Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

[ChrisFL]

Curse of being a designer is knowing what isn't there!

Yes, I'm very familiar with this curse on my own projects, even if its something simple, I have a tendency to want to tell people "I wanted to do it this way but couldn't because of _____" instead of letting them appreciate the work I did do.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Yes, I'm very familiar with this curse on my own projects, even if its something simple, I have a tendency to want to tell people "I wanted to do it this way but couldn't because of _____" instead of letting them appreciate the work I did do.

You just have to be sure that what does get there is good enough to succeed. Hopefully the details don't get in the way.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Has the innovation at Apple slowed? Can you taste the appetite for revisions over breakthroughs?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...p-after-report-about-cuts-in-part-orders.html

 

[Eddie Sotto]

As promised, I watched the three Glenn Beck videos about his theme park "City" called Independence USA.

So I'm going to attempt to give you some random thoughts on the similarities between his project and Disney projects and some of the challenges that these kinds of ventures present. I'm really not going to get into a discussion about Mr. Beck and his political leanings or anything like that, just the content of what he's proposing and my experience with those types of attractions.

He had a lot of interesting things to say about how as a physical place it would be organized. To be fair, what was presented was admittedly early in the "dreaming" phase. One zone that was presented was called the "Marketplace", it is supposed to be the melting pot for leading-edge innovation and dedicated to the entrepreneur. Talent would come from all over to collaborate and create the next great inventions. He sees this part of the town is a place were problems could get solved through education and innovation. I was not really clear about what the advantages of this "city" are as opposed to others, as to whether there were no taxes or other financial or regulatory reasons to innovate there, versus your own garage. It would be exciting to know that. All good intentions.

From time to time, he mentions attractions that are a bit "EPCOT like" in their ability to teach and inspire. Taking a page from the earliest 1953 treatments of Disneyland, he has a "Media Center" where his television show and other programming is generated. There is also a "Frontierland" resort of sorts called "The Ranch" where families can spend some time without modern technology and understand what it's like to connect better with each other in nature. I've been to resorts like that, they are very nice and as a family you do end up closer together. My sense is, that he has more in mind to make it unique. As a part of this region, he takes on the notion of processed food and really the understanding of the Earth and where food comes from. Land Pavilion? I was not really sure where he was going with that. Mr. Beck explains how the project is designed to meet the problems of the world and more specifically the country. He sees this place as a way to center people on the American Ideology without the distraction of today's world. He spoke a lot about the "Fourth of July" and plans for some sort of a live show or attraction or perhaps a movie that refocuses the purpose for the Fourth of July. Disneyland has Fantasmic!, so why not a big show here? Ok.

I was looking for the similarities between Walt Disney and his intentions and what Mr. Beck intends with his project. I think there are some obvious similarities. Disneyland does have an ideological subtext to it and the Beck project does as well. He uses the same words Walt Disney used in the Disneyland dedication when it comes to America like "hard facts" and "ideals" that created America. If you have listened to a lot of Walt Disney speeches and read a lot of Disneyland material, you can pick up small pieces of these things in Beck's descriptions of his park. He freely associates what he does or plans with the vision of Walt Disney. So I think there are some ideological similarities that are intentional. One of the basic tenets of Epcot was that it be a living prototype of innovation and what companies can do. The difference I see with Independence "Marketplace" is that it's not dependent upon big corporations putting in big pavilions, but rather it's a land of startups and entrepreneurs. In a strange way, it's a reaction to the failure of corporations to design our way out of the problems we have. Like Walt Disney, Beck is still looking back to Edison and Tesla as the true American innovators versus Steve Jobs. You could almost see an "Edison Square" type village or something like that by the way he describes those inventors. I wonder if the strategy is to get corporations to fund entrepreneurs?

One of the key differences in these two projects, Independence and Disneyland, is that Walt Disney was always an entertainer first in his priority was "satisfying people's needs". Independence USA seems much more based on ideology and seems to be designed to primarily attract Beck's followers as its core audience. One of the things I noticed that was interestingly similar was the "Ellis Island" reference to the main entrance to the project. "Disney's America" also had an "Ellis Island" entrance and also shared the basic notion of teaching the American idea to its audience from the perspective that we are all immigrants. So in a way, I kind of see what Mr. Beck attempts to do as "Disney's America meets Future World". Interesting.

The "Destiny USA" project I participated in some years ago was also modeled on an EPCOT formula. So much so, that I brought Walt's last film about his description of Epcot to show the gentleman who was responsible for the project. It was to be the largest "green" city type project of its kind in the world and to be a product incubator sponsored by large companies and small. Very educational. It was designed to be the antidote to all of the urban problems and technical issues that we have here today and a place for the public to visit to understand and support these solutions. And there was a mall. One of the difficulties in dictating that you are going to become an incubator for the future is that it is very difficult to manufacture "lightning in a bottle" and attract top talent to your vacant lot to do so. I'm not saying that it can't be done or that it should not be done, all I'm saying is that it's difficult to just use tax incentives or things like that to create an Artists Mecca, or a place where people will come to share their ideas. We live in a world of intellectual property where sharing ideas is the last thing many people want to do. It's true, that there are "think tanks", but all of this is not easy. TED is the best example that comes to mind and it's just a conference and is virtual, not a physical place you set up shop in. I applaud those who try and solve these things, but at the same time you have to respect the gravity of the problems you're out to solve. The difference with Disney and tomorrow land was that he had the infrastructure and corporate money behind building prototypes of many of the things that he was talking about. Walt Disney in his day, was not a polarizing force he was someone that everyone wanted to be close to that had one of the most powerful public images of anyone in the world. Unless you own the rights to Mary Poppins, you wanted to be in business with Walt Disney because the world loved Walt Disney. He got things done that few in the world could ever get done. As an Imagineer, I never forgot the fact that we all rode on the goodwill and sterling reputation created by the man Walt Disney and the smiles we got, and the doors that opened for us were unlocked on the backs of those who worked for him and the man himself. Destiny USA had great passion and momentum but no Walt Disney. It was not able to overcome the many issues that lie before it. In the end, I believe it turned into a Mall despite the well-intentioned vision that was laid out for it.

So thank you very much for posting those videos as they were really fascinating. I hope you like my comparisons and share some of your own. One ingredient in any product or project that has to be there to succeed or at least get done, is a champion with passion. Whether you agree with Glenn Beck and his ideological points of view or not (I'm trying to be objective), he seems very passionate about building his dream. Guys like that do things because they believe they are destined to do so, not because it looks good on a business plan so I doubt that he will give up easily. He is also looking back as much is he is looking forward in his architectural references and project analogies. He says he has hired Imagineers (not me BTW) and others to help them with this so we will see how far he gets.

Your thoughts?

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

One zone that was presented was called the "Marketplace", it is supposed to be the melting pot for leading-edge innovation and dedicated to the entrepreneur. Talent would come from all over to collaborate and create the next great inventions. He sees this part of the town is a place were problems could get solved through education and innovation. I was not really clear about what the advantages of this "city" are as opposed to others, as to whether there were no taxes or other financial or regulatory reasons to innovate there, versus your own garage. It would be exciting to know that. All good intentions.

In the end, somebody is going to have to pay for the "talent" to come to his city and to work on "problems." If you look at TED, modern corporations, and at modern universities, the talent, i.e. the PhDs/business leaders are constantly looking at ways to solve the world's problems. Interestingly, the big economic forum, Davos, in years past, which is an invitation-only sort of deal with mostly business types, looks at a lot of very non-traditional business problems, such as AIDS, and other issues. From Davos sprung the Clinton Global Initiative and other big ideas.

(For more on Davos http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/03/05/120305fa_fact_paumgarten)

The closest that Glenn Beck could get is to try to host a combination TED/Davos convention, try to get the major players to come together to work on stuff, OR for a technology park. A convention would get money to run stuff via attendance, not sure where he'd get money for a technology/research park and what it would offer more than the major research hubs.

From time to time, he mentions attractions that are a bit "EPCOT like" in their ability to teach and inspire. Taking a page from the earliest 1953 treatments of Disneyland, he has a "Media Center" where his television show and other programming is generated. There is also a "Frontierland" resort of sorts called "The Ranch" where families can spend some time without modern technology and understand what it's like to connect better with each other in nature. I've been to resorts like that, they are very nice and as a family you do end up closer together. My sense is, that he has more in mind to make it unique. As a part of this region, he takes on the notion of processed food and really the understanding of the Earth and where food comes from. Land Pavilion? I was not really sure where he was going with that. Mr. Beck explains how the project is designed to meet the problems of the world and more specifically the country. He sees this place as a way to center people on the American Ideology without the distraction of today's world. He spoke a lot about the "Fourth of July" and plans for some sort of a live show or attraction or perhaps a movie that refocuses the purpose for the Fourth of July.

I'll try not to pass judgement on Mr. Beck. But my feel is that he is very much in love with the apple pie idealized America, similar to Walt. But as opposed to Walt, who more pragmatically wanted to work with corporations on innovation, Glenn Beck believes that the answers are coded in a certain pre-industrial ideology. I think a "getting back to nature" type park/experience would be great for families, but this is just entertainment, IMHO. Teaching families where food comes from won't necessarily advance argiculture.

I applaud those who try and solve these things, but at the same time you have to respect the gravity of the problems you're out to solve. The difference with Disney and tomorrow land was that he had the infrastructure and corporate money behind building prototypes of many of the things that he was talking about. Walt Disney in his day, was not a polarizing force he was someone that everyone wanted to be close to that had one of the most powerful public images of anyone in the world.

I think Epcot was like the space program in that Walt set out with a clear goal in mind which was to build the ideal city, along with greenbelts for kids to walk to school without crossing a road, and with monorails and people movers. That was the great big experiment, and it would have helped "solve" the world's problems as Walt and the corporations would have learned by doing. Stuff like MRI scans were drived from NASA research, though nobody knew where the research was going at the time. Having done basic science research, you often don't know where the research is going until you get there. Industrial types try to start with the problem, without basic science, and they often aren't able to solve the problem due to a lack of basic research. This is basically what happened in the Soviet Union, they asked their researchers to 'cure cancer' (they failed), while in the US it was research done in supposedly unrelated fields that has lead to cures for certain types of cancer.

Because Beck doesn't have specific goals, I don't think he will accomplish a specific task if his park is built. Like the Soviets, he can't order a generalized groups of talented people to, "solve world hunger!" Uh, PhDs in agri-sciences are working on this non-stop, helping the end consumer understand that corn grows in the ground doesn't tackle this problem.

Walt Disney in his day, was not a polarizing force he was someone that everyone wanted to be close to that had one of the most powerful public images of anyone in the world.

Fundamentally, there is a big difference in attitude between Walt and Glenn Beck. Everybody loved Walt because he never talked down to anybody (in public) and he had genuine interest what he was discussing.

Honestly Eddie, when I channel surfed and saw Glenn Beck I got the distinct impression that he really felt that everybody wasn't as smart as he was when he was explaining stuff on his chalk board. This was all the more worse because I felt that most of the time he just spouts meaningless generalizations and speaks about pseudo-intellectual nonsense. Walt was a big picture guy, but his bread and butter business was the small details. I don't think Beck gets any of the subtle points, or even how research and industry work, and his big picture is off in a lot of ways.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

It is exciting to hear about a project the size of Beck's, and perhaps he could get enough well-off republicans to live there, but some of his plans sound like a . . . malevolent Walt Disney:

From http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/glenn-beck-announces-plan-independence-usa-233854956.html

Other areas of Independence: The ranch (that's where residents will grow food and teach people how to grow crops), the media center (where Beck will film his show and where other entertainers will create movies, TV shows and documentaries), an Alamo-style mission for people to "gather and help others," a research and development laboratory and much more.
The main point, Beck says, is education. "Before you send your kids to college," Beck said in his pitch video, "you come to us. And you spend a week with us. We're gonna tell them exactly, we will show them the truth, we will tell them what they're going to try to do, and we will deprogram them every summer, if you care."

I'm sure Stephen King could work this into a horror film or something: a typical family spends a weekend at a billionaire's ideological theme park and find more than asked for in his version of 'the truth.'

Also, I have a vegetable garden, and let me tell you: it is hard work to try to grow your all your greens. Does Beck want an Amish type community? Very hard to see how Beck could attract top intellectual talent, which at most major academic centers are liberal enough to dislike Beck somewhat.

I can't help but think that gun-lovin' Glen Beck disciples who want to live like the Amish would be like Lebanon Levi and his crew:

Welcome to Beckland! You're gonna learn to live off the land while we de-program you!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

So as you point out in your comments and thoughts, in the end, it's all about "the story". It's nearly impossible to objectively examine the layout of the project without looking at the content, the how and the why and the what.

I like that we discussed a "mock client" or potential project. It's another dimension of Imagineering, especially in the freelance world. It's a business based on emotional success so you have to evaluate those aspects. Aside from personal politics, will anyone go there? Will it be fun? These are creative issues you would have to deal with. Your client sometimes quickly abandons the things that won't work and the project settles down to more or less what will. It can be self editing from the rhetoric and pitches. You aim high knowing the reality is somewhat distilled. So to me, the videos were a pastiche of what he is looking for and in your mind you try and shape what he's ultimately after and think about what could work as they don't know yet.

When you are on the outside, you get approached by many personalities with many different reasons and "agendas" for building a park. Some "themes" border on propaganda or regional history, others on fantasy or a personal dream. I've seen alot. Many think they are Walt or would like to see themselves that way. I get that. Some underestimate what it takes to design, operate and build a successful park. One foreign client came to my office, explained their idea for a massive park and wanted to be building in 6 months. Part of your job is to educate the client in a humble way as to what they are really getting into and what lies ahead which is about managing expectations. In the long run, the smarter your client is, the easier your job will become. Like owning your own restaurant, building your own Disneyland is another childhood dream many have. To Walt, Disneyland was the full size Train set he never had as a kid. There is a level of self indulgence out there. It's nice to live in a place where that can happen and you can still make things come true for people. I love my job. I don't fault them for what they want. Some want you to work on speculation based on the perceived value of their vision. (I won't do that). It's life changing to them, it's a mission. You are their means of making it happen. I've seen men cry over this stuff. You end up at some point looking at what you are potentially building and spending your next few years living with. Do they have what it takes to see it through? You make value judgements as to the odds of the project getting built and if you want to be involved in it. Is the project something you believe in or can feel good about? I occasionally turn down work based on that. I have to say that my life after Disney has been incredibly interesting. Being a "dream maker" for hire has it's allure. All I can say is that it's nice to be very busy with a 10,000 year clock! This is the world of freelance Imagineering!

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Aside from personal politics, will anyone go there? Will it be fun? These are creative issues you would have to deal with.

There are some primordial good ideas with Beck's park, obviously with stuff that might need to be abandoned. I think the idea of a family having fun together is certainly integral to Disney theme parks. Much of the time is spent in line, and for me some of my best memories are joking/talking with relatives while in line. Sure, we all talk during the meals, but when you're stuffing food in your face it inhibits the conversation.

I kinda want to have a "City Slickers" type vacation someday, though obviously such vacations are time consuming to arrange and you might not get what you want. Maybe if Disney ran a dude ranch on pixie dust, with a host of pre-arranged activities, it could be a winner, maybe with a final day sleeping on a midnight train heading to the park(s) for a day.

What if Disney built a resort to look like a roughed up old dude ranch, but with modern conveniences? And if they put it in a secluded area, you could imagine that you were in the middle of nowhere. There are a lot of nice wilderness areas that are fun to hike, but what if WDI built a mine train (maybe electric based but looked authentic) which made a half hour trip out to some scenic spot for a barbecue. Hiking is fun, but riding a mine train through some real wilderness might be even more fun. Certainly such a dude ranch would be easier, and cheaper, to build than building a whole cruise ship.

So to me, the videos were a pastiche of what he is looking for and in your mind you try and shape what he's ultimately after and think about what could work as they don't know yet.

Some angles of what Beck's proposing haven't been done yet, per se. So, it would be interesting to see what happens with his park from a purely experimental angle . . . if it gets built.

Like owning your own restaurant, building your own Disneyland is another childhood dream many have. To Walt, Disneyland was the full size Train set he never had as a kid. There is a level of self indulgence out there.

There is so much of Walt's DNA, as they say, in the original Disneyland, and to a lesser extent in the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Yes, Disneyland was sort of Walt's indulgence as he couldn't afford a lot of toys as a kid, and that in a way, IMHO, he wanted to live that ideal childhood he never had, and allow other kids to experience things he didn't have, but as many have noted, Disneyland seems to resonate with everybody. Or at least pleases as many people as a theme park practically could.

Some explain it away as saying that Walt's likes/dislikes simply were the same as the average American family. I think it was more the fact that Walt had a lot of practice with the films/shorts he made, and that he took the time to really plan out the guests experience, probably virtually building and modifying hundreds of theoretical Disneylands in his head. Even after part of New Orleans Square was completed, he had it torn out and rebuilt as it didn't look right.

I'm not sure how the modern WDI operates, but it seems like it might be harder to have a lot of redevelopment cycles if everything is run by committee. For example, if a project has been greenlit, and pretty solid designs have already been done in pre-vis, it seems unlikely that somebody would sit down at a scale model and change the way things look, just for the aesthetics.

I mean, if Disney decides to build a new land, is somebody losing sleep each night thinking about the dozens of way it could be staged, and how the guests will respond? Or is the master plan decided upon by committee and everything that follows is just fleshing it out?

Not saying that WDI can't get it right the first time (Carsland), but I think that sometimes new attractions look a little rushed without knowing the full history.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I certianly lost sleep over what decisions I had made and if they would or would not work out. You dont know what you have till the guests use it, There are a million things that can and do go wrong and some of them are not even within your control. What do the colors really look like under certian lighting conditions. Will the merchandise kill the feel. Stuff like that. Worse, it the fact that no one will care about the details you fought for and where they right to want you to cut them. I kind of became paranoid about all the detials that were getting lost and the impact of making certian decisions. Im sure other imagineers are the same way.

 

[Omnispace]

Some explain it away as saying that Walt's likes/dislikes simply were the same as the average American family. I think it was more the fact that Walt had a lot of practice with the films/shorts he made, and that he took the time to really plan out the guests experience, probably virtually building and modifying hundreds of theoretical Disneylands in his head. Even after part of New Orleans Square was completed, he had it torn out and rebuilt as it didn't look right.

That's an interesting perspective but I think it explains more about Walt's ability at being a good storyteller -- and it is probably more his innate abilities that made him successful at creating both animated films and Disneyland. Certainly though, his work in cartoons and then films allowed him to hone his skills to the point where he could be successful with Disneyland.

As for Walt's sensibilities on understanding public taste, I agree with the camp that says it was simply his Midwestern upbringing -- and it's something that is still there. I have experienced it at Kennywood where everyone was polite and the "teenagers" eating at the table next to us were actually civil and not out of control. (No offense to teenagers -- these kids were way better behaved than I was at that age.) I also experienced it this past summer in rural Ohio where we went to the local "put-put" (mini golf) that had a chicken restaurant, ice cream stand, driving range, batting cages, petting zoo... you get the picture. The place was packed! The amazing display of families out for a warm evening and having a good time reminded me a lot of what Walt's original vision for Disneyland was. It wasn't about "magic", or "dreams", or meeting princesses -- it was about families being able to go out and share something wonderful together in a clean and safe place.

 

[Omnispace]

I certianly lost sleep over what decisions I had made and if they would or would not work out. You dont know what you have till the guests use it, There are a million things that can and do go wrong and some of them are not even within your control. What do the colors really look like under certian lighting conditions. Will the merchandise kill the feel. Stuff like that. Worse, it the fact that no one will care about the details you fought for and where they right to want you to cut them. I kind of became paranoid about all the detials that were getting lost and the impact of making certian decisions. Im sure other imagineers are the same way.

From what I understand, WDI/WED used to have greater control over all the different aspects of the theme parks. Obviously there are talented and creative people in all the different parts of the company but one would think it would be most beneficial to place the primary design conceptualizing for the parks under the control of WDI to eliminate conflicts. For example, with the recent Buena Vista Street it seems like WDI came up with better merchandise props for the shop windows than what actually ended up in the stores.

I can relate to your pain... I once did (what I thought) was a wonderful layout for a store, only to have the actual tenant opt for what I consider to be the "clutter" approach. The idea is that if you place enough displays randomly around that actually impede traffic flow - then there are more opportunities for people to see the merchandise. It turned what was conceived to be a classy gift shop into a schlocky retail horror show.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

For example, with the recent Buena Vista Street it seems like WDI came up with better merchandise props for the shop windows than what actually ended up in the stores.

BVS is nice to look at from the outside, but I don't feel drawn into the various shops the same way Main Street draws people inside as BVS feels more residential. I think is partly due to the fact that BVS is pretty much a straight shoot to Carthay, without the side streets on Main Street that break up the monotony.

I would guess that in the future they could add a side street which connects to the Hollywood area which would allow for a corner where people would stop and check out the shops, and which would slow down the pace of the crowd.

I think that the much lamented loss of 1930's props from the shop windows is because nobody was stopping to buy anything.

Obviously, this is BVS's candy shop, but you have to look at it a while to figure out what is being sold from this angle, plus its kinda foreboding. Looks like somebody lives in this building.

This side of the Candy shop seems to suffer from the same problem Mermaid has: a big sign way up in the air that nobody cares to read, also hidden by a tree.

I think the only way for these shops to advertise is put the product right out in the window.

Main Street's Candy Shop has the same issue in that the most successful advertising is putting the product front and center.

Maybe this is why they blow the smell of cotton candy out of the little blue vent below, to get guests to stop and pay notice.

 

[Omnispace]

Unfortunately, I haven't yet had the opportunity to see Buena Vista Street in person. From the photos it looks like it has all the elements to create a rich and appropriately-scaled experience. I would think that if there is any "rush" to get past BVS it is not because of the design of BVS but because people are on their way to grab Fastpasses for Radiator Springs Racers and other attractions. Regardless, a lot of sales are generated on the way out of the park as people don't want to carry around packages all day. There are many other important roles for this part of the park that I'm sure that Eddie is much more qualified to comment on.

It might have helped if they integrated some "attractions" into the retail so that there was more incentive to enter the stores other than to look at the same Disney® merchandise you see everywhere. That is why I commented that perhaps WDI came up with better themed merchandise than what is actually seen in the stores. A glitter t-shirt hanging in the window is not going to draw me in. Intriguing 1920's-themed merchandise or something like Eddie's musee mechaniques would entice me more.

Interestingly, what you describe is what retail developer A Alfred Taubman coined as "threshold resistance". His eventual solution in the 1970's was to do away with the threshold entirely and have complete open storefronts in his giant climate-controlled regional malls. Of course the face of retail has changed many times since then but the issue is still the same. I found MiceAge's report that BVS store managers were propping open their energy-saving doors to be very revealing. Of course it doesn't help that there's an entire Hollywood Boulevard right next door that has fake storefronts. Talk about conflicting cues!

 

[Omnispace]

Obviously, this is BVS's candy shop, but you have to look at it a while to figure out what is being sold from this angle, plus its kinda foreboding. Looks like somebody lives in this building.

You make a very good point here. While WDI has created a wonderful series of storefronts here, there is still a lot of ambiguity. Which is actually the Candy shop? Is the green panel door a real door I can use to get to the shop behind the pink facade? Open doors would be much more inviting. Appropriately themed props, displays, or sandwich boards out on the sidewalk would give better cues they are open for business and enrich the streetscape.

I'm not sure how they themed the interior but it might have been fun if the first store is supposed to be a smoke shop and they stock that portion inside with chocolate cigars, pipes and such. Of if that is not P.C. enough, have it be a bank and you can offer all different kinds of chocolate coins, etc. You could make a special visit to the "candy vault" at the back of the store. Those are the types of things that create memories for guests and keep them coming back.

Btw, I guess that Buena Vista Street is supposed to be 1920's Los Angeles since Disney arrived in 1923? I would love to go into these stores and be treated like a 1920's customer! It's another reason why one creative group should be guiding the entire experience.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You make a very good point here. While WDI has created a wonderful series of storefronts here, there is still a lot of ambiguity. Which is actually the Candy shop?

I think such issues are the logical progression of the facades no longer actually meaning anything more than an aesthetic preference. Stores now sprawl behind multiple facades like a massive big box store ordered by the zoning code to look like smaller shops.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Unfortunately, I haven't yet had the opportunity to see Buena Vista Street in person. From the photos it looks like it has all the elements to create a rich and appropriately-scaled experience. I would think that if there is any "rush" to get past BVS it is not because of the design of BVS but because people are on their way to grab Fastpasses for Radiator Springs Racers and other attractions. Regardless, a lot of sales are generated on the way out of the park as people don't want to carry around packages all day. There are many other important roles for this part of the park that I'm sure that Eddie is much more qualified to comment on.

It might have helped if they integrated some "attractions" into the retail so that there was more incentive to enter the stores other than to look at the same Disney® merchandise you see everywhere.

BVS is nice to look at, but I guess because it is shorter than Main Street, there is less to see and less to slow down the rush of guests, some of whom are racing to get RSR fastpasses, and who will buy stuff on the way out.

Though obviously Main Street is a big retail district, I tend to think of the attractions first.

Main Street USA
Train/Train station
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Disney Gallery
Horse Drawn Trolley
Early 1900's looking cars
Emporium Window Displays
Cinema
Dapper Dans
Burt and Marry Poppins walk-arounds

When compared with BVS, and even when accounting for size, BVS doesn't have many attractions.

BVS
Red Car Trolley
Newsies RCT show, though obviously takes an attraction down
1920's Street characters

Maybe they could add something more engaging in the future. I'm surprised that there isn't even an exhibit type attraction such as the Disney Gallery on Main Street. They could have photos of Walt in L.A. in the early days.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I certianly lost sleep over what decisions I had made and if they would or would not work out. You dont know what you have till the guests use it, There are a million things that can and do go wrong and some of them are not even within your control. What do the colors really look like under certian lighting conditions. Will the merchandise kill the feel. Stuff like that. Worse, it the fact that no one will care about the details you fought for and where they right to want you to cut them. I kind of became paranoid about all the detials that were getting lost and the impact of making certian decisions. Im sure other imagineers are the same way.

That makes sense, no doubt there's a series of 'discussion's regarding budget between blue sky concept art circulated on the internet and the final product.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Just read that Disneyland will doing a Marc Davis Centennial celebration on March 7th, this year . . . on the "west side" of Disneyland. I think this will be part of the Limited Time Magic thing, and they are hinting at "special attractions", maybe they'll put the Hatbox ghost in the Haunted Mansion for a day!

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

BVS's bridge got a new paint job:

Compared to old relatively plain yellowish cream look:

I can see where they were trying to go with the new paint job. The older style made the bridge sort of look like a big unwieldy piece of concrete . . . like so much of our interstate system. But there was a sort of "clean" look about it, in a sort of Washington Monument kind of way, and it looked good with the Christmas garlands on it.

To my eyes, it doesn't look as good as it did (it is hard to hide irregardless of how it is painted) . . . though I haven't seen it in person yet.

If they wanted to spice it up, why not an art-deco mini-billboard on it, with lights that light it up at night? They could put an ad for the Carthay facing in that direction, and maybe an ad for Oswald's in the other direction.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I was once told "If everything is special, nothing is special."