One of my first jobs was as a busboy in the “Quality Inn” hotel on Harbor Blvd. near Disneyland. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend it. (If you think about it, the name says it all: Does Hilton need to call itself a “quality” hotel?) It wasn’t particularly nice when I was working there and I can’t imagine it got better during the past twenty years.
photo: Anthony Marais |
Unfortunately, Disneyland itself hasn’t gotten better during the past twenty years. Tomorrowland has been revamped, and ruined: the Peoplemover, Skyway, Rocket Jets, and Mission to Mars—the white-plastic vision of a clean future—are gone. Today’s Tomorrowland resembles Pittsburgh ’s yesterday: a rusty, brown view of the world à la Bladerunner, Matrix or Alien—take your pick. Moreover, they’ve built, for an additional charge, an over-priced extension in the parking lot called “California Park .” But wasn’t it already a California park? Walt once commented: “After I die, I would hate to look down at this studio and find everything in a mess.” Why California ? Why not more of New Orleans or Adventureland? Why not add a new exotic or fantastic locale? Disneyland used to bring the world to Californians; now it brings California to the world.
Tim Burton |
And can someone tell me what Star Wars, Roger Rabbit, Indiana Jones and The Nightmare before Christmas have to do with Walt Disney? When I was young, one of my favorite attractions was the Adventure through Inner Space—a nuclear era theme ride about a scientist’s attempt to shrink himself down to the size of an atom. I can still remember his voice, speaking with a haunting fascination as snowflakes grew to the size of houses and an enormous eye in a microscope peered down onto me; finally reaching the pulsating red nucleus of an atom with giant electrons whirling around it with an unforgettable swishing sound was a climactic experience, and by the time I exited that bulbous blue seat, I was ready to become a scientist! Today, the ten-year-old youngster sits in a flight simulator for ten minutes, getting bumped, jerked and vibrated into a frenzy firing laser guns at an enemy ship while C3PO cheers him on. Equally ecstatic, he leaves the attraction and makes a b-line to the local army recruitment center.
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