This really is my genuine fear. That they seem to do this stuff quickly and quietly, and then announce it after the work has already begun or things have been removed.
I'm thinking the following attractions are in deep trouble and on the HR committee's radar, in no particular order;
Enchanted Tiki Room
Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln
Tom Sawyer Island
It's A Small World
Mark Twain Riverboat
Sailing Ship Columbia
Dumbo The Flying Elephant
Peter Pan's Flight
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Alice In Wonderland
We have to wonder what the long term impact of the last 5 years, and the next 5 years will be. Galaxy's Edge was when I was like 'huh, Disney doesn't really get how to properly execute Disneyland these days, do they?'
But to change so many classic and iconic attractions that have defined the park since the 50s and 60s, Disney runs the risk of crumbling whatever it is about Disneyland that allows it to connect with it's guests in a way no other venue in the world seems to be able too.
The Jungle Cruise eliminated carefully staged Marc Davis scenes and replaced them with crowded and sloppy chimp gags that rely on different iterations of the same joke- repeating a gag already present at the beginning.
Zip a Dee Doo Dah was second only to When You Wish Upon a Star in terms of enduring popularity for Disneyland music. It's been played by the Disneyland band for decades, and to many is quintessential Disney. But because the lyric sounds kinda sorta similar to an old Civil War era song no one has heard, the whole song must go. Splash Mountain uses Marc Davis character designs, music approved by Walt Disney, and was brought to life by some of the best creatives Imagineering has ever had- but now it's offensive and a blight on the park. Not sure what that says about fans of the ride, either- or the fact that it's so bad it must go but not bad enough to just close straightaway.
Pirates is good and remains popular
despite the changes made since '97, not because of.
Now we can't be referred to as
Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls but are instead 'friends' or 'dreamers' or whatever the new term is, which is far less formal then the announcement the park had been using since the debut of Fantasy in the Sky decades ago.