The Fabulous Disney Babe
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We met up with Doobie and Rebekah for dinner at Yamabuki, then headed home, where I got some bad news: Timekeeper is closing at Walt Disney World. Why? No official reason, but I hope to have at least an unofficial reason for you by next week. It's probably money. I heard later in the week that the Keel Boats are going away as well, and that attraction hours have been drastically shortened. WDI Florida has lost, depending upon to whom you talk, thirty to sixty souls.
Disney Design Studios is, according to someone deep inside the company, hemorrhaging talent. Quite a few projects have been shelved, but fortunately there are a few left.
From a friend at Team Disney: "One of the remaining long time Hosts at the Disneyland Gallery will be leaving at the end of the month (he's just had enough). So, there are less and less employees that have worked their way up at the park to carry on whatever tradition and history is left. All the new management is being brought in from outside the company. They have no insight into the workings of Disneyland."
I like to think that in five years this will all be better and John Taylor will have written another great book about it. But, looking at my e-mail box lately, I feel there's hope for the future, even in these dark times for the magic-makers at Disney.
Look no further than Tokyo Disney Sea for the beauty and rampant imagination that is Walt Disney Imagineering's hallmark. In the two photos sent to me this week, you can see the Arabian Coast and one of the tall ships decorating the harbor. A tall ship, just to look good. I'd call that a BIG "Wow!", especially in this day and age.
I'd let you see them, but then I'd have to kill you. For some great, non-life-threatening pictures of TDS, please see Marc Borelli's Land of the Rising Mickey column.Imagineering isn't the only part of Disney to get a major blow recently. There's a massive shakeup at Disney Feature Animation that just starting right now, Sidney reports. Not only big layoffs, but also massive salary cuts. Some salary cuts were announced a few weeks ago, but the move has been expanded. Almost half of the department has been sent packing. Not just directors, either - EVERYONE. They are also apparently moving staff out of the Sorcerer's Hat building into lovely new digs in a warehouse. Yes, a warehouse. Animators at ALL of the major studios are buzzing about this. They're calling it "Black Thursday". Ouch. Remember "Black Tuesday", that signaled the beginning of the end for WDI? Expect an announcement about minimizing costs and making stockholders happy momentarily.
It's not like the planet is bereft of creativity. For instance, go look at http://www.justinspace.com/starwars/swintro.html. Yes, it's famous designers, including my all time fave Betsey Johnson, redesigning Star Wars elements. Gotta love those Beetle At-ATs!
MasterGorsh spilled what's definitely going into the Sub Lagoon at Disneyland: Nothing. But he got some cool maybe's. Cross your fingers.
Until next week,
Fab
Related Links
- Mary Poppins at the El
Capitan
A look at the Mary Poppins Sing-A-Long from its first go-around in last August. Included a sing-a-long with the the Sherman Brothers.
Discuss It
-- Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith can be reached using the Talkback form below or by emailing her at [email protected].
The Fabulous Disney Babe's column is posted every Friday and when ever else she has something to say. For more on Michelle's background, see her first column. She also offers The Fabulous Tour: Disneyland Secrets and Stories. Click here for more information.
The opinions expressed by our Michelle Smith, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted April 20, 2001
-- Pictures by Michelle Smith and Doobie Moseley