The West Side of the Kingdom
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Reading the reviews and updates on various Web sites and speaking with different people that have been visiting DCA since its opening, I am concerned at the apparent lack of visitors to California Adventure. I honestly hope that this isn’t a very serious reality that people in general are just not interested in Disney’s version of California; that would be truly, horrible. Not just for people at the top like Eisner, Pressler or Imagineering figures like Marty Sklar; frankly, with the exception of Marty, the majority of Disney executives at the theme park end of operations are passing fads of the moment in the Disneyland story. I wouldn’t lose sleep if I logged on to the Net one morning and read that Eisner was stepping down or that Pressler had been “promoted” to another area of the company due to the poor performance of Disney’s California Adventure. My true and honest concerns are for the fans - all of us that have devoted a good chunk of our lives (and life savings) to make Disney succeed in Anaheim.

I love Disneyland just as much as the next guy or girl. I grew up with it; it’s a part of my life that will never be replaced with anything else. I love the idea of a Disneyland Resort and I do adore Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian Hotel. Before passing any final judgment on California Adventure, I will let it mature a bit. I’ll wait and see was Disney has planned for the wildly-rumored and anticipated “Phase Two” of DCA. Maybe we will see better attractions; maybe not. Perhaps a lack of public enthusiasm could be the blessing for Disney enthusiasts in disguise and will force Disney to invest in large scale attractions for the new park. Maybe we will see a Tower of Terror or Armageddon attraction. Heck, I would settle for the Rock-n-Roller Coaster; that’s a fantastic ride! I think we all just want a bit of that Disney fantasy that lies just beyond the berm across from DCA. Eisner and company have made it very clear that California Adventure is to be a very separate experience than Disneyland. The question I have is why bypass the “magic” that the company is known, loved and respected for in its theme parks just to prove that point and make the two parks so different?

If Disney doesn’t understand that the only thing that separates them from other theme parks out there is their unique touch and magic, then the only thing that will separate the experience of Disney’s California Adventure from Disneyland Park is failure versus success.

Dream big, is what I say; especially when a company like Disney has the means to do so. Don’t be afraid to spend big money on large-scale attractions; that’s what the people want (is it really that hard to believe or understand?). Make the unfeasible practical and give WDI the freedom and budgets it deserves. Disney lost more than $500 million with Go.com. Imagine how much better California Adventure could be with that kind of cash.

I will continue to visit DCA, and I will continue to hope it succeeds on all levels. I anxiously await the plans for its expansion (and I think we’ll find out about them sooner than later at this point) as does any true Disney fan.

California is a fantastic place with an incredible story to tell. With more attractions and more creative vision, the possibilities for California Adventure remain endless. I certainly hope to take my children there someday and have a blast with them. It would be much nicer and much better alternative than showing them old pictures and videos of the Disney park that failed because it was stunted by executives worrying about their bonuses or running the budgets over a bit. Like any true Disney fan, I personally want to end this story with “they all rode, and lived happily even after.”

Now it’s up to Disney to make that happen, no matter what the cost. Ó2001 Theme Park Adventure Magazine / LaughingPlace.com. All rights reserved.

-- Rick West (February 21, 2001)

©2001 Theme Park Adventure Magazine and LaughingPlace.com. All rights reserved.