It was a wild week at the Disneyland resort. Tuesday brought a frightening little incident in Mickey’s ToonTown that was masterfully handled by Disney’s in park security team. There has also been a sudden addition of safety railings and sightline testers throughout the park for more safety changes to come. Finally the new Orleans Train Station has reopened with better access to the loading platform. All of this plus the latest MiceChat Podcast and a look at a young Mike Wazowski from Monsters U.
TOONTOWN EXPLOSION
On Tuesday, at approximately 5:30pm a sudden, small explosion occurred in Mickey’s ToonTown which caused the immediate evacuation of the area that lasted for over 2 hours. There was a buzz of incorrect information in the twittershpere (and even some mainstream media throughout the world) with pronouncements that Disneyland had been evacuated and that a bomb had gone off in the park. In the end, it turned out that that a plastic soda bottle had, apparently, been filled with dry ice and tossed into a trashcan, causing the bottle to explode inside the trash can. There was no damage to the park (or even the trash can) and no one was injured. After a security sweep of the area and a security assessment of the park, ToonTown was reopened after just two hours.
Security incidences happen all the time – backpacks left unattended, suspicious packages, strange noises – all which must be investigated. The bomb squad is called out to the park more often than you might expect. Not because of a real threat, but because of a potential one. Disneyland takes the better-safe-than-sorry approach to your wellbeing. What was different here is that although the incident itself was relatively minor, a suspect was arrested for questioning and held on one million dollars bail. That individual is apparently a cast member.
Full Story from NBC4 news here
Sgt. Bob Dunn confirmed to news sources that a 22 year old cast member was arrested for possession of a destructive device.
Is a 1 million dollar bail a little much? It might seem so. But the judge on hand likely wanted to send a very clear warning to those who might be inspired to copy this prank, “Don’t”. Hi-jinks have never really been tolerated in Disneyland. Why? Because Disneyland is a perceived safe-zone. A place where everyone from every color, creed, belief can go to enjoy a world of fantasy and imagination. It is an illusion so well created and cherished that it is guarded with extreme care. Anyone considering something like this in the future should certainly think twice.
PALETTE CLEANSER
Let’s change the topic to something a little more bright and cheerful. Town Square is in top colorful form at the moment.
ROOFTOPS AND RAILINGS
And now, back to reality. It has long been a Disney standard that everything, even safety railings for workers or guests, be themed appropriately to the land in which they reside. However, with the recent trend of Cal/OSHA DOSH safety issues at Disneyland, that rule has been thrown out the window, at least for now. Safety is paramount, we cannot argue that point. But, aesthetics in a park like the Magic Kingdom are also of great importance. We hope that what we are about to show you is temporary until better solutions can be found (and not long term eyesores such as the Alice tarps).
The park is filled with examples of obscured safety. Along the rooftops of New Orleans Square are a prime example.
Safety railings were even recently installed on the Matterhorn which arguably blend in.
Whereas the 3 year fix on Alice has simply become a nasty eyesore. It’s a prime example of how a temporary measure can negatively impact an area of the park.
But now, we are seeing even more railings popping up on top of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin that don’t really try all that hard to go unnoticed.
Is this a quick fix, a new trend or a temporary measure? We don’t have an official answer just yet. But we don’t consider this a long term solution aesthetically.
We see more sightline testing along other perilous ledges in the park. Most notably the Golden Horseshoe. A structure that opened with the park, has now been targeted for safety railings.
We sincerely hope that a creative and themed solution is being hammered out here and throughout the park.
TROUBADOUR TAVERN
We did not mention it in our coverage of the opening of Mickey and the Magical Map last week. But with the new show came a menu change to the snack bar at the theatre.
Sadly, the unique baked potatoes were removed from the menu in favor of more grab-and-go fare.
Not to worry however, the potatoes are now being served at the Harbor Galley near Haunted Mansion. So, all you potato fans will still be able to satisfy your starchy cravings.
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN
The only real visual change we can show you at Big Thunder is Rainbow Ridge and the load/unload station. Let’s take a look at what is going on here.
NEW ORLEANS TRAIN STATION
The New Orleans Train Station reopened with improved wheelchair access to the platform. With a less steep grade, the guests using a wheelchair now have a brick pathway to use. It looks nice! In the meantime, the area in front of the train station was also repaved. Although, at the moment it could use a coat of slurry.
MIKE WAZOWSKI in DCA
This week, in preparation of the release of Monsters U, the Mike Wazowski character was out for meet and greets. It’s a rarity to see him and this younger, brighter version interacting with folks.
The meet and greet in Hollywood Land is a well themed overlay of an existing facade opposite the bathrooms nearest the Hyperion Theatre
HOLD THE PRESSES!
The new MiceChat Podcast has been released and it is blowing away our previous download records. Take a listen as Dusty, Doug and Joe fill you in on what’s opening this summer at theme parks everywhere as well as the latest Disneyland gossip.
Direct Download | Subscribe on iTunes
MiceChat Podcast listeners get a free audio book from http://audiblepodcast.com/MiceChat
And that should do it for the Disneyland Resort this week. Do you have concerns after the recent incident in ToonTown? How do you feel about the railings that are being installed throughout the park? Let us know in the comments below. See you soon In The Parks!
