We only see the beautiful performers at Walt Disney World when they are already in costume and perfectly choreographed. Let's not forget that under the wigs are some seriously talented artists! Check them out stripped down to rehearsal mode, hard at work bringing the magic to life!
I know that these are only props, and part of a very carefully planned optical illusion inside of the haunted mansion, but if I ever saw this photograph out of context, it would scare me half to death! When you have a disney world vacation, I know backstage tours are possible, but i've always wondered if it's true that on Halloween, special guests get to sit and eat in the haunted dining room?
Believe it or not, Expedition Everest was not Disney's first Attempt at recreating a major mountain. In 1990, a plan was made for Mount Fugi to become a part of the Japan Pavilion, complete with an indoor roller coaster. It proved to be al little bit too ambitious, as Disney made a lot of other big plans that year, and this project got the ax. It's sad, too! What a spectacular attraction it could have been- the only "real" ride to come to the World Showcase.
Surprisingly, one of the original concepts for "Peter Pan's Flight" was a line queue where guests would walk through the Darling's gorgeous London home. The sketch below shows the layout (sort of) that they first had in mind in 1953. This version of the ride, which was sadly scrapped, also included a different passageway from London to Neverland- ships would fly right on through the brightest star in the sky. If you look closely you can see what this portal/doorway might have been like.
Way back when, in 1953, while a smart group of theme park planners and designers got together, they envisioned a grand, circus-themed dining area surrounding the now world-famous Dumbo ride. When the Magic Kingdom opened, however, this area wasn't there. Eventually Toon Town came to occupy that space instead, and guests could visit Minnie, Mickey and all the rest in their own neighborhood. It was great fun for toddler, but not for anyone else. It became kind of the "baby" play area of the park, and besides being crowded all day, there wasn't much to see there for older kids (and parents lost interest too after about an hour). In 2013, when the great Fantasyland expansion opened, the circus was put in its place and showed off its colors proudly.
Check out this scale model that was on display before the grand opening. Who knew that this big revolutionary change was actually one of the original ideas from the 1950s?! Apparently, one of the original rides planned for Disney theme parks was a big windmill, serving as a ferris wheel, where guests would ride in giant wooden shoes. Why? Why not! This picture I found of some tourists in Holland was the closest I can figure the ride might have actually looked like.
It's a bit perplexing, but the really interesting part of this sketch is actually the main attraction- a Donald Duck themed water ride. Here, guests would bump into each other like they would on bumper cars- perfect for the heat, but if it doesn't hold a whole ton of people, the line could back up fiercely in the summer. The Diagon Alley area of Universal Studios' Island of Adventure is to open very soon! Of course, I am incredibly excited about it, and I really cannot wait (so we can just overlook the fact that it isn't technically Disney World) these pictures are from Universal Studios directly- it looks like these may be their best animatronics yet! Disney has been the golden standard for decades and it looks like Harry Potter is finally getting with the program. (Not like the sorry excuse for a tourist on "revenge of the mummy") I usually cover disney, but there's so much going on at Universal these days that i'm also interested in, that i've been doing my homework on that, too. For more information on what's going on with the new Harry Potter expansion, you can check out this site. The ride cars look very similar to the ones found on the mummy- It almost looks like this will be a mixture of the technologies used in the mummy (roller coaster track?) and on Spiderman (multi-media immersion and screens).
thanks to imagineeringdisney.com, I have been able to find some pretty incredible (and pretty old) pictures of the yesteryears of Disney World. Compare Mickey's button up pants and skinny human arms and tiny feet (it's almost silly!) to this recent picture of his costume, taken from http://www.theorlandovacationstore.com/disney/ Here you can see how lively his face is, how much bigger his hands and feet are, and his carefully designed costume- made just for this parade! Parade Mickey- like the one in the photo above isn't even the best that the Magic Kingdom has to offer. They also have a Mickey Costume where the eyes open and close, and his mouth moves to match his voice! That Mickey is in a specific meet and greet location in the Circus area of new Fantasyland. There is a wait time for them, just as there are for all characters these days, but if you have young children, it's worth it to see them react to the first time for a Mickey that actually talks back! The other masked characters have perfected the art of nodding and waving, but this is so much cooler! check it out: Whether or not this picture is of official Disney princesses in unknown. (I just found it while cleaning out my desktop) I have a strong suspicion, however, that it is. Can anyone out there confirm this for me? I think it may be an official Disney cast of girls based on not only the quality of the wigs and costumes, but because of the many hilarious pictures of cast members that are floating around tumblr these days. There are few things out there that i literally can't resist. One of them is Disney and the other is ducklings. The irony of the pictures below is not lost on me (or any other adults visiting the park that day, I'm sure!) and I love that Mickey Mouse got into the shot and had a good laugh, too! And of course, it wouldn't be Disney without a full grown guest letting his inner child out to play!
At Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island used to be a cluster of hip and happening night spots- but for the last few years it has been an empty walkway.
Recently, Disney has attempted to fill the space with shops and restaurants, but for the last few years, it was an empty space used solely to direct pedestrian traffic from The West Side to the Marketplace. The sign was a sad reminder of the failed nightclubs (and as a young adult, i saw it as a reminder of the lack of fun left at Downtown Disney) that remained in place for no real reason. (A lot of the big changes going on these days are at Downtown Disney and http://theorlandovacationstore.com/blog/ is a good place to find construction photos from before i began posting about the renovation.) Now that the entire area is being remodeled and renamed, it is safe to say that the giant light-up sign will finally be taken down, ending an awkward era for the outdoor mall and beginning life anew as Disney Springs. Of course, I will miss the sign, but not because of what it looks like and symbolizes now, but rather for what it meant to me when I was a kid and i looked forward to visiting the clubs one day (this never happened, sadly.) |