Editor's Report
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"To make your car go, press your foot down on the pedal..."
"Hang on to them hats and glasses"
"Monorail One. You are clear for Tomorrowland approach"
"The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty"
They are certain things that seem to be an inherent part of Disneyland and you don't want to see them go. The Autopia certainly falls in that category. It's loud, smelly and rough, and Tomorrowland wouldn't be the same without it. On Labor Day last week the Autopia took it's last ride ... for a while. Sometime around the middle of next year the new Autopia will debut. The concept art for it looks wonderful and everything I've heard about the new attraction sounds great. I'm looking forward to opening day. I just hope, while standing in the elaborate new queue, somewhere in the background I'll still hear "to make your car go..."
Last week, on the newsgroup alt.disney.disneyland, there was a wonderful story posted that reminds us how special Disneyland can be. It was a report by D.L. Traveler from the final ride on the Autopia. It's reposted here with permission.
There's this guy named Robert. It's been his tradition for over a year to be the last rider on the Autopia. He's hardly missed a day. He lives with a mental handicap, but he overcomes it and is one of the friendliest happiest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
Tonight was special - The last day of the Autopia as we know it. (and it is headed for some MAJOR changes) Robert wasn't sad though. He didn't have a chance to be. He was a celebrity tonight. When he arrived near the closing minutes of the attraction a chorus of "Robert!!" was heard from the very many CMs who had gathered to bid their farewells to the Autopia. Everyone had to have a picture with Robert. High fives, handshakes, hugs... Robert was as much the center of attention as the attraction that was about to close.
The end couldn't have been more appropriate. A great guy who loves the Autopia and is beloved by everyone was the last guest to ride.
Thank you to former Imagineer Bob Gurr for his interview, Ken Pellman for his Autopia Cast Member closing article, D.L. Traveler for the above post and our you, our readers, for the wonderful Autopia memories you've shared. All a fitting tribute to a classic attraction.
Hopefully you've seen all the news, features and columns LaughingPlace.com brings you every day. But did you know there's a whole other section to the site? It's our Website Directory. As of today there are 973 Disney websites in the directory. Every one of them is rated, categorized and has a short description. But the best part is our Disney Search Engine. Simply type in the words you're looking for and LaughingPlace.com will search the contents of all the sites in our index and let you know where on the web you can find what you're looking for. It's like Yahoo and AltaVista all rolled into one except it's 100% Disney!
Someone new, figment10, won last week's trivia contest. Congratulations! Disneyexpert has been dethroned ... for now anyway. Check out this week's Disneyland only contest on Adventureland and Critter Country. Also take a peek at this week's online poll asking the question "what you is your favorite nighttime parade?". On Wednesday look for Rebekah's Forever Magical column. And I'm sure we'll have a surprise or two in store as well.
-- Doobie Moseley (September 13, 1999)
Editor's Report: Doobie's look at the world of Disney and what's coming up on LaughingPlace.com in the coming week.
The Editor's Report is posted every Monday.