Monday, April 7, 2008

Ouch!


I don't know if you've seen what the editorial page over at the Los Angeles Times had to say about DCA a couple days ago, but it was blunt and brutal... this is the first time the Times has actually come out and said it this way. Perhaps this kind of criticism will keep the pressure on the Mouse?

One thing is for sure, the next park won't be designed by accountants, marketing salesmen and merchandisers. Instead, it will most likely be created by Imagineers? Imagine that...

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny fake.I think. Look closer at the 2006 date..headlines with text from Bagdad...am I missing a later than late April fools joke...RWR

Anonymous said...

The actual Editorial is real, it was placed in the Saturday Print Edition of the Los Angeles Times, as one of the three daily Main Editorials.

The Graphic was to emphasis the editorial. There is a link to the editorial in the comments, just click on "blunt and brutal". it will take you to the LA Times website and the actual editorial.

Anonymous said...

Even though DCA is a disappointment by Disney standards, I would still go there over Universal Studios, Knotts, and Six Flags MM(unless I'm really needing an "extreme" fix).

Universal Studios has lost it's uniqueness. They're going away from their movie studio niche and becoming just another generic theme park, but without the Disney quality to keep it afloat(aka DHS). Long gone are the cool stunt shows like Conan and A Team and the family fun musical shows. Now we're still stuck with the VERY old Waterworld. They are also gradually removing the cool behind the scenes type attractions in favor of regular theme park type attractions.

Knotts is also getting the history and uniquness drained out of it by Cedar Fair.

Six Flags MM is just plain bad. The place is a mess, the rides break down all the time, the food is horrible, etc. The only good thing it has going for it is the unsurpassed(on the west coast) thrill rides.

That being said, I do think DCA is a Disney failure, and I'm glad they're putting all that money in to make it better. I just feel that DCA gets a bad rap because it's Disney. I don't often see articles about how bad the other theme parks are, and I never hear people say that stuff about the other parks(other than people who are used to Disney quality).

Hopefully the makeover work out well and will make Disney learn that quality is always better than cheap costs....Disney Sea anyone?

Anonymous said...

BTW, great blog! I read it all the time! Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Hating on DCA is passe. The new thing is hating on Marty Sklar. Brady McDonald needs to get with the program.

By the way, why has no one thought to blame Lasseter for the changes to IASW? Do we honestly believe that he only signs off on fan-friendly changes and hits the men's room when unpopular changes are approved?

Ghosthost2 said...

>>By the way, why has no one thought to blame Lasseter for the changes to IASW? Do we honestly believe that he only signs off on fan-friendly changes and hits the men's room when unpopular changes are approved?<<

I like Lasseter and was thrilled when he was annouced to be overseeing creativity at WDI, but now I'm not so sure if he is really going to change anything. I know he likes Cars, but do we really need 1/5 of DCA devoted to it? Just build a land that Radiator Springs Racers can thematically fit in, and give the rest of the land a broader theme.

Thomas Phillip said...

>>>"has no one thought to blame Lasseter for the changes to IASW?"<<<

Actually, he was the first person I thought of when the rumors started. I never trusted him and I think he should stick to making movies.

Anonymous said...

The actual article didn't even have an author. Things are already changing at DCA, and for the better. Most boards are talking about the new parade (and it's growing pains) and especially about the new Toy Story Midway Mania - and are excited.

The article is catching the end of a fad. WDI in general is making progress that is positive, but bashing seems to be a trendy thing to do. Also, the rumors of things to come (especially lately) have been blown way out of proportion and changes to existing rides usually end up with great results that most fans are pleased with.

Internal fighting and over-zealous fans all need to stop. Get the real story and see what really happens. Whoever authored that article did seem to try a late April Fool's joke, but mostly, they are just late in the game themselves - whomever that person may be.

-------------

Six Flags is trying to turn things around, also. Cedar Fair does truly keep destroying Knott's, by trying to cram too much into not enough space.


Honor, interesting what you can do with the graphics and just a bit of text. Great site, as always

Spokker said...

If hating on Marty Sklar is the new trend then I hated Marty Sklar before it was cool. I always thought Sklar was a scumbag and John Lasseter is no Disneyland savior. It's great to see people finally realizing this.

Anonymous said...

There was "No single author", it was an OFFICIAL Editorial from the LA Times Editorial staff.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-edboardbios23oct23,0,4130157.htmlstory

>>What exactly is an editorial? The simple answer is: an unsigned article expressing the newspaper's opinion on a matter of public interest. It's the one place in the newspaper where The Times tells you what it thinks as an institution.<<

Anonymous said...

Let's just remember. It's a theme park. Anything that happens internally in this company doesn't effect you people at all. None of you will ever be the fairy tales you think you will, and none of you will be in the ranks of power that the people you bitch about are. Obviously they're doing something right, cause they're a hell of a lot richer than you are.

Spokker said...

"Obviously they're doing something right, cause they're a hell of a lot richer than you are."

Desecrating the work of art that was Disneyland is big business! Do they have classes at the local college called "Ruining Disneyland 101" taught by Marty Sklar that I could take? I really want to get in on this lucrative field.

My question is, are the executives at WDI and Disney doing something right, or are they just piggybacking on the legacy of Walt Disney?

It seems that Walt's legacy is so strong that not even a crappy New Tomorrowland, a crappy new second gate, closing rides because they are "too expensive" to operate, lowering cast member standards, and not keeping up on training and maintenance and killing guests could break that legacy.

And when you do screw up and have to leave to "spend more time with family" there's a generous severance package waiting for you and a job at the Gap, or a low-rated talk show on CNBC.

I wish I had that job!