The Fabulous Disney Babe
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Michelle couldn't wait one more day. She sent in this column and asked us to put up today. Who are we to argue? This column contains lots of rumors about DCA. Please keep in mind that all rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - rumors - and should be treated as such. As for Michelle's promised interview this week, don't worry, it's coming up on Friday - and it's a good one!
What's Next for DCA?
Orville checked in with some stunningly bad news tonight: Armageddon is DOA at DCA. It's not going to happen. It's on Disney "Hiatus" before ground is even broken. Why? Too pricey. Tower of Terror might be going in, but only if they can get the price down on it, and that means little or no preshow and definitely no hotel. I hope that changes, but they are definitely shopping for a bargain there. Orville had to fly off before I could ask about Mulholland Madness or the Rock and Roller Coaster...sorry!
Disney's California Adventure was not designed to allow for quick, cheap fixes, so it will be at least two years before we see any of these attractions come to pass. They would love to do an Illuminations-type show in the Lagoon (I don't know if "Paradise Bay" is it's real name, can Someone Who Knows help me here?) but no one had the foresight to make a pier there. So, what can we expect in twenty-four months?
So far, the only things that have been greenlighted are the Ursula ride, a spinning ride similar to Aladdin's Flying Carpets in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, or One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish at Seuss' Landing at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, and a kids' boat ride for the lagoon, which would be a perfect way to bring back my beloved and much-missed Motor Boat Cruise, and add to the kid-friendly atmosphere at Disney's California Adventure.
The Spinning ride, (I'm sorry, I don't know the name as of yet) will look very much like One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish but will not have any of the Interactive elements, and will have Ursula at the top. While a Big Scary Villain is a very odd theme for a kiddie ride, it will fit in nicely next to King Triton's Carousel. Kids will ride in colorful fishies that can go up and down and also tilt back and forth, while Ursula comments on the goings-on.
The Big Picture:
There's a lot of surprise in Burbank and Glendale how indifferent guests are to DCA. People who actually go into the park really seem to like it, but the vast majority of those people are on multi-day passes. The one-day passes to DCA are not selling anywhere near where the one-day Disneyland passes are selling. When people are confronted with two parks and only one day, they stick to the tried-and-true. Disney is looking at an all-new ad campaign because of this. Robespierre says: "look for Discounted California Resident passes really soon." he also notes that since the Muppets deal is going through, wouldn't that area between MuppetVision and SuperStar Limo be a great spot for the Muppet Movie Ride that was part of the Disney Decade?
Both of these nice fellas commented on how the ideal of the Disneyland Resort-as-West Coast-Version-of-Walt Disney World is being disproved in a big way. I'm one of those who was sure it would work out here, too, so it's not a Corporate Blindness thing. Sometimes you are right, and sometimes you have a Streetacular. Walt Disney World is pretty much hermetically sealed. (If they had greenlighted the Omega Project, the Walt Disney World airport, it would have been even more so) While Universal and Sea World do get pieces of the Walt Disney World pie, they don't bite into the exclusivity as much as all of California's other attractions do to the Disneyland Resort, which, with all of it's spectacular amenities and attractions, just does not have what Walt Disney called "The Luxury of Space" that Walt Disney World enjoys.
There are several ways Disney can go with this: They can keep trying to develop the Disneyland Resort into an inclusive resort (Food and Fun type packages and Cruises might help here), or they can accept the limitations of the Disneyland Resort's location and go for a unique plan for it's infrastructure. Timur Galen handled all of the infrastructural details of the transmogrification of Disneyland into the Disneyland Resort. Give him this somewhat worked over sheet of paper and let him run wild. Just don't let him near the budget, and we'll all be happy.
As it stands now, don't look for any new attractions for Disney's California Adventure for two years.
-- Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith can be reached using the Talkback form below or by emailing her at [email protected].
The Fabulous Disney Babe's column is posted every Friday and when ever else she has something to say. For more on Michelle's background, see her first column. She also offers The Fabulous Tour: Disneyland Secrets and Stories. Click here for more information.
The opinions expressed by our Michelle Smith, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted March 8, 2001