 Club Disney promotional graphic for the Thousand Oaks grand opening, February 1997. | |
| Owner | Disney Regional Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Introduced | February 21, 1997 |
| Discontinued | November 1, 1999 |
Club Disney was a regional children's play center concept operated by Disney Regional Entertainment. The indoor centers were designed for families with children 9 and under with gift shops, various play areas and snack bars. [1] The clubs were expected to change over time and to reflect the current Disney movie. [2]
Disney Regional Entertainment was formed in 1996 to develop locally based entertainment concepts. [3] Soon after the purchase of Capital Cities/ABC Inc., Disney CEO Michael Eisner moved forward with his idea of having local entertainment based on Disney brands in metropolitan and suburban areas. [4] Several concepts were placed in the planning stage. [2]
Club Disney was the first to be launched, with birthday party reservations for its first location opening on January 15, 1997. [2] On February 21, 1997, its first location opened to the public at the Westlake Promenade in Thousand Oaks, California, with Eisner present alongside Mickey Mouse and Goofy. A dozen protested outside over wages, holding placards saying "Disney Pays Mickey Mouse Wages." The protestors called themselves Alliance for Democracy and claimed workers in Haiti made 28 cents an hour to make Pocahontas pajamas. [5] Twenty Ventura County sheriff's deputies were on hand as Disney expected tens of thousands to show up. While the lines were long to get in, the expected turnout did not materialize with 1,000 waiting at the 10 AM opening. [6] Wunderman Cato Johnson’s San Francisco office handled the advertising for the first location, while Club Disney put out a request for bids for the launch of its second location in West Covina, California, which was expected to open in December 1997. [7]
A complaint was filed in March 1997 over the coloring of the Thousand Oaks location. A report indicated that it met design guidelines but the checkerboard paint pattern on top of the club was not approved. [8]
In August 1998, Disney Regional announced an expansion for Disney Club in late 1998 and 1999. By December 1998, a location in Chandler, Arizona, near Phoenix was expected to open, while locations in Lone Tree, Colorado, Glendale, Arizona, and others were planned for 1999. [1] [9] [10] The Glendale, Arizona Club opened in February 1999. [10]
In October 1999, Disney announced that all five Club locations would be shut down, with their last day of operation being November 1, 1999. The chain was not as profitable as Disney had expected, which was done amid a Disney conglomerate-wide capital-spending review by Chairman Michael Eisner due to pressure to stop falling earnings and stock prices. Some parents felt that they were overpaying for their admission. Toys for Tots received any unsold goods in the club shop, while the computers were donated to schools (the Thousand Oaks location computers went to Conejo Unified School District). [9] [11]
The locations were designed for repeated visits of 3 hours in length with a fixed entry fee, and to draw in customers from a 30-mile radius. To expand visits beyond the weekend there were multiple weekday admission programs, school groups' educational field trips, themed birthday parties and multi-session workshops. The birthday parties included cake, entertainers and invitations. An example multi-session workshop was Poohrobics, a parent and child stretching and exercise program led by Winnie the Pooh for 10 weeks. [2] Annual passes and prepaid tickets were also sold. [9] There are about a dozen rooms for private events at a location.
List of featured attractions:
The Walt Disney Company is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Oliver Disney as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; it also operated under the names Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions before changing to its current name in 1986. In 1928, Disney established itself as a leader in the animation industry with the short film Steamboat Willie. The film used synchronized sound to become the first post-produced sound cartoon, and popularized Mickey Mouse, who became Disney's mascot and corporate icon.
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Los Angeles and 40 miles (64 km) from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees present in the area.
Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California on its western border with Ventura County. It incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County. The population of the city was 8,029 at the 2020 census, down from 8,270 at the 2010 census.
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Roy Edward Disney KCSG was an American businessman. He was the longtime senior executive for the Walt Disney Company, which was founded by his uncle, Walt Disney, and his father, Roy O. Disney. At the time of his death, he held more than 16 million shares, and served as a consultant for the company, as well as director emeritus for the board of directors. During his tenure, he organized ousting of the company's top two executives: Ron W. Miller in 1984 and Michael Eisner in 2005.
Michael Breckenridge Eisner is an American television and film director.
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The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company which was active from 1983 to 2003.
ESPN Zone was a theme restaurant and entertainment center chain in the United States that included arcades, TV studios, and radio studios, operated by the Disney Regional Entertainment subsidiary of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts using the Disney-owned ESPN brand. While the ESPN Zone name is no longer used, similar, the ESPN Grill at ESPN Wide World of Sports is located within the Walt Disney World complex in Bay Lake, Florida with counter service and light theming. ESPN Club at Disney's BoardWalk Resort closed in 2022.
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Newbury Park is a populated place and town in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while unincorporated areas include Casa Conejo and Ventu Park. The town is located in Southern California around 8 miles (13 km) from the Pacific Ocean and has a mild year-round climate, scenic mountains, and environmental preservation. About 28,000 residents of Thousand Oaks reside in Newbury Park.
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Anaheim Sports, Inc., formerly Disney Sports Enterprises, Inc. (DSE), was a fully owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company based in Anaheim, California and created in 1992 as the ownership group for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim professional hockey team.
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Disney Regional Entertainment was the subsidiary of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts which developed and operated unique local entertainment concepts. It previously operated the Club Disney, DisneyQuest, and ESPN Zone chain entertainment concepts.
Golden Oak Ranch is an 890-acre (360-hectare) movie ranch owned by the Walt Disney Studios subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that serves as a filming location and backlot. The ranch is off of Placerita Canyon Road outside of Newhall, Santa Clarita, California, less than an hour north of Los Angeles; its entrance is not far from Placerita Canyon Road's intersection with California State Route 14.
Caruso, formerly Caruso Affiliated Holdings, LLC, is one of the largest privately held real estate companies in the United States. It was founded by Rick Caruso in 1987, with Corinne Verdery as its CEO since 2022. Caruso has a portfolio of retail and mixed-use properties in Southern California, including ones in Los Angeles, Glendale, Calabasas, Pacific Palisades, Marina Del Rey, Encino and Thousand Oaks.
