Ladies and Rogues: Pieces of Art for Pirates of the Caribbean

There's much to love about the work of Imagineer Marc Davis. The man contributed to so many classic Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions! The Jungle Cruise, Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, America Sings, Country Bear Jamboree, and of course everyone's favorite, the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

No one like Marc could do magic when it came to pulling off clever gags with humans and animals- and the first two pieces of art show exactly what I'm talking about. The top piece contains two lovely ladies that did not make the cut when it was time to build the attraction. The art below shows a monkey and his human friend enjoying a pint- another that never found a home in New Orleans Square.

Just last month I rode the attraction and realized there was still an enormous amount of open space where previously unused concepts could come to life. My hope is that one day, Anaheim visitors will find sword fighting as guests can do while riding the excellent reworking of the attraction at Disneyland Paris. It's something a guest doesn't even realize is missing until its seen for the first time. Quite the feat the Imagineers pulled off.

Just when I think I've run out of Marc's pieces for Pirates, I find something else in my files. Perhaps one day, I'll unearth more...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Return of Downton Abbey

OK, I admit it. I really enjoy Downton Abbey. Television rarely has an evening drama so engaging and never one with Maggie Smith in it. So, what's not to like? And it returns tonight for season six in the States.

My friends in Scotland don't think much of it, but then they are used to living in an area with such grand and quaint and charming homes. The entire mix of lower, upper, and middle class houses combined with lush greenery and a history full of grand tradition.

Confession time: I like the television show enough that I sometimes read ahead... and you'll never guess what happens this year!

Saturday Afternoon Gametime

Enjoying lunch and a sweet little afternoon game with my wife. Makes the snowy and gray day not as dreary. What a blessing from God she is- except when she gets competitive! ;)

Friday Night Special: At Pleasure Island

Here's my first offering for something new on the blog. A Friday Night Special. This time it's a piece of concept art for the great adult entertainment area. It's beautiful when enlarged.

The Imagineers did an incredible job bringing some nightlife to Walt Disney World. Now, the Comedy Warehouse only shows up at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Christmas, and the excellent Adventurer's Club is a relic from the past. Boy, it was something back then! 

Want more Pleasure Island? Go to this post for some great vintage photos taken right after the grand opening- including a large, leg swinging Jessica Rabbit. 

Times change, and we all have new places for some fun. Just remember to keep it in check- we don't want to end up like those bad boys in Pinocchio! 

Do search for more Pleasure Island posts on the blog. You'll be surprised what you find around here...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Elusive Liberty Square Haunted Mansion Attraction Poster

Starting off the new year with something I've been dying to get my hands on! The smaller size doesn't do it justice, but here's a look at the attraction poster for the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World's elegant Liberty Square. (You can click on it to get it in a very large size.)

Back at the park's opening in 1971, there wasn't a need for an elaborate interactive queue to draw guests in or give them an advance look at what would lie inside the manor. The clever Imagineers knew that sometimes waiting for an attraction fueled the guest's imagination- all the better for an attraction that promised an encounter with "999 Happy Haunts". Sometimes less is more.

Of course, the motto for the inside of the attraction had to be something along the lines of giving the guests so much to look at that they had to return for another visit to take it all in. It's part of what made the old school Imagineers such great artists. Always giving paying guests more than they expected. Classic attractions that stand the test of time always do.

Speaking of the classics, come back Monday for some rare concept art from your favorite adventure on the high seas.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Untying the New Year

A new year and a fresh beginning. Happy New Year!

Most of us carry expectations into the year, wishing and hoping we see some things come to pass. Sometimes it means working hard and getting down to business to see what we want come to fruition. Other times, God drops blessings right in our laps because of His great love for us.

So, it's time for me to put away the festivities, focus, and take some time to move ahead.

This blog has been something I've enjoyed, hated, and looked at as a combination journal, travelogue, social commentary, and historical review. I've always wanted it to be fun as well. After six years, I am asking myself, "Where am I going in 2015?"

The real world is taking more and more time. New job, busy life, less large chunks of time to really write.  So, here's my promise: I'll post when I can, continuing on sharing about the things I love. It may not be as frequent, but I want to keep writing, especially as my life keeps changing. 

I've tried to get a head start on things, so those of you who are fans of Disney concept art may want to hang around. Starting tomorrow...

New Year's Wishes

Happy New Year! May 2015 be a blessed one, filled with joy and hope!  And please celebrate well - you have much to be thankful for- and celebrate responsibly. God bless you!

Best and Worst of 2014

A mix of the important, the personal, and the fluff related to entertainment-

The Worst: 

• The killing of young black men all over America, both by the police and by black on black violence
• Young black men (and all people) choosing to break the law, placing themselves in the position of having to encounter police
• Meryl Streep's ridiculous swipe at Walt Disney
• Losing my job
• The continued move of American business operations to overseas locations at the cost of jobs for our citizens
• Disney's continued characterization of Epcot. Losing Norway to Frozen
• Maroon 5's latest album
• Lame plans for Disneyland's 60th Anniversary
• Middle Eastern thugs terrorizing the nations and beheading innocent civilians
• Joel Osteen and his brand of "Christian" wealth and prosperity doctrine. Sure worked for Jesus and certainly works for most of the Christians suffering all over the world- yeah, right!
• Americas continued reliance on abortion as birth control
• Hollywood's seeming emphasis on dumb, over the top, sex fueled entertainment
• Continued genocide all over the world
• The state of disrepair at Disneyland Paris
• High prices for cars and high fees to use public transportation
• Texting when a conversation deserves face to face communication
• The continued high price of airline tickets
• Frontier Airlines' website
• Too many reality television shows
• Remaking Disney animation classics into Live Action films
• Over the top greed in the business world. CEO salaries out of control
• When friends disappoint and show their true colors
• No Friends movie in the future
• Thugs posing as athletes in professional sports
• Sports leadership making excuses for such behavior and being slow to respond appropriately
• "Naked" television
• Excessive awards shows on television
• Putin's moves toward a new Soviet Union
• The new Polynesian Village Resort Lobby at Disney World
• The number of broken effects at Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland and all over the park in places you'd never expect
• The high cost of health insurance and the mess of Obamacare. When will our government understand its never better or cheap to add even government layers of oversight to a social service?
• News stations that interpret the news versus delivering it
• Kim Kardashian's exposed butt. Niki Minaj's too. Should I add Miley Cyrus' self-degradation to this list?
• Musical artists that have to swear and use highly crude sexual language to sell their music
• Parents not disciplining their kids in public and giving into their every whim
• Big Hero 6 not being the breakout hit it deserves to be
• Suits at Disney refusing to give Frozen an E Ticket attraction in the Magic Kingdom where it belongs
• The price of Disney one day park hopper tickets
• The legalization of marijuana in Colorado
• School shootings continue on
• The infiltration of humanism in the Christian church 
• The devolution of Epcot
• Fewer Caribou Coffee locations
• The French air traffic controllers strike during our vacation
• The lack of an Avengers film this year
• Having to book attraction and meal times far in advance at the Florida Disney parks
• No new original, non-IP based attractions at the Disney parks
• A wet and green summer
• Losing Shakira on The Voice
• Seeing friends lose their children and their parents
• Not enough time to give this blog the attention it deserves
• Shoddy concept art by Disney for new additions
• Disney's focus on more retail and restaurants than creating groundbreaking attractions in its parks
• The overall dumbing down of America by bringing culture to the lowest common denominator

The Best:

• Everyday heroes serving in their communities
• The announcement of Incredibles 2
• More grandchildren
• Cleaner air
• Films that value family, such as the Thousand Foot Journey
• The addition of Ratatouille to Disney Studios Paris
• The return of old school R&B music
• The continued excellent maintenance of the exterior of the show buildings at Disneyland
• A hot cup of coffee and a quiet morning to read and pray
• Picking apples with my grandsons
• The transformation of California Adventure and the hope of the suits finishing the job in the original areas of the park
• The new and overdue investment into the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Adam Levine and Blake Shelton bromance on The Voice
• Watching my son in law get baptized
• Alain Littaye and the Disney and More website
• God's continued faithfulness even when I do not understand what He allows
• The excellent refurbishment of Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• A trip to Switzerland- almost free
• A supportive wife and family
• Having more than enough to be able to give to others
• Tim Tebow on Good Morning America. A great match of human interest stories and good-hearted host.
• A new job
• Seeing Christians boldly live out their beliefs by following Jesus at all costs
• Longer movie previews
• Finding personal joy and fulfillment even while making less money
• Chipotle and their barbacoa tacos
• Better treatment of immigrants
• Lower gasoline prices
• Aging gracefully and without plastic surgery
• Rumer and Harriet making new music
• The overall good sportsmanship at the World Cup
• Old albums finally coming to compact disc
• The generosity of friends and family at unexpected times
• Removal of the Hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• George Benson
• Watching our favorite local Chinese restaurant survive the economic downturn
• Visiting our son, daughter in law and grandson in Kansas City during game six of the World Series
• Universal's new Harry Potter attractions and the transformation of both the Studios and Islands of Adventure
• Having four living parents, especially as we are grandparents ourselves
• Walking along the beach in Laguna
• Praying for physical headings that would take God doing a miracle- and seeing it happen
• The forums at A&M Corner and WDW Magic
• H&M comes to Denver
• The return of Downton Abbey
• A night of Ticket to Ride with family and friends
• Great Reads by David Platt and Francis Chan
• Five Guys' french fries
• The new Union Station in Downtown Denver
• Discovering great BBQ in Orange County
• Finding new friends when you least expect it
• The upcoming details for the remake of Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Having faithful and wonderful readers of this blog!
• ...and so much more

Notable and Quotable: Madonna

“It's crazy times. The Internet is as constructive and helpful in bringing to people together as it is in doing dangerous things and hurting people. It's a double-edged sword."

                                         Madonna 
                  (as told to Billboard magazine)

So sad and so true. Between my friends addicted to internet porn and the crazies recruiting for terrorists activities, the internet world can be a dangerous place...

Christmas in Paris

It's the most wonderful time of the year! My wife and I love everything about Christmas- and even the crowds don't get to us. Of course, the spiritual significance of Jesus is the most important, but we also love to celebrate the more lighthearted side of the holiday.

Being that we love to travel and that God has blessed us with some amazing deals over the years ($99 to London? Yes, please!), we do have a few places we'd like to see at Christmas. Paris, London, Hawaii, Disney World and more.

In an odd and unexpected but delightful twist, God allowed us to travel to Paris for our anniversary (at Christmastime no less) as an extension of a business trip I had to take. So here is a shot of the tree inside the beautiful Galeries Lafayette. Four days, four hundred photos.

It was quite the sight to see as was the entire City of Light at Christmastime! Just incredible. Next on our Christmas must see list? Who knows? 

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

From My Family to Yours

As you pause and take time to relax before Christmas Day and all the festivities into the New Year, may you count your blessings and give thanks to God for every good thing! The best gift is that of His Son, Jesus Christ- the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man. My sins, your sins, and all who would believe in Him will be covered through His Blood. A gift of eternal life for all who would believe He was born, rose from the dead, and will return as King. In other words- the perfect gift that no one else could buy.

Thank you for another year of reading the blog...

All Hart

An all time classic comic. I love that it tells the truth in such a charming and disarming way. (Click on it to enlarge the images and words.)

(Comic copyright Johnny Hart.)

Bungled at the Polynesian

I've said it many ways in the past, and let me say it again: When the Disney suits screw up, they go and do it big. 

The latest fiasco is the transformation of their once charming Polynesian Village Resort into a more generic Disney Vacation Club location. The suits began with the lobby, and now that it is open, everyone can see what a huge mistake the first step is. Gone is the warmth and charm that once characterized the area. Now, bland and generic and oh so ordinary describe it. (Photos are on the WDWMagic site.) Now, it seems the gorgeous waterfront will be ruined by bungalows. They may have been going for Papeete, but they have missed the mark. Again.

I remember seeing it for the first time in 1975 when it was fairly new and affordable, and I was absolutely in love with the place- the huge waterfall / grotto / garden at the lobby entrance. The lush mix of music, architecture, and greenery. The nightly luau. Not to mention the view of the Magic Kingdom from the shores of the beach. Or the Electrical Water Pageant.  It's been a destination every trip since.

is it just me or is a reimagined Trader Sams just not enough?

It's pretty popular to criticize Robert Iger and company for the way things are run. And for a large part, the fan complaints regarding Walt Disney World are 100% on the money. Sure, investments into the property are there or are coming. But it seems to fall short. The New Fantasyland looks beautiful but seems to lack substance. Certainly it lacks a groundbreaking attraction. 

Perhaps Harry Potter's success at Universal / Islands of Adventure will change the tide. But, if you look at the once premier resort on the Florida property, it looks as if the boat has sailed.

Once the leader, now the follower. Settling for the mediocre, with "good enough" being the Florida resort company mantra- and a slew of guests too foolish to realize they've been taken for a ride- and not in an E Ticket sort of way.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Is this the Face of Disneyland's New High End Restaurant?

There is some speculation- and for good reason- that New Orleans Square's Royal Court is becoming an inclusive, alcohol serving, elegant restaurant. There's been a good bit of construction, and with the recent changes to the physical layout and the guest policy for members of Club 33, some folks are thinking the reason for construction is due to the conversion of this bit of Disneyland history. 

Whatever happens, there's no doubt its a pretty little area! Imagineer Herb Ryman painted this gorgeous piece back in the 1960's to provide a glimpse into the world of the Paris of the South. As a piece of art, it's quite lovely on its own. As a piece of Disney history, it's charm perfectly conveys the equal charms of the grandest addition to Walt's park since its opening. New Orleans Square continues to be the benchmark for elegantly detailed Imagineering work at Disneyland. (Of course, now at California Adventure, I'd venture to say its Cars Land. The beautiful Buena Vista Street is pretty but it's unfortunately too small and without an E Ticket attraction to dignify it beyond being a well done ode to Los Angeles at Walt's arrival.)

Thanks to Vintage Disneyland Tickets for this piece!

The magnificent care taken in designing New Orleans Square was evident as the Imagineers included not one but two courtyards. The more famous one, Court of Angels (with a sign calling it Court des Anges), pictured above on the cover of Vacationland, is now closed off to guests and serves as the waiting area for patrons of Club 33. Pity. It was one of the premier places in the park for a quick look, a walk inside, and a photographer's paradise.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Today A New Adventure Begins

There's a new adventure brewing- and it begins today! I can see it all around. God has begun something entirely new as I start a new job. You see, I thought the hopes and dreams He put in my heart had died. But now, I am seeing He has brought them to pass in a whole new way. I wish I could say more, but that's really not possible for a public forum. I will say this: If your hope is placed in Jesus Christ and your life belongs to Him, not only will there be eternal life in heaven, there will be a life on earth that is rich and fulfilling. Not earthly wealth, but a joy and peace and depth to your life that cannot be found any other way. In Him and Him alone, Jesus will bring to pass the things He has promised, even if they come about in ways we would never imagine, even when those hopes and dreams look dead to the human mind. He will prevail. He alone is God, and there is no other.

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)