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It is sad to think of what might have been if Eisner and Disney had simply devoted all of their resources to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It doesn't like any of the over seas parks are doing gangbusters, and it would be amazing to see all of the new rides and concepts spread out between the two original parks.
This was an amazing article! Well written with lots of really interesting factoids! Although having read this, one random/tangential thing keeps bugging me. With the failure of Disneyland Paris causing Eisner to stop "bet[ting] big on large-scale projects", how did Disney's Animal Kingdom get built? Was it just one of the projects that got dramatically scaled back from it's original vision (like the cancellation of Beastly Kingdom) rather than getting outright cancelled?
Awesome write-up! I really enjoy your in-depth articles, especially when some of the daily articles on this site can be a bit short on substance. Thanks again for a fun read!
This may be Blasphemous, but why not do away with Tomorrowland altogether. (What??!!) Yes, at least at Disneyland ( though Magic Kingdom needs some new inspiration too. ) now hear me out, Both areas are struggling to "maintain" the concept of Tomorrow and with the growing popularity of Pixar, Why not turn Disneyland Tomorrowland into ToyStoryland? They are building it from scratch in Hollywood Studios, Fl but Could very easily turn Tomorrowland into it for California. I know, But Walt built Tomorrowland!! but did he? He himself had stopped the building of it only to have finished it because of the corporate sponsorship he received and they, the corporations, were the ones who spurred the concept of the land. Now that Pixar inspired rides have crept into the land I say bring it on! I think with a totally different younger generation growing up with Pixar and Disney Junior, it would be a much more attractive concept for them. Tomorrow is not what they are interested in, it is Now. Now can always be, Updated.
The TPT retrospectives continue to be the most interesting articles on the site. Thank you for the history lesson; the stories of yesterday's rides, lands, and parks give the present status much more depth.
One page two you said
"Think about it: The Space Race had seen countries sprint to the moon throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, but by the ‘80s, the moon had lost its luster in the eyes of the public.
Which countries (plural) went to the moon?
They might be referencing the fact that Soviet Union and the U.S. had a bit of a race to the moon, with America finally landing it first despite Russia's initial lead at getting the first man to orbit the earth, and landing the first object on the moon? And maybe China, since they also had manned space travel, though I don't know much about it so I won't pretend I do, but maybe they're including them as well? I don't know if that's what they're referencing but perhaps?
The U.S. is the only country that's made it to the moon so far, which I expect you know based on your question. The Space Race refers to the race to get there by the Soviet Union and the U.S. After the Space Race ended, the moon was no longer a pop culture icon for people.
Im pretty sure, but no completely, Russia, China, US
Great info; well-written! My biggest peeve, perhaps, is the relocation of the jets from atop the Peoplemover tower to the entry at Disneyland. 3/4 of the thrill and pleasure of that attraction was the height and the views. Now it is basically Dumbo-on-the-hub. Hope they will fix this land one day. And thank you for the Pixar comment at the end. I completely agree. I wish they wouldn't worry so much about storytelling sometimes (and/or a retelling of film franchises) and just give us an awesome, orginal, sensory experience.