DCA, Future Expansion
Topic: Barry Braverman Interview

#	Author	Message
61	SpokkerJones Fri 6/27/2008 9:53p	I thought John Lasseter was the second coming of Walt just like a bunch of people did. How wrong we were.
62	2001DLFan Fri 6/27/2008 10:50p	^^^^ Well, since he just appears to go and visit Imagineering a couple of days a month, and has little influence outside of occasional creative SUGGESTIONS (that means NOT getting involved in improving the political environment there), it's easy to see why he hasn't had any significant impact there.
63	Spirit of 74 Fri 6/27/2008 11:08p	Nope ... not gonna get into a WDW vs. DL debate that will invariably focus on DL being the weak sister that never gets anything while WDW gets the really kewl stuff like Stitch's Great Belchoff, MILF (which apparently isn't just a bad show, but a bad abbreviation too), Tiki Room Under Tom Fitzgerald's Management, the Adventureland Traffic Clogging Spinner, Journey Into WDI's Lack of Imagination (versions 2.0 and 3.0), McPoohPlayground and Diaper Changing Zone, a BAH (also known as a pinshack) that totally ruins the scale, theme and sense of place of one park, Chester and Hester's Gun At Joe Rohde's Head Carnival (games included), O Canada Land of American Celebs and Martin Short, The Three Cabelleros Takeover Mexico etc ... yep, ArchtMig is right, DL has been totally abused and neglected while WDW (with four parks) gets all the kewl stuff.
64	Spirit of 74 Fri 6/27/2008 11:10p	It's a shame folks here are so quick to diminish John Lasseter's contributions behind the scenes. I sometimes wonder if anyone here will be happy with anything. There's a vibe I sometimes get that no matter what Disney does in Anaheim it won't matter to many of the fanboys who find fault in everything.
65	mawnck Sat 6/28/2008 6:41a	I got one of those Disney brand loaves of bread and it tasted like styrofoam. Darn that Lasseter. ;-)
66	ArchtMig Sat 6/28/2008 11:55a	re: your posts #63 and #64, Spirit of 74 - - I guess it's just a matter of perception. Your criticisms in post #63 with regard to recent WDW installations are certainly valid and I don't disagree. But I guess it is human nature to think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence... or at the resort that's 3000 miles on the other side of the continent. Your items on post #63 notwithstanding, but I still think that Disneyland constantly got the shaft in the Pressler/Harris era and it's only now starting to get the quality attention that it deserves. I think that new era started to happen with the maintenance and general sprucing up the park got for the 50th celebration. And thank God that neither Pressler nor Harriss were still in charge at that time or the park would have looked shabby instead of shiny. -but still >>>yep, ArchtMig is right, DL has been totally abused and neglected while WDW (with four parks) gets all the kewl stuff.<<< •Animal Kingdom vs. DCA •Mission Space vs. DL Tomorrowland '98 •Expedition Everest vs. DCA bare bones TOT •Action Motors stunt show vs. X Games and Concerts by the Bay I think my perception that the DLR has not been the home to the new or the unique or the cutting edge in big attractions since 1994 are still valid. And I think this more than anything is why WDW is still the site that gets the greater attention, while the DLR is home to mostly WDW hand-me-downs. But that is starting to change, or at least "even out", hopefully... >>>I sometimes wonder if anyone here will be happy with anything. There's a vibe I sometimes get that no matter what Disney does in Anaheim it won't matter to many of the fanboys who find fault in everything.<<< Typically, folks on these types of forums, or in ANY type of customer response communication are more motivated to take the time to write about what they dislike, than heap praise about what they do like. I think that the negativity that is represented here on the boards is a small, small percentage of the overall positive feelings over the directions that the resort has taken in recent years. Witness how less active these boards seem to be today than they were, say, back in the early 2000s when DCA was new and instantly universally panned, the fiasco of Tomorrowland 1998 was still fresh in everyone's mind, everything at the DLR was going to crap with the 50th fast approaching and NOTHING substantial seemed to be in the works. And innocent park patrons were getting killed and maimed THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, time and time again because of bad training and worse maintenance. Back then, these boards were EXPLODING with chatter. Now, with things slowly improving, there seems to be a lot less posting going on, and with that, a lot less negativity. I do think that the single greatest addition to the DLR since 1994 has been the Finding Nemo subs. Even THAT is a rebuild of an existing attraction that should never have been shuttered in the first place, and it is NOT a totally brand new attraction that can be bragged about in the same vein that WDW can brag over Test Track, Mission Space, and Expedition Everest. But like those three attractions, at least Finding Nemo subs is completely one-of-a-kind and can be found in no other Disney park on the planet. So in that sense, I think the DLR got it's due. Can't wait for DCA to start receiving its own totally unique, one of a kind attractions. Too bad that era didn't start with TSMM.
67	SpokkerJones Sat 6/28/2008 7:43p	"It's a shame folks here are so quick to diminish John Lasseter's contributions behind the scenes." More Pixar rides?
68	Spirit of 74 Sat 6/28/2008 8:18p	<<re: your posts #63 and #64, Spirit of 74 - - I guess it's just a matter of perception. Your criticisms in post #63 with regard to recent WDW installations are certainly valid and I don't disagree. But I guess it is human nature to think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence... or at the resort that's 3000 miles on the other side of the continent. >> Absolutely. And I don't really disagree with much of what you're saying. But as someone who has been an APer at WDW since 1982, an APer at DL since 1998 and an APer at DLP the past few years, I'm trying to judge each situation on its own merits because they all have unique situations that affect what is or isn't developed. <<Your items on post #63 notwithstanding, but I still think that Disneyland constantly got the shaft in the Pressler/Harris era and it's only now starting to get the quality attention that it deserves. I think that new era started to happen with the maintenance and general sprucing up the park got for the 50th celebration. And thank God that neither Pressler nor Harriss were still in charge at that time or the park would have looked shabby instead of shiny.>> I agree with your timeline and generally you're statement although I liked Paul on a personal level (he wasn't the Disney version of the Anti-Christ, just in a job he was terribly ill-suited for) and couldn't stand Cynthia (the typical 1990s era new-age exec). But I disagree that park would have been left in disrepair under their watch for the 50th. Not true. Not when marketing had planned a huge celebration. They could have had you, me or a chimpanzee (hey, that rhymes!) running the place and with all the media attention, that place was going to sparkle. That's the only part of the deification of Matt Ouimet that I have an issue with. Giving him credit (or Greg Emmer) for DL looking great for the 50th isn't really accurate. -but still >>>yep, ArchtMig is right, DL has been totally abused and neglected while WDW (with four parks) gets all the kewl stuff.<<< <<•Animal Kingdom vs. DCA>> I don't like doing these comparisons because there really isn't a fair way to do so, but I'll do so. DAK is worlds better than DCA and the original pricetag was only about $100 million more for the Florida park. <<•Mission Space vs. DL Tomorrowland '98>> That's an impossible comparison. One was a redo of a land of a MK-style park, the other was the replacement of one ride for another at Epcot. And while I love Mission Space, it could have and should have been so much more. In it's own way it was as half-assed as T-land '98 was. I don't know how much you know about the three Space pavilions proposed for EPCOT going back to the 1970s, but the scope of all were grand. Instead, we got a centrifuge ride that while way kewl is also way too intense for a large portion of WDW guests. Half of the expensive 'fuges now sit in what amounts to idle to increase ridership. And all it is a ride. Instead of a pavilion with multiple attractions, food and beverage and atmosphere. It may have cost a few hundred million, but the bang for the buck just isn't there and Disney would not build it today if they knew what they now do. <<•Expedition Everest vs. DCA bare bones TOT>> If you want to compare, a better comparison would be ToT to ToT. And yes, I believe DCA's is inferior although still very much a quality attraction ... or a Disney quality attraction. And Everest has plenty of 'issues' of its own and had many items budgeted out of it. <<•Action Motors stunt show vs. X Games and Concerts by the Bay>> I have to tell you LMA bores me to tears. I can also tell you for a fact it was not the driver of attendance at the Park Formerly Known as The Disney-MGM Studios. Is it better than some cheap gimmicks held over a couple of summers at DCA? Of course, but do you really think that's comparing apples to apples? <<I think my perception that the DLR has not been the home to the new or the unique or the cutting edge in big attractions since 1994 are still valid. And I think this more than anything is why WDW is still the site that gets the greater attention, while the DLR is home to mostly WDW hand-me-downs.>> There is certainly some validity. But I can turn it around and point out that virtually every attraction that both DL and MK share are vastly better in Anaheim. I can point out that while the MK closes early year round now for hard-ticket events and holds Christmas hostage, DL still offers the same bang for the buck. I can point out that all the things being said about DL upkeep in the early part of this decade are all true at WDW. <<But that is starting to change, or at least "even out", hopefully...>> I want to see great attractions at every Disney resort on earth. >>>I sometimes wonder if anyone here will be happy with anything. There's a vibe I sometimes get that no matter what Disney does in Anaheim it won't matter to many of the fanboys who find fault in everything.<<< <<Typically, folks on these types of forums, or in ANY type of customer response communication are more motivated to take the time to write about what they dislike, than heap praise about what they do like. I think that the negativity that is represented here on the boards is a small, small percentage of the overall positive feelings over the directions that the resort has taken in recent years. Witness how less active these boards seem to be today than they were, say, back in the early 2000s when DCA was new and instantly universally panned, the fiasco of Tomorrowland 1998 was still fresh in everyone's mind, everything at the DLR was going to crap with the 50th fast approaching and NOTHING substantial seemed to be in the works. And innocent park patrons were getting killed and maimed THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, time and time again because of bad training and worse maintenance. Back then, these boards were EXPLODING with chatter. Now, with things slowly improving, there seems to be a lot less posting going on, and with that, a lot less negativity.>> I dunno. I suppose you may well be right. But there are still many fanboys who say DCA was better as a parking lot or that Knotts is a better quality park or things like that ... those sentiments cause me to immediately dismiss the people behind them. DCA is troubled and has been since Day 1, but it's also a lot of fun and getting better every year. <<I do think that the single greatest addition to the DLR since 1994 has been the Finding Nemo subs. Even THAT is a rebuild of an existing attraction that should never have been shuttered in the first place, and it is NOT a totally brand new attraction that can be bragged about in the same vein that WDW can brag over Test Track, Mission Space, and Expedition Everest. But like those three attractions, at least Finding Nemo subs is completely one-of-a-kind and can be found in no other Disney park on the planet.>> True enough. And while I agree it shouldn't have been closed for such a long time, I'll point out that the MK lost a higher-themed attraction that gave the area kinetics as well and replaced it with sod and a kiddie playground that isn't on par with most McDonald's. And Test Track (most overrated Disney attraction in history IMHO) and Mission Space took the place of prior attractions as well. It wasn't like they were additions without subtractions. << So in that sense, I think the DLR got it's due. Can't wait for DCA to start receiving its own totally unique, one of a kind attractions. Too bad that era didn't start with TSMM.>> I think DCA has a chance to not just be a good park, but be a great park. I'm just a bit concerned about how the economy may affect the Extreme Makeover: Theme Park Edition!
69	Spirit of 74 Sat 6/28/2008 8:20p	"It's a shame folks here are so quick to diminish John Lasseter's contributions behind the scenes." <<More Pixar rides?>> I'll bite. What exactly is wrong with Pixar rides if they're high-quality?
70	SpokkerJones Sat 6/28/2008 9:05p	"What exactly is wrong with Pixar rides if they're high-quality?" I would rather see a Mount Prometheus style land (not necessarily Jules Vernes inspired but more serious than cartoony) built instead of Carsland. I believe there's a place for characters and colorful cartoony CGI inspired attractions but what really gets my imagination going are the epic attractions in the spirit of Journey to the Center of the Earth, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Everest, and others. I believe Carsland is being planned not because it was the best idea that WDI had for DCA, but because Cars merchandise sells so well to the Nascar, Wal-Mart and Larry the Cable Guy crowds. I have no doubt that Radiator Springs Racers will be a fun ride and impressive in many ways, but I will not be dreaming about it.

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