Honestly, DHS used to be a really great park and the behind the scenes of movie making was really cool. It's a shame in the last eight or ten years the park has seemed to lost it's identity. It used to be very clear, one half of the park was the classic Hollywood that never was and always will be, the other half was a look into how the movies are made.
I think one of the big things that had really hurt this park is DVD bonus features. The secrets and magic behind the movies just aren't as exciting as they were 15 years ago. Why wait in line for an attraction that shows how special effects are done, when you can learn about it from the comfort of your couch?
Even USH (which is *the* movie park if there ever was one) struggles with this. In last 15-20 years, they've shifted more towards attractions based on popular films, and less toward giving a behind-the-scenes look. The tram tour remains popular, but in large part because it passes such iconic sets from yesteryear. The current-ish sets like the Grinch and War of the Worlds are impressive, but aren't really headliners like the Psycho house. And that's with *real* sets; I'm not sure how going through WDW's costuming department can really compete
Yes, there's a lot to be said about the park losing its way in recent years. It's become a messy patchwork of things that don't really fit in the other parks. But at least it's recognized that the original concept doesn't really work as well in modern times, and has tried to adapt to it; if only it could adapt in a way that left us with a good park experience
It doesn't exactly work at DCA either, in my opinion. I know I am in the minority here, but I feel that DCA lost a lot of its character when they scraped the beautiful mosaic at the entrance, the giant CALIFORNIA letters, and the fountain at the end of the entry street. I also liked the original sun ferris wheel much better than a stupid giant Mickey head. I also miss Pizza Ooo Mow Mow. It was a unique dining venue. Most importantly, I miss the carnival beach music of Paradise Pier. I could literally spend a full day at Paradise Pier listening to the music. I do like the swings update and Mulholland Madness update. I still don't understand taking the Maliboomer out though???
But, adding ToT made it a complete park. Monsters Inc was another great add, and Carsland is equal to or greater than Potterland.
I do wish World of Color just ran on a continuous loop instead of stand alone shows. Seriously, how much would it cost to just keep it going? It would really cut down on the labor for crowd control. It would also allow for more merchandise and/or food/drink sales at the show. I don't get packing people in there for 75 minutes of misery.
They could roll shows over and over and over. Seems like a no brainer to me. It would also help with crowd flow.
I agree that the old DCA had a lot of really great stuff that wasn't appreciated (though it also had plenty of junk and places where they simply cheaped out). I think that one of the big issues was the audience's expectations going in: for people who had been to WDW and experienced all the different things that a Disney park could be, they understood what DCA was and they "got it"; but for the vast majority of soCal locals, DL was the only frame of reference they had, DCA was so completely different that it couldn't align with their expectations. WDW had the benefit of having the epic EPCOT Center to give people new expectations (and only 11 years after the first park opened); DLR had to do that with a budgeteered DCA (46 years after the first park)
To me, it seems like they removed a lot of DCA's good stuff, and just replaced it for the sake of replacing it. Slapping Mickey's face on the side of the Ferris wheel doesn't improve it (it makes it worse in my mind, but that's an entirely different discussion) and certainly doesn't support the supposed-theme of a vintage seaside pier. Overall, the level of execution and detail of the park is much higher now, but thematically the place is a huge mess. It has no idea if it wants to be about California or about random Disney branding. It's incredibly popular these days, but I think the park is less enjoyable than it was ~8 years ago, before the redo began
