NewHotels,LittleMermaidRide,New "E-Ticket" 4 Tomorrowland,GoldenDreams 2 B Demolished

[innerSpaceman]

I don't think even another time period in California is enough of a transport to a different time or place. Sure, California 50 years ago is better than just plain California - - for a park located IN CALIFORNIA.


But I think an entirely different theme is the necessary starting point. The tourist mix is never going to be optimal for a California park in California, and I don't even think that kind of thing works for tourists anyway. If I go to France, a theme park about France is not going to substitute for me seeing France.

The idea, I'm sure, was for the park to substitute for visiting the rest of California ... and that is simply insulting on top of being absofreakinglutely boring.


At this point, if I were to bulldoze DCA and not put up a parking lot, I'd have to stick with Disney tried and true ... and either go with Disney Seas or a concept worked-on forever, like Disney's America. Personally, if going for the proven rather than the gamble, I'd flood most of DCA, and build World Showcase West.


FYI, neither World Showcase nor Disney Seas are long on attractions. They are little more than stunningly beautiful environments ... and I think California Adventure would come a long way if it weren't just so damn ugly.


Having a nonsensical layout doesn't help either. Heheh, WorldShowcasicizing it would solve that right quick.

[RStar]

I agree there. California theme in CA in just plain dumb. If they theme it to JUST Walt then perhaps it would have a chance. So this could inlude his time in MO on the farm (Bountiful Farms area), but anything else before that would be boring. Would you follow the exploits of a young Walt delivering newspapers in Kansas as a dark ride? Or in France durring the war? The rest that is interesting about Walt happened in CA. But that's not to say CA has to be pushed. Walt could be the main attraction. Heck, if Dolly Pardon can do it, why not Walt? Waltworld anyone??

But, as we all know, they will not start all over with a new theme park. They won't claim failure. I agree with you that it won't completely fix the problem 100%, but if it takes it from 30% to 80%, that worth doing. Plus, I'm hopeing Disney Seas becomes the third gate!

[innerSpaceman]

Well, I just had a preview of Gn2Dlnd's proposals for DCA as I ran across him slinging cheese in Century City ... and I think you'll like them.




* * * *

As for a park about America in America, I'll grant it would do better in an area (such as originally proposed) where tourists - especially American tourists - flock to grok some American History.


California is hardly best for that .... but I think that park deserves to be built, and we've got a turkey park that needs a complete re-do (imo).

[Alex]

I can't say it is entirely accurate but my experience talking to the casual Disney consumer is that for the most part while the idea of Walt Disney is nice they really don't give a rats fart about him as an actual person. Heck, for most he is simply a mildly-interesting modern myth.

So while I can see an attraction or exhibit doing somewhat well, the man himself doesn't strike me as a strong idea for centering an entire park. That's not to say there isn't a very large body of people who do care intensely about the man himself, just not - in my view - enough to support a park.

I also wonder if a park about America in America is any less odd than a park about California in California.

[Alex]

What is the threshold for "success" in our eyes? Does it have to be good enough that when we hit the esplanade we are equally torn as to which park we should go to or is there some lower bar that could be met where we'd say "it's good enough"?

[innerSpaceman]

For me, yes, I have to be torn. Not equally torn. (And, ya know, not torn at all ... since I can go back and forth between them faster than I can go from one end of Disneyland to the other).

I have to be excited about the prospect of going to either park. It has to be a place I enjoy being in. I don't have to enjoy it as much as Disneyland, necessarily. But neither can it be a dog when compared to the Park footsteps away.

[Gn2Dlnd]

For a very long time I've thought that DCA could be fixed by splitting it into two separate parks. One, to the East, being a full-blown Hollywood themed park. Expand out into the Esplanade and the Timon lot, and connect to the strawberry fields with your glamourtram tour. Or, better yet, a Glamorail! Use the Hyperion as a legit concert venue, and finish the Studio Park Lite as a full-fledged Disney Studio blow-out.

The other side of the park is my favorite. A True-Life Adventure themed park. You keep the Pacific Northwest, high desert, and farm areas (with, of course, enhancements) and Paradise Pier is either scrapped and turned completely into the ocean themed section of the park, or you fit your ocean themed exhibits into a bustling, turn-of-the-century seaside amusement park. I miss the educational elements that used to permeate so much of Disneyland, wouldn't it be nice to bring that back in a park with that as its focus?

I started thinking about this when I bought my 50th anniversary CD set. Listening to the Rainbow Caverns mine train reminded me how much I loved that attraction, and how much of a sister attraction it was to the Jungle Cruise. A recent Al update indicated that a similar attraction may be added to the Grizzly River Rapids area of DCA, I hope it's true.

After today's cheez-fest (333 S. Hope, downtown L.A.), I'll tell you how animatronic Walt fits into Tomorrowland. Again, an idea that's been rattling around in my head for years.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Did I kill the thread?

[RStar]

Originally Posted by Gn2Dlnd

Did I kill the thread?

Ok, so now I killed this thread!

[CoasterMatt]

The Commodore doesn't kill threads, he swanks them into Cheesetopia...

(I type this as I'm devouring a delicious grilled cheese and apple slice sammich)