59th Anniversary 20k Exhibit at Disneyland

59 years ago today, Walt Disney showed great economy by having the sets from his movie "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" moved from Burbank to Anaheim and installed in Tomorrowland as a walk-through exhibit.



The giant squid fight sequence was a thrilling action-packed highlight of the film.



From the book "Walt's People: Volume 14: Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him" comes this story:

Walt Disney wanted the squid transported to Disneyland. It was one of the quickest jobs special effects whiz Bob Mattey ever handled. On Monday he got the order, and by Friday the squid was installed at the park, with a whole new set of innards.

The park budget would not allow for several men to spend the day operating the squid, so Mattey had to devise a motor to do the job. He did. Key to the squid's operation was a Hudson eight-cylinder engine block. The flywheel was attached to an electric motor. Each cylinder operated about twelve piano wires that were attached to the squid tentacles. The wires are placed so that no "cycle" or repeat action was noticeable. Early cable soon wore out, so stainless-steel cable were finally attached to each piston, and the stainless shell led to the pulleys high over the exhibit. From the pulleys, the piano wire stretched to the individual tentacles.

The squid had a parrot beak, and the beak from the film (which operated on a vacuum pump), was retained. However, the beak was originally designed for one sequence of the film—not for continuous action in the park. Every few minutes the beak snapped open and shut, but after two years it suddenly disintegrated—the constant tapping and snapping was too much for the material, which shattered. It was replaced with a new and better beak.



A July 1960 shot of the entrance to the Disneyland exhibit:





A shot of Captain Nemo's pipe organ from the film:



And an October 1956 Genuine FauxD© image of the organ at Disneyland (before it was moved to the Haunted Mansion!). Be sure to give it a few seconds to load so you can see the effect:



Daveland reader Larry B. sent this image of himself at the exhibit, cavorting with the squid:



I sneaked behind the 20,000 Leagues Walk-Thru Exhibit back in 1963 to see the giant squid up close. I actually touched it. What I didn't know was that my friend, Tom Scherman, who was with me on this Disneyland outing, had followed me with his camera and snapped this picture of me reaching out to the squid at the "perfect moment." I've treasured this photo for many years.



You can see the beak discussed previously on the left side of this detailed shot. The exhibit remained open until August 28, 1966. Today, this space is occupied by Star Tours.

There are still remnants of 20k at the Park.



An homage to the diving apparatus seen in these two photos with Kirk Douglas and Master Diver Fred Zendar...



can be seen outside of Trader Sam's bar at the Disneyland Hotel:



Tomorrow: Pt. 2 of the Tomorrowland Anniversary Celebration!

See more Daveland Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report Pt. 5: Trader Sam's

The older I get, the earlier I want to go to bed. Still, it was a special weekend and we decided to end it at Trader Sam's, the Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. What a fun spot. Friendly staff, cool decor, and exotic drinks. What more could one ask for?



SOOOO much to see here. You'll note some familiar items from The Tiki Room as you peruse the bar and walls:





This colorful tableau changes from sunshine...



to storm clouds:



You could spend a ton-o-time looking at the mementos and postcards on the wall:









A nice nod to Disneyland Legend Harper Goff:



Just in case you've never noticed his window in Adventureland:



Be sure to check out this little ship in a bottle located above the bar:



It actually sinks at sea!



No Daveland post would be complete without a few light fixtures:





I don't think this chap is aware of the "No Smoking" rule here:



Finally, it was time to turn in. The next morning, it was all about food again. Steakhouse 55 was the restaurant of choice.



A vintage photo of Walt in the lobby area to greet guests:



Beautiful furniture, a tasteful arrangement, and deco light fixtures...just my style!



And with a breakfast like this, I can now say that it was my favorite Disneyland Half Marathon ever. I plan on being back next year!



Hope you enjoyed my trip report as much as I enjoyed experiencing it!

See more vintage and current Disneyland Hotel photos on my Disneyland Hotel photo web page.

Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report, Pt. 1

For the last few years, I have attempted to break the 2 hour ceiling of my Disneyland Half Marathon time. For a variety of reasons (being sick, poor diet, not enough training), I fell short each race. This year, I was more determined than ever to finally be "sub 2"!

Checking into the Disneyland Hotel, I felt like I had accidentally entered the DCA construction zone. All around the hotel property there were construction walls, detours, and the sounds of machinery. Still, it didn't bother me a bit. As with all things Disney, the "problems" were alleviated with easy to read signage and friendly staff standing nearby to take care of any guest concerns that might arise.

The room wasn't ready yet (we arrived before noon), so we headed over to the Expo first to pick up our bibs and goodies. Every year, I am impressed by how organized this event is. I also loved the decor at registration featuring some of Disney's favorite characters. This one of Donald is just about how I look at the end of the race!



Next dilemma was where to eat lunch. My first choice was to check out the new Tangaroa Terrace.



Huge thumbs up for the finished product; both Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam's are a welcome addition to the Disneyland Resort. They respectfully pay homage to the park's history while providing a great place to eat and an adjoining lounge for adults to enjoy live entertainment and a tropical cocktail (or two).





Welcome to Trader Sam's!





How about these doors? Leave it to Disney to go above and beyond at the entrance.



An homage to 20K:





After checking out these new facilities, we decided that our hearty pre-race appetites needed Goofy's Kitchen. Sorry Sam & Tangaroa - but I promise to come back in the near future for a more in-depth exploration of tasting and imbibing!



I was caught during lunch; friends Walt & Dottie were in town for the Half as well (we'd met almost 2 years ago at Candlelight) and arrived just as I was trying to secretly snarf down my chicken nuggets (I'm sure there was some nutritional value hidden in there that would benefit me the next morning at the race!).



Although a bit pricey, Goofy's has a wide variety of tasty food choices as well as a number of your favorite Disney characters.

Walt & Baloo hit it off immediately.



Jasmine caught us on the way out. You'll note I am standing next to Dottie, Walt's 79 year old mother. You might assume that she was there to support Walt and cheer him on for the Half Marathon. Heck no. She was there to run and walk the Marathon herself! She is a real firecracker and an inspiration to all.



With our bellies full, we headed over to the Grand Californian to relax in their lobby until our rooms back at the Disneyland Hotel were ready. As you can tell by this photo, the weather for the weekend was perfect. Walt himself couldn't have ordered up a better day.



Our room in the Adventure Tower at the Disneyland Hotel was fantastic. Clean, well designed and appointed, it was a huge improvement over what the rooms at the resort have looked like for the past decade or so. Again...lotsa' great details. Note the Jungle Cruise artwork in the background of the room number signage:







For you Hidden Mickey nuts, the carpet was made just for you.



Mickey lights the way in the bathroom:



I loved this collage of contemporary shots of the park that hung on the wall; can you identify the location of each shot?



The headboard has a lighted "fireworks" display and plays music, too. Another nice touch.



From the room, we had a great vantage point for the continued construction of the 2nd pool area:







After a little nap (oh how I love my naps), it was time for (you guessed it) another meal. The dinner the night before the race is an important one, as it's the last chance to carb up before the race. Walt & Dottie kindly allowed us to glom onto their reservation at Downtown Disney's Naples Restaurant. An excellent choice!





The food and the service were as good as the decor, and I savored each meatball in my spaghetti!



Once dinner was over, it was dark out and time to get a good night's worth of sleep. It will probably come as no surprise that I couldn't just go to bed; I had to shoot a few nighttime shots and take advantage of the magical lighting that the Disneyland Resort is known for.









And that's it for part one! Good night all - hope the rest of you in Southern California have your power back on by now!

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web page.