Disneyland

As Walt Disney Co. set out to renovate It's a Small World at Disneyland, the company's Imagineers had one thing in mind: Don't mess it up. Despite being one of the oldest attractions in the park, the ride is among the most popular -- drawing about 6.7 million riders a year.

Super Bowl hero Eli Manning acted like a quarterback Monday when it came time for his "I'm going to Disneyland!" moment: He passed. The New York Giants star was a no-show for a scheduled celebratory parade on Disneyland's Main Street, even though he shouted the familiar catchphrase on television Sunday night moments after his team's 17-14 victory over the favored New England Patriots.

Disneyland's "Small World" will soon be getting a little more crowded. The Anaheim amusement park is planning to add iconic Disney characters to the anonymous international cast of the beloved 'round-the-globe boat ride. The idea has sparked outrage among the family of the attraction's original designer and prompted a preservation campaign for the ride, which opened in 1966 and closed for renovations in January. Walt Disney Co.

Every childhood visit to Disneyland provoked the same argument between Patricia L. Caplette and her brother over which ride to hit first. He wanted to head straight for the Haunted Mansion; she insisted on Pirates of the Caribbean. So they bargained: If she could start the day with her favorite scurvy crew, he could end it getting spooked.

A proposal to build housing near Disneyland has escalated into a battle of wills between the entertainment giant and key Anaheim officials, who once could be counted on to follow Disney's every lead. Although some Anaheim City Council members see the project as a way to add needed housing to Orange County's second-largest city, Disney says it would disrupt the tourist environment and street scene it has worked hard to create outside the gates to Disneyland and California Adventure.

Two women suffered head injuries late Friday after tumbling off a tram in a Disneyland parking lot, an incident the state has no authority to investigate because the shuttle is not an amusement park ride, Anaheim officials said. Authorities were called to Disneyland's Timon parking lot about 10:20 p.m. after a woman standing on the tram toppled off as it turned.

Putting itself on a collision course with the city's largest and most famous employer, the Anaheim City Council voted 3 to 2 Tuesday night to reopen debate on whether to allow housing in the resort district -- a proposal Disney has fiercely opposed. The vote is the latest escalation in the debate between city leaders and Disney officials on what belongs in a neighborhood dominated by Disneyland and California Adventure.

Nearly two decades ago, former Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner ordered up a grand plan for Southern California. "Amaze me," he told his staff. They brought him visions of a massive expansion near Disneyland that included an international theme park, three resort hotels and a 6-acre lake. That vision never came to fruition, but Disney did open a second theme park in 2001 -- part of a larger goal to build up the Disney Resort and entice tourists to stay longer, like they do in Orlando.

Election day is 18 months away, but Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway can already see the attack ads coming. "They're going to say I'm anti-business, a left-wing liberal nut case, a communist and that I'm going to make small businesses give 50% of their revenue to pay for illegal aliens' housing."

Tuesday's City Council meeting in Anaheim is shaping up as classic political theater. Public policy can be dry, but, man, it gets interesting when someone adds passion to the mix. And that's what is going on in Anaheim, as interesting a city as there is in Orange County because of its inner-voice dialogue between the kind of city it is and the kind it might become.