Commentary on Errors

Mistakes Happen.
Humans are prone to all sorts of errors.

Usually nobody notices our little goofs.

However, when your gafaw is put out into the public, in front of millions of people then you may be subject to a small (or large) amount of ridicule. And when those millions of people happen to be rabid fans of the thing you are promoting, the attention can be multiplied millions of times.

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Example:

In the latest park maps for Disney California Adventure and Disneyland guests get all sorts of information about the parks.  From parade routes & attraction descriptions to closures & the location of the nearest bathroom, guests depend on these maps to be accurate, and for most of those things they are.  But, what happens when less obvious things are wrong?

First let's look at the map for Disneyland. Here is the East side of the park, with such attractions as Space Mountain, Autopia and Innoventions. Apparently there is trouble in the future! It seems that in the future we have gotten so dependant on technology that we have forgotten how to spell.

Take a look at the map picture itself and the land title in BLUE.

Now look at the listing of attractions on the left.  See anything different?

Yep, Tomorrowland has become Tormorrowland.

What's up with that?

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Next let's look at the DCA Map.

Here is the new map with all of the new lands and attractions. Top left is Cars Land next to Paradise Pier. To the center right is Grizzley Peak, and right there at the entrance of the park is the new Buena Vista Street.  What a fantastic change there has been to this area. Now we have a new trolly, new facades, a beautiful fountain and a statue of Walt and Mickey depicting... Wait! Something is off. Let's look closer at that statue.

Something doesn't look quite right...

Isn't that the Partners Statue at Disneyland?

Yep, It's a view from the rear. Walt and Mickey on a pedestal,
Walt's arm raised up looking down Main Street USA holding Mickey's hand.

But that's not what is supposed to be there.

We should see this...

A young Walt has just arrived in California with his suitcase.

Mickey stands atop the suitcase, Walt next to him with his coat slung over his shoulder.

This statue is very VERY different than the one at Disneyland.

How do the artists who make the maps not see the difference?

I mean it's not like this was a secret statue that nobody had seen before. The model of the statue had been on display at the last D23 Expo for all to see. Artwork of the statue had been posted online for months prior to its unveiling.  T-shirts and Opening Day lithographs had been printed and stocked on the shelves for all those rabid fans I mentioned.  Disney itself had posted previews of the statue on its blog.  So how, after all of that, did the executive in charge of maps not notice this? How did all of the artists not notice this? And how did they not notice the mis-spelling on the Disneyland Map?

One word...

Or should I say...

One Disney

The powers that be in marketing and advertising have spent so long trying the homogenize all of the Disney Parks under this new concept that Disneyland, and now DCA, has lost a little bit of that magic that once made it unique.  Just take a look at all of the generic merchandise in the shops.

Nowadays when you purchase something at Disneyland or DCA your gift bag is dual purpose. One side has Sleeping Beauty Castle (Disneyland) and the other side has Cinderella Castle (WDW) on it. The bags say Disney Parks, and do not spedify which park you are in.  The multi-purpose bags can be massed produced and used at both parks.  Is this confusing for the guests?

 

Disneyland  (L) - WDW Magic Kingdon  (R)

Why can't we have these back?

Have you seen those tacky 2010 2011 2012 picture frames that you see at the Emporium on Main Street? You can also find them in Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Critter Country.  And, the same merchandise that's in Disneyland can be found at Paradise Pier or Condor Flats in DCA.

The days of unique attraction merchandise or land specific shopping are all but gone.  Oh sure, you can still find retro shirts for the Tiki Room. But they are in Adventureland shops as well as Space Port (Tomorrowland) and at the Emporium.

The result of all this "sameness" is that many, if not all, of the Disney executives, some of who are in charge of the maps, are not really paying attention to the details anymore.  In fact, many of them never set foot in the parks unless forced to do so.  Many of them came to the Cars Land previews in suits and ties, nodded and fawned over it all, then went back to the air conditioned office and breathed a sigh of relief that it was over.

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So, what's a fan to do?  Simple, your already doing it. Don't buy into the generic philosophy.

Keep asking for unique items, like the tire hats in Cars Land (which are completley sold out). Keep buying up all of the attraction specific things and leaving the generic stuff on the shelf to collect dust. The suits are beginning to notice.  The accountants are trying to explain why they have to discount all of the generic stuff and ship it off to the outlet mall, while all of the good things (Cozy Cone Cups, Fancy Leather Jackets, and limited edition artwork) are flying off the shelves at full retail.

Disneyland (and now DCA) is unique.

Let's get back to that way of thinking.