Thursday, May 31, 2007

Mine Train/Pack Mules



This group from July 1958 is either waiting for the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train or the electric chair; hard to tell from the expressions/posture. I have added two additional photos from the same group showing the Pack Mules attraction. Hopefully anonymous will notice that these are black and white photos, and not poor color correction on my part.





For more vintage & current Frontierland photos, visit my regular website.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Submarine Voyage: Part 2



This batch of slides was severely faded, and might even be a set of dupes, the quality seemed so bad. However, some of the shots are interesting, and today I will feature the group at the Submarine Voyage, starting off with a shot of the Ethan Allen sub. Shot 2 shows the Blue Monorail buzzing by overhead.



Shot 3 features the intrepid family standing near the Ethan Allen (dig those ka-razy hats!).



The final faded view has the Red Monorail, The General Dynamics sign (who sponsored the sub attraction for a time), as well as the original round Skyway buckets.



See more vintage Disneyland Submarine Voyage photos at my main website.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Submarine Voyage



Today’s group of guests took an undated underwater trip on the Submarine Voyage’s Triton. Take a look at those little varmints peaking out the sub portole windows.



Maybe this Panavue slide shows what they are intently watching:



The little varmints must have worked up a hunger; time to feed them in Tomorrowland. Thanks to E-Ticket Tim for identifying it as The Space Bar.



See more vintage Disneyland Submarine Voyage photos at my main website.

Monday, May 28, 2007

The Medley Continues



September 1956 brings us this look at Tomorrowland, complete with a cross-promotion of Fantasyland. I truly adore these old silk-screened posters; their simplicity is classic. Next up is June 1958: the future doesn’t look too bright with this view of the Clock of the World, as it actually does rain in Southern California. The wide open entry with advertising posters is much more welcoming than the cramped entrance of today’s Tomorrowland.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Tomorrowland medley



Today is a mish-mash of Tomorrowland pics. The first from July 1961 has a little bit of everything in it; on the left you can see the edge of the House of the Future; in the center the Clock of the World and the Hall of Chemistry. Both the HOF and HOC were sponsored by Monsanto. Pic 2 shows a March 1964 closer view of Monsanto’s Hall; looks like the gal in the scarf has borrowed Tippi Hedren’s suit from “The Birds.”



The last shot is a favorite of mine showing Tomorrowland at sunset, February 1960. Skyway, Rocket to the Moon (still TWA!), and the Astro Jets.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Back in the Saddle, part 2


Just got my last batch of pics back from the premiere and am posting them here first. The first one is a view of the camera crew filming the red carpet (most likely to turn up on the AWE DVD extras!).


Moving ahead to the Frontierland red carpet area, we have more hug-hug-kiss-kiss with Janice Dickinson and a side view of Cuba Gooding Jr.


It’s the Disney Channel Cheetah Girls! Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Sabrina Bryan.


Geoffrey Rush in Frontierland.


Meanwhile, over at DCA, the framework for the Toy Story Midway Mania has gone up. This is the first of a few projects aimed at turning DCA around.


Over on Tom Sawyer’s Island is the promo art for Pirate’s Lair, which officially opened yesterday. I have had my fill of crowds for awhile and will wait until my next visit to check it out. I hope it is a success. I have also included another construction photo from earlier in the week.




And back to vintage days, here are two June 1961 shots from the gates into Adventureland.




Have a great Memorial Day weekend! For more vintage and current Disneyland photos, visit my regular website.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Back in the Saddle with Post #300!



It will be a long one today since I have been away for a long weekend. First off are some photos from the POTC: At World’s End Premiere. Not to be a total suck-up, but nobody does events like Disney. Practically every detail was taken care for those who attended the premiere on Saturday, May 19. People were lined up on both sides of Main Street, breathlessly awaiting the arrival of their favorite celebrities. I still have more pictures to process, but here are some of the best ones so far. Jon Voigt was one of the first to show up, and he definitely took his time with all the guests; his trip down the red carpet was a slow one; it took him about 2 hours to make it from one end to the other (or maybe he just disappeared in the Candy Shop for awhile).



Kevin McNally (Charles Gibbs)



Lee Arenberg (Pintel)



Shaking hands with Mickey



A little pirate entertainment along the way



Frontierland Gates all pirated out (and the end of the line for those not attending the premiere)



Woody greets the guests



Plenty of decor throughout the premiere area



A saucy Minnie as a pirate maiden



Goofy in pirate garb



The stage & screen



Delicious themed desserts



Cuba Gooding, Jr.



“Super” (huh?) Model Janice Dickinson (in all fairness, she took plenty of time to greet people on the sidelines)



Bob Iger



Naomie Harris (Tia Dalma in the movie)



Chow Yun-Fat



Jonathan Pryce (Governor Swann)



Geoffrey Rush



John Lasseter



Jon Voigt still hanging around, greeting Leeza Gibbons, with Joey Fatone on the right



The elusive Orlando Bloom



Pirate band warmup



Ian Ziering and former Miss U.S. A. Shandi Finnessey (she was happier about posing than he was)



Movie banner along Main Street



For more premiere photos, visit my regular website. Disney had plenty of pirate entertainment throughtout the area, including Nintendo games & games of skill/chance. Buffet dinner stations and beverage areas were located at various points, and as you entered the screening area, buckets of popcorn, a beverage, as well as a blanket for warmth were given out (the Rivers of America get MIGHTY cold at night!). And the rides...about 6 rides were open, and they were all pretty much walk-on; imagine having your own private Jungle Cruise tour; the entire POTC ride to yourself; walking on to Indiana Jones and the Haunted Mansion. It was amazing. No babies screaming, no strollers...my kind of night. As for the movie...it was fun, entertaining, and had some great performances...but damn it was long. At almost 3 hours, it was a butt-wrencher, and just really bloated under the weight of too many stories going on at once and too many convoluted in-jokes and plot twists. Kinda' the same way I felt about 2. However, most POTC fans will love it and return for part 4, which will hopefully focus on Captain Jack, the real reason the franchise is so successful.


Moving on...here's an update shot of the Pirate’s Lair at Tom Sawyer’s Island, showing the hanging of the Lafitte’s Tavern sign yesterday:



Due to open this Friday, the queue was already getting setup along the riverbank. Finishing touches are also going on over at the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage as the June 11 date quickly approaches:



And for the vintage diehards, here’s a little nibble from the past (June 1961) to tide you over until the next post:



Somebody clean that water up—it looks nasty!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.