The West Side of the Kingdom
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Watching Disney’s Bottom in Anaheim

Hey there, hi there, ho there, Mouse fans! Happy April to you all! I apologize getting this column to Doobie and Rebekah late - however, I am thrilled to say that it’s because I have been finishing Theme Park Adventure Magazine’s newest feature Issue! It’s a 70-page tribute to Tarzan’s Treehouse at Disneyland! Take a look at our site (www.themeparkadventure.com ) for all the details - or check out the recent headlines here on LaughingPlace.com for the specifics! It’s a great piece that features Bob Baranick, Tony Baxter and the screenwriter of Tarzan, Tab Murphy! Personally, I think it’s going to be a wonderful installment of TPA. I hope you guys think so too! [Ed Note: Click here for details on the release signing event.]

The most amusing game I have watched in the media over the past few weeks is Disneyland’s children admission pricing. The company lowers the age range for children, making everyone 10 years-old and up pay adult admission pricing - but, according to the company, it hadn’t done this to increase revenue. Uhm, then what was it for? To increase the morale of youngsters that gripe that grown-ups have all the fun? Disneyland says that because kids are larger these days and that the height restrictions for most attractions now accommodate kids, they should be able to enjoy all that Disneyland has to offer - but that they are also going to pay the same price that adults have to. Let me get this straight. Disneyland makes kids 10 years-old and up pay adult admission pricing now because they are big enough to enjoy all of the Park’s “adult” attractions. Leave alone the ridiculous statement that this isn’t being done to impact their revenue for a moment. If Disneyland starts charging kids because they’re big enough to do everything that mom and dad do in the Magic Kingdom, how does Disney justify charging dwarfs or midgets that aren’t big enough to ride some of the attractions adult admission if they are over 10 years of age? Ah, what a web we weave… My bottom line is in response to Disney’s bottom line: if you’re going to increase your revenue (and anyone with half a brain knows that it does affect their earnings), you’d better give back to the public that’s paying you 100%. We want to see real “E-Ticket” attractions like Geyser Falls or the Western River Expedition. I think that people are growing tired of Disney making money hand-over-fist only to dole out the cheapest (sorry - “most cost-effective”) attractions and shows at the Park that it can manage. Take a look in the old parking lot. Why can’t California Adventure have its own version (not translating to “watered-down version,” mind you) of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, or the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster? There is no excuse, and the only reason that Disney doesn’t engage in big-ticket attractions anymore (unless the Japanese are footing the bill) is because they are obsessed with their bottom line at the long-term expense of the overall quality of Disney attractions at its parks. ‘Tis a sad day and age, Walt.

I get to see the 45th Anniversary fireworks show finally at the Park in about a week and I am very excited about that. I have heard nothing but great things across the board about Disneyland’s new fireworks! If anyone has suggestions on where the best place to view them is, I am all ears ([email protected]). I’ll tell y’all what I think about them in next month’s column!

On the 28th of this month, over a thousand Disney enthusiasts are going to say their farewell to Marc Davis at his Celebration of Life at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences building in Beverly Hills, California. It’s going to be a very emotional evening and one that will be talked about for years. Originally, Alice Davis had asked me to be part of the panel of speakers. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, much to the dismay of Alice. I was to be the youngest member of the panel, representing those 30 years old and younger from a Disneyland point of view, rather than an animation point of view. It doesn’t really matter that I was cut from the final group; the important thing is that we’re all there together to show our love and support for Alice and pay tribute to Marc, someone that touched the lives of hundreds of millions for generations. He’ll continue touching lives long into the future. It’s that awesome individual that we celebrate this month. Everything else is not important. If you have your tickets and are planning on attending, be sure to get there early to get a decent seat once inside. If the opportunity arises for you to speak with Alice, be open with her and as loving as you’d like. Also (and I am sure I speak for the rest of the LaughingPlace and TPA gang), if you recognize us and wish to say hello before or after the Celebration, by all means, don’t be strangers! We’re all in this together and the more sense of community we share, the stronger the evening will be. I hope to see a lot of you there.

I look forward to sharing all of my thoughts with you guys next month about Disneyland’s 45th Anniversary, which is now in full-swing. I’ve been through several of these anniversaries and have weathered such events as State Fair, Blast to the Past, Buster Poindexter (the man is a walking event) and much more. We’ll see how this newest celebration stacks up!

Oh - and here’s a funny I discovered a few weeks ago. I jumped online to play Who Want to be a Millionaire with Regis in real-time (I’m a sucker for techno cool stuff like that) and as the small program was installing itself on my system, a window came up and stated that I was about to download content from Walt Disney Imagineering. So that’s what Paul Pressler has them doing these days! I figured they must be up to something in Glendale! There was a box that I could check if I want to “Always except content from Walt Disney Imagineering.” God, this is just too loaded; I’m walking away!

That’s about all the steam I have left for this month, folks. A good friend recently said, “How come you don’t write any positive stories about your past as a Cast Member at Disneyland? You’re always so bitter and could do such a fantastic piece on what it was like working the Mansion or Pirates or something!” With that in mind, I promise everyone that May is going to be “Warm Fuzzy Month” for West Side of the Kingdom! Until then, I’ll be busy with our Tarzan’s Treehouse issue, saying goodbye to Marc and trying to figure out how Disney’s bottom line isn’t affected by its new pricing in Anaheim!

-- Rick West (April 24, 2000)

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