Museum of the Weird, 1964: Imagineer Rolly Crump loved the idea for a collection of supernatural oddities—but his fellow Imagineers weren’t so sure. When Walt came over to WED to see what was new, Rolly’s models were pushed off in the corner. But Walt spotted them and insisted he be shown everything. He was so intrigued by the Imagineer’s ideas that when Rolly returned to work the next morning, Walt was still there in the same clothes. It took him all night, he said excitedly, but he figured out where this quirky collection would fit at Disneyland—in a Museum of the Weird. Walt even previewed the models with Rolly on “The Disneyland Tenth Anniversary Show,” but ultimately, this museum for the macabre never came to be.
Herbie the Love Bug Ride, 1976: Conceived in 1976, the “Herbie the Love Bug Ride” was planned for a location in Fantasyland and promised to take passengers through many of the adventures seen in “The Love Bug” (1969) and “Herbie Rides Again” (1974), the first two films in the series. The ride vehicles—individual Herbies, of course—were conceived to perform wheelies, run tilted up on one side, and even, as seen in the first film, split down the middle so different members of the same party would pass a cactus on both sides.
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The Museum of the Weird would have been a wonderful extension of the Mansion! Rolly's vision was creepy and just silly enough to actually work. Fortunately, a few of his artistic stylings remain in the final product.
ReplyDeleteThe Herbie ride looks like it was going to be fun! I wonder exactly where in Fantasyland they were proposing to build it (in the spot where Videopolis was built, perhaps?) I'm also wondering if it was going to be a thrill ride or just a FL dark ride.
ReplyDeleteChris - The calendar doesn't specify where in Fantasyland, but it might have been near Toon Town, since that wasn't built yet.
ReplyDeleteStu - I love Rolly's stuff; as an attraction by itself, it would have been tons of fun. It definitely would have clashed with Davis' work though.
I was the only person I knew who liked Tron.
ReplyDeleteI think i will like the new one. wait and see I guess.
JG