The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[TP2000]

So I went to Magic Kingdom today and rode TBA. (More on that soon in the Tiana thread.)

Rode Small World, among others. Being of Scottish blood, I just wanted to snap a photo of the ride’s epic, spectacular, no-expense-spared tribute to the land of my ancestors:
View attachment 796022

Well, to be fair, most Scotsmen would prefer if they dialed back the expenses a bit. No need to waste money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.

My Mom's side of the family had lots of Scottish ancestry, who somehow showed up in SoCal before World War I. There used to be a chain of supermarkets in SoCal called McDaniel's, and my grandmother on my mother's side always shopped there. They had a jaunty Scotsman in a kilt and tam-o-shanter hat as their mascot on their huge signs, they plastered plaid trim on anything that stayed still, and touted their low, low prices that would even impress a Scotsman. I'm not making this up. Of course, because this was the mid 20th century, no one thought to be offended by any of this. My Scottish grandmother loved the place, as it was the cheapest in town.

That said, and without any help from a bit of Drambuie, I think I like the art direction of the Scotland scene in Disneyland's 1964 World's Fair version a tad better. The color scheme and graphics are noticeably more stereotypically Scottish at Disneyland, and less "Montgomery Ward Plaid Upholstered Kitchen Dinette Set Circa 1970" like at WDW.

 

[TP2000]

Also, wherever your ancestry may be from to make up the Great American Melting Pot, at least you aren't suffering the indignities of being a Canadian riding Disneyland's It's A Small World.

All they got was a plywood Mountie flapping his arms in a dark corner, with a Thunderbird perched on his hat looking suspiciously like he might leave a souvenir behind.

 

[Rich T]

On my recent Magic Kingdom visit, I had a lot of interactions with great CM’s, but the use of the term “Friend” really became weird and annoying. It sounds creepy and cult-like, and there’s really no way for the CM’s to make it work. The more you hear it the more grating it gets. In the wrong situation, it can sound sarcastic. In all cases, it sounds odd and insincere.

I’m offended, Disney! You’re makjng me feel (gasp) uneasy! Change your policies to make ME feel welcome too, dang it!

 

[TP2000]

This seems particularly tacky and weird. Cast Members in uniform passing out anti-Disney union buttons and leaflets describing how they are "fighting oppression" from Disney at the entrance to Disneyland as their contract negotiations drag on.

Why even bother pretending it's a "show" any more?

Disneyland union hands out Mickey Mouse raised fist buttons to theme park visitors

Disney cast members asked arriving theme park visitors to sign a petition in support of union contract negotiations seeking fair wages.

www.ocregister.com

"Disneyland’s largest union coalition took its fight for a pay raise to the streets by handing out Mickey Mouse raised fist buttons to visitors entering the Anaheim theme park.

Disneyland union employees distributed buttons on Monday, July 1 with the Disney icon’s white gloved hand raised in a fist as a symbol of fighting oppression and asked arriving theme park visitors to sign a petition in support of union contract negotiations seeking fair wages.

Cast members, Disney parlance for employees, handed out the buttons with Mickey’s cartoon fist at the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Disney Way while wearing their theme park uniforms."

 

[PiratesMansion]

This seems particularly tacky and weird. Cast Members in uniform passing out anti-Disney union buttons and leaflets describing how they are "fighting oppression" from Disney at the entrance to Disneyland as their contract negotiations drag on.

Why even bother pretending it's a "show" any more?

Disneyland union hands out Mickey Mouse raised fist buttons to theme park visitors

Disney cast members asked arriving theme park visitors to sign a petition in support of union contract negotiations seeking fair wages.

www.ocregister.com

"Disneyland’s largest union coalition took its fight for a pay raise to the streets by handing out Mickey Mouse raised fist buttons to visitors entering the Anaheim theme park.

Disneyland union employees distributed buttons on Monday, July 1 with the Disney icon’s white gloved hand raised in a fist as a symbol of fighting oppression and asked arriving theme park visitors to sign a petition in support of union contract negotiations seeking fair wages.

Cast members, Disney parlance for employees, handed out the buttons with Mickey’s cartoon fist at the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Disney Way while wearing their theme park uniforms."

Would it be better if they did it on Main Street as they did in Paris not that long ago?

 

[TP2000]

Would it be better if they did it on Main Street as they did in Paris not that long ago?

No, that would be dramatically worse. Likely illegal in this country. But leave it to the French to... be French.

But that doesn't make this any better. This seems tacky and weird, in my opinion...

 

[Parteecia]

No, that would be dramatically worse. Likely illegal in this country. But leave it to the French to... be French.

But that doesn't make this any better. This seems tacky and weird, in my opinion...

It's what Disney gets for cheaping out and having CMs take care of their own costumes.

 

[TP2000]

It's what Disney gets for cheaping out and having CMs take care of their own costumes.

Agreed! That was truly one of the biggest mistakes they made during the Resort Expansion of 1997-2001.

Second only to DCA, really. Paul Pressler was the worst guy (or gal) ever to lead Disneyland. A cheap and clueless hack.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Would it be better if they did it on Main Street as they did in Paris not that long ago?

I was there in Disneyland Paris last summer when the cast members were striking in front of the castle and then they marched down Main Street. Interesting to see actually, but not something I wouldn't expect to see at an American park.

 

[Sneakman]

Was lighthyear mountain/ new Tomorrowland even real? I can believe a buzz update, but lightyear mountain sounds like a stretch to me.

 

[NobodyElse]

It's what Disney gets for cheaping out and having CMs take care of their own costumes.

I was poised to say basically the same thing. The off-site costume aspect of this is a situation they opened the door to back when they changed their long-standing policy.

 

[NobodyElse]

PS: If I was a low-paid Cast Member who felt compelled to deliver for Doordash after work in order to make ends meet, I would definitely consider going this route:

 

[CaptinEO]

Was lighthyear mountain/ new Tomorrowland even real? I can believe a buzz update, but lightyear mountain sounds like a stretch to me.

I'd believe it. A lot of things pointed to it happening including many employees seen inspecting the track that summer. There was a structure in the movie made to look like Space Mountain as well.

I'd 100% expect Chapek or Iger to have made this work, and then the movie's failure scrapped it. Again, typical Disney where they won't redo the dying Tommorowland without a movie tie in.

Furthermore in 2019 I remember reading how there were plans for Frontierland in Magic Kingdom to be Toy Story themed (woody). This fell through but they were going to replace country bears with a Toy Story Puppet show and retheme Big Thunder to Toy Story as well.

 

[Phroobar]

PS: If I was a low-paid Cast Member who felt compelled to deliver for Doordash after work in order to make ends meet, I would definitely consider going this route:

View attachment 796390

Then get home and look out your bathroom window to see this.

 

[TP2000]

I was poised to say basically the same thing. The off-site costume aspect of this is a situation they opened the door to back when they changed their long-standing policy.

It was caused because Pressler was building DCA as cheap as possible, and he didn't want to spend money to build more locker rooms and backstage CM infrastructure for costuming and storage.

Pressler, and the idiot execs he surrounded himself with like Cynthia Harriss, didn't think it was any problem to send Disneyland's often iconic CM uniforms off property, so you could see Haunted Mansion chambermaids pumping gas at Chevron, or Davy Crockett shopping at Ralph's, or at Tower of Terror bellhop standing in line with you at the bank.

The execs that came along in the decades after Pressler, either didn't have the money to fix it although they wanted to (like Matt Ouimet), or simply are too clueless to understand why it's still a problem to be fixed even though they have the authority and money now (like Josh D'Amaro).

 

[chadwpalm]

Then get home and look out your bathroom window to see this.

 

[TP2000]

Okay, gang, it's July 3rd! I've completed my checklist, have you?!?...

Flags placed in the yard, bunting on the garage doors, gorgeous steaks from Colorado, corn on the cob from California, barbecue baked beans from North Carolina, S'mores fixings from Hershey, Pennsylvania, an iced bushel of Midwest beers, a basket of Pinot Noir from Oregon and Pinot Grigio from Washington, sparklers and smoke bombs for the neighbor kids, a ridiculous looking Uncle Sam top hat to wear for the decorated bike parade judging, a curated playlist with Motown, John Phillip Sousa, Neil Diamond and the Beach Boys, and most importantly...

A great big burst of patriotic pride at being blessed to live in this beautiful country, the greatest land of all!

I hope everyone here has a happy and hilariously fun Independence Day!

 

[Phroobar]

Okay, gang, it's July 3rd! I've completed my checklist, have you?!?...

Flags placed in the yard, bunting on the garage doors, gorgeous steaks from Colorado, corn on the cob from California, barbecue baked beans from North Carolina, S'mores fixings from Hershey, Pennsylvania, an iced bushel of Midwest beers, a basket of Pinot Noir from Oregon and Pinot Grigio from Washington, sparklers and smoke bombs for the neighbor kids, a ridiculous looking Uncle Sam top hat to wear for the decorated bike parade judging, a curated playlist with Motown, John Phillip Sousa, Neil Diamond and the Beach Boys, and most importantly...

A great big burst of patriotic pride at being blessed to live in this beautiful country, the greatest land of all!

I hope everyone here has a happy and hilariously fun Independence Day!

Cool! I'll be right over tomorrow. I'll bring the potato salad. Are Nevada fireworks illegal in St. George?

 

[SuddenStorm]

It was caused because Pressler was building DCA as cheap as possible, and he didn't want to spend money to build more locker rooms and backstage CM infrastructure for costuming and storage.

Pressler, and the idiot execs he surrounded himself with like Cynthia Harriss, didn't think it was any problem to send Disneyland's often iconic CM uniforms off property, so you could see Haunted Mansion chambermaids pumping gas at Chevron, or Davy Crockett shopping at Ralph's, or at Tower of Terror bellhop standing in line with you at the bank.

The execs that came along in the decades after Pressler, either didn't have the money to fix it although they wanted to (like Matt Ouimet), or simply are too clueless to understand why it's still a problem to be fixed even though they have the authority and money now (like Josh D'Amaro).

When I went through the Traditions training five years ago, the trainer said it's the nametag that defines you as a Disney employee, so never to wear it off property.

Seems like a huge reduction because as you said- many of the costumes are iconic, perhaps more so than a nametag.

 

[TP2000]

Cool! I'll be right over tomorrow. I'll bring the potato salad. Are Nevada fireworks illegal in St. George?

Fireworks are legal and sold in town, but illegal (obviously) in parklands and the rural hills and washes that are dry as a bone this time of year.

Judging by what I heard/saw here last year, illegal fireworks from Indian Reservations and Nevada are fairly common. But I'm just giving the neighbor kids sparklers and smoke bombs, just to keep them on my good side and to add that needed tinge of gunpowder smell to the air.

Can you do a potato salad made with redskin potatoes for color? And not too heavy of a dressing, with some fresh parsley? Thanks in advance!