SURPRISE: Lady and the Tramp

Walt, Lillian and the Chow dog that started it all.

On my last trip to the Magic Kingdom, I was sitting in the patio of Tony's Town Square enjoying my Italian meal with super delicious roasted garlic salad dressing made in house. It was a pleasant day and I had never eaten here before. I loved the openness and air-conditioning of the dining room, the great service, and the food was better than expected.

As I was sitting and staring out the window I noticed something across the street. It was a sign. Of course, I can't help but be reminded the Lady and the Tramp movie tie in for this restaurant. The stained glass windows and the paw prints out front make the theme pretty obvious. What was not so obvious is the sign in front of the Chapeau shop.

My server (Casey, one of the best on this trip) has been working there for 8 years and never noticed the hat box before. I can imagine. As you recall from the movie, Lady appears popping out of a hat box. This story idea was straight from Walt Disney's life as this is how he presented a puppy to his wife Lillian a number of years before.

The placement is intentional of course and a tribute to the Imagineers imagination.

DESIGN: Disney's Hollywood Studios land by land - Part 1

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD

In 1989, Michael Eisner proclaimed that Walt Disney World’s third gate would be dedicated to Hollywood; “not a place on a map, but a state of mind” and “a Hollywood that never was – and always will be.”

This would be a much smaller park then the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT and the Imagineers wanted to capture Disneyland’s “human scale, warmth, and feeling.” The park’s site plan is based on a hub-and-spoke layout like Disneyland. Instead of a Castle at the end of the street; you get a full-size reproduction of Grauman’s Chinese Theater (1927) that’s blocked by giant hat.

Inspired by the early filmmakers who used Los Angeles as the background for their movies, the Imagineers use real building facades and billboards to tell the story of the mythical Hollywood of our collective consciousness. For the architecture, the Imagineers apply a design trick called “shrink and edit.” They take a real building as inspiration and then they change the scale, color or details in order to support the story they are trying to tell. Hollywood Boulevard is filled with such examples.

Your adventure starts as soon as you pass through a reproduction of the Streamline Moderne Pan-Pacific Auditorium, Hollywood’s primary convention center from 1935 to 1972. The entry plaza is at the intersection of Hollywood and Prospect Avenues. The central building is the Crossroad of the World building (1936), which is a tribute to an early LA mini-mall. It is topped by a 5’3” Mickey whose ear is a lightning rod.

Sid Cahuenga’s One-of-a-Kind shop is an example of the California Bungalow and it is inspired by the true story of the Janes House in which a homeowner on Hollywood Boulevard held out and a mall developer just built around him. Other buildings include an electric substation (1907) from Culver City that is now a performance space, the Blaine Building (1926), a J.J. Newberry (1928), a bank on Wilshire Boulevard (1929), the Chapman Market (1929), Max Factor Building (1931), Owl Drug Store (1933), the Darkroom (1938), and many, many others. A highlight of the area is The Hollywood Brown Derby (1929), which is a treasure inside and out.

The two billboards at the entrance establish the architectural timeframe for Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards as well as Echo Lake (1923-1945). The Hollywoodland billboard refers to a subdivision that opened in 1923, the same the year Walt Disney moved to Hollywood. Adjacent is a billboard for the 1945 Hollywood Canteen, a Hollywood oasis for soldiers fighting in World War II.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Book Review: TWO NEW WALT DISNEY BIOGRAPHY BOOKS

Recently, there have been two wonderful books released about Walt Disney. The first is the catalog from the Walt Disney Family Museum entitled The Man, The Magic, The Memories. The second book was released by Disney Press and is called Walt Disney: His Life in Pictures. Both are excellent books and should be on any Disney fans bookshelf.

There have been many biographies written about the life of Walt Disney. Some have taken a darker view of the man’s life (Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince by Marc Eliot) or just completely made stuff up (Disney’s World: A Biography by Leonard Mosely). Others have been a bit more sympathetic (Neal Gabler’s Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination and Bob Thomas’s Walt Disney: An American Original). There have also been books written by those who knew Walt best including Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney and Inside the Dream.

With so many books talking about the same subject, you would think there is nothing more to say about the man. Then you pick up a copy of J.B. Kaufman’s excellent book The Man, The Magic, The Memories. The book is meant to be a companion to a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum. The Museum is a creation of Diane Disney Miller and the Walt Disney Family Foundation and was designed to be an unvarnished tribute to her father. Ms. Miller was fearful that younger generations would only think of Walt as another character or brand to be exploited by The Walt Disney Company and not as the creative genius that he was.

The book is laid out the same way the Museum galleries are laid out. After an introduction by Ms. Miller, Kaufman takes you through the ten galleries with the book loaded with rare photos and drawings. Just like the Museum, the book is a linear story of Walt’s life and influences.

We start at the beginning with his childhood days leading up to his first start (and failure) in the animation business. From there we move to Hollywood and learn how the Alice and Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit shorts lead up to the creation (and cultural explosion) of Mickey Mouse.

With the success of Mickey bringing in the money, Walt decides that diversification was necessary and takes on the Silly Symphonys idea conjured up by his music director, Carl Stalling. The immediate success of this series of shorts allows Walt to experiment with the animation art form, which then lead to the creation of the first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The book goes on at length about the development of that film.

The success of Snow White allowed the studio to relocate to a state of the art facility in Burbank, designed in great measure by Walt and Kem Weber. It is here that we start to see how the Disney organization was beginning to change into a large company. Once again, it is the concept artwork in the book that will keep you riveted including a selection from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Both the Museum and the book pull no punches on some of the bad things that happened to Walt including losing Oswald to the Mintzs, the problems with Pat Powers, the onset of World War II, and probably the most impactful, the animator’s strike of 1941. Balancing these tough times are the trip to South America that produced Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros and the Studios contribution to the War effort. If you are a Dumbo fan then you will find some of the concept drawings delightful.

The studio rebuilding after the war is featured in the next chapter. Returning back to the early days of the studio, Disney produced two films that combine animation with live action, So Dear to My Heart and Song of the South. Many of the familiar classics are mentioned including Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. It is the Mary Blair concept drawings for Peter Pan that made me pause. We also learn about the first live action films including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Robin Hood, and Treasure Island. Another chapter touches on the award winning True-Life Adventure and People and Places shorts.

Chapter 9 takes us behind the scenes for one of the most productive times in Walt’s life – the 1950s and 1960s. Here Kaufman discusses Walt’s love for trains, Disneyland, various television projects, the “Florida Project”, motion pictures (Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire), and the other things he was getting into (The 1960 Winter Olympics, the 1964 World’s Fair, and Mineral King Valley ski resort. As in every other chapter, there is also a little time spent on Walt’s personal life.

Sadly, Walt passed away on December 15, 1966. The final chapter in the book is touching tribute and will bring a tear to your eyes.

You can purchase the book online from the Walt Disney Family Museum by visiting www.waltdisney.org and follow the links to purchase tickets. The book is available there. Cost is $19.95. I purchased a copy on my recent visit and will be receiving a signed edition as a member of the Museum.

Walt Disney: His Life in Pictures is an odd book but one worth having in your collection. I believe this book was aimed toward children. After a foreword from Diane Disney Miller, we are taken on a decade by decade photographic journey of Walt’s life. Many of the photos can be seen at the Walt Disney Family Museum. The book provides a basic narrative of Walt’s life but what make this book especially valuable are the quotes from Walt about his life and interests.

I purchased this book from Amazon and cost $10.17.

Disneyland's Adventureland 01: Introduction & History

The influential architect Mies van der Rohe once said, “God is in the details.” For the true theme park geek, it is these details that become our holy grail. This is what we seek and this is what makes these spaces click in a meaningful way that exceeds your expectations.

The drive for perfecting the little things was consistent with the way Walt Disney approached animating stories. Walt once coined the term the “plausible impossible” to describe the purpose and need for detail. If you want people to believe the characters and the universal stories of a Disney animated film, it starts with highly detailed environments for the characters to inhabit. This level of detail allows you to suspend your disbelief and makes the impossible plausible.

Like a movie, it is best to start your adventure with a long shot. It is hard to imagine that one end of Adventureland is a mere 35 feet from City Hall on Main Street as Tinker Bell flies. The public realm is that space where the public interacts in a casual way on their way to specific destinations. To create the all-important first impression and then to carry you through the rest of your visit, the public realm is the stage that connects your adventures and makes the sum greater than the parts. A lively, engaging, and meaningful public realm makes all the difference.

So join me for a journey into the deepest darkest corners of this mysterious port of call. Let’s explore the world of Adventureland.

Adventureland is unique amongst the themed areas in Disneyland in many ways. It has a different layout than the other lands, is the smallest “non-ride” public area at Disneyland, and it has a very special history which has influenced what we see today.

Once upon a time, Adventureland was supposed to be on the other side of Main Street. The original plans called for True-Life Adventureland to be on the park’s eastside. A change of plans came at the last minute so that Bill Evans, landscape artist extraordinaire, could take advantage of a mature windrow of eucalyptus trees. Those trees still stand behind City Hall and they gave Bill a leg up as he tried to create a jungle out of an orange and walnut grove.

First, I have to take a quick detour and talk about Bill Evans. If you love the gardens at Disneyland and Walt Disney World then he would be the man you want to thank. Bill designed the landscaping for Walt’s Holmby Hills home on Carolwood Drive. Walt asked him to create the landscaping for Disneyland. When the park first opened, the landscaping was very bare. They just didn’t have the time or money to get things done in time for the grand opening. So Walt had Bill draft little signs with the Latin names for many of the weeds and make them seem like something more than they were. To increase the exotic landscaping for the Jungle Cruise he improvised by taking orange trees and flip them so that the roots were pointed toward the sky and buried the rest. Many of the oldest trees in the park were rescued from the construction path of the Santa Ana Freeway.

I mentioned earlier that originally the land was going to be called True-Life Adventureland based on the Studio’s award winning nature films (The Living Desert, The Vanishing Prairie, The African Lion, etc.). Walt really wanted to present live animals along the banks of the Jungle Cruise but was talked out of it when he learned that they would probably be asleep most of the time and not put on the consistent show he desired. It wasn’t until 1998 that the Imagineers figured out how to implement his dream with the opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I understand it is said at Imagineering that good ideas never really die.

In the first guidebook sold in the park, Walt said that Adventureland is “the wonderland of Nature’s own design”. He went on to say, “Here you can stroll through a Tahitian village lush in its exotic beauty, marvel at the unusual exhibit of South Seas products displayed at the Bazaar, or take an explorer’s boat on a journey through tropical rivers where life-like wild animals add thrills and excitement to your trip to the far ends of the world”.

Even the shops added to theme. Another souvenir book from 1955 boasted, “The savage beauty of the tropics and the exotic wares of South Sea Island Shops are seen in superlative degree in this Tahitian village at Disneyland”. You could “buy items from India, carvings from a Kenyan tribe in Africa, and tropical ceramics are among the rarities, displayed in the Adventureland bazaar”.

Adventureland has developed very slowly compared to the other lands. The Jungle Cruise was the only ride on opening day. In 1962, the area was freshened up with two artificial trees. One was in the Tahitian Terrace, a Polynesian style restaurant with a hula show, and the other was the Swiss Family Treehouse. You could also bag some big game at the new The Safari Shooting Gallery.

In 1963, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room opened to the public. A bit of humor was added to the Jungle Cruise with the new Marc Davis additions and the tone of the attraction moved from the serious to the comedic. These additions include the African Veldt and the Safari having a close encounter with a rhinoceros.

Not much happened in Adventureland until 1976 when seven new scenes were added to the Jungle Cruise. In 1985, the Jungle Cruise received a much-needed major rehab. The Tahitian Terrace when away in 1993 and was replaced by Aladdin’s Oasis.

The next big thing came in 1995. To celebrate the park’s 40^th anniversary, Adventureland became home to Indiana Jones Adventure – Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Not only did the land gain the ultimate E-Ticket ride but also the Jungle Cruise was significantly changed with new boats, boathouse, and a thematic overlay consistent with Indy’s 1930s time frame.

The Swiss Family moved out of the Treehouse in 1999 and Tarzan moved in. By the 50^th anniversary in 2005, the Jungle Cruise once again got some major TLC and added some new scenes including the piranhas and the gun happy gorillas.

Captain Eo returns to Disneyland in February

Okay, time to see just how far the state of 3D film making has advanced because Disneyland will be showing Captain Eo for a limited engagement starting this fall. Points go to Al Lutz over at Miceage.com who has been all over for many months. I remember seeing this film a number of times during the original run from 1986 to 1997. Welcome back MJ.

WESTCOT and Yesterland

Samland is proud once again of contributing to that goldmine known as Yesterland. Today, the final part of my series about the 1991 Disneyland Master Plan, featuring WESTCOT, runs with lots of graphics. Check it out. If you like what you see, let me and Werner know so I can start working on the next one.

To find Part One go here

To find Part Two go here

The Shaman along Disneyland's Rivers of America

In honor of the closing of Disneyland’s Rivers of America from January 4, 2010 to sometime in May, I thought it timely to talk about one of my favorite details in the entire park.

For those who have made the journey, whether by paddle wheeler, sailing ship or under their own power in a canoe, one significant point of interest is the Native American camp along the embankment.

Your first sign is usually a Chief riding high on his horse. If you are lucky he may wave to you but sometimes the steam locomotive distracts him. The next sign is sometimes a small child staring into the water and s/he is fishing. I have seen s/he with a dog and sometimes without. Every now and again I swear I see fish jumping from he the kid but not always.

Finally, the village comes into view, a busy place with lots going on. Everybody seems to be working on a project with the exception of a few guys who are sitting around a fire listening to the Shaman.

A Shaman is a healer or mediator within the community. In this case, he is telling a story. Somebody on the Mark Twain once said it was the story of the flute. Might have been Samuel Clemons but I am not sure. Regardless of the story this guy is entertaining to watch.

This is one of my favorite things at Disneyland. I sure will miss it.

Walt Disney Family Museum February Events

February 2010 Programming Focuses on Innovation with a Dash of Romance at The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco

Fall in love this month at The Walt Disney Family Museum with special programming dedicated to romance, education and entertainment! Highlights of February’s programming includes the film of the month, Lady and the Tramp, which plays from February 1-27, and a special food, wine & film pairing event with Jan Wahl on Valentine’s Day. Legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr visits the Museum on February 6 for a discussion on innovation, audio animatronics and the majestic Mr. Lincoln.

Most screenings and lectures will be held in the museum’s 114-seat auditorium, which features murals of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

FILM

Film of the Month: Lady and the Tramp

Lady and the Tramp runs from February 1 to February 27.

1:00pm and 4:00pm, Theater (except Tuesdays, February 6, February 14 and February 21).

Unleash your heart and fall in love this February with Lady and the Tramp! Watch romance blossom between Lady, a high society cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a mutt from the wrong side of the tracks, over a spaghetti dinner. Now that’s what we call Puppy Love!

February 14 – Reel Delicious: Food & Wine in Film

3:00 pm, Special Exhibition Hall

Join Jan Wahl for a fabulous feast through great moments with food and wine in movies. From Lady and the Tramp to Sideways, join us for the perfect pairing of gourmet food, wine, and film. Celebrate this Valentine’s Day with some marvelous mouthwatering moments from the movies.

LECTURE

February 6 – Innovations: Audio Animatronics, Will the Real Mr. Lincoln Please Stand Up!

3:00 pm, Theater

From the fluttering of birds wings to the graceful gestures of humans, animatronics mimics life in all its forms. Discover how the first successful audio animatronic, the majestic Mr. Lincoln, was conceived and engineered. Hear from the legendary Mr. Bob Gurr who worked alongside other Imagineers to help Mr. Lincoln talk and stand.

MUSIC

February 21 – This American Land: Music of the New World

4:00 p.m., Special Exhibition Hall

Artists’ Vocal Ensemble takes a deep look into music of America. From Native Americans to Spanish missionaries to the film industry, our unique geography has shaped a beautiful and soulful tradition. We will celebrate Samuel Barber’s centennial, and discover the power of early-American Shape-note music, the music of Spanish missionaries, and the voice of local composers. This is an opportunity to enjoy a late-winter’s afternoon surrounded by magnificent music.

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

February 13 – Disney Discoveries: Valentines Pop-up Card

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Learning Center: Art Studio

Imaginations and creativity will soar with our new Disney Discoveries! The second Saturday of each month, join us for family fun and activities in the Learning Center. The activities planned by our education staff will inspire the hidden artist in young visitors while learning about the life and work of Walt Disney.

The Disney Discoveries! activities are free with paid admission to the Museum. No ticket is needed for members—just show your membership card.

February 26 & 27 – Look Closer: The Hat Bronzed with Love

11:00 am and 3:00 pm, Gallery 9, Lower Level

Would you like to know more about one of the artifacts in the galleries? Our Look Closer series will give you that opportunity—staff will reveal little known facts, behind the scenes information, or just additional information that does not fit on a label during the 30-minute gallery talk.

The Look Closer series is free with paid admission or paid membership.

tickets available online at www.waltdisney.org

Magic Kingdom Harmony Barber Shop

On my last trip to the world in September, I reported on one of my do experiences - a haircut from the Harmony Barber shop. As the rest of the Magic Kingdom's Main Street has been turned into a mall including the conversion of the Fire Station and Movie Theater into shops, I have always admired a real barber shop.

I was there at park opening. While most guests were dashing to the big E-ticket attractions or Fantasyland, I headed straight to the Barber shop's front door. Just go through the left tunnel, aim straight, and there you have it. However, I was elbowed out by a family and had the opportunity to observe how things were done.

While I was in line, I spoke with a man who lives in the area and comes here every 6 weeks for his haircut. He said the combination of service, price, and location can't be beat. He figures you have to wait a bit a great barbershop anyway and this is about as good as it gets. There are plenty of chairs along one wall but there was also a line outside the door very early on.

Some of the antiques are still in service. The turn-of-the-century Western Electric phone box is still used and the cash register was built in 1912. The shop is in its second location. It first appear at Center Street but was bumped out when the Emporium was expanded in 2001. I understand that the Dapper Dans drop by on occasion to sing for the crowd.

The big news buzzing about the room was the addition of a third chair. This increases the capacity which was already bursting with more than 400 haircuts a week.

For me, the entertainment was provided by all of the excited families as they interacted with their kids getting haircuts.

Haircuts are only $17 and for $5 you can even get a big of colored hair gel. I decided to stick with a beard trim for an additional $10. Service was friendly and she did a great job. I was told the line can get pretty long as the day goes on. There was quite a bit of a crowd on a relatively slow day right at the park opening.

What is certainly one of the major bargins at Walt Disney World, the child's first haircut package is the best. It only costs $14 and your child is treated to some "pixie dust", stickers, bubbles, a haircut, and a pair of "My 1st Haircut" ears. I tried to get a pair arguing that it was my first haircut at Harmony but was unsuccessful.

DESIGN: Urban Design and Fantasyland

In past articles I have talked about some of the urban design concepts used to create the immersive environments of the Magic Kingdom. You can read about Tomorrowland here andhere. Liberty Square and Frontierland can be found here, here, here, and here. Main Street USA is located here and here. Adventureland will be found here and here.

Fantasyland is at the heart of the Magic Kingdom and it represents a chance to visit with some of our favorite Disney characters. To get there you must pass through the gates of Cinderella Castle, which is influenced by French Gothic castles and its’ ornamental style based on French chateaus. The castle is the only fully realized; 4-sided building that is not a spinning ride in Fantasyland. Behind the castle walls you enter a medieval courtyard surrounded by a Gothic village. This village has been decorated for a celebration.

In creating Fantasyland, the Imagineers faced a design dilemma. They wanted to recreate elements from architecture found in the Disney cartoons but they feared chaos as the variety of styles might collide. The solution was to wrap the facades of English Tudor, French Gothic, and other styles with decorative elements from a medieval tournament. These elements include tents, flags, and banners, and supports that look like lances.

In 1972, in a landmark book about architecture entitled Learning from Las Vegas, the authors opined that the use of vernacular architecture and iconography, masking the “ugly and ordinary” structures would satisfy regular people even while it frustrated architects. This idea became known as the “decorated shed” and went on to become the foundation for the Post-Modern architectural style. Fantasyland is perhaps the finest example of the “decorated shed” and the Imagineers were the pioneers in developing this innovation which in turn has had a significant impact on the public realm outside of the parks.’

From guest’s point of view, the courtyard appears to be a collection of small stores and larger attraction queues. In reality, as you can see from an aerial photo, the land is made up of three very large buildings that are wrapped in thematic materials. This concept of wrapping buildings was relatively new at the time the Magic Kingdom was built and has become very common today. The design details along the roofline of the buildings surrounding the courtyard support the design elements of Cinderella Castle and confirm that you are within the walls of the castle.

A lot has changed over the years but the facades have remained relatively the same. Winnie the Pooh took over the lease from Mr. Toad and the audio-animatronic Mickey Mouse Revue kept with the same great idea and morphed into the 3D film Mickey’s Philharmagic. The loss of the lagoon for the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarines has greatly weakened the boundaries of the courtyard. The proposed Fantasyland expansion may go a long way in repairing that damage.