The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[mickEblu]

I'd be more worried for it in regards to any plans they have post Tiana versus any potential future plans for DL Forward.

Tiana’s got a restaurant, store and ride. I can’t imagine there is much more they will add other than retheming the Briar Patch and maybe doing a Louis meet and Greet.

 

[Disney Irish]

Tiana’s got a restaurant, store and ride. I can’t imagine there is much more they will add other than retheming the Briar Patch and maybe doing a Louis meet and Greet.

Its always been assumed and alluded to that once opened Tiana's side would be annexed into NOS. Leaving just that small sectioned of Pooh's side to remain CC. I can't imagine them leaving it like that.

So I fear the rest of CC and Pooh's days are numbered once Tiana opens, with or without DL Forward.

 

[mickEblu]

Its always been assumed and alluded to that once opened Tiana's side would be annexed into NOS. Leaving just that small sectioned of Pooh's side to remain CC. I can't imagine them leaving it like that.

So I fear the rest of CC and Pooh's days are numbered once Tiana opens, with or without DL Forward.

It’s not going to be annexed into NOS. The spiel on the Mark Twain says TBA is part of Critter Country. In addition, the Critter Country sign in still standing in construction videos.

 

[Disney Irish]

It’s not going to be annexed into NOS. The spiel on the Mark Twain says TBA is part of Critter Country. In addition, the Critter Country sign in still standing in construction videos.

Maybe you're right, dunno. I guess we'll see what happens when it opens.

I just don't think Pooh is going to stick around for very long after Tiana opens, with or without DL Forward.

 

[mickEblu]

Maybe you're right, dunno. I guess we'll see what happens when it opens.

I just don't think Pooh is going to stick around for very long after Tiana opens, with or without DL Forward.

Has nothing to do with me being right. Either you believe what Disney is saying or not.

What would Pooh go for in a scenario with no DL Forward? Another Star Wars ride? That’s the only thing that makes any sense and yet I can’t imagine anything they could fit in that space would be worth the hassle.

 

[Disney Irish]

Has nothing to do with me being right. Either you believe what Disney is saying or not.

As we know with all things that Disney does things change, just because the spiel says one thing today doesn't mean that is for sure happening.

Just seems a little strange to not include a ride set in New Orleans within the New Orleans Square border. But if it stays CC, I'm ok with it. We'll see how it turns out.

What would Pooh go for in a scenario with no DL Forward? Another Star Wars ride? That’s the only thing that makes any sense and yet I can’t imagine anything they could fit in that space would be worth the hassle.

Any number of things. It all depends on if they keep the CC theme or not. And yes it could be annexed into GE too, and become something a little larger. There is a bit of land behind it and can even make the entrance within GE itself.

 

[Rich T]

So nobody cares that it’s the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’s 20th anniversary at Disneyland or that it’s about to turn into a PeopleMover station to take you into the Disneyland forward expansion?

Has it really been 20 years since Disney “magically” downgraded an amazing, iconic, E-ticket animatronic spectacular into a “meh” C-ticket? Have I held a grudge THAT long?!?

They could turn Pooh into a chain-link-fenced shortcut gate to the parking garage and I’d call it poetic justice.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Has it really been 20 years since Disney “magically” downgraded an amazing, iconic, E-ticket animatronic spectacular into a “meh” C-ticket? Have I held a grudge THAT long?!?

They could turn it into chain-link-fenced shortcut gate to the parking garage and I’d call it poetic justice.

Especially given that we're now going to lose the last remaining CBJ in the US (or at the very least, it's essence, it's Marc Davis-ness), I'm not inclined at the moment to look fondly on the first time CBJ lost out to the very sort of paint-by-numbers, preschool thinking still modeled by our current theme park execs.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I’m one of few people that didn’t like Country Bear Jamboree.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I’m one of few people that didn’t like Country Bear Jamboree.

Did you see it last at WDW? Or at DL?

I'm of the mindset that the OG show is the only one that ever worked (and even then, it was best appreciated after you'd seen it a few times), so if your last show was Vacation Hoedown (the default DL show from 1986 onward) it doesn't surprise me that it didn't do a whole lot for you.

 

[Rich T]

I’m one of few people that didn’t like Country Bear Jamboree.

You certainly weren’t/aren’t alone. It was one of my faves, but most of my large and wonderful family would endure it just to humor me once per trip… and sometimes I had to resort to pleading or bribes.

I also loved the TV show Hee-Haw and the guy in the bear costume who was a regular on the Andy Williams variety show.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Did you see it last at WDW? Or at DL?

I'm of the mindset that the OG show is the only one that ever worked (and even then, it was best appreciated after you'd seen it a few times), so if your last show was Vacation Hoedown (the default DL show from 1986 onward) it doesn't surprise me that it didn't do a whole lot for you.

Disneyland. I was a kid, but my cousin LOVED the show, so we almost always saw it during our visits. Maybe I’d appreciate it more as an adult, but as a kid, I couldn’t stand watching it. It just never grabbed my attention. I’d have to give it another chance.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Disneyland. I was a kid, but my cousin LOVED the show, so we almost always saw it during our visits. Maybe I’d appreciate it more as an adult, but as a kid, I couldn’t stand watching it. It just never grabbed my attention. I’d have to give it another chance.

Fair.

I didn't love the Vacation Hoedown show when I was a kid either. We didn't see the Country Bears when we went to WDW the following year-we didn't know it was a different, better show at WDW. By the time I next returned to DL, the bears had been gone for a decade.

I did get to see Vacation Hoedown again in Tokyo, where watching Trixie sing Achy Breaky Heart in English and Japanese added to the already surreal experience.

Here's the original show from 1971 in its entirety (post-2012, it was cut in length by about a third-that unfortunately means this video is a bit older than I would otherwise like). One slight disclaimer: the audio at the very beginning of the show has never sounded super great. The full show has a dated Liberace joke near the top of the show, but I do think the full show otherwise works better than the shortened post-2012 version. With the exception of the Bear Band Serenade ("Zeke and Zeb and Ted and Fred...") and the exit song unfortunately cut off from this video ("Come Again/Come on In"), all of the songs were pre-existing pieces of music repurposed for the show:

 

[PiratesMansion]

You certainly weren’t/aren’t alone. It was one of my faves, but most of my large and wonderful family would endure it just to humor me once per trip… and sometimes I had to resort to pleading or bribes.

I also loved the TV show Hee-Haw and the guy in the bear costume who was a regular on the Andy Williams variety show.

I genuinely believe that part of the reason CBJ doesn't get the respect it should is because it never really caught on at Disneyland to the extent it did in Florida and Tokyo.

It benefits from multiple viewings, something few were willing to do given its location within the park and Disneyland's location just outside of one of the country's biggest metros-LA just isn't a country music sort of place in my experience. Many locals likely didn't head back there regularly-hence the (inferior) overlays to try and get people interested in the show again.

 

[Parteecia]

My friends and I loved the original show. It felt transgressive and naughty for Disney, especially Little Buford. We got the ladder joke later.

 

[PiratesMansion]

My friends and I loved the original show. It felt transgressive and naughty for Disney, especially Little Buford. We got the ladder joke later.

He's not going up that ladder to play Yahtzee.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I’d say it’s rather important for a healthy digestive system. Sorry, Dad joke.

Yeah I think it’s very charming and I’d hate to see it go for a short People Mover ride into the expansion park. Hopefully the ambiance of Pooh corner and Critter Country survive any DL forward expansion as that’s where the path would likely go. With that said, the land already took a hit with Splash getting the Ax.

Wait, is there actually credibility to the idea of a path to the DL Forward plot from Disneyland proper? Yeesh.

Part of Disneyland's appeal is the berm, and the framework created by Walt in the '50s. Sure, we've gotten some new lands- New Orleans Square, Bear/Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown- but these served as thematic extensions of Frontierland and Fantasyland. I'm leaving out Galaxy's Edge as I still believe it has no place in Disneyland, and there's a reason Disney worked so hard to 'separate' it from the rest of the park. Let the place rest and focus on running what's there as well as possible- fix up the service, the attractions, and the food quality and start to rebuild the 'legendary service' reputation the place used to have.

There is also the question of- how big should the park get? Would it be able to have a large enough increase in daily guests to justify the increased operating costs? If this DL Forward plot became a third gate, they could shorten the park hours etc. if attendance is low like they do for DCA. Plus, sell more day tickets and make Disneyland Resort more of a week long destination.

 

[mickEblu]

Wait, is there actually credibility to the idea of a path to the DL Forward plot from Disneyland proper? Yeesh.

Part of Disneyland's appeal is the berm, and the framework created by Walt in the '50s. Sure, we've gotten some new lands- New Orleans Square, Bear/Critter Country, and Mickey's Toontown- but these served as thematic extensions of Frontierland and Fantasyland. I'm leaving out Galaxy's Edge as I still believe it has no place in Disneyland, and there's a reason Disney worked so hard to 'separate' it from the rest of the park. Let the place rest and focus on running what's there as well as possible- fix up the service, the attractions, and the food quality and start to rebuild the 'legendary service' reputation the place used to have.

There is also the question of- how big should the park get? Would it be able to have a large enough increase in daily guests to justify the increased operating costs? If this DL Forward plot became a third gate, they could shorten the park hours etc. if attendance is low like they do for DCA. Plus, sell more day tickets and make Disneyland Resort more of a week long destination.

I believe some of the potential plans we’ve seen have showed a path extending from the Critter Country area to the DL Forward expansion but I’m not 100% sure.

Yeah I’d prefer Disneyland doesn’t get expanded at all just out of fear of the unknown and the impact it may have on Disneyland proper. It’s already the best theme park on earth and has more E tickets than any other Disney park. It’s great. Leave it alone please. I’d rather see a DCA expansion or just have it be a third park.

Then again what more can they ruin that’s a realistic possibility? I guess they can completely fumble whatever they end up doing on the East side of Disneyland to replace Autopia, Motorboat etc. and the Matterhorn becomes a Wandering Oakens E ticket.

They can also ruin the ambiance of Critter Country if a path ends up going there. There are ways to do it with a winding path maybe between Splash and the Pooh store that would do minimal harm but if they just bulldozed The Winnie the Pooh store that wouldn’t be good.

They can kill Storybookland for a BatB ride or the like which would be just about one of the worst things you could do. I guess there’s plenty they can screw up but the only thing they could screw up that would be related to Disneyland Forward would be its impact to Critter Country. Hopefully if DL forward ever happens they find a way for the path to start from GE instead.

Tomorrowland redo could be a fail but as long as Space Mountain, the Monorail and the lagoon stick around and how much of a downgrade can it really be? The Fantasyland dark rides and are safe due to their small size. Tiki Room might get the MK CBJ treatment. Jungle Cruise has already been altered for the worse but safe for now. Thunder Mountain will probably see some sort of IP when the right one comes along but I don’t believe they re stupid enough to put Woody in there. ROA has already been hacked up. Magnolia park is about to be hacked up. Splash is Gone.

 

[mickEblu]

Not to say there aren’t places Disneyland could be expanded or updated nicely. In an ideal world with someone like Baxter in charge I’d green light a Mary Poppins ride and park between the Matterhorn and IASW taking over the IASW mall platform, Motorboat and whatever other space they have back there. Take some of Autopia if you need it too.

 

[Phroobar]

Other than having some of the lowest wait times in the resort and an ok themed exterior, does anyone really care about Pooh in general?

When you get to my age, your thankful for Pooh at least once a day.