The Return of the Flying Saucers

Before there was Space Mountain, Tomorrowland had Flying Saucers. This outdoor attraction allowed guests to glide along effortlessly in their vehicles over a cushion of air. Or at least that was the theory. As you can see in this July 1965 photo, most of the guests seemed to be clumped together along the edge. Difficult to maneuver and at times a bit of a legal risk (think bumper cars with less protection!), this attraction went bye-bye when New Tomorrowland took over the 1950's version in 1967.

Despite their shortcomings, you can see that this gent in the argyle socks was having the time of his life.



I'll be curious to see how Disney California Adventure is going to reinvent this attraction when Luigi's Flying Tires debut next summer with Cars Land.

See more vintage Disneyland Flying Saucer photos on my Flying Saucer web pages.

Wall-E

In honor of the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release (Tuesday, 11/18) of my favorite Pixar Robot Wall-E, I am devoting today’s blog to him. I have included 8 publicity “stills” from the movie to begin with.















How about 2 pieces of concept art?





Here’s more for you behind-the-scenes geeks: a photo of Ben Burtt, the voice of Wall-E and the Sound & Character Voice Designer for WALL-E, the film.



In addition, you can download this PDF “How Did They Make That Sound” information sheet. Way cool! You can also download this PDF “Which Robot Are You?” quiz. Way cool! Here are two fun fact sheets with more behind-the-scenes info on Wall-E:





Want your photo taken with Wall-E? Head over to the Hollywood area of California Adventure and pose with this cutout figure of the Pixar Star himself:



Hope you enjoyed my tribute to Wall-E! See more Disneyland/California Adventure photos at my regular website.

The Devlin Collection: Mine Train Ride, Pt. 2 & Toy Story Midway Mania

We’re back with the Devlin family in 1969, riding the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland. As we exit this tunnel, we see an abundance of wildlife near the riverbank.







Around this corner are the Devil’s Paint Pots, displaying the subtle (?) color palette that Mother Nature bestowed upon them:











Here are 2 more tunnel shots, just for good measure:





It would appear that the Devlin’s were riding up in the cab from some of these views. Meanwhile, back to the present, over at California Adventure, the new Toy Story Midway Mania exterior is practically finished and looking sharp; June is not that far away!





And as if that weren’t enough...here are some pics of the waaaay overdue Main Street window for Bob Gurr:





To see more Nature’s Wonderland photos, visit my website.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been a favorite time of year for me; so, to celebrate, I’m breaking out one of my favorite “new” photos. It has been difficult to hold off the debut of this one until today. This undated shot shows the Haunted Mansion still under construction. Next up is my very favorite exterior shot, which I shot in February 2006:



My friend Mike shared this photo with me recently; it’s an original Marc Davis maquette that he designed for the Graveyard party scene:



Let’s journey to Orlando with a juicy closeup of the HM exterior from June 1972:



And a sideview:



Not to make DCA feel left out, here’s one showing their recent “holiday” decor:



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

New Orleans Square opening, 1966

This trio of publicity stills are from Summer 1966, when New Orleans Square first opened. This has always been one of my favorite areas of the park; I love winding around the streets and seeing all the courtyards and other nooks and crannies. Shot 1 shows the Delta Ramblers with tap dancers Gene & Eddie. Shot 2 is an extremely posed view of the Court of Angels.



This view of the Court is from Christmas, 2006:



The last publicity still shows The Creole Cafe, which is now Cafe Orleans:



The current signage is similar in style:



Meanwhile, over at DCA, Toy Story Midway Mania construction continues along:



See more vintage & current New Orleans Square photos on my main website.

House of the Future/DLand Updates

Here’s one of my better HOF photos; undated, but most likely fairly early, as there is no sign of the Matterhorn in sight. Could that be the path to Holiday Hill/Lover’s Lane in the background? Next, we flash into the future with some updated shots of the Toy Story Mania attraction at DCA:











Riverbelle Terrace is still torn apart:



See more vintage House of the Future photos on my regular website.