Alice's Adventures in Fantasyland

Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris is a truly fantastic, fairytale environment. Although anchored by familiar attractions in a medieval village setting, a large part of the center of the land is dominated by a whimsical Wonderland garden with attractions inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The garden is lush with water features and topiary of swans, frogs and a giant caterpillar. Rising from this landscape like a beautiful greenhouse is the glass canopy roof of Mad Hatter's Tea Cups.

Underneath, the tea cups spin wildly below an array of paper party lanterns. The designs on the tea cups vary in each Disney Park where the attraction appears. Here, they're based on artwork created by Mary Blair during development of Disney's 1951 animated feature, Alice in Wonderland.

One unique aspect of the Paris version of the attraction, which I particularly love, is the Cast Member control console for the ride. It's made in the shape of a giant sugar bowl. How sweet!

Another View of '72

I have more great vintage Magic Kingdom photos for you today, these shared by DisneyShawn blog reader Pat Chastain of Indianapolis, Indiana. Pat's first picture (above) provides further confirmation of the fact that the Mad Tea Party in Florida was built without a roof, just like its counterpart in Disneyland. This particular shot was taken from the Grand Prix Raceway side of the attraction, looking toward 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the background.

Next, Pat provides a couple more views of Tomorrowland. Above, you can get a better look at the waterfall monolith structure at the entrance to Tomorrowland. This image also provides another clear indication that the path for the WEDway PeopleMover was established from the beginning, even though that attraction wouldn't make its debut until 1975.

The image below offers an entirely different view of things, this time from the old Top of the World Lounge on the 15th floor of Disney's Contemporary Resort (where California Grill is today). Look past the groovy orange chairs and track lighting, and you'll catch a glimpse of Tomorrowland in which the Skyway station is the dominant structure. After all, prior to the mid-70s expansion of the land, there was no Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, PeopleMover or Star Jets.

Pat's final shot from that March 1972 trip at first appears to present a bit of a mystery. It's obviously some kind of construction effort, as seen from the Walt Disney World Railroad. My first thought was that this would have been for Pirates of the Caribbean, which was added to the Magic Kingdom in December 1973. The site, though, is clearly much closer to the Rivers of America (you can spot Liberty Tree Tavern and the smokestacks of the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat in the distance). Perhaps this was the site intended for the planned Thunder Mesa expansion, but instead used as a "lay down" area for the work on Pirates when those plans changed? Solid theory, except for the fact that real construction on Pirates of the Caribbean didn't get underway until the Fall of '72.

Then it dawned on me...

When the Magic Kingdom opened, the Walt Disney World Railroad featured only one station. Guests boarded the train at Main Street, U.S.A., for a "grand circle tour" of the park. The station in Frontierland wasn't completed until May of 1972. It appears, from Pat Chastain's photograph, that work on the new station stop was well underway in March of that year.

For the full story on the original Frontierland Railroad Station (replaced in 1992 with the construction of Splash Mountain), check out this article from Widen Your World.

Pictures from the Past

As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Sometimes, an old photograph of a Disney Park can offer just as many windows to the past, as I recently discovered browsing the phenomenal collection over at Daveland.com. Take, for example, the photo above (image used with permission). Go ahead and click on it for a better view. What do you see?

The first thing that likely jumps out at you is the construction site. This spot on the edge of Fantasyland was once home to the Fantasyland Art Festival, where guests could have their portraits made or a caricature drawn. Today, it's where you'll find the Enchanted Grove snack stand, along with area restrooms and Fairytale Garden.

What intrigued me most about this image, though, was the Mad Tea Party. Now, I happen to know quite a bit about Walt Disney World, but I certainly don't know everything, so I especially love it when I come across some new nugget of information. Before seeing this picture, I had no idea the Mad Tea Party was built without a roof. Of course, the Disneyland version of the attraction is uncovered, but then again, it rains far less in Southern California than it does in Central Florida. This picture was taken in June 1972. Judging from other shots I've seen, it looks like it didn't take long for the park to commit to a canopy so they could keep the party going rain or shine.

Look around in the photo - really stare at it - and other details of the past will become apparent. Sticking with the Mad Tea Party, the color scheme of the turntable and teacups has changed over the years. You may also notice the top of the old operator booth, plus the fact that there's no teapot (or Dormouse) at the center or Alice in Wonderland topiaries and leaf sculptures in the planters. It's a bit hard to tell, since the image cuts off at the bottom, but the present day Mad Tea Party may even have more cups and saucers than this original, offering a higher capacity.

What else do you see? There's an original-design Fantasyland trash can and old school metal and blue rental stroller near the green teacup on the right. What about Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe? In 1972, this corner was the Tomorrowland Terrace (a name now used for the former Plaza Pavilion near Main Street). You can make out the red oval sign for the restaurant, jutting out from an old Tomorrowland pylon, and the original geodesic dome roof over the Tomorrowland Terrace stage. Sonny Eclipse holds forth nowadays, but back then this was the spot for live cover bands with names like "The Dallas Soundtrack" and "Tabasco."

Further afield, close observers might notice the original trees in the Central Plaza (since removed after they grew so large they obstructed the view), the lack of a rose garden pathway (the rose garden leads down to the old landing for the Plaza Swan Boats), and the absence of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa from the horizon (you can just make out the Grand Ceremonial House at Disney's Polynesian Resort).

This picture also includes a view of the giant waterfall pylons that once graced the entrance to Tomorrowland, but we'll talk more about those, well... tomorrow, when I'll have another great old photo to share. Until then, I'll leave you with one last observation: The vantage point from which today's photo was taken. You can't really see it (except for the blur at the lower right that is the out-of-focus edge of the cab), but our photographer was perched high above the Magic Kingdom on the Skyway to Tomorrowland.

Class of '55

The overarching theme for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland was "The Happiest Homecoming on Earth." In keeping with the homecoming concept, each of the park's remaining original attractions was honored with a "Class of '55" plaque.

One vehicle on each attraction was also painted gold for the anniversary celebration. From a golden Dumbo (photo ©Disney) to a glistening teacup, lucky Guests had the opportunity to take a special ride on a classic Disneyland attraction that had been entertaining visitors for five decades.

For those who maybe missed out on landing a golden ride vehicle on the attraction itself, a few were placed out front as photo opportunities.

Several of the Class of '55 attractions are still in the park today:

Disneyland Railroad

Horse-drawn Streetcars

Main Street Cinema

King Arthur Carrousel

Peter Pan Flight

Mad Tea Party

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Snow White's Adventures

Casey Jr. Circus Train

Autopia

Mark Twain Steamboat

Jungle Cruise

Others, like Circarama and Space Station X-1, have since been retired. During the 50th Anniversary, though, one of those former attractions was highlighted with a vehicle display in the park. Back on the Big Thunder Trail was an original Disneyland Stagecoach, not far from the path it once shared with a team of Pack Mules on an exploration of the Painted Desert.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Beyond the walls of Cinderella Castle is the Fantasyland Forest and a little corner of Wonderland where the Mad Hatter is hosting a Tea Party. The area is marked with fanciful, oversize leaves and flowers. Even Alice, the March Hare and the Hatter himself take the form of topiary figures.

Under the canopy of the party tent, colorful paper lanterns light up the festivities as Guests shrink down to precisely three inches high to enjoy a spin in one of the Hatter's teacups. As the madness ensues, the Dormouse peeks out from inside the teapot at the center of the platter, just to see what's going on. He looks a bit intoxicated from all that tea, but whatever you do, try not to mention Dinah. You know... Alice's C - A - T.

The party winds down, and we make our way to the exit. Remaining ever the polite party guests, we don't even say anything to the Hatter about the fact that he's left the price tag on his hat.

The "10/6" mark represented 10 shillings 6 pence, slightly more than a half pound. With inflation and current exchange rates, that would be about $62. Nice hat!