Letters to the Editor
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A couple of readers were happy to read about the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS charity event that opened Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney was truly a spectacular event. It is a tribute to a wonderful Foundation and cause. I have been a fan of Paul Glaser's for 26 years. I enjoyed this event and will remember it for a long time.
     -- MB

It's heartwarming to see the wonderful work Paul Michael Glaser does on behalf of the Pediatric Aids Foundation. I hope he finds more and more support for the cause - the work EGPAF does is needed all over the world, not just the US. I wish Paul Michael Glaser and his family the very best.
     -- B

Ken Pellman's December 11th Kenversations about the demise of Audio-Animatronics (AAs) in Disney attractions created quite a stir:

For me its always been AAs that help Disney stand out from the crowd. Pirates and Haunted Mansion are my two favorite attractions, with Splash Mountain, Hall of Presidents, American Adventure and Spaceship Earth following close behind. I used to love America Sings and Mission to Mars and I hope Disney carries on using them and improving them. Anyone can build Rock and Roller Coaster, or even Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, but only Universal Studios comes close to building attractions with as much depth and facination with AAs as Disney. .... Bring on the next gen AAs Disney. Pleeeeeeeeeese!
     -- B

I hope Disney continues to use AAs in all their attractions seeing that AAs are improving and becoming so fluid these days. Those dinos in Countdown...I mean Dinosaurs have never looked better, and they seem to beat the pants off Island of Adventure's Dinos. Plus, Flik and Hopper in Bug's Life are awesome.. Of course, to think of it, those Superstar Limo AAs aren't looking very impressive. Then again, look at the park they are in.
     -- B

The number one thing that has always stood out for me are the AA rides. I would hate to think that there would be no more new ones. Being a visual artist I am amazed by the detail and movement of them. I don't think that there can ever be a time where they would be "out-dated".
     -- S

I'm a huge fan of AAs and really wish they'd put more into their newer attractions as well. True, Rock 'N Roller is great even without any AA's, but think how much more real the experience would be if instead of looking into an empty music studio with video in the background you had AA's somehow involved in the room and perhaps interacting with the characters on the screen! I still consider Pirates to be one of the best attractions there is, and the American Adventure at Epcot has some of the best blend of AA and video I've ever seen. Disney should continue to do this sort of thing.
     -- T

Great points, but wanted to add a show you left out -- Alien Encounter. Yes, I know the main show could not be called a great AA show, but the preshow is something else altogether. I remember just being amazed, and emotionally terrified, by SIR. The fluid motion, combined with a terrific narrative, made the preshow the best part of the attraction. If anything, in our fragmented, fast paced, post-modern world, we have lost our love of narrative. AA shows worked well to tell a story. As we move away from that mode of entertainment, AA figures seem less important. Anyway, enjoyed our thoughts. Keep up the good work!
     -- M