Permanecer Sentados, Por Favor
Here comes the beginning for a series of great videos I came across while researching stock footage at work. I will post some of the best video footage of these pre-Disneyland theme parks here for your enjoyment. See what inspired some of our favorite Disney attractions!
First up: Coney Island
Coney Island was probably the most well-known amusement park in the world in the first half of the 20th century. Here’s a look at what came before the magic kingdom:
Robert’s Top Five:
5. World of Color
4. California Screamin’
3. The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
2. Soarin’ Over California
1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
David’s Top Five:
5. California Screamin’
4. Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
3. Blue Sky Cellar
2. Soarin’ Over California
1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Those are our top five. What’s yours?
In this new series, David and I will each list our top five favorite attractions at the different Disney parks we have visited.
We start with the original: Disneyland Park.
Robert’s Top Five:
5. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
4. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
3. Splash Mountain
2. The Haunted Mansion
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
David’s Top Five:
5. Star Tours
4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
3. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
1. The Haunted Mansion
Those are our top five. What’s yours?
Somehow, I stumbled upon these frighteningly real-looking videos from the security cameras at our favorite park on the planet, Disneyland. Now, I have heard of people seeing ghosts at the parks and seen really bad photos of ghosts at the park, but nothing quite like these.
I work in “the industry” and know a visual effect when I see it. This is either a very well executed visual effect by an avid Disneyland fanatic with a lot of time and resources on his hands, or a very bored security officer.
The problems I have with these videos is that there are either so many ghosts at the park that shooting any security camera at any time provides one with these results, or they’re a hoax — but how?! These are so incredibly haunting, I got goosebumps while watching them at work and continued to rewind them back and play them over and over again with a very genuine “how did they do that?!” look on my face.
That last one is my absolute favorite. Not just anyone has access to these apparent security cameras. How incredible is it that the possibility of these being real evokes these emotions out of me? I am a huge skeptic but I have an open mind. I just don’t have any grounds to disprove any of this.
I found another YouTube channel debunking these videos but I just don’t find their arguments to hold water. I, too, thought that it was a reflection at first on the lens but man, that last HM video is just INCREDIBLE! I don’t know much about security monitors but I have never seen a monitor “ghost” in that way. I liked watching his one video, though, because it has some other great videos.
The “ghost” videos that prompted this post were found at this YouTube page. They, unfortunately, are the only ones this user ever uploaded and the page has laid dormant for over 2 years — but not without gaining a substantial amount of hits! What do you think is going on in these videos? Is our magical park a haven for the disembodied?
A co-worker of mine showed me these videos and they were too awesome not to share with you all! Walt Disney is known as being the innovative force behind modern animation and porting that medium to feature films, but he was also a business man who knew how to tell a story.
With the help of corporate sponsors and his crack creative and animation departments, these little gems were produced by the Mouse and Co. to help prevent malaria, ease little girls’ fears about menstruation, and warn about the dangers of smoking. Pretty entertaining stuff — and ahead of its time, in some ways!
What are your favorite Disney educational videos? My favorite are the Goofy “How to…” series — even though they don’t really count as educational, per-se, I feel like I learned a lot about what not to do!
Let us know in the comments!
This one comes from the alley behind my office in Sherman Oaks. I passed it while it was parking on my way to pick up lunch and snapped this on my way back.
Weird thing is: there was a man driving the car. Still awesome.
I love park maps. During the 50th and even a few years after, there was a influx of great park maps. I would always eagerly await and collect these new maps as they came out. Then they did the “Year of a Million Dreams” promotion and the park maps took a turn for the worse. And there’s nothing terribly wrong with them but they almost never change and when they do, none of the designs are as good or creative as they were during the “Happiest Homecoming” celebration.
Then we have these classic park maps. These are maps of a park that many of us Disneyland bloggers never got to see. Sure, there are pictures and even old film strips from those early years but these hand-drawn park maps have a level of detail and care that you just don’t see anymore.
I could look at this all day — and I probably will. But I thought I would share this park map from 1962 posted by Flickr user Wishbook who has a ton of other great park maps. Check him out!
CLICK HERE to see a high-res version of the park map and download it as well!
The first brand new attraction since Toy Story: Midway Mania on Paradise Pier in 2008, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure continues the dark ride trend with this attraction. While not completely innovative in terms of ride vehicle technology, WDI has outdone themselves with these audio-animatronics here.
Rather than building the jaw-dropping figures as they have with Pirates and Mr. Lincoln, these characters look like the cartoons. Now, they do have some great pixar animatronics, but the animatronics in this ride are based upon a hand-drawn cell-animation style and they pull it off in spades.
We attended a soft-opening a week-or-so before the official opening day and were greeted by a short line. The first thing we noticed was how standard and uninspired the queue was. Just a back-and-forth just outside the ride. This could have come from some of the queues of Fantasyland but I don’t think the sea-life looking plant life between stantions reads as well as the poster art and wood carved railings of the “Pinnoccio” queue. We did notice some great detail in that the cement upon which you walk when in the queue is designed to look like sand with sea shells in it! This was a really nice touch and made us feel a little better about the ride ahead.
Upon entering the building, you are greeted by an impressively spansive mural depicting all of our favorite characters from the film. This is great looking and really harkins back to the Fantsyland dark rides. As your “shell-buggy” (maybe it will catch on?) approaches, you are whisked through a shipwreck and into the world of Ariel as narrated by none other than Scuttle! He starts to tell you about Ariel’s story as you start to go ‘under the sea’.
The ride’s biggest flaw is that’s the last time we see Scuttle until the end of the ride. Some of the biggest complaints about this ride are that it has no story and is just familiar scenes from the film. I argue that the scenes are great but there is enough down-time between them to have Scuttle guide us into the next scene. I suppose he wouldn’t possibly BE under the sea but don’t set it up that way and not follow through. There are plenty of times we are not under the sea.
I have no complaints about this ride beyond having Scuttle take us from scene to scene to tie it all together but it’s not that distracting to me, anyway. WDI really stepped up their game and this new tenchology they have created with the skin on these animatronics lends itself to the exciting possiblity for other classic Disney films withno rides like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
I back it!
I. Love. Star Tours. The thought of them touching it 5 years ago would have scared the bejesus out of me. Sure, there have always been rumors circling about the outdated ride technology and a possible update to the attraction but isn’t that nostalgia what we love most about the parks? The Pepper’s Ghost effect has been around for hundreds of years and the Fantasyland rides are always among the longest of the lines in the park. Plus, we all know how badly Lucas and Co. messed up the Star Wars world by CG-ing (we coin terms here at Remain Seated Please) everything in lieu of practical effects.
Yet, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue NAILS IT. I was so sad on my final trip to the Endor moon but when the RSP crew got to ride the new attraction for a passholder preview, all of us were stunned. The story varies from ride to ride but at the ride’s core, you are at a Star Tours port awaiting your flight to an undisclosed location. They prep you for your flight on the Star Speeder 1000 by issuing you galactic flight goggles and then send you on your way.
The preflight sequence gives you a glimpse into the workings behind your port’s door. While your ship is being fueled, cleaned, and maintained, C3-P0 follows R2-D2 to your vehicle for a systems check. While our R2 unit is loaded, 3-P0 releases our pilot, Ace, in order to repair our navigation systems prior to takeoff. We then get the normal schpiel about galactic flight regulations and as soon as our star speeder is prepped and has approached the launch platform, the doors open and a steel flight path takes us into our ship.
A flight person gives us our final check and sends us on our way… but without our pilot! C3-P0 is now at the helm and no one at Star Tours is paying attention to his distress calls. This is where the differring stories begin.
There are rumored to be 54 different story combinations, all of which I will not give away but it seems that the stories are broken up into 5 different sections. Each segways into the next seamlessly through clever storytelling by the WDI team. We rode about 10 times over the course of a few days and can say that while it is exciting to have randomized flight sequrnces, there does not seem to be 54 sequences.
Now, a cast member did tell us that during previews not all destinations were being previewed and more destinations like the Endor moon and Geonosis. We have not, however, taken another flight since the ride’s greand re-opening June 3rd of this year and I have not seen anything new come up on any Disney blogs or Twitters. Have you seen them yet?
Even so, the good sequences and destinations are GREAT. Unfortunately, the bad ones are just boring. The CG, however, looks incredible thoughout (sans the preflight sequence. They really bought the farm on that one.) I had to go to Hoth 4 times before I even thought to look for CG environments or elements. For someone as finnicky as I am about such things, that’s a great sign. Fake environments are so distracting and for them to be 3D on top of that is just icing on the cake of diappointment (great band name, by the way). But this ride breaks that mentality. They pulled off great CG, great 3D, and a great story.
I highly recommend this ride for children of all ages. It’s interactive (one of your fellow passengers is a Rebel spy, as it turns out!), funny, gorgeous, and thrilling! There are numerous nods to the original attraction, there are special guests from the Star Wars films that visit you during the ride, and a great randomized ride sequence. The rumors of other destinations like Geonosis and the Endor moon are glimmers of hope that this ride will be more well taken care of by WDI and Lucas this time around (Remember when star tours motion simulator format was sold upon the idea of easy updates and enhancements?)
I loved Star Tours but Star Tours: The Adventures Continue pulls off the greatest feat of all – replacing an amazingly popular E-ticket attraction with something better.
I love all of the hidden gems in the parks. From Europe to Anaheim or Mickeys to restrooms, there are so many small details and special touches that really drive the vision of Walt Disney into genius.
This gem is one I was shown by a cast member inside the brand new Star Trader in Tomorrowland. It’s a hidden Mickey do you see it?
It took me a while to find it but sure enough it was there. i actually thought this was the one she was talking about.
This also made me re-think my skepticism about the one on the planet at the Space Mountain exit. These hidden Mickeys are so well hidden that some can just be glanced over without a thought.
What are some of the most illusive “hidden trasures” you have found at the parks – be it hidden Mickey or otherwise? I cant wait to tell you about all of the freemason symbols throughout the park.
