Trees Can Be Scary!

Walt Disney sure had a knack for scaring the crap out of little kids. 77 years later, the scene from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" where Snow White flees for her life through a forest of trees that have come to life still packs a punch that is guaranteed to give the little ones nightmares.

What's so scary about a few branches? Typically, not much, unless you're running from danger and you get stuck on a few. The limbs of the tree literally come to life, holding her back, causing her the worst case of paranoia possible.



Old logs in a creek come to life as alligators, scaring the poor little lass even more.



When Disneyland was being built and an attraction created that would allow guests to actually ride through scenes from the movie, naturally the Dark Forest scene had to be included! Although I don't have any shots of what the original attraction was like, this art from the Mickey Mouse Club Magazine gives you an idea of what the intent was:



Kenneth "Ken" Anderson, one of the art directors of the 1937 movie, adapted the script for the ride and led the original design team that included Bill Martin (in charge of the track layout), Herbert Ryman (created several interior backgrounds), and Claude Coats. This is about as close as you can get to the movie's roots.



In 1981, the Snow White attraction closed down and went under the knife with the rest of Fantasyland. The Dark Forest returned, but by all accounts, the scariness of the attraction was toned down. Here are two concept model shots of what the trees would look like in the newly revised attraction.





A few shots from the actual attraction, taken by me about 4 cameras ago! Please excuse their amateurish appearance.



This section of the attraction is so dark and the vehicle moves so quickly that it is difficult to absorb all of the not-so-scary details that are meant to be somewhat scary, like the alligator logs from the movie shown here:



The look of the trees is a bit disturbing, but typically, kids are more scared about this being a dark ride than the actual elements within.



Word on the street is that all of the dark rides will be closing and undergoing a revamp (Alice has already been completed).

My recommendation: Imagineers should go FULL TILT with a totally scary-ass version of Snow White (and the rest of the dark rides) using projections and moving figures. For the bulk of the Park's operating hours, these effects could be turned off, allowing little kids to experience a less scary attraction. For late night, Halloween, or other special adult-only occasions, these scarier effects could be turned on, creating a special event overlay similar to the Haunted Mansion Nightmare Before Xmas and small world Holiday overlays.



Disney was not alone in seeing the scary potential of a forest. "The Wizard of Oz" also contains sequence guaranteed to make the little ones cringe in their seats. On the way to the Wicked Witch's Castle to capture her broom, our heroic quartet must make their way through the Haunted Forest.



Even the owls in this sequence look demonic!



A year later, "The Blue Bird" showed a terrifying sequence of Shirley Temple and friends running for their lives through a burning forest. Tylette (Gale Sondergaard) wants to stay human forever and she elicits the help of Royal Oak, convincing him and the other trees to scare the hell out of the kids.





The plan goes awry when the trees decide they must kill the children instead. Oops.



One of the group does actually perish, but you'll have to see the movie to find out which one it is.



What scared the hell out of you as a little kid?

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

4th of July Firework Bonanza!

Did you know that we have John Adams, 2nd President of the United States, to thank for fireworks on today's National Holiday?



He wrote this to his wife the day before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia:

"It ought to be solemnized with…illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."

So it shall be written. So it shall be done.

Inspired by a story from Mental Floss that I saw in Reader's Digest, today's post shows some of my favorite fireworks photos as well as ten different types of fireworks outlined in the Mental Floss post. At first I attempted to pair my photos with their ID, but soon got bored with my failure to match every one. Today would be a Reader's Digest attention-span day. Here we go with the 10 different types of fireworks and an initial photo from July 17, 1968 in Genuine FauxD©.

1. The Peony. This "spherical break of colored stars" is apparently the most common.



2. The Chrysanthemum. A variation of the Peony, with the difference being that the stars leave a visible trail of sparks.



3. The Willow. Produces trails of silver or gold stars that leave a weeping willow-ish outline.



4. The Horsetail. It's a compact little burst that falls down, well, like a horsetail. You might also hear this one referred to as a Waterfall Shell.



5. The Fish. The shell bursts and then you see little squiggles of light squirming away from the main burst. The effect looks like fish swimming away.



6. The Spider. Fast-burning and powerful, this one shoots stars straight out such that they look like spider legs.



7. The Palm. When this one bursts, it looks like a palm tree.





8. The Crosette. Take lots of tic-tac-toe boards and cross them over each other haphazardly. Usually accompanied by a loud crackling noise.



9. The Kamuro. Named after a Japanese hairstyle, this one has a dense burst that leaves a glittery trail.



10. The Rings. Can be arranged to look like atoms, which is very mental_floss-y. But typically you see rings within rings.

See more Daveland Disneyland Fireworks photos at my main website.

Gaggle of Gals go to Humphrey's

On Tuseday night, I finally had an outing with the infamous Gaggle of Gals (you might recall them from earlier posts). Our busy schedules finally aligned and we met at Humphrey's Concert Venue on Shelter Island for a night of Bluegrass music from Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers.



I've seen them in concert before (the music group, not the Gaggle), but this time, Edie Brickell was part of the show as well. My camera was not allowed in during the show (security held onto the battery for reassurance until the show was over), so the next few photos are from Mar-Mar's cell phone (thanks Mar-Mar!).



Each time I have seen them play, I have enjoyed hearing my favorite songs from past shows as well as (gasp!) the new ones. Martin remarked how much the announcement of "We're going to play a new song for you" can be the kiss of death to an audience. "How about you wait until it's a hit and THEN you can play it for us?" In this case, the new song (and the ones that followed) were just as enjoyable. Martin's commentary between numbers is always timely, always on target, and never fails to make the audience laugh.



Brickell was a wonderful addition to the group. I love her low-key yet self-assured styling, and especially the songs she sang that were inspired by her upbringing. Bluegrass requires a performance that is 100% genuine; there is nothing fake about Brickell's performance. My favorite song of the evening was the second to last encore song (the name of which escapes me).



After the show, we were all aglow from the performance, raving about how much we enjoyed it.



Steve graciously posed with the Gaggle, giving them a thrill that will not easily be replaced. Only a pretzel at the concession stand would have brought Mar-Mar more joy that evening. Steve had left his autograph book on the tour bus; I could see he was crestfallen that he would not get a chance to get the signatures of the Gaggle for posterity before they had to flit off for their next engagement.



Nicky Sanders, the talented fiddler from the band, also posed with the Gaggle. I am sure he is still reeling from this opportunity.



As you can see here, Mar-Mar had a great time.



Next stop on the group's tour is The Hollywood Bowl. In Hollywood. Funny how that works.



If you have the opportunity to be at the Bowl on the 4th for their Fireworks Spectacular, you'll be in for a treat.



To get tickets to see the band AND the fireworks, visit Steve Martin's website: stevemartin.com/

See more Daveland photography at my main website.

Adventureland Hidden Gems

Inspired by a post on the Disney Parks Blog, I thought I'd browse through my collection and see how many of these hidden gems I had photographed. Turns out I have all of them. I love when that happens.

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” Patrol Truck: In the outside queue area of Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the patrol trucks used in the filming of the first Indiana Jones movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Eeyore Parking Lot Sign in Indiana Jones Adventure Queue



Once you enter the Temple of the Forbidden Eye and reach the Projection Room, turn behind you and look up. Next to the projector, you’ll be able to faintly see a sign from the now-defunct Eeyore parking lot. The space that is now Indiana Jones Adventure was once home to the Eeyore parking section of the Disneyland parking lot.



This is probably the toughest one to see/photograph. The room is so dark, it is difficult to see the sign, let alone photograph it. If you immediately look up, you will not see the sign; you have to get far enough away from it (towards the movie screen/tablets) to be able to have the right vantage point. Otherwise, you just see this:



Photograph of Tarzan’s parents in Tarzan’s Treehouse

It’s a little challenging to find, but once you cross the bridge onto the Disneydendron semperflorens grandis (“large ever-blooming Disney tree”), you’ll find a small hut that has been ransacked by the villainous Sabor. On the floor, you’ll find an old photograph of the young family.



This one didn't really ring a bell, but apparently I took this shot in 2008. That's me…shoot now, ask questions later. The same photo/drawing can be found on the wall:



Pulling back, here's the room for reference. Seems odd that the same portrait would be used in two different spots of this attraction.



A portrait of Tarzan's parents, pre-Tarzan:



Zooming in, this one looks pretty cheesy. The styling for the time is very off. I guess they figured people wouldn't be paying attention or looking too closely.



Canary Island Palm Tree



The palm tree right next to the entrance to the Jungle Cruise – believe it or not – dates all the way back to 1896! When Walt Disney bought the property that would become Disneyland, he promised the owner that he would not remove the tree because of its sentimental value to the family. Disney Legend Bill Evans, who guided the landscape design of many Disney Parks, moved the tree to the Jungle Cruise entrance, where it proudly stands today.

In my contemporary shot, you can barely see the Palm, as it is blocked by the other foliage in front.



However, in this vintage shot, you can clearly see the Palm and what appears to be a second one further to the left. I wonder if that one is still in the park?

Here's an image of Walt himself standing near the Palm:



Shrunken Ned in the Adventureland Bazaar:



Located in the center of the marketplace, South Sea Traders is home to one of my favorite people in all of Disneyland park, Shrunken Ned. Housed inside a bamboo kiosk, Shrunken Ned is the magically shrunken head of a 19th century British explorer, who – for a small fee – will diagnose any illness and provide a small souvenir!

I remember the first time I discovered Ned back in 2007; I thought it was such a cool hidden treasure inside the Bazaar.





Here's one of the cards that you get when you put your coins into the machine:



Sounds like my kind of diet!



Any other hidden Adventureland gems you can think of?

See more Daveland Disneyland Adventureland photos at my main website.

56 Years Ago Today: The Gift of a Flag

Today's 56 year old photo comes from the USC Digital Library and shows Prime Minister of Afghanistan arriving at Disneyland via helicopter, July 1, 1958. From left to right: Sardar Mohammad Daud (Prime Minister), Jack Sayers, Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal, and Abdul Rahman Pazhwak. The vintage caption reads:

Arrival of Prime Minister of Afghanistan at Disneyland. His Royal Highness Sardar Mohammad Daud, Prime Minister of Afghanistan, is presented with a Disneyland flag on his arrival at the Anaheim amusement center. Presenter was Jack Sayers, Chairman, Park Operations committee. In the group are His Excellency Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal, Ambassador of Afghanistan and His Excellency Abdul Rahman Pazhwak, permanent representative to the United Nations. Party of 25 were flown from the Santa Susanna missile testing area by two USAF helicopters.

A closer look at the flag:



which is like the one that flies over the Main Street Train Station:





See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my main website.