A ‘torturous’ closure

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, in her groundbreaking book “On Death and Dying,” outlined the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. And that’s been the emotional journey of most fervent Disney fans since the park’s historic closure. While some are still stuck in anger — signing petitions to recall the governor, for example — others are just sad and accepting of the new normal.

“When they closed the gates, in the beginning it was shocking and incredibly devastating,” said Connie McCrudden of Altadena. “It may sound a bit overdramatic, but I believe only true Disney fans understand how this time has felt torturous.”

A year ago, it would have been unthinkable to eliminate the Disneyland annual pass system that was the lifeblood of an estimated 1 million people, who flooded the parks daily to the point of discomfort due to overcrowding. Now, it’s just accepted as something that had to be done in the face of forces even stronger than the Disney juggernaut.

People are still getting their doses of Disney, in a diluted fashion. Visiting the shops and restaurants in the Downtown Disney district between the two parks, which has reopened; watching the Disney+ streaming service; viewing online videos of their favorite rides; staying active on fan blogs; and even making costumes and versions of rides at home.

“When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she asked me if I could reopen Disneyland,” Michelle Kargenian said about her teenage daughter Caroline, who regularly did her homework with her friends inside the Animation Academy building at Disney California Adventure.

According to Caroline, homework was much more enjoyable when done inside the Turtle Talk with Crush attraction, accompanied by animation and music.

Nowadays, she has to video chat with her friends and play Disney music while doing homework together as they await the future.