SaveDisney Article says what we're all thinking

[LiTtLeMeRmAiD]

This article is amazing...all DL lovers should read!

http://www.savedisney.com/news/features/fe011005.1.asp

It says what we're all thinking, and I'm impressed with the honesty. Enjoy!

[MickeyMania]

Eh, it's whining and moaning, as per usual with SaveDisney. I don't mind that, but this time it's much ado about nothing.

For whatever reason, Walt's 100th birthday was a WDW event. The same illogical thinking is on display here, but sometime in the last ten years in Anaheim tourism numbers went down and they decided to compensate by increasing local business. Because of this, many more different people visit WDW than DL anymore, so putting their new star attractions there makes more sense.

I think the current 50th setup is the best we could realistically ask for under Eisner's leadership. And with the parking lot gone making space a bigger premium than ever, I'd rather they let the anniversary slip by and make an E-ticket after Eisner's gone the right way with the right amount of money, than try and cram another half-baked idea in there quickly.

[squinky]

Ask any Southern California local and they would gladly tell you a fully restored ultramodern Tomorrowland (replacing all those deserted tracks, empty lagoons and skeletal husks of former attractions -- with actual working rides, old or new) would do far more to get them back in the gates than any amount of global sloganeering. Why -- a new and original spectacular E-Ticket attraction (remember those?) might even do the trick.

Savedisney apparently thinks that the 500 or so people who post on the several disney message boards constitute a "demographic."

How's this for a tip-off to the new corporate mentality: In Disney's own convoluted press release about Disneyland's 50th anniversary, the word "Disneyland" isn't even in the headline!

Newsflash, Yahoo chooses the headlines. If you'd read to, you know, the first sentence, you'd see that Disneyland is mentioned first. And it's REALLY hard for me to believe that this is the general press release with so much financial lingo. As much as fans hate to admit it, Disney is a publicly held company and the word "magic" doesn't work for stockholders who, shockingly enough, might have invested for entirely economic purposes, removed completely from magic or nostalgia or pixie dust or what have you.

What's really not fair, then, is that Disneyland's 50th anniversary isn't even its own to celebrate.

I had not seen a flaw in Micechat until I went to respond to this and noticed the lack of a emoticon.
Seriously, who cares? They're not putting in a new e-ticket but 2 (or 1 1/2, I guess) new rides, new paint everywhere, a new parade and fireworks show, and all the extra stuff they're doing for the 50th isn't enough?

EDIT: It appears that a rolleyes emoticon exists. I was looking for the color yellow I'm not going to edit that part of the post because I'd have to reword it.

[LiTtLeMeRmAiD]

Wow I didn't realize SaveDisney was not popular here...I thought it was a good article...sorry to disappoint guys.

Seems to me a lot of people on these message boards had a lot of the same stuff to say about how much attention WDW is getting, why aren't we getting special treatment since its our anniversary, and the like. I thought Roy and the folks at Save Disney were supported by true Disney fans. I understand the article wasn't exactly informative, but it got me reading, and I just wanted to share.

[Tech_Disney]

Seems to me a lot of people on these message boards had a lot of the same stuff to say about how much attention WDW is getting, why aren't we getting special treatment since its our anniversary, and the like. I thought Roy and the folks at Save Disney were supported by true Disney fans.

Seems to me, most people on certain other boards only want to complain about Disney when they are the only one doing it. As soon as someone writes an article about the quality of Disney, those same people are all over the article attacking it.

[Ghostbuster626]

I thought it was a good article as well. This is DISNEYLANDS 50th. anniversay, even from a company standpoint their going about this all wrong by not adding any new etickets or doing any unique!

[E-ticket]

Wow I didn't realize SaveDisney was not popular here...I thought it was a good article...sorry to disappoint guys.

Seems to me a lot of people on these message boards had a lot of the same stuff to say about how much attention WDW is getting, why aren't we getting special treatment since its our anniversary, and the like. I thought Roy and the folks at Save Disney were supported by true Disney fans. I understand the article wasn't exactly informative, but it got me reading, and I just wanted to share.

I agree... I felt that the article said a lot of what I often hear in these message boards, and I appreciate that you took the time to share it.

I think it all comes down to the unavoidable change in Disney's corporate philosophy. Even in Walt's day, the money-men were uneasy at the decisions that he made, not making financial matters his main focus. Since he's no longer at the helm, it is inevitable that the suits will take over and continue to change the Disney brand into a massive corporate machine. We saw this at its height under the previous DL management, and while the current adminstration rushes to fix everything that had been previously broken, I really don't think they'll get the support that they need to really make the amazing changes to DL that we'd all like to see.

For me, the 50th will be a bittersweet celebration. It's great that the park has had a nice facelift during the past year, and there are certainly many things still left to enjoy down in Anaheim, but it still remains so much less than it was intended to be.

[Dustysage]

Wow I didn't realize SaveDisney was not popular here...I thought it was a good article...sorry to disappoint guys.

Don't worry LiTtLeMeRmAiD, if you read Al, you know that we are quite friendly with the folks at Save Disney. Roy knows very well what is really going on at Disney, and it is always nice to see that he is still so involved in pushing for a Disney turn around.

There are many young people (and quite a few Disney employees) who don't want to hear anything negative about the company and will attack anyone who dares to say anything negative.
:botox:

Thank you for linking to Roy's article.

[swagdaddy]

I like their Tomorrowland comparison slide shows too. Really makes your blood boil!

[Wendy]

Don't worry LiTtLeMeRmAiD, if you read Al, you know that we are quite friendly with the folks at Save Disney. Roy knows very well what is really going on at Disney, and it is always nice to see that he is still so involved in pushing for a Disney turn around.

There are many young people (and quite a few Disney employees) who don't want to hear anything negative about the company and will attack anyone who dares to say anything negative.
:botox:

Thank you for linking to Roy's article.

What he said. I didn't respond initially to your post, because it did say everything I was thinking. The posters who responded negatively? Speak for your frikken selves. When I make an observation, for good or ill, it is my own, and I don't appreciate you lumping me in with any group or demographic. Makes you no better than the pencil pushers at TDA. People aren't stupid- many of us were around during Disney's formative years and we were brought up to expect quality from this company. That's what made it special; that's what keeps us around- the hope that someday they'll get their heads out of their collective and start doing things right again.

[merlinjones]

Thanks, Littlemermaid, for the compliments on the article and for the link! We all have to stick together to encourage the Company back toward Walt's vision...

And to our pals at MiceAge and MiceChat - - we value your friendship!

- - SaveDisney Editor

[FrumiousBoojum]

You know, I really don't think this has *anything* to do with whining about being the only ones whining about Disney nor does it have anything with being young and not wanting to hear anything bad about the beloved company.

The fact is, Roy and Stan really let us down by not taking enough charge and keeping *too* quiet. And instead of really doing something after the infamous stockholder's revolt as they promised, they just sat back and went on the mentioned whining campaign. They're wanting the press to take them seriously, but doing nothing in order to be taken seriously.

I do support the Save Disney goal... I really do. I believe in everything they're standing for. I just don't believe anything they've done since March has really done any good.

Their phase 1 was a success, even if it didn't ultimately oust Eisner. It at least kicked him out of one of his positions and forever seperated the two. But they quit when they were just starting, resorting to what you'll find on any other website -- ok, sometimes even lower. And why are all reporters for the site named after Disney characters rather than their real names? Unless they're current Disney employees, what do they have to lose or to hide? Ok, with the stories that are usually written by SaveDisney, I gues all they have to lose is journalistic integrity. (Best article I've seen come from them recently is the recent article on Song of the South. I will say that was most excellent.)

Save Disney just needs to go through a major refurb... I still believe in their cause -- and at least Roy's crusade is a LOT more reasonable than his crusade to oust Ron Miller (who was doing nothing but try to revive a company and looking to do the best, and move the company forward after the REALLY bad post-Walt 70s).

MickeyMania's and squinky's posts were quite founded and I agree with several points... I saw nothing of the whining that somebody else is whining or whining that somebody is attacking their beloved company that was mentioned. What is unfounded is dismissing their posts based on those theories.

Truth is, I don't blame them for losing faith in Save Disney after the post-meeting events. I'm sure they haven't lost faith in the cause, though... correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes... I know I may be unpopular now for not being a part of the bandwagon anymore. But I don't quite look at Save Disney as a great source like I once did for good reason.

I shall digress on the matter now...

[merlinjones]

>>Best article I've seen come from them recently is the recent article on Song of the South. I will say that was most excellent.<<

Thanks - I had been wanting to write that one for some time! - - Merlin

[FrumiousBoojum]

>>Best article I've seen come from them recently is the recent article on Song of the South. I will say that was most excellent.<<

Thanks - I had been wanting to write that one for some time! - - Merlin

You're welcome... Song of the South has been a favorite of mine and that article did bring to light plenty of new things.

By the way, I apologize if I've offended you any with what I've said... it's sometimes hard when you believe in a cause as much as I do, especially when it's headed by a man like Roy that I have a lot of respect for -- especially many things that he's done for animation --, and it seems that there were a lot of missed chances and a lot more could be done and changed to make the organization better and the cause to work better.

Then there was the fact that I was just a little upset with how people were dismissing some rather valid opinions up there... nothing so upsetting that I just hate everybody or anthing like that.

Everything's going to be ok.

[swagdaddy]

Well, you got them thinking over there again Merlin! Check out the second story down the page:

http://imdb.com/news/sb/2005-02-01/#1

[innerSpaceman]

For me, the 50th will be a bittersweet celebration. It's great that the park has had a nice facelift during the past year, and there are certainly many things still left to enjoy down in Anaheim, but it still remains so much less than it was intended to be.

I'm not sure what everybody was expecting, but perhaps I can put things in a little perspective.

Back in 1985, Disneyland had what was arguably it's best-ever birthday promotion for it's 30th Year, and certainly the best actual Birthday celebration ever on July 17. There was no new E-Ticket that year. It was all in the style of the celebrations and - in that regard - it's not impossible for the 50th celebrations to outshine what came before.

I think the primary thing people might remember from the 30th Year promotion was the Gift Giver Extraordinaire that dispensed prizes to guests at the entry turnstyles, including a car per day. This was a very fun gimmick, but I don't think it will detract very much from the actual Disneyland experience if we don't have that kind of thing for the 50th.

The real pleasure of the 30th Year was the return to park-wide entertainment of yesteryear. There were barbershop quartets on Main Street, shoot-outs in Frontierland, climbers scaling the Matterhorn, and mermaids in the Submarine Lagoon. It was a simple, yet effectively nostalgic plan, and it worked just fine to set the year apart from an ordinary year.

We may not have that kind of thing this time around, but I think the painting and repairs of everything that had been left to rot over the past decade is, in itself, a return to past glory that will be noticeable and nostalgic. We'll have a new parade and a new fireworks show. If those turn out to be good, then combining them with a park festooned with decorations should be enough for a glorious year. I don't recall them ever shutting down for a day to decorate (as they will be doing on May 4), so I expect the decorations to be pretty elaborate.


For me, much will come down to what kind of party they throw on July 17th. Back on 7/17/85, Disneyland did two things that were so spectacular that the sights have been permanently burned into my retinas. If they stay open all night this coming July Seventeen, and show me some amazing stuff as part of the celebration, all will be right with my world.

This rabbit can still be pulled out of the hat. No new E-Ticket is required.*



* Although having Space Mountain open by the birthday is pretty much a MUST. Kudos to Matt Ouimet for recognizing what a shortfall Disneyland's 50th would be without this quintessential attraction of the past 25 years.

[MickeyMania]

Seems to me a lot of people on these message boards had a lot of the same stuff to say about how much attention WDW is getting, why aren't we getting special treatment since its our anniversary, and the like. I thought Roy and the folks at Save Disney were supported by true Disney fans. I understand the article wasn't exactly informative, but it got me reading, and I just wanted to share.

Thank you for posting this, even if I don't agree with it. My complaint wasn't that you shouldn't have posted it, it's that SaveDisney articles are always like reading a release from a political party. You know there's always an agenda, but you just accept that and read anyway.

My only problem with that is when they're focusing on something that isn't too terribly important or conflicts with what they've previously said. SaveDisney complains that Eisner builds on the cheap and that DCA (or Tomorrowland 98, pick one) is a disaster, but then complain that nothing fancy is being built in honor of the 50th. If something was, then wouldn't it be built cheap anyway? Is it possible to win here? I don't think it is.

Sure, the 50th won't be on the scale of the 40th or even the 35th. But after Pressler dumped the place into almost 70s-era disrepair, having things clean and fresh with a new Space Mountain experience is rather decent.

And to tourists who don't go to the park often like myself, there's even plenty more to see. I've never seen the new Autopia for instance, or Pooh. And while those experiences underwhelmed locals who visit the park regularly and see boring ride after boring ride, those things together with Buzz and the new Space Mountain add up to be an okay list of new experiences for someone like me.

[LiTtLeMeRmAiD]

The fact is, Roy and Stan really let us down by not taking enough charge and keeping *too* quiet. And instead of really doing something after the infamous stockholder's revolt as they promised, they just sat back and went on the mentioned whining campaign. They're wanting the press to take them seriously, but doing nothing in order to be taken seriously.

What should/could they have done differently? Its not exactly like they have any official power within the company anymore, and its not as if they are going to head some ridiculously drastic sit-ins or boycotts.

I think for the fact that Roy and Stan are basically two regular guys now that are known for their names and the company they USED to be a part of, they have conducted themselves and the entire SaveDisney revolt with class and dignity. You can't honestly say you'd still respect them if they busted into Burbank confrence rooms with torches and pitchforks. *Exaggerated for emphasis*

[FrumiousBoojum]

We may not have that kind of thing this time around, but I think the painting and repairs of everything that had been left to rot over the past decade is, in itself, a return to past glory that will be noticeable and nostalgic.

We probably *will* have that kind of thing, actually. At least in some sense... probably not the mermaids because of the subs still inoperational. And possibly not the shoot-outs in fronteirland if there's still any sort of PC gun concern. But the returning Matterhorn climbers are looking like they are at least trying to do some of the nostalgia here.

I don't mind a world-wide celebration at all. In fact, the world-wide celebration is a good thing as long as they don't forget that it was all because of Disneyland.

My biggest complaint about the above article? It doesn't matter how many times each resort is mentioned. The press-release was focusing a lot on what's going to happen at each resort. With 2 parks in Disneyland and 4 parks plus a LOT more at WDW, should we be surprised that the name of WDW is mentioned more when saying what new things there will be at each resort?

The number of times HKDL is mentioned is a little more confusing since all it's doing is opening.

[LiTtLeMeRmAiD]

Back in 1985, Disneyland had what was arguably it's best-ever birthday promotion for it's 30th Year, and certainly the best actual Birthday celebration ever on July 17. There was no new E-Ticket that year. It was all in the style of the celebrations and - in that regard - it's not impossible for the 50th celebrations to outshine what came before.

Perhaps my own problem/confusion and maybe that of others here is that so much attention is being lavished on the other parks, and not quietly either. Press releases from Disney have trumpeted all the expected things for OTHER Disney parks as if it somehow actually celebrates DisneyLAND in CA.

I personally would be thrilled with simply "having my cake and eating it too" so to speak. The party hats and confetti that DL generally uses to ring in another fabulous year are entirely appropriate and indeed a comfy cozy way to make guests feel like they are Disneyland's personal b-day party guests. But when other kids are getting more gifts than you on your own birthday, and its being defended and supported by your parents, it just doesn't feel too good.