At Home with Monsters, Pt. 2

Welcome back to the Guillermo del Toro exhibit at LACMA titled "At Home with Monsters." First up is a sketch by artist Hannes Bok.

I loved the concept art from Disney's "Fantasia," created by Vladimir "Bill" Tytla and Kay Nielsen.



They are all from the Night on Bald Mountain sequence.



These images of Chernabog are amazing.





The art of another Disney Imagineer was featured, Eyvind Earle. He is probably best known for "Sleeping Beauty."



These pieces were all done in the '70s.







How would you like this gigantic sculpt of Karloff as the Frankenstein monster for your home?



These life-sized figures of makeup artist Jack Pierce and Boris Karloff were mind-blowing. Artist Mike Hill captured every detail to perfection.





Hill also created this tableau called "Forsaken," showing the Frankenstein monster about to be rejected by the Bride of Frankenstein.



Dr. Pretorius stands nearby. You almost wait for the figure to breathe. What a talent.



This life mask of Boris Karloff is from 1960:



There is also a vintage copy of the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. This one was illustrated by Lynd Ward.



Ward's art looks very much like the work of Rockwell Kent:



Come back again for Part 3!

For more photos of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art visit my main website.

TPE: Leaving Fantasyland

My last TPE post for Fantasyland is a small assortment of miscellaneous gems from the past. I would love to visit Merlin's Magic Shop when it existed adjacent to the Peter Pan dark ride. This image showing the front of the shop is from the early years of Disneyland:



Zooming in, you can get a gander at the windows:





This December 1961 slide shows the festively adorned Matterhorn, even more impressive with a space-aged Christmas star atop its peak.



As a young child, I remember the doll-like Ken & Barbie-style Sleeping Beauty Diorama.



As an adult, I remember the joy I felt when I was able to experience the restored Diorama in the Castle, based on the original Eyvind Earle designs. The first image, from a Viewmaster set, is the only original photo I have from that era. This is why I cherish the souvenir booklet given out during the initial years of the Diorama's opening.



Do you have your protective envelope, or would you care to use my coupon?



Primitive as it may be, I also love the entryway of the Diorama:





What a treat it would be to see Shirley Temple Black march up Main Street for the opening of the Diorama:



...reading her regal speech to assembled guests under the watchful eye of Walt:





Another favorite area that I'd love to see during its first years would be the peaceful glen of the Snow White Wishing Well, which opened in April 1961. This photo is my earliest image of this beloved corner of the park, dated May 1961:



From the April 1961 "The Disneylander" Newsletter comes this fascinating article:

Wishing Well Dedication April 9th

Photographic enthusiasts in Disneyland will thrill to a new sight the first part of April when they see the magnificent Snow White Grotto in all its splendor on the right of Sleeping Beauty's Castle as they approach Fantasyland.

Many Disneylanders feel that of all the beautiful picture taking spots throughout the Park this newest addition to the Magic Kingdom will soon become one of the top stopping places for guests with still and motion picture cameras.

Nestled in the hill alongside the Castle the Grotto will include not only Snow White, but the Seven Dwarfs as well. The famous Walt Disney characters, carved from the finest Italian marble, will be placed around Echo Falls, a new Disneyland water fall spectacular. Guests will also see other characters from the motion picture of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," including rabbits, doves, a little doe, turtles and fish spouting water that perform like ballet dancers to the beautiful music made famous in the motion picture.

Adjacent to the Grotto and accessible to guests will be one of the world's most beautiful and inviting wishing wells, designed by WED Enterprises and made in the Disneyland mill and by our staff shop experts. Contributions thrown into the well will be turned over to Variety Clubs International, the famed organization made up of show business personalities, who will use the money for their chartiabe work among the needy.

The wishing well will be formally dedicated on Sunday, April 9th in a ceremony arranged by Tommy Walker. Stars from stage, screen, television and show business in general, as they visit the Park, are planning to make their contributions along with the public as they pass the Wishing Well and admire the beauty of the latest addition to the Disneyland scene.



I sure hope the number-crunchers leave this area alone. See you in Tomorrowland next!

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

A Classic Restored

On Saturday morning, I left San Diego at the crack of dawn so that I could see the recently opened Sleeping Beauty Diorama before the crowds arrived. I have been more excited about the walkthrough than any other attraction that has opened at Disneyland within the last 20 years. I am too young to remember the original 1957 version; all I was exposed to before was the Barbie & Ken version, which was more akin to the Main Street Emporium windows than anything of an artistic nature. It seemed that my early arrival was not in vain, as I was definitely one of the first (if not the first) guest to go through the diorama on Saturday. All I can say is that it definitely did not disappoint. I found myself having a difficult time of taking photographs and just simply gawking at the practically flawless execution of each individual scene. The vintage feel of Eyvind Earle’s art had been captured and enhanced with modern technology to create an extremely cool attraction. Each scene is introduced with the familiar open storybook page.



Just to be inside the castle again was thrilling enough. When I first saw the virtual recreation of the walkthrough on the Sleeping Beauty blu-ray, I thought that was amazing; the in-person experience blows even that away. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you don't need to visit this in person.





Here are a few of the dioramas:









I am also happy to report that the restored attraction still scares the bejesus out of kids, as I heard more than a few fleeing in terror!



A big round of thanks to Tony Baxter & Chris Merritt for their persistence, blood, sweat, and tears in making this attraction come back to glorious life. See more vintage & current Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama photos at my regular website.