1990s 3D: Castle and Fantasyland

The Daveland Time Machine takes you back thirty years and allows you to experience Disneyland in-person via the miracle of genuine FauxD©. A balloon seller manages to stay on terra firma despite holding an incredible amount of Minnie Mouse balloons. Heading over to the heart of Central Plaza we see the Partners Statue, sculpted by Blaine Gibson and dedicated on November 18, 1993.



To the right is one of my favorite areas in the Park, the Snow White Wishing Well Waterfall:



From that area, we get a side-view of the Sleeping Beauty Castle:



The balloon sellers were out en masse that day!



It would appear our 1995 photographer had a balloon fetish.



A closeup of the seller's wares:



Definitely a fetish.



Inside the Castle, we get a rare glimpse of the Diorama, during the “Barbie and Ken” years (1977-2001):



Our 1995 photographer supplies us with two rare interior shots from the Snow White dark ride:





Still more 1995 3D images to come!

See more Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle photos at my main website.

Back from the Dead, Part 2

This one from 1957 looks as hopeless as yesterday’s companion image, but with some blood, sweat, and Photoshop, miracles can happen! Where’s Carol Merrill when you need her? Bonus points to those who know who she is!



When the Snow White attraction first opened in 1955, it was called “Snow White and her Adventures.”



I love being able to see the original queue mural, even if it’s a bit grainy.



When the attraction reopened in 1983 after Fantasyland received its Tudor remodel, the name changed to “Snow White’s Scary Adventures.” 



The recent refurbishment greatly toned down the scary elements and is now titled, “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish.” I have a wish; how about letting kids get the bejesus scared out of them? It’s actually healthy!

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

Hump Day at "New" Fantasyland

The attractions at Disneyland’s original Fantasyland area had Tournament Festival “Tent” façades. This was much cheaper than the original idea of Tudor façades. Here is the original Peter Pan attraction as it looked in the 1950’s. Note the mother covering up her son’s face; the little tyke was probably scared to fly through the dark ride, as many still are. 



In getting this post ready, I noticed this little design element on top of the attraction building. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a microphone, a mechanical bird, or…?



The Snow White façade from 1968:



…which also had the same doohickey on top. It seems like it was tacked on as an afterthought.



In 1982, Disneyland did a scrape and burn of the original Fantasyland, rebuilding everything with the original Tudor façade concept. Here is the area in the midst of construction, as workers feverishly attempt to finish in time for the grand re-opening, May 25, 1983.



Just in case you wondered what brand of paint was used:



Painting the new windows: 



Here are some of the black and white publicity stills that the Disney Corporation sent out in advance of the grand opening, with this one showing the “new” Snow White attraction exterior:



Oops…they weren’t quite camera ready.



The Peter Pan Tudor façade:



A shot of the little kiddies being let loose into the revamped land:



Who let this clown in?!?



See more Disneyland Fantasyland photos at my main website.

Fear and Snow White

I was very excited to acquire this 1956 vintage image of the Snow White and Her Adventures entrance area. Zooming in you can see the original mural that adorned the queue area:

Where the Pinocchio dark ride now resides, you could have gotten a Welch’s Grape Juice beverage to cool off with during those hot Anaheim summer days!

The name Snow White’s Scary Adventure did not get used at Disneyland until the 1983 remodel. Apparently the Imagineers felt that the little tykes needed a warning about the scary portions of the attraction that included the Old Crone. Recently, Imagineers felt it necessary to remove the scare all together by tinkering with the attraction and changing the final scene to a happy ending. From the Disney Parks Blog:

This classic Fantasyland attraction, Disneyland park’s only ride-through princess attraction, will be updated with new magic inside and out in 2020. Walt Disney Imagineering is reimagining how the classic tale of Snow White lives happily ever after, and guests will be invited to follow along with her story.

One reader left this comment:

Hope they’ll just lengthen the ride for the new scenes in place of the “and they lived happily ever after” murals and still leave all the existing scenes in tact.

To quote Burgess Meredith from “Grumpy Old Men”:

Since the Park is still closed, it’s not really known exactly how much of the scare has been removed. Let’s take a look at some of the elements that could be under the chopping block, beginning with the Evil Queen peering out over guests from the exterior (much more menacing at night!):

The Evil Queen doing a Peeping Tom act at the Dwarf’s Cottage as the seven little men celebrate with Snow:

The transformation scene of the Evil Queen turning into the Old Crone:

Will this hanging skeleton be allowed to remain?

The Old Crone creating the poison apple:

The Old Crone and her apples sailing off to the Dwarf’s cottage:

The Old Crone and a hologram apple, appearing from inside the Dwarf’s cottage:

The original finale of the Dwarfs attempting to capture the Old Crone as she escapes:

The Old Crone attempts to kill the Dwarfs with a boulder:

…which ends up killing her when a bolt of lightning hits the rocks:

Bye bye Old Crone!

From the way the changes have been positioned, it sounds like much of the ride has been softened. This really makes me sad. I know as a kid I secretly LOVED being scared! What would “The Wizard of Oz” have been without the Wicked Witch? BORING! 

The original “Willy Wonka” movie would have been a snoozer without Gene Wilder’s crazy and sometimes menacing portrayal.

Wilder himself said he only accepted the role because he was allowed to make the viewer feel uncertain if the Wonka character was trustworthy or not, starting off with his entrance scene where he pretends to limp. Even his final scene where he loses his s$%t with Charlie…BRILLIANT! Let’s face it…kids love to be scared. Why oh why does Disney feel the need to protect the kiddies by removing the very thing that they love?

I know I know…Lowest Common Dumb-nominator.

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

Disneyland Gems from ’56, Pt. 2

Today’s 1956 Disneyland gems take us to Fantasyland, the heart and soul of the Park. One of our dapper vintage guests is standing in front of Merlin's Magic Shoppe. Unfortunately, the camera being used did not produce images that were all that sharp, so the zoom in window view is meh at best. However, you can see the vintage shop sign above the guest’s head.

A nice overall view of Fantasyland that shows the tea cups, Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, and the Casey Junior Circus Train off in the distance.

Zooming in, you can see that the Storybook Land attraction is taking shape, as the framework for the rocks is in progress.

This image yielded a wonderful surprise. At first glance, it just appears to show the mini-lake/pond behind the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, with Casey Junior chugging along in the background.

A closer look reveals the old Canal Boats of the World sign, unceremoniously dumped against the fence:

A previously posted shot of the sign before it came down for good:

And this image was the reason I purchased this set in the first place:

What a great color detail image of the original Snow White's Scary Adventures dark ride mural!

Still more great 1956 gems to come!

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