Either a) They've got so little money they could barely afford the petrol to drive to Val d'Europe to pick up the white paint and tinsel, or b) Something is wrong.
The park just isn't getting into the spirit of things. But what would we do to make it better? Post realistic ideas for making the park a true festive alternative to Disneyland Park. Shows, decorations, events...
I'll start with a couple, including one we've talked about before:
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Christmas
New festive rock soundtracks in the trains (cheesy?). Change pre-show announcement to mention Christmas (video can stay the same). Stick an extra sign over the billboard. Add a few new lighting effects?
- Fairfax Festive Market
If we must have another Christmas market, at least do something different. Turn the whole thing on its head and give Europeans something they/we've possibly never seen before - the sunny palm trees, colours and architecture of Southern California dressed up in tinsel and trimmings. A very unique and bizarre sight for most of us.
Base the market stalls on the Fairfax Fare area at DHS (//http://kryptonphotos.smugmug.com/photos/527503867_quPzs-L.jpg), place it along the route from Café Cafés to Armageddon and get a better tree. Don't sell the obvious Christmas stuff, maybe even turn it into a mini Food and Wine festival type thing. Lots of things to taste, lots of Californian influence. People will be glad of something different.
Your turn!
Anyone want to plan out how to turn Animagique into a Nightmare Before Christmas blacklight musical? Oh wait, I said realistic...
How fun....
I would put in a better tree with hollywood inspired ornaments and lot's of lights.
Add in a horse drawn sleigh ride from Moteurs Action to Art of Animation
A meet and greet with Santa complete with Elves
Add 1940's style christmas carollers in Studio 1
Have showings of NBC in 3D in one of the Theatres, just for the season
I would love the windows in Hollywood Bvd to have proper window displays for Christmas in a 1940's/50's style.
Turn Rendevous into a Christmas Dinner table service restaurant
Have a little ice rink with the characters skating near cinemagique.
Serve American favorite Christmas food (apple cider, egg nog, gingerbread etc.)
Hide a Christmas tree in ToT
And because they are not restricted in WDSP, how about a Hollywood Christmas Firework extravaganza.
They just need to get retro with it. Tinsel, vintage ornaments, candy canes, bubble lights, colored C7 lights, aluminum Christmas trees with color wheels, that sort of thing.
It needs to look genuine, so no film rolls and cameras as ornaments please...
If you compare the Christmas trees of the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios, you'll notice that they really put some effort into getting the period decorations right. The Magic Kingdom tree is clearly from the turn of the century, with popcorn garland and candles and gingerbread, while the MGM tree is a tinselfest straight out of the 1940s or '50s.
Magic Kingdom: http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID-WD ... 0-MK01.asp (http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID-WDW-Holiday2000-MK01.asp)
MGM: http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID-WD ... -MGM01.asp (http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID-WDW-Holiday2000-MGM01.asp)
(I should note that these pictures are a decade old, and things have gone downhill considerably at MGM.)
And for heaven's sake, put the tree in Hollywood Boulevard or the Front Lot. Putting the tree where it stands now makes it look like a Makro parking lot in December.
And I like the Fairfax Fare/Food and Wine idea. Wreaths on palm trees would be novel to Europeans indeed, and a little sophistication would be more than welcome.
I suppose it all comes down to a depth of theme, which there REALLY isn't at the moment. A Disney Christmas should be more than buying some standard, cheap decorations at a big box store nearby.
Let's get retro, then. Some images for the mood board...
Beautiful 1950s Disney Christmas cards: http://www.animationarchive.org/2007/02 ... stmas.html (http://www.animationarchive.org/2007/02/illustration-early-50s-disney-christmas.html)
Interesting photo, Hollywood at Christmas circa 1959: http://viewfromaloft.typepad.com/photos ... _19591.jpg (http://viewfromaloft.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/parade___19591.jpg)
Regarding the Hollywood portion of WDS, or even the park as a whole, DLP need to bookmark this site: http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas.htm (http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas.htm)
Perfect imagery: http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas029.htm (http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas029.htm)
From the link Puss posted, these would be perfect for our Hollywood blvd lampposts: http://www.laughingplace.com/files/info ... 50-422.jpg (http://www.laughingplace.com/files/info/wdw/holiday2000/MGM/0250-422.jpg)
Quote from: "Anthony"Let's get retro, then. Some images for the mood board...
Beautiful 1950s Disney Christmas cards: http://www.animationarchive.org/2007/02 ... stmas.html (http://www.animationarchive.org/2007/02/illustration-early-50s-disney-christmas.html)
Ah yes, I have that page bookmarked too!
Quote from: "Anthony"Interesting photo, Hollywood at Christmas circa 1959: http://viewfromaloft.typepad.com/photos ... _19591.jpg (http://viewfromaloft.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/parade___19591.jpg)
Regarding the Hollywood portion of WDS, or even the park as a whole, DLP need to bookmark this site: http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas.htm (http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas.htm)
Perfect imagery: http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas029.htm (http://www.plan59.com/xmas/xmas029.htm)
From the link Puss posted, these would be perfect for our Hollywood blvd lampposts: http://www.laughingplace.com/files/info ... 50-422.jpg (http://www.laughingplace.com/files/info/wdw/holiday2000/MGM/0250-422.jpg)
Glorious stuff. If only Imagineering were awarded the Christmas decorations, the same team that did Hollywood Boulevard. They would "get" this at least.
Yesterday I saw a Christmas tree in a hospital lobby. It was far superior to the Studios' and cost nothing to see. Sigh.
I love the idea of retro decorations :) Great idea.
It would also be great to go ice skating with character :thumbs: Very cool idea :
if they were going to do a christmas market maybe they should have stalls from different countries and how they celebrate christmas, different cultures etc ...
A few more decorations, some festive streetmosphere, Christmas version of Stars and Cars is all you need. Would hardly sink the budget.
I think that a Hollywood Christmas of the 30s/40s/50s is the obvious choice. There's something warm about some of the classic Christmas films of the period. You could even have Mickey and pals in Holiday Inn/White Christmas gear!
Anyway, I think that both parks need their own distinct identities for all holidays. Disneyland Park should display a warm, family Christmas, whereas the Studios should have the feel of a glitzy, glamorous Christmas. Equally, while I think that they still ought to have the typical Disney villains go trick-or-treating theme at Disneyland Park, but have a more intense theme in the Studios akin to horror films (they are having the horror night themed like this, aren't they?).
Well I know its a crazy idea but they could brign the arches from Main Street to Hollywood Boulveard.