Progress City, U.S.A.

So, you’re watching C-SPAN, getting a taste of the NASA Information Technology Summit, and naturally there’s a presentation by Walt Disney Imagineering about the new Fantasyland project in Florida.

Naturally.

Jack Blitch, Vice President and General Manager of Walt Disney Imagineering – Florida, made an appearance at the NASA conference to discuss the use of technology in planning new attractions. Not to be snarky, but I think the old WED model shop in the 60s and 70s could have probably figured out when there was a stray girder poking out of the structure, but I digress.

Blitch’s demo is actually a pretty interesting look at how WDI operates in the modern age; since most of what we know of Imagineering comes from Walt’s days, via his televised walkthroughs of their workshops, it’s interesting to see how computers have changed the process. Around 1:10:00, Blitch shows some of the models of the new Little Mermaid attraction in Fantasyland (including that elusive fifth dimension of space/time – money!) and there’s even a brief VR walkthrough of the queue and part of the attraction. It’s an amazing little peek at what we have in store for the future.

Note that Blitch only mentions Mermaid, the “Be Our Guest” restaurant, and the dueling Dumbos as part of the expansion. This is indicative of a number of changes underway with the expansion plans, which we’ll discuss soon. Also note the irony that this Summit is taking place in National Harbor, Maryland – the site of Disney’s announced but currently MIA resort project.

Not to go too avant garde here, but isn’t this the sort of thing that maybe we could stand to see a little more of? Heaven knows that instead of soft-selling us the gauzy-lensed propaganda videos featuring heaps of magic, dreams, wishes, and princesses, Disney could regularly give us a look at the real magic like this. It might appeal to some fans, don’t you think?

When we began this series in late July, it was to celebrate the 100th birthday of one of the Disney studio’s great artists. Since then, we’ve traveled the world with Herb Ryman, witnessed his brushes with the greats of Hollywood’s golden era, and seen how he helped create the art of theme park design.

All good stories must come to an end, though, and so it was that Herb’s travels ended when he succumbed to cancer on the 10th of February, 1989. At 78, you can’t claim that Ryman didn’t live a full and rewarding life. Yet still it seems he left us to soon; age hadn’t dulled his skills, and his art in those final years was just as vital and exciting as ever.

But it also would be an understatement to merely say that his legacy lives on. Ryman inspired a generation of Imagineers and artists, some of whom worked with him at Disney and others who will never meet him but who grew up entranced by his artwork.

To those in the know, though, there’s another tribute – a living tribute in the park the Herb helped create. When I began this series, I knew that this is where I wanted to end the tale. As we’ve previously featured stories in this series by those who know and worked with Herb, I thought it best that the story of Herb’s memorial come from someone who was there. And so the final word will go to Ryman friend and biographer, John Donaldson.

Towards the end of 1988, Herbert said he would like to have a live tree for Christmas, instead of an artificial one. But with the cancer he suffered, having recently termed terminal, it was thought he would not survive to the season. Such trees were not yet for sale, so I went to a local nursery, and purchased a small potted pine…which was set by his side, where it stood… through Christmas… until February, when he passed away.

At the memorial reception, Bill Evans, the famed, Disney, landscape designer, was amazed to see this little tree, kept in a darkened room as it was, now sprouting new shoots. It was decided that it should be transplanted, in tribute, to the side of the Sleeping Beauty Castle… in after hours, secret ceremony.

The right site was shoveled. Herbert had been subject of a Disney Channel short, in which he said, in final frames, “My work with Walt Disney, fitted right in with my aims; to try to translate beauty and inspiration to people. And, there’s more of an extensive mission that has been accomplished, by the work I’ve done here, for Disneyland and Walt Disney, than anything I could have done as a private artist, because I would have had a very limited audience. But, here at Disneyland, it’s a world audience. So, what better showcase could an artist have?”

Where he stood, is where the unmarked tree would be.

For the following Christmas, reproduced to card, I would write a poem, with message to Imagineers…

Deep within the Magic Kingdom,
Standing guard the castle gate,
Is in spirit, a little sentry,
Defender of the faith.

Attempt not to deceive him,
As he surveys the domain,
For only happiness may dwell here,
Only hearts of gold may reign.

And thus he will protect you,
If you dream the dreams of yore,
For he guards the dreams of many,
Who have crossed that bridge before.

Remembrance is the keystone,
Caretaker of destiny,
For these fortress walls can find their strength,
Only in memory.

So within these hallowed grounds,
Respect —
And divine creativity,
And you will live, as they shall live,
For all eternity.

And standing there beside you,
Forever our little sentry,
Always to guard and guide you,
Is Herbie’s Christmas tree.

Also at that after-hours memorial ceremony in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in 1989, according to a contemporaneous report in WDEye, were Tim Onosko, Joen Koemmer, Frank Armitage, Larry Hitchcock, Bob Stockemer, Andrea Favilli, Tim Delaney, and Eddie Sotto.

Herb’s tree remains in the park to this day – to the right of the castle, near Snow White’s wishing well.

Here’s a little something for you Hayley Mills fans – and I know you’re out there, too. This is from the Disney Channel in 1988, meant to promote the made-for-TV movie Parent Trap III.

Herb Ryman has some cake before setting off on safari

As we’ve mentioned, after the completion of EPCOT Center Imagineer Herb Ryman left for a trip to the wilds of Africa. His paintings from the trip evoke the majestic landscapes of the continent, with which Herb became infatuated while working on the Equatorial Africa pavilion for EPCOT.

Before he left, though, Herb was the guest of honor at an Imagineering “bon voyage” party. From the WED/MAPO Imaginews from February 25th, 1983:

Herb Ryman left last January 21, for an extensive trip to paint and observe peoples and cultures of different nations. All of Herb’s friends at WED & MAPO got together to wish him a “bon voyage”.

Recently, “Herbie’s” friends told the Imaginews that Herb will be traveling extensively throughout Africa, spending time in such places as Nairobi and Lake Naivasha, Kenya, East Africa. He is presently at Lamu Island. Later, Herb will continue his travels to such far-off and exotic locales as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.

We all wish Herb the best of luck in his journey!

As John Donaldson relates in his biography of Ryman, while on the aforementioned Lamu Island Herb paid visit to Frank Maurice “Bunny” Allen, a former big game hunter. Allen had served as a consultant on MGM’s Mogambo, and in earlier times had worked as a gunbearer for the husband and the lover of one Karen Blixen; Blixen would go on to adopt the pseudonym Isak Dinesen and write the memoir Out of Africa.

What the?

An interesting tidbit in the background of those photo – note the planned monorail line to the Lake Buena Vista Village leaving EPCOT between the Universe of Energy and the future site of Horizons

Ryman works on a concept painting for Euro Disneyland in 1988; his concept for the Indiana Jones Adventure is in the background

When Herb Ryman returned to WED Enterprises to work on EPCOT Center in 1976, he also helped with conceptual designs for “Oriental Disneyland” – the park that Disney was developing for Tokyo. Most of his work seems concentrated on World Bazaar, the covered area that would replace Disneyland’s traditional Main Street, U.S.A.

The Hub, Tokyo Disneyland

Note the huge expanse depicted in Ryman’s rendering of Tokyo Disneyland’s hub – the park was designed to be far more spacious than the typical Disney park. Also of interest in this piece is that it’s a mirror image of the actual park; Tomorrowland as depicted here is where Adventureland and Westernland are in the real park.

A more futuristic – dare I say contemporary? – concept for World Bazaar from 1976

A World Bazaar that more resembles the final design

A very rough sketch for the World Bazaar entrance

A portion of one of Ryman’s conceptual paintings for Meet the World

Aside from World Bazaar, Herb also worked on Meet the World; this attraction was a Tokyo Disneyland exclusive, although it was originally intended for EPCOT’s Japan pavilion as well. The show, which took place in an adapted carousel theater, took guests through scenes from Japan’s history through the integrated use of animatronics, film, and animation.

Ryman in Tokyo

After wrapping up his work on EPCOT, Herb traveled east once more to recreate some of his adventures from the 1930s. There was a special side trip, though, as Herb stopped in Tokyo to visit the newly-opened Tokyo Disneyland park.

Concept for the S.S. Admiral, a project for Landmark Entertainment

In Ryman’s spare time, he would occasionally work on projects for Landmark Entertainment. Gary Goddard, a former Imagineer, founded Gary Goddard Productions in 1980; it would be renamed Landmark Entertainment in 1985. Landmark has worked on many, many well-known projects over the years, for Universal and others, and in its early days it employed the services of many legendary Imagineers. Alain Littaye has a wonderful collection of their artwork on his site, and we have two of Ryman’s pieces here.

The first, above, is for the S.S. Admiral project in St. Louis. Below is one of Ryman’s pieces for “Phineas T. Flagg’s Power Plant,” an indoor entertainment project designed by Landmark for Six Flags. Lasting only a few years, this remarkable concept was located in a disused power plant on the harbor in Baltimore. Part of a failed attempt at urban renewal, the site was ironically used more than a decade later for the first ESPN Zone – which was shuttered this year.

I’ve gotta say… I wouldn’t mind a Phineas T. Flagg’s Power Plant 2.0.

Rendering for Phineas T. Flagg’s Power Plant

Concept for Euro Disneyland. Note the elevated train on the right, and that’s our pal Dick Nunis with the child on his shoulders.

Much of Herb’s last work for Disney was on the Euro Disneyland project, where he focused on Main Street, U.S.A. The original designs for this land, overseen by Progress Citizen Eddie Sotto, traded in Disneyland’s more rural midwestern Main Street for an urban, Prohibition-era design from the 1920s. The designs were fresh and very promising, but sadly they were pulled by Disney CEO Michael Eisner at the last moment. More artwork from this wonderfully atmospheric concept can be found at Disney and More.

As you can see, Sotto’s Main Street featured an elevated train that would give guests a view of the area from above. It would also feature a genuine 1920s speakeasy, hiding a swinging Jazz Age club in the secret room behind an innocuous florists’ shop. Another concept the Imagineers wanted to feature was a diner based on Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks. Sadly, this was all lost when the street’s theming was reverted to the turn of the century.

Ryman’s sketch of the Nighthawks diner; the speakeasy’s entrance was via the orange awning to the left

Ryman’s work on Euro Disneyland and other projects like the Indiana Jones Adventure would wrap up his career; sadly, he would never see their debut.