Vintage Snow White attraction

Another vintage May 1957 shot of Disneyland today, this time featuring the entrance to the Snow White dark ride in Fantasyland. With a little lightening of the original slide you can see the attraction mural.



Moving up, here’s a closer view of the medallion at the top of the attraction. All of the original Fantasyland dark rides had a similar “coat of arms” tailored to the Disney animated feature that was represented by the attraction.



See more Disneyland Snow White attraction photos at my main website.

Dipping Apples

Nowadays I am fairly jaded when it comes to vintage Disneyland images; it takes a lot to get my pulse to rise when I see a batch of slides for sale. Today's featured image was one of those exceptions. An interior shot from a dark ride is very hard to come by. This one hails from November 1959 and shows the Evil Crone dipping an apple into the poison brew in the Snow White dark ride attraction. Looks like the edge of the spell book at left:



This was apparently a popular scene to shoot, as my collection also has in image from April 1959:



and January 1966:



Here's how the scene looks today:



More vintage (and contemporary) Snow White dark ride photos at my main website.

Fantasyland Snow White Mural

Today's vintage March 1966 photo is somewhat of a Holy Grail for me. This is probably the best image I have of the original Fantasyland Snow White's Adventures Dark Ride queue mural. Ok, ok…before the fanatics crucify me, yes, I am aware that by 1966 there were probably a few layers of retouch paint that covered up the Claude Coats original, but it's still amazing that a guest would take a shot like this during that time period.

Compare with this black and white 1955 shot:



A closeup of the 1966 version:



Get more Disneyland Snow White at my main website.

60 Years Ago Today: Nixon at Disneyland

60 years ago today, the Richard Nixon family visited Disneyland for the very first time.



Six years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Nixon's daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, who graciously shared her memories of that day. She had nothing but nice things to say about Walt Disney. “He was so kind; and very approachable. He was also a very nice looking man.” Her father was given the “Key to City Hall” by none other than Davy Crockett (Fess Parker). “I was in heaven, meeting Fess Parker! It was a big deal to be there at Disneyland, especially because of the weekly broadcast that introduced the world to Disneyland with each episode. The characters, the castle...seeing it all in person was fantastic. It was such a joyful place!"



A closeup of the Key to City Hall shows that Walt didn't miss an opportunity to plug one of the Main Street Vendors, Yale Lock Manufacturing.



Here's an August 1955 image of the Yale & Towne Lock shop:



This particular trip was a family reunion for the Ryans (Pat's family) and the Nixons, and Julie enjoyed the company of her 7 male cousins. The family rode the Autopia cars (with 2 secret service men in tow for Vice President Nixon) as well as The Mark Twain, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Adventure.



The rest of today's images show the Nixon family enjoying the attractions in Fantasyland, beginning with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.









Fess Parker watches as the Nixon girls get loaded into the Dumbo attraction:



Two of the Mad Tea Party:







Julie shared this other tidbit: "My favorite ride was (and still is) the Peter Pan ride.” I can't disagree with her on that one!



More Nixon family at Disneyland on my main website.

Snow White Circa 1974

A batch of negatives from 1974 yielded two shots of the loading area for the Snow White's Adventures attraction at Disneyland. A great opportunity to see the clothing of a 1970s cast member as well as see the attraction vehicles; unfortunately not a great view of the mural at left!



One of the best shots of this group is one of the Carrousel which shows the reflection of Snow White the front of her attraction:



Which you can see in full color in these two 1960s photos of the attraction exterior:





Get more Snow in August by visiting my main website.

2 Snow Whites for the Price of 1

This vintage September 1961 shot is something you just don't see at Disneyland: two of the same characters in one photo! You can clearly see Snow White herself waltzing into the frame from the right-hand side, accompanied by the Seven Dwarfs.

Zooming in a bit, we see something near and dear to my heart: the original Snow White attraction queue mural:



Zooming in even closer, you can see a SECOND costumed Snow White, hanging out in the queue.



I can only imagine the kind of trauma this would have caused for the wee ones.

See more Daveland Disneyland Snow White's Scary Adventures photos at my main website.

Snow White Attraction Mural

For Disneyland enthusiasts, Fantasyland and the original four dark rides are (so far) broken into 2 different eras; pre-1983 and post 1983. Some of the rarest and most treasured shots show the original line queue murals, which were created by some of the same artists who worked on the animated classics upon which these attractions were based: Snow White, Mr. Toad, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland. This 1959 image...



makes a nice companion to this previously posted shot, also from 1959. It's almost as if you are back in time and progressing through the ride in your Dwarf Mine Car vehicle.



This also previously posted shot shows the next portion of the mural:



And the last portion of the mural, featuring all of the main characters:



With a little Photoshop magic, the previous image can be seen closer to its original perspective:



The mural visible at the exit of the attraction is lovely, but there's just something about the original being touched by the same peeps responsible for the 1937 classic that make it shine in comparison. Even in black and white.



See more Daveland Disneyland Snow White dark ride photos at my main website.

Snow White's Adventures: The Early Years

Because of the limitations of cameras back in the day, interior photos of the original Fantasyland dark rides are difficult to come by. They are probably some of the most coveted photos (when found), as many would love to know what the ride was like in its original incarnation. Thanks to a few vintage photos in my collection and a Winter 1956 Mickey Mouse Club Magazine, we can get a flavor of what the attraction was like. You'll note that Snow White herself is nowhere to be found; instead, the original attraction was meant to be from her perspective, or, for the guys, from the perspective that you were the one the Evil Queen was after. It was noticed during the beginning of this attraction that many guests were confused that the attraction bearing Snow's name only showed her in the queue murals. It was a lesson that Imagineers learned (and should still follow): if you have to explain something for it to be enjoyed, that typically means it's not working!

First, let's board our Bashful mine car. Be sure to notice the lovely mural in the queue area, starting from the right side:



Panning to the left:



Panning farther to the left:



Using the Ken Anderson art published in the Mickey Mouse Club magazine and the accompanying text, let's begin our journey.

1. All aboard! The mine car starts, the journey is begun. The Seven Dwarfs are busy, for their work is never done. They dig new jewels every day, adding them to the display.



This 1950's publicity shot shows the actual attraction:



2. Dopey flaps his ears in glee and opens the vault door happily. He's inviting his friends to come inside and enjoy the thrills (and chills) of the Snow White Ride.



3. Here stacks of sparkling gems, mined by seven little men; sapphires blue, and rubies, too. The merry Dwarfs sing "Dig, dig, dig" as jewel piles grow big, big, big.



4. Each jewel in the diamond bin glows with fire from within. Their dazzling light cuts the night. The diamonds, wondrous fine, are only found in the Seven Dwarfs' mine.



5. Two staring eyes pierce through the dark, and grotesque shadows chill the heart. The owl hoots and creatures cower in apprehension of this magic place and hour…



6. The witch's castle looms ahead. It's stark and grim…what is within? The vulture on the tree stares evilly. Down drops the sharp-tooth gate! Escape? Too late!



7. Here in the witch's dungeon, all is black. A skeleton sways mournfully…"go back." His rasping voice and luminescent frame are testimony of the witch's evil name.



8. And now the old witch plays her part. Her specialty's Black Magic art. She cackles in her fiendish glee, and reads the poison recipe. The cauldron boils merrily.



Two vintage shots from my collection illustrate this scene, with the first from April 1959:



Followed by January 1966:



9. In and out, again, again, the old witch dips that apple in. She holds it up the fruit drips dry. It's ready for someone to try. Who will the victim be? You…or me?



10. The old witch wants to make the test to see if this new brew is best. Beware! Her heart is black, though her voice is cheery, as she says "Have an apple, dearie…"



A vintage publicity shot of the actual scene:



11. Flee from her dungeon, flee from her wrath—you still hear her voice and her mocking laugh. Grotesque tree branches seem to try to snatch at you as you whizz by.



12. A lightning flash! On the mountain top the old witch pries a boulder off. Crash! It missed! You step outside, filled with the thrills of the Snow White Ride.



I hope you enjoyed your vintage journey through this beloved attraction!

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