The Court of Angels Is Important To Disneyland
Those who follow the Disneyland rumor mill are no doubt aware of the reports that on September 28, 2013, the Court of Angels (Court des Anges) in New Orleans Square is slated to close as part of an expansion of Club 33. Per these rumors, the Court of Angels will become the new entrance to an expanded Club 33, and although it’s as of yet unclear whether the courtyard itself will be retained, informed speculation suggests that it is logistically impossible to keep the courtyard as-is and add the necessary accessible entrance to this location.
While I feel that it’s very unlikely that the Court of Angels will return in any recognizable form once Club 33 completes its expansion, I want to reiterate and stress that at this point, its closure is just rumor. I don’t want to be rumor-mongering over something that is potentially false rumor, but I feel that the overarching topic here is one that’s worth discussing regardless. If it returns, I will be beyond happy, and reminded that many of those who work for Disneyland also cherish the parks. If the Court of Angels disappears, it will really come as no surprise. Disney has shown that it views the area as expendable, transforming it into an ornament shop each of the last several Christmases, and using it for Pirates League last Halloween.
Some in the Disney community have suggested a campaign to “Save the Court of Angels,” with petitions and that sort of thing. That’s not the purpose of this article, and I don’t believe any such campaigns have a remote chance of success at this late stage. Unlike sentimental attractions even casual guests have cherished memories of, the Court of Angels is something that likely goes unnoticed by large swaths of the general public. Therein lies the problem. On paper, the Court of Angels is expendable because it serves no quantifiable function and average guests won’t even know what they’re missing.
There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the Court of Angels for most guests. It doesn’t house an attraction. It has no strong ties to Walt Disney history. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that some of you reading–even those who have visited Disneyland before–have never even heard of the Court of Angels.
The Court of Angels is “just” a tucked away serene and quiet spot. It’s just the most beautiful corner of the most beautiful land in Disneyland. It just embodies everything most of us love about the Disney theme parks: gorgeous details and beauty for no particular reason, save for that incredibly important reason that those aforementioned qualities are exactly what set Disney theme parks apart from other parks. For many guests, these “Disney Details” and themed environments are what gives Disney theme parks their allure. We come back time and time again, and spend countless hours wandering places like World Showcase or Cars Land not because of anything on a park map, but because of the ambiance of simply being there.
The significance of these details isn’t lost on those working for Disney, either. I have countless Disney coffee table books featuring art and analysis from Walt Disney Imagineering that illustrate exactly how important those details are to the overall guest experience. The Disney Parks Blog even has a recurring piece called “All in the Details,” showing off the heavily-detailed quality of the parks. And they’re right to tout these details, as they are important. While the Disney parks might be just as popular with average guests so long as they didn’t get rid of the castle, Dumbo spinner, or Mickey Mouse meet & greet, many within the Company know that appealing to the lowest common denominator by making business decisions only on the basis of the ‘average guest’ is a slippery slope with long term consequences.
While I have little doubt that many individuals working for the parks understand the importance of these details, in the grand scheme of operations, actions speak louder than words. In terms of actions, in recent years it has become clear that some of these details are not as important as is stated. A corner with some pretty flowers or a water fixture but no defined function is actually dead space. As fans, we always hear that the “Accountaneers” are to blame for this–the folks who pore over spreadsheets and study reports on retail profitability per square foot.
Honestly, I don’t know if the supposedly “evil” Accountaneers are to blame, nor do I care. I think it’s fairly undeniable that various elements of the parks that could best be described as beauty for the sake of beauty have proportionately decreased over the years, while the proportionate square footage of dining and retail has increased over the years. Regardless of the cause for such a shift, to me, the decrease of one and increase in another says everything that needs to be said.
The point of this article thus is not to start a campaign to save the Court of Angels that is likely predestined for failure. Instead, it’s to remind one another, and maybe those who make the decisions or those who view the parks as figures on a spreadsheet, that things like the Court of Angels are incredibly important to the Disney theme park experience. It’s the little moments we treasure just as much as a ride on Space Mountain, and it’s the little details that become indelible parts of our memories from visits to the parks over the years. These little things might seem superfluous on paper, especially when the alternative is expanding a private club that can generate $35,000+ on each new member it’s able to accommodate, but they are what help define our days in the parks, and what keep us coming back.
Monetization and profitability are critical elements of the theme park business, but there also is a long term price to be paid for maximizing short term profits at the expense of the guest experience. There are only so many supposedly superfluous ‘fatty’ experiences that can be cut before you get to the bone. It might be too late for the Court of Angels, but here’s hoping other details and quiet corners aren’t similarly lost in the same manner. In the face of potential new retail and dining, the details shouldn’t always be viewed as “the fat.”
As for the Court of Angels, now seems like a good time to look back and share those memories we all have formed there over the years. Our memories of it are pretty simple–it’s a place we visit to slow down during the day, usually to just sit on the steps and look around. At night, it has been one of our key points of mischief. Like vagrant loiterers, I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt the slow tap of a security guard’s foot as he waits for me to finish “just one more” 30 second exposure of the Court of Angels. My favorite memory of it, oddly, is not when it was serene at all, but on the first Disneyland 24-hour day at about 3 am when the place was littered with napping guests. It felt like the aftermath of a war, and was bizarre at the time. Now I laugh at the memory, thinking about just how dedicated many of those fans were to spending 24 hours in Disneyland.
We intend to see the Court of Angels once more before September 28, 2013 (as you can tell, I need some more shots that are of the details, and aren’t fisheye! ;)). Here’s hoping that’s not our last memory of the place!
Your Thoughts…
If you have formed memories from the Court of Angels, I encourage you to share them in the comments. Even if not, share whether these little “Disney Details” are important to you.
I am an east coaster who did not get to Disneyland until I was an adult. I still remember the first time I wandered into the Court of Angels (although I did not know the name at the time.). I recalled seeing Walt on TV describing the New Orleans Square he was planning as having all kinds of twists and wandering streets, and “things.” I thought that this beautiful quiet spot must be the “thing” Walt was talking about.
Indeed, it would be one of those “things” of Walt’s!
I love walking through New Orleans square and admiring its beauty. The Court of Angels is one of those quiet spots that you can just stop and enjoy the Disney magic. If this spot goes away, I feel like Disney definitely will lose some of its magic!
I will be arriving to the park on Sept. 28th in the afternoon. I seriously hope I’m able to snap off a few last precious pictures before the beautiful Court of Angels is closed forever. :/
Back in 1989 before they had Princess meet and greet, my 3 year old daughter visited with Snow White and had a picture with her on the steps. It was a very special moment away from the crowds. Snow White held her hand and they chatted away. Every time we are in Disneyland, I reflect on that very special moment. I sure hope they don’t take that magical spot away.
This is where my husband and I got engaged! I really hope they don’t close it, I’d be heartbroken.
Tom, thank you for your beautifully written article about the Court of Angels. I am so saddened to hear that it may be leaving us soon, and I echo your sentiments about the Disney details. I discovered Court of Angels in 2010 on my first trip to Disneyland. My immediate family had gathered from various places in the country (parents from PA, sister/brother-in-law from CO, me & my husband from MN) to meet up in Disneyland for a running event. We had been longtime WDW guests so Disneyland was a new and exciting experience for us. We had been walking through New Orleans and stumbled upon this serene and peaceful place. Despite not knowing what it was at the time, or its backstory, we were all taken by its charm and staged a photo-op on the stairs. I treasure that photo, as it brings back so many wonderful happy memories from our weekend and that day in particular.
Fast forward exactly three years later and I now live a mere eleven miles from Disneyland. I’m quite fortunate in the sense that I can venture there when I wish, and often I do. I was there earlier today, and like every time I am there, I stopped in to absorb the peaceful scenery inside Court of Angels, and to relive the treasured memories that I created with my family on that same stairway three years prior.
I have family pictures as a little girl on those stairs, and now pictures with my little ones and husband in the same place. It was always this dreamy spot that despite the crowds, you could find some secret minutes of peace. I’m sad to think we won’t be able to continue that tradition.
I am so saddened to hear of this. We, too, have taken our family pictures there each time we visit from Canada, to mark our family’s changes. It truly is my favourite spot in the park and has been since I was a little girl. Thank you for a wonderful blog that put into words much of what I feel for this very special place.
We have a couple of family Christmas pictures right there on the steps! One of our favorite spots to be still and breathe! Thank you for the article.
The Court des Anges is like the cherry on top of New Orleans Square. You walk back through these delightful streets and find yourself in a quiet tucked away corner. You really feel like you can slow down and soak in the ambiance. Those feelings are what last the longest in my memory. The times when I can forget where I am and just enjoy my surroundings are right up there with the first times I stepped foot on DL’s and WDW’s Main Street.
So sad that I won’t get to see it in person. We are planning our first Disneyland trip for April 2014. Your photo has always made me want to visit this spot. I also remember the girl who did Tiana’s voice come down the stairs singing a song from the Princess & the frog movie during one of the Christmas parade broadcasts. It is a shame that Disney is going in this direction. I hope it doesn’t start a trend throughout the parks.
Good post on what makes the ambiance of the Disney parks so special. I don’t have any stories about The Court of Angels – Only time I visited Disneyland the court was being used for something. Your post got me thinking about the “Disney Details” though. Which would you think is more important to the park – Small detailed escapes and ambiance like the Court of Angels, or extremely detailed rides like Radiator Springs Racers, or even Sinbad’s from Tokyo. Obviously having both are great, but if I had to play an accountant for a day and had to choose one because of money… it’d be a tough choice, but I think I’d have to spend the money on the ride, because that is what will draw people in. Not implying that is what Disney is doing in this case, but it is interesting to think about.
I’ve only visited Disneyland once, and that was just for one day in 2008. The Court of Angels (I didn’t know its name back then) stands as one of my clearest memories of that visit. I’ve almost completely forgotten what Indy was like, and what Disneyland’s Space Mountain was like, and whether or not I enjoyed the Matterhorn. But I vividly remember walking into the Court of Angels and thinking “I don’t know what this place is, or why it’s here, but I love it and I don’t really want to leave.”
These park elements are little treasures to many of us. They make the parks more than the sums of their parts, at least in our eyes. It’s incredibly shortsighted of Disney to discount their importance.
Tom, what a wonderfully presented blog. As you eloquently said, we don’t make multiple visits to the parks every year only to shop and dine and ride. It is the magic of the ambience and experience that keeps us coming back.
Hopefully the powers that be don’t lose sight of what makes Disney theme parks unique. You speak for so many of us!
Awww, its SO pretty! Im sad that I won’t ever get to see it!
I’m saddened to read of the loss of yet one more piece of the “Magic” – those wonderful details that make the Disney experience unique.
I’m not at all surprised – more details are gone every time I visit. I am saddened though, and so sorry I won’t see the Court of Angels in person again. Please take lots of pictures so it’s not forgotten.
Ahhhh! You two have a beautiful remembrance.
Thank you for this piece. This is quite possibly my favorite spot in all of the Disney Parks. To me, it lies at the heart of the magic, and I will be so sad if it’s lost. It’s an intimate detail, one of those spots that truly makes a guest feel like they’re in New Orleans, even if they don’t know that’s what it’s doing. There’s grace and charm there, one of the spots where the veil between fantasy and reality becomes thin and you can easily get lost.
Great to hear what the Court of Angels means to you.
…hope others share their experiences/feelings about it, too! (Wink wink, nudge nudge…)
Can you share other spots similar to this one?
Oh, im heartbroken. One of my favorite spots in the park. I always dreamt of getting married there as a little girl.
Here’s hoping you are able to have that dream come true! 🙂
I always dreamed of getting married there too. So sad that the best spot in the park might actually be gone soon.
Oh my gosh, that place looks so beautiful and perfect! We were just in Disneyland in April (my first trip ever!), I hope it’s not gone before we can get back!!!