Welcome to another installment of Mouse FACTory. This week, we’ll look at “Light Magic” as well as the opening of Disneyland’s new Fantasyland. In addition to other trivial topics:
May 23rd
May 23, 1997: Light Magic officially opens at Disneyland
This nighttime “streetacular” — which was rumored to have cost $40 million — featured dozens of dancers in colorful fairy costumes, Irish folk music, Disney characters in their pajamas, fiber optics, confetti cannons. So why wasn’t this successor to Disneyland’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” a success. You can read Jim’s 7-part saga about this show by following this link. And — once you get to the end of the last installment — be sure and send my boss a note and let Hill know that you’d really like him to finally finish this series.
May 23, 2001: The Magic Carpets of Aladdin takes flight at WDW’s Magic Kingdom
In this Mediterranean twist on the “Dumbo” ride, 16 flying carpets revolve around a genie’s bottle. The four seater carpets allow the person in the front seat to adjust the up and down movement while back seat riders can tilt the carpet forward or back a bit. As you fly, two comical camels ‘spritz’ a little water in your general direction.
May 25th
May 25, 1932: “Mickey’s Revue” Released
In “Mickey’s Revue,” Mickey, Minnie, Clarabelle and Horace put on a stage show that comes to a conclusion when Pluto chases some kittens onstage and wacky hijinks ensue. Though — to be honest — the reason that most animation historians remember “Mickey’s Revue” is because Dippy Dawg makes his first appearance in this Disney short.
Dippy (who would eventually become known as Goofy) originally had a very different appearance than the “dawg” we know today. In “Mickey’s Revue,” this proto-Goofy is a much older character with spectacles and a goatee who annoys his fellow patrons by crunching peanuts and laughing too loud. He eventually becomes such an annoyance that two goats whack him with a mallet in an effort to see the rest of the show in peace. Dippy’s “A-hyuck” laugh is invented by storyman Pinto Colving, who will be the voice of Goofy for many years.
May 25, 1955: “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier” is released to theaters
If you weren’t old enough to watch “Davy Crockett” the first time it ran on TV, I’m sure that you’ve still heard the stories. Weird sounding tales like how the “Ballad of Davy Crockett” theme song was reportedly written at the last minute to help fill up time during the TV show, only to wind up on the Hit Parade for 16 weeks. Strange but true.
Or how about the one where American children were so desperate to get their mitts on coonskin caps that they actually caused a fur pelt shortage. Again, strange but true.
Well, such was the power of those three “Davy Crockett” episodes that aired on the “Disneyland” TV show in late 1954 / early 1955. Kids went crazy for Crockett. Which was why Walt — in an effort to cash in — took those three episodes (I.E. “Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter,” which originally aired on December 15, 1954; “Davy Crockett Goes to Congress,” which originally aired on January 26, 1955; and “Davy Crockett at the Alamo,” which February 23, 1955) and quickly edited them into a single theatrical release, “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.”
The end result was a box office smash that quickly poured some desperately needed cash in the Disney company coffers. Which Waly immediately turned around and applied toward the costs of constructing Disneyland.
And — speaking of Disneyland …
May 25, 1983: New Fantasyland opens at Disneyland
The reopening of Fantasyland was a very big deal. The ceremony on opening day had Prince Phillip riding in on his white steed to vanquish an inflatable Malificent. Trumpeters trumpeted, fireworks exploded, the drawbridge was lowered and — just like they did back some 28 years earlier — kids then raced across the drawbridge to spend time with their favorite Disney fairy tale characters.
When Fantasyland originally opened back in July of 1955, it was a wonder. The renaissance faire theme was bright and colorful. The ride buildings all had fanciful facades made up to look like tournament tents. The large inner wall of each Fantasyland attraction ride each had a mural that depicted the characters that could be found inside. And inside each of these ride buildings, wooden cutouts painted in fluorescent colors and enhanced by black light provided state-of-the-art fun.
Well, by the time Disneyland’s 25th anniversary had rolled around, Fantasyland had lost much of its luster. The metal facades were showing fatigue and the beautiful murals originally painted by former animators had been touched up so many times, they were hardly recognizable. It was time for a change.
By the time the Imagineers had finished their “extreme makeover” of this portion of the Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland wasn’t just changed. It was totally transformed. The hand-crafted buildings that stand in Fantasyland today are a far cry from the metal facades of 1955. I’m almost jealous of the kids that get to claim this as their Fantasyland.
The castle has become the entrance to an enchanted storybook village. On the west side of Fantasyland, the new buildings are a mixture of German and Italian architecture representing the early European fairy tales of Snow White and Pinocchio. And the little wooden boy didn’t just get a ride created in his honor. Pinocchio also inspired the construction of two shops and a restaurant.
On the east side, the buildings are old world Tudor signifying the English roots of Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and Alice in Wonderland. The tea cups were moved closer to Adventures in Wonderland to form an Alice themed area which also includes the Mad Hatter’s hat shop.
All of the previous dark rides received technology upgrades and some received entire new scenes. The queues were extended and covered, giving you a little more relief from the summer sun. Outdoor tableaus were also installed, which gave Disneyland guests something to ponder while they waited in line. Take — for example — that window above the entrance to “Snow White’s Scary Adventure.” Where the evil queen occasionally draws back the curtain to see if she’s still the fairest in the land.
In the center of the castle courtyard, the carousel was realigned, a new more elaborate Dumbo was installed and new elements were added to Storybook Land. On the minus side, Capt. Hook’s Pirate ship and Skull Rock were removed, along with the Fantasyland Theater; which had the best air conditioning in all of Disneyland.
For those like me, who were kids when Disneyland was young, the change is bittersweet. Admittedly, the new buildings are beautiful. But they replaced one more piece of a vanishing childhood.
Imagineers did the right thing keeping the land eternally youthful. It’s just too bad that part of that cost is the reminder that our own youth is fleeting. And — in some cases — has already fled.
May 25, 1990: “Here Come the Muppets” opens at the Disney-MGM Studio theme park
Just nine days after the death of Jim Henson, the “Here Come the Muppets” stage show debuted at the Disney / MGM Studios in Walt Disney World. If that seems a bit soon after Henson’s death (It did to some Disney executives as well) … Well, you have to understand that this show’s opening had been in the works for months and — given that a press release with the May 25th opening date had already gone out — it was decided that “The show must go on.”
“Here Come the Muppets” was a live stage show that featured large walk-around versions of the Muppet characters. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and Bean are joined by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Who made their entrance by crashing through the wall in the Monorail!
“Here Come the Muppets” (Which was to have been the first of many cool projects that Jim Henson was supposed to have delivered to Disney when the Muppet maestro suddenly passed away on May 16 of that same year) ran until September 2, 1991.
Well, that’s enough trivia for today, folks. Come back later this week and I promise to wax poetic about the Three Little Pigs.