Poll: Disneyland has outgrown Sleeping Beauty Castle

[lazyboy97o]

This isn't just skyscraper canyons or suggesting we make every ground floor facade twice as tall all over the park. New Orleans Square and Adventureland are already two levels. Adventureland is low overall but has themed backstage upstairs areas and a second floor queue for Jungle Cruise. Between the height of Tarzan's Treehouse and the depths of the pirates show building, we go from 2 floors of guest areas in new orleans square to, what, 5, 7? That sort of multileveling is ideal, where the programming and the themed environment work together. Tomorrowland too has a tall street wall, the entire interior of the "launch bay" underutilized, and obviously space mountain. Fantasyland and Frontierland are two lands with the least multileveling, though they each have examples (Golden Horseshoe, castle walkthrough, alice if we count dark rides), and they aren't absent of height; the FL facades create beautiful panoramic sky silhouettes, with well-placed roofs, towers and icons all around. Rather than looking at facades, our eye is drawn upwards where the detailing on the roofline is really interesting. Main street has forced perspective in its facades but if the show from the exterior were left alone (aka don't butcher like Club 33), I see no reason why guest areas couldn't be built in to the upper levels of some of those structures when crowd levels demand it.

All of those second levels are why I specifically mentioned a visible third floor. You would have to be increasing the heights throughout the park for that new guest space to contradict Sleeping Beauty Castle.

 

[nevol]

Love Rolly, his style, and all
he’s done for the company but he kinda comes across as a bitter, resentful old grump in that article.

Agreed. He seems like a rebel I would want to be friends with and I can only dream of having the creative freedom he had at Imagineering at the time, but as far as he is concerned, TWDC/WDI/Disneyland died when Walt died, and many of his colleagues marched on and played a larger role in the next wave of growth.

 

[mickEblu]

If it were so easy then it wouldn’t be taken as so shocking and would be said more often. Instead people do talk about what should be considered sacred. Even if it is unlikely it is part of having an open mindset instead of starting off with a list of rejections.

A theme park is more than just a collection of rides so the assessment of an attraction should include its context.

Cmon you know that POTC, HM were created in such an unprecedented way during a historic time not only for Disneyland but theme parks in general. Lightning in a bottle and it will never happen again. And it hasn’t. Can you give me a better example of world building at a Disney theme park or any theme park for that matter than NOS and the contents of its two attractions? I think some things should be sacred. Especially at Disneyland. And POTC, HM and NOS are at the top of that list for me. If they want to change things around, they have DCA for that.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Cmon you know that POTC, HM were created in such an unprecedented way during a historic time not only for Disneyland but theme parks in general. Lightning in a bottle and it will never happen again. And it hasn’t. Can you give me a better example of world building at a Disney theme park or any theme park for that matter than NOS and the contents of its two attractions? I think some things should be sacred. Especially at Disneyland. And POTC, HM and NOS are at the top of that list for me. If they want to change things around, they have DCA for that.

For like the fourth time, I am not claiming to know what would be better.

 

[mickEblu]

For like the fourth time, I am not claiming to know what would be better.

That’s not the point. You are so focused on semantics. Ok so then your original comment is about as meaningful as me saying “I’d be ok if POTC or HM were replaced if 2 million dollars falls on my lap. “

 

[lazyboy97o]

That’s not the point. You are so focused on semantics. Ok so than your original comment is about as meaningful as me saying “I’d be ok if POTC or HM were replaced if 2 million dollars falls on my lap. “

What semantics? You just keep asking variations of the same question. I don’t know what would be better so I cannot tell you what is better, who would do better or what circumstances would create better. Something being highly unlikely is not criteria for it to be rejected. Openness to the possibility of something better does not negate the achievement of whatever is surpassed.

 

[mickEblu]

What semantics? You just keep asking variations of the same question. I don’t know what would be better so I cannot tell you what is better, who would do better or what circumstances would create better. Something being highly unlikely is not criteria for it to be rejected. Openness to the possibility of something better does not negate the achievement of whatever is surpassed.

I haven’t asked you to tell me what is better. I was just pointing out that your comment is easy to say but extremely hard to back up. Again, you wouldn’t greenlight it in my lifetime or the next.

Anyway, on another note I wouldn’t mind if Comcast bought Disneyland, tore it down and replaced it with something better.

 

[Disneysea05]

Leave the castle alone but horticulture should work their magic on the trees immediately adjacent to it. The Matterhorn lost a couple of trees at its base facing the castle and it’s amazing what a difference it makes.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Anyway, on another note I wouldn’t mind if Comcast bought Disneyland, tore it down and replaced it with something better.

Agreed. Nothing should be sacred. Progress must be made. If not the entire park, can they at least rebuild Main Street to depict a late 1990's mall? That's where the nostalgia is at for the adults these days. The Disneyland band should be various teen boy bands that perform around the park.

 

[Sunny Blueberry]

Generally, I think classics should be preserved, but I am open minded to what WDI could come up with. Tomorrowland is currently structured so that a taller castle would still be obscured. But I most definitely OBJECT to seeing the castle from anywhere in Critter Country, New Orleans Square, or Frontierland including the Rivers of America and Thunder Mountain Railroad.

For WDI to accomplish such a feat though would be ahem...a tall order.

 

[Disney Irish]

You and I both know you wouldn’t sign off on that. It’s one thing to state something like this in a fan forum but real world if they come with you with some “better” plans for POTC and HM and you had the power to greenlight the project you would not. Also I think the key word you said was “replace” and not necessarily “better.” And if you did greenlight it, who is this team that you’re trusting as you sacrifice two of Disneyland’s most historic and signature attractions?

Well to be fair, someone did sign off on HM being replaced for 1/3 the year. And that was before Iger even took over. I don't know if I'd call it better or not, that's a matter of personal preference. So it can't be that "untouchable" if it gets sacrificed for 1/3 of the year.

*I'm just messing with you of course.....*

 

[Curious Constance]

Let’s never forget they contemplated rebranding the Matterhorn into Frozen.

 

[Disney Irish]

Let’s never forget they contemplated rebranding the Matterhorn into Frozen.

I still question how serious of a contemplation that really was/is though.

It sounds more like it was a spitballing session where someone said it jokingly and someone else took it out of context and thought it was a serious idea.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I still question how serious of a contemplation that really was/is though.

It sounds more like it was a spitballing session where someone said it jokingly and someone else took it out of context and thought it was a serious idea.

You have much more faith in the Imagineering team that brought us Pixar Pier then I do.

 

[Disney Irish]

You have much more faith in the Imagineering team that brought us Pixar Pier then I do.

I’m just questioning the validity of how serious and true that rumor really was/is. I’m sure there have been millions of ideas thrown around over the years that never went anywhere, some serious others were jokes.

As for faith in WDI, as a whole I still have faith in them. On individual projects, I question decisions and also question if it really was WDI soley or another force involved in those decisions.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I’m just questioning the validity of how serious and true that rumor really was/is. I’m sure there have been millions of ideas thrown around over the years that never went anywhere, some serious others were jokes.

As for faith in WDI, as a whole I still have faith in them. On individual projects, I question decisions and also question if it really was WDI soley or another force involved in those decisions.

The full rumor was that if Frozen 2 is successful, then Arandelle would take over the Motorboat cruise area with Elsa's Ice Castle put on the Matterhorn.

This makes it sound like it was a legitimate plan at one point, but who knows.

I think we can only pray that it was an idea thrown out once, but was instantly shut down and never seriously considered.

 

[shortstop]

A theme park is more than just a collection of rides so the assessment of an attraction should include its context.

This is the point I’m trying to make. NOS works so well because of Pirates and Mansion. Wouldn’t any replacement ride be almost inherently out of context? They would have to start with a blank slate, which wouldn’t make any sense.

 

[CraftyFox]

Quick! We need to quarantine this entire thread! We need to take down this whole debate before the Disney execs take note of some of the ideas people are throwing out on here out of context.

 

[Disney Irish]

The full rumor was that if Frozen 2 is successful, then Arandelle would take over the Motorboat cruise area with Elsa's Ice Castle put on the Matterhorn.

This makes it sound like it was a legitimate plan at one point, but who knows.

I think we can only pray that it was an idea thrown out once, but was instantly shut down and never seriously considered.

Hey remember that Monstropolis rumor where a Disney Park (specifically DCA or DHS) would be getting a Mike&Sully Door coaster, I'm still waiting 5+ years later....

Point is just because it seems like a full project with details doesn't mean it actually gets constructed. That is the downside of these fan sites, too many rumors get blown out of proportion and people start freaking out when in reality it was never anything more than some blue sky idea that never went anywhere.

So we'll see how it goes. But I kind of have my doubts at this point on this one.

 

[drizgirl]

Let’s never forget they contemplated rebranding the Matterhorn into Frozen.

Well, WDW did give their castle over to Elsa for the holiday lighting. So much for Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother.