"Disneyland will never be completed." - Why the resistance to change?

[ManaByte]

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." - Walt

“Disneyland is like a piece of clay, if there’s something I don’t like, I’m not stuck with it. I can reshape and revamp.” - Walt

“There are many ways that you can use those certain basic things and give them a new décor, a new treatment. I’ve been doing that with Disneyland. Some of my things I’ve redone as I’ve gone along. Reshaped them.” - Walt

“The way I see it, Disneyland will never be finished. It’s something we can keep developing and adding to. A motion picture is different. Once it’s wrapped up and sent out for processing, we’re through with it. If there are things that could be improved, we can’t do anything about them anymore. I’ve always wanted to work on something alive, something that keeps growing. We’ve got that in Disneyland.” - Walt


“Disneyland is not a museum.” - WDI

“When a new ride comes and an old one drops out, there are bound to be twinges. But it has to happen, or (Disneyland) becomes a museum and an arthritic collection of things people were attached to in the '60s." - Tony Baxter in 1997

"The park needs to constantly change.... When Walt was around, attractions came and went like you wouldn't believe. He put in the Viewliner train of the future in 1957 -- then tore it down in 1958 to make way for the monorail. " Bruce Gordon

WHY do people resist any change at all?

Maybe Disney should open a third gate in Anaheim, which is a 100% faithful reproduction of Disneyland on July 17th 1955 and charge people $300 to get in so those who don't want anything to change can be happy.

[mycroft16]

Change is not the problem. The problem, for many on here is the REASON for the change.

Walt changed things that weren't working (as noted by the quotes you used). Many times lately, changes have been simply for the sake of change, or for merchandise tie-ins, or to market a popular movie. These are not necessarily good changes.

The reason for the change is important. Change itself is not bad and we don't have a problem with change at all. It's the reasons that make us mad sometimes.

[ManaByte]

Change is not the problem. The problem, for many on here is the REASON for the change.

Walt changed things that weren't working (as noted by the quotes you used). Many times lately, changes have been simply for the sake of change, or for merchandise tie-ins, or to market a popular movie. These are not necessarily good changes.

The reason for the change is important. Change itself is not bad and we don't have a problem with change at all. It's the reasons that make us mad sometimes.

And exactly what movie is Small World promoting right now?

[HMF]

Theres a difference between "Good Change" and change for the sake of change.

[lazyboy97O]

And exactly what movie is Small World promoting right now?

Talk about a loaded question.

The answer you seek has been in every one of those discussions being mocked.

[Uncle Bob]

What movie is Small World not promoting, that is the question.

[mycroft16]

And exactly what movie is Small World promoting right now?

Pretty much everything from 1940 until about 2005.

Peter Pan, Cinderella, Toy Story, Lilo and Stitch, Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Finding Nemo, etc.

And they dump you into a store at the end that sells what? Stich dolls, etc.

I'm not saying I don't think they did a good job, because they did do a good job. They kept things looking very much the same. But that does not validate the change. The ends does not justify the means.

What purpose does putting these characters in the ride serve? None. The ride is already about as Disney as it gets. iasw does not need to be "Disney-ified." Yet that's what they have done, to no real benefit. This was change for the sake of change.

MARKETING, SYNERGY, TIE-IN. The trifecta of corporate buzzwords that should invalidate any creative decision being made should they appear anywhere in the project.

[DisneyIPresume]

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." - Walt

"...as long as there is imagination left in the world." -- why is there resistance to that?

The way Disney is run today, the quote should read, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is a profit to be made."

[ManaByte]

Pretty much everything from 1940 until about 2005.

Peter Pan, Cinderella, Toy Story, Lilo and Stitch, Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Finding Nemo, etc.

And they dump you into a store at the end that sells what? Stich dolls, etc.

I'm not saying I don't think they did a good job, because they did do a good job. They kept things looking very much the same. But that does not validate the change. The ends does not justify the means.

What purpose does putting these characters in the ride serve? None. The ride is already about as Disney as it gets. iasw does not need to be "Disney-ified." Yet that's what they have done, to no real benefit. This was change for the sake of change.

MARKETING, SYNERGY, TIE-IN. The trifecta of corporate buzzwords that should invalidate any creative decision being made should they appear anywhere in the project.

That same gift shop existed prior to the refurb and it sold Stitch dolls at that time as well. So that part of your argument falls flat on its face.

[Datameister]

In brief: Change is not an inherently good or bad concept. Some of us are opposed to changes that do not improve the park. Some of us aren't. And everyone lived happily ever after.

Next!

[EmeralineDragon]

Maybe Disney should open a third gate in Anaheim, which is a 100% faithful reproduction of Disneyland on July 17th 1955 and charge people $300 to get in so those who don't want anything to change can be happy.

No, see, they need a park for each decade, so each of us can visit the Disneyland of our childhood, which as we all know is the perfect Disneyland.

[mycroft16]

That same gift shop existed prior to the refurb and it sold Stitch dolls at that time as well. So that part of your argument falls flat on its face.

But you haven't responded to the rest of the argument.

And actually, that part of my argument holds just as much water as before because it was just as wrong to sell Stitch dolls there before. Though now it is even more of a blatant synergistic tie-in.

Before it was just annoying that they couldn't fill that tiny shop with amazing products from iasw and had to resort to stupid Stitch backpacks and slushie bottles.

If I'm in Frontierland or Fantasyland, I don't want to buy Yoda dolls. I want stuff from that land. So having Stitch in the iasw store was just wrong. Now they've put in all these characters and can market the crap out of them and force feed them to us in the gift shop till we gag on plush Donalds and Peter Pans that we can get just as easily, and more appropriately, at the Main Street Emproium or World of Disney. They have basically created a reason to merchandise the stuff they already have. Justifying the means by the end. The additions to the ride serve no purpose. There is no reason to add them at all. There is no need. People were not clamoring to see Woody and Jane in iasw. I'd like to see the surveys that have the comment "Gee, I'd really like to see Dory in iasw."

[ManaByte]

But you haven't responded to the rest of the argument.

And actually, that part of my argument holds just as much water as before because it was just as wrong to sell Stitch dolls there before. Though now it is even more of a blatant synergistic tie-in.

Before it was just annoying that they couldn't fill that tiny shop with amazing products from iasw and had to resort to stupid Stitch backpacks and slushie bottles.

If I'm in Frontierland or Fantasyland, I don't want to buy Yoda dolls. I want stuff from that land. So having Stitch in the iasw store was just wrong. Now they've put in all these characters and can market the crap out of them and force feed them to us in the gift shop till we gag on plush Donalds and Peter Pans that we can get just as easily, and more appropriately, at the Main Street Emproium or World of Disney. They have basically created a reason to merchandise the stuff they already have. Justifying the means by the end. The additions to the ride serve no purpose. There is no reason to add them at all. There is no need. People were not clamoring to see Woody and Jane in iasw. I'd like to see the surveys that have the comment "Gee, I'd really like to see Dory in iasw."

This change came down from the top. When Iger took over as CEO he put forth a massive character initiative for the entire company. Prior to becoming CEO he was at the Hong Kong Disneyland opening and noticed that all the new characters in the parade were Pixar characters and kids today didn't know any of the regular Disney characters anymore.

That kicked off the creation of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Channel, the purchase of Pixar (to make them part of Disney), the trade of Al Michaels to NBC in exchange for Oswald, and a massive infusion of characters into the Parks. Look at the changes to the Mexico pavillion in EPCOT to amp up the characters in their little boat ride. IASW in Hong Kong was just the first blow.

About nine months before deciding to do this refurb, Disney had Guest Research CMs stopping people as they left the park and their survey specifically asked Character-related questions regarding the park. The survey results said that people wanted more characters in the parks and on the rides.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I'm sure glad Tomorrowland didn't become a museum and changed to include all that brown paint and such winners of attractions like Innoventions & Rocket Rods! Oh boy wasn't that just terrific for Disneyland? Hasn't that change just done wonders for the allure of the place?

Can you imagine if we were still riding the Rocket Jets & the Peoplemover today? OMG! Disneyland'S Tomorrowland would have something in common with Magic Kingdom's current Tomorrowland, and MK happens to be the most attended theme park in the world! WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!!! CHANGE FTHW!!1!11!11!!!1!!!

[Mr Wiggins]

WHY do people resist any change at all?

Good Lord. As has been posted literally thousands of times on every Disney forum on the planet, change is not the issue. Change is not being resisted.

"What do you have against change?" is bogus. "Oh, they just don't want DL to change" is bogus. "Disneyland isn't a museum" is bogus. None of those have anything to do with why people have protested many of the recent changes at Disneyland.

Disneyland has always been growing and changing, and needs to continue doing so.

The protests happen when the change is for the worse. When rides are shuttered, unique merchandise is made generic, marketing is pushed in your face, showmanship drops, and Disneyland's decades-long quality standards are shoved aside in the name of making quick bucks.