As many Disneyland buffs already know, Fantasyland underwent a major overhaul in 1982, revealing itself to the public on May 25, 1983. For those that have wondered what went on behind the construction fences, thanks to Daveland reader Bill H., now you can see. The first shots of the day show the old Fantasyland Theater, which is now where the Pinocchio dark ride resides. These were taken in February 1982.
In this view, you can see the Fantasyland Skyway Station lightpost in the foreground.
Here you can see the tip of the concrete foundation for the Carrousel's new location:
A ride in the Skyway provides this view of Big Thunder Mountain in the distance:
Hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at the Fantasyland construction, courtesy of Bill H.; I know my jaw dropped when I saw these rare shots!
See more Fantasyland construction photos on my Fantasyland web page.
6 comments:
I remember these scenes well. These were the days before the internet, so when I arrived at the Park I was shocked that Fantasyland was "gone".
I discovered it while riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad next door. I looked over to that area when the train was climbing the lift and knew something wasn't quite right. I rode the Skyway several times that day just to see all the destruction.
Nice photos today Dave!
Very interesting. There has to be other readers out there with stories and photos to share.
In the first pic, you can just make out the mural inside the Welch's Grape Fruit Juice stand, right over the construction workers shoulder.
Would love to see a zoom-in on that detail :D
Thanks Dave!
Hi Walter - unfortunately, the source material is not very big; I attempted to zoom in myself, but you really can't see much at all. Trust me - I would have posted it originally if that were possible!
When I first saw the title of this post, I thought it was about the new "meet & greet" where Plaza Gardens used to be...
This is far more interesting.
Thank you, Dave.
JG
This was the event that hooked me. I was 14 and I couldn't get enough sneak peaks from skyway or BTMRR. I have been a Disneyland behind the scenes junkie ever since.
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