May 30th
May 30, 2003 — “Finding Nemo” is released to theaters: If you’re wondering why Bob Iger has been knocking on Pixar’s door with flowers & candy, then take another look at “Finding Nemo” ‘s grosses.
“Finding Nemo” made $70 million in its first weekend. This Andrew Stanton film then went on to earn $340 million domestically, $840 mil worldwide. Which made this Pixar Animation Studios’ release the highest grossing film of 2003.
And — given that Pixar’s most recent release, “The Incredibles,” did almost as well ($261 million domestic, $631 worldwide) … Well, you can see why Bob is eager to get Steve Jobs back to the negotiating table.
June 1st
June 1, 1989 — WDW’s Typhoon Lagoon Opens: “Hurricane Connie ripped through Safen Sound, FL. Sucking up boats, docks and whatever else she felt like. Only to spit them out again on Placid Palms Resort. When Connie was through, she had permanently carved a name for herself on the tiny retreat and left debris big and small in some of the strangest places …”
This is Imagineering’s backstory for Typhoon Lagoon, Disney World’s beautifully landscaped water park. The centerpiece of the 56 acre park is Mount Mayday, a 100 foot high volcano / geyser topped by Miss Tilly.
Tilly, a charter out of Safen Sound, FL. was caught up in Connie’s wrath and skewered like a shrimp atop Placid Palms’ resident volcano, stopping the normal flow of geothermal gas. Steam from Mount Mayday now builds and blows through the horns of the old ship every half hour, shooting 50 foot geysers into the air.
At the base of the geyser is a two and a half acre tropical lagoon and wave pool (The largest wave pool in the United States. Or says the Mouse) filled with 2,750,000 gallons of water that can be pushed into waves up to six feet high. White sandy beaches surround the lagoon, making it a tanning haven as well as a body surfer’s dream.
If body surfing isn’t your thing, the Imagineers have designed nine other water attractions, two restaurants, plenty of snack bars and a store full of swimwear to round out the park.
June 1, 1995 — Space Mountain Paris Opens: In 1866, Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” was originally published. In the novel, a Boston Gun Club has very little to do after the Civil War. Serious studies of firing distances and muzzle velocity to further the Union’s cause is now nothing more than theoretical discussion. The Club is due for some boring years ahead until club president Impey Barbicane makes a bold suggestion.
Barbicane proposes that the Club should make a cannon large enough to shoot a bullet to the moon. The audacious plan not only inspires the gun club to build the cannon, the designers decide to make the bullet a manned capsule. Work begins on the cannon; dubbed the Columbiad, and the project captures the imagination of the world.
Imagineers used the story as a launch point for “De La Terre Al La Lune” and the Discoveryland ride is definitely not your father’s Space Mountain. The cars don’t just chug up a hill. They’re launched from a cannon across the outside of the mountain. The Columbiad faithfully fires a 24 passenger “shell” into space every 36 seconds at peak operation. “De La Terre” is the only Space Mountain to have loops, corkscrews and extreme inversions. More to the point, this thrill ride is 30 percent faster than the “Space Mountains” at Walt Disney World, Disneyland or Tokyo.
As — if that wasn’t already bcool enough — this DLP attraction received a makeover earlier this year. It seems the flight to the moon was so successful that the cannon is now launching explorers into deeper space. “Space Mountain: Mission 2” has better sound, more effects and an even longer and faster launch. Viva La France!
June 2nd
June 2, 1989 — Touchstone Pictures releases “The Dead Poets Society” : When director Peter Weir filmed “The Dead Poets Society,” he made two unusual decisions. The first was to shoot the movie in continuity, to shoot it beginning to end as it’s seen in the theaters. The reasoning was to give certain realism to the deepening bond between Keating (Robin Williams) and his students. The second decision was to keep the kids playing the students away from the dailies. The kids didn’t get to see just how they were performing, making their performances more of a team collective and perhaps making the experience a little less competitive.
The film was a hit for Robin Williams and helped ensure his position as a box office draw. The film got him nominated in the Best Actor category at the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
“They’re not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? — Carpe — hear it? — Carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” — John Keating, “The Dead Poets Society.”
June 3rd
June 3, 2001 — “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” debuts in Hollywood: If you were fortunate enough to see this animation feature during its run at the El Capitan Theatre, then you would have had the chance to experience “Destination: Atlantis,” the three story walk-through attraction next door.
How much fun would it have been to sit in a scale model of an Atlantean Ketak, that manta ray-shaped vehicles from the film? Or learn the Atlantean language from a touch pad kiosk? The multileveled experience let you dig for a crystal or sharks tooth to make into a bracelet, touch sea life in pools provided by the Long Beach Aquarium or build a city out of blocks and watch an earthquake send it to the watery depths.
Inside the “Whitmore Library” exhibit, you could peruse cases filled with artifacts “donated” by members of the Atlantis Expedition along with sketches used during the film. A scale model of the submarine Ulysses dominated the middle of the room.
Did I mention the Lazer Tag arena? Where guests could don vests and enter a room filled with smoke, neon and the glowing icons of Atlantis & attempt to score points while shooting at their friends?
The whole thing must have cost the Mouse a fortune. It’s a shame that “Destination: Atlantis” was experienced by so few moviegoers during its approximately 6 week run. A show like that at aquariums or children’s museums across the US could have given this underrated film a much needed boost.
June 4th
June 4, 1990 — WDW’s Dolphin resort opens: This distinctive 27-story hotel appears to be floating on a blue lagoon. The tan and brick-red exterior is painted with a banana leaf mural and topped with two gigantic fish statues. But the fish aren’t really fish. They’re dolphins. Or — to be specific — early seafarer’s versions of dolphins. Like something you might find drawn in the margins of a pirates map.
Architect Michael Graves designed both the Swan & Dolphin Hotels with early Florida tourism in mind. The huge tented foyer in the Dolphin brings to mind elegance of a bygone age. When caravans of upper class eastern tourists would come to bask in the warm weather and see the unusual seaside delights of an early Florida.
All the floral patterns and exotic animals framed in Terra Cotta, Coral and Turquoise are the distinctive signature palette of many Michael Graves projects. Both a designer of household goods for clients like Target as well as an architect for projects like the San Juan Capistrano Library, Graves’s eclectic personal view of design has created in both the Swan & Dolphin two very distinctive buildings. The Dolphin — like the architect that created it — is anything but ordinary.
June 5th
June 5, 1972 — “If You Had Wings” debuts at WDW’s Magic Kingdom: This Tomorrowland attraction was presented by Eastern Airlines, which was Disney World’s official airline at the time. “If You Had Wings” made use of the Omnimover system (I.E. The ride system that is still used today to move guests through all the various versions of “The Haunted Mansion”) to move WDW visitors past exotic ports of call. While a catchy little ditty written by “Buddy” Baker tied the whole thing together.
While it wasn’t a very complex ride (And — to be honest — this Tomorrowland attraction was little more that a commercial for Eastern), “If You Had Wings” still had a simple charm that many Disney World old timers wax nostalgic about.
“If you had wings
You could do anything
You could widen your world
If you had wings”If you’d like to learn even more about “If You Had Wings,” I suggest you check out this link. Which will be the only “If You Had Wings” site you’ll ever need.
June 5, 1998 — “Mulan” premieres at the Hollywood Bowl: Disney loves extravagant premieres and “Mulan” was no exception. While not as huge as the “Pocahontas” premiere in Central Park or as expensive as the premiere of “Pearl Harbor,” “Mulan” was a memorable and large stage production that included an hour’s entertainment before the premiere and fireworks effects timed to the film.
Because of the size of the Hollywood Bowl, sound takes a little while to travel to the back. To fix this, Disney employed a sound system that divided the Bowl into different zones. Each of the zones received the sound with a small delay to make sure that it better matched the action on the screen.
A big challenge was getting enough light on the giant 85 foot long screen. A summer sunset of 8:30 or 9 p.m. coupled with the huge amount of ambient light always hovering over Hollywood meant special 70 mm prints of “Mulan” had to be made. Because the print was so specialized, it took thousands of feet of film to get things right, a very expensive proposition.
Birthdays
Lonnie Burr (May 31 1943-) Lonnie was one of only nine Mouseketeers that managed to stay with the Mickey Mouse Club from beginning to end. In spite of being one of the group’s most outspoken members, Lonnie is often seen at Disney events — including Disneyland’s 50th Celebration. The omni-talented singer, dancer, actor, author and playwright will turn 62.
Mouse FACTory 4.0
