Snapshot! - Posting of Advertisements is Prohibited

Harambe is one of my most favorite locations in all of Walt Disney World.  The attention to detail on the part of the Imagineers is simply staggering.  It is a wonderful place to explore in the hour or so before closing as the crowds have diminished and you can truly immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Africa.

This particular Snapshot! is a humorous homage to the vintage post no bills vignettes of the early to mid 20th century. 

And for more information on Kinga Hot Air Balloon Trips--

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Kinga Hot Air Balloon Trips

Snapshot: Alligator Swamp R.I.P.

The Rivers of America was sadly on its deathbed when I visited Walt Disney World this past June.  The barricades were mere weeks away when Alane and I took one last trip on the Liberty Belle riverboat.  It was a bittersweet voyage as it brought back memories of my first visit to the Magic Kingdom in 1973 when I would have circled the waterway in either the Admiral Joe Fowler or the then recently christened Richard R. Levine.  The mostly static vignettes viewed from the decks remained every bit as charming as they did five decades ago.  Alligator Swamp is now but a Snapshot and a happy memory.

Snapshot! - The Crocodile and the Vane

In continuing our celebration of Peter Pan this week, we travel today to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  Two of my favorite Fantasyland details relate to the architecture of Peter Pan's Flight.  Tick-Tock the crocodile guards over the attraction's exit, likely on the lookout for any sign of the villainous Captain Hook.  Perched above the croc on a nearby rooftop is a weather vane that cleverly takes the shape of Hook's pirate ship.

Of note--Tick-Tock is an unofficial nickname for the character.  Official Disney texts simply identify the beast as "the Crocodile."

Snapshot! - Main Street Helium and Color

Just having a little bit of fun with an iPad app called ColorSplash. 

Snapshot! - The Hyperion Film & Camera Exhange

I'm not sure how we managed to overlook this particular detail for so long.

Hidden amidst the upper floor business venues on Main Street USA in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is the Hyperion Film & Camera Exchange. It makes claim to the world's largest film library and provides daily screenings at 4 p.m.

 

We've decided to shamelessly use the Hyperion Film & Camera Exchange for our own synergetic devices here at 2719 Hyperion.  In honor of this most notable and auspicious company, we have collected our archived motion picture, cartoon and media reviews and articles together under the Hyperion Film & Camera Exchange banner. Going forward, reviews and articles presented on 2719 Hyperion relating to Disney film and movie-based entertainment will be archived there.

Snapshot! - Santa's Run Off to the Caribbean

"A week in the tropics and he'll be alright,"

"Sporting a tan as he rides out of sight."

The hilarious and imaginative set pieces at Walt Disney World's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course always put me to mind of the Jimmy Buffett Christmas tune Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum. The song relates of Santa curing his annual holiday burnout by spending a relaxing vacation in the Caribbean. In this particular scene, he enjoys a boat drink while falling victim to his mischievous elfish traveling companions.

Snapshot! - Mickey and Minnie Go Green

Walt Disney World has long been famous for its topiaries and this vignette from the Magic Kingdom shows off these two wonderful examples. The backdrop of Cinderella Castle sets the scene for Mickey's and Minnie's horticultural counterparts.

Snapshot! - Min and Bill

Here is a Snapshot! follow-up to our recent post that highlighted the celebrity caricatures that appeared in 1933 cartoon Mickey's Gala Premier. Min and Bill's Dockside Diner at Disney's Hollywood Studios was inspired by the 1930 film Min and Bill which starred Marie Dressler and Wallace Berry. The sign for the counter service restaurant bears caricatures of the two stars, who were both quite famous during the early 1930s. In fact, Dressler, far from a Hollywood glamor queen and well into her sixties, was the number one box office draw at the time. Disney artists created similar caricatures of the pair in Mickey's Gala Premier.

Snapshot! - N.P. 5357

In somewhat striking contrast to the feudal Japanese fortress that houses it is the Tin Toy Stories showcase, located in the Japan pavilion at EPCOT's World Showcase. Standing sentry outside the entrance to the exhibit is N.P. 5357, an oversize recreation of one of the most famous of all tin toy robots. A tin toy Mickey Mouse looks on from the nearby window display.

Snapshot! - The House of Magic

On the Streets of America in Disney's Hollywood Studios, a somewhat dark and mysterious storefront facade subtlety pays tribute to, what was for nearly two and a half decades, a Main Street institution at the nearby Magic Kingdom theme park. The House of Magic opened with Walt Disney World in October 1971 and was easily one of the most fun and entertaining retail shops on property. It was sadly closed in spring of 1995 as part of an extensive Main Street makeover.

Snapshot! - Goofy Gadgetry

The World of Disney at Downtown Disney in Walt Disney World has an amazing assortment of large scale and colorful character vignettes that are suspended above the store's vast selection of merchandise and souvenirs. Wacky gadgetry is the overriding theme and Goofy is featured in a sleigh design that could almost be described as "happy steampunk."

Snapshot! - The Latest from Muppet Labs

Though I was largely Star Wars focused on my most recent visit to Disneys Hollywood Studios, I did happen to notice this additional piece of theming that was added to the exterior queue area of MuppetVision 3D. In this case, the buffoonery of Muppet Labs extends into the area adjacent to the Streets of America and nearby to Al's Toy Barn.

Snapshot! - Stormtroopers at the Crossroads

This year's inaugural Star Wars Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios was my first experience with the annual celebration. It was a fun and entertaining time, but I have to say that I enjoyed the Stormtroopers more than anything. They are cool. Very cool? Very, very cool.

Snapshot! - Deer Crossing

This photograph taken at the front of Sid Cahuenga's at Disney's Hollywood Studios demonstrates the frequent juxtaposition of designs and elements at Disney parks that are so much fun to document.

My family and I head south today for vacation. Thanks to the generosity of my most excellent friend George Taylor, we will be enjoying the luxuries of Saratoga Springs at Walt Disney World. (If you can't be in the DVC, at least make friends with someone who is!) I'll be updating 2719 Hyperion throughout the week from Disney World as opportunity permits.

Snaphot! - Revisiting the '80s

A computer keyboard, a Sony Walkman and and Pokey (AKA Clyde) all pay tribute to the decade of the 1980s at Walt Disney World's Pop Century Resort. Pop's larger than life set pieces are pure eye candy and a whole lot of fun.

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Snapshot! - Of Phones and Foosball
Snapshot! - Surf's Up!
Snapshot! - Roger Rabbit: Larger Than Life

Snapshot! - Haunted Punnery

What is truly wonderful about the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is that the show continues well after you leave your Doom Buggy. The exterior crypts continue the tongue-in-cheek humor that underscores the classic attraction.

Snapshot! - Collecting Hollywood Dust

Playing to the darker and more sinister atmosphere of the Villains in Vogue store in Disney's Hollywood Studio is a decor that could be best described as "Hollywood Attic." Dusty props evoke an era yet to experience sound and Technicolor.

Tender and Tasty POPPED CORN - Oh Boy but it's Good!

Snapshot! - Please Make Use of this Facility

Public showers in Walt Disney World? Who da thought?

Continuing our celebration this week of the ten year anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom, we showcase this set piece from the African village of Harambe. After a long and dusty day on the Kilimanjaro Safaris, guests of the Hotel Burudika can freshen up at the nearby Kuoga Showers.

Snapshot! - Blue Dreams

The one overriding characteristic of the Year of a Million Dreams is that it is blue. Everything from promotional material to the Dream Squad, from Dream Fastpasses to the Dream Along with Mickey castle forecourt show. In this snapshot, it appears that Princess Aurora never received the "blue"memo.

Snapshot! - Lady and the Tramp Go Green

The horticultural representations of various Disney characters are among the real treats of Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival. Lady and the Tramp are featured in World Showcase. Lady is clearly having a bad "ear" day and seems notably self conscious about it. Unfortunately, Tramp has taken notice.