The BLOG FLUME - The L.A. Times Loves Marty SklarThe Times runs a glowing profile of the Imagineering honcho, in advance of the opening of Flik's Fun Fair at California Adventure. Which, coincidentally, TPI Editor Robert Niles visited this week.
From Kevin Baxter
The L.A. TIMES LOVES MARTY SKLARPosted September 22, 2002 at 4:02 PM Los Angeles Times - Sept 21 The Times ran this front page love note to Walt Disney Imagineering honcho Marty Sklar. Granted Sklar's been the man pressing for Disneyland to get its dilapidated classics back in the top-notch condition thety deserve before the park's 50th anniversary in 2005. But it's been under his watch that Imagineering has gone from turning out classics like Thunder and Splash to failures like California Adventure. Obviously Michael Eisner and Paul Pressler bear the majority of the responsibility for Disney's recent theme park troubles. But the article never suggested that anything was less than perfect in Walt's worlds these days. And we know that's not the case. FLIK'S FUN FAIR OPENS FOR PREVIEWS Speaking of the L.A. Times, Robert Niles visited California Adventure this week to review "Flik's Fun Fair" for the paper. We'll have to wait to see if he liked it as much as the paper's business staff appears to have liked Marty Sklar. But the new rides in this kids' land are now available for rating and review on Theme Park Insider's California Adventure page.
In yet another "cost-cutting" move, Disney has eliminated Research & Development. Some of the people that worked there are being moved elsewhere, but many are simply being axed. What does this mean for you, the theme park fan? Well, no R&D means Disney will most likely start buying technology that everyone has access to. So don't hold your breath on any innovative rides like Tower of Terror or Indiana Jones to appear in the near future. Furthermore, clones will probably become more prevalent, but will just get new window-dressing. Plus, with certain technologies no longer being tied up by Disney, don't be surprised to find Busch, Six Flags and Cedar Fair creating attractions very similar to Disney attractions. Sigh...
After reporting that the available areas of DCA may be getting Epcot-like pavilions for attractions, now it seems Epcot may be raiding DCA's meager attraction chest. Apparently there are four DCA attractions that may end up appearing in Epcot in the future: Soarin' Over California, Flik's Fun Fair, the Hyperion Theater and California Screamin'. California Screamin'??? Okay, Soarin' (The Land) has been rumored for a while, Flik's (Imagination!) is probably necessary since Epcot doesn't have much for kids and the Hyperion could replace that horrid out-in-the-elements stage that is in the America section of World Showcase. But Screamin'??? That won't stick out or anything! WET ENOUGH? SPLASH DOWN INTO THESE RELATED AREAS OF TPI Buzz Lightyear @ Rate the Rumors Soarin' Over... The Land? @ Rate the Rumors
Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond. From J. Dana
The American Gardens stage in Epcot is GREAT! It's like old America: watching a concert in an outdoor bandshell, sitting amongst the firefly-littered Maples. What a treat. Sure, the rain sucks--but that's part of the "outdoors" thing. Why "create" an artificial outdoors seating area when the real one is....just fine? And the Orlando Weekly reported that Soarin will be landing at Disney's Animal Kingdom, not Epcot. Of course, it could be wrong. Imagination probably won't be getting any new facelift soon, considering it just premiered its newest incarnation (which Kevin is right in dissing). Of course, rumors circulated last year that Pixar is going to have a strong presence at Epcot soon--probably after the opening of Mission: Space.Posted September 24, 2002 at 7:19 PM
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