Saturday Night at the Disneyland Hotel

What it lacks in size, it makes up for in sheer panache. The Disneyland Hotel may not be the biggest or the most prestigious resort ever found at a Disney themed resort, but it has a style than none can match: It's the only one that celebrates the history of what came before it. 

To put a replica of the old Disneyland sign at the pool and then use a monorail themed prop as a slide is genius. In the hotel lobby, guests find a giant tea cup just waiting to be taken for a spin as a photograph. Not to be outdone, down the path, Trader Sams bar is filled with all things tiki with more than a nod to the first attraction to feature Audio-Animatronics- Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. 

The entrance to Downtown Disney is at the edge of the property, and just beyond are the two theme parks, including what may be the most beloved one in all the world. Walt's park. The one that started it all. And that is something no other park can lay claim to!

(And Happy Birthday to the real photographer in our family!)

Design Detail: The Disneyland Hotel's Blank Wall

Given the freedom and budget, the famous Disney Imagineers can even create beautiful work for a blank wall. Proof positive is this once blank exterior wall at the Disneyland Hotel. It'd be easy not to notice it as you are on your way to the main lobby or maybe even leaving the main lobby on your way to get into Trader Sam's, the hard to get into location for all things Tiki done Disney style.

The deep rich tones fit perfectly with the surrounding area. The shapes remind me of Mary Blair's work for It's A Small World. Certainly not a coincidence! 

Where Walt Disney World may be known for it's "wow!" inducing big, splashy icons, Disneyland is known for its smaller charms that must be discovered by guests as they explore the much more limited space. There's layer upon layer of beautiful design detail in California. Part is this is certainly by necessity. However, the end result gives "Walt's park" a dreamlike fairy tale atmosphere, making guests believe for just a moment that the man himself could be just around the corner.

Conversely, for those of us who can be "Disneyland snobs", taking the time to discover the beauty of the Florida resort and appreciating it as the unique experience it is can take a firm mental shift. In fact, each resort evokes different feelings, but just as much beauty- and design detail- can be found in the Sunshine State. Some folks even prefer it to California. Imagine that.

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Sgt. Preston's Yukon Saloon and The Disneyland Hotel Project from the Past

Long before Anaheim's difficult to book Trader Sam's, there was Sgt. Preston's Yukon Saloon. It was the place to go in the area for some late night mischief on The Disneyland Hotel  property. Imagine a Canadian show setting with an Adventurer's Club vibe. It was unique to the time, setting the stage for what would come later in Florida when Walt Disney World needed to compete with Church Street Station's popular complex in Orlando. Did you think under Michael Eisner's reign, Pleasure Island came about because of more altruistic motives?

Anyway, back to Aneheim.

 

 

The Disneyland Hotel has been through so many additions, so many incarnations,  that it is pretty impossible to track them all. 

This piece of concept art above is most likely from the 1970's when the newest feature was planned- a large, expanded tropical pool zone. The Imagineers on this job kept it pure and simple, and probably rather inexpensive. But I don't remember this actually being built as shown. Dancing Waters? Check- been there and remember that. Same with the hotel's first video arcade. And many other additions.

Sgt. Preston's Yukon Saloon, and the beautifully done wharf area nearby made the area a great place for a cheaper date night when you wanted your Disney fix.  You could still ride the monorail from the hotel into the park and back for a small fee. In earlier days, day guests could even play miniature golf on a course that featured icons from Disneyland park. 

What comes next after the Disney Vacation Club tower opens? Who knows?  But the evolution of the hotel and its grounds will go on and on as long as there are Disneyland fans left in the world. In other words, until the end of time!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Take A Ride Around Tomorrowland at Disneyland Circa 1967

Retro Disneyland is pretty cool! You certinaly won't get this exact view, but I like the photo so much that I wanted to include it just for fun. 

Take a look at this vintage video below. It's from 1971- a great year in the park. Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion are relatively new, and the brand New Tomorrowland premiered just about the same time.

You'll take a ride on the Monorail over the Submarine Voyage Lagoon, cruise to the Disneyland Hotel and more. It's a pristine new, optimistic look at the future. And it's a world where the Imagineers were led by the greatest Imagineer, the man who started it all- Walt Disney.

New Orleans Square Sets the Artistic Standard for Disney Parks

The January 17, 2020 opening of Rise of the Resistance can't come soon enough! All of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is an amazing accomplishment, but this new land within Walt's kingdom does need its star attraction to get folks to appreciate what the Disney Imagineers have accomplished.  Cars Land wisely opened with its Radiator Springs Racers to critical and public acclaim. You can be sure the suits will not make the mistake of revealing a billion dollar expansion without its star attraction ever again. 

Do they need an Intellectual Property to build such an amazing place? No. And here's the evidence. New Orleans Square and its E Ticket list of attractions is a high bar to surpass. The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion in one land, fleshed out by the Disneyland Railroad, some terrific shops and entertainment, and a handful of wonderful places to eat. There's no pay-to-play attractions like Savi's Workshop. Just a whole list of one beautiful and accessible location after another. Sure, the land opened without Pirates, but that was a different era when marketing didn't rule the kingdom. 

Imagineering produced some incredible concept art for this masterpiece.  This one above by Herb Ryman is a piece designed exclusively for Disneyland Hotel.

Take a closer look at what's found here. You'll see a large amount of benches to encourage guests to sit and take in the scenery. The Mark Twain rounding the Rivers of America or the jazz musicians playing an upbeat rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In. Part of the area's charm lies in its ability to allow this rest and reflection, enjoying the gardens and fountains and the life of a simpler time and place. Visitors were encouraged to savor the whole experience. They didn't have to rush from one attraction to another to get their money's worth.

Walt Disney did what he did out of a love and respect for people. Making them a priority and always giving them more than they asked for, Walt knew this was the very best way to build a loyal following, generate a good public image, and yes, make money as a result. This man had his priorities straight- and his company made millions by never forgetting their roots and their purpose.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

One for the Record

Here's a nice, nice shot of the charming, old school approach to Disney hotel gardens. This waterfall area provided a cool respite from those hot August days in California and brought a romantic touch to the walking path in the twilight of evening. This photo of the grotto at the Disneyland Hotel before its major overhaul came from poster Phrubruh at the WDWMagic Forums. 

Could This Be the Replacement for the Cancelled Disneyland Hotel?

Could these old plans for a new hotel at the Disneyland Resort make a comeback now that the City of Anaheim and Disney itself has moved away from the ill-conceived, poorly received contemporary and nondescript version once planned?

Here it was- the new 700 room hotel once planned for the Disneyland Resort. If you look closely, you can see it is right next door to Downtown Disney. The original Disneyland Hotel is back to the rear.

Not a winning design.

Personally, I'm glad this plan has bitten the dust! It is a fairly pedestrian looking structure, something that would fit in any downtown business park. Much too ordinary and lacking charm. 

The concept art at top- the first plan for a new hotel at the Disneyland Resort is easily a revision of the Grand Floridian and the truly lovely Disneyland Paris Hotel. But it is a stunner! The piece came from a photograph. Look closely, the lower right hand corner seems to have been lit by a flash bulb. 

We did end up with something very different than this version, but at least its not the contemporary monstrosity it could have been! The Disney suits have to go back to the drawing board and come up  with something that will please city officials and stockholders. Pleasing the fans? Well, at least in California, that seems to be out of fashion. Cases in point- Pixar Pier and the half baked Marvel land centered around Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. (And to think, we were going to get Westcot at one point in time!) 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

New Orleans Square Meets the Disneyland Hotel

Sure, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is a pretty spectacular setting! It may even be the new standard for Disney theme park attractions- one mega "E" Ticket, a bunch of shops and eateries and a few character interactions and experiences. It's definitely an effective way to position an Intellectual Property for prosperity for years to come. 

But then, there's the other way. Imagine if you will a land so elegantly and smartly designed that various attractions of similar theme but not story could mutually exist, inviting guests into stories they don't already know. Such is the case with New Orleans Square and its A list roster of experiences.

Imagineering produced some incredible concept art- and here's a rare piece by Herb Ryman for Disneyland's New Orleans Square; a piece designed exclusively for Disneyland Hotel.

If you look closely at this rendering, you'll see a large amount of benches to encourage guests to sit and take in the scenery. Part of the area's charm lies in its ability to allow this rest and reflection, enjoying life of a simpler time and place. There was no packing in almost 20 million guests a year, and making money wasn't the primary object. Walt Disney did what he did out of a love and respect for people. Making them a priority and always giving them more than they asked for, Walt knew this was the best way to build a loyal following, generate a good public image, and yes, make money as a result. This man had his priorities straight- and his company made millions by never forgetting their roots and their purpose.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Take a Look at the New Disneyland Resort Hotel

Here it is- the new 700 room hotel being added to the Disneyland Resort. Right next to Downtown Disney with the Disneyland Hotel behind it. 

A monorail alone does not make a great resort hotel.

Gotta keep looking, but it seems pretty ugly so far. Waiting for a better look at what's planned...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Beautiful Disneyland Paris

Just look at this beautiful piece of artwork by Imagineer Eddie Sotto! It may be of the Main Street U.S.A. Railroad Station and not some splashy E Ticket attraction in the breathtaking Disneyland Paris parc, but it is none the less elegant and refined. With the similarly themed - and pricey - Disneyland Hotel behind it, a slice of the scale and grandeur of the place is within reach. The most amazing aspect of the place? It is consistent in its beauty and detail, one land after another. Easily this park holds the premier version of Frontierland and Tomorrowland (here Discoveryland). As for the centerpiece castle, it is the Belle of them all!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Disneyland Resort That Never Was

The dawn of a new Disney era. The great second gate park in Anaheim that upon opening was really the flop known as California Adventure. The well done Downtown Disney entertainment district. There was all this talk about another impressive hotel in addition to the Grand Californian. One discussed, planned, and never built... and here it is in living color- right next to the one and only original Disneyland. 

No one is better at uncovering rare Disney Imagineering art than my friend Alain Littaye over at Disney and More, but here's a piece of concept art lost in my files. Unfortunately, I can't give credit as I can't remember where it came from. It must have been from a photograph as the lower right hand corner looks like it has been lit by a flash bulb. But there's no mistaking that it is Walt's original theme park on the left side. Wouldn't it have been beautiful?  

As you can see, the plans that came to fruition were not the ones originally on the drawing boards. The rather plain Esplanade we have now was once planned to be a water feature and some greenery. Back then, Westcot was to be the centerpiece of the expansion, not California Adventure. All that changed when EuroDisney / Disneyland Paris hotels were overbuilt, when the suits namely Michael Eisner got cold feet and when increasing profits demanded even more. Old timers like me remember it well. "Budgeteering", became the latest executive craze that first gripped then swallowed a creative organization.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Island Escape at Disneyland

Want to run away to a tropical paradise? You can at Disneyland! Long ago, before Trader Sam's bar at the Disneyland Hotel...

Way back in 1967, Imagineer Sam McKim did this wonderful rendering of the upcoming Tahitian Terrace at Disneyland. You can enlarge it to see what a beautiful piece it is. The end product built in steel and concrete was just as amazing as the art, in some ways even better. Too bad it no longer exists in its original form. Aladdin's Oasis just doesn't cut it.

I spent more than a few evenings of my youth hanging out and having dinner at the Terrace over the summer evenings. The food was great, and let's be honest- as a teen, the lovely lady dancers were an attraction themselves!

The feel of the whole experience came together as something only Disney could do. With the Enchanted Tiki Room off to the side and the launches of the Jungle Cruise rounding the bend, it was as close to Polynesia as I would get until my first visit to Hawaii many years later.

Certainly this version of Adventureland initialized and fed my love of locales tropical. Hawaii, Bahamas, Tahiti. The list is almost endless. With Denver's upcoming snowy season almost gone (it's always too soon to call it until mid-April!), for now the islands are just a daydream!

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company)

Goofy's Kitchen- Fun for All Ages!

Who says the Disneyland Hotel's restaurant and character experience Goofy's Kitchen is just for kids? Not me! Here are my wonderful in-laws enjoying the morning with Chip or Dale. (Always get them confused!) Love the Kitchen's Creme Brulee French Toast!

Tangaroa Terrace and Disney's Cop Out

Just caught a glimpse of the art for the new Tangaroa Terrace planned for the expansion and renovation of the Disneyland Hotel. This quick casual dining experience will have tropical decor and great music. The outdoor seating is perfect for those beautiful California nights. But what is missing?

This Tahitian Terrace inspired eatery is missing the very thing that made the Terrace so popular when it was first opened: Polynesian dancers and live music! With a bit more creativity in space planning, there is no reason Disney suits couldn't bring in a smaller venue similar to the Spirit of Aloha show at Walt Disney World's Polynesian Resort. A serious misstep.

With the live dancers and musicians, this would be the evening place to be found- and the crowds would have a great signature experience to mark their vacations. Without the live entertainment, this location is nothing more than a Disneyfied Rumbi Island Grille! If the Disneyland Resort is indeed a resort, there needs to be an increase in the offerings- and Disney missed the mark here by taking the easy way out.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Island Paradise and Other Adventures

It was just one of those lazy afternoons while still on vacation after our daughter's wedding. We were enjoying a late lunch date together at one of our favorite spots, Rumbi Island Grill. Looking up, I saw this terrific poster. I immediately flashed back to our two trips to Hawaii.

The next flashback was to my many visits long ago to Disneyland. At least once a summer, we stopped to eat at the wonderful Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland.

I am sure this was where my love for the islands originated. As a teen, I read books like The Dove, and fantasied about sailing away to some tropical paradise.

Now landlocked in Denver, I treasure my rare days at the beach, be it in California, Florida or Hawaii. And I'm so glad the Disney suits plan to bring a bit of Tahiti and the Terrace back to the Disneyland Hotel. When they do, you can be sure I will be there...

Disneyland Hotel Rennovations Continue

Straight from the Disney Parks blog- a rendering of the new pool area- complete with Monorail slides and the Disneyland Marque. In addition to renaming the towers to reflect the park's lands, plans include a restaurant with a Tahitian Terrace theme and a bar themed to the Jungle Cruise. Sound like great fun!
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland Hotel Makeover

Rumors abound that a remodel or demolition and rebuild of the classic Disneyland Hotel is on its way. Recent photos have surfaced of "test rooms" with different paint schemes and window treatments. Of course, some of us are holding out for that classic "Mictorian" look to make its debut. Think Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel or the Disneyland Hotel in Paris. Certainly all are beautiful properties worthy of carrying the flagship Disney name.


However, the more I think about it, the more I see Disney suits choosing to revamp the 1950s era hotel into something very similar to what we find in Hong Kong Disneyland's Hollywood Hotel. As all three of these photos show, the style would easily fit the original architectural and structure of what currently sits on Anaheim's precious land. Moreover, the mid-century Americana look is stylistically back in vogue.

Thinking further, the current Neverland pool area could remain, as the movie Peter Pan made its debut in 1953, thus fitting in perfectly. Add in a trendy martini bar and some other retro touches. Maybe even a new version of Disney's Hollywood Studios' Prime Time Cafe. Mix carefully to a great result and a good complement to Disney's California Adventure. Bonus: Even the new monorail cars have a 50s era sensibility.

This hotel remake could be a very fun idea, resulting in an appealing classic look at much less expense than a full demolition and startover. In the minds of the Disney suits, this has to be the most appealing aspect of all.

Wanna place your bets?

Keeping It Real at Disneyland

The recent suicide at the Disneyland Hotel made my mind swim with a variety of thoughts and my heart jump with emotion. Sadness and disbelief mingled with shock. It brought about a heavy dose of reality. Even at the "Happiest place on Earth" life is not always carefree, and life is more than just what is happening in Disney's world. Life may have seemed simpler in the "Old Days", but even back when Walt was young, troubles took their toll. Human nature remains the same, and so does the Eternal God who loves us.

Helping others cope in times of pain is just part of the job. Not my job- although it is- but our job. It is part of the human condition. We all experience loss, grief, betrayal and eventually death. My prayers are with the family of this man who chose to take his life. Unfortunately, he also chose to take a part of his family's life- one that can never be replaced. It was the piece with his name on it. May this man Rest in Peace, and may his family rest in peace in the arms of Jesus.