Sam Gennawey's Blog, page 23

SAMLAND VISITS SEA WORLD SAN DIEGO

Every once in a while it is a good thing to go out and explore new worlds. A few weeks ago I decided to do just that with a weekend trip to LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad and SeaWorld in San Diego. I documented my impression of LEGOLAND in a previous Samland and this week my focus is on SeaWorld.


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A GOOD IDEA AT FIRST

When the idea for Club 33 became part of the New Orleans Square project, Walt decided to have a little fun with one obligation. Working with General Electric during the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, Walt learned the value of the exclusive VIP lounge. In an elegant space tucked within the GE pavilion was a bar used by executives to entertain clients. When Walt convinced GE to bring the Carrousel of Progress to Anaheim, the company wanted the same type of facility within Disneyland. Walt really did not want a bar inside the park and he though Tomorrowland would be a poor location. So he convinced the company to place it in New Orleans Square and to only serve alcohol with food. 
In one dining room Walt placed an Audio-Animatronics vulture who was wired up to microphones embedded within the lamps. An actor could listen in to conversations and the vulture could start to interact with the group.  Think three-dimensional Crush. Somehow, the idea of having microphones above the dining table of a space where executives met did not go over very well. Today, only the microphones are left.

JUST ABOUT RIGHT

After more then a dozen years in the planning business I can't tell you how much this sign is more right then wrong.

MY HERO

If I Were King - Part 1

IF I WERE KING
In Michael Broggie's Walt's Words of Wisdom, he noted that as a 12-year old boy he asked WaltDisney directly the question as to why he could accomplish so much. Waltreplied by saying:
"Somehow I can't believe there are many heights that can'tbe scaled by anyone who knows the secret of making dreams come true. Thisspecial secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They areCuriosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy, and the greatest of these isConfidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all over, implicitly andunquestioningly."
Think about that one a bit. Great stuff.
Curiosity. Often, when working on a project I am called uponto conduct the key stakeholder interviews. The interviews are meant to becandid and confidential and are summarized in such a way as to help inform theproject team and produce the best results. I like to call this the Curiosityphase.
One line of questioning that I like to use during theCuriosity phase is a simple challenge. For a brief moment, they will become thequeen or king of the empire that we are planning for and they possess enormouspowers and prestige to make things happen. What do you want to happen? Itusually gets a chuckle but it also liberates the participant and can release avery constructive dialogue. Then they are back to normal. Poof!Walt Disney was a guy whohad the power and prestige to make things happen. As I noted in Walt and the Promise of Progress City:"In 1960, Bradbury suggested toWalt that he should run for mayor of Los Angeles because he was the only manwho knew how things work. Bradbury really believed that Walt understood theissues, especially when it came to public transit. Bradbury said, "I'm all formaking Walt Disney our next mayor…the only man in the city who can get aworking rapid transit system built without any more surveys, and turn it into areal attraction so that people will want to ride it." Walt's reply was, "Whyshould I run for mayor when I am already king?"
With this column, just for the fun of it I have decided tochallenge myself and to ask the question, "If I were king of the North AmericanDisney theme parks and I could do just about anything I wanted. I didn't haveto worry about politics or budgets. I just have to do the right thing as I seeit. What would I do?"
This column is my response. I challenge to you with the samequestion. What would you do?
Let's start with the Mothership – Disneyland.
As we enter Walt'soriginal creation, the only park that he actually walked through, I thinkeverybody would agree that there is a special charm that has never beenduplicated. Main Street USA seems timeless. Although the buildings are painteddifferent colors, the signs advertise different merchants, and what goes oninside of the buildings has changed considerably, the overall feel, thecombination of good urban design patterns, and the rhythm of the facadesremain.
I will be the first tothat I really like Main Street USA. You will often find me sitting on theWizard of Bra porch watching the passing parade. If I owned a time machine, Iwould travel back to the days when the stores reflected the activities of asmall town, thereby reinforcing the illusion. I will have my minions keepworking on that invention.
With that said, thereare three changes I would like to see my minions implement immediately. Thesuggestions may be subtle but I feel they are important. First, I would fill inthe gap between The Mad Hatter and theseasonal store on the other side of the street. There is the gate where theparade enters and exits as well as a "temporary" wall that has been there sincethe park opened.
Back in 1956 this gap was originally planned to be theentrance for International Street. WaltDisney wanted to build a winding path of Old World facades with little shopsand experiences. There was a colorful sign placed right where the entrance wasto be. The idea of an internationally themed experience would later beconsidered for many projects such as one in Kansas City as well as the WorldShowcase in Epcot.
For little while, you used to be able to buy a cup ofcoffee, grab a seat, and watch the other guests entering the park. During the50th Anniversary the space was used for a huge collage of guestfaces that morphed into a giant Mickey Mouse. Today, the space stands empty. Itis time to fill in the gap. Space Mountain hastaken up a bit of the real estate back there but I think this could be theportal to an intimate, magical experience along the lines of Ollivanders in The Wizardry World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure in Florida. Disney has spenta billion dollars on this technology and this would be a good place to use it.
Another priority is something that I think is long overdue.It is time to dedicate a window on Main Street to Harrison "Buzz" Price. I havegone into great deal about the importance of Buzz Price's advice to Walt andRoy Disney here and here. Main Street would not be there if it were not for Buzz.
According to Disney there are three tests that must be metto achieve this honor. First, you must be retired. Second, you must haveachieved the "highest level of service, respect, and achievement." Finally,there must be "agreement between top individual park management and Walt DisneyImagineering, which creates the design and copy contents." Buzz has met all ofthese tests. It is about time.
While we are at it, isn't it time for a window for AliceDavis? The dolls in it's a small worldand the figures in Pirates of the Caribbean would look less magical if it weren't for hercostumes.  
The third change may be subtle to many but it has alwaysbugged me and I want to return to Walt's original vision. Walt and ImagineerJohn Hench understood the art of placemaking and the importance of the sidewalkcafé. The café provides a unique setting that is special to cities and,according to architect Christopher Alexander, creates "a place where people cansit lazily, legitimately, be on view, and watch the world go by." A proper cafémust be near a busy path.
The hedges along the Plaza Inn need to be trimmed. They are too tall. Walt and Imagineer John Henchknew that you had to place the seating on a slightly elevated platform so thatyou create another people watching opportunity. Those are some of the reasonswhy John Hench designed this facility the way that he did. It was so importantto Walt he even highlighted the site plan during one of his televisionbroadcasts. Right now the hedges are too tall and obscure the view. Bring outthe shears. Off with their heads!
I know I said I wanted three things but there is one morething I must add. I shall miss the Carnation Plaza. For those who remember, theCarnation Plaza was the center of activity back in the day. I remember one yearin the mid-1980s where they brought out the world's greatest surviving bigbands. I bought a season pass just to take advantage of this opportunity. Oneafter another; Artie Shaw, Myron Floren, Glenn Miller's band, etc. playingwhile the audience danced and ate ice cream. Can one of the old timers remindthe young bean counters how much ice cream was sold before they tore out thatfacility?
Let's head over the bridge into Adventureland. The obviousopportunity is to reopen the Tahitian Terrace. For over 30 years you could dine on some "authentic"Polynesian food and watch a show featuring hula dancers (one for the dads!) anda fire dancer. Good times.  It is abeautiful, intimate space and it added a bit of exotica to the land. With a newHawaiian resort, Disney finally has the cross-promotion necessary to justifyany expense these days.
There is an opportunity to dream big over in Frontierland.For those that have visited The Walt Disney Family Museum and viewed the modelof the Disneyland of Walt's dream, you will notice that there is a hill thatcrosses over the railroad track and expands Frontierland over on the other sideof the berm. This may be an opportunity.
There also seems to be a lot of land if you combine the BigThunder Ranch and Festival arena and thenplow down the soon to be obsolete Fantasyland (aka Wonder Bra) theater.Disneyland is just screaming for another E-Ticket attraction now that the DisneyCalifornia Adventure expansion is windingdown. I don't have a preference other then a family friendly, highly themedattraction with a super high capacity. Could they pull something off that wasnot tied into another property like many of the Disneyland classics? Does WDIstill have it in them?
Next door in Fantasyland I struggle to figure something thatI would change. Lately, the park has continually "plussed" the classic darkrides such as Snow White's Scary Adventures.Keep that up.
I could be convinced to bring back an old favorite.Fantasyland was one of the destinations of the Skyway. The building is a shell of its former self but itstills stands. Walt was onto something with the original attraction. He knewthat people have a fundamental instinct to climb up to some high place and tolook down and survey the world. This attraction met that challenge perfectly.As king the thought of bringing it back must certainly cross my mind. I may bepowerful but those folks over at OSHA will still meddle. Not sure if I want topull the trigger just yet. What do my minions desire?
When I look at the entrance to Tomorrowland from the PlazaHub all I can do is shake my head and trynot to tear up. What is the Astro Orbitor doing in a hole in front of an abandoned PeopleMover beamway? Why isn't the spinner up on top of thetower soaring through the clouds where it belongs?
Why did somebody move the ice room set from Superman to block the entrance and then paint it an awfulcolor? What does this mean? And is there a theme to Tomorrowland anymore? Itused to be the world in 1986. Then it became the "World on the Move." Now itis….
To the right is Star Tours. Okay it is a bus terminal for space travel. Got it. Fits the theme ofTomorrowland. Buzz Lightyear. Ohhe is a spaceman(?). Got it. Space Mountain. Perfect. Belongs here. The (un)OfficialHouse of Energy Usage and other randomdisplays in Innoventions? I guessWalt did have a display for the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow display and retro is hip so there is an opportunityto make lemonade out of this lemon. The Innoventions exhibit can go and this prime piece of real estatecan become something wonderful. And while we are at it, I think the time for CaptainEO has come to fly his last mission. Whatlooked campy and old is starting to just look old now that the new version of StarTours has arrived.
We all know we want the PeopleMover back. Is there one among you who disagrees? The PeopleMoverin Florida is great but the grade changesand the interaction with the Monorail makes the track layout in Disneyland superior. Bring it back. It addeda kinetic energy and the opportunity for a preview of the wonderful things instore.
If this cannot be done then I would recommend the following.For many, our collective image of an urban future would look something morelike the spaceship in Wall-e or theworld of Blade Runner. Largeelectronic signs, a gentle push toward conformity, bright, safe colors, and allof the sharp edges have been removed. Imagine the underside of the PeopleMoverbeam coated with a digital sign display.Something similar the Freemont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas but on asmaller scale.
Time to check out some ideas for the new additions – NewOrleans Square, Critter Country, and Toontown.
What I would like to see for New Orleans Square is a returnto small unique shops. After experiencing the clever shops and the mix ofexclusive merchandise at The Wizardry World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure, I was impressed.You wanted to spend time in the shops and you knew that if you found somethingyou better buy it because you will not know when you will be back again. NewOrleans Square used to have the One-of-a-Kind Shop featuring beautiful antiques. Disney never expectedthe store to be a big moneymaker. However, it sure added to the atmosphere andgave Lillian an outlet to sell some of the stuff she didn't want anymore.Unless somebody at Disney allows me to spend the night at the Disney Suite whenI was a mere mortal, I would prefer to have the Disney Gallery back and toshare that splendid view with other guests.
As we wander back toward Critter Country, the change I wouldmake should be pretty obvious. The MBA experiment known at Winnie the Pooh must be retired. We understand why the attractionwas built - a chance to sell Pooh plush. The changeover may have even sold afew more of those disgusting Tigger Tails but compared to the version inFlorida and the one in Tokyo, it seems Anaheim got the short stick. Even on thebusiest days there is no line. No wonder.
Those who read Samland frequently know that I have a softspot for Toontown. I feel it was a great addition to the park and exceeds indesign compared to its function as a reliable place to see the characters. Thequeue for Roger Rabbit may be one of thebest in any Disney park. There is little I would change. Maybe it is time toturn the effects on the Miss Daisy backon. Poor Chip n Dales Treehousecould also use a remodel.
I debated long and hard on whether or not to comment onDisney California Adventure. I have decided that it is still too early. I amplease with what is proposed and have enjoyed watching the projectprogress.  I will soon pack mydirigible and take a flight over Walt Disney World. In the meantime, what wouldyou do?

Come have a drink with Paul and I inside of Trader Sam's ...

Come have a drink with Paul and I inside of Trader Sam's as we talk about all things Disney theme parks.


To download the podcast go right HERE.

REMEMBER THIS? PARADISE PIER

Samland Visits Legoland California

The way my mind thinks, the concept of LEGOLAND is pretty simple. Combine one or more family rides, with one or more child only rides, a child's playlot, a place to eat, a place to shop, and a bathroom. Find a theme that ties these elements together. Bonus points if the theme reflects a LEGO product. And stuff those lands with fabulous LEGO brick models that sometimes move or make sounds. Arrange these pearls around the perimeter of the park and link them together with a winding path string that has little surprises of its own. Then, in the center of it all place Miniland U.S.A., the park's soul.

Did I mention just how incredible the LEGO brick models are?

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Last Week While Waiting for Lunch

Just waiting for lunch in Critter Country. Remembered I was at the perfect angle for a railfan. Just lovely back in these here parts....

THE BEST VIEW: THE DISNEY GALLERY

One of my favorite spots to rest and people watch was the balcony at the old Disney Gallery. Oh how I missed sitting there for a spell. 

Here are some of the drawings by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond for the interior when it was supposed to the new apartment for the Disney family. Walt knew what he was doing when he selected this as his private view.




Here are some Disney provided shots of the interior of the Disney Suite that you can stay in if you are incredibly well connected or Henry Work.