Sunday, December 19, 2010

July 1972: Fantasyland



The small world façade has undergone a few changes over the years; for awhile, it was a mess of pastel hues as seen in this 1999 photo:



Today, the façade sparkles again with its icy cold palette that works perfectly with the cacophony of colors and sound that inhabit its interior:



Here is a shot of the bridge near the Alpine Gardens, once home to the Monsanto House of the Future:





For awhile, this area became Ariel’s Grotto, where a beautiful sculpture of King Triton presided over the nearby water feature:



Now this section of the park has been taken over by Tinker Bell and her posse; King Triton is gone and the fountain looks bare:



Ssee more Disneyland Fantasyland photos at my main website.
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5 comments:

  1. Connie Moreno8:11 AM

    I actually liked the pastel colors on Small World! I know, I'm in the minority. Not crazy about Pixie Hollow, either. Bring back King Triton.

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  2. Major Pepperidge10:07 AM

    Yes, I am one of those people who did not like the crazy colors on the Small World exterior. Just because you can use more color doesn't mean you should! It looks so great now, but of course that's just my opinion...

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  3. HBG212:09 PM

    I'm glad they went back to the white and gold original. Bear in mind that Mary Blair was considered a superb colorist (better than Matisse, according to Marc Davis!), and she had good artistic reasons for the color decisions. The exterior acts as a set up for what comes inside rather than a preview, making the colors there more unexpected and therefore more noticeable and vivid. Guys: Don't mess with perfection.

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  4. TokyoMagic!1:09 PM

    I love the original white and gold of Small World. Remember in the eighties when just the clock structure was painted in shades of blue and the rest was still white and gold? What were they thinking?

    There's that zigzag walkway that I like so much. They should have left that and the other little remnants from the HOTF. Pixie Hollow is pretty ugly and has no business being in the Plaza area in my opinion, but at least it's green and somewhat blends in (unlike the Astro Orbitor!) Does anyone know if the Triton figure will be used outside of the new Little Mermaid attraction in some way?

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  5. JG8:59 PM

    What HBG2 and TM said. Sorry Connie, I can't go the colors. Contrast is key.

    Great pics Dave. I have a picture of me on Ariels Throne, and I won't make you look at it. See, I'm not a bad guy,

    JG

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