The 60th Anniversary of Disneyland: The Reality of it All

[TP2000]

Oh, and that 'dragon from a 1978 movie that no one remembers'...?
That would be Elliot, and the film 'Pete's Dragon' came out at the end of 1977.

See...i remember....but then again, dragons are kind of my thing.

Ha! I love it!

I stand corrected on the release date. And to give it relevance today, the love song from Pete's Dragon, Candle On The Water, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song at the Academy Awards in April, 1978. Which is probably where my memory banks got the "1978" date from, as the Oscars were held five months after the film was released.

For the record, I know where Elliot is from, and can even spell Passamaquoddy. You and me and about two other people in the parade crowds of the 2010's might be able to know that.

 

[Figments Friend]

Ha! I love it!

I stand corrected on the release date. And to give it relevance today, the love song from Pete's Dragon, Candle On The Water, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song at the Academy Awards in April, 1978. Which is probably where my memory banks got the "1978" date from, as the Oscars were held five months after the film was released.

For the record, I know where Elliot is from, and can even spell Passamaquoddy. You and me and about two other people in the parade crowds of the 2010's might be able to know that.

Heh heh..right...?
See, that just puts us in a special 'exclusive club' then!


I always liked the film 'Pete's Dragon'.
It was a big fave of mine since i first saw it upon original release, even though that was a surreal cinema experience for a six year old.
Not because of the film content, but what happened during the particular film showing i attended with my parents.
Towards the end of the film, the projector blew up upstairs and the film 'melted' right on screen.
Yep..pretty surreal. One of my first 'movie moments' !
The threatre manager was so embarrassed about what happened he gave everyone free passes for another showing in the future.

These days i still enjoy it quite a bit, particularly the great score and fun songs.
Totally deserved it's two nominations in that department as you mention, for both Best Song and Best Score.
One can only hope the 'reboot' being filmed now in New Zealand will have some of the charm of the original...but i somehow seriously doubt that.

Fun fact -
The fictional town name 'Passamaquoddy' is taken from a actual real Native American tribe name.
The Passamaquoddy lived thousands of years ago in the uppermost Northeastern area of the US, near the area of what is today's state of Maine.

Yeah i know...useless facts us Disney Geeks have stored in our heads.......

 

[Mike S]

Heh heh..right...?
See, that just puts us in a special 'exclusive club' then!


I always liked the film 'Pete's Dragon'.
It was a big fave of mine since i first saw it upon original release, even though that was a surreal cinema experience for a six year old.
Not because of the film content, but what happened during the particular film showing i attended with my parents.
Towards the end of the film, the projector blew up upstairs and the film 'melted' right on screen.
Yep..pretty surreal. One of my first 'movie moments' !
The threatre manager was so embarrassed about what happened he gave everyone free passes for another showing in the future.

These days i still enjoy it quite a bit, particularly the great score and fun songs.
Totally deserved it's two nominations in that department as you mention, for both Best Song and Best Score.
One can only hope the 'reboot' being filmed now in New Zealand will have some of the charm of the original...but i somehow seriously doubt that.

Fun fact -
The fictional town name 'Passamaquoddy' is taken from a Native American tribe name that lived thousands of years ago in the upper areas of Maine.
Yeah i know...useless facts us Disney Geeks have stored in our heads.......

Cool theater story but I think I have one that'll top it. I don't really know if it's true, but apparently my mothers friends mother went to see Twister when an actual twister came and ripped the roof off the theater. Talk about 4D huh?

 

[Figments Friend]

Cool theater story but I think I have one that'll top it. I don't really know if it's true, but apparently my mothers friends mother went to see Twister when an actual twister came and ripped the roof off the theater. Talk about 4D huh?

Maybe her friends saw it at Universal...?

 

[Sage of Time]

Mack the semi truck fits on Main Street USA just as much as Norwegian princesses on an iceberg, or psychedelic spinning mushrooms with a talking caterpillar, or a dragon from a 1978 movie no one remembers, or a 1950's hula hoop contest, or Herbie The Love Bug, or Disney characters sitting on a cloud pulled by a giant flying whale, or African animals and folk dancers, or pretty much any float from any parade that has travelled down that route since 1955.

Personally, I've always been jealous that Disneyland never had a float like this one from WDW in 1971, with groovy guys in polyester bell bottoms pretending to play electric guitars and out-of-sight girls in micro mini skirts shaking tamborines. Not fair!

And for those wondering about Steve Davison's rather breathless announcement that Paint The Night would feature Mickey on a "Drum Unit", that type of float has appeared at Disneyand since the early 1960's. It was a float copied in 1972 for the Electrical Parade. Kind of weird, but it worked, and became a reference point for Soundsational in 2012 and again for Paint The Night.

Here's Mickey at Disneyland on the first drum unit circa 1965.

WDW has always had a history of awesome drum floats.

 

[kibia16]

Too much Pixar. Needs more classic Disney. I know it's like a big thing at DL because of Cars Land at DCA, but does anyone really want to see a semi on Main Street?

Agree with you, Endor Sightseer.
Keep that Pixar stuff over at DCA...where it belongs and seems to *fit* better with that Parks theme.

Originally there was talk that DLRs version of *Paint The Night* was going to incorporate more Classic Disney and less emphasis on overused Pixar.
Still hoping that will be the case, although at this point it appears to be a near exact clone with all the same units plus a few recycled from Paris.

Nothing is recycled from Paris. We know for sure that in addition to the HKDL lineup there will be a logo drum unit and a Frozen unit. Whether there's more than that is up for debate.

Also, Screamscape is not a reliable source.

I don't get all this talk about the over abbundance of pixar in this parade. As a matter of fact, if you look at the parade line up, there is more disney units than there are pixar units.

Here is the Unit Breakdown at HKDL:
Disney:
1) Tinkerbell Unit
2) Little Mermaid
3) Belle Unit and Candelabras
4) Mickey unit and Minnie, Donald, and Goofy on little balls

Pixar:
5) Monster's Inc
6) Cars - Mack Truck with DJ and Lighting McQueen
7)Toy Story

New Units for DL Version:
8) Drum Unit
9) Frozen

Once you add the drum float and the frozen unit, that means that pixar will only be 3 of the 9 units of the parade. That is not an over abundance of pixar.

Also, Steve Davison said that they did not want to copy the old electrical parade and that they wanted to make a parade for today's audience. The kids that are coming to the parks today are growing up with the pixar movies and that is what they come to expect to see when they come.

We talk of classic disney being the movies such as peter pan and alice in wonderland, but in thirty years when the kids of today are grown up and talking to their kids, they will be referring to the pixar movies in that same fashion.

 

[Figments Friend]

........
Also, Steve Davison said that they did not want to copy the old electrical parade and that they wanted to make a parade for today's audience. The kids that are coming to the parks today are growing up with the pixar movies and that is what they come to expect to see when they come.

We talk of classic disney being the movies such as peter pan and alice in wonderland, but in thirty years when the kids of today are grown up and talking to their kids, they will be referring to the pixar movies in that same fashion.

Those are very valid points, as is the number of floats ratio you mentioned in your original post.

I think the feeling of 'overabundance' of Pixar characters is from a general perspective, not just the 'Paint The Night' Parade.
In my own opinion, i think over the last few years Disney has kind of gone overboard with the 'Pixarfication' of the Theme Parks.

As noted, the films were and still are very popular.
Today's kids associate them with 'Disney' just as much as they do with 'Cinderella' so it is completely understandable why the Company would want to expand their presence in the Parks.
There is no question that they have a eager audience already familiar with those characters and their stories.

Some fans however find the addition of Pixar associated personalities a bit tedious in some situations..but that is primarily based on whatever their own personal tastes may be.
While many embrace the Pixar characters as 'Disney', others would prefer having a break from them now and then from new offerings.
With the huge family of Disney ( and Pixar ) characters to choose from, it would be nice to see something 'different' for a change.


'Paint The Night' will be a great addition regardless.
The modern look is interesting and based on the existing parade overseas the visual appearance of the units will certainly be exciting.
Guests will love it for sure.

 

[VJ]

We talk of classic disney being the movies such as peter pan and alice in wonderland, but in thirty years when the kids of today are grown up and talking to their kids, they will be referring to the pixar movies in that same fashion.

Exactly.

 

[Figments Friend]

WDW has always had a history of awesome drum floats.

Nice photos....dig that fabulous old marketing logo!
I have that on a paperweight here in my room.
Looks far more epic on a giant drum, though.

 

[Sage of Time]

To be honest, despite the ratio of Pixar to Disney, the music is still VERY Pixar heavy. You hear MI right after the opening. It's.... obvious. Not subtle.

Nice photos....dig that fabulous old marketing logo!
I have that on a paperweight here in my room.
Looks far more epic on a giant drum, though.

I have that paperweight, too!

 

[RandomPrincess]

So NPH will be hosting WOC -

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...or-the-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/

Today, we’re pleased to announce that Neil will be joining Mickey Mouse as host of the all-new “World of Color – Celebrate!,” opening May 22 at Disney California Adventure park as part of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration. Neil, himself a fan of Disney Parks, will bring his unique style of humor and charm to this special edition of the popular “World of Color” show.

Neil will be prominently featured in video footage as part of the show, beginning May 22 and continuing with every performance of “World of Color – Celebrate!” during the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

So NPH will be hosting WOC -

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...or-the-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/

Today, we’re pleased to announce that Neil will be joining Mickey Mouse as host of the all-new “World of Color – Celebrate!,” opening May 22 at Disney California Adventure park as part of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration. Neil, himself a fan of Disney Parks, will bring his unique style of humor and charm to this special edition of the popular “World of Color” show.

Neil will be prominently featured in video footage as part of the show, beginning May 22 and continuing with every performance of “World of Color – Celebrate!” during the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration.

I had heard he would figure differently, but this sounds way better. Should be an awesome show. The parks blog also mentions an attractions medley. Eek!

 

[RandomPrincess]

I had heard he would figure differently, but this sounds way better. Should be an awesome show. The parks blog also mentions an attractions medley. Eek!

If it's classic attractions form Walt's Era it could be really fun.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

If it's classic attractions form Walt's Era it could be really fun.

I'm sure it'll just be Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Tarzan's Treehouse and Innoventions.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The new WoC show sounds like Remember.

 

[RandomPrincess]

The new WoC show sounds like Remember.

I was thinking that too.

 

[mickEblu]

I don't get all this talk about the over abbundance of pixar in this parade. As a matter of fact, if you look at the parade line up, there is more disney units than there are pixar units.

Here is the Unit Breakdown at HKDL:
Disney:
1) Tinkerbell Unit
2) Little Mermaid
3) Belle Unit and Candelabras
4) Mickey unit and Minnie, Donald, and Goofy on little balls

Pixar:
5) Monster's Inc
6) Cars - Mack Truck with DJ and Lighting McQueen
7)Toy Story

New Units for DL Version:
8) Drum Unit
9) Frozen

Once you add the drum float and the frozen unit, that means that pixar will only be 3 of the 9 units of the parade. That is not an over abundance of pixar.

Also, Steve Davison said that they did not want to copy the old electrical parade and that they wanted to make a parade for today's audience. The kids that are coming to the parks today are growing up with the pixar movies and that is what they come to expect to see when they come.

We talk of classic disney being the movies such as peter pan and alice in wonderland, but in thirty years when the kids of today are grown up and talking to their kids, they will be referring to the pixar movies in that same fashion.

This is a great point and is probably true for most people. However, I do not fit this description. I was born in the 80's and I also consider movies like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan as the Real Disney classics and some of the ones I have the most affinity for. I didn't grow up watching Disney movies from the 70s or 80s although this may be because that was a particularly dark era for Disney movies with a few exceptions. I'm not sure how it happened either as neither of my Parents were huge Disney fans. Maybe I just knew quality when I saw it . I do think of movies like Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast as modern classics but I don't hold them in the same regard as some of the classics from the 30's, 40's & 50's. I realize I may just be an anamoly and that nostalgia also is playing a factor even though the movies were made 3-4 decades before I was born.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

While it is easy to make the connection with Julie Andrews being associated with the 50th, i am struggling to see the *Disney connection* with Neil Patrick Harris.

What does he have to do with the legacy of the Disney Organization?
Did i miss something...?
Seems a odd choice.

Are they just choosing someone *contemporary* to attract attention to the Anniversary events, or is it for another reason?

This is not meant to come across as a slam against Neil, I am just honestly curious as to why he was chosen to be DLs 60th Anniversary Ambassador to the World.
I am not really seeing the connection there.

He's a famous person who's a fan. He's also the voice from California Screamin', of course!

 

[Travel Junkie]

Off topic but funny. Actual picture in the story.

A tour guide in New Orleans.Loren Javier /Flickr

The Supreme Court has rejected a free-speech appeal from guides in New Orleans who object to having to be licensed to lead tours.
The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place lower court rulings that said the licensing requirements do not violate the First Amendment.
Opponents of the requirements had hoped that the New Orleans case might attract the Supreme Court’s interest because a District of Columbia court has held that similar rules in the nation’s capital were unfounded.
The case is Kagan v. New Orleans, 14-585.

http://skift.com/2015/02/24/u-s-sup...licensing-tour-guides-isnt-free-speech-issue/

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Off topic but funny. Actual picture in the story.

A tour guide in New Orleans.Loren Javier /Flickr

The Supreme Court has rejected a free-speech appeal from guides in New Orleans who object to having to be licensed to lead tours.
The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place lower court rulings that said the licensing requirements do not violate the First Amendment.
Opponents of the requirements had hoped that the New Orleans case might attract the Supreme Court’s interest because a District of Columbia court has held that similar rules in the nation’s capital were unfounded.
The case is Kagan v. New Orleans, 14-585.

http://skift.com/2015/02/24/u-s-supreme-court-rules-that-licensing-tour-guides-isnt-free-speech-issue/

Is Bob Iger married to someone from skift.com? Maybe he can have this story pulled as well for painting New Orleans Square in a bad light?