And of course, there were no FastPass users clogging the walkways and making uninformed tourists grumpy. The annual passholders didn't exist in 1988; most families visited once a year (which kept crowds more manageable), but they spent more on each visit. Having that kind of audience helped encourage management to keep all rides and all restaurants open very late.

You could go in a different direction and choose Disneyland perfection on the basis of theme. Here 1988 would be a bad choice, since America Sings really did not belong in Tomorrowland (it's one of the attractions I think about when people muse that theme park reception would have been different in the past if the Internet had been around in those years, with critics - myself included - would have been able to weigh in easily).

You'd probably have to travel back in time to Walt's day, or something very close to it (maybe his death in 1966?), to find a high point in terms of theme. Looking at today's Disneyland, one could be forgiven for thinking that Fantasyland has colonized the rest of the park. Winnie the Pooh, cartoon Autopia cars, Tarzan, and Buzz Lightyear are only some of the more prominent ways that the park lands no longer represent what they used to. Other examples over time would be the Toy Story characters in the Golden Horseshoe or Aladdin taking over the Tahitian Terrace.

Winnie the Pooh belongs in Fantasyland, right?

The lands used to stand for reality. Tomorrowland was not meant to be future fantasy, it was meant to be optimistic futurism, i.e., reality. Frontierland was to be the 1860s, again a representation of reality. Adventureland was to be the jungles and exotic locales that Westerners knew little about, once more something from reality. Critter Country and its forebear Bear Country did not exist in Walt's time. New Orleans Square did, and it was solidly based on a real place. Main Street was, and largely still is, based on a turn of the century American town. While Disney live-action films did land in Disneyland (True-Life Adventures for the Jungle Cruise and Nature's Wonderland, the Swiss Family Robinson, Davy Crockett, etc), the animated films were strictly held to Fantasyland.

The question becomes whether the strong theme of 1966 makes a better Disneyland than the beefed up 1988. In 1988, the theme has begun to drift, but you can also find several things missing in 1966, such as Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Captain EO, and Star Tours. It could be reasonable to find a date between 1966 and 1988 as the high point. Maybe 1986, when Adventure Thru InnerSpace closed to make way for Star Tours? Or 1975, before they started clearing land for Space Mountain (why hate Space Mountain? Because it represents the start of roller-coasters and height requirements at Disneyland, and the splitting up of the family that Walt abhorred. The Matterhorn was around before then, but had no height requirement).

The short-lived brown Space Mountain of the late 1990s.

I choose the simpler argument. 1988 was the last time Disneyland operated at full capacity, and thus had the most modern rides possible in the "full capacity" years. I'm aware that the argument about theme represents a compromise for me, but there doesn't seem to be a way to choose a winner without compromise.

And you know what? I'll admit it. As much as America Sings was out of place in Tomorrowland, it was fun. It was old-school Disney, vintage Marc Davis, and just a rollicking good time; I do miss it. The slide since then has had its ups and downs, and Disneyland is nowhere near unworthy of our attention at any point, but to my mind, there has been a slide nonetheless.

We'll miss you, America Sings!

Introduction

Act 1, The Deep South

Act 2, The Old West

Act 3, The Gay '90s

Act 4, Modern Times

Epilogue

Before the iPod we had LPs.

Kevin is the author of five books on Disney theme parks, including:

• Magic Quizdom offers an exhaustive trivia quiz on Disneyland park, with expansive paragraph-length answers that flesh out the fuller story on this place rich with details.
• 101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland is a list-oriented book that covers ground left intentionally unexposed in the trivia book, namely the tributes and homages around Disneyland, especially to past rides and attractions. Disneyland's rich history is kept alive today in little touches that are all but invisible, and this book shines a light on those tributes for all to enjoy.
• 101 Things You Never Knew About Walt Disney World follows the example of the Disneyland book, detailing tributes and homages in the four Disney World parks.
• The Unofficial Dining Guide to Walt Disney World provides current menus and prices for all restaurants at Walt Disney World parks and hotels, including Downtown Disney and even the non-Disney restaurants in the area around the Disney property. Updated several times within each year, the Dining Guide makes for a perfect companion in the parks to avoid excessive walking. Its best feature is the collection of indexes, one for each park. You're standing in line for Space Mountain and crave spaghetti? No problem. Flip to "S" in the index and you'll find out which places in the Magic Kingdom offer it. No need to run around everywhere!

More information on the above books, along with ordering options are at this link. Kevin is currently working on other theme park related books, and expects the next one to be published in early 2008.