Ideas that missed the mark.

[kimber]

As I was sitting here at work listening to VF radio, the audio for Light Magic came on. I could not help but think that was one disney idea that missed the mark so bad it still makes me cringe to think it was ever produced by disney. I am sure there are other examples of this, as well as other opinions, but I sure think Light Magic may just take the cake for the flop award.

[lpetiti]

You're forgetting the Flying Saucers, they were a disaster.

[Kileli]

^ Yet they are putting in the tire thing at DCA :)

I guess DCA in general would fit. Hopefully, they updated version will do better

[Alex_Toto_Disneyland]

Well, the flying saucers... Technology wasn't as good as it is today... but that's Walt.. he was always one step ahead!

[olivejuice]

yeah bet it will be better cause it was such a long time ago and technology has gotten better. But im still not into rides like that I like ride through rides. But my son will love them.

[Disney Babe]

There was something called something like the Great Prize Give Away Machine, I think sometime in the early 80's or 90's. It was this huge ugly thing that was placed in the middle of the Hub. That was before the Partners Statue. I think there was a huge tree there, so it must have been off to the side. Anyway, it was part of the Great Give Away summer and it was totally lame. They had radio personalities on a stage on top of it and they gave me the same impression as carnival barkers. And loud non-Disney music playing. It was gross and really spoiled the atmosphere. I hated it so much that I wrote to DL to complain about it! I got a very curt letter back, too. The attitude was that they knew how to run DL better than the guests do.

The good part of that promotion was all the cars they were giving away and they had them lined up in front of the ticket booths. When a guest entered the turnstile they were given a prize ticket, something like a scratch off, and you had a chance to win a car or some other good prizes. But most tickets just won a free popcorn! They should have called the promotion the Year of a Million Bags of Popcorn.

[dctrdez]

Great Give Away...Year of a Million Dreams...I guess not many ideas are truly original.

Hey, howabout the Hunchback of Nortre Dame stage show, Rocket Rods, and Tommorowland '98?

[PeoplemoverMatt]

PMM's Top 5 Failures in Disneyland history
1) Cynthia Harriss
2) '98 Tomorrowland
3) Year of a Million Dreams
4) The First 3 Years of Disney's California Adventure
5) Paul Pressler

-- PMM

[DCA Fan]

Matt, I'd argue that 1 and 5 be put together....that was a pretty potent combination of terrible. '98 Tomorrowland I consider bad mainly for the fact that the color scheme was dreadful, making the cast costumes the ugliest in the park. Light Magic is somewhere on my list, despite the fact that I still think it has great music.

[Jenn]

what exactly was light magic?

[adrianne]

the Gummi Bears overlay to the Motorboat Cruise...ick!!

[scorchy96]

Winnie the Pooh - it had a lot of potential, but it turned out to be kind of cheap and tacky (especially in comparison to Pooh's Hunny Hunt!)

[kimber]

Originally Posted by Jenn

what exactly was light magic?

It was a horrible parade/show that replaced the Disneyland Main Street Electric Parade. I remember waiting to see it with great anticipation for the first time. HUGE LET DOWN!! It was horrible. Was like some kind of pathetic public broadcasting show on tour down main street. Needless to say it only lasted a very short season. Only problem was after it was gone there was still no Electric Parade either. I will not feel that the problem created is ever entirely fixed until the Electric Parade is back on Main Street!! :) It pains me to even listen to the lousy soundtrack of that insanity.

[Disney Babe]

Originally Posted by scorchy96

Winnie the Pooh - it had a lot of potential, but it turned out to be kind of cheap and tacky (especially in comparison to Pooh's Hunny Hunt!)

I agree. (I thought that was just my opinion because I never rode it with a child.) It also belongs in Fantasyland. And it was crazy to make a movie based on Country Bears and then take out that ride.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by DCA Fan

Matt, I'd argue that 1 and 5 be put together....that was a pretty potent combination of terrible.

True, but Harriss was primarily in charge of the design of the Resort expansion, including DCA. The worst things Pressler did was let the park lapse into disrepair, and the '98 Tomorrowland. Even though Harriss worked under Pressler and didn't change the lack of maintenance, it wasn't primarily her idea. So I felt she was a bigger failure than he was. The more I thought about it, Pressler fell to #5 on my list.

But you're right, those two were the 2 worst park Presidents in Disneyland history. I'm tempted to add Jay Rasulo to the list, seeing as he's basically in charge of what Pressler/Harriss were in their time, even though he's head of "Disney Parks & Resorts" and not Disneyland directly. Ed Grier has the title of President, but it's little more than a title thanks to Rasulo's self-created position. Rasulo is the creator of the failed Year of a Million Dreams.

-- PMM