If you are one of the folks who have been reading the site for a while, then you may recall that the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, along with Walt Disney Imagineering put together a truly wonderful exhibition entitled, “Behind The Magic – 50 Years of Disneyland.” JHM guest writer Dan Viets treated us all to an advance preview last September and the exhibition went on to garner rave reviews.
With Walt having visited the Ford Museum several times (including a now legendary excursion to the Midwest with Ward Kimball in 1949), it is fair to say that there is enough room to credit some inspiration for the layout of Disneyland to that of the Ford’s Dearborn Village or as the saying goes a very “sincere form of flattery.”
I’m happy to say that such an assumption would be wrong.
Last Saturday evening, I was fortunate to be an invited guest of the Oakland Museum to attend a preview of this exhibition as part of the Museum’s 2006 Golden Gala event. Acting as chairperson for the event was Diane Disney Miller, accompanied by husband Ron Miller. There were other notables were also in attendance including Imagineer Tony Baxter and Pixar director Pete Doctor, to name only two.
Before I delve further into what you can expect to see and experience, let me share a real treat with you! For the opening day of the exhibition, this coming Saturday, May 6th, the Oakland Museum is rolling back the price of admission to match that of Disneyland’s opening day (Monday, July 18th) to only $1.00 for Adults and 50 cents for Children. (That price is in addition to the Museum’s regular admission of $8 for Adults and $5 for Children, but still a heck of a bargain.)After that, the prices will be $14.00 for Adults and $10.00 for children. That also includes full admission to the rest of the Museum. So if you might be in the Oakland area this Saturday, I wholeheartedly suggest taking full advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
Now back to the exhibition at hand … You know you are in the right place when your first glimpse of what is in store is exactly what Disneyland visitors saw for many years on arrival along Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim.
The stylized “D” from the Disneyland marquee
From here, the exhibit tells of Walt Disney and how the concepts for a theme park became reality in Anaheim. Guests will walk past stations with an interactive video centerpiece for the various “lands” with concept art and interesting artifacts.
Don’t stop yet! There’s plenty more to see …
For example, this sign once welcomed guests to climb the stairs and listen to the “Swisskapolka” as they explored this attraction.
A guest favorite, the “Swiss Family Treehouse”
Here’s something I thought that I would never see. Trash cans displayed as artifacts. And on display behind a railing, to boot! Who would have guessed?
Save your “waste” for the real trash cans at the museum, okay?
In another part of the exhibit, you’ll also find a display of classic Disneyland arcade games. Including several machines that used to be found in New Orleans Square’s “Pieces of Eight” shop.
Do you remember your high score?
There are also a great number of concept art pieces for all kinds of things found in the park. Everything from reference works right down to costume designs. Here is one that has been a particular favorite of guests over the past 39 years.
Yes, it really is “the hair of the dog” – the dog from the jail scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. The color reference and hair sample chart for this classic AA figure.
Okay, how is this for an interactive display? Guests can sit in one of the flying pirates ships from the “Peter Pan Adventure,” complete with a bit of audio to bring the moment to life.
“Off to Neverland! Come on everybody, here we gooooooo…”
So, there is a brief glimpse into some of this wonderful exhibition of Disney theme park magic. But it isn’t all I have to share about it. Check back for another chapter in this story complete with some comments about the exhibition from Diane Disney Miller and Imagineer Marty Sklar. And you’ll even find a couple of hidden Mickey’s along the way as you travel through the Oakland Museum. I’ll have some clues for you about where to look next time, too.
Okay, last week I mentioned that there was an opportunity to win a pair of tickets for the May 26th premiere of “Cars” at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. On my recent visit to Charlotte, I picked up two tickets. And seeing as I won’t be able to join everyone for that evening, I thought that a lucky JHM reader might enjoy them instead.
I will be giving these tickets away to the lucky reader that I think tells the best story of a car trip to a Disney theme park. Please submit all entries to my new JHM mailing address, roger@jimhillmedia.com. Once I pick the story that I like best, I’ll announce the winner in this “Cars” premiere contest when I post the next installment of my “Behind The Magic: 50 years at Disneyland” coverage.