Originally Posted By DBitz2 Saw a thread over on MiceChat that the Hollywood Pictures Backlot marquee sign was removed earlier this week. The news came as a bit of a shock. Being that they had taken the ElecTRONica marquee sign off the HPB sign just a few weeks ago, I figured that they must have done that for a reason. But, I hadn't expected this to happen so soon. Some have reported in the thread that they've heard that the elephants, which were representative of a set from the 1916 silent film, Intolerance, will also be coming down, and, that walls will go up soon to connect the Red Car Trolley tracks to the segment of track that will pass in front of the Carthay. All of the progress that has been happening so rapidly lately really has me excited!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Why? The elephants are awesome and a direct reference to legendary Hollywood director Cecil B. Demille. <a href="http://www.rowthree.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Intolerance.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.rowthree.com/wp-con...ance.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By DBitz2 With the marquee structure gone now, they look odd to me. And, with Buena Vista Street representing the 1930's and Hollywood eventually representing the 1940's, it wouldn't make sense to keep them there. While the Intolerance set sat for several years in Hollywood before it was torn down, it was gone by the 1940's. Hollywood Pictures Backlot was more of a contemporary fantasy representation of Hollywood, so anything could go. But, when the area is all rethemed, the elephants don't fit so much. It also looks like what is now the backlot street will transition right to the Carthay as one street, the way the Carthay is positioned.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt That makes sense, although Disney often plays fast and loose with themes. They removed Maliboomer because it was "too contemporary" for a turn of the century pleasure pier and yet they kept the mad mouse coaster the first which were developed in the 60s.
Originally Posted By DBitz2 I love Hollywood history, especially places or things used for filming movies. (I do volunteer work with Paramount Ranch, a historic movie location site that is a National Park & I've helped to campaign to save and restore an old cabin set there that some have wanted to tear down rather than restore.) So, no one appreciates the signifance of the elephants more than me, even if they are facsimiles. But, I don't think they will look good where they are now, especially with the arch, which balanced the view, gone. Maybe they will be able to find another place to put them.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Someone on another board was speculating that they would stay and that a new sign saying "Hollywoodland" would be erected, but I kind of think you may be right and the elephant pedestals will be removed.
Originally Posted By DBitz2 The Red Car "power" lines have to go through there, and be high enough for parade floats to pass through, too, since parades will be going through there. A new sign going between the elephants would have to be pretty high up, probably too high to visually look right.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Right, but the trolley lines are more problematic Think about it: the power lines will have to be higher than the former Backlot archway or DCA's parade floats will always be on the low side. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
Originally Posted By disneywatcher Thank goodness! Before: <a href="http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x356/micechat/Disneyland/hpb-before.jpg" target="_blank">http://i1177.photobucket.com/a...fore.jpg</a> ...and after: <a href="http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x356/micechat/MISC%20Articles/Hollywood%20Pictures%20Backlot/P1014086.jpg" target="_blank">http://i1177.photobucket.com/a...4086.jpg</a> I long disliked that gateway, partly because it was so small and short, and therefore probably a nuisance to any planner who wanted a somewhat nicely scaled parade for DCA---at least one with floats that otherwise might have traveled through and under the Hollywood street's portal. I also disliked the gateway because it emphasized the silly theme of a fake movie backlot within a park themed to California. Or the theme of a street themed to a thoroughfare in Hollywood, themed to a movie set found in a Hollywood backlot. Worse of all, facades themed to a movie backlot whose backsides were conveniently very cheap and ugly looking---and therefore a plus in the eyes of the people responsible for creating DCA back in the late 1990s. The demise of as much of DCA 2001 as possible won't arrive one second too soon! Incidentally, the photos linked above and the chat mentioned in DBitz2's post can be found here: <a href="http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/152337-so-long-hollywood-pictures-backlot.html" target="_blank">http://micechat.com/forums/dis...lot.html</a>
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> Think about it: the power lines will have to be higher than the former Backlot archway or DCA's parade floats will always be on the low side. << Now that you mention it, the electric lines above the trolley will create a whole new "ceiling" in that part of DCA. Oh, well, I can deal with that just as long as the planners certainly strip out the pretense of a fake Hollywood backlot and substitute that with the concept (or admittedly, another pretense) of a real street from Los Angeles in the 1920s, or whatever period they're striving to duplicate.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Just don't complain when all the parades at DCA aren't as tall as they once were. I have to believe that they've got some sort of work-around planned for this.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Hans, I seem to remember reading somewhere (Lutz? Westcoaster? Here at LP?) that the overhead catenary lines for the Red Car Trolleys will be completely nonfunctional and decorative. The trolleys will actually be powered by batteries that are charged from plates at their stations, much like the Toontown Trolley used to be. For parades, the trolley lines can be pivoted upwards out of the street, and tall floats can pass by. After the parade, the lines pivot back down and the trolley resumes service with the overhead lines just a decorative set piece for that attraction. That all seems so detailed and unique that I can't possibly have made that up on my own. I know I read that somewhere, but I just can't remember where or when.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub The Small World Sign re-positions itself for the nightly Memories Presentation. Is that similar to what you are talking about?
Originally Posted By tashajilek I like the Elephants too. Am i the only one that thinks Hollywoodland sounds dumb?
Originally Posted By JenniBarra >>Am i the only one that thinks Hollywoodland sounds dumb?<< I think they're going for historical accuracy since the actual Hollywood sign was originally "Hollywoodland."
Originally Posted By tonyanton That was also going to be the name of the land as originally planned for Disneyland park in the early '90s.
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance "I like the Elephants too. Am i the only one that thinks Hollywoodland sounds dumb?" No, I think it sounds dumb in the extreme.
Originally Posted By tashajilek ^^ To me when you have classy names like Buena Vista st HollyWoodland sounds cheap.
