Why Paradise Pier?

[Sir Robin Hood]

I'm currently reading a book by Charles Ridgway who was a Disney press agent for many years and knew the insides and outs of what Walt was really like. Most authors I've read who worked closely with Walt Disney all state how much he disliked...no, downright loathed with a passion...the idea of carnivals and county fairs. Walt saw them as dirty, and with too much steel and concrete. Walt would even get inslulted if someone referred to Disneyland as an "amusement park". Walt was not a fan of tilt-a-whirls, carnival attractions, games of skill/chance, or anything else related to the carnival/amusement park genre. Disneyland was a THEME park, and something totally different.

So....when it comes to Paradise Pier at DCA, and I'm sure you all know by now what I'm trying to get at.....why?? Seriously, why Paradise Pier? I'm sure this has been vented about before, and I am sure somebody is reading who absolutely loves the area. (My apologies to you).
Even with the revamp coming along which will change the area a bit and tie it in more with actual Disney productions & characters...why build PP in the first place? I would love to have been a fly on the wall at WDI when the pitch speech for this idea came about. I wonder if it was some imagineer who secretly hated Walt and wanted to re-create everything he and Disneyland stood against out of spite. Okay, seriously though. Who came up with this idea and why was it given the green-light?

Am I bitter? Yes. Just the other day I was looking at a photo thread of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea in the Theme-Parks Community section. A few lucky DISer's have been fortunate enough to visit TDS and posted some great pics of Mysterious Island at the park, and Arabian Coast, etc. That could have been us! Why not here?? Tokyo gets the most beautifully-themed lands and attractions; and DCA gets...Paradise Pier.?! And Mt. Promethius, Mysterious Island, all of it is the type of detail and imagination Walt wanted at his parks. We get blasted Paradise Pier.

I wonder what Walt would say if he saw PP; with the carnival rides and games of skill. I'd be afraid to know. Okay, enough ranting for one night.

 

[Sir Robin Hood]

Side note, but since I mentioned him in the original post. If anyone wants a great read: "Spinning Disney's World" (Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent) by Charles Ridgway. Really good, in-depth behind the scenes look at the openings of many Disney parks around the gobe.

 

[hogwartsdropout]

I really don't know, but I just wanted to say I really disliked Paradise Pier It does seem really cheap looking. The same goes for Dinoland in AK.

 

[mwrogers]

As for the quality difference, DisneySea & Tokyo Disneyland are not owned by Disney (The Oriental Land Company licenses the theme from Disney), so they are under different financial constraints. Both DisneySea and DCA opened around 2001, but DisneySea cost over $4 billion (the most expensive park in the world) while DCA cost $1.4 billion. Even with the estimated $1.1 billion going into DCA over the next few years, it's still about half the cost of DisneySea. The attendence figures have corresponed to the cost as well - in 2007, DisneySea saw 12.4 million visitors, while DCA racked up only 5.7 million. I'm with you - I think Walt would have vetoed DCA and embraced DisneySea.

What will rile you even more is that, according to wikipedia, the DisneySea concept was originally supposed to be implemented at the Disneyland Resort instead of DCA. Due to financial problems, the idea was passed on to The OLC for Tokyo, and we got DCA. Kinda like when your favorite team just misses out on a great player in a draft and you fret about it for the next 20 years. What could have been.

 

[tdsbu]

I really don't know, but I just wanted to say I really disliked Paradise Pier It does seem really cheap looking. The same goes for Dinoland in AK.

The OP is so right - I've always thought the same thing about dinoland as well - someone thought it would be a good idea to theme a disney park section after six flags, then someone else second-ed it, then someone else approved it - an epic failure.

 

[CarolA]

Shouldn't this be in the DisneyLAND section of the board?

And just in case

BREAKING NEWS!

Walt is dead. Neither this author or ANYONE ELSE knows exactly what he would be doing right now if he were around. It's all "speculation" LOL!

 

[mwrogers]

Walt is dead. Neither this author or ANYONE ELSE knows exactly what he would be doing right now if he were around. It's all "speculation" LOL!

Hence the "I think" qualification of my statement.

And yes, this should probably be moved to DL section.

 

[Meriweather]

Well, it is California Adventure....and Paradise Pier is modeled after the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. It looks like it and feels like it. It brings back fond memories to me.

As for Dinoland, I have no fond memories for that I avoid that area, but I don't have small children that go with me either.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, speaking of "I think"s...

I think DCA represents different parts of California? Not entirely, of course (I mean, there are bugs everywhere), but many attractions/areas?

As for "why not us?" in comparison to Tokyo and Hong Kong? Maybe just plain space? I don't know how large the attractions are that you discuss, but DCA is Disneyland's former parking lot. Only a limited number/size attractions can fit.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Disneyland Community Board.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Well, speaking of "I think"s...

I think DCA represents different parts of California? Not entirely, of course (I mean, there are bugs everywhere), but many attractions/areas?

As for "why not us?" in comparison to Tokyo and Hong Kong? Maybe just plain space? I don't know how large the attractions are that you discuss, but DCA is Disneyland's former parking lot. Only a limited number/size attractions can fit.

Yes, DCA is supposed to show different areas of California- the Bay Area, the redwoods, the beach parks, Hollywood, etc. They are re-doing Paradise Pier to look nicer, but I don't really care for those rides either. I guess if I was going on one, I'd do it at DCA, not the county fair. They are now doing a major re-do to make DCA look like California when Walt first arrived.

 

[Sir Robin Hood]

the DisneySea concept was originally supposed to be implemented at the Disneyland Resort instead of DCA.

My heart has bled about this for years.

 

[pixiewings71]

DCA is themed to represent different areas of CA, the PP area is themed after the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. That's why it's CALIFORNIA Adventure, it's themed after various parts of our state.

 

[disneynerd420]

I've been looking at pics of TDLR. I really want to go! It looks so amazing!

 

[Chris420]

I think PP still has potential to grow into something better. I definately am not a big fan of most of the attractions(excluding screamin of course) and would like to see some of them redone and/or replaced, But I really enjoy the way it looks at night all lit up. It needs work for sure, but there are certainly aspects of PP that I enjoy.

 

[Teki]

I never much liked the look of paradise pier. Granted with the new additions TM and the more victorian look it is more Disney, but its still cheap looking. I HATE the carnival rides the Orange stinger, Maliboomer etc. I almost always ignore them on my trips to the park. I HATE the games and have never played one theyre just not disney. Carnival games are only two things to me and excuse for a guy to show off on a date (my fiancee smarter bought me a TNBC Urn from HM instead of winning a stuffed whatever ^-^ ) or scamming tourists for money. Disney never seemed like a scam to me before those games. I always thought for the service calibur I was getting it was worth the money. Those games are just bleh, although I like the ideas for the new themes, Casey at bat is pretty awesome, but still.

The only reason I am ever in the PP area is to ride screaming and next time I go it will be for the water show. Im not a big fan of TM I though it was sorta a cheap what to do an attraciton theres nothing but screens in it. Whirling around in the car was more fun to me then the games although creative in there own way I can play video games at home. Buzz blasters is much better.


Over all I agree I dont get paradise pier either.

 

[pixiewings71]

My kids love the games, we give them $20 and they use that, once it's gone it's gone. We have all kinds of random little stuffies at home because of those games. LOL