Readers sound off on Disneyland ticket inflation, HBO Max children’s programming

The costliest place on Earth

As Todd Martens points out in the well-written and enlightening Disneyland stories in the Weekend section [“The great big highly specific guide to Disneyland,” April 23], compared with pricing of about $3 when the park opened in 1955, this would convert to about $34 in today’s dollars. But the pricing today with parking, etc. is over $300, a mind-boggling increase.

I have reached the conclusion that the pricing structure is geared to people who have large amounts of disposable income. The less money you make, the harder it is to take your kids to the so-called “Happiest Place on Earth,” if you can afford to go at all.

Ernest Salomon
Santa Barbara

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Evidently people with disabilities or special needs or both don’t go to Disneyland, so no need for “highly specific” tips, tricks or strategies for them.

A small info box with a QR code or URL could have easily linked to helpful information.

I’ll be spending the afternoon in a virtual queue with Disneyland’s Disability Access Service (DAS) trying to register my adult special-needs stepson for an upcoming visit.

Prem Bovie-Ware
Yorba Linda

The children aren’t watching

Regarding “Max’s future is young people” [April 19]: A few months ago, HBO Max removed many episodes of “Sesame Street” except those from the last 20 years.

Nearly all “Merrie Melodies”/”Looney Tunes” offerings from the 1950s to the 2000s were also removed, meaning classics such as “What’s Opera, Doc?” and “Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century” are missing.

If Warner Bros. Discovery intends to appeal to younger audiences, they’re doing an extremely poor job.

Tavish Stone
Gardena

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I remember when Las Vegas tried to go “kid and family friendly.” What a disaster. It couldn’t flip back any faster.

The idea of losing the audience you have for the one you hope to get has never seemed very smart or effective.

David Smith
Los Angeles

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Ryan Faughnder’s article about HBO Max’s children’s programming neglected to mention “Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child.” That series has been running on HBO for a long time and it is still fresh and engaging. It was one of the first programs to use multi-ethnic characters, music, writers and voices in classic fairy tales — along with all-star actors’ voices like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, BD Wong and many others.

Hopefully Max will continue to air this unique and entertaining program for the whole family.

Donna Brown
Studio City

The Source cult’s open secret

Regarding “The colorful afterlife of a ‘70s L.A. cult” [April 18] I was 14, hitchhiking to the Source restaurant, doing Kundalini yoga and I was friends with girls in the Source family.

In addition to the “spiritual wives” mentioned in Erin Osmon’s feature, it was an open secret that Jim Baker, a.k.a. Father Yod, was brainwashing (or grooming, as it’s known today), giving drugs to and sexually abusing underage girls.

These details were apparently swept away in your paean to the Source cult.

Susan Deutsch
Venice

A patron of the arts

Regarding “Richard Riordan, 1930-2023” [April 21]: We would like to add a little music to the accolades for Richard Riordan from the Santa Monica Symphony.

We are an orchestra that provides admission-free concerts and he has been so kind to us by providing his home for our fundraising events. We will miss him dearly.

David Bendett
Beverly Hills