This Mouse Knows What He Wants

Behind his silver screen sweetness, Mickey Mouse often has revealed another side to his character. Just ask the folks in Orlando, who once resisted some of the grandiose plans at Disney World. They woke up one morning to find Mickey exempt from their concerns, in charge of his own local government, courtesy of the state Legislature.

At Orlando, Mickey got his way. That’s how it usually goes. I bring up the Mickey thing now because it may be instructive over the next few months. The Mouse has been busy here at home.

A new project is proposed, one that will transform the downtown of either Anaheim or Long Beach. It will throw billions of dollars in new business toward one place or the other. It will do something no other entertainment company would do, or could do, to an established city.

The master plans for both projects have been unwrapped, Long Beach a few months ago, Anaheim just last week. As a political maneuver, Disney’s scheme is brilliant. Both cities now are free to beg, wheedle and grant political concessions in exchange for the company’s favors.

These last paragraphs may sound rancorous toward Disney. That is not my intent. In fact, it seems to me that Disney’s projects may be worth all the begging and wheedling that either city can muster.

The first thing to understand about these plans is what they are not . They are not mere expansions of the ideas expressed at Disneyland or even Disney World. They are not mere theme parks.

The plans include theme parks, of course. But the full scope of these projects amounts to something far more ambitious. Disney is planning, for the first time, to take over a central city and rebuild it in the Disney way.

Consider the Long Beach plan, for example. Right now, downtown Long Beach represents the accumulation of 20 years of false starts at urban renewal. The old wasteland of tattoo shops and Navy bars was leveled, only to be replaced by a new, expensive wasteland of windy plazas and half-filled towers. Government made a lot of promises it did not keep at Long Beach.

The Disney plan would take most of the waterfront along downtown Long Beach and remake it. We are talking retail, hotels and entertainment, otherwise known as RHE. The developments are grouped into clusters and linked by walkways and, of course, a monorail.

Keep in mind that none of the above contains a theme park. That part of the plan, called DisneySea, has been placed out in the harbor next to the Queen Mary and more RHE.

Here’s an obvious but crucial point: only the theme park would charge for admission. The rest of the Disney downtown would function as any city or half city/half resort functions.

Anaheim is much the same story. At present the old Disneyland is surrounded by dusty avenues filled with sad motels and T-shirt shops. Disney would march on these commercial cripples and wipe them utterly from existence. In their place we would get something that Disney calls a “garden district.”

And you know what? Disney would deliver. None of this broken promise stuff. Disney would produce walkways, lakes, amphitheaters, plus plenty of RHE.

So what’s the problem here? Nothing. For the first time in history, an entertainment company will transform a public downtown, whether it be Long Beach or Anaheim, and it’s an exercise worth watching. Disney can’t do any worse than a redevelopment agency and probably will do much better.

There is, however, a trade-off. In order to get The Mouse to deliver on a new downtown, Anaheim and Long Beach must sacrifice control over their own territory. That is The Mouse’s price.

You know how, at Disneyland, when you throw away a candy wrapper, some blond kid with a sweeper scoops it up almost before it hits the ground? And you know how this quick scooping leaves you feeling good and creepy at the same time? Especially if you understand that the kid with the sweeper and a smile would be fired if he decided to grow a mustache?

Control. The Mouse wants it, and gets it, or he can’t do his work.

So picture a downtown where that kind of control is exercised. It is quiet because the noise makers have been banished. It is safe because the wicked have been moved away. It is very, very comfortable, with gobs of RHE.

Of course, you must also watch your own behavior. No loud talk, no quick, unexpected moves. These are not the trade-offs we are accustomed to making in our public spaces. But they represent a small price, don’t they? For all that peace, all that safety, all the gifts that The Mouse can bring?