Originally Posted By HMButler79 <a href="http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/11/name-that-disneyland-resort-costume/" target="_blank">http://disneyparks.disney.go.c...costume/</a> Since WHEN is New Orleans Square set in the 1940s? In every Disney publication they CLEARLY state it's set in the 19th century and Julie Rhiems herself stated on the show "This is the Queen of the Delta she looked a century ago". SAY WHAT??? 1940s Jazz Age??
Originally Posted By berol She's more right than wrong since everything we see in New Orleans Square was in New Orleans in 1940, but not everything was in the 19th century.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I touched on this in a thread the other day, but it seems like they've been doing their best in recent years (since the late 90's) to gradually shift NOS into a more modern period. It's like it's a historic district of a 'modern' city (although 'modern' may not literally be today, it's a different era than the architecture). Personally, I think it's a loss, but I understand that they were a little concerned about having 3 areas of the park set between 1870 and 1910 (Main Street, New Orleans Square, and Frontierland). However, I think that keeping the original time period of NOS helps blend the overall experience of the other areas together. But with all the modern set decorations sitting on the balconies, particularly once the Christmas decorations go up, I'm not at all surprised that the 'official' setting of NOS has changed. At least they're attempting to be accurate within a different frame of reference, rather than just doing whatever they pleased (though the result looks more like the latter, IMO).
Originally Posted By Manfried Good grief, its a "setting" but its also a theme park. It does not have to be exact. It wasn't in Walt's day.
Originally Posted By HMButler79 Never noticed modern day propping on the balconies, but the whole land IS pre 20th Century. Pirates facade is French/Spanish colonial, Mansion is antebellum and all the exteriors and interiros are themed to teh 1860s. So they just can't "change" the time period. ""It does not have to be exact. It wasn't in Walt's day."" So we can just move Main Street foward in time and it would work???
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<Pirates facade is French/Spanish colonial, Mansion is antebellum and all the exteriors and interiros are themed to teh 1860s. So they just can't "change" the time period.>> I think that they must be refering to the automatic doors recently installed in the French Market for one. Definetly not period pieces. Just kidding kids!
Originally Posted By Nobody "So we can just move Main Street foward in time and it would work???" One could say that is and has been the case for quite some time. Architecture is period specific, yet products sold within are more modern. Even the Emporium window displays have (as far as I remember) depicted the currently released animated film. Add in all the ODV and it would seem very similar to the NOS situation.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>...all the exteriors and interiros are themed to the 1860s. So they just can't "change" the time period.<< Sure they can. If you go to the real French Quarter in New Orleans, you'll see that the buildings still look like they were built in that period, because they were. However, the area still manages to feel kind of modern, because it's modern times, just in old buildings. Most of the French Quarter was built before the Lousiana Purchase, so the whole 1860's theme doesn't match the architecture either. The 1940's jazz theme is just another era that passed through the French Quarter. As far as I can think of, there really aren't any areas in other parks that are themed to one era, in an even older district. Maybe the World Showcase pavilions at Epcot (since they are full of modern shops and restuarants, but are set in centuries-old buildings). It's a pretty complex theme to go for, and it needs to be done really well for it to come off clearly and cleanly; sadly I just don't think that NOS is big enough, nor have they done it completely enough, for this theme to be clear. Plus, this way it's even easier to justify having Tiana around for meet and greets or shows.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Even the Emporium window displays have (as far as I remember) depicted the currently released animated film.<< Nah, not the current film releases. Since the 50th, they've had the same 'historic' displays, made of props from older displays from the park's history. They used to get updated on a fairly regular basis; the current ones have been there for 7.5 years. It's another pet peeve of mine. (That said, the displays in the other windows on Main Street, for the individual shops, are quite lovely and get changed out seasonally)
Originally Posted By Nobody "Nah, not the current film releases." I should have appended that to say "or re-releases". This was of course back in the '60s and '70s. Since then, they've had a mix of stuff. The point still being that for the most part, they weren't displaying period-specific merchandise.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros True, but my rant was more about how (regardless of era-appropriateness) they haven't updated those windows since early 2005. And those windows were made of bits and pieces of old displays, which had already been on display at some point. That means that there's an entire generation of kids who don't know what it's like to check out the upcoming releases in the windows. I don't know what the last film was that got a full set of windows, but those windows were in place before Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, The Princess and the Frog, and Tangled all hit theaters. Ratatouille got a single window in 2007 (which is still there, looking awkward since it's the only one that's not a compillation of several films), but I suspect that the last all-new windows were quite a while before the 50th. Then again, there was a window at Greetings from California in DCA that they created for Finding Nemo. When the film was released on DVD, the signage was updated to reflect that. Then, when they added the Nemo subs to DL, they added a submarine and changed the signage again (ironically making it an advertisement telling guests to leave DCA to have a good time). In order to finally replace it, it took them essentially tearing the entire building down. Hopefully they'll get around to replacing the Emporium windows without requiring something so drastic...then again, they just survived the recent repainting, so who knows...
Originally Posted By Bellella It's beautiful the way it is, and very appropriate to the Mansion. Pirates is very cleverly disguised on the outside. New Orleans Square is beautiful and very atmospheric. The most of any land in the park.
Originally Posted By Manfried I mean if New Orleans Square was "thematically accurate" there would be a lot more humidity, dirt, a gambling riverboat, booze and murders.
Originally Posted By crapshoot << . . . there would be a lot more humidity, dirt, a gambling riverboat, booze and murders.>> And shrimp.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<True, but my rant was more about how (regardless of era-appropriateness) they haven't updated those windows since early 2005.>> The Main Street USA Animated Windows is where I got my start with the Design Studio in 1995 just prior to the film Mulan was released in 1996. The budget's became fairly sizable as the DDS team wanted to get rid of marionette actuators (fishing line and overhead motors) for the animation. The result was armatures being animated by unseen right angle geardrive motors and shafting coming up through the legs of the maquettes into their torsos. In other words, extra machining time with more mechanical assemblies than previous windows. The results were very well recieved and the budgets continued to grow with subsequent film releases. Tarzan had one window with a skateboarding Tarzan. Fantasia 2000 had many complex effects in the windows. The Fantasia 2000's budget was around $150K. That may not seem too big, but that was during the era of the Accounteers. Every dime was spent with great suspicion. The other problem was that the team that introduced the under-scene actuators was busted up in 2001. Past that, the number of windows used and the level of animation began to drop off until DL Decorating went into thir archives and began reintroducing old windows.
Originally Posted By MomluvsDisney My DD still loves seeing whatever is in the windows, regardless if she has seen it before. She never tires of it and asks to take time to see them every visit. I sometimes think it is easy for us adults to get into the details and that can be restrictive to our ability to enjoy them (and don't get me wrong, I agree with much of what has been said)... I guess it is a mixed bag.
Originally Posted By Bellella Is D-land really supposed to be that thematically accurate? I thought it was a fantasy world. I mean, they can create an atmosphere without making it too realistic.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Fantasia 2000 had many complex effects in the windows. The Fantasia 2000's budget was around $150K.<< I'd definitely believe it! I remember standing there, staring at those windows for a very long time. They were really well done. From what I remember, there was a decent-sized crowd there doing the same thing, so clearly I wasn't the only one who was impressed. My favorite part (at least of what I remember from so long ago) was the people smushed together on the subway car from Rhapsody in Blue, with their hands all wiggling along to the "train's movements" just like in the film. Small effect with a big impact.
Originally Posted By smd4 >>>Is D-land really supposed to be that thematically accurate?<<< "Thematically accurate" might be a misnomer. But when Walt was alive, he strove to be as detailed as he could be--within reason. For instance, the "real" Main Street Walt knew (Kansas Ave. in Marceline) had no paving. The dirt street no doubt smelled of horse urine, and in the winter was a muddy gash in the middle of town. Nary a telephone pole lining the street was perfectly upright. Obviously, this look would not do for Disneyland. But Walt was meticulous in other areas: His paint palette replicated the colors from the era. He had custom awnings made for the buildings with the striping in scale with the buildings. He used authentic gas lamps from the era, with mantles that were lit by a lamplighter at twilight--they weren't just left on 24/7 like they are today. He even had custom-made door hardware made. Visitors were immersed in all these details, which all worked in harmony to give a very convincing illusion that one was walking down a 1900 thoroughfare. To me, NOS has lost quite a bit of her charm though the efforts to "modernize" it. NOS was meant to be part of Frontierland--as others have noted, it was touted as the "Gay Paree" of the American Frontier, and was originally set in the 1860s. Unfortunately, modern New Orleans is a long way from Frontier America, so the land has lost a lot of its deeper meaning. While it's still pretty to look at, there isn't as much soul--it's all surface.
