There's also something to be said of the changes going on in society itself...our younger generation is vastly different than the older ones were at their age, for better or worse (I perceive worse, but that's my opinion!). ; An excellent analysis of that was on BBC a few nights ago - a show called "James May's Toy Stories" in which Mr. May, an educated and literate Brit host, goes back to toys of the past and attempts to use them in 'full scale' today just to see what can and cannot be achieved (ie: full sized house made of Legos, 2-mile-long slot car track). ; In this episode he was working with 'Meccano', a turn-of-the-century British toy invention that was like a much more advanced Erector set (Meccano predated Erector by 10 years) - lots of beams, gears, bolts and nuts, etc. and a requirement to use skill and patience while at the same time learning basics of mechanics, engineering, and architecture. ; In endeavoring to build a full-sized pedestrian bridge, Mr. May had to visit the current Meccano factory for large amounts of parts - the company was bought out by a French company and is located there. ; While discussing Meccano with the company executive, May pointed out critically that the new products seem to bear no resemblance to the original product - the new kits are essentially pre-assembled units that slap together to form singular objects...and simplistic ones at that - car, robot, etc. ; Whereas the original Meccano was a series of steel plates with innumerable holes and piles of bolts and beams, that the user could assemble just about any way they dreamed up. ; The response from the company exec was that they had to rethink the products today because the kids wanted things that did more and were simpler to put together so they could start playing with them right away. ; Which was a very politically correct way of saying kids today have shorter attention spans, far less creativity, and significantly less skill and aptitude in most areas, not including computers.
So, roundabout way of bringing it back to Disney - what to do with Fantasyland? ; The rides Walt created weren't about presenting only the flashiest, most-action-oriented, fastest, short-attention span diversions...they were immersive, interactive, educational, and were about taking the rider on a journey through a story, a tale, an era, or a dream. ; The attention to detail we all love so much about Disney was designed for people that took time to notice it and appreciate it. ; Those types of things simply don't bring in the young crowd anymore. ; Harry Potter proves you can still bring kids into a tale or story in an immersive way, though sadly the stories are more simplistic, the immersion still must involve visual stimulation and some form of fast moving diversionary action, and not a small dose of derivative inspiration (the Harry Potter stories seemed to borrow quite a bit from everything from Tolkien to fairy tales, while Harry Potter land seems to have templated a big slice of Magic Kingdom and changed the names around (a main street leading to a big castle with rides around, a RR encircling the land, various themed foods and stores, etc). ; And even then, will it last for 50 years, or will they need to constantly upgrade the rides to the latest short-attention-span flashing lasers and vomit-inducing motion ride with 3D visuals and tons of noise to keep the kiddies sufficiently distracted?
Disney's quandary is how to entertain in Walt's style with a new generation that wants something entirely different. ; Of course, we know too often they have fallen back on Profiteering, milking whatever little merchandising push they can from whatever franchise they can dig up that's hot, even going so far as ruining some of Walt's original conceptual areas meant for mind expansion and education (squawking Kim Possible phones spoiling the immersive international atmosphere in World Showcase, as but one example). ; And we all know there's scant time to take in details and really enjoy living out your own personal fantasies and dreams without an interruption over the PA of the next Family Funtastic Noisemaking Event that will be coming in 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, IT'S HERE!...and noisy music-filled parades and shows throughout the day. ; Fantasyland essentially can no longer be what it was, so I suppose the only thing left to do with it would be to pack in more rides that are faster, and noisier, and more technology laden, and just leave out the deep theming that will be overlooked and over the heads of most visitors, or the educational slant or literary connections that are essentially anachronisms out of touch with our connected on-the-go society.
Wow...what a rant! ; What am I, Archie Bunker? ;
