There's another university in the state called Ohio University, and even tho' it's about a thousand times smaller, the people in Columbus find it necessary to emphatically differentiate between the two.
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New Train Station Sign
- Thread starter MickeyWiki
- Start date
Disney-Trains
Well-Known Member
Population and Elevation was a nice nod to historic train station signs, but Established 1971 is nice as well. If they had changed the Magic Kingdom to some corporate or "Disney" font then I could understand the concern but I am having a hard time understanding the big deal here.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
I have OCD. Like, actually clinically diagnosed. And I would have never noticed they changed the sign.
I have OCD. Like, actually clinically diagnosed. And I would have never noticed they changed the sign.
You would have to have Hollywood OCD where it gives you Sherlockian level of observation. Real OCD... not so much except for the few areas one *might* be particularly tuned in on.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Just a matter of Time is all just a matter of time
Iger hates old dead guy Walt almost as much as TDO hates the old dead guy for his 'wasteful' insistence on cleanliness and quality...
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
OCD not required just the powers of observation that any good news photographer would have at a familiar venue.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
It's to separate them from other schools who could also be referred to as "OSU".
Ohio University is actually not very far from OSU. But there is no S.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Population and elevation are later additions. (Although later does not necessarily mean inferior)
Replacing both for 'established 1971' is what @lazyboy97o always calls Disney becoming ever more self-referential. The sign does not tell you anymore that you are in Main Street, America, but in Disney Parks.
It is in line with a Skipper Canteen, which replaces actual tropical setting for the Disney tropical ride setting. Related to how Fantasyland is no longer an imaginary random European town that sort of is the origin and setting of many of Disney's fairytales, but the Disney fairytales world itself ('worlds themselves', plural, to be more precise). Main Street for its part, like the Rivers of America district, slowly replaces the Americana for the Disneyana.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
This sign is interesting in that is has always been self-referential. The Main Street train station, sitting atop the berm, exists both inside and outside the proscenium. Since 1955 the sign has born the name of the park and not Main Street, USA. I think what really makes the "Est. 1971" odd is that it so immediately contradicts its surroundings. The population count was also self-referential (and always well beyond a realistic number for such a town) but those numbers are not imbued with as much meaning and cultural imagery as the 1970s.
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Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
I see we have another thread with most people just complaining for the sake of complaining...
articos
Well-Known Member
In this instance, self-referential has no place in the placemaking. Pardon my pun. The sign package is part of the art direction. All of this is part of the illusion. Main Street, USA is Midwest or Eastern "every town" circa early 1900s. The entry sign is part of the train station, which is part of Main Street, which is part of the STORY. It visually helps set the stage for arriving in the Magic Kingdom, which has all the trappings of early 1900s Main Street, including the steam train coming through. It bears the name of the park, but it visually assists the location marking and era.
Est 1971 breaks the illusion. It contradicts everything our eyes tell us about where we are and where we are entering into. Like what is said above, it silently references Disney Parks, instead of the story of the Magic Kingdom's Main Street. The population count is slightly self referential, but it's something that is viewed with happy thoughts and doesn't break the illusion. We just buy into the fact that so many likeminded people have enjoyed Disney, like the day we are about to have when we see the sign.
Both population and elevation were on The Magic Kingdom sign from 1973, after the first full year. (corrected)
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articos
Well-Known Member
The Imagineers who worked on the design of the park describe Main Street, U.S.A. as "anywhere in America, circa 1900". Marty S. quotes Walt saying, "Many of us fondly remember our small home town and its friendly way of life at the turn of the century... Main Street represents the typical small town of the early 1900s—the heartline of America." It's a movie set, and the train station is the Prologue to the first scene. Every detail was planned within a thousandth of an inch. Fun fact, the train station is actually full size to hide the castle. The rest of MSUSA is forced perspective. And most of the detail on the station was hand done.
DryerLintFan
Premium Member
Thank you for this..... in 10 pages this was the first post that made me truly understand where the rub was.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
The reassuring serenity of early 70's WDW. No elevation and population.
Speaking of, no self-referential window text reading 'keeping dreams on track'. At some point, the stenciled pun came to be thought of as the height in Imagineering. This too, once again, takes you out of the place the theme park wants you to visit (Anytown Main Street), and places you into a Disney Parks. Just like the 'established 1971', which is the date the theme park was established, not the town which is the theme.
My previous caveat applies: MS has never been an exercise in historical reenactment, it has very much been a theme park environment. Characters, balloons, castle. It is an ode to turn-of-the-century America as much as a recreation. Almost an abstraction, Walt's idealised America, in physical form.
wdwgreek
Well-Known Member
I have always thought of the sigh as a bit jaing, what is a 19th century train station doing with a sign about kingdoms any way? That said if you ascribe to the whole movie maker design theory of main street with the train station being the title card, the tunnel posters being the adds, the main street USA windows being the credits and the castle being the beginning of the "picture" then the evelvation and pop numbers and more jaing the the yea it was established. Honestly this thread is a goup of people seeking a problem where none exists. Lets talk about the shutter Future World or something substantial. Heck if we want to talk about Disneyania vs Americanism lets do that.
Monorail_Red_77
Well-Known Member
Totally didn't' even realize the sign was different (prior to this thread) until I looked at my photo from this past Sunday 3/5. Yep... There it is like it or not. I'm kinda torn about the whole thing. I don't totally hate it, I get that it is kind of a swing back to the original, kinda. But, I mean why change it in the first place. Ok, fine it is changed now. But, I'd love to hear the reasoning behind putting the extra effort into changing versus refreshing. But, yes I agree there are bigger issues like. um.... E P C O T
Need I say more. LOL
Need I say more. LOL
SpoiledBlueMilk
Well-Known Member
It's a sign people. Just a sign.
The_Jobu
Well-Known Member
Oh wow, you're totally right. I guess we'll all just stop sharing opinions then, on a forum designed specifically for this. Cheers.