The Explorium

waltdisneydoingfunnythings: Walt is really happy he brought the...

Sat, 11 May 2013 16:38:29 -0400

Walt is really happy he brought the Alweg Monorail to Disneyland.

REALLY happy.

#WaltDisneyDoingFunnyThings

The Davis Disjunction: Fantasy and Reality in the Magic...

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:47:00 -0400

The Davis Disjunction: Fantasy and Reality in the Magic Kingdom

When considering how a Magic Kingdom creates her environments, there are countless schemas of how the park goes about placing a guest, or a viewer, into a setting that is believable, compelling, and usually otherworldly. No matter the way an attraction positions itself and its thematics, the end result is the same: a believable place or scenario is created, implied, and enjoyed. This is the crux of a Magic Kingdom: belief is suspended, and we, as willing participants in a fantasy, are taken to a destination usually rooted in the expected cultural conscious. This doesn’t mean the environments are conventional or expected, but they are built upon genres and a cultural wellspring. How else would we willingly accept the sudden changes of time of day, context, or environment, when stepping into a ride vehicle? An experience in the Magic Kingdom is meant to be trasnsportive and preclude some basic logic.

For the purposes of this article, let’s consider Marc Davis. Davis was the king of caricature characters, and was most well known for his work on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Davis’ ghosts and buccaneers are instantly relatable; they wear their emotions and personalities very prominently. This isn’t to say that they aren’t realistic, but they are augmented. These characters exist under a guise thematic detail that paints a picture of reality, but are shockingly basic and even fantastic. This isn’t a bad thing, either. We widely accept that Davis created some of the more relatable and memorable characters in WED’s pantheon. However, I think many ignore why Davis’ work operates so well, and that reasoning revolves around one of Davis’ contemporaries’ work on many of the same attractions that Davis worked on. While Davis often supplied the characters to WED, Claude Coats supplied the setting and the environment.

Claude Coats worked on the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and countless animated films, providing the setting and “backgrounds” for the narratives or experiences in question. It is Claude Coats’ contribution of setting that establishes the overall tone and mood of the production at hand. And in contrast to Marc Davis, Coats’ work was not augmented or stretched to illicit emotional responses- his work did that by nature of being wrought with texture, peppered with illusion and wrapped up in thematic detail. This is not to say that Claude Coats’ work was not over exaggerated, as some of his more sinister designs are downright warped, but they aren’t augmented to suggest more of a fantasy environment that is already implied. If anything, Davis’ caricatures do this.

So, with all of this this in mind, there is a massive disjunction concerning how a Magic Kingdom goes about placing her stories and experiences in a thematic context. This “Davis Disjunction” allows for the theme park’s setting to be as realistic as details and thematic boundaries allow, while characters and situations provide for the fantasy and “magic” that gives reasoning to the park’s moniker. Marc Davis’ attractions all contribute to this modus operandi in some way:

The Enchanted Tiki Room, while it boasts a beautiful Polynesian façade, and even houses lifelike birds, also has a host of googly eyed Tiki statues and columns that defy the cultural aesthetic that permeates through the attraction. Of course, a greater sense of fantasy is also found in the fact that the animals and flowers inside the attraction sing and dance.

Both the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean draw guests into a vivid and realistic environment, one that could easily be mistaken for something out of real localities or situations we would expect to be confronted with when examining the horror or adventure genre. However, both experiences dwell on the characters we encounter inside. Mansion’s host of ghosts and spooks all have easily discernable features and expressions that, first, allow us, as viewers to discern if they want to harm us or delight us, and two, allow us to relate with them. This is yet another signature achievement of Davis’: His characters and his work place our emotions as tied to that is happening to the characters. Consider the finale to the Haunted Mansion- we are still in a gloomy, oppressive graveyard, gnarled trees and tombstones punctuating our line of sight (thanks to Claude Coats…) but the sheer gleeful atmosphere of Davis’ characters and gags allow for the mood the change away from the mournful setting. The same thing happens in Pirates of the Caribbean: Although we are confronted with the intricacies of curses, time travel, and the eerie charm of a Caribbean island town, most of the buccaneer’s expressions alert us to their intensions. (Not to mention that the pirates never even see us, but that’s a thematic detail for another article. ) The drunken pirate with his group of hogs never threatens us, nor presents us with a reason to doubt that he’ll ever leave the mud. The auctioneer, though menacing, is clearly a vindictive pirate, but removed from us. These characters fit the ride and it’s Caribbean aesthetic, but their overly dramatized moods wouldn’t be a reflection of realism in the same way an audio animatronic from, say, Spaceship Earth would. (Granted, there ARE pirate molds used to populate Spaceship Earth, but their coloration is so augmented between the two attractions that the difference in mood and expression is literally world’s apart. )

And then there is Davis’ Country Bear Jamboree. Set aside in a rustic and authentic theater amongst the clapboard buildings of Frontierland, Grizzly Hall could easily be a venue for human beings to preform, yet there are large bears on stage, singing and dancing along to music. And this goes off without a hitch. We are in the American West, by all accounts. The Liberty Belle and the Rivers of America are within eyesight, both realistic and truthful to their setting in every way. Big Thunder Mountain also can be seen through the trees, and though wild and unpredictable, it has the trappings of realism about its setting and aesthetics. Yet, take a left turn into Grizzly Hall and there’s a touch of fantasy and music waiting behind those red velvet curtains. This is the true nature of the Davis Disjunction and what it is to be a participant in the Magic Kingdom: conventions are suspended and illusions and thematic boundaries are meddled with when characters and attractions are made to fit on a sliding scale of how the realism of an environment and fantasy converge.

All of this considered, it should come as no surprise that this style of Davis’ is a mainstay of how a Magic Kingdom works. Tony Baxter adapted it for many of his attractions, including the aforementioned Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and even something like Splash Mountain that plays fast and loose with realism and fantasy characters, especially when not placed in Critter Country, but in Florida’s Frontierland. The latest attraction out of Walt Disney Imagineering is no different. Mystic Manor recently opened in Hong Kong Disneyland and is preparing for her official debut at the end of this month. But from what already seen about the attraction is that the same thematic disjunction described here is replicated, adhered to, and perhaps even done as a tribute to Marc Davis and his brand of attractions.

Mystic Manor takes place within Mystic Point, a thematic extension of the Adventureland concept, but centered around one large attraction. The grounds for the manor house are populated with artifacts and venues that are rich in the amalgamation of cultures and aesthetics of antiquity, ripe for use in an eccentric museum’s setting, which is what the manor house is. All of Mystic Point’s structures are realistic and beautifully detailed, firmly establishing the cogent thematics of this jungle outpost serving as a professor’s residence and museum. Inside the manor, the experience is one of sight gags, fantasy, and the antics of Albert the Monkey, Lord Henry Mystic’s pet. Lord Henry Mystic is the curator of the museum and the manor house’s occupant, while Albert is the foil who opens a magic music box and sets an enchantment upon the artifacts in the museum that brings them to life. Here again, is the Davis Disjunction at work. Both characters and many of the scenes seen on the ride are highly stylized and made to look and appear as part of the fantastical series of events we see taking place. Lord Henry is the stereotypical English adventurer/historian/professor, in both appearance and action. Albert, his adorable pet who sets the entire attraction into motion is also highly emotive, spelling out how we see or feel based on what is happening around us in Mystic Manor. These overextensions of character make the ride no less fantastic or no less artistic, much in the same way Marc Davis’ caricatures allow the thematic breadth of a ride to be realized. Mystic Manor and Albert and Henry are simply a tribute or an extension of the style of one of WED’s greatest Imagineers.

The disjunction between a realistic environment and relatable, emotive characters is a hallmark of Imagineering and the way we see our way through a Magic Kingdom. What is most astounding about this thematic method is how it has stood the test of time. Marc Davis and Claude Coats began their work in Disneyland in the 1950’s, many of their more famous attractions being created in the 1960’s and 70’s when Disneyland was rapidly expanding and Walt Disney World was first being conceptualized. And now, here we are in 2013, seeing the same sort of thematic sensibilities recreated for a totally new, original, and technologically advanced dark ride. All the more proof that although Imagineering grows and adapts, the strongest thematic traditions of the Magic Kingdom flourish.

waltdisneydoingfunnythings: Walt Disney is being devoured alive...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:02:41 -0400

waltdisneydoingfunnythings:

Walt Disney is being devoured alive by an Enchanted Tiki Column!!

#WaltDisneyDoingFunnyThings

Model Earth - Spaceship Earth’s Structure It’s 1980...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:21:00 -0400

Model Earth - Spaceship Earth’s Structure

It’s 1980 and Imagineer Marilyn Gage is putting the final piece of structural steel in place on WED’s model for Spaceship Earth. Besides boasting a clear look at the geosphere’s structural supports, this picture also gives us a great look at the “ride table” that the omnimover attraction utilizes to wend through the sphere. Notice the steep “down ramp” near the top of the table that takes vehicles down from the planetarium at the ride’s summit. Also interesting is the portion of the table that extends upwards into the planetarium that is not utilized, today, to keep Spaceship Earth structurally sound and to not tax the supports.

waltdisneydoingfunnythings: Walt is NOT keeping his arms, legs,...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:39:55 -0400

waltdisneydoingfunnythings:

Walt is NOT keeping his arms, legs, feet, and hands inside the vehicle at all times.

#WaltDisneyDoingFunnyThings

Opening Day: 1964 New York World’s Fair 49 years ago, today, The...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:21:16 -0400

Opening Day: 1964 New York World’s Fair

49 years ago, today, The New York World’s Fair opened in Flushing Meadows, New York.

A watershed moment in many ways, the NYWF heralded thematic history with one of the largest offerings of attractions and shows in the history of the World’s Fairs. Overflowing with corporate sponsors, guests could explore the worlds of industry, states, transportation and international nations in a series of themed pavilions and exhibits.

Walt Disney created four attractions at the NYWF and today, they are amongst some of the notable in the company’s history.

It’s A Small World and Mary Blair’s art wonderfully evocative art have become mainstays at each Magic Kingdom around the world.

The Carousel fo Progress spins on at Walt Disney World, a proud tribute to optimism and exhibition of ideas and concepts.

Ford’s Magic Skyway is no longer with us, but several notable tableaux found homes in Disneyland’s Primeval World and were later duplicated for EPCOT Center’s Universe of Energy.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln found a home in Disneyland’s opera house, and inspired work on the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents.

But above all, the culture that came out of the NYWF is what makes it still special and still relevant, almost 50 years later. Reliance on the future, belief in optimism, and international pride still remain the cornerstones of all the great exhibitions to come after the NYWF. It was here that Walt Disney’s idea for a East Coast Disneyland gained legitimacy. And it is no stretch of the imagination that the technical wonders he saw would inspire his ideas for EPCOT City. A great irony, considering how those ideas, in turn, would coalesce into the ideas for EPCOT Center, a theme park based in the format and function of the World’s Fairs themselves.

Happy 49th Anniversary, New York World’s Fair… You are still inspiring the future, even today.

Today is Earth Day and that means that Disney’s Animal Kingdom...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:21:08 -0400

Today is Earth Day and that means that Disney’s Animal Kingdom is marking an anniversary. Today, marks the park’s 15th year of showcasing indigenous culture, the world of animals, and the fantasy and challenge of nature in her many forms.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a special species of her own. The park is not conventional, not idealized, not an example of the gleaming and happy-go-lucky theme that most theme parks attempt to realize in their placemaking and environments.

Instead, she is real. She has history coursing through her veins, grit to boast in realistic and believable environments, and a heartfelt and vital message.

Yes, this difference often puts her at odds with the other parks that Disney has built around the world. But, in this difference is Animal Kingdom’s originality and unique qualities that make it an enthralling venture and experience.

Happy 15th, Animal Kingdom.

Hong Kong Disneyland, in an effort to expand the park with more...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:19:07 -0400

Hong Kong Disneyland, in an effort to expand the park with more classic, unique attractions, has built a roller coaster revolving around the antics of mischievous grizzly bears and, today, opened a haunted house revolving around eerie experiences and captivating gags and characters.

Marc Davis is smiling, tonight.

Explaining EPCOT: Master Planning and a Model Future EPCOT,...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:14:00 -0400

Explaining EPCOT: Master Planning and a Model Future

EPCOT, 1976 – The black and white photo above gives us a rare, and perhaps long lost glimpse at a new vision for an early iteration of EPCOT Center. Why this version boasts incremental changes from concepts released previously to this deals directly with how and why EPCOT was explained to Disney’s audience and to those who would dream up and work on the monumental task that was building a new world of tomorrow, EPCOT Center.

____________________

By 1976 Disney was well on their way to finally acting upon the long lost notion of building EPCOT. However, Walt Disney’s idea for a working city of tomorrow’s industry and futurism was being remade into a park built for the grand purpose of exposition and corporate cooperation. EPCOT, as a park in 1976, was very similar to 1982’s final product in thematic spirit, but markedly different in execution. Each component of EPCOT would have been a separate entity in a series of EPCOT Satellites.

So, in 1976, to explain this, Disney’s top executives began a campaign of awareness to interest sponsors and excite the general public that the already new and flourishing Walt Disney World was going to be expanding her thematic borders. Walt Disney Productions Chairman of the Board Donn Tatum and President E. Cardon Walker hosted a bevy of conferences and summits at the Contemporary Resort Hotel that focused on the aspects of EPCOT that would make it a lucrative project for sponsorship and fellowship. As previously discussed on this blog, Donn Tatum tackled the “EPCOT Future Technology Conference” that dealt with securing funding and support from leading companies and industries vital to EPCOT’s proposed thematic and cooperative purpose. Tatum explained that the EPCOT Theme Center was to be a forum of the future, a meeting place for industrial leaders and the public. Further, Disney described and intended EPCOT to be a venue designed for “information transfer”, as exhibition and WED’s brand of practical showmanship would be used to express sponsor’s products and concepts. As we all know, these ideas would propagate the final EPCOT Center product.

Meanwhile, E. Cardon Walker was tasked with approaching a broader audience of commercial investors. In May and January of 1976, Walker spoke to the Urban Land Institute and the Florida Institute of Technology with the express purpose of showcasing that Walt Disney World was ready to build EPCOT as an expositional venue, with the help of industry leaders. Walker spoke at length of master planning and the techniques for construction and operation that ran Walt Disney World and that had already prepared the Vacation Kingdom to house and manage and run EPCOT efficiently. Spearheading this philosophy of experimental but efficient construction is Disney World’s EPCOT Building Code. The Reedy Creek Development District (Walt Disney World’s acting government) had already been using the code to guide phase 1 on Walt Disney World.

Walker mentions that the EPCOT Building Code is a cornerstone of master planning and that it has been built with the future in mind:

“ 1. [The EPCOT Building Code has the objectives of] accomplishing coordinated, balanced, and harmonious development in accordance of future and present needs.

2. Provide flexibility that will encourage American industry to test, introduce, and demonstrate new ideas, materials, and systems emerging now and in the future.

3. To provide an environment that will stimulate the best thinking in the creative development of new technologies to meet the needs of people.

4. To insure the safety, health, and general welfare of the districts inhabitants, visitors, and premises.

5. To establish a safe, sound, and forward-looking basis for developing and maintaining the district and its properties.

6. To regulate the quality of materials and systems for all buildings and structures within the district, including their design, construction, occupancy, location, and maintenance.

Therefore, it is seen that the guiding philosophy of the EPCOT Theme Satellites was already in motion, making a compelling case to center an entertainment venue on the same forward thinking drive and optimism. To convey Disney’s seriousness about their forthcoming foray into exposition, President Walker had a model on hand of the first satellite to be built in Walt Disney World: The EPCOT Theme Center.

Readers of this blog are familiar with the concept, but perhaps not with this conceptualization of it. As far as I can see, it is very similar to concepts previously discussed here, but unique. The round “Main Street” structure, planned to be CommuniCore lacks the structures “inside” the building, as seen below, but instead has a main thoroughfare through the building.

This area, perhaps, is the EPCOT Theme Show, 1976’s Spaceship Earth. Focused on communication, the EPCOT Theme Show would have been an introduction into the world of EPCOT and shown guests the purpose of the theme center and topics on display in the surrounding pavilions. Essentially, this is EPCOT referencing itself and referencing its purpose.

Speaking of pavilions, the structure itself is also similar to past concepts but unique to this model. The rounded building seems to boast the same buttresses and supports that Herbert Ryman’s World Showcase concept art also features. In addition to this, there’s a monorail track running around the contours of the building perhaps giving credence to WED’s Community Transport Division’s concept art featuring a new model of monorail circling a similar building. This photograph and the Community Transport Division’s concept art come from the same year, suggesting that they are linked to the same EPCOT Satellite Project.

The other pavilions on the model above reveal a bit of the murky conceptual past of the main component parts to EPCOT’s first version of Future World. To the viewer’s right, we can see the Community Pavilion, a broad swath of structures and ancillary buildings. The Community Pavilion would have focused on some of the more abstract subjects in EPCOT. Government, education, and the arts all would have found a home here, making them, perhaps, the more serious ancestors of EPCOT Center’s Journey into Imagination pavilion that focused on the arts, imagery and the creative optimistic spirit that was embodied in EPCOT. But, in 1976, Card Walker intoned that EPCOT’s Community Pavilion was for the purposes of

“focusing our attention on new technologies, where we will want EPCOT to provide an “ongoing forum of the future” for the best creative thinking of industry, government, and academia is exchanged regarding practical solutions to the real needs of mankind.”

Walker then goes on to say that

“ [Walt Disney Productions] … has no intent to simply become another sponsor of seminars where the participants merely talk and dream. We are seeking those participants were both dreamers and doers, who are interested in getting innovative and far-reaching ideas transformed into reality. “

So, again, Card and Walt Disney Productions makes their intensions for EPCOT quite clear: EPCOT, while an exhibition, will be evolving, changing, and meeting the challenges of tomorrow. EPCOT’s dynamic purpose is change, but change that keeps it relevant an in touch with the innovative solutions required. EPCOT is explained as the “Communicator to the world, utilizing the growing spectrum of information transfer to bring new knowledge in the most effective ways to the world community. “

Just as Card Walker is explaining his ideas for EPCOT, the photo of our 1976 EPCOT model is also explaining some of the other features of the new satellite theme park. Sitting directly behind the snappily dressed female imaginer (Who is she? Anyone know?! ) is a geometric structure that correlates to earlier images and renderings of the Future World of Energy Pavilion. Again, this isn’t the Universe of Energy that would come to grace Future World in 1982, but a rudimentary version of the pavilion. Concept art for the pavilion itself would have featured a heavily screen based walkthrough attraction utilizing lights and lasers. The shape of the building is also seen in the photograph with WED’s chief engineer John Zovich and former astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, now acting as WED’s Vice President and manager of the EPCOT Satellite project.

This is a departure from 1975’s plans for the plot “north” of CommuniCore to house a “Science and Technology” pavilion perhaps indicating that Don Tatum had done his job well at securing sponsorships to solidify Energy as a main topic for a pavilion in the EPCOT Theme Center. The 1976 model is perhaps the last time this version of the EPCOT Theme Center was used until the concept evolved into EPCOT Center itself in 1977. More on that soon!

Thus, this isn’t so much an essay concerning a model and how EPCOT was explained to the public, as it is a look at how EPCOT evolved over time. EPCOT’s trajectory from urban model of the future to a series of theme centers to a single unified park illustrates how difficult and multilateral the concept of EPCOT was for Disney to settle on and eventually get right. Card Walker and Don Tatum had a hugely daunting task at explaining how a city was going to become an entertainment and exhibition venue and be commercially successful for Walt Disney Productions and every sponsor involved. Given the amount of conceptual content that came pouring out of WED as EPCOT became a reality, this was truly a labor of love and one of the largest undertakings not only in Disney’s history, but in the history of themed entertainment. EPCOT was guided with not only the driving desire to fulfill Walt Disney’s final wishes, but a strongly defined sense of purpose and dynamic place in a rapidly approaching future.

____________________________________

Notes:

This essay is meant to be a companion piece to a much larger article on The EPCOT Theme Center (http://bit.ly/VCfkDY) that delves into how EPCOT City became EPCOT Center. While that article goes into detail on the actual process of molding the EPCOT concept into a working reality, this one, I hope should help shed new light on some of the details and incidentals of how this was actually done. Given that there’s a totally different model of The EPCOT Theme Center in this article, I am of the opinion that the project itself was constantly evolving, at least for the part of the park that became Future World. World Showcase has its own unique conceptual backstory and history, one, which will be written about, here, in the near future. The synthesis of Future World and World Showcase into one central park will also be a future article topic.

Hope you enjoyed!

Town Square Theater… Exposition Hall…. Gulf...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:01:37 -0400

Town Square Theater… Exposition Hall…. Gulf Hospitality House?!

An excellent shot of the Gulf Hospitality House (which you all will know by the names above) during the Vacation Kingdom’s first year. The only building on Main Street USA built to scale, the GHH was originally conceptualized to be a hotel inside the Magic Kingdom. It remained mostly empty until this plan was realized to be too intricate and then converted into an exhibition hall for the Walt Disney Story.

It’s been one year since the Orange Bird Cultural...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:34:22 -0400

It’s been one year since the Orange Bird Cultural Renaissance!! Happy Anniversary! (at Sunshine Tree Terrace)

waltdisneydoingfunnythings: Walt Disney, in a funny hat, in...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:45:44 -0400

waltdisneydoingfunnythings:

Walt Disney, in a funny hat, in Disneyland After Dark.

#WaltDisneyDoingFunnyThings

Happy 30th Anniversary, Tokyo Disneyland! On April 15th, 1983,...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:33:27 -0400

Happy 30th Anniversary, Tokyo Disneyland!

On April 15th, 1983, 30 years ago today, Walt Disney Productions took a large step and made history with their first foreign park, Tokyo Disneyland.

The combination of the best elements of Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the Japanese Disneyland is a tribute to the American imagination and ingenuity that created the first two parks.

Disney and the Idea of Florida: The Grand Floridian as a...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:22:55 -0400

Disney and the Idea of Florida: The Grand Floridian as a Genre

Disney has an interesting and evolving stance on cultural relevance and proximity. When Disneyland opened Pirates of the Caribbean in 1967, the attraction was only planned for California as Disney’s new venture in Florida was considered too close to the actual Caribbean to make thematic sense in the Vacation Kingdom. Disney operated under the assumption that the closeness of the same locality would rob Pirates of the exotic flair and charm that had so enticed Californians. This proved to be a massive misstep as Walt Disney World guests clamored for Pirates after seeing it highly advertised and promoted for it’s debut in Disneyland a few years earlier, thematic similarity to Florida and the Caribbean be damned. Disney reluctantly relented and built a version of the ride in the Magic Kingdom. This, from the company that would one day build Disney’s California Adventure…. in California, and without a second thought to duplicating landmarks and making facsimiles of places that could easily be seen, just miles away from Disneyland. So, when it comes to Disney and Florida, Disney has an interesting perspective on their portrayal of one of the states and cultures that is so essential to the company’s lifeblood and image. The most obvious of these portrayals is the Grand Floridian.

This is a bit of a personal essay for me. I am a Floridian. I’ve lived in the state all my life. I have my issues with it. I have my passions for it. Florida is home. And, given that I am a historian, I’ve studied the state’s history and how it exists in relation to popular culture and how it feels. So, this post isn’t entirely about conceptual or thematic history, it’s about a degree of “personality” that Florida should embody.

As seen above, The 1982 concepts for the Grand Floridian were originally conceptualized on a much smaller scale than finally realized. Taking cues from Florida resorts and seaside venues that were built by business tycoons such as Flagler and Rockefeller, The Grand Floridian concept was reflective of the aesthetics and ideas of turn of the century wealth and vacation culture. This logic meshes well with Walt Disney World’s resorts and reflects the same spirit as the neighboring Polynesian Village. Disney takes a popular vacation destination and adapts it to be a “location” in their wider entertainment venue. You can visit a permanent World’s Fair by day, and at night, come home to a charming Florida resort. Walt Disney World excels at matching a thematic attraction with a thematic amenity. The Grand Floridian, in both concept and final product fulfill this thematic modus operandi of the Vacation Kingdom. But, does the final product fulfill the subject area it tackles? I argue that it doesn’t, despite being artfully constructed. I argue this for the reasons inherent of the departure made from concept to completion:

As we can see in the renderings, the 1982 plans for the hotel boast the gabled roofs and Victorian trappings that come from early 1900s Florida resorts. But one major difference is the scale of the resort complex. The concept images above, painted by Jay Quinlan, reveal that the Grand Floridian was intended to be built on a realistic human scale. Only three stories, the Grand Floridian concept was not the behemoth that was eventually built in 1988. This is the largest departure between the two concepts and possibly the most disconcerting. The 1982 concept shows us a small, realistic, and above all, believable painting of a Florida beach resort. For all we know, this structure could have existed in the 1900s, merrily encapsulating the romanticized spirit of a luxurious Florida vacation. The final version of the Grand Floridian is anything but this. Massive, hulking, and defining a practical skyline on the Seven Seas Lagoon’s western side, the built Grand Floridian is not something that would have existed if built by Rockefeller or Plant. Their versions of beachside resorts are redolent of quaint villages, nestled in the trees, outposts of Victorian opulence amongst the rugged beauty of Florida’s wilderness.

Quinlan’s concept illustrates this idea of a Florida resort well. Outside of the smattering of buildings, there’s a lighthouse, proudly standing on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon and a railroad trestle, perhaps a nod to Flagler and his enterprise, while being a visual reminder of the legacy of rail that defines the Florida coast. This historical texture helps cement the concept of the Grand Floridian alongside other resorts, like Fort Wilderness, and again, the Polynesian, that have aspects of their history and locality sown into the sinew of the resort’s environment. The Grand Floridian concept shows that this new hotel would have been no different and merged thematic placemaking with the amenity that is a Walt Disney World hotel.

Here, then is the departure in spirit for the Grand Floridian from concept to completion: The hotel, as built, is perfect. It is a massive castle of aesthetics, aimed on showcasing a look, rather than a feel and an idea. It takes the European idea of “Victorian” and runs with it, ignoring the synthesis of setting that Florida affords the Grand Florian in more than name alone. It aims for the charm of a posh English Victorian mansion, while squandering the idea of Florida’s charm. The charm of a Florida resort isn’t the look of the place, or the date, it’s the interaction of nature and quiet elegance that besets the state’s history. This charm is found in verandas boxed in by mosquito nets, and fishing tackle cluttering a pier. This charm is the smell of citronella candles and orange blossoms. This charm is found in having a Victorian resort amongst the gritty primordial swamps of a hot and humid untamed river of grass. That is what is truly Floridian.

Thus, Disney’s depictions of Florida have a lot to live up to. Disney’s Key West Resort, another recreation of a Florida locality just down the road from Walt Disney World has less texture and feel of the island city, only focusing on lurid pastels and tropical foliage. By no means is the hotel not nice, but it isn’t the spirit of the Conch Republic that is so integral to a cogent portrayal of it. Again, Key West has a quirky charm to it in the same vein that the Grand Floridian should portray a rugged elegance. These hotels lack the lifeblood and spirit of the places they attempt to encapsulate.

So, in closing of this (rather depressing and negative) article, instead of a summation of the Floridian’s flaws, a look to the future of how Disney works with and within the “genre” of a Florida locality: Disney Springs. Announced last month to be the replacement for Downtown Disney, the new backstory of this area will revolve around a northern Florida town known for its springs and local industry. Based on the concept art alone, it’s safe to say that, already, Disney is ignoring the true texture and mood of a northern Florida town and opting for something that they need to exist to support the already conceived idea of what Disney Springs needs to be for Walt Disney World. Disney Springs will be a bustling city on the shores of a lake, containing lavish buildings, elevated train tracks, and amalgamations of Atlantic and Spanish architecture. Frankly, this does not exist in Florida. Towns in northern Florida are sleepy villages, rustic in their composition, often careworn, but stalwart in charm and detail. The Disney Springs idea is quite far from this, a modern construct of created culture to make a vital amenity to Disney World feel more organic and themed. At a base level, this isn’t a bad technique. For a themed, artful environment, it is almost expected. But considering that Disney is using “Florida” as the baseline for their idea, it is almost disrespectful to ignore the state’s true history and environments while substituting in something totally different.

It is a great hope of this author that Disney, one day, comes around to accepting the idea of Florida as a pure and usable thematic environment without altering the basis of what makes Florida unique. Considering the importance of Florida to the Walt Disney Company in all of their endeavors it remains an oddity as to why the state has never been truthfully portrayed in a thematic setting. The Grand Floridian’s plans show off an idea that was very close to the mark but sadly not executed. Perhaps one day soon, and even with something like Disney Springs, the true charm, grit, idea, and spirit of Florida can be seen in the Vacation Kingdom of the World.

Ornate, Idyllic, Exceptional: Disneyland Paris turns 21 21 years...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:50:55 -0400

Ornate, Idyllic, Exceptional: Disneyland Paris turns 21

21 years ago today, Euro Disney opened its gates and started a new era for the Magic Kingdom line of parks.

A variation on the theme of the original Disneyland, with flourishes and motifs taken from Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris remains a entirely new being.

Ornate and organic, she is the first Magic Kingdom to take her lands and put them all in the same “place”, thematically, with transitions, realistic and detailed grit, and above all, masterful, but literal storytelling.

Taking classic experiences and giving them new breath with narrative, Disneyland Paris boasts differentiated experiences in Pirates of the Caribbean and Phantom Manor. Her Tomorrowland is the playground for Turn Of The Last Century visionaries, her Fantasyland an immersive and bucolic environment suited for storybook narrative.

Although the park has struggled through poor management, a name change, and a woefully planned second gate, today, the 4th Magic Kingdom is celebrating. And she deserves it. Today, she turns 21, and still serves as an example of daring to be different whilst upholding tradition. Happy 21st, Disneyland Paris!

waltdisneydoingfunnythings: Walt Disney and Mary Poppins are...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:38:12 -0400

waltdisneydoingfunnythings:

Walt Disney and Mary Poppins are giving each other A LOOK. 1963.

#WaltDisneyDoingFunnyThings Poppins Edition!

waltdisneydoingfunnythings: Walt’s cruisin’ down Disneyland’s...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:23:47 -0400

waltdisneydoingfunnythings:

Walt’s cruisin’ down Disneyland’s Autopia….

#WaltDisneyDoingFunnyThings

Happy 100th Birthday to Marc Davis! Today would have been Marc...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:47:37 -0400

Happy 100th Birthday to Marc Davis!

Today would have been Marc Davis’ 100th birthday.

Marc Davis was one of the original Imagineers for WED Enterprises and is well known for the iconic characters, gags, and scenery he inspired during Disneyland’s and Walt Disney World’s formative years.

Marc Davis is the man behind most of the memorable tableaux from Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, the environment of the Jungle Cruise, and the narrative and basic show of the Country Bear Jamboree. Marc Davis’ art humanized what ever subject he tackled. His characters were relatable, and often humorous on the most basic level. Marc Davis’ work winds a common thread through the Magic Kingdoms, bringing the expected humor, charm, and wit into the experiences and localities we encounter.

Many thanks to Marc Davis.. Disney owes him a lot. Happy Birthday, Marc!

Expanded EPCOT: Italy Pavilion Model II A few weeks ago, I...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:52:00 -0400

Expanded EPCOT: Italy Pavilion Model II

A few weeks ago, I wrote an essay on early concepts for World Showcase’s Italy Pavilion and how the complex was left “incomplete” without an anchoring structure to house the thematic restaurant planned for it. (http://bit.ly/15877Im) While there’s nothing seemingly more to be said on the plans for Italy’s long lost Venetian restaurant, there IS more to look at on terms of the Italian pavilion, itself! Today, while reading through some early 80s EPCOT ephemera for an upcoming post, I found something previously unseen- Another model of the Italy Pavilion and the Bergamo hall intended to house the Venetian restaurant. This model comes from a 1981 press booklet and showcases much of what was finally built in EPCOT Center, but with several key differences.

First, and most obvious, The Doge’s Palace is built further away from the Campile bell tower, as it is actually historically accurate in Venice. EPCOT reverses this construction for greater aesthetic reasons in World Showcase; Italy’s tower mirrors the placement of Japan’s pagoda so that the American Adventure, between them, is framed by taller structures. The American Adventure, therefore, acts as a “weenie” to draw park goers to the center and back wall of World Showcase. Also interesting to note, the Campile is built on an angle, suggesting a more intimate and textured plaza.

What’s also striking about this model of the Italy Pavilion is the inclusion of a flag park on the showcase promenade. The idea for a flag park isn’t new for EPCOT Center… though, it never materialized. The master plans for EPCOT in both 1978 and 1980 feature them, but only at the entrance to World Showcase. This 1981 model puts the flags with its respective pavilion. If you squint, you can make out the flag park at the north end of World Showcase in the following pictures. This ideas was nixed from the park after it was realized that each pavilion and nation would have different customs for each flag, providing for a logistical nightmare in the care and maintenance for each national banner.

Finally, the Bergamo Hall itself: There aren’t many changes to the facade or the size of the restaurant structure, suggesting that the concept was alive and well in 1981, the year before EPCOT’s opening. A bloated budget and capacity woes for the park would quickly and sadly change this. What IS different, however, is the villa on the right side of the pavilion which boasts a more ornate version of what was finally built.

And so, EPCOT’s Italy, though today it is one of the smallest pavilions in World Showcase, it continues to give up some secrets and mysteries about her large conceptual past. Personally, this just shows the breadth of theme park history that is out there, and why it remains fascinating and encourages an academic eye. Hopefully, more concepts, like these, will be found in the future to help unravel the artistic origins of one of our favorite theme park haunts.

Dateline: EPCOT Construction December 1981 What appears to be a...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:24:00 -0400

Dateline: EPCOT Construction December 1981

What appears to be a pretty mundane press shot of EPCOT Center can be seen as a unique snapshot of the progress made on the largest construction project in the world and can reveal details on the methods f construction used to get the Vacation Kingdom’s second park closer to completion.

Presumably shot in December of 1981, 10 months before EPCOT’s debut, we can see that most of the main structures of EPCOT are recognizable and structurally sound…. but when we zoom in, there’s a few oddities that illuminate how exactly advanced EPCOT was physically created.

The overview image (image 1) shows off a completed Monorail Station and monorail loop, complete with landscaping and guest facilities. As opening day approached, guests could purchase tickets from a preview center on Main Street USA and see EPCOT Center’s construction from the monorail platform. Spaceship Earth was lit in blue for the occasional night tour.

In Image 2, Future World East is seemingly complete, save for a few minor details. The World of Motion has had it’s curtain wall of stainless steel installed, and the Universe of Energy is devoid of scaffolding, meaning the solar panels have been installed. Both of these pavilions were the first to be planned out and the first to receive sponsorship, so construction on both structures were early hurdles for EPCOT to cross. Other pavilions wouldn’t fare as well. The restroom block on Future World East has a basic structure, meanwhile, and is about to receive walls. CommuniCore’s roof and supports are constructed, but it doesn’t seem as though the massive walls and windows of glass have been installed yet. And of course, Horizons is totally missing. Horizons, though confirmed for EPCOT at this point, was scheduled to open on EPCOT’s first anniversary as part of phase two. In this shot, one can see the basic preparations on the plot of land to house the building, but there’s nothing beyond those paltry preparations on the ground. That would quickly change, however, and when EPCOT Center opened on October 1st, the steel framework of Horizons was peeking over a construction wall as it neared its own completion.

Image 2 shows off Spaceship Earth itself, and strikingly bare support “legs”. A good majority of Spaceship Earth’s 11,324 iconic alucobond tiles were installed around the “gaps” that the “legs” left, but in 1981 they had yet to be filled in. Similarly, the mirrored support column that houses Spaceship Earth’s elevator has also yet to be surfaced, presumably as the elevator was being used heavily to transport props and sets in and out of the pavilion. Behind Spaceship Earth, you can catch a glimpse of the Fountain of Nation’s concrete base being filled in, not to mention a windowless CommuniCore.

Image 3 shows of a nearly completed Future World West. The Land looks nearly complete, while Journey into Imagination is receiving the final struts on its space-frame pyramids. The rest of the pavilion is already complete, meanwhile, and watertight. The pyramids were the last part of the facade to be added in late 1981, while their glass facets would be installed in the coming months. Landscaping in Future World West is paltry, save for, ironically, the berm that will house The Living Seas one day. At that time, The Living Seas was planned to open in 1984, so it was quickly assumed that the plot would have to maintain appearances at least for a year of EPCOT Center’s operations. In reality, The Seas wouldn’t open until 1986.

The last shot (Image 4) gives you a birds eye view of World Showcase. Again, most pavilions are structurally recognizable. China had had its CircleVision 360 theater installed, but not themed, yet. Japan is still buried behind scaffolds. None of the Friendship docks have been built, but the lagoon is filled. In earlier shots, World Showcase Lagoon has water in it, but the islands are much larger implying the lagoon was slowly filled over time.

So, from this point on, with only 10 months to go, the remaining details and textures that populated EPCOT Center would be added in to make EPCOT Center the park that is still fondly remembered and celebrated to this day. Being the largest construction project in the world, it is a marvel of modern engineering how quickly and well the project would come together in these final, frenetic months.

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And a heartfelt thanks to VintageDisneyparks.tumblr.com for their shout out yesterday, and a hearty welcome to all my new followers! Welcome aboard! Pleased to have you!