Quick Disneyland Trip Report

Last week I took a trip to the Disneyland Resort and look what I brought back...photos! Now if you have some problems with the color orange, I would highly recommend that you stay away from Main Street USA. If you have to go to Disneyland, enter via the Monorail. I am just warning you. Orange overload ahead.

Here is a little noticed detail that you would notice if it were not there. As you enter Disneyland and look to the right at Town Square you see a building facade that has changed many many times over the years. This space would have been the portal to "International Street." Walt wanted to use the space behind Main Street and Tomorrowland for an expansion area. Over the years, a lot has happened but this space never became public. To mask the show buildings over at Tomorrowland, the Imagineers have used very gentle reminders of other American style Main Street buildings.

Very effective.

Another fun reminder of the past is this sign attached to the restrooms just outside of Fantasyland. Once upon a time guests would have a choice of two doors to enter and exit the facilities. However, kids were getting lost. So Disney closed off one set of doors and hung this sign to make sure people knew where the door was.

Just another beautiful day here in Southern California.

Inside the Blue Sky Cellar, they have update the exhibit to feature the new Buena Vista Street entrance to DCA. For a detailed look at the new exhibit, visit Andy Castro's wrap up at MiceAge. Complimenting the Partners statue of Walt and Mickey in Disneyland is a new statue of a much younger Walt. This sets the stage for the redo where we are entering Hollywood at the time of Walt's first arrival. I am sure miniatures will be for sale very soon.

Of course, what would an Imagineering display be without models. Here is a model of Buena Vista Street. A long cry from the suburban shopping center architecture that was there before.

Speaking of models, I am a big fan of just getting down there an looking from the pedestrian's point of view. Here is Walt walking out of the castle at the model on display on Main Street.


Still one of my favorite resting places.

Panorama: One of My Favorite spots in Walt Disney World

The library inside of the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Hello Fall

MICECHAT: THE AMERICAN ADVENTURE

One of my favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World is The American Adventure inside of the United States pavilion at Epcot.

The American Adventure was originally planned for a different location within Epcot. The first location was right between Future World and the World Showcase in a modern structure described by Disney “as a sleek contemporary edifice, a mammoth ultramodern structure on stilts, somewhat akin to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC.” The building would act like a bridge and a visual barrier between the two lands. Guests would pass underneath and the ride or show would be on the second level. The idea was to make a dramatic statement like the one you experience as you walk underneath Spaceship Earth. Your first view of the World Showcase would be revealed once you exit from under the American pavilion.

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THE MAGIC KINGDOM: A GRAND ENTRANCE

THE MAGIC KINGDOM – FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A few weeks ago I took a look at first impressions and the arrival experience for Epcot. This week, I will turn my attention toward the Magic Kingdom.

Getting to the entrance turnstile at the Magic Kingdom is no easy feat. You can’t just walk up to the front door. You have make decisions on how to get there. This is all by design. Why is this so? Well, we have to visit Disneyland in Anaheim to understand why. So let’s travel back to the Disneyland area before 2001.

For many years, Walt Disney was thinking and dreaming of building a family entertainment facility. To find the perfect location, Walt hired the legendary Harrison “Buzz” Price. Price ran the Stanford Research Institute, which would later become Economic Research Associates (ERA). You can learn a lot more about Buzz Price here and here.

To give Price guidance, Walt laid down only a couple of constraints. He did not want to purchase land that was near the ocean because people would be distracted and it would be more expensive to maintain the park. What he wanted was lots of flat land. He would create his own mountains, valleys, and rivers. After considerable research Price found the perfect property in Anaheim just one hour south of Los Angeles in rural Orange County. Ever the numbers guy, Price calculated that this area would be the center of the Southern California population within 25 years. By 1980, he was only off by 4 miles.

To Price’s trained eye, the Anaheim property had a lot going for it. Adjacent to the property was the right-of-way for the Santa Ana freeway, then under construction. This major highway would connect Los Angeles to San Diego. Price knew the City Manager and he felt Anaheim was a small city with ambition. The city was looking for new industries to balance out the tax rolls.

Walt convinced his brother Roy that he was really on to something with this Disneyland idea and the two of them gave Price the go ahead to purchase as much land as they could afford, which wasn't much. Just as Walt predicted, Disneyland would become an instant hit and millions of visitors would flock to Anaheim. As much as the Disney brothers wanted to acquire more property, they found themselves priced out of the market.

While speaking to Cast Members at Disneyland’s tenth anniversary in 1965, Walt said, “If we could have bought more land, we would have bought it; then we would have control of it, and it wouldn’t look like a second rate-Las Vegas around here. But we ran out of money, and by the time we did have a little money, everybody got wise to what was going on. We couldn’t buy anything around the place at all.” Former Disneyland President Jack Lindquist noted, “Harbor Boulevard, across from Disneyland, frustrated [Walt] tremendously. He was very disappointed in the city of Anaheim for not exercising greater control of the development that existed outside the park. Less than ten years after Disneyland opened, Harbor Boulevard was an example of ugly urban sprawl at its worst.”

In the early days, the first impression most guests had was not exactly magical. What they found was jumble of tacky roadway signs that tried to compete with the iconic Disneyland gateway marquee. You turned in to the parking lot line, drove under the high-tension power line towers that crossed the property, paid your fee, and then were efficiently guided to your spot by a friendly cast member. From there it would only a short walk to a parking lot tram (unlike the way the Mickey and Friends parking structure is set up today). The tram would whisk you to the front of the park where you bought your tickets. Once you past through the turnstiles, you experience the familiar process of spaces unfolding and begin the Disneyland experience.

When Walt decided to set up an east coast operation, he knew he wanted much more control over his surroundings. He had his team secretly purchase 27,258-acres of central Florida land for $5 million through an amazing process of dummy corporations. When he was done he owned 43 square miles, twice the land of Manhattan, and enough land that the City of San Francisco would fit comfortably within his borders. Walt always said that the Florida Project gave him “the blessing of size.”

Walt knew what he wanted and he instructed his Imagineers to put the theme park at the far north end of the property as far away from the main highway as they could go. This served two objectives. First, the theme park was a familiar concept and it would become the "wienie" that would draw guest in and take them through the property past his real dream - the City of EPCOT. The second objective would be to create an arrival experience that would be far different than the one visitors experienced in Anaheim.

Back when the Magic Kingdom first opened, once guests left the main highway they had to travel almost six miles. You had to leave the safety of the newly completed Interstate highway and drive north into a vast wilderness. The Imagineers knew that they needed to reassure the visitors that that they were not just driving into a swamp in Central Florida. The solution was Cinderella Castle.

The spires of Cinderella castle are visible up to two miles away. The castle in Florida is more than twice as tall as Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. The original idea for a tall structure came from Walt. He encouraged the idea of a tall iconic design element for Disneyland but the lack of money made that impossible and it was not until the Florida project that the concept could be fully realized.

In Since the World Began, Disney historian Jeff Kurtti said the Imagineers felt it was “critical that Cinderella Castle be seen from afar.” Disney historian Michael Broggie, wrote in Walt Disney’s Railroad Story, that Walt would remind his Imagineers that “this is a magical place. The important thing is the castle. Make it tall enough to be seen from all around the park. It’s got to keep people oriented.” The castle would act as a beacon that could be seen throughout the park and by all of the resort hotels, the monorail, and the ferries in the area. The height of the castle was not just an aesthetic issue. The design process was driven by functionality.

As I stated earlier, getting to the front gate at Disneyland was pretty easy. You either walked from your car or hopped on the free tram. For many of us, we would count the tram ride as our first of the day. For Walt Disney it was all too jarring. There was no transition from the real world to the magical world beyond the gates. Walt hated that. At Walt Disney World he knew it would be different. This time he had the land.

Getting to the front gate at the Magic Kingdom is a very different experience. The actual entry turnstiles are over a mile away and guarded by the Seven Seas Lagoon filled with bacteria, alligators, and the ever-present Disney security. After you have arrived at the parking tollbooth, you continue to drive a ways to a huge parking lot. The familiar parking lot trams await and you are whisked…to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). Here you buy your tickets and then you are confronted with a decision. Which method of transport do you take to get to the next destination?

In the beginning, you only had one choice. The monorail. However, ferryboats were soon added to accommodate the growing crowds. The monorail was sleek and futuristic. It gave you a preview of the hotels, especially the spectacular atrium of the Contemporary Resort. As one Imagineer said, without the monorail the lobby would resemble “a place where the Goodyear Blimp comes to mate.” Another way to get to the front was would be by a more traditional old-fashioned ferryboat.

Today, there is yet another option. Resort guests can take a bus to a depot along one side of the theme park. Even the resort buses have a magical moment courtesy of Admiral Joe Fowler, the construction genius for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. As the bus gets closer to the Contemporary Resort you will notice how the road dips below a viaduct. If you pay close attention sometimes you will see the ferry from the Wilderness Lodge passing overhead. The road goes below the connection between Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. The buses then skirt around the lagoon and drop you off in an exclusive area to the side of the Magic Kingdom’s entrance.

Since people who came from the movies designed the Magic Kingdom, it seems logical that they would unfold the sequence of spaces you have to travel through as if they were storyboarding a film. The show starts with a wide shot that provides a panoramic view of the adventures that wait. From afar, the first things you spot are the spires of Cinderella Castle or the great white dome for Space Mountain. Throughout your journey, the view is constantly deflected and sometimes removed just to tease you and heightening your anticipation.

From the long shot we move toward a close up of the train station that acts like the movie theater marquee. It also blocks your view of everything behind. Once past the security gates and turnstiles, you step on the red bricks (carpet) of the movie theater lobby. Instead of a curtain hiding the screen, the Magic Kingdom uses the tunnels that go below the railroad tracks to achieve the same effect. As you pass through the tunnel (the curtain rises) the show begins with two quick visuals. The first is the immersive environment of Town Square in Main Street USA. The second comes when you move into the space and see, for the first time, Cinderella Castle from the base to the crown. Throughout your journey you have been constantly teased by the spires and now comes the full emotional pay off. The Imagineers have controlled what you can see and when you can see it. This allows them to allow for the story to unfold at their pace.

Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom would be different from Disneyland in other ways. Disney wanted to make sure that people knew that going to Walt Disney World would be much more than just another visiting another theme park. They were very keen on selling the entire resort or vacationland experience. At the time of the Magic Kingdom’s opening, Disney did not have the rights to build any hotels in California. So the emphasis was always on improving the theme park. In Florida, Disney had a chance to get in to the hospitality business in a major way.

Early promotional materials highlighted the attractions that were unique at the Magic Kingdom including Liberty Square, Country Bear Jamboree, The Hall of Presidents, Space Mountain, the Mickey Mouse Revue, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The materials were also heavy on pushing the amenities such as boating, golfing, and other resort activities.

As you have seen, by design and at great cost, the transition from the parking lot to the Magic Kingdom’s front gate is nothing like the Disneyland arrival experience.

What was your first impression when you arrived at the Magic Kingdom?

Panorama: Animal Kingdom Quiet Spot

Book Review: DFB Guide to the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

As frequent readers know, I am a big fan of the Disney Food Blog and find it a wonderful way to relive past culinary delights or to anticipate new finds for my next trip to the theme parks. For a while now I have been selling their excellent Dining Guide to Walt Disney World. They now have a new e-book that is very timely – the DFB Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The cost is a mere $13.95 (full disclosure if you buy it through Samland you will be supporting my site as well).

Bottom line. If you are going to the Food and Wine Festival in 2011 then you should have already purchased this e-book. If not, but are a big fan of the event, you may want to consider buying it as it is one of the most comprehensive summaries of the festival with lots of photos. If you don’t care about the Food and Wine Festival this is not for you.

Taking advantage of the e-book format, there are plenty of internal links and links to the Disney Food Blog website. The book promised “in-depth descriptions of events, seminars, demonstrations, and tasting option at the festival.” It also provides you the nuts and bolts on reservations and everything else to take advantage of the event including a day-by-day schedule of events.

The information is legible and well organized. The introduction is perfect for new comers and provides a good overview of the various activities. If you need more information, press the link and you will be guided to the proper page later in the book. In many respects, the information is much more comprehensive and useful then official Disney sources. Everything is laid out from the big picture down into the details. There are lots of helpful tips on how to maximize your time and get the best out of the events. Just like talking to a friend who has been many times before.

Since I will be attending the event, I was very interested to read what was new. The Ocean Spray sponsored Cranberry Bog will be a highlight I am sure. This year’s new booths will come from Hawaii (a plug for a Disney resort no doubt?), the Caribbean Islands, Portugal, and Scandinavia. The book has a handy guide to the changes in the menus of the other booths. Veterans will find this list most useful. Already marking up my copy as my must-do list.

Although Food and Wine seems like something you just do on a spontaneous level, you just can’t. If you want to get the most out of this huge event a bit of planning will really make a difference. I am not a big fan of food fairs where you stand in a line, order a tiny dish, and walk around trying to find someplace to sit only to find a place to lean as the only option. Not really my thing. Go to page 41. Here are all the tips I need to make this a fabulous experience. Thank you AJ. If you are on the Dining Plan there is clear information on how to maximize that program while attending the festival.

Probably the highlight for many will be the detailed descriptions of each booth. Containing photos of the architecture and samples of the food, you will really be in the know.

By the time you review all of the (pricy) signature events, it is refreshing to read about low-cost seminars, demos, and activities. One of the strangest moments in the book is the Eat to the Beat concert section. Not only are the artists listed but there are links to their greatest hits available for sale on iTunes ad Amazon. Half-marathon fans also get a detailed description of their event.

I think for many readers the Touring Strategies are where this book pays for itself. Whether it be a one-day or two-day visit, you will have a great guidemap. For those on a budget, this will make the event something to remember.

For veterans, the various food and drink “crawls” could provide a bit of variety. Grab your copy and I will see you at the festival.

I received this e-book from the author at no charge for the purpose of this review. Samland also benefits from sales of the book made through the links on the right hand side.

The Legendary Puss In Boots

I know this has nothing to do with Disney or the theme parks but I just love this character and very excited to see this movie.

MICECHAT: Book Reviews

This week I will be taking a closer look at three very different books. The first is a sequel to a coffee table sized tome filled with incredible graphics from Walt Disney Imagineering. The second book is an intriguing tale of the Disney experience as seen through the life of Herb Ryman, one of Walt Disney’s favorite artists. Finally, I look at another nearby park that is near and dear to my heart – Knott’s Berry Farm.

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Welcome to Mickey's Toontown

MICKEY’S TOONTOWN

Disneyland

I admit I just love Mickey’s Toontown. It is one of my favorite, most immersive environments at Disneyland. This is not to be confused with the Toontown Fair out in Florida. I do not shed a tear about the one in Florida but I would lie in front of the bulldozer if the one in Anaheim were threatened. Well maybe not go that far but I would write letters. Frequent Samland visitors will note that I have been so obsessed about the organization of this part of the park that I applied the urban planning tool called an urban transect to analyze the qualities of the various land uses (I know…major geekville…welcome to Samland, right?).

So where did Toontown come from? Some say, it goes back to the earliest days of Disneyland. Now this isn’t the official line but is reconstructed from bits and pieces that may be true or most certainly embellished.

When Walt Disney decided to build a theme park he wanted to find the perfect location. So he turned to his most trusted partner for advice. No, I am not talking about his brother Roy. Instead, I am referring to Mickey Mouse.

Back in the early 1930s, Mickey was really feeling the pressure from fame. So he decided to build a secret getaway for himself and his Toon friends. He called this place Toontown and would become the place where Toons could sneak away from the Hollywood limelight, let down their hair (or whatever), and just be normal (for a Toon).

Mickey realized that Disneyland would serve as a retreat for Walt and decided to help out. He suggested that Disneyland could be a good neighbor to Toontown. So Walt decided to open his park in rural Orange County, far away from the madness of Los Angeles and Hollywood. Negotiations between Mickey and Walt went on for a while but the two would inevitably come to an agreement. Mickey demanded that Walt build a large earthen berm to shield the Toons from Disneyland visitors. Walt liked the idea so much he decided to copy the concept and build a berm around Disneyland to shield the visitors from the rest of Orange County.

By 1993, the Toons had seen enough and decided to the take the brave step of letting visitors come to town. A tunnel was dug under the berm right next to it’s a small world and the rest is history. Today, there is a sign that states that Toontown will be closed earlier then the rest of the park “due to fireworks.” The real reason is the Toons have had enough of us by this point that they want to get back to their normal (for a Toon) lives.

The reality is they cleared out three acres north of the railroad tracks and the berm that surrounds the park, which used to contain the pony farm, a storage facility, and a narrow road. It is tiny. The entire area measures about 500 feet wide and 200 feet deep. The team from Imagineering who worked on the project includes Don Carson, Joe Lanzisero, Hani El Masri, Andrea Favili, Marcelo Vignali, Maggie Parr, Chuck Ballew, Jim Shull, and Judy Chin.

According to the book Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance, the Imagineers realized that the Toontown project “was an effort to rethink the relationship between architecture and fantasy, between animation and the theme park.” There is a lot going on that is worthy of a closer look.

In an article from Disney historian Alain Littaye talked with Don Carson, Senior Show Designer, to learn more about the area design. Carson said that the rolling slope of the main street was supposed to be much steeper. After considering mobility issues, that idea was dropped. He also talked about the original concept for Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin, which was supposed to be a two-story attraction.

Toontown is divided into three sub-areas: Downtown (the Industrial area where the Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin attraction is located), Toontown Square (the food court area), and a residential area called Mickey’s Neighborhood. Oddly, Mickey’s Toontown is one of least changed areas in the entire park. For the most part, it is the same as when it opened in 1993.

As you look around you notice that the architecture does not seem to contain any straight edges. When the Imagineers were doing the research, they took a long hard look at the world that Toons lived in. What they noticed was the architecture had a familiarity to it but did not mimic real physics. They wanted to reproduce this effect in three-dimensions so they borrowed an animation trick called Squash and Stretch.

Squash and Stretch is the effect that keeps the volume of a structure constant while it is "squashed and stretched" in seemingly unnatural ways. Or as former Disney animator Preston Blair explains, "When a sandbag moves through the air, it will "stretch" in the direction of the movement. Then when its progress is arrested, it will "squash" out." Blair adds, "If it were alive (anything can happen in a cartoon!), it would also squash from anticipating the action in which it stretches. The proper use of Squash and Stretch will strengthen an action. It is essential in creating a feeling of weight in characters." As Imagineer Don Carson said, "No one has ever built buildings that look fat and inflated with air with no right angles." Not only is the architecture exaggerated but also so is the super bright color palette.

As wonderful as Toontown is from a design perspective, it was a strategic business need that drove the project. Ever since Mickey Mouse first appeared in 1928, fans have clamored to meet the star. Never before had a cartoon character had such a strong and identifiable personality. Walt toyed with ways where fans could interact with the mouse. He took a hard look at some property adjacent to the movie studio. He thought this would be a perfect spot for his “Mickey Mouse Park.”

When Walt applied for the necessary permits, the Burbank City Council turned him down. They did not want a permanent carnival in their city. One lawmaker proclaimed, “We don’t want the carny atmosphere in Burbank! We don’t want people falling in the river, or merry-go-rounds squawking all day long.” Walt knew better. He assured them, “A word may be said in regard to the concept and conduct of Disneyland’s operational tone. Although various sections will have the fun and flavor of carnival or amusement park, there will be none of the ‘pitches’, games, wheels, sharp practices, and devices designed to milk the visitor’s pocketbook.” Over time, the park concept would evolve into Disneyland.

The same problem confronted the Walt Disney Company in 1988. Where could fans reliably find Mickey Mouse and get his autograph, especially as his 60th birthday was drawing near? Until now, finding Mickey was one of the guest’s biggest complaints. The solution was to open a “temporary” area called Mickey’s Birthdayland at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. For the first time, guests could enter a cartoon world and meet their favorite characters. Mickey’s Birthdayland turned out to be a great success and that meant Disney needed to find a way to milk the concept. The area was upgraded in 1990 and renamed Mickey’s Starland.

It was the success of the 1988 feature film Who Framed Roger Rabbit that would really make the difference. The movie provided the Imagineers an architectural design language of a world where Toons and humans could interact. Toontown could play by a different set of rules and allow for inanimate objects to became animated. Guests would be encouraged to touch everything and they would be rewarded by pleasant little surprises.

With the success in Florida, Disneyland decided it wanted to get into the act. Design began on Mickey’s Toontown and the land opened in 1993. This would be a place based a different reality. The new addition was an immediate success and it became clear that the Florida version needed a makeover once again. First came Mickey’s Toyland, just in time for the 1995 Christmas season. Then work continued and the area became Mickey’s Toontown Fair in 1996. Throughout all of the changes, only Mickey’s house has remained in Florida. Now, even that structure has been torn down as part of the Fantasyland expansion.

One of the great strengths of Toontown is all of the “gags” that are used throughout Mickey’s Toontown. A gag is a comic story, action or situation performed by actors (or in this case, buildings). Everything seems to come alive in Toontown.

Most of the gags are pretty obvious to all, especially children. But there are some adult touches as well. For example, if you look closely, Toontown echoes other structures that exist throughout Disneyland. Both have City Halls, Fire Stations, treehouses, pocket parks, houses, trolley cars (well at least they still work in Disneyland), boats, car driving experiences, roller-coasters, and an emporium.

However, the best gags are the ones activated by the guests. Take your time and you will see how this area can really suck you in. See those boxes sitting on the Warehouse dock? Go ahead and take a peak inside. This is one example of how you can judge a book by its cover. Open up the box for spare train parts and you have the sound of locomotives. The box destined for Clarabelle's Yogurt shop moos. And be careful if you try to open the box for assorted springs. The boxes vary in heights and everybody in the family can get into the act.

Be sure to push every button you see, twist every knob, and pull at every door. A tug on the Toontown Power Company's front door will result in a jolting discovery. Didn't get a chance to stop by the gym on the way to the park? You might want to try working out at Horace Horsecollar's gym. Be careful, as things may be heavier than you first think. Take time to listen to the talking mailbox, manhole cover or water fountains. This is a very playful environment for young and old.

There is even more fun to play with. Just in case you get into trouble you can always call the cops. However, somebody is probably already talking on the phone. Push down on the plunger in front of the Fireworks Factory and see if you get lucky or gather 3 other friends to play with the musical fountain in Mickey’s Neighborhood. Each person steps on a metal plaque embedded in the sidewalk to play their instrument that is in front of them in the fountain.

If you look closely enough you will even find a small tribute the Old Mousetro himself, Walt Disney.

The old Jolly Trolley barn and loading platform is still there. Once upon a time you could catch a ride from one end of Toontown to the other with this fun little train. It added a level of kinetic energy that is sadly missing today. There is still one trolley station at the old depot. The other one was sold off on eBay a few years ago.

Do you enjoy Toontown as much as I do? If so, what are your favorite bits?

Panorama: Only 10 Cents...

THE MAGIC KINGDOM: A GRAND ENTRANCE

A few weeks ago I took a look at first impressions and the arrival experience for Epcot. This week, I will turn my attention toward the Magic Kingdom.

Getting to the entrance turnstile at the Magic Kingdom is no easy feat. You can’t just walk up to the front door. You have make decisions on how to get there. This is all by design. Why is this so? Well, ...

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The Big River and Private Spaces

When you peel back the layers at Disneyland, there is a lot of very interesting stuff that is hidden right in front of the guests. This week I am going to take a look at two such treasures; Disneyland's Big River and a very private, not-so-secret club.

The Disneyland "Big River"

A hallmark of the Disney designers' capabilities is their ability to identify innovative solutions for technical engineering problems while exhibiting incredible place-making capabilities. For example, one of Disneyland's more understated design features is the use of water; the designers succeeded in using water to create a sense of place while at the same time keeping the water system infrastructure hidden from view.

Many parks feature streams and ponds, but the Imagineers were required to use water in a way that reinforces the storyline while providing visual relief. As architect Christopher Alexander explains, "People have a fundamental yearning for great bodies of water. But the very movement of the people toward the water can also destroy the water." Walt Disney needed a durable, functional, and beautiful water system.

Disneyland has two different water systems. For the attractions, such as Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and it's a small world, the park uses a "clear" water system. The system of "natural" waterways that tie the park together and give it a special character is called the "dark" water system. E-Ticket magazine called this system "Disneyland's Big River."

The headwater for the Disneyland Big River starts at the end of a pipe that pumps water from the Rivers of America. Near the Native American village is a 25-horsepower circulating pump that moves two million gallons of water a day. That water flows through a 21-inch pipe, 15 feet vertically from Frontierland and into Fantasyland. The water exits the pump and flows downhill in a pipe near Sleeping Beauty Castle toward two destinations: the Storybook Land Canal Boats and the pond surrounding the former Motor Boat Cruise loading area. From there, the water flows downhill in a pipe that curves along the Tomorrowland side of the Matterhorn toward the moat in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The water enters the moat near the Snow White Garden and her Wishing Well. The flow of the water continues under the drawbridge and down the little river alongside of the Carnation Garden. The Big River passes underneath the faux-wooden bridge that leads to the gates of the stockade protecting Frontierland. As it approaches Adventureland, the water ducks into another pipe and reappears below the steps at the exit of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. From there it flows into the rivers of the Jungle Cruise.

Theoretically, as the water winds its way through the Jungle Cruise, it has traveled through the Irrawaddy, Mekong, Amazon, and Nile rivers. It exits the Jungle Cruise in a 37-inch pipe next to the base of Tarzan's Treehouse, travels under the walkway, and drains into the Rivers of America.

To keep the water circulating in the river, there are streams and waterfalls on Tom Sawyer Island. The pump house is located near the barrel bridge. Inevitably, the water finds its way back toward the pump near the Native American village and the cycle begins all over again.

According to E Ticket magazine, the system would lose as much as 30,000 gallons a day to evaporation on a hot day. To achieve a certain color, the park dumps in about twelve pounds of brown or green dye into the river and allows it to circulate for a few days. There is a well near Big Thunder Ranch. At every point in its journey, the Disneyland water travels via a complex, industrial-quality technological system; but to the Disneyland guest, the water is as pure and wondrous as any natural river.

Private Spaces

In any community, there need to be places that only a few can enter, where exclusivity is expected: homes, fellowship halls, members-only associations. In the case of Disneyland, those spaces included living quarters for Walt and his family plus a very exclusive club.

Considering the state of the regional freeway system at the time of the Disneyland's construction, Burbank to Anaheim could easily be a two-hour drive. It made sense to have a place in either city where Walt could rest. He certainly had enjoyed having an apartment next to his office suite on the third floor of the Burbank studio. Now he wanted the same thing at Disneyland. He picked the perfect location on top of the fire station facing Town Square. He could watch the guests walking about and get a great view of his trains.

Lillian Disney worked with set decorator Emil Kuri to decorate the tiny 500-square-foot apartment. In addition to the apartment, there is an outdoor deck with wicker furniture overlooking Town Square. The mature eucalyptus trees that were the backdrop to Adventureland screened the rear deck. The apartment was Walt's escape from the public, and it would become the stuff of legends after his death.

The apartment was comfortable for Walt and Lillian, but their family was growing. As part of the plans for New Orleans Square, Walt proposed to build a 2200-square foot apartment to accommodate his many grandchildren. The location was specifically chosen on top of Pirates of the Caribbean building to give the best possible view of the Rivers of America. Disney Legend Dorothea Redmond was picked to design the interior, and she incorporated a number of interesting features.

Redmond's incredible career included contributions to movies such as Hitchcock's Rear Window, Gone With the Wind, Charlie Chaplin's Limelight, and The Road to Bali starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Hedi Lamar. From there Redmond worked to an architectural firm for ten years before joining WED Enterprises. Her first project at Disneyland was the upscale Plaza Inn restaurant. Over the years she contributed concept sketches for the Magic Kingdom. Millions have admired her fifteen-foot by ten-foot mosaic murals that line the Cinderella Castle passageway. These huge panels are made up of thousands of small bits of Italian glass, real silver, and 14-karat gold. There is a matching set of panels in Tokyo. Ms. Redmond retired in 1974 and died in March of 2009.

The living room and bedrooms face into a very private courtyard. A climate control system was installed in the courtyard to cool or heat the space as required. In the master bedroom, Walt had electrical sockets installed everywhere to undermine Lillian's efforts to keep him from reading late into the night. (It has been reported that Lillian had a tendency to move the furniture in the Holmby Hills residence so that Walt could not access the lights near the bed.)

The apartment was to have a small kitchen and an inconspicuous stairwell entrance in the rear that would lead down to the antique shop below. Walt and Roy planned to call the new apartment The Royal Suite, named after the New Orleans Square street where the entrance is located. Walt died before the project was started; Roy felt that it would not be the same without his brother and suggested the space be put to another use.

The space was turned into a hospitality suite for The Insurance Company of North America (INA), and later into executive offices for the Disneyland International team. It was finally opened to the public in July 1987 and served as The Disney Gallery. From its balcony, this much-loved art gallery provided one of the best views in the park as well as exclusive collectables. By 2007, the suite was shuttered once again and rebuilt as the Disneyland Dream Suite, a tricked-out guest accommodation, as part of the Year of a Million Dreams promotion.

The two apartments were not the only private spaces hidden behind the facades at Disneyland. One of the worst kept secrets is a members only space called Club 33.

When Walt partnered with General Electric (GE) for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair and designed the Progressland pavilion featuring the Carousel of Progress, he was required to install a VIP lounge with bar facilities. This experience taught him the value of having a quiet, luxurious, very private spot to wine, dine, and entertain special clients and dignitaries. As the World's Fair was winding down, Disney and GE began negotiations to move the pavilion from the Fair and install it permanently in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. Again, one of GE's requirements was a functioning VIP lounge like the one in New York. Walt preferred not to have alcohol in his park and he refused to build a bar. However, after much give and take, he agreed to build a restaurant that would only serve alcohol with food and put it somewhere other than Tomorrowland.

While Walt was working on the New Orleans Square expansion, he identified the perfect location for the hospitality suite adjacent to his private apartment. He wanted a place that blended the best in location, ambiance, and cuisine. The space became Club 33 and is named for the address of the front door: 33 Royal Street. According to former Disneyland president Jack Lindquist, Walt had a thing for the number 3 and reminds us that the park's address is 1313 Harbor Boulevard.

During their trips to New Orleans, Walt and Lillian purchased many of the antiques on display in Club 33, and original artwork done by various Disney artists is displayed throughout the space. Much of the credit must be given to the creative talents of Dorothea Redmond and Emil Kuri, who was a painter and illustrator at the Burbank Studio and who frequently worked with Lillian Disney. The space is elegant yet not stuffy.

In keeping with the New Orleans theme, Redmond chose to work in the First Empire style. This neoclassic style recalls the era of Napoleon and fits in perfectly with the early nineteenth century setting. Parquet floors, beautiful polish stone accents, and three huge chandeliers define the main dining room. A second, less-formal dining room is above the waiting area for the Blue Bayou Restaurant. The second dining room was to feature an Audio-Animatronics vulture that would "listen" in on conversations via microphones installed in the lighting fixtures. The bird would then talk back to the diners. However, it was felt that this might be an invasion of privacy and the plan was put aside. Club 33 opened on June 15, 1967. Sadly, Walt had passed away six months earlier.

It is a beautiful club. I have been lucky enough to dine there on a few occasions. If anybody who reads Samland has access...I'm just saying...

Welcome to Mickey's Toontown

I admit I just love Mickey’s Toontown. It is one of my most favorite immersive environments at Disneyland. This is not to be confused with the Toontown Fair out in Florida. I do not shed a tear about the removal of the one in Florida but I would lie in front of the bulldozer if the one in Anaheim were threatened. Well, maybe not go that far, but I would write letters. Frequent Samland readers will note that I have been so obsessed about the organization of this part of the park that I applied the urban planning tool called an urban transect to analyze the qualities of the various land uses (I know…major geekville…welcome to Samland, right?).

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