A Hidden Message...

It's time...

Roy E. Disney Passes Away

This is very sad news. In addition to being one of the last Disneys directly involved with the company, Roy had the position/gift/responsibility of influencing other leaders. Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, and Robert Iger particularly owe this man some gratitude for all his work. That includes us Disney geeks as well.

Listen to the Land

What a beautiful piece of concept art this is! Just viewing a little slice of EPCOT Center's Land pavilion reminds me how beautiful this park was designed to be. At the very beginning, Future World had a warmth all its own, a charm very different than that found in World Showcase, one rooted in discovery and wonder.

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Power of the Tongue

Bite your tongue! Watch your mouth! Swallow your words!

Boy, am I doing a bad job of this lately. By any chance are you with me?

I am getting so fed up with the petty lies and gossip around me that I am ready to burst. But I am already leaking a bit as I watch the words come out of my mouth when under duress. Oh Lord, help me that my words would gloify you instead of reveal my short-temperedness.

Give me your grace under stress.

May I choose to praise you and build up those around me when I would rather tear them down.

May my words be those of prayer versus those of defense to those who wound me and my family. And most of all, may my mouth speak words of forgiveness- just like Jesus forgives me when I fail. After all, forgiveness for all of us and where we sin was the content of his very last words when dying on the cross.

First Glimpse: Tomorrowland 1955

Tomorrowland 1955. The hope for the future. Disneyland's optimistic view inlcuded space travel, creative transportation systems, and the marvels of new chemical technology. Here, TWA's Rocket to the Moon stands high above it all, enticing guests with a trip to outer space. Corporate exhibits showcase the wonders of modern science and its application for life at home. (Sounds like Innoventions, doesn't it?) Isn't it amazing that the basic design of Tomorrowland stays the same, decade after decade after decade...

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disney's Princess and Frog: Four Fireflies

The Walt Disney Company's reentry into the traditional animation market is a success! The Princess and The Frog has it all- luscious landscapes, great characters, and a solid story line. Randy Newman's score perfectly captures The Big Easy. Our new heroine is lovable without being saccharine, the prince charming and flawed, and the villian meets his end in a way very fitting to those familiar with New Orleans' lore and mysticism. If you were fearful Disney would be heavy handed with the race card, don't be. The issue is handled gracefully and tactfully. May Tiana and her film take their place next to the classics. Make room Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The film's success is well deserved. Congratulations to everyone involved. And yes, Walt would be proud.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland Line- The Christmas Editions

Today's post on the always excellent Vintage Disneyland Tickets, features Christmas editions of the Disneyland Line. This publication for employess provided insider information long before the internet made it possible for folks to share their secrets. Check this out! You'll be glad you did! (And keep an eye out for more "Tomorrowland Mondays" here at the Insights blog!)

Imagineering Tries Again: Bargain Basement Version 1.5

Note: I had so much fun offering Bargain Basement Imagineering 1.0 a few weekends ago, I thought I'd repost the 1.5 version. Remember 2.o is on line as well! Also, Tomorrowland Mondays continue next week. Enjoy!

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Once the Grand Opening of Disney's California Adventure was behind them, the executives of The Walt Disney Company waited for the crowds to come- and waited and waited and waited.

Early renderings, models and posters of the park communicated poorly- or maybe accurately, prominently featuring the carnival side of California Adventure and the film making aspects, things that could be found at other southland amusement parks.

Bad weather, the economy, misunderstanding of the park- all these reasons were given as to why the crowds didn't materialize. Why didn't the public appreciate groundbreaking attractions like a small area of crops and a tractor display? What was wrong with carnival attractions that could be found at state fairs? Eventually, reality set in: Disney had tried to sell the park as the peak of Imagineering efforts, but the public saw through all the hype and advertising.

The original Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, was doing just fine, thank you, but its newer sister park was clearly the less favored ugly duckling. The numbers were dimsal. Park managers and sponsors were less than delighted.

From the guest standpoint, surveys seemed to indicate that Disney had forgotten much about what made a beloved park. There were too few attractions for families, too many film-based theater shows, clones of secondary draws from Walt Disney World, and overall very little magic and theme.

The most oft criticized area was Paradise Pier, a modern version of an old seaside amusement park. Unfortunately, this area was executed as a cheap version of a Six Flags park- full of iron rides with little originality or dressing. The park entrance, dubbed the Sunshine Plaza, was said to create a "hip and edgy" vibe for the park, but more excitement was to be found at the very places it emulated: Southern California shopping malls.

The only true new and winning area seemed to be the Golden State, an area that most celebrated the California theme. Even that district was not without it problems, as fans realized the park's icon was a beautifully designed mountain that held a mundane and off the shelf raft ride. Adjacent was an imaginative children's play area themed to California's mountain landscapes. The raft ride, what should have been an incredible attraction, was just passable- much like most of the park. There was one bright spot- Soarin' Over California, and that soon made its way to Epcot, stripping this struggling park of its one jewel.

Something had to be fast as the park was quickly becoming the laughingstock of the theme park and entertainment industry. When it became impossible to change public opinion, the next best plan of attack was to add to the park and add to it quickly. So now, here is a compilation of concept art for the next stage of this poorly executed second theme park at the Disneyland Resort.

A quick addition was made to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Play It! This guest experience was based on the over exposed television show. It was a fun attaction, but really did nothing to bring in the crowds. Once the television show lost its audience, so did the attraction, closing quickly thereafter.

This rush to bring in guests had another down side. Once proposed attractions for the Backlot area were now abandoned. This included the immensely fun Armageddon special effects show built at Walt Disney Studios Paris.

In an effort to bring more Disney to the park, characters were added and the unique California flavors were decreased. The wonderful Eureka parade gave way, and Disney announced that Flik's Fun Fair, a kid oriented play area, and a reworked (but less impressive) Twilight Zone Tower of Terror would soon be added.

One of the odder choices for an attraction in Disney theme park history was Superstar Limo. This journey through Hollywood streets was so unpopular that it was shuttered in 2002. Speculation on a replacement ranged from a reworking of the original theme to a classic Disney character filled excursion to appeal to children.

The characters did end up inhabiting the stomping ground of Superstar Limo, however, they were Pixar characters from the popular Monsters Inc. film. Making its debut in 2006, this attraction made great use of its previous work on a fairly reasonable budget. Certainly, the attraction was as good as any smaller dark ride in Disneyland, but all these changes were not enough. Additionally, this choice signed a new change in strategy- California seemed to be on its way out, characters, and Pixar chracters in particular, were on its way in. This trend would start with the earlier inclusion of A Bug's Land in 2002.

Once Disneyland's 50th anniversary was complete, the focus would reshift to its smaller, less charming sibling. It seems the Disney executives finally understood they couldn't fool the consumer with a second rate park. With a new Chief Executive came a big announcement and much money accompanied with it. Did the company really understand? Time will tell. They have one last chance to convince the public that California Adventure is a real Disney quality park. Will they follow through with the eleborate plans, concepts and models in the Blue Sky Cellar? Stay tuned...

(All concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Special thanks to Brett Garrett from Visions Fantastic for his photo of the first piece.)

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As my computer has recently crashed and I lost a lot of files, feel free to send me pieces of concept art YOU have. I will gladly add them to this or future posts! Thanks.

Cross Park Connections

Does the mural above look or sound familiar? It is a nifty little piece of art that resides in Disneyland's Frontierland. Look right by the Stage Door Cafe and you'll find it as the backdrop to the utensils. Quite unusual- but the name "Laod Bhang" rings a bell.

Aha! Go across the way to California Adventure, and you'll find Laod Bhang is also the owner of the local pin cart! To my knowledge, this is the first time that the Disney Imagineers have done this sort of cross park marketing in California. Can you find more? Do other examples exist?

(Top photo copyright Mark Taft. Bottom photo from MouseTimes.)

Downtown Disney's Retail Therapy

An evening at Downtown Disney is designed to pull money out of your wallet! It is not just a visit to Disneyland or California Adventure that requires a significant cash outlay. Yet this retail expansion of the Disneyland Resort is currently the most successful addition.

An early morning tram ride left me at the entrance to the ticket booths well before opening time. As is my custom, I always buy my tickets the night before, so I had plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the quiet before hoards of guests come in. It is just beautiful here, and the planter and seating (above) is even elegantly designed and executed.

Whether it was the closed World of Disney store or the soon to open La Brea Bakery, I found the area to be quite DisneyWorldesque, an unexpected taste of what it is like to be in Florida while enjoying a vastness of scope and scale not found in Anaheim.

For all the flaws I find in the expansion's design and execution, there is one aspect I absolutely love: everything is together and easily accessible. Two theme parks, three hotels, and a shopping district all within a few minutes walk. In Florida, you have to get on the monorail or the ferry boats, in a car or hop a bus, to go from one spot of the enormous resort to another. Although most times it is easy, just try going from Port Orleans Riverside to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner and then go back to the Contemporary Resort for drinks, and you'll see what I mean.

In the evening, as the lights turn on and the sun goes down, Downtown Disney takes on a new flavor and the absence of lakes and deep expanses of lawn just disappear. Since guests are leaving or heading to the parks, the area has a vibrancy that is glaringly missing from the Walt Disney World version of the shopping area. It's a great place to people watch!

The Catal restaurant serves up a decent bowl of pasta for a not-too-much out of the ordinary price. The Uva bar is elegantly lit and very inviting in the warm evenings. It seems the locals have discovered the downtown district as well, and that only makes sense as backyards tend to be smaller and public spaces must carry the burden of also being places to walk and relax as well as provide retail therapy.

A quick journey through the World of Disney, and I was lured by Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. Last year's lunch more than held its own with anything I've eaten in New Orleans, and the beignets are among my favorite treats ever. Even though I was happily full after a nice meal at Catal, the thoughts of the pastry lingered. I didn't cave in, however.

My wife and I strolled the grounds, stopping into the Grand Californian for a peek. It was a terrific way to end our evening out as for a moment once more, we felt like we were at the Walt Disney World Resort instead of the middle of California. This alone proves the success and failure of the resort expansion. It's not the new theme park that brings a Disney feel to the area (at least for now); it is a elegant and lovingly designed detail of the new hotel and the shopping street that up the ante. Hope the suits at the Walt Disney Company and the amazing Imagineers are listening and learning.

(Photos copyright Mark Taft.)

The Wisdom of Starbucks

As found on the side of my Starbucks cup: "We invite you to listen to your desires and renew your hope. To see the world not as it is but as it could be. Go ahead. Wish. It's what it makes the holidays the holidays."

All very nice sentiments, but it falls short- way short. Wishing is nice, but it is not enough. Take action to make the world a better place. Make a difference by investing your heart, your energy, your time. And in regards to the sentiment expressed, may I ask "Who is your hope in?"

The Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland 1971

The Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom was a much different place at its opening than it is now. Imagine a park with no Space, Big Thunder or Splash mountains. The focus was on musical shows like The Mickey Mouse Revue and the original Tropical Serenade (Enchanted Tiki Birds). The Skyway was still in place as was the beautiful and mysterious 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction. If You Had Wings was debuting in June of the next year. Coming soon afterwards were the Plaza Swan Boats cruising the small river that circled the bridges to the various lands. Western River Expedition was advertised as the next grand adventure in the tradition of the absent Pirates of the Caribbean.

Tomorrowland's entrance consisted of two giant waterfalls pouring over the side of its buildings, providing cool relief from the Florida heat- especially when the wind changed directions! Much like the Anaheim version in California, the attractions were small and not too futuristic at this time, but a next phase expansion was on its way. Just beyond Tomorrowland was the stunning Contemporary Resort, and the available and open land seemed endless.

Guests from Disneyland's main base were shocked and delighted by the park's surroundings. It was all so spacious. The beautiful Polynesian Village drew guests by the thousands as tiki torches and swaying palms beckoned. Modern monorails whisked visitors from location to location as ferries moved others from the Magic Kingdom to the resort hotels. In reality, the entire resort was Tomorrowland, and the fun had just begun.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

A Loving Goodbye

Just received the word that a beloved aunt passed away unexpectedly. She was my wife's aunt, but I grew to love her and her husband quickly. They extended themselves to us when we moved to Colorado twenty years ago, making the move with three young kids so much easier on our young and innocent family.

So much has happened since then. He passed on ten years ago, as did their son, leaving a daughter behind them.

I know right now she is enjoying a much more peaceful life than the one she had here on earth. Because of her deep faith in a God who loves her, I can picture her sitting at Jesus' feet, no longer in pain, and enjoying the company of long departed family and friends.

Goodbye, Peggy. We will so miss you...

Walt Disney and More

Disney and More has a wonderful photo tribute to the man himself. Just in time for Walt Disney's 108th birthday! Go here to see it. Alain Littaye continues to amaze and delight us with his great site. Thanks, Alain!

(PS- His Disneyland Paris book is the ultimate Christmas gift for those who love the Paris park... And stay tuned for "Tomorrowland Mondays" on the Insights blog!)

Coast Stories

True confession time: Disneyland was not the highlight of my recent trip to Southern California. It wasn't the construction at California Adventure that made my mouth fall open. It was the beach, or I should say, the beaches that captured my attention, my heart, my thoughts. 

Admittedly, I am an Orange County snob. There is not a single beach in Los Angeles County that compares to the beauty found in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Capistrano or Dana Point. And please, don't get me going about San Diego- it's absolutely gorgeous, too. Los Angeles does have it charms, however- more on that later as well.

As I had two and a half days to myself, I started the morning by sleeping in and then heading down to Peet's Coffee for my morning java. I sat by the fountain in this little plaza by Fashion Island, sipping my brew, reading the paper, and thinking about the day ahead.

This was to be a driving day, and I'd stop along the way as the spirit moved me. Jumped into the car and turned left onto Pacific Coast Highway. Driving all the way down to Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano, the beauty of the endless stream of bright red bougainvillea contrasted with the gorgeous sky and deep blue waters. There were many moments I wished I were the passenger instead of the driver. Although I missed the company of my wife, it was really a treat to quietly drive and just stare at the seascape I grew up knowing and loving.

After a couple hours at Mission San Juan Capistrano, (photos to come in another post), I stopped in Dana Point for a short little nap on the beach. What a treat to feel the warm sand, hear the ocean waves, and bake in the 80 degree sun of late October. It is an odd thing to say, but I always hear God speak to me in the sound of the waves. The beach is my preferred perfect place to rest, to pray and to focus on the majesty of God. It is more rejuvenating to me than just about anything else I can think of.

After an hour or so, it was time to move on, so I headed north. Eventually, I could feel the calming of my spirit and the gift of quiet. It's impact was undeniable. Things seemed right in my world.

This was my first true vacation since February, a short trip to San Antonio for my Dad's 70th birthday aside. It had been a busy work year for me. Between the planning for three big service projects, including my participation in a two week service trip to Asia, and my heavier than normal work load, I needed this rest. I was tired but not discouraged. Yet, it had been a full, satisfying but very tiring year.

Next stop was Laguna. I had planned to just walk the beach, but once I walked on to the sand and into the water, I decided I had to go in. I quickly tore off my shirt, dropped by sandals and camera. Diving in straight away, the briskness of the water was refreshing, its salty taste brought me back to my youth. The sun instantly began warming my body. This was why I loved the ocean- and this was what always seemed to be my siren's song.

More time passed as I watched families on the beach. The squeals of little kids experiencing the surf was a treat to hear and a riot to observe. The combination of apprehension, a bit of fear and sheer delight of the unknown brought a smile to my face, and I couldn't help giggling a bit inside.

After enough time, I hopped back in the car and took off for Huntington beach. There were more adventures ahead that day. Those hours before me of quiet, rest, sun, surf, and sand were just what I needed to regroup, pour my heart out to my God, and be encouraged. Soon enough I would be back in Colorado and all would be a memory- but what grand ones they would be!

(Photos copyright Mark Taft.)