The Haunted Mansion Supplement

Stephen Worth, Director of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, very generously passed on scans of a wonderful vintage Disneyland document to post here at 2719 Hyperion. The Haunted Mansion Supplement appears to have been a supplemental publication to the internal newsletter Backstage Disneyland, and was produced to commemorate the 1969 opening of the Haunted Mansion. It is a tongue-in-cheek send-up of WED Enterprises, the company’s theme park design division that would ultimately evolve into Walt Disney Imagineering.

The highlight of the piece is a two-page Mad Magazine-inspired comic strip by William Barry.

Enormous thanks to Steve for sending this on. The online ASIFA Archive is an unbelievable resource of animation history and popular culture. If you haven’t already, check it out. You will be amazed at the sheer volume of content there, and new material is added almost daily.

The Creek Indian Territory

Here's a fun piece of artwork from a vintage 1950s Disney comic book. This illustration was featured on the back cover of Dell Four Color Comics #631 from 1955. The subject of the issue was of course Davy Crockett, this time being the adaptation of Davy Crockett Indian Fighter. A photo-illustration of Fess Parker graced book's cover, and the inside front cover provided the following introduction:

Legends of the American frontier are still vigorous and young. The adventurous deeds of our heroic ancestors in this country are a vital portion of American Lore and will live forever in its colorful history. This is a story about one of those valiants whose fame shone brightly on the horizons of our early frontiers. This is a story about Davy Crockett.

Farewell to a Friend

On a recent visit to Epcot’s World Showcase, I discovered in a remote corner of the China retail shops a sentimental reminder of that pavilion’s original CircleVision 360 movie Wonders of China.

Browsing through a selection of small oriental fans, one design in particular caught my eye. It featured the Chinese script and corresponding English translation of the poem Farewell to a Friend, attributed to 8th century poet Li Pai.

First things first. Let's take a look at the description provided by the 1989 Birnbaum Disney World guidebook of the attraction Wonders of China: Land of Beauty, Land of Time. Here is its very detailed synopsis of the film and some background on how it was made:

This 19-minute presentation shows the beauties of a land that few Epcot Center visitors will ever see first hand—and does it so vividly that it's possible to see the film over and over and still not fully absorb all the wonderful sights. The Disney crew was the first Western film group to film certain sites, and their remarkable effort includes such marvels as Beijing's Forbidden City; vast, wide-open Mongolia and its stern-faced tribesmen; the 2,400-year-old Great Wall; the Great Buddha of Leshan, 8 centuries old and dramatically imposing; the muddy Yangtze River and the 3,000-year-old city of Suzhou, whose location on the Grand Canal, which is generally believed to be the largest man-made waterway in the world, encouraged Marco Polo to call it the Venice of the East. There are shots of Shanghai, as well as Hangzhou, where a handful of Chinese are shown doing their morning exercises along the river's edge. Also shown are Huangshan Mountain, wreathed in fog; the Shilin Stone Forest of jagged rock outcroppings in Yunnan Province; Urumqi, whose distance from the sea in Xinjiang Province earned it the title of the most inland city on earth; Lahsa, in Tibet, and its Potala Palace, boasting a thousand rooms and ten times that many altars. Just as fantastic are the Reed Flute Cave and the bizarrely shaped hills of Kweilin above, to say nothing of the very European-looking city of Shanghai. To complete the picture, there are fields of snow and of wheat, high meadows and beaches dotted with tropical palms, harbors and rice terraces, calligraphers, checkers and Ping-Pong players, lightning-fast acrobats, championship horseback riders, camels and a panda bear, glittering ice sculptures, and millions of bicycles.

Almost every step of the way, the film crews were besieged by curious Chinese, even in empty Mongolia. For the Huangshan Mountain sequence, which lasts only seconds, the crew and about three dozen hired laborers had to carry the 600-pound camera uphill for nearly a mile. The Chinese government would not permit Disney cameramen to shoot aerial footage in some areas, so Chinese crews were sent aloft to record the required scenes, first on videotape and later—after approval from the Disney director in charge of the project—on film. You can see for yourself just how well this collaboration worked.

As thorough and extensive as this entry was, I was surprised that it made no mention of what to me was the film’s most charming and entertaining component--that being the character of Li Pai, the well known Chinese poet who alternately hosted and narrated the movie.

Depending on language and translation, this famous poet of the Tang Dynasty is known by numerous names--Li Bai, Li Po, Li Bo and our souvenir fan-inscribed Li Pai. Called the Poet Immortal, Pai is considered one of China’s greatest poets. A Wikipedia entry states he is “best known for the extravagant imagination and striking Taoist imagery in his poetry, as well as for his great love for liquor. He spent much of his life travelling, although in his case it was because his wealth allowed him to, rather than because his poverty forced him. He is said to have drowned in the Yangtze River, having fallen from his boat while drunkenly trying to embrace the reflection of the moon.” The website China Culture.org notes that “Li Bai had also an air of a swordsman, hermit, Taoist, and adviser. Notions of Confucianism, Taoism, and chivalry were all embodied in his character.”

In Pai’s compelling and colorful life, Disney filmmakers found a way to take Wonders of China beyond the novelty CircleVision travelogues represented by the various America-themed Tomorrowland 360 films and even to some extent by Epcot’s other CircleVision attraction O Canada. The character’s presence unified the film’s otherwise disjointed sequences, and in essence provided the audience with a wise and knowledgeable traveling companion for a journey into the vast landscape of modern China, heretofore largely unknown to most Walt Disney World guests.

Much of Pai’s charm and appeal in Wonders of China can be attributed to the veteran Hollywood actor who portrayed him--Keye Luke. Luke’s film career began in the mid-1930s and continued up until his death in 1991. He is likely best known for his portrayal of “Number One Son” in numerous Charlie Chan adventures, and later in life as the mysterious Chinatown shopkeeper in both Gremlins movies. When Wonders of China was updated and reintroduced as Reflections of China in 2003, the character of Li Pai remained, with a different actor replacing Luke in a number of newly filmed sequences. Some footage of Luke however did remain in the new film, but his original dialogue was dubbed over by his replacement. The mixture of the two actors makes for an odd disconnect in an otherwise excellent presentation, especially for those of us who hold such fond memories of Luke’s original performance.

So appealing in Wonders of China was this character, that, by the time he recited Farewell to a Friend at the film’s conclusion, you did feel you were parting ways with a longtime companion and not a mere acquaintance of nineteen minutes.

This is the place where we must sever . . .
You go thousands of miles my friend once forever . . .
Like the floating clouds we drift apart . . .
The sunset lingers like the feelings of my heart

.

Snapshot! - Yeti Items and Other Various Sundries

On the road to Mount Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom are various businesses out to claim the tourist dollar. Here are advertisements for a few of them. Not unlike a fine wine, this scene has been aged to perfection by Imagineers, at no point betraying its actual age of less than a few years.

Lost Imagineering: Roger Rabbit's Toontown Trolley

Ahh . . . what if?

One of the casualties associated with the Disney Decade was Roger Rabbit's Hollywood, an area that was supposed to have been built at the Disney-MGM Studios in the mid-1990s. The centerpiece attraction was to have been the Toontown Trolley, a next generation simulator ride.

Eustace Lycett - 1914-2006

The New York Times has reported the sad and very belated news of the passing of Disney Studios special effects veteran Eustace Lycett this past November 16. His obituary can be found here.

Lycett began his 43-year career with Disney in 1937, working extensively with Ub Iwerks on the development of the multiplane camera. His film credits included Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Absent Minded Professor, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and an Academy Award for special effects for Mary Poppins.

Signs of the Frontier

It would seem there is more going on in Walt Disney World's Frontierland than just runaway mine trains and singing bears. Beyond the Chinese Laundry I recently discovered, here are signs advertising a couple of events not included in the Magic Kingdom guidebooks.

Dawson's Barbary Coast Saloon promises a wild time--bohemian actors, flamboyant actresses and unrepentant singers performing uninhibited theatricals--what more could any Disney World guest ask for? Really, who's going to want to go to a horse auction after a late night at Dawson's? Oh wait, never mind-- the saloon isn't open on Friday nights. Whew.

Freeze Frame! - Natural Ducks and Mythic Creatures

Is it my imagination or does nobody really talk about Fantasia 2000 anymore?

I loved Disney's millennium-based follow-up to Walt Disney's 1940 crowning achievement. I found it to be a brilliant film, consistently beautiful and in many places awe-inspiring. But not unlike its predecessor, it seems it might take quite a number of years for it to receive the acclaim and appreciation it so richly deserves.

My favorite sequence by far is the Noah's Ark-inspired Pomp and Circumstance, a bittersweet comedy of errors that serves as Donald Duck's counterpoint to Mickey's iconic Sorcerer's Apprentice. And two particular scenes in the story showcase wonderful gags worthy of Freeze Frame status.

First there is Donald's momentary identity crisis when confronted with ducks of a slightly more realistic nature . . .


. . . and then the quick shot of a trio of mythical creatures mocking the proceedings.


Wonderful moments from a great, great movie.

Of Royal Frogs and Golden Hair

It is impossible to navigate through the many worlds of Disney entertainment these days without bumping into some aspect of its overwhelming and very successful Princess franchise. It is therefore almost hard to believe that there hasn’t been a new Disney princess in well over a decade (well, even much longer if you consider it a stretch to include Pocahontas and Mulan as Disney occasionally does).

Now suddenly, two new and distinctly different princesses are looming on the Disney animation horizon. The long in development CGI and Glen Keane-helmed Rapunzel, and the much touted return to traditional animation that is The Frog Princess are both penciled in for likely 2009-2010 releases.

Of the two, it is Rapunzel’s future that seems somewhat tenuous. Jim Hill recently posted an excellent article on his site that chronicles the film’s long and occasionally troubled development. Former WSFA head David Stainton left a lot of problematic baggage behind when given his walking papers last year, reflected most recently by Chris Sanders removal from American Dog. Looking back at a New York Times article from September 2005, it seems that Keane and his Rapunzel project became the center of Stainton’s internal PR campaign for the elimination of 2D animation and subsequent transition to CGI. Ironically, based on buzz and some early conceptual art, it would appear that Keane and his crew are striving for a very “un-CGI” CGI look and feel.

It’s a shame that Keane and Rapunzel landed in the middle of executive mismanagement and the subsequent (and probably necessary) housecleaning initiated by incoming heads Ed Catmull and John Lasseter. According to Jim Hill’s article, the project’s fate will likely be decided this June. Here’s hoping for a positive and beneficial outcome for all those involved.

In stark contrast with Rapunzel’s recent under-the-radar scuttlebutt, Disney is attaching all kinds of bells and whistles to announcements involving The Frog Princess. The recent company shareholders meeting in New Orleans found Randy Newman performing his composition of the film’s opening number, while screens displayed concept art of movie’s young heroine Maddy.

As part of his comments about future WDFA projects, John Lasseter gushed about The Frog Princess:

“The main character of the story, our hero, is named Maddy. And I am very, very proud to announce that she is the very first African American Disney princess. We're really proud and excited about this. This is a fantastic story, this movie is going to be classic Disney, yet you've never seen one like it before.”

Again, the irony. The most famous pioneer of CG animation proudly announcing the return to traditional animation by the very company whose executives had danced on its grave less than two years before. But it is still very exciting news nonetheless.

Thrown into this “princess mix” is the up and coming live-action Enchanted featuring traditional animation, albeit from a third party production house. Its performance will no doubt be looked on as a barometer of sorts for these future potential entries in Disney’s lucrative “royal” franchise.

Charles Ridgway's Wonderful World

Disney pundits across the web seem to be in complete agreement with their praises of Charles Ridgway’s wonderful new book, Spinning Disney’s World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent. I as well would like to voice my very, very enthusiast endorsement of this must-read tome for any Disney fan.

An unquestionable Disney Legend with a window on Walt Disney World’s Main Street USA (Ridgway Public Relations - Charles Ridgway Press Agent), Charlie is a forty year veteran of the Walt Disney Company and has literally worked in some capacity for every Disney theme park around the world. He covered the opening of Disneyland in 1955 as a local newspaper reporter, and most recently worked as a consultant to help prepare for the debut of Hong Kong Disneyland. In the time between, he has amassed an amazing collection of stories and anecdotes that fill the pages of Spinning Disney’s World.

Reading Charlie’s stories is akin to spending an evening or two with an old friend. His prose is friendly and conversational, and it feels like you reach the end of the 200+ pages all too quickly. What is exceptional about the book is that Charlie was either present or on the periphery of just about every major development at both Disneyland and Disney World over the course of the last half century.

A great example of this, and one of my favorite passages, is where Charlie describes the nearly overnight, fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants design and construction of Mickey’s Birthdayland in 1988 at Walt Disney World. With the majority of WDI resources tied up with the building of Disney-MGM Studios at the time, creating a way to celebrate Mickey’s 60th birthday fell to a new Michael Eisner/Frank Wells-created marketing task force dubbed MATADORS, of which Charlie was a member. The project literally went from conception to completion in a few short months and on a shoestring budget, but ultimately laid the groundwork for Toontown expansions at Disneyland and Disney World.

Equally entertaining is Charlie's own favorite story of training fifty white Peking ducks to follow Donald Duck down Main Street as part of his 50th Birthday parade in 1984.

In a book where the names of Hollywood stars, political figures and international dignitaries are sprinkled heavily throughout, Charlie remains a down-to-earth, genuine and sincere witness to Disney history. It is refreshing to read a book where there are no axes to grind and the author’s sole purpose is to simply share his happy, positive and always interesting life stories with the reader. In a time of contentious debates and Eisner-bashing, Charlie only has kind words and compliments for his former bosses and company associates. He is as gracious as his book is captivating.

Tomorrowland Public Works

Here is another great graphic element from Walt Disney World's "The Future That Never Was." While an embossed metal version of this logo can be seen on trash cans throughout Tomorrowland, this full color version is usually reserved for refurbishment signs and is seen less frequently. The logo's retro-deco look is reminiscent of commercial art styles from the 1930s and 1940s.

For those who want to "clean up" their desktop," here's a wallpaper featuring the design. Click on the image for a full size 1024 x 768 version.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today . . .

. . . that I was enjoying one of my most memorable visits to Walt Disney World.

It was a truly great time. It was my first time back since summer of 1982 and was significant to me for a number of reasons. It was my wife Alane's first trip to Disney World, and it marked my first visit to EPCOT Center. It also served to ignite a passion in both of us that has since yet to diminish in any way.

The resort was in the midst of its 15 Years Birthday Celebration, and pictured are just a few of the mementos of that trip that I have long treasured. The one item I value most from the 15 Years celebration I am unfortunately unable to display here. It was the large Walt Disney World-Coca Cola 15th Birthday commemorative pin set. It features 60 different pins, all co-branded with the Coca Cola logo. I purchased it at the Disneyana Shop, which was located in Fantasyland back then, right where the PhilharMagic store currently resides. A very helpful and always pleasant cast member named Jonah worked there then.

The EPCOT Field Guide - Spaceship Earth

Last but certainly not least. The final Future World entry from the EPCOT Field Guide is the park's iconic and most famous attraction: Spaceship Earth. Frequently called the big silver golf by Walt Disney World visitors, the Guide even addresses that common quip by noting that the corresponding golfer would stand 1.2 miles tall.

Donald Duck in Disneyland - 1955

Television was by no means the only medium Walt Disney used to promote Disneyland in the mid to late 1950s. Comic books promoted the Happiest Place on Earth to the baby boom generation with four color adventures set in and themed to the various lands of the Magic Kingdom.

One of the earliest of these publications was the Dell Giant Donald Duck in Disneyland from 1955. This particular comic actually preceded Disneyland’s July 17th opening and the story content actually acknowledges that fact. Donald, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and other Disney stock comic book stars of the time are given an early sneak preview of the park as Walt’s behest. And the map that Donald displays on the comic’s inside front cover does not quite match up to Disneyland’s ultimate lineup of opening day attractions.

While many of the subsequent Disneyland themed comic books employed the park mainly as a framing sequence for stories themed to the various lands, Donald Duck in Disneyland actually sets most of its stories in the park itself. Mickey Mouse and Gyro Gearloose find themselves on Tomorrowland’s Rocket to the Moon. In Frontierland’s Golden Horseshoe, Grandma Duck relates a story of Davy Crockett. Donald and Daisy board the Congo Queen for a Jungle Cruise. The highlight is a Fantasyland story starring Goofy, Minnie, Pluto and Jiminy Cricket. Their adventure takes them through all the major Fantasyland attractions: Dumbo, Snow White, Mr Toad, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

And wrapping things up is a terrific back cover illustration of the gang flying over the park on Dumbo's back. A very fun piece of Disneyana that likely inspired young readers from over fifty years ago to dream of their first visit to that very magical place.

The EPCOT Field Guide: The Living Seas

Seabase Alpha is now but a memory but it was alive and thriving when the EPCOT Field Guide was published in 1994. One of the questions on the Technology Quiz deals with the Wave Tank--it was one of my favorite exhibits within the base.

And Nemo and Friends weren't the first animated characters to appear within The Living Seas pavilion. Two cartoons were part of the original Seabase Alpha modules: Suited for the Sea and The Animated Atlas of the World.

Semi Pneumatic Tires and Congo Graphite Bearings

Seriously. Those are the key selling features of the Mouseketeer Express coaster wagon in this advertisement for Radio Line products from 1956. Did kids back then really know their wagons to that extent? Wow.

Snapshot! - A Sign Pointing to . . . Gastley Mansion?

This signpost is located at the intersection of Adventureland and Frontierland in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and is distinguished by one somewhat curious detail. Gastley Mansion is how the Haunted Mansion was initially identified on the sign, but has been corrected with some red paint graffiti. Does anyone recall any Gastley references from the history of the Haunted Mansion?

Blue Sky Department: New Horizons

I imagine that there are no doubt many other Disney Park enthusiasts out there like myself who are closet Imagineers. I have longed dreamed up numerous concepts that I thought would be great additions to Disney’s existing venues. So forgive my self indulgence as I finally put into words some of my own blue sky creations and share them with the readership of 2719 Hyperion.

My initial blue sky offering is one that essentially puts the future back in Epcot’s Future World. I have long held that Horizons, in my opinion the very best of EPCOT Center’s first generation attractions, should have been refurbished or even reinvented rather than abandoned completely. Hence, my idea is for a completely new pavilion that would once again introduce guests to future living, but this time on a farther reaching and much grander scale.

Welcome to the 22nd Century. Welcome to New Horizons.

New Horizons would be a Future World pavilion that restores the forward thinking idealism born out of Disney’s landmark attraction the Carousel of Progress and its successor of sorts, the original Horizons.

New Horizons would be located on the west side of Future World, between the Seas and Land pavilions. It would be a large, enclosed pavilion, akin to the Land or Wonders of Life, and house shops, restaurants and multiple attractions. It would essentially reinvent the original Horizons’ concept of traveling through the future and mark a return to much of that attraction’s original mythology.

When guests enter New Horizons, they will immediately arrive at the Futureport and be transported to the 22nd century. This Futureport, unlike its earlier counterpart, is in fact a busy, bustling transportation station in the center of the sprawling metropolis of Nove Cite. A futuristic Grand Central Station of sorts, the Futureport would be the hub of this vast city’s various transportation systems.

New Horizons would feature a number of state-of-the-art, innovative, and very immersive attractions:

The Hovership City Tour - Using ride mechanics similar to Soarin’, this attraction would take guests on a sweeping aerial tour of Nove Cite. Hoverships would sail throughout the city’s maze of skyscrapers, parks, sports arenas and neighborhoods, giving riders a bird’s eye view of what a 22nd century urban center will encompass.

TransExpress Destinations - Employing the very latest in simulator-based ride technologies, TransExpress shuttlecrafts would take guests on high-speed excursions to destinations such as the desert community of Mesa Verde, the floating city Sea Castle, and the orbiting space station Brava Centauri. Guests would literally choose their desired destination upon entering the attraction’s queue area.

The main concourse area of the pavilion would be a next-century version of modern day transportation centers such as airports and rail stations. It would include a food court, a full service restaurant and numerous retail shops. Large plasma monitors would be scattered about, featuring Nove Cite newscasts, weather reports and commercial messages. The visual highlight of this area would be large panoramic windows that would display views of the surrounding Nove Cite skyline. And amazingly, these views of the city’s skyline would reflect real time conditions. In other words, as the sun goes down on central Florida, so would the external views of Nove Cite experience the same transition to nightfall.

A large area of the Futureport would be the home of the Yesterday’s Tomorrows Museum & Retrospective. This attraction would combine walk-through exhibits with a brand new incarnation of Disney’s Carousel of Progress. This Carousel would, over the course of five acts, demonstrate progress from the year 2010 to 2100, effectively bridging the time between the modern age and the pavilion‘s 22nd century setting. Decidedly whimsical exhibits would be expanded multimedia presentations of the original Horizon’s Looking Back at Tomorrow sequences.

Yeah, I know. New Horizons would cost an enormous amount of money. Likely more money than Disney and any corporate sponsor would be willing to spend. But what the heck, the great thing about blue sky dreaming is that there are no financial constraints, and you are limited only by your own imagination.

So what do you think? Is a new incarnation of Horizons something you would like to see at Epcot? Let me know, and also write in with any blue sky concepts you would like to share with the readers of 2719 Hyperion. Who knows, there might even be an Imagineer nearby lurking and listening . . .

The EPCOT Field Guide: The Land

By the time this Field Guide was published, Living with the Land had replaced Listen to the Land as the name of the pavilion's then centerpiece attraction. Gone also was the happy, fun melody of the Listen to the Land theme song. Certainly one of EPCOT's most educationally stimulating presentations, (my son won the Science Fair in elementary school with a hydroponics experiment that was inspired by the Land's own hydroponics), it still is very popular as validated by its FastPass status.

Addressing Some Jungle Cruise Crates

Some strong winds likely blew these crates over to the Jungle Cruise dock from the Swiss Family Treehouse, in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

The addresses on both crates collectively make reference to the 1960 Disney motion picture Swiss Family Robinson. Thomas Kirk is in fact frequent Disney player Tommy Kirk and he played Ernst Robinson in the film. M. Jones makes reference to the character of Merlin Jones, portrayed by Kirk in the films The Misadventures of Merlin Jones and The Monkey's Uncle. The location of Bora Danno pays sly homage to Kirk's Swiss Family Robinson costar James MacArthur who later played the character of Detective Danny Williams, AKA "Danno", on television's Hawaii Five-O.

Ken Annakin was the director of Swiss Family Robinson. He also helmed three other live-action Disney films: The Story of Robin Hood, The Sword and the Rose, and Third Man on the Mountain. Wyss Supply Company refers to original Swiss Family Robinson author Johann Wyss.

Westward Ho the Development!

Disney’s announcement today of their planned development project on Walt Disney World's western perimeter comes as a bit of a non-event for park enthusiasts. The plans are very clearly for non-Disney themed development involving third party participation.

One key line from the press release:

"On the western edge of the resort, Disney is planning a mixed-use tourist commercial district just outside Disney’s gateway entrance. The master-planned development is comparable in size to Disney’s Animal Kingdom."

Take note: outside the gateway entrance. This is essentially going to be the western side equivalent of Lake Buena Vista and the Crossroads shopping center, just with a substantially greater retail presence. Certainly no Disney themed development ala Downtown Disney. Kind of a ho-hum revelation in my opinion.