How I would improve Disneyland, part two

In my last post, I began to talk about the first of many updates I would do for Disneyland if given the chance. My first post was obviously on Main Street USA, but now, I will be moving into other sections of the park.

As you enter Adventureland, even before passing below the entrance sign, if you look directly to your left, you will see the waiting area for the Enchanted Tiki Room. This will be among the first of the many attractions to receive some improvements. Much of it will be just for show than for anything technical.

The preshow area with the Enchanted Tiki Garden will receive some new lighting, which lights up on each of the Tiki gods as they each take their turns speaking. This will be mostly the case at night, so you can see the Tikis better. Also, all the drum beats heard between each of the Tiki gods' monologues will be taken out, save for the long drumming at the very end as you enter the show building. Before entering the show building, part, but not all, of the safety spiel, which had been recently removed, is restored (the part on not carrying food and drink into the show is dropped), so that now it will be like this:

"Wahine makune mana, ladies and gentlemen, a small reminder before entering the Tiki Room: we ask you to refrain from smoking inside, and no flashbulbs, please. Our performers are temperamental and easily upset. Thank you for your cooperation. And now, ladies and gentlemen, come with us, to a world of joyous song and wondrous miracles: Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room."

And then you go into the show itself. It will remain the same, but with improved effects and more up-to-date technology. This means a new 3D sound system and new LED lighting arrangements will be implemented alongside tune-ups and complete remodels for every single animatronic to make them fluid, more realistic (while keeping their magical charm), and to rid of that clacking sound they make while singing. The windows are now redone to resemble the windows recently added to the Tiki Room in Florida with a brilliant thunderstorm effect to boot:

But the Disneyland show goes the WDW version one better with a new effect: from outside the window, the storm that happens at the end of the Hawaiian War Chant can be seen from outside the windows, gathering and intensifying (lightning and all) as the War Chant intensifies. As the music reaches its crescendo, the clouds finally obscure the sky outside and then the crash from the storm is heard. Then, as Michael says, "But, me buckos, every cloud has a silver line," the sky clears up. This effect should add a new dimension to the classic show and should be a new surprise to those who grew up on the old show.


The Jungle Cruise will be left alone, but the Indiana Jones Adventure (now sponsored by Siemens) will receive some slight modifications, even though it got some a while ago. In the Hall of Promise, all three doors leading into it will be reduced to one, and all three rewards - riches, eternal youth and knowledge - are merged into one.


A new screen effect in the Rat Room is used to better show off the ugly rodents. And in the tunnel with skeletons that spit darts at your troop transport, if at all possible, will be updated to be more like the scene in the Tokyo DisneySea version of the ride, with the skulls all sculpted.

Anyway, that's the end of Adventureland. Next time, it's on to New Orleans Square. Stay tuned.

How I would improve Disneyland, part one

This is the first in a series of posts of something so near and dear to me...

I love Disneyland. I love it a lot. I go there all the time, in spite of the constant hikes in prices that will probably price me away from it someday.

However, I have also contributed to several forums on Disney that involve things that ordinary people would have done to improve and Imagineer the Disney theme park experience, especially Disneyland. I've done many, many threads on that one subject, all with varying degrees of success. With that, in mind, this is the first in a series of posts on the subject of the Imagineering of Disneyland that I would do, if only I could.

We begin on Main Street USA. First and most obvious, the Disneyland attraction posters in the tunnels leading into the park are updated to reflect what I would do. The train around the park will receive a new script, which I will get to later.

Main Street itself will receive the least amount of updates, but it will have some updates nevertheless. Everything will be generally cleaned up and freshened up, and the merchandise will now again reflect only the names of the store establishments rather than just have everything in the same shops. The one exception is the Emporium, obviously.

In the Opera House where Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln is shown, the short film on Disneyland with Steve Martin and Donald Duck is replaced by another film about Disney parks in general, with an emphasis on Disneyland, of course. This film will be added to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, too.

Meanwhile, the Main Street Cinema will now have a brand-new set of Disney cartoons. The only one left intact will be Steamboat Willie. The rest of the cartoons, like Steamboat Willie, will all have something in common: the debut cartoons of classic Disney characters or series in question. Steamboat Willie obviously is the premier debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The other five cartoons therefore will be Mickey's Revue (first appearance of Goofy), The Chain Gang (first appearance of Pluto), The Wise Little Hen (first appearance of Donald Duck), Don Donald (first appearance of Daisy Duck) and The Skeleton Dance (the first Silly Symphony cartoon). As in the past, these cartoons will all be black and white and deprived of sound. The ragtime music will be the same as usual:

By retaining Steamboat Willie, the main marquee seen from the street bearing the title will be the same. Also, Steamboat Willie itself will be changed. The version seen today continues to be an edited version which removes Mickey playing with a mother pig's nipples to make her squeal so he can make music. But now, that scene will be restored.

Other than that, though, Main Street will be pretty much as it is right now.

Stay tuned for when I start moving on around the park, beginning with Adventureland...