Dumbo & Main Street Updates

[Old Mouseketeer]

Didn't they disable the drawbridge's ability to go up and down around the same time they added the railing around the castle wall?

The drawbridge was disabled since opening in 1955. When they opened the new Fantasyland in 1983 they had to rig it to work good enough for the ceremony. I knew Imagineer David Mumford back then and he told me about it.

 

[mickEblu]

Wow. The 3 hardest posters to please on these forums are Raven, Constance, and Kira. The fact that they all approve of this means that the Main Street Project was a success!

Wow @Curious Constance has really changed her identity here over the last few months.

 

[nevol]

Wow. The 3 hardest posters to please on these forums are Raven, Constance, and Kira. The fact that they all approve of this means that the Main Street Project was a success!

indeed it was.

 

[Nland316]

Now, if they can just turn their focus onto the castle and its roof!
I also feel that the castle bridge, and drawbridge, should be torn down and completely rebuilt so they can get rid of those ugly railings. They clash so hard with what’s already there, and look to be a rushed job. The reason they were added was to make them compliant with newer safety standards, even if there were never any accidents or concerns to begin with.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Wow. The 3 hardest posters to please on these forums are Raven, Constance, and Kira. The fact that they all approve of this means that the Main Street Project was a success!

LMAO. If TDA/Disney Parks/whoever is making “creative” decisions weren’t full of uncreative, talentless drones, I would be more pleased with new offerings. Pixar Pier (really?), Star Wars Land (beyond disgusted), all the other Star Wars crap in Tomorrowland (gross), Mission Breakout! (LOL), Hollywood Land (wow), plus other things that that don’t make sense/anger me... I can’t help but be disappointed. It’s sad that I enjoy small changes but I hate the upcoming new attractions and shows. Specifically with the bricks, I don’t feel they intrude on Main Street and Disneyland as a whole. Can’t say the same for the crap I listed above. I feel the same way about Autopia’s new pre-show. It doesn’t intrude and it actually makes sense for what Tomorrowland should be like.

Disney’s been getting it wrong for a while now, but sometimes they get it right. This is one of those times.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Hey, I'm not that difficult to please. Just give me a classic DL HM or, in the case of Universal, E.T. Adventure and I'm happy. It's weirdly specific, I guess, but two amazingly charming classic attractions that should never be touched.

I'm used to just being disgusted with how Disney tampers with classic stuff, but you can't really argue with these charming results.

 

[Curious Constance]

Wow. The 3 hardest posters to please on these forums are Raven, Constance, and Kira. The fact that they all approve of this means that the Main Street Project was a success!

You have no idea how weird it is to me that you listed me in this group of people.

 

[Curious Constance]

The drawbridge was disabled since opening in 1955. When they opened the new Fantasyland in 1983 they had to rig it to work good enough for the ceremony. I knew Imagineer David Mumford back then and he told me about it.

But they did something that made it official that it'll never work again not long ago, didn't they?

 

[Phroobar]

But they did something that made it official that it'll never work again not long ago, didn't they?

It was rebuilt in 2014 to be permanently stay open. It can't be closed. The last time it was closed was in 1983. Any other closure since then is due to the Mandela Effect.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I think the truth with these types of alterations, which can be controversial as we know, is that in most cases, when the walls come down, the average visitor won't notice a difference. It'll just seem the way it's always been. And that's a great thing.

The bizarro New Orleans Square that shocked all of us when it was first revealed wasn't ruined. It was just NOS, with a giant off-center window to the hardcore fans. Even the new train scenes feel, somehow, as if they've always been there.

This is the irony of WDW guests getting upset about that place being "stagnant." I'd call it boring, but that's besides the point. DL is very much a stagnant place!

 

[Hattieboxghost110]

Here's a pretty good walk through of it

I don't know. Something just seems off about Cinderella Castle. I guess many people are impressed with the HEIGHT of the structure. I'm just not a fan of the LOOK & FEEL of the castle, if that makes sense.

It's like they decided to build something majestic, but using FIBERGLASS, PLASTER, & CEMENT. It's a mismatch. Now I'm sure they used similar materials for DL castle, but Walt didn't want a MASSIVE castle, so it works better IMO.

Same deal with the MK front entrance Train Station & Main Street. It looks cheap & fake-looking to me. Here is what I mean.

MK TRAIN STATION

DL TRAIN STATION

MAIN STREET

CITY HALL

They all look like fake buildings to me, except DL. Obviously, it's all make-believe. But Disneyland's Train Station, Main Street, & Castle look a lot more REAL & ORGANIC to my eyes. As if you stepped into a living, breathing, magical town from the days of old. A kind of WILLOUGHBY (Twilight Zone reference, look it up).


Additionally, not a fan of the 2 towers on each side.

Don't like that ugly stage either.

It's a shame they decided to put a pricey restaurant inside, instead of an attraction people can enjoy for free such as DL's walkthrough or DLP's cool dragon.

Magic Kingdom decided to go all in for GRANDEUR, but lost their HEART & SOUL in the process. Give me Disneyland's tiny, yet CHARMING & SOULFUL castle any day.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Cindy's Castle is definitely ugly. Anyone who disagrees is blinded by nostalgia or just has bad taste. Now, DL's castle is perfect. But the WDW people will resort to calling it "small" or "quaint", not unlike Scotty in Star Trek IV when he had to use a keyboard to operate the 1980s computer.

Oh, it's quaint all right. Quaint and charming, not flat-looking and gaudy.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Same deal with the MK front entrance Train Station & Main Street. It looks cheap & fake-looking to me

Much has been written about how sanitized Disneyland looks and feels, particularly Main Street and Sleeping Beauty Castle, so I think you might be in the minority opinion saying WDW looks more fake that DL. Surely no one is going to mistake the structure Walt Disney is passing through in the bottom photo for a real castle.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It's better because it's more charming.

 

[Andrew C]

Both castles work for their respective parks. Sleeping Beauty castle fits with the length and size of DLs Main Street and the size of the hub. Cinderella castle works with the length and size of MKs Main Street and the size of the hub. Having a small castle there would look ridiculous. The only real issue for Cinderella castle is the lack of foliage in the hub now adays to frame it.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I preferred Cinderella Castle when it was a giant cake.

 

[Stevek]

You have no idea how weird it is to me that you listed me in this group of people.

Hahaha...I was like, ?

 

[Deleted member 107043]

You have no idea how weird it is to me that you listed me in this group of people.

You have reached the inner sanctum of Negative Nancy WDW Magic posters now. You're basically famous. Congrats! lol

 

[Curious Constance]

You have reached the inner sanctum of Negative Nancy WDW Magic posters now. You're basically famous. Congrats! lol

Maybe I should start writing an opinionated column for MiceChat.

What could I call it?

 

[Practical Pig]

Maybe I should start writing an opinionated column for MiceChat.

What could I call it?

Curiously Constantly Calamitous?