News Red Car Trolley to close February 8, 2025

[Too Many Hats]

No ROI baby!

I’m sure a new barn would be impossibly expensive.

Any moment now, some rando on Twitter will come out of the woodwork to explain why DCA’s infrastructure can simply no longer support trolley operation. Sad, but Disney’s hands are tied.

 

[CosmicDuck]

This is actually a move to preserve thematic integrity, Los Angeles is notorious for its lack of public transportation.

 

[mickEblu]

Hopefully this isn’t the “I miss Big Thunder BBQ” of this Avengers project. Or maybe it’ll be the “never know what you have til it’s gone” like Bugs Land.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

I gotta say I don’t think that’s true at all. It was a copy paste of the main Street vehicle concept because the original version of the park had very little to do other than shopping and eating and so they added this so they could call it a ride. it was neat sure I won’t say it wasn’t neat, but I think it’s really disingenuous to pretend there was ever some grand vision behind it other than it was something to do for the bad park they’d just built.

Tell us the entire concept of Buena Vista Street and actual Imagineering and California historical specific themeing that went into it went COMPLETELY over your head without telling us the entire concept of Buena Vista Street and actual Imagineering and California historical specific themeing that went into it went COMPLETELY over your head.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

On my first time into DCA (2 weeks ago), the Trolley was actually the one thing that stuck out. Cars Land was pretty nice too. But most of DCA is just a not great version of DHS. And DHS isn't very great either.

I’m always surprised by this opinion. I respect the DCA critiques and think they have a lot of validity, but to be frank I don’t think DHS is even close to as good as DCA.

 

[PiratesMansion]

“Nobody” rides it. I don’t think that has much if anything to do with its removal though. I’ll miss the kinetic energy it adds and placemaking it helps support. The second tweet can mean there is a sliver of hope it remains but not looking good. Hopefully that Five n Dime band that goes up and down Hollywood Blvd will stick around.

Doesn't Five n Dime use some other vehicle?

I could be totally wrong, but in my head, Mickey & the Red Trolley Boys used the Trolley and FND used something that looked closer to a period automobile.

 

[mickEblu]

Doesn't Five n Dime use some other vehicle?

I could be totally wrong, but in my head, Mickey & the Red Trolley Boys used the Trolley and FND used something that looked closer to a period automobile.

Yeah it does. I’m just saying I hope the street, band and show stick around. I think for me as much as I appreciate the trolley, the band creates more of an ambiance. Of course the trolley runs all day long as opposed to the Five n Dime.

 

[CosmicDuck]

I’m always surprised by this opinion. I respect the DCA critiques and think they have a lot of validity, but to be frank I don’t think DHS is even close to as good as DCA.

I think DHS is near the bottom of the list for Disney theme parks but purely from a attraction profile perspective its hard to make the argument to any normal person paying to get into a theme park that DCA is better.

If DCA adds Pandora E ticket, Avengers E & B tickets, and Coco E ticket within the next decade - it will absolutely clear DHS.

 

[PiratesMansion]

It occurs to me that this could be a lawyer move.

Undoubtedly a lot of people who aren't paying attention trip on the trolley tracks quite frequently, even though they also have brick surrounding them to make their presence more obvious.

The Trolley can't be tied to Walt and his Main Street, so it's much easier to rip out than the Main Street tracks would be.

Or it's further confirmation that all of Hollywoodland is going goodbye in favor of Avatar. Who knows.

 

[DrAlice]

Disney continues its march from Theme Park operator to Amusement Park operator.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Disney continues its march from Theme Park operator to Amusement Park operator.

In fairness, they really only pretended DCA was a true theme park for like three years before they decided it was too hard and that it'd be better if they shoved in IP as inelegantly as possible instead.

 

[mickEblu]

It occurs to me that this could be a lawyer move.

Undoubtedly a lot of people who aren't paying attention trip on the trolley tracks quite frequently, even though they also have brick surrounding them to make their presence more obvious.

The Trolley can't be tied to Walt and his Main Street, so it's much easier to rip out than the Main Street tracks would be.

Or it's further confirmation that all of Hollywoodland is going goodbye in favor of Avatar. Who knows.

Hard for me to see them getting rid of Hollywood Blvd. Those facades will help sightlines and serve a purpose for parades and entertainment.

As far as retheming it I can’t see how that would be worth the money. All those facades can just hide an assortment of Avatar and Marvel attractions and still be themed to BVS/ Hollywood as you’d enter the buildings from their respective lands. If they decide to keep any of the Animation, Hyperion and Philharmagic or Disney Junior than they can just assign them to BVS.

 

[Disney Irish]

It occurs to me that this could be a lawyer move.

Undoubtedly a lot of people who aren't paying attention trip on the trolley tracks quite frequently, even though they also have brick surrounding them to make their presence more obvious.

The Trolley can't be tied to Walt and his Main Street, so it's much easier to rip out than the Main Street tracks would be.

Or it's further confirmation that all of Hollywoodland is going goodbye in favor of Avatar. Who knows.

I know I've tripped on them a few times when I wasn't paying attention.

 

[October82]

Disney continues its march from Theme Park operator to Amusement Park operator.

“If it’s good enough for Six Flags…”

 

[gerarar]

And this is a whole process that serves no actual utilitarian purpose. The trolley poles are not functional. The catenary is fake. It’s a show that’s there purely for the atmosphere of doing this thing associated with iconic imagery.

Wow, I had no idea! It looked so genuine and functional.

Glad I was able to enjoy that little show. Count me in that was immersed in the act lol.

 

[asianway]

Hopefully this isn’t the “I miss Big Thunder BBQ” of this Avengers project. Or maybe it’ll be the “never know what you have til it’s gone” like Bugs Land.

Galaxy’s edge was better as a petting zoo and a light display

 

[Phroobar]

“If it’s good enough for Six Flags…”

Considering the number of fights at Disneyland lately, I'd say Disney has a lot to learn from Six Flags.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Tell us the entire concept of Buena Vista Street and actual Imagineering and California historical specific themeing that went into it went COMPLETELY over your head without telling us the entire concept of Buena Vista Street and actual Imagineering and California historical specific themeing that went into it went COMPLETELY over your head.

It didn’t go over my head. I know exactly what they were trying to do. But I’m sorry, they failed.

DCA 1.0 was an embarrassment and 2.0 was better but far from good. And this trolley was emblematic of why it turned out to be so. They started with a vision but built a budgeted compromise. When it came to fix it, they just reached for anything they could get their hands on. It became less about storytelling and placemaking and more a mad grab for anything they could call a ride from this trolley to off the shelf fair flats.

The original concept of DCA was not salvageable. They screwed it up too badly. When we started to see them shift away from it, the park improved. Thematically it collapsed but it was finally not an almost complete waste of time aside from one or two areas.

It’s time to let the California stuff go. It had its time, but it’s completely incongruous with the future of the park and the more they hold onto it as the park marches forward, the more the park’s identity crisis will worsen.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I am once again asking you guys to actually visit Magic Mountain or Discovery Kingdom

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Except it was only added 12 years ago as part of the beginning of the "big fix" for DCA.

I stand corrected on that front.

My point however is even clearer with that: it was put there in a desperate move to give the park something to do, not because it was a vision or a story.