Defunctland: The Failure of Disney's Chuck E. Cheese Ripoff, Club Disney

Be at EPCOT's ImageWorks, an area for children under three called "The Pooh and You Corner," a time for storytime and a variety of arcade games. In some places, there was a small mermaid-themed area, where children could "look through the windows of a sunken pirate ship and find treasure, or chat with a friend on a flip phone." There would also be periodic dance parties themed to different Disney properties, these included "The Lion King Limbo", "The Mickey Macarena" and "The Roger Rabbit Bunny Hop", some locations had a room called "The Applaudeville Theatre", where Guests could dress up as Disney characters and participate in a fashion show.

There were also educational activities... called "Ed-Ventures" and monthly activities, such as Flubber-themed science demonstrations. As with Chuck E. Cheese and Discovery Zone, a major focus of Club Disney was its elaborate birthday parties, and kids can choose from a few options, such as "Disney Princess Tea," "Toy Story Search Party," "Poohrific ", "Hercules Hero Hurrah" and "101 Dalmatians Bow Wow Bash". In some places there is a magician performing. tricks like Merlin, and the holiday cake was provided by The Cheesecake Factory. A child could only enter Club Disney with one adult, and both were given a special bracelet with a barcode, so that no child could leave with a different adult. that they came with, this was to reassure parents, allow children to roam freely within the resort, and ensure that no parents treated Club Disney like a daycare.

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s also served pizza shaped like Mickey Mouse. Admission was $8 for kids and $4 for adults, which would be about $12 and $6 respectively if adjusted for inflation. There was also a great gift shop called "The Clubhouse Shop." One mother reacted to the Club Disney announcement by proclaiming...Disney has invaded our lives. But I think the kids enjoy it all." Opening day for the first location, part of a new shopping center in Thousand Oaks, California, began with a ceremony featuring Michael Eisner, Mickey Mouse and Goofy. The Head of attendance estimates that the Walt Disney Company estimated that more than 10,000 guests would show up on opening day and, surprise, it was a little off *canned laughter* When Club Disney opened its doors on February 21, 1997.. . only 1000 visitors attended. that no one had learned anything from the opening of Euro Disneyland.

A Sheriff said: "We expected many more people. Maybe because Disney announced that tens of thousands were going to be here, it scared people." Of the opening day crowd. About ten were protesters accusing Disney of paying Haitian workers ¢28 an hour to make Pocahontas-themed pajamas. Protesters were probably also disappointed that more people didn't show up. Still, parents and kids seemed to love the new complex, and four more would be built in California, two in Arizona, and one in Colorado. of the chain's success, stating that they were going to open another 100

club

s "as fast as we could build them." While reviews were positive, Club Disney was not without its critics. had moved in, accused Disney of ignoring the resort's themed standards in implementing its kitschy design.

Additionally, parents complained about the price of admission, especially the need for a separate adult ticket, since they were not participating in the attractions. club activities and they had to be there. The Disney Club also showed that it was in Disney's best interest to never teach anything, since the "Ed-Ventures" activities were the most criticized at the complex. Many accuse them of being merely a ploy to convince schools to approve field trips. In the end Disney did not move forward with the expansion plans, but not because of these small complaints. The company was impatient with the investment and less than three years after the opening of the first location...

Disney decided to cancel the expansion and close the complexes. Club Disney was not the cash cow the company had hoped for, and by the late '90s, Eisner was in no mood to play the long game. The company was cutting costs across the board and Club Disney became another victim of financial problems. The chain closed on November 1, 1999 and never expanded beyond its original five locations. This was around the same time Discovery Zone ceased operations, leading many to believe that indoor gaming centers were just a fad from the '90s. As Chuck E. Cheese would prove, the concept has some longevity. , whenever it innovates or evolves.

As for Disney Regional Entertainment, Club Disney would be the smallest of its three projects. Another regional network that Levitt would create was based on his original idea of ​​an ESPN-themed restaurant, now possible thanks to Disney's acquisition of ABC in 1996. *Upbeat music* *Cell phone rings* "It's your mother." . "Hello!" "Hello. How is she doing without me?" "Oh, we're fine, we were just watching some TV." *Applause* "Have the children driven you crazy yet?" "No, we've been entertaining ourselves." *More applause* "Jess said she would help you with the dishes tonight." "Well, the kitchen is spotless and dinner was great." "Wow, you should reward yourself and take them somewhere fun." "...which would have a huge impact on leadership." *Speaking Spanish* The complexes were part bar, part restaurant, part game room, part gift shop, and part broadcast studio.

It was such a hit with sports fans that there were apparently points where guests would have to be dragged out for staying too long. The ESPN Zone would also host "The Ultimate Couch Potato Competition," a seated competition that challenged participants to watch television without falling asleep or getting up, allowing only one bathroom break every eight hours. One year, the winner watched television for three days straight. *Applause* ESPN Zone would debut in Baltimore on July 11, 1998, the brand would grow to a total of nine locations, many of which would close in the mid-to-late 2000s, primarily due to the recession, and the only remaining The location, at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, closed on June 2, 2018 to make room for the new Disneyland Resort hotel.

Between Club Disney and ESPN Zone, there would be Disney Regional Entertainment's most ambitious project. It was the main reason the subsidiary had been created, it was the Imagineer's most baffling concoction, it was... DisneyQuest. *People applauding* ♪Music♪