REMEMBER... OPENING OCT. 1971

We conclude this week's countdown of Walt Disney World anniversary milestones with... a countdown. This time, it's the ticking clock for construction crews and Imagineers putting the finishing touches on the Magic Kingdom park for its grand opening, a date emblazoned on the face of Cinderella Castle for all to see. (All photos ©Disney)

Although an initial groundbreaking ceremony had taken place in 1967, quite a bit of preparation had to be done to the land before actual work could begin. Construction started in earnest on May 27, 1969, with just over two years to go before the big day. The pictures you see here represent the final weeks and months leading up to the opening.

In the photo above, City Hall is nearly complete, and the Victorian woodwork is being added to the front of the Emporium. Below, the towering pylons at the entrance to Tomorrowland await their final paint and tile. Trees have been planted along the waterway, fresh sod is being laid and a wooden mock-up of a Plaza Swan Boat is placed in the canal to test for clearances (although the actual attraction wouldn't be ready to open until May 1973).

In this next shot, we see the famed Liberty Tree. This 100+ year old southern live oak was identified on the south end of Walt Disney World Resort property, and then transplanted to Liberty Square. Steel rods were drilled through the center of the tree, allowing it to be lifted onto the truck by crane, driven slowly to the Magic Kingdom and lowered into place. The holes left by the rods were then sealed, allowing the tree to survive and thrive.

Our last shot today offers a peak into Fantasyland, where Dumbo is almost ready to fly. This is the original 10-arm Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction, which was replaced by the current 16-arm version in the early-90s. Look closely at the photo, and you can also spot one of the Skyway towers and the palm trees surrounding the lagoon for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

As we prepare to embark upon the celebration of Walt Disney World's 40th year, Dumbo the Flying Elephant is under construction once again... this time as part of Storybook Circus in New Fantasyland. The circus big top is already going vertical, and Dumbo will soon fly east to his new home, set to debut in 2012.

The Site of Future Sights

On the blog this week, I'm featuring segments from articles on the new DisneyShawn.com, currently showcasing the attractions of early Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland. Be sure to follow the link for more.

The plywood fence at the northeast corner of Town Square was really only intended to be a temporary screen to hide construction activity. It hung on for years, though, teasing Disneyland Guests with the promise of all sorts of attractions which would never come to pass. The first sign on the fence advertised “International Street Grand Opening 1956”. There were even holes in the fence, through which you could see realistic 3-D images of the International Street model, with its facades representing Italy, Japan, France, and other romantic places. After a couple years of construction delays (and having to change the date on that sign), the International Street idea was finally retired.

A new sign soon took its place, however, touting “Liberty Street Grand Opening 1959.” Once again there were peep holes revealing artist sketches of the new attractions to come. And once again, the sign was removed and work on the project cancelled. The site may have gone undeveloped, but the ideas lived on. International Street was ultimately realized in the form of World Showcase at Epcot, while Liberty Street moved to Walt Disney World in the form of Liberty Square, along with its marquee show, The Hall of Presidents.

As for that fence? It's still there 55 years later...

Top photo courtesy of Davelandweb.com, used with permission.

Liberty Street photo from "Disneyland: The Nickel Tour" - ©Disney.

Maintaining the Magic

Although the Magic Kingdom Park will be 40 years old next year, it doesn't look a day over 4, and there's good reason for that. Maintenance work is conducted around the clock to keep this and all the Disney Parks looking their best. Some of this work can be accomplished overnight while the park is closed, but other efforts are more extensive, requiring weeks or months of refurbishment.

In the case of building facades, lengthy repairs might necessitate the use of unsightly scaffolding and scrims. Over the past decade, though, the Imagineers have developed a way to shroud the work with a little Disney magic. Today, those scrims are digitally printed with a full-scale image of the building behind. The result is a near-seamless view for passing Guests and a reaction of, "Wow! Only at Disney!"

The first printed scrim I recall seeing was used on the Doge's Palace in the Italy pavilion at Epcot. It was summer 2001 when the scaffolding started to go up, and I was getting nervous. My wife and I had plans to get married on the Italy Isola shortly thereafter. When the morning of August 9 arrived, I was too distracted by the events of the day and my beautiful bride to really notice the Doge's Palace. Looking at the photos later, though, I was amazed at how the scrim just blended right in as if nothing were different.

These days, printed scrims are used any time repair work on a building or facade is expected to last more than a week or so. In the Magic Kingdom right now, scrims can be found up and down Main Street, as well as in other sections of the park.

Peter Pan's Flight in Fantasyland is currently undergoing a refurbishment, as is the Liberty Tree Tavern in Liberty Square. This particular one really made me smile when I saw it. You have to look closely in the picture to tell, but the tree in the planter to the right of the entrance is actually behind the scrim. Most of it is printed along with the rest of the image. A couple of branches, though, protrude forward through holes in the scrim. It all blends together so well, you really have to do a double-take to determine what's real and what's illusion.

Hunky Tuna Tostada!

The majority of the storytelling details I've shared on the blog have been visual in nature, but occasionally the Imagineers slip in some audio treats for Guests willing to take their time and linger.

At the conclusion of The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management, a worse-for-wear Iago is perched above the "AutoMagic" exit doors, his humorous commentary continuing even as the audience files out of the theater. Hang back after everyone else has left, and you'll hear what may be one of the funniest lines of the show:

"I'm tired! I think I'll head over to the Hall of Presidents and take a nap."

Apologies to fans of the Hall of Presidents (granted, the present version of that show is quite a bit more engaging than the version which preceded it), but the line fits Iago's character perfectly and is a great bit of self-deprecation on the part of the Imagineers.

Another wonderful example of a subtle audio detail can be heard at the Haunted Mansion. When the attraction was refreshed a few years ago, one of the enhancements included a completely new sound system and auditory experience for the Stretching Room scene. In the updated version of the show, walls creak, wind howls through the halls and the voice of our Ghost Host seems to float around the room.

Once a way out of the Stretching Room is revealed, most Guests are happy to beat a path to the Doom Buggies to continue their tour. Wait around for a bit, though, and you'll hear something more. A raspy, ethereal voice whispers a haunting, "Get out." It's decidedly creepy and gives me goosebumps just writing it.

So just as it pays to sometimes sit through the credits of a movie like Iron Man (or Iron Man 2) for an extra treat of a scene, Disney's park attractions offer their own bits of added fun from time to time.

Ye Olde Christmas Podcast

If you enjoyed yesterday's article on Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe of Liberty Square and would like to know more, I invite you to follow this link to listen to Episode 632 of the WDW Today podcast. I appeared as a guest on the podcast to talk about my work on the shop and some of the details in the story.

Colonial Christmas

Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in the Magic Kingdom occupies an entire block of building facades which once hosted three separate stores (a perfume shop, an antique store and a silversmith). When Christmas came to Liberty Square in the late-90s, a new backstory was written for the location, incorporating the holiday motif while maintaining distinct identities for each section of the shop.

Stories like this are created for just about every project Walt Disney Imagineering takes on. Much like the script for a movie, the story treatment serves as a blueprint, guiding each Imagineering discipline in their design choices. While not every detail from a story treatment might make it into the finished project, it provides the foundation for everything from architecture and props to graphics and music selections.

As a Show Writer at WDI at the time, I was given the assignment of creating the backstory for Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. I'm happy to present it to you here, accompanied by photos of some of the great work my colleagues did to bring the story to life:

Here in Liberty Square, at the close of the 18^th century, Americans herald the birth of a new nation and their new found freedoms, including the religious freedom to celebrate the traditions of Christmas. It's a simpler observance, prior to the advent of tinsel or trees or Santa Claus. Beautiful greens, adorned with fruit and pine cones and other natural items, decorate doors, sashes, and mantles. Candles gleam in every window, and you can almost smell the mince pies and plum pudding baking.

Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe is actually a series of buildings, storefronts with 2^nd-story residences, brimming with busy craftspeople preparing for the upcoming festivities. Each “shop” has its own purpose and, thereby, its own character.

(After the original treatment was written and approved, the Art Director on the project decided to add story-related graphics to the location apart from the signs identifying Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. This allowed an opportunity to not only add another layer to the storytelling, but also incorporate a bit of Hidden Disney. In the example of the Music Teacher's Shop, it's a reference to Disney's animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, complementing Liberty Square neighbor Sleepy Hollow Refreshments.)

More formal in nature, the Music Teacher’s Shop is set with recorders, mandolins, and fiddles – perhaps readied for playing at a ball in honor of Twelfth Night (January 6). The music on the sheets and meeting the ear is that of Watts’ beloved “Joy to the World” and traditional English favorites, “The Holly and the Ivy” and “I Saw Three Ships.”

Next door is a Woodcarver’s Shop, casual and more rough-hewn. The tools of the trade sit amidst curled shavings of pine and cherry. In the corner is a lovingly crafted hobbyhorse, and decorative holiday ornaments are all around.

Nearest the Liberty Tree is the quaint home of a family of Pennsylvania Germans, folk artists and craftsmen whose hospitality is evident in the beautiful items they offer for sale and in the pot of hot cider they keep on the stove. They are always ready to welcome townsfolk and travelers alike, spreading wishes of good cheer.

At Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe(s) of Liberty Square, Christmas comes anew with the dawning of each day, its spirit alive forever in the hearts and homes of its residents.

(The portion of the store that became the family home was originally the Silversmith shop and included a "wood burning" stove. The stove reference in the story treatment was intended as a reason to keep it, but it was ultimately removed to allow for more display space.)

One last detail to note is this plaque identifying the family name as Kepple. As a surname, it sounds appropriately German. It's actually another Hidden Disney reference, though. Kepple was the first name of Walt Disney's paternal grandfather.

Madame Leota: Small Medium at Large

"Rap on a table, it's time to respond. Send us a message from somewhere beyond."

Lovely Madame Leota was a traveling Psychic and Astrologist in these parts, taking her colorful gypsy wagon from town to town and peddling her parlor tricks to the unsuspecting locals.

"Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine."

Like a medicine man or witch doctor, Leota would drum up business by offering to conduct seances, read palms or gaze into her crystal ball.

"Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond, let there be music from regions beyond."

For a price, Leota could even be convinced to cast a spell, cook up a potion or part with one of her treasures acquired from the furthest corners of the globe.

"Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat, call in the spirits wherever they're at."

No one quite knows what happened to Leota. One day, she pulled her wagon up to ol' Gracey Manor and stepped inside, never to be seen again... at least not in human form. Her disembodied head now floats within her very own crystal ball, eternally reciting incantations, calling forth the spirits to join the afterlife celebration within the Haunted Mansion.

As for Leota's wagon... it's been commandeered by opportunistic entrepreneurs, selling assorted paraphernalia to curious passersby.

Pet Cemetary

Human spirits aren't the only ones spending eternity in the Haunted Mansion. Many of their pets have joined them here as well. Inspired by a similar detail adjacent to the Disneyland attraction, the pet cemetery was added to the Walt Disney World version about a decade ago.

Everything from dogs and cats to birds and snakes can be found here, along with more humorous epitaphs. For example, the monument to Waddle the duck (below) reads, "Beloved Waddle - Little Waddle Saw the Truck - But Little Waddle Didn't Duck."

There's also a statuesque tribute here to a certain amphibian by the name of J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. Some time after the 1998 closure of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Fantasyland, this statue of Toad mysteriously appeared in the back corner of the Pet Cemetery. It's a fun bit of Hidden Disney, even if no one claims to know where it came from or how it got there (I'm lookin' at you, Alex Caruthers! wink-wink).

Room for a Thousand

As the brooding voice of our Ghost Host says, "We have 999 happy haunts here, but there's room for a thousand." The spirits of those grim, grinning ghosts float all through the house, but their earthly husks must reside somewhere. Many are interred in the vast graveyard out behind the Mansion, while others can be found in the mausoleums along the side wall of the property.

Bluebeard refers to a literary character from a story by Charles Perrault. The epitaph describes "Seven winsome wives, some fat some thin. Six of them were faithful, but the seventh did him in." In the story, Bluebeard is a nobleman who remarries several times over. Each time, his wife mysteriously "disappears." Bluebeard's seventh wife figures out his horrible secret and turns the tables on him. (In some ways, the story of Bluebeard is similar to that of Constance, the black widow bride in the Mansion's attic.)

Some of the rest of the names here are further examples of the humor found throughout the Mansion. The attraction covers macabre subject matter to be sure, but lightens it with a bit of funny business. The word play here is fantastically creative: Asher T. Ashes, Dustin T. Dust, Hal Lusinashun, Manny Festation, Clare Voince and others.

Not all the spots in the mausoleums are filled. There's always room for one more, after all.

"Hurry back. Don't forget to bring your death certificate. Should you decide to join us, make final arrangements now."

Where the Tombstones Quake

More well-known and easily-discoverable Hidden Disney references are found in the small cemetery at the side entrance to Gracey Manor. The humorous epitaphs keep Guests entertained as they await an opening of the doors. Each of the names on these tombstones is actually a tribute to one of the individuals from WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) who helped create the Haunted Mansion.

MASTER GRACEY - Yale Gracey was a Special Effects Designer who created many of the illusions used throughout the attraction. Over time, Gracey has come to be attributed as the owner of the mansion, although that was not the original intent.

GOOD FRIEND GORDON - Gordon Williams was responsible for creating sound effects for the show.

GRANDPA MARC - Marc Davis was a legendary character animator who moved to Imagineering in the 1960s. He contributed character designs and some of the Mansion's signature humor.

FRANCIS XAVIER - Francis Xavier "X" Atensio was the Show Writer on the Mansion project. He helped develop the story, wrote the script for the Ghost Host, and penned the lyrics to "Grim Grinning Ghosts."

A MAN NAMED MARTIN - Bud Martin was head of the Special Effects Department at WED.

MISTER SEWELL - Bob Sewell worked in the Model Shop at WED.

BROTHER CLAUDE - Claude Coats painted backgrounds for many of the Disney animated features. For the Haunted Mansion, Coats helped create the settings throughout the attraction. Coats' moody sets combined with Davis' humorous characters set just the right tone for the Mansion.

GOOD OLD FRED - Fred Joerger was an Art Director credited with much of the plaster work and character paint (simulated age and weather effects on surfaces) throughout the attraction.

BROTHER DAVE - Dave Burkhart built several of the key models for the Mansion's construction.

WATHEL R. BENDER - Wathel Rogers has been called the "father" of Audio-Animatronics. He programmed the movements of many of the figures in the show.

UNCLE MYALL - Chuck Myall was a planner who helped lay out the Mansion along with much of the Magic Kingdom.

COUSIN HUET - Cliff Huet was an Architect and Interior Designer on the project.

DEAR SWEET LEOTA - Leota Toombs was an artist at WED who also served as the model for the disembodied medium Madame Leota in the Seance Circle scene of the Haunted Mansion. Leota's tombstone was added as an enhancement in 2001 and comes with a little surprise. Keep your eyes on her visage long enough... and she'll open her eyes on you!

When Hinges Creak in Doorless Chambers

Ever since Gracey Manor became a "retirement home for ghosts," most Guests daring to pay the place a visit have chosen to avoid using the front doors, taking the more discreet side entrance instead. Sure, it's near the graveyard, but it leads straight to the Foyer.

Of course, the ghosts aren't the only ones here. Among the remaining living residents are the butlers and maids who continue to tend to the place. They come and go via the service entrance at the back of the house.

This door leads to an area few visitors ever see, a mysterious corridor opening into even more mysterious chambers. The space is furnished with antiques and illuminated by wall sconces that would look odd just about anywhere but here. (Note the sculpted arms holding out the torches.)

On one wall of the Servants Quarters is a board on which are hung keys used to access (or secure) various rooms in the Mansion: The Stretching Room, Endless Hallway, Conservatory, Foyer, Grand Hall, Corridor of Doors, Picture Gallery, Seance Circle, Attic, Music Room, Library and Grand Stairs.

Also nearby is a row of bells, each connected by wire to a bedroom of one of the Mansion's residents. When the home was occupied by the living, a tug on the wire would ring the appropriate bell here in the Servants Quarters, letting the staff know who needed their assistance. Although pretty much everyone in the house has crossed over, the bells still ring occasionally. It seems there's never any rest for the help.

Those who pause to read the labels above the bells are rewarded with the discovery of previously unseen rooms in the Mansion, not to mention a bit of Hidden Disney. Each of the residents named here is actually an Imagineer who worked on the original development of the Haunted Mansion. There's Master Gracey's Bedchamber (special effects designer Yale Gracey), Ambassador Xavier's Lounging Lodge (writer Xavier Atencio), Madame Leota's Boudoir (the face of the disembodied medium, Leota Toombs), Grandfather McKim's Resting Room (artist Sam McKim), Uncle Davis' Sleeping Salon (animator and designer Marc Davis), Colonel Coats' Bivouac Berth (background painter and designer Claude Coats) and Professor Wathel's Reposing Lounge ("father" of Audio-Animatronics Wathel Rogers).