Gather ’round, young ones, and I’ll tell you a tale of the distant days of yore when the Disney Channel featured programming related vaguely to Walt Disney and the Disney films and parks.
One staple of those great days was interstitial segments that aired between programs (the channel had no commercial breaks back then), which would feature “breaking” news from various segments of the Disney empire. Back before the days of the Web, or Twitter, or blogs or D23 or the Progress City Radio Hour, fans found out about new film and television projects when Disney darn well felt like it. Nowadays Disney will hold a press event to announce projects that we might have known about for a year or more; or, if you’re Rich Ross, you throw a massive media announcement to unveil a film slate that had actually been officially announced six months prior.
Back in the day, though, any new issue of Disney News or new featurette on the Disney Channel might bring astounding news of a new attraction, animated feature, or entire new Disney park. Needless to say, when those between-show breaks came up on the Disney Channel I would sit with my fingers crossed that one of these “Dateline Disney” pieces might show up. The trademark soundtrack of the opening logo, with its beeping telegraph, would send me sprinting to the television to see what was in store. If you were very, very lucky, it would be something from Walt Disney Imagineering.
This particular segment is one that sticks in my mind, because it seems like it came on fairly often. In fact, I’m pretty sure that we got kind of sick of it after a while, because we were ready for some fresh news. Still, this promo did its job in getting us fairly wound up to see Dreamflight, which opened in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland in 1989. Maybe it did too good a job, because I can remember the rather crushing disappointment when we actually got to ride the attraction.
Anyway, here’s a neat little look at a bygone age. Everybody sing! “We’re gonna take you flyin’…”
I remember seeing this segment myself. Heck, it might have been right be we went do Disney in 1990 together. I was drawn in by it only to be left feeling mildly impressed by the 767 model and thoroughly confused by the barnstorming scene.
1989~ was that 10, 20 years, holy cow doesn’t seem that long ago. I clearly remember going out of my way to dislike the attraction since it replaced IYHW / IYCF. Actually I knew that DDF was its own achievement, much of what was described or shown in this video. And dang it, we liked it.
I immediately realized after seeing the projection tunnel part of “Dreamflight” that it was the repurposed “If You Had Wings” I loved as a kid.
It’s interesting to me as an adult to recognize the prominent “Eamesian” quality the earlier ride had, and that I still feel a connection to that era of art and design.
HAHA Robert… Yeah, this would have been right around that time. Mildly confused to say the least! Maybe we have our reaction on audiotape haha…
Having been born in 1985, I distinctly remember dragging my parents on this ride again and again as a 4-7 year old. This attraction/theme music is still one of the most nostalgic Disney experiences for me. I’m not sure why, but as a small child this was definitely my favorite WDW attraction. It’s interesting to think about how generational differences can affect how different attractions are perceived… I wonder if, for instance, someone born in 2000 might have *shudder* Stitch’s Great Escape as their favorite childhood memory of WDW… No, no, no… Let’s not even think about that.
@ – It’s interesting to think about how generational differences can affect how different attractions are perceived –
I agree absolutely. With Stitch though, recollections par with a chomp on the hand from a Main Street horse.
I always liked this attraction, and the lines were never very long.
The point about generational differences is really interesting, and I think really true. I would have been 12 when I first rode it, and after all the hype (and there was quite a bit) I expected something a bit more in the vein of the EPCOT attractions. The painted-plywood heavy nature of it then came as something of a disappointment. That’s not to say that it didn’t have its charms, and with all the color and music I’m sure it was extremely appealing to younger riders. I just had really heightened expectations.
If the ride had just been there on my first Disney trip, without knowing anything upfront, it might have been one of my favorites for its sheer randomness and omnimover goodness. Not to mention the air conditioning, and lack of a line. And, of course, in later years Jeff and I would ride on it multiple times in a row to confuse the cast members and to create the strangest possible videotape montages…
[…] Dateline: Walt Disney Imagineering – Dreamflight | Progress City, U.S.A. […]
This is a late entry to the discussion, but just wanted to add – this attraction is also (if I’m not mistaken) where Foxxfur gets her blog’s namesake from.