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.

Flashback: Skyway

In the last post, you may have spotted the Skyway cab rising in front of Space Mountain. The Skyway attraction took its Guests on one-way trips between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, from 1971 to 1999. While Skyways also operated at Disneyland (passing through the open grottoes of the Matterhorn) and in Tokyo Disneyland, the Walt Disney World version was unique in that it was the only such attraction that made a 90° turn.

After traversing the skies over Tomorrowland, the cabs would come down closer to ground level at the edge of the Grand Prix Raceway (today's Tomorrowland Speedway). There, a switching station seamlessly transferred the cabs to another line, lifting them up again toward Fantasyland.

The photo below indicates where some of the towering Skyway pylons were located in Fantasyland. Although the resolution isn't the best, eagle eyes might also spot the old Fantasyland trash can designs, original blue and metal rental strollers, and the roof of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea extended queue (at bottom right).

At the other end of the line, the Skyway cabs came down to a beautiful Swiss chalet before changing passengers and heading back out to Tomorrowland once again. Since the closing of the Skyway more than a decade ago, the Tomorrowland station and each of the pylons have all been removed. This chalet, though, can still be found on the western edge of Fantasyland, where today it provides a scenic backdrop for the stroller parking area near It's a Small World.

Many Disney Parks fans lament the loss of the Skyway. It was certainly a classic attraction, having originally debuted at Disneyland in 1956, and it offered spectacular views of sections of the park.

For my money, though, I was okay with the Skyway floating into history. While it may have been a unique attraction when Walt Disney added it to Disneyland in the '50s, decades later sky rides just like it had become commonplace in parks across the country. It also never quite worked for me as part of either a fairy tale village or futuristic setting.

As for those views, some were certainly magnificent. Guests aboard the Skyway were also treated, however, to looks at backstage areas and barren rooftops. From this vantage point, Mickey's PhilharMagic, for example (below), would look considerably less magical.

The Skyway was fun in its day, but as is often the case in the Disney Parks, the time came for a change. Even though Walt brought the Skyway to his park, he also introduced the idea of constant evolution:

"[Disneyland is] something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing, keep plussing and adding to. It's alive. It will be a live breathing thing that will need change. A picture is a thing, once you wrap it up and turn it over to Technicolor you're through. Snow White is a dead issue with me. A live picture I just finished, the one I wrapped up a few weeks ago, it's gone, I can't touch it. There's things in it I don't like; I can't do anything about it. I wanted something alive, something that could grow, something I could keep plussing with ideas; the Park is that."

- Walt Disney

Todayland

Disney's animated feature Meet the Robinsons is filled with fun references, from the use of the song "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" to the quote from Walt Disney at the end. It's this blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot, though, during Lewis's initial trip to the future, that I enjoy the most.

It's funny because for so many years it was true. Tomorrowland in the Disney Parks was originally envisioned as a realistic portrayal of what the future might hold. Unfortunately, the future kept becoming the present faster than the parks could react. It's a challenge even Walt Disney faced in the early days of Disneyland.

Tomorrowland has since transitioned from science fact to science fiction, rendering it far more timeless. With apologies to Werner Weiss, the Tomorrowland of our memories has become Yesterland. Today, we take a quick look back by way of a few pictures from my second Walt Disney World visit, this time in 1983.

The entrance to Tomorrowland was once flanked by these two giant monoliths. From 1971 to 1982, the towers and walls were painted powder blue and water cascaded down from the peaks. By the early 80s, the waterfalls had proven unreliable, and an enhancement effort brought the colorful tile pattern you see in the image above (work on the tile was completed during the first half of my June 1983 visit).

In the distance, you can just make out the oval signs touting Mission to Mars (on the left) and America the Beautiful in Circle-Vision 360 (on the right). At the end of the promenade is another sight that wasn't there on opening day, the rocket pylon of the Star Jets sitting atop the platform for the WEDway PeopleMover.

The Star Jets opened in November 1974 as the first part of a major expansion of Tomorrowland that would be completed in 1975 with the additions of the PeopleMover, General Electric's Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain.

Space Mountain was originally sponsored by RCA, as Guests could plainly see from anywhere in Tomorrowland. It was RCA computer technology that helped make Space Mountain possible, with a ride system capable of controlling multiple trains on the track simultaneously.

The rocket car seen on the pylon out front was intended to help communicate to Guests just what sort of experience awaited them inside. This was, after all, the first time a roller coaster had been built inside in the dark. A similar technique was later deployed at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios. There, the train is inverted to clearly show that the ride will turn you (and the music industry) upside-down.

Closer inspection of the rocket car also reveals the original seating arrangement on Space Mountain. Passengers would sit straddling one of two benches, with a friend or family member sitting in their lap (the Matterhorn at Disneyland still uses this configuration). Seat belts held passengers in place during their journey. By 1989, the seat belt cars had been replaced with the current trains, in which each passenger has an individual seat and lap bar.

All Through the Town

Within the walls of Cinderella Castle is an entire Medieval village. The structures of the village take their inspiration from several different styles and European regions, from English Tudor to Swiss Alpine. These diverse styles are brought together through a broad use of storybook colors and exaggerated romantic elements.

While this is a fantasy place where fairy tales come to life, it feels more believable and real as a result of this attention to detail.

Even the former Fantasyland Skyway station (below) plays its part. The Skyway attraction may no longer be operating, but leaving the building in place adds to the rich look of the land.

The bulk of the castle village, where the majority of the Kingdom's residents would live and work, is incorporated into the form of the Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant. In order to meet the demand of thousands of daily Magic Kingdom Guests, the restaurant is a massive structure. To help it fit better in the scale of Fantasyland, though, the outside of that structure is divided into several different facades.

Across the front of the building are varying styles of roof coverings, chimneys, windows, wall treatments, balconies and doors. Some of these structures are businesses, such as the Village Tavern, while others would be private residences. Unique weather vanes atop the buildings each identify a different family.

At the center of the village, right on the square, is the bell tower. The bells chime throughout the day, marking the hour, but can also be used to call open a festival or celebration like the one taking place throughout the Kingdom of Fantasyland today.