A long-awaited expiration before Disneyland reopens

For much of the past year, the phrase “back to normal” has been stuck in our heads. What will it look like, what will it look like, and – a pressing concern amid COVID-19’s ability to rob us of our basic senses – will it look like a taste?

In Southern California, one of the clearest symbols of time lost to the pandemic – at least one that does not immediately evoke the virus’s most personal and horrific effects on life and death – has was the fact that Disneyland Resort’s two theme parks have been closed for over 370 days.

While some may roll their eyes or rightly shy away from the price tag that accompanies much of what Disneyland offers, the fact remains that since 1955, Disneyland has reflected, broadcast and remade American pop art, setting the myths of our country alongside the company’s vision. classic fairy tales.

Prior to 2020, an unplanned, unrelated weather-related shutdown at Disneyland was such an anomaly that it had only occurred three times in the park’s 65-year history. Due to a combination of American capitalism and humanity’s desire to be enveloped in fantastic stories, Disneyland has managed to survive multiple wars, civil rights movements, economic downturns, and almost every trend, change or tragedy in society.

Disneyland’s two Anaheim parks are now set to reopen on April 30, allowing the original, which bills itself as a southern California recreation export that spawned parks in Florida, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong. , to admit a fraction of its total capacity. through its doors. While the past 12 months have taught us to prepare for the worst and expect sudden changes, the increase in the COVID-19 vaccination rate, along with the drop in local cases, has finally provided a feeling of optimism.

Normality? Not yet, but when Disney California Adventure opened on Thursday to a fraction of the park’s diehard fans for a dining and shopping event, what had previously seemed tentative now felt somewhat relaxed. How much of that feeling comes from the constant improvements of the pandemic or the cuddly feeling of a well-designed art space is a complex equation. But Disney parks, whether you go there often or let yourself be dragged away as part of a forced outing, are places of rituals, places of now ancient traditions which, even without their rides, are invitations to play. 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, even though tickets were $ 75 each, is the first time since the parks have closed. It’s been just over a year since guests have had the full run of the Disney California Adventure grounds, with the exception of the completed but not yet open Avengers campus. While parts of California Adventure functioned as a shopping and dining space, the wider food playground and more controlled attendance eliminates the potentially uncomfortable crowding that occurred when the park entrance functioned as a mini center. commercial.

It also offers some answers to the question of why customers would pay $ 75 for a theme park that can’t yet operate rides. That’s right, the feeling of energy is lessened without the cars speeding through Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land or the Incredicoaster launching every few seconds at Pixar Pier, but like Knott’s Berry Farm l ‘has proven since last summer, theme parks, when filled with detailed design work, feel close to cultural institutions. It’s not just the thrill; It is the place.

The 20-year-old California Adventure doesn’t have the breadth and complexity of its neighbor, but after a failed launch in 2001, it has grown into a pretty well-regarded park. With fewer attractions than Disneyland, its food and drink options, combined with great settings such as the hand-carved mountains of Cars Land – don’t think of it as a misinterpretation of nature as much as a large sculpture. – combine to make California Adventure a comfortable place to relax.

At A Touch of Disney, the seating options were lavish, at least if one was willing to roam the grounds to a quieter spot during rush hour. Tables were apart and even placed in random corners (I found a few cozy reading spots in Cars Land that were hard to leave). But there were reasons to explore. The national park-themed Grizzly Peak has the allure of a public garden, though chipmunks Chip and Dale frolic with acorns in the greenery and Donald Duck shows off his balcony at the Grand Californian Hotel on the edge.

These types of distant moments – Goofy and his son Max also had failed fishing expeditions with a rubber chicken – have been a pandemic staple in Disney parks, and vastly improve the character encounters of yesteryear, which crowded out. paths for photo ops and also failed. to reinforce the idea that a theme park is a real theatrical scene. But now, with the Silly Symphony Swings temporarily anchored, the merry-go-round platform has become a platform for Mickey Mouse to mimic his role in the 1930s short film “The Band Concert.”

Interactions are random. But just like how Knott’s Berry Farm has made its way with actors who populate Ghost Town, the exaggerated and vintage cartoon-inspired reactions of the Disney characters are well suited to DCA and will hopefully become an element. post-pandemic.

Theme parks, after all, are best when facades can let our minds wander imagining them as inhabited spaces. Think of the mid-century automobiles or the horse-drawn carriages of Main Street, America, at Disneyland, which serve less as nostalgic backdrop than as familiar sights that anchor us in a recognizable setting to prepare us for the sight. unexpected from Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

I of course didn’t mention the food, and although I had a good meal at the upscale Carthay Circle, which in its current open-air form has a smaller menu and smaller portions but no changes in price, food is in many ways just an excuse to be back in familiar surroundings. That’s not to say that some don’t miss a Monte Cristo from Disneyland or the decadent lobster nachos from Lamplight Lounge, but in these final days of a pandemic, our al fresco dining and take-out options in Southern California are many. Like a family recipe that only makes sense for one household, this is the time and place that uplifts Disneyland food.

And that explains, without a doubt, why Disney is able to get away with a higher price tag than its competing theme park peers. As I sat in Cars Land at sunset, the playlist played on repeat for what was to be the 30th time of the day. But every time the modernized version of “A Spoonful of Sugar” popped up, I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if the audio programmers at Disney were choosing the song for its relevance in a time when there were so many. anxiety about getting as many people vaccinated as possible. .

Surely it has crossed someone’s mind, but after a year of so many losses, changes and closures, does a beautifully designed theme park without operational rides make sense? Yeah, I’m gonna take that shot of sugar, however fleeting it may be.