Volume 2, No. 19. October 11, 2002
New Arrivals
It’s
a kiddie section!
Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, California, announces the arrival
of Flik’s Fun Fair, October 7, 2002. Measurements: 1.3 acres (1/2 hectare),
five attractions and 75 clovers (one four-leaf). Delivered by Majestic Manufacturing,
Walt Disney World Central Shops and Zamperla.
Monday was a big news day for the Walt Disney Company’s California properties.
Given that, the 350 media members on hand for the opening of California Adventure’s
fourth themed area and first devoted to children should not have been surprised
by the surprise guest brought on stage at the start of Flik’s Fun Fair’s
grand opening ceremony. Michael Eisner, CEO and president of the Walt Disney
Company, showed up to formally introduce James A. Rasulo, the new chairman of
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Promoted from his position as chairman and chief executive of Euro Disney, Rasulo’s
first public task as the new Parks boss was to kick off the celebration of the
company’s bona fide return to its core competency: building an immersive
themed environment for families based on a popular cartoon. “You’ll
see that this is classic Disney theming,” he told the audience from a stage
at the new area’s front entrance.
“I’m sure Walt would like to have seen what’s going on back there,”
Eisner said, motioning to Flik’s Fun Fair behind him, “Just as Gene
Autry would have loved what went on over there on Saturday” he continued
pointing in the direction of Edison Field where the late Autry’s and current
Disney’s Angels baseball team advanced past the New York Yankees into the
American League Championship Series. “It was a great Saturday, and it’s
a better Monday.”
For the hundreds of children in attendance, definitely so. Cynthia Harriss,
president of the Disneyland Resort, and John Lasseter, director of A Bug’s
Life on which Flik’s Fun Fair is based, emceed the proceedings that
featured the voice talents of the film (who, for the sake of the gullible children,
were introduced as friends, trainers or voice coaches of the various Bug’s
Life characters). After Flik “sound-alike” Dave Foley led the
crowd in an oath to respect bugs, the new area was pronounced open with a ballet
dance of butterfly-costumed women and cannons shooting off confetti.
Then the crowd swarmed into Flik’s Fun Fair, its walkways resembling a
California freeway gridlock of strollers. With 18-foot-tall (six-meter-tall)
vinyl clovers providing shade on a hot, sunny day, the area truly offered a
bug’s-eye view of the world, albeit laced with humor. Guests enter through
an empty box of Cowboy Crunchies, the cereal from Bug’s Life’s
Pixar Studio mate Toy Story 2. Lamp posts are fireflies perched on bent
straws. Benches are Popsicle sticks, still stained from their frozen juices.
Flik’s Flyers is a typical balloon ride, but themed as leaves carrying
empty food boxes and accompanied by a soundtrack filled with creaks and snaps.
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train turns a miniature railroad into the caterpillar’s
narrated jaunt through a land of giant food, from juicy watermelon to candy
corn, complete with appropriate scents.
“We wanted the land to appeal to kids, but we also wanted parents to enjoy
it,” said Kathy Mangum, executive producer of Flik’s Fun Fair and
vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering. “We wanted adults to appreciate
the style, the design, the theming, the sense of humor. The longer people are
in there, the more they’ll get.”
“That’s the kind of layer and depth that our films have that even
this land has,” Lasseter said of the new area. “You walk away from
seeing it the first time knowing that you didn’t really see everything
in there.”
©2002, Minton Enterprises
LLC
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