New Disneyland planning DVD...ummm......

[buckylarue]

OK, I was so happy when I saw that Disneyland finally had a new trip planning video available for the 50th anniversary, and even more excited when I saw that it was a DVD instead of a tape, since I really like all the extra features that the WDW DVDs have had on them. So I ordered it as soon as it became available, and received it today. It is called "Disneyland Resort: your guide to the Happiest Celebration on Earth". I popped it into my DVD player, and it started up with a nice little introductory piece about what all of the parks worldwide are doing to celebrate DL's 50th. It then mentioned a few things at DL and DCA. About 8 minutes into it, this segment stopped, and I thought, "Hmm, nice intro; now let's see the details."

Imagine my surprise when my DVD player indicated the DVD had ended! I put my display onscreen to doublecheck, and sure enough, the DVD has 1 chapter, 1 track, a total of just over 9 minutes (the last minute of which is a blank screen), and NOTHING ELSE! The title on the DVD is longer than the DVD itself!! Why did they bother to release this? I think the brief DL segment on the end of the WDW planning DVD is more comprehensive!

Sorry Disney, but somebody really dropped the ball on this one! :sad2:

[mommagoof]

We got ours today, we opened at it was empty. Dd was dissapointed but from the sound of it we arent missing much lol.

[athenna]

Wow, this is very disappointing to hear.
Wouldn't you think with the big celebration, they'd want the dvd to be a big to do??? :confused3

[RADOPT]

Maybe they should let us do a planning video!

How disappointing - I was looking forward to it.

[diberry]

I contacted them to request a planning video for UK customers but was told there isn't one. What a shame - it's not like Disney to let a marketing opportunity pass by!!

[JC Butterfly]

I just got mine last night too. Hubby and I were amazed that there was more time devoted to how parks around the world are celebrating. It said something about having on property resorts, hubby thought "oh good, pictures of the Disneyland Hote" but it was about 3 seconds devoted to all 3 hotels! Mentioned that there are special parades and events but absolutely no details!

It was fun to see the colors and how the castle is transformed, but I was definitely disappointed too!

[couponluvr]

I got mine today as well, a whole whopping 8 minutes set aside for this "monumental" celebration. There wasn't any PLANNING tips involved whatsoever, just a prolonged commercial, very fast paced, if you blink an eye you'll miss something! What a waste of time and money for Disney. Even though it was "free", it was certainly disappointing. It seemed like it was put together last minute, very confusing to follow.

[simzac]

Add me to the list of disappointed fans. Got home from work last night, got excited seeing the Disneyland DVD on my desk. Hurridly opened it, popped it into the DVD player, sat down in my big chair, and 8-9 minutes later wondered what happened. Could not believe that it was over. And to top it off, if you have the WDW planning DVD for the HCOE, you have already seen the Disneyland DVD, it was included on the WDW version. I have never been so disappointed in a Disney production in my life. :sad2:

[keishashadow]

Actually, the DVD is exactly 8 minutes, 8 seconds long...including several minutes of stock footage I've seen on other Disney promos.

This fluff piece couldn't even be considered a teaser, if anything, it trivializes the park and the onsite hotels. Certainly doesn't entice me to visit, moreso makes me doubt whether it's worth the extra expense (compared for a WDW trip).

What a "Mickey Mouse" production LOL. :confused3

[ChrisDawn]

...and this coming from a PR professional! No real information, too fast-paced and edited to include too many quick shots. My 5 year old is making his first trip there next month, and I wanted him to get an idea of what he'll see and get excited. He even commented on his own that the "show" was too fast. He wanted to point out the stuff he liked (i.e. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters) but it was off the screen by the time he said "I like that!" He still liked watching it, and did so three times, but I could tell that he was overwhelmed by the quick editing.

C'mon Disney. You can do better than this.

[quiltymom]

I know -- I just got mine and I can't believe how short it was! At least I knew what to expect when I got mine, thanks to y'all. And I agree that there wasn't enough time to actually SEE each clip before it was shifted to the next.

It's almost like this was done as an afterthought. I wonder, is there anywhere we can contact Disney about how disappointed we are?

[quiltymom]

I was just playing around on the http://www.disneylandnews.com/ website. Go on and click on the "featured video" tab. It's the intro to the 8:08 minute DVD!!! (at least it looked like it.)

[buckylarue]

I just rewatched the DL planning videos from 2003 (US version) and 2002 (Canadian version, but was shipped to US addresses), The 2002 was about 17 minnutes long, covered highlights of both parks, the Downtown Disney District, and all 3 hotels. (The only thing in it specifically targeted to foreign audiences was a brief mention of booking a package now to lock in exchange rates.) The 2003 one was about 22 minutes long, again covering everything. Both very well done, comprehensive videos, with very helpful planning booklets included. (Also, both of these were made by Disney.) The new DVD was made for Disney by something called the Ant Farm, who appear to have no concept of (a) what Disney parks mean to the people that visit them, (b) what makes the DL resort an attractive, engaging place to visit, and (c) the enormity of the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first true Theme Park. If this vid wasn't ordered by the former DL management, whoever in the current management who was responsible needs to be axed, and quick, before they do any more damage!!

[PryncessChrysty]

Does anyone else get the feeling that they're putting more focus on WDW celebrating the 50th anniversary rather than DLR? :confused3

If you go to the WDW website, there is a lot more promotion for the 50th than the DLR website. I don't get it. Having grown up in/at DLR, it kinda bugs.... :sad2:

[drgalyen]

I got my DVD yesterday and watched it. I've read everyones reviews so I was expecting short. But if you look on the title it is called "Your guide to the happiest celebration on earth". Mine was not a planning DVD and did not say it was. It did give info on the new fireworks, castle redo and other things exclusively for the 50th bash. And yes, I do have other year videos from DL and they say on the cover that they are PLANNING videos- they give hints as to how to use the fast pass, etc.
In conclusion, I was a little disappointed- they could have done so much more; its DISNEYLAND, make the DVD resemble how excited we are to help celebrate this great occasion! ::MinnieMo

[Blackunicorn]

Does anyone else get the feeling that they're putting more focus on WDW celebrating the 50th anniversary rather than DLR?

I completely agree. It seems like the commercial for WDW says more about the 50th than the commercial for DL, and in addition, it really makes it seem like it'll be WDW's 50th! I'm not feeling the love.

[Blackunicorn]

Just saw the video--I think that the intro sequence is what's being shown at the Disney store. I'm not sure because I'm not allowed to stand around and watch. :)

The brief shot of the Paradise Pier hotel swimming pool is from before the renovations! If you look, the new slide should be on the right side of the screen where those white canopies are.

And it cruelly reminded me that I haven't heard anything back about the Happiest Faces on Earth. :sad2:

[Mom2my2daughters]

Booooo, another bad report from us here. We just got it, and I popped it in to suprise the kids. We all sat down ready to watch, and before we knew it it was over :confused3 When it was over, we just sat there waiting for more. I seriously thought it was going to go into more detail about the hotels, parks, etc. but nope, nadda :sad2:

[Buckimion]

Well...at least it was free. :rolleyes: Closest thing to a DL fix I'm going to get this week.

Maybe John Q. Public will decide the excitement is in Florida this year and leave more room in the parks for us. :teeth: (Yeah, right.)

[janner]

Like most of you, DP Maddy and I were flabbergasted when the video ended after 8:08. The first thing I did was jump up from my chair and head to the computer, to see if anyone else had the same reaction. Actually, I thought maybe we had received the incorrect video. How naive!
Oh well, this doesn't dampen our enthusiasm for our upcoming trip (May 21 through 25).
And, as DP Maddy points out, these boards are invaluable! We were able to get an immediate reality check from several of our kindred folk.
Janet

[buckylarue]

Like most of you, DP Maddy and I were flabbergasted when the video ended after 8:08. The first thing I did was jump up from my chair and head to the computer, to see if anyone else had the same reaction. Actually, I thought maybe we had received the incorrect video. How naive!
Oh well, this doesn't dampen our enthusiasm for our upcoming trip (May 21 through 25).
And, as DP Maddy points out, these boards are invaluable! We were able to get an immediate reality check from several of our kindred folk.
Janet
Yes, not to panic, people! In spite of what you see (or DON'T see) on the DVD, there are a lot of wonderful things to see and do at the DL resort. We spent 3 days there in early March, and while several of our favorite attractions were still closed for refurbishment, we still had a wonderful time and could have easily spent several days more! Hoping to get a week there next year, after we pay off the March trip and our upcoming WDW visit!

[EeyoreJMH]

This past weekend, my DH and family gave me the most amazing gift of a trip to Disneylend (I'm still in shock). As part of the presentaion of the present, DH had the new Disneyland DVD. Now, we're DVC members and are fortunate enough to travel to WDW at least once a year, but I have never been to Disneylend (heck, I've never been west of Pennsylvania!). We excitedly put the DVD in the player; we've been spoiled by the WDW DVDs. Imagine our surprise when the title screen looks like it was designed by the video creator and has "Disneyland Graphic Fullfillment 8:08". Not too enchanting, but we pressed on. Wow, for someone who has no concept of Disneyland, that DVD was really fast! We're staying at the Grand Californian and I think I caught a glimpse of that, but I wasn't sure. I've already gleaned far more information from these boards than from that weird DVD. :confused3

[Amy&Dan]

While I enjoyed watching it I too was disappointed! I knew from reading this post what to expect but still felt a bit let down. The kids liked it. I agree with others that it seems like Disneyland's 50th is just another excuse to advertise the virtues of WDW! I get so sick of explaining to people why we actually love Disneyland the most, now I feel like I almost need to explain to Disney why Disneyland is worth a fair shake! And while I'm on the subject, I also want my Pal Mickey to work at Disneyland and have a DVC resort at Disneyland.

[lap3]

Well, I finally received my DVD in the mail yesterday. Unfortunately, my sentiments echoed everyone else's feelings. To me, it just seemed like an extended length commercial. Since it was free, I guess I can't complain too much but I felt they could have done much better than that.

[grandmotherof10]

Just got my disneyland dvd in the mail. It is short and sweet but beings I have not been to disneyland in 11 years I was glad to see some of the changes. And my special needs grandson who will be traveling with us will enjoy the dvd no matter how long or short it is.

[disneychrista]

Order your FREE DVD and take a sneak peek at the Disneyland Resort 50th Anniversary celebration is what it is billed at. So while I am one of the many that are dissapointed, in a way it is our fault because we expected a planning DVD when what was offered was a sneak peak at the celebration. Which it really does give. Oh well....

[Bete]

:sad2: :sad2:
I didn't expect a planning DVD but I still thought this DVD was too short. I think they could have traced the history more of DL accross the fifty years. I think they could have given more time to Walt, too. I don't remember seeing anything about the tribute on the park on the DVD. I think it would have been nice to even give the general public a chance to say something about their memories there. I know this would have been controlled but it still would have been a nice touch. I would have loved it if they showed all 30 collages done for the occassion. There are special symbols for the original rides on display at those rides and they could have shown those rides that were there from the beginning. I don't think I even saw the golden ears for the event on the DVD. I would think they would have pushed the special merchandise for the 50th celebration. I think a few minutes, not a glimpse, was in order for the new parade and fireworks show. The Block Party at California Adventure didn't even get a mention.

This DVD would not entice me to come. I'm glad I was there for May 5th and did some of my own video. :wave2: