Credit: Disney/azpeacemakers via TumblrBob Iger has some great attention to detail, so this is a surprise…
During Bob Chapek’s rule, there were many things that Disney fans had to complain about. Perhaps one of the most egregious sins, however, was the cleanliness of the Parks. In places that, by design, had been kept pristine, Guests began to notice trash on the streets and in the waterways, trash cans overflowing, paint peeling, and overall dilapidation. Much of this has been corrected by Disney CEO Bob Iger, but there are still a few things that could use some care.
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When he planned and built the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney emphasized that his Park would be different in every way from the available entertainment of the day. It wouldn’t be a carnival or a circus; it would be its own category entirely. People would be able to lose themselves in yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy; they would find themselves in an extremely detailed world apart, and a large part of that would be due to cleanliness.
Many diehard Disneyland fans know that Walt was passionate about his Park, bucking the stereotype for entertainment venues of the day for being filthy. He even spaced out the trash cans by eating a hotdog and measuring the time and distance that it would take to finish the snack so that by the time he was done, there would be an available trashcan. To that end, Guests for years have noticed that around the Magic Kingdom, trashcans are readily available for use, helping to combat the clutter.
Cast Members have also been trained not only to spot but collect refuse around the Park quickly, ensuring that it maintains cleanliness as much as possible. For years, painters, carpenters, and other craftspeople have also worked tirelessly around the clock to maintain the pristine appearance of attractions, facades, and every inch of the Park to keep it as new and clean as the day the gates first opened in 1955. There’s one area, however, that Guests have noticed still needs a bit of TLC.
For years now, there have been more than a few cobwebs on the Pooh Corner sign as Guests exit The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction. The precedent set under Bob Chapek for ignoring the little things made something like this understandable during his time but all the more glaring under Iger, who has otherwise done a fantastic job in reinstating cleaning protocol and guidelines for the Park. That’s not the only area, either…
Though a simple fix, as of April 2023, cobwebs can still be found all around Disneyland, including locations like Pooh Corner, The Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, and ill-used corners of Adventureland. While it may seem a small thing, it’s the small things that Walt prided himself on in the Park. Walt himself said of the small things, the detail:
“Look, the thing that’s going to make Disneyland unique and different, is the detail. If we lose the detail, we lose it all.”
Walt was right. It’s the jaw-dropping amount of detail that makes Disneyland, other Disney Parks, and Disney in general different. Sure, they could have had amazing success with Soarin’ Over California and, later, The World with just the ride system and the video alone, but adding in wind effects and fragrances that mimic the locations depicted was one more key detail that pushed the attraction above and beyond.
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It goes without saying these small details have less to do with Cast Members and more to do with management, and while it is likely that Iger may not be too concerned with small things like cobwebs, Guests can only hope that the long-term successor to Iger will be. It’s the fervent hope of many Disney fans that they can, both in the studios and the Parks, regain the magic, the attention to detail, and in essence, the very things that have made Disney what it has been since 1923.
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