The West Side of the Kingdom
Page 2 of 2

The art of themed entertainment is a long and constantly changing process. There will be 3-D films. There will be shooting arcade-style dark rides. There will be flume rides and white water rafting attractions. God knows, there will be coasters. It’s a major question of what came first - the chicken or the egg? Disneyland is a mere infant compared to many other theme and amusement parks around the world. That’s not to say that its history is not impressive or emotional. I love Disneyland and its history - I grew up with the Park in my backyard. However, it is important to recognize that Disneyland is not the beginning or the end of this fantastic industry. The company certainly has the ability to lead the pack when it comes to themed attractions and visual magic - although we’re seeing it less and less these days, unfortunately. Disney fans are craving the era of Indiana Jones and Tower of Terror again; a message that Disney managers are aware of - and one that will hopefully be acted on one of these days.

In the meantime, other companies such as Landmark Entertainment are forging onward and are carving a very nice place for themselves in the community with top-notch designers and elaborate budgets for attractions such as Terminator 2:3-D for Universal, Men in Black and Spiderman - also for Universal parks. No one argues their incredible detail and stunning show elements. Landmark has successfully demonstrated that it can also create world-class attractions that even Disney Imagineers are stunned by.

There is so much history to this industry that it’s impossible to cover in one article. This is not even the tip of the iceberg. I just wanted to point out that all parks of today exist on borrowed ideas and attractions from yesterday. Walt and his staff certainly took it to a whole new level; no one disputes that. But other companies have followed through that opened door and are now neck and neck with Mickey Mouse. Where the industry will be as far as leaders 10 years from now is anyone’s guess. Right now, it’s a dead heat into the next several years, in my opinion.

Another comment I wanted to make this month was about the unfortunate situation at Space Mountain at Disneyland. LaughingPlace.com has a great deal of information and discussion about it here, so I won’t beat that horse. The coaster suffered an accident and Disney responded appropriately by seeing that everyone involved was taken care of quickly. Thankfully, no one was hurt severely.

Immediately, people started blaming Disneyland management and the rash of budget cuts that have taken their toll on the park recently. My immediate response was that Space Mountain has had a very clean track record over the years and that considering the amount of people it hosts each day every day all year long, it’s amazing that there haven’t been similar mishaps over the years. It’s inevitable, folks - rides are nothing more than machines. Your car breaks down. Your computer breaks down. Airplanes fall from the sky. Submarines sink to the bottom of the oceans. Roller coasters are no different. While the chance of you being injured on a roller coaster exist, it is far more likely that you’ll be involved in an accident on the way to or from a theme park in your car, etc. Rides are designed with guest safety being the first priority. They are inspected regularly for flaws and any pieces that need to be replaced. To immediately point the blame at Disneyland and its maintenance team is very unfair. The company is not in the business of paying insurance claims due to accidents. They have a reputation to keep clean and guests to entertain. Accidents happen - and it’s something that must be understood.

At the media event for the roller coaster Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, our train threw a wheel in the rain as we rode the massive lift toward the first terrifying drop. It made us nervous, but all was well and the train was pulled when we arrived back at the station. This is a brand new coaster - no lack of maintenance there.

At another park, I had a lap bar (the only restraint available - no belt or over-the-shoulder harnesses) become unlatched half-way down the first drop on a smaller roller coaster, which caused my TPA staffer and I to have to wedge ourselves well into the car to keep from being thrown out during the ride. We didn’t press charges or even demand a refund. We merely spoke with the park manager on duty and told them they needed to take the train out of service immediately and inspect it, which they did.

So, it happens. Granted, it would be fantastic if no accidents ever did happen - but rides are made by humans and the great thing about being human is that we make mistakes.

Good luck to Disney on their appeal in Florida and kudos to Disneyland for getting Space Mountain up and running so quickly after the mishap at Disneyland. It’s a great summer and I wish I were at the Park right now rather than behind a desk inside.

Enjoy each theme park for what its worth. They are all gems. They all help each other out along the way. The most important factor is that we have fun when visiting; so far, I have never been to a theme park or amusement park where I haven’t had a good time. Now, go ride those coasters and smile for the camera!

-- Rick West (August 16, 2000)

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