Jim Shull, a former Disney Imagineer, has spoken out again about what he sees as falling standards at Disney – this time focusing on a significant design flaw at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion gift shop, Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond. After the store had to shut down only six weeks after its opening due to flooding caused by just half an inch of rainfall, Shull didn’t mince words when expressing his discontent on platform X.
If Civil Engineering Plans aren’t provided by WDI to stop water from entering a newly built store, it suggests that challenging times may lie ahead for larger scale ventures, much like the anticipation before navigating the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) February 4, 2025
If my efforts to create civil engineering plans to keep water from entering a newly established retail store fail, it’s clear that more challenging ventures might be on the horizon.” This post was accompanied by a striking image of the shop fortified with sandbags.
He followed up with an even more scathing assessment.
Due to incorrect construction of the Haunted Mansion store during our initial engineering projects, we’ll need to install a large exterior trench drain in front of its doors as a solution. If basic civil engineering principles aren’t being followed effectively, it may be necessary to bring on fresh team members.
— Jim Shull (@JimShull) February 4, 2025
Because the initial construction of the Haunted Mansion store wasn’t done properly (this is basic first-year engineering work), it requires a large trench drain in front of the doors as a fix, he noted. When such fundamental civil engineering principles aren’t met, it might be time to bring on new talent.
That’s a brutal critique—but it’s not undeserved.
Approximately one month since its grand opening on December 23, Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond has emerged as an emblem of cost-effective theme park design in modern Disney. A mere half-inch of rain in Anaheim was sufficient to trigger flooding within the establishment, compelling Disneyland to close it down and set up sandbags at the entrance as if preparing for a hurricane.
I’m thrilled to see Disney taking swift action! I’ve decided to pitch in, metaphorically speaking, by starting an urgent renovation project on the eastern facade of their building. The goal is to enhance the drainage system, making it more efficient and resilient.
Starting February 3, crews at Disneyland are set to renovate and lay new concrete on the eastern side of Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond, with the aim of enhancing drainage in that area. This project is expected to last about a month. During this time, while the shop itself should remain open, some exterior decorations or theming may be temporarily removed until the work is completed.
It’s quite puzzling, isn’t it? A freshly built structure, allegedly conceptualized by the esteemed Disney Imagineering team, should perform much better than it has after just six weeks. How could this happen?
Prior to the controversy surrounding the flooding incident, fans hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic about Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond. Rather than offering a Haunted Mansion-inspired store that harmoniously fit into New Orleans Square, Disney presented guests with a generic metal structure reminiscent of a Home Depot garden center, which fell short of expectations for a Disney attraction.
Fans immediately roasted the design, but Disney ignored the backlash—until things got worse.
In a quick succession following its launch, Disney found itself in a predicament when it was unveiled they had utilized AI-generated art for the store’s decorations rather than employing real artists. This revelation sparked widespread criticism, prompting Disney to discreetly take down the AI artwork, assuring everyone that authentic hand-painted pieces were promised soon.
Disney Imagineering’s “Creative” Director, Kim Irvine, who was responsible for the project, downplayed fan worries regarding the AI controversy when asked about it.
Irvine expressed his frustration to the Los Angeles Times when asking how they could discover a single item among all this fascinating gear,” or more casually, “Irvine wondered to the L.A. Times how they’d find one thing among all this awesome stuff, sounding a bit irritated.
Later on, she confessed that Disney employed AI-generated art as a provisional substitute for initially commissioning authentic artwork.
In every fresh project, it appears that Disney Imagineering is validating Jim Shull’s viewpoint – the corporation seems to place less emphasis on narrative, immersion, and craftsmanship. Instead, they seem focused on maximizing returns by reducing the amount of work involved.
It’s quite disappointing if a recently opened store experiences a flood with just half an inch of rain, but when this happens alongside artificial AI art replacing authentic artwork, a simple, temporary metal structure instead of a captivating design, and hasty construction causing severe drainage issues, it creates a dismal image of what future Disney projects might look like.
It’s not only about the gift shop; if Disney struggles with something as straightforward as setting up a retail store, what assurance do we have that they can handle large-scale projects like expanding parks?
What are your thoughts about the Haunted Mansion gift shop being flooded? Could this incident indicate a drop in Disney’s quality of service? Share your opinions in the comments, and join us on “That Park Place” for all the news that should be enjoyable!
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2025-02-05 17:56