The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[No Name]

For those unfamiliar, visitors that stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel weren't allowed to leave the location until their visit is done.

That is not true at all.

On behalf of the hotel and everything holy in this world, I will not accept such slander!

 

[brb1006]

I normally don't get personal when I'm on this site. But I've been feeling melancholy lately for unknown reasons. Maybe it's because of the current state of this world (which I'm not going to discuss on this site) and the constant focus on negativity found on various news that's become the norm in recent years.

To counteract with this, I've decided to re-read Osamu Tezuka's "Unico" manga which ran from late 1976 till early 1979. While I briefly brought this up a few pages back, I wanted discuss my thoughts on Unico and why the protagonist has quickly became my all-time favorite non-Disney Character. In short, the character and the series' itself always carries messages of hope, love, and kindness with the titular character being very purehearted.

For those unfamiliar, the manga is about the eponymous baby unicorn who is hated by Venus (The Goddess of Love and Beauty) due to having the ability to spread happiness, encourage kindness, and love. At first she is extremely envious at Psyche (Goddess of Soul) due to gaining more attention thanks to Unico's ability of spreading happiness and kindness where she summons The West Wind to separate him from Psyche. The West Wind actually took pity to the unicorn where she's forced to wipe all his memories (such as forgetting his own species and the friends he's made). The storylines for each Chapter is told in Episodic Format but are very decent with messages and themes that are very progressive considering it was written in the mid to late 1970s.

While I'm currently on Chapter 4 (I prefer reading each Chapter once a week to fully get invested). For a children's manga (Tezuka actually aimed the Unico series for all-ages and genders). Unico isn't afraid of touching on darker and heavier subject. Some of the storylines touches on darker themes such as tackling prejudice and racism, the effects of pollution and carelessness with the environment, among others things. However, Tezuka manages to balance out the darker and sadder moments with a healthy does of hope, perseverance, and the importance of friendship and kindness.

But one of my favorite moments of the Manga and other animated incarnations is seeing Unico being very compassionate towards his friends and sometimes enemies and antagonists (depending on the story).

* Chapter 2 features an antagonist that accuses Unico of being a "Demon" (the chapter is set during the Middle Ages where nobody is aware of unicorns) and hires a group of assassins to kill innocent people across town at night to fuel anger in order to frame Unico as a Demon alongside his attempts to overthrow The King and marrying his Daughter. However neither The King, The Princess, and people who live inside The Castle believe Unico as a "Demon" which causes The King to get arrested for treason. After Unico and The Princess escape, he immediately notices The Princess crying in fear of her father getting executed. Unico decides to have a heart-to-heart conversation to reassure her where he promises to her that "Her father won't be executed" and even gives her an affectionate kiss before telling her to "Have Sweet and Positive Dreams". After providing The King's innocence alongside saving his life and humiliating the stories' antagonist. He gets separated from The Princess and The King from The West Wind but kindly asks The West Wind to give him a bit more time since "There's one more person that deserves happiness the most" referring to The King. He flies back to The King where he uses his powers to lift The King's curse from being "Ugly" to back to his normal appearance. The King even wonders if Unico was "A Gift from God".

* Chapter 3 (which was combined in the 1981 animated film) features Unico befriending a black and white cat named "Chao/Chow" (Katy in the 1981 animated film "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" and Chloe in "Unico: Awakening") who rescues him from a pit of mud (due to a flock of sheep sans a mother sheep) treating him rudely since he doesn't have white wool (Unico's fur is blue). After she cleans Unico up they both form a close friendship. However, an elderly couple decides to abandon Chow thinking she's worthless, believes that she will give them bad luck, and thinking "She would be better as a witches' cat" by putting her into a basket and throwing her down a river. Luckily Unico quickly follows the elderly man where he decides to comfort Chow who starts crying into his chest.

While she later decides to take the idea of being a "Cat Witch" to heart at first. Unico finds the idea absurd but tries to make her dreams come true. When he notices Chow crying due to struggling to find anything to eat. He starts remembering how his powers work before suddenly remembering that it only works "When somebody loves him and vice-versa" and summons tons of fish for her to eat. Eventually Unico and Chow befriend an Old Beggar Woman/Granny. While I'm not going into too much detail (it's one of the longer chapters), the chapter ends with Unico secretly using his powers to fully heal the old woman who appears to be dying of illness before once again getting separates from his friends by The West Wind.

And that's only the first 3 Chapters! I'm about to re-read Chapter 4 sometime this evening or this weekend as of this writing. The Unico manga and other anime incarnations has complex storylines about how love can be a double-edged sword, the importance of empathy, compassion, and kindness towards others, and very thought provoking.

It's up there with The Last Unicorn in terms of similar tones and atmosphere but man does the themes and messages ring nowadays than it dad back in the 1970s. Heck, the original manga even has positive depictions of Native Americans/Indigenous People where they're treated like ordinary people compared to other media at the time featuring them.

If it wasn't for Disney Channel (formerly "The Disney Channel") for frequently airing "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" and "Unico in The Island of Magic' throughout the 1980s. Then Tezuka's Unico wouldn't have gained a dedicated cult following in The United States.

Damn right am I hyped to get "Unico: Awakening" (An American/Japanese collaborated manga) by Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru later this Summer!

The Kickstarter Page for the "Unico: Awakening" manga

The "My Unico Fans" fan website has more information on the franchise and its characters created by "Xellis". I currently keep in contact with the owner of the site by sending her messages occasionally and is very dedicated to updating the entire site to help spread more info on the series to English fans.

 

[brb1006]

Just rewatched "Unico in the Island of Magic" (which is an original story) from 1983 by Sanrio (back when they used to have their own Animation Division) as preparation for Unico: Awakening and man does that movie get deep at times.

These last two screenshots are taken from the film's climax after Unico was forced to ram into Lord Kuruku (the film's main villain) after refusing to Unico's non-violent approach by asking him to "Break the spell and release all of puppets". He even apolgizes for hurting him since Unico felt genuinely for Kuruku's existence due being powered by his own hatred (due to being treated badly by his owners and spent centuries abounded and lonely).

Kuruku is completely perplexed by Unico actually forgiving him and even insists on becoming his first and only friend so he won't be lonely anymore. The unicorn is visibly concerned as he sadly watches him dying and becoming weak due to Unico's kindness and speech literally killing him.

The ending alongside The Fantastic Adventures of Unico was one of the very few animated films geared toward general audiences that actually made me enotional and even shedding a few tears.

They don't make children's animated films like this anymore.

I bet Osamu Tezuka would had been overjoyed if he learned Disney Channel decided to air both Unico Movies considering he was a massive fan of Disney during his lifetime. He even managed to attend Tokyo Disneyland on its opening day 40 years ago.

The English Dub for both Unico Movies is surprisingly decent compared to other English Dubs of Anime (then known as "Japanimation") at the time. Barbara Goodosn (Rita Repulsa) delivered a very charming and heartfelt performance as the titular little unicorn.

Heck, the Unico Movies and Manga itself makes for a perfect companion piece with The Last Unicorn (both in film and book) due to similar tones and complex storylines.

 

[CaptinEO]

Since the Galactic Starcruiser is closing this Fall at Walt Disney World. I wanted to share this promo Disney released last January featuring Ann Morrow Johnson and Sean Giambrone touring parts of the hotel.


The first-look promo was mocked so hard by both Disney and especially Star Wars Fans. That Disney decided to quietly remove the video from their Youtube and Twitter Accounts.

View attachment 717395View attachment 717396
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They also created a tie-in book focusing on Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa's wedding and honeymoon that was spent at The Starcruiser.


View attachment 717398

No wonder the couple split up between episodes 6 and 7, they were probably arguing over why they spent 5 grand to play bingo and have awkward dance lessons.

 

[CaptinEO]

I think WDW's 50th will go down as one of the worst events in company history.

We had:
Harmonious
Enchantment
Galactic Starcruiser
Kite Tails

The first three didn't even make it to the 2 year mark before being retconned despite the expensive costs. Kite Tails lasted just a few months but truly looked like the most entertaining show.

I thought Enchantment was fine actually when we saw it. Harmonious was just a mess though and the view in Epcot was way worse than pictures can show you. Those electronic festival concert stages floating in the water were huge.

The company clearly doesn't know how to spend or invest money into the parks these days.

 

[brb1006]

I think WDW's 50th will go down as one of the worst events in company history.

We had:
Harmonious
Enchantment
Galactic Starcruiser
Kite Tails

The first three didn't even make it to the 2 year mark before being retconned despite the expensive costs. Kite Tails lasted just a few months but truly looked like the most entertaining show.

I thought Enchantment was fine actually when we saw it. Harmonious was just a mess though and the view in Epcot was way worse than pictures can show you. Those electronic festival concert stages floating in the water were huge.

The company clearly doesn't know how to spend or invest money into the parks these days.

It's a huge shame that WDW didn't put the same amount of effort with their 50th Anniversary compared to how they went all out during their 25th Anniversary Celebration between 1996 and 1997.

They had an Anniversary Parade


A memorable Anniversary Theme with lyrics that were actual meaningful


And the Re-Dedication Ceremony was a recreation of it's original Dedication Ceremony from 1971!

 

[mickEblu]

A few Misc. thoughts and from my trip yesterday:

- Please Disney put the real grass back in the Mickey floral planter. It’s just so ugly and unnecessary. I can deal with everywhere else you decided to save a couple bucks and virtue signal (two birds one stone) except there. Also keep in mind it looks much better in photos than in person.

- On a positive note the IASW queue was spared from turf and all of Storybookland except for the little islands and the “grassy” hill on the river bank next to Monstro.

- Not a fan of those new effects on Indy. Not sure if the timing was off or something but they looked pretty bad and out of place. All of a sudden you have screens/ projections on walls with pixelated effects. With that said it was the best ride I’ve had on Indy in a while and I’m just glad the main effects work again. And is it just me or does it feel like it’s a little faster and bumpier? Closer to opening day? I liked the movement I felt yesterday.

- Jazz kitchen looks terrible. Especially that wrinkled material they put on top…

- Bought this yesterday. Coolest thing I’ve seen on sale at the park in a while.

- If you see a long Line for Tropical hideaway and only want food don’t stand in it. Walk to the back and go straight to the food counter. That long line is for dole whips. The egg rolls and pork baos aren’t bad at all.

- I feel that I’ve been too hard on Nemo. Son really wanted to go on it yesterday and not sure why but I walked away with a different perception of the ride. It’s not just an underwater cartoon. There’s a decent amount of physical props and figures and they re integrated fairly well with the screens. I think Disney has to find a way to always keep the Subs ride at DL. Not just the lagoon.

- looks like the French Market tree is surviving the retheme! Those planters seem to have been shrunk down or eliminated though. Was one of my favorite places to sit.

 

[PiratesMansion]

A few Misc. thoughts and from my trip yesterday:

- Please Disney put the real grass back in the Mickey floral planter. It’s just so ugly and unnecessary. I can deal with everywhere else you decided to save a couple bucks and virtue signal (two birds one stone) except there. Also keep in mind it looks much better in photos than in person.

View attachment 717813

View attachment 717814

- On a positive note the IASW queue was spared from turf and all of Storybookland except for the little islands and the “grassy” hill on the river bank next to Monstro.

- Not a fan of those new effects on Indy. Not sure if the timing was off or something but they looked pretty bad and out of place. All of a sudden you have screens/ projections on walls with pixelated effects. With that said it was the best ride I’ve had on Indy in a while and I’m just glad the main effects work again. And is it just me or does it feel like it’s a little faster and bumpier? Closer to opening day? I liked the movement I felt yesterday.

- Jazz kitchen looks terrible. Especially that wrinkled material they put on top…

View attachment 717802


- Bought this yesterday. Coolest thing I’ve seen on sale at the park in a while.

View attachment 717811

- If you see a long Line for Tropical hideaway and only want food don’t stand in it. Walk to the back and go straight to the food counter. That long line is for dole whips. The egg rolls and pork baos aren’t bad at all.

- I feel that I’ve been too hard on Nemo. Son really wanted to go on it yesterday and not sure why but I walked away with a different perception of the ride. It’s not just an underwater cartoon. There’s a decent amount of physical props and figures and they re integrated fairly well. I think Disney has to find a way to always keep the Subs ride at DL. Not just the lagoon.

- looks like the French Market tree is surviving the retheme! Those planters seem to have been shrunk down or eliminated though. Was one of my favorite places to sit.

That is a cool merch item!

The Nemo subs is a weird one for me. I still think it's fundamentally a ride that people make excuses for because of the ride system over the actual quality of the ride experience, but when I've redone it since my initial ride, it has been better than I remembered.

It occurs to me that Finding Dory actually provides a great template they could use to update the subs in a way that potentially makes more sense with what the ride system is, what the mission of Tomorrowland is allegedly supposed to be, and could provide a better bridge between what the Nemo subs are now and what they used to be. Not the Finding Nemo but with Dory redux instead part of the sequel, but the preserving of the Ocean and its creatures part of it. Explore the oceans in a submarine and have a representation of different ocean environments, with a potential surprise diversion into a more fantastical area of the ocean, so that they could bring back Atlantis or something.

I'm sure it will never happen, but it would make more sense with both the original conceit of Tomorrowland and the ride system, IMO, than the current iteration, where they're essentially doing a book report of the movie but in a sub because Disneyland happened to have these old, iconic ride vehicles lying around.

 

[SuddenStorm]

A few Misc. thoughts and from my trip yesterday:

- Please Disney put the real grass back in the Mickey floral planter. It’s just so ugly and unnecessary. I can deal with everywhere else you decided to save a couple bucks and virtue signal (two birds one stone) except there. Also keep in mind it looks much better in photos than in person.

- On a positive note the IASW queue was spared from turf and all of Storybookland except for the little islands and the “grassy” hill on the river bank next to Monstro.

Any real grass in the park is an absolute win. My hope is that we see Disney pull the astro turf and replace with drought tolerant strains of grass, or with other low water landscaping. Disneyland has been marketing their world class horticulture department for decades- let's put them to work and see them do better than Home Depot astro turf.

- Not a fan of those new effects on Indy. Not sure if the timing was off or something but they looked pretty bad and out of place. All of a sudden you have screens/ projections on walls with pixelated effects. With that said it was the best ride I’ve had on Indy in a while and I’m just glad the main effects work again. And is it just me or does it feel like it’s a little faster and bumpier? Closer to opening day? I liked the movement I felt yesterday.

What bugs me about Indy is that the ride still has so much that needs to be done- the Bridge doesn't work, the preshow is still shortened. So much randomized dialogue is missing. The randomized vehicle movement.The new effects are better than what was before, but the ride still falls short of what was there in 1995- and that's a shame.

- Bought this yesterday. Coolest thing I’ve seen on sale at the park in a while.

View attachment 717811

This is the perfect item to sell over at DCA, IMO.

- I feel that I’ve been too hard on Nemo. Son really wanted to go on it yesterday and not sure why but I walked away with a different perception of the ride. It’s not just an underwater cartoon. There’s a decent amount of physical props and figures and they re integrated fairly well with the screens. I think Disney has to find a way to always keep the Subs ride at DL. Not just the lagoon.

I love the Nemo ride and go on it every time I visit. It's relaxing, the artistry of it all is amazing- and it's the sort of attraction Disneyland isn't capable of producing anymore. I do agree with @PiratesMansion that it could have some minor tweaks done to make it a far more enriching experience. I'd love to see these tweaks happen to Tomorrowland as a whole-

1. Replace Launch Bay with a modernized iteration of the original Journey Into Imagination.
2. Replace Star Tours with a version of Adventure Thru Inner Space, perhaps using Ant Man and the Quantum Realm as inspiration.
3. Bring back the Peoplemover, with updated show scenes in the interior portions.
4. Give Buzz a thorough refurbishment (even if it means I can't use the 'I had a bad gun' excuse anymore).
5. Bring back Captain Eo!

We would then have Outer Space, Liquid Space, Inner Space- and the Imagination- all of the hallmarks of good ole' fashioned Disney edutainment and optimistic inspiration.

- looks like the French Market tree is surviving the retheme! Those planters seem to have been shrunk down or eliminated though. Was one of my favorite places to sit.

It's really amazing how different the west half of the park is going to be in a year. I remember back in 2015 thinking that half- from Frontierland to New Orleans to Critter Country and the ROA was perfect. Then, Disney added SWL which made it a little less perfect. And now? It's going to be near unrecognizable. First gen 1960's Imagineering is being lessened with the modifications made to New Orleans, and 1980's Second Gen Imagineering is being eliminated with the removal of Splash.

It's just a shame they've done so much to the best part of Disneyland, when Downtown Disney and DCA and Tomorrowland needed work done far before the west side.

 

[mickEblu]

Any real grass in the park is an absolute win. My hope is that we see Disney pull the astro turf and replace with drought tolerant strains of grass, or with other low water landscaping. Disneyland has been marketing their world class horticulture department for decades- let's put them to work and see them do better than Home Depot astro turf.


What bugs me about Indy is that the ride still has so much that needs to be done- the Bridge doesn't work, the preshow is still shortened. So much randomized dialogue is missing. The randomized vehicle movement.The new effects are better than what was before, but the ride still falls short of what was there in 1995- and that's a shame.



This is the perfect item to sell over at DCA, IMO.


I love the Nemo ride and go on it every time I visit. It's relaxing, the artistry of it all is amazing- and it's the sort of attraction Disneyland isn't capable of producing anymore. I do agree with @PiratesMansion that it could have some minor tweaks done to make it a far more enriching experience. I'd love to see these tweaks happen to Tomorrowland as a whole-

1. Replace Launch Bay with a modernized iteration of the original Journey Into Imagination.
2. Replace Star Tours with a version of Adventure Thru Inner Space, perhaps using Ant Man and the Quantum Realm as inspiration.
3. Bring back the Peoplemover, with updated show scenes in the interior portions.
4. Give Buzz a thorough refurbishment (even if it means I can't use the 'I had a bad gun' excuse anymore).
5. Bring back Captain Eo!

We would then have Outer Space, Liquid Space, Inner Space- and the Imagination- all of the hallmarks of good ole' fashioned Disney edutainment and optimistic inspiration.


It's really amazing how different the west half of the park is going to be in a year. I remember back in 2015 thinking that half- from Frontierland to New Orleans to Critter Country and the ROA was perfect. Then, Disney added SWL which made it a little less perfect. And now? It's going to be near unrecognizable. First gen 1960's Imagineering is being lessened with the modifications made to New Orleans, and 1980's Second Gen Imagineering is being eliminated with the removal of Splash.

It's just a shame they've done so much to the best part of Disneyland, when Downtown Disney and DCA and Tomorrowland needed work done far before the west side.

The Astro turf has gotta go! It should have never made its way to the Mickey floral. The fact that they couldn’t abstain from putting it there but spared other areas is very telling on how incompetent they are. It’s like obviously other factors went into the decision making process as real grass can still be found across the park. It’s the entrance to one of the most photographed spots in one of the most photographed places on earth. Could it not just remain a symbol of joy and beauty?

I’m not sure the new effects are better. I think being in a dark room would be better than the effects they added. I’m not even sure they re better than the rat projection. With that said the timing did seem off on that spectral light effect that I did like on the ride through video I saw last month. Just happy the boulder is working. Snake is is still as slow as ever but at least moving. Last weekends ride was much better than the pathetic state it was in before the refurb.

I agree on Nemo, they couldn’t/wouldn’t create something like that on their best day for many reasons. I’d sign off on all your TL ideas except I’d probably ask for a Buzz replacement. Huge Captain Eo fan and would welcome it back tomorrow but as part of an entire land refresh I’d probably want a reworking of that entire area including the old Mission to Mars building. I don’t think they can do better than Captain Eo in the theatre as it stands today though.

You’re right. The west side of the park is perfect and they just won’t stop tinkering with it. I know it’s because they know TL needs a lot of work so TL stays on the perpetual back burner while they do “smaller” projects on the West side. The changes have not only focused on the West side of the park but they’ve made their way to my favorite part of the park, will be removing my favorite ride and favorite places to sit and relax. I don’t do enough of sitting and people watching at Disney. So when they remove or alter the area where I made a point to do it will be felt. I’m referring to the planters outside French Market behind the bandstand. One area that’s also becoming a favorite to relax is the motorboat cruise dock and you just know that’s on borrowed time. Maybe that’s just it though. There aren’t a lot of places to sit and take a breather (unless you re at a restaurant) so they become our “favorite.” It’s nice to be able to casually stroll into an area knowing you ll have shade and that it won’t be too hard to find a seat.

 

[TP2000]

The next big round of layoffs at Disney has begun today. Last month Disney cut about 4,000 white collar jobs, mostly at their Glendale and Burbank campuses, with some losses in New York City, Beijing, and Connecticut (ESPN).

This round is another 2,500 jobs being cut on top of the previous 4,000. Again mostly white collar jobs and management in Glendale and Burbank. Oof! That's gonna leave a mark in SoCal.

Disney has laid off something less than 100 people in Florida as part of the 7,000+ job cuts. The majority of those 7,000 lost jobs have been in California.

"Disney has not filed any Florida layoff notices, state records show. Federal law requires companies to give 60 days' notice of mass layoffs and plant closings."

Disney is cutting 7,000 jobs. Here are 5 things to know including what CEO Bob Iger is saying

A larger round of layoffs will come in April, with several thousand more staff reductions.

www.floridatoday.com

 

[SuddenStorm]

The next big round of layoffs at Disney has begun today. Last month Disney cut about 4,000 white collar jobs, mostly at their Glendale and Burbank campuses, with some losses in New York City, Beijing, and Connecticut (ESPN).

This round is another 2,500 jobs being cut on top of the previous 4,000. Again mostly white collar jobs and management in Glendale and Burbank. Oof! That's gonna leave a mark in SoCal.

Disney has laid off something less than 100 people in Florida as part of the 7,000+ job cuts. The majority of those 7,000 lost jobs have been in California.

"Disney has not filed any Florida layoff notices, state records show. Federal law requires companies to give 60 days' notice of mass layoffs and plant closings."

Disney is cutting 7,000 jobs. Here are 5 things to know including what CEO Bob Iger is saying

A larger round of layoffs will come in April, with several thousand more staff reductions.

www.floridatoday.com

What will be interesting is how this impacts the company moving forward. I've had a few Linkedin connections get laid off, and a few posts about people getting layoffs pop up on my feed.

Usually it's something like this. "Hi, I'm John Smith- former senior manager to the Vice President of integration of magic for digital distribution for West Anaheim and creator of pixie dust. Working at Disney has been the most magical time and I've grown and I'm thankful for all Mickey has taught me. Looking forward to my next magical adventure, wherever that may be"

Like seriously- Disney's corporate structure is the most convoluted thing ever, and their titles are the most ridiculous thing ever. This reorganization is long overdue- there have to be so many positions that don't provide direct value for the company. I just hope a leaner upper management in Anaheim (which has had some layoffs) will help the park operate more effectively.

 

[TP2000]

What will be interesting is how this impacts the company moving forward. I've had a few Linkedin connections get laid off, and a few posts about people getting layoffs pop up on my feed.

Usually it's something like this. "Hi, I'm John Smith- former senior manager to the Vice President of integration of magic for digital distribution for West Anaheim and creator of pixie dust. Working at Disney has been the most magical time and I've grown and I'm thankful for all Mickey has taught me. Looking forward to my next magical adventure, wherever that may be"

Oh, for goshsakes! I can only imagine.

These people need to cut the cord, get out into the real world and dedicate themselves to a life that isn't controlled by a theme park company coasting on fumes.

Like seriously- Disney's corporate structure is the most convoluted thing ever, and their titles are the most ridiculous thing ever. This reorganization is long overdue- there have to be so many positions that don't provide direct value for the company. I just hope a leaner upper management in Anaheim (which has had some layoffs) will help the park operate more effectively.

It's very odd. They just started the last round of 2,500 layoffs in SoCal this week, after previous layoffs of a few thousand in SoCal. And there's still people left apparently?

I still listen to KFI via the IHeartRadio App, and the ongoing Writer's Strike is digging in there now that it's headed to it's 4th month. According to industry watchers, the earliest the strike could end is July. The safe bet is that it goes until October at least, but it's not impossible to consider that it stretches past this Christmas. So the Hollywood machine is grinding to a halt, and Disney is laying off thousands from their cubicle farms. Again I say... Oof!

 

[SuddenStorm]

Oh, for goshsakes! I can only imagine.

These people need to cut the cord, get out into the real world and dedicate themselves to a life that isn't controlled by a theme park company coasting on fumes.



It's very odd. They just started the last round of 2,500 layoffs in SoCal this week, after previous layoffs of a few thousand in SoCal. And there's still people left apparently?

I still listen to KFI via the IHeartRadio App, and the ongoing Writer's Strike is digging in there now that it's headed to it's 4th month. According to industry watchers, the earliest the strike could end is July. The safe bet is that it goes until October at least, but it's not impossible to consider that it stretches past this Christmas. So the Hollywood machine is grinding to a halt, and Disney is laying off thousands from their cubicle farms. Again I say... Oof!

The entertainment landscape is gonna look really interesting, and I anticipate many announced films and shows will be delayed. I'd be very interested to learn how the writer's strike impacts Disney+, which is already bleeding money for the company.

Disneyland in park operations isn't having any layoffs according to a few friends- so at the very least Disneyland will be able to operate as it currently does despite the layoffs. Though I would guess it will impact new merchandise releases, as well as promotions and new attractions.

 

[TP2000]

The entertainment landscape is gonna look really interesting, and I anticipate many announced films and shows will be delayed. I'd be very interested to learn how the writer's strike impacts Disney+, which is already bleeding money for the company.

I scanned a Variety article today about the strike. It's going until at least July in the best case scenario. More likely it goes until at least fall or into '24. This is gonna leave a mark.

Disneyland in park operations isn't having any layoffs according to a few friends- so at the very least Disneyland will be able to operate as it currently does despite the layoffs. Though I would guess it will impact new merchandise releases, as well as promotions and new attractions.

There are also no major layoffs in Disney World in Florida from this mess.

Disney would have had to file a statement with the Dept. of Labor if they were going to lay off more than 100 salaried employees in Florida, and no statement was filed. So if any layoffs did happen in Florida, they were few and far between and under the legal reporting threshold of 100 employees.

But in Burbank and Glendale, there are thousands of white-collar, professional jobs that have been axed this spring, or are being axed this week in the final round of 2,500+ additional layoffs. A few layoffs happened in New York City, and Disney laid off an office team that worked out of Beijing. Otherwise, it's thousands and thousands of Southern Californians that are losing their jobs with Disney.

 

[PiratesMansion]

In their recent update, MiceChat says there was some kind of railroad fire in December and since then the Railroad has only been running two trains.

I don't recall hearing about that. What happened, and what is currently preventing them from running more than two trains?

 

[SuddenStorm]

In their recent update, MiceChat says there was some kind of railroad fire in December and since then the Railroad has only been running two trains.

I don't recall hearing about that. What happened, and what is currently preventing them from running more than two trains?

I think that's talking about the fire at the New Orleans Square station? The water tower there has been under scrims ever since. They're sure taking there time getting it fixed, but I imagine not having the tower operational for refilling the trains plays into it?

 

[mickEblu]

Saw some pics of the WDW construction of Tiana. Looks really odd without the tree/ weenie up there.

 

[Phroobar]

I think that's talking about the fire at the New Orleans Square station? The water tower there has been under scrims ever since. They're sure taking there time getting it fixed, but I imagine not having the tower operational for refilling the trains plays into it?

Walt would have had that water tower fully operational next day. He would probably pay for it himself. Now the project sits on some temp's desk who doesn't know how to process it.

 

[mickEblu]

Calling on all Disneyland attraction poster enthusiasts. What is the original Disneyland Splash Mountain poster? Long story short... I've wanted to purchase a replica of the Splash Mountain sign for a while. A guy on instagram makes really good ones but unfortunately they are of the Magic Kingdom Splash Mountain marquee and not Disneyland and the Disneyland purist in me will not allow me to purchase it even though I find the MK logo more aesthetically pleasing.

See Below:

Disneyland marquee:

Magic Kingdom marquee:

So here's where the mystery begins. At some point it occurred to me that the Disneyland poster actually uses the MK marquee/logo. This doesn't make sense as the Mk's version of Splash didn't open until 1992. So this begs the question(s), did Splash not have an official attraction poster when it opened at Disneyland in 1989? Was this version (see below) of the poster unveiled in 1992 with the opening of MK's Splash Mountain and then they just changed the land name on the bottom for Disneylands version? To make things more confusing I have found (fan made) versions of the Disneyland poster online with the correct DL marquee/ logo. Did some intern at some point mistakenly put the MK logo on the DL poster?


Disneyland Poster:

Magic Kingdom Poster:

Fan made Disneyland poster with correct logo:

Did a little google search and it appears that Disneyland had a bunch of different promo posters/materials in 89 for Splash's opening but may not have had an official attraction poster.

Here's the Disneyland version 25th Anniversary poster which gives credence to the intern made a mistake theory as they use the correct logo here:

It just occurred to me as I type this post that they could have just changed it because the MK logo just works better with the poster. On the poster I find the MK logo more aesthetically pleasing. On the marquee I find DL's version more esthetically pleasing. Still doesn't answer the question of if Disneyland originally had this poster and just a some point had the logo changed or if this poster was unveiled when MK's Splash opened.

@SuddenStorm @Rich T