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[Riebi]

Now folks, the time is right: You can read a real masterpiece of german newsmans art.

I never ever read such a worst article about Disneyland Anaheim in my life and - maybe more interesting - I never ever read a such a worst researched article in my life.
How many lapses, goof-ups and blemish can someone include into one single article??? I first thinking must be something for april fools day. But nooo it´s an normal article. So I now know what I can believe of spiegel onlines articles  :lol:

For everyone who knows a bit german please read it and write a "Leserbrief".

//http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,545374,00.html

For all the others I (or maybe someone else) will translate the "key facts" of this article later!

[MinniesBestPal]

I know the basics of german...I just started german lessons this year!

[dagobert]

I don't know why, but many European newspapers, especially German and Austrian ones, write very bad articles about Disney.

They write the worst critics about Disney movies in Europe. I think they don't like any of the Disney movies, no matter if they are really good or really bad.

Regarding DLRP they always use the wrong "Euro Disney" name instead of Disneyland Resort Paris. Are German and Austrian authors too lazy to do a good research or what's wrong with them. DLRP changed its name mor than ten years ago!!!

I read this Spiegel article a few days ago on their website and I got really angry. I think the author of this article just doesn't like Disney, like most of our newspapers.

[Anthony]

I can hardly understand a word of German, but just looking at the pictures they posted, you can tell from the start they went there wanting to bash it rather than just enjoy it. It's annoying when journalists are so bad at their jobs they can't come up with anything more important or original than a personal dislike for people having fun, but hey, we've got to just ignore it.

Actually, looking at those photos after just visiting WDS, I'm really struck by how ugly DCA's Hollywood Blvd is! :shock:

Don't worry, I won't be submitting a follow up article...

[davewasbaloo]

Clearly a very biased writer.  Disappointing as I would rather be at DL than WDW or DLP.

By the way Baloo, that's not the full bvd, that's just the front of the Hyperion Theatre at DCA, kind of like if they just took a picture in front of the new tram tours facade at WDS.  DCA Hollywood Picture Backlot is very cool and still more detailed than DLP's

[Riebi]

So today I do something for international understanding and try to translate the key points. I just wanna say that this is not in any points my opinion, it´s the article on spiegel online  :wink: So don´t kill the bearer :lol:


Headline:

Fear of recession at Duckburg

by Marc Pitzke, Anaheim, California

Teaser:

The recession reach now also the embodiment of consumer confidence: Disneyland at Anaheim. The mother of all amusement parks fights with an diminution of visitors and abrasion. A billion-refurbishment should know put things right - but not everyone is taken with this.

chapter One First clause:

Anaheim - Mary Poppins lost the beat. although, she goes on obliviously, tap-dances in her half-boots smiling over the sidewalks, flanked by a little band. As sign of abrasion the first seams of her chiffon dress are burst. "Chim-chim-che-ree" she whistle, the old  hit from her 1964 film, named like her. Some little kids have an sceptical eye on her. On her faces you can clearly read: Who should this woman be?

chapter One second clause:

Newly, at "happiest place on earth", the happiest place on eart [german translation]: The magicworld has patina. In front of Sleeping beautys castle at the heart of disneyland are located shows every hour, like the last one with mary poppins - that is: a "cast member" in disguise, how all employees of disney are named. But somehow the sparkle wont jump to the people. [it´s a german phrase]

Chapter One third clause:

Maybe they´ve jut a bad day. The hop-show is half-hearted, the "cast-members" seems dull, the music out of hidden speakers rattles.
Even the audience seems bored. The kids don´t know much to do with mary poppins. Mary who? they makes some obligatory pics and then they pressure to the next attraction. "Where´s nemo?" is one of the most asked question.

Mini-headline:

"As the theme parks go, so goes Disney"

Chapter Two first clause:

Disneyland Anaheim is the mother of all amusement parks. 1955 opened by Walt Disney himself, it was the first theme park of its kind and a prototype for four others of the Disney family (Florida, Tokyo, Paris and last Hong Kong). Disney is indeed now a mega-media-concern with 35,5 billion dollar annual turnover at last. But the parks and resorts hold 30 % of this with worldwide 116,5 millions of visitors in the last year - and Disneyland stay the figurehead. "As the theme parks go, so goes Disney" knows the New York Times.

This is interesting cause the quote shows us the way to an original New York Times article of 10. feb. 2008:

//http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/business/media/10ride.html?pagewanted=1

Maybe the spiegel online-writer knows less english then I (and thats not a hard thing :mrgreen:) and make a big translation error  :lol:

but let us go on with the article:

chapter two second clause:

that´s why the stock-analyst has an eye with sorrows at anaheim. Cause the economic slowdown  of the US menace also the amusement parks slowly, a crisis-proof branch till now. And you can nowhere see this clearer as in Disneyland.

chapter two third clause:

The over-all visitor figures of the resort - which exist out of Disneyland and the neighboured California Adventure - shrinked 2007 by 1 %, first time since the year of terror 2001. the visitor at Disneyland increased in fact by one % to 14,9 millions (14,7 millions by the year before). But at California Adventure the figures break down by 4.5 % to 5,7 millions.

mini-headline

Year of Dream for the Disney-Bosses

chapter 3 first clause:

By the beginning of the year, citigroup classed down the disney share from "hold" to "sell": The credit-crises, increasing of fuelprices and abated consumer spendings should also come to the resorts and interfere with the Disney balance. "We think it´s natural that the consumers will reduce their spendings" write the citigroup analyst jason Bazinet

chapter 3 second clause:

Disney deny every subsidence slope of cause. "We are content with the actual business in our parks." said chief of finance Thomas Staggs.
The last balance reports brag "All in all 2007 was a year of dream for the Disney Parks and Resorts"

chapter 3 third clause:

But there are signs that after the year of dreams will follow a dry spell. On the one hand there´s the fear of recession: A expend vacation is the first what you can find on the red list. The effects could seen impressive everyone in a saturday in march: Instead of masses there was just some few visitors at the big plaza in front of the entrance. from the dozents box offices just 2 opened. "Thank you, my love" chirps the till girl. "Enjoy your day".

Mini-headline

"Put on cheerfulness" [dont know how to translate. it´s a false cheerfulness or something in this direction. Something what you named in german as "Amerikanisches Servicelächeln"]

chapter 4 first clause:

But the cheerfulness seems just put on/false in this bit morbid environment. And this should be a min. same factor of decreasing visitor-figures: Disney has disregarded his figurehead for a long time. The magic just works if everything is sparkling and twinkling.

chapter 4 second clause:

Also the Disney bosses has figured this out: They undergo the doublepark of Disneyland and California Adventure a sinful-costly rejuvenating cure - 1,1 Billion Dollar. Right after the entrance the visitors are standing in front of fences and  drawn curtains: Parts of "Main Street U.S.A." , the main axis of the park are already under refurb. Also in "Fantayland" fences block the way: Since january  yet, "it´s a Small World", one of the most traditional attractions of Disneyland is closed cause of a modification. A sign solace "But a world full of fun can found elsewhere in "Fantasyland""

mini-headline:

Part II: Dull everyday life dominate the dream worlds of Disney

chapter 5 first clause:

The 1966 opened "it´s a small world" is like many Disneyland Attraction antiquated  long ago and not interessted for the X-box generation. although  the family of "World"-Designerin Mary Blair file a hard protest: In a letter to the Disney-Managers the criticize the project as a defilement.

chapter 5 second clause:

A Disney-Fan comment the fight about "It´s a small world" at a blog with words that could count for much mouldy corners of Disneyland: "It´s old, sad and boring. Demolish it."

chapter 5 third clause:

All-over the park shows his symptoms of fatigue. Colors are faded away and peeling, baseplates are scuffed. Many restaurants are empty. At the Fast-Food-Hall "pizza Port" some pieces cheese pizza braise under a heat lamp in fat. The floor is gluing. All surely just little things - but till now shocking at Disneys perfectionistic illusory world.

chapter 5 4. clause:

Even more dull next-door at California adventure, where emblems of california are reversed: The Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood, a Wild-West-Scenario. The 22 hectare park is a flop since opening, it´s empty and look older, more rund-down as Disneyland.
Even CEO Iger named it as "a problem".

mini-headline

Toy-Story as 3D-ride

chapter 6 first clause:

The duration for the renovation is sheduled for 5 years. unpopular attraction should be demolished nd new electronic controlled technical-marvels should take its place. One of them is "Toy Story Mania", a 80 million dollar 3-D-Ride which should allure kids-fans of the picar-animation-feature "Toy Story".

chapter 6 second clause:

Every renovation adjoin frontiers without fail - the borders of the park itsself. At Disneylands opening it lay in the middle of orange copses. Today it´s squeeze between city deserts. "Anaheim is like Peking", says the New Yorker architect Jaque Robertson to the Economic Magazin "Portfolio". "With a forbitten city in the middle".

Chapter 6 third clause:

Longtime Disneyland and Anaheims understand each other the best way: There was a collective interest in the welfare of the resort. But now the ways are separated. Anaheim -with on of the  fastgrowing latino-commune in USA -  neads more land. Disney too.

chapter 6 4. clause:

The fight is concentrated on a 6 square kilometers area around the resort, which is reserved for tourist interests since 1994 and is disney reserve land for a third park or else. In 2005 the SunCal group planned yet 2000 commonhold flats.

mini-headline

Fight for waste land

chapter 7 first clause

Disney protest. It gives 2 million Dollar for a Lobby-campain. go to law. The SunCal-project breaksup, but the fight with the city go on. There was a totally new note in the lonyear partnership of convenience.

chapter 7 second clause

Since March the city council drawback and  conclude that every construction must get a public opinion poll before begining. Disney triumph - at the costs of its peaceloving image: The urbanism professor Scott Bollens said to the "Lost Angeles Times": "Disney has twisted the democracy for its wishes"

chapter 7 thirdclause

All in ordinary to the expansion: "There was never such a promising time for the disney parks and resorts" is the concern writing in its aktual anual report. Experts are admittedly more skeptical  : Media analyst Michael Nathanson ask: "how much growth is still in disney?"

chapter 7 4.clause

Even Disney don´t shy the R-word. On its customer-website they query the crucial question as a precaution: "Will a recession have influence on your disney-consuetude?"
11% would cancel its vacantion planning, 52 % would go to the resort cause they saving the money already. And every fifth answerd: "recession? never heard about it". Which demonstrate at least: Disneyland is and stay a dreamland.  

It´s hard to translate the article cause there is a "tongue-in-cheek", a unfriendly disliking undertone in the whole article which could get a close translation. It´s a bit like the authors i happy about every guest who wouldn´t go to the resort. But maybe the worse translation helps a bit.  :lol:

Sad is, that other newpapers take the article and make their own like this one:

//http://www.handelszeitung.ch/artikel/Unternehmen-SCC_Donald-und-Mickey-haben-nichts-zu-lachen_311398.html

[davewasbaloo]

Viel Dank Reibi.  I am surprised with the maintenance jibes.  I found DL was in a great condition last month, much MUCH better condition than WDW or DLP!

[Riebi]

No problem :mrgreen:  Hope you understand all my translation cause it was a bit strange and some things that were very hard to translate cause I don´t know how to say many things in english with an ironic, sacastic or "hope disney will die"-tune like you can found it all over this article.

To close my translation I translate today the picture underlines:

//http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,30349,00.html

You can change between the pics with

Zurück = back <------

and

Weiter = forward ---->

at the top of the page.

The main headline in english:

Disneyland: Morbid fairy tale world.

Let´s now start with the pictures:

Picture One with the closed gates:
This is hard to translate cause it´s a spelling mistake. "einstamls" doesn´t exist in german  :wink:  I think he means "einstmals" so maybe:

Main Exit Gate: the former rush is missing.

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
Hope so much! That must be a true word! Nobody would leave Disneyland! So why should there be a rush out of the main exit gate
 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Picture Two with the box offices:

orphaned box offices at the main entrance: Disney disregarded his/her aging figurehead long time.

Picture 3 with the fences at main street(?):

Pleasure for individualists: Searching for long queue is all in vain.

(they searching in front of fences for a long queue??? What should visitors do there? Help refurb?)

Picture 4 with the partners statue

Statue of Disney Founder Walt Disney: PR-Victory against the city fathers of Anaheim -  at the costs of the peacefull image of the concern.

Picture 5 with the castle

One of the main attractions of Disneyland: Fairy tale castle of snow white, which is based on Neuschwanstein.

Sleeping Beauty moving completly to Paris :mrgreen:

Picture 6 with the refurb sign of IASW:

Entrance of "It´s a Small World" at Fantasyland: A friendly sign refer the jung visitors to other attractions

Picture 7 with Mary Poppins and Bert

"Mary Poppins"-Dancing Show: Kids surge to the next attraction and ask for nemo.

Picture 8 with mary:

"Mary Poppins"-actor: Morbid charm with napless drapery and bursted seams.

Picture 9 with the cleaners:

Disney Cleaners: gluey  floors, scuffed planks, cheese pizza under the heat lamp

Picture 10 with the hollywood bvd

Parade-street: electronic controlles technical miracles should replace unpopular offers.

Picture 11 with the backdrop:

Disney-Backdrop: Much cancel their vacantions at first.

Picture 12 with hyperion theather:

Hyperion-Theater: The xbox-generation search for other distractions

[swity]

Hey Riebi, if I  had seen this topic before I would have helped you to translate it. Would have been a good exercise for my english.

The article is really bad, I think the worst are the pictures and their descriptions.
It's bad that somebody only photographes the bad sides to make something look bad.
It never looks good, when somebody cleans the floor  :roll:

[Riebi]

Believe me swity :mrgreen:  it was a big  exercise for me. Hope my brain is now a bit bigger :lol:

[experiment627]

Viel Dank Reibi.  I am surprised with the maintenance jibes.  I found DL was in a great condition last month, much MUCH better condition than WDW or DLP!

davewasbaloo, "Der Spiegel" loves to be high-brow. Mind you, I don't think they're high-brow... They seem to love to think for their readers (and many of those readers seem to like it that way...).

Anyway... I just remembered a line by Thomas Gottschalk, who hosted the "Euro Disney Opening" special on tv way back on April 11th, 1992: "This afternoon I saw the daughter of the Spiegel's editor on the carrousel, having a great time... And this poor man has to go back to office on Monday morning writing about how horrible this place is."