POTC: Everything Old Is New Again

Disneyland and the classic Pirates of the Caribbean attraction made headlines lately when it reopened:

Disneyland reveals high-tech upgrade to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’

One of Disneyland’s most popular classic rides has reopened after refurbishment, with a new feature that brings an iconic scene to life using modern technology. Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square was the last attraction personally overseen by Walt Disney before his death in 1966. It opened 59 years ago, telling the tale of marauding pirates, swashbuckling sailors and cursed treasure. The dark ride reopened Friday after a nearly two-month refurbishment, and Disneyland is revealing the major update. The classic scene depicting the skeleton of a greedy pirate sitting atop a pile of cursed gold is no longer – just a skeleton. We now see his story unfold. Thanks to patented technology involving projections and robotics, riders now see the pirate as a living soul transform into a skeleton after picking up a cursed gold coin. “When he lifts and picks it up and looks at it, it casts a spell over him that freezes him in time,” Alfredo Ayala, a Disneyland Imagineer, explains in an official video released Friday. “And then, the weight of his arm after he turns into a skeleton drops the coin, releasing him from the cursed treasure.” But the short story, of course, doesn’t end there. The greedy pirate picks up the coin again and-this time- becomes frozen forever as a skeleton. The magic is accomplished through what Disney Imagineers call “hybrid front projection technology,” an extension of traditional animatronics seen throughout the park. What’s different here is that the animatronic figure moves, so the projection has to move with it. “It opens up a whole new level of engagement with our beloved guests,” Ayala said.



How the scene looked, a few years after opening, in the September 1969 image below:



How it looked in 2015; not too dissimilar:



While the “hybrid front projection technology” may be a new term, the concept is not anything new. Exhibit A: Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion:



Granted, the actual head is a stationary sculpt, the special effect still works and has been amazing guests since that attraction opened in 1969. The original film frames that were projected on the matching sculpted head:



The photographer who shot this blurry 1972 image used a flash, which canceled out the film projection and revealed the blank sculpted head:



Exhibit B: The same effect was used on the Singing Ghosts in the graveyard:



With the lights on, you can see the sculpts without the projection:



Exhibit C: In 2007 when Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island opened, they used projection effects in the Dead Man’s Grotto area; these were not quite as effective as the ones in the Mansion:



When Pirates of the Caribbean was being put together, it was brought up that the overlapping scenes and dialogue might be difficult for guests to understand and comprehend as the boats sailed by. Walt Disney’s response was that the attraction was akin to a cocktail party, where guests would hear bits and pieces of conversation as they walked through the room. He figured that each time guests would ride the attraction they would see new details or hear different bits of convo that they had missed before. It was important for Walt that guests would want to come back and ride the same attractions over and over again.



The “new” technology has been lambasted by fans, who say it is incongruent with the other scenes of the attraction. A missed detail from the “upgrade” is that the face changes back and forth from skeleton to living human, but the hand stays the same. I’ve said it before and I will probably say it again, but just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. To me, this screams “Look at what we can do” rather than a true improvement. Below is a fan-made video about the changes:



If I had to make an edjumacated guess as to why this is a big deal for the Disney Corporation it would be (as always) because of cost. A projection effect is going to be a lot cheaper than upgrading and maintaining a mechanical audioanimatronic figure that has to work around the clock on a daily basis. What are your thoughts?

See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my main website.

Trip Report: Photos from Frontierland

OK...I'd gotten my shots of the Market House Starbucks construction site, the former Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Hook hidden in the Peter Pan exit area, assorted Storybook Land shots, and The Court of Angels. Before my friends joined up with me, I decided to use my remaining time taking a spin around the Rivers of America on the Mark Twain.

It is wonderful spending time in Frontierland when the park first opens. Typically, guests rush to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland when the rope drops, and that's just fine with me. It's pretty durn awesome to have Frontierland and New Orleans Square to myself when they are bathed in early morning sunlight. According to the display at the turnstiles, I had a bit of a wait before the Mark Twain was ready for passengers.



Sitting across the way on a bench, I had time to relax and to notice the details...while attempting to dry off from the humidity that hung over Anaheim. Have you ever read the background signs that describe the flags hanging above the dock?



I can't get enough of these edutainment details.



A genuine FauxD© shot of the dock (hope you've taken your dramamine!):



A cast member appeared and let the guests wait in the cool shade of the dock's structure.



My excitement built as I watched the riverboat round the corner and approach the dock:



This cast member did not seem to share my excitement; he just appeared rather stoic.



All aboard!



The gilded crown caps were gleaming in the sun:



I was early enough to be able to get a ride in the Wheelhouse. Once you've done that, it's difficult to ride anywhere else on the Twain.



Inside, the size of the steering wheel is very impressive (and yes, I know the Twain rides on a rail. Thank you for wanting to tell me about that).



The bell that all guests must ring on the trip:



Pulling away, the dock gets smaller...



and smaller...



The sky over Tom Sawyer's Island was a vibrant blue, with the faintest covering of lacy clouds.



The trees have grown so much over the years that they hide all of the paths that little kids can explore upon The Island.



The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, The Columbia, and The Old Mill...this photo has a little bit of everything. Another benefit of riding up in the Wheelhouse.



The much adorned Castle Rock: proving that less is not always more.



The (former) Burning Cabin is now completely rethemed to Davy Crockett, with the Gullywhumper being the first visual evidence of the change.



As the cabin comes into view, you can hear the homespun voices of Buddy Ebsen and Fess Parker in character as George Russel and Davy Crockett.



I had never noticed just how fluid this animatronic Indian is; check him out on your next trip. It's pretty impressive.



Hidden in the trees is this (not as impressive) mechanical eagle and its young:



Back at the dock, I quickly snapped one of New Orleans Square:



and the still under construction Big Thunder Mountain:



Next up: staying cool in The Enchanted Tiki Room.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Rivers of America photos on my Rivers of America web page.

Castle Rock Construction

Two photos from 1956, shortly before Tom Sawyer's Island was open to the public. I especially like this view of Castle Rock under construction:



From the original brochure:

A fantastic group of rocks stretches along the ridge of the island…and in this primeval playground you can ride the Merry-go-round Rock…or see-saw on Teeter-Totter Rock. Climb the stone steps to the ramparts of romantic Castle Rock high above the river…descend the spiral steps to the depths of the Castle.

High adventure awaits you beneath Ambush Rock…Relive the days of the river pirates in the Pirate’s Den…follow the underground maze to The Dungeon of No Escape!

And the finished product:



Today, because of all the Pirate trappings and changes forced to make this "castle" safety-compliant, it is almost unrecognizable:



See more vintage Disneyland Tom Sawyer Island photos on my TSI web page.

Old School Disneyland Primer, Pt. 2

Still enjoying your time travel trip back to Disneyland circa 1950's? Today will provide a few more tiny tips to help keep you from being disoriented in the Disneyland of yore. You can still hop aboard the Disneyland Railroad and journey over to Tomorrowland. That much hasn't changed. In fact, you can even travel on the exact same train (The E.P. Ripley), as seen in this October 2011 comparison photo:



Obviously the landscaping has matured over the years. If you decide to head over to the Submarine Voyage, that might be where the biggest shock occurs. If you're expecting the bright yellow subs that take you to visit Nemo, you'll be greatly disappointed. Or actually, in my case...you'll be very happy. In this July 1959 photo, guests are enjoying the recently christened Disneyland fleet of submarines that take them on a magical journey through liquid space. In all of its gray glory, The Triton sub looks like it just came from U.S. Government surplus.



Today, this is what you'd see at the very same dock:



Here is a glorious view of The Autopia & The Monorail, circa 1959. Just like today, the area is scented with the fumes of gasoline.



For all you detail nuts, I've zoomed in on a few portions of this particular shot:



Let's face it; the heart of that image is the gleaming Red Monorail, recently christened by the Nixon family:



If Tomorrowland is too newfangled for you, you could always wander over to Frontierland and visit Tom Sawyer's Island. These July 1959 young ladies are crossing the Suspension Bridge. Hope they don't drop their purses and brochures into the water!



The bridge is still there today, but it's got all kinds of pirate stuff nearby. In fact, Tom Sawyer is barely a memory here as Jack Sparrow and his gang have pretty much taken over the island.



Pirates or not, I have to admit that the Island is still very lively and the youngsters seem to get a huge kick out of exploring it. The only disappointment I saw the other week on my most recent visit was a number of kids checking out Fort Wilderness and trying to open up the gates. Like the rest of us, they want to be able to go inside like the original guests of Disneyland could.

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web page.