Originally Posted By pecos bill I most certainly agree about multi-textured. It added a whole different dimension to the park. All the little nooks and crannies filled with fun, entertaining surprises, or unique treasures. Even if you couldnt afford them , they were fun to look at. Now all of those little nooks are filled with cheap, mass produced crap that seems to appeal only to young children. People have been lulled into a spend and buy mantra that seems to have overtaken the park.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I just remembered some other things.. First off, I can still remember the original shooting galleries -- both in Frontierland and in Adventureland. You used real pellets to shot at these metal targets -- it was noisy as hell. Then, the shooting game inside the shop in Frontierland. It had a full size rifle, and the the idea was to shoot at a bear climbing up a tree. Seems like I remember 4-5 of the games just inside the main entrance across from the Shooting Gallery.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Yep - things like the One of Kind Shop or Mineral Hall were a part of the attractions. Shame they have forgotten about that.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I also remember the shop in what is now Critter Country -- was it called the Trading Post then? -- that sold Native American stuff. Wooden nickels, tom-tom drums, feather headdresses -- it was cool.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Oh, wow - I forgot about that one. I used to love that one too. And the Candle shop on Main Street had great memories too. As well as Merlin's in Fantasyland.
Originally Posted By pecos bill And now even the Disney Gallery is gone. It really is the Wal-Mart mentality. Selling piles of cheap, Chinese made garbage is much more profitable than the unique higher end items. To put it into an educational context, you have arts and crafts vs mass production.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <And yet WDW and DLP have turned into rubberhead meets and restaurants> WDW and DLP no longer have live entertainment in their versions of the Golden Horseshoe? If that's true, what a shame. And I really miss those old machines in the Penny Arcade too. At least they kept a few of the penny-run hand-crank movies. I have to do a few of those, or it isn't a trip to DL. But they used to have so much more. On my most recent trip, the new thing that reminded me most of those great DL educational-but-fun little experiences was actually at DCA - the Toy Story zoetrope.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros "WDW and DLP no longer have live entertainment in their versions of the Golden Horseshoe? If that's true, what a shame." I don't know for sure about DLP (I'm pretty sure it's gone though), but the show in WDW was taken out to use the space for a Woody and Jessie meet n greet area. While people out here may not like Princess Fantasy Fair stuff, at least the Fantasyland Theater was never that great of a venue to watch a show in, and there are a ton of things to do there now. There are arts and crafts, storytelling, the meet n greet, and a little show every now and then. It may not be a lot, but it's better than just the meet n greet that just takes up a lot of room.
Originally Posted By jmuboy The sad thing is that DL is still LIGHT YEARS ahead of WDW in terms of retaining its charm. Back to DL, I think the loss of unique shopping in NOS and Main Street is probably some of the biggest loss to the park. At least the gallery is going to have a new life in the Plaza Pavilion come the fall of 2008.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo DLP stopped unique shows in 1999! It is now a character buffet restaurant but at least they sometimes have a cowboy band. $50 a person, and nowhere near the quality of entertainment as it used to be (it is fun!).
Originally Posted By karlg Edutainment just isn't what it used to be. A lot of the technologies that Walt amazed people with in the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as computers, is available in our homes. Kids can play 3D simulation games at home. With 50+ channel cable and satellite broadcast and the internet, you can get as much edutainment as you want in your home. Economical jet travel and television has also meant that seeing and even going to foreign countries it not the rarity it was even in the 1970’s. A big problem with theme park edutainment is that it has to be watered down to cover a diverse audience. Interactive entertainment has the added burden of having to train you and let you have an experience in only a few minutes. Most interactive things end up getting so boiled down that there is only trivial interactivity (choose A, B, C, or D), or worse like Mission to Space, has not effect on the outcome. Disney is in the entertainment business and not a leading R&D facility. Today, technology is quickly being disseminated to the mass market quickly and it takes too long to develop a theme park attraction that is meant to last for years. I worry about the amount that they seem to be depending too much on video projection in their new effects (Nemo, new effects in Haunted Mansion, Laugh Floor at WDW, Turtle Talk). Some is good, but it can quickly get over used to the point that people will get tired of and then realize that they could get the same experience watching it at home on their TV or computer. Also there is only so much of the shoot-em-up with lasers they can do (it seems to me that the buzz is off of Buzz Lightyear as it seems much easier to get on). Disney needs to focus more on what people can’t get sitting in front of their computer or TV at home. I think they should have more live shows such as bringing back the Golden Horseshoe as a more of a theater show. They need to change out the show at DCA Theater every year at least. They need to add new immersive experiences in the tradition of Indy and the HM.
Originally Posted By pecos bill That is exactly what they should do, but they wont. It is all a numbers game now. Disney is run by accountants who spend their days figuring how to squeeze every single penny out of the consumer, while maintaining the lowest possible expenditure on the company's part. We know, and they know what things could bring that level of charm back to what it used to be. The days of old Walt saying "damn the expense, just do it",are gone, and they aint coming back.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA While I understand the notion of 'people can do _______ in their own homes' -- I've always been amazed at the huge numbers of people who play arcade games in Disneyland's StarCade. Since that place opened in 1977 or whenever it was, it's always crowded with people playing video games -- and they're not much different than the games you can play at a mall. My thought was always 'You're at Disneyland -- and you're playing arcade games???' But to each his own...
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA And as a side note, I've never understood people listening to an iPod while at Disneyland. File it under 'I don't get...' Okay, back to remembering the Disneyland of old. Back when it was fun.
Originally Posted By Pollyana Return the oldies but goodies....I really liked the People Mover and the Skyway. I will never forget the view we had of the Electric Parade from the Skyway. The cars were stopped and it was beautiful. A memory that will never be duplicated. And the People Mover, what a nice way to sit back and enjoy Dland from another angle. Who remembers when Autopia didn't have the restricted lanes?? The Carousel of Progess, America Sings. I loved all those critters, who have a home in Splash Mtn. Yes, indeed, our precious land is changing. Change isn't always a good thing, and it hard to accept. And I really want the ELparade to march down Main Street where it belongs.
Originally Posted By Shiva >>And I really want the ELparade to march down Main Street where it belongs.<< Pollyana, great minds must think alike, I just posted the same sentiment on another thread.
Originally Posted By karlg JiMC, While I don't get the video game playing, it really is not that big a factor. PoTC handles over 2,000 per hour, how many do you think the arcades handle per hour? I like the old arcade at DL with the antique games, but the mall type games are there are just to make some extra money from teens that are with their families but are not "into DL" and other killing time.
Originally Posted By Pollyana Main Street is such a cozy area, and that is where I saw my first ELparade. What an incredible sight. Another memory that will not be duplicated. I did manage to buy 2 light bulbs from the ELparade as it was in it's "last" year. Good marketing ploy.......
Originally Posted By iamsally I have one of those lights. My sister bought it for me. Jim, I agree so much with the arcade and iPod statements. Before it was Starcade there was some sort of arcade. It had pinball and other machine games of the 60's. My father would not let us near it for just that reason, "WE ARE IN DISNEYLAND! ! !" I love Disneyland so much; when a thread like this gets going and I am reminded of what we have lost I get so depressed. And I must accept that pecos bill has hit the nail on the head. It is not the pleasure derived but the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Originally Posted By Zwitek <<< On my most recent trip, the new thing that reminded me most of those great DL educational-but-fun little experiences was actually at DCA - the Toy Story zoetrope. >>> I'm with you on this. The zoetrope is such a seemingly small thing, yet on my recent trip (my third in the last 4 months) I insisted that I see it again. For some reason the zoetrope reminded me again, of the magic of Disney. It was wonderful too to see the families that had gathered around, and the kids weren't bored. They were as curious as I was. Disneyland needs more "small little things" like this. The Snow White exhibit is also cool too. Disneyland could really go all out with some of the archived artifacts that they have. They should.
