Today Time Magazine published an article about the new "it's a small world" attraction that recently opened at Hong Kong Disneyland. After months of Walt Disney Imagineering telling fans that the attraction is being updated to remain "relevant" for "today's audiences," Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Lanzisero has now said that the attraction and its core message of world peace and the Children of the World is, in fact, still relevant to the audiences of today:
According to Joe Lanzisero, creative senior vice president of Disney's "Imagineering" division, the ride is as relevant as ever. "This is such a universal theme — seeing the world through the innocent eyes of children. Could you think of another time in history where that message is more needed?" he says. "It's a message that's timeless, and it's a message that's now. It needs to be heard."
These continued contradictions from Disney only underscore the validity of the concerns regarding the addition of characters to the original attraction at Disneyland in California. How can "it's a small world" be irrelevant and yet still be relevant to today's audiences all at the same time? And how, in this jumbled mix of contradictory statements, does one explain the presence of Lilo and Stitch? Woody and Jessie? Cinderella and Prince Charming? One can't, and instead of explaining the creative decision to add 38 Disney characters to the Hong Kong attraction, Mr. Lanzisero repeated the only thing Disney has been able to muster thus far: Walt Disney wanted change.
"Everybody is so precious about what we do," Lanzisero objects. "At Disneyland, just a few hours into opening, [Walt Disney] started redoing things. It's no fun just to do the same thing all the time."
But wouldn't Mr. Disney want the changes to make sense? Shouldn't they support and enhance the theme of the show?
How do these 38 Disney character enhance the message of world peace? How do they ensure that the Children of the World are heard?
Article Link: Time: The Fifth Happiest Place on Earth
Images: Disney
5 comments:
HAHA...Its funy because they are really trying hard to justify the adding of the mouse and friends! whudda croc. I think the only ones they've sold to is themselves...
Its official, New Guinea and the Rain Forest are being replaced by America. Don’t expect to see a press release from Disney any time soon. They are still perplexed at the negative press and reaction generated by the news of adding Disney “toys” to Walt Disney's original small world attraction. There will be no public fanfare or press released about this from the mouse house. The plan is to open the attraction with the new scene and with hopes it will change the minds of doubters once they see it. It not, the view is it will be done and installed regardless of how it is received. The model of the new America section shows it will take up the entire room where the rain forest and New Guinea are now located. The rain forest is being down sized and relocated within the attraction due to all the negative publicity its removal has generated. New Guinea and its Mary Blair huts however are a different story, they are now part of Yesterdayland. Down at Disneyland the room is cleared and construction on the new scene is well underway.
It is truly a sad day for fans of the original attraction.
These people at Disney are Corporate JERKS! I am so disgusted by them! I will make sure that they don't go through with this!
have you watched the video of Hong Kong Disneyland's Small World? I'm guessing that's the future of Disneyland Anaheim's version...
here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/v/QZKPNeQspWE&hl=en&fs=1
or search in youtube for hong kong small world
I attended a preview last week.
Here is my post. With photo.
It was not as bad as you might think...
http://marcywrites.com/2009/02/05/its-a-small-worldnew-and-improved/
Make it a magical day!
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