TOURISM / LEISURE TIME : Lights Fantastic, Tomorrowland Tech to Replace Disneyland’s 1959 Marquee

The Disneyland marquee is changing, but the message will remain the same.

In 60 to 90 days, Disneyland will be replacing its 30-year-old sign at the front entrance. In its place will be a new marquee 30% bigger--1,761 square feet--with electronic display boards to flash messages about the park and traffic instructions.

“It’s going to look great,” said Bob Roth, park spokesman.

In addition to the reader board with messages, the new sign “will have fiber optics, where we can change colors and do color combinations on the letters,” so colors can be switched from purple sheen to red to yellow, Roth said.

What will not change is the message. The new sign will still proclaim Disneyland to be “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

The current sign has greeted Disneyland patrons since about 1959. The new one is designed to better match the high-tech look of Captain EO and Space Mountain. “This is going to be state of the art,” Roth said.

After all, he said, “the sign is the first thing people see when they come to Disneyland. It should be the best it can be.”