Blair Family Speaks on Changes to “it’s a small world”

Re-Imagineering has a letter today to the Disney Company, apparently from the family of late Imagineer Mary Blair, commenting on the rumored upcoming changes to the Disneyland attraction, “it’s a small world.” The letter reads in part:

The Disney characters of themselves are positive company icons, but they do NOT fit in with the original theme of the ride. They will do nothing except to marginalize the rightful stars of the ride “The Children of the World”. This marginalization will do nothing but infuriate the ride’s international guests and devoted Disney fans.

My Mother and I have always had a strong sense of patriotism for America and I DO support a tribute to America. Disneyland has several venues, which are perfect places for this tribute including “Main Street USA” or “New Orleans Square”; unfortunately the “It’s a Small World” ride is NOT one of them. Once again this will marginalize the children of the world theme and bastardize my Mother’s original art. Furthermore ripping out a rainforest (Imaginary or otherwise) and replacing it with misplaced patriotism is a public relations blunder so big you could run a Monorail through it.

“Bastardize” . . . they’re not mincing words here, now are they?

Re-Imagineering has also recently run a piece discussing its objections to the changes, in some detail.

Hong Kong Officials Talking Tough on Disneyland

From Forbes, earlier this week:

Legislators expressed frustration about Hong Kong Disneyland’s poor progress.

Opposition legislator Fred Li noted the Hong Kong government footed most of the park’s $3.5 billion construction cost and demanded Disney invest more in the project. The government owns 57 percent of Hong Kong Disneyland, with Disney owning the rest.

“In the future, you should pay for the lobster and we should only pay for the soup or the sauce,” Li told Hong Kong Disneyland Managing Director Bill Ernest, who attended Friday’s hearing.

Another opposition lawmaker, Mandy Tam (nyse: TAM - news - people ), asked if the government would consider pulling out of the project altogether.

“Under what circumstances will you decide to terminate your agreement with the company (Disney)?” she said.

I find this especially interesting in the light of revived rumors earlier this month about the possible Shanghai Disneyland, perhaps on the Yangtze River. Gotta wonder what kinds of interesting conversations are happening among Chinese and Hong Kong officials, eh?

More Entertainment Options Coming to HK Disneyland

From The HKDL Source:

Today Bill Ernest, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland, announced four new entertainment initiatives for 2008 – Muppet Mobile Lab, High School Musical Celebration, Nemo Submarine “Turtle Talk” and The Art of Animation.

“As part of our continuing strategy to enhance our Guests’ experience, we are excited to add new attractions and entertainment offerings in 2008 that truly showcase the magic of Disney’s cutting-edge technology, its timeless stories and beloved characters, who will appeal to Guests of all ages,” said Ernest. “After entertaining millions of Guests in our first two years of operation, Hong Kong Disneyland will continue to find new, immersive ways to delight families from Hong Kong and all over Asia for many years to come.”

Starting in spring 2008, these four new entertainment offerings will be unveiled to Guests at Hong Kong Disneyland. These experiences are in addition to the already-announced classic Disney attraction it’s a small world – which will include entertainment features unique to Hong Kong Disneyland.

I’m sure none of these really do much for park capacity, but they might give Guests a little more bang for their buck, and perhaps keep morale high on those unusual peak days when lines are long.

Your Theme Park Ecological Footprint

Funny how ideas tend to bubble up in the blogosphere . . . shortly after Kevin Yee’s post on recycling inspired John Frost to write about Greening Your Disney Trip, my StudiosCentral Jentasmic! column ran, on Your Theme Park Ecological Footprint. Here’s a taste:

Now, for the moment at least I’m not interested in the question of what Disney can and should do . . . certainly more capable minds than mine are discussing that important topic, as a quick Google will surely show you. But rather, what actions can I take as an individual consumer? And, as is often the case in these matters, the eco-friendly choices are budget-friendly as well. Remember, the watchwords are Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle.

Shanghai Disneyland Slated for Construction After 2010?

The Associated Press reports today:

Shanghai is awaiting approval of mainland China’s first Disneyland, and the theme park could be built on an island in the Yangtze River, according to reports in the mainland and Hong Kong media.

A Shanghai city spokeswoman, who like many Chinese officials refused to give her name, said Shanghai was waiting for approval of the project by the central government.

The article goes into some details about the potential site, and then states:

The park would be built after 2010, when the city is due to host the World Expo, it said.

CNN had also previously reported the 2010 prediction. It seems a little soon to me, given the various other commitments (including but not limited to the capacity expansion needed at Hong Kong Disneyland, and the major improvements slated for Disney’s California Adventure). But if Shanghai structures the deal right, I can imagine Disney going for it.

Walt Disney World Increasing Ticket Prices August 5

From the Orlando Sentinel:

The price of magic goes up this weekend at Walt Disney World, where the basic adult ticket is climbing 6 percent to a record $71.

Disney on Friday announced a whole range of new ticket prices that take effect Sunday. The price changes also affect the discount packages that still can push the per-day cost below $23 for adults who want to commit to as much as a 10-day run at Disney’s four theme parks.

But almost all the prices are going up. And for the second year in a row, Disney is raising its prices in August rather than in December or January, when theme parks historically announced price increases.

MouseSavers has advice for those looking for discount tickets, and reminds us:

If you were planning to buy tickets, now is the time! (WDW tickets can be purchased in advance, because unused tickets are valid forever.)

HK Disneyland Attendance Shows Double-Digit Growth in May

From CNNMoney.com:

Hong Kong Disneyland said Tuesday it recorded double- digit growth in mainland Chinese visitors last month, but it was unclear if it can boost business enough to keep banks happy with current lending arrangements.

“The next few months are key for us…This is the biggest quarter where roughly 50% of our business is done,” Managing Director

Bill Ernest told reporters. “We are expecting solid performance all summer.” Hong Kong Disneyland, owned 43% by Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and 57% by Hong Kong’s government, declined to say how many visitors it has attracted, though executives said mainland Chinese account for 30% to 50% of the total.

The park has twice missed performance targets set by its lenders and it acknowledged in May the banks could withhold future funding if it fails to meet those targets, which are linked to a US$294 million commercial loan and a line of credit that hasn’t been used.

This comes shortly after LaughingPlace.com reported a rumor (which I saw via The Disney Blog) about possible commitments to improve Hong Kong Disneyland:

We’ve heard that the Disney board are due to meet in the next week to determine whether to approve the remodelling plan for DCA. However a separate plan for Hong Kong Disneyland is to be presented in the same session and is competing for the same available resources. There is a possibility that the board could approve both but split the available capital accordingly. It seems that Jay Rasulo has a perference [sic] for concentrating on DCA initially but Bob Iger has an eye on improving the fortunes of the Company in China.

Might not be a coincidence that these two stories came up around the same time. Certainly the argument for improvements and expansions to Hong Kong Disneyland becomes even stronger if the park is seeing a badly-needed surge of attendance; the park doesn’t yet have a sufficient number of attractions to keep Guests occupied. And given Disney’s apparent eye on long-term strategies in China, they should want to strengthen that park, even at the expense of the much-maligned Disney’s California Adventure.

The Daily Show: Disney vs. Anaheim Housing Dispute

Not recommended for Disney purists or the easily offended, it’ll just get yer hackles up. (Though I’m guessing none of those folks read this blog anyway, now do they?)

And hey, don’t watch this one with the kids either, unless you feel like explaining what fellatio is.