Do we think Disneyland will receive new additions for WDW’s 50th Anniversary?

[MK-fan]

During the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, WDW got Soarin’, Lights Motors Action!, Lucky the Dinosaur, New it’s a Small World queue facade, POTC major refurbishment, Pooh’s Playful Spot, Cinderellabration Show and Exprdition Everest.


I’m sure Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railways will be integrated into it but what else Do we think will come to Disneyland/DCA? Do you even think we will be a part of the celebration?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Nothing major. I’m assuming they would have announced it already, given that fact that 2021 is next year.

We have five years until the 70th and 10 years until the 75th. The 75th will undoubtedly be the park’s next biggest celebration. With Disney’s current track record, I’d rather not get anything major at all right now. Hopefully by 2030, they’ll have their act somewhat together.

They may do a small thing for the 65th this year. Can’t believe the 60th celebration will already be five years old this year.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

They may do a small thing for the 65th this year.

$65 limited edition cupcakes and mouse ears!

 

[Californian Elitist]

$65 limited edition cupcakes and mouse ears!

I was thinking the exact same thing!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I was thinking the exact same thing!

First look at the new cupcakes from Disney Park's Blog!

Worth every penny!

 

[TP2000]

Why would Disneyland need to get anything regarding a Disney World anniversary? That's like a parent getting a gift for a child's birthday, instead of the other way around.

Disneyland's 50th was a momentous occasion celebrated around the world because Disneyland was the start of the Disney theme park empire, if not the entire theme park industry (with a quiet-yet-knowing nod to Knott's Berry Farm).

With the exception of Space Mountain, nothing out at Card Walker's Magic Kingdom Park was built first or unique in any meaningful way. All of it was cloned and copied from Disneyland, and very rarely did the clone turn out better or improved (Splash Mountain is the only thing noticeable, and maybe Mr. Toad's Wild Ride), often the clone was just larger yet somehow blander and more corporate. Sometimes, like Pirates and Small World, the Florida clone was actually much shorter and cheaper compared to Walt's Anaheim originals.

So far, nothing announced for the WDW 50th seems terribly impressive. The WDW 50th campaign appears to be centered around a handful of long overdue new rides across the property that needed to have been built a decade ago, plus a whole lot of sparkly banners, goopy cupcakes, and Instagrammable Moments.

I can't imagine why or how they would want to tie that in to anything going on at Disneyland in 2021. Can you?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Why would Disneyland need to get anything regarding a Disney World anniversary? That's like a parent getting a gift for a child's birthday, instead of the other way around.

Disneyland's 50th was a momentous occasion celebrated around the world because Disneyland was the start of the Disney theme park empire, if not the entire theme park industry (with a quiet-yet-knowing nod to Knott's Berry Farm).

With the sole exception of Space Mountain, nothing out at Card Walker's Magic Kingdom Park was built first or unique in any meaningful way. All of it was cloned and copied from Disneyland, and very rarely did the clone turn out better or improved, often the clone was just larger yet somehow blander and more corporate. Sometimes, like Pirates and Small World, the Florida clone was actually shorter and cheaper compared to Walt's Anaheim originals.

So far, nothing announced for the WDW 50th seems terribly impressive. It seems to be centered around a handful of long overdue new rides across the property that needed to have been built a decade ago, plus a whole lot of banners and Instagrammable Moments.

I can't imagine why or how they would want to tie that in to anything going on at Disneyland. Can you?

Was thinking the same thing, specifically the first part of your post. Why would we get anything? I get why the other parks received things when Disneyland turned 50, seeing as it’s the first park and special in that way... The first to hit 50-years-old.

I never expected to get anything for next year. And still don’t.

 

[Little Green Men]

With the exception of Space Mountain, nothing out at Card Walker's Magic Kingdom Park was built first or unique in any meaningful way. All of it was cloned and copied from Disneyland, and very rarely did the clone turn out better or improved (Splash Mountain is the only thing noticeable, and maybe Mr. Toad's Wild Ride), often the clone was just larger yet somehow blander and more corporate. Sometimes, like Pirates and Small World, the Florida clone was actually much shorter and cheaper compared to Walt's Anaheim originals.

All of WDW was supposed to be improvements of DL’s version of rides in the 70s. 20k, Peter Pan, Snow White, longer skyway, jungle cruise, more 70s appropriate speedway. Remember DL‘s Fantasyland was still cramped and had tournament facades then. Small world was different in that it had/ has the flooded rooms, and scenes through the whole ride on both sides of the track. Plus they attempted to make the facade blend with the rest of the FL facades. Potc was the only purposely built inferior version (at the time). Also WDW got the first CBJ.

 

[Californian Elitist]

All of WDW was supposed to be improvements of DL’s version of rides in the 70s. 20k, Peter Pan, Snow White, longer skyway, jungle cruise, more 70s appropriate speedway. Remember DL‘s Fantasyland was still cramped and had tournament facades then. Small world was different in that it had/ has the flooded rooms, and scenes through the whole ride on both sides of the track. Plus they attempted to make the facade blend with the rest of the FL facades. Potc was the only purposely built inferior version (at the time). Also WDW got the first CBJ.

Improvements or not, Magic Kingdom is still an imitation of Disneyland.

I don’t see the point of getting anything for that reason alone.

 

[TP2000]

All of WDW was supposed to be improvements of DL’s version of rides in the 70s. 20k, Peter Pan, Snow White, longer skyway, jungle cruise, more 70s appropriate speedway. Remember DL‘s Fantasyland was still cramped and had tournament facades then. Small world was different in that it had/ has the flooded rooms, and scenes through the whole ride on both sides of the track. Plus they attempted to make the facade blend with the rest of the FL facades. Potc was the only purposely built inferior version (at the time). Also WDW got the first CBJ.

I'm so glad you brought up the Country Bear Jamboree! I'm not sure if you saw my edited and then re-edited post early this evening where I originally mentioned the Bears. That show was basically built simultaneously on both coasts, with the WDW version debuting on October 1st, 1971 while the Disneyland version debuted just five months later on March 4th, 1972. The version at Disneyland had double the capacity, with two theaters instead of WDW's single theater. But the shows were identical.

It's nearly criminal that Paul Pressler closed the Bear show at Disneyland in 2001, but what's done is done and Paul Pressler has to live with the broader career reputation he gained for himself.

The rest of your post kind of proves my point. The clones and copies they attempted in Card Walker's Magic Kingdom Park in the 1970's just didn't really stand the test of time. They were sometimes larger, sometimes shorter and cheaper, but almost always blander and more corporate copies of the Walt originals at Disneyland.

There's just no good reason why Disneyland would need to share in any sort of WDW anniversary Instagrammable Moment in 2021. But I wish them the best and hope the cupcakes have plenty of frosting!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

WDW is getting a 1-minute TRON ride.

 

[socalifornian]

WDW is getting a 1-minute TRON ride.

For real tho, didn’t realize that it’s about as long as Hollywood’s Mummy

 

[Darkbeer1]

Sparkly Banners with the Disney Parks marketing message.

Maybe a couple of banners suggesting you head to Orlando in the near future.

 

[smooch]

I know this isn't answering the question or contributing in any meaningful way but when I read the post about how the 70th anniversary is so close it made me remember when I visited during the 50th celebration and how much time has passed. If you check my age on here you'll see I'm a baby compared to most people here but it got me thinking about how I can only imagine what Disney is going to do for the 100th. They're going to have to go all out, will management be different enough to get some competent people running the parks who will do the celebration right? Will we get some overpriced event with nothing truly special? What new things will be in the parks by then, and what will have been removed or transformed? As people have said already, I doubt we will see much in DLR for WDW's 50th, as much as I would like an excuse for DLR to get new stuff. I would like the be pleasantly surprised but it is pretty late in the process to have had nothing announced yet.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Maybe Disneyland will get that Arendale thing and Disney will make a press release explaining that it's a gift from Disneyland Paris which in turn was a gift from Hong Kong Disneyland which in turn the boat ride was a gift from Epcot to celebrate the Magic Kingdom's 50th anniversary.

It wouldn't be the first time that the "gift from another park to celebrate birthday of another park" has been used (Hello Cinderelabration!)

Magic Kingdom has really been hurt by Disney Parks management considering it "Disneyland but for tourists", just look at Mall Main Street or all the changes made to Adventureland to accommodate another spinner.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I know many WDW fans worship the place and the Avatar land is admittedly cool, but ever since I went to Disneyland, the Florida version just isn't the same. It feels like a knockoff. Disneyland Brand X.

 

[smooch]

I know many WDW fans worship the place and the Avatar land is admittedly cool, but ever since I went to Disneyland, the Florida version just isn't the same. It feels like a knockoff. Disneyland Brand X.

WDW is so weird to me, I really enjoyed my trip I took early last year (maybe more than usual cause it was all expenses paid) but it has such a weird vibe to me I can't put my finger on. There are definitely some cool things in Magic Kingdom that are different from DLR but they have a different feel to them. I know it's cause the parks were made by a different team than the one that built DLR, but I can't exactly explain what feels off to me. That's not saying it's bad though, I very much enjoy WDW and all the unique parks are very fun, EPCOT was my favorite part of the trip and seeing Pandora for the first time (in person or in picture, I avoided spoilers for years) was absolutely incredible. It is just a completely different vibe, it is a resort destination. As much as Disney is trying to turn their Anaheim area into a resort destination, it can never match the feeling of all of WDW, all the hotels and huge space and 4 parks and so many activities and things to do aside from parks and hotels, it is a surreal experience being in a city run by Disney. Disneyland is in the middle of a crowded city, it is a small and charming and beautiful park, and I prefer that setting, personally, it is less overwhelming to me and more fun to relax when I visit.

 

[PiratesMansion]

It's not so simple to just say that Magic Kingdom was just a copy and their designs didn't stand the test of time.

As @GrandCanyonConcourse said, everything built in 1971 was meant to be an improvement of what came before. They didn't "just clone" or purposely make inferior versions of Disneyland rides. Pirates, sure, but that came two years later in 1973.

But a couple of things have happened that have made it easier for this point to be lost to history:
1.) From 1971-1983, Disneyland brought over all of the WDW attraction improvements they could, culminating in the redesign of Fantasyland, but also touching attractions like Jungle Cruise. Even the inferior Florida Pirates introduced Old Bill, who subsequently found his way to DL. Sometimes it is forgotten that these improvements came from WDW and didn't just materialize in the 70s because Imagineering was bored.

2.) At some point, direct clones started being exclusively the Disneyland versions. Tokyo drew its clones almost equally from Magic Kingdom and Disneyland; Paris and the subsequent parks drew almost exclusively from Disneyland (although pointedly not DL's Pooh ride). When it came to Paris in particular, it may have come just as much from who led the overall project (Baxter) and not necessarily as a dismissal of everything Florida did.

3.) The attractions that Disneyland couldn't improve upon due to space, etc. to match improvements of the Florida versions have generally been closed over time (i.e. 20,000 Leagues, Toad). Mansion is about the only one that's left.

4.) Eisner's Disney wanted to puff up Disneyland Paris as the prestigious or artistic or lavish one, unlike those other ones that came before him where they just copied everything, to make his own accomplishments look better, and with that came the further denigration of Magic Kingdom's accomplishments. It's easy to look at Magic Kingdom's lineup now, or even for much of the nineties, and agree with him, but it's a misleading argument. Disneyland Paris did bring many things to another level, but that doesn't mean that Magic Kingdom brought nothing to the table.

5.) Little information about Walt Disney World's history is available to the public, and Disney isn't doing much to change that.

6.) And, of course, modern WDW is run very incompetently and many people like to view the parks exclusively through presentist eyes.

I'm not sure where Card Walker's Magic Kingdom is coming from, as nothing I have read about the park's history links him directly to the design and construction of Magic Kingdom. Epcot, certainly, but I had always heard the Magic Kingdom directives as coming more from Roy. If there is information about Card's role in the design of Magic Kingdom, I would love to read it up and would appreciate any recommended reading on the topic.

So while I do vastly prefer Disneyland to Magic Kingdom, it's not really accurate to say MK was just a soulless copy. That may be what it is now, but that was never the intention.

 

[Phroobar]

Why would Disneyland need to get anything regarding a Disney World anniversary? That's like a parent getting a gift for a child's birthday, instead of the other way around.

Technically the child's mom gave birth so she should receive gifts of love from her child on the child's birthday. Without the child's parents, the child would have never lasted very long.

 

[MK-fan]

Wow I never knew “Old Bill” was originally from The Magic Kingdom.