Design Detail: Disneyland's Fantasy Faire

On my recent trip to the Disneyland Resort, you would think all I did was run from attraction to attraction. After all, I rode 26 of them in one long day- and 18 of them were "E Tickets". (How I did it is coming in a post in the next week or so- as well as the last of my trip reports from our recent Walt Disney World vacation.) 

But as usual with every single Disney park visit, I stopped to take in all the incredible little details that make Walt's original kingdom as sweetly charming as it is.

The concept art is equally charming.

Fantasy Faire is a relatively new piece of the park, an area next to the castle that was once the home of the Carnation Plaza Gardens. In spite of the objections of those two think Disneyland should never change, like the Disneyland Historical Preservation Society, Imagineering created a place that fits in wonderfully and creates a much needed space for another theater show and a princess meet and greet. Change is great as long as it is done well and retains the "spirit" of the park's origins.

But there's much more there than that. If you take time to look around, there's a wanted poster for Flynn Rider on the back wall. High above at rooftop level, there's more detail. Figaro the cat from Pinocchio playfully engages the bluebird in a cage. No, they're not static figures but simple Audio-Animatronics. It's touches like these that keep theme park geeks like me coming back for more. And there should be more details like this found in the park next door. Much more effective overall than hitting us over the head as with unneeded transitions like Pixar Pier. 

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Art for Disneyland's Carnation Gardens

Every once in awhile, I stumble across something in my files that I even forgot I had! Such is the case with this little piece of concept art for Main Street U.S.A.'s now defunct Carnation Plaza Gardens. 

From the earliest days of my visits to Disneyland, I was used to seeing big name Big Band era stars playing at the Gardens. I even took it for granted, I guess. It was just one of those things Walt Disney and crew did just because. 

Back when the crowds were lower, it was not uncommon to walk the lesser known areas of the park and hear live entertainment. Be it Buddy Rich at the Gardens or an evening in Polynesia at the Tahitian Terrace (those were the days!), evenings were spectaular at the park.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company)

Little Gems May Bring Some Magic

Now that the New Fantasyland has opened at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, following the opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land at Disney California Adventure, there's really nothing too big on the horizon for the US parks. But that doesn't mean there aren't "little gems" of enhancements taking place.

Starting with Walt Disney himself, this practice of "plussing" the parks has been a steady business over at Disneyland for most all its years, except for when a truly evil empire ruled the land in the late 20th Century. (Forget the backstory to the New Fantasyland! This era was when evil really ruled, destroying much of the magic.)

As you can tell from all this concept art, Imagineering is making some pretty drastic changes to where the Hub meets Fantasyland and  Main Street U.S.A. For better or for worse Carnation Plaza Gardens is giving way to a place made just for princesses and those who love them.

Charming is one of the adjectives most used to describe the Anaheim kingdom, and it is the little touches like these that add to the overall atmosphere. If you can get past the loss of a piece of Disneyland history, the proposed changes really are quite beautiful and fit in nicely with Sleeping Beauty Castle. Not that a little imagination couldn't have found other purposes for the space, but during the day, this section of prime real estate sits empty. Turning it into a glorified meet and greet may really assist in making a Frontierland expansion possible in the near future. And that would be truly magical.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland's Main Street Hub Transformation Debate

Seems as if the Disneyland Resort is getting so much love and care these days. By now, everyone that follows the Disney World knows about California Adventure's amazing transformation. The Disneyland Hotel has almost completed its update, bringing a whole new retro 50s meets 70s design aesthetic. Downtown Disney is a constant kaleidoscope, as stores rotate in and out. (I'll miss Island Charters!)

In Walt's original kingdom, changes abound as well. They're not as splashy but perhaps equally significant from historical perspective. Sure, the grand old gal needs some work, but maybe these changes on Main Street U.S.A. are not the places to be looking at just yet.

From this writer's perspective, the newly opened Jolly Holiday Bakery is a mixed bag. I love Mary Poppins from anyway you slice it, and the sequence referenced in the new restaurant's theme is my absolutely favorite piece of the film. In fact, I'm humming along the song in my head as I write! However, its out of time and place in an American small town of 100 or so years ago. On the plus side, the theming involves subtle, very subtle, references to the film or its time frame- and it is certainly a wonderful return to its original intent than a Passport Processing Center. With its gorgeous stained glass accents and delightful weather vane, it's a stunning building, a creative success, and an overall "neutral" in the larger scheme of things.

The jury is still out regarding the changeover from Walt's beloved Carnation Plaza Gardens and its bandstand into a Fantasyland/Tangled inspired performance area and meet and greet. Again, there are pros and cons, but this might be the time the cons are most weighty.

From the Walt Disney Company's perspective, this piece of land represents an under utilized opportunity for effective guest use. Perhaps it is even in keeping with the theme of the plaza. After all, the elegant- stunning actually- Plaza Inn on one end of the street and the Jolly Holiday Bakery on the other, one half of the hub is even divided between Main Street U.S.A. and access points to the various Disney lands. This makes the lovely Gardens primed for appropriate thematic transformation as it becomes part of the Sleeping Beauty Castle complex.

From those of you perhaps belonging to the Disneyland Historical Preservation Society,

(you can read my piece on The Disneyland Historical Preservation Society here), this loss of the look and feel of the area is a major one.

The history of this place sings and swings. If there is any great musical jazz or big band artist of the time of its debut, mid century into the 60s and 70s, they probably played at the place. Google it yourself and find an exhaustive list. It is quite an impressive lineup. Perhaps most importantly, there is no question Walt loved this area, and for that fact alone, die hard fans find it untouchable.

Certainly, as it stands now, the Gardens' days are numbered. I would think winter would be a great time to begin and complete the project, particularly before the relaunch of California Adventure brings many first time westcoasters to the resort. It's only a matter of time before we see the end result and the lengthy debates begin.

Where do you stand on what's happening over there in Walt's Kingdom?

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

What's All the Hubbub?

Come back tomorrow, Monday morning for a Disney fan's look at all the changes on Disneyland's Hub. My thoughts on what's behind it, what's good, what's bad, and what's all the fuss about! It's the great Main Street Debate of our time- and your opinion counts. See you Monday!