Get These Splash Mountain Images Before They Disappear Too!

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! Say it loud! So now the music from Splash Mountain is disappearing? Where will the "cancel culture" mindset at Disney strike next? Here are a few attraction posters of Disney's beloved Splash Mountain.  Aside from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland has largely remained stagnant of new and great attractions since the Indiana Jones Adventure. This has only strengthened the public's ongoing love affair with the nine minute plus long water flume masterpiece. And the fact it is just darn fun- and without a racist moment in sight!

It was brand new CEO Michael Eisner that realized the parks needed fresh attractions to appeal to the growing teen market- and fast. They had to offer new rides that provided thrills found at other competing amusement parks. 

One for each park!

Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team created the idea for a log flume attraction themed to Song of the South, an old Disney film filled with charm and controversy, but they avoided the link to the past and focused on a new storyline. The faded popularity of the old Tomorrowland show, America Sings, provided the perfect reason to reuse Imagineer Marc Davis' characters and place them in a brand new setting. What a smart move it turned out to be for Eisner to green light the project!

With its charming story, extremely catchy music, repurposed (and therefore cheap) animated characters, this thrilling flume drop, Splash Mountain was a major hit with fans since its first day of operation. The poster above celebrated its grand opening on July 17, 1989. To this day, the attraction continues to draw some of the longest lines at Disneyland for good reason.

Here's the 25th anniversary poster of Splash Mountain!

The Magic Kingdom in Florida and the Disneyland original will be swapped out for a Princess and the Frog makeover. It's not a bad idea- but I ask you- why can't people realize supposed "racist" overtones in the attraction are just not there? Even the origin stories come from African folklore. It's a charming and classic Disney attraction. I'm sure Tiana's adventure will be great too. But sometimes, too much is just too much.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Fresh Look at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion

The COVID-19 pandemic may be changing the way guests view the parks, and Disneyland itself is not open yet, but that doesn't mean park fans are quiet! The net is buzzing with activity due to the recent reopening of Walt Disney World- even if its currently only for the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom. 

Back on the West Coast, work is resuming. Splash Mountain Tiana version is a go. It'd take a good amount of work, but it could be great if done correctly. The Princess and the Frog belongs in New Orleans Square and no where else. Even more, perhaps the whole of Critter Country will become a bayou themed area expanded around the Haunted Mansion. 

Speaking of the beloved spirited attraction,  here's a very interesting piece of concept art for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. A south elevation view. It's clearly a latter incarnation of the attraction as the exterior is what was built. I have so much art for the mansion in my files that I keep running across something I thought I already shared. Nice problem to have!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Happy Birthday Disneyland and Splash Mountain

To honor the opening date of Disneyland and of the beloved Splash Mountain on this day in 1989, here are a few attraction posters. Disney park executives continue to offer special merchandise to celebrate significant attraction openings and closings- and theme park fans eat it up! Sometimes, I fall prey to their plans just like everyone else. Disneyland has largely remained stagnant of new and great attractions since the Indiana Jones Adventure. This has only strengthened the public's ongoing love affair with the nine minute plus long water flume masterpiece. 

It was brand new CEO Michael Eisner that realized the parks needed fresh attractions to appeal to the growing teen market- and fast. They had to offer new rides that provided thrills found at other competing amusement parks. 

One for each park!

Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team created the idea for a log flume attraction themed to Song of the South, an old Disney film filled with charm and controversy, but they avoided the link to the past and focused on a new storyline. The faded popularity of the old Tomorrowland show, America Sings, provided the perfect reason to reuse Imagineer Marc Davis' characters and place them in a brand new setting. What a smart move it turned out to be for Eisner to green light the project!

With its charming story, extremely catchy music, repurposed (and therefore cheap) animated characters, this thrilling flume drop, Splash Mountain was a major hit with fans since its first day of operation. The poster above celebrated its grand opening on July 17, 1989. To this day, the attraction continues to draw some of the longest lines at Disneyland for good reason.

Here's the 25th anniversary poster of Splash Mountain!
Thanks to Alain Littaye at Disney and More for the larger versions.

The Magic Kingdom in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland also have versions of this classic attraction. Will we ever see it in other parks?  Certainly, hot and humid Hong Kong and Shanghai need it as does Disneyland Paris. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Country Bears Introduce the Critter Country 500

Every once in awhile, someone suggests ripping out the Country Bear Jamboree from the Magic Kingdom's Frontierland. I hate that idea! It's a Florida Kingdom original, and it's one of the few musical Audio-Animatronic shows left. (Will they ever go back in style?) The other American version of the show got pulled out for Winnie the Pooh, leaving just a version of this humorous attraction in Tokyo Disneyland. 

How did it get pulled from California? Well, "The Happiest Place on Earth" had a big problem as its traffic patterns indicated that the once popular show seemed to have run its course. The country music fan base was just not as strong as in the South. Time for change had come for Imagineer Marc Davis' musical comedy.  

The Country Bears were to begin life here.

But the show- which began as an idea for Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort- had its fans. Fans in Imagineering, actually.

Many ideas were tossed about as they tried to come up with something fresh for those Hillbilly Bruins. A small flume type attraction was considered as well as a silly road race, shown above. (You can see more concept art for the race here.)

The great sounding "Critter Country 500", a fun road race for all ages was one of the ones with the best chance of making the cut. But it wasn't to be.  Even this rending by Christopher Merritt couldn't convince the suits. Pooh won out, taking his place at Disneyland.

(Oh yeah. Come back tomorrow for my trip report on Disney World After a Decade- Day Three at Epcot... then, the Magic Kingdom.)

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

New Disneyland Map with Star Wars:Galaxy's Edge

Here's something we've all been waiting for the Disney Imagineers to give us: a new park map of Disneyland with Star Wars:Galaxy's Edge included. Well, they haven't done that yet, but here's the next best thing: a fan made made that's pretty darn good. All designed from AbleToArt. If you want to watch it being drawn- and I did- give it a watch here.

Silly Old Bears at the Jamboree

Zeke, Zeb, Ted, Fred, and Tennessee. The Five Bear Rugs- usually with Gomer on the piano, and little baby bear Oscar along for the ride. The centerpiece act of the one and only original Country Bear Jamboree, a Florida Magic Kingdom opening day attraction.

When I was in high school, my father worked with a man who had "inside" connections at Disneyland. This guy ended up arranging a brief behind the scenes tour for us. I was thrilled that we were able to go behind stage at the wonderful Marc Davis designed Country Bear Jamboree! It had just opened a couple of years ago, replacing the Indian Village. 

Bear Country and the Jamboree 

coming soon to Disneyland.

A Marc Davis classic replacing the Indian Village.

We went in through some back entrance and headed toward the rear of the stage. Unexpectedly, I looked up and saw the backside of Henry, the master of ceremonies. He was huge! I could hear the show going, and I could even see through a very, very small opening, a slice of the theater. 

After hanging out for awhile, we headed out of the park. I never will forget this once in a lifetime opportunity! For a long time Disneyland fan, it was quite a gift from my Dad to set this all up. Another in a long list of great and personal Disney thrills.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disney by the Decade

Playing around and discovered a nice little find: The Orange County Register offers up two interactive maps. One is Disneyland at opening in 1955. (Above)

The next is present day Disneyland 2015 before the changes begin in January 2016 to the Rivers of America, Frontierland and Critter Country. 

As you'll see, the park has changed quite a bit, and there's much more to come in the next decade. If you want to play around with the maps and discover more, go here. It's a lot of fun.

Have some great suggestions for fixing Disneyland? Check out my article above. It contains my suggestions and asks for yours.

(Art copyright The Orange County Register.)

Making a Splash in Tokyo

While I'm busy wasting my time today, I ran across this great but bizarre piece of concept art for Tokyo Disneyland's Splash Mountain. (It's great on a small scale but even better when you click on it to enlarge it.)

This strange piece is actually wonderful in detail. I mean, how often do you see Imagineering concept art that places the object in the Autumn season? This little slice of Critter Country in Japan is just another reminder of how every little thing is so well cared for in the Land of the Rising Sun. Much more than in Florida and even California! Don't believe me? Look up a ride video for Splash Mountain in Tokyo. Every effect works, the attraction seems freshly painted, and it all works just so. Almost as if Walt Disney himself was around to make sure.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Two Important Birthdays

July 17, 1955. Fifty-nine years ago, Walt Disney and his team accomplished something the entire world has loved. In one year and one day, they built an entire theme park- the original Disneyland. Kings, Presidents, Hollywood starlets, and ordinary royalty of all kind came to love this beautiful, charmed filled, heart-strings tugged place.

Fast forward to just 25 years ago, and under the new leadership of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, the Imagineers led by captain Tony Baxter, debuted the incredible Splash Mountain. Proving once again that a mediocre film (Song of the South), can be the basis for a great theme park attraction, a Disneyland classic was born.

These important park birthdays serve to remind us that 1- true creativity and risk taking produce great results, 2- Rome can be built in a (year and a) day, and 3- continuing to create guest pleasing experiences brings the revenue the suits look for.

In 25 years from today, may we be celebrating some attraction that is a new instant classic!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland Attraction Posters: The Main Street U.S.A. Collection

Note: Today, I want to re-introduce a new series- Disney Theme Park Attraction Posters. It's part history lesson, part art project, and 100% fun!

The park's posters are fine works of art, and they set a tone for the guests' Disneyland experience as to what adventures lie ahead. They also represent the amount of care Walt Disney and his Imagineers took to set apart this theme park from the many local fairs and carnivals before it. 

I want to thank the various sources from which I have collected these over the years. Some come from the incredible Daveland blog- a very fine source for current and retro Disneyland history, photography and other fun tidbits, some "unofficial artwork" from Greg Maletic, and some from many others- including scans and photographs by me and others. Thank you to everyone involved in documenting these!

As you view these posters, you'll notice changes in colors, names of attractions, and even multiple posters for the same attraction. I am hoping the blog posts will be "living" in the sense that you the readers would feel free to send me any new ones or better scans that you may find. Lastly, have fun! This project has been growing over many years- and it has been a blast!

The Disneyland series is complete. That is, until a new attraction poster comes along. Feel free to look around the blog for more.

When I get the drive to do it, I'm going to put together a series on Walt Disney World attraction posters. It's already being worked on, and I'm looking for the infamous Haunted Mansion poster in good form. If you happen to have a great scan of it, send it my way... 
-----------------------------
As Walt Disney and his team were planning Disneyland, they instinctively knew this was going to be a different type of park. How could they communicate to the public what they would see in it? Of course, television played a huge role in sharing the vision and the details.

With a plan for the park to be defined by the railroad tracks, it was only natural that the Main Street U.S.A. train station would be at the park's entrance. It would have two tunnels in which to pull guests from the front of the turnstiles into Main Street, one on the left and one on the right. Inside these tunnels, the Imagineering team proudly created posters advertising the attractions.

Over the years, the attractions would also be found in front of the park along the fences and over park benches as guests found seating alongside the main entrance. It's only fitting that we begin this look at the attraction posters by starting with the ones first encountered by the earliest guests- the ones for Main Street U.S.A.

Although the Grand Canyon Diorama was a very small part of the route, this poster did a magnificent job of communicating the grandeur and beauty to be found by guests making the full circle tour on the trains.

Primeval World would come later and provide even more thrills.

It's difficult to tell which color scheme of the attraction poster was actually used. Either way, the artist's use of colors not normally associated with railroading and bold imagery created a stunning representation! The beautifully intricate version at the top of this post came many years later, communicating the elegance of Disneyland's railroad in an entirely different way than earlier versions.

The Disneyland Railroad continues on as a major fan favorite. It is so revered among fans, that the attraction was celebrated along with the Centennial celebration of the United States of America in 1997. The poster above is quite beautiful, don't you agree? Here's another one:

(This one is new to the collection, added in 2019 as a recent find.)

The Horse Drawn Streetcars have their own poster, an ode to an old-fashioned form of transportation dow Main Street U.S.A. In contrast to the others, the background remains as a blue-lined sketch. It's quite nice, isn't it?

The Red Wagon Inn restaurant was the predecessor to the beautiful Plaza Inn and operated by that name until the mid 1960s. Again, the colors in these two posters are slightly different.

Arguably the greatest attraction found on Main Street U.S.A., Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was quickly recognized as a masterpiece of engineering, artistic accomplishment, and exquisite storytelling. 

Over the years, multiple versions of attraction posters appeared to advertise this most patriotic celebration of  the greatest president the United States has ever seen. The poster above advertised the attraction at opening.

These posters from icollector.com

Werner Weiss, from the terrific Yesterland site, provides a great story about The Walt Disney Story with and without out Lincoln. Thank you, Werner!

Yet another.

The poster here shows the attraction as The Walt Disney Story, the new attraction at the Disneyland Opera House. Mr. Lincoln was gone for a rather long season, but here, he finally returns in 1975 due to numerous visitor complaints. When you remove Lincoln, you are removing a part of Walt Disney's strongest connection to the park and to the history of our great country. Not a wise move.

With new but oddly misused audio technology, the President returns in 2004. Werner Weiss also provides a photograph of the poster. (I have yet to see another image of this version.)

And the 2010 "playbill" poster version- via another terrific Werner photograph.

Here's the poster for the attraction as Disneyland celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

A new attraction poster debuted in 2023.

Update: In 2023, Disneyland added an exhibit in the waiting area that focused on Lincoln's work with abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The new poster, shown above, is a gorgeous pice of art! Sadly, Lincoln's image is nowhere to be found on it, but the portrait of Douglass is outstanding, nonetheless. 

The posters for attractions found on Main Street, U.S.A. are quite an impressive lot! There's more to come as we explore the other lands of Disneyland- and eventually Disney parks all over the world.Next time, we'll take a look at those posters for attractions in Adventureland. The exotic attractions form a very beautiful basis for another set are great artistic interpretations. Stay tuned for the next segment in this series: Adventureland!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland's Secluded Hideaway

Call it the Golden Bear Lodge, the Hungry Bear Restaurant, or something entirely different if you want, but this backwoods dining hall out in Critter Country is one of Disneyland's most beautiful and secluded treats. This lovely piece of concept art covers it pretty well.

Even if I don't actually eat there, I always take a few moments out of my day to go to the farthest table and sit. Enjoying the Mark Twain rounding the bend, an occassional canoe gliding by, and the abundance of wildlife, its always a surprise that this tranquil spot is right in the middle of Orange County, California.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland Attraction Posters: The Critter Country Collection

With the smallest of Disney lands, comes one of the fewest number of attraction posters. The story of Critter Country aka Bear Country aka the Indian Village truly speaks to one of the constants of Disneyland's evolution: the park will always be changing, influenced by both the history of the Walt Disney Company and the future of it.

The grand opening of Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom in 1971 had a significant impact on Disneyland in California. Following several years of very impressive attractions and explosive growth in guest numbers, the focus shifted to Florida. With New Orleans Square, the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and the New Tomorrowland, the risk-taking Imagineers amassed an incredible string of stunning successes. The public was quick to respond with increased attendance and increased spending in shops and eateries. It was now time to focus on Florida where the company was opening an entire resort and not just an individual theme park.

Certainly, Florida's Magic Kingdom used Disneyland's primary attraction roster and general layout as its blueprint with several attractions being slightly tweaked due to placement in a new land compared to the west coast park (The Haunted Mansion) or adjusted for Central Florida's less hospitable weather (It's A Small World). There were a few new attractions for the Magic Kingdom, and one of these quickly made its way to California: the Country Bear Jamboree.

The show itself began life as an entertainment concept for Disney's proposed Mineral King development, but when those plans fell apart, the very corny but clever Audio-Animatronic theater show was placed into the Magic Kingdom's Frontierland. It's blend of country music and hillbilly bears made it an instant hit.

Back in the day when a few years between new attractions was unheard of, the Disney suits decided to clone this Florida gem back to the California park, adding one additional theater to handle the expected crowds. The Indian Village closed, and the bears moved in, bringing a north woods feel to this quiet corner of the park. Along with Teddi Berra's Swinging Arcade, the seemingly Mile Long Bar, and the Golden Bear (now Hungry Bear) Restaurant, the new show created a brand new land that drew in guests- for a season. Interestingly, it was the first time that guests could be in the park and walk beyond the boundaries created by the tracks of the Disneyland Railroad.

When Michael Eisner took over the reins at the Walt Disney Company, he was wise enough to see the parks needed an injection of attractions that would compete with the thrills found at other amusement parks in the area. The fading popularity of the old Tomorrowland show, America Sings, provided the perfect opportunity to further expand Bear Country.

Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team executed an idea for a log flume based attraction themed to Song of the South, an old Disney film filled with charm and controversy. With its deep storytelling, catchy music, repurposed animated characters, and a thrilling flume drop, Splash Mountain was destined to be another hit. The poster above celebrated its grand opening on July 17, 1989. The attraction continues to draw some of the longest lines at Disneyland regardless of the season.

Country Bear Jamboree was quickly losing an audience as guests from the west coast grew bored with the show's hillbilly flavor. The Imagineers tried to reuse the bears by creating a new thriiling attraction of a different flavor (go here), but the budget minded management- the same leadership involved with the creation of the disaster of California Adventure 1.0- vetoed the plan in favor of bringing another Florida attraction to California.

It was a silly old bear that created more change for this little corner of Disneyland. Winnie the Pooh remains a popular, beloved character in children's literature and in film. The Walt Disney Company opened a dark ride attraction in Florida which replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in the Magic Kingdom.

Four years later in 2003, another version of Pooh's attraction appeared in Disneyland, replacing the Country Bear Jamboree, which had run its course of popularity. Had the suits and the Imagineers planned better, Country Bear Jamboree could have stayed open if reduced to one theater, and Winnie the Pooh could have still been designed using the available space more creatively. This would have resulted in two attractions for children and families who chose not to ride or couldn't meet Splash Mountain's height restrictions. Bear Country became Critter Country to better reflect the home of its newest inhabitants. The new attraction's poster, however, did not appear until many years later, when Disneyland management continued to build a fan base for this less than wonderful dark ride.

Editor's note, July 2014: Above the 25th anniversary poster of Splash Mountain!

As you can see, changing tastes affect the popularity of the park's attractions, and this in turn changes what ends up in the parks. What will come next to this area of Disneyland? Who knows, but my bet is the Imagineers still have some new tricks up their sleeves.

Next stop on our grand circle attraction poster tour- the Old and Wild West!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland's Road Race to Nowhere

"The Happiest Place on Earth" had a bit of a glaring problem. At least it was obvious to the suits watching the park and its traffic patterns. Marc Davis' sweet but amusing Country Bear Jamboree seemed to have run its course with park visitors. Numbers continued to decline.

The attraction occupied a big and beautiful wooded piece of real estate at Disneyland, just around the bend from the Haunted Mansion. It wasn't front and center as in the case of the attraction's location at Walt Disney World's Frontierland, but it was still a substantial chunk of the very small original kingdom. What to do?

Henry in his new role!

The Imagineers with a soft spot for the attraction began coming up with some new concepts to save the Hillbilly bruins. Among the considerations were a small flume type attraction and a silly roadrace. 

And the winner is... no one.

Ultimately, even the terrific "Critter Country 500" with its rending by Christopher Merritt, couldn't save the bears from a quick and out of place swap out with another little cub. With the show leaving Disneyland, it was the beginning of guests losing musical Audio-Animatronic shows. (See the article here.)

The singing bears were now only to be found in Tokyo Disneyland and at Florida's Magic Kingdom. Oh, Pooh!

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)