A long-awaited expiration before Disneyland reopens

For much of last year, the phrase “return to normal” has taken root in our heads. What will it look, feel and – an urgent concern amid COVID-19’s ability to strip us of our essential senses – will it taste?

In Southern California, one of the clearest symbols of how much time has been wasted with the pandemic – at least one that does not immediately evoke the most personal and terrible effects of life and death from the virus – is the fact that Disneyland Resort’s two theme parks have been closed for more than 370 days.

While some may roll their eyes or just shy away from the price that comes with much of what Disneyland has to offer, the fact is that since 1955 Disneyland has reflected, disseminated and remade American pop art, putting our country’s myths at the forefront. side of the company’s vision. classic fairy tales.

Prior to 2020, an unplanned closure and unrelated to Disneyland’s climate was an abnormality that had happened only three times in the park’s 65-year history. Due to some combination of American capitalism and humanity’s desire to engage in fantastic stories, Disneyland has managed to survive several wars, civil rights movements, economic crises and almost all social trends, changes or tragedies.

Disneyland’s two Anaheim parks are scheduled to reopen on April 30, allowing the original, which represents a Southern California leisure export that spawned parks in Florida, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong, to admit a fraction of your total guest capacity through your gates. Although the past 12 months have taught us to prepare for the worst and to expect sudden changes, the increase in the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as the decline in the number of local cases, has finally provided a sense of optimism.

Normality? Not yet, but when the Disney California Adventure opened its gates on Thursday to a fraction of the park’s diehard fans for a food and shopping event, what once seemed tentative now seemed a little relaxed. How much of that feeling comes from constant improvements in the pandemic or from the feeling of embracing a well-designed artistic space is a complex equation. But Disney parks, whether you go frequently or be dragged as part of a forced tour, are the material of the ritual, places of ancient traditions that, even without their tours activated, are invitations to play with a more idealized version of ourselves .

The “A Touch of Disney” event, which runs until April 19 and sold out online in just a few hours, although tickets cost $ 75 each, this is the first time since the parks closed a little over a year ago, that visitors had a full capacity to tour the grounds of Disney California Adventure, except for the Avengers Campus concluded, but not yet open. Although parts of California Adventure were operating as a shopping and restaurant space, the broader playing field of the food event and more controlled service put an end to the potentially uncomfortable throng that occurred when the park entrance area functioned as a mini mall .

It also offers some answers to the question of why guests would pay $ 75 for a theme park that cannot yet operate toys. True, the feeling of energy is lessened without the cars passing Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land or the Incredicoaster being launched every few seconds at Pixar Pier, but as Knott’s Berry Farm has tasted since last summer, theme parks, when full of detailed design work, feel close to cultural institutions. It is not just emotion; is the place.

California Adventure, 20, does not have the breadth and complexity of its neighbor, but after a failed launch in 2001, it has become a very respectable park. With fewer attractions than Disneyland, its food and drink options, combined with great scenery, like the hand-carved mountains of Cars Land – don’t think of it as a false view of nature, but as a great sculpture – combine to make California Adventure a comfortable place to spend time.

At A Touch of Disney, the seating options were luxurious, at least if someone was willing to walk into a quieter area during peak hours. The tables were spaced apart and even placed in random corners (I found some cozy reading spots in Cars Land that were hard to leave). But there were reasons to explore. Grizzly Peak, with a national park theme, has the appeal of a public garden, although it is one where Chip and Dale squirrels play with acorns in the vegetation and Donald Duck shows his balcony at the neighboring Grand Californian Hotel.

These distant character moments – Goofy and son Max also had some failed fishing expeditions with a rubber chicken – have been a staple of pandemic Disney parks and have significantly improved the character encounters of yesteryear, which crowded paths for photos and also failed to reinforce the idea that a theme park is actually a stage for theatricality. But now, with the Silly Symphony Swings temporarily suspended, the sidewalk platform has become a grandstand for Mickey Mouse to play his role in the short “The Band Concert” of the 1930s.

The interactions are random. But similar to how Knott’s Berry Farm achieved its success with the actors that populate the Ghost Town, the exaggerated and cartoon-inspired reactions of Disney characters adapt well to DCA and, hopefully, will become a post-pandemic scenario.

After all, theme parks are best when the facades allow our minds to wander imagining them as inhabited spaces. Think of mid-century cars or horse carts on Main Street, USA, at Disneyland, which serve less as nostalgic pieces than familiar views that lead us to a recognizable environment that prepares us for the unexpected view of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Of course, I didn’t mention the food, and although I had a lovely meal at the sophisticated Carthay Circle, which in its current open-air form has a smaller menu and smaller portions, but with no change in prices, the food is in many ways simply one. excuse to be back in a family environment. This is not to say that some do not miss a lot of Disneyland Christ or the decaying lobster nachos in the Lamplight Lounge, but in these last pandemic days, our outdoor and on-the-go dining options in Southern California abound. As a family recipe that only makes sense for a single family, it is the time and place that elevate Disneyland food.

And that undoubtedly explains why Disney manages to get away with a higher price than its theme park competitors. As I sat in Cars Land as the sun went down, the playlist passed over for what must have been the 30th time that day. But every time the modernized version of “A Spoonful of Sugar” was released, I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if Disney’s audio programmers chose the song for its relevance during a time when there is an anxiety to vaccinate as much of it as possible. people as quickly as possible.

Surely it crossed someone’s mind, but after a year of so many losses, changes and closings, does a beautifully designed theme park without operational attractions make sense? Yes, I will accept that dose of sugar, however fleeting it may be.