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By Michael - October 31st, 2007  Halloween is apparently a busy time for Disney websites, so I thought I’d wrap up the evening of ghouls and goleeses with a few links to spooky stories of interest. As many of you probably know already, Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion has recently undergone a sizable refurbishment and overhaul to the tune of about thirty million dollars. The ride had been in desperate and (unintentionally) decrepit condition for several years, and compared to its cousins in Anaheim and Tokyo had become downright embarrassing.
 Thankfully the ride has not only been renovated but has received technological upgrades and two major new show scenes. It works well and, aside from a few tiny sour notes, meshes well with the classic scenes. Older parts of the ride have received subtle enhancements, and the much-needed audio upgrades throughout the attraction are the equivalent of digitally restoring a faded and scratched old film. It’s a well-done and much needed upgrade, and I hope augurs a new era for the faded Magic Kingdom. Jim Hill Media (you know? that Jim Hill website?) has a nice five-part summary of the ride’s overhaul. Meanwhile, if you want more information about the history of the Greatest Dark Ride Evar you might want to check out this fairly academic analysis.
 A less known Disney Halloween treat is the story of the Headless Horseman from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Sure, everyone has heard of the film, but when was the last time you actually saw it? It’s an overlooked part of Disney lore and there’s a nice homage to it on 2719 Hyperion. Few fans know that there have been a few attempts at a Sleepy Hollow attraction over the years; when Walt Disney World was in the planning stages the Fantasyland dark rides were supposed to be completely different from Disneyland’s. In the place of “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” was supposed to be a scary attraction based on the stories of Ichabod and the Headless Horseman. Budgetary squeezes put an end to this plan, and the concept was shelved. Personally, I think it would be a great idea to resurrect someday for Liberty Square…
Last but not least, a little spooky Halloween art for you Lonesome Ghost fans. Happy Halloween!
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By Michael - October 31st, 2007  For a long time, Disney didn’t really do Halloween. Disney is more of a Christmas kind of organization. But laced throughout Disney history are some nice, moody spooks suitable for the season (aside from the blinding terror of Bambi, of course)…
 Foremost in my mind when I think of Disney and Halloween is a little special that used to show around this time called “Disney’s Halloween Treat” and later “A Disney Halloween.” The difference between these two specials was the host; in “Halloween Treat” we were welcomed by a hilarious pumpkin puppet (I’m of the opinion that anything in the world, funny or unfunny, is made a million times funnier by enacting it with a puppet), while “Disney Halloween” was hosted by the Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Both shows were clip compilations of various spooky and supernaturally themed scenes from old Disney films, and the specials aired in various formats and venues from 1982 until the 1990’s. Now, of course, Disney would never be caught dead showing something ancient (read: pre-1995) on ABC or the Disney Channel; “Disney Halloween” would get bumped for “Haunted High School Musical.” But we have the internets!
 Featured in the show were a number of films and shorts, but a few are notable in the classic Disney canon. Lonesome Ghosts is perhaps the most famous, with Our Heroes as proto-Ghostbusters back in the era when Mickey was interesting, but my favorite was always Trick or Treat, starring the inestimable Donald Duck. Directed by legendary Duck director Jack Hannah, and concurrently adapted into comic form by the great Carl Barks, the short isn’t seen nearly as often as it should be.
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By BeaconJoe - October 31st, 2007 Time Magazine Online has recently published a list of the seasonally topical “ALL TIME Top 25 Horror Movies.” A list of pretty standard fare, until you arrive at #20. Get ready to have your pants scared off!
#20 – Bambi
Amazing that the first movies parents took their tots to in the 30s and 40s were the early Disney features. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo all exploited childhood traumas. Parents disappear or die; stepmothers plot the murder of their charges; a boy skips school and turns into a donkey. Kids were so frightened by these films that they wet themselves in terror. Bambi, directed by David Hand, has a primal shock that still haunts oldsters who saw it 40, 50, 65 years ago.
A couple of things here. Where’s Bambi 2, the much more frightening remake? Seriously though, Pinocchio and Snow White seem more dark to me than Bambi. Maybe that’s just me.
You can see the whole list here.
Happy Halloween all. As for me, I’ll be in bed with the sheets over my head with horrifying visions of curious deer, twitterpated bunnies, and affable skunks haunting me.
P.S. – Is “oldsters” really a term now?
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By BeaconJoe - October 29th, 2007 
Could this really have been “cool” in 1962? I suppose the Beatles had not landed yet and American culture was still a little Pat Booneish. Still, I believe that Disney used to be better at forcing their “hip” agenda instead of falling in line with pale imitations of the biggest fads of two years previous.
The oddest contemporary example of this is the “Pirates of the Caribean” phenomenon. First, Disney is so down on the business prospect of a Pirate movie and another attraction-based flop that they almost make a direct-to-video sequel, then when the movie hits big they follow the trend they themselves created by oversaturating all their properties with Pirates merchandise.
But I digress. Pirates was a victory for this cause: you get the best creative talent available, and you work on a story that will grab people. You don’t worry about if you can get Barenaked Ladies (out of date Chix Little creators) to sing an opening theme, or how many celebs you can get to make wacky pop culture references for commercials (post record scratch of course).
John Lasseter, Brad Bird, and Andrew Stanton know what I’m talking about. The Pixar films (even though Toy Story is a little guilty) do not bother themselves with staying current. Far from it, Ratatouille could have been released in the 60’s, and it is fairly hard aside from the digital technology to pin down when this movie was made.
Hopefully this will translate more into theme park attractions. Disney is at its best when it does not worry about trends. They can never EVER be hip by formal definition. Disney is anti-hip (save the tweens and the Disney Channel). Their hipness comes merely from folks who think like Walt did, and worry about being creative on their own terms. I think the attention to detail in Expedition Everest is much “cooler” than the Laugh Floor Comedy Club, and I don’t remember the Yeti being edgy.
You can tell Bob Iger does not bother himself with much posturing, or worry about being cool. He’s kind of a square really. I like that. I hope more random and uncool attractions are on the way – like The Hoop Dee Doo Revue, El Rio de Tiempo, and The Tiki Room (which was SO much more hip under old management).
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By Michael - October 27th, 2007 Hi all,
I’m going to try and regularly post links to interesting or newsworthy stories from around the tubed intarwebs. Here’s your first batch for weekend reading:
– Kevin Yee gives some thoughts on MiceAge about the dividing line between nostalgia and stagnation at the Magic Kingdom.
– Cartoon Brew has the list of cities and dates for showings of Leslie Iwerks’ newest must-see documentary The Pixar Story.
– Rotten Tomatoes interviews Brad Bird about Ratatouille, John Lasseter about Pixar in general, and Fred Willard (!) about WALL-E – he’ll be the first ever live-action actor in a Pixar film.
– Duck fan builds Money Bin. Nice.
– Remember cute lil’ Bobby Driscoll from Song of the South and Treasure Island? Well…
– Re-Imagineering drops the truth bomb on recent Disney promotional art – something I found hilarious since I had thought the same thing. Herb Ryman, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you…
– And something special just for Ol’ Beacon Joe…
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The Progress City Primer
 From the Progress City archives comes this collection of 33 tall tales and true from Disney history. Available in paperback, hardback, and ebook formats. |
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