Trip Report Pt. 2: Soundsational, DCA, and More!

When I last left you, I was jockeying for position to watch one of my favorite parades in years, Soundsational! A perfect blend of Disney character favorites and the whimsical stylings of Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. My picture taking began in the Aladdin portion of the parade. Bring on the dancing girls!



Ariel blew kisses from above:



The Princess that started it all was on hand to wave to her grateful admirers in the crowd:



A particularly lovely Cinderella:



The styling of this bird just screams Kevin & Jody; in a good way!



Down at the Bayou, Princess Tiana was especially joyful and energetic:



The Princess and the Frog Showboat is one of my favorite set pieces from this parade. So much to see and admire, it is adorned with wonderful details.





Tink looked feisty as ever:



As the sun began to set, Mary & Bert were perfectly illuminated by the golden glow of the late afternoon, making it a perfectly Jolly Holiday:







After the parade, I made my way over to the other side, aka DCA.



Be sure to look at every square inch of Buena Vista Street; there are many gags and details for you to enjoy.



As I sauntered down the main boulevard of Hollywood Land, The Five and Dime car was driving by:



Quite surprisingly, I noticed that the Mad T Party was already occurring...in daylight!



Although it seems a lot more fun at night, I still enjoyed listening to the band play some of my favorite dance tunes while the enthusiastic crowd packed the floor below:









Across the way, I took a journey through The Sorcerer's Workshop in the Animation Building:





This is a hidden gem at DCA; unless told about it, I doubt that the average guest would stumble upon it on their own.





With all kinds of cool lights and crazy contraptions, you feel as if you have discovered a secret cave that begs to be explored.





It was hard for me to believe that in all the years I've been going to Disneyland, I h ad never really taken the time to photograph this beautiful area.



See Aladdin in the light fixture?



All the chairs were full as guests interacted with the touch screens to see which Disney character they most resembled:





The movie at the Crest Theater has been changed from "Snow White" to "Fantasia"; The El Capitan is still showing "Pinocchio." No changes in the last 11 years for the El Cap—"Pinocchio" must be doing well!



I was going to take the Red Car Trolley back to the new "hub" of DCA, but it was already full. Instead, I put my camera to use!



NEXT UP: Cars Land and Carthay!

See more vintage and current Disneyland/DCA photos on my Disneyland web pages.

1980: Disneyland's 25th Anniversary

For Disneyland's 25th Anniversary in 1980, the marketing department released a number of photos from the vaults to stir up the nostalgia factor for guests. Here are a few of those images, accompanied by the corresponding publicity blurbs:

DISNEYLAND DEDICATION—With a coast-to-coast television audience of millions looking on, Walt Disney declared Disneyland officially open during a short dedication speech in Town Square of Main Street, U.S.A. on July 17, 1955.



MOUSEKETEERS CELEBRATE—The original Mouseketeers of television's Mickey Mouse Club Show took part in a gala paraded down Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. on opening day. Leading the gathering on July 17, 1955 are Annette, Karen and Cubby.



For all you Annette fans, I have zoomed in closer so that you can get a better look at her!



FIRST VISITORS—When Disneyland opened to the general public, the first visitors welcomed through the gate by Walt Disney were Christine Vess and her cousin Michael Schwartner, then five and seven years of age.



LEADING THE PARADE—Four of Walt Disney's most famous cartoon creations—Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy—lead off Disneyland's 25th Birthday Parade" salute. The parade features 150 performers who bring alive a quarter century of memories for each of the Park's seven "theme" lands.

Here are a few color shots taken by a guest of the actual 25th Anniversary Parade:







You can see the decorative anniversary banners that hung outside of the Castle back in 1980. The lighter color palette of 1980 seems to make the castle appear larger than the brightly hued colors used today do.



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland website.

I Dream of Jeannie at Disneyland

When it comes to parades, Frontierland is not the normal place I think of to watch them, and it’s probably the last place I’d expect to see an “I Dream of Jeannie” lookalike. Showing a belly-button was huge problem for NBC back in the 1960’s; apparently, not a problem for Disneyland’s Frontierland! Censorship be damned, bring on the harem girls!

Following closely behind, it’s the attack of the 50' floats! Run for the hills, kids!





Slightly less creepy are the Toy Soldiers, making me think this batch must be from around Christmas time.



You can call this shot “Ship of Fools.” If only they’d been patient enough to wait for the next Mark Twain journey...



They could have been serenaded by the Disneyland Band!



See—patience really IS a virtue!

View more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.

Classic Polyester: April 1977, Part 4

We’re in Adventureland today, starting with a shot of the entrance to the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. Get those "B" tickets ready! The rest of the post has a number of great color shots from everyone’s favorite Adventureland attraction, The Jungle Cruise!





Fortunately, the pole on the boat is blocking out the nasty feeding scene of the Veldt!







And now, it’s time for the big finish. A fun parade in Town Square with the new Mickey Mouse Club:





Two (from different days) featuring the Horse-Drawn Streetcar:





This shot I can’t place; perhaps it’s off property at another park or at the Disneyland Hotel:



That’s it for this 1970’s tour. Hope you enjoyed it! See more Disneyland Adventureland photos at my website.