In the Loop: Disney World removes Confederate flag, tribute to Bill Cosby
Welcome to another edition of In the Loop, the L.A. Times' theme park newsletter. I’m Funland theme park blogger Brady MacDonald, and this week we take a look at Disneyland's 60th-anniversary celebration, Universal Orlando's new King Kong dark ride and the removal of two embarrassing symbols at Disney World.
Diamond jubilee
The Times Travel section pays tribute to Disneyland's 60th anniversary with a rundown of 60 things you might not know about the Anaheim theme park.
Also in the section, I take readers back to July 17, 1955, and the chaos that was Disneyland's opening day; Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds visits Marceline, Mo., which inspired Main Street USA; and Times travel editor Catharine Hamm pulls back the veil on some Disneyland secrets the Mouse doesn't want you to know.
Plus, take an interactive glimpse at what the future may hold for Disneyland in 2055, on the park's 100th anniversary.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Let's make a deal
In civic news, Anaheim has extended an agreement that exempts Disney from a gate tax in exchange for $1 billion in theme park spending, despite the mayor's rigorous objections to the deal.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
King Kong
Want a sneak peek at Skull Island: Reign of Kong? I take a look at the massive new dark ride currently under construction at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida.
At an outdoor loading station, riders board a large expedition vehicle that seats about 25 people in a caged cargo area with a canopied roof.
(Universal)
Current events
The outside world pierced the protective bubble of Disney World’s theme parks twice in recent days as current events led Epcot to take down a Confederate flag from the American Adventure pavilion, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to remove a bust of Bill Cosby from its Hall of Fame Plaza.
Bad news
Huntington Beach police arrested a dishwasher at a Disney-owned hotel, charging that he tried to exchange Disneyland tickets for sex with a minor.
Close call
A viral video captured a frightening scene as a cable snapped on a slingshot-style ride called The Catapult at Wisconsin’s Mt. Olympus theme park, nearly striking a 13-year-old boy.
And finally
Take a tour of the construction site of a Noah's Ark theme park, where workers in rural Kentucky are framing a $29.5-million replica of the Biblical vessel with wooden pegs and joints instead of nails.
Still need more theme park news? Check out the Los Angeles Times Funland theme park blog on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram. Also feel free to email me with any feedback on the newsletter.
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