Protesting in the name of TSI

[sorceress1986]

Does anyone know where I can write to protest the idea of "pirateing" Tom Sawyer Island? I've really had enough of this pandering to the lowest common denominator crud. I really feel the need to vent and where else is better and more productive!

[Disney Wrassler]

I thought it was said by others that it won't be happening and the idea was nixed. I was under that impression. But I may be wrong.

[Disneyland Daddy]

I thought it was said by others that it won't be happening and the idea was nixed. I was under that impression. But I may be wrong.

That's what I thought too.

[Disney Wrassler]

I remember people addressing the nixing of it.

[Disneyland Daddy]

I remember people addressing the nixing of it.

Your clown avatar is scaring me.

[Disney Wrassler]

.

[MasterGracey]

Soon after Al Lutz' initial report regarding the Tom Sawyer Island re-theming Chuck Oberleitner reported that Disney was DOWNPLAYING the news, sort of shrugging it off, but at the same time Disney was neither confirming nor denying it in his 10/10 column:

Disney Imagineers, who are responsible for designing the attractions at the company's theme parks, have downplayed reports by an unofficial Disneyland website that the company is planning to turn Tom Sawyer's Island, one of the original Disneyland attractions, into a Pirates of the Caribbean Island in time for the release of next year's Pirates sequel. In an interview with the O-meon website ("for the grownup geek in all of us"), one Imagineer remarked that the project could not be completed on such short notice. Others said no one had seen any designs for such an attraction. Moreover, they noted, changing Tom Sawyer's Island would also mean changing the Americana theme surrounding it. Indeed, asked one Imagineer, "What are guests going to think of the Mark Twain [a stern-wheel riverboat] gliding around a tropical island?"

Then, just yesterday, Al Lutz noted that the plans are still working thier way through the approval process in his 10/31: Surfacing column:

That was the news we let you in on last time regarding the plans to retheme Tom Sawyer Island to pirates to capitalize on the Billion dollar profits the movie franchise is raking in. That plan, coyly neither confirmed nor denied by Disney spokesmen to the press, has continued to work its frenzied way through the approval channels. It came as quite a shock to lots of folks in both TDA and even WDI's offices in Glendale when the word leaked in our last update, but the plan has been moving forward very rapidly in the last few weeks. Last week at Disneyland the Island remained closed until Noon each day as Imagineers and engineering survey crews could easily be seen from the decks of the passing Mark Twain climbing all over the island running through their design options.

...So nobody's really said that the Island re-theme was nixed. In fact, the whole thing is still very much alive and kicking as far as we know.

[Quacky4Donald]

Even though I think they already did away with the idea you can still write to Disneyland about it. Here's their address:

Disneyland Resort
Attn: Guest Communications
P.O. Box 3232
Anaheim, CA 92803-3232

There ya go!

[Disneyland Daddy]

.

I better not have nightmares of clowns chasing me.

[aaronpaulcustoms]

Does anyone know where I can write to protest the idea of "pirateing" Tom Sawyer Island? I've really had enough of this pandering to the lowest common denominator crud. I really feel the need to vent and where else is better and more productive!

AMEN!

[Disney Wrassler]

Thanks for the post Gracey. I didn't even know Al had an update yet either, so thanks for telling us that too .

[DisneyDude2006]

Dude your clowns are CREEPY!

Anyways, Just out of curiosity, why don't you like the idea? Don't find that TSI is getting too old and out of date with children? Most kids don't even know who tom saywer is

[Professortango]

Dude your clowns are CREEPY!

Anyways, Just out of curiosity, why don't you like the idea? Don't find that TSI is getting too old and out of date with children? Most kids don't even know who tom saywer is

Nobody is objecting to redoing the island really. We all can admit that things need to be changed because interest has really died down through the years. What we object to is the misstheming of the island. The island should remain American themed due to it bordering on Critter Country, NOS, and Frontierland; not to mention the Mark Twain Riverboat circles the island.

Personally, I think it might be cool to theme it to river pirates, the kind who attacked Mike Fink and Davy Crocket and such. Theme the area to a hideout for the wanted men of the west. Have a much larger shooting gallery out there, a few miny attractions, and maybe even a stunt show on the back portion of the island.

[sediment]

Disneyland can be a place of learning, too. Kids, for example, can learn about Tom Sawyer, and, if they're lucky and their local public library hasn't banned it, they could read the book.

If kids one day don't know about Dumbo, will they not fly the elephants? Kids today likely don't know about Song of the South. Should we transform Splash Mountain into Pirate Mountain?

Last time I was on TSI, I enjoyed playing along with my son.

I think a decent protesting activity would be for those most concerned to visit TSI as often as possible on their weekly trips. Yes, it will be time spent away from more exciting parts of the park, but really, you've been on those rides tons of times.
If you can't do this simple task, then TSI really isn't worth saving all that much to you.
Oh, and play up how much you enjoy TSI to the cast members and any TDA suits you happen to pass by.

[IndyJn511]

Most kids don't even know who tom saywer is

Herein lies the problem! Kids dont read good stuff like that anymore.

However, I'm not entirely opposed to the piratization, but my problem is: how does that fit into the frontierland theme? I mean, TSI is in frontierland, right? RIGHT???

I love TSI, and I dont want to see it go. Maybe they could just rebuild the island entirily, but keep the TSI theme?