This week we wrap up our series on The Lost Attractions of Disneyland. Learn more about Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, The Disney Gallery and The Dream Suite. Plus everything coming to Disney + in June, new merchandise celebrating the halfway to Halloween mark and some leadership changes throughout the Disney company.
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Topic 1 - This Week in Disneyland history
- 1960
- Pollyanna
- D23special watch party preluded by a virtual conversation with Pollyanna herself, Disney Legend Hayley Mills!
- Premiering at 4 p.m. PST / 7 p.m. EST “A Delightful Chat with Hayley Mills”
- Watch Party at 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST
- 2005:
- Voice actor, singer and Disney Legend Thurl Ravenscroft passes away at age 91 in Fullerton, California. Best known as the voice of Kellogg's Tony the Tiger, Ravenscroft's numerous Disney credits include 101 Dalmatians, Alice in Wonderland, The Aristocats, and Cinderella. He can also be heard in such Disney theme park attractions as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and Country Bear Jamboree. Ravenscroft was also a member of The Mellomen, a singing group who worked for Walt Disney in films, on television, and on records.
- 2008:
- The Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries begins in Disneyland’s Adventureland, the same day Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens in theaters.
- 1997:
- The Disneyland parade Light Magic debuts.
- 1968:
- In recognition of his distinguished public service and outstanding contributions to the United States and to the world, U.S. President Johnson presents a Congressional Gold Medal to the widow of the late Walt Disney.
- 2019:
- The original Disney princess castle, Sleeping Beauty’s pink and blue palace at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, unveils a new look on this day. The castle has been blocked off from visitors since January, as groups of maintenance crews have been giving it a spruce. The castle now features brighter, more vibrant pink walls and blue rooftops, plus some sparkling gold shingles that look like "pixie dust." The crews also added some artistic tricks to make the castle seem bigger. A painting technique was used that involves painting the lower parts of the 70-foot tall castle walls in darker and warmer hues of pink paint, gradually getting lighter and cooler as it goes up to the top in order to blend in with the atmosphere. This tricks the eye into thinking the object in front of them is larger or taller than it is.
- 1983:
- Pinocchio's Daring Journey officially opens to the general public as part of Disneyland's New Fantasyland.
- 1999:
- The final 3 episodes of the long-running ABC-TV sitcom Home Improvement airs back-to-back.
- 2007:
- Over at Disneyland, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island officially opens.
- 2013:
- Disney's 24-hour "All-Nighter" held at Disneyland, California Adventure and Disney World's Magic Kingdom
- 2011:
- Disneyland guests get an unannounced preview of "Mickey’s Soundsational Parade," a new nine-float affair featuring Mickey Mouse and such favorite characters as Peter Pan, Aladdin and Ariel.
Topic 2 - News
- Closures
- The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds soared over the Disneyland Resort on Friday. The #AmericaStrong flyover served as a salute to frontline COVID-19 responders in California.
- Former Walt Disney World President Josh D’Amaro has been named Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Rebecca Campbell has been named Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International. Kevin Mayer, the former DTC Chairman is now the CEO of TikTok.
Topic 3 - Merch
- Disney has shared a new collection “materializing soon” that is inspired by The Haunted Mansion! The collection will include velvet Minnie Ears, The Haunted Mansion Wallpaper Spirit Jersey for Disneyland & Walt Disney World. A mini wallet/card case a “ghost host” ballcap and last but not least a Haunted Mansion “Ghost Host” Cast Member Costume Loungefly Backpack and a Doom Buggy Wristlet. There is no release date yet so keep your eye out!
- In addition to the haunted mansion apparel and accessories, funko is also releasing a set of mansion pops that will be available on shopdisney. The set will include the organist, the old woman stretching portrait and the dynamite barrel stretching portrait. Release date TBD.
- If you can’t wait for the haunted mansion releases and have the shopping itch that needs to be scratched right away, an Americana Collection is now available on shopDisney consisting of patriotic 4th of july inspired ears, apparel, mini backpack, pin and mickey and minnie plushes.
- A board game based on the iconic Disney Parks attraction, the Jungle Cruise Adventure Game, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. The game will be available June 1st. Description: “”Welcome to the world-famous Jungle Cruise! You’ve been hired to transport a boatload of cargo and passengers down the river to Jungle Navigation Company Headquarters. There, company president Alberta Falls will appoint one family of passengers as temporary caretakers—and your new bosses—while she goes on a much-needed sabbatical. Be prepared to lose passengers and cargo to dangers hidden in the jungle, but don’t worry—you’ll find more along the way! Find clues along the river to see which family Alberta has chosen. Transport the most valuable boatload of cargo and passengers to Headquarters to win!”
- *MORE FREE MERCH* Disney has released ever MORE new wallpapers to celebrate it being halfway to halloween! Go check them out and get them downloaded to feel spooky all year long!
- Loungefly is releasing yet another cute mini backpack, this time in the shape of Wall-E! THe backpack also has a matching wall-e and eve wristlet wallet. No release day yet so keep checking the loungefly insta and website!
Topic 4 - Hidden Mickey
Topic 5 - Food
Topic 6 - Events/Entertainment
- Disney Bounding at Home
- “Muppets Now” will be featured on Disney+ coming July 31st.
- “Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against The Universe” will be coming to Disney+ this Summer. You can watch a sneak peak on Disney +’s Twitter
- #VoicesFromHome:
- Happy Birthday from the Dapper Dans
- Dapper Dans Harmonize to ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’
- Artemis Fowl June 21 - Trailer
- a fantastical, spellbinding adventure that follows the journey of 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl, a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds, as he seeks to find his father who has mysteriously disappeared.
- Read it before you watch it!
- Sleeping at Last - It’s a Small World
- Ryan O’Neal described that it’s not just an “idealistic” song, but one that’s grounded in our own human reality. “It’s a world of hope, and a world of fears…, he said recounting the lyrics in that first verse. “But there’s so much that we share that it’s time we’re aware… it’s a small world after all; how can you not feel that and not be moved?”
- “It’s not often that we take note of the things that unite us, good and bad,” he continued. “But I think this song perfectly captures that as a collective response that our human connections are valuable and needed.”
- He said, “I knew it was written to be played slower at first, but had never heard it as such before. My sound naturally makes things sader anyway, but I also knew that I couldn’t make this overtly sad, too! It’s needed to strike that ‘hopes and fears’ balance.”
- Over 1,000 voices are included in the final track, which he also credited in an Instagram post. And just like the attraction the song plays through, the voices span around the globe including the USA, Canada, The Philippines, Germany, Brazil, United Kingdom, Mexico, and more.
- Go lsiten
- Everything coming to Disney+ in June
- Movies
- Artemis Fowl (6/12)
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (6/26)
- Tarzan (6/26)
- Tarzan II (6/26)
- Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy (6/19)
- Walt & El Grupo (6/12)
- TV
- 101 Dalmatians: Season 1 (6/19)
- Alaska’s Grizzly Gauntlet: Season 1 (6/5)
- America’s Greatest Animals (6/5)
- Big Sur: Wild California (6/19)
- Chasing the Equinox (6/5)
- Howie Mandel’s Animals Doing Things: Seasons 1-2 (6/5)
- Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (6/26)
- Man in Space (6/26)
- Mars and Beyond (6/26)
- Mighty Med: Seasons 1-2 (6/12)
- Muppet Babies Play Date: Season 1 (6/19)
- Raven's Home: Season 3 (6/26)
- Schoolhouse Rock: Season 1 (6/19)
- Secrets of Wild India: Season 1 (6/5)
- The Greeks: Season 1 (6/5)
- The Liberty Story (6/12)
- The Story of the Animated Drawing (6/12)
- Weird but True!: Seasons 1-2 (6/5)
- Wild Hawaii: Season 1 (6/5)
- Women of Impact: Changing the World (6/5)
MAIN - The Lost Attractions of Disneyland part 3
- Disneyland Branch of Bank of America (1955–1993): A Bank of America with three ATMs to use
- Bank of Main Street U.S.A. (1993–2005)
- Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (1965–1973): Theater presentation featuring an Audio-Animatronic Abraham Lincoln, and a replica of a similar attraction at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Elements of the original show were incorporated into later versions of the attraction from 1975–2004 and from 2009–present.
- The Walt Disney Story (1973–1975): Biographical film about Walt Disney, which originally appeared at Walt Disney World in 1972.
- The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (1975–2004: A combination of the two previous shows. Disneyland had been criticized for replacing the Lincoln tribute with a tribute to Walt Disney, and combined elements of the two shows in response. From 2001–2004 the Disney tribute was removed, and the entire show was given more of a focus on the American Civil War.
- Merlin's Magic Shop (1955–1983): The original magic shop in the park. A second one on Main Street, U.S.A. opened in 1957 and continues to this day.
- Mickey Mouse Club Theater (1955–1964): Walk-in theater continuously showing animated Disney films and shorts, similar to the Main Street Cinema. Renamed Fantasyland Theater (1964–1982; not to be confused with the present-day theater). Now the site of Pinocchio's Daring Journey.
- Circarama, U.S.A. (1955–1997), renamed Circle-Vision 360° in 1967: A film presentation showing scenes from around the United States and later China. Guests stood in a large circular room and watched a film projected on nine large, contiguous screens that surrounded them. During its run, the attraction was hosted by American Motors, Bell System, AT&T Corporation, Pacific Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Shows were:
- A Tour of the West (1955–1959)
- America the Beautiful (1960–1984)
- "All Because Man Wanted to Fly" (lobby pre-show) (1984–1989)
- American Journeys (1984–1996)
- Wonders of China (1984–1996)
- America the Beautiful (1996–1997)
In 1998, the theater became the queue for the short-lived Rocket Rods attraction. The building now houses Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
- Skyway to Tomorrowland (1956–1994): This ride, a typical aerial lift ride seen in many parks, traveled from a chalet on the west side of Fantasyland, through the Matterhorn, to a station in Tomorrowland. Cabins hung from cables and ran constantly back and forth between the two lands. The Fantasyland station stood until 2016 – closed to public access – adjacent to the Casey Jr. Circus Train, and was concealed by trees. It was demolished for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge construction. Its support towers were removed and the holes in the Matterhorn through which the ride passed were filled in.
- Rainbow Caverns Mine Train (1956–1959): A 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge mine train attraction through the new Living Desert. After the scenery was again redone in 1960, it was also upgraded and became:
- Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland (1960–1977): The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction replaced this sedate train ride with a roller coaster version. The only element that remained in place from its scenic vistas was the mighty waterfall tumbling from Cascade Peak into the Rivers of America, visible only from various boat rides around the Rivers. The structure that formed Cascade Peak and its waterfalls was demolished in 1998 after it was found to be suffering structurally from the decades of water that had flowed over it. One of the four locomotives and two cars from the ride remained on a stretch of track where Cascade peak once stood, as a staged wreck scene. The train, however, was removed in early 2010 during the Rivers of America refurbishment. The cacti that were a part of the Living Desert section were mostly relocated to the Magic Kingdom version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Other remnants from Nature's Wonderland include the tunnel from Bear Country, the buttes from the Living Desert, the tunnel into Rainbow Caverns (though half-buried in concrete), and the jumping fish seen in Bear Country, all visible on Big Thunder Trail. The animals, however, were buried in concrete as the Imagineers didn't know where to place them.
- The Disney Gallery (1987–2007): A gallery of Disney-related art. The Disney Gallery was the only area listed on Disneyland maps as both an attraction and a retail location. The Gallery sometimes featured preliminary artwork and sketches from certain attractions or movies, sometimes (as in the 100 Mickeys exhibit) the displayed art was associated only with Disney and not with any specific attraction, film, or event. Often, prints from the exhibit were available for purchase via the print-on-demand system, and the Gallery always featured items such as books about Disney artwork. The Gallery used to sell prints of the ride posters featured in the tunnels leading to and from Main Street. The former gallery was replaced by the Disneyland Dream Suite. In October 2009 the gallery re-opened, but now it resides on Main Street, U.S.A..
- In the early 1960s as construction of New Orleans Square was proceeding, Walt Disney decided he needed a bigger entertaining facility for various VIPs that came to the park. He already had an apartment above the Fire Station on Main Street, U.S.A., but it was too small to host elaborate events. Walt decided to place the suite in New Orleans Square, set back from the hustle and bustle of the park.
Disney brought in set designer Dorothea Redmond, famous for creating the sets in Gone with the Wind, to help him with the apartment layout. To furnish and decorate the area, he left his wife Lilly and Walt Disney Studio set decorator Emile Kuri to collaborate as they had on other projects (Club 33, the Firehouse Apartment, etc.). The project was christened The Royal Suite, inspired by its location off New Orleans Square's Royal Street.
After Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966, many projects at Walt Disney Productions were put on hold or abandoned. At the request of his brother Roy, who felt the family would not enjoy The Royal Suite with Walt gone, the project was quietly set aside. It was fairly close to completion at the time of Disney's death, including infrastructure and plumbing.
From July 11, 1987, to August 7, 2007, the space housed the Disney Gallery.
On October 1, 2007 the Walt Disney Company announced that the recently closed Disney Gallery would be remodeled and turned into the Disneyland Dream Suite. The remodeled suite would be the realization of Walt's dream to have a larger private apartment built at Disneyland, and would be made available to randomly selected guests of the park. The space underwent a whirlwind remodeling, with Disney Imagineers closely following the original design drawings from Dorothea Redmond. Located above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Disneyland Dream Suite included a living room, open-air patio, two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
“Our plan has been to use the renderings that Walt worked on with Dorothea Redmond and to replicate those as exactly as we can,” said Walt Disney Imagineering Art Director Kim Irvine. “Her illustrations were very specific, with a color and style for each room.
“But to make it special for the guests, we want it to be more than just a beautiful suite. We want it to be filled with things that might have inspired Walt as he dreamed of Disneyland."
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Dream Suite was the private balcony, which overlooked the Rivers of America. From here guests had an unobstructed view of the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! In addition to that night’s lodging in the Disneyland Dream Suite, each selected 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway winner of the Disneyland Dream Suite would also be celebrated as the honorary grand marshal in that day’s Disneyland parade.
The Suite was given out as a prize through various promotions.
- The original concept for Holidayland was that of a turn-of-the-century town park, with picnic areas, horseshoe pits, a baseball diamond, and perhaps an open field where a circus could come to perform. This original version would be located where the Matterhorn sits today. As Disneyland came together in 1954, it became apparent that there wasn't enough space within the park for Holidayland to become a reality, and the land (now sometimes called "Recreationland") became a picnic and recreation area, with minor seasonal holiday decorations.
In November 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club Circus came to Disneyland, in the Fantasyland section of the park. This event only lasted until January 1956, and was themed to the celebration of Christmas, with promotional material referring to the circus as "Holidayland," including a November 25, 1955 Los Angeles Times article declaring "Holidayland was a roaring success. The kids consumed great amounts of popcorn, and Walt Disney enjoyed himself as much as anybody.
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