The West Side of the Kingdom
Page 2 of 3
As the project took shape, we learned very early on that it was being earmarked as a “feasible” expansion, which to fans, means “inexpensive or cheap.” That was the first of the red flags.
Next came the admission that there would be no “big ticket” attractions such as the Tower of Terror because it was too “cost prohibitive.” Another major red flag for fans.
Then, we were told to be excited as Disney was going to build a rather large looping roller coaster in the boardwalk section. However, the catch was that it would be a steel coaster built to look as if it were wooden. Another flag. If Disney wanted to re-create a boardwalk, why wouldn’t they build a huge wooden coaster (also called a “woodie”) rather than a metal coaster made to look wooden? Cost is the only thing that comes to mind, as any coaster enthusiast will tell you that it is possible now to have a loop set into a wooden coaster.
I could go on forever, but you get the picture. Enthusiasts knew all along that selling DCA was going to be an uphill battle for The Walt Disney Company. Much like following the Main Street Electrical Parade with Light Magic, Disney’s California Adventure was going to have to be very impressive to live up to the name Disneyland had alone created for itself if it was going to be a worthy counterpart. We all knew what to expect if DCA was anything less than stellar. There’s nothing more critical than a true Disney enthusiast. The company has created that problem; in Anaheim, we’ve grown up with the likes of The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indiana Jones Adventure. How did Paul Pressler and Michael Eisner expect loyal, die-hard fans to gleefully accept a giant Ferris Wheel of sorts and a non-themed metal roller coaster? Indeed, an uphill battle.
Over the past few months leading up to the opening of California Adventure, very definite lines have been drawn even amongst Disneyland enthusiasts; it seems that most people either love DCA or hate it. At least, that is the sampling of comments that I have read online and have received from my own readers.
I was present at the opening of DCA and now have my very own, first-hand impressions and opinions. I got questioned in various newsgroups because I’ve been speaking openly about my concerns regarding DCA and I hadn’t personally been to the new park. Well, now I have been there and my opinions really, haven’t changed all that much.
While there were some pleasant surprises, Disney’s California Adventure pretty much had the impact on me that I figured it would. I personally feel that while there are some really nice elements, DCA is not a step forward for Disney; especially Walt Disney Imagineering. There are no state-of-the-art breakthrough attractions, no real “WOW” elements and the amount of attractions in the park pales next to Disneyland - or Knott’s Berry Farm, for that matter.
It’s my feeling that while this may not be a step backward financially for Disney (because unfortunately, they are of a status now of “build it and they will come”), this new park is a very dangerous move in the long-term for the company. If California Adventure is a success, it sends the message in the language that people like Paul Pressler and Michael Eisner - the language of cash - that Disney no longer needs to invest in “E” Ticket attractions such as the Tower of Terror or Indiana Jones. That spells out a pretty sad future for Imagineering. Oh, I imagine some would be more than content going to work each day in Glendale designing Sun Wheels and the like. However, a good handful of the creative forces at Disney that I know are not employed by the Mouse because they’re living week-to-week off of their paychecks; they are there because of their creative drive and desire to entertain the masses through elaborate means.
I walked through California Adventure all day on February 8, which was the parks Opening Day. It seemed strangely empty to me and I noted that the longest line (with the exception of the horrendously long lines at merchandise locations for Opening Day souvenirs bound for eBay) in the park that I saw all day was 20 minutes for the coaster, California Screamin’.