48 Years Ago: December 1961, Pt. 1

Here comes a looooooong series from December 1961. The first two shots show a whole gaggle of Tour Guides in their crisp uniforms complete with riding crop and gleaming golden "D" pin.



And what set of photos would be complete without a shot of the Main Street Train Station. Sure is good to see the handcart, which has been missing at the park for ages.



Here’s a nice point-of-view shot, entering underneath the tunnels of the Disneyland Railroad. I still get a feeling of excitement as I leave the real world behind and enter the care-free land of Disney.



And a close-up of the information booth in Town Square:



Anyone care to register for a Guided Tour?



A closeup of the postcard racks and the Tour Guide desk (looks like the person working it is on a coffee break!):



Two of the Square and The Opera House:





And the corresponding detail shots, featuring the Babes in Toyland Village at the Opera House:





My fave, the Omnibus. On the right of this one, we can see that the 2nd Info booth has yet to open:



Last one for today shows the heart of Town Square:



More to come! And thanks to William B. for getting me out of my time and math warp! See more Disneyland photos at my website.

Sailing Through Sundays on The Jungle Cruise: July 1960 JC Voyage

This post is strictly for historical purposes only. These slides are blurry, bad color, and somewhat faded. However, it is interesting to see what a guest decides to photograph on a JC journey, especially 40 years ago when some of these scenes do not even exist anymore.





















See more Disneyland Jungle Cruise photos at my website.

Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Tomorrowland, Pt. 1

For the handful that spoke out, I listened! We are beginning our journey through 1950’s Tomorrowland, courtesy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Again, apologies for the spotty image quality, but as before, the rarity of some of these pictures will hopefully make up for that. Reading the description in frame 2 makes one wonder why the Imagineers can’t sit down and come up with a creative vision of the future 30 years from now, restoring Tomorrowland to what it initially promised.



And here is the entrance to Tomorrowland, back when it had a little space and much more of a welcoming feel.



The last two shots feature The Clock of the World. One of my intelligent (and more patient!) readers out there could probably figure out the exact date and time these shots were taken.





Come back next Saturday for more Tomorrowland! See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my website.

Freaky Fridays @ The Haunted Mansion: Changing Portraits 2

#2 in the series of Changing Portraits in The Hallway. Amazing what a little lightning can do to a seemingly benign painting.



See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my website.

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: Treasure Map & Princess and The Frog

Just before you exit the attraction, your boat takes you by this treasure map of the Island of Tesoro.

Here’s an overview shot of the approach to the Treasure Map/Treasure scene at the end of the attraction. I do miss the changing color lights that spelled out Pirates of the Caribbean that were in this area before the Jack Sparrow remodel.





This is what the exit treasure area looked like when the attraction first opened back in the 1960’s.



As a Thanksgiving Bonus, I am presenting photos from last night’s D23 premiere of “The Princess and The Frog.”



And yes, it is worth seeing...FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC. Two thumbs up. The hand-drawn animation is beautiful; here’s hoping the success of this movie helps bring it back to the forefront. Anika Noni Rose shines as the voice of Tiana. And even though I am not a fan of Randy Newman’s music, the songs are excellent...definitely memorable in a good way (as opposed to the "small world" way).

After a quick "snack" at Denny’s in Burbank, Mar-Mar and I headed to the studio which was decked out for the evening. If you weren’t sure where to go, you just needed to follow the frog-feet!





The Welcome Center was inside of Sound Stage 2, which had plenty of fun props and models to peruse while waiting in line for the movie.







As always, Disney pulls through with the themed popcorn buckets! Mar-Mar could barely wait to open hers and eat it once I bathed it in more butter!



“Toy Story 3” posters adorned the path to the theater.





And what a fantastic theater; the outside was themed to the movie, and the inside was roomy, comfortable, and excellent quality sound/picture. What an excellent way to watch the movie! Co-directors Ron Clements & John Musker spoke before the movie and gave a few tips of fun things to look for during the movie (many homages to classic Disney).



Favorite scene: the Art Deco drawing of “Tiana’s Place” coming to life in a fantastic stylized musical number, “Almost There.” Wow.

Cameras weren’t allowed in the theater, so the next photos I was able to take were of the attraction itself, which was a soundstage decked out with Princess, props, and fun bayou-themed games. This evening alone made D23 membership worth it (not counting the lithograph, cd sampler, and other parting gifts!).







From the archives:



Of course we had to pose with Tiana:





I’m wishing now that I’d bought some of the special cupcakes!





As one would expect from Disney, it was a well-run and magical evening. Now get off your armchairs, snap out of the Thanksgiving food coma, and go see "The Princess and The Frog"—SUPPORT HAND-DRAWN ANIMATION!

See more D23 Walt Disney Studio “Princess and the Frog” photos at my website.