Thanks, Jim... these are my favorite type of story!!!

Jim,

The shoot-the-chutes Monstro ride was actually much more complicated than that.  The drawing there (I'm almost sure) is a Bushman drawing.  You need to locate the area drawing that also includes the Monstro Ride to see what I mean.  (It's in the Art of Disneyland book.)  Behind the whale was a large show building.  And in that show building were to be various scenes from Pinocchio.  After guests passed the various scenes in their boat they would be swallowed by Monstro and then--as pictured in the art above--sneezed out of his mouth, down the 20-foot drop and into the landing pond.

Also, though I've never been to Paris Disneyland, I'm fairly sure a version of the Old Mill ferris wheel for children exists at that park.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that.  

The Donald Duck bumper boats ride--called Duck Bumps--in part became the inspiration for the 1960's Arrow-designed Flying Saucer attraction over in Tomorrowland.  You can see the overall design of the Flying Saucer attraction not only in the Duck Bumps cars and ride action, but in the Disney-devised sweeper arm that keeps loading boats at one end, active boats at the other.

I enjoyed this week's Why For.  Thanks.

"small groups of people would be taken on tours of a haunted house by this smart-alecky tour guide. And the basic running gag of this version of the attraction was -- as you toured the mansion -- your tour guide would continually be menaced by mysterious creatures ..."
That's so cool!  I love the Haunted Mansion as is, but that's so neat!

Those attractions that never were, or those versions at least, are making me kinda sad.  But thank you so much for posting the pictures/telling us about these attractions.

re: Japan ride

If you use Google Earth or any of the satellite-photo sites, you can actually see the show building built behind Japan (another behind Germany, I believe) that was laid out for another attraction but, alas, has become storage and non-guest area.

So close and yet so far...

>>  Also, though I've never been to Paris Disneyland, I'm fairly sure a version of the Old Mill ferris wheel for children exists at that park.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that.  

Yes, The Old Mill WAS an attraction at DLRP.  But it's closed for many years now.

Here are some photos:
http://www.photosmagiques.com/gallery/pirouettes

You know what? I was one of the ones ready to post negative things when we went through that spell of movie/business articles, so I need to chime in and say how I've really enjoyed the articles the last couple of weeks.

Thanks, Jim!

Hi Jim,
Long time reader, 1st time poster - Great article, I love reading about "projects that never happened" it is somewhat upsetting to see all these great ideas that were never built.

I know other people have posted this, but I would REALLY LOVE to see some stuff on Disney's America.  There is very limited info on the net about this...

Also, how about an article on the future of WDW, I know thi isn't really a "rumours" site.  But there is so much discussion lately about a new theme park there......

Thank you photosmagiques for the info about the old mill in DLP.  I've been there twice, once in 99 and then again in 05, and I kept marveling at how elaborately themed and beautiful a dessert shop was.  I just thought it was in honor of the pioneering short.  Now I know better...it really did used to be a ride!

    and to Mr. X
"Also, how about an article on the future of WDW, I know thi isn't really a "rumours" site.  But there is so much discussion lately about a new theme park there......"
It's not going to happen, nor should it until they pour some money back into the existing parks and erase some of the poor upkeep and lackluster replacements that have plagued the last decade.  Let's start at EPCOT, and get all of the pavillions open!

As an addendum...God I wish they had built Mt. Fuji.  It looks beautiful.  Maybe it's not too late?

Smilee306 said:
   and to Mr. X
"'Also, how about an article on the future of WDW, I know thi isn't really a 'rumours' site.  But there is so much discussion lately about a new theme park there......'
"It's not going to happen, nor should it until they pour some money back into the existing parks and erase some of the poor upkeep and lackluster replacements that have plagued the last decade"
---
If X was talking about fanboy pipe-dreams like "Retroland" or "Villains Park", they never WERE going to happen. (At least, in the second case, not since Pressler left.)

We know from experience that Bob Iger's visions for the parks are:
1) Improving and "reclaiming" deadweight attraction space, which -especially- includes
2) Reclaiming "the biggest deadweight of them all", California Adventure, although
3) Seeing how parks like Epcot and AK can be improved by importing or re-theming new ideas originally developed for improving DCA.
For now, Disney's management has a view for upkeeping the parks...Just don't raise too many "new ride" fanboy hopes about WHICH park they plan on upkeeping the most for the next few years' time being.

Mr. X wrote:
"I know other people have posted this, but I would REALLY LOVE to see some stuff on Disney's America.  There is very limited info on the net about this..."
----
I'll second (fourth? ninth?) that vote for a "Disney America That Never Was" piece--Or at least showing where the ideas eventually wound up:
We know that a Civil War piece and a "Sounds Dangerous" 3D-audio show were eventually retooled for the DLR Lincoln, and there was brief Pressler talk about using DA's Presidents show as a replacement for Hall of Presidents...But what other attractions are now confined to the concept-art vaults, now that the Boy Scouts own the territory?

I hope KNRG read this.
The show building was built, according to David Mumford, for "Meet the World".  They were going to mirror it there, but ran out of money.
We were standing in front of the gates at the Japan Pavilion at the time, between statues of two horses.  "This was going to be the entry." he said.  Every time I've gone there since, I've imagined what would have been beyond those gates.

And what thrills would've gone on, inside Mt. Fuji?
Well, there's a JHM answer for that, too:
http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2005/04/03/572.aspx
(Great...ANOTHER reason to hate Dean Devlin.)

I actually would have liked to see "Meet the World" in the Japan pavilion - although it wouldn't have to have been in place of Mt. Fuji, it could have been in addition to it. I guess I'm just a AAs and Carousel Theater kind of Disney geek...

AMAZING...

Oh wow, I'm totally digging the big-top atmosphere for the expanded Dumbo area. And I LOVE the idea of emerging from Monstro's mouth! You think they could develop a modern ride with that same concept? Maybe instead of Monstro, it could be... one of the Nemo sharks?

I also would love to see stuff on Disney's America.

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