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[davewasbaloo]

Ok now this has triggered a poll idea for me. I know if all the characters disappeared from the parks tomorrow, never to return I would not care.

[Josh]

WoDS looks good. I hate the fact the castle is gone in favour of toons, People, there has been more to Disney than toons for well over 50 years now!

Exactly! Disney need to stop making the parks synonymous with their franchises.

And while I'm fine with them on the World of Disney (since they are going to be selling character merchandise there, after all), a lot of them seem to be Pixar characters. It looks like Mr Lasseter is at it, again.

[peter]

but he feels guilty about how pixar has taken over. its not his fault that disney have made bad movies of late, and pixars definition of "weak" profits was cars. that made $500 million. dont expect disney to forget that

[ed-uk]

There's a giant Mickey Mouse flower bed infront of the Disneyland Hotel, and a giant Mickey Mouse clock on the hotel above the entrance to Disneyland park. Nobody has ever said about that, Disney need to stop making the parks synonymous with their franchises, or that there has been more to Disney than toons for well over 50 years.

[Josh]

but he feels guilty about how pixar has taken over. its not his fault that disney have made bad movies of late, and pixars definition of "weak" profits was cars. that made $500 million. dont expect disney to forget that

Oh, I never knew he said that. But yeah, I know he means well. He's done a lot of good, and it's great that Imagineering have him.

There's a giant Mickey Mouse flower bed infront of the Disneyland Hotel, and a giant Mickey Mouse clock on the hotel above the entrance to Disneyland park. Nobody has ever said about that, Disney need to stop making the parks synonymous with their franchises, or that there has been more to Disney than toons for well over 50 years.

Sorry. I didn't word it very well. I mean that some people seem to think that Disneyland isn't for them -- just for kids and their parents -- because they think it's just a park with rides based on characters from children's films. Obviously the film characters belong in the parks, but it's just that people get the impression that the park is 100% film characters when most attractions that appeal to everyone, whether they're based off the characters or not. I just feel that if they made more rides with original stories, there would be a greater appeal to other potential visitors than just families. Everything they've been producing lately has been about the film characters (except Buena Vista street and the new lands in Hong Kong), so I think public perceptions will change if start making more of their originals as well, again.

That's just my view, anyway. Sorry, I'm going off topic.

[pussinboots]

I actually think the parking lot makeover is a move forward. It makes more sense this way. Disney parking lot/public area architecture should be separate from that of the parks, right? So now rather than all those Sleeping Beauty Castle images that only advertise one of the parks and could be found in an identical form at the Disneyland Park entrance anyway, we are greeted to the resort by an assortment of Disney characters. And even if you did prefer the old image, rest assured that the parking lot is still the best-looking parking lot in all of Disney, as strange as that might sound. The Magic Kingdom's is tragically archaic, Disneyland has a concrete parking structure and misguided 2000-era swirly swirl signage.


Here are the new medallions all lit up:
http://www.disneygazette.fr/preparation ... s-535.html
It's a shame LEDs don't "glow" to properly illuminate the text on the signs the way the old bulbs did, but I suppose these at least won't need to be replaced as often. Which I believe used to happen once a decade.

Oh and yes, the bas-reliefs are awesome.

PS — What ever happened to Donald, Goofy, Pluto, etc?

[Anthony]

Yikes. I take it all back.

I'm actually also glad they replaced those 10 million reproductions of the castle concept art (repetitive and too fussy) and have given the parking area more of its own look. You're right - for 20 years its whole style and colour scheme has only seemed to lead into Disneyland Park, rather than being a gateway to the whole resort. The character images are lifted straight from Hong Kong's esplanade so I guess they were designed for the purpose.

What I should be taking issue with is that they're the same generic images which were hung up around Toon Studio as part of the "placemaking", where they look truly dull. Parking lot banners as in-park decoration. Can we get rid of those now?

[Ouchie's Mummy]

Hi

Sent an email to Guest Communications asking when the World of Disney store will be opening and they said "around June 2012".  Was hoping it was going to be open for when we go in April so they are just going to have to build quicker!!!!!!

[MrsPirate]

This is what it looked like on 15th November, it's looking good!

[ed-uk]

It is starting to look impressive. I hope to find some good 20th merchandise in there.

[Disney_Dreamer]

It's looking good. I hope that it will be open if and when we go next summer. It will make a change from seeing scaffolding or bare patches whenever we walk through the Disney Village.

[MissDisneyisMagical]

wow its looking like its making good progress

[BadKid]

It looks really good! What day is it rumoured to open?

[Anthony]

There's no opening day announced yet, but the latest brochure now gives the first official date: July 2012.

[peter]

they timed that well, didn't they.