Announcing Walt Disney World: Three Retro/VintageTravel Posters

Ah, the earliest beginnings of Walt Disney World! The thrill of anticipation! That first visit. Going from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom! Should we take the monorail or the ferry boat? Watching the horizon along the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon and daydreaming of staying at the Polynesian Village Resort. 

It was just as enchanting entering the Magic Kingdom, wasn't it? Seeing Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street U.S.A. for the first time. Exploring a whole new world with Florida exclusives like the playful Country Bear Jamboree, the nostalgic and sentimental Mickey Mouse Revue, and the inspiring Hall of Presidents- in its brand new land, Liberty Square. 

It was a BIG deal for Disney to come to Florida! We forget sometimes, just how big this was. Imagine a whole new world built from scratch in the swamplands where there was once nothing at all. Real magic was created through hard work, dedication, and ultimately, imagination.

Let's take a look at these retro / vintage Disney World and Florida travel posters used to promote this new place of wonder and fun!  

The Delta Airlines poster at top is one that has found its place in my office. It's just iconic, isn't it? Love the original colors of the castle, and I'm thrilled they are returning. 

 

The generic "Orlando" poster from National Airlines (may it rest in peace) gets their castle from Disneyland, not the Florida one. Perhaps it is unofficial and therefore, they had to do it this way. While this one is nice as well, it's definitely third place among this trio.

The winner is clearly this one! Eastern Air Lines, being the official airline of the resort focused on the entire Vacation Kingdom. The sunset red poster did not feature its sponsored attraction, If You Had Wings, because it wouldn't open until a couple of years later. Mickey gets trips billing but so do some birds from the Tropical Serenade (aka Enchanted Tiki Room), the Haunted Mansion, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the Contemporary Resort. 

October 1971 brought a whole new world into existence. The future plans of the suits and Imagineers made sure the future looked bright. And it was, wasn't it? 

(Art copyright the Walt Disney Company and National,Delta, and Eastern airlines.)

The Rarest of All Disney Attraction Posters

The construction of Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom in 1990 was a huge undertaking that required a bit of rerouting for guests riding the Walt Disney World Railroad. In fact, for a season, guests rode in the exact opposite direction! 

Do you remember the relatively short lived Mickey's Starland? It was the cheaper knock off version of Disneyland's incredible Mickey's Toontown (which shockingly opened years later in 1993.). The land started its existence as Mickey's Birthdayland in 1988 before becoming Starland in 1990. Well, guests would board at the Main Street station and off they'd go to Mickey's Starland. This clever attraction poster was designed to take advantage of the construction as well as remind guests the popular railroad was still open for business.

When Splash Mountain finally opened October 2 of 1992, the Walt Disney World Railroad resumed its normal clockwise route. As for Starland, during the 1995 Christmas season, it became Mickey's Toyland then reopened as Mickey’s Toontown Fair. The land lasted until 2011 when it made way for the park's expansion of Fantasyland.

As you might have guessed, this image directly above these words is NOT the fully original poster. It is a little too perfect and also a bit sanitized, removing some of the scrollwork even if it filled in the background to a solid color. But you get the idea. The original right above it had to be AI enhanced to bring it back to life. This image with the blog marker is above and the first AI version below it. The original is from the great now defunct Disney Park Attractions blog. The very top piece of art at the beginning of this article is a combination of AI and some photoshop to fill in bits of reflection from the photograph of the poster. 

But, with just more than a little persistence and the right AI program, you can get what you want IF you are patient enough. The image above is proof.

As always, the art is copyright The Walt Disney Company.

 

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

Today, I want to reintroduce a very popular series on the Insights and Sounds blog- Disney Theme Park Attraction Posters. I want to thank the various sources from which I have collected these over the years. Some of these came from the incredible Daveland blog and some from many others- including scans and photographs by me. Thanks to everyone on the web who contributed to keeping especially Disneyland- Walt's park- history alive.

I'm beginning with posters from Disneyland, but I also have collections from California Adventure, Walt Disney World and even Tokyo Disney Resort and more. 

Soon, we will be adding a poster for Walt Disney – A Magical Life. Those of you newer to the blog might find this article interesting. It was an interview with Disney historian Didier Ghez and a surprise guest, Eddie Sotto, who revealed that an Audio Animatronic of Walt Disney was first discussed by Imagineering decades ago. Yes, decades. You can read this article here.

Enjoy these beautiful posters! As long as there is imagination left in Imagineering, there should be more attraction posters!
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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 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. The poster above advertised the attraction at its opening. 

 Above is a proposed version of the poster.

 Another variation on a theme.

Several years after Walt's passing, the Disneyland Opera House presented "The Walt Disney Story", a very fitting tribute to the man who started it all. The first version of the attraction replaced time with Mr. Lincoln in favor of a film about Walt. A later version left Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln as the stunning finale of sorts to the attraction. A new poster reflected that change.

This poster was used during the park's 50th anniversary.

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- and stay tuned for additional posters to be added!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Venice By Day or By Night

Venice, Italy is a world famous location, a city of dreams. The beauty of the canals is uninterrupted by the swarms of people who visit. One of the most interesting but not immediately noticed aspects of Venice is the utter lack of green space. Few trees, few shrubs, and next to no grass. Stone, stone, and more stone. But it's an incredible place you must experience to really understand.

These two travel posters- one by day and one by night, give a highly romanticized version of the beloved destination. Make no mistake, Venice is charming and magical in a manner than neither Disney Imagineering or Universal Creative can ever duplicate!

Fueling My Disneyland Paris Dreams

Really, I wasn't going to share this, but I just couldn't resist! This stunning poster of Disneyland Paris caught my eye. Definitely without a doubt, France's Magic Kingdom is the most beautiful Disney castle park of all! Imagineer Tony Baxter and team designed a masterpiece. Even without a few classic attractions, this one would be the castle park I would choose if I could only go to one. Why? It's almost because of what it doesn't have in addition to its strengths: There's no dated Tomorrowland (sorry, Disneyland in California); there's no misplaced attractions (sorry, Tokyo Disneyland, but the Haunted Mansion from Florida's Liberty Square shouldn't sit next to Dumbo nor does not belong in Fantasyland); and there's definitely no spinner in Adventureland (looking at you Magic Kingdom). To borrow a phrase from a famous umbrella wielding nanny- Disneyland Paris the Parc is practically perfect in every way. 

The Story of Casa Bonita- from South Park to Casa Bonita Mi Amor!

If you live in Denver, Casa Bonita is an institution! Known for cliff divers, a gorilla, sopapillas and inedible food, it was a must-see tourist attraction. Once it was put on South Park, it became world famous. In 2021, South Park's creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker purchased the fading gem of Denver kitsch and made it famous again. Rumor has it the food is now good but reservations impossible to get. The new Casa Bonita Mi Amor! tells the tale of the transformation. Trust me, it will be worth watching!

Trekking the World

Are you a fan of board games? Do you love to explore the globe? Perhaps you have an appreciation for travel posters? If you answer "Yes!" all three of these questions, Trekking the World is the game for you! Not only is the actual game play fun and challenging, the artistic elements of it are just beautiful. Here's a sample of three Destination cards laid atop the game board. On the back side of each one is a detailed description of each attraction. Natural attractions and man made ones are included. It's a bit educational, very competitive and strategic, and 100% fun. 

Vintage Central Florida Poster

An old time poster from Delta Air Lines advertising the attractions of Central Florida. Of course as expected, Cinderella Castle sits in the prime position! Walt Disney World's first park, the Magic Kingdom, had just made its debut in 1971. But don't overlook Cypress Gardens represented by their water ski show, a tour of the swamp land, or downtown Orlando and its stunning lake. All in all a very nice piece of retro / vintage art.

Glamorous Parisian Auto Show

Paris, France in 1952- at least as depicted in the poster. Auto shows are popular the world over, and we've unintentionally run into them in Germany and the outskirts of Newport, Rhode Island as well as an unofficial one in Monte Carlo, Monaco. This particular poster captures the glitz and glamour you'd expect in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Just one more reason to leave the Disney World behind and see the real one.

That Don't Impress Me Much, D23!

When it comes to D23, to quote the gifted Shania Twain, "That don't impress me much!" Sure, it is a very cool poster by Eric Tan, but it is going to take much more than this piece of marketing to wow me. On D23's official Twitter, the club member poster was released showing all 58 upcoming Disney announcements hidden within the artwork. We could guess at Frozen (perhaps for Disneyland) to Indiana Jones (a rumored Dinosaur replacement at Disney's Animal Kingdom). What the suits could announce may surprise, but I don't trust Bob Chapek. If D23 was something under the first half reign of Michael Eisner, I'd be excited. But this is a different era. So, I'll check back after the hoopla is over.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Rocking This Led Zeppelin Poster from 1972

Loving this 1972 poster for Led Zeppelin's North American Tour! It's got that groovy look and artistic color choices that helped define 70's Rock and Roll art. It's hard to believe it was 50 years ago or so when Immigrant Song and of course, Stairway to Heaven hit the radio waves. I saw them in the mid-70s in Los Angeles. Robert Plant was so stoned he couldn't sing Stairway. What a disappointment as he rambled through one of rock's greatest songs.

The Charm of Luca

The new Pixar film Luca looks like a very sweet story of friendship. But I can say with certainty that the animation of the location will be something worth seeing! The inspiration is Italy's Cinque Terra, a stunning and very unique locale that is like nothing else in the world. On it's own, it's worth a trip to Italy, but when combined with the treasures to be seen in Tuscany, it is a must-do travel experience!

(Poster copyright Disney/Pixar.)

A Bit of Vintage Paris

Today is Bastille Day, and it's a perfect one to share this beautiful retro inspired poster by Callum Gardiner, "Paris". If you love it, you can find this vintage look poster here. C'est Magnifique!

Vintage London

Here to add a bit of retro inspired class to your day! Travel posters are just something that I have never been able to stay away from! Perhaps it is my love of international travel and my job, but I'm absolutely mesmerized by them. Here's one of my new favorites: London by the French Southern Railway. If you like it, you can get it here.

Retro Hawaii

Loving these retro styled posters...

(Art from The Travelers Studio)

California's Golden Coast

Another one from The Traveler Studio. Golden Coast indeed!

Fly Hawaii

Escape to the islands while you can! This winter season still has some frosty days ahead! #NeverWinter...

It's Not Spaceship Earth...

... but it is a pretty cool travel poster nonetheless. I just love these retro / vintage style that looks towards the future. Something like this just belongs at Epcot.

Three Vintage Posters for the Magic Kingdom

Got to love these retro / vintage Florida travel posters! Especially when they are of places you like to go. Like Walt Disney World! 

The now defunct National Airlines released this posted before the grand opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971. They clearly were not given an advance look at the art for Cinderella Castle. What you see is an idea of it looking a bit too much like its California cousin over at Disneyland. Balloons cover a multitude of artistic sins.

Delta Airlines had a better deal- be it before or after opening, at least their version of the castle was accurate. The Tropical Serenade building got a bit of promotion as well. More balloons. 

In my opinion, the best, the most colorful, and the most inviting poster had to be Eastern Airlines wonderful look at the whole Vacation Kingdom. The birds of the Serenade still had prominence, but 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine voyage and the Haunted Mansion show up as well. "The Wings of Man" airline poster did not feature its sponsored attraction, If You Had Wings, but the beloved blast from the past wouldn't open until later.

(Art copyright the Walt Disney Company and National,Delta, and Eastern airlines.)

A Brand New Fallen Kingdom

Can't wait to see the next installment of the new Jurassic World series! Chris Pratt is absolutely a blast here, playing our Indiana Jones type hero. This poster for Fallen Kingdom sticks with the classic look and focus of those that came before it. Why change what works? Should Universal Orlando Resort bring us a new somewhat twisted adventure to match the film? Sure! Imagine the rush of what can happen when we encounter a world where men think they are God, and it all falls apart.