Economic Worries Shadow Theme Park’s Opening

Amid high hopes of recapturing the magic of the world’s most famous family playground--and despite darkening economic skies--Walt Disney Co. opened its long-awaited second park in Anaheim on Thursday beneath signature fireworks but with unimpressive crowds.

Brisk, sunny weather made for a postcard backdrop as the first guests and VIPs rushed through the polished gates and into Disney’s California Adventure. The smooth opening contrasted sharply with the chaos surrounding the first day of Disneyland 46 years ago, when women’s heels sank into soft asphalt, the food ran out and rides broke down--and the curious climbed walls to get in.

On Thursday, the expected crowds didn’t materialize, and those people who did show up enjoyed a Disney rarity: short waits for even such popular rides as Soarin’ Over California, a simulated hang-gliding ride over the state’s majestic wonders. The park’s marquee attraction had seen four-hour lines during recent preview days.

“We were kind of panicking,” said Kina Sai, 30, who came with her husband and two boys from Hawaii. “We thought it would get really packed and they’d close the park down.”

Attendance for the day fell far below internal forecasts of 33,000. By 2 p.m.--usually Disney’s peak hour--14,000 tickets had been purchased and roughly 10,000 people were inside the park. When the gates opened at 8 a.m., only 3,000 were waiting to get in. Officials had prepared for more than four times as many.

The new park is part of a $1.4-billion remake of the Disneyland area and includes a luxury hotel and a retail entertainment center. The project took more than five years to build; hundreds of engineers, architects, carpenters and vendors jammed 23 attractions into what three years ago was Disneyland’s parking lot. The new park, billed as a hipper, edgier, more thrilling alternative to Disneyland, is designed as a tribute to California.

Completed at the tail end of an economic boom, the new resort created 8,500 jobs, instantly making Disney the single largest employer in Orange County.

“How can you describe the feeling?” said Barry Braverman, the company’s chief “imagineer,” who led a team of 300 park designers. “You look at models and drawings for 5 1/2 years and then you watch the world come through the gates. It’s humbling.”

Said Marty Sklar, vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering: “It’s a wonderful feeling to be involved in something where all of the faces are happy.”

But as an array of celebrities and thousands of visitors strolled through the park and celebrated the California dream, questions remained over whether the public’s love affair with Disney will hold in a weakening economy.

Already, potential customers have become edgy about jobs, incomes and investments. Consumer confidence dropped last month to its lowest level since the 1991 recession.

The market has changed, too. In the years since Disneyland’s nationally televised opening in July 1955, theme park competition has soared. Tourist dollars might not come as easily. Disney officials hope that Disneyland, California Adventure and the adjacent retail district, Downtown Disney, will become the premier tourist destination of the West--much as Orlando, Fla.’s, Disney World and Epcot Center are in the East.

“This expansion has exceeded even my lofty expectations,” Michael D. Eisner, chief executive of the Walt Disney Co., said on the eve of the opening. “We think we’ve planned it right and spent the right amount of money on it.”

Thus far, the economy hasn’t hurt tourism. Disneyland attracted record crowds during the last quarter, and Disney’s Cruise Line in Florida continues to grow, allowing the company to assure the financial community that the park will be a hit, recession or not. Disney’s stock rose 4% Thursday to $32.13 on an otherwise lackluster day on Wall Street.

Tourism Forecast Is Cloudy

But investors have voiced concern about a sluggish economy curbing tourism and park admissions. Analysts said it is too soon to tell how an economic slowdown will affect tourists’ spending. They expect a more complete picture to emerge in the spring and summer.

The Conference Board, which studies consumer confidence, reported that fewer than half of the respondents in a December survey said they planned to take a vacation in the next six months--the lowest level since 1994.

Disney is “not going to have the benefit of a tail wind that boosted travel and tourism over the past few years,” said Jim Cammisa Jr., an analyst at Travel Industry Indicators in Miami. “The per diem spending, which all theme parks measure, could be weak. I think it will fall somewhat below their expectations.”

In Seattle, travel agency owner Gretchen Atkinson said she hasn’t booked as many vacations to Disneyland this year as in the past. She suspects people are worried.

“Vacation travel usually reflects the economy a bit,” she said. “If the stock market goes up a little so people aren’t being quite so conservative, I think [California Adventure] will draw.”

Buoying executives’ confidence are the die-hard Disney fans, about 500 of whom braved cold winds overnight to guarantee a spot in history. Through carefully targeted marketing, Disney has created a fervor for collectibles--beanbag characters, pins, commemorative souvenirs and clothing.

Alex and Terry Rosin of Jacksonville, Fla., estimated Thursday that they have bought more than 1,000 pins in the past few years. The retired couple--weighed down with dozens of their finds--bypassed California Adventure’s rides for shopping. First stop: Paradise Pier, where special edition opening-day pins were being sold.

“You can’t get entertainment like this,” Terry Rosin said.

Disney’s ‘New Golden Dream’

Earlier, the opening ceremony featured a sun goddess with orange and gold fabric rays radiating from her back. She was accompanied by half a dozen golden princesses with 15-foot feathers. Dancers in metallic blue bodysuits pirouetted and waved giant flowing banners bearing such words as “Imagine,” “Celebrate” and “Discover.” Then they released large yellow balloons that burst 10 feet in the air and dropped silver confetti at the entrance.

Beneath exploding fireworks, fabric waves parted to reveal the path into the park and a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Welcome to the dawn of a new golden dream,” said Roy Disney, the late Walt Disney’s nephew. “As Walt Disney said over 45 years ago, ‘Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.’ ”

Guests were greeted by street musicians and performers. And Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck--visiting from Disneyland--donned shorts, sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts to pose with tourists.

Carolyn Webb, 67, a retired aerospace engineer from Hermosa Beach, declared that the new park was better than Disneyland.

“I love what’s next door, don’t get me wrong,” Webb said. “But as a native Californian, this brings out what California is all about.”

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Times staff writers Brady MacDonald, Daniel Yi, Hector Becerra, Stan Allison, Matt Ebnet, E. Scott Reckard, Scott Martelle, Phil Willon and Jerry Hicks contributed to this story.

* MERCHANDISING DEAL

Disney will sell merchandise at Kmart discount stores. C1