Disneyland Converts Classic Attraction into a Gift Shop

When walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A. at the Disneyland Resort, guests will [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo - June 15, 2019 05:29 pm EDT

When walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A. at the Disneyland Resort, guests will find an opening day attraction has been transformed into a store.

The Main Street Cinema, a staple of the small Midwest town-inspired Main Street since the park's 1955 founding by Walt Disney, has long exhibited classic silent films and cartoons, including 1914 animated short Gertie the Dinosaur — among the earliest animated works that inspired a young Disney.

Since the 1970s, the vintage movie palace has exclusively displayed classic Disney shorts, and guests visiting the six-screen movie theater today will be welcomed by such colorless cartoons as the Mickey Mouse-starring Steamboat Willie and The Moose Hunt.

The Main Street Cinema at #Disneyland is currently being used as a shop. Smart idea or just ‘Plane Crazy’? pic.twitter.com/KxkF38UixR
— MiceChat (@MiceChat) June 14, 2019

Though the looping shorts remain, viewing benches have been replaced by multi-tiered merchandise displays and a single cash register.

The Main Street Cinema is now the site of all-new shop Cartoons and Collectibles, currently offering a selection of patriotic-themed merchandise: bubble wands, t-shirts, hats, mugs and American flag Minnie Mouse ears are among the souvenirs now available for purchase.

It's unclear if the changeover is a temporary "pop-up" shop or a permanent change, but the alterations are facing criticism on social media.

@Disneyland @DisneylandToday I’m first to defend Disneyland when it comes to unpopular changes. However, I’m appalled by your decision to turn The Main Street Cinema into a store!! This is an insult to Walt’s memory. It all started with a mouse. Not merchandise. #Disneyland
— evie (@evieyvette55) June 14, 2019

One objector tweeted the change was "just plain greedy," while a popular Disney-centric fan account criticized the change as "a felonious attack on a piece of Disneyland history."

The Disneyland Resort, which has since opened its popular 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge expansion, has been undergoing a multi-month refresher effort dubbed "Project Stardust."

Among the enhancements included in Stardust are reconfigured queues for multiple Fantasyland attractions to improve guest access and comfort, additional walking space, more efficient stroller parking areas, an increased amount of seating, a Pixar-themed parking structure and a Sleeping Beauty Castle makeover.

Slide 1

Disneyland has turned the Main Street Cinema into a retail store.

Next, they're gonna put a store in the middle of It's a Small World, and you aren't allowed to get off and stop listening to that song until you buy something.
— Ahnsael (@Ahnsael) June 15, 2019

I don’t understand the point... this is limited shelf space in a small, not regularly visited corner of mainstreet... surrounded by stores with a lot of foot traffic
— Carlyle (@amateurliving) June 14, 2019

This just cheapens @Disneyland even further for me, which is really sad.
— Carrie Crevel (@carriecrevel) June 14, 2019

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Slide 2

Not to beat a dead horse @DisneylandToday, but currently Main Street Cinema is trending on Twitter. Just a hint at how upset people are over this felonious attack on a piece of Disneyland history. This decision maker needs to be dealt with.
— Fresh Baked! (@FrshBakedDisney) June 14, 2019

Stripping out the charm to shove more merchandise onto Main St. which is already packed wall to wall with it. Really damn ugly and short-sighted. pic.twitter.com/N4XclBKGhp
— Ian (@phrogxix) June 14, 2019

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Slide 3

This is frankly disgusting, @Disneyland @DisneylandToday and you should remove it immediately. Honestly, how much extra money could you be making selling THIS merch here? It’s the same stuff you can buy in other shops throughout the resort! Who is this for??
— BRIAN CLARK (@brianrobclark) June 14, 2019

There are some places in Disneyland that should be left as they are, AND the Main Street Cinema is one of them!!!!!
There are PLENTY of places to shop, including outdoor vendors, this is ABSOLUTELY uncalled for!!! PLEASE remove this & leave this treasure as it was meant to be!!
— Carrie (@AZCoyotesGirl) June 15, 2019

@Disneyland @DisneylandToday The main street cinema is not a place for a store 😡 So disappointing!
— Ariana Monghate (@arrianaa) June 14, 2019

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Slide 4

.. one side of me is like "How could theeeyy" but then the other side of me is like "Well I never go in there anyway, and this isn't going to change things.."

So we're here in the middle.. meh? pic.twitter.com/nWIoFGEOnH
— Dan (@FantogemeDan) June 14, 2019

My Disneyland Main Street Cinema Solution: Accept no one goes in there for the cartoons. Switch the screens to promos and opening-day events for the various parks and resorts around the world. Sell some park specific merch like Epcot does for HKDL and DLP.
— R. A. Pedersen (@Epcyclopedia) June 15, 2019

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Slide 5

@Disneyland please take the merchandise out of the cinema and promise to never do this again. Thank you. https://t.co/5wVjASM7Px
— Cody Black® (@DJCodyB) June 15, 2019

Maybe if y’all went in the dang thing for more than b-roll for your blogs disney would have kept it the same. But your uproar of THIS IS DIFFERENT SO I HATE IT is unfounded... it’s summer it’s Disney, they need a place out of the way to sell stuff. Get over it.
— 💜Jordyn McCrazy💛 (@jordynmccrazy12) June 15, 2019

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Slide 6

THIS is not how you drive foot traffic into a treasured hidden gem. The reason most people don’t go inside is because they don’t know they can. Turning this into another merchandise point of sale and removing the atmospheric turnstiles tarnishes its purpose and magic.
— Timon & Kota (@daykota) June 15, 2019

Terribly wrong and incredibly tacky! There's so much retail space on Main Street already!
— LGMoore (@3435mom) June 14, 2019

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Slide 7

GET IT OUT!!! We don’t need more retail on Main Street, U. S. A. @DisneylandToday @DisneyParks @DisneylandAP @Disneyland Especially here.
— Jason Gordon (@iNinjabot) June 14, 2019

@DisneylandToday this is an outrage! Leave this alone! Does every open spot have to sell something?
— Lynn Barron (@Lynnsweepspot) June 15, 2019

The Main Street cinema was a great display of the evolution of Disney animation & a restful, cool place. @Disneyland @Disney just keep taking those spaces away.
#Disneyland https://t.co/8OkZPeyH6M
— Susan Smith (@Susannah2k) June 15, 2019

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Slide 8

The thing that bothers me the most about Main Street Cinema being turned into *yet another store* is that there isn't even anything unique about what's on sale. It's the same mugs and t-shirts and Americana stuff that people already see EVERYWHERE.https://t.co/gaFe7D6Pct
— James B. Jones (@TheJamesBJones) June 14, 2019

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Slide 9

This is a disgrace to what Walt intended the Cinema to be used for.@Disneyland Do the right thing and put everything back. https://t.co/vEJTWeUXeG
— DisneyDoll76 (@DisneyDoll76) June 15, 2019

Why are people complaining about putting merchandise inside the Main Street Cinema at #DISNEYLAND? This could be the start of some amazing merchandise opportunities! #MainStreetCinema pic.twitter.com/WFxZrYGPnN
— Ralph (@RalphDisneyFan) June 15, 2019

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