It’s been a while since I’ve been to Disneyland. Last time was a company picnic last year. One thing I noticed was that the attractions no longer have any context. The “Swiss Family Treehouse”? How long has it been since Swiss Family Robinson was released? Do kids even know the story? I think it’s called “Tarzan’s Treehouse” now. Same thing, different name. Tarzan? I used to watch Ron Ely as Tarzan when I was little. Sure Herr Maus released an animated feature, but it’s not the same.
While I’m in the jungle, what about the “Jungle Boat Ride”? For those who don’t know, it was sort-of based on The African Queen. At least the boats were. When I was a kid the “guides” would pretend it was all real. The intent was to draw the riders into the fantasy. Now the guides are wannabe stand-up comedians. Fantasy? Forget it. These guys are too hip to believe in the “magic” that Walt Disney believed in.
“Rivers of America” reflects Disney’s Huckleberry Finn. Do the kids know?
“Pirates of the Caribbean” had always been my favourite ride. Nothing like a good pirate movie! But there are no pirate movies. Not any more. How is a child supposed to relate to pirates if they’ve never seen any, Peter Pan notwhithstanding? When was the last time you saw Treasure Island? The ride itself is in need of repair. The sounds of the gunshots are out of synch or simply missing. Instead of a “bang”, there is only tyhe hiss of the smoke coming out of the barrels. The battle between the fortress and the pirate ship takes place in a large room. But there is usually so much fog that the tourists can barely see what’s happening.
Tomorrowland! This is the way the world will be… tomorrow! Well, tomorrow ain’t what it used to be. Remember the “People Mover”? This was supposed to be a model for urban transportation. Good idea! When I was a kid I could imagine a city where people would travel between buidings in those little trains. The “Monorail”? Yes! Fast trains raised above the road surface. No more waiting at crossings for people who still drove “cars”. None of those archaic iron tracks. The Monorail was the Transportation of the Future! “Journey Through Innerspace” (brought to you by Monsanto!) was fun and educational. Tomorrowland was Walt’s vision of the future., which was to be a cleaner, faster, people-friendly place. So what is it now? Sciencefictionland. Forget about social engineering. Forget about improving our cities. Let’s pretend we’re in “Star Wars”.
Frontierland. When was the last time you watched Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett on teevee? For that matter, when was the last time you saw a good western? Do your kids know what a “western” is? I may as well bring up the Steam Train ride around the park. Last time I was there it was still passing through the Age of the Dinosaurs, wher the dinosaurs were being killed by volcanic forces. They didn’t know about the Collision Theory when the ride was built. But you think it could have been updated sometime in the last couple of decades.
Disneyland used to be a place where the imagination could flourish, aided by the movies the Disney Studios were turning out. There was a direct connection between the rides at the park and the movies. Treasure Island and Davy Crockett. Huckleberry Finn and Swiss Family Robinson. The rides at the park used to have counterparts in these films. People knew what the rides were about. Context! There is a whole set of experiences adults have that are not shared with their children. These experiences made Disneyland special. The “Indiana Jones” ride is familiar to most kids, I think. The movies are not that old (but close!). How long until it loses its context? How long until “Indy” becomes a faded memory of someone’s parent instead of being a portal to the fantasy of Great Adventures?
Would that Walt were still alive!
Anyway, that’s My Humble Opinion, and you’re welcome to it.