen as good new attractions.

The only point I was making is that this is not a Chapek trend.

 

[VJ]

Disney is just copying the Universal method. And Chapek is just following Iger's orders. I wouldn't be surprised if he was next-in-line for CEO given the recent "successes" (in a financial sense) of the Parks & Resorts division. Disney knows that fans will eat up whatever they throw out and call it the most magical thing ever, so they're not worried. And why should they be? There's a sucker born every minute.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

Disney is just copying the Universal method. And Chapek is just following Iger's orders. I wouldn't be surprised if he was next-in-line for CEO given the recent "successes" (in a financial sense) of the Parks & Resorts division. Disney knows that fans will eat up whatever they throw out and call it the most magical thing ever, so they're not worried. And why should they be? There's a sucker born every minute.

CEO Bob Chapek...

 

[VJ]

CEO Bob Chapek...

But it makes sense. Disney wants money. Chapek is making them lots of money. Chapek is bringing people into the parks. Chapek is successful in Disney's eyes.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The Rock looks so young and comparatively normally proportioned there.

 

[SuddenStorm]

The change to Rivers of America and the Disneyland Railroad was more exciting than Mission Breakout.

Amazing isn't it, some new rockwork is more exciting that a "new" attraction. We can also throw out the "Fans don't like change" excuse that people use to defend Mission Breakout, since ROA is about as iconic as you can get and fans accepted the changes with (mostly) open arms.

Interestingly, albeit a bit off topic, elsewhere online, someone compared the ROA redo to Incredicoaster as examples of management being cheap, because they both have static figures, and that Disney being run by accountants is ruining the park.

When it was brought up that they had static figures in Walt's time, the excuse was made that he designed the park on a shoestring budget.

So I guess to a certain (likely small) subset of fans, any change to an existing attraction is to be derided. I've certainly seen a lot of positive response to Incredicoaster and Mission Breakout on the subreddit.

 

[Rich T]

People like me represent the older, hard-core fans who grew up with DL, then took their children and grandchildren because they loved the traditional rides and lands so much.

At this point, I'm losing interest in visiting the parks. The things I love about DL are slowly being drowned out and replaced by things I don't care about.

The kids are still interested, but are pretty disgusted by Pixar Pier and the unrelenting crowds. More and more, they're looking at alternatives.

The grandkids will never know better, but they know a trip to DLR involves lots of crowds.

Personally, I think DLR's heading for a fall due to a lack of value. It won't hit for years, but the more shallow the parks become, the less likely people will "fall in love" with the place and be willing to spend top dollar for a crowded, IP-of-the-moment experience, which is exactly what the parks will become if they continue down this road. Disney, unique among all entertainment giants, has built an empire based on emotional attachment. That emotional base is disappearing. The suits couldn't care less.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I think the problem is just DCA in general. You can't tweak something that inherently kind of sucks to begin with. Paradise Pier needed a paint job and a new attraction for the helix, but I don't think it needed a complete rethink on old bones. If it was getting a rethink it needed a tear down.

Excellent point. One attack on Pixar Pier I've heard is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". But I think the problem is, Paradise Pier was broken. It certainly wasn't being used as an example of a properly themed land.

The problem arises that Pixar Pier is somehow worse than what was there before.

A teardown and complete reimagining would have been welcome- however unlikely that may have been.

 

[SuddenStorm]

People like me represent the older, hard-core fans who grew up with DL, then took their children and grandchildren because they loved the traditional rides and lands so much.

At this point, I'm losing interest in visiting the parks. The things I love about DL are slowly being drowned out and replaced by things I don't care about.

The kids are still interested, but are pretty disgusted by Pixar Pier and the unrelenting crowds. More and more, they're looking at alternatives.

The grandkids will never know better, but they know a trip to DLR involves lots of crowds.

Personally, I think DLR's heading for a fall due to a lack of value. It won't hit for years, but the more shallow the parks become, the less likely people will "fall in love" with the place and be willing to spend top dollar for a crowded, IP-of-the-moment experience, which is exactly what the parks will become if they continue down this road. Disney, unique among all entertainment giants, has built an empire based on emotional attachment. That emotional base is disappearing. The suits couldn't care less.

In an interview, Tony Baxter (Yes, I know I quote this creative genius frequently) talks about how at only Disneyland can you ride submarines, meet the 16 president, and tour an African jungle (I'm paraphrasing here, can't remember the exact quote). He also mentions the importance of transformative experiences- a kid's first time driving on the Autopia was used as an example, but this can be extended to the first time braving Splash Mountain. He stresses the importance of having that wide variety of experiences so that when the family goes, there's something for everyone- from Grandma to the youngest grandchild.

The problem is, Disney isn't investing in a wide variety of experiences. Star Wars Land will only appeal to people that like intense ride experiences. Pixar Pier only really appeals to the generation that grew up with Pixar, and even then, a lot of us are rejecting it.

The current projects feel like they were put together by Universal Management- while they might be "quality", they don't feel like Disney. I certainly don't look at the Galaxy's Edge concept art and models and think "Hey, that looks like Disneyland!"

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

None of those repurposed overlayed attractions listed were beloved or E tickets like The Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Soarin' Over California, California Screamin' or Mulholland Madness.

 

[shortstop]

Re-skinning Superstar Limo into Monsters was the worst decision made in DCA’s history.

 

[SuddenStorm]

It's also worth mentioning that in recent history, Disney has started using its theaters as a way to advertise their films. Gone are Captain Eo and Honey I shrunk the Audience, and in is "Ant Man and the Wasp: Exclusive Sneak Peak".

What a waste of space. They should produce a show worth seeing.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Re-skinning Superstar Limo into Monsters was the worst decision made in DCA’s history.

This is the most correct statement ever posted to this forum.

 

[shortstop]

It's also worth mentioning that in recent history, Disney has started using its theaters as a way to advertise their films. Gone are Captain Eo and Honey I shrunk the Audience, and in is "Ant Man and the Wasp: Exclusive Sneak Peak".

What a waste of space. They should produce a show worth seeing.

The fact that Tomorrowland had a glorified Force Awakens preview playing for 2 years made me cringe in second hand embarrassment.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

People like me represent the older, hard-core fans who grew up with DL, then took their children and grandchildren because they loved the traditional rides and lands so much.

At this point, I'm losing interest in visiting the parks. The things I love about DL are slowly being drowned out and replaced by things I don't care about.

The kids are still interested, but are pretty disgusted by Pixar Pier and the unrelenting crowds. More and more, they're looking at alternatives.

The grandkids will never know better, but they know a trip to DLR involves lots of crowds.

Personally, I think DLR's heading for a fall due to a lack of value. It won't hit for years, but the more shallow the parks become, the less likely people will "fall in love" with the place and be willing to spend top dollar for a crowded, IP-of-the-moment experience, which is exactly what the parks will become if they continue down this road. Disney, unique among all entertainment giants, has built an empire based on emotional attachment. That emotional base is disappearing. The suits couldn't care less.

Disneyland has always been about high quality, cutting-edge technology and cherished memories. It's easy to love the iconic tree stump on Splash Mountain or the dome of Space; the beautiful architecture of an abandoned New Orleans mansion.

But what exactly is the long term appeal of some of the things they're coming out with today? A quick slap-stick of a job used to advertise their property. Would Hyperspace Mountain be a high quality permanent reskin? Heck no. So why is Incredicoaster and MB.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Disneyland has always been about high quality, cutting-edge technology and cherished memories. It's easy to love the iconic tree stump on Splash Mountain or the dome of Space; the beautiful architecture of an abandoned New Orleans mansion.

But what exactly is the long term appeal of some of the things they're coming out with today? A quick slap-stick of a job used to advertise their property. Would Hyperspace Mountain be a high quality permanent reskin? Heck no. So why is Incredicoaster and MB.

It amazes me that the fan community as a whole accepts Hyperspace Mountain. Maybe because it's temporary?

The problem is, it dilutes the experience. Instead of being a purely experiential attraction where you go through space, it's now a Star Wars attraction with a linear story.

But the building, queue, and vehicles don't look like Star Wars. The only Star Wars effects are delivered via projections and plywood cutouts.
Instead of an amazing lift sequence, it's now the slowest lightspeed sequence ever seen.

So what is it? A really strong experiential coaster, or a really bad Star Wars coaster where you're in a fleet that destroys a Star Destroyer?

But I also detest HMH so I guess I just don't understand this overlay thing that's all the rage.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I love you.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I love you.

I know.

 

[D.Silentu]

Chapek has said that such things aren't intended to be permanent, which may explain how thrifty these alterations seem to be. This philosophy is totally ignorant of the nostalgia that is a primary ingrediant in making the parks so popular. It bother's me only because DCA hasn't really had a chance to build such nostalgia. It seems the place is changing every time I turn around. It's true that Disneyland went through many growth spurts in the early years, yet DCA will be twenty years old in just three years. Compare with Disneyland at twenty and ponder how many DCA rides standing today will be there when the park turns fifty. If they carry on like this, people will continue to run to the newest thing and then head back over to Disneyland.