Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al010907b.htm" target="_blank">http://www.miceage.com/allutz/ al010907b.htm</a> >>The one wild card in all of this, of course, is John Lasseter. His incessant drive for traditional Disney quality and his deep passion for Disneyland specifically is the one light at the end of this corporate tunnel. Lasseter has been crawling around the submarine ride more and more lately, and his recent field trip dragging along Ed to go ride Space Mountain and California Screamin’ with him is typical of his boyish charm. That both he and Ed share a distaste for most of the current offerings inside DCA is also a good sign, and it at least bodes well that Ed Grier feels DCA in its current form is simply not up to modern Disney standards. (He’s of course looking at DCA through a Tokyo DisneySea prism, but that can only be good for DCA’s future.)<< Looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Yay!!! But I'll believe it when I see it. I honestly don't believe Disneylanders will accept anything, even if it were TDS, Epcot and DAK all rolled into one.
Originally Posted By gadzuux "Pan for Gold"? Is this a good idea? Sure, it's "interactive" which seems to be the imperative for new attractions, but it's a ho-hum activity - unless you're five. And it's strongly associated with knott's just down the road. I'm heartened by the hints that DCAs make-over is coming soon, but al's mention of an 'old west' theme is less than inspiring.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Well, I'd welcome the old west because it's all but gone from Frontierland and sorely missed in my opinion. You can skip activities you don't like that are small. They are just fillers -crowd control mechanisms with charm is how I view it.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Pan for gold.... Maybe they could build a small 'Haunted Shack' attraction while they're at it. 'See how the ball rolls up the hill?'
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Hey, maybe they can get some ideas from this park.... <a href="http://www.attuworld.com/a_great_day_at_fantazyland" target="_blank">http://www.attuworld.com/a_gre at_day_at_fantazyland</a>
Originally Posted By avromark You do know there are abandoned parks in the USA as well. Wasn't there a preacher that had one of the most visited parks in US during the 80's then there was some kind of controversy and the park closed? <a href="http://www.defunctparks.com/" target="_blank">http://www.defunctparks.com/</a> Some are trolly parks, others are major parks closed, for example wasn't there an indoor park in Michigan during the mid 80's? Glad Ed cares.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Heh -- even 'Defunct Parks' website is defunct. Haven't had an update in 4 years.
Originally Posted By avromark Oh and that park I referred to is Jim Bakker's Heritage USA, apparently in the mid eighties it was almost as popular as WDW and DL! Dogpatch USA sounded interesting as well. Now we know Jim Bakker is no Walter Elias Disney. DCA may not be DL but it isn't a two-bit fly by night operation either. Look at DL when it first opened, it wasn't until later did it become as magical as we know it. Until the foliage grew in, the ride density was up, operations running as smooth as a knife through I Can't Believe It's Not Butter...
Originally Posted By jmuboy I think this wild west / old west / pan for gold stuff eludes to Grizzly Peak / Condor Flats being the next area for placemaking. I could be wrong. But I agree, glad to hear some major plans for DCA may FINALLY be seeing the light of day.
Originally Posted By pitapan16 "Yay!!! But I'll believe it when I see it. I honestly don't believe Disneylanders will accept anything, even if it were TDS, Epcot and DAK all rolled into one." Well I can't say for other people, but I know I'd show up alot. I already show up at DCA often. If I had to pay per day, obviously I'd visit much less often though.
Originally Posted By disneywatcher >> I honestly don't believe Disneylanders will accept anything, even if it were TDS, Epcot and DAK all rolled into one." << And I've often wondered how much tackier and cheesier DCA would have to become before those fans of Disneyana finally exclaimed, "Phooey! this park is such a joke that the DisCo should pack it up and ship it to Valencia, Buena Park or the Santa Monica Pier!" (although I guess the example of the Walt Disney Studios park in Paris comes quite close to reaching -- or falling down to -- that all-time low-water mark).
Originally Posted By Park Hopper >>Looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel << It's still a very long, dark tunnel filled with hundreds of ravenous budget monsters.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt God, that was an awfully dramatic update Al posted. His accounts of the recent goings-on at TDA sound so exaggerated. Of course, no matter what, Lassiter is our only hope. Oh brother. Nice to hear that there's a possibility that the Grand Californian may expand soon.
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster Al doesn't have much REAL news to report on appparently. Anyone else notice how infrequently his updates appear lately? Yeah the GCH is expanding. We all knew that since the park opened. Lasseter has the Disney geek mentality which is why so many Disney geeks think he's the second coming of Walt. He doesn't have the power, though, that they attribute to him. Bummer. DCA has a lot of changes coming. But they are coming because the company can make so much more money on the park than it is today. It's that simple. It's going to take a few hundred million dollars but the comany will make that investment back very quickly. DCA is a business venture just as Dsineyland was.
Originally Posted By disneywatcher I guess the sentence in my post above should have been: ...I've often wondered how much tackier and cheesier DCA would have to become before those fans of Disneyana *** who have a soft spot in their heart for DCA *** finally exclaimed... Speaking of tacky, the Xmas decorations on DCA's Hollywood street, per Darkbeer's photo, look about as classy as what I've seen attached each December to the parking-lot lightposts of a Ralph's, Rite-Aid or Albertson's: <a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/photos/122089453-M-1.jpg" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/ph otos/122089453-M-1.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By mrichmondj ^^ If you've ever grown up in a small town that decorates their main street in these sort of decorations, you might find them to be quite nostalgic. I rather liked the DCA decorations and thought they were fun.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I think they're really neat too. Sure, they are kitsch to the max, but it really fits the campy nature of the Backlot area. I feel that the whole area sort of looks at itself half mockingly, since the buildings are all clearly fake, but it still tries. That's why I feel that these decorations work so well there. Sure, a lot of people may find them tacky, but they also hold a lot of meaning to other people without really being anything special, like the facades themselved are supposed to be real buildings without being anything more than a false front. I also think that they help give the area the late 40's/early 50's vibe that seems like it should have, but is missing from it most of the year.
