Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been a favorite time of year for me; so, to celebrate, I’m breaking out one of my favorite “new” photos. It has been difficult to hold off the debut of this one until today. This undated shot shows the Haunted Mansion still under construction. Next up is my very favorite exterior shot, which I shot in February 2006:



My friend Mike shared this photo with me recently; it’s an original Marc Davis maquette that he designed for the Graveyard party scene:



Let’s journey to Orlando with a juicy closeup of the HM exterior from June 1972:



And a sideview:



Not to make DCA feel left out, here’s one showing their recent “holiday” decor:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Halloween photos on my main website.

New Orleans Square opening, 1966

This trio of publicity stills are from Summer 1966, when New Orleans Square first opened. This has always been one of my favorite areas of the park; I love winding around the streets and seeing all the courtyards and other nooks and crannies. Shot 1 shows the Delta Ramblers with tap dancers Gene & Eddie. Shot 2 is an extremely posed view of the Court of Angels.



This view of the Court is from Christmas, 2006:



The last publicity still shows The Creole Cafe, which is now Cafe Orleans:



The current signage is similar in style:



Meanwhile, over at DCA, Toy Story Midway Mania construction continues along:



See more vintage & current New Orleans Square photos on my main website.

1960’s Batch: Pt. 5

It’s transportation day in Frontierland, and we’ll start off with my favorite, The Floating Breakroom...oops, I mean the Mark Twain, followed by The Columbia.



In the interest of moving onto other things slightly more interesting, I’ll go ahead and finish up this series today with 2 more Skyway shots. #1 is of the sub area (missing the mermaids) and the other is Fantasyland, with a little bit of Alice showing.





Went to the park this weekend for their Halloween festivities; the DCA Halloween Treat is definitely for the kiddies, but even taking that into consideration, it is slightly on the lame side. Here are some pics from the weekend, beginning with a heretofore unnoticed “Hear no evil” shot at the Bengal BBQ in Adventureland:



Riverbelle Terrace is getting closer to opening and looks like it’s being prepped for a fresh coat of paint:



Not sure if this had ever been done before, but it was also the first time I’d seen any tribute to Dia de los Muertos. Thumbs up to this one; hope there is more to it in the future. A little dark (aka the Burning Cabin) can be good.











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

1960’s Batch: Pt. 4

View #1 shows the Devil’s Paint Pots as seen from the Nature’s Wonderland Mine Train. Shot #2 is most likely from the Mark Twain, but could also be a Nature’s Wonderland shot,too...experts?



As a follow-up to Gorilla's post about the Disney World Submarine ride (no longer there), here are 2 views from January 1972 showing the Orlando version of the Nautilus in action:





See more vintage & current Disneyland Nature's Wonderland photos on my main website.

1960’s Batch: Pt. 3

YOU ARE THERE...sitting in your brand-spanking-new square Skyway bucket, flying over the Chicken of the Sea Pirates Ship, Skull Rock, and Small World off in the distance. Obviously, this set is at least 1966 since SW appears to be completed. Shot 2 is another view from the Skyway over Fantasyland, with the Matterhorn in the background.



See more vintage Disneyland Skyway photos on my main website.

1960’s Batch: Pt. 2

Just hanging out at the Tomorrowland Depot is this vintage group of guests. They are obviously not waiting for the train, as there is already one at the station. Not sure if this 2nd shot is even from Disneyland or the Hotel, but thought I’d include it as the architecture is so retro! Anyone able to identify it?



See more vintage & current Disneyland Railroad photos on my main website.

1960’s Batch: Pt. 1

Part one of a semi-short series of undated slides most likely from the mid-late 1960’s; I am sure there is a Disney Geek out there who could narrow it down with the Freddie Hart on the entrance marquee. This one was taken from the car window, and obviously includes signs for Denny's and the Desert Inn. See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my regular website. The numbers keep rising on evacuations and burned acreage, and as of this morning, the I-5 was shut down near Camp Pendleton. Still hoping for more favorable winds and a break for all the brave fire fighters out there.

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my main website.

A little Submarine Action

Today I am posting a variety of Sub photos; and unlike the new Nemo attraction, there is no line to view these! 1 undated b&w Sub shot of the George Washington, and 2 color views from October 1963. Looks like they had to call in a motorboat for either a rescue operation or a repair!





I’ll throw in a fourth for good measure, this one from July 1961. That water is just radiating green goodness...or else I’m a little off in my color correction!



On a more serious note, I hope all my Southern California neighbors here are surviving the horrible fires here and not suffering any loss. It is scary how many people I know have been evacuated with little end in sight to this disaster.

See more vintage Disneyland Submarine photos at my main website.

Pre-Tahitian Terrace

These 2 from July 1961 are (I am ASSUMING) from the area that would become the Tahitian Terrace in June 1962.



“Meet the Robinsons” comes out on DVD tomorrow. I meant to see it in the theaters in all its 3D glory, but just never made the time to do so. The buzz on it was tepid, so I didn’t feel a real urge and therefore missed it. It makes a nice DVD watch that I would put in the same category as “Cars”; enjoyable but not the same caliber as “The Incredibles” or “Ratatouille.”



The DVD has some good extras, especially the behind the scenes stuff; always interesting to see where the inspiration and the choices of cast & storyline came from.

Meanwhile, I have finished my painting of Main Street:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Adventureland photos on my main website.

FINISHED!

It’s finished...and what’s next? I have no idea...but will probably put something up on my easel in the next week.

See more of my art at my main website.

Fantasyland Twosome

This undated photo outside of Peter Pan in Fantasyland shows that long lines for an attraction are not just a new phenomenon. From July 1961 is this color view of the King Arthur Carrousel, which is a bargain at 10¢ a ride.



See more vintage & current Disneyland Fantasyland photos on my main website.

Nature’s Wonderland Trio

Here are 3 miscellaneous views showing what was being advertised in yesterday’s Nature’s Wonderland banner. #1 is from July 1961 and shows a little Pack Mule action, sauntering by Rainbow Ridge. View #2 is from October 1963, and i have included a closeup of the NW Mine Train as it chugs closer to the Devil’s Paint Pots:





Last view shows some of the AA “wild life” along the way, meant to be an extension of the True-Life Adventure films:



See more vintage Disneyland Nature’s Wonderland photos at my main website.

Vintage Hollywood Bowl

3 views of the famous Hollywood Bowl; 2 show the Art Deco statuary at the entrance (July 1963), the other is an undated shot of the stage.





For more Hollywood photos, visit my regular website.