Yesterday at Disney California Adventure, a unique opportunity arose. As I made my way over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I noticed it was down. I walked up to the front and I noticed they were letting a few people inside. As I approached the bellhop, she said “Come in”. Inside they let us explore the lobby and library. We could really get close to these wonderful details that you would never notice on a normal day. Besides the up close experience, the bellhops did a great job conducting their tours describing facts and secrets. For instance, did you know that the couch and two chairs represent the ghostly inhabitants of that fallen elevator? The following are some photos I took. Unfortunately, I only had my phone, so the quality of the photos aren’t as nice as I would have hoped. Enjoy!
The Hollywood Tower Hotel
Registration
An antique case of cigars left behind from that fateful night.
The Registry (Signed by Imagineers who created the Attraction)
1939 Newspaper Details
A unique point of view of the lobby’s centerpiece.
Items to represent the ghostly Mother.
An antique lamp on the dinner table.
The guests left in a rush after the incident occurred.
This person was enjoying a cup of tea that night.
This person had a feeling something bad was going to happen. The occurrence happened right in the middle of her sentence.
This cup of tea belongs to the setting representing the ghostly maid who looks after the young starlet.
The maid’s setting.
A Shirley Temple doll left behind by the ghostly child. She didn’t forget her Mickey Mouse doll however!
This represents the ghostly Father from that night in 1939.
Today marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most popular attractions in all of the Disneyland Resort: “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”!
Opening 10 years after its original counterpart, the Tower of Terror possesses all the things that make a great Disney attraction. From every cob web to every leaky pipe, the details are fantastic.
I would now like to share with you a few photographs we have taken over the years showcasing the grand hotel in all its eerie glory.
This is an issue of Disney News which premiered for the opening of “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Featured is the Auctioneer and Big Blue from “Pirates”, but they look a little different, don’t they? These are not audio animatronics, but life-size static models, which Walt actually got to see! Walt was around for this life-size mockup of the entire auction scene. Where are these full figures today, I wonder?
Here is a new thing we are going to try out. Over the years, I have collected tons and tons of Disney photos from the internet, books, thrift shops, antique stores, ebay… So I thought that every week, I would post a picture I have collected.
Ready for the first photo? Here we go!
It All Started With a Mouse.
If you want to request that we post a photo of a certain attraction, character, film, or what have you, please let us know and we’ll do our best to please you.
This year’s D23 Expo has come to a close and boy was it a wonderful time. There was plenty to see and do throughout the three days. In this post, I will break down my favorite things that I experienced.
JOURNEY INTO IMAGINEERING:
This was by far my favorite thing in the entire expo. Imagineering set up a replica of their headquarters in Glendale. Inside, they had areas showcasing every aspect of Imagineering.
The pavilion began with a preshow video that was just incredible. At one point, doors open to reveal the Hatbox Ghost from The Haunted Mansion! It was very exciting to see him. Once the preshow was over, a different set of doors opened and you were free to do whatever you want.
The Hatbox Ghost in the Preshow Video
The first highlight of the pavilion was getting to see the concept model for a scene from Western River Expedition.
This attraction was to be on the same scale as Pirates of the Caribbean and was to be featured at Walt Disney World. But alas it never happened. Fans demanded their own version of Pirates of the Caribbean instead. This is probably the best attraction to never happen and to see a model up close really shows you how incredible it would have been.
Then came the Imagineering Art Library which held the two most famous art pieces in Disneyland history. To see these originals in person is a real treat.
The first was the drawing that Herb Ryman created of Disneyland so Walt could bring it to the bankers to fund Disneyland.
By Herb Ryman
The second was the painting that Walt Disney showcased on his Disneyland television show when he announced Disneyland.
This photo is of a copy of the original. The Peter Ellenshaw original was on display at D23.
The painting was done by Peter Ellenshaw and this was the first time it was available for the public to see. But the best part by far was when the lights dimmed down and black lights came on to show Disneyland at night. Ellenshaw painted over all the windows, lanterns, and other things that give off light with special black light paint to give the feeling of night time at Disneyland. It was something I will never forget.
Then came the area about audio animatronics. The first thing one notices is a replica of the Hatbox Ghost from the Haunted Mansion!
He was built off of the same animatronic skeleton used for the Auctioneer in Pirates and he moved so fluently. He even breathed! Let’s hope one day they bring him back.
Also in that area, they had the barker bird from Walt Disney World’s Pirates of the Caribbean and guests were able to control his movements!
The other highlight for me from this area was the animatronic heads of two different Pirates of the Caribbean. Can you tell which Pirates they are?
The next highlight for me was seeing the original statues from Snow White’s Grotto at Disneyland.
The statues were replaced with replicas in 1982 as weather conditions started to take its toll on the originals. It was really great seeing these up close.
Next came my favorite piece in the pavilion. They had Abraham Lincoln’s animatronic head from Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
This is one of the current heads being used, which has more lifelike functions than any animatronic ever created. And the head would even talk!
But then there is El Fortuno!
El Fortuno is the most sophisticated and realistic audio animatronic ever created. Not only does he move more realistically than any other animatronic ever created, but he makes eye contact with you also! He is performed by a live actor and his movements are being copied in real time. I was in awe looking at him.
Other things throughout the pavilion I loved seeing were concept models for The Land and Spaceship Earth.
Concept Model of The Land Pavilion at Epcot.
The interior of The Land concept model.
Concept model for Spaceship Earth at Epcot.
Another fun thing that they did inside the pavilion was a scavenger hunt called the Adventure Trading Co. It was all Adventureland themed, and you would get a telegram with instructions on it. You had to go throughout the expo (and even at one point to Trader Sam’s) and finish the tasks given. Afterwards you would be given a trinket called a juju. All the juju’s look really neat and many of them reference different Disney attractions. The game was there to be tested to see if it would do well at Disneyland. I think it would do well. It was awfully fun and very addicting.
The jujus we collected.
PANELS:
The first panel that I saw at D23 this year was about the creation of Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Albert the Monkey from Mystic Manor was on Display!
They went over every scene from the attraction and showed video on how they created it. For those that don’t know, Mystic Manor is Hong Kong Disneyland’s own version of the Haunted Mansion. It opened this year, and I’m in love with it. Let’s hope one day I will be able to see it in person.
The next panel I saw of the Voices of the Parks, which is always my favorite panel.
Corey Burton and Mark Silverman meet fans after the panel.
This year featured the return of voice actors Mark Silverman (Rod Serling in the Tower of Terror), Corey Burton (Your Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion Holiday), BJ Ward (The voice of the Peoplemover), and Bill Rogers (The Voice of Disneyland). Along with them, we got a few new voice actors including a couple of the spanish speaking spiel voices! They were all really great and funny. But as we only had one hour with these voice actors, it seemed too short. Where other panels seem to drag, the voice panel always seems to not have enough time.
The final panel that I saw was called Working with Walt. This panel featured Imagineers, Marty Sklar, Bob Gurr, Alice Davis, and X. Atencio. It was a real joy to hear their personal stories about working with Walt Disney and creating the best attractions known to man. My favorite part was when Atencio sang Yo Ho. X. Atencio wrote the entire script for Pirates and Haunted Mansion. I’d say he’s a real talent!
Alice Davis and X. Atencio
IN THE ARENA:
Saturday night I saw something really special. They put on a live concert featuring Richard Sherman and Alan Menken.
It was incredible seeing these two legends perform all their classic Disney hits. Richard Sherman had the moment of the night for me, when he played Feed the Birds. He got a huge standing ovation after that one. Also, when Sherman performed Spoonful of Sugar, BJ Novak and Jason Schwartzman came out to sing along. They play the Sherman Brothers in the upcoming film Saving Mr. Banks.
The night was capped off by Sherman and Menken performing A Whole New World and it’s a small world together. It was a night I will never forget.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, it was a very successful D23. I did think the layout was a bit odd and more confusing than it was in years past and I wasn’t too impressed with anything besides the Imagineering pavilion. But even though, it was still worth it. Also it sure was crowded the entire time. The biggest lines being to shop at the stores inside. I heard people waited 6 hours to go to the Disney store! What could one possibly need that bad?
But the 2013 D23 Expo really was special, as it is every year. They do an excellent job by letting you in to the creating process of their work and it is something you can’t take for granted. I never thought in a million years I would be able to see some of the stuff that I saw this year. Thank you Disney for putting all of this together.
With the D23 Expo 2013 only two days away, I wanted to give some advice and recommendations about how to enjoy your time at the Anaheim Convention Center.
First off, arrive early. If there is a panel that you are interested in seeing, make sure you are there early. Be there maybe 2 hours early. If you are interested in the Walt Disney Studios presentation which is Saturday at 10:30am, I recommend getting in line as early as possible. Lines will begin to form at 5am and that’s when you should be there if you want to see this one.
Now I know I get a bit overwhelmed with the whole event because there is so much I want to see and do, but just take a breath and have fun. Just know you can’t see everything, but you’ll still have a wonderful time. There will be plenty of exhibits and vendors to enjoy for hours on end and you will be sure to get into a panel or two.
The following are panels and presentations that I would like to see:
1. Mayhem, Mischief, and Monkeys: The Magic of Mystic Manor – A panel discussion about Hong Kong Disneyland’s newest attraction inspired by the Haunted Mansion. – Friday August 9th at 10:30am
2. Undiscovered Disneyland – Tony Baxter and Josh Shipley will present never before seen footage from Disneyland dating back to the 1950s. – Friday August 9th at 12:30pm
3. Voices of the Disney Parks – The people that bring Disney Parks to life with their voices will be there to discuss and share stories. – Saturday August 10th at 2:00pm
4. Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook – These two Disney Legends will be performing many of their classic pieces. – Saturday August 10th at 6:30pm
5. Walt Disney Imagineering’s 60th: Working with Walt – Disney Imagineers from Walt’s era will discuss what it was like to work with the man himself. – Sunday August 11th at 9:30am
6. Walt Disney Imagineering’s 60th: Craft of Creativity – CurrentDisney Imagineers will discuss what it is like to work as an Imagineer. – Sunday August 11th at 1:00pm
Those are all the panels I am going to try and see this upcoming weekend. For a full schedule of events, click the link below:
