You think New Orleans Square "barely resembles" the real New Orleans? Really? I find it to be one of the best examples of themeing and scene-making that Imagineering has ever done. It's certainly cleaner and fresher and better-kept than the real New Orleans, but it looks nearly identical to the place and time it represents.
So much so, that a candidate for New Orleans mayor five years ago got into big trouble when she photoshopped herself on a picture of a charming winding alley in the great city of New Orleans. Except it wasn't New Orleans, it was a picture of
New Orleans Square in Disneyland, 1500 miles away.
Political Ad for New Orleans Mayoral candidate
It became a national story back in '06, and then it got worse for her when the story broke and her campaign's first response was to simply photoshop out the Disneyland trashcan over her shoulder.
It's New Orleans, honest! We removed that Disneyland trashcan!
Finally after a few days of national coverage, her campaign removed any reference to the New Orleans Square image on her website and her political materials. She didn't win the election. :lol:
If a citizen of New Orleans running for mayor can use a picture of Disneyland to represent her city, then Walt must have done something right when he designed and built New Orleans Square in the mid 1960's.
As for the Disneyland show building behind Haunted Mansion, I have never noticed it before from inside the park. I would love to try and get a glimpse of it; where do I need to stand to spot it? I'm headed to the park this weekend so I could take a picture of it and share it with everyone here.