Mickey's Fun Wheel

[Goin2Disneyland]

The theming thing kinda makes my head spin, like the people who got up in arms over things not being period appropriate for NOS and such.

Do you think ANYONE at Disneyland thinks any of it is real?

Suspension of disbelief implies that you know what you're experiencing is fake, albeit convincing. I don't think to-the-letter realism is in order here. Paradise Pier makes sense to me - an old timey seaside amusement pier themed to the Disney catalogue. Aka, what a seaside amusement pier would have looked like had Disney built one.

And like it or not, guests WANT characters. They LOVE them. And Disney loves them too - they make money and are reliable, marketable draws. They're not going anywhere anytime soon, right or wrong.

[Sir_Cliff]

The theming thing kinda makes my head spin, like the people who got up in arms over things not being period appropriate for NOS and such.

Do you think ANYONE at Disneyland thinks any of it is real?

Suspension of disbelief implies that you know what you're experiencing is fake, albeit convincing. I don't think to-the-letter realism is in order here. Paradise Pier makes sense to me - an old timey seaside amusement pier themed to the Disney catalogue. Aka, what a seaside amusement pier would have looked like had Disney built one.

Yes, I think people have become far too literal and purist about supposed rules of theming that were never followed or even intended by Walt Disney. I completely agree that you´re never meant to be tricked into thinking you´re anywhere other than a fantasy recreation of a particular environment. The trick is more in taking certain motifs and suggesting an idealised fantasy version of the wild west, jungle village or whatever. I even think the appeal is largely in consciously noticing how good the theming is.

And like it or not, guests WANT characters. They LOVE them. And Disney loves them too - they make money and are reliable, marketable draws. They're not going anywhere anytime soon, right or wrong.

This is true, but I will say that I do personally find it a bit staltifying sometimes. In places like Tomorrowland at MK I think you also see an example of where they can go overboard and begin to make the external theming a little meaningless by increasingly cramming in cartoons. Sure, Stitch and Buzz work well, but adding Monster´s Inc. to the mix was probably one of those tipping points!

[Goin2Disneyland]

Monsters in MK is a cute show, I really enjoyed it - however, it seems like a no-brainer for DHS with the comedy club angle. I agree Cliff, that MK's Tomorrowland went overboard on the characters.

Here's a continuity question for you: how will Stitch's Great Escape and the new Stitch show co-exist storyline wise? Answer: they won't.

[DLRFanatic]

...another continuity question...why do they call him "Stitch" in the attraction when he's supposed to be Experiment 626 on route to Earth?

[club33az]

Because everyone knows him as Stitch. And it's just a show.

[Goin2Disneyland]

It's NOT just a show! It's a SHOW!

...

I like the new Mickey face. It's fun.

[1FoolishMortal]

^ Thanks for bringing it back on topic.

[AaronInCal]

Mickey's face no longer has what some thought were lights. His edge has been covered up with a trim as of today. So looks like those were bolts of some kind holding Mickey tight..

[kaliwolf]

Mickey's face no longer has what some thought were lights. His edge has been covered up with a trim as of today. So looks like those were bolts of some kind holding Mickey tight..

I'm glad. Not that it won't have lights on the edge, but that they covered up the bolts, it would've been bad show otherwise.

[MagicWDI]

Yes, I think people have become far too literal and purist about supposed rules of theming that were never followed or even intended by Walt Disney. I completely agree that you´re never meant to be tricked into thinking you´re anywhere other than a fantasy recreation of a particular environment. The trick is more in taking certain motifs and suggesting an idealised fantasy version of the wild west, jungle village or whatever. I even think the appeal is largely in consciously noticing how good the theming is.

I completely agree. Seems people take this theme thing way too seriously, or literal as a matter of fact. I like to see things within a Disney park as a story being told or fantasy, where things are sometimes not necessarily literal but closer to a fantasy or point of view. We all know the Mickey cartoons never existed in the turn of the century, but why can't we tell a story saying otherwise? It's all part of the story.