Carpenters Revisited: A Fresh Look at Made in America (Part Two)

In April of this year,  I published my Revisited / Fresh Look review of the Carpenters album Made in America. This hotly debated musical collection easily divided fans of the duo almost as much as the views of Karen Carpenter's one and only solo album. Let's consider one more idea regarding their 1981 comeback album. Read the Made in America (Part One) review if you need a refresher before we move ahead.

A nicely colorized version of a sweet photo.

I can't decide which was the bigger production,

the wedding or the Made in America album.

Neither one performed as well as hoped.

Watching the 1981 album go up and quickly down the U.S. Billboard charts was a very frustrating experience. As I wrote earlier, it's not a bad album, but it's not a great one. After all, how bad could it be when Karen's voice it there? But the consumers and radio programmers all but said "We're done with them" after the initial limited success of the only solid hit single Touch Me When We're Dancing. The album of origin did not fare as well as the single.

Just look at the album's journey up and down the Billboard charts: 

Week                 Date                         Position

1                        July 4                         99  (The album's debut.)

2                        July 11                       85

3                        July 18                       79

4                        July 25                       71

5                        August 1                    61

6                        August 8                    54

7                        August 15                  52  (The album's peak.)

8                        August 22                  62

9                        August 29                  64

10                      September 5              81

11                      September 12            78

12                      September 19            78

13                      September 26          155

14                      October 3                 155

15                      October 10               186  (Last week on the charts.)

Compared to Passage, the new album was a disappointment. Back in 1977, the very adventurous album debuted on October 22nd, charting at Number 98. Its peak was Number 49 on  December 3. The album's last week on the chart was January 28, ending its 15 week run at Number 117. In essence, both album's were fairly equal performers, making the duo's highly anticipated comeback album a relative failure.

The initial Japanese single. But the last one in America.

Were the album's singles successful elsewhere on the globe? Definitely better in Japan and in the U.K., as expected. While A&M Records in the U.S. began the Carpenters comeback by issuing Touching Me When We're Dancing, the Japan took a different tactic which relied on their past success. They chose Beechwood 4-5789. Their love of the Oldies was well established, and the Now & Then album was one of the duo's best sellers in the Land of the Rising Sun, so this choice would seem like a no-brainer.

It was a different story in Brazil. There, A&M executives restarted the duo's career with (Want You) Back in My Life Again. In every market, the Richard Carpenter / John Bettis collaboration Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song) was the flip side of the first single's release.

No doubt that music market is different in each different locale and region, and so are our own individual preferences. With that thought in mind, let's move forward.

Back in 1981, looking at the singles and album's modest success gave fans an opportunity to wonder why this occurred. So, now many years later...

 

It's time for us to "Create your own version of Made in America" or even "Made in America Redux". This is something hard core fans at the great A&M Corner forums have been doing ever since more and more of the songs recorded have been released on other Carpenters projects. There's even been some creative photoshop projects envisioning a new look for the album cover and insert. 

The core of it all, the focus of any album, begins with the music.

Listed below are the songs recorded for the album that have seen the light of day as of the time of this article. They're listed in order of the dates work was first begun on each number. The songs are:

“When It’s Gone (It’s Just Gone)” 
“Two Lives”  
"Touch Me When We're Dancing"  
“Prime Time Love”  
“Kiss Me the Way You Did Last Night”  
“When You’ve Got What It Takes”  
“Somebody’s Been Lyin’” 
"Because We Are in Love (The Wedding Song)" 
“Strength of a Woman”  
“(Want You) Back in My Life Again”  
“Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore”  
“The Uninvited Guest”  
“Make Believe It’s Your First Time (Carpenters version)”  
“The Rainbow Connection”  
“Beechwood 4-5789”  
“Those Good Old Dreams”

"At the End of a Song" 

However, just to make this more interesting, in addition to the ones recorded in 1980 and 1981, there are also the following songs to choose from. These are selections from the planned 1979 album and others that up to 1983 remained in the A&M vaults:

"You're the One" 

"Sailing on the Tide (#2)"

"Dancing in the Street"

"Leave Yesterday Behind"

"Thank You for the Music"

"Slow Dance"

"When I Fall in Love"

"Little Girl Blue"

"Where Do I Go from Here"

"Ordinary Fool"

Now we're ready.

Signing autographs in London.

Imagine you are Richard Carpenter working alongside Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss to come up with the best line up possible for your oh so important comeback album. Your choices will determine what's presented to radio programmers and the public. You are in charge of the project, but you have to create an album with the best possibility of bringing Carpenters back to the top of the charts. 

Here's the assignment given to you by the label boss: Choose at least three singles, and limit yourself to ten songs total for the album.  

Of course there is more to making an album a best seller than just the music. How do you present yourself in the best light possible? So, assignment number to is to create a strong visual look for the album.

Lastly, if you can, you must retain Made in America as the title of the album.

I'll start with the visual versus the audio side of things.

The front cover. 

From a visual standpoint, Karen and Richard are on the cover in a real photograph. This is very important because they are clearly no longer teenagers but young adults and need to be presented as such after a long time out of the public eye. There's nothing sweet or sugary here. The optics are fresh and contemporary with just a hint of whimsy provided via the use of the light sky behind them. The frame could be replaced with a thin line inserted about half an inch from the edges, but I liked the overall feel of it better with some weight added. The Made in America script is clean and stylized, but it feels personal too. A very nice touch that I chose to keep.

My favorite album cover is Horizon, as I think it represents Karen and Richard in the best light possible. Much more serious and moody. But a similar approach wouldn't work on Made in America where the contents are relatively optimistic, light, and even inconsequential. The contents and the visual arts have to work in harmony. 

The wallpaper a la A Kind of Hush in burgundy.

A very classy element that I wish they'd continued to use.

In blue, if you prefer.

In a nod to the past, the wonderful Carpenters "wallpaper" becomes a standard part of album packaging going forward. This was first used on A Kind of Hush. It is "branding" but in a very elegant manner. The investment of extra time, effort, and finances subtly communicates "This artist is important to us!" 

The interior of the gatefold album... with some help from AI.

The sleeve. The opposite side is lyrics and production credits.

Does anyone out there have a nice, crisp version of this photo?

Let me know please.

The inside sleeve provides another photo opportunity as does the interior gatefold. I considered adding the new logo first seen on the Only Yesterday 45 sleeve, but I decided against it. As much as I like it, that era was over.

The vinyl.

The custom label for the record features David Willardson's artwork. He's a gifted artist and in small doses for this purpose, his art does communicate well. As part of a bonus, this image as well as the cover are available as a poster for fans through the official fan club.

The back cover. Inspired by one of the new selections on the album.

Now for my musical selections. As you pick your musical choices for the comeback album, feel free to make up your own rules. 

The following were my guidelines. I wondered what would come together if 1- I left off I Believe You as it was released in 78; 2- Because We Are in Love was left as a special "B" Side for the first single, and 3- I could only replace one additional song (making for three total).

Here's what I came up with:

1 Touch Me When We're Dancing (Single #1- Late Spring)

2 Those Good Old Dreams

3 Strength of a Woman

4 (Want You) Back in My Life Again (Remixed Single #2- Summer)

5 When You've Got What It Takes

6 Kiss Me the Way You Did Last Night (Single #3- Fall)

7 When it’s Gone (It's Just Gone)

8 Prime Time Love

9 Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore (Single #4- Early 1982)

10 Somebody’s Been Lyin'

In my mind, the first single should lead off the comeback album. It's the one that will probably get the most radio play and probably be most remembered from this particular album. This is especially true if the follow up singles are not successful. 

Side One is a fairly close representation of what Richard imagined, only adding in one song originally on Side Two and moving the last number to be the closer of the entire disc.

Side Two feels entirely different with better, stronger selections with a bit more edge. It misses the juvenile feel and lyrics of Beechwood 45789 but closes out with the very adult lyrics and feel of Somebody's Been Lyin'.  

In my view, the whole album is punchier, looser, and with a more pop radio friendly sound. The follow up singles would still find their home on Adult Contemporary radio and those charts, but without the ultra soft, ultra processed feel that could relegate them to the trash bin of pop radio. This is particularly true of selections 1, 4, 6,8, and 9 that remove the airbrushed feel of the original choices with instrumental breaks that are lively and diverse and an overall more powerful drum work. 

The most important new elements are stronger vocals from Karen. She feels more invested and present. Richard is more vocally impactful and involved. Although it feels fresh and new, the production also feels more "traditional" Carpenters. Karen's famous alto appears more often.  There's also more diversity in style, all to the benefit of the collection and how it would be perceived.

What would be your choices?

In contrast to the previous Fresh Look at Karen's solo album, by the time I had completed my new revisited review of Made in America, I was not interested in listening to the collection for a very long time. The album is pretty, it has some nice elements, and it represents a wonderful season in my life. But it does not have the drawing power of their previous releases. In fact, at completion of Part One and Part Two, I've had relatively little interest in listening to the duo at all.

Karen and Richard were wise to quickly go back in the studio to work on their next album. Sadly, we all know what happens and what album comes next in 1983. Now if I can only get myself in the mood to dig into the research! Made in America wore me out!

--------------------------------

This is part of a continuing series on the albums of Karen and Richard Carpenter. There are so many stand alone posts highlighting different aspects of their career, recordings, rare photographs, and life that I've lost count. 

Below is the list of my "Revisited /Fresh Look" reviews and then my initial ones a decade earlier. Each have different photos and clippings.

My Revisited / Fresh Look at the albums:

Offering / Ticket to Ride
Close to You
Carpenters 
A Song for You 

Now & Then

The Singles 1969 - 1973

Live in Japan

Horizon

A Kind of Hush

Live at the Palladium

Passage

The Singles 1974 - 1978

Christmas Portrait

Karen Carpenter- The Solo Album

Music, Music, Music

Made in America (Part One)

My Initial Reviews of the albums:

Offering/Ticket to Ride

Close to You

Carpenters

A Song for You

Now & Then

The Singles 1969-1973

Live In Japan

Horizon

A Kind of Hush

Live at the Palladium

Passage

The Singles 1974-1978

Christmas Portrait

Made in America

Voice of the Heart

An Old Fashioned Christmas

Time (Richard Solo)

Lovelines

Karen Carpenter (Solo)

As Time Goes By

Looking Out the Window from The Walt Disney Family Museum

Without question, a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum should be a must see attraction for any hardcore fan of Disney's animated films or theme parks. The beautiful scale model of Disneyland alone is worth the visit! There's so much to explore, that you could quite easily spend 2 to 3 hours there.  Our visit was just what the doctor ordered. No large lines, no advance planning, no rush. Relaxing, enjoyable, and filled with opportunities to learn. (Sounds a lot like EPCOT Center in its early years.) One unexpected pleasure was the view outside. It was picture perfect as you can see!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Epcot: Saturday in Mexico Two Ways

Saturday morning at the Mexico pavilion in Epcot. What a great way to spend it! A beautiful skyline looking across World Showcase Lagoon. Music in the air from the Mariachis. Fresh blooms of flowers all through the area, and the stunning nighttime sky inside the iconic pyramid. 

Without a moment's hesitation, I'd reply "EPCOT Center" if asked which Disney park had the most spellbinding Imagineering art. Much of it was created by the legendary Herb Ryman. Not all, but quite a bit. And the pieces created for Future World are just as stunning as the ones created for Mexico, France, and others. 

Oftentimes reality is not as good as Imagineering artwork. Sometimes, reality is better! (See Cars Land at Disney California Adventure for example.) Every once in awhile, concept art shares details we wish Disney had included. Above is one such piece. 

The original and enchanting El Rio del Tiempo took riders through sets both elaborate and simple as they explored the history and culture of Mexico. (I'd still take it over The Gran Fiesta Tour any day- but that's a whole different story.) If you look closely at some of El Rio's great concept art, you'll notice the boats were to be more like the classic flower adorned ones of Xochimilco than the plain and ordinary ones they are. A little change like that, however, would have necessitated a much more grand scale than what was built. Due to budget cuts because of overages throughout the park, the lovely boat ride that was supposed to be more on the scale of Pirates of the Caribbean became a lot less ambitious. 

Unfortunately, it also became the new standard when it came to ride length of future boat ride attractions. From Norway's Maelstrom to Animal Kingdom's Na'vi River Journey, traditional water attractions are now shorter in time, making it more difficult to fully immerse riders in the story and in the landscapes. They are still very popular, though! Maybe one day, elaborate and lengthy trips on the waterways will make their return. Disney Imagineering seems to be bringing back Audio-Animatronics after years of moving away from their use, so who knows what will happen.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The World Cup and Our Thousand Dollars a Day Car Rental

Timestamped June 8, 2014: Sitting in a bar in the south of France in the middle of seemingly nowhere, watching the World Cup with the locals. What a great afternoon relaxing with a glass of wine and doing something very, very different than our normal travel routine. But that's exactly how this trip was- anything but normal and going as planned. 

We started in Geneva, Switzerland before ending up in France. Then the unexpected (why was I surprised?) happened when the French air traffic controllers decided to strike, leaving us stranded and unable to fly back to Geneva for our return home. What could we do? Only one thing. Rent the last car at the airport for $1000- yes, one thousand dollars- and drive to Geneva to catch our flight. How is that for price gauging? Now, we laugh, but back then...

Gotta love all those World Cup athletes and the way they train so hard. I used to be more in shape than I am, but now I take solace in these words: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Honestly though, that's no excuse for my laziness!
 

All the Earth Will Worship Jesus- Every Knee Shall Bow to Him

This photograph gives me chills! Here is a worship service in Asia, where people are celebrating the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Certainly, from the photo, it is easy to guess that these folks were probably not raised as believers but instead in another faith. 

As I read these verses in the Bible (Romans 14:1-12), the fear and awe of God hits me:  

"Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

    and every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

What a beautiful but scary picture of what heaven will be like! Giving an account to God for how we've lived our lives! What we've said. What we've done. Even what we've thought. We are all sinners who need the gift of Jesus Christ to save us. But also, what joy is coming! People from all over the earth, from all generations, praising His Name forever! 

Art for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

There are plenty of reasons why Universal Orlando Resort's Diagon Alley is one of the best single Intellectual Property themed land in any park, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers or anywhere else. The mix of great design detail, unique shopping and dining and those thrilling attractions make it an area a guest can spend hours in. Still it is not the most popular Harry Potter themed attraction to be found.

Perhaps the most popular one is this little coaster named Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. (And you thought Disney was the only one who had claim to ridiculously long attraction names.) In order to get to Hagrid's, you have to leave the Studios park for Islands of Adventure, but it is worth it! Besides, Diagon Alley aside, the Studios park is not nearly as richly themed as the resort's second theme park. 

The concept art from Universal Creative captures the spirit of fun and discovery. It'd be foolish to think that those of you reading this have not been on the ride. But multiple launches, engaging show scenes with real animated characters, an unexpected surprise along the way and multiple ways to ride make this an adventure that is worth repeating. Disney wishes they could pull off something this terrific! 

Universal keeps upping its game with Epic Universe being the next shot at taking up more of those vacation days. What ultra creative, groundbreaking Potter attraction comes next? We'll have to wait and see. 

(Art copyright Universal Creative.)

The Hidden Monster in Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment in Lights On Mode

June 2026 Update: Here's the cleanest, clearest photo ever of the hidden monster in Epic Universe's incredible Monsters dark ride. What makes this image from UTPTVids so special? 

Well, just one look at it, and you'll see it is because it comes from a full ride through of the attraction with the lights on. You can watch it above.

Look deeply but look quickly! There's a hidden monster that is very difficult to see at Epic Universe's incredible Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment attraction. It's not the above photo but the one below. This little discovery in Dark Universe is all you need to impress your friends! You might think it's the funny and cruel Ygor, but it is not. Nor is it Victoria Frankenstein- although I think that may be up for debate.

Who is he? None other than Quasimodo, the Hunchback himself. Up in the bell at the very beginning of the ride portion of this fantastic attraction. 

You've got to slow down the speed, but you can see him for a few seconds at the 8:40 ish mark. Open this in another tab and watch for yourself. Thanks to LMG Vids for capturing him in enough light!

Earlier Update: 

Here's a newer version from "SeeWDW!" at the 31 second mark.

View it here.

Does Monstropolis Scream "Must Visit"?

Let's start with the obvious- that is a pretty nice Monstropolis logo! When the Imagineering team gets it right, it is fantastic. Let's hope the skyline in the logo, both of them, is something that really shows up when the land opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Certainly the door coaster will be a hit and satisfy thrill seekers and Harryhausen’s eatery may become the foodie stop of the season. Will shopping, that show at the Glob Theater (RIP Muppet*Vision 3D) other experiences keep guests coming back? Without a family friendly dark ride, perhaps Mike & Sully to the Rescue from Disney California Adventure, all that's left is a playground. I'm not so sure the area will be the sure fire hit that suits think. 

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Days of Disney Past: EPCOT Center

Make no mistake about it: The original EPCOT Center was absolutely groundbreaking! Sure, it was like a "permanent World's Fair", but it was done with that forward thinking class and style that only The Walt Disney Company could pull off in this era of themed entertainment. There may be a reason that there are so many articles on this blog about the place. Unrealized pavilions and their concept art? Check? Critique on new additions and subtractions? Absolutely! Trip reports galore? Naturally! However...

There's an old saying that "There's nothing like your first time." It happens to be true when I speak about our first visit to EPCOT Center. In an unexpected twist, it almost instantly became our favorite Disney park. This was the park as originally envisioned, not the one chock full of intellectual properties and animated characters. No Frozen, no Guardians of the Galaxy, no Nemo, no Ratatouille. We had taken the monorail to EPCOT Center before the park was even open to the public, and I was smitten when I saw the scope and scale of the project. Breathtaking, really!

Go forward one year, and we were there at the gates. There was no access to the park via the International Gateway back then. One way in, and one way out.

In the days when pleasing the guest was king, World Showcase opened the exact same time as Future World, so we entered the park and almost walked right past Spaceship Earth and directly to the Mexico Showcase. Almost. Of course, we were not immune to the charms of the future world as portrayed by Disney. In fact, I remember clearly just staring at the huge silver sphere. Couldn't take my eyes off it, but we had to stop and get to the World Key Information Stations inside Earth Station to book meal reservations. Super easy, super fun and reasonably priced. 

We only had to wait a few minutes, but we stayed busy by watching a terrific kaleidoscope of images previewing the wonders we'd soon encounter.  Just the presentation and the surrounding area felt fresh, optimistic, and inspiring. The future wasn't scary. It was approachable. We made our way to the front of the line and to the screen. 

This alone was a touch of something entirely new. In fact, in 1982 touch sensitive computer screens were something of a rarity. The Bell System (at divestiture the attraction would then be officially sponsored by AT&T, the company I worked for at the time) and its branch Bell Laboratories really were bringing us the future of communication. Moments after a young woman came to the screen to help us with our meals choices, we were on our way.  No, you didn't have to book 90 days in advance to get a meal reservation. You could do it the day off and get a great selection of choices. Simple, relaxed, friendly, efficient.

The future was interesting, but for me, nothing could compare to the chance to explore the countries of the world. So, deciding to bypass Future World for the time being, we strolled into Mexico.  It and China next door just seemed to beckon us compared to the more familiar Canada and the United Kingdom. The lone Mayan pyramid and the small cantina on the glistening lagoon gave us no hint to what we were about to experience.

Until the changeover from El Rio del Tiempo to the Gran Fiesta and perhaps one day Coco, the sights, sounds, and feel of Mexico made it our favorite place in all of World Showcase. I won't bore you with the details of El Rio del Tiempo, but I will tell you, we were enchanted by it and wished it had lasted even longer than it did. It was planned to be much, much longer - more akin to Pirates of the Caribbean- but yes, budgets were blown past, and time was running short. (If you want to see lots of art and images plus links to video etc, just search on the site for "Cinco de Mayo" or go here for one of many posts.) 

Having visited Baja California, Mazatlan, and Acapulco, I have aways had a soft spot for the country. The gentle boat ride by an active volcano gave the pavilion a touch of glamour and mystery. Something the Gran Fiesta Tour version of the ride replaces with silliness and cheap marketing. It's too bad, but it was foreshadowing of what was to come. We wandered around the pyramid under the moonlight, so glad we were returning for lunch later in the day.

Naturally, we strolled along the promenade and continued on to find China. For younger readers, it's important to remember that at the time, only a select few people were given the ability to travel to this country, thereby making a visit to a fairly accurate representation of the landmarks of the country all the more alluring. The highlight? Meeting the nationals who were privileged to work there. Asia had always fascinated me, and China was out of reach. I was thrilled to step into a place that was forbidden in the real world.

There were no Disney themed items to be found in the shops of World Showcase, only authentic goods right from the countries represented. It was as close as an authentic experience a traveler could get without hopping on an airplane. Needless to say, we were again stunned by the beauty of the landscaping and architecture, thrilled by the 360 movie, Wonders of China. Dreams of traveling there were lit inside.

Making our way around the lagoon, we stopped at Germany and Italy, winding up at the American Adventure. We were very impressed by the show, (Disney always had a way of making you feel proud to be an American) but disappointed there was nothing else to represent our country. Fast food? That's it? Disappointing to say the least, but there was still much to explore. That view backwards to Future World and Spaceship Earth made it crystal clear- wow, this park was huge.

We chose to head back toward Mexico for lunch as we had waterside dining reservations at the San Angel Inn Restaurante.  It was dark, cozy, romantic- and we so enjoyed the margarita, queso fundido, and our main course. It was my first taste of Mole Poblano and not my last, becoming a new Mexican favorite. We ended our lunch with another cruise on the river, heading back into Future World from there.  

The afternoon crowds were heavy back in the other end of the park, so it was fairly easy to get into the big ticket attractions of Future World. First stop, Journey Into Imagination. My father-in-law worked for Kodak for his entire career, so we had heard great things about what Disney came up with. In a word, Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team pulled off something truly magical! Figment and Dreamfinder were delightful and will always be the true "hosts" of the park.  (I cannot tell you what a bastardization of the original attraction this third version is. The second was the worst, but this one is awful too. You'd have to experience the original to understand exactly what I'm saying.) Before I became a collector of sorts of Disney park memorabilia, I purchased a Figment of my own. I had him until two years ago, when his neck broke. RIP, Figment.

Magic Journeys in 3D (a new thing!) was a great second attraction to the pavilion, and the Image Works was just plain fun. We stayed almost two hours- something you could not pay me to do now.

Sing along now: "Just make believe you're a tiny little seed..." The Land is our favorite of the original Future World attractions that are still present in the park. Up until the point Horizons debuted a few years later, this was where the future was in Future World. The Listen to the Land boat tour was the perfect way to share the latest in farming technologies to the public. This was a case of "Edutainment" at its best. 

The film Symbiosis was preachy at times, but the cruise through the greenhouses made learning fun. Kitchen Cabaret brought it home for the kids. The silly presentation about nutrition, while enjoyable, was not on par with the much better Audio-Animatronic musicals found in the Magic Kingdom. However, this wasn't meant to be an E Ticket  headline attraction either. (The show's eventual replacement, Food Rocks, was even less effective.)

Starting with the following morning when we would return for a second full day at EPCOT Center, breakfast at The Good Turn would become a tradition until it became too expensive or too difficult to book. We always enjoyed the warm Florida sun streaming through the greenhouse dome, and intentionally stretched our meal time long enough to rotate into the darker showroom of the boat cruise. It's in the hidden places such as this that Disney's Future World has its own unique, optimistic charms. The future should be warm and hopeful, and it always was in the way Disney chose to present it back then. Now, it's just cartoon filled and silly. New landscapes for selling plush toys and Disney+ subscriptions. 

The Living Seas wouldn't come until later, so we wandered through Communicore (now Innoventions). We passed through both East and West, and we decided to make that area part of the next day. Back then, EPCOT Center was a two full day park. Now we still go for two days because its our favorite park, but it doesn't hold nearly as much substance. Anyway, we were among the first to vote for The Person of the Century poll. Kind of a fun thing to throw in there. My bet was Disney didn't like the results, and the show- and announcement of the winner- soon disappeared.

A journey deep into Spaceship Earth was a perfect way to continue our trip. It was very impressive, and I was pleased to see my employer was represented by such a fine attraction. The ride was long enough to truly "get lost" in the story. The changes over the years have not always taken away from the grandeur- until there was a new ending filled with monitors on the ride vehicle.  Such a pity.

Across the way, we wandered into the Universe of Energy. It's inherent surprises did the trick they were designed to do, and who doesn't love dinosaurs? Yet, it was next door's World of Motion that we really loved from our first ride. Everything about it was Disney Imagineering at its best.

Let me be clear- I love old school Audio-Animatronic adventures like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. They rely on story to bring the thrills and surprises. World of Motion easily held its own with these classics. From the train being held up (in a nod to the never built Western River Expedition) to the policeman on motorcycle behind the billboard, the attraction built to a grand finale- a ride through the city of the future. Humorous, informative and very repeatable. (Gary Owen's narration was incredible in his signature style.) Motion became a three ride a day attraction for us, and we did it again several hours later after nightfall.  

Upon exiting and by then knowing the song "It's Fun to Be Free" by heart, we stepped into the Transcenter for the Bird and Robot / The Water Engine show followed by the automotive displays, a nice nod to the sponsor. 

I'm all for thrill rides-  and I truly love Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- but there is something about these older lengthy and leisurely attractions like those mentioned above that really take you out of present day reality and into another realm. This is something Disney did better than just about anyone, but this fact about immersion is almost lost on the current batch of Imagineers... and park guests are now trained to run from E Ticket ride to E Ticket ride due to their brief attention spans and fear of missing out! Without the balance of all kinds of attractions, the audience is limited. This is why parks like California Adventure 1.0 and Disney's Animal Kingdom are not as popular as they could have been. I'd have to say that having smaller but engaging attractions and displays were something I enjoyed here and at Walt's park and at Disneyland Paris. It's a lost art to fill in spots with attractions like these where the business will never create extra revenue by selling upgraded experiences.

Evening meant a return to World Showcase starting with the beautiful gardens of Canada. The land's signature attraction, "Oh, Canada!" had nothing on its Chinese counterpart. This was not the case when we viewed "Impressions of France".  Superlatives are not enough, so Josh D'Amaro, Imagineers, and Budgeteers, after all these years, isn't it time to update the film and give it a technology upgrade as well? It's a masterpiece. So is the pavilion it is built around. A late night stroll through "France" and then around the promenade basking in the glory of a beautiful Florida evening was the perfect way to end our first visit to EPCOT Center. (By the way- Thank God Ratatouille is an add and not an "instead of"!)

The original plan was for tons of additional international pavilions and attractions. You can go here for images about Japan's Omnimover ride, plans for Brazil, Spain, the UAE, Costa Rica, Russia, the abandoned Science and Technology pavilion, and more (like Germany's Rhine River Cruise, the U.K.'s own canal trip). You can even go here to see some of the original ideas for the park before it looked it it does now. But back to our first time visit...

We'd come back and do it again the next day, this time starting in Future World and then working our way through World Showcase, beginning with Canada. 

The changes over the years would not always please us. It actually may be our fault that Epcot changed so radically. Take a look at this article and tell me I'm not wrong. Still, this one single theme park is a big reason I return to Walt Disney World. There's nothing like it.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

The Amazing Disappearing Article That's Worth Reading Again: Disney CEO Fumbles Entry to China

Here's an article that appeared- and then was quickly removed- from the Huffington Post. A powerful piece that criticized Robert Iger and the Walt Disney Company's plan for their entry into the Chinese market, and its potential effect on Shanghai Disneyland. It must have angered him so much that Iger used his wife's influence to have it yanked. I hate that kind of corporate or governmental power play!  So, here it is below, courtesy Google.  Thanks to the WDWMagic Boards where the article was originally resurrected. What will happen to Disneyland Abu Dhabi? Will there be lessons learned from the past?

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Sorry Mickey, they're just not that into you. Minnie, you either.

For that matter, you can take the whole stable -- the "Fab Five" of Walt Disney's animated creations -- and, despite a media machine that churns a very different story, China has largely been a land where the fabled wishes, dreams and magic of the Walt Disney Company and its brand have virtually no connection with the consumer. As valued as that consumer is in the economic theater of globalism, the iconic brand synonymous with America has little appeal and less traction among the newly seated audience in the Chinese mainland.

To its 'vanilla on toothpaste' helmsman, Robert A. "Bob" Iger, who has shown himself to be an able cobbler of assets but a less than visionary leader of the media colossus that is the Walt Disney Company, this troubling if known and growing headwind threatens to undermine the content-heavy but culturally aloof purveyor of demographically unshackled product. For in his zeal to expand its library of content, Bob Iger has drop-kicked the Disney moniker to enter new and expanding marketplaces only to position a product that runs well afar of the expectation of the Disney bounce.

In so doing, the once unrivaled status of the Disney brand has become a catch-all for entertainment and its associated byproducts that are increasingly a strange and sometimes conflicted ragbag of franchised acquisitions presented as some sort of media mélange for all ages and all palates. Or, as John Dreyer, the longtime and immediate past head of corporate communications for the Walt Disney Company, said upon the publication of the column Disney CEO Readies Magic Carpet for Exit, "Disney losing its Disney way."

With the company making its grandest play for a market that dwarfs all others, Disney has found itself adrift in a crisis of identity that breaches the foundation of the castle upon which an empire was built. For as turrets were raised, wings were added and a moat of meticulously positioned whimsy was filled in to expand the Disney footprint, something that looks decidedly more pedestrian than the fantastical inspiration for one of the world's most coveted brands has emerged.

Leverage has become the arch of entry into the Disney-verse, while the brand has been marginalized into a holding vehicle for assets that are worth more separately than that vested in the castle itself.

As Mr. Iger said at the 2013 Fortune Global Forum held in Chengdu:

I think the first thing you have to do is you have to obviously be aware of what your most significant brand attributes are. What makes your brand your brand? Why is it great? You have to focus on quality and on those attributes that, again, created the value in the first place. You can't look to cut corners. You can't look to make something with your brand on it that's any cheaper simply because it's going into a market that may not be able to afford it the way another market may have. You can't compromise in that regard. So it starts with what I'll call quality and a respect for an allegiance to the very brand attributes that created the value in the first place.

Now, considering Shanghai Disney is preparing to make its 2016 debut as Disney's first foray into the renminbi rich Chinese mainland after a less than stellar arrival in the former British colony of Hong Kong in 2005, there are lessons aplenty to learn from that delayed embrace and the long stalled entry into the single largest consumer market on offer to the world -- the whole of China. 


Under Mr. Iger's stewarding, Disney has partnered with the Shanghai Shendi Group, an umbrella name placed on a panoply of government-owned companies created to facilitate Western investment as a massive anti-graft campaign is just now rattling Beijing and beyond, to introduce a Disney 'branded' park to those consumers. A flag in the ground for Disney. A flag that has been in the works since the prime of Michael Eisner's reign at Disney and one that nearly collapsed entirely by the summer of 2006.


Indeed, Mr. Iger had to leave the annual Herb Allen retreat for media moguls, tech tycoons and other scripters of society in Sun Valley for an unscheduled trip to Shanghai that day in 2006, scrambling to save face and leading to a denouement worthy of great scrutiny by any company -- especially those entities whose trade is in intellectual property -- wanting to enter China.

Or, as Dalian Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin, whose real estate and entertainment empire is building its North American headquarters adjacent to the Beverly Hilton at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, said on the same panel at the Fortune Global Forum:

[W]e have so many Western companies in China, but you cannot simply replicate the Western ideas and philosophies in China. They need to adapt to the Chinese realities... So for Fortune 500 companies in China it's very important, it's imperative for them to learn traditional culture in China and how is it interrelated with the modern business culture.

Curiously though, the world beyond the berm is told the 330 million or so Chinese within a three-hour trip to the site on the other side of Shanghai's Pudong International Airport cannot wait to queue up for a boat ride on "It's a small world"or whatever Disney is offering up for its reported $5.5 billion marker. As, no, there will apparently be no attraction of that name at Shanghai Disneyland.

Not in China. Not in a country where Mickey, Minne and the rest of the gang are barely known. In a country where Disney might as well be Smith or Jones or Johnson. Well, maybe not that last one as Johnson & Johnson is actually a reasonably well-known brand throughout China.

The Walt Disney Company has a history of stumbling if not outright tumbling in its efforts to export Disney's brand of Americana. For reference, look no further than Euro Disney -- now known as Disneyland Paris -- and Hong Kong Disneyland. Of the latter, it is worth note that Disney has been known to Hongkongers from the early days of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Yet, to this day, with a direct link by MTR line to points throughout Hong Kong, Disney is barely able to keep up with the brand devoid, geographically hemmed in and animal exhibit heavy Ocean Park in Aberdeen.

Over lunch earlier this month at Neptune's in the Grand Aquarium, Ocean Park Hong Kong CEO Tom Mehrmann, who began his career as a street sweeper at Knott's Berry Farm just up the road from Walt's original Disneyland, said, "Disney still has to explain to some of its guests exactly what a 'Disney Park' is. We don't have that problem."

To further illustrate this point, visit Disney's outpost on Lantau, a parcel of reclaimed land near Hong Kong International Airport, and you will notice a different Disney. Some call it 'Disney-lite'. Others refer to it as 'McKingdom'. Regardless, there is a definite feel of a diminished product -- of a diminished brand -- on stage for the public's consumption.

For, on a spit of land with an audience topping seven million attached by subway line having a familiarity and a kinship with the West, sits the real experiment of Disney's entry into the Chinese market. And there, on a recent day, at a performance of The Lion King in a theater designed for Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando dropped into the Walt Disney Company's first Disney branded park in China, the actors sought to lead the audience in a rendition of the hit tune from this classic of Disney's second golden age of animation: Hakuna Matata.

Hakuna Matata. 
What a wonderful phrase. 
Hakuna matata. 
Ain't no passing craze.
It means no worries. 
For the rest of your days. 
It's a problem free philosophy.
Hakuna matata.

Arms raised high in the air, cast members -- on stage and off -- encouraged the capacity crowd to sing the infectious chorus. With lyrics blasting through the speakers and flashing on screens in the theater, they sought a simple singalong to the catchy and commercial hit written by Elton John and Tim Rice. Unmoved, the audience sat stone-faced. Child and adult alike.

Considering most individuals reading this are likely humming the tune or hearing it play as part of the soundtrack of their lives, that speaks poorly of Disney's penetration into the far less foreign landscape of Hong Kong. As for Shanghai, Mr. Iger continued on at the conference in Chengdu:

We're a brand that is viewed as good for me and good for my family. There are values to the Disney brand and what it stands for that have interested people all over the world. But, it's very, very important that while we bring Disney to a market we make sure that in that market it feels like, for instance, China's Disney.

In leaving the park on that recent evening, the dressed by and for Disney MTR cars filled with tired visitors exposed to, saturated in, that which is the Disney Parks experience offered up in Hong Kong. Looking to the left, to the right, all around, not one visitor had that uniquely American rite of passage positioned upon their head. Mickey ears. Not one.

And, in the second largest market for its product and the largest consumer market on the planet, Disney's Frozen, the highest grossing animated film ever having delivered over $1.27 billion in ticket sales and the fifth-highest grossing film of all time, earned little more than $48 million. Less than four percent of its global box office.

Welcome to China, Bob.

Gary Snyder is a member of the Redstone family, whose company, National Amusements, owns Viacom and CBS, among other media assets. He is an advisor on Western media and culture to China.