Credit: Walt Disney ImagineeringBy little exaggeration, the theme park and movie industry as we know it wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the Walt Disney Imagineers. So why would the Walt Disney Company want to remove its contributions?
While Walt lived by the motto of “keep moving forward,” should the company and studio actively phase out original designs and technology created by the original inventors? In the past, Disney has gone above and beyond the call of duty regarding preservation, so it’s surprising to see original designs and props being removed.
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Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort were designed to be constantly evolving, allegedly never truly finished. However, that means some of Disney’s original works essentially have a lifespan and (to an extent) an expiration date.
Disney Park Erases Imagineers
Recently, it was announced that the infamous Hatbox Ghost was finally ushered into the endless hallway of Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion. While his arrival was long hoped for, it came at the expense of the “Donald Duck Chair,” a leftover from the late Rolly Crump’s Museum of the Weird concept. While not the original in Disneyland, it does set a dangerous standard for the Disney Parks’ future.
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This isn’t the first time fans have seen original props, set-pieces, or even animatronics changed for a more functional or simply more popular addition. Pirates of the Caribbean, Carousel of Progress, and “small world” have all had some of their original pieces changed to suit its audiences needs. Not just refurbished parts or characters but full-on changes or removals.
It should be noted that every Disney ride, attraction, character, turkey leg, and so on should still be maintained up to code. No one wants a repeat of freaky animatronics wigging out in Journey Into Imagination or “it’s a small world,” so updates are often a necessary evil.
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That said, some of Disney’s recent updates might be at the cost of original creations from legendary Imagineers. Entire rides and attractions have been shut down and replaced in the name of progress. The question is, where is the line between improvement and replacement?
Realistically speaking, many of Disney’s attractions run on old, sometimes outdated, technology. Those attractions take a lot of time, money, and effort to keep running. Sometimes, it’s all about quality of life improvements rather than preservation.
It’s not as if the company is purposefully removing Disney’s original materials from the parks forever, but their numbers are definitely dwindling. Currently, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is one of the most untouched attractions in Walt Disney World, and even that attraction has had a lot of work done.
Ultimately, change is inevitable, but Disney has other ways of honoring its history. Although there have been several missteps from the company in recent reports, Imagineering is still evolving the way the original designers intended, and the future is still bright regarding technology and advancements.