Lost Imagineering: We The People

Another very regrettable lost dream from the truly amazing concept that was Disney's America.  Press material from 1993 provided this description of what was likely to have been one of the park's premiere attractions:

We The People 1870-1930
Framed by a building resembling Ellis Island, We The People recognizes the courage and triumph of our immigrant heritage - from the earliest of settlers to the latest political refugees.  A powerful multimedia attraction, We The People explores and explains how the conflicts among these varied cultures continues to help shape this nation.

Lost Imagineering: Rock Candy Mountain

One of the more famous Lost Imagineering concepts from the early years of Disneyland was Rock Candy Mountain, a structure intended to be part of the Storybook Land miniatures, with interiors accessed by way of the Casey Junior Circus Trains.  Claude Coats drew up the initial design.  Author and Imagnineer Randy Bright provided this background on its development in his 1987 book Disneyland: Inside Story:

Another unusual structure planned for Fantasyland was a giant "Rock Candy Mountain."  John Hench, assigned to the project, gathered his henchmen and went to work, creating a large skeletal structure for the table-top scale model of the mountain.  They planned on a kind of solidified marshmallow cream for the snow and chocolate for the rock outcroppings.  They accumulated a staggering array of real candy bars, gum drops and other sweets, and applied them to the model's surface.  But the more they worked, the more unappealing it began to look.

"It was positively nauseating," said Hench, "and, worst of all, because our building didn't have air conditioning, the whole mountain began to melt.  We had to leave the door open to ventilate the place to get rid of the odor.  It was like a dying candy factory.  Then the smell began to attract dozens of birds, flying in and out of the building, pecking away at our mountain."  As tenacious at Walt usually was about pursuing ideas, he quietly abandoned his "revolting" Rock Candy Mountain.

One interesting disparity among Disney historians concerning Rock Candy Mountain, is the time-frame of its development.  Based on the structure of his book, Bright seems to imply that the concept was developed prior to the opening of Disneyland.  In The Disney Mountains, author Jason Surrell dates the development of Rock Candy Mountain to 1959.  The recent D23 Disney Undiscovered Calendar cited "early 1957" as the time when Imagineers began their work.

Lost Imagineering: Adventures in Science

Our newest Lost Imagineering virtual trading card is a bit of an enigma.  Traveling back to the earliest years of Disneyland, Adventures in Science appeared in the "Dreaming" section of the illustrated souvenir books for a brief period of time.  Beyond the concept art, no additional information about the proposed attraction was given.  Obviously intended for Tommorowland, it never materialized, and it appears to have been off the table prior to that land's extensive makeover in 1967.  The concept art indicates that at least a portion of the attraction was intended as walk-through and outer space figured prominently in some of the content.

Lost Imagineering: Fantasyland Lost

Yes, I realize that two Lost Imagineering posts in one week is a bit of a surprise, considering the prolonged hiatus that the category had taken here at 2719 Hyperion.  But the official announcement by Walt Disney World earlier this week concerning the ongoing Fantasyland expansion afforded the opportunity to add four new virtual trading cards to our Lost Imagineering collection.

The initial Fantasyland expansion plans unveiled in 2009 were very girl-centric, heavy on meet-and-greets and a bit lacking in actual ride-based attractions.  While I was very impressed with the scope of the project, I was generally disappointed with its over-reliance on Princesses and Fairies.  I was clearly not alone in those thoughts; gone now are the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella themed venues as well as the Tinker Bell Pixie Hollow area.

Cinderella's Chateau and the Briar Rose Cottage would have both featured interactive shows and meet-and-greets.  At the Chateau, guests would have observed the Fairy Godmother magically prepare Cinderella for the royal ball; at the cottage, participants would have helped celebrate Briar Rose's birthday with the help of Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.

Another significant casualty of the redrawn plans is Pixie Hollow, an elaborate meet-and-greet venue for Tinker Bell and her fellow Disney Fairies.  It is another indicator that this particular franchise hasn't quite lived up to the company's expectations.  The characters will in fact migrate to another park, although there are conflicting reports as to which one.  The Disney Parks Blog claims that Tink and friends will relocate to Epcot as part of the Flower and Garden Festival.  The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Fairies will land somewhere inside Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Lost Imagineering: Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy Ride

Relating to our recent series of Freeze Frame! posts derived from the Roger Rabbit cartoon Tummy Trouble, we present our newest Lost Imagineering virtual trading card.  Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy Ride was yet another component of the ill-fated Disney Decade, an ambitious slate of theme park projects announced in 1990 by Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, most of which went unrealized.  The ride was inspired by the St. Nowhere hospital setting from Tummy Trouble.  A 1990 Disney Crew publication described an attraction where, " . . . guests zoom through the cartoon sets of Toontown Hospital, fly down stairs, crash through doors and bound over beds."

At the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, the ride would have been part of Roger Rabbit's Hollywood, an area located on Sunset Boulevard that would have also included the Toontown Trolley and the Benny the Cab Ride.  At Disneyland, it would have been part of a proposed Hollywoodland that had been projected to open in 1999.

Lost Imagineering: The Great Muppet Movie Ride

No, it's not a reprint.  This is an honest-to-goodness, brand new Lost Imagineering post.  It has been a long couple of years since we posted our last virtual trading card in the series (Chinatown in January 2009) but we have returned with not one, but two new cards.

Yet another lost dream of the Disney Decade, the Great Muppet Movie Ride was part of a larger Muppet Studios concept set to debut at the Disney-MGM Studios in the mid-1990s.  The attraction would have been a clever and slapstick-filled riff on that park's Great Movie Ride.  Early concept art showcased two proposed scenes, a mad scientist's laboratory inspired by early Hollywood horror films, and a spoof of Disney's own Peter Pan.  Jim Henson was especially excited about evolving his Muppet creations into audio-animatronics; sadly his death and the subsequent collapse of the first proposed Disney-Muppet merger ultimately forced the project's cancellation.

The show building for the attraction would have been built adjacent to the existing Muppet*Vision 3-D theater and the surrounding area would have morphed into a Muppet Studios themed area.  Part of that expansion would have been the Great Gonzo Pandemonium Pizza Parlor, a memento and ephemera-themed restaurant akin to Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe.  Its proposed location later became the Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano.

Lost Imagineering: Chinatown

Walt Disney and his Imagineers pursued a number of ideas for a street-based area that would have been located to the east of Main Street USA at Disneyland. Among the proposed concepts were Liberty Street, Edison Square and then later, Chinatown.

The main attraction of Chinatown was a dinner theater that would have featured an audio-animatronic representation of famous Chinese philosopher Confucius. The show was among the very first concepts developed that would have made extensive use of audio-animatronic figures. Development of the Confucius animatronic began in 1956; it followed Walt's well known Buddy Ebsen "Little Man" project, and preceded the the creation of the Lincoln figure by a number of years.

Authors Bruce Gordon and David Mumford provided an extensive description of the proposed attraction in their book Disneyland: The Nickel Tour:

We're back in October of 1959, where the Disney designers are hard at work bringing the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius to life in a little Chinese restaurant. It's all part of a "Chinatown area being developed for Center Street, next to the Market House.

In addition to a meal of fine Chinese cuisine, guests visiting the restaurant would be treated to a special show written by Golden Horseshoe comic Wally Boag. But before the show, while the guests were munching their appetizers in the Meditation Room. they could soak up the Chinese atmosphere, get into the spirit of the event, and, of course, get a peek at all the items that would be available in the Gift Shop after the show.

Seating would begin once each hour as the guests were led into the restaurant's main room. Mounted on the front wall would be a huge Chinese dragon. Looking out the windows of the room, guests would see film projections of Chinese streets, designed to make it seem as if they had actually been transported to the Orient. For dinner, there would be a choice of almond duck, shrimp, chicken or beef entrees, followed by a dessert of Chinese pastry.

Once all the dishes had been cleared away, the dragon on the wall would come to life and the show would begin.

"Honorable patrons look very happy," the dragon would say, "must have been something you ate." Looking all around the room, belching fire, the dragon would say "Hope no one in audience minds if dragon smokes."

In addition to the idea of having Confucius host the show, the designers created a philosopher named "Chew Well" (it's a restaurant, remember) who would be surrounded by dozens of Audio-Animatronics birds in cages, as well as a group of singers called "The Nightingirls." But Wally settled on a character he called "Grandfather Chung," designed to please the prospective sponsor, Chun King (even though Wally mistakenly spelled "Chun" as "Chung").

"Now that you have dined on food, it is time to dine on knowledge."

Grandfather Chung would begin by taking questions from the audience. The questions, of course, were all prerecorded, and would emanate from somewhere in the back of the room.

The Chinatown concept was ultimately shelved and Imagineers turned their attentions to the development of a Hall of Presidents idea that eventually evolved into the Great Moments with Mr. Linclon attraction for the 1964 World's Fair.

Lost Imagineering: The Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition was the proposed E-Ticket centerpiece of the Native America area of the ultimately canceled Disney's America theme park. The blue sky designs for the attraction would subsequently serve in the development of Kali River Rapids at Disney's Animal Kingdom and also, and more directly, Grizzly River Run at Disney's California Adventure. Press materials provided the following description of the Native America area:

NATIVE AMERICA 1600-1810
Native America explores the life of America's first inhabitants, their accord with the environment and the timeless works of art they created long before European colonization. Guests may visit an Indian village representing such Eastern tribes as the Powhatans, or join in a harrowing Lewis and Clark raft expedition through pounding rapids and churning whirlpools.

Lost Imagineering: Thunder Mesa

It is likely the most enduring legend of Lost Imagineering: Thunder Mesa and its signature attraction, the Western River Expedition. Press materials from 1969 provided this description:

"THUNDER MESA....A major attraction in the Frontierland area will be this spectacular panorama, where the old west will live again through a series of exciting adventures. Designed to resemble a 'table-top mountain," typical of those on southwestern deserts, it will include a pueblo-style village and other attractions, including the -Western River Expedition," a frontier fantasy on the grand scale of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' in California's Disneyland."

The very best account of the history and development of Thunder Mesa can be found at Widen Your World. Take a look!

Lost Imagineering: Venezuela

Among the very earliest of proposed countries for EPCOT Center's World Showcase was this conceptualization for a Venezuela pavilion. Little information has been made accessible beyond this concept painting that features a quite elaborate design and showcases an aerial tram car attraction.

Lost Imagineering: The Crocodile Aquarium

Predating both EPCOT Center's The Living Seas and Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon by decades was this slightly more whimsical themed aquarium attraction featuring a design based on the character of Tic Tok from Peter Pan. The Crocodile Aquarium was conceived for Fantasyland at Disneyland but never realized.

Lost Imagineering: Space

Over twenty years before the current Mission: Space attraction was realized, concepts were drawn for a space-themed pavilion that would have debuted sometime during EPCOT Center's first decade of operation. Much grander in both scope and design, the centerpiece of the pavilion would have been a simulated journey on board a "huge interstellar space vehicle."

Lost Imagineering: The EPCOT Transportation Lobby

Long before there was EPCOT Center, there was EPCOT--the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow. Conceptual designs for EPCOT were unveiled at a press conference in February, 1967, shortly after Walt Disney's death the previous December. Press materials provided this description of the city's dynamic Transportation Lobby:

This cutaway rendering shows how differing modes of transportation will be channeled into non-conflicting traffic flows below the pedestrian level of the city. The Transportation Lobby (top half of photo) will be located at the very heart of EPCOT, directly beneath the 30-story theme hotel. This will be the central arrival-departure for all passengers using the monorail or the newly-designed "WEDway People Mover."

Lost Imagineering: Dick Tracy's Crimestoppers

Back in 1990, Michael Eisner and many other Disney execs were hoping that Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy would become a popular and potentially evergreen property. So much so, that even before the film's June release of that year, plans were already on the drawing board for attractions in both Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios. Dick Tracy's Crimestoppers looked to be an elaborate extension of the gangster scene from The Great Movie Ride, coupling audio-animatronics with interactive elements (ala tommy guns in ride vehicles).

The film was only a moderate success and the concept soon faded back into the blue sky from whence it came, another casualty of the curse of the Disney Decade.

The film did have a presence in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World that year in the form of the Dick Tracy Diamond Double Cross stage show.

Lost Imagineering: Victory Field

The Victory Field area of Disney's America would have paid tribute to World War II era servicemen and military technology. It would seem that some of those blue sky concepts ultimately evolved into the Condor Flats section of Disney's California Adventure. Press material provided the following description of Victory Field:

"The flight of the Wright brothers opened a new chapter in American history, bringing with it thrilling exploits and military advancements. With the assistance of modern technology, guests at Victory Field may parachute from a plane or operate tanks and weapons in combat, and experience firsthand what America's soldiers have faced in defense of freedom."

Lost Imagineering: The Rhine River Cruise

The show building still exists behind the Germany pavilion in Epcot for what had been planned to be the Rhine River Cruise. The 1982 book Walt Disney's EPCOT provides this brief description of the proposed attraction:

"The future River Ride promises to be as enjoyable as it is informative. An early concept has visitors boarding a "cruise boat" for a simulated ride down the Rhine and other rivers, the trip affording a visual impression in miniature of the cultural heritage of Germany's past and the highlights of its present. Among the detailed models envisioned are scenes in the Black Forest, the Oktoberfest, Heidelberg, the industrial Ruhr Valley . . . the possibilities are limited only by the planners' imaginations."

Lost Imagineering: RCA System Communication Center

"The focal point of WEDCOMM would be the RCA System Communication Center, open to the public as a highlight of the Tomorrowland area of the new Theme Park. Through this operational nerve center, the staff would be able to monitor, receive and transmit information to guests and operating personnel.

All communications would tie into the Center -- including telephones, radio paging and two-way radio, computer operated displays, television and signals from the automatic monitoring and control system. Contact can be quickly established with any location and key personnel can be reached without delay."

WEDCOMM? The RCA System Communication Center? In Tomorrowland???

Those were in fact the plans that RCA proudly announced back in 1969 as the Walt Disney Company made public much of its initial planning for Walt Disney World. One of Disney's key corporate partners, RCA was set to create and produce the computer and communications infrastructure for the entire Disney World project. The system was named WEDCOMM--Walter E. Disney Communications Oriented Monitoring and Management System.

This very ambitious plan vanished quickly, at least from public view, when RCA sold its computer division to Sperry Univac in 1970. RCA would ultimately sponsor Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom a number of years later. Sperry Univac would in turn sponsor The Astuter Computer Revue at EPCOT Center which was a clear evolution and relocation of the RCA Communication Center.

The above passage was from a RCA press release, that was part of a press kit released to media in 1969. Here is the release in its entirety:


ORLANDO, Fla., April 30 — What shape will electronic information handling take by the year 2000?

RCA is developing plans to provide a dramatic preview of tomorrow's system technology at Walt Disney World — establishing the first 21st Century information-communications system as a total service for guests, residents and management.

The advanced concepts under study would range from personal TV bulletins for visitors to computerized profiles of guest activity. Called WEDCOMM (Walter E. Disney Communications Oriented Monitoring and Management System), the program was designed by the RCA Systems Development organization in conjunction with Disney personnel.

As a planned "System of Systems, WEDCOMM would link computers, telephones, automatic monitoring and control devices, mobile communications and television in a multi-faceted network capable of expansion as growth demands. Through a modular design concept, it would unfold in phases over several years to take advantage of operational experience and technological advancement.

Robert W. Sarnoff, RCA President and Chief Executive Officer, declared that "today the systems approach is being turned to a new task --to meet increasingly urgent social and economic challenges including problems of health, urban planning, natural resources and education.

"RCA Systems Development was established to explore these needs and focus the diverse capabilities of RCA in fulfilling them. One of the first assignments of this new organization was to help develop the integrated information-communication system for Walt Disney World."

WEDCOMM's design will capitalize on the framework for electronic innovation created by the Walt Disney World hotel and recreational complexes, as well as its residential community.

Among the system's first tasks would be a continuous electronic tracking of events throughout the widespread Vacation Kingdom. News and previews of Walt Disney World activities will be broadcast over special television channels into hotel rooms and at other locations.

Plans also call for the use of a closed-circuit TV system to train new Disney employees, and to monitor shows and attractions.

The computer will link administrative, financial and operational functions into a single management information system unique in scope and providing a new dimension in control of a major enterprise.

RCA officials said the WEDCOMM computer system will help Walt Disney World guests make reservations for hotel rooms, entertainment and recreation quickly and simply during their stay.

In addition, it will automatically build "guest profiles" to assist the staff in progressively improving their service to return visitors. Through attendance predictions and inventory control programs, the computer will help insure an adequate staff and sufficient food and supplies at all times.

The focal point of WEDCOMM would be the RCA System Communication Center, open to the public as a highlight of the Tomorrowland area of the new Theme Park. Through this operational nerve center, the staff would be able to monitor, receive and transmit information to guests and operating personnel.

All communications would tie into the Center -- including telephones, radio paging and two-way radio, computer operated displays, television and signals from the automatic monitoring and control system. Contact can be quickly established with any location and key personnel can be reached without delay.

RCA officials said WEDCOMM encompasses proven product line components in an original advanced system configuration.

It will be continually fed by a stream of new technology from RCA laboratories and technical centers, particularly to meet the expanding requirements of EPCOT (the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow).

The system is expected to contribute to broad improvements in education, health, safety, utility operations, municipal government, monetary systems, recreation and transportation. These will be an outgrowth of such WEDCOMM applications as computer assisted instruction, multi-test health screening systems, safety monitoring, automated reading drills, and billing and collection for utility services.

RCA said its approach to the design of WEDCOMM is based on experience gained from major systems projects — among them color television, automated information systems, microwave networks, and the TIROS/ESSA weather satellite series.

"We of RCA are proud to be associated with Walt Disney Productions in a project that holds so much promise for the future of human society," Mr. Sarnoff said.

Lost Imagineering: Japan's Bullet Train

A high speed ride on the famous Japanese Bullet Train, right in the heart of EPCOT Center's World Showcase? This was just one of a number of attractions that went unrealized for the Japan pavilion. This immersive adventure would have featured an interesting variation of Disney's 360 Circlevision process. Also conceptualized for Epcot's Japan were a Mount Fuji-themed thrill ride, and the multimedia presentation Meet the World, the latter of which ultimately found its way to Tokyo Disneyland.

Lost Imagineering: Quest for the Unicorn

Like many of the mythical creatures it was intended to showcase, Disney's Animal Kingdom's Beastly Kingdom has become legend itself in the annals of Lost Imagineering. Budget constraints ultimately resulted in this concept being replaced with the shows and character greets of Camp Minnie Mickey.

One of the proposed attractions for Beastly Kingdom was the interactive walk-through Quest for the Unicorn. Imagineer Maggie Parr, who was the lead designer on the project, provided this description of the attraction:

"The three-part hedge maze was long and complex, with surprises at every turn. Along the way, a sphinx, phoenix, griffin, and several mischievous gargoyles delivered clues or guarded dead ends. The maze culminated in a gothic topiary castle where guests could either look out over the land, or descend into a leafy chamber where they finally met the mysterious unicorn (an audio-animatronic figure). It was an ambitious and unusual attraction."

For a very detailed look at what might have been, check out Maggie's article Quest for the Unicorn at MousePlanet.

Lost Imagineering: A Happy, Fun American Adventure

An American Adventure not unlike El Rio del Tiempo or It’s a Small World?

Interestingly enough, one of the early ideas for World Showcase’s host pavillion, was a far cry from the elaborate theater presentation that Imagineers ultimately produced.

In an interview a few years prior to his tragic death in 1990, American Adventure show producer and Disney Legend Randy Bright said this about one of the attraction’s abandoned concepts:

“We went through six abject failures before we got to an American Adventure that we all felt comfortable with, which ultimately became what we have today. For example, one designer decided that the American Adventure should be a happy, fun ride-through with audio-animatronic vignettes of characters singing patriotic American songs as you go through”

Concept art featured a more comical Ben Franklin as part of a fireworks display, Paul Bunyan with his blue ox Babe, and an odd scene of a cowboy and Indian shaking hands while a movie camera films in the background.

Most Disney fans are more familiar with the Imagineers’ original intention to have Will Rogers serve as the show’s third host, along side Ben Franklin and Mark Twain, with each one representing a century in the country’s history. Bright told of how they took that idea to a college class consisting of 150 political science students, of which only five knew who Will Rogers was. Rogers was then quickly relegated to a small supporting role. Roughly three hundred other historical figures were considered before they ultimately gave up on the idea of a 20th century host.