Pressler's Job Performance

[roymccoy]

I found this over on MousePlanet. Interesting read. These are the additions and subtractions to DL during his tenure. Also note the price increase for tickets and what the same ticket bought you before Paul and after Paul.

Additions:

1. Indiana Jones Adventure (attraction design & construction
largely done before Paul takes over Disneyland)

2. Spirit of Pocahontas (show, later removed)

3. Toy Story Funhouse (imported from the El Capitan
Theater, later removed)

4. Festival of Fools (show, later removed)

5. Festival of Foods (rename of Big Thunder BBQ
Restaurant; later removed)

6. Light Magic (show/parade, later removed)

7. Hercules Victory Parade (later removed)

8. Triton’s Garden (character meet and greet area formerly
known as Alpine Gardens)

9. Cruisin' the Kingdom Cavalcade (character parade later
removed)

10. "it’s a small world" Holiday (holiday ride redress)

11. Toon-Up Treats in ToonTown (food stand, usually
closed)

12. Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port

13. Innoventions (exhibit)

14. "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" (attraction)

15. Astro-Orbitor (replaces Rocket Jets)

16. American Space Experience (shop area converted into
exhibit)

17. Autopia redesign (replaces TL Autopia)

18. Autopia Winner’s Circle (shop)

19. Rocket Rods (replaces PeopleMover, later removed)

20. Cosmic Waves (fountain area, later mostly removed)

21. Animazement, the Musical (later removed)

22. Mulan Parade (later removed)

23. La Boutique de Noel (replaces kitchen shop)

24. L’Ornament Magique (replaces baroque shop)

25. Conestoga Fries (McDonalds)

26. Woody’s Roundup (later removed)

27. Tarzan’s Treehouse (replaces Swiss Family Treehouse)

28. FASTPASS (ride reservation system)

29. Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante (replaces and expands
Casa Mexicana)

30. 45th Anniversary Parade (now named Parade of the
Stars)

31. "Believe... There’s Magic in the Stars" (replaces Fantasy
in the Sky fireworks)

32. "Believe... in Holiday Magic" (holiday fireworks)

33. Haunted Mansion Holiday (holiday ride redress)

34. Mickey’s Detective School (seasonal)

35. Minnie’s Christmas Party (seasonal)


Removals:

1. Mlle. Antoinette’s Parfumerie (re-opened as Jewel of
Orleans)

2. Skyway

3. PeopleMover (replaced by Rocket Rods)

4. Aladdin’s Oasis (dining show)

5. Big Thunder Ranch (restaurant)

6. One of a Kind Shop

7. Circle-Vision (replaced by Rocket Rods queue, then
shuttered)

8. Main Street Electrical Parade (later re-opened in DCA)

9. Carnation Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street (later
re-opened in diminished capacity)

10. Rocket Jets (replaced by Astro-Orbitor)

11. Captain EO (replaced by "Honey I Shrunk the Audience)

12. Chip 'n Dale Tree Slide and Acorn Crawl

13. Lion King Celebration

14. Fantasyland Autopia (combined with Tomorrowland
Autopia)

15. Mike Fink Keelboats

16. Submarine Voyage

17. Plaza Pavilion (restaurant)

18. Big Thunder BBQ (restaurant)

19. Carnation Plaza Gardens (restaurant)

20. Casa Mexicana (restaurant)

21. Cascade Peak (scenery, plus river filtration system)

22. Great American Pastimes (sports shop, later re-opened
as 20th Century Music Company)

23. Swiss Family Treehouse (later re-opened as Tarzan's
Treehouse)

24. Harbour Galley (later re-opened with only McDonalds
french fries on menu)

25. Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthru (closed for security
concerns)

26. La Petite Patisserie (food stand)

27. Country Bear Vacation Hoedown (replaced by new
Pooh attraction)

28. Brer Bar (replaced by new Pooh shop)

29. Tom Sawyer Island interactive activities



Adjusted Additions (including only those things which remained permanently): 21

Adjusted Removals (including only those which didn’t reopen): 23

Net Result: 1995 vs. 2002 = -2



Disneyland Admission just before Paul arrived: $31

Disneyland Admission on 9/26/02: $45


To be fair, Pressler wasn't really involved with the SkyWay closing, it just happened on his watch but to also be fair, Indiana Jones was already in the testing process when he came on AND at one point he questioned killing the ride because of the high cost. As far as I am concerned, he was TERRIBLE for Disney and his damage will be felt for many years to come. The new guy probably can't do any worse but....we'll see!

Roy

 

[KMovies]

Guess since Disneyland has 60 attractions and most parks like Six Flags, Universals and all have around 40 ... how many more do you want?

When you are that large, you simply close one or two, open one or two and basically stay about the same size.

The article did also state the new attractions at Disney's California Adventure - so really there is a lot more to do now.

As for the ticket prices - movie prices and concerts, sports, etc. have increased in price too. That's just a fact of life.

The parades closing and opening shows opening and closing - that is typical as they are generally of the short term nature. Do you really want Hercules still going down Main St?

Add that he greenlighted Winnie the Pooh - so that will be open soon.

 

[Darian]

Hey Roy,

You've got a point there. I was there at the Annual Passholder Party when "The Light Tragic Parade" <grin> was previewed for us annual passholders. Old Paul gave it his personal introduction... a speech that I won't soon forget. Of course, the parade malfunctioned, revealing the subliminal sound track, which when the crowd realized what it was, nearly rioted.

I think that moment was the defining moment for Pressler's term at Disney. Take out the decent shops, replace them with "plush" vendors, oh, and make sure there are no more annual passholder parties!

The biggest problem, in my opinion, with Pressler's term at Disney was instituting a program of deferred maintenance that plagues the park today. Roy, its terrible. Things have fallen so far that outside contractors have been hired to get the park into shape for the 50th Anniversary celebration. Did anyone see "Its a Small World" get painted recently? It was done by non-union, non-Disney employees. Anyone notice the great big dead pine tree in the center of Frontierland? It, and several other large trees died because of cutbacks in the gardening budget... pests infecting the trees were not controlled. Park Guests were injured when one of the infected trees fell on park guests. Thank you Mr. Pressler.

Roy, about the reason for closing the Castle, the cause I'd heard (it may also have been for security reasons as you said) was that the roof was damaged by fireworks and not repaired. It does rain occasionally in California, and so the castle sustained some serious water damage. No money was in the budget to fix the roof.

So many things at the park are so shabby - crumbling pavement, peeling paint, general disrepair - its so sad to see. I think Mr. Pressler will be much more competent in his new job, back in the world of retail from which he came.

Things seem to have improved a great deal under Cynthia Harris' leadership, but with Paul as her boss and mentor, her hands were tied for the most part. My first trip to Disneyland was waaaay back in 1958 and things have certainly changed since then. Maybe with new leadership, Disneyland will look more like Disneyland and less like 6 Flaggs.

Walt Disney is spinning in his grave.

Darian

 

[RumpleMom]

Please elaborate about the subliminal sound track.

 

[gtrhead4life]

I too would be interested in more details concerning the subliminal message comment. (tell us the message, tell us the message, tell us the message )

 

[Darian]

Ok Ok!!! LOL!

There we were, a solid mass of us annual passholders waiting with baited breath for the long awaited premiere of the Main Street Electrical Parade's replacement... Light Magic....

After an hour's delay, Mr. Pressler steps out into the parade route (by Its a Small World) with his microphone in hand. He make an enthusiastic speech, with the caveat that the parade "isn't quite ready, but...."

I don't recall if two or three identical floats came out from backstage, but they were accompanied by some pretty loud music. Guess they hadn't gotten the audio levels right yet... but hey, thats ok, its the parades first performance yeeehaaaa!!!

The show had external lights and audio tracks synchronized to lights and a video show on the floats. (the video show consisted of audience shots made with disney actors oohing and aaahing at the parade... showing us how we should respond to Light Magic. Most people found this clumsy and a bit offensive.) But never mind that, what were all those colored lumps on the floats?

After an hour or so of trying to get the video thing working right, the "lumps" turned out to be cast members! Those poor people! Forced to hold those positions for who knows how long, and then DANCE?!?!?! Oh my... compassion for those people easily washed away any resentment over the manipulative video show. But then the floats or sound track or something malfunctioned and the whole "system" needed to be reset. No big deal. We were the annual passholders, the disney faithful! But as one audio track after another disapeared, suddenly we could hear something else that had been hidden by "masking tracks" --- a little voice saying things like: "Isn't this magical? You are having such a magical time! Isn't it great to be at Disneyland? Isn't this the most wonderful parade?" There were a number of other similar phrases and some other phrases that touched on other emotions.

Well, looks of stunned amazement spread through the audience, looks that quickly turned to outrage. People started yelling, booing, going up to the Disney and letting them know an ethical line had been crossed. (And that they didn't like the rest of the parade... costumes and makeup made cast members looks victims from a burn ward. ) Every available cast member within reach of the audience got an earful.

To give disney management some credit, the put out a number of managers (and a few "flunkies" appologies to the cast members... good people all...) over by City Hall to listen and take down guests suggestions for "fixing" the parade.

I've been coming to Disneyland since 1958 and I've never, ever, seen so many people so enraged and so close to rioting. It was actually kinda scary. Pressler was so angry, we've never had an annual passholder party since.

There is another thread on this board about "When does the 'Disney experience' cease to exist?" For me, its when I heard those subliminal tracks. Thats just wrong and the line was crossed. But this was just typical of the way Pressler handled things. The poor guy just didn't (doesn't) understand what is special about Disney. He needs to walk over to the flag pole and read the Dedication Plaque again to re-orient himself. Obviously a moot point now....

Was anyone else there that fateful night?

Darian

(Sorry for the long post)