Tom Sawyer's Island

[larrygator]

Am I the only one who had trouble reading Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Saywer growing up. It took me longer the decipher the phonetic spelling by Mark Twain than other books I was assigned.

 

In my trips to WDW as a tyke (aged 6, 9, 11 and 13); neither myself, nor anyone in my family, ever visited Tom Sawyer Island.

[cfc]

^There is a misconception that Huck Finn is a kid's book--it's actually a wicked satire of societal hypocrisy in general. (Huck and Jim, two outsiders, are the only characters who have any sense.)

[Ryan King]

Miceage.com

http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al010907a.htm

 

Booty Delay

 

Speaking of timing, the other big project coming to Disneyland next summer has timing headaches of its own. The now officially titled Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer Island (remember to thank the L.A. times editorial staff for this name) was originally set to close down Tom Sawyer Island and begin construction on January 16th. But now the start date for this project has been pushed back until at least early February, as late last week the project managers still couldn't quite land on an accurate start date.

 

Since we were first with this story last fall, we've told you how this is the ultimate rush job and an attempt by Jay Rasulo to prove to John Lasseter that he can get a movie project into a park by the time it debuts in theaters. The unfortunate thing here is that Rasulo has bitten off a bit more than he can chew with this one, as there are simply logistical hurdles that the modern WDI bureaucracy can't handle on an accelerated timetable like this. The newly delayed start date for the island stems from the fact that WDI simply doesn't have contractors lined up and ready to begin work yet, and it will still be another 30 days before they can move forward with construction. While Rasulo has approved throwing more money at the project to get all of the eye candy and new toys he wants included, there is no amount of money that can turn back the clock six months to buy enough time to do this project sanely.

 

 

Fantasmic's main stage on the south end of Tom Sawyer Island.

 

The other casualty of this delayed and frantic construction schedule is the popular Fantasmic! show. In order to accommodate all of the construction, particularly for the new pirate stunt show on the south end of the island where Fantasmic! is performed, the long running nighttime spectacular will be put into mothballs for four months. As it's currently planned, the last Fantasmic! of the season will be performed on Sunday, February 11th. The show will remain dark until Saturday, June 16th, when it will return from the dead for nightly performances through the summer season. But for four months this winter and spring there will be no Fantasmic! performances, not even during the busy weeks of Easter Vacation when Disneyland is open until Midnight seven days a week.

 

The quick answer the usually crack Disneyland Entertainment department has come up with for that problem is to bring back some sort of evening concert series for the river area during the two busy weeks surrounding Easter Sunday. Long before Fantasmic! they used to do those sorts of concerts on Tom Sawyer Island quite regularly, sometimes with big name bands and sometimes with a parade of different acts a la' the old Dixieland at Disneyland jazz series every August. Who knows who they'll get at this relatively late date, and who knows how good it will be. Will Disneyland crowds even respond to a concert when they are used to the spectacle of Fantasmic! playing there at night?

 

We all know how poorly DCA's Rockin' The Bay concert series went, with the rare exception of when The Beach Boys or The Go-Go's were performing. It's doubtful that park visitors would get jazzed up over a line-up of Disney Channel bubblegum pop icons or geriatric bands that are still upset that Ed Sullivan went off the air.

 

We'll let you know more in future updates about what is going on as this is something still in the initial planning stages inside TDA. But with big spring break crowds descending on Disneyland in April without Fantasmic!, they know they are going to have to do something to try and mitigate the horrible crowding in the Central Plaza due to Steve Davison's hub-centric fireworks shows.

 

Hmmm, I hear ex-Disney employees Lindsay Lohan as well as Britney Spears both need work. Put those two on a raft out in the river with a bottle of Jack Daniels and we just may have something there that could rival a two story tall fire-breathing dragon. Anyone for the "Yo-Ho Show?"

 

[/u][/code]