My family and I have been sooo in love with Disneyland, that my daughter and I undergone the task of writing a Disney book with the intent of making the best bang for the buck, making a trip to Disneyland much more affordable.
Two nights ago I wrote the outline of the book. Last night I completed the prologue and Chapter 1. At this rate I can have the book ready for the editor before Halloween, that is if I can avoid the inevitable and dreaded writer's block.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, September 8, 2008
I recently discovered Disney Corp.'s Mission Statement. It is sublimely simple, yet ethereal in nature. Their Mission Statement: To make people happy. While this is goal seem impossible on the whole, I think Disney Corp. has lost focus on that goal. I understand the need to answer to shareholders and their demands for a return, however, as to "make people happy" seems to be taking a back seat to the Almighty Dollar.
This last summer entry prices raised, as did all merchandise and the already sky high food prices in the monopoly controlled dining experience. (another rant for another day) This time I would like to offer some quick tips and hidden nuggets of knowledge and perhaps some sage advise.
First, to help Disney's bottom line, I would suggest that the remastered films on DVD be released on the big screen. There are millions that have never seen Snow White, Bambi, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Oliver and Company, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Peter Pan, the Aristacats, or the hundreds of original Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck on the BIG screen. Even Walt himself re released Snow White after World War II. This would a low overhead and quick return that would indeed make people happy. But why limit this revival to the animated features and shorts. Remaster some of the great Disney hits like 20,000 leagues under the see, Old Yeller, Pollyanna, the original Parent Trap with Haley Mills and Maureen O'Hara, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, The Black Hole, That Darn Cat, The Love Bug and all the others that are great Disney Classics. Simple, yet true to their mission statement: to make people happy. After the theatrical release, then the remastered DVD sales, with all the special features. One could easily get Haley Mills to do commentary on her films.
I know, this is thinking so far out of the box, it's in its own universe. But hey, that's the kinda guy I am. I am always thinking of new and better things for Disneyland and DCA, alas, I do not work or am associated with Disney's Imagineering. Ce La Vie.
At the Disney Parks, Disneyland has no Main Street Parade to speak of at the moment. The Parade of Dreams is down. Arial's Grotto (both parks) are closed for refurbishment, and at DCA the Electrical Parade is gone. I would in the interim, since the original parade on Main Street is surely archived, simply move the parade to Main Street until the next parade is ready. At least there would be nostalgic entertainment while the next feature is being organized.
Then again, I don't have ANY pull with Disney Corp. nor its designers, planners, etc... I am just one guy with a themed environment design background with a few suggestions. If I were to suggest these directly, well, I would have to place bets on how fast it made it to the round file.
The Knight Hawk
This last summer entry prices raised, as did all merchandise and the already sky high food prices in the monopoly controlled dining experience. (another rant for another day) This time I would like to offer some quick tips and hidden nuggets of knowledge and perhaps some sage advise.
First, to help Disney's bottom line, I would suggest that the remastered films on DVD be released on the big screen. There are millions that have never seen Snow White, Bambi, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Oliver and Company, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Peter Pan, the Aristacats, or the hundreds of original Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck on the BIG screen. Even Walt himself re released Snow White after World War II. This would a low overhead and quick return that would indeed make people happy. But why limit this revival to the animated features and shorts. Remaster some of the great Disney hits like 20,000 leagues under the see, Old Yeller, Pollyanna, the original Parent Trap with Haley Mills and Maureen O'Hara, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, The Black Hole, That Darn Cat, The Love Bug and all the others that are great Disney Classics. Simple, yet true to their mission statement: to make people happy. After the theatrical release, then the remastered DVD sales, with all the special features. One could easily get Haley Mills to do commentary on her films.
I know, this is thinking so far out of the box, it's in its own universe. But hey, that's the kinda guy I am. I am always thinking of new and better things for Disneyland and DCA, alas, I do not work or am associated with Disney's Imagineering. Ce La Vie.
At the Disney Parks, Disneyland has no Main Street Parade to speak of at the moment. The Parade of Dreams is down. Arial's Grotto (both parks) are closed for refurbishment, and at DCA the Electrical Parade is gone. I would in the interim, since the original parade on Main Street is surely archived, simply move the parade to Main Street until the next parade is ready. At least there would be nostalgic entertainment while the next feature is being organized.
Then again, I don't have ANY pull with Disney Corp. nor its designers, planners, etc... I am just one guy with a themed environment design background with a few suggestions. If I were to suggest these directly, well, I would have to place bets on how fast it made it to the round file.
The Knight Hawk
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Disney Films and Hollywood at large, lacking....
Now, more than ever, I admire, even hero worship Walter Elias Disney. While he was tenacious, and could be difficult to work for, (by published accounts) he still was a master of self promotion, vision and captured the American spirit in all his endeavors, like none else in his time. Indeed, at one time the name Walt Disney was a house hold name. He no less than three daily hit television shows (the Mickey Mouse Club, The Adventures of Davey Crockett, and the Adventures of Zorro), several Academy Awards, the first Theme Park in the world, a television series called Disneyland (later the Wonderful World of Color and then the Wonderful World of Disney), World War II shorts, countless Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Silly Symphony's Shorts, and wild life documentaries. This doesn't even begin to cover the full length animated features like Snow White, Cinderella, and Dumbo which were box office hits, or his box office busts, which are now classics like Peter Pan, Fantasia, and Pinocchio.
Today, Disney Studios is trying to be just as innovative as Walt was when in introduced sound to Mickey Mouse. It started with the introduction of computers in animated features, most notably in Oliver and Company, or as recently as Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin. This evolved into the current innovation of Computer Graphic animated feature films. Just like in the old days, and then with Don Bluth in the 80's, there is stiff competition with these features. Compare Dreamworks with Disney. Dreamworks is aiming at a more sophisticated audience. Ironically, Walt himself insisted that his animated shorts were aimed at the same audience. In contrast of the Disney Studio of today, where they aim directly at the younger audience, which means that an older audience is automatically included, as they must take the younger audience to these films. I am only comparing the two, as each philosophy has it's place in todays film market.
The Disney Studio, however, does something that is current trend in Hollywood that is most disturbing. There has been since the 80's a rash of live feature films that are being remade from the original. Same old stories, with a hip new twist and hip new actors and actresses to entertain the timeless classics of yesteryear. Take The Parent Trap with Maureen O'Hara, and Haley Mills. This is a classic feature with the lead song from Nat King Cole. The film is beautifully shot, and tells the story of the twin girls in a style that brings you along for the adventure. Compare this to the one with the now infamous Lindsay Lohan, and the contrast is as night and day. There is Freaky Friday. While I am a Jamie Lee Curtis fan, again Lindsay Lohan is a frightful disappointment when compared to Jodie Foster with the same roll. And how can resist John Astin (better known as Gomez Adams from the Adams Family Television series and father of Sean Astin), though Mark Harmon is a strong leading man.
If the Disney Studio would put it's money into remastering the classic movies and releasing them into first run theaters, (as did George Lucas with Star Wars) I believe that it would be money well spent. I also believe that if they did the same with ALL THE ANIMATED FEATURES, the result would be the same.
But then whom am I to question the bottom line at Disney Corp.?
The Knight Hawk
Today, Disney Studios is trying to be just as innovative as Walt was when in introduced sound to Mickey Mouse. It started with the introduction of computers in animated features, most notably in Oliver and Company, or as recently as Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin. This evolved into the current innovation of Computer Graphic animated feature films. Just like in the old days, and then with Don Bluth in the 80's, there is stiff competition with these features. Compare Dreamworks with Disney. Dreamworks is aiming at a more sophisticated audience. Ironically, Walt himself insisted that his animated shorts were aimed at the same audience. In contrast of the Disney Studio of today, where they aim directly at the younger audience, which means that an older audience is automatically included, as they must take the younger audience to these films. I am only comparing the two, as each philosophy has it's place in todays film market.
The Disney Studio, however, does something that is current trend in Hollywood that is most disturbing. There has been since the 80's a rash of live feature films that are being remade from the original. Same old stories, with a hip new twist and hip new actors and actresses to entertain the timeless classics of yesteryear. Take The Parent Trap with Maureen O'Hara, and Haley Mills. This is a classic feature with the lead song from Nat King Cole. The film is beautifully shot, and tells the story of the twin girls in a style that brings you along for the adventure. Compare this to the one with the now infamous Lindsay Lohan, and the contrast is as night and day. There is Freaky Friday. While I am a Jamie Lee Curtis fan, again Lindsay Lohan is a frightful disappointment when compared to Jodie Foster with the same roll. And how can resist John Astin (better known as Gomez Adams from the Adams Family Television series and father of Sean Astin), though Mark Harmon is a strong leading man.
If the Disney Studio would put it's money into remastering the classic movies and releasing them into first run theaters, (as did George Lucas with Star Wars) I believe that it would be money well spent. I also believe that if they did the same with ALL THE ANIMATED FEATURES, the result would be the same.
But then whom am I to question the bottom line at Disney Corp.?
The Knight Hawk
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Lament
I know this will sound like a rant, and perhaps it is. I remember, even relish a time when going to Disneyland (tm) was affordable. Recently, I have taken to bring my children to that Magic Kingdom, that they may also have fond and treasured memories of that Park. I remember parking in Mickey, or Donald or Goofy (start memory fade and shimmer here) Depending which side you entered from Ball Road or Katella. Since we were coming from Ventura County, we came via the I-5 and the Ball Road entrance. We would first get through the masses of people at the main gate, then head strait for the Disneyland Railroad and get off at New Orleans Square. We would then get on Pirates and Haunted Mansion, as to avoid the inevitable rush. Then we would leisurely wander the park hitting rides as we wished, and finishing off with the three roller coaster, Matterhorn (both sides) Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain, in later years Space Mountain was followed by Star Tours. This excursion into the park was pricey, but not out of the realm of possibilities.
Now with the astronomical price of fuel, and food prices creeping skyward, it's toll on expendable income, or rather the lack there of, is making my annual trek to the Golden State for a time in that place that time forgot, impossible. Even with the internet and it's price specials on hotel, and entry tickets are not enough to overcome my personal expense of $350 for the fuel, or the $1200 in airline tickets (not that flying now a days is any real prize). Add the cost of food, either within or without the parks, and that's another $300 - $400 dollars over three days for two to three people depending on where one chooses to dine.
Is this a bleak picture I paint, well, it wasn't like that always. Indeed Michael Isner was the one that made Disneyland for the upper middle and upper economic classes only. The year that Isner took the reigns of Disney Corp, he almost doubled the park entry fees in a single year. A progressively higher cost to enter has followed suit almost annually. Since there is a true monopoly of food within the park, prices are very high, with a very limited amount of quality and service.
To make matters worse, there are a limited amount of drinking fountains, and bottled water is at last I went last winter $2.75. Since I have no say, and anyone from Disney Corp. is completely ignorant of this blog, or if they are aware of it, ignore it completely, I would give a suggestion or a few suggestions.
First, to increase the patronage of your park, temporarily decrease the entry fee by no less than 15%. Make a rather large campaign about it. Let the people that so love Uncle Walt and his beloved park know that they can afford to come and stay at Disneyland. That Cinderella Commercial now is very deceiving. Sure entering the park is affordable, but you have to mortgage the house and get a loan off of the car to eat there. Lower all food prices, by 10%. Advertise this for a while too. Finally, making parking at the resort $5.00 per day. Make the experience of Disneyland affordable, memorable and worth the hard earned dollars of your patrons.
The Knight Hawk
Now with the astronomical price of fuel, and food prices creeping skyward, it's toll on expendable income, or rather the lack there of, is making my annual trek to the Golden State for a time in that place that time forgot, impossible. Even with the internet and it's price specials on hotel, and entry tickets are not enough to overcome my personal expense of $350 for the fuel, or the $1200 in airline tickets (not that flying now a days is any real prize). Add the cost of food, either within or without the parks, and that's another $300 - $400 dollars over three days for two to three people depending on where one chooses to dine.
Is this a bleak picture I paint, well, it wasn't like that always. Indeed Michael Isner was the one that made Disneyland for the upper middle and upper economic classes only. The year that Isner took the reigns of Disney Corp, he almost doubled the park entry fees in a single year. A progressively higher cost to enter has followed suit almost annually. Since there is a true monopoly of food within the park, prices are very high, with a very limited amount of quality and service.
To make matters worse, there are a limited amount of drinking fountains, and bottled water is at last I went last winter $2.75. Since I have no say, and anyone from Disney Corp. is completely ignorant of this blog, or if they are aware of it, ignore it completely, I would give a suggestion or a few suggestions.
First, to increase the patronage of your park, temporarily decrease the entry fee by no less than 15%. Make a rather large campaign about it. Let the people that so love Uncle Walt and his beloved park know that they can afford to come and stay at Disneyland. That Cinderella Commercial now is very deceiving. Sure entering the park is affordable, but you have to mortgage the house and get a loan off of the car to eat there. Lower all food prices, by 10%. Advertise this for a while too. Finally, making parking at the resort $5.00 per day. Make the experience of Disneyland affordable, memorable and worth the hard earned dollars of your patrons.
The Knight Hawk
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Disney Parks goes part time...
If there wasn't such a beautiful irony from Disney Corp, I would be rather upset that at Walt Disney World, the off season will see the closure of certain parks. This has never occurred for Disney Corp. During the reign of Walt and Roy Disney, the Disney Studio was always plagued with seemingly financial disaster. After the total success of Snow White, many thought a new era of animated feature length films would be the studio's savior. Unfortunately, Pinocchio and Fantasia were near disasters for the studio. Add a strike, and bankers shake down to control Walt's spending on animation, and it would seem that the Disney Studio would close prior to Walt's leap into an American Legend and an American Icon. It took a leap out of the world of animation to bring Disney into it's own.
For now, we can see Disney Corp. falling short of expectations. The time has come for competitors to start for the Themed Park patrons. There will be an enterprising, resourceful group that will appeal to the masses that can't afford to go to Disneyland or Disney World.
In short, Disney Corp., could and should make both parks much more affordable, not only with entry fees, but with food, drinks and all other items with in the parks. I don't mind Disney making a profit for it's risk in these parks, but excluding more and more people with prohibitively expensive prices is not the way to recover these parks patronage.
For now, we can see Disney Corp. falling short of expectations. The time has come for competitors to start for the Themed Park patrons. There will be an enterprising, resourceful group that will appeal to the masses that can't afford to go to Disneyland or Disney World.
In short, Disney Corp., could and should make both parks much more affordable, not only with entry fees, but with food, drinks and all other items with in the parks. I don't mind Disney making a profit for it's risk in these parks, but excluding more and more people with prohibitively expensive prices is not the way to recover these parks patronage.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Commericalization of "It's a Small World"
Mary Blair was a brilliant artist with a flare for the innocence of children. Her immortal murals were taken down, ripped from its home, first the South building that housed the "Adventures thru innerspace" when the aforementioned was replaced by "Star Tours". Then the North side was removed with the removal of Circle-vision 360 in 1997. The real tragedy was not only a masterpiece of American Art destroyed, removed from all public viewing, but in a colossal mistake of "Rocket Rods" that lasted only one year, removing the ever popular "People Mover" with Disneyland purists.
Now Disney Corp. in its infinite wisdom (I write with venomous sarcasm), has decited that "It's a Small World", (another masterpiece from the mind of Mary Blair) shall now include famous Disney Characters. Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of "It's a Small World" which could be used successfully to interrogate prisoners of war, or wait out a hostage situation. Not to mention that if you indeed have children that insist on going on that ride, just as you finally get that irritating tune out of your head, your 4 year old will inevitably start humming or singing that damed tune.
With that said, Disney Corp. for sometime has failed to keep that spirit that "Uncle" Walt had with his park. This really began as Michael Isner changed the face of Disney Corp. to match that of Corporate America. While I have no bones against business per se, I do however, have problems of selling the Disney name, while abandoning the Disney ideology of it's parks. It's nothing more than the bottom line within the current Disney Corp. structure, and it's loosing that "Uncle" Walt's warm and delightful persona and charm of Disneyland, ca. 1987.
The general decay of Disneyland started in the 80's with the rise of Isner, whom promised the Board of Directors of Disney Corp 20%. To make that 20% he slashed budgets from all parks, made short gains with gimicks, immediately raised the price of park entry 75% and all the food and beverage prices. With in one summer, Disneyland went from the park for all peoples, to the elite that could afford to go. Even today, one basically had to take a second Mortgage on thier home, or save for years at a time to afford to fly or drive to the Disneyland area. Pay out the nose for hotel, food (within or without the park), pay higher prices than ever for single day or multi day park hopper tickets, wade through a sea of humanity while trying to use fast pass tickets, and otherwise walk nearly one hundred miles (give or take) for a single day excursion through the park. The Disneyland experience I remember as a teen in the 80's at Disneyland is not the experience I have tried to give to my children.
With the resignation of Roy Disney, (the younger) and the resignation of Greg Emmer, will Disneyland survive the slashed budgets, maintenance neglect and corporate indifference to the patrons of whom they serve? I doubt it, but only time will tell.
Now Disney Corp. in its infinite wisdom (I write with venomous sarcasm), has decited that "It's a Small World", (another masterpiece from the mind of Mary Blair) shall now include famous Disney Characters. Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of "It's a Small World" which could be used successfully to interrogate prisoners of war, or wait out a hostage situation. Not to mention that if you indeed have children that insist on going on that ride, just as you finally get that irritating tune out of your head, your 4 year old will inevitably start humming or singing that damed tune.
With that said, Disney Corp. for sometime has failed to keep that spirit that "Uncle" Walt had with his park. This really began as Michael Isner changed the face of Disney Corp. to match that of Corporate America. While I have no bones against business per se, I do however, have problems of selling the Disney name, while abandoning the Disney ideology of it's parks. It's nothing more than the bottom line within the current Disney Corp. structure, and it's loosing that "Uncle" Walt's warm and delightful persona and charm of Disneyland, ca. 1987.
The general decay of Disneyland started in the 80's with the rise of Isner, whom promised the Board of Directors of Disney Corp 20%. To make that 20% he slashed budgets from all parks, made short gains with gimicks, immediately raised the price of park entry 75% and all the food and beverage prices. With in one summer, Disneyland went from the park for all peoples, to the elite that could afford to go. Even today, one basically had to take a second Mortgage on thier home, or save for years at a time to afford to fly or drive to the Disneyland area. Pay out the nose for hotel, food (within or without the park), pay higher prices than ever for single day or multi day park hopper tickets, wade through a sea of humanity while trying to use fast pass tickets, and otherwise walk nearly one hundred miles (give or take) for a single day excursion through the park. The Disneyland experience I remember as a teen in the 80's at Disneyland is not the experience I have tried to give to my children.
With the resignation of Roy Disney, (the younger) and the resignation of Greg Emmer, will Disneyland survive the slashed budgets, maintenance neglect and corporate indifference to the patrons of whom they serve? I doubt it, but only time will tell.
Friday, March 14, 2008
A New Era at Disneyland... again
It really is a pity and a shame that Greg Emmer has resigned from Disneyland. As reported at Miceage (http://www.miceage.com/), a very popular Disneyland insiders website, Greg Emmer was responsible for the radical restoration of Disneyland. He instituted a system to restore Disneyland from years of neglect.
I happen to love Disneyland. I was raised in Southern California, thus making it to Disneyland four or five times a year. Disneyland’s decay and neglect can be solely blamed on one man. Mike Eisner. He alone with his commitment to the Walt Disney Corp. Board of Directors of a return of 20% was a lofty enough goal, but budgets had to be cut in some places, to infuse other projects with cash to maintain that 20% annual rate of return. Michael Eisner was nothing less than the corrupting force of Walt Disney Corp.
Roy Disney, (the younger) resigned from Walt Disney Corp, and from the Board of Directors due directly to the direction that Eisner had taken WDC. Eisner’s legacy continues today. Today, as reported at Miceage, Jay Raluso has a bloated Corporate juggernaut that is eating away at Disney Profits. While it’s not up to me how Disney operates itself, I would interject that Disneyland was once the pinnacle of Themed Environments.
I lament at the short sightedness of Disney Corp. and its disregard for Walt Disney and his attitude for Disneyland. Disneyland and Walt Disney World were to be the place where one could envelope’s oneself in a world other than the one that shrouded about the Disney Properties. During the 1980’s Disneyland fell from such grace, and by the time Greg Emmer was called from Walt Disney World to prepare Disneyland for it’s 50th anniversary, Emmer found a rather large mountain of decades of neglect to overcome. Emmer, in spectacular fashion met and surpassed that challenge. I was privy to eyewitness of the former days of Disneyland’s glory in 2005.
It was a spectacular trip, as I watch my children in awe of what my memories of Disneyland once what was. Knowing the bureaucratic nightmare that Emmer must have had to make such a feat, I cannot fathom what Disney Corp was thinking of letting this great man with Walt Disney’s vision of Disneyland in his eye, go.
Perhaps some enterprising young man, with the heart of Walt Disney’s dreams will find Emmer, and build a park that will capture and engage the imagination and dreams of a new generation.
As for Disneyland itself, one can only hope that the traditions and implements that Emmer commenced will continue. I hope to be able to take my grandchildren to a park I once remembered as one great time.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
