Fantasyland Friday: Storybook Land Changes

Storybook Land, like other attractions at Disneyland, has seen a number of changes over the years since it first opened in 1956. One such change included the move of Toad Hall so that Agrabah could be added to the attraction. This 1950s image shows the original location of Toad Hall:



Look at all that movement! Casey Jr. circles Storybook Land while the Canal Boats journey through the water. Two different views of the same attraction; a photographer’s dream!



Flash forward to the addition of the Aladdin tableau where Toad Hall once lived, showing the bustling city of Agrabah. In Storybook Land, you will not see any bustle, as it is purely architecture and landscaping; no people or characters. You have to use your imagination!



Fortunately, Toad Hall was spared and put in another area of the attraction. See the Windmill in the lower portion of the frame? Keep that in your brain for a second.



Ratty’s house was also moved:



In October, the Disney Parks Blog excitedly announced the addition of a “Tangled” tableau to Storybook Land;

One of Disneyland’s original rides has reopened after an extended closure for refurbishment and the addition of a modern movie setting: Rapunzel’s tower from the 2010 film “Tangled.” The Storybook Land Canal Boats reopened on Friday, once again taking guests on a journey past the miniature villages of Disney classics like “Pinocchio,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Cinderella.”

When making a change to Walt’s original Park, Disney Corporation typically tries to justify it by trotting out his famous quote, “Disneyland will never be completed…as long as there is imagination in the world.” If only true imagination was used in some of those changes! Some of the historic info the blog gives about the attraction includes these tidbits:

Walt long had a fascination with miniatures, which he collected for many years. His love of these petite creations was an inspiration for the creation of the attraction that would become the Storybook Land Canal Boats. The attraction reopened as Storybook Land Canal Boats in June 1956, inviting guests to tour a tiny wonderland of fantastical realms. Residences from some favorite stories were painstakingly recreated at 1:12 scale and surrounded by impressive works of horticulture. Today, tours through the peaceful waters are narrated by expert cast member guides who point out landmarks from some favorite Disney stories, like the castle from Cinderella perched high on the hill and the humble workshop where Geppetto carves his wooden masterpieces. Over the years, the attraction has evolved to introduce iconic scenes and sounds from Disney Animation stories such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Frozen. On the opening day of Disneyland 70 years ago in 1955, Canal Boats of the World debuted as a serene boat ride. The attraction underwent a transformation months later to bring beloved, small-scale fairytales to life along the banks.

What they failed to mention is that in order to make room for “Tangled,” they removed the Windmills from “The Old Mill” (1937). If you want to honor the history of Disney, why would you rip out that significant scene?!? “The Old Mill” was one of the Silly Symphonies animated shorts produced by Walt Disney, and was the first use of his multiplane camera, which was instrumental in the look of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”(1937), released a month later. Below is a shot of said camera on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco:





In 2015, The Old Mill joined the Three Little Pigs as a Silly Symphonies short selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Below are a poster for the short as well as concept art by Gustav Tenggren:



This May 2007 image shows a good overall view of the area where Toad Hall exists, along with Gepetto’s Village and the Three Windmills. Hopefully, you were able to enjoy them before they were removed!



Faded closeups of two of the windmills from 1969:





Was there not enough imagination to figure out how to keep this historically significant scene?
 
See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.

Tony Curtis Takes A Wild Ride

In 1962, Tony Curtis starred in the comedy “40 Pounds of Trouble.” This lackluster remake of Shirley Temple’s “Little Miss Marker” (1934) has at least one redeeming feature: beautiful color footage of Disneyland, shot with permission from Walt himself (albeit with minor script changes that he suggested first). Here’s Tony attempting to escape a detective (Tom Reese) hot on his trail as he dashes through the Teacup attraction. I wonder if there was any eye makeup left for costar Suzanne Pleshette after Tony was finished prepping for the film?



In between takes, Tony took his daughter Kelly (left) and costar Claire Wilcox (who played the Shirley Temple role) on Mr. Toad’s wild adventure.



Maybe Tony enjoyed the drag makeup from “Some Like It Hot” (1959) and decided to keep it.



A few screenshots from the movie that give rare interior views of Mr. Toad:





See more Disneyland Mr. Toad photos at my main website.

Monday with Mansfield

With my latest Jayne Mansfield at Disneyland in 1957 acquisition, I can now put together a fairly comprehensive pictorial representation of her tour of Fantasyland. Here she is with her daughter in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle; note that the crest is still not on the Castle at this point. Husband Mickey Hargitay is on the left side of the shot in a dark suit. I love the expressions of the other guests as they see this bonafide movie star strolling right by them.



Perhaps next she went to the Carrousel, which was directly on the other side of the Castle:



…followed by a spin on the teacups:



A flight over Fantasyland via Dumbo. Note the hinged ears:
 


Some “adult” time on the dark rides with husband Mickey, first at Peter Pan:



…followed by Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride:



Will there be more Mansfield in the future? Only time will tell!

See more celebrities at Disneyland photos at my main website.

Disneyland, September 1971

As 2021 comes to a close, I present the last vintage Disneyland post of the year. This little series from September 1971 begins with an overhead view of the Chicken of the Sea Restaurant, shot from a Skyway bucket. In the background you can see the hidden dining area adjacent to Skull Rock Cove.



Note that there is nothing against the wall in this photo:



Whereas in this 1965 there was a vending machine:



As the Skyway bucket continued its journey, our 1971 photographer got this stunning shot of the yellow Monorail:



A balloon seller is visible below:



In one frame you have the PeopleMover, Motor Boat Cruise attraction sign, and the Monorail. At least one still exists!



Note this Fantasyland Ticket booth:



Still around when I took this photo in 2010, but repurposed as a Kodak Film and Photo Information booth. Film? What’s that?!?



The Skyway bucket next takes us over the Submarine Voyage Lagoon:



So much to see here: the Autopia, the Skyway, the Submarine Voyage, the PeopleMover, and the Carousel of Progress. Only one remains. Sorry, I just can’t count Losing Nemo.



Over in Fantasyland, the original Tournament Festival Tent façades remain on the attractions, but the Mad Tea Party now has those lacy arches between the light fixtures:



A closer view of the Mr. Toad façade and the crazy fashions/hairdos of the 70’s:



Last one shows the Dumbo ticket booth:



Closer:



So close you can read it!



Photos? Tickets? Dang…these photos must be old!

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Monday in Fantasyland

After a few days of my site being down due to the incompetence of my webhost (and ever-changing google rules), we can finally journey back to March 1958 at Disneyland. While our vintage photographer probably won’t win any awards for composition, I’m darn glad he/she snapped this one! Besides the Skyway pylon, you can see the ticket booth (remember tickets?) and the Mickey Mouse Club Theater (now Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure).



A closer (and lightened) view inside of the entryway:



This one from July 10, 1957 pulls back (and up), giving us a broader view of Fantasyland. So far back that you can see the TWA Moonliner in Tomorrowland.



Want to buy a hat?



Last one for today is from August 1958, with Dumbo on the right and Skyway soaring overhead:



Thanks for your patience while my site was down!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Fantasyland photos at my main website.

Going to Guides: Daveland's Greatest Hits

If you’re a Disney Park fanatic, then the Going to Guides book series is a must have. Why, you ask? Because they are well designed, have loads of helpful information about the Parks, and most importantly: the are illustrated with my photography! Shannon Laskey, the author, is getting ready to update the Disneyland book and will be adding even more of my photos. Today’s post features a sampling of some of those images. It was fun to go through the archives and see some of these photos again, bringing up a lot of good memories. The first shot is of the Mr. Toad attraction exterior at night, followed by an interior view of it’s a small world (the holiday version).



I am an early riser, which sure helps in getting those crowd-free shots at the Park. Main Street, U.S.A. is the most difficult to get without a lot of guests stampeding to Fantasyland, but thanks to a quick pace upon opening, I was able to get this one of the Candy Palace:



…and the Jolly Holiday bakery:



How about this one of Toontown? Patience is a virtue, waiting for a shot to be guest-free.



Waterfalls can make for very interesting pictures, whether you use a fast shutter speed to make them razor sharp, or a super slow one to capture a milk-like effect. On this one from Toontown, I chose the latter.



If you go there right at opening, Frontierland is fairly easy to get a clear shot without any crowds.



I had forgotten about this Jungle Cruise dock panorama, but was sure pleased to be reminded about it!



Last one for today is the one I am probably most proud of: Sleeping Beauty Castle at night:



Thanks to Shannon for using my photos and causing this trip down Memory Lane for me!

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.