Sit back and let your eyes feast on these beautiful vintage pics of people NOT having fun at Disneyland. Ok, they WERE having fun at Disneyland except for the moments they were being photographed. Probably. 

Oh how I loved Boy Scout Days at Disneyland. I was a Boy Scout (and a Cub Scout) and lived for this one day a year. For some dumb reason I thought it was fun to wear my uniform in public at Disneyland. As if I were more important than on other non-uniformed days in the park. This is not me in the photo.

Lady, take better care of that guide map!

I'm sure the Color Gallery in Tomorrowland was loads and loads of fun. Secretly the lady and guy wearing a purse were loving it.

Nice white tuxedo and Test Track hat, kid.

Alice?

15¢?

I'm lovin' the double steering wheels. (Midget Autopia)

Walt is definitely not having fun.

For all those Guest Relation people who say "Walt hated Disneyland because he didn't get it right until he made Magic Kingdom"... you are still wrong. Despite his expression in this photo. Also, he never saw the Magic Kingdom.

For all you that say early Disneyland was no fun... you now have your proof. No, actually it was very very fun.

The funny thing about all these photos is that they came from Disneyland souvenir books. Books that Disney sold in the park. I used to photograph the parks for Disney and they were always so particular about the people in the shots. First of all, we had to introduce ourselves, ask the people to sign a waver, then ask them to pose a certain way. (Unless we hired professional models to act like they were guests). Additionally there were a million guidelines about diversity. There had to be non-white people somewhere in each shot. Age diversity was big, as was (believe it or not) weight diversity--not only skinny people in every pic. And of course smiles. That was huge with management. Occasionally it was asked of me, “can you Photoshop an even bigger smile on that person?”

I do prefer the very candid shots of the old days. Much more natural. Although it's always nice to at least look like you are not miserable.

Photos from the collections of the ImagineeringDisney.com staff. ©The Walt Disney Company.

Related posts:

EYE CANDY: National Geographic Aug '63
EYE CANDY: National Geographic Aug '63 [Part 2]
1962 Disneyland Souvenir Map - High Res
Early Tomorrowland... so beautiful.
Vintage Disneyland Home Movies- Meeting Walt Disney Himself
Disneyland 1955 Model Close-ups

Yes, it's been six weeks since we began accepting entries to our first-ever competition. We have decided to continue accepting entries until Monday at midnight EST. So take advantage of the extra two days!

For contest details click here.

A few answers to your questions:
 

Have there been many entries? Yes. We have been extremely pleased with the number of entries and even more pleased with the GREAT ideas that have been submitted. We wish we could post every idea. We have yet to receive a concept that we do not like. 

Who will be judging? Our small staff plus one or two friends of the blog.

If I'm a winner will I be contacted prior to my idea being posted on the blog? Yes. We will send you an email before posting.

How many concepts will be posted on the blog? Several. We want to feature "winners" plus honorable mentions as well as one or two of our own concepts.

Why the extra two days? Many of our readers are attending D23 Expo in Anaheim right now. That, and we've received requests for extra time to polish ideas.

Prizes? Yes. The honor of thousands of intelligent Disney fans reading your concept!

Is there any chance at all that Walt Disney Imagineering will consider my idea? No. This competition is not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or WDI. Anything built in the parks in the future that resembles anything you see here is purely coincidental. WDI's official policy is to not review any concept from outside their department (at least without a bunch of wavers, etc.)

Will Imagineers see my ideas? Only if they visit this blog for fun. Many Imagineers have told us they are frequent readers of the blog.

When will I receive feedback for my concept? If you indicated in your entry that you'd like our feedback, we will reply in the weeks after the winners are posted.

Will there be an Expo '12? Yes.

The on-property out-of-park non-hotel entertainment offerings leave so much to desire. At least for guys like me who: buy few Mickey-shaped knick knacks, don't wear temporary tattoos, can only handle so many third-rate rain forest animatronics, and watch a Circ show only every five years. (I do, however, love free sample Ghirardelli chocolate squares, Earl of Sandwhich sandwiches, and the occasional bag of powdered sugar + benyas).

Before I get a hundred angry emails saying "Downtown Disney is the best", hear me out. The experience is what it is. But the king of themed entertainment (Disney) could offer an experience that brings every kind of fan back for more and more. Wasn't part of the Eisner Downtown Disney missions to attract local residents? Well it could do that so much better than it ever has. For example...

Large image 1900x2050.
Extra large image 3800x4100. 

Take a look at specific pieces of Walt Disney's backyard miniature live steam train. Enjoy amazing photos of similar railroads from decades ago and miniature railroads still in use today.

Above you see a graphic we've produced showing the basic layout of the Carolwood Pacific in Walt Disney's Holmby Hill backyard. No other graphic quite like this is know to exist. Below you see the layout of the home and railroad being compared to the current property.

Walt and Lillian purchased the Holmby Hills homesite in 1949. It was the last home in which either of them permanently lived. Although, at the time of Walt's death in 1966 the Disney couple was staying in the home of daughter and son-in-law Diane and Ron Miller who had recently moved to a larger home. They purchased the Miller house as a temporary place to stay as they remodeled their home on Carolwood.

Upon seeing the Carolwood location for the first time, Walt expressed that

We've had a blast hosting our first-ever ride concept competition. Judging was extremely fun yet extremely difficult. A big thanks to our judges (listed below) and a huge thanks to all of our contestants. We are pleased to announce that we liked every entry- no joke! This is a compliment to every concept submitted... we are sometimes hard to impress, ya know. Here we present 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. In upcoming post(s) we will feature additional winners and honorable mentions.

The Villa Tempus
by Mike Schwalm

Artwork by Mike Schwalm

Intended for Disneyland Paris, Discoveryland or WDW property– situated so it can be accessed by park-goers as well as outside visitors). Based on the Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

Why can’t a theme park experience be more like a full blown movie? Of course many are, but they last only five to ten minutes at best. The Villa Tempus is an evening long experience that includes dinner as well as time travel adventure. Because of the specialized nature and limited capacity per evening the villa tempus would be reservation only as well as an additional ticket price. The structure of the evening is broken into three acts much like a movie narrative.

Prologue
-You have been invited for dinner at the Villa Tempus by its mysterious resident.

Act 1
-Explore the grounds of the Villa and all of its inventions before meeting the Time Traveler.

Act 2
-Travel anywhere in history for a luxurious dinner before heading off again in your time machine.
-Crash land on the villa grounds thousands of years in the future.

Act 3
-Take a boat down a strange river back to the now decrepit villa.
-Race through the villa collecting the pieces needed to create a new time travel device while avoiding the scary Morlocks.
-Complete the device and travel back to the present in the nick of time.

Epilogue
-Bid the Time Traveler farewell and exit through the gift shop.

More info and concept art here: PDF
Mike's blog.

Judges' Thoughts

We were blown away by Mike's work. It's clear he has put tremendous thought into this concept.

"At last a time machine attraction. Yes. I love it. I love it being an entire evening and making the guests feel like they are in a movie. It's totally different and different is just what the parks need." –Lilly

"Disney doesn't have a mystery theatre. That's a pity, really." –Paul, WDW Fan Boys

La Storia di Leonardo Da Vinci (The Story Of Leonardo Da Vinci)
by Nicholas Bulus

Artwork by ImagineeringDisney.com staff.
Intended for the Italy Pavilion, World Showcase, Epcot. A dark ride with similar track type to Peter Pan's Flight. Ride vehicles would resemble Da Vinci's flying machine. The actual ride carriage would be below the wing and hold 4-6 guests.

The experience would start in the queue showcasing replicas of Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions and some of his other works. each invention would be explained on a plaque below it. The boarding area wall would be a mural showing the schematics of the flying machine. Slowly the schematics would come to life and the flying machine would take off after boarding. The whole basis of the attraction would be to follow the life of Leonardo Da Vinci. It would start out in his hometown of Vinci showing him as a young child and how creative he was from the start. The next few scenes would show Da Vinci in his professional life and also in the renaissance showing him working on the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and many of his sketches that went onto inspire the helicopter, the tank, etc. The final show scene would be kind of a montage showing how many of Leonardo's ideas and paintings have fit into today's culture. When guests exit the vehicles they enter Da Vinci's lab where they can learn more about Da Vinci and his work and even design their own inventions and paintings. Of course the entire ride would contain sight gags similar to the ones in World Of Motion and the whole attraction would be narrated by someone who really engages the audience.

Judges' Thoughts

We loved this concept for a number of reasons. It fits perfectly in World Showcase where this type of ride would be very welcome by Epcot fans. It has a certain charm, fitting style, and here at the blog we love some good edu-tainment!

"I love the idea of highlighting Da Vinci whom we all know as a genius, but don't always know his background and I love, love that we would travel on his flying machine." –Lilly

We'd like to recognize "Yourfutureleader" who submitted a similar, more thrill-based Da Vinci concept. We loved this one as well.

Halls of Weather
by Jeff Sugar

Artwork by Jeff Sugar

Artwork by Jeff Sugar

The Land, The Living Seas and now...The Halls of Weather. The newest pavilion to Epcot Center will take guests on a journey that explores the most influential forces on planet Earth.

Once inside, guests will depart on “The Jet Stream” - a dark ride which soars along the winds of change. They will experience the chill of the arctic, the heat of the desert and the diversity of the seasons across the globe. Next stop is the immersive IMAX theatre show “Up in the Clouds” where guests will follow the life of the water cycle and its effects on man and the environment. Images wrap around the domed interior while the theater comes to life as the seats react to the action. The final stop is the interactive “Weather Port”. A fully interactive exhibit hall surrounds the forty foot tall “Tornado Tower” - an ever changing enclosed weather system that is the focal point for this area. Here, guests can participate in live shows, feel the winds of a category five hurricane, become a meteorologist or work individually at interactive kiosks and hands-on
exhibits that detail the variety of weather types.

Judges' Thoughts

We loved the fact that Jeff designed an entire pavilion! It's no secret that we old-school Epcot fans find the Future World of today super lacking compared to that of yesteryear. This concept would have lots to do and could be good time.

"This attraction sounded like something that should have been built back in 1982.  I think it would be a great addition to Future World with it's attraction followed by Imax and other post-show activities. The floating cloud ride vehicles also make the attraction look very fun, and the pavilions layout as a whole looks fantastic." –Donnie, I'm a Blogger Dottie... A Rebel

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4th, 5th, and 6th Place Winners and Honorable Mentions

Stay tuned for additional concepts– including two separate 11 year old girls who submitted fantastic concepts.

Podcast

This week Mitch was a guest on an episode of the WDW Fan Boys Podcast to discuss the competition. Check it out. 

Judges

Hoot Gibson, Mesa Verde Times
Tim Grassey, Brett Bennett, and Paul Miller, WDW Fan Boys
Donnie, I'm a Blogger Dottie... A Rebel
Fritz, Lilly, Mitch, ImagineeringDisney.com

Related Posts:

Ride Concept Competition
Ride Concept Competition: FINAL DAYS

_________________________________________________

Comments

For this particular post we ask that all comments be positive in nature. Less-positive comments can be emailed to us. Thanks.

Marc Davis is my hero. He is the best Imagineer to ever live. His influences in theme park design continue today more than a decade after his death. But his early Imagineering experiences weren't all sunshine and lollipops.

An Animation Legend

His contributions to animation are significant– Cinderella, Alice, Tinker Bell, Maleficent, Auroro, Cruella De Vil, and so on. Though he didn't particularly like animating "bland female characters" he mastered the difficult task. Marc once told Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston that "he got a lot of crap characters (to animate). Moving a girl around with a rotoscope [tracings of live action] is a pretty rotten way to make a living."

Marc's WED Legacy Begins

After his work on 101 Dalmations, Marc with a few other animators produced preliminary work on an animated film they hoped to eventually make at the studio. The film "Chanticleer" was never made because management deemed a chicken movie to be not-so-interesting. Note: Some of the work did go on to influence the studio's 1973 "Robin Hood". After "Chanticleer" was bagged, having not been assigned to any specific animation effort, Marc Davis would unknowingly begin his WED legacy. 

Improving Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland

In 1962 Walt Disney asked Marc to head over to Disneyland and take a "good, hard, critical look" at Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland which opened in 1960. "See what you think about this thing." Walt was less than satisfied with this somewhat boring attraction.

Upon viewing the attraction Marc quickly saw that "there was an awful lot of things wrong" with Mine Train and other attractions. He had plenty of constructive feedback for Walt and many ideas for improvement. "They had no gags in it, no story at all," Marc said about Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland. "One kit fox's head is going up and down, then about a hundred feet away another kit fox's head is going left to right, so I took the two, put them nose to nose, so one is going up and down, the other moves side to side, So immediately you have humor!"

Marc made about 40 drawings of how the park could be improved. At this time of Disneyland history, park management was very unhappy with the men sent to Disneyland from the Walt Disney Studios to help with the park.  Marc's wonderful wife Alice remembers that the Disneyland people "seemed jealous".

Marc quickly found himself (within 2½ hours of telling Walt he had drawings) in a meeting with the entire WED crew. "Everyone who was important was there, and here I am, a stranger from animation. So I stood up and I started explaining piece by piece." When discussing animated figures his knowledge of anatomy gave him the credibility that no one in the room could compete with. He expressed frustration with the way people were seated in the Mine Train cars (all facing center). He described how we look forward when driving a car because forward is where the danger and excitement will exist. This and everything else he spoke of impressed Walt and "he was buying everything I had done and he was quite intrigued with it," Marc said. Interestingly enough, I do not believe Marc's suggestion for the modified seating arrangement was ever fully implemented. 

Marc's "Little Pencil"

Quickly Marc Davis was Walt's choice for some of the most interesting and challenging assignments at WED. Other crew members resented this, as you could imagine. One short-sighted WED executive once walked by Marc's desk and said, "And what are you doing with your little pencil now?" Jerk. This would not be the end of Marc's run-ins with prominent Imagineers. Not gonna name names. But I'm looking your way John H. and Tony B. (We still love you, Tony Baxter.)

Jungle Cruise Improvements + Ride Posters?

It's no secret that Explorer Boat Ride a.k.a. Jungle River Cruise a.k.a. Jungle Cruise was nothing to laugh about in its early years. By that I mean it was more serious and less funny than the versions we know today. Marc was asked to pretty much do with Jungle Cruise what he did on Mine Train. He often mentioned that he got a kick out of the Elephant Pool in particular. He also mentioned, "I really did most of the ride posters as well." Interesting! Any we haven't seen?? Most certainly. 

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

Holy moly how did he do it? I know he wasn't alone in any of these but by golly his visible influence out ways that of all others. Could you imagine a grass hut with dozens of robotic birds singing above you... WITHOUT the Marc Davis charm? This (and quite possibly every other Marc Davis attraction) would have had the potential of being creepy on the level of third-rate (yet still fun) local amusement parks. Or even crazy Japanese rip-off parks.

1964-65 World's Fair

Walt assigned not only Marc Davis to the World's Fair efforts but his lovely wife Alice Davis as well.  The character work in all four Disney-designed Fair atrractions– "it's a small world", Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, Carousel of Progress, and Ford's Magic Skyway– were all heavily designed by Marc. Alice's costume designs were also a significant contribution.

Marc, Alice, and Mary Blair (what a trio!) with a small handful of other WED-ites created all of "it's a small world" in what, 11 months? Dang.

All This in the First Couple Years

So with no prior "3-D" experience and in a very short period of time, Marc Davis would create and/or strongly influence some of the theme park industry's most successful attraction experiences ever. "This was quite a change to get up from an animation desk and find out all of a sudden there were people with bulldozers and they wanted to know where you want his pile of dirt!"

Shortly After:

Marc's greatest achievement of his career followed by his second-greatest achievement– Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland and The Haunted Mansion. After that, his greatest unbuilt acheivement– Western River Expedition. Other fantastic Marc Davis attractions after Walt's death were and are also fantastic– Country Bear Jamboree, America Sings, etc. 

More to come.

Thank you Alice Davis, John Canemaker, World Famous D.E., and others for the stories.

Related posts:

The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 1 ]
Marc Davis and Disneyland's Rivers of America Rehab
America Sings
Carousel of Progress Like You’ve Never Seen It
Diana Lai: An Original Enchanted Tiki Room VIP Hostess
Jungle Cruise Commercials
EYE CANDY: National Geographic Aug '63
EYE CANDY: National Geographic Aug '63 [Part 2]
ABANDONED DISNEY: Country Bear- Max

Walt Disney World opened 40 years ago today. Here we bring you photos of some of the work that went on before Opening Day- October 1, 1971.

I wish to write down a few thoughts about Steve Jobs and the impact he had on his organization and compare it to that of Walt Disney. I must also point out that it is my opinion that the current Walt Disney Company would do well to follow similar patterns.

As I type this, ABC Nightline states, “He was our Edison, our Disney, our Da Vinci.” Right now, the current leader of The Walt Disney Company is speaking about his friend and colleague Steve Jobs who died today.

Let me get right to my main point. If you look at cartain aspects of Jobs’ leadership at Apple in recent years and compare them to certain aspects of Walt Disney’s leadership back in his day you see many similarities. Neither was perfect. Both men had his share of follies. I won’t say one is more important than the other. We’re not here to do that.

Both of these men were a father-figure type leader of their company. Both men were trusted by their organization for their vision, proven record, genius, and even personality. Both leaders had a positive and popular public image (for the most part). Both leaders were pleasant yet frank. Neither put up with crap from the people around them. Both leaders were extremely aware of their company's history, both good and bad.

Both of their companies had focus. Both of their companies could focus because neither was too widely spread. Disney at the time had essentially two divisions– The Studio (animation, live-action film) and Disneyland. Apple has essentially two divisions as well– Hardware and Software. Both men knew quite well how much to expand their company. More importantly, perhaps, both knew when not to expand. Walt could have put a Disneyland in any number of places but he wisely limited this. Though Apple Stores are now beginning to dot the globe, Steve was very select in his placement of these stores. Jobs is known to simplify his product line-up. Apple could have manufacturing hundreds of gadgets but Jobs saw wisdom in seeking perfection in only a few core products.

Neither leader was driven by money only. Both knew the value of a quality product (Mac-haters, bear with me...). Both leaders cared more about a customer's experience with a product than the money it would generate. Both held back from releasing products if the product was not just right. Both Disney and Jobs knew that if something was done right, people would pay and money wouldn’t be a problem.

Both leaders had a knack for picking business and creative leaders. Both owned top animation studios. :) Both were innovators. Both developed concepts that proved to be timeless. Walt’s “formula” for building and maintaining a theme park still stands as the most successful and beloved of any in the world. Steve’s ideas about accessable entertainment and communication changed the way everyone would operate– even if you don’t own a single Apple product. Both developed specific technologies and techniques that left all their competitors in the dust. Both paid less attention on what others were doing and more attention on what they weren't doing. Both sought out to do what had never been done before. Neither had a tendancy for low-risk, play-it-safe behavior yet both were wise in their "gambles".

People around the world could hardly wait to see what both these men would present next. Few corporate leaders were household names like these two. Few corporate heads have ever had fans. Few corporate heads have directly affected the day-to-day entertainment of so many people.

Interestingly enough, both presented plans for a circular community shortly before dying:
 

Both men died young. Walt in his mid-60s and Steve in his mid-50s. 

We present the fourth part of our River Country series. Rumors continue, as they have for years, about what will happen with the River County land. One thing is for certain, River Country will never open to the public again... At least not as the River Country we remember.

When you think about it, it's not all that shocking that Disney closed something only to let it rot. They've been doing that for years. I for one am glad River Country stuck around. We can now enjoy creepy photos of the abandoned place. Few Disney attractions close and are demolished immediately after closing, for whatever reason, unless the replacement attraction is ready to be built. Think of: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Submarine Voyage, PeopleMover, the Skyway towers, Image Works, Food Rocks, Mission to Mars (Disneyland), America Sings, etc. All were abandoned for years after they closed, before they were eventually removed completely or redesigned as something else.

Below we get a view of the Contemporary and even Bay Lake Tower. In Part 1 we see similar photos not long before Bay Lake Tower was constructed. Additionally you can see Space Mountain.

A banner encouraging "recycling". Ironic.

An old yellow float tube.

Once again we encourage you to not tour this closed area of Walt Disney World without permission.

Also enjoy [Part 1], [Part 2], and [Part 3]. 

Photos from "Tri-Circle D" at The DIS Discussion Forums. Images of Resort Guest tickets from "CAJUNWDWFAN". A big thanks to all three.

Related posts:

ABANDONED DISNEY Series
ABANDONED DISNEY: MK Fantasyland Skyway Tower
ABANDONED DISNEY: Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts
ABANDONED DISNEY: Country Bear- Max
If This Doesn't Scare You.....
Bin Laden Mansion Minutes From Walt Disney World 

This week, while visiting the walled city of California Adventure, I took the chance to study the Buena Vista Street model. The model shows us what we can expect from DCA's upcoming new "Main Street". It looks fantastic. And compared to what was there before, it looks like the greatest park improvement in Disney history.

This is a rare occurrence. Disney takes something they originally considered to be "hip" and "attractive to the young crowd" and they spend millions to convert it to be something far more "traditional Disney". And we traditional fans should rejoice.

The "Storytellers" statue maquette on display was also a sight to behold. This will be the counterpart to the "Partners" statue at Disneyland. You'll notice in the fourth photo a small Walt and Mickey statue close to the front of the park. The most recent Imagineering presentations confirm that the Storytellers will be located in the mini plaza in photo 13 of this post.

Hooray California Adventure for doin' these things. I tell you, that Little Mermaid ride is also something wonderful. I loved it to death. Here's to fixing life's little mistakes.

Related posts:

Swiss Family Treehouse Model
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 2 ]
Disneyland 1955 Model Close-ups
A Look at the Progress City Model- Then and Now
2 Fantastic Disneyland Scale Models
LEGO Disneyland

We’ve never done a trip report before. But recently all of us have visited multiple properties and thought it would be fun to share a few things.

My wife and I enjoyed the Disney Cruise with another couple. Before boarding The Wonder out of Los Angeles we hung out at Disneyland for a couple days. My wife had just finished working and playing for a week at Walt Disney World. I was so proud of her ability to compare all six domestic parks so well. How attractive is that.

California Adventure was all-walls, as I mentioned in the previous post. Ok not all walls but there were plenty of walls, each adorned with those great attraction posters. What better way to enjoy a plywood maze than with great stylized artwork. Really, these posters are fantastic.

Both ladies in the group were/are pregnant (that’s right, my wife and I are expecting our first). The other guy and myself are artists/designers so the geeky art talk was great.

The Little Mermaid ride was a deeeelight. Really. We all agreed it was the highlight of the day. And the highlight of the ride for me was those dang cute animatronics. Especially the two Scuttle figures. I love the classic nature of the ride and feel it’s a win for everyone– perhaps especially for us fans of traditional disney rides. Later in the week I had a great conversation with a famous Little Mermaid animator who had some great comments about the ride. Look for that conversation in the next post.

Grizzly River Run. I realized how much I love the Grizzly River Run which I had not been on for over ten years. I do wish there were some fun animal animatronics though. Hint hint to Disney. Maybe some fun Nature’s Wonderland gags goin’ on around the rapids?

Cars Land. Of all park real estate this could have been built on, they chose the least offensive. They didn’t violate sacred ground. In other words, it didn’t go in Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, or Epcot. Although I’m sure management can picture its duplicate right on top of the Tomorrowland Grand Prix, Magic Kingdom. Quick grumble: Just because something is well crafted... doesn’t mean it is well designed. The rock work and other construction is very well crafted. But it seems they are not getting far enough away from that carnival-ish ride style that already plagues DCA...? We’ll see.

Buena Vista Street. I am digging this. See the previous post. ‘Twill be a wonderful little place. Just the charm this park entrance needs. Sorry to all those lovers of the “oversized postcard” look. That is long gone already. Side note: Complaints are floating around that the Monorail doesn’t fit the 1920s setting. True. But somehow I think it will all work out nicely. Remember, the track was there long before BVS. And remember, the futuristic Monorail has been passing by the turn-of-the-century main entrance of Disneyland for decades. Good enough reason? Anyway, just keep thinking of the charm of the Red Car Trolley.

Disneyland. Hooray for the usuals. Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, Storybook, etc. Pirates was closed and Mansion was holiday-ized. I do like that Jack Skellington animatronic, I must say.

The Colors of Mary Blair. I’m lovin’ the Mary Blair exhibit at the old Bank on Main Street. What a charming charming collection that is. No wonder Walt’s favorite artist was Mary Blair. Also, I’ve found in recent times that the Cast Members there and at the Opera House next door are quite helpful and knowledgeable. Hooray for that.

A bit of Epcot at Disneyland! This is a treat for anyone waiting to see Mr. Lincoln (who is also a treat). You might recognize these if you've visited The American Adventure at Epcot's World Showcase. These are miniature versions of the life-size statues on the East coast.

The moral of this part of the post: There are great things for us lovers of the old-school to enjoy and  to look forward to. Alllllthough at the same time we must continue to ignore some of the cluttery crap that has found a home in our beloved park.

Star Tours (not the cluttery crap I was referring to). Ok this enhancement is better than many fanboys might give it credit. According to this fanboy at least. Do I love the loose timelines and Jar Jars? No. But the place looks great. And how can a screen look so bright and crisp? I'm super happy that the ride pilot is a great C-3PO animtronic and not "ACE". And really, Star Tours 2.0 is the least of Tomorrowland’s problems. I didn’t see a single Rocket Rod go by the whole time I was there. Hee hee.

West Side. This is where the group decides to leave me for a couple hours. And why they don't want to watch me photograph the architectural remains of things that have been gone for forty years... your guess is as good as mine.

Spoiler alert for upcoming posts: I did some mystery solvin' for things like Frito Kid, the various extinct shooting arcades, and other former attractions and areas. Ahh the joys of finding things I have never before been able to find. Not to mention the joys of people cleaning tables telling me I'm wrong about the building I'm looking at. For the record... I was right about those buildings.

For fun. Walt in the driver seat of the old milk truck with some Boy Scouts and some girls.

More walls. Club 33 was not blocked but the exit of Pirates was. I found it interesting to see a temporary Club 33 sign on the temporary wall. For the record... Walls are not always a bad thing.

Spotted. Reese Witherspoon, her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, their daughter, and another girl were climbing out of a Splash Mountain log as we were climbing in the same log. Shortly after we saw them buying their ride photo. Then we saw them buying bottled water. Oh those fancy Hollywood celebrities.

Trip Report Part 2 (Disney Cruise) coming next. 

Related posts:

The Era of Big and Tacky
Buena Vista Street Model
Disneyland Meets EPCOT Center
America Sings

After a couple days at Disneyland we boarded the Disney Cruise Line’s second ship, The Wonder. We’ve been lucky to cruise three times in recent years for almost no cost (thank you, various perks). 

7 Day Mexican Riviera Cruise. After arriving and unpacking our bags in our windowless inside stateroom, Guest Services knocked on the door. “You have been reassigned to a different stateroom.” Whuuu? “Here are new room keys for you and the other couple in your party.” Ummm... this person/friend (you know who you are) made our week. We walked into the new “Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms with Veranduhs”. Boy do those private balconies make a difference. Especially when the upgrade was unexpected and free. Did I mention the guy at port check-in asked if we wanted veranduh room upgrades for $2,600?

Andreas Deja. The next highlight was the fact that animation great, Andreas Deja, was on board for the week. He gave two presentations while at sea. Both fantastic.

I’m a long-time fan of Andreas’ work. He is considered to be one of what some might call the “Nine New Men”. He was very influential in the “Second Golden Age of Animation”. His work includes many characters on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, King Triton in The Little Mermaid, Mickey Mouse (as both the Prince and the Pauper) in The Prince and the Pauper, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin, Scar in The Lion King, Mickey Mouse in Runaway Brain, Adult Hercules in Hercules, Goofy in How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, Mama Odie and Juju in The Princess and the Frog, Tigger in Winnie the Pooh, and much more.

The first presentation was about “The Nine Old Men”. Part of Andreas’ animation credibility comes from having professional relationships with most of the the Old Men. He was wise enough to consult with them before they all passed away. He was more or less a student of these animation greats. And the stories he tells are first-rate.

On the last “sea day” Andreas shared stories from his own career. Aaaaannd he drew some stuff.

We saw some devolopment work for Belle.

And some of the evolution of Gaston. 

Fantastic animal studies.

Excellent marker sketches. Later Andreas gave away the sketches to audience members who answered trivia questions. 

I had a couple of great conversations with Andreas. We talked about the Little Mermaid ride. Since he had done so much on the film, I wanted his take on the new ride. He said he liked it but that it still needed work. It sounds like there will be upcoming improvement to the "going under the sea" effect as well as one or more of the Ariel figures. He said he wishes there were more scenes and that certain scenes were a little better represented. In a joking manner he said, "a little more Triton would be nice", seeing how he designed the animated character! Lasseter has given WDI many notes, many of which will be implemented in the Magic Kingdom version of the ride. Andreas also shared that he is reworking the Mickey on new Walt Disney Company logo along with the Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey on the new Walt Disney Imagineering logo.

A Real Life Adventureland. After we anchoring at the first port we took an hour-long boat ride to this beautiful jungle beach south of Puerto Vallarta.

A trained parrot circled the boat several times as we approached to dock. Exotic native-looking women and men greeted us on shore. A number of small monkeys climbed on our shoulders. The head salesman offered us two of his heads for one of ours. 

Movie director from the 1940s-1960s, John Huston, owned the place until his death in the 1980s. After snorkeling (in very warm water), paddle boarding, coconut milk drinking, and kayaking everyone ate amazing ribs and Mexican food at Huston’s former house and surrounding buildings and patios. It reminded me of eating at Disneyland’s Tahitian Terrace. According to the posted memorabilia, Huston’s home was not entirely enclosed (same as today) which allowed for wild jungle animals to enter at will. He reported having jaguars enter the home at night while he slept.

Mickey Drawing Class. The guys decided to go to the character drawing class while our wives relaxed on the deck. I learned a few things about Walt Disney I had never heard before. Probably because they never actually happened. According to the instructor girl, Walt “forgot” to sign his first drawings of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit therefore “he lost all rights to this character he created”. Hmmm. Is that what happened?? “So sign your drawing of Mickey today so you don’t make the same mistake Walt Disney made”. I guess I own the rights to Mickey Mouse now. (My sketch on the right.)

Cabo San Lucas was beautiful. Puerto Vallarta is on mainland Mexico and is super tropical. Cabo is on the peninsula and is very much a desert. We went to Cabo twice because cruise lines don't go to Mazatlan anymore? For $8 we had a private boat tour of Arches. Sea lions were everywhere. The place was stunning.

The water was unbelievable. Not far offshore large rocks protrude out of the water. The water is as deep as 80 feet around the rocks. The snorkeling was outstanding– clear water, thousands of fish, colorful plants, and even dive-bombing pelicans. 

Winnie the Pooh movie. We loved watching this movie. (All movies are free of charge in the two theaters on the ship.) The classic style, the traditional animation, the simple and charming story. It was also a treat to watch an animated film in the same room as one of the supervising animators of that film. Andreas was there. I had asked him earlier in the week if he enjoys watching his own work. He said he didn’t. He said he loves watching the work of other animators but doesn’t revisit his own past animation much. But there he was. I also loved Pixar’s Bud Luckey as Eeyore. You might recognize his voice from his Pixar short Boundin’. The Ballad of Nessie short that preceded Winnie the Pooh was also fantastic. I loved the style that resembled old shorts like Johnny Appleseed and Pigs is Pigs– two childhood favs.

Our new former Jungle Cruise Skipper friends. Most passengers got all hyper-silly-giddy when they saw some “magical” thing happen. I would guess that very few of these passengers are deeper than surface-level Disney fans. I mean few really seek out the deeper geek side of Disney and its history. And that is just fine. But it’s always nice to know that there are fans out there that like some of the things I like. Fans of say, old EPCOT Center. One of these three guys was wearing a great vintage EPCOT t-shirt. Turns out they did the Walt Disney World College Program a few years back, skippering the Jungle Cruise. And they’ve kept in touch ever since. How cool is that.

Character meet-and-greets. You gotta meet Mickey and Minnie on the Disney Cruise. And the Flinstones.

All in all it was a fantastic week. The Mexican Riviera was surprisingly as great as the Caribbean. In some ways it was even better. Who knew? My once apathetic views of Disney's involvement in the cruise industry have definitely changed. The ships are classy (save for a few small areas). The itineraries are great. The live shows were grand, although the writing was quite terrible. I don't know much about pricing, but I imagine it's rather high, but perhaps worth it. We had only excellent service. Wish I could say that about Disneyland the week prior! 

Related posts:

Trip Report- Disneyland/Disney Cruise 10-2011 [Part 1]
Animation Studies
A Disney Artist's Designs for a Hanna Barbera Land
Original Visions of CalArts
Magic Highway U.S.A... It doesn't get much better than this.
Walt Disney Studios Post Production Behind-the-Scenes

Tomorrowland

New Orleans Square

Frontierland

Main Street, U.S.A.

I do love Disneyland. The Disneyland of today and the Disneyland of "then". All of us here at the blog frequented Disneyland as children more than any other park. I really feel that pretty much everything built at Disneyland up through the end of the 80s was fantastic. Things like this and this weren't added until the early 90s. Tomorrowland '67 was more or less still in tact. And even when they tinkered with the greatest Tomorrowland ever, the changes (like Americas Sings) and the additions (like Space Mountain) were great. Though there have been oh so many changes, there still can be found so much old architecture and other elements of the early years.

Related post:

Decades in Review [Part 2]
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot World Showcase [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot Future World [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Fantasyland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Adventureland [Part 1]
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [Part 1]

The new Muppets movie "The Muppets" will be released in a few days. We thought we'd bring you some old behind the scenes photos of Muppet magic– mostly from Sesame Street.

Recently a reader of the blog, David Blakeslee, sent us a set of questions and answers between himself and legend, Bob Gurr. Bob even addressed the very common question "How do I become an Imagineer?".

How Did you first hear of WED back in the day?

Bob Gurr: I never heard of them. I was asked to go to the Disney Studio, then was hired as a Studio employee, later transferred to WED after a one year stint with my office at Disneyland. But I learned all about WED in the first few weeks at the Studio.

What was that first studio week like, and what was your first experience with Walt like?

In late summer 1954, the Los Angeles Times ran a story about a new amusement park, complete with a beautiful painting of what was to come. Wow. Neat idea. Sure would like to design something there….Visiting Art Center College, my alma mater before going to Detroit…. I was asked if I did outside work in addition my regular Industrial Design job. I really didn’t, but I said yes. A few days later I was instructed to meet someone at the Walt Disney Productions Studio. Dick Irvine met me at the gate, then ushered me into the famous studio. They needed a car body designer…….bingo! The following Saturday I received a call at (ye gads)7:00AM. “Do you draft?” “Yes”. “Grab your tools and get over here”. Silence, dial tone. Roger Broggie was waiting for me… Nearby a little bare car slowly collected four guys with their feet on each tire, discussing what was to be done. One guy, slightly rumpled with a Roy Rogers wooden bullet belt, had his foot on one tire. I thought he was the father of one of the night guards. They called him “Walt”. You don’t suppose……? Yep, Walt Disney. No formal introduction, just get to work. Walt was collecting a lot of new folks on the Studio Lot. We were all gonna design Disneyland….Roger wanted me to draft up the little car’s mechanical parts so they could be produced in quantity, but he had lot’s of changes he needed. I was comfortable drawing up the body, but to production engineer a whole car? I was trained as a car stylist, not as a mechanical engineer. OK, I better learn fast. So, not only was I doing drawings at night during week, I spent Saturdays at the Studio drafting car parts, and learning just how much I didn’t know. So was everyone else. It was November 1954 and Walt said Disneyland would open in just eight months. Oh my gosh!

What’s your hope for the future of imagineering?

The current crop of Imagineers are the best I’ve seen, and their work on Shanghai will prove it.

Do you trust this next generation with WDI?

 Yes, [they’re] a combination of ones with passion and historic understanding, plus well educated.

Are you hopefull for new advances in technological availabilty or do you think we should get back to basics?

 Absolutely YES on technological advancements, the newest tools are the heart of their storytelling. Nothing is basic anymore… those simple days are gone, but good story [has] to be central to all attractions.

And finally, How does someone become an imagineer in your opinion? What degree, what type of school etc…

You might enjoy the following story from the upcoming book:

“How do I become an Imagineer? that’s the most popular question I’ve received over the years. I can certainly understand how Disney admirers have come to view this occupation as a dream job. I’ve worked with so many Imagineers that maybe I should attempt to describe the primary characteristics of these very creative folks for those who aspire to be one. For starts, you can’t just be one. You have to have an inherent internal drive within you that has always encompassed a range of characteristics that I think most successful Imagineers were born with. Characteristics that one might not be able to purchase in college.

There’s a big distinction between wanting to be an Imagineer and actually doing Imagineering work

The most important characteristic is to be permanently curious about everything, especially about stuff you don’t know, and stuff that does not seem relevant at the time. Walt Disney had this habit big time. If you are curiosity driven, you will absorb an untold wealth of information on the widest possible range of subjects…. The next big characteristic is fearless creativity. No idea is too stupid to articulate. No fear to show others a dumb idea. Maybe it will lead to something practical. If you are too timid to share ideas, then you’ll be the design wallflower in the room. I’ve seen two kinds of creativity; The great futurist, Syd Mead, spent hours going over ideas in his head, sorting out the path to the most successful creation before making the first sketch. Others send out a flow of ideas in a blizzard of words and pictures. The team now has a vast array to pick from. Same creativity, just different…. Another characteristic that you must have is communication skills. These can be taught, but the productive Imagineers have the ability to clearly express themselves in words and drawings. They can articulate new ideas in the clearest possible way.

Last bit of advice; College or not. Tough decision, especially economically. I went to Art Center to learn car styling. Art center does not teach car engineering. I engineered stuff. Everything I learned was on the job. I’ve seen bright kids start at a small shop as a gofer (go for, go get, etc), then work and learn their way up to professional project mangers. One fellow is president of a successful organization."

Bob Gurr designs:

A fantastic poster featuring Bob Gurr concept art. I purchased this at Disneyland a few years ago. The Disney Gallery (which was once above Pirates of the Caribbean's entrance-- now it's the Disneyland Dream Suite) hosted an Autopia show called "Autopia Yesteryear and Tomorrow" Presented by Chevron.

Bob's 1952 book, "How To Draw Cars of Tomorrow". Check out this must-read article about one of the earliest books on car design.

A young Bob Gurr at Art Center.

Thank you.

A big thanks to David and Bob. And check out Bob Gurr's new book.

Related articles:

1967 "New Tomorrowland" Broadcast
Disneyland in 1955
The Future Was Fantastic in '57
Magic Highway U.S.A... It doesn't get much better than this.
Disneyland 1955 Model Close-ups

Last year we posted a look at the mysterious Frito Kid at Disneyland. Since then we have set out to answer a few questions about him– specifically “Where exactly was he located??” and “What still exists today?” Here's what we've found.

 
Location 1– 1955-1957

We knew his first location was next to Aunt Jemima's Pancake House (River Belle Terrace today) just inside the front door. But which door? We searched high and low for a

Take a look at my latest little side project. I set out to make a maquette of one of my favorite martians from Disney's 1957 "Mars and Beyond". 

Years ago my pal Hoot Gibson gave me this DVD set and ever since I've been hooked. From that first viewing of "Mars and Beyond" I fantasized about a Tomorrowland ride based on this Ward Kimball treasure. The DVD also shares other films with a style that would lend to a wonderful Tomorrowland makeover. Speaking of Hoot Gibson... you may know that he is a master sculptor. His stuff makes me cry of jealousy.

Our great Twitter followers have been watching some of the step-by-step process over the last couple weeks. Here are some more process photos.

Behind the Scenes

Some Sculpey and Super Sculpey plus wire framing.

Form, bake, sand.

Assemble.

Paint and clean.

Related posts:

Our Friend the Atom
Little Box of Treasures
Magic Highway U.S.A... It doesn't get much better than this.
A Look at the Progress City Model- Then and Now
Swiss Family Treehouse Model
Recreating the Pirates Jail Scene in Miniature
THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1] 
The Fantasy of Space Colony Living

We bring you rare documentation of an old mural you might remember.

Recently my soul was hit with a sledge hammer when I read Kevin Kidney's post about a different mural literally being hit with a sledge hammer. Then I was informed by Michael Crawford that another equally obscure mural had the same fate. It's times like these I'm glad I documented the Bill Justice character mural in the old Walt Disney Story Theater.

Above for the first time online (we think) you can see the entire mural panned out this way. Forgive the distortions here and there. I photographed it in sections years ago with a digital camera that was sub-par. Nevertheless I'm happy I did it. Click image to enlarge or click here for extra larger version (6.6meg).

Bill Justice seen here working on other projects.

The mural was placed in the holding area of the Walt Disney Story attraction (1973-1992) in the Gulf Hospitality House on Main Street.

Guests would approach the mural on the curved wall, hear a cast member speil a few words, then proceed to one of two theaters. Doors would open on either the left or ride side of the mural depending on which theater was available at the moment. For a detailed history of this experience I refer you the great Widen Your World site.

Here you can see the doors to Theater 2 to the right of the mural.

Here you see where the doors to Theater 1 were removed when that theater was drastically changed to accommodate plywood photo ops (not pictured). Just behind those (temporary) curtains there used to be a Mr. Toad's Wild Ride car. Even better than the plywood in my opinion.

"But you hate when characters are mixed together" you say? Yes, normally I do. But I only really hate it when characters from different time periods/locations interact with each other. Like in the hideous Villains Tonight show on the Disney Cruise. A less-offensive-to-my-intelligence way of mixing characters is Mickey's PhilharMagic. Those characters do not interact with characters from films (Donald being the exception). The same is the case with this mural. The characters only look at the other characters from their own film (with a couple exceptions, like a Dalmatian puppy barking at the antics of The Three Caballeros).

Sleeping beauty was represented with a whopping 19 characters.

And Robin Hood with 14, including one of my favorites, Alan-a-Dale.

I know many fans of lesser-represented movies who loved the mural wide-spread representation of many films.

To you Black Cauldron fanatics (all thirty five of you) I'm sorry you are no longer represented at WDW.

I'm glad Elliott made it onto the mural. But I have a question... Isn't Pete's Dragon a live-action film with some animation mixed in? But so is Mary Poppins. And others. Song of the South made the cut. That makes sense because it's more of an animated film with live-action mixed in. Elliott was added years after the original mural was painted. I'm sure it was done to promote the latest film. And the film did have an animated title character. It makes sense.

The Three Little Pigs wasn't a full-length feature but they fit in nicely.

Charcters from new releases were added up until The Great Mouse Detective (1986).

When was this quote added? After the microphone and control box was no longer needed?

Added bonus.

Here are two other control boxes from Theater 2. I love discovering remnants of things that no longer exist. Things like labels for "PRE SHOW PODIUM" or "PROJ ROOM" or "TURNSTILE". Even better, "MAPO", a label we don't see much anymore.

Theater 2 awaiting its fate.

Instead of posting my thoughts about what currently occupies this great Magic Kingdom building, I refer you Mr. Crawford's post about the Town Square Theater. I share his thoughts. And when you visit the Town Square Theater in person look closely for this little nod to the mural. Thanks @Crushinat0r for sending us the photo.

As it turns out, this particular mural has escaped the ill fate that other murals have not. The Disney Archives has kept the actual painting for preservation. And maybe to post it somewhere else??

To anyone who worked on the refurb who might have found my Mike Fink Keel Boats sign... GIVE IT BACK. It was given to me a few years back, then I hid it in the theater for a moment, and I never saw again. Another soul-crusher.

Related posts:

Illustrated Donald Duck
Magic Kingdom Map Found in a Main Street Wall
What Disney Characters Love
Disney Characters...Maybe We Should Rethink a Few Things
Walt Disney and the Santa Maria Railroad
HORIZONS MURAL, "The Prologue and the Promise"
ABANDONED DISNEY: MK Fantasyland Skyway Tower

Let's look back at some popular posts of 2011.

Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific and Other Backyard Railroads
We did lots of investigating in order to map out Walt Disney's very own backyard railroad and compare it to the current property.

EPCOT Center Construction Photos: Future World
We dug up some fantastic old construction photos. Many had never posted online before.

National Geographic Aug '63
This two part post was very popular. Filled with amazing Disneyland photos from the early 60s.

Ride Concept Competition
Our first-ever competition was a huge success. We asked for your ideas for new rides and received so many great ones. You can check out the winners here.

ABANDONED DISNEY: Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts
An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the greatest attraction special effects of all time.

Not Having Fun at Disneyland
Old Disneyland photos of kids not having fun at Disneyland. Fun for a laugh!

ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 4]
Our most popular post of all time is still our first River Country post. Subsequent River Country posts are also very popular. Take a look at Disney's only abandoned park.

Bin Laden Mansion Minutes From Walt Disney World
The day Osama bin Laden was captured and killed we discovered that his brother had a mansion minutes north of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The home is now abandoned.

Walt Disney Studio Post Production Behind-the-Scenes
We found this fantastic video about Walt's studio. Lots of great footage.

Lake Buena Vista: The Other Prototype City with a Peoplemover
A Peoplemover and a Monorail at Downtown Disney?? It was supposed to happen.

EPCOT Center Graphics
Enjoy Mitch's custom graphics inspired by and featuring some of that wonderful Future World architecture.

Frito Kid Mysteries Continue
The very obscure and mysterious Frito Kid once lived at Disneyland. We pin-point his exact locations.

THEN AND NOW: Disneyland [Part 1]
Our "THEN AND NOW" series is one of our most popular. We've posted many comparisons from Walt Disney World in the past. This year we've added Disneyland.

Create Your Own Background Music
Quite possibly the most fun you'll ever have clicking around one of our posts. Easily create music with a click of a mouse. You might need this when scoring your own attraction.

Thanks for a great year. We are thrilled to welcome many new visitors. Keep coming back and feel free to join us on Twitter for daily tweets.

Here's a look at last year's Year in Review.

Dig through your basement, search through Grandma's attic, it's time for the ImagineeringDisney.com Photo Hunt.

We are looking for old Disneyland and Walt Disney World photos.

Remember your mother making you and your siblings stand still for those obnoxious pictures? Or that uncle with the new camera slowing you down when you wanted to run to Adventure Thru Inner Space? Today the old photos they took are little treasures. We just need to dig them up and share them with the world.

What kinds of park photos?

Anything old. Like 1980s and earlier. Or even more recent things that don't exist anymore. Horizons photos perhaps. Or people in the lobby of Disneyland's Country Bear Jamboree. Or photos without people in them. Maybe a photo of a cast member selling balloons or people eating in an old restaurant. Or hotel. Anything that is not seen today! Or photos of things seen today that might look a little different. Your photos are faded and scratched? Not a problem. We love those kinds. Feel like they are not interesting enough? "Uninteresting" photos sometimes tell the best stories or include some rare thing in the background.

What will we do with them?

So many great things. We always need old photos when writing new posts and doing research. We would love to post some of these photos just for the fun of showing them to the world. There are so many mysteries that need to be solved and your photos might be the key. Of course we won't sell them or use them for any kind of monetary gain.

Want to share a story that goes with your photos??

Absolutely. That would thrill us.

How to send them?

Email them to imagineering.disney@gmail.com. Large numbers of photos might require multiple emails. That's ok. Have only one photo? That's perfectly fine too. Include a little info about the photos. Include dates if you know them. If you know nothing about the photos, send 'em anyway. If you wish to receive credit for the photos, include the name, alias, and/or link you'd like us to include in the photo credits. Other special instructions are welcome as well. We are flexible.

What else?

Pay? We can't pay for the photos but we can help you share them with fans like yourself. We guarentee these photos will further this fun and wholesome Disney history research.

This week I dug through countless boxes and albums looking for early shots of the parks. I had that little fantasy running through my head that Grandpa might have taken a photo of the Frito Kid or the Progress City Model when it was above Carousel of Progress or the Orange Bird animatronic. No luck. But the photos I did find were super fun to discover.

Here's one from the early 80s (above). My father was taking the photo. I remember this trip and that Fantasyland was finally open again. During the previous trip it was closed because they were building "New Fantasyland". My brother and I are wearing matching striped socks and short shorts. At least the whole family wasn't matching. In a later Walt Disney World trip I remember we all wore matching shirts. When we left the hotel (some cheap place on 192) my dad slipped back in the room and came out with a different color shirt and made sure my mother didn't notice. On the Monorail she figured it out and we kids thought it was hilarious.

Begin the hunt today!