A Kinder, Gentler Disneyland

I'll preface my remarks with a little story. Even though Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and myself are not Southern California residents, my father-in-law lives in Torrance where it borders Redondo Beach - a really area. One Sunday afternoon, we had arranged to meet some acquaintances at a city park on the coast near Torrance. My father-in-law was driving and pulled up to a curbside parking spot right in front of the park and was about to back in. As he was about to back in, someone with car full of people nose dived right into the spot basically stealing if from him. Mrs. DLT was livid and ready to jump out of the car. My father-in-law, an ornery old guy who was a one time Navy seaman and someone who looks like he has been in a bar fight or two, told Mrs. DLT to calm down and let it go then drove off to find another parking spot. "You need to be careful living down here. You don't know what some people are capable of."

His cautionary words may be a bit extreme but wise none the less. Some things are best left alone. It's safer that way. Which leads to me Disneyland and what I read often in forums and discussion boards that the park crowds now tend to be ruder, cruder, more obnoxious, self-centered, and not at all respectful of others trying to enjoy their Disney day. Same park regulars remember a Disneyland of yesteryear where "sharing in the magic" beat out "every man for himself". Could this be an idealized view of what never was? Perhaps, but the Disneyland of today mirrors the society we live in especially the diverse society of Southern California. I have never witnessed a fist-fight or any kind of violence at Disneyland. Security at the park is first rate. But I have seen plenty of arguments and generally bad behavior by people of all ages and all ethnicities. It sometimes makes me cringe that grown people can flat out be that rude.

If park behavior has deteriorated, Disney needs to take some of the responsibility. There are close to a million annual passholders for Disneyland and a great majority of them are Southern California locals. There is a huge percentage of local passholders who are true Disney fans and have a great deal of respect for the park and its legacy. Some of these people go out of there way to help someone who may be visiting Disneyland for the very first time. But there is also a large population of passholders who do not share in the respect for the park or other park guests and treat it more like a visit to a local shopping mall. People like this are usually easy to spot and in some cases, I almost feel sorry for them because they have no sense of where they really are. On top of passholders, Disney also makes discount tickets available to Southern California residents to bolster the attendance. It makes visiting Disney quite affordable to people you may not even want in your house.

I have no control over anyone else or their behavior. Respect for others has been on the decline for quite some time. You could probably write a book about when and how all this went down hill. So while I have no control over the behavior of others, I can only look at myself. By nature, I am not a very social person. I tend to be suspicious of other's motives. Mrs. DLT says I look at the negative (in anything) far too much. But I've never gotten into an argument at Disneyland with another guest. I try not to let the bad behavior of others not affect me. But there is something missing in this "ignore it and turn the other way" approach. Am I really helping Disneyland be a better place. At any given time, there are thousands of very nice people in that park. I tend not to say anything until someone says something to me first. Why can't I just reach out with a comment or friendly 'hello' that makes someones park visit just a bit better? The better, kinder, gentler Disneyland does not begin with fixing everybody else's bad attitudes. It starts with you and me, with a smile, with a "where are your from?", with a "are you enjoying your day?". The kinder, gentler Disneyland is not seeking self-centered enjoyment for yourself. It's doing everything possible to share the magic with everyone around you. Next visit, I'm going to try a make Disneyland a better place by being nicer.

"But Doesn't Mickey Look a Little Small?"

You have to admit Disney has done a pretty good job its makeover of its Paradise Pier section of Disney California. Yes, there is still room for improvement. The retail shops near the old Maliboomer site need to be re-themed to more closely fit in with the predominantly Victorian themed architecture. Everyone is still waiting for a real "Disney" worthy queue line for California Screamin'. There's not much that can be done with King Triton's Carousel. It is what it is. 

Perhaps the biggest single improvement to the pier was the peeling and discarding of that ghastly looking giant orange covering that housed the swing ride - once named The Orange Stinger. Man it was ugly. The ride itself - swings spinning on a spindle - is sadly an off-the-shelf carnival ride that is featured at most non-Disney theme parks and even state fairs. These are rides that are bought, not "imagineered" in the true Disney sense. Disney owned it so the ride wasn't going anywhere but it did have to be re-themed to fit in with the new vision of Paradise Pier and now spins wildly to the music of the William Tell Overture as Silly Symphony Swings based on an early Mickey Mouse cartoon - The Band Concert. Up on top of the ride, conducting the mayhem, stands bandleader Mickey. It is the only ride/attraction in either park that features its most prominent resident (not counting Fantasmic here).

But I noticed it right away and everybody I am with pretty much says the same thing when coming near the ride  - "isn't Mickey a little small?" Yes. Yes. Double-yes. Supposedly the figure of Mickey that tops the ride is about 6 feet tall. On a ride that tall, he does really look mouse-like. To do justice to the ride and Mickey, he should have been taller and more prominent. He should have been made to where his silhouette could stand out from hundreds of feet away. It's a bad ride but at least it could been a more pronounced focal point if we had been given a bigger Mickey. Maybe there was a ride engineering / balance problem with a bigger Mickey but with the small Mickey, you've taken the park's biggest star and made him into cake topper.

Just Desserts In Disneyland

So I'm sitting here this morning having a cup of coffee and eating a piece of toast with some jelly on it. I'm also reading a MousePlanet discussion board thread about best desserts in Disneyland. Great topic! I want to contribute something but I can't. Darn it. You see, by the time Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have finished our Disney meals, there seldom is any room in our tummies for dessert. We see the assorted pastries, cupcakes, and sweet treats around the park but rarely do we go out of our way for them. Usually by the time we have digested our meals after a couple of hours of fun in the parks, its right back time for another meal minus the dessert once again.

To be fair, we have gone for the WOC dining package meals at Ariel's Grotto and Wine Country Trattoria where a plate of mini desserts in included with the meal but these, while pleasing to the eye, aren't all that great in my humble opinion. Some of the little offerings may be better than others but none of them are particularly memorable. And there is that ever present churro cart where we do stop from time to time but again, not really a true drop to your knees kind of dessert. The lowly churro can be quite tasty when its fresh and hot but it is also one of those things where when its 40 seconds past its prime shelf life, can go down hill incredibly fast in taste.

I think last year we got a couple desserts from the Plaza Inn Restaurant to eat while watching the fireworks but to tell you the truth, you get so wrapped up in the fireworks and other people watching fireworks that the dessert became quite secondary.

When it comes to dessert at Disneyland for Mrs. DLT and I, our sweet tooth's are satisfied from two sources, the pineapple ice cream treats from the Tiki Room (another post) and from fresh made candy from any number of the parks delectable candy display cases - Ummm fudge. Oh, I would be remiss if I didn't mention once again Mrs. DLT's love for the pumpkin muffins in the fall. They don't float my boat all that much because when it comes to fall desserts, I'm not a big fan of nutmeg which seems to be in just about everything, but count Mrs. DLT in as a fan of the muffin. 

Worst Queue Line Ever - California Screamin'

Think about getting in a queue line for some of Disneyland / Disney California Adventure big D and E ticket attractions. Some them are excellent in theming (Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin, Indiana Jones). Some of them are pretty good (Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion). Some of them are just OK (Space Mountain, Soarin' Over California). And then there is California Screamin', arguably DCA's biggest and best E ticket attraction and an attraction with a queue line that has no theming whatsoever just a series of switchbacks that are semi covered to keep you out of the sun. Wait times can be long for some of these rides and Disney is to be given a lot of credit for providing in line guests at least a little bit of entertainment and amusement while they wait their turn to get on. But California Screamin' provides absolutely nothing for the guests as they meander their way to the front boarding area. Yeah, you could make a stretch and say that views of Paradise Pier are the guests entertainment but even Toy Story Mania provides Mr. Potato Head and some posters to read. Screamin' has nothing.

People have complained about Screamin's queue line in forums and discussion boards for years and even in a billion dollar renovation, Disney still hasn't addressed the weak California Screamin' queue line. The ride opened yesterday after about a 6 week refurbishment. It got a fresh coat of paint and a rebuilt loop but the queue, its the same dull thing it ever was. Maybe some day Disney will take a look at it. Maybe Tom Staggs (Disney Parks Chairman) should take his sons and go stand in line and experience some serious boredom.

"Hi-yo, Silver" The Lone Ranger Rides Again

Hollywood insider website TheWrap.com is reporting that Disney has once again given the green light to resume production of The Lone Ranger movie after the principals (The Pirates of the Caribbean team of star Johnny Depp, director Gore Verbinski, and producer Jerry Bruckhemer) agreed to trim the budget of their movie which had soared to in excess of 250 million dollars. Disney, in a sense of cold feet and fiscal responsibility, had cancelled production a few months back and demanded concessions be made. The principal participants involved did take pay cuts (don't feel sorry for them though, they'll get millions) and certain "supernatural elements" (i.e. expensive special effects) have been cut out or cut back. Yes, the movie supposedly was to feature some werewolves (in a western?). Anyway, the movie is due out May 2013.

Conversion Of A Halloween Hater

Regular readers of this blog know I am a Halloween hater from way back. Just never cared for what people try to pass off as some kind of 'holiday'. It's not. And if you really want to get me going, start talking about Disneyland's separate admission Mickey's Halloween Party that takes place every Tuesday and Friday nights starting last week up through Halloween. And by separate admission I'm talking about the $50 or $60 it takes to get into the park outside regular admission. 'Highway robbery' they used to say.

But you know, I've never been to a Mickey's Halloween Party. I don't know what goes on in there. Thanks to some outstanding photograph's in the this week's edition of MiceAge/MiceChat's In The Parks feature, I may be able to change my tune about Mickey's party. It looks like loads of fun. Worth the extra 60 bucks? Well, just maybe it is. Enjoy the pictures from the link below.

MiceChat's In The Parks Look at Mickey's Halloween Party & More

What's New in Disney News - Vol 3

Steve Jobs - Apple Co-Founder - 1955 - 2011

It's been an eventful week on the Disney news front on the corporate side of things. First up.

Steve Jobs - Apple Co-Founder, twice CEO, and chief visionary passed away this past week after a long bout with pancreatic cancer and its aftermath. He was 56. Jobs is an Apple guy, credited with inventing or co-inventing Mac computers, iPods, iPhones, and most recently, the iPad. What does this have to do with Disney news? Most Disney fans know the story. Once upon a time, Steve Jobs, with money made from Apple, bought a small computer graphics company from George Lucas's LucasFilms. That little computer graphics company, now headquartered in Emeryville, CA, became Pixar. Pixar produced movies but needed a movie studio to distribute them. Pixar partnered with the Walt Disney Studios to distribute their films beginning with the original Toy Story. Once the contractual arrangement with Disney was up, Steve Jobs and Pixar were open to the highest bidder to distribute their now massively popular films. 

Of course, Disney and CEO Bob Iger, could not let Pixar get away. Disney made a massive offer to buy Pixar from Jobs. Of course, Jobs didn't need the cash as he was now actively involved in Apple's resurgence as the technical innovator on a global scale. He sold Pixar to Disney for Disney stock, a lot of Disney stock. Steve Jobs became Disney's single largest individual stockholder owning a little over 7% of the company by himself. He was also on the Disney Board of Directors. Though you didn't see a huge thumbprint from Jobs in the Disney company, there were subtle things. Jobs was a masterful retailer of his Apple products through the Apple stores, hugely innovative and profitable. In a bad economy, where most retail stores needed sales and gimmicks to get people in, Jobs had people lining up to get inside the tech savvy austere Apple stores. Much of the clean-up of Disney retail stores making them simpler, more spartan, and better displayed, is attributed to Jobs success with Apple retailers. 

Steve Jobs was only 56 when he died. With all the money in the world, sometimes you can't buy what is most precious - time on earth.

Bob Iger - One of the few people who spoke with Steve Jobs before he passed away was Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company. Bob brought Steve into Disney through the Pixar acquisition so I am sure the titans of industry had plenty to talk about. This passed week, Iger signed what was announced as his final contract to be the CEO of Disney. That contract will run to March 31, 2015, at which time Iger will step down as CEO and just become Board Chairman for a year while all the affairs and transition is put in order. 

I (along with other Disney fans) take jabs at Iger once in awhile because Disney is an easy target sometimes. Being one of the biggest, most profitable, most successful entertainment and media communications companies in the world, its easy to take a swipe at one of their occasional missteps. Iger, a onetime TV weatherman, came from the TV background. He was president of ABC when Disney acquired ABC/Cap Cities (which also included ESPN). Somehow in a 5 year span, he moved himself into the CEO role after Roy Disney forced the ouster of Michael Eisner.

But for most Disney fans, especially in California, Iger has made many good moves. Ultimately, it was Iger who signed off on the Disney California Adventure expansion and installed Pixar's John Lasseter as Chief Creative Consultant over many aspects of the Disney business including parks and animated films. Iger orchestrated the job switch between Jay Rasulo and Tom Staggs which brought the affable Staggs to the pivotal position as Chairman of Disney Parks moving the less popular with fans Rasulo into the corporate background as Chief Financial Officer (Staggs old position). Of course, Disney fans still ask why bean-counters like Rasulo and U.S and Europe parks president Meg Crofton still have their jobs in the company.

Anyway, the next few years should be interesting as to who becomes Iger's successor. It is pretty much thought that Staggs is being groomed for the position. Iger and Staggs have appeared together at many grand openings over the last couple of years and seem to work well together. At around 60 years of age, Iger looks much younger than his years and the same can be said for Staggs. Rasulo is the wild card in all this since he is a company man through and through. It should be interesting the next few years.