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grapenehifics · 1 year

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Chapter 56

(Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40473339/chapters/111176644#workskin)

Disneyland opened Star Wars land like a year or two before the pandemic but I didn't get a chance to go before it closed. I dealt with this (very first world problem) by making these fictional characters go to Disneyland for me...although of course they can't actually go to Star Wars land (which didn't exist in the year this chapter is set anyway), nor acknowledge that Star Tours exists.

-I did go on a school trip to Disneyland once, for kids who had a certain GPA, so that is a thing that happens. (Or at least used to happen. I don't know about now. Disneyland keeps getting more expensive every year.)

-I just realized in editing this chapter that the story I wrote for NaNoWriMo this year also has Obi-Wan braiding hair.

-Grumbling about parking costs and bringing in your own sandwiches? This is basically Disneyland with my family 101.

-Obi-Wan trying to take a map and Anakin not letting him is a callback to the chapter where they went to the Getty together.

-Pre-cellphones, picking a meeting spot 'in case we get separated' in theme parks was a huge deal.

-I think Disneyland finally realized those stupid French-fry looking bronze rocks by the entrance to Tomorrowland were really ugly and are getting rid of them.

-The key to having a good time at Disneyland in general, and on the Jungle Cruise in particular, is really leaning into the corniness of it.

-First Visit buttons are real, and you can get them just for the asking! I've seen them at Universal, too.

-Of course Anakin would wonder what something is called while standing directly under the very large sign that tells you what it is called.

-One of my running jokes in this story is that Anakin has basically no pop-culture knowledge whatsoever. (We'll pretend that in this universe, like ours except Star Wars doesn't exist, Harrison Ford is just slightly less famous.)

-Yes, Obi-Wan and Anakin realizing they both find the same man attractive but Ahsoka did not is an incredibly backhanded nod to Ahsoka being a lesbian. It's not really relevant to this story because she's fourteen, but in general I will probably write her as a lesbian in everything I write ever.

-(Movie night will become important next chapter)

-Between the riverboat, the canoes, the shooting gallery, and mint juleps, this fic is getting into some deep-cut Disneyland activities, here.

-Don't even get me started on COBRA, UGH

-(Water polo will come up again next chapter, too)

-It is almost impossible for Obi-Wan to have a nice day without some sort of emotional crisis. Today's comes courtesy of Ahsoka asking him to be her backup guardian (yes there probably is a more technical term for that).

-I also got started playing Heads Up Charades because I saw other groups doing it while in line for Space Mountain. (Yes there is a Star Wars category.)

-Anakin's dialogue about Steve McQueen (and Daniel Craig, and Ewan McGregor) mirrors my own opinions. (The first time I saw Daniel Craig was in a trailer for Casino Royale and I had to forcibly remind myself that human cloning doesn't exist because he just looked so much like Steve McQueen to me.)

-Yes, Lightning McQueen the character is named after Steve McQueen the actor.

-When I picture Ahsoka saying, "He's really bad at opening jars," I'm actually picturing April Ludgate talking about her three-legged dog Champion. "Champion's great at everything! Except digging. He's really bad at digging."

-Matterhorn no longer has the cuddle seats, but they used to have cuddle seats, where you put the taller person in the back and the shorter person sat between their legs. This provided a realm of opportunities to horny high schoolers, so long as you could fit it in the three-minute or so window while the ride lasted (and was probably also why they redesigned the cuddle seats).

-I like the dynamic of Anakin, usually so competitive, simply sitting back and admiring Obi-Wan being really good at air rifles.

-Indiana Jones is, IMO, the gold standard of theme parks giving you things to do while you wait in line. Pull this! Watch this! Decipher these hieroglyphics!

-If you can time it right, my favorite place to watch fireworks is while in line for/riding the Matterhorn. (You can also *sort of* see Fantasmic while in line for Haunted Mansion, fyi).

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aquilinestudios · 2 years

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It never rains in ________ __________...

Back from a one-week trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, and it has been a trip. As expected, we had no rain and almost no clouds the whole time, and daytime highs around 90°F, though the nights didn't cool off as much as I expected, with lows staying stubbornly high around 70°F.

The following ended up being so long that the other two parks will have to wait for a separate post.

My thoughts, in no particular order:

Disneyland Park

Space Mountain

Will someone please inform Ric Flair that this coaster is neither the oldest ride in the park nor the one with the longest lines, either here or in Florida? That said, the Disneyland version of Space Mountain has spoiled me, as it is such a clear step up from the Magic Kingdom's... you can seat two across, the ride is longer and better, and the SOUNDTRACK adds immeasurably to the experience. (Made me yell for joy that one Otakon when one of the Iron Editor videos used it.)

Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters

Another clear upgrade from the Buzz's Space Ranger Spin in the MK, as you can actually lift the laser guns out of their docks, you can line up your eye with a groove on top of the gun to aim better, and the targets AND your gun both light up when you score a hit. It all adds up to a far less frustrating experience.

Disneyland Railroad

Definitely more functional than the MK railroad, as it has *four* stops instead of just three. Also, the Grand Canyon and dinosaur scenes are pretty cool. I just wish all the trains had seats that faced forward (on our first ride, we had one that faced us sideways).

Disneyland Monorail

Unlike in Florida, Disneyland resort has only one monorail line, with only two stops (Tomorrowland and Downtown Disney) and NO air conditioning (the windows were open the whole time). However, I still need to remember it next time, as a possibly faster option for entering the park (shorter lines for bag check and check-in), depending on where my hotel is.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Not sure it's worth it if the wait is a half hour or longer, but still cute. Now if only the hatch directly over my seat hadn't leaked when we passed under that waterfall...

Pinocchio's Daring Journey

Dark ride you won't find at the MK, about what you'd expect.

Snow White's Enchanted Wish

Surprisingly, far better than the now-defunct Snow White's (Scary) Adventures in Florida. Won't leave you asking "Where the hell is Snow White?". (Edit: looks like this ride was redesigned in 2021 into its current incarnation, which explains the difference.)

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Dark ride no longer present in Florida (it was replaced by the Pooh ride there). AKA Mr. Toad's Bogus Journey.

Peter Pan's Flight

Still consistently popular. A different experience from the MK's, but I'm disappointed at the lack of "FIRE, MR. SMEE! *boom*".

Alice in Wonderland

Dark ride you won't find at the MK, with some delightful effects.

Storybook Land Canal Boats

When you want an outdoor boat ride, this one's here for you. I had forgotten that, due to the miniature storybook scenes the boat floats past, the ride is effectively full of faux bonsai.

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Closed for refurbishment, alas.

"it's a small world" [sic]

The first thing you notice about this one is that, unlike in Florida, its loading area is OUTSIDE. Then you see that the toy parade happens every 15 minutes instead of only on the hour. Once you're actually on the ride, it has a slightly older feel to it, but with noticeably more Disney characters sneaked in (in the same style as the rest of the dolls, of course) and a small room dedicated to North America just before the big all-white finale. Oh, and in said finale, the sun appears to be charging its eye lasers.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

One of the most elaborate preshows I've seen yet, with at least one point that makes you think you're on the actual ride when you're really not. When you do finally arrive, it's a dark ride with Disney's best technology and the usual exquisite attention to detail, definitely deserving of the long lines.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

This is the interactive simulator-type ride where each ship has two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. I was a gunner, and I give you the warning I wish I'd had, that you do get penalized for missed shots -- so don't just spray and pray. It's my understanding that the ride experience does change based on how well your crew is doing; in my case, we only secured one load of cargo.

Splash Mountain

Felt just like what I remember from Florida. My shoes got wetter from the *first* (rather small) drop than from anything else. Fortunately, they dried out quickly afterwards.

The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh

Not a clone of Florida, lacking the bouncing scene but adding lots of birthday presents for Pooh. Also, the ride vehicles are beehives rather than Hunny Pots.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Another one you must ride if you're a Disney fan who has only ever done the Florida version. Much longer and more elaborate. Also, for those of you who have seen the Sing-Along Songs video, I regret to inform you that they do NOT actually make the powder kegs explode.

Haunted Mansion

Seemed almost identical to in the MK. Got to ride it just before it went down for its annual The Nightmare Before Christmas re-skinning; it won't re-open until September 2.

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

Long in the tooth, but still good to see something that Walt himself worked on directly. Also, they let you eat your Dole Whip in the theatre. (If you haven't had a Dole Whip, that's another thing that's basically an obligatory part of the Disneyland experience.)

Jungle Cruise

Yup, it's still there.

Indiana Jones Adventure

Luckiest timing ever, to get on the line JUST after it had re-opened from one of its many temporary closures -- got through it in something like 15 minutes, which is unheard of (the Jungle Cruise skipper called it "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Three-Hour Wait"). I couldn't hear enough of the voice lines to know what was supposed to be going on plot-wise (had to consult Wikipedia for that afterwards), but it's still a most impressive dark ride that Florida doesn't have. The closest analogue is probably Dinosaur; unlike that one, Indiana Jones lacks jump scares.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

Not nearly as long or impressive as The American Adventure at Epcot Center, but this paved the way for it and for the MK's Hall of Presidents. Also, this explains that one scene in the modern Mickey Mouse cartoon "Potatoland".

Fantasmic!

This has always been a significantly distinct experience from the one in Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. To begin with, there is no dedicated theatre; the show takes place on Tom Sawyer Island itself and the river around it (including using the Mark Twain and Columbia riverboats!). The segments themselves differ: instead of a Jafar snake, you get Kaa in a Jungle Book scene; instead of Pocahontas, you get formerly Peter Pan and now Pirates of the freaking Caribbean; instead of a whole procession of Disney villains, you get about three in a row; and so on.

But perhaps the most memorable difference is the huge animatronic fire-breathing Maleficent dragon (you can find pictures in my posts from 2013, here and here). Far more impressive than what we get on the East Coast.

Disneyland Forever

Unfortunately I cannot opine on this fireworks show... because it was canceled (due to high winds aloft) both nights I tried to see it!

Mickey's Mix Magic

Instead of the fireworks, we got this projection show, using both Sleeping Beauty Castle AND all the stores along Main Street, USA (since the castle is quite short). It's a dance party with remixed Disney songs -- who knew that "I Wanna Be Like You" (inter alia) worked so well as electro-swing?

Main Street Electrical Parade: 50th Anniversary

(Warning: sap incoming)

The strange thing is that I have zero nostalgia for this parade, as I never saw it as a child (my family usually didn't do the nighttime parades, and when we did, it was Spectromagic). But the first time I saw it, being in the MK as an adult, I was bouncing and whooping right from where the beat hits and the street lights black out.

I cannot explain why this parade has such an effect. I can only describe it as a magical outpouring of joy -- and the California crowd was even more into it than in Florida. It is one of the very few Disney attractions that can bring tears to my eyes.

It even got me to buy the 50th anniversary T-shirt.

#disneyland #main street electrical parade #squee #MSEP #travel

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freshroyalmspaint · 2 years

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Heheh, Adventureland pretty...

Been awhile since I’ve drawn this variant, huh? I felt like it could do with a redesign. I made sure not to remove many references while still streamlining it. I also felt like giving Adventureland extremely floofy hair. It’s cute.I feel like Tomorrowland has something to do with it canonically. Anyway, I really want her earrings. I had to keep the reference to my two favorite crocodiles, though.

Also, Microsoft Paint was bullying me the entire time. Windows error sounds would play every time I performed an action, and, well, just look at the two other images. Love it when that happens.

#adventureland #jingle cruise #disneyland #walt disney world #gijinka #wdw #microsoft paint #art #digital art #floof #cute

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cetaceanhandiwork · 4 years

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Disneyland Reloaded

So a week ago, give or take, I replied to a post on another website which basically asked “if you were given the job of rebuilding Disneyland, would you change anything?” The question got me thinking a fair bit about the Anaheim Disney resort’s overarching themes, and where they work or don’t work, resulting in a giant three-part comment to fully explain my redesign.

Today, I feel like sharing those ideas with y'all over here, too!

Let's begin with the assumptions that...

we can get permits in Anaheim but no new land...

we have a budget that could theoretically rebuild the whole park if it had to but not too much beyond that, and...

original Walt-era Disneyland stuff may be difficult to move without damaging or destroying, and deliberately destroying and rebuilding it, while allowed, may not be desirable for reasons of preserving park history.

Given that, my high-level approach would be a refocusing of each park's experience on its core concept. I envision three parks:

Disneyland - worlds of "yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy" - embodied by the genres Walt himself grew up with.

A reimagining of California Adventure that synthesizes the original idea of "Califorina, the real place you are visiting right now, presented as a fictional place to explore" with the running Pixar theme of "secret peoples and communities that live alongside humanity, in the here and now, just outside our line of sight".

A new third gate that focuses on stories of larger-than-life heroism and villainy - the native park of Star Wars, MCU, Pirates-the-movie-series, and other similar properties.

This effort, as I see it, would have to start with some Tetris-ing, in an attempt to make the most of the limited Anaheim acreage:

Utilidors. This Disney World system - of putting backstage and CM areas underground - was invented precisely because WED wished they’d done it in Anaheim. If we’re starting from scratch, we can backport this design and immediately unlock a lot of space.

Drop Disneyland Drive north of Cerritos underground as well.

Consolidate remaining parking. At worst, this is a third Mickey & Friends that encompasses all other resort parking. At best, we get permits to put underground levels on parking structures and reduce the footprint further. Put this in the southeast corner of the resort; get rid of the Paradise Pier Hotel for now.

Strip Avengers Campus off of DCA, strip Galaxy's Edge and the Fantasyland Theatre off of Disneyland. This will free up enough space to put DCA and the GCH east of Disneyland, with its gate on the other end of a rerouted Downtown Disney.

That done, we can move on to the main event.

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Of these, Disneyland itself would see the fewest changes, both in the interests of preserving the history and because it's already fairly close to what we want. The paradigm is as it always was: each "land" represents a genre in microcosm, matched not against any particular IP, but presented as a... prototypical or archetypical space in which all those stories might occur.

This is a good framing device and a solid core concept, and I'm not gonna mess with it. However, there are still a few things I'd rearrange.

For instance: Critter Country would move to the eastern side of the Rivers of America, placed between the rural American Frontierland, the funny animals of Toontown, and the fable-laden Fantasyland. I imagine it taking up sort of the same space as the old Big Thunder Ranch and Fairgrounds, connected with Frontierland on one side (with Splash Mountain still bordering the Rivers of America) and Toontown (bordering Winnie the Pooh) and Fantasyland (bordering a new indoor/outdoor Robin Hood darkride) on the other.

Toontown would need few changes, other than a careful touching up of the effects to match modern standards. I would like to squeeze in one minor expansion, though, if possible, by moving the Monorail wheelhouse: a small Disney Villains themed area - perhaps a seedy watering hole? - nestled away in Downtown Toontown.

Fantasyland, meanwhile, would reclaim the Theater and some backlot space (thanks Utilidoors!) and use that room for a couple new rides - particularly, a Beauty and the Beast attraction and a Frozen attraction. I resist here the impulse to put Frozen next to the Matterhorn mainly because that Fantasyland real estate has another important purpose: the Fantasia and Tomorrowland lagoons get rejoined, and become the show area for a Little Mermaid ride, boarding near Small World, that actually takes place "unda da sea". (The technology for underwater, low-occupancy-vehicle ride systems does exist in the current state of the art, although it'd need some iteration to theme as properly Fantasyland.) As much as I would personally regret seeing the submarines go, I can't deny that their ride system is claustrophobic, stuffy, and poorly accessible, and that guests deserve something with lower "minimum requirements" to ride.

Compared to those, Tomorrowland would get a more comprehensive refocusing. I've posted before about my take on Tomorrowland's DNA: that isn't just "the future", but "the challenge and promise of the future". People talk a lot about how it's a Land that's perpetually out of date - that our vision of the future changes too fast for the Park to keep up. Aesthetically, that's a fair point. But on an attraction level... we don't have to aim a mere five minutes into the future to talk about its challenge and promise - to talk about the future optimistically, as as better world we can reach towards today and eventually grab onto.

Space is, of course, an easy example; space has been an "unreasonable but longed-for future" since Walt's days. Bring back the mission to Mars. Add a space elevator that you can ride as an observation tower, or take the "express" and make it a droptower that uses its drop to simulate zero gravity. On a more terrestrial side... put in a dinosaur or giant animal dark ride - fantastical experiments in biology, at once excited for the potential there, and cautious about how important it is to get right. Maybe do something with Inside Out as a "fantastic psychology" concept. Give the Land an AI caretaker character, puppeteered by several CMs behind the scenes to create the illusion that it's a single person multiplexing.

You can keep Star Tours - the galaxy of Star Wars may be a gritty and cynical world, but Star Tours is a lighthearted and hopeful take on it. You can keep the monorail, too - it's still futuristic to Americans - and route it through the Land's rides the same way the PeopleMover once did, and the same way the boats and trains do in other Lands. Maybe you can even fit in a Wall-E based attraction - now that's a story that's an emulsion of the future's "challenges" and its "promise" if ever there was one in Disney's catalogue.

As for Adventureland? It's got a different obsolescence problem than Tomorrowland: not that the world has left a particular vision behind, but that the world has left the whole genre it represents behind. Walt grew up with the "Adventure" genre, of pith helmet explorers in the Southeast Asian jungle or the African veldt, but we don't really have that genre anymore. And with Disneyland as a worldwide tourist destination, it becomes... strange to have people coming from the places that genre was based on, only to see this caricature of the places they know reflected back as it was seen by clueless Brits a century ago. I want to believe there's something sensible to do with this Land, something that can preserve its essence and history while still making it meaningful to the stories we tell today and the people who were on the other side of the old stories, but I honestly don't know how to do it, or what it would even look like when we were done. All I know is that if nothing else I need to stick a giant bookmark here, because I'd have to do something.

Main Street, finally, would remain mostly unchanged by the advancing years, except for one upgrade: its illusory second floor would at last become a real one - not as shops, but as Dream Suite-esque prestige accomodations. On any given night, roughly half of these would be booked like on-property hotel suites, at rates befitting the rare magic of spending the night inside the Magic Kingdom's pomerium. The other half would be handed out at random to guests who bought resort/GNH packages, or otherwise booked their trip such that Disney knows they're staying overnight, to put that magic, in theory, within every guest's reach.

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So for Disneyland, the changes have been less structural, and more focused on rearranging an existing structure to update and future-proof it.

California Adventure, on the other hand, needs something deeper, because at the moment, its theming is... confused. When it first opened, it was designed single-mindedly as a pastiche of California as a whole: Hollywood, San Francisco, Yosemite, Sonoma, Monterey, the Central Valley, and Santa Monica Pier. Over time, this theming - which proved less compelling than the Imagineers had hoped it would be - has eroded to make room for Intellectual Properties that could find no space on the other side of the Esplanade.

Today it's a hodgepodge of the old California theming, skin-deep Pixar references, and an increasing amount of Marvel stuff. There's no central idea like there is at Disneyland, or at Epcot and Animal Kingdom down in Florida.

Where I see the potential here is in Pixar's long-running theme: "what if [fill in the blank] were people", often imagined as those people secretly existing in our modern everyday world, which just so happens to be paired with a park that's themed to a real place, in the present day.

In other words, what if we made that pairing of themes explicit? What if we lean into the idea that you're "exploring" California, both to discover what's prosaically there, and what's fantastically there? What if we present that sort of Californian adventure?

I'm imagining a park pomerium based on the concept of the "road trip", inasmuch as it is the classical way to explore California. No miniature rail here; you'll pile into a trailer towed by Goofy and Max in their (now window-tinted) car, or by the Onward boys' van, or so forth. (I'd love to get the Cars cars in on towing duty but I don't know if the animatronics are good enough yet.)

You'll still pass through places like Grizzly Peak (where e.g. Bugs might also Live), a Pacific Wharf that's annexed some of Paradise Pier (where we can Find Nemo now that the submarines are closed), and the Hollywood Backlot (where city-dwelling nonhumans - like Monsters and Muppets - might lurk). Radiator Springs would be easily reconciled to this Park concept - melding it with the old Route 66 and I-5 travellers' towns, building it about half for humans and half for cars.

I would need external advice, at this point, to figure out how far this theme can go. I see... some potential in making explicit room to pay homage to Mexican heritage of California (with its hidden world being Coco's fantastical take on the Land of the Dead). But it'd have to be done respectfully, and would be easy to screw up without guidance on what exactly qualifies as respectful or not respectful.

From another angle, I'm also not sure yet quite where Toy Story fits into the picture, but every element of the park's Pixarish theming points to that headline IP needing to fit in somewhere.

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And with that taken care of, comes the question of the third gate. We position it across from Disneyland proper, in California Adventure's old real estate. Pragmatically, this mystery Park must support stories like MCU or Star Wars - the new additions to Disney's IP stable, set in soft sci-fi universes chock full of larger-than-life heroism and villainy. It would have more strict, single-setting-per-Land theming, to support Galaxy's Edge, the Avengers Campus, the new Artemis Fowl series, and so forth. Perhaps Tortuga as well - the cinema vision of Pirates is popular enough that it should be able to support a home, and building one for it here will ease pressure off of its Disneyland predecessor to be flagbearer for an IP it was never designed to host.

How does one support this with a gateway/hub Land? How does one define a pomerium around it? Strict set construction as a principle of the park implies that we have to invent a new IP for this purpose, something Kingdom-Hearts-like but less... cartoonish, to match the less cartoonish worlds it lets you visit. A futuristic mode of transportation seems called for to ferry guests from Land to Land. Perhaps this is where the iconic Disneyland Monorail design finally finds its place in Disney fiction and not just history: to be - within this new setting - a vehicle for interdimensional travel. The park's hub would then have platforms for two Monorail lines: one bound for "Earth 1313: Tomorrowland, Hollywood, and the Disneyland Hotel" (for we would expand the resort-wide monorail track to support park hopper travel), and the other bound for this new park's immersive Lands.

The third gate's position across from Disneyland proper, combined with the increased use of underground tunnels and infrastructure, adds another potentially useful gimmick: the ability to link it to Disneyland in a manner similar to Universal Orlando's Hogwarts Express. Imagine park-hopper-only lines where your Star Tour will land on Batuu, or your Pirate cruise will end in Tortuga.

There would, of course, be a new hotel attached to this park, just like the Grand Californian was attached to DCA on its opening. I'll leave the specifics of this up in the air; it could be another Galactic Starcruiser, but it could just as easily be based on some other property.

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And what of the rest of the resort?

As mentioned, Downtown Disney shifts north, encroaching slightly into what's currently the backstage area of New Orleans Square, to better link up with the new position of DCA. So as not to "isolate" DCA, the third gate's entrance would be halfway along this new route.

Trams would use underground infrastructure to cross from the southeast unified parking area into the DTD/Esplanade corridor at the appropriate places for different Parks.

The Disneyland Hotel would remain, as a nod to its historical status, but against two park-adjoining hotels, it's clearly the farthest from the action after all this rearranging - hence hooking it up to the Monorail as a way to give it connectivity.

#imagineer theory #disneyland #original content #california adventure

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theme-park-concepts · 5 years

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Redesigning Tomorrowland from the ground up to be a vision of the future that doesn’t need to be constantly updated is a challenge I would relish.

Having to do that, while it’s required that everything be based on IP sounds much, much harder.

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amateurimagineering · 3 years

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Tomorrow Isn’t In Space

Tomorrowland was conceived and built in the middle of the space race, and it hasn’t given up that narrow view of what tomorrow looks like since. Well originally Tomorrowland was a bit of an expo space, obsessed with new technology (and advertising the companies that made it), but once Space Mountain hit it quickly became Spaceland. And to be clear, Space Mountain is one of the best Disney attractions of all time. Is there story? Nope! There doesn’t need to be. The music and lighting and projections do all the work to completely transport you and make you feel like you’re going impossibly fast in a place that’s definitely not a giant warehouse. It’s smart high tech (for the time it was built) and smart low tech (literally just turn off the lights and your imagination does the rest).

So Tomorrowland is where Star Tours went, and where Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster went, where AstroOrbiter (no relation) and Galaxy Grill and Pizza Planet all went. And, for some reason, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The only non-space related thing in Tomorrowland is Autopia, a ride that honestly feels more retro than Frontierland given how obsolete the very idea of car culture is right now. But is “space” really the best representation of tomorrow? Is it the best representation of exploration and discovery, two key themes behind each of the original lands?

No, I don’t think so. I think our future is on Earth, and I think our future is in technology and within communities.

My perfect Tomorrowland would have a version of Living with the Land from Epcot. A version of Journey to the Center of the Earth from DisneySea. A revival of Carousal of Progress that showcases not just American inventions and culture but a global representation of innovation. It could have entertainment not based around Jedi training, but based around showing off Disneyland’s own mindbending technology (a Mythbusters with fewer explosions, if you will). I’m not opposed to IP, but the perfect Disney IP representation of the future is Wall-E, not the green aliens from Toy Story.

Looking at it, maybe my Tomorrowland isn’t quite about discovery and exploration either. It’s about sustainability and preservation. After all we don’t magically find tomorrow, we create it. And what’s a more optimistic lesson to impart onto children than they are the masters of their own adventure.

#disneyland #disneyland redesign #tomorrowland #tomorrowland redesign

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scary-ivy · 5 years

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My hometown is full of beautiful mid-century modern breeze block adorned buildings but unfortunately many of them have been painted various drab shades of brown, proving society learned nothing from Disneyland's disastrous 1998 Tomorrowland redesign where they painted Space Mountain copper

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years

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#5yrsago Disneyland's un-gangs

A number of friendly, charity-minded social clubs have sprung up in Disney fandom. They dress in disnefied versions of biker wear, gather together in Disneyland, help people out, and keep each other company. I encountered the Neverlanders several times last year when I had a residency at Disney Imagineering, and I loved the way they blended counterculture and fandom. A long, smart piece about the clubs in OC Weekly traces their history and growth -- fuelled by Instagram -- and the way they encountered mainstream Disney fandom through message-boards and in the parks.

As the article notes, there's a long history of counterculture at Disney parks, from the Yippie invasion to the goth takeover of Tomorrowland prior to the New Tomorrowland renovation. This sort of thing was my direct inspiration for proposing a fan takeover of Disney in Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and the goth redesign of Fantasyland in Makers.

The presence of counterculture/bohemians in Disneyland shows how appropriation runs in two directions, and also points to a new direction in fraternal organizations. The activities of Disneyland's social clubs -- Neverlanders, Pix Pak, Black Death Crew, Main Street Elite -- would be recognizable to my grandparents, who were active in groups like Kiwanis and B'nai Brith, and who unwound with their friends through bowling and card-games and multi-family picnics.

https://boingboing.net/2014/02/27/disneylands-un-gangs.html

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pluckypirate · 5 years

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Over the last week I’ve been reading Pat William’s “How to Be Like Walt”. If you’ve never read it it’s part self help book and part biography. A lot of the self help stuff amounts to “believe in your dreams and make them happen!”. The biography and behind the scenes Disneyland stuff is fascinating to me.

Anyway, the chapter I just finished was talking about Tomorrowland: Walt’s original vision for it and the Tomorrowland we currently have. Without getting too preachy about the future and hope for the future and trying to live up to Walt’s vision of Tomorrowland, I’ll just say a couple of things:

1. We can do better. I’m saying this as the “Royal We”. Disneyland fans and Imagineers. The Tomorrowland we have at this current moment is...okay. The retro-future-Jules Verne aesthetic was interesting for a little while but I think it’s time for a change.

From what I read, in the mid 2000′s, Imagineers were tasked with redesigning Tomorrowland so that it didn’t constantly look outdated or obsolete. (It’s always looked outdated and obsolete because that’s how time works.) They stuck with a design that recalls a future that never existed. Here’s why: you can save lots of time and money if you’re not having to constantly update your stuff to keep up with modern times and the future. Here’s why the current Tomorrowland sucks: Disneyland has the time and money to constantly update their stuff and keep up to date with modern times and the future.

I get why Disneyland would want to lock down Tomorrowland in it’s current form. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money to refresh a ride much less an entire land. It also takes a lot of mental bandwidth to reconstruct a land. My argument for a redesign is this...

2. It’s worth it. Walt designed Disneyland with the hope that soon, the entire world would be more like his Magic Kingdom. He hoped that we would be freed from racism and inequality. He hoped that we would join together and solve the huge problems of this world and accomplish great things.

Tomorrowland is an extension, in physical form, of this hope.

In it’s current form, I don’t really see any of this.

Think about this, how many kids go to Disneyland every year? What if Tomorrowland had an attraction that showcased nano technology? Or one that showcased visiting Venus or Jupiter? Or one that showcased cutting edge technology? Or, more recently, what’s inside a black hole? How many of those kids would walk away wanting to educate themselves or want to get into STEM?

What I’m getting at is, investing in Tomorrowland might literally save our future.

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kevindurkiin · 4 years

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Wet Republic Receives Multi-Million Dollar Revamp Ahead Of 2020 Pool Season

Wet Republic at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino pioneered the ‘ultra pool’ club concept with a 54,500-square-foot poolside party mecca, and it’s going to be getting a massive overhaul moving into the 2020 pool season that will make it even better.

Already recognized as a leader in daylife entertainment since its inception in 2008, 2020 will offer guests additional plunge pools, a redesigned and expanded artist performance area, elevated cabanas and bungalows, furniture upgrades, and state-of-the-art immersive technology new to the Las Vegas dayclub scene.

Hakkasan Group enlisted the prestigious Rockwell Group to lead the revitalization. Rockwell Group will capitalize on the existing layout featuring two main pools emphasized by a perimeter of 10 deluxe cabanas and 12 VIP bungalows, met by a 2,500-square-foot open-air lounge.

“Wet Republic is a renowned daylife leader not only in Las Vegas, but around the world,” said Derek Silberstein, executive vice president of nightlife for Hakkasan Group. “Our reputation is anchored by crafting remarkable experiences for our guests. The revamp of Wet Republic and its impressive new offerings allows us to continue to do so on an unprecedented level.”

A new custom DJ booth supported by new audio-visual production will offer clearer sight lines from any angle in the venue, as well as a more engaging artist experience that extends all the way onto the main dance floor. New speakers from L-Acoustics, the same sound technology found at Omnia, as well as Coachella and Tomorrowland, will ensure that anyone can also hear everything from anywheree.

To complement the cutting-edge audio, the poolside oasis takes the performer and audience experience to the next level with a stunning 4,000-square-foot LED display designed by premier Dublin-based AV specialists, AudioTek. The focal point of the multi-faceted screen structure is a 13-foot interactive cube with pixel-mapping and color-mixing capabilities that cantilevers directly above the artist performance space.

Further adding to the posh cabana amenities, two new plunge pools spanning nearly 100 square feet in length provide a secluded swimming area and a prime vantage point of the heartbeat of the venue. Lined along the north and south side of Wet Republic, the highest level serves as an exclusive escape hub reserved for elite partygoers and celebrity clientele.

Summer 2020 will bring innovative pool parties, fresh themes and props for VIP bottle presentations, new food and beverage offerings, and much more. Tickets to experience Wet Republic summer 2020 and its unrivaled talent lineup including Tiësto, Zedd, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Illenium and more, go on sale February 4 at wetrepublic.com.

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Wet Republic Receives Multi-Million Dollar Revamp Ahead Of 2020 Pool Season

Wet Republic Receives Multi-Million Dollar Revamp Ahead Of 2020 Pool Season published first on https://soundwizreview.tumblr.com/

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bluebuzzmusic · 4 years

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Wet Republic Receives Multi-Million Dollar Revamp Ahead Of 2020 Pool Season

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Wet Republic Receives Multi-Million Dollar Revamp Ahead Of 2020 Pool Season

source https://www.youredm.com/2020/01/17/wet-republic-receives-multi-million-dollar-revamp-ahead-of-2020-pool-season/

#edm #music #music production #music news #edm news

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freshroyalmspaint · 3 years

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I forgot to post this.

I redesigned Tomorrowland-chan. I wanted to focus on 50s and 60s (and 70s) Tomorrowland, so I kept things simple. The only reference that can be considered “modern” would be the charm on her necklace, which is the current icon for CoP. I also wanted to make her hair and makeup feel more retro, similar to Fantasyland-chan and Progress City-chan. I kinda wanted to imply a relation between Tomorrowland, Progress City, and Spaceship Earth.

Also, I have decided to that Fantasyland-chan and Tomorrowland-chan are a couple. They shared the Skyway in all parks it had a version in, and no one can seem to decide which land the Matterhorn is a part of. The lands can be seen as opposites in terms of the original Disneyland areas. One is set in the renaissance kinda, and the other is in 1980-ish. I can just imagine Fantasyland-chan and Tomorrowland-chan holding hands and doing each other’s hair and makeup, and that makes my genderfae, ace, sapphic self squee.

...Oh Walt... I ship two areas of a theme park...

#tomorrowland #disneyland #disney parks-chans #art #digital art #gijinka #disney #walt disney world

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theme-park-concepts · 6 years

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A friend shared this on Facebook the other day, and I was curious to see your responses: Ever give any thought to how you would redesign Disneyland from the ground up? The same general boundaries for each land, with a bit of fudging here and there, and you’re only allowed to keep one attraction per land. Everything else has to be new.

Have I ?!?! OF COURSE I HAVE. I’ve thought about the entire resort, a third gate, and where to put the dang parking garages.

Granted my plans don’t generally involve only keeping one ride per land. That’s a harsh restriction lol. Hell my plan even brings back rides - Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland circling around big Thunder anyone?

I’ll have to see if I can post some of my Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 dream Disneyland here. I razed the first attempt at Adventureland, so the current one is only half complete but that’d still be fun to share.

I’ll spare everyone the 10,000 word essay on how I’d do things if I were queen though. Though really I don’t find Disneyland itself to need much of a redesign. Mostly just tweaking around the edges, especially Tomorrowland and the International Concourse.

The Magic Kingdom and WDW though? THATS something I’ve thought about a lot and really needs to happen. I’d demolish and rebuild whole swaths of it.

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mybrendanthehuntress137 · 5 years

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[Sneak Peek]Walt Disney World vs Disneyland Space mountain. Which is Better?

I feel like I should put this out, Space mountain is one of my favorite roller coaster of all time. But the question is; Which one is the best one: The one in Disneyland or the one in Walt Disney World? Well lets take a look. This my new series where I compare which one is better.

First lets look at the history of how this mountain came to be

During the Space age in the 50′s, Walt Disney was making a documentary on television about the potentials of space travel. While working on Disneyland in Anaheim. Walt Disney had help from a Disney animator John Hench. He and Walt wanted to make a land called ‘Tomorrowland’, a futuristic land of the year 1986, being educational and preparing others for the future. When Disneyland opened in July 17 of 1955, it was a big success. In Tomorrowland, their most thrilling attraction was Rocket to the Moon: a space themed ride which gave guests a thrilling sneak peak of commercial space flight that would be popular in the future. While Disneyland was a huge hit in its first year of operation, Tomorrowland would never be completed. The problem with Tomorrowland is that tomorrow will always come, new ideas for the future will always come, and Tomorrowland would be outdated.

This is what Tomorrowland used to look like in the 50′s in Disneyland

In 1959, Disneyland got its first expansion with the Monorail, The Submarine Voyage, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride, this would make Matterhorn the world’s first steel roller coaster. During the 60′s, Walt Disney replaced Rocket to the Moon with The Flying saucers in 1961 which closed in 1966 due to technical issues. He decide to get help with the other artists to plan a Major overhaul for Tomorrowland showcasing new ideas and technology for the future.

Concept art for the New Tomorrowland

In 1964, The World’s fair was showcased, showing newer technology. When Matterhorn was a big hit, Walt Disney said to the imagineers “Why can’t we have a ‘Space mountain’ ride?” With these words and the many artistic lessons learned in The World’s Fair, John Hench would work with Walt Disney once again on the land that challenged him and Walt from the very beginning. But how would he capture a lasting mystery and intrigue within an ever-changing land how would the danger and thrill of space travel be captured in a theme park attraction? John Hench had the solution, he just didn’t know it in 1964.

The New York World’s fair ran thru 1964-1965

With the New York World’s fair come and gone but what remained as a profound purpose and vision for Disneyland. While the discoveries made in New York were inspirational to Walt and his artists. It would inspire more for the vision for a newly realized Tomorrowland. Not that much imagineers seemed to solve John Hench's problem by bringing a so-called Space Mountain real in a land that focused on making the future a tangible reality. Outer space was still a intangible mystery to the American public. Not only that but the technology required to make an indoor space themed roller coaster was non-exsistent.

This is the original Concept art for Space Mountain

The original idea for this so-called ‘Space mountain’ was expanding Matterhorn’s format by having a single car coaster to run on four separate tracks in a futuristic alien-like mountainous structure. During development on this space roller coaster, the original name for it was going to be called ‘Space Voyage’. This is where the technological issues lied. But primarily, Walt Disney swept the project away by the creation of Pirates of the Caribbean for the newly minted New Orleans Square. But Hench kept working on the ‘Space Voyage’ project, designing concepts for the future attraction that would be part of a major part of the new planned Tomorrowland.

Walt Disney showing E.p.c.o.t. (Experimental. Prototype. Community. Of. Tomorrow.) for his new project for the Florida project (Plans for building Walt Disney World)

Unfortunately, in late 1966, Walt Disney past away. And with him went the vision and advocacy for new and daring attractions and projects, the space thrill ride would have to be delayed for the new Tomorrowland in 1967 would open without Walt’s Space Mountain.

Opening ceremony for the New Tomorrowland in 1967

Vintage footage of the New Tomorrowland in Disneyland

The New Tomorrowland was a big success and became one of the most popular lands in the park, but now WED Enterprises (Walt Disney Imagineering) would be occupied by bringing Walt’s dying vision to fruition: Walt Disney World. While the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland in California would serve the same philosophical function as it’s Disneyland counterpart in Florida, WED was partnering up with different companies to sponsor brand new attractions. Just like when Disneyland opened in 1955, Tomorrowland would prove to be the hardest land to plan and design. WED decided to open Tomorrowland attractions in a series of different phases. And so, Walt Disney World opened on Oct 1, 1971 with a very unfinished Tomorrowland.

A picture of the Tomorrowland’s Grand Prix Raceway in Walt Disney World in 1971.

For the next phases, WED would seek out bigger and better projects. Marty Sklar and John Hench approached RCA (System Communication Center) to sponsor an attraction for Tomorrowland. Because RCA was an electric company, Sklar and Hench began work on designing a computer themed attraction. But when they finally met with the company had to pitch the idea, it resulted into an absolute failure. So they went back to the drawing board, this time, they noticed an overwhelming lack of thrill rides in the park because there was no room to build a Florida version of the Matterhorn. It then became clear that this might be the perfect opportunity to bring Walt’s Space Mountain to life. And so, they did. George McGinnis would help design the attraction, along with former pilot Bill Watkins. Together. They would design the ride system that would perfect with the Matterhorn attempted; less than 20 years earlier. And so, after many many MANY YEARS, Space mountain would finally begin construction in 1972.

Pictures of Space Mountain’s construction updates in Walt Disney World

Space Mountain finally opened at Walt Disney World on Jan 15, 1975, with a huge ceremony and would forever change the definition of thrill ride. This would declare Space mountain the World’s first fully indoor roller coaster.

Picture of the grand opening of Space mountain on Jan 15, 1975

Six months later; work began immediately on bringing a version of this attraction, where it was originally attended. Disneyland. Because of space issues, the ride would have to go from having two track to just one. But with the technological advances made with the Orlando version, the team of artists and imagineers would be able to consolidate and perfect the tubular steel roller coaster and even increase capacity.

Pictures of Space Mountain’s construction updates at Disneyland

Space mountain in Disneyland opened on May 27, 1977 [two days after the movie Star Wars premiered] on the site of the former flying saucers. Like the other space mountain in Florida, it was a phenomenon. With a line stretching all the way to the parks main entrance.

Original pictures of Space mountain in 1977 (top): The original loading station for guests to go on their rocket ships and blast off into space.

But could it last long? What would happen to the excitement over the Space age die out from the American people? Could a space-themed thrill ride survive the event relevant cultural trend, or would it have to go to the way of many of its Tomorrowland predecessors? Not only with the public demuth a staple of the theme park experience, the future generations of artists would find themselves itching to breathe new life into this journey into the unknown

I’m going to have to tell more history of Space mountain in Disneyland because theres more story to it.

in 1996, Space mountain got some speakers on the sides of the vehicles to amplify music. The song is made by Dick Dale Combining a sci fi horror feel and a surf song as well.

Original ride vehicle with speakers on the side

Then on 1998, they redid the dome to make it a bronze color, because Originally In the 90′s, Disney was trying to be cool and hip, a bunch of projects were scrapped due to EuroDisneyLand’s (Disneyland Paris) massive failure but we’ll get to that later. They tried to make Tomorrowland 2055, a very great renovation, but we got this instead due to their low budget.

Original concept

What we got

Space mountain closed in 2003 to refurbish the ride. Luckily, the exterior would be restored. And a new music track was put in to replace Dick Dale’s version. This new soundtrack is composed by Micheal Giacchino.

Pictures of the dome getting back to its white color and ride vehicle were refurbished to look more space themed

in 2005, for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, Space Mountain re-opened to the public. The loading station has now a different spaceship hanging from above and a bunch of set pieces were redesigned.

In 2009, Space Mountain got its first seasonal overlay called Ghost Galaxy on Halloween seasons. The screen on the front of the station is all glitched and corrupted, giving the illusion that a ghost is lurking. And in 2014, they made the station lighting to green

In 2015, to help promote the new Star Wars movie ‘The Force Awakens’, they themed Tomorrowland into “Star Wars: Season of the force” putting Star Wars music around the land. And Space Mountain was seasoned to Hyperspace Mountain, where you have to help the rebellion fight off the Galactic Empire from invading Jakku. This season wouldn’t change back to the original version till 2017 for both Star Wars’s and Space Mountain’s 40th anniversary. Space Mountain would return to its original ride.

Front entrance shows the sign for Hyperspace mountain (left) and the theater entrance shows a theater saying “Star Wars: Path of The Jedi” (right)

This would also be the last time that the inventor of Space Mountain; 87 year-old Bill Watkins would ride it for the last time.

87 year-old Bill Watkins the guy who came up with Space Mountain rides it one final time

In 2018, a new queue was added, this had a satellite for hanging and some LED lights on the ceilings

New queue area in the standby line.

In 2019, Disneyland had to temporarily closed Space Mountain, two weeks after a man climbed out of one of the roller coaster cars while the ride was still in motion, ABC Newsthis link opens in a new tab reported.The incident happened on Tuesday, but unfortunately, Disneyland park-goers were still unable to ride the indoor roller coaster as of Thursday.According to The Orange County Registerthis link opens in a new tab, the man, in his 20s, was uninjured but was guided to safety by employees in order to receive first aid and was taken to the hospital later as a precaution.The man has some cognitive disabilities and was moving around in the dark during a slower part of the ride when he was able to get around the safety mechanism and climb out of the car, The Orange County Register reported. Once employees realized he was not in the car, they stopped the ride to find him.

Thanks for reading the history of Space Mountain. I’m sorry this had little to comparing and which one was better. But I wanted this to be a little history behind this roller coaster. But this took me SO LONG TO DO!!!! I was working on this for 10 HOURS TODAY TILL 12 AM!!!!!! 10 HOURRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSS OF SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUFFERING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise that I will do a comparison with Disney World and Disneyland to see which one is better. As a bonus, I will also compare the one from Disneyland to Disneyland Paris to see which ones are better. I’ll also do a little bit of history on the one in Disneyland Paris since I rode on it and I thought it was amazing. But which one will be more supremer? Find Out next time when I talk about “Which Is Better?”. I do not own any of these photos, they belong to these rightful owners in the links. I don’t know all the owners but I got a few of them.

http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/

http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/

https://davelandblog.blogspot.com/

Again thank you guys so much for supporting this! I can’t wait to do more episodes of this. And let me know on the comment section what is your favorite Space Mountain ride and to see who you think will win. Have a good day!

#disney #space mountain #disneyland #disney world #compare #preview #history #longest post I've ever done #I might do it again

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carmineri · 6 years

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This Month in Disney Parks History: February

By Liz Mangan

Ah, February. The month of roses and romance, the Princess Half Marathon, and Disney ticket price increases. This year, it was also the month of the D23 Japan event featuring updates on the new Star Wars Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy Epcot attraction, and Pixar Pier’s opening date to name a few. Historically though, February seems to be a pretty quiet month for the Disney Parks. Let’s see what we found!

1992: Dixie Landings, now known as Port Orleans Resort Riverside, opened in February 1992. The resort featured a rural Louisiana theme and was renamed and grouped with its sister resort under the Port Orleans heading in the early 2000s. If you (no one’s judging) or your child love the Disney Princesses, you may want to check out the Royal Guest Rooms. These renovated rooms include special artifacts from a few of Disney’s leading ladies.

1995: Disney World introduced the current version of Astro Orbiter in Magic Kingdom after renovating Tomorrowland. It’s perched on top of the PeopleMover platform, giving guests the opportunity to cling for dear life soar high above Tomorrowland in their own little space ship.

1999: In case Florida’s afternoon rain storms weren’t drenching enough, Kali River Rapids opened in February 1999 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests are treated to a rafting expedition down the Chakranadi River, where it’s all fun and games until you’re the one who lands in the path of every single water feature. Anyone else feel like it’s always them? I find it to be especially unforgiving if you only went on it because everyone else wanted to do it.

2001: Disney’s California Adventure opened, joining Disneyland Park as the second park in Disneyland Resort. It initially underwhelmed guests, so after just 6 years, Disney announced a redesign and expansion of the park. The billion dollar effort paid off, and Disney’s California Adventure is no longer considered the problem child it first appeared to be.

2001: As Disneyland fans were welcoming a new park, Disney World visitors said goodbye to Mickey’s Toon Town Fair, which closed to make way for New Fantasyland.

2010: Following the death of Michael Jackson, Captain EO returned to Disneyland resort for a limited engagement in February 2010. The show originally played at Disneyland from 1986-1997, and nostalgic guests were excited to see the return of one of the first 4D films. The other Disney Parks followed suit, but by the end of 2015, the show was no longer playing in any of the parks.

2015: As part of the continuing overhaul of Hollywood Studios, the iconic Sorcerer’s Hat was removed after more than a decade on display at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. Originally installed to commemorate Disney’s 100 Years of Magic Celebration, the hat, which had become the icon of the park, overstayed its welcome to many guests who disapproved of the obstructed view of the Chinese Theater.

2017: After almost an entire year of delays, Rivers of Light finally debuted at Animal Kingdom. The show was originally set to open in April of 2016, but technical difficulties led to months and months of delays. When the show did finally open, it was a toned-down, shorter version of the original plan, skipping some of the effects which had led to the lengthy delay.

That’s it for this month. See you in March for our next update!

This Month in Disney Parks History: February is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

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