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

Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
Eddie Sotto said:
"Specifically Vague" is a term Herb Ryman used.
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I found it interesting that there were fireworks in a model shot?!? That's a first for me. They definitely wanted to add glitz to make the model seem fuller than it was... goes all the way back to the "Lost Weekend", but I had only seen it in two dimensions.
 
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Pixiedustmaker

Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando said:
I found it interesting that there were fireworks in a model shot?!? That's a first for me. They definitely wanted to add glitz to make the model seem fuller than it was... goes all the way back to the "Lost Weekend", but I had only seen it in two dimensions.
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Lost Weekend?

They definitely wanted to emphasize to shareholders that the park is a Disney park, so I think that is why they wanted the iconic fireworks above the castle.

My impressions:

1. Apparently the castle has a moat right in front of it, so you can't enter Fantasyland via walking through the castle. Kinda surprised by this, though it may be that they want a big enough moat for the boats in the Storybook castle attraction, though don't know why they couldn't have done just a drawbridge with the right amount of clearance. Do guests have to walk around the castle to enter the ride?

2. The whole Garden of Imaginations concept I think was adjusted to fit the design of a super large hub to allow for more space for fireworks viewing. I guess it is separate from Fantasyland, though it does have two classic Fantasyland rides, being the carousel and a Dumbo ride. I wonder if this idea grew out of Disneyland's re-location of the rocket jets to within spitting distance of the hub, and somebody liked the kinetic energy it gives the hub. I kinda like the wide-open space entrance of Epcot with large planters and a lot of "green space", though without Main Street's popcorn lighting, I think Shanghai's entrance area will have a lot less energy/excitement than in any of the other castle parks, though they have more room for parades now. Is this fitting with Chinese culture? Maybe, I'm not an expert.

3. The water feature/pond is nice, but beyond a World of Color show, it is sort of like the waterways in Epcot's Future World which don't serve much purpose beyond being a garden feature. Is there room for a world of color type show? I don't where the projectors would be hidden in the model, and hence it might just be water fountains with LED lights which is always "on", cycling through a pre-programmed mini-show.

4. No train around the park. I know they don't have a Main Street, but I think that Chinese guests would still have appreciated some sort of transportation which would allow them to get a "tour" of the park while riding something.
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
Pixiedustmaker said:
Lost Weekend?

They definitely wanted to emphasize to shareholders that the park is a Disney park, so I think that is why they wanted the iconic fireworks above the castle.
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It's a little misdirection; an artist's sleight of hand. The fireworks are there to draw your attention.


The Lost Weekend from This Day in Disney History:

Walt Disney phones artist Herb Ryman at his home on this Saturday
morning to inquire about the possibility of Ryman drawing some overall
concept sketches of a new theme park. (Walt's brother Roy is to leave for New York on Monday to meet with possible investors.) Although Ryman isn't a Disney employee at this time ... he agrees to meet Walt at
the studio. When he arrives at the Disney lot - Walt is anxiously waiting out front! The work Walt and Herb will do
together over the upcoming "lost weekend" will help define the look of Disneyland. (Ryman, a master artist and
teacher - and later an Imagineer - will have a career spanning more than fifty years as a production designer, art
director and illustrator at many top Hollywood studios.)
Click to expand...
6.jpg


Jim Hill also had a good article about the "art" of making good concept art.
 
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Pixiedustmaker

Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando said:
It's a little misdirection; an artist's sleight of hand. The fireworks are there to draw your attention.


The Lost Weekend from This Day in Disney History:

6.jpg


Jim Hill also had a good article about the "art" of making good concept art.
Click to expand...

Oh thanks, had no idea that weekend was referred to as the 'Lost Weekend'.

Tumbled across a website with early Disneyland construction photos:

http://www.designingdisney.com/content/construction-disneyland

This photo looks like they already have an outline of Disneyland in the dirt, and that they have moved trees for the berm next to the train track, plus moved some trees for Adventureland.

3.jpg
 
Omnispace

Omnispace

Well-Known Member
raven24 said:
I'm an Angeleno. I love Century City and I had no clue it replaced some of Fox Studios. Thanks for posting! Interesting trivia for today. Fox Studios is really nice, one of my favorite studios/backlots to visit.
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I was just in town with some friends and instead of visiting Universal we decided to take the more authentic WB Studios VIP Tour. The small size of the group we were in made it very personal and I have to say at times it felt like we were naughty kids sneaking around the buildings in the back lot or ducking into one of the sound stages that wasn't in use at the time. Unfortunately, I am not up on all the latest network TV shows so I have no point of reference for much of what I saw but it was still fun to visit such a busy place where there's a lot going on.
 
Omnispace

Omnispace

Well-Known Member
Jeanine said:
I saw it yesterday--it's pretty and it seems like a lot of effort went into making it congruent with Fantasyland. The meet n' greet feels pretty standard compared to the more esoterically-themed Mickey Mouse theater and Pete's Sideshow that they've recently put into WDW, but I am probably not the main audience for that. The shows were (I thought,) surprisingly entertaining, with a strong effort made to appeal to all ages. The details they've been promoting like the animated Figaro and the Clopin music box are cute, but maybe not things that will draw a person's attention for a prolonged period.

It is very pink, however I think they were probably matching the bubble gum pink of the castle. My personal preference is for the earlier, more subtle castle tones, but I guess you go to war with the army you have.

http://instagram.com/p/WfPpI9kXG5/
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I didn't get in to see the area but compared what I could see of the effort with Tony's Fantasyland. I have to say that there's a subtle difference between doing the right amount of "characterization" of the architecture and doing too much exaggeration. The central Gothic-looking roof seems to cross that line for me, which is surprising because it looked fine in the renderings I have seen. It could be that the scale of the roof tiles are too large and that they should have decreased subtly in size towards the top or simply have been more delicate in detail.

I had some time to look at the general area of the Hub while waiting for the morning rope drop and though the construction walls were still up I found that the bright colors of the area seem to compete with the Castle. It's similar to having the attention-grabbing Orbitron spinning outside the entrance to Tomorrowland. I'm sure that once the walls are down that the foliage will help to soften things a bit but the distraction of the colorful tents will still be there.

I also got to go on the Little Mermaid ride... ..oh, never mind. ;)
 
Jeanine

Jeanine

Member
Eddie Sotto said:
The sincerity of this video struck me. It is the lyricist/songwriter of Somewhere over the Rainbow". I'm a hopeless romantic, but hearing this man from another generation speak about what was important to him was moving. He sings his work and does it in a heartfelt way. This was the generation that Walt Disney came from, understood and entertained.

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Wonderful. I always liked Yip and was pleasantly surprised to find a Disney cameo in his lyrics to "Buds Won't Bud."

"When your world goes to pieces overnight,
Something's wrong, something's wrong.
When you don't know your left shoe from your right
Something's wrong, very wrong
When the clock sips tea
As your head strikes three
And you feel like you're in a Walter Disney dream
Something's wrong with this entire scheme."
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
Eddie Sotto said:
Just ran across this short from WDA. Combines hand drawn feel and texture with CGI. I like the feel of it. You kind of get the best of both.
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I love it! Supposedly, John Lasseter wanted to kill it because he thought the hand-drawn/CGI hybrid was a gimmick, but was eventually convinced that it has potential as its own art form. I hope we get to see more stuff done in this style.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando said:
Still is, depending on who you talk to! ;) (not me)

I drive a lot for work, so I'm always looking for a good new podcast. I ran across one that I think the people on this thread would enjoy, 99% Invisible. It is a "weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture." iTunes link
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My only problem with 99% Invisible is the public radio style where monotony in tone is something to strive towards. It's okay to show a little excitement and passion for your discussion topic.
 
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Pixiedustmaker

Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando said:
Still is, depending on who you talk to! ;) (not me)

I drive a lot for work, so I'm always looking for a good new podcast. I ran across one that I think the people on this thread would enjoy, 99% Invisible. It is a "weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture." iTunes link
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link!

You'd think that with advertisers trying to catch the public's opinion, they'd want to try to replicate hand-drawn signs as much as possible, if only because they are very different from the computer generated characters we all hammer out on our keyboards. Also, there is that intimacy factor you get from seeing something that has been personalized for a shop, instead of printed out of machine hundreds of miles away.

Reminds me of the whole FLE garbage can debate.

DatelineDisneyWorld1010-IMG_5547.jpg


It would be cool if Disney made more of an effort to product unique in-house fixtures for the park, such as why not just try and make a real wooden garbage can (albeit with washable interior)?

They already make some stuff like that for bathrooms, though I guess UV/elements is always an issue.

9421-1_Sm_Flip_Top_Trash_Bin.jpg


They used to have (maybe still do) have some log ones on Tom Sawyer island, probably made out of resin:

tomsawyer1a.jpg
 

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