First up, Matthew P. writes in to say:

Love the site, enjoy all the minor tidbits about the Disney parks. At the WDW Magic Kingdom when Tomorrowland was re-themed 10 years or so ago, 6 metal palm trees were added half way between Space Mountain and Tomorrowland Transit Authority (I still think of it as the WEDWay people mover). Anyway, 5 of the 6 matel palm trees are designed in the same way, branches extended fully. But 1 of the 6 metal palm trees has its branches folded up in a different shape. This 1 tree has been different than the other 5 since they were installed. My question, do you know if there is some significance to the different tree? some imagineer inside joke? or is there no meaning at all?

Dear Matthew —

You’ve got a great eye for detail. The Imagineers deliberately placed that faulty mechanical palm tree in WDW’s new Tomorrowland. Why For? To subtly get across the idea that — here in the “Future That Never Was” — things don’t always go as smoothly as we hope they would. That — sometimes — some of these modern age wonders malfunction.

Photo by Jeff Lange
(Note: Malfunctioning Palm Tree on Left)

Of course, when WDW’s New Tomorrowland actually used to have an attraction that malfunctioned (I.E. “The ExTERRORestrial Alien Encounter”), this malfunctioning mechanical palm tree could be seen as clever foreshadowing. But now … It’s just a cool little detail that adds to the beautifully layered storytelling that you find in this part of the Magic Kingdom.

Next up, Ryan writes in to ask:

Dear Jim,

I’ve been recently thinking over all the things that Pixar has done, and then all of the sudden, it washed over me: On the Pixar site, “It’s Tough to be a Bug”, the 3D show presented at AK and DCA, is clearly not there. The question is: why? Are they ashamed of this 8-minute animated effort? Are the theater effects and audio-animatronics not enough to qualify. I mean, surely, it would be intresting to find out the makings about Pixar’s one and only 3D effects film, but are they ashamed of it? Sure seems like it, because no one in the Pixar league ever mentions it, yet it’s being shown to crowds on both coasts everyday. Did the movie just sprout from nothing, because there’s got to be a technical story about the film, is there?

-Ryan

Ryan —

There’s actually a simple explanation as to why you won’t see “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” mentioned over on the Pixar website. Pixar Animation Studios DIDN’T make this 3D movie for the Disney theme parks.

Strange but true, folks. But let’s remember that Disney’s Animal Kingdom (AKA the theme park where “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” originally debuted) opened in April of 1998. While “A Bug’s Life” didn’t actually roll into theaters ’til November of 1998. A full five months later.

You get where I’m going here yet, Ryan. The animators at Pixar were far too busy finishing up “A Bug’s Life” to churn out “It’s Tough to Be a Bug.” Which is why the Imagineers were forced to turn to Rhythm & Hues, an LA-based special effects house that specializes in CG, and ask them to make the 3D movie that was scheduled to be shown inside DAK’s Tree of Life.

Mind you, Pixar did provide the folks at Rhythm & Hues with plenty of “A Bug’s Life” reference material. So that they could then be sure to get the final look of Flik & Hopper just right. And WDI also caught a lucky break in that Chris Bailey (I.E. An old WDFA hand. A guy who’s probably best known for his work as the director of that 1995 Academy Award nominated short, “Runaway Brain”) was available to direct this new film for the theme parks.

The end result is that “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” looks so good that most WDW visitors (as well as a lot of animation fans) assume that this 3D movie was actually produced by Pixar. Though — truth be told — the only real tie that this film has to Pixar Animation Studios is that “Finding Nemo” director Andrew Stanton is actually the guy who provided the vocals for the Hopper Audio Animatronic figure in the show. Not Kevin Spacey.

So — beyond the initial reference material that the Emeryville-based animation studio gave to Rhythm & Hues as well as Stanton’s contribution — “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” was pretty much a Pixar-free affair. It’s still pretty darn entertaining, don’t you think?

Next up, Shane W. writes in to ask:

Dear Jim,

First, let me say that I am a long-time reader of your columns, at a number of websites. So thank you for your work. It has been very entertaining.

The reason I’m writing now is because I recently spent a few days at Walt Disney World, and as you well know, a trip like that brings to mind a whole bunch of questions like:

Why did park executives decide to close Wonders of Life on a periodic basis? (Namely, during my visit.) It seems like a ride like “Body Wars” is an awfully large attraction to take off the menu. And if attendance is a concern, I can think of a few pavilions in World Showcase that might be putting up “Come Back Later” signs.

I appreciate your columns and your website, and I look forward to future writings.

Sincerely,

Shane W.

Dear Shane —

Epcot’s “Wonders of Life” pavilion remains a somewhat problematic Future World attraction for the Imagineers. And not just because of all the people who still get nauseous whenever they ride “Body Wars.”

No, the problem with this Future World pavilion is that it hasn’t aged all that well. Why For? Well, to be blunt: “Wonders of Life” ‘s shows & attractions feature far too many movie & sitcom stars from the late 1990s (Which isn’t all that surprising, given that this Epcot addition opened in October of 1989). But the problem is … These performers (which are featured in the film elements for WOL) really tend to date this Future World pavilion. Making the place seem dated & stale.

Photo by Jeff Lange

Mind you, the Mouse had hoped that — once MetLife exited as this Future World pavilion’s sponsor — that they’d then be able to persuade some other healthcare company to come in and underwrite the cost of redoing all of its rides, shows and attractions. But — as it turns out — most of the corporations that the Imagineers approached couldn’t see the benefit of having their name attached to an Epcot attraction.

Which is why — for a time — the Imagineers just junked the idea of trying to find a health-care related company to take over the sponsorship of the “Wonders of Life” show building. And — instead — WDI worked up a proposal where the physical plant of the building (I.E. The “Body Wars” simulators, the “Making of Me” & “Cranium Command” theaters) would be kept in place while this pavilion was given a whole new theme.

“What sort of theme would that have been?,” you ask. The “Wonders of Computer Animation,” as presented by Pixar Animation Studios.

Oh, I know. I can hear all of you theme park purists out there moaning. Complaining that — yet again — here’s the Imagineers looking for another way to cram some characters into Epcot. But the fact of the matter is … WDW’s science & discovery park has always had a problem with it comes to appealing to small children. That — over the past 23 years — kids had come to equate the name “Epcot” with “boring.”

Well, the folks at WDI thought that folding the characters from “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Finding Nemo” into Future World would go an awfully long way toward making Epcot seem like more of a fun place from younger children to visit. More importantly, this pavilion’s new theme (I.E. Celebrating Pixar animation as well as the cutting-edge technology that makes it all possible) would obviously appeal to the teens in the family. So this seemed like a win-win to the Imagineers.

So among the show ideas that were considered for this “Wonders of Life” redo was taking “Body Wars” ‘s simulators and retheming them around “Finding Nemo.” With the new version of the show supposedly taking WDW visitors for a submarine voyage off of the Great Barrier Reef. And — in the process — meeting up with Marlin, Dory, Nemo, Bruce and the whole Tank Gang.

Meanwhile, over in the “Cranium Command” theater, an AA version of Mike Wazowski was supposed to serve as the host of a demonstration of some new “Monsters, Inc.” technology. But then — of course — Randall disrupts the demo. And — in that fine Disney theme park tradition — something goes horribly wrong! And it’s up to Mike to somehow save the day.

Over in the “Making of Me” theaters, guests would be able to watch an endless loop of Pixar shorts as well as previews for the studio’s upcoming feature. And — all around the interior of the pavilion — there were to have been these hands-on stations. Where guests could have tried their hand at animating their favorite Pixar character.

And — speaking of characters — this place would have been loaded with them. There would have meet-n-greet stations dedicated to each & every one of the Pixar films. So — if you wanted to see the characters from “Toy Story,” you got in one line. The characters from “A Bug’s Life,” another line, etc.

So this sounds like a pretty snazzy addition to Epcot, doesn’t it? So why wasn’t this proposed “Wonders of Life” pavilion change-out ever implemented?

Because … Well … For a number of reasons, actually. As you all already know, Disney & Pixar were kind of on the outs by this time (circa 2003). And — as time went by — it became increasing doubtful that the Emeryville-based animation studios would renew its co-production & distribution deal with the Walt Disney Company. Let alone agree to sponsor a pavilion at Future World.

Then there was the problem with the Pixar characters. Who were already so well intergrated into the other WDW theme parks. What with the “Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin” attraction being over at the Magic Kingdom and Flik & Hopper from “A Bug’s Life” appearing in the show inside DAK’s Tree of Life … What was the sense of trying to sell WDW visitors on the idea that “You have to go to Epcot in order to see your favorite Pixar characters” … When these characters were obviously already readily available for visits at Disney’s other Central Florida theme parks.

So the Pixar-themed redo of the “Wonders of Life” pavilion eventually got spiked. And — in the absense of any really viable ideas for overhauling this out-of-date Epcot addition — “WOL” went to an as-needed schedule. As in: This Future World pavilion only opens to the public when this theme park is so full that Disney desperately needs another place to stuff guests into. Which is why (lately) “Wonders of Life” has only been open during the Christmas crush as well as the busier weeks during Spring Break.

Mind you, it’s even been a while since that last happened. Nowadays, “WOL” ‘s huge interior is sometimes used for corporate events and/or private parties. But — for the most part — this Future World show building stands empty. Which is why it’s really only a matter of time now before this structure finally gets slated for demolition. To be replaced by … What else? A thrill ride.

I know, I know. I just made General Grizz’s week. And — speaking of people who seem to bitch & moan a lot — PewterPotter recently sent me this e-mail:

have you read what’s being written about you over on laughingplace.com’s discussion boards? with people like l***** (aka the editor of “tales from the laughing place” magazine) saying that you’re “a bottom-feeder” and calling for disneyland to revoke your annual pass. and d******* (aka another columnist for that website) insisting that you’ve become some sort of publicity whore. likening you to ” … the homely girl at the party who stands in the middle of the room loudly saying, ‘I don’t want any of you boys annoying me. Just stay away. Leave me alone.’ “

doesn’t it bother when that other members of the disneyana community say such awful things about you?

Dear PewterPotter.

To answer your question: No, not really.

I mean, this sort of thing comes with being a webmaster. You put stories up on the Net, people are going to comment on them. And not everyone is going to agree with what you say and/or how you say it.

I mean, sure, it would be great if folks on the Internet could disagree with you without becoming disagreeable. To not automatically resort to name calling and/or personal attacks. But — when it comes to the Web — I find that common courtesy  isn’t really all that common.

So — in order to succeed in this field — you have to have pretty thick skin. To not take it personally when people attack you. Otherwise, you’ll wind up spending all of your time on other people’s websites, trying to defend your honor in some never-ending discussion board debate.

(Which brings to mind my favorite line from “Duck Soup.” When Groucho Marx — as he attempts to rally Freedonia’s troops before they march off into battle — points to Margaret Dumont and says: “Remember, you’re fighting for this woman’s honor. Which is probably more than she ever did.”

Anyway … Where was I? Ah, yes. Standing on my rickety soapbox … )

If you want to be even moderately successful in this field, you have to concentrate on what’s really important. Which is NOT listening to your detractors. But — rather — consistently churning out new content for your website

I made that mistake once. Of  actually getting steamed up because of what some bozo was saying about me on someone else’s discussion board. And — to be honest — it wasn’t what this guy was saying about me that got me so mad. But — rather — it was because this guy then felt that it was okay to take swipes at my daughter as he was going after me …

So I signed into that other site’s discussion board, totally prepared to stomp this idiot into the ground … And the end result wasn’t pretty. He and I both wound up looking like complete imbeciles.

Which is why I now deliberately give the whole discussion board side of the Web a very wide berth. By that I mean: I don’t even note on JHM’s discussion boards. I prefer to stay on my side of the fence & just write my stories. Leaving it to my readers to decide if the finished product is actually any good.

Anyway, to get back to your question, PewterPotter… Does it bother me when I find out that someone at LaughingPlace … or WDWMagic … or MiceAge … or wherever … is bad-mouthing me? Well, I have to admit that I’m not thrilled. But it’s not like I’m actually going to stop what I’m doing and rush on over to that website just to see what’s being said.

If you fall into that sort of behavior, my friend… That’s a one-way ticket to Make-Yourself-Crazy-ville.

I follow one very simple rule, PewterPotter. I don’t buy into what strangers have to say about me. And by that I mean: The curses AND the compliments.

Now, if Nancy or my Dad or Jeff Lange tells me that I’m behaving like an ass … Those folks, I listen to. Friends & family, I believe.

But a l***** (who I’ve never met) or a d******* (who I’ve only met a couple of times at N.F.F.C. things & Disney press events)? Please. That sort of stuff just rolls right off my back.

Beyond that … It’s a free country. And l***** & d******* are entitled to their own opinions & can say whatever the hell they want. So if they want to call me a “bottom feeder” and/or insist that I’ve become a publicity hound … Well, that’s their right.

Me personally? I can’t help but notice that this sort of thing (I.E. The personal attacks on other discussion boards) tends to flare up whenever I’m in the paper and/or wind up on the news. So could this be just plain old fashioned jealousy? Or is there something about my big, ol’, fat face that somehow enrages some Disneyana fans whenever they see it?

I don’t know what to tell you, folks … Other than I don’t really plan to dwell on any of this negative stuff.

I mean, come on. So a few people on other websites have said some fairly catty things about me lately. Big deal.

When you consider all of the publicity that JHM has received over the past four weeks (Not to mention the positive impact this additional exposure has had on the site’s traffic levels) … The positives of this whole experience clearly outweigh the negatives.

So let l***** & d******* say whatever they want about my stories and/or how I behave. Likewise the folks at MiceAge and WDWMagic. Their comments don’t really concern me. Just so long as they spell my name right.

“What do I mean by that?,” you ask. Well, this is 2005 after all. The age where it really does seem like there is no such thing as bad publicity.

So I say: Let these other Disneyana websites keep talking about me. It just makes their readers (some of who aren’t even aware of what a JHM is) all the more curious about who this Jim Hill person might be.

So they then go looking for JimHillMedia.com.  And — once these folks get here — maybe they read a few of the articles that we’ve got archived here. And then — if these people like what they see —  this site might pick up a new reader or two. 

Speaking of two … Man, I wish that I could be in two places at the same time.

Why For? Well, due to a family emergency, I had to cancel this week’s trip to Los Angeles. Which means that I’m missing out on this great once-in-a-lifetime event that ASIFA Hollywood is holding tonight at 7 p.m. at the Glendale Central Library : A re-union of the directors & animators who worked on Disney’s 1992 traditionally animated hit, “Aladdin.”

It’s going to be a night of animation all-stars, folks. Among the renown artists who are scheduled to take part in tonight’s panel are WDFA vets Ron Clements, John Musker, Andrea Deja, Eric Goldberg & Will Finn.

Moderated by ASIFA’s president emeritus Tom Sito (Who’s also an “Aladdin” alum), this evening promises to be one that Disney animation fans won’t soon forget. Full of great behind-the-scenes stories about this Academy Award winning film … And — DAMN IT ! — I’m stuck back here in the woods of New Hampshire.

*Sigh* How come you can never find a flying carpet when you really need one?

Another great event that I’m missing out on this weekend is the West Coast premiere of “Dream On Silly Dreamer.” Which is being held tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Orange County Museum of Art as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival. So — if you love Disney traditional animation — you really owe it to yourself to go check out this beautiful little film by Tony West & Dan Lund.

And — with that — another fun week here at JHM draws to a close. Here’s hoping that you folks have a much more entertaining weekend planned that I do. I’m stuck here at home taking care of Nancy’s four obnoxious cats as well as working on the script for that JHM Disneyland history CD.

Speaking of which: Jeff Lange wants me to remind you that we’re still taking names for the official notification list. So — if you want to be among the first to hear the stories that Disneyland Security thought were too negative to be told inside their theme park — please drop me a line at jim@jimhillmedia.com.

Okay. Enough with the annoying plugs already. See you folks on Monday, okay?

jrh