Two weeks ago on our Twitter feed I shared several tweet-sized stories, all beginning with "One time..". I was happy with the positive response so here I bring you many more memories from my creative and non-creative rolls at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

 
• One time I took a nap in the Jungle Cruise hut where the natives are dancing while waiting for some fellow artists.

• One time I played basketball inside the top level of the Matterhorn with some girls and a flat basketball.

• One time I found an old Adventureland Veranda menu board on an Adventureland rooftop and accidentally broke it in half while transporting it.

• One time some ladies in the office found the old wooden Mike Fink Keel boats entrance sign and didn't know what Mike Fink Keel Boats were so they gave the sign to me. I was beyond thrilled.

• One time I wrote my name up inside the tallest spire of Cinderella Castle with a Sharpie.

• One time in 1999 I snuck into Club 33 when Disneyland was doing a park-wide Y2K electricity test and got stuck in Club 33 alone in the dark.

• One time a General Manager at Walt Disney World told me Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean was designed and built based on the movie.

• One time I spent the night in Magic Kingdom's underground command center during a hurricane and played with the remote control camera mounted on top of Cinderella Castle for hours. It has a very very powerful zoom.

• One time I ran into Michael Eisner by Magic Kingdom's Plaza Restaurant and the guy next to me pulled out a baseball for Eisner to sign which he did.

• One time I tied animatronic animals to poles for six hours as a hurricane approached.

• One time I free-hand embroidered names on Mickey ears for Erik Estrada and his wife after which she made Erik wear them.

• One time I free-hand embroidered names on Mickey ears for Paris Hilton and her friends. She told everyone to gather around to watch and said, "That's cool."

• One time I asked an art department at Epcot for a Dreamfinder head. They located the long-lost mold and made what was probably the last Dreamfinder head in 15 years.

• One time my pal Hoot Gibson and I drove Jungle Cruise boats around all morning before the park opened as part of our artist jobs.

• One time my boss dented my truck door with her car door while parking behind The Land and Imagination buildings at Epcot. She never paid to fix it.

• One time I spent the night on a couch in the big break room under Magic Kingdom's Main Street.

• One time I spent several winter nights in Disneyland's Katella Lot in a van I borrowed form my grandparents.

• One time I was kicked out of Indiana Jones at Disneyland for taking a photo while in line. For my troubles City Hall gave me two passes to any ride. Then the people at Indiana Jones rejected them.

• One time I was told to bring home and sort in my living room six large boxes of Horizons, Spaceship Earth, and World of Motion animatronic costumes and props.

• One time I was preparing to begin work in the Character Head Department fabricating and doing finish work on character heads but another job came up at the last minute.

• One time I interviewed a Walt Disney World marketing director for an article. I commented on a photo on his office wall that I had taken three years prior. He told me he had taken it.

• One time I carved and painted George Washington’s rubber hands for Hall of Presidents and patterned every detail after my own hands.

• One time I walked out on a "naming meeting" because all of the Art of Animation Resort-related names everyone was suggesting were so terrible.

• One time I watched a few industry-leading TV commercials at my desk to get ideas for Disney marketing materials and was yelled at by a marketing VP for "wasting time". 

• One time while waiting to watch fireworks with coworkers on a Main Street rooftop I was rudely told by Val Bunting, former VP- Animal Kingdom, to leave because her group wanted the rooftop to themselves.

• One time I got in trouble for holding a small brain-storming session while riding the Walt Disney World Railroad because "riding a train is not work-related". Great ideas that came from the session but that didn't matter.

• One time a coworker and I were walking through Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland and my coworker tumbled down the entire first drop and cut himself in a dozen places and bled everywhere.

• One time I got paid to stay at The Polynesian for three days during a hurricane to prepare the resort and help guests throughout the storm. For our meals we got to take all the food we wanted from the Ohana kitchen.

• One time the Italy pavilion sent several trays of Italian food from Alfredo’s to our office at Epcot. No one ate any of it after the fist day so I ended up eating it for all three meals for days. 

• One time, right out of high school, I was on my way to my merchandise shift in Disneyland's Critter Country when I decided to walk into a backstage Imagineering trailer. After leaving an Imagineer ran after me and asked for me to meet him at Imagineering in Glendale the next Monday where I was offered my first internship.

• One time, after college, I was sketching in an underground break room at Magic Kingdom and someone from a WDI art department stopped and asked if I'd interview right then over in a backstage trailer. I was offered a position that hour.

• One time I walked through the Jungle Cruise when its rivers where completely empty of water and about died of happiness.

• One time I walked up the backside of the Jungle Cruise African Veldt to photograph the backside of the rhino. Unexpectedly the boats had already started cruising by at which point I jumped in the bushes giving everyone in the nearest boat something else to laugh at.

• One time I foud a wonderful souvenir map of Magic Kingdom from the 1970s inside a Main Street wall.

• One time we were notified to stay clear of a certain Magic Kingdom Adventureland restroom early one morning because an alligator had climbed out of the Treehouse moat and entered the restroom. 

• One time I met a girl who played Belle at the Beauty and the Beast show. I later took her to Magic Kingdom for our first date. We got married a year and a half later and are happily married with a little boy.

• One time I snuck into Disneyland's Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln after work late one night and found a naked Lincoln moving around with no audio playing. 

 • One time I walked through Disneyland's "it's a small world" after the park closed and suddenly all the children began to move with no audio playing.

• One time I walked through Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion and found an old Country Bear Jamboree dear head under the tracks. 

• One time a cop pulled me over in the Team Disney parking lot across from Downtown Disney when suddenly a guy pulled up behind the cop yelling that something had happened across the street. Without saying anything the cop left and I didn't get the ticket he was writing.

• One time Alice Davis, famed Imagineer and wife of Marc Davis, came to my office. No one cared to visit with her for more than a few minutes so I giddily chatted with her for a couple of hours.

• One time I was told to escort Marty Sklar around Epcot "so he doesn't get lost". I informed my leader that Marty was a major player in designing the park's layout. My leader said, "Well he might not know where all the countries are."

• One time my Area Manager at Magic Kingdom called Adventureland and Frontierland "that jungle area over there" and "the western part over there." 

• One time my Area Manager at Magic Kingdom placed two boxes of fresh popcorn in front of me while I was working on a special project for her. When I thanked her she said, "Oh these are both for me."

• One time my Area Manager at Magic Kingdom had "Happy 20th Anniversary" removed from a cake being presented to a lady about to retire because "It wouldn't be fair to the interns who don't get cakes when they leave the company."

• One time I had an idea to make something more efficient. My leader took me to a lady in an office who said, "Don't ever mention this again or you'll be terminated for insubordination." I said, "Making a suggestion is not insubordinate". My manager said to the lady, "He just gets a little too excited some times."

Related posts:

Pirates of the Caribbean Like You've Never Seen It
The Haunted Mansion Like You've Never Seen It
ABANDONED DISNEY: Country Bear- Max
Magic Kingdom Map Found in a Main Street Wall
Little Box of Treasures
Disney Management Apathy / Hockey Analogy 

We look back on another great year here at ImagineeringDisney.com! Let's look back on some of our favorite posts.

Mitch has been working on a model of EPCOT City and shares lots of photos and a little making-of video. It's a must-see. 

Our friend Nomeus shares a WONDERFUL collection of color photos of Magic Kingdom from 1971.

More behind-the-scenes photos of The Haunted Mansion.

Maps. Maps. Custom maps! Here we see what EPCOT Center's Journey Into Imagination used to be compared to how it is now.

A detailed map of Disneyland's 1967 "New Tomorrowland". In this series we uncover a few mysteries.

An exclusive look at EPCOT Center's never-built Rhine River Cruise boat ride. We clear up a few misconceptions about the ride about which very little is known. 

The first "New Fantasyland" opened in 1983 at Disneyland. Enjoy a look at where some of today's Fantasyland attractions used to be.

Talented friend of the blog, Alex George, creates his very own miniature animated Main Street Electrical Parade and shows us how he did it. Truly amazing.

In 2012 we launched the ImagineeringDisney.com Photo Hunt and have been extremely pleased with the photos you have sent. The Photo Hunt will continue for years to come so start scanning.

We were thrilled to receive a few Orange Bird photos (SUPER rare) as part of the Photo Hunt. We were happy to put together one of the largest (if not THE largest) collections of never-posted Orange Bird photos.

Of all the posts in 2012, this one has generated more emails and tweets than any other. We call it "That's What Walt Said". It's a silly little way to prove a point about fluffy (and sometimes fake) quotes.

The warmest of responses last year from our readers came in response to this post. Here we compare some Disneyland locations where Walt was photographed to those same locations today.

Related posts:

YEAR IN REVIEW– 2011
YEAR IN REVIEW– 2010

A recent visit to New York City inspired a little detour trip to the former grounds of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Let's look at some of the pavilions Walt Disney helped design and see the exact locations they once stood.

The Unisphere, the fair's central icon. 

General Electric Pavilion, home to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress

Pepsi-Cola Pavilion, home to Walt Disney's "it's a small world"

Ford Pavilion, home to the Disney-designed Ford's Magic Skyway

State of Illinois Pavilion, home to Walt Disney's Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln 

New York State Pavilion

Main Gate

Overhead View

Where were the Walt Disney attractions located and how did people get to them?

Here we see the fair's location as it sits today with an overlay of the four Disney-designed offerings plus each of the eight entrance gates. Yes, eight gates!

Up next: Photos of World's Fair remains. Not only did Flushing Meadows host a World's Fair in 1964-65 but the location hosted a World's Fair before that in 1939. Which pieces still exist? What did I find on my little adventure? Plus lots of fun-facts. Stay tuned.

Related posts:

THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot World Showcase [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Walt at Disneyland
Carousel of Progress Like You’ve Never Seen It
Tomorrowland '67 [Part 3]
New Lincoln Animatronic Lookin' Good

In my last post I shared some Then and Now photos from my visit to the site of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. In this post I share a few things from the World's Fair that still remain on the site today.

The site is now a New York City public park called Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 

The park located in Queens was once the site of the Corona Ash Dumps which were characterized as "a valley of ashes" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In the 1930s the dumps were cleaned up to make way for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Two World's Fairs on one site!

I was in Manhattan for the first time in a long time and decided to take the 7 train out to Flushing Meadows. The experience of arriving at the nearby train stop and seeing the iconic Unisphere is incredible. It's like arriving at Epcot and seeing Spaceship Earth. Once inside the park it's easy to spot the large sphere from almost anywhere.

The water pools from the fair still stand today. I imagine when it's not Winter they are actually full of water. Here we see the "Fountains of the Fairs".

I couldn't help but wonder if all the joggers, tennis players, and soccer players at the park knew the historical significance of the land they were enjoying.

These beautiful tile mosaics were exciting to discover. They have clearly seen better days. Turns out they aren't all that old. I believe they were added in the late 90s.

Take a close look at what I've circled here in front of General Electric's Progressland pavilion (home to Carousel of Progress). Drinking fountains and benches.

Some of them still stand today!

Several street markers still grace the curbing of the streets. Many of the World's Fair streets and their names remain unchanged.

"Court of the Universe" and the "Pool of Industry".

The most prominent structure from the fair that still remains is the New York State pavilion. It may look familiar if you've seen Men In Black or Iron Man 2. 

We see here how grand the pavilion looked during the fair.

Today it's closed to the public, rusted, full of weeds, and of course all of the colorful plexiglass tent panels are long-gone.

Apparently a bunch of cats have taken over. Distant cousins of the wild cats that live in Disneyland?

Just inside one of this gates I spotted this little sign. There's been much debate about what to do with the structure. 

The towers once offered World's Fair guests some amazing views of the fair grounds. Guest accessed the platforms via two "Skystreak" exterior elevators.

We learn the following from Queens Crap blog:

"After the fair ended in 1965, the steel-and-glass capsules were left at the mercy of decay and vandals - as one rusted away in a pit beneath the pavilion, and the other was stuck mid-rise at 150 feet. The city Parks Department stripped the pods off their cables in July 2008, fearing parts might blow off in strong winds. At the time, both were largely intact."

Sadly they are not "largely intact" anymore. I got a small glimpse between gaps in the fence at what remains of at least one of the elevators.

Across the path the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company buried a time capsule as part of their in exhibit it 1965. And get this. They buried a similar time capsule just ten feet away in 1938. Both were placed 50 feet into the ground.

A short walk away another piece of both fairs still stands. The building that is now the Queens Museum of Art was built to house the New York City Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair. The building was home to the New York City Pavilion once again at the 1964-64 World's Fair.

I must thank @EPCOTExlorer for insisting I tour the Queens Museum of Art. I came upon a sign saying the museum was closed to the public that day and only open to school groups. I entered a side door to ask if I could use the restroom. The security guard said the main-level restrooms were closed due to some museum renovations. He was nice enough to point to an old-looking elevator and sent me to the upper-level restrooms. Inside this large elevator I was thrilled to find this model of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

I took only a couple photos. I figured I'd quickly use the restroom and make my way out of the closed museum without overstaying my welcome.

But of course I couldn't help myself. After returning to the elevator I decided to photograph the entire model the best I could.

Cute little Sky Ride.

General Electric's Carousel of Progress there in the center and Pepsi-Cola's It's a Small World on the lower right.

Ford Pavilion and its Magic Skyway.

State of Illinois and Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.

I then decided to photograph something else that had caught my eye off in the corner. A small collection of World's Fair memorabilia. I think I'll recreate that metal directional sign for my office. 

This wonderful concept art (framed on the right) shows part of General Motor's "Futurama" model of a futuristic city. Though none of this was built by Disney, it's often confused with what would later debut at Disneyland as the "Progress City" model. What's the dishwasher thing on the left? I don't know.

More info about the small museum exhibit.

On my way out I snuck into a large room to see something breathtaking. I had seen photos of this large panorama many times but didn't realize it belonged to the museum in which I was wandering. When I finally made it back to that side door I thanked the security guard and said, "I must pay admission because I enjoyed far too much of your museum." He said, "Not necessary but I can't let you leave without seeing the best part." He took me to a door that led to a much closer view of the New York City panorama. Could the model in the elevator be connected to this panorama?

Needless to say, the entire experience was somewhat sacred for this student of distant Disney history. I'm sure many little remnants of the World's Fair and Walt Disney's contribution to the fair remain at Flushing Meadows. Go find them!

Related posts:

THEN AND NOW: 1964-65 New York World's Fair
Tomorrowland '67 [Part 3]
Carousel of Progress Like You’ve Never Seen It

In October, 2010 we introduced our THEN AND NOW Photo Series. Today I'm happy to introduce the THEN AND NOW Photo Collection.

On the main navigation bar of this blog you will see a new tab called THEN AND NOW. We start with over 130 comparisons. We will be adding more all the time. Every time we put together a new set, we'll post the set as a regular blog post, add a few thoughts and some history, then add the new photo comparisons to the THEN AND NOW tab.

Previous THEN AND NOW posts will still remain in the main blog roll with their original commentary:

THEN AND NOW: Disneyland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Disneyland [Part 2]
THEN AND NOW: Walt at Disneyland
THEN AND NOW: MK Main Street, U.S.A.
THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Fantasyland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Adventureland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Adventureland [Part 2]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot Future World [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot World Showcase [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Epcot World Showcase [Part 2]
ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: 1964-65 New York World's Fair

If you follow us on Twitter and if you happened to be on Twitter last night at the right moment, you may have gotten a preview of this new tab. We offered a "Twitter Follower Exclusive" ten minute look at the THEN AND NOW Photo Collection. It was amazing to read all the great feedback. Blog data showed that the tab was viewed by Twitter friends over 400 times in what ended up being about a 25 minute window.

I worked at Disneyland after graduating high school in 1998. I have fond memories of training and orientation that taught us newbies all sorts of stuff about the park. We learned the importance of knowing the history, policies, and procedures of every part of Disneyland. In recent years I’ve often wondered just how much park Cast Members are expected to know. I went around Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and asked basic questions and wrote down the answers.

Journey of the Little Mermaid (Former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Me: “What used to be here?”
Young man and young woman: “No idea.”
Me: “I think it was a submarine ride.”
Young woman: “No, not to my knowledge.”
Young man: “It was a bare field of land.”
Me: “I remember a submarine ride.”
Young man: “Oh, ‘Leagues Under the Sea’?”

Storybook Treats (Across from former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Me: “Where’s the submarine ride?”
Young man: “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Older man: “Umm... Don’t know what that is.”
Middle-aged man: “Never heard of one.”
Me: “I loved it when I was a kid. I know it was here.”
Manager: “Maybe it was in a different park. Are you sure you rode one here at Magic Kingdom?”
Me: “Positive.”
Different manager arrives: “It was called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it was my FAVORITE as a kid. I loved it. It was right over there. It was a large ride and was just beautiful. I miss it a lot. What would you like to know about it?”

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Across from former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Me: “I remember a submarine ride. Where was that?”
Young lady: “Umm I don’t think there was one.”
Me: “I think it was over there.”
Another young lady: “I think that was always just nothing.”
Me: “What was this place before it was Winnie the Pooh?
Both ladies: “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”
Young man arrives: “I can help you. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea... Mr. Toad... 1971... The following books and videos might interest you... Let me write them down.” (Several minutes of intelligent conversation after which I learned he had already clocked out for the night.)

Stroller Parking near “it’s a small world” (Former site of Skyway to Tomorrowland tower)

Me: “What was here before?”
Man: “Empty space.”
Lady: “Skyline ride.”

Yankee Trader gift shop (Next to former site of Skyway to Tomorrowland tower)

Me: “What was out there before all that construction?”
Lady: “Nothing.”
Other lady: “Glider ride.”
Me: “What are they building?”
Lady: “They didn’t tell us.”

(Later that day)

Me: “What are they building out there?”
Man: “A new ‘Tangled’ area that will offer great places to rest.”
Me: “Like restrooms?”
Man: “Not only that, but places to sit and charge your phone and other devices.”

Haunted Mansion

Me: “What can you tell me about the history of this ride?”
Two young ladies and one young man: (Each knew all sorts of history about the attraction and the surrounding area).

Columbia Harbour House Restaurant

Me: “Question. Did Walt Disney ever eat here?”
Young lady: “I... don’t know... Well he never lived to see the park open...”
Me: “But I’ve seen photos of him on rides and stuff.”
Young lady: “Well maybe he did live to see the park built.” 

Frontierland Mercantile

Me: “Where’s Carousel of Progress?”
Lady: “Ummmm. Peoplemover?"
Me: “No. Carousel of Progress.”
Lady: “I don't know what that is.”
Older lady: “It shows different areas. I mean eras. Walt saw live people acting it out in the 1940s and said he wanted to make that but with animatronics.”
Me: “Where did Walt see it?”
Older lady (asking a young man): "Where was that place Walt went to get ideas?"
Young man: "Queens. It was a World's Fair" (Rolled his eyes.)

Country Bear Jamboree 

Me: “I’d like to know about the history of this attraction.”
Older gentleman: “Well, this location opened in 1971 and was...” (Continued with many fascinating and accurate facts.)
Young lady inside: “Disneyland’s version opened after this one...” (Proceeded with the history of the attraction in both locations including Disneyland's dual theaters.)

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe (Near Splash Mountain)

Me: “Is that open?” (Pointing to Splash Mountain)
Lady: “No. They are fixing it.”
Me: “What's it called?”
Lady: “I don’t know.”
Me: “What happens in the ride?”
Lady: “They have boats and the boats crash down.”

Now does everyone working in the parks need to know the history of everything? I don't think so. Should they know a few basic things about their location? Yes. If they don't know the answer to a question, should they try to find an accurate answer? My group in 1998 was taught to do this.

Now many Walt Disney World College Program interns had arrived less than seven or eight weeks prior to my quizzes. I tried to avoid quizzing too many CPs for this reason. But had they been properly trained, wouldn't they have had some fresh history in their minds? Many of the people who didn't know a single answer had been working at the park for years. A few actually mentioned that Walt Disney World is no more than a job to them. What happened to putting on a good show, "Cast Members"?

COMING SOON! Part 2. Plus Pop Quizzes: Disneyland.

Related posts:

Story Time
Disney Management Apathy / Hockey Analogy
Little Box of Treasures
THEN AND NOW: MK Fantasyland [Part 1]
Matterhorn for Magic Kingdom Fantasyland

I conclude my informal interviews with Magic Kingdom Cast Members. How well did they do? 

Pirates of the Caribbean

Older gentleman: “I can tell you anything you’d like to know...”
Young lady: “This attraction opened in... Disneyland’s opened in...”
Young man: “This attraction has a great history...” 
(Each offered accurate history and many accurate facts.)

Pirates of the Caribbean merchandise 

Me: “When did this ride open?”
Group of five Cast Members: “Ummm... Not sure... Probably a long time ago.... Like years ago...”
Me: “So do any of you know if it’s new or not?”
Group: “At least five or six years old... Maybe when the park opened... Maybe like 1980.”
Me (asking one of them who has worked at Walt Disney World for over ten years): So was it here when you started?”
Lady: “Ummm... yeaaah. Yeah.”
Me: “Was it based on the movie?”
Group: “No.”

Liberty Square River Boat 

Me: “Is this the same as Disneyland’s Mark Twain?”
Young man: “Similar with the following differences.... Meet me up at the door of the wheel house and I’ll tell you more.”
Me: “EXCELLENT.”
(Up at the Wheel House)
Young man: “Come on in. You can ride in here. This is the Captains Quarters and up those stairs we have the Wheel House. We steer the wheel for show but the boat is guided by an underwater track. Would you like to sound the whistle and ring the bell?”
Me: “Do I!”
Young man: “Here’s the procedure. We sound the whistle and ring the bell for different scenarios...”
Me: “I’m from California and love Disneyland but would like to learn more about Magic Kingdom.”
Young man: “Absolutely. What would you like to learn about?”
(Excellent and memorable experience full of accurate history.)

Jungle Cruise

Me: “Were there ever live animals on this ride?”
Young lady (at the entrance): “No, although Walt Disney intended on using live animals at Disneyland.”
Me: “Did Walt Disney design this park?”
Second young lady: “Yes. All of it.”
Me: “I’m sure plans for this park changed a bit after his death, right?”
Second young lady: “I don’t think so.”
Me: “Did Walt design Epcot?”
Second young lady: “Yes he did.”
Me: “Not Epcot the theme park though.”
Second young lady: “Yes. Have you been over there? That was Walt’s dream for his Florida property.”
Me: “I think he wanted E.P.C.O.T. the city, not Epcot the way we know it today.”
Both young ladies: “NO. The theme park. The whole park was based on his ideas.” (It really wasn't.)

Adventureland Egg Roll Cart (Near the old Plaza Swan Boat waterway.)

Me: “Where were the Swan Boats?”
Gentleman: “I don’t know.”
Young man: “Around here somewhere.”
Lady: “There were two Swan Boat rides. One was by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The other shared a dock with Jungle Cruise.”
Me: “Two, huh? I hear they circled the Treehouse. Is that true?”
Lady: “No. There’s nowhere for them to go around the Treehouse.”
Me: “Looks like there’s a waterway right there.”
Lady: “No. It wouldn’t have worked.” (It did work.)

Pop Corn Stand at Big Thunder Mountain

Me: “Have they begun the new additions to the Big Thunder queue?”
Young man: “The what?”
Me: “The queue.”
Young man (looking to young lady): “You know what that is?”
Young lady: “No.”
Me: “The line you wait in to get on the ride.”
Young man and young lady: “Oh. No, they haven't.” (They had.)

Frontierland Merchandise Stand

Me: “Where were the Swan Boats?”
Two young ladies: “The what? No clue.”
Older lady: “They went around the moat.”
Me: “Only the moat?”
Older lady: “Yes.” 
Me: “What can you tell me about Walt Disney World history?”
Older Lady: “Anything you’d like to know. I’m like a walking encyclopedia. There are names on Main Street windows.... Walt wanted to acquire all the land he could in this area...” (Provided mostly-accurate information about the Florida property.)

Parade Audience Control in Frontierland

Me: “Where’s Carousel of Progress?”
Lady: “Behind the Castle.”
Me: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean the Carousel, I meant Carousel of Progress.”
Lady: “I’ve never heard of it.”

Hall of Presidents

(Those guys knew everything about everything, especially their attraction.)

Mickey’s PhilharMagic 

Me: “What was here before?”
Two young ladies and one young man: “Don’t know.”
Me: I remember something from when I was younger...”
Young man: “We probably weren’t even born then.”
Young lady (after hitting young man): “That’s so rude. You just called him old.” (I’m 32 years old.)
Second young lady: “Something to do with Lion King.”
Older gentleman: “Mickey Mouse show and maybe a Finding Nemo show but I’m not sure.” (He meant Mickey Mouse Review.)

Merchant of Venus gift shop:

Me: “Can you tell me about that model city visible from the Peoplemover?”
Young man (Operating Participant, non-Disney): “Yes, it represents Walt Disney’s idea for a city called E.P.C.O.T. I don’t know much about the model itself but I can tell you about the E.P.C.O.T. city concept...” (Provided accurate information.)
Young lady: “And Disney ended up building a city eventually. It’s called Celebration.”
Me: “That’s not even close.”

Casey’s Corner

Me: “When did this park open?”
Older lady: “I don’t know.”
Me: “What about Epcot?”
Older lady: “I don’t know.”
Me: “Do you know?”
Young lady (dancing behind the food counter): “Um, this park opened in 1971.” (Continued to dance around instead of getting me my corn dog nuggets.)

City Hall

Me: “I’d like to know more about the Progress City model I saw from the Peoplemover.”
Guest Relations lady: “No one here will know about that. Sorry. The morning people know more than the night people.”
Me: “Was that model moved here from Disneyland?” 
Guest Relations lady: “No.” (It was.)
Me: “Wasn’t that city supposed to be built instead of EPCOT Center?”
Guest Relations lady: “Well Walt did design EPCOT Center.”
Me: “Not really.”
Guest Relations lady: “Yes because international CPs work in the different villas.” (Did she mean World Showcase pavilions?) “Ask a tour guide at Chamber of Commerce. They’ll know.”

Chamber of Commerce

Me: “Who can tell me about that model city?”
Older lady: “My manager.”
Manager: “I don’t know much about it. Come back in the morning. The tour guides know more.”

I can't say I was too surprised. Having worked in a variety of Magic Kingdom frontline roles, I saw countless coworkers incorrectly answer even the most basic questions. As many people on Twitter have mentioned, it's policy for Cast Members to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I can help you find the answer". Sadly, this almost never happened on my little tour. Even worse, I was often told false information. It appeared that many quizzees felt it was better (and perhaps faster) to give an answer, albeit false, than to say "I don't know" then be required to help find an answer.  

I must mention I was pleasantly surprised a number of times when Cast Members went above and beyond. They answered questions accurately then took it a step further. The River Boat experience, for example, is something I had not previously experienced. I rode the entire trip around Rivers of America in the Wheel House.  It will be something I'll remember throughout my life. Kudos to everyone who cares enough to accommodate the nerdy inquiries of people like me.

NEXT TIME: Pop Quizzes: Disneyland

Pop Quizzes: Magic Kingdom [Part 1]
Pirates of the Caribbean Like You've Never Seen It
A Look at the Progress City Model- Then and Now
Magic Kingdom Map Found in a Main Street Wall
Swiss Family Treehouse Model

Let's explore an amazing set of very rare construction photos of Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square. These photos were taken at different stages of construction. 

In the photo above we see Haunted Mansion construction in the distance. That building on the right is The Hall of Presidents before the bell tower steeple was added. Next we see a higher view of Liberty Square with some Cinderella Castle construction in the foreground.

The Hall of Presidents building is taking shape. The Liberty Tree Tavern exterior has been almost complete for some time now. Gift shop construction begins.

Upper levels of the gift shops begin. Wait... No Liberty Square bridge yet? Very odd.

Beautiful curvy brick wall (still there today) is coming along nicely. There's that wonderful backside of Liberty Tree Tavern. It's meant to look like the frontside of "other" buildings. 

The large white building seen here is The Hall of Presidents show building. Connected to it to the north is the show building for Peter Pan's Flight. Also, we have a bridge now.

Riverboat dock, dry Rivers of America, and Haunted Mansion in the background. Notice there's no canopy over the outside Haunted Mansion queue?

Construction continues on the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat (but not in in Liberty Square yet). Remember the story of this first boat? It began carrying passengers through Rivers of America on October 2, 1971 (the day after Opening Day). It was damaged at dry dock in 1980 and never returned to the Rivers. A second riverboat called Richard F. Irvine (with only one smoke stack) was added in May of 1973. It continues to run today under the name Liberty Belle Riverboat. In this photo I noticed the back windows are a bit different than the windows in the final product. They must have changed them at some point.

Here we can compare aerial views of Magic Kingdom construction in December of 1969 to the year-old park in December of 1972. Look at the evolution of Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake! 

Related posts:

THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]
Magic Kingdom at Night
WDW Before Opening Day 1971
WDW Construction: Magic Kingdom
WDW Construction: Polynesian Village Resort
EPCOT Construction from the Air

I recently decided to make a little Jungle Cruise model for my home office. I'd like to share the process in case others might want to do something similar.

I started by cutting a 2"x2"x1.5" block out of floral foam. You know, the stuff you put at the bottom of vases of fake flowers. 

I then carved a waterway.

Applied paint.

Sprinkled generous amounts of fine modeling turf onto the fresh green paint. Once dry, I blew it off.

Added additional paint and modeling shrubs.

These spiffy little trees are called Fine-Leaf Foliage and come in large clumps. They are a product of Woodland Scenics and can be found at your local hobby store.

I chose to construct the tiny Jungle Cruise boat (old-style) from styrene plastic strips.

After the waterway paint was dry, I added a liquid product called Realistic Water, also from Woodland Scenics.

Several thin layers later, the waterway is nice and dry and very clear. Notice how the boat measures up to a penny?

More foliage.

Tiny palm trees at this scale can be difficult to find. Had to make my own out of straight pins and watercolor paper colored with a Prismacolor marker.

Painted the pins.

For a sturdy frame, I purchased a strip of a nice wood at the hardware store and cut it to fit.

Glued the frame in place.

And finally....... the finished product.

Up on the shelf it goes. Right next to my Ward Kimball Mars and Beyond homemade robot. Read about him in this earlier blog post.

Related posts:

Mars and Beyond Robot
EPCOT City Model [Part 1]
Swiss Family Treehouse Model
Mechanizing a Miniature Main Street Electrical Parade
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 2 ]

After having such a great time making a tiny Jungle Cruise model I decided to make a tiny model of a couple of other favorite attractions.

In Part 3 we explored little-known details about the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland and its upper-level Progress City. Now we turn back the clock even further to a time when the Carousel of Progress was going to have an OMNIMOVER RIDE! This wonderful concept has been right under our noses for years yet we never hear anyone talking about it. Let's gather some concept art and make sense of this great idea. 

After the success of the Carousel of Progress at the World's Fair, Disney pitched a concept to General Electric that included a ride system similar to the system later built for EPCOT Center's Spaceship Earth. The vehicles were to be called "G.E.M.s" or "General Electric Mobiles" (above). How would an entire ride system have fit into the Carousel Theater?

Take a look at the first image in this post and next image below. We've seen these pieces of concept art in various books over the years. The image below has been on display on Main Street at Disneyland for the last few years. But have you ever noticed how the lower level of the Carousel of Progress building is without walls? It's an open-air architecture. The rotating Carousel Theater appears to be on the upper level. Yep, that was the plan.

Disney planned for a switchback ramp on the exterior of the building, much like the one at World's Fair. Guests would have walked from ground-level up to an upper-level queue before boarding the attraction. Audience members would have exited their theater seats after Act 4, then entered a boarding area in front of them.

The following concept art by John Hench has always intrigued and fascinated me. I have often heard and read that this piece represents the speedramp that was built for Tomorrowland '67. You know, the ramp that took the audience from the lower level to the upper level of the building. It's often assumed that the vehicles in the rendering were Peoplemovers. The vehicles are actually "G.E.M.s" and this all takes place on the upper level of the building.

From the upper level, the ride vehicles would have taken passengers on a slow downward spiral towards a Progress City model, as seen in the next piece of concept art. The model city would have been below the Carousel Theater. In fact, it would have been well below the upper level. The center of the model would have been at basement level.

FUN FACT: A basement of sorts was built under the Carousel of Progress building (now the Innoventions building) and is still there today. I would often enter this basement area from a staircase backstage on the far east side of the building not far from the men's locker room. The locker room was on the back side of the Grand Canyon Diorama. A long basement hallway would lead to the Alpine Gardens (now Pixie Hollow) near the Matterhorn. The basement area and hallway look a lot like Magic Kingdom's Utilidors.

The following artwork is a detail from a broader Hench rendering of the General Electric Pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. The concept of the zig-zag roofs over various full-scale (or almost full-scale) show scenes was to be included in the omnimover attraction at Disneyland. Not only would guests have traveled closer and closer to the scale Progress City model, they would have experienced up-close views of G.E.-living at its best. 

Show elements would have been similar to G.E.'s "Medallion City" exhibit in their World's Fair Pavilion.

We learn something interesting about the proposed G.E.-sponsored building in the next image, courtesy of the great Tomorrowlounge 67 website. The building was to have an open center, like a donut. This would explain the palm trees in the images 1 and 5 of this post. Would the model city in the center of the donut have been exposed to rain and other weather? Perhaps the model city was protected. Perhaps it was gradually revealed to ride passengers and not visible from the boarding area. I can't be certain.

Another interesting thing we learn from this next piece is that a different People Mover track layout was planned. See how it doesn't stretch down the middle avenue from the rocket tower towards the entrance of the land? Sort of like Magic Kingdom's Peoplemover layout. Also, it appears to travel all the way over towards what is now the Storybook Land queue.

Here I've prepared a set of cross sections representing both the proposed attraction and the attraction that was actually built.

At some point the idea of an open-air lower level was changed to a walled-in lower level. You'll notice the Carousel of Progress show is still on the upper level. It looks like the Peoplemover track was to exit the north side of the building but look how it comes out of the building on the lower level, unlike the version that was actually built.

Why did this magnificent concept never come to pass? My guess would be... money. Isn't it always money?

There are still plenty of mysteries surrounding this Carousel of Progress/Progress City ride. What was it going to be called? What else was it going to include? If you have more information on the subject, please let us know. Email us at Imagineering.Disney@gmail.com.

Related posts:

Tomorrowland '67 [Part 1]
Tomorrowland '67 [Part 2]
Tomorrowland '67 [Part 3]
1967 "New Tomorrowland" Broadcast
America Sings
THEN AND NOW: 1964-65 New York World's Fair
Carousel of Progress Like You’ve Never Seen It

Recently, my buddy and I were talking about how Walt Disney (the person) is too often misquoted. There's one quote in particular that stood out in our conversation. I asked this friend to write an article about this topic.

Article by Guest Author, Stan

[Author’s Note: My intention here is not to have a “whine session”; but rather have a “wish session” where positive solutions to these current problems could be considered and “imagined” by readers. Thanks.]

Walt Disney said:

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. It is something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing and adding to.”

This oft-quoted statement is a good one. In context, it describes Walt Disney’s development philosophy and plan for his beloved theme park. Unfortunately, this statement is also ill-quoted all too often by many in the Disney ranks who seem to say it anytime the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts business is discussed publicly or anytime changes to the parks are announced. Whether the changes truly are imaginative additions or solutions doesn't seem to matter. The quote has been tied to announcements and discussions for not only new and revamped attractions, but also for meet and greets, time shares and radio frequency wristbands. What was once a philosophy about park additions and innovations now often seems like an excuse for mediocrity and neglect.

If there is any imagination left in the world, and I think there is, maybe it could be put to better use by solving some of these problems currently plaguing the U.S.-based Disney theme parks:

1. The Giant Sorcerer Mickey Hat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I can imagine a once-gorgeous and perfectly scaled theme park entrance that could be made beautiful again with the removal of this promotional structure which has, unfortunately, overstayed its welcome by 12+ years. The Hollywood Boulevard entrance used to be a brilliant first act to the park. Scaled using the same forced perspective as Main Street, U.S.A., but with buildings and facades reflecting architectural styles found in Southern California during the golden age of Hollywood, and using the design of a classic movie palace as the park’s “castle” so to speak, it was like Disneyland dedicated to the love of movies. It sure made this movie and Disney fan very happy and inspired, at least in the year 2001 B.H. (Before Hat) and earlier. Even though all of the buildings and facades are still there, I believe that the giant hat severely detracts, if not completely erases, all of the beutiful proportions, charm, and artistry of this formerly great entrance. I can imagine that someday this wonderful entrance could return. What do you imagine?

2. Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.
I can imagine a land that embraces a cartoon alien/monster-free future and adds instead fun and truly futuristic attractions in their places. I’ve never had much of a problem with the Magic Kingdom’s 1994 Tomorrowland re-do in which “the future that never was” actually arrived in the form of metallic retro sci-fi futurism. It’s the attractions that reside inside the retro-futuristic facades that I think miss the mark. Stitch’s Great Escape (I can’t even bear to include the exclamation point) misses the quality and excellence that are the hallmarks of a well-designed Disney attraction all the way around. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor is a enjoyable and well-run attraction in a wrong part of the Vacation Kingdom of the World. I can imagine that these two attractions could be replaced by experiences that are more in alignment with what the Tomorrowland dedication plaque in Disneyland states: “A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man's achievements...a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure and ideals: the Atomic Age...the challenges of outer space...and the hope for a peaceful and unified world.” What do you imagine?

3. Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.
I can imagine a Tomorrowland that works. Whether it’s the removal of the former People Mover/Rocket Rods track (since it’s probably never coming back in any form), the returning of the Astro Orbiter/Rocket Jets to its rightful place where it was from 1967-1997, or the addition of an enjoyable and innovative ride-through attraction where the Carousel of Progress/America Sings/Innoventions building now resides, I can imagine (and truly hope), that needed aesthetic and functional changes could be coming soon to Tomorrowland. What do you imagine?

4. The Disco Yeti in Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
I can imagine this attraction closing down for a few months in order to get a better solution in place for this eternally broken audio-animatronic. I’m quite baffled why one of the best effects in a flagship ride in a park that really needs a flagship ride never gets fixed. I can understand that operationally it might not be feasible to close down the attraction for the length of time needed to make the repairs and modifications. However, wouldn’t it make sense in the long run to get things working? It all seems very short sighted to me. I might not be able to see the entire picture, but I can imagine that a solution is plausible and possible. What do you imagine?

5. All of Future World at Epcot.
I can imagine a return to beautiful, relevant, inspirational and well-maintained Future World pavilions. Of all of the current problems happening at Disney theme parks, the current state of Future World is the most heartbreaking to me. I don’t pine for a return to the 1980s (although they were awesome); what I wish for is a return to the “future” in Future World. Let me reference again a dedication plaque, this time it is Epcot’s plaque from opening day in October 1982: “EPCOT Center is inspired by Walt Disney’s creative genius. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, the wonders of enterprise, and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire. And, above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man’s ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.” What current Future World pavilion lives up what is stated in the dedication plaque? I can imagine that Disney (The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Imagineering, Team Disney Orlando, or whoever will make this decision) would want to allocate the money and resources necessary to restore and renew this portion of the park to its intended aspirational vision and guest experience. What do you imagine?

Related posts:

That's What Walt Said
Walt Disney and the Santa Maria Railroad
My 10-Point Plan for Better Character Attraction Placement
Disney Management Apathy / Hockey Analogy
Walt's Wife Talks About EPCOT Center
Vintage Disneyland Home Movies- Meeting Walt Disney Himself
THEN AND NOW: Walt at Disneyland

Enjoy these rare construction photos of Walt Disney World's Space Mountain, taken in 1974.

Introducing a new section of ImagineeringDisney.com: Discussion Forums. We love talking to fellow theme park fans. Our new Discussion Forums will be a great way to have ongoing conversations with anyone who wants to participate. We've set out to make it as simple and as easy as possible.

Unlike other forums:

We won't require registration or logins. There won't be profiles or profile images. No animated gifs bouncing around. No signatures. Sorry, no trip count-downs. Basically... No clutter. It's our hope that this will help point the focus to the actual discussion and not on the commenters. 

A few basic ground rules:

☻ Keep it positive– Negative topics may be deleted.
☻ Minimal whining please.
☻ Be decent to others.
☻ No impersonating someone else.
☻ Use your brain.
☻ Think before you post.
☻ Only meaningful, relevant topics.
☻ Don't start too many new topics at once.
☻ No topics to promote yourself.
☻ Think twice before starting a rumor.
☻ Remember this is for fun. 

Let's get started:

Click on the "FORUMS" tab above. You'll notice we've started many topics already. Yesterday we opened the Forums to our Twitter followers for 60 minutes of testing. A big thanks to all those who participated!

Related post:

THEN AND NOW Photo Collection
That's What Walt Said
Photo Hunt!

We present our new SOUVENIRS Tab and our first souvenir! This Button Pack celebrates Disneyland's 1967 "New Tomorrowland". It's the Tomorrowland many of us remember from childhood.

This snazzy souvenir features some classic attractions such as WEDWay PeopleMover, Submarine Voyage (the giant squid), Monorail, Skyway, Rocket Jets, Matterhorn, and more.

• Great gift idea.

• The first in a series of buttons.

• Limited quantities available.

• Free shipping on all orders within the U.S. vis USPS.
For international shipping, please contact us at Imagineering.Disney@gmail before submitting your order. 

Paypal and major credit cards accepted. All payments made via Paypal. Orders will be processed by a secure third party. ImagineeringDisney.com staff will not have access to any buyer's mailing address.

Product Info:

Each pinback button measures 1.5" in diameter. The card backing measures 4" x 6". All artwork created by ImagineeringDisney.com's co-founder Mitch.

From the manufacturer: We offer the highest quality buttons around. We print all of our promotional product jobs on Xerox's new DocuColor technology at 2,400 x 2,400 dpi (the highest quality available). All of our parts are 100% USA made. You can be assured that we are sweatshop free. 

Act fast before they're gone! Click button below or visit the SOUVENIRS tab above.

Related posts:

Tomorrowland '67 [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
Disneyland Kodacolor Prints- 1968
Tiny Submarine Voyage + PeopleMover Model

While Magic Kingdom and Polynesian Resort Village were being constructed, the Tempo Bay Hotel (later named Contemporary Resort Hotel) was rising up and its rooms were being inserted with cranes.

We learn about the process of assembling the modular guest rooms here and in the following memo.

A great view of what would later open as Treasure Island (later renamed Discovery Island).

Related posts:

WDW Construction: Polynesian Village Resort
WDW Construction: Magic Kingdom
WDW Construction: Liberty Square
WDW Before Opening Day 1971
Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain Construction
EPCOT Center Construction Photos: Future World
EPCOT Construction from the Air

I present side-by-side photo comparisons featuring images from the "Saving Mr. Banks" trailer(right) and images of people and places that inspired scenes from the movie (left). 

I found myself more and more anxiously for the December release of "Saving Mr. Banks" starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. The film takes place during the years leading up to and including the 1964 release of "Mary Poppins". How well did movie-makers recreate the period? 

In the trailer we see a persistent Walt Disney invite a reluctant P.L. Travers (author of the Mary Poppins children novels) to come with him to Disneyland. During filming last November, reproductions of various now-extinct props were temporarily added to parts of Disneyland. The classic oval "D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D" letters were added to the turnstyle rooftops. Attraction posters were added to the wall in front of the Floral Mickey and Railroad Station. And on the Railroad Station, a Santa Fe sign covering up the current sign.

Extras wore clothing from the era. And look... No new-school snow on Sleeping Beauty Castle (like many fans have been fearing).

Here we see a very close replica of Walt's office.

Back when the first images of production appeared online, I created and tweeted this photo comparison. It was quickly used by hundreds of movie and news sites. But the joke's on you, Hollywood! I mistakenly used the wrong Walt portrait. I later found the correct one (below). It appears they added a photo of Tom Hanks' head onto the photo of Walt Disney, keeping the same suit and background.

Emma Thompson plays P.L. Travers and pulls off the look rather well.

Robert and Richard Sherman are played by B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman.

This black-and-white television footage of Walt Disney interacting with an animated Tinkerbell is nicely recreated with Tom Hanks.

In the original footage, Walt is elevated towards the ceiling of his studio office with Pixie Dust but then is lowered to the ground once he brushes the dust off his suit jacket. Tom Hanks is also elevated until he brushes off the Pixie Dust in the same manner.

The Hollywood premiere of "Mary Poppins" is beautifully recreated. The exterior of Graumann's Chinese Theatre has changed a bit since 1964 but the feeling the premiere is captured beautifully.

How fun is it to see Walt's wife, Lillian, in the film as well (played by Dendrie Taylor).

From what little we've seen, how well do the actors capture the personalities of the people the depict? I say quite well. How well does the film capture the period? Very well. Are there post-1964 architecture and props visible in the Disneyland shots? Yes. Pinocchio's Daring Journey (opened in 1983) can be seen behind Tom Hanks while he's on the Carousel. But really, everything in the trailer feels right, in my opinion. No views of Tomorrowland '98! Overall, was 1960s Disneyland presented well? Absolutely. Will overly-picky fans find endless fault with the film? Most-likely. Will the film present a completely accurate version of the Walt–P.L story? Not likely. Will there be some creative and/or historical license taken? Duh. It's not a documentary. Will the film offer a charming, delightful, and nostalgic "based on" account of this true story? Let's hope so.

Related posts:

THEN AND NOW: Walt at Disneyland
That's What Walt Said
Walt's Wife Talks About EPCOT Center
THEN AND NOW Photo Collection

By late 1970 the partially-built Cinderella Casltle was the tallest structure on the Magic Kingdom construction site. By February, 1971 its spires were nearing completion. A scroll-shaped sign above the Castle entrance reminded everyone: "REMEMBER, OPENING OCT. 1971".

How many bricks are in Cinderella Castle??? ZERO. Harharharharhar. Anyway. No more "fun" facts. But really, what a beautiful sight this must have been. How great would it have been to walk around and see everything come to life??

Related posts:

WDW Construction: Magic Kingdom
WDW Construction: Liberty Square
WDW Construction: Contemporary Resort
Walt Disney World in 1971 [Part 1]
Walt Disney World in 1971 [Part 2]
Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain Construction
EPCOT Construction from the Air

Disneyland's private "hidden" Club 33 restaurant will soon undergo major changes. To help understand the Club 33 layout and its expansion, we've created some visuals.

The design of Disneyland's New Orleans Square is elaborate, yet small. It's layout is simple, yet it's architecture is complex. The detailed land appears to be made up of dozens of buildings, yet the basic structure of the main square consists of only three main buildings, connected by enclosed bridges. A fourth building sits beyond the Railroad tracks and houses the bulk of Pirates of the Caribbean. Outside the main square sits The Haunted Mansion which is connected to it's show building, also beyond the tracks.

The diagram above shows the current Club 33 layout.

Below we see the space soon to be occupied by the jazz club expansion. Please note: That details of this space (walls, furniture, backstage areas, etc.) have not been publicly released, therefore we present only the most basic structure of the building.

Simple Expansion Summary

• New Club 33 logo
• The Club 33 entrance door will no longer be used.
• Court of Angels will be sealed off on side and the other will be used as the new Club 33 entrance.
• The glass elevator will be moved but won’t be used day-to-day.
• A new, more-compliant elevator will be installed and accessed from within Court of Angels.
• The Trophy Room will be closed.
• Kitchen facilities will expand into what was the Trophy Room.
• The main Club 33 hallway will be expanded. 
• Restrooms will be relocated (unconfirmed).
• The fireplace will be removed and windows will be added in its place.
• The decor of the current Club 33 space will be redesigned with a brighter color palette.
• New decor will be more “New Orleans” and less “Country Club”.
• A jazz club will be added to space above the French Market and adjoining shops.
• The jazz club will be called Salon du Nouveau.
• Salon du Nouveau will exhibit concept art from Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog”.
• The decor of Salon du Nouveau will feature dark woods, reds, and greens.
• A skylight will be included in Salon du Nouveau.
• A “magic” piano will be added to Salon du Nouveau. This allows a pianist at a remote site to “play” this piano.

Humor me as I share a few thoughts about some of the things we already know.

Club 33 Expansion

Expanding Club 33 is a fine idea, in my opinion. It’s not one of those expansions where they take a small, intimate room and triple its size, making the space noisy and unfriendly. The expansion will take place in a neighboring building, connected only by a hallway and a narrow bridge. One of the most charming things about the current Club 33 is its various rooms of different shapes and sizes. Adding a couple more of these rooms will be nice.

Court of Angels

Closing the Court of Angels to general park guests is a real shame. It was one of the best and most peaceful little environments in any park in the world. It had a way of making you feel that you were the first person to discover its charm. It would be nice if no private expansion took away from any public area. 

Unused Space

We often complain about unused or under-utilized space in the parks (The old Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland land, Motor Boat Cruise Lagoon, Magic Kingdom’s Adventurland Veranda and Diamond Horseshoe, Epcot’s Wonders of Life, and Walt Disney World’s abandoned River County, to name a few). The upper levels of New Orleans Square are prime real estate for fine dining. Those views need not go wasted any longer.

Exclusivity

Here’s a touchy one. I’m not a member of Club 33 and will most-likely never be one. I’d like to be one but there’s that little $25,000 fee that gets in the way. But should a private club like this be cheap? And look at the demand for membership, even at that price. May I make a prediction? If Disneyland ever opens Club 33 to the general public (which I’m sure they won’t), the same fans who cry out against exclusivity will be upset that the Club would be losing its sophistication and hidden nature.

Price

Right now, from what I understand, Club 33 memberships start at $25,000 and are maintained at a price of $11,000 every year after the the initial year.

Consider this... There are different levels of dining throughout Disney properties. This makes sense. Walt Disney World’s Victoria and Albert's Restaurant at The Grand Floridian Resort offers a drastically different meal and dining experience than the Corn Dog Wagon on Main Street. A drastic price difference can be expected. Club 33 is a step up from Cafe Orleans which is a step up from French Market which is a step up from the churro cart. 

Money Money Money

The Club 33 expansion is about money. It just is. People are lined up for years waiting to pay thousands of dollars for the opportunity to pay hundreds of dollars for quality meal in a nice place. Should money be the driving force behind creative offerings like theme parks? I don’t believe so. Should excellent environments and guest experiences come first? I’m one who believes more money will come if you do things in this order. 

What Walt Wanted

Walt wanted a place to wine-and-dine his special guests. He loved showing his park to his friends and associates. But remember... Walt couldn’t easily walk though Disneyland or dine or enjoy attractions without interruption. Park-goers generally knew who he was and often approached him for autographs and such. He enjoyed being among the people but also needed private space. 

It’s unclear, from what I can tell, exactly what Walt would have done with his club. I believe he wanted people to use it when he wasn’t using it. I believe he planned on reserving the Trophy Room for his private affairs while park guest used the other portions of the restaurant. 

Would he have advertised it? Did he want private memberships? I can’t be certain. If the unmarked entrance is any indication, I'd say it was supposed to remain somewhat secretive. I say "unmarked" because, technically, the "33" sign is an address marker, not a restaurant marker.

The Jazz Club: Part 3 of Walt’s 3-Part Plan to Wine-and-Dine

I’ve recently learned a little about Walt’s intentions for the Jazz Club Space above French Market. Supposedly, Walt planned on using what will soon become Club 33’s Jazz Club as an actual Jazz Club. His wine-and-dine plan for special guests would have included:

1. Visit time in his private apartment above the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance.
2. Dinning in Club 33.
3. Live Music and cocktails in the Jazz Club.

Are Walt’s Intentions Relevant?

This 47-year-old dilemma is a tough one. 

One one hand, you might say Walt has been gone for a long time and that things have changed. You might say that since Club 33’s current purpose is so different from its original purpose, Walt’s wishes don’t apply. 

On the other hand, you could say that Walt clearly knew what he was doing and had pure motivations. 

Perhaps the best answers come about when both sides are considered.

Conclusion

It is my conclusion that the announced (and still very mysterious) Club 33 expansion is too complex to entirely dislike or entirely love.

I really like the idea of opening the upper level of the already-connected and under-utilized building next door. I love that the new space will offer a different decor. I love the introduction to more land-appropriate music 

I dislike the idea of repurposing Court of Angels. It is, however, comforting to know the Court will still exist in one form or another (hopefully it won’t be changed too dramatically). I’m saddened to see the Trophy Room go extinct. It’s a little sad to see the beautiful interiors of Club 33 take on new forms. I’m sure the new designs will be tip-top and I look forward to returning to the location.

Related posts:

New Fantasyland 1983
Imaaaaaagination
THEN AND NOW: Disneyland [Part 1]
THEN AND NOW: Walt at Disneyland
Walt Disney and the Santa Maria Railroad
A Story About Disneyland Fireflies

Brand-new, never-before-published comic adventures of Hoot and Chief!! 

We all know many of Hoot and Chief 's adventures at EPCOT Center's Horizons but what about their earlier adventures at Magic Kingdom?? How did they meet? Which places in the park did they work? What crazy situations did they get themselves into? Laugh yourself silly with Volume 1 of the comic book we've all been waiting for. Illustrations, writing, and comic layout all done by Hoot himself.

For more photos, a hilarious video starring Ward Dizzley himself, and buying options, click here.

Story Time

I first heard about ol' Hoot about a decade ago. It was the day I first interviewed for an artist position at Magic Kingdom. The boss told me that he and his wife were the most talented duo around. Luckily I got the job because I didn't have a chance to meet World Famous Hoot Gibson and his wife Sunnycide until the actual first day of work. Hoot had some 20,000 Leagues pieces on his art table plus some funny sketches and a bunch of other theme park gems so I suspected he might be a fan of the Walt Disney World good old days. He suspected the same from me. Maybe he saw my eyes light up at all the old animatronics laying around the department. A few pre-opening strolls through the Jungle Cruise later, we were great friends. He's still one of my best buds in the world today! Sunnycide and their talented son are mighty fine too.

My very best memories from my creative career come from those early-morning adventures: Climbing around every ride, discovering lost Magic Kingdom treasures, painting animatronics, hanging out at the Progress City model, getting yelled at for liking our jobs, installing stuff, etc., etc.

We later worked together at two other places, making scale models and designing and building animatronics (Hoot is a MASTER sculptor and maker of animatronic figures).

Now we try to join up with Chief and cruise through Magic Kingdom whenever we can. These guys have THE BEST stories to tell about the park. Thier UNBELIEVABLE, HILARIOUS, WILD stories must be shared with park history fans. Did I mention?? These guys are among the top Walt Disney World historians in THE WORLD!

Anyhoo, get in on what is sure to be a killer comic book collection!!!

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Pop Quizzes: Magic Kingdom [Part 2]
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