What's cool about being at Disneyland
Among the many wonderful things about the Disney theme parks are the ways in which the architecture, attention to detail, splashes of color, doses of whimsy, and other well-placed elements converge to subconsciously evoke senses of optimism, reassurance, anticipation, and other emotions--the emotional connection that Baxter often mentions. Disneyland Paris is perhaps the most lavish and beautiful of the Disney parks and the one most likely to stir emotions.Tony Baxter: Space Mountain [at Disneyland Paris] broke a lot of ground. It was the first coaster to introduce onboard audio and the first Disney looping ride. But its real milestone was the catapult lift we placed outside the building. We owe it to a lot of people that won't go on this ride to give them one heck of a show. If you're afraid to ride it, watching it [launch] makes you even more afraid. So much of what's cool about being in a Disney park--is being in a Disney park. That's why I'm a firm believer that when we do a little thing like Dumbo [the Flying Elephant ride], let's make it look like Leonardo da Vinci. Let's make the most beautiful oversized music box. It's a jewel to watch.
Disappointment and hopefulness
As Disney brass changes, and the decision makers who control the budgets impose their authority, working at Imagineering can be a heck of a roller coaster ride--in more ways than one. Michael Eisner had been the company's savior at the start of his tenure, but had seen his halo fade when its fortunes started to falter. Eisner appointed Paul Pressler as Disneyland's president in the mid-1990s. With an intense (some might say ruthless) focus on trimming expenses and wringing profits, Pressler and Cynthia Harris, the successor Pressler appointed when he was promoted, helped put a stranglehold on Imagineering. However, by 2003, Pressler and Harris were gone and new Disneyland president Matt Ouimet brought a more open mind--and checkbook--to his position.Tony Baxter: There was a dry period here [in the 1990s] where management took control of WDI's unbridled approach to design. We tried to work with it. I think some of the things we did were good under an austere budget. One of my biggest disappointments was Rocket Rods [the ride that replaced the PeopleMover in the "new" Tomorrowland, but was closed down shortly after it opened]. We had a beautiful show designed for that, but we weren't able to do it. It just became a fast ride around the park. If it had the show, it would have been great.
What a difference a few years make. Baxter's beloved Submarine Voyage had been closed in 1998 amid a spate of budget cutbacks. But with a mostly new regime of powers that be, Imagineering got the green light to make over the ride with a "Finding Nemo" overlay in 2004. The resulting ride is a triumph. (For more about the attraction, see my Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ride review.) And it has been, by all accounts, an unabashed success for everyone involved--including Tony Baxter.
Tony Baxter: Compared to where we were in 1998, when we had a company that could hardly wait to close [the subs] down, it's been especially exciting to me to see the commitment and support. I've come full circle.
