Over on X (formerly known as Twitter, and yes, I’m on there too) the other day, there was a discussion about the view from Storybook Land of the Matterhorn. Image #1 for today is from August 7, 1957, and shows Gepetto’s Village with the Skyway in the background (also note the Zorro hat in the foreground). Below is approximately the same view from August 1958:
…and September 1958:
Flash forward to May 9, 1959 and you can see the Matterhorn under construction in the background:
This is what I would call the beginning of the happy accident.
The next shot in the sequence from May 9, 1959 moves over ever so slightly, showing more of the Village:
This June 2006 photo I snapped shows the peak of the Matterhorn blending in perfectly with the snow-capped mountains of Gepetto’s Village. I would love to know if this was planned or a “happy accident.” Unless Walt knew that the Matterhorn would be built three years after the Gepetto’s Village scenery debuted in 1956, my vote would be for an accident. I know…call me Debbie Downer.
February 2013:
The thread about the Matterhorn construction also included a question about this mural on the side of the church, as seen in the August 1957 image:
…and the May 1959 shot:
When comparing it to one of my contemporary shots, it is basically the same mural albeit with a few minor changes. My guess is that the mural tells the tale of Jesus and Peter and the miracle of the fish.
By 2013, it looks like the miracle was touched up with a silkscreen repair; note the dot pattern on the angel and the figure I am assuming is Jesus. It also seems like Jesus had a shave. The net is more pronounced in this version of the mural, too. Perhaps water damage caused the necessity of this repair, as a cut line is visible above the mural.
Anyone know more about this mural? See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.
3 comments:
Silkscreen repair? (1) I never noticed this before. (2) That looks like a speaker screen. Is there a speaker behind it?
As a Roman Catholic myself, I am really glad they included a picture of Jesus with the fishermen.
Bryan - I am sure the original mural on there was handpainted; what I referred to as a silkscreen repair looks like it was done on a computer and then printed out because of the dot pattern.
Ryan - I'm glad they've kept it, but also wondered why they felt the need to change it.
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