More on the 50th
Additional details trickle out on Disneyland's anniversary
plans
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
by David Koenig, staff writer
Details on Disneyland's plans for its Golden Anniversary
have been trickling out for the last three years. And with each successive
leak, the more dispassionate I become.
Marvel at the thrilling spectacles that await us at this once-in-a-lifetime
experience: A new cloned ride. An old rebuilt ride. A new fireworks show.
Two parades. Display cases with old photos and drawings. And a lot
of gold paint.
So this past weekend, when I was able to hear a little bit more and view
concept art on all the new offerings, I was genuinely unimpressed—with
the exception of one element. It's something that I originally had no
interest in, but now sounds like it might make the whole celebration worthwhile.
Let's look over the lineup:
One. Shiny plaques – There are already commemorative signs
in front of the King Arthur's Carrousel, the Disneyland Monorail, and
other “historical” attractions. Next up: the Disneyland Railroad.
As a park spokeswoman explained, railroad buffs have long insisted that
old trains typically have a plaque on the back to note their origins.
Consequently, she related, for years guests have been begging Disneyland
to put plaques on their trains. So, due to overwhelming guest demand,
the park is installing plaques on the backs of their trains
Now I don't know about you, but I've heard a lot of guests complaining
about an empty sub lagoon and harping about faded paint in Toontown. But
I've completely missed out on the “Put a Plaque on the Train”
campaign. Perhaps we should enlist those train buffs to petition for looser
tea cups.
Two. Gold paint – Lots of it. Everywhere. There are now five
gold crowns on the turrets of Sleeping Beauty Castle, one for each of
its decades. They're painting the lampposts on Main Street gold. Curbs
and steps have been colorized.
Plus, there's the eagerly awaited “Golden Vehicles Program,”
in which one vehicle from each remaining attraction from 1955 will be
repainted. In all, 12 vehicles will be given the gold treatment, ranging
from repainting an entire vehicle (like a tea cup, a Jungle Cruise boat,
or a car from Autopia and the original Fantasyland dark rides) to, where
more practical, adding gold accents (such as on a streetcar and the Mark
Twain).
I can only imagine the fistfights that will break out as children race
to reserve the gold Dumbo.
Three. Picture murals – “Happiest Faces on Earth”
murals will be installed around the park that, from a distance, appear
to be a photo of Disney characters. Upon closer inspection, they reveal
themselves to be comprised of thousands of tiny photos submitted by guests.
There will be a mural of Pinocchio and Figaro in front of Pinocchio's
Daring Journey, the three hitchhiking ghosts in front of Haunted Mansion,
Buzz Lightyear above the entrance to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters,
Malificent on the back of the castle, Alice alongside Alice in Wonderland
attraction, and so on. One montage will include only cast member photos,
while another will include only photos of Anaheim residents.
Unfortunately, it may prove difficult to spot your own family's snapshot,
since Disneyland says it has collected 160,000 photos for the project.
Four. Old stuff – The historical exhibit “Disneyland:
The First 50 Magical Years” is taking over the Main Street Opera
House. Among the more interesting artifacts showcased will be the first
map ever drawn of Disneyland—the weekend sketch worked up by Herb
Ryman with Walt at his side in September of 1953.
Five. New stuff – Starting May 5, cast members will begin
wearing new gold nametags that note when they joined the company (e.g.,
“Class of 1984”). The same day, a truckload of 50th-anniversary-themed
merchandise and food packaging will be unveiled. Napkin collectors, rejoice.
Six. The new Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters ride – The storyline
sounds mundane (guests help Buzz quash the evil emperor Zurg's quest to
conquer all the toys by stealing their batteries), but the ride is a proven
winner in Florida. It's also ahead of schedule. Cast member previews start
in two weeks, soft openings should begin well before the official opening
May 5, and people will be able to participate online starting in June.
Seven. The return of Space Mountain – Although the track
layout is the same, there is the new power launch, new sleds, and snazzier
special effects including “a three-dimensional meteor the size of
a bus with seven sub-meteors revolving around it.”
The ride was originally expected to reopen in November, but Disney has
moved up the official relaunch date to September. Contractors are working
overtime to open it even sooner. In fact, the park spokeswoman shared
that Space Mountain would be “relaunching some time this summer.”
Eight. New tickets – Each day from May 5 through July 17,
admission tickets will feature the image of a different original ride
poster. While the tickets would make great collectibles—in the vein
of the trading cards issued for the 40th anniversary—you have to
buy a day pass to the park to get one, meaning annual passholders and
most others in a position to visit on a daily basis are out of luck.
Nine. A character parade – A new parade is nice, but with
performers on bungee cords and trampolines and animatronic Lion King characters,
this one does not sound all that new. (As the park spokeswoman asked,
“What's a parade without The Lion King?”) Plus, with
more than 50 characters, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams is being billed
as containing the most characters ever for a Disney parade. Last time
I heard that promise was Light Magic.
Ten. A new fireworks show, hosted by Julie Andrews – Maybe
I'm just getting old, but all these fancy new fireworks shows are starting
to look the same to me. That's why “Disneyland: Remember Dreams Come
True” sounded to me at least like the biggest yawner.
After seeing the concept art, I am convinced I was wrong. It's not so
much because of Tinker Bell's new flight path, sweeping up, back and around
the top of the castle. “Remember” appears to be as much a fireworks
show as Fantasmic is a water show. It will pay tribute to the attractions
of Disneyland, using music, sound effects and dialogue from the rides.
Trick fireworks will form shapes such as hearts and flowers for Alice
in Wonderland, an eye for Indiana Jones, and a duck target for the Shooting
Gallery. Lasers will shoot out of the castle for Star Tours.
Color and images will be projected onto the face of the castle, like
a canvas. Pyro will be launched from various areas of the park to create
action and vary the points of focus.
In what should be the highlight, a skull and crossbones will be projected
onto the Matterhorn as shells are fired between the Matterhorn and the
castle, re-creating the cannon fight from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Done properly, this show might achieve the one thing I most wanted out
of the 50th celebration—the opportunity to see and hear and feel a lifetime
of Disneyland.
The main problem will be that now, more than ever before, the castle
will serve as the integral centerpiece of the show. Expect guests to begin
staking out their viewing spots in the Central Plaza hub by mid-morning.
Eleven. Finally, Disneyland's kid brother, Disney's California Adventure,
has not been completely forgotten.
The “Block Party Bash” parade is more of a rolling show. Floats
are themed to each of the different Pixar features and periodically stop
to engage the audience. For instance, hula hoop dancers accompanying the
Toy Story float will coax children to join them. Performers on
the Monsters, Inc. float will toss into the crowd beach balls that
look like eye balls.
As well, in the spring of 2006, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror will
be reprogrammed.
All in all, a little more encouraging.
Thoughts, questions, or comments? Contact David here.
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David Koenig is the senior editor of the 80-year-old business journal, The Merchant Magazine. After receiving his degree in journalism from California State University, Fullerton (aka Cal State Disneyland), he began years of research for his first book, Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland (1994), which he followed with Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks (1997, revised 2001) and More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland (1999); all titles published by Bonaventure Press. He lives in Aliso Viejo, California, with his lovely wife, Laura, their wonderful son, Zachary, and their adorable daughter, Rebecca. You can contact David here. Click here to go to David's main page for a list of archived articles. Visit MouseShoppe to purchase copies of David's books. (Clicking on the link opens a new window.) 
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