Originally Posted By Malin Today I have recieved my first issue of Disney Twenty Three Magazine, and was reading up more on Dave Smith's role at the Walt Disney Archives, and I was interested to know what happens to all the old props and costumes that the Resort no longer need. Has Tokyo Disney Resort got its own archives or do the Disney people put a claim on anything that the Resort no longer wants. I know the costumes from previous events have been used else where in parades like the countdown ones, so OLC must have some storage facility, right? I have hopes that the Horn King AA has been rescured from the Castle and is being stored in some warehouse, and not just been thrown in the skip.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris Funny thing is - I just got a copy of "The Black Cauldron" the other day and it reminded me of the attraction at TDL. My first thought was, "I wonder of they still have the Horned King" AA? I can't imagine where they would use him again, especially since the film has kind of disappeared into obscurity.
Originally Posted By Malin *** Funny thing is - I just got a copy of "The Black Cauldron" the other day and it reminded me of the attraction at TDL. *** I'm the reverse of that I was thinking of the Horn king AA the other day and decided I really need to purchase the DVD at some point. *** I can't imagine where they would use him again, especially since the film has kind of disappeared into obscurity. *** I think that AA is of huge importance when you take into consideration this is the only one in existance, and the only attraction to be based on the Black Cauldron. I would hope Disney or the OLC would be smart enough to keep it safe for its unique vaule. As for using it again, maybe not but would make a great centre piece for an exhibition during a future TDL Anniversary.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara The sold the hands of the Horned King AA figure at the first Disneyana Fan Festival in the auction.
Originally Posted By Malin Wow what a waste, instead of trying to preserve this unique AA, instead the company is auctioning it off for personal gain. So I guess that answers the question that the building has been stripped bare, but fear not everything will be available at an upcoming Disneyana Fan Festival to auction.
Originally Posted By leemac A lot of the Mystery Tour is still in place. There are plans afoot to replace the attraction and I think we will see some traction on the replacement facility in the next year or so. On the TDR archive there isn't technically such a place anywhere for WDP&R or its partners. WDI has a warehouse in SoCal and the Information Resource Center is on Flower Street - that is mainly a resource and slide library. OLC do have warehouses off-site where the seasonal entertainment product is kept but I'm not aware of a site where objects like AAs are kept. It just isn't cost-effective to maintain them when you have no intention of re-using them.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara It wasn't a waste at all: I was the underbidder! While they may reuse the underlying robotics of the figure (dated though he may be) the external portions of the figure would never be used again. Selling it to a collector is better than throwing it away, which is what they've done with plenty of stuff.
Originally Posted By Malin *** There are plans afoot to replace the attraction and I think we will see some traction on the replacement facility in the next year or so. *** Cheers for that bit of news Lee, so who wants to put bets on it being a Restaurant? *** It wasn't a waste at all: I was the underbidder! While they may reuse the underlying robotics of the figure (dated though he may be) the external portions of the figure would never be used again. Selling it to a collector is better than throwing it away, which is what they've done with plenty of stuff. *** I disagree the Horn King is a big part of TDL history, and granted it may never be used again, but TDR should be doing more to preserve its history, instead of looking to auction stuff off for a quick buck. With the Resort now into its 26th year of operation, its a shame that it can't see the value in keeping its history alive.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara Malin, you don't get it: they throw the stuff away. At the Disneyana Fan Festival they had nothing from before 2001 or so for sale because everything prior to that had been trashed. (They would never sell any AA figures anyway.) It's better that things end up in the hands of private collectors where it can be preserved than in the dumpster!
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara I find Lee's statement curious: considering that Oriental Land wouldn't spend the money to redo the attraction required by the heavy earthquake reinforcement required inside the Castle in the first place, why would they do a 180 and fund it now?
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ That wasn't the sole reason why the attraction folded. Not sure why you thought it was solely down to Kobe standards. The space was always designed to be King Stefan's but OLC needed attraction capacity. It is full of structural steel which made it very difficult
Originally Posted By Malin *** Malin, you don't get it: they throw the stuff away. *** Actually I'm understanding it quite well, but I don't agree with it. I think its a shame all this stuff is going to auctions instead of being stored in a archives somewhere. The fact that nothing has been kept since 2001 really shows you how bad the situation is here. Should this stuff be thrown in the trash, absolutely not.
Originally Posted By leemac The Disneyana Fan Festival was a complete bust - they didn't realize the sales that they were anticipating. Hence why it isn't back until '11 at the moment. The biggest issue was how many large pieces they were auctioning - Japanese people just don't have the space. I'm not sure why anyone would want the hands of an AA but each to their own. I just don't understand the desire to own part of an attraction like that.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara They had plenty of small pieces at both the lottery and the silent auction, almost all of which sold. And many of the large pieces did sell--I saw them sell. I was outbid on many of them. There were only 200 people there instead of the 300 I think they were expecting (at $1500 a pop). A complete bust? Not by any means. Could it be improved, certainly, but it was their first try. Unlike the events in the US, they gave away almost nothing in the way of free gifts (always a big lure). I think all we got was a pad with a logo on it. There were a number of items you could order that were limited to the number of orders, and I explained to the Disney folks there that all of these would have been given to the attendees as gifts in the US at that registration price.
Originally Posted By leemac <<A complete bust? Not by any means.>> Honestly - take my word for it - it was a financial disaster for them. The good thing is that it is being reworked for '11 (although it could be back next year if they get approvals sooner).
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara The all you can eat buffet dinner they gave us at the Sailing Day Buffet must have cost them a lot. Actually I heard 2010 for the next one.
