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Love Bug Parade: Disney’s Herbie and Sequels

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Walt famously once said “You can’t top pigs with pigs.” Which the world has since interpreted as Walt saying that “… I don’t like sequels.

Which simply isn’t true. In Walt’s lifetime, his studio turned out at least two sets of sequels.

  • “The Absent Minded Professor” — which was released to theaters in March of 1961
  • and its sequel, “Son of Flubber” — which was released to theaters in January of 1963 (less than two years later)

And:

  • “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones” — which was released to theaters in March of 1964
  • and its sequel, “The Monkey’s Uncle” — which was released to theaters in August of 1964 (just 17 months later).

Walt was obviously an innovator and a storyteller.

But by the early 1960s, he was also a practical businessman who was always on the lookout for additional revenue streams – which Disney could then funnel into expanding his family fun park in Anaheim, CA.

Likewise underwrite the cost of developing Project Sunshine in Florida (which eventually became The Walt Disney World Resort).

Walt Disney Movies About Dogs

Walt detected a pattern — a certain type of Disney-produced film that audiences then seemed to respond to — he’d then have this Studio lean into that pattern.

Case in point:

  • “Old Yeller” came out in December of 1957 and did big business, Walt made note of that.
  • Then when “The Shaggy Dog” came out in March of 1959 and did even bigger business at the box office

… Walt said “Okay. That’s officially a thing. People like Disney-produced movies about dogs.”

He then had his Studio’s literary acquisition team go out and snatch up the movie rights to a bunch of books about dogs.

And then over the next five years, Walt Disney Productions released:

  • “Nikki: Wild Dog of the North” — in July of 1961
  • “Greyfriars Bobby” — later that same month
  • “Big Red” — in June of 1962
  • “Savage Sam” in — June of 1963
  • “The Incredible Journey” — in November of 1963
  • “The Ugly Dachshund” — in February of 1966

That’s six dog-based movies in just five years time. And every one of these films turned a tidy profit for Walt Disney Studios. Likewise gave Walt a movie that he could eventually turn into a two part episode of his “Wonderful World of Color” anthology series (which aired on NBC on Sunday nights).

Disney Films Starring Fred McMurray

Okay. So this is Walt Disney, the guy with an eye out for a new trend at the box office. So as soon as “The Absent Minded Professor” comes and does big box office, Walt asks himself “Was that because people like movies with Fred McMurray in them or was that because people like movies with flying cars in them?”

Given that Fred had previously starred in “The Shaggy Dog” for Disney Studios (which had also been a huge hit for the Mouse House), Walt hedged his bet. He had his Studio produce a series of new movies that starred McMurray:

  • “Bon Voyage!” — released in May of 1962
  • “Son of Flubber,” the sequel to “Absent Minded Professor” — released in January of 1963
  • “Follow Me, Boys!” — released to theaters in December of 1966
  • and “The Happiest Millionaire” — released to theaters in November of 1967

And since all but one of those movies (i.e., “Son of Flubber”) seriously under-performed at the box office, it was clear that Fred McMurray wasn’t exactly the huge movie star that Walt had hoped he’d be.

Disney Movies About Cars & “Magical Things”

Remember that Walt was hedging his bet here. So — while he was ordering his studio to make a bunch of Fred McMurray movies — Walt was also telling Disney’s literary acquisitions team to “ … find me a bunch of books about cars that do weird & magical things.”

During this time, Disney Studios’ acquired the film rights to Upton Sinclair’s “The Gnomobile” (His 1936 novel which Disney would then release to theaters in July of 1967) as well as … Well, not a book. And not a script really. More of a treatment for a film which Gordon Buford had written called “Car, Boy, Girl.”

“Car, Boy, Girl” – Herbie, The Love Bug Origin Story

This story can out of Buford’s childhood growing up on a farm in Colorado. Where he watched his mother & father regularly fight with the family car. Which — seemingly on a whim — would sometimes run and transport the family into town and back. And sometimes not.

Buford described how “ … Neither my mother’s gentle persuasion nor my father’s cussing could persuade this automobile out of its quiet, stubborn rebellion.” Gordon added fun details like how his mother would always hold her breath as she went to press her foot down on the starter. As if that would somehow placate the car. Convince it to start for her.

Credit: Small World / Geocities

Walt liked the potential he saw in “Car, Boy, Girl.” How a stubborn little car with a mind of its own could eventually bring a couple together. He thought that this sounded like just the sort of story that Walt Disney Productions should make. The sort of movie that his audience would eat right up. So Walt had Disney acquire the film rights to “Car, Boy, Girl.”

But then Walt died in December of 1966. And “Car, Boy, Girl” sat in a slush pile of scripts on Walt’s desk as the studio’s employees mourned and the Company tried to figure out how it would carry on without its founder.

“Car, Boy, Girl” Gets New Life

Luckily Walt has left behind a cadre of loyal creative lieutenant. People like Bill Walsh, the producer of previous Disney hits like “The Shaggy Dog,” “The Absent Minded Professor,” “Son of Flubber,” and — more importantly — Disney Studio’s biggest hit to date, “Mary Poppins.”

At that point, Bill was pretty sure that he had the formula for a successful Disney film down pat. As he said in a 1970 interview:

“I make movies for people between the ages of nine and fourteen. It’s a very intelligent and very honest audience. I don’t make movies to make personal statements. I make movies hoping they’ll make money so I’ll be able to make more movies.”

Bill Walsh
Disney Legend Bill Walsh with Walt Disney

So with this goal in mind, Bill got access to Walt’s office in the Summer of 1967 (The place had been locked up tight since his passing in December of 1966) and started going through that slush pile of scripts on Walt’s desk. With the goal of finding a film that would appeal to nine to 14 year-olds that would also make some money for the Mouse. And there — in the pile — was “Car, Boy, Girl.”

Walsh read through Buford’s script treatment and thought “A stubborn little car that bring a couple together. I can do something with that.”

But the question now was: Which small car should be the star of Walsh’s next project for Disney Studios?

How Herbie Became a Volkswagen Beetle and the Love Bug

To get the answer to that, Bill did something unusual. Early one morning, he had a dozen or so small cars —  a couple of Toyotas, a handful of Volvos, an MG and one pearl white Volkswagen Beetle — parked out in front of the studio commissary. Then Walsh got himself a cup of coffee, sat out on the commissary patio and then watched Disney employees arrived to work that day.

What they’d do when they saw all of these small cars parked out in front of the commissary.

What Bill noticed that morning proved to be significant. For while those Disney employees admired the Volvos & that MG & the Toyotas, the only car that they petted was the Volkswagen.

Credit: Autoblog

So that small car wound up being the star of … Well, this movie had a lot of names as it went into production in the Fall of 1967. At various times, it was called:

  • “Beetlebomb”
  • “Wonderbeetle”
  • “Bugboom”
  • “Thunderbug”
  • “The Magic Volksy”
  • and “The Runaway Wagen”

What made coming up with a title especially difficult was that Volkswagen wouldn’t allow Disney to use the real name of this car in their movie. This is why — when you watch the first Herbie movie — you’ll hear him called “the small car,” “the Douglas special,” and the “compact car.” But they never call him what he actually is. Which is a Volkswagen Bug.

Finally … Well, Walsh needed to call the title character of his new movie something. So — since they started shooting this movie’s racing scenes in the Fall of 1967 and that Summer had supposedly been “The Summer of Love” … Bill took those two ideas and mashed them together, winding up with the name “The Love Bug.”

Disney Releases of “The Love Bug”

By the Summer of 1968 (when Walsh finished shooting all of the scenes for “The Love Bug” with Dean Jones, Michele Lee, Buddy Hackett and David Tomlinson on the Disney Lot and they began roughly assembling that footage), it became apparent that “The Love Bug” was something special. The sort of film that — if promoted properly — could be a huge, huge hit for the Studio.

So Disney’s PR team assembled an elaborate release plan for “The Love Bug.” It would first be released in just 50 cities around the US in late March of 1969. They’d let word-of-mouth build for a few weeks. And then — just as drive-in movie season arrived — make hundreds of other prints of this family comedy available to screen.

But to help make sure that “The Love Bug” stayed front-of-mind in April, May & June, Disney Studios’ PR team staged an amazing stunt. They contacted thousands of Volkswagen owners in Southern California in February of 1969 and invited them to come to Disneyland Park to take part in a “Most Lovable Bug” contest.

Disneyland’s “Most Lovable Bug” Contest – The Love Bug Parade

The idea was that the owners of all of these Volkswagen Bugs would first decorate their cars and then drive them down to Anaheim. Then 1200 of these vehicles would be parked in the Disneyland parking lot on March 23, 1969. 300 entries would be allowed in four different categories:

  • Best Personality
  • Most Toy-Like
  • Most Comical
  • and Most Psychedelic (It was the 1960s after all)

25 finalists would then be selected in each of the four categories. And then those 100 cars would be paraded through Disneyland Park (rolling in from backstage right onto Main Street, U.S.A. Then driving up to the Hub, taking a right onto Matterhorn Way and motoring on through Fantasyland. Eventually exiting backstage to the left of “it’s a small world”).

At the end of the day, the four winners in each category would be parked in front of “it’s a small world.” With the owner / owners of the winning entry in Disneyland’s first-ever “most Lovable Bug” contest then being given the keys to a brand-new 1969 Volkswagen Beetle by Dean Jones himself (the star of “The Love Bug”).

March 23, 1969 started off as a cold grey day but eventually brightened up. That was honestly the only thing that went wrong of “Love Bug Day” at Disneyland. Over a thousand Volkswagen owners showed up to take part in that day’s “Most Lovable Bug” contest. They filled the “X” section in this theme park’s parking lot.

Major media outlets & publications from around the country turned out to cover the event. You can watch a 12 minute-long film taken on that day which shows a wide variety of the entrants as well as covering the actual Love Bug parade through Disneyland Park (footage take from the Skyway shows all of these decorated Volkswagens rolling around the Hub and then drive up Matterhorn Way). Closes up with footage of Dean Jones handing the keys to a new Volkswagen to Morton & Barbara Allen of Studio City, CA.

Hugely successful PR stunt. Did just what Disney hoped it would do. Photos from the event turned up in all sort of national magazines (“Time, “Life,” “Look”) plus footage take on that day aired on TV news shows around the country.

The Success of “The Love Bug” Franchise

The PR helped turn “The Love Bug” into Disney’s largest hit since … Well, “Mary Poppins.” Of all the movies that were released in 1969, only “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” sold more tickets / earned more money than “The Love Bug.”

Which is why the Company — of course — greenlit a sequel (the first of three, actually. Not to mention that “Love Bug” reboot starring Lindsay Lohan — “Herbie: Fully Loaded” — that Disney sent out into theaters in June of 2005). “Herbie Rides Again” arrived in theaters in June of 1974.

Another Disneyland Love Bug Contest

With the hope that lightning might strikes twice, Disneyland Park staged another “Love Bug” -related contest. This time, Southern California VW owners were invited to “Beautify their Bug.” And the cars were judged in three categories, rather than 4:

  • Most Comical
  • Most Nostalgic
  • And Most Patriotic (We were just two years away from the start of American Bicentennial after all. And earlier that same month, “America on Parade” had just premiered at Disneyland Park & WDW’s Magic Kingdom

This contest was held on June 30, 1974. And — once again — almost a thousand VW owners turned up to participate. With the 25 finalists in each category then being allowed to parade through Disneyland.

Herbie The Love Bug in Disneyland Parade (1974) Credit: Hbvideos on YouTube

By the way, the footage that was take at this “Herbie Rides Again” promotional event was then edited together and turned into a syndicated TV special, which then aired on over 80 TV stations around the country.

These “Love Bug” contests became so well known that … Well, if you watch that “Disneyland Showtime” episode of the “Wonderful World of Color” TV show (the one which originally aired on March 22, 1970. where Kurt Russell & the Osmond Brothers visit that theme park to commemorate the grand opening of the Haunted Mansion), E.J. Peaker shows up in that program with a VW Bug that she’s supposedly decorated herself. Only to then be told that Disneyland’s “Most Lovable Bug” contest was held the year previous.

Disney Parks Love Bug Attraction

By the way, it’s worth noting that “Herbie Rides Again” did so well at the box office in the Summer of 1974, that — in early 1975 — the Imagineers were tasked with coming up with a “Love Bug” attraction for the Disney Parks.

There are a few pieces of concept art for this proposed attraction that have popped up online. One shows this “Love Bug” ride recreating that moment from “Herbie Rides Again” where that VW rolls up the support cables of the Golden Gate ‘til he reaches the very top of that bridge. Whereas another piece of concept art shows the proposed finale for this attraction. Which echoes the ending of the original “Love Bug” movie, in that — just before the finish line of a race — this VW-shaped ride vehicle would then split in half. And the Guests seated in the back seat would suddenly find themselves competing with the people in the front seat to see who would get the checkered flag.

Credit: Davelandblog

From what WDI insiders have told me, Disney Company managers thought that the Imagineers’ plans for a “Herbie” ride were cute, but not necessarily strong enough to warrant the construction of an actual attraction.

The Love Bug would eventually find his way into a Disney theme park, though. How many of you remember — as you were experiencing the Backstage Tram Tour at Disney-MGM Studios — how you’d encounter Herbie popping a wheelie and then revving his edge / blowing out clouds of exhaust as he sat in a driveway on Residential Street.

Really tricked out. Lights would flash. Horn would honk. Car doors & hood would open. Passengers on the tram would be squirted with water spraying from Herbie’s windshield wipers.

Credit: Flickr Loren Javier

Herbie was there on display from May of 1989 (when the Tram Tour first opened) ‘til the early 2000s when this tricked-out vehicle suffered an electrical fire and basically burned up in front of hundreds of tourists. It was later replaced with a static prop car from “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” Backstage Tram Tour closed September of 2014.

If you’re at WDW these days and want to see “The Love Bug,” you need to go to the All-Star Movies Resort and seek out Buildings 6 & 7. Those two wings of this hotel are bisected by an oversized Herbie.

This article is based on research for The Disney Dish Podcast “Episode 368”, published on April 4, 2022. The Disney Dish Podcast is part of the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network.

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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Film & Movies

Will “Metro” – that “Cars” Spin-Off Which Disney Developed – Ever Get Made?

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Will Metro Ever Get Made?
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First came “Cars” in June of 2006.

This Pixar Animation Studios production did so well (Of all the high grossing films released that year, “Cars” was No. 2 at the box office. Only “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” sold more tickets in 2006) that Disney execs asked John Lasseter to develop a sequel.

“Cars 2” came out in June of 2011 and also did quite well at the box office (It took the No. 7 slot in the Top-Ten-for-ticket-sales that year). Which is why Disney then asked Pixar to prep a follow-up film.

“Cars 3” would eventually arrive in theaters in June of 2017. But in the meantime, Disney & Pixar began exploring the idea of expanding this film franchise. Largely because the amount of money that the Mouse was making off of the sales of “Cars” -related merchandise was … To be blunt here, mind boggling.

Don’t believe me? Well, then consider this: In just the first five years that the “Cars” film franchise existed, global retail sales of merchandise related to these Pixar movies approached $10 billion. That’s billion with a “B.”

So is it any wonder that – while Pixar was still trying to get a handle on what “Cars 3” would actually be about – the Mouse (through its DisneyToon Studios arm. Which produced home premieres like those “TinkerBell” movies) began actively looking into ways to expand this lucrative franchise?

“Planes” – The First “Cars” Spin-Off

The first “Cars” spin-off to arrive in the marketplace was “Planes.” This Klay Hall film (which was set in “The World Above Cars”) was released theatrically in August of 2013, with the Blu-ray & DVD version of “Planes” hitting store shelves in November of that same year.

“Planes: Fire and Rescue” followed in the Summer of 2014. And while a “Planes 3” was definitely put in development (At the Disney Animation panel at the 2017 D23 Expo, John Lasseter not only shared a clip from this film. But he also revealed that this project – which, at that time, was entitled “Space” – was slated to be released theatrically in April of 2019) … This animated feature was abruptly cancelled when DisneyToon Studios was shuttered in June of 2018.

But wait. There’s more … In addition to the aborted “Planes 3,”  Disney had other “Cars” spin-offs in the works. One was supposed to be built around boats. While yet another was supposed to have shined a spotlight on trucks.

“Metro” – The World Below Cars

And then there was “Metro.” Which was supposed to have been set in the inner city and focused on what went on in “The World Below Cars.” As in: Down in the subway system.

Just in the past week or so, a few pieces of concept art for “Metro” have surfaced online. Giving us all an intriguing look at what might have been. These preproduction paintings suggest that this “Cars” spin-off would be far grittier than … Say … the sort of adventures that Lightning McQueen & Mater would typically have out in Radiator Springs.

Metro - Cars Spin-Off Movie Poster
Credit: Disney
Metro - Cars Spin-Off Concept Art
Credit: Disney
Metro - Cars Spin-Off Concept Art
Credit: Disney
Metro - Cars Spin-Off Concept Art
Credit: Disney

That said, it’s worth noting here that – just in the past year or so – we’ve seen Disney & Pixar attempt to expand the turf that these two characters could comfortably cover. Take – for example — “Cars on the Road,” that nine-part series which debuted on Disney+ back in September of last year. This collection of animated shorts literally sent Lightning McQueen & Mater off on a road trip.

So who knows?

Given that Bob Iger (at Disney’s quarterly earnings call held earlier this week) revealed that the Company now has sequels in the works for “Frozen,” “Toy Story,” and “Zootopia” … Well, is it really all that far-fetched to think that – at some point further on down the road – Disney & Pixar will put yet another sequel to “Cars” in the works?

One that might send Lightning McQueen & Mater off to explore the gritty inner-city world that we glimpsed in all that concept art for “Metro,” that never-produced “Cars” spin-off.

Time will tell.

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Film & Movies

Park’s Closed: “Vacation ’58” Inspired by Seasonal Closing at Disneyland

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This year is the 30th anniversary of the release of National Lampoon’s “Vacation.” Warner Bros. released this Harold Ramis movie to theaters back in July of 1983.

John Hughes adapted his own short story (i.e., “Vacation ’58,” which had run in “National Lampoon” magazine less than four years earlier. The September 1979 issue, to be exact) to the screen.

Key difference between “Vacation ‘58” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation” is that the movie follows the Griswold family on their epic journey to Walley World. Whereas the short story that Hughes wrote (i.e., “Vacation ‘58”) follows an unnamed family to a different theme park. The actual Disneyland in Anaheim.

Let me remove any doubt here. Here’s the actual opening line to John Hughes’ “Vacation ’58.”

If Dad hadn’t shot Walt Disney in the leg, it would have been our best vacation ever.

What’s kind of intriguing about the plot complication that sets Act 3 of “National Lampoon’s Vacation” in motion (i.e., that – just as the Grisworld arrive at Walley World [after a harrowing cross-country journey] – they discover that “America’s favorite family fun park” is closed for two weeks for cleaning and to make repairs) is that … Well, it’s based on something that Hughes learned about the real Disneyland. That – from 1958 through 1985 [a total of 27 years] the Happiest Place on Earth used to close two days a week during the slower times of year. To be specific, Mondays & Tuesday in the Fall & early Winter as well as in the late Winter / early Spring.

Want to stress here: Two days a week versus the two weeks each year in “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”

Sorry folks. Park’s closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.

When Did Disneyland Start Opening 7-Days a Week?

It wasn’t ‘til February 6, 1985 that Disneyland Park formally switched to being a seven-day-a-week operation. This was just four months after Michael Eisner had become Disney’s new CEO. And part of his effort to get as much profit as possible out of Disney’s theme parks.

Which is a trifle ironic. Given that – back in December of 1958 – Disneyland deliberately switched over to an open-five-days-a-week-during-the-off-season schedule in an effort to get Anaheim’s operating costs under control. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Early Disneyland Operations – Ticket Books and Ticket Booths

So let’s start with the obvious: When Disneyland Park first opened in July of 1955, there had never been one of these before. So the Happiest Place on Earth was a learn-as-you-go operation.

So things that are now closely associated with a visit to Disneyland back in the day (EX: Having to purchase a book of tickets before you entered that theme park. Which then pushed Guests to go seek out various A, B, C & D Ticket attractions around the grounds) … Well, that form of admission media didn’t come online ‘til October 11, 1955. Some three months after Disneyland Park first open.

Prior to this, if you wanted to go on a ride at Disneyland, you had to first get on line at one of the Park’s omni-present ticket booth. Once you got to the front of that line, you then had to open your wallet and purchase enough tickets for your entire family to enjoy that attraction. Only then could you go over to the actual attraction and get in line for that experience. Where – just before boarding that ride – you then surrendered that ticket.

Disney Parks Getting Too Expensive

Interesting side note: It’s now an established part of the on-going Disney theme park narrative that “Going to the Parks has just gotten to be too expensive and/or complicated,” what with the institution of Lightning Lane and then forcing people to use virtual queues if they want to experience newer attractions at the Parks like “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind” at Epcot or “Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway” out in Anaheim.

Walt Fixes “Expensive” Impression

What fascinates me about the parallels here is that … When Walt began to see the same thing bubble up in press coverage for his new family fun park (i.e., All of those Summer-of-1955 stories in newspapers & magazines about how expensive it was to visit Disneyland. How – whenever a Guest visited this place – they were constantly being forced to repeatedly open their wallet), his immediate reaction was “We need to fix this now. I don’t want people coming away from their visit to Disneyland with this impression.” And by October 11, 1955 (less than 3 months after Disneyland Park first opened), they had a fix in place.

Lightning Lane – Raising Prices

Counter this with Lightning Lane. Which was first introduced at Walt Disney World in October of 2021. Which has gotten miserable press since Day One (and is a large part of people’s growing perception that it’s just gotten too expensive to take their family on vacation to WDW). Disney Corporate knows about this (hence the number of times questions about this perception has bubbled up in recent surveys that Resort has sent out).

And what does the Company do with this info? During the 2022 holiday season, Disney Parks actually raised the prices on individual Lightning Lanes for popular attractions like “Rise of the Resistance” to $22 a person.

Conclusion: Disney knows about all the bad press the Resort is getting lately but doesn’t care. They like all of the short-term money that Lightning Lane is pulling in right now and are deliberately overlooking all of the long-term implications of the narrative getting out there that going to WDW is getting too expensive.

“Spend Dollars to Get People Back” – Disney Cutting Corners on Projects

Which reminds me of something Walt once said when an Imagineer suggested that the Company could save a few bucks by cutting corners on a particular project: “If people ever stop coming to the Park because they think we cut corners on a project, the few cents we saved ultimately aren’t going to matter. We’re then going to have to spend dollars to get those people back.”

That’s what worries me about Disney’s current situation. What’s the Company ultimately going to have to do convince those people who now think that a trip to WDW has just gotten too expensive for the family to come back.

Disneyland Parking Closing on Mondays & Tuesdays

Back to Disneyland Park closing on Mondays & Tuesdays during the off-season … When did this practice start? Let me share something that I just found in the 1958 edition of Walt Disney Productions’ annual report. This document (which was published on December 23, 1958) states that:

While the gross income of Disneyland was greater this year than in any prior year, the operating expenses for this family fun park were likewise up substantially primarily to two factors.
(1) Operating a seven-day week throughout the 1957 – 1958 week against a six-day week the year before.

(2) Increased costs due to rising salaries and the
inauguration of a 40-hour week. This resulted in lower net profits compared to the prior year.

So – reading between the lines here – in Disneyland’s second year of operation (July 1956 – June 1957), the folks down in Anaheim experimented with keeping Walt’s family fun park open six days a week during the slower times of the year. Which – I’m told – resulted in all sort of angry people at the entrance of Disneyland’s parking lot. Who had to drive down to Anaheim for the day to experience the Happiest Place on Earth only to find said place closed.

Okay. So for Disneyland’s third year of operation (July 1957 – June 1958) on Walt’s orders, Disneyland is then kept open seven days a week all year long. Which proves to be a problem on the off-season, given that there are days in the late Fall / early Spring when there are more Cast Members working in the Park than there are Guests coming through the turnstiles.

Which explains this line in the 1958 version of Walt Disney Productions’ annual report. Which – again – I remind you was published on December 23rd of that year:

This current year, we are operating the park during the winter months on a five-day schedule with resulting savings in operating costs and in the hope that a full week’s business can be compressed within the five days.

So did this change in the way that Disneyland Park ultimately operated off-season ultimately work out? Let’s jump ahead to the 1959 version of Walt Disney Productions’ annual report. In that document (which was also published on December 23rd of that year) states that:

Again this year, as in each year since Disneyland Park first opened in 1955, new records were set for total attendance and per capita spending of park visitors.
The change to a five-day operating week during the 1958 – 1959 winter season from the seven-day schedule in effect the previous year has worked out very well. Reduced operating hours helped to control operating costs in the face of increased wage rates and other rising costs.

Making it Right for the Disneyland Hotel

Okay. So this change in the way that Disneyland Park operated during the off-season made things easier for Walt and Disney’s book-keepers back in Burbank. But what about Jack Wrather, the guy that Walt went to back in the Late Winter / Early Spring of 1955 and begged & pleaded for Wrather to build a hotel right next to Disneyland Park?

What happened to the Disneyland Hotel in late 1958 / early 1959 when – in the off-season – Disneyland Park goes to just a five-day-a-week operating schedule? At this point, the Disneyland Hotel is the largest hotel in all of Orange County with over 300 rooms.

It’s at this point that Walt personally reaches out to Jack and says “I know, I know. This operational change at the Park is going to affect your bottom line at the Hotel. Don’t fret. I’m definitely going to make this worth your while.”

Extending the Monorail to the Disneyland Hotel

And Walt followed through on that promise. In June of 1961, he extended Disneyland’s monorail system by a full 2 & a half miles so that this futuristic transportation system rolled right up to the Disneyland Hotel’s front door. Which was a perk that no other hotel in Orange County had.

And just in case you’re wondering: The cost of extending Disneyland’s monorail system over to the Disneyland Hotel was $1.9 million (That’s $19 million in 2023 money).

Credit: Ultraswank.net

Magic Kingdom Golf Course at Disneyland Hotel

That very same year, Walt had some of his staff artists design a miniature golf course that could then be built on the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel. This kid-friendly area (called the Magic Kingdom Golf Course) featured elaborately themed holes with recreations of attractions that could be found right next door at Disneyland Park.

  • Hole No. Three was Sleeping Beauty Castle
  • Hole No. Five was Matterhorn Mountain

Other holes featured recreations of popular Disneyland attractions of the 1960s. Among them the TWA Moonliner, the Submarine Voyage, the Painted Desert from Frontierland (this is the area Guests traveled through when they experienced Disneyland”s “Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland” attraction), Tom Sawyer Island, the Fort in Frontierland, not to mention Skull Rock as well as Monstro the Whale from Disneyland’s Fantasyland.

This area was specially illuminated for night-time play. Which meant that the Magic Kingdom Golf Course at the Disneyland Hotel could operate from 10 a.m. in the morning ‘til 10 p.m. a night seven days a week.

Additional Disneyland Hotel Expansion and Offerings

It’s worth noting here that – from the moment the monorail was connected to The Disneyland Hotel – that hotel achieved 100% occupancy. Which is why – even after Disneyland Park switched to a 5-day-a-week operating schedule during the off-season – Disneyland Hotel launched into an aggressive expansion plan. With its 11 story-tall Sierra Tower breaking ground in 1961 (it opened the following year in September of 1962). Not to mention adding all sort of restaurants & shops to the area surrounding that hotel’s Olympic-sized pool.

All of which came in handy during those Mondays & Tuesdays during the Winter Months when people were staying at the Disneyland Hotel and had nowhere to go on those days when the Happiest Place on Earth was closed.

It’s worth noting here that the Disneyland Hotel (with Walt’s permission, by the way) on those days when Disneyland was closed would offer its Guests the opportunity to visit Knott’s Berry Farm as well as Universal Studios Hollywood. A Gray Line Bus would pull up in front of that hotel several times a day offering round-trip transportation to both of those Southern California attractions.

Likewise the Japanese Village and Deer Park over Buena Park. It was a different time. Back when Disney prided itself in being a good neighbor. Back when the Mouse didn’t have to have ALL of the money when it came to the Southern California tourism market. When there was plenty to go around for everyone.

Walley World Shooting Locations

And back to “National Lampoon’s Vacation”… The Walley World stuff was all shot at two Southern California attractions.

The scenes set in the parking lot at Walley World as well as at the entrance of that fictious theme park were shot in the parking lot & entrance of Santa Anita Race Track (Horse Track).

Any scene that’s supposed to be inside of the actual Walley World theme park was shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

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Film & Movies

“Build It” – How the Swiss Family Treehouse Ended up in Disneyland

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Things get built at the Disney Theme Parks – but not always for the reasons that you might think.

Case in point: The Swiss Family Treehouse, which first opened at Disneyland Park back in November of 1962.

Swiss Family Robinson – 1960 Disney Film

Back then, Walt Disney Studios just had a hit film that was based on Johann David Wyss’ famous adventure novel of 1812. And at that time, Walt was justly proud of this project.

Out ahead of the release of this Ken Annakin film (Walt’s go-to director in the 1950s), Walt talked up this project in the Company’s annual report for 1959, saying that Swiss Family Robinson is …

… photographed on the island of Tobago in the West Indies and that it is shaping up into such an exciting and thrilling picture that the ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ shows every promise of equaling or surpassing every production our Company has ever put out.

Okay. Walt may have been overselling things a little here.

But when Disney’s version of Swiss Family Robinson finally arrived in theaters in December of 1960, it did quite well at the box office. It was No. 4 at the box office that year, behind “Spartacus,” “Psycho,” and “Exodus.”

And one of the main reasons that this Walt Disney Productions release did so well at the box office that year was … Well, Swiss Family Robinson looked great.

It had all of this lush shot-on-location footage (Though – to be fair here – I guess we should mention that this movie’s interiors were shot over in London at Pinewood Studios). One of the sequences from this Disney film that people most fondly remember is that montage where the Robinsons salvage what they can of their wrecked ship, the Swallow, and then use that same material to construct this amazing treehouse on an uninhabited island off the shore of New Guinea.

The Swiss Family. Robinson Tree was Real

By the way, the tree that appears in this Disney film is real. John Howell – who was the art director on “Swiss Family Robinson” – was out scouting locations for this movie in 1958. He had stopped work for the day and drinking with friends at a cricket match. When – out of the corner of his eye (through a gap in the fence that surrounded this cricket pitch) – John spied this beautiful Samaan tree with a huge 200 foot-wide canopy of leaves.

It’s still there, by the way. If you ever want to journey to the town of Goldsborough on the Caribbean island of Tobago.

Success at the Movies – Helping Disneyland Attendance

Anyway … Like I said, Disney’s movie version of Swiss Family Robinson comes out in December of 1960 and does quite well at the box office (Fourth highest grossing film of the year domestically).  Walt keenly remembers what happened when he last built an attraction at Disneyland that was based on a Ken Annakin film (Matterhorn Bobsleds inspired by Third Man on the Mountain). 1959 was Disneyland’s greatest year attendance-wise. Largely because so many people came out to the Park that Summer to experience Disneyland’s heavily hyped brand-new attractions – which included the Matterhorn Bobsleds.

The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland

The Matterhorn at Disneyland was largely inspired by research that the Studio did in Zermatt, Switzerland in late 1957 / early 1958 out ahead of the location shooting that was done for Third Man on the Mountain – which officially got underway in June of 1958).

There’s a famous story about the origin of the Matterhorn-at-Disneyland project. Walt was over in Switzerland for the start of shooting on Third Man on the Mountain in 1958 and evidently really liked what he saw. So be bought a postcard of the actual Matterhorn and then mailed it to Dick Irvine (who – at that time – was the Company’s lead Imagineer). Beyond Dick’s address at WDI, Walt reportedly only wrote two words on this postcard.

And those words supposedly were “Build this.”

It’s now the Spring of 1961 and attendance at Disneyland Park has actually fallen off from the previous year by 200,000 people. (You can read all about this in Walt Disney Productions’ annual report for 1961. Which was published on December 14th of that year. There’s a full scan of that annual report over on DisneyDocs.net). And Walt now wants to turn that attendance deficit around.

So what spurred Disneyland’s attendance surge in the Summer of 1959 was Walt pumping $6 million into the place for the construction of new attractions (Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage, & Monorail). So that’s now the plan for 1962 & 1963. Only this time around, it’ll be $7 million worth of new attractions. More to the point, since Disneyland’s 1959 expansion project was largely focused on Tomorrowland … This time around, the work will largely be focused on the other side of the Park. To be specific, Frontierland & Adventureland.

Adventureland Upgrades

Attendance had been dropping on the Jungle River Cruise attraction because it was largely unchanged from when Disneyland Park first opened back in July of 1955.

There’s a famous story of Walt observing a Mom pulling her kid away from the entrance of the “Jungle Cruise.” Saying words to the effect “We’ve already seen that ride. We went on it the last time we went to Disneyland.” This is what then inspired Disney to develop the practice of plussing the attractions at his theme parks.

This was what led Walt to bring Marc Davis over to WED from Feature Animation in October of 1960 and effectively say “Help me make Disneyland better. Let’s look for ways to make the rides there funnier. Better staged.” This is when Marc came up with the idea for the Sacred Elephant Bathing Pool and the Africa Veldt sequences for “The Jungle Cruise.” Not to mention the Trapped Safari.

How the Trapped Safari Vignette Ended Up in “The Jungle Cruise”

Interesting story about that vignette that Marc created for “The Jungle Cruise.” It originally wasn’t supposed to be part of that ride. Guests were supposed to see it alongside the side of the tracks as they rode the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad from Main Street Station over to Frontierland. The Trapped Safari was basically supposed to be something that made Guests think “Ooh, I need to get over to Adventureland while I’m here at the Park and go check out that new, improved version of the Jungle River Cruise that everyone’s talking about.”

That was the original plan, anyway. But as soon as Walt saw Marc’s art for the Trapped Safari, he basically said “That’s too good a gag to waste on the people who are riding Disneyland’s train. That’s gotta go inside of the actual Jungle Cruise.” So – at Walt’s insistence – the Trapped Safari then became the tag gag for the African Veldt section of that Adventureland attraction.

In fact, Walt so loved this gag that – after the Africa Veldt section first opened at Disneyland Park in June of 1964 – he actually made the Imagineers go back in this portion of that Adventureland attraction and restage it. Build up the cave that was behind that pride of lions which was watching over that sleeping zebra so that the Trapped Safari would then have a stronger reveal. Would get a bigger reaction / stronger laugh largely because Guests now wouldn’t see the Trapped Safari until they then floated by the lion’s cave.

Draining Jungle River Cruise and Rivers of America

Anyway … Now what made this redo / expansion of the Jungle River Cruise complicated is that this Adventureland attraction shared a water system with the Rivers of America (Guests who were headed to Disneyland’s old Chicken Plantation Restaurant for lunch or dinner used to have to walk over a bridge in Frontierland. Under which flowed the water that traveled from the Jungle River Cruise into the Rivers of America).

If the Jungle Cruise was being drained for months so that the Imagineers could then install the Sacred Elephant Bathing Pool sequence in that Adventureland attraction, that meant the Rivers of America had to be drained as well.

Drained Jungle Cruise – Credit: imgur.com

The Rivers of America were now going to be dry for months at a time from January of 1962 through June of that same year, this is when the Imagineers decided to tackle two projects that were well below Disneyland’s waterline – which was digging out the basement space in New Orleans Square (which was originally supposed to house the walk-thru tour version of “Pirates of the Caribbean”) as well as carving out that below-grade space over at the Haunted Mansion. Which was going to be necessary for the two elevators that would then make that attraction’s “stretching room” scenes possible.

While this work was being done along the shore of the Rivers of America, over towards the entrance of Adventureland, the Imagineers were reconfiguring that restaurant that faced out towards Disneyland’s Hub. They were using the temporary closure of the Jungle Cruise to revamp that operation. Carving out the space for the Tahitian Terrace as well as the Enchanted Tiki Room.

As you can see by all of the projects that I’ve just described – this was a hugely complex addition to the Parks with lots of moving parts.

This redo of Adventureland & Frontierland (which then set the stage for Disneyland’s New Orleans Square) was moving through its final design phase – the Imagineers were startled when Walt pointed to the very center of this incredibly ambitious $7 million construction project (the very spot where Adventureland bumped up against Frontierland) and said:

“Here. This is where I want you guys to build Disneyland’s version of the Swiss Family Treehouse.”

“Build It” – Swiss Family Treehouse in Disneyland

It wasn’t that easy.

The Imagineers explained “But Walt. That’s the piece of land that the pipe which connects the Jungle Cruise and the Rivers of America runs through. We’d have to rip that up and then reroute that water system.”

Walt said “I don’t care. Build it.”

The Imagineers then said “But Walt. If we built a Swiss Family Treehouse in the Park … Well, that then means a steep set of stairs first going up into that tree and then a second steep set of stairs coming down out of that tree. People aren’t going to like doing all of that climbing.”

Walt said “You’re wrong. Build it.”

Imagineers continued “An attraction like that’s only going to appeal to kids. And we’ve already got Tom Sawyer Island across the way.”

Walt “ Again, you’re wrong. Build it.

So that’s what the Imagineers did. Not happily, I might add. Because the concrete foundation that supported this six ton structure had to go down some 42 feet … Well, that totally screwed up the water system that previously connected Disneyland’s Jungle River Cruise to the Rivers of America.

Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse Construction (1962) – Credit: thedisneyblog.com

And as for those steep sets of stairs … While work was underway on this 70-foot-tall faux tree, Walt persuaded Betty Taylor (who was playing Sue Foot Sue over at the Golden Horseshoe at that time) to come over to the Swiss Family Treehouse construction site one afternoon. Betty was wearing a dress and high heels at the time. But she & Walt put on hard hats. And then the two of them made multiple trips up & down the stairs that had already been installed in & around Disneyland’s Swiss Family Treehouse. Just so Walt could then be certain that this attraction’s stairways weren’t too steep. More importantly, that they’d also be safe for ladies who were wearing skirts & dressed in heels to use.

The Opening of Swiss Family Treehouse at Disneyland

This 70-foot-tall faux tree (with its 80 foot-wide canopy of 300,000 pink plastic leaves) opened just in time for Thanksgiving of 1962. John Mills (the male lead of Disney’s “Swiss Family Robinson” film) was on hand for the dedication of this Adventureland attraction. FYI: He brought along his daughter, Halley (As in Halley Mills, the star of Disney’s “Pollyana” and “The Parent Trap”).

There’s this great 3-minutes-and-41-second video over on YouTube that shows Walt leading the Mills family (John, Halley & Mary Mills, John’s wife) around Disneyland’s Swiss Family Treehouse in the Fall of 1962. You can see Disney proudly showing off the elaborate water wheel system at the heart of this Adventureland attraction, which send 200 gallons of water high up into that faux tree.

How Much Did it Cost to Build the Swiss Family Treehouse at Disneyland?

Disneyland spent $254,900 on the construction of that theme park’s version of Swiss Family Treehouse. Which the Imagineers (back then, anyway) felt was money wasted. Because no one was ever going to climb up the 68 steps that then led to the three rooms in this Adventureland attraction (The parents bedroom, the boys bedroom [up in the crow’s next] and then the common area / kitchen / dining room) and then the 69 steps back down to the ground.

This is where the Imagineers were wrong.

Don’t Bet Against Walt – Success of Swiss Family Treehouse

Swiss Family Treehouse quickly became one of the more popular attractions in the Park. Back then, this Adventureland attraction was a C Ticket (35 cents apiece). And since it only took three Disneyland employees to safely staff & operate the Treehouse (i.e., one person to take tickets at the entrance, a second staffer patrolling upstairs in the tree to make sure the Guests were behaving themselves / not touching the props, and then a third Cast Member down by the exit making sure that Guests aren’t sneaking up the back stairs to experience the Swiss Family Treehouse without first surrendering a C Ticket), it also became one of the more profitable attractions in the Park.

200 people up in the tree at any one time. 1200 people an hour. Killer views of New Orleans Square construction / the Jungle Cruise ride just below.

Oh, and that only appeal to kids thing? Out of every four Guests who came through the turnstile / surrounded that 35 cent C ticket, only one was a kid under 10. The other three were adults.

To be specific here:  Once construction of Disneyland’s Swiss Family Treehouse was complete in the Fall of 1962, it only cost $21,000 to staff & operate annually. An additional $16,000 to maintain each year. In 1965, this Adventureland Attraction – even after taking those costs into consideration – still managed to turn a profit of $313,000.

Long story short: It was never a smart thing to bet against Walt. At least when it came to how popular an attraction would be with Guests (The Mickey Mouse Club Circus fiasco of the holiday season of 1955 being the exception, of course).

Ken Annakin – Film Director

Disney Legend Ken Annakin – Credit: D23

Sadly, the Imagineers weren’t able to base any other theme park attractions on Ken Annakin movies. “Swiss Family Robinson” was the very last film that he directed for Disney Studios.

Annakin went on to direct several very popular family films in the 1960s & 1970s, among them “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” and “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking.” And the Walt Disney Company went out of its way to recognize Ken’s contribution to the overall success of Disney Studio & the Company’s theme parks by naming him a Disney Legend in 2002.

Sadly, Ken passed away at his home in Beverly Hills back in April of 2009 at the ripe old age of 94. Worth noting here that – in the late 1960s / early 1970s – when Walt Disney Animation Studios was fumbling around for an idea for a project to tackle after “The Aristocats” (That was the last animated feature that Walt Disney personally put into production / greenlit) – someone asks that classic question “What would Walt do?”

And in this case, the thinking was … Walt really liked those live-action movies that Ken Annakin directed for the Studio. Maybe we should look at those. So they then screened the very first movie that Ken directed for Disney, which was “The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men” from 1952. And since people in Feature Animation thought that that was a pretty solid story … Well, that’s how we wound up with Disney’s animated version of “Robin Hood” in November of 1973.

New Robin Hood on Disney+?

Back in April of 2020, Disney announced that it was working on a CG version of Disney’s 1973 hand-drawn version of “Robin Hood.” Which is eventually supposed to show up on Disney+. Carlos Lopez Estrada had been signed to helm this film. Kari Granlund was writing the screenplay for this “Robin Hood” reboot. An  Justin Springer, who helped get “Tron: Legacy” off the ground back in 2010, would be producing.

So the Ken Annakin corona effect lives on at Disney.

So does Disneyland’s Swiss Family Treehouse. Which – after being renamed / rethemed as the Tarzan Treehouse in June of 1999 – will revert to being the Adventureland Treehouse later this year. With a loose retheming that then allows this Disneyland attraction to become home to characters from Disney’s “Swiss Family Robinson,” “Tarzan,” and “Encanto.”

This article is based on research for The Disney Dish Podcast “Episode 412”, published on January 30, 2023. The Disney Dish Podcast is part of the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network.

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