Kate • Disney Cicerone

This became standard practice for all Disney dark rides over the years, which you can see in Walt Disney World’s Peter Pan as well as Disneyland’s Fantasyland rides. Claude Coats also oversaw the blacklight effects a few years later in the colored waterfalls of Rainbow Caverns Mine Train 🌈 A few points of clarification: The rides we have in Fantasyland now (and that I feature here) are not the originals. In 1983, Fantasyland went through an extensive remodel which demolished the original versions. However, the original rides also featured a transitional space that was lit with incandescent light before the black light scenes. Alice in Wonderland also went through a complete remodel in the 80s, and though it didn’t open until 1958, I included it here for several reasons: It was largely created by Claude Coats and it was planned to be included in opening-day Fantasyland (even as a walk-through), so I consider it in the same era as the other rides in terms of design. #disneyland #disney #imagineering #imagineer #claudecoats #disneyparks #disneysecrets #disneylandpark #disneylandcalifornia #themepark #disneyhistory #fantasyland #disneytrivia #disneyfunfacts #transitions #peterpan #mrtoad #snowwhite #aliceinwonderland #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneynerd #disneytiktok #disneytok

Sometimes a story is just a great story 🤷‍♀️ Unfortunately, when it comes to Disney history, there is a lot of misinformation that sometimes finds its way into becoming accepted as truth over time, especially when it’s a heartwarming tale like this Mary Poppins origin story. The Joe Grant remembered his wife reading the book to Walt’s daughters Diane and Sharon when they came over to their house. In a ln interview with Michael Barrier on Oct. 14, 1988, Joe Grant recounted, “She used to read it to the kids. [Walt] came over one day, and we mentioned it to him. He wasn’t interested in it right away, but that’s the first time he heard of it. Mary Poppins originated with Jennie” Of course, one interview is never enough to quite trust as fact, because people sometimes misremember details or make up their own stories. That’s why Diane Disney Miller’s account is what confirms that the popular story is not true. As she told it, “Dad would hear me laughing alone in my room and come in to see what I was laughing at, and It was usually the gentle, whimsical humor of A. A. Milne’s Pooh stories.” She stated specifically that it was Winnie the Pooh that she begged her dad to make into a movie, not Mary Poppins. All that being said, I do think that, besides this historical error, the 60th anniversary tribute was lovely and I for sure cried like a baby at the Sherman Brothers tribute section. Mary Poppins will always be one of my absolute favorite Disney films of all time and I’m so glad they honored it in such a beautiful way 🥰 ##marypoppins##disney##disneymovie##waltdisney##disneyfilm##jollyholiday##disneyparks##disneystudios##disneyhistory##disneyfacts##disneysecrets##disneytrivia##joegrant##disneyland##disneynerd##disneyfan##disneymistakes##abc##disneystories##disneyfactsyoudontknow##vintagedisney##retrodisney##disneytiktok##disneytok

Don’t worry, she gets her revenge by coming back to haunt him 😉 Without a doubt, this safe is the most interesting thing in this queue, but it isn’t the only reference to some obscure Haunted Mansion history. Some of it is simply recycled props from the old Fastpass queue, but many items found in the new extended queue have stories of their own which we talk about extensively in our Distory with Kate & Kirk p0dcast. Captain Bartholomew Gore can be traced back to some early scripts by Ken Anderson in the late 1950s. My p0dcast co-host Kirk was the one who suggested that the fountain in the queue is alluding to Priscilla down in the well with Captain Gore above her (his “treasures” are trophy urns to the left and right.) The original well would have had 🩸 red water, and a poem scratched onto a nearby wall “ding dong dell Priscilla‘s down the well… who threw her in? The wicked Cap-a-tain”. If anyone from Imagineering ever sees this… if you could add some red lighting to the water (or even these words scratched into the wall somwhere??), that would absolutely make our distorian hearts happy for all eternity. Please and thank you. #hauntedmansion #disneyhistory #hauntedmansionqueue #disneyland #disney #disneyparks #disneysecrets #disneyfacts #disneytrivia #disneystories #disneyconceptart #imagineering #imagineers #grimgrinningghosts #disneynerd #disneyfan #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneytiktok #disneytok #pirates #piratesofthecaribbean #disneylandsecrets #disneylandpark #disneylandcalifornia #neworleanssquare

As I always say, Imagineers do not create in a vacuum, they are inspired by all kinds of sources 📖 It should be noted that while Marc Davis was inspired by these tales of piracy, he didn’t end up using the lives of real pirates because their ends were not terribly heroic and most definitely not family friendly 😬 That’s why you don’t see a lot of famous pirates on the original version of the attraction from 1967. Some of Marc Davis‘s first sketches of these real pirates were added later though to the walls of the queue. Marc Davis called the section with the Jolly Roger “mysterious” because “people don’t know where the heck they are and they hear ‘dead men telll no tales’. They come around this corner and there’s a skull up above and pow! All of a sudden the bottom falls out of the thing! That was really scary to people at first.” The talking skull was voiced by Imagineer X. Atencio (who also wrote the lyrics to Yo Ho, Yo Ho A Pirate’s Life for Me), but when you hear the phrase later on in the attraction in the ghostly grotto, it’s performed by Paul Frees. #pirat#piratesm#deadmentellnotalese#disneye#disneyridese#disneyparkse#disneymoviest#piratesofthecaribbean #potce#disneylande#disneyworldd#marcdavisi#imagineeringe#disneyhistorye#disneystoriese#disneyfactsse#disneytriviae#disneylandcaliforniae#disneyattractionse#disneyconceptartr#neworleanssquaree#disneynerde#disneytiktoke#disneytok

I haven’t seen Casey the same after making this connection… it seems obvious but I didn’t put two and two together until recently 🙈 The character of Casey comes from the 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat” by Earnest Thayer, which Disney made into an animated segment of Make Mine Music in 1946. The description I included of Sleepy Hollow Refreshments came from a pre-opening 1971 cast member handbook for Liberty Square. My apologies for my wonky highlighting, I was reading it while I was on a flight that had crazy turbulence flying into Denver ✈️ As for the Hall of Presidents, there weren’t that many attractions in the Magic Kingdom when this park opened, and it had zero thrill rides. Instead, they leaned heavily on shows and slow-moving rides because they assumed that the local population was largely who they were catering to (like they did in Anaheim). Considering that the local population was more elderly, WED (Imagineering) assumed that guests wouldn’t be interested in throw rides. That’s why you see so many shows in the Magic Kingdom, like the Country Bears, the Hall of Presidents, and the Tropical Serenade (which is now is the enchanted tiki room). They did add more thrill rides later when they realize this was more of a destination park and they needed to design it as such. I always thought that was funny because they marketed Walt Disney World as the Vacation Kingdom, and their target market was the entire Eastern seaboard. There must’ve been some sort of disconnect between marketing and design 😂 #wdw #disneyworld #magickingdom #disneyhistory #vintagedisney #retrodisney #disneynerd #disneyfan #disneysecrets #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #mainstreetusa #libertysquare #caseyscorner #fantasyland #disneyparks #waltdisneyworld #disney ##disneydining#sleepyhollow #disneychristmas #disneyholidays #disneyfood #disneydrinks #disneytok #disneytiktok #pocketfam

It all fell apart. The Chicken of the Sea pirate ship wasn’t supposed to become a memory when they remodeled Fantasyland in 1983. The first plan was to move it carefully to the end of Storybookland Canal Boats so it could continue to add whimsy delight nostalgia but when they looked closer they saw a problem. Termites. Rot. Damage. Unsalvageable. And so the Fantasyland icon that had an earmarked spot for its second life instead crumbled to pieces as heavy machinery tore it apart. A second, smaller ship was planned and then later canceled, forgotten along the way erased by lack of money, or time, or both as good intentions often are But a few items from the first were salvaged from its hull snuck away into the night and found a home on a new pirate ship indoors this time where people don’t have to grow up and wonderful thoughts can make you fly. ropes and rigging found a purpose that wasn’t what was planned but in that way what fell apart helped build something new holding together a new dream as the broken pieces of ourselves often do. -kg Note: There have been rumors for years that the lanterns and hook in the queue of Disneyland’s Peter Pan are also salvaged pieces from the Chicken of the Sea pirate ship, but I’ve never seen any evidence to confirm that. The ropes and rigging, however, were something that imagineer Tony Baxter did say in an interview were repurposed when they extended the ride and imported the Jolly Roger purate ship scene from the Walt Disney World version. #peterpan #disneyrides #disneyhistory #peterpansflight #disney #disneyparks #imagineering #disneyland #disneylandpark #disneylandcalifornia #vintagedisneyland #retrodisney #disneyattractions #disneyinspired #pirateship #1950s #disneyhistory #encouragement #disneysecrets #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #disneynerd #disneytok #disneytiktok #fantasyland

Why did they take the tree away this year 😭 This was by far the BEST version of the Jingle Cruise, and I’m so sad they did nothing to recognize it’s legacy this year 🥺 Shout out to the one skipper I saw with a burlap Santa hat, seeing that small piece of this extinct overlay was the highlight of my cruise this year. The jokes I used here were all ones that you could hear on the Jingle Cruise in one form or another. Some scenes I didn’t have time to talk about were the fake snow and the plastic lawn decor in the African Veldt (“The lions have gotten what they wanted for Christmas. There’s Dasher and dancer and prancer and vixen. Comet wasn’t as fast as he thought he was. Don’t eat that! It’s molded! It will sleigh ‘em!”) and the fruitcake was highlighted again in the Hippo pool. In headhunter territory (where the crashed boat scene is now), the natives were wearing Christmas sweaters and listening to Christmas music on an old Victrola, which is also something you see in trader Sam’s gift shop at the end with the monkey, spinning around on the top. I still have hope that someday they will bring back the Jingle Cruise in Disneyland. But if they can’t restore the whole overlay, I wish they would at least bring back the little tree 😭 #jingl#jinglecruisel#junglecruisee#disneylande#disneyparksi#imagineeringe#disneychristmase#disneyholidayse#disneyridese#disneyattractionse#disneysecretse#disneyfactse#disneytriviae#disneyjokesl#junglecruiseskippers#christmastreee#disneylandcaliforniae#disneylandresorte#disneylandparke#disneylandchristmase#disneynerde#disneytoke#disneytiktokn#adventureland

If it were up to Marc Davis, there would be a lot more cats in the Mansion 😂 as it is, we only have the one in the load area, which alludes to the abandoned one-eyed demon cat concept (well, that and a few cats in the graveyard, also courtesy of Marc). One elevation sketch did show a screeching cat weathervane though (kinda sad we don’t have that tbh). The Haunted Mansion went through so many changes in the decade of its development, but it’s hard to credit any one particular artist with these concepts. If you asked Marc Davis, he’d say that 85% of the ideas in the Mansion were his, but he used an awful lot of concepts and develoment work from Ken Anderson, Rolly Crump, Yale, Gracey, Claude Coats, and others. Like Leota, for example… she had variations created by Rolly Crump, Marc Davis (the Madame Z. concepts) Ken Anderson, and even Dorothea Redmond, all of which ended up in one way or another in the final version. There are endless ideas that came from the early walk-through concepts, but I just picked a few for lack of time. Some others include the trees outside the window in the conservatory (from the sleepy Hollow concept), the doom buggies up on the second level overlooking the grand hall, and the bride (though her story was very different than it is now). #disney #hauntedmansion #disneysecrets ##disneytrivia#disneyhistory #disneyhauntedmansion #disneylandhistory #disneyland #disneylandpark #disneyfacts #madameleota #disneyconceptart #disneypark #magickingdom #hauntedmansionholiday #imagineering #imagineers #disneynerd #marcdavis #disneytiktok #disneytok #disneylandcalifornia

Still can’t believe I said that… I didn’t realize what I was saying 🙈😂 This is just the tip of the iceberg for the hundreds of details in this queue that reference either Haunted Mansion history or are subtle foreshadowing for what is to come. We are currently inching our way through the queue on our Distory with Kate & Kirk P0dcast to try to catch as many of them as possible, and its been a fun (and hilarious) journey so far 😂 The Fox sisters started the spiritualism movement in New York in 1848 when they tried to communicate with the spirit of a 💀 peddler in the celler of their house using a series of coded knocks. They later revealed in 1888 that the “rappings” were just them cracking their knuckles and joints to produce the sound, but by then the spiritualism movement had taken off. If you want to hear more stories and secrets that can be found in this new Haunted Mansion expanded queue, you can listen to Distory anywhere you enjoy p0dcasts, or watch on my Disney Cicerone channel on YT 📺 #hauntedmansion #distory #disneysecrets #disneyhistory #disneyshauntedmansion #hauntedmansionholiday #disneyparks #disneyland #disney #disneyfan #disneynerd #disneyfacts #disneytrivia #spiritualism #madameleota #christmas #christmasornaments #gazingballs #disneychristmas #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneylandpark #disneycastles #disneyholidays #disneylandcalifornia #disneytok #disneytiktok

I can just imagine Marc looking at a concept & thinking, “Something is missing… maybe if I throw in a couple cats... ah yes, PERFECT.” (Or should it be purrrrfect 😂) Marc Davis was notorious for creating vast amounts of concept art pieces for attractions just to have options for what direction they would like to go (he did the same for characters when he worked as an animator). He knew they would not use every single concept that he sketched, but I sometimes wonder if he wished they would have included more of these cats, especially in the Haunted Mansion where a black cat crossing your path just makes a lot of sense. The Sinister 11 portraits hang in the Walt Disney World version of the Haunted Mansion, though not in the portrait gallery like they originally did (unless you’re in the Tokyo version). The opera glasses lady and the Witch of Walpurgis both have black cats in their portraits. I’m still holding out hope they’ll add that kitchen someday to the Haunted Mansion 🥺 I’m glad they give a nod to the one-eyed demon cat in the queue, but he’s not *quite* as sinister as X. Atencio imagined 😂 Walt Disney World also has a little one-eyed cat in their extended queue area on the side of the crypt with the organ. #disney ##hauntedmansion##marcdavis##conceptart#c#cats#disneycats#disneyhistory #junglecruise #disneynerd #piratesofthecaribbean #disneyrides #disneyattractions #disneysecrets #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #imagineering #imagineers ##disneyshauntedmansion#catart #disneyparks #disneyland #disneyworld #disneylandpark #wdw #magickingdom #disneytok#disneytokktok

Even though I’m glad this piece of history exists, I’m still grateful for Harper Goff’s redesign of the showcase so that we can have a casual stroll around the world vs everything being indoors. Harper Goff’s way of convincing everyone is a fun story… he simply made the concept art for the countries laid out around a lagoon and hung it behind his desk so that every time someone came in his office to talk to him, they saw it. Overtime, people at WED began to think, “Hey that might be a good idea.” 😂 The shape of the original world showcase didn’t completely disappear, as it inspired the design of the Communicore section of EPCOT Center’s Future World. Fellow Distorians who know about the never-built Rhine river cruise from the Germany pavilion might notice how that concept was present in this original “pie” world showcase. Venezuela (a country who’s concept was developed for this early version) even had indoor waterfalls and gondola rides. We talk more about this transition for World Showcase in our Epcot Origins series in our Distory with Kate & Kirk P0dcast in case you want a deeper dive on this topic 🎧 #epcot #mexicopavilion #wed #imagineering#imagineering#disneypark #waltdisneyworld #disneyworld #disneyhistory #disneydesign #epcothistory #retrodisney #disneyvintage #disneynerds #disneyfans #disneyfacts #disneytrivia #worldshowcase #epcotworldshowcase ##waltdisney#disneysecrets #disneytiktok ##disneytok

If it makes you feel better, Walt wasn’t entirely a curmudgeon… he did enjoy setting up train sets and toys for the girls for Christmas. 🚂 His lack of finesse at gift-giving didn’t stop with his family. According to WED Imagineer Joyce Carlson, “At Christmas time, we’d have a little party and he’d bring little compacts, face powder, nylons, cosmetics, and he’d go around to all the girls, and you could pick what you wanted. Merry Christmas!” 😂 I also wonder if Walt wasn’t a bit of an introvert at heart, beyond being simply a workaholic who hated taking a day off (which Isadly relate to all too well 🙈), especially with Lillian’s comments about how he’d retreat to being alone after social functions. “Walt didn’t like holidays because he couldn’t work on them. Everybody took off for the day, at the studio. Christmas didn’t mean a great deal to him. When he got through with the festivities he went to his room and read, usually. He never wasted time. He liked to set up the children’s toys as he did the train one year. But he couldn’t just sit and visit with people. ”-  Lillian Disney  #waltdisney #disney #disneychristmas #wdfmuseum #disneyparks #disneyholidays #christmastime #retrodisney #disneyvintage #disneyland #disneylandpark #classicchristmas #disneynerd #disneyhistory #lilliandisney #christmasgift #christmaspresent #disneyfan #disneylandcalifornia #disneytiktok #disneytok #mainstreetusa #advocateforyourself

10/10 do not recommend. Worst choice I’ve made in a while at Disney 🤢 In case you’re wondering, my friend Kirk from @Kirk • Theme Park Expert and I have this thing that whenever we get food, we have to try one condiment from the place where we are eating. It started with Kirk asking me how much he’d have to pay me to drink a container of syrup at Sleepy Hollow a few months ago, and now it’s just become a tradition 😂 So far creamer has been my favorite and mayo is for sure the worst (though sugar packets were also pretty bad). It was so fun to have @Lemuel-MagicbandsandTrashcans along for the fun this particular day, though I think he got off easy with zesty sauce tbh 😜 Even while the condiments all tasted pretty gross on their own, most of them are amazing when combined with real food. Sometimes we focus on the bad stuff so much that we forget to see the good (which is often times much more abundant), or we can’t see how the hard things are developing good things in us over time. A little bad is necessary sometimes to make us grateful for what we have and to recognize the depth of the good. When we only focus on what’s going wrong, it can feel as overwhelming as getting run over by a giant Pixar ball. But if we take a minute and change our perspective, we might just find that we can get up and walk away from that ball anytime we want to because we don’t have to choose to lay under it anymore. (Thanks Kirk, btw, for taking one for the team and laying on the ground in HS for this one 😂) ##wdw##disney##disneyvlog##disneyvlogs##disneyhistory##disneyfun##disneyfriends##disneycreators##disneycreator##disneyworld##waltdisneyworld##disneyparks##disneytrivia##disneyday##disneylife##epcot##hollywoodstudios##disneyfood##disneydining##disneyeats##disneytiktok##disneytok##encouragement##hopecore##disneycicerone##walruscarp##magicbandsandtrashcans

When Disney unexpectedly reminds you who you are when you’d almost forgotten 😭 Jollywood Nights was an incredible event, and I absolutely loved every minute. This year felt relaxed and peaceful, and it was wonderful to unplug from the modern world for a while and time-travel a bit. The ice skating show called Glisten featured some wonderful original music, there was more Miss Piggy and Kermit in the Disney Holidays in Holllywood show than ever before, and the NBC sing-along was masterfully staged and put together. As for the TipTop Club (named after the “club” of people over 6’5” in Imagineering back in the day), I still can’t believe they played It’s a Good Day. The Peggy Lee version of that song is my go-to pick me up to start my day. Seeing that guest smile as she got up out of her wheelchair and danced was absolutely heartwarming 🥺 And getting to dance myself was such a meaningful moment for me because I used to be in a pre-professional ballet program once upon a time. I felt like I’d found the lost part of myself who loves to dance, even for just a moment, in this little courtyard in Hollywood Studios under the stars ✨ And that, among a million other reasons, is why I love Disney so darn much. 🥹 (Ps if anyone knows the dancer featured in this, I’d love his name so I can give him a cast compliment. I was so overwhelmed in the moment I didn’t think to ask 🤦‍♀️) #disney #jollywoodnights #jollywoodnight #jollywood #hollywoodstudios #disneyparks #disneyworld #waltdisneyworld #disneycreator #disneystories #disneyvlog #disneyvlogger #disneyjoy #hopecore #disneyfun #disneyfriends #disneychristmas #disneyholidays #disneyworld #wdw #disneyfan #disneynerd #disneyadult #disneytiktok #disneytok

It always makes my heart happy to see full-grown adults reclaiming their childhood and remembering what it’s like to be happy and free in the Disney parks 🥰 Thank you to all of the cast members who are working long hours during the holidays to bring a little extra magic this time of year 💜 Walt Disney once said that “all people are children,” and designed his park so that adults could have fun as well as well as children. There’s record of several concepts that were floated for Disneyland that Walt vetoed because they would only be appealing for children and not for adults. Walt also talked about how the guests are what make the “show” of Disneyland possible… it’s the presence of people who make the park come to life. 🥰 While I loved observing families and friends during my solo time this trip, I truly didn’t expect so many people to find me and share countless kind words about what I do 🥺 I am honestly so humbled and honored that I get to share this history and encouragement everyday, and hearing how what I’ve created has impacted others in a positive way has been the BEST part of 2024 for me. So thank you to everyone who has reminded me that what I do matters. You are the Disney magic for me. 💜 🎶= Kid at Christmas by Calum Scott & Christina Perri #disney #disneyparks #disneyland #disneychristmas #disneylandcalifornia #christmastime #disneyhistory #disneyholidays #disneysecrets #vintagedisney #waltdisney #retrodisney #disneyreindeer #disneysecrets #castmembers #disneyjoy #disneylife #disneyfan #disneyfans #disneyvlog #disneyvlogger #castmember #disneycreator #holidays #disneylandchristmas #disneynerd #disneyfamily #disneyfriends #disneycouple #disneyvlogging #disneytiktok #disneytok

I SAID WHAT I SAID. This is no way an exhaustive list, just a few things I’ve been thinking about as we head toward the 70th anniversary. To be honest, I would love to see more of Disneyland’s rich history being honored and incorporated into this celebration. I know a few of these things I suggested are far too costly (and time consuming) to realistically happen for the 70th, but some would be easy to implement and add a little something special to honor Disneyland’s legacy. *gets on my soapbox* It also really bothers me that there are pieces of Disney history that people can’t ever experience unless they know somebody who kindly helps them (that’s me 🙋‍♀️) or they have the finances that support it (not me 🙅‍♀️). I personally think Disney’s history should be available to every Disney guest, including a chance to experience the Lilly Belle car, Walt’s apartment, and Club 33 at least once. While I realize there are a lot of logistics to allowing that to happen, perhaps we could bring back a little “year of a million dreams” magic and pixie dust more people with the opportunity to see these incredible places in Disneyland. *steps down from soapbox* What would you want to see added for the 70th? (P.S. Was I the only one who had hopes this would be the anniversary that saw Tomorrowland come back to life? 😩) #disneyland #disney #disneyparks #disneyland70thanniversary #disneyland70th #disneyhistory #retrodisney #vintagedisney #disneynerd #rant #peoplemover #tomorrowland #marktwain #disneylife #marcdavis #frontierland #imagineering #mainstreetusa #disneyfan #disneylandcalifornia #disneylandresort #disneytiktok #disneytok #disneyfacts #disneytrivia #lillybelle #club33

I’m inclined to trust Walt Disney with this one 🤷‍♀️ (No offense to Dave Smith). As Walt Disney said in Film Pictorial magazine in 1933, “Mickey Mouse will be five years old on Sunday. He was born on October 1, 1928. That was the date on which his first picture was started so we have allowed him to claim this day as his birthday.” I think it’s interesting that Walt Disney did not count Plane Crazy as Mickey’s first picture, perhaps because he only counted the ones with synchronizes sound, or because Steamboat Willie is what put Mickey on the map. There’s also evidence that Ub Iwerks did some tests with Mickey for Steamboat Willie as early as July 1928 as they were developing synchronized sound techniques. Dave Smith chose to make an “official” birthday because, in his words, “The Walt Disney Company is now reaching a point in its history where there are many significant anniversaries to celebrate, and the company has come to realize that these celebrations can be very useful marketing tools.” He got the Nov. 18th date from a program of the Colony Theater in New York. Whether Mickey’s birthday was May 15, Sept. 30, Sept. 28, Oct. 1, Nov. 18, or some time in July, there is one thing we know for sure: Everyone will always forget that Minnie Mouse shares the same birthday 🎂 - #mi#mickeymousei#mickeyi#mickeybirthdayi#mickeymousebirthdayt#steamboatwilliea#waltdisneyi#disneyhistoryi#disneytriviai#disneyfactsi#disneysecretsi#disneynerdi#disneyfani#disneystudiosi#disneyanimationn#animationhistoryi#disneyparksi#disneylando#hollywoodstudiosa#waltdisneyfamilymuseumi#disneyi#disneycharactersi#disneytiktoki#disneytokl#planecrazya#earlyanimationa#waltdisneyarchives

And this is just the tip of the transformation iceberg… I said that word so many times during our Distory p0dcast episode about this queue that my co-host Kirk turned it into a Haunted Mansion 🍻 game 😂 In case you’re wondering, the bells in the tree are likely tied to Madame Leota, as are many things in and around that courtyard (“wizards, and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint by ringing a bell!”). Bells on strings also symbolize a connection to the spiritual realm. The owls present in that area have a long connection with witchcraft in general (think: Hedwig from Harry Potter). The statue of Pan with his flute is tied to transformation as well, because he was said to be able to induce panic in humans and beast and turn them into deranged carnivorous beings (it’s also the origin of the word “panic”). Another statue of Pan turns up later in the queue, although that one was repurposed from the old Fastpass distribution queue area (may it rest in peace). #hauntedmansion #disney ##disneyparks#disneysecrets #disneyland#disneylandes#disneyridesactions#disneyattractionsisneytrivia#disneytriviacts #disneyfacts#disneyfactsngghosts #disneyhauntedmansion#disneyhauntedmansioeleota#madameleotantedmansionqueue#hauntedmansionqueuesneylandcalifornia#disneylandcaliforniaytok#disneytokktok #disneyfan

Apparently Louis Hightower was chosen to model the live-action Snow White prince because Walt liked that he had “sturdy legs” 😂 Walt Disney described the Snow White cloud scene this way: "Here come the stars with the Prince's ship, twinkling and carrying the ship along, pulling it with their little comet tails," he said. "They could anchor the boat to the clouds… The Prince comes up with a graceful bow. [Snow White] does a curtsy and from that it leads to a ballet...they get on the love ship, the stars fly around it and give it a boost... they are going to kiss..." This romantic sequence would have highlighted the use of the multiplane camera, which was new technology at the time. Walt Disney even wanted the Vienna Boys Choir to come sing Someday my Prince Will Come, but they couldn’t afford them. After Snow White but before any other princess films, there was another Disney work where this concept of clouds and stars showed up. It was in the 1938 Wynken, Blynken, & Nod Silly Symphony which featured three sleepy children sailing in a shoe boat through the clouds, accompanied by mischievous stars and meteors ✨ As much as I love Cinderella’s So This is Love scene, I’m actually really sad that we never got Dancing on a Cloud because it’s such a romantic song. Mary Blair made countless paintings depicting Cinderella and her Prince Charming being swept away by the moonlight accompanied by twinkling stars and magic. I’m glad they eventually used the concept in some iteration for Sleeping Beauty, but it’s not quite the same as the original Snow White and Cinderella scenes since the Sleeping Beauty version is set in the daytime instead of at night. #disney #snowwhite #cinderella #disneysecrets #disneytrivia #disneymovies #disneyanimation #disneystudios #disneyfilm #disneymovie #disneyfacts #disneyhistory #cinderellamovie #sleepingbeauty #princessaurora #deletedscene #dancingonacloud #disneyparks #disneyland #disneylandparis #disneytok #disneytiktok #disneyfan #waltdisney