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.
The Disney History Institute just posted incredible video involving the infamous Hatbox Ghost at the Haunted Mansion. Up until now, no one knew if the Hatbox Ghost existed within the walls of the Mansion.
Watch the video below to see the history of this amazing figure. (Also notice those great bronze plaques on the Mansion!)
A few weeks ago, I went to the Walt Disney Family Museum for the first time. I had been wanting to go for the last several years and I finally made it! And boy did it pay off.
The Walt Disney Family Museum
The Museum lies in an old historic building in the Presidio section of San Francisco. The surrounding forests and national cemetery make this location a perfect spot for the museum.
Right around the corner is the National Cemetery.
Banners show the way as to what building the museum is located in. Another hint is on the front lawn: There sits a life size portrait of Walt Disney surrounded by Mickey Mouse dolls. And guess what? One Mickey doll’s face is cut out so you can place your head inside! See below:
Greetings from the Museum!
Inside the lobby of the museum is the only place where photography is allowed. There one finds portraits of Walt and Lillian Disney along with hundreds of awards Walt has won in his lifetime. One glass case holds dozens of Oscars Walt has won including the special Oscar Shirley Temple presented to him for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.
And the Oscar goes to...Shirley Temple presenting Walt with the Oscar(s)
For us Disneyland fans, a special treat is located in the lobby. There, they have set up a replica of Walt’s apartment above the firehouse on Main Street at Disneyland. From the pictures I have seen of the original, it looks perfect.
Walt's Apartment
The Museum itself was incredible as it really is about Walt: the Man. There are many artifacts and photographs from his childhood days, his film and television days, and finally Disneyland. It was exciting to see cameras that Walt actually used to create his Alice shorts and other remarkable stories. When we get to the feature animation section of the museum, we find maquettes and artwork from “Snow White”, “Pinocchio”, and “Bambi” among others. It was really great to see these props that were so important to the production of these classic films.
The Disneyland section of the museum has some very neat things including a bust of Lincoln, which Blaine Gibson created for the New York World’s Fair (which later came to Disneyland), the animatronic torso of Lincoln, and an original Autopia car.
Then came the center piece of the Disneyland section. The Museum created a huge model of Disneyland, but this is Disneyland like you have never seen it before. This model included every attraction that Walt worked on personally, including those that he was not alive to see finished. What I really liked is that the Space Mountain which is displayed on the model is made to look like the John Hench concept artwork. The concept is all Walt saw of Space Mountain, so that was what was included. I also really loved how there are little figures (some animated) on the model. Behind the Pirates of the Caribbean building, there were little figures of the pirate on the barrels, the pirate on the cannon, and the Wicked Wench. Splashes were molded into the water and red lights would shine from the inside of those splashes. The Haunted Mansion had the hitchhiking ghosts, small world had children of the world spinning behind its facade, and Nature’s Wonderland had the spinning rocks! It was really one of the most incredible and detailed models I have ever seen. That alone is worth the price of admission.
Just a hint of the incredible model
Then came the conclusion to the Museum, which is heartbreaking. Old fashioned televisions and radios announce the death of Walt Disney and there is an entire wall of artwork from different newspapers announcing the death of Walt. Also on that wall were condolence telegrams from countless celebrities of film, television, and politics.
The World Cries for Walt
The Walt Disney Family Museum really does a remarkable job on giving us the story of Walt himself. Many kids forget that Disney was an actual person. This Museum helps remind us that Walt was real and that he touched the world. I highly recommend that every Disney fan visits this Museum. We all need to keep sight of one thing… It was all started by Walt.
Dusk was upon us on a Sunday in June. Disneyland of course was in store!
When we got to the park, we decided to enter in a unique way. We took the Monorail at the end of Downtown Disney! I love taking the Monorail into the park. It’s a nice way to avoid lines of people, plus you get a great trip out of it! I love gliding above Tomorrowland and looking at the abandoned tracks of where the People Mover once traveled.
Here Comes the Monorail!How I wish these were in use.
Taking the Monorail was really just for fun since we decided to go to DCA after arriving to Disneyland. We went to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and boy was it a great ride. The first scene, when your elevator is backing up, seemed to be freshly painted. The door looked great with its drybrush technique of Black Light paint. Also there seemed to be a lot more Black Light paint for the starfield effect on the doors. Of course the little LED lights were still there as well. The rest of the ride was just as great as it always is.
TOT
After the Tower, we made our way to Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train. It’s the funniest Disney ride I have ever been on. It is so short and simple that it makes it hilarious! For some reason, I really love it though. From the dripping watermelon to the smell of animal crackers, the Chew Chew Train is very memorable.
The Chew Chew Train!A Dripping Wet and Delicious Watermelon!
We then went to see if Goofy’s Sky School was doing a soft opening, but it wasn’t unfortunately. It looked like there was a vehicle on the tracks that was stuck and a family was being evacuated. That’s too bad. I haven’t been on Goofy’s Sky School yet, but I have been reading negative reviews of the ride. I don’t really understand why though. What do people expect? It’s the same exact ride as Mullhullond Madness except they put Goofy billboards up instead. I’m sure it’s a fun little ride and I don’t think it hurts the atmosphere for Paradise Pier at all. I think it looks nice.
Goofy's Sky School!
It was now time for Disneyland and our first stop was the Disney Gallery. We noticed that they changed the little room that was filled with Pirates and Haunted Mansion artwork. It now has drawings of different Disney characters which are for sale. I was a little upset with that as I loved the artwork that was in there previously. They also put a sign in the Mary Blair exhibit explaining what it was all about. Unfortunately, the put the sign where all those pictures of Walt and Mary were.
Inside the Disney Gallery
After the Gallery, we were hungry so we made a stop at the Bengal Barbeque. It was delicious. I love the chicken skewers with the green onion!
Chicken Skewer for me!
Then came a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. It was pretty much the same as the last visit. The middle guy waiting to be dunked in the well is still missing. One odd thing that happened on this trip was that the boats were all the way backed up to the “Pooped Pirate” scene. I had never seen it backed up that far. I thought that the ride was going to break down and we would be evacuated. But our boats slowly moved along through the burning city and me made our way up the waterfall.
The backed up boats helped us take this wonderful picture.
We went on The Haunted Mansion after that and as we were walking up, I could already hear the Ghost Host’s narration from outside. I hate going in once the Ghost Host has started his dialogue, so we stayed behind and waited for the next show. I don’t like it when the Cast Members force you inside when the narration has already started. That’s like missing a good portion of the ride. People don’t understand that, but if you’re a Disney nerd like me, you will get it. The ride ended up being great. Everything looked good and we got the tall skinny guy (Ezra) as our ghost to take home. Also I had noticed in the last few visits that an owl had been missing on a branch in the graveyard. For the longest time, only one owl was on the branch and I had sworn that there were supposed to be two. Well, the second bird is back and guess what? He has real feathers on him! It looked kind of funny like he was molting though, especially because the other owl doesn’t have authentic looking feathers. It’s still good to see those “love birds” are back and hooting away though.
A Big Old Mansion
We ended the night with a trip on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It is such a fun and enjoyable ride. Of course, I always have to give a nice wink to the Buffalo and Moose from the Country Bears.
The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down.
Here are a few pictures we took while walking around the parks:
The Majestic MatterhornThe sun pierces its way through the Matterhorn.Roses for your loved one?So Tasty!GRRGoofy's Fastpass MachinesTower QueueNew Cars Themed Paintings in the GalleryPainting in New OrleansA Stretching RoomHitchhiking GhostsThe ColumbiaThe Mark Twain
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the premiere rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It is a marvel in engineering, detail, and overall imagineering. But which Tower is better? Let’s take a look…
Disneyland ResortWalt Disney World
The Tower in Florida is more ominous and full of detail. It is 199 feet compared to DCA’s 183. But what adds to the overwhelming structure is that it is built on a hill as well.
The queue in Florida is perhaps the best I have ever experienced. You enter an overgrown garden that winds its way to the Hotel lobby. In DCA, we do not get this. Most of the outer queue in DCA is in a little section on the side of the Tower where you go back and forth.
DCA's Outdoor Queue
WDW's Winding Garden Queue
The lobby is better in Florida as well. The spider webs look more authentic and there are a few more things to see like a concierge desk. The detail that I love in DCA’s lobby is the little doll on the couch. It is very creepy and a great addition.
Notice the Doll in DCA's LobbyWDW's Lobby
Then comes the library. I think DCA has the better library. Visually, they look nearly identical, but DCA has the better audio quality.
DCA's LibraryArtifacts in WDW's Library
The Boiler Room is up next. Walt Disney World’s boiler room is amazing. It is very dark, eerie, and realistic. The noises coming from the generators also add to the authenticity. The DCA boiler room is unique as it has two levels, running water dripping from the pipes, and the chalk door outline leading into another dimension! But I gotta go with Florida’s boiler room.
The Door to Another Dimension in DCA's Boiler RoomDetail in WDW's Boiler Room
Then comes the ride itself and without a doubt, Walt Disney World has the better ride. I’m not going to explain in detail what is on the ride as I don’t want to spoil it for the people that have never been, but it is perfect. Not only does it thrill and scare you with its faster than gravity drops, but the overall feeling is that you really are entering the Twilight Zone and being haunted by these ghostly inhabitants of the hotel. Again, what DCA has over Florida’s is the better audio quality.
Take a Terrifying Ride into Another Dimension!
So while DCA’s Tower is great and one of my favorite rides at the Disneyland Resort, it just doesn’t compare to the original. Walt Disney World’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is perhaps the greatest single ride ever created.
Which one do you prefer?
Editor’s Note:
And once again, a big thank you to Daveland for use of their pictures!
The Man of a Thousand Voices, Paul Frees, would have been 91 today. Disneyland would not be as great as it is today without his incredible and unique vocal characterizations. Let’s take a look at some of the incredible characters he has voiced:
The Haunted Mansion:
Paul is the voice of our Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion. His rich and ominous sound echos through the halls of the Mansion and it is what I consider to be the greatest single voice over performance in Disneyland. Welcome Foolish Mortals!
Pirates of the Caribbean:
Paul is the voice of many Pirates including the Auctioneer, the Pirate with the Cats, and one of the imprisoned mates. Of course, he used to be the voice of the Pooped Pirate and the Captain of the Wicked Wench before they changed the ride. Shift Yer Cargo, Dearie...
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln:
Paul is also our narrator for the Lincoln attraction. He does an incredible job setting up the story of our greatest president in American history. From the skills of the sculptor and the talent of the artists...
Adventure Thru Inner Space:
An attraction that is no longer with us, but lies in the memory of anyone who experienced it. Paul was our host on this journey through the atoms of a snowflake. It was a wonderful voice over performance full of wonder and excitement. Oh how I wish I could have experienced this attraction. Can I possibly survive?
Happy 91st Birthday to the greatest: Paul Frees! The Man of a Thousand Voices
