Monthly Archives: September 2011
…with liberty and justice for all
Sep 29
Being as I write about history, something that has always fascinated me is Walt Disney’s love of history as well. I guess in that, we have some sort of bond. Being on the verge of Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary on Oct. 1st, I thought I’d revisit an attraction that was not only there from the opening of the Magic Kingdom, but also an attraction that is exclusive to Walt Disney World. I’m talking about The Hall of Presidents within the confines of Liberty Square. Both the land and attraction are unique to Walt Disney World and were planned by Walt Disney for Disneyland initially.
Liberty Square was originally named Liberty Street and was planned to be an addition to Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland, but due to the lack of technology in the 1950s, this never occured. After the success of the Abraham Lincoln audio-animatronic figure at the New York World’s Fair in the mid-1960s, that attraction was brought over to Disneyland and another push for Liberty Street was made but the plug was pulled again, this time due to money being wrapped up in the creation of Walt Disney World. Although Liberty Street sat back on the bench and was later dropped altogether, Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom opened with the park on Oct. 1st, 1971.
When Walt Disney World was being built, Imagineers felt, with Florida being close to Lousiana, New Orleans Square wasn’t the novelty it was in California. They chose to create Liberty Square, a section that could be similar to New Orleans Square, even housing the Haunted Mansion, but distinctly different from its counterpart in California. To this day, Liberty Square is the only land in the Magic Kingdom that hasn’t been tampered with. Nothing new has been added and nothing has been taken away from it.
However, this article, isn’t truly about the back story of Liberty Square, its about The Hall of Presidents. An attraction, once designed for Liberty Street in Disneyland, but chosen as the perfect show to be included in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square. It was an opening day attraction in 1971, and was unchanged all the way up to 1993. The original show consisted of a film presentation followed by a roll call of every president through Nixon, with life like animatronics of each president. The show ended with Abraham Lincoln giving a speech. (Similar to the speech the figure gave at the World’s Fair and at Disneyland.)
The film was a look into the revolution and evolution of the United States and its government. There are portions of the Philidelphia Convention, The American Civil War, and ending with the Saturn V blasting off as the curtain being projected upon lifts to show all of the animatronic figures. Changes to the film have occured over the years, including a musical score change, and narration changes with each new president being added. The original voice of the narration was Lawrence Dobkin, but Dobkin has been followed by Maya Angelou, J.D. Hall, and the current narrator, Morgan Freeman.
(Barack Obama recording his speech for The Hall of Presidents)
The second part of the Hall of Presidents show, which features all of the presidents represented in audio-animatronic form changed in 1993, when Bill Clinton was elected into office. (The show’s figures were all created by lead sculptor, Blaine Gibson until his apprentice, Valerie Edwards, took over for Barack Obama.) The original show only featured presidents up to Richard Nixon, despite there being several other presidents since then, so they were added into the cast as non-speaking animatronics. Bill Clinton was given a speech to record and his actual voice was added to the figure created in his likeness. That meant that along with Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton also gave a speech and took center stage in the theater. George W. Bush and Barack Obama have also recorded speeches for the attraction and have been added to the show (see above video), with the former president being added to the line of other presidents and being replaced with the current at center stage.
The attraction will continue to grow and change with the addition of new presidents, which excites me as a history buff. Its a chance to understand where we have come from, and as a society, where we are going. This attraction promotes the American experience and is presented in such a fashion, that it doesn’t feel like a 6th grade classroom.
Please, next time you visit Walt Disney World, stop by this attraction and take in the show. Yes, it is lengthy, I’ll admit that, but is worth every moment if you love America, the human spirit, innovation, or just a little bit of history.
Josh Taylor
Until Sunday!
Elegance, Luxury, and Martinis
Sep 26
When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, there were only three resort hotels to accomodate guests looking to visit the east coast Magic Kingdom. Disney’s original plan was to theme all of Disney World’s hotels to the different themes of the Magic Kingdom Park. The Contemporary Resort, elegant and futuristic, was the doppleganger of Tomorrowland, The Polynesian Resort, lush and exotic, is reminiscent of the tropical flavors of Adventureland, and the rugged vibe of the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground matches the wild west themes of Frontierland. Despite the rapid growth in attendence, Walt Disney World continued to only operate three hotels until 1988 when they opened two new resorts, The Caribbean Beach Resort and The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, with the latter becoming the flagship resort for Walt Disney World. (Before 1988, The Contemporary was seen as the Flagship resort.)
The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, originally named The Grand Floridian Beach Resort, is themed to a Victorian seaside resort and would be the counterpart to Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom. Strangely enough, the resort is similar to Hotel de Coronado in Coronado, California with its red gabled roof top and white walls, but does look and fit the part of its East Coast seaside look. All of the resorts smaller outer buildings are named after different islands from the Florida Keys which also goes along with the theme.
The main building of the resort is decadent and luxurious in the style of a beautiful Vegas hotel. the five story lobby contains a gorgeous lounge area, a old style cage elevator, Italian marble floors and stained glass domes. Several rooms are located inside this building as well, however I have to say my favorite part of the lobby is the jazz band that takes the stage on the second floor looking down over the first floor lounge area. Also, my favorite place to relax as an adult is directly behind the stage area where the band plays on the second floor, Mizner’s Lounge, a great place for a drink looking over the gardens of the resort and the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Despite my love affair with having a drink at Mizner’s Lounge, the hotel also boasts some of the most lavish dining in all of Walt Disney World including Citricos, 1900 Park Fare, Narcoossee’s, and the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant on property, Victoria and Alberts. However, my bet for best place to eat, especially without giving up an arm and a leg just to eat, is the Grand Floridian Cafe breakfast. Serving up a traditional breakfast menu, the Cafe is a beaufiul place to eat and a great way to start your day before leaving for the dock to take a cruise across the Seven Seas Lagoon over to the Magic Kingdom.
The resort has also grown and developed over the years. A convention center and business center was added in 1992. Disney’s Wedding Pavilion was also built right next to the property in 1995 and has become the premier spot for weddings at Disney World, with most wedding pictures capturing Cinderella Castle in the background. The resort also had a room refurbishment in 2007, adding flat panel televisions and updating some of the decor. Also, starting in March 2011, the possibility of an expansion of the resort has been running rampant on the internet. If this is true, the expansion will be a Disney Vacation Club addition with several villas added which would make this the second resort on the Monorail track to add a DVC wing .
Along with the resort opening, the Grand Floridian spa opened as the only spa on property at the time. Currently the spa is under renovation until 2013, but until Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa opened, Disney vacationers who were looking to be pampered had only one place to go. The spa also doubles as a health club, however, this club can only be used by guests staying at the Polynesian or Grand Floridian Resorts.
Much like Disney using the word “attraction” instead of “ride”, Disney’s “resorts” are truly resorts and not just “hotels”. The Grand Floridian can be thanked for that. The property is a place where you can shop, eat, relax, workout, and have fun. You could spend your entire vacation at the Resort, without ever leaving, and still have an amazing time. If money isn’t an issue for you, I would quickly recommend staying at this resort. Even if you don’t have the money, I would recommend taking a boat, bus, or monorail to the Grand Floridian Resort and enjoying some of its charm. Whether you are listening to the band play while drinking a martini at Mizner’s Lounge or enjoying a Character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare before leaving to ride Peter Pan’s Flight, its a joyous place for every age, and can be appreciated on different levels despite what kind of vacation you and looking to have.
Josh Taylor
Until Wednesday
Lightspeed to Endor
Sep 21
With the announcement coming out that the Walt Disney Company would be joining forces with James Cameron to bring Avatar to the Disney Parks, I couldn’t help but write this blog about Star Tours and Disney’s hookup with another director almost 25 years ago, George Lucas. There is no doubt that the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises have done well in the Disney Parks, which is why it comes withu no surprise that Disney is hooking up with another big time director to bring his stories in, but the relationship with Lucas and Disney was not something that Disney Execs, at the time, thought they needed.
In fact, the idea of using a story other than Disney created tale was Imagineer, now Senior Vice President in Creative Development, Tony Baxter. Baxter had approached, then head of Imagineering, Marty Sklar who then advised him to talk to Ron Miller, the head of the Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney’s son-in-law. Baxter brought up the idea of talking to George Lucas about using his Star Wars characters for the Parks. Miller, who had brought up using Tron or The Black Hole as ideas, was persuaded as Miller and Lucas had known each other through their love of wine. So Miller and Baxter met with George Lucas at the Miller-Disney family Silverado Vineyard in Napa and had agreed that if Lucas couldn’t build a park of his own, he would work with Disney to bring a Star Wars experience to Disneyland.
However, delay comes when Ron Miller is ousted as CEO and President of the company in favor of Frank Wells and Michael Eisner, but Baxter is able to convert them into lovers of his Star Wars idea too, especially since Eisner and Lucas had a relationship from Eisner’s previous employer, Paramount. So, the plans got underway for the Star Wars ride in late 1984. Previous to his meeting with Eisner, Imagineers, with Tony Baxter leading of course, had come up with a roller coaster plan for Star Tours, but the challenge came in space issues. Star Tours would eventually take up the space of one of Tomorrowlands older rides, Adventures Through Inner Space, so the roller coaster plan was dropped. Randy Bright, an Imagineer who had been working on Epcot Center, brought up the idea to make Star Tours a motion simulator ride.
Disney Imagineering had toyed with the idea of having a simulator ride before. In the mid-1970s, a new “land” was in the works for Disneyland called Discovery Bay. The area of the park would have a Jules Verne theme with a motion simulator attraction that would take guests underwater with Captain Nemo. However, due to expenses and lack of technology to create Discovery Bay and its proposed motion simulator ride, the idea was dropped until EuroDisney was built in the early 1990s and the Jules Verne themed Discoveryland was favored of the use of Tomorrowland.
Star Tours would go on to be built in the former Adventures Through Inner Space area, cramming in four simulators, a pre-show area, a queue, and an exit area. George Lucas came up with the initial story of a crazy/new driver for the Starspeeder 3000 which gave liberty for as much motion and movement as possible.
After just more than a year of construction, Star Tours opened on January 9th, 1987 to a large crowd of costumed Star Wars fans. As part of the opening, Disneyland stayed open for a continuous sixty hours to celebrate. The attraction became so popular, a version was immediately in the works for Tokyo Disney, (opening July 15th, 1989) Disney World, (opening December 15th, 1989) and the eventual addition at the opening of Euro Disney (April 12, 1992)
Star Tours got a long awaited updating in 2011, adding in elements from the prequel trilogy of Star Wars as well as creating a different experience every time you ride, with a rotating mix of film and motion elements. The rumors of Star Tours 2 started in 2005 when George Lucas himself talked about working on it at a convention, but Disney refused to talk about it until the first D23 convention in Anaheim in 2009. Star Tours, at all the parks, closed in the summer of 2010 to make way for the new ride, but on May 20th, 2011, Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened the new version “Star Tours: The Adventure Continues”.
I made my way to Disney World this past summer to check out the new ride. Slightly smoother, graphically impressive, and fun for anyone, Star Tours: The Adventure Continues still makes a fan out of me and I’m sure we will be seeing plenty of the Star Wars universe at Disney Parks for years to come.
So long Everyone
Until Sunday!
…properly warned ye be…
Sep 18
Being the first real blog about the history of Disney Parks, I had a hard time thinking of where to go. Do I take a more broad look at Disneyland, the original park, or do I take the readers somewhere specific, delving right into the meat and bones of it all. Well, I’ve decided to delve right in, but in a charming and popular way. I’m not here to talk about something few people would know about. I’m here to talk about, possibly, the most beloved and technologically advanced attraction, even by today’s standards, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Ever since my first visit to Disneyland when I was four years old, I loved this attraction, and it is truly an “attraction” not a “ride”, No where else on earth is there something so engulfing in story and so abundant in technology that you can stand to be onboard for 15 minutes or longer. Heck, most theme parks rides don’t last longer than two minutes and some movies can’t keep my attention for any longer than 15 minutes. So what makes this attraction so great? Why do people still stand in line for an attraction over 40 years old instead of hitting up the hottest new thrill ride on the block?
The truth is, like all ideas in the 1950s and early 60’s at Disneyland, it started with Walt Disney himself. The idea behind what would be become Pirates of the Caribbean was to have a walk-through wax museum of pirates under the new part of Disneyland, New Orleans Square. Disney came up with the idea for the walk-through in 1957, but after bringing audio animatronics to the forefront of technology with The Enchanted Tiki Room and the attractions he produced for The Worlds Fair in 1964, (Abe Lincoln, Small World, and the Carousel of Progress) it became apparent that “Pirates” had to be more than just a walk-through. Arrow Development was brought in to create the boats and the ride system that would be used to transport guests through the attraction and WED (Disney’s company in charge of the parks and resorts) continued to break ground on how “life-like” their audio animatronics could become.
New Orleans Square opened in July of 1966, just six months before Walt’s death, without an attraction. WED was on the move to get Pirates of the Caribbean open to the public. Even after Walt’s passing on December 15th, 1966, WED continued to push through to get the attraction open. It was rough, but the attraction opened on March 18th, 1967,and it became the first attraction for the New Orleans Square area of Disneyland.
Taking a ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean is surely an adventure. Starting in the Blue Bayou (also my pick for best restaurant at Disneyland, but I digress) you take a plummet down a waterfall after hearing the “keep your arms inside the vehicle” talk from a Jolly Roger. (also the best ” keep your arms in” talk in my view) Then you take another dive down a second waterfall after crossing paths with skeletons in various positions who had been seeking a cursed treasure. After the second waterfall, you find yourself in front of a giant pirate ship, “The Wicked Wench”, attacking a port. With cannon fire sweeping past you and hitting the water, you might get a little wet as water splashes up from the seas. Then you make your way through several scenes including the Mayor being tortured, women being auctioned off as brides, and many pirates drinking rum and making friends with the animals of the town. Then a turn for the worst as the town is set a blaze and the pirates don’t seem to notice. As you make your way through the end of the ride, you find that the pirates are in fact going to kill themselves by shooting at barrels of gun powder in a burning town, but for you and the crew of your boat you safely make your way back to the Blue Bayou by making your way “up” a waterfall.
Now, some would say, and even I would agree, as to why an attraction dedicated to looting, drinking, womanizing, and criminal actions was even considered for the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Well, even Walt Disney was skeptical of how people would react to all the scandal taking place beneath New Orleans Square. However, its the whimsical artwork of Marc Davis that allowed the Pirates to be seen as cartoon-ish rather than seeming like a real threat, and over the years, certain scenes have been changed, such as the men chasing women scene had been changed to men chasing food and the drunken pirate talking about trying to find a woman to make his own was changed to trying to fulfill his appetite for the town’s food.
In 2005, the ride got an overhaul to accompany some of the elements of the movies that were inspired by the attraction. Jack Sparrow was added to two scenes and a new scene was added at the end of the attraction showcasing Johnny Depp’s character with the cursed treasure. Captain Barbossa was added in as the captain of “The Wicked Wench” and Davey Jones was added in as a CGI projection onto a cloud of smoking warning all who pass that no good is ahead for them.
Of course, lets not forget the music. Xavier Atencio not only created the dialogue and original story for the attraction, but along with George Burns, he also wrote “Yo Ho (A Pirates Life For Me)” which has become iconic. Even people who don’t know the attraction know the song. It sticks out as one of the great songs written for a Walt Disney attraction, surprisingly, not by the Sherman Brothers. Atencio also wrote the story and song for New Orleans Square’s next attraction, The Haunted Mansion and provided voice overs in both attractions as well The Submarine Voyage.
Pirates was also brought to Disney World after an outcry from guests wanting the attraction there. The ride was added to Adventureland and was shortened to only 8 minutes, but it still has the same charm as the original at Disneyland. Soon, both Disneyland Park in Paris and Tokyo Disney got their own versions as well. Will Hong Kong or Shanghai also get versions of their own? Currently, it is unsure if Pirates will make its way to those parks, but I hope they do get to experience the magic of this great attraction.
I’ll see you all again later this week for another blog.
Until Wednesday!
Josh Taylor
https://ModernMouseRadio.com
Introduction to Disney Park History
Sep 17
Hello all,
My name is Josh Taylor. I’ve been a Disney Park fan since I was a small child and now at age 26, I’m more obsessed than ever. I’ve researched, ridden, eaten, discovered, and have wanted to write about Disney Parks. I’ve spent lots of time at both Disneyland and Disney World which is where I will spend most of my writing time.
In this blog, you will learn about the parks themselves, as well as specific attractions, shows, restaurants, hotels, and so on. I’ll be discussing things that have lasted at the parks throughout the years, parts that have become extinct, and certain things that didn’t even make it off the drawing board at Disney Imagineering.
So I invite you to enjoy this blog for what its worth. I hope to be posting a new blog once or twice a week. For the sake of things, lets start with a Sunday and Wednesday release. Since today is Saturday, I’ll see you all tomorrow for my first real Disney Park History Blog!