Dark ride interior shots are soooooo hard to come by. Whenever they pop up, there is usually a frenzy amongst collectors to acquire them. I was fortunate enough to get the three black and white images from approximately 1970. The first two are from the Alice in Wonderland Fantasyland attraction.
What is especially rare about these is that they give a glimpse of what the attraction was like in its original form, before the 1983 Fantasyland remodel occurred.
Here's how the first Tulgey Wood scene appears today:
This flat two-dimensional Cheshire Cat (which appears to have a speaker in its mouth)...
Has given way to this sculpted version:
These two vintage views are of the Captain Hook and Mr. Smee scene from Peter Pan's Flight:
This vintage 1970 photo shows how it looked from the perspective of the guest, complete with the roping from the Pirate Ship Vehicle:
See more vintage and current Disneyland Fantasyland photos on my main website.
The blacklight (longwave UV, UV-A) used to illuminate the paints in the dark rides has a tendency to overexpose film before the visible light can be captured. At least with the digital cameras you can see that it didn't work and try again.
ReplyDeleteThese are the same reasons why interiors of Rainbow Caverns are so seldom seen.
James
It's always awesome to see pre-1983Fantasyland dark ride interior images. As my memories fade of that era, images like these bring them back to some clarity. I never tire of seeing these. Thanks Dave!
ReplyDeleteLoved that giant crazy Cheshire cat, with his insane laughter looping endlessly. I never knew the speaker was actually in his mouth. I seem to remember his eyeballs, at least in a later version, were cut out with his pupils set back so he'd seem to be watching you as you passed underneath.
ReplyDeleteLove early shots of any of the dark rides. Great stuff!
ReplyDelete