The amount of change that has taken place at Disneyland since the pandemic closure of the Anaheim theme park is enough to make anybody’s head spin, but Ken Potrock seems serenely at ease in the middle of the storm swirling all around him and partly of his own making.
The Disneyland resort president and change agent paused briefly amid his never-ending ride aboard the twirling teacups known as the Happiest Place on Earth to discuss all that’s happened during his tenure that began during the yearlong coronavirus closure of the park.
What follows is a Q&A interview conducted on Wednesday, Feb. 23 with some context provided in italics before each question and answer. All quotes are from Potrock.
Ghosts from The Haunted Mansion during the Frightfully Fun Parade at Oogie Boogie Bash, A Disney Halloween Party, in California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, September 9, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Since reopening, Disneyland has instituted a reservation system, steadily increased capacity, brought back parades and fireworks, rolled out a new annual pass program, introduced a paid Genie+ replacement for the free Fastpass service, began a multiyear renovation of Downtown Disney, addressed diversity issues with older attractions and launched a comprehensive DisneylandForward plan for the future of the resort.
Q. Is Disneyland changing at a faster rate now?
A. The pandemic created a canvas for us to paint on. It opened up a variety of really interesting opportunities for us to rethink our approach to business. Things like reservation systems and Genie+ or any number of different things — all of those have been created to try to better manage the guest experience.”
Sometimes we get it just right. Other times it needs some modification. And that’s OK because the Disneyland resort is a continuously evolving place. Our objective always is to create a great experience. If we don’t get it perfect the first time, we’re going to keep trying until we do.
Riders wait to board a parking lot tram at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA after they reopened on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. The trams had been closed for two years during the pandemic. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Despite the off-season, Disneyland is bustling with the parking trams recently returning, debut dates set for a host of nighttime spectaculars, a looming closing date for Mickey’s Toontown ahead of a yearlong renovation and the approach of the annual Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.
Q. How would you assess the state of the Disneyland resort today?
A. If you go back not quite a year, we were closed. The ability to reopen the gates started this momentum and got the ball rolling. Along the way, we keep having these symbolic milestones or mile markers.
We really are building momentum and it’s really exciting to see. Our guests feel it. Our cast members feel it. Everybody is starting to feel like whatever the new normal looks like as we go forward, it’s almost here.
Are we back to what we were before? We’re back to better and there’s more yet to come.
Visitors to Disneyland walk up Main Street U.S.A. during the park’s reopening in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, April 30, 2021. The resort’s parks have been closed for 412 days due to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
State mandated COVID-19 health and safety restrictions required California theme parks to institute reservation systems to limit crowd levels when the parks first reopened after the yearlong pandemic closures. Most theme parks dropped the reservation systems as soon as they could — but Disneyland and Disney California Adventure kept reservations in place for day visitors and annual passholders as a way to manage attendance levels.
Q. How have reservations changed the Disneyland experience?
A. It’s been an extraordinary change. People ask me if reservations are going to go away. I don’t think so. Reservations create a really important opportunity for us to be able to manage the demand more effectively than we ever could.
If you remember the days where we would have huge quantities of people coming into the park — wall to wall and cheek to cheek. Then you remember days where we didn’t have as many people. The objective here is to spread that demand, whether it’s a Tuesday or a Saturday.
If we do that, a couple of really good things happen. One, it’s a better experience for all. Two, we can better manage the labor scenario in a more efficient way.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of three attractions that guests can cut to the front of the line for by purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane pass. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The new Disney Genie service that debuted in December as part of the Disneyland mobile app replaced the retiring FastPass and MaxPass line-cutting options.
Disney’s new personal assistant service was divided into three parts — the free Disney Genie option, the $20 Disney Genie+ line-cutting service and Lightning Lane access that charges $7 to $20 per ride for the most popular attractions.
More than a third of Disneyland and Disney World visitors purchase either Genie+, Lightning Lane or both and that number rises to 50% during busy holiday periods, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during a recent company earnings call.
Q. What has been the guest reaction to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes?
A. It’s been pretty extraordinary. We’re getting very high take rates. A large percentage of the guests are wanting to use it. One of the things that we’re finding is that those that use it are feeling that their experience was better and that they had an opportunity to do everything that they wanted to do. That’s really important.
At the same time, we can’t forget about guests that aren’t wanting to use it. We’re working very hard to improve the Genie service, which is the free service that helps navigate people through the park more effectively and efficiently. That’s going to be very valuable as well. Ultimately, all boats need to rise.
The Main Street Electrical Parade, shown here in 2019, will return to Disneyland in time for its 50th anniversary in summer 2022. The parade debuted at Disneyland on June 17, 1972. (File photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Disneyland plans to bring back “Fantasmic,” “World of Color,” Main Street Electrical Parade and the “Disneyland Forever” fireworks show after the nighttime spectaculars that draw large crowds were put on hiatus by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“World of Color,” Main Street Electrical Parade and the “Disneyland Forever” will return on April 22. “Fantasmic” will be back on the Rivers of America starting on May 28.
Q. Why is “Fantasmic” coming back later than the other nighttime spectaculars?
A. It just took longer to do. We were literally installing towers as of earlier this week. It’s just a much more intricate, complex mechanical endeavor.
The teams have been working extraordinarily hard. Part of it was the fact that parts and workmanship at a lot of places that were happening off property were slowed by COVID. That all fit into the production.
Mood Indigo performs jazz nightly in February in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel during the Celebrate Soulfully event honoring Black heritage and culture. (Disney)
The Celebrate Gospel music festival in the newly reopened Fantasyland Theatre continues on Saturday, Feb. 26. The Black History Month celebration features church and community choirs, a cappella groups and other live acts playing R&B, funk, reggae, Motown and Doo-Wop.
Q. How do you expect Celebrate Gospel to grow in upcoming years?
A. It’s going to grow dynamically. It’s an extraordinary experience. We’re really just touching the tip of the iceberg of what its potential could be.
The diversity of cultures here at the Disneyland resort and our ability to showcase them is a big part of our ability to draw more people and more diverse crowds to the resort. That’s what we should be. This is a place that’s welcoming to everyone.
Concept art for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland. (Courtesy of Disney)
Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland will close on March 9 for an extensive renovation ahead of the grand opening of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway dark ride in early 2023.
The Toontown makeover will include new children’s play areas and fountains at the center of the reimagined land dubbed Centoonial Park along with a Dreaming Tree that pays tribute to Walt Disney’s vivid imagination.
Gadget’s Go Coaster, Goofy’s House and Donald’s Boat will be reimagined as part of the transformation. Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House will remain after the yearlong makeover along with the recently updated Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin dark ride.
Q. What’s Toontown going to be like once the renovation is complete?
A. Looking at that land as an opportunity to really improve upon the experience for families with younger kids is a big objective of ours. It’s going to become much more interactive. It’s going to have much more park space to picnic, sit in the grass and for kids to run around. That’s going to be a really special place for us here at the resort.
We’re working really hard on making Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway a fabulous attraction. It’s in Florida already and it’s going to be even better here because it has some enhancements that Florida doesn’t have.
Morgan Carberry poses for a picture with Mickey and Minnie during Disney Merriest Nites at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
After nearly a year, the phased reopening of the Disneyland resort continues with a few attractions, shops, restaurants and indoor live shows that have still not returned. Character meet-and-greet photo opportunities continue to take place from a safe physical distance.
Q. What other major milestones still lay ahead for Disneyland?
A. We’re continuing to put a focus on special events. That’s going to be a big growth area. Bringing the Food & Wine Festival back is a good example of that.
The character experience is something that’s different than it was in 2019. We’re optimistic that the character experience is going to get back to a new normal. Many of the things that we did with the characters standing behind you and social distancing — a lot of that worked. But that’s not the only way we want to have people interact with characters. That will be a big milestone change as we go forward.”
There’s a lot more coming. One of the things that’s so exciting about this company are our intellectual properties — the movies and TV shows that are coming out. We’re working really hard to quickly infuse that IP into the Disneyland resort — sometimes in a matter of weeks — so not everything takes four years to build. We’re very focused on that — so that we’re always fresh and different and there’s always something new to see.”