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[Blog]

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Mary Poppins Original Costumes

Q: Does the Disney Archives hold any original costumes from the live-action films (e.g., Mary Poppins)?
Keith, London, England

A [Dave Smith]: Yes, the Archives has always had some live-action costumes, and beginning a few years ago, we greatly added to that collection from the Studio's Costume Department. We regularly select costumes today after new movies and television shows complete filming.

Pattent

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Audio-Animatronics

Q: Disney revolutionized theme park entertainment with Audio-Animatronics®. What are the oldest Audio-Animatronics® still being used at Disney Parks? Which is the most complex? What is the largest?
Ryan-Philippe, North Hills, California

A [Dave Smith]: While they have been upgraded through the years, the first Disneyland show with Audio-Animatronics® was the Enchanted Tiki Room in 1963. Human figures were first created for the 1964 New York World's Fair; the humans in the Carousel of Progress and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln were later added to Disneyland. The largest figures were the dinosaurs in Universe of Energy at Epcot and the mammoth Yeti in Expedition Everest, but the tallest one currently is the new Maleficent in Fantasmic! at Disneyland. The most complex early figure was probably Abraham Lincoln for the Fair — he was later simplified because he had possibly been made too elaborate, which caused maintenance issues. But the new Lincoln figure [since December 2009] at Disneyland is again sophisticate, with 20 functions in the head and face as opposed to seven in the preceding figure. Today some other Audio-Animatronics® have very realistic movements — such as the auctioneer in Pirates of the Caribbean and the Wicked Witch of the West in the Oz scene in The Great Movie Ride — or can even walk around, like Lucky the Dinosaur. Other complex figures today are Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story Midway Mania! and Stitch in Stitch's Great Escape.

Chef Remy Video and Audio-Animatronics Timeline [Marcio Disney]

Audio-Animatronics Timeline

Early 1950s	Walt Disney purchases a mechanical bird while vacationing in Europe. The souvenir becomes the inspiration for Audio-Animatronics technology.
1951	Work begins on “Project Little Man.” Roger Broggie and Wathel Rogers, pioneers in Audio-Animatronicstechnology, create a miniature figure that is programmed with cams, cables and tubes to mimic tap-dancing routines performed by the late Buddy Ebsen.
1963	Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room opens at Disneyland. It’s the first show to feature Audio-Animatronics technology.
1964	The world’s first fully animated human figure, Abraham Lincoln, debuts at the New York World’s Fair in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. The figure causes a sensation, not just with the audience, but with Disney Imagineers, who were able to complete the figure in half the time they anticipated. Audio-Animatronics figures are also in three other World’s Fair shows designed and produced by Disney: Carousel of Progress (featuring figures animated using a programming harness, a precursor of today’s motion capture systems), Magic Skyway and it’s a small world.
1964	Two Audio-Animatronics birds, Robin and Umbrella, appear in “Mary Poppins.” Walt Disney reinvests profits from the film to create MAPO, an organization within Walt Disney Imagineering dedicated to creating and innovating Audio-Animatronics figures.
1965	Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – featuring the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln (actually, a duplicate since the original was still performing at the World’s Fair) – opens at Disneyland.
1970	Audio-Animatronics technology enters the computer age with the use of DACS (Digital Animation Control System), a computer-controlled playback system for Disney shows and attractions. Imagineers also begin using the Anicon-Animation Console – for animating and programming figures.
1989	The first A-100 Audio-Animatronics figure, the Wicked Witch of the West, debuts as part of The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney-MGM Studios) in Walt Disney World Resort. A-100 figures incorporate compliance technology that gives the characters more fluid and realistic movements.
1992	Pirates of the Caribbean opens at Disneyland Paris. Attraction features sword-fighting pirates figures.
1998	Hopper, the grasshopper from the Disney•Pixar film “A Bug’s Life,” is the most sophisticated Audio-Animatronics figure produced to date. Featuring 74 functions, the character appears in “It’s Tough to be a Bug!”
2002	The first portable, all-electric Audio-Animatronics figure, Meeko, the raccoon from the Disney animated film “Pocahontas,” appears. He’s in a basket carried by Pocahontas.
2003	The first totally autonomous Audio-Animatronics figure, Lucky the Dinosaur, makes his debut, at Disney’s California Adventure.
2006	The yeti, a major element of Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is the largest and most powerful Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Standing more than 18 feet tall, the thrust of the yeti’s arm has the equivalent amount of force as a 747 jumbo jet.
2007	The Muppet Mobile Lab, featuring Muppets Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker, marks the first time that free-roaming Audio-Animatronics characters can interact and converse with each other, as well as with guests they encounter along their way.
2008 2009	Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story Mania! at both Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios marks the first time that anAudio-Animatronics figure features lips with such a wide range of lifelike movements, can remove and re-attach a body part (his ear) and has digitally animated eyes that can look directly at the particular guest with whom he is conversing. Also, since Mr. Potato Head has more lines of dialogue than any Audio-Animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering, it has required more programming hours than any other figure. Chef Remy, the lovable star of the Disney/Pixar film "Ratatouille," who is the smallest Audio-Animatronics in the world, is appearing six days a week, four times a day at Les Chefs de France in the France pavilion at Epcot. Click Here to read about the Chef Remy Audio-Animatronic

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History

http://momentosmagicosdisney.blogspot.com/
[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/momentosmagicosdisney/

Disney Archives
http://marciodisneyarchives.blogspot.com/

[Portuguese]

Momentos Mágicos Disney
[Blog]

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Disneyland's Indian Chief known as White Horse

Q: My late Great Uncle Truman Dailey use to work in Disneyland in the '50s or '60s as an Indian Chief known as White Horse. He was of the Otoe-Missouria tribe and I remember when my uncle came to visit he brought a program that he was featured in. For the life of me I could never find it. Would you have any information on him?

Kelley, Seminole, Oklahoma

A [Dave Smith]: We generally do not have information on specific Disneyland Cast Members, but it is wonderful to know this information about your great uncle. There was an Indian Village at the park from 1955 to 1971, and Disneyland visitors fondly remember the Native- American dancers, as they would teach their dances to young guests.

Pictures [Marcio Disney]

Indian Chief known as White Horse

Indians Dancing

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History

http://momentosmagicosdisney.blogspot.com/
[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/momentosmagicosdisney/

Disney Archives
http://marciodisneyarchives.blogspot.com/

[Portuguese]

Momentos Mágicos Disney
[Blog]

Monday, July 26, 2010

999 Happy Haunts at the Haunted Mansion

Q: This may be a question that is obvious or one that has been asked before... or perhaps just assumed, in any case. I know that the Haunted Mansion's Ghost Host states that the Mansion houses 999 Happy Haunts, and I was wondering if there are actually 999 ghosts in the Haunted Mansion or does that number include the tombstones and any other sort of reference that is not directly a ghost.

Janet, Windermere, Florida

A [Dave Smith]: One could probably not count all 999 ghosts in the Haunted Mansion, but the rest are there around you, invisible as ghosts are wont to be.

Picture and art by Marcio Disney at: http://tinyurl.com/MDLibSquare

INTERESTING FACTS [allears.net]

ºoº The Haunted Mansion is the only attraction featured in different lands at each of the four Disney theme parks worldwide:

Disneyland -- New Orleans Square
Magic Kingdom -- Liberty Square
Tokyo Disneyland -- Fantasyland
Disneyland Paris (where it is known as Phantom Manor) -- Frontierland

ºoº The singing busts in the graveyard scene warble the attraction’s theme song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts." Though sometimes mistaken for Walt Disney, the face on the bust on the left actually belongs to Thurl Ravenscroft, the song's soloist. Ravenscroft is best-known as the voice of Tony the Tiger, the mascot of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal. In addition to Ravenscroft, the Singing Busts include Jay Meyer, Verne Row, Bob Ebright, and Chuck Schroeder.

ºoº Grim Grinning Ghosts, with lyrics by X Atencio (who also wrote the Ghost Host’s script) and music by Buddy Baker, was recorded by the Mello Men, a singing group made up of Bill Lee, Max Smith, Bob Stevens, and Thurl Ravenscroft. The group also provided the vocals in many of the Disney films and theme park attractions.

ºoº Legendary voice artist Paul Frees -- known to many as Boris Badenov from "The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show"-- is the attraction's narrator, or "Ghost Host." He also provided the voices for most of the rogues in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History

http://momentosmagicosdisney.blogspot.com/
[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/momentosmagicosdisney/

Disney Archives
http://marciodisneyarchives.blogspot.com/

[Portuguese]

Momentos Mágicos Disney
[Blog]

Sunday, July 25, 2010

King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland

Q: If the Carrousel at Disneyland is named for King Arthur, and the sword in the stone is in front of it, why is all the artwork on the Carrousel from Sleeping Beauty?

Paul, Riverside, California

A [Dave Smith]: Well, I guess the Imagineers felt that since the Carrousel is inside Sleeping Beauty Castle's walls, they would use artwork to theme it to our Sleeping Beauty film. We had the same problem for years at Walt Disney World where King Stefan's Banquet Hall was inside Cinderella Castle (it has since been renamed Cinderella's Royal Table).

More Facts to Learn [Marcio Disney]

The horses at King Arthur Carrousel are genuine antique, older than Disneyland itself.

Do you know what it takes to make them look "new" even though they're decades old?

Repairing, sanding, refinishing and repainting are all parts of the preservation process.

As Heather Rivera, Social Media at Disneyland Resort, said:

"Not only are they antiques, they’re probably among the most well-maintained antiques in the world, considering they have guests bouncing up and down on them for hours a day, every day of the year."

Some Fun Facts:

    ºoº The original fleet of horses came from Canada.
    ºoº All the Carrousel horses are made of wood.
    ºoº There is one cast member whose sole responsibility is to take care of all 85 horses.
    ºoº There are 72 horses on King Arthur Carrousel at a time.
    ºoº Horses are rotated whenever they need maintenance.
    ºoº In 2008 Jingles, a very special horse, was redesigned and decorated in the theme of “Mary Poppins” as a dedication to actress Julie Andrews.

A Disneyland Resort cast member, Rick Temple, told Disney Parks Blog how King Arthur Carrousel is more than just an attraction – it’s a piece of history that he’s happy to preserve:

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History

http://momentosmagicosdisney.blogspot.com/
[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/momentosmagicosdisney/

Disney Archives
http://marciodisneyarchives.blogspot.com/

[Portuguese]

Momentos Mágicos Disney
[Blog]

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Telephone on the corner of Main Street, U.S.A.

Q: I am a huge Disney fan and my family and I go to Walt Disney World a lot. I was in a bookstore and saw a book called The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World. I bought it and read about dozens of things that I never knew about, including that there was a telephone near the front of the General Store on the corner of Main Street, U.S.A. and that when you picked it up you could hear a telephone conversation from a lady upstairs. The last time we went to Walt Disney World, I went inside the Emporium because it was on the corner. I found no telephone and asked where it may be and where the General Store on the corner is. The Cast Members did not have an answer to my questions and even looked in my book. Was the telephone taken out in a renovation of the park? Was it even there at all?

Bonnie, Chickamauga, Georgia

A [Dave Smith]: The telephone was in the Main Street Market House until it closed in 2007 and the Crystal Arts shop moved into its space. The phone was moved to a remodeled Chapeau shop in Town Square.

Phone Pics, Info and More Disney Secrets [Marcio Disney]

If you pick up the receiver, you can hear a conversation between a mother and her daughter, Annie. They discuss what they are going to buy at the store, the cost of certain items, and how to attract a man. Every now and then, a nosey eavesdropper, Miss Klump, listens in and is politely told to hang up by the mother. When the Cashiers at the store were asked about it, they just replied, "Of course the tenants upstairs!" or something like that.

Other Secrets:

Tink's Treasures - Look for Tinkerbelle in the Dresser Keyhole

This is no longer there. I asked a cast member and she said it had been taken away in a recent renovation. However you can "call" Tink. Ask the CM and they will give you a bell. If you ring it and yell "Tink" she'll fly over from Pixie Hollow and wave to you. I did it, it was pretty cool.

You can still wake up Tink if you're one of the first people to enter the store at opening. They've eliminated the "battles" by allowing a group of people to do it together now, not just one person/family.

Goofy statue on the bench- sit by him by the front entrance on main street and he will talk.

He's still there outside Tony's Town Square..I've heard him talk in the past but I'm not sure if he still talks. I've heard it depends if there's a Cast Member controling it at the moment you sit.

Fantasia golf- there is a hole that looks like the scene where the bucket throws water over the floor. 1st person to walk over this will set the water squirting.

Outside the Indiana Jones attraction at DHS there is a display with a rope and pulley over a "hole" in the ground. On the rope it says something like "Do not pull rope." If you pull it, you will hear the people down in the hole yell back at you. FYI: sometimes it doesn't do it, if it's been pulled recently

Tom Sawyer Island Paintbrushes! If you go over on one of the first rafts to Tom Sawyer Island, the CM will announce that Tom has misplaced his paintbrushes and if you return one to the CMs you'll get a prize. They are big with bright red or blue handles and aren't really "hidden." They are not hard to find and are usually just laying around somewhere. We've found them at the fort, the wind mill, and the Aunt Polly's seating area (what used to be the snack shop). If you find one you'll get a fastpass to any ride in the park for your entire family. You'll know if they've all been found by whether or not the CM announces it on the raft.

(some say it's just for Splash Mountain or BTMR but it was in the past. Nowadays, you can choose any ride)

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History

http://momentosmagicosdisney.blogspot.com/
[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/momentosmagicosdisney/

Disney Archives
http://marciodisneyarchives.blogspot.com/

[Portuguese]

Momentos Mágicos Disney
[Blog]

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sleeping Beauty Castle from Hills Bros. Coffee

Q: In 1959, at the time of the release of the Disney Sleeping Beauty film, a coffee company advertising on the Disney TV show offered as a premium a castle (complete with drawbridge) that must have been about two feet tall, along with small figures of the various characters from the movie, the tallest of which might have been six inches tall. The castle and the characters were all printed on sturdy paper. Is there any way to get a look at one of those castles and its occupants?
John, Hazlet, New Jersey

A [Dave smith]: In 1959, Hills Bros. Coffee offered a Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle with a working drawbridge which you could assemble. It came with 16 Sleeping Beauty figures, and "a catapult that really works." You could get order blanks at your neighborhood grocery store — the castle cost $1.25.

More to See [Marcio Disney]

Hills Brothers Coffee shop Interior

Hills Brothers Coffee shop Menu

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History

http://momentosmagicosdisney.blogspot.com/
[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/momentosmagicosdisney/

Disney Archives
http://marciodisneyarchives.blogspot.com/

[Portuguese]

Momentos Mágicos Disney
[Blog]

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Has Disneyland ever closed?

Q: Has Disneyland ever closed and if it has when?
Daniel, Chicago, Illinois

A [Dave Smith]: Disneyland was closed on Mondays during the off-season from 1955 to 1957, and on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1958 to 1985. The park closed full days for rain 11 times between 1956 and 1992, for the national day of mourning for President Kennedy in 1963 and in 2001 at the time of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. There have been a number of other days when the park closed early because of inclement weather.

More to Know [Marcio Disney]

The last time Disneyland was closed for a day was 5/4/2005 in preparation for the 50th anniversary celebration with started on 5/5/2005. Although that day was officially closed to the public they still had VIP's and Media for previews.

Why May 05, 2005?

In an historic first, all 10 of the Disney theme parks around the world collectively kick off the festivities for the "Happiest Celebration on Earth" to mark the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. (The opening of Hong Kong Disneyland in September will add #11 to the 18-month long global celebration.)

In Anaheim, the opening ceremony for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary takes place in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Special guests include singer LeeAnn Rimes (singing "Remember When"), Art Linkletter (who co-hosted the television grand opening in 1955), and legendary actress-singer Julie Andrews (the Honorary Ambassador of the 50th anniversary and star of Mary Poppins). A special anniversary fireworks show called "Remember ... Dreams Come True" (sponsored by American Honda Motor Co.) debuts.

Down in Florida, Epcot's new Soarin' (a simulator attraction) officially opens as does the Disney-MGM Studios' Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. Cinderellabration, a glittering stage show, officially premieres too - at the Magic Kingdom. Also officially debuting is Disney's Magical Express - a complimentary round-trip airport transfer for Disney World hotel guests

A Cast Member Called Lissa told us how was the 9/11 at Disneyland:

"Nothing was more eerie than working on and after 9/11. The parked was preparing to open that day when the news broke. Right away, all gates that were unlocked were quickly locked. All employees went to their emergency zones. Everyone was confused. Then, an announcement was made by one of our managers. Around noon-ish, it was officially decided not to open the park at all and most of us went home. Ticket booths stayed open to refund tickets while some stayed to turn away guests and break the bad news to them. Luckily, I wasn't there that day when it happened.

The next day, the parks were literally ghost towns. Only the hotel guests were really in the park. I remember working the monorail ticket booth (now a trading pin store) in the morning and I didn't sell a ticket. Just processed travel vouchers, sold Lion King tickets, and working as an information booth for the resort. Not a single guest walked through DTD, no planes in the sky, no music was playing on the walkway, and it was very difficult to keep a smile on anyone's face. Due to the low attendance, the parks closed earlier than scheduled. It was very surreal because only two days before it was packed. Something I'll never forget."

Other Dates:

When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
After the 1994 Northridge earthquake for inspection.

There is a difference between closing down early and not opening at all.

For death reasons, the most recent example of this is the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad accident in 2003. When that happened they cleared the entire frontierland area so you couldn't even get close enough to see the mountain. However, the rest of the park remained open.

August 06, 1970

A bizarre occurence takes place at Disneyland when 750 "Hippies" and "Radical Yippies" infiltrate the park, and take over the Wilderness Fort. They raise the Vietcong flag and pass reefers out to passersbys.

Later, they march in a Main Street parade, and sing their own lyrics to "Zipadee Doo Dah" ("Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Mihn is going to win..."). More conservative park guests try to drown them out by singing "America the Beautiful." Before the confrontation can heat up, a platoon of Anaheim Police officers in full riot gear pour into the park from backstage areas! A riot is adverted and Disneyland vice president of Operations Dick Nunis orders the park closed at 7:10 PM. For many years afterward Disneyland will selectively enforced a "dress code" at the park, occasionally refusing admission to "long-haired hippies". (This unusual incident is the only time an outside security force has ever made a full-blown public appearance at the park.)

Everyday, Disney fans send dozens of questions for Disney Chief Archivist Dave Smith. Here are Dave's answers to your questions. Check back every day for a new post with a new question.

Follow the links below to see our daily posts:

The Walt Disney World Picture of the Day

The Disney's Pin of the Day

The Disney's Vinylmation of the Day

And meet our other blogs and sites:

Marcio Disney Blog
[Blog]

http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/disney-tales

[Site]
http://sites.google.com/site/marciodisney/

Disney Tales [5 weekly tales]

The Disney History