Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Why For? : What happened to the Geyser Mountain ride Imagineers hoped to add to Disneyland

Jim Hill returns with even more answers to your Disney related questions. This time around, he gushes about Geyser Mountain, puzzles over what was Disney's biggest missed opportunity (movie-wise) might have been, then offers up suggestions about which Disneyland Paris book to pick up.

Published

20 years ago

September 25, 2003

Jim Hill

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First up, DISNEYFREEK writes in to ask:

Jim,
LOVE the site, man. Great work and I love reading your articles / reports. Next time I go down to the states, I’ll take the (JHM) Disney tour.
I heard a rumor once regarding a geyser ride in Frontierland? Any truth to this?
Keep up the good work!

Yep, “Geyser Mountain” was a really-for-real project. A new thrill ride that the Imagineers had hoped to add to Disneyland a few years back. Out where the now-unused Big Thunder Ranch / the Festival of Fool arena stage area currently sits empty and unused.

So what exactly would this proposed new thrill ride for Frontierland have been like? Well, you know how Epcot’s “Body Wars” is really just a variation on the “Star Tours” simulator attraction? Using the exact same technology to tell a somewhat different story? Well “Geyser Mountain” was supposed to have been done pretty much the same thing with “Tower of Terror”‘s powered drop ride system. Only — instead of sending Disneyland guests screaming down an elevator shaft — GM would have its riders hurtling skyward. Supposedly powered by an unexpected geothermal eruption.

To explain: If “Geyser Mountain” had actually been built out back where Fantasyland and Frontierland meet, your adventure would have begun as you follow a trail out into a rough wilderness area that looked very much like a continuation of Big Thunder Mountain. So think lots more pine trees, scenic buttes as well as Bryce Canyon-like spires.

But bordering the queue of the attraction there would have been several steaming hot springs, many bubbling mud pots and some small sputtering geysers. So — as you moved deeper into the woods — you would have automatically thought: “Gee, there’s a lot of geothermal activity back in this part of the wilderness. No wonder they call this area ‘Geyser Mountain’.”

Finally, you come to a clearing in the forest. There — in front of you — is a tumbledown cabin with a barn attached. And behind this … the craggy peak of Geyser Mountain. Which would rumble ominously every now and then. And what’s that you hear in the distance? Could that be … people screaming?

Okay. Out in front of the cabin is a yard full of weird machinery. Which fills you in on a bit of the back story for this new Frontierland attraction. How the house that you’re about to enter is the home of this eccentric inventor. The guy who actually built the amazing mining rig that was used to dig all those tunnels through Big Thunder Mountain (so the miners could go in and harvest all that gold).

Once you enter the inventor’s house, you’ll learn that — prior to tunneling through the mountainside over at Big Thunder — this guy tried out his new invention by digging dozens of test holes in the side of Geyser Mountain. And — while he was testing his mining rig — this guy discovered many strange and wondrous things under the ground.

To re-enforce this idea, the inventor’s study would have been full of colorful crystals and enormous geodes that he’d recovered while tunneling under Geyser Mountain. There are also black and white photographs of some truly impressive stalagmite and stalactite formations that he must have encountered (and photographed) while exploring the underworld.

But the most intriguing (or should we say foreboding?) decoration in the inventor’s study is a hand-drawn map of the interior of Geyser Mountain. Which is pinned up to one wall and clearly shows the networks of tunnels that crisscross through the mountainside. There — at the very center of the map — is a drawing and description of this extremely fierce, totally unpredictable but extremely powerful geyser that intermittently erupts from deep down inside the mountain.

Also on this hand-drawn map is a note that the inventor has written to himself, reminding him about a certain bridge that he’d installed at the very heart of Geyser Mountain. The note reads: “Reminder to self: Temporary bridge has been taking an awful pounding from geyser eruptions. Must remember to make repairs.” The only problem is … this note is dated back in the early 1920s.

Okay. Exiting the study, we now find ourselves in the barn. Where — surprise, surprise — Disney officials have recently found the amazing mining machine that our eccentric inventor used for digging all those tunnels over at Big Thunder Mountain. Now the Mouse invites us to climb on board this lethal looking machine (remember the rig that Gaeten Moliere drove around in while he was tunneling under the Earth in “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” … well, this new Frontierland ride vehicle was supposed to look a lot like that) for a trip over, around and under Geyser Mountain.

So we do. And — with a teeth rattling rumble — we roar out of the barn for a trip that promises to replace BTMRR as the NEW “wildest ride in the wilderness.”

Okay. So how many of you out there remember the Rainbow Caverns sequence in Frontierland’s old “Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland” ride? Well, the initial portion of your trip through Geyser Mountain would have been a lot like that. Your vehicle rumbling through several very colorful sequences done with black light. Rolling by giant glowing crystals and fantastic underground waterfalls.

And — as your ride vehicle moved further and further up the side of Geyser Mountain — you would have encountered other little tributes to DL’s “Mine Train to Nature’s Wonderland” ride. Clever recreations and/or tributes to various vignettes from that late, great Frontierland attraction.

But as you reach the very top of the mountain and — after admiring the view from up there — begin to make your descent back to the inventor’s cabin … a recent landside has blocked our return route. The only way back down Geyser Mountain now is to go across that rickety old bridge. (Remember the one that we were shown back in the eccentric inventor’s study? That one that was shown in that hand-drawn map that was pinned up on the wall? That extremely old, in-really-rough-shape bridge that was in need of repairs?)

So our mining machine slowly starts across the rickety old bridge. The ancient span of timbers creaks ominously as this heavy piece of equipment chugs across the darkened chasm. The only light in this entire area is the sunlight that’s coming pouring in from above. (As further proof that this area is geologically unstable, the top of Geyser Mountain appears to have been blown off in some previous eruption. So think of this section of the ride as being set inside of the cone of some sort of dormant volcano)

As our vehicle reaches the center of the bridge, the span suddenly starts to sag in the middle. As the amazing mining machine tilts to one side, we all think we’re all about to fall to our deaths. Once the bridge collapses, we’ll be impaled on all those lethal looking stalagmites below. It all seems so hopeless. But then …

What’s that rumbling sound? Oh, no! This situation couldn’t get worse. Or could it? Geyser Mountain is about to erupt!!

And — with that — seemingly heaved up off the collapsing bridge and into the air by the power of the geyser, our mining rig is thrown straight up into the sky. We literally seem to bounce up and down on top of this powerful stream of super-heated water. For just a moment, our vehicle pops out of the top of Geyser Mountain itself. We get a brief glimpse of the Rivers of America below us. The top of Splash Mountain off in the distance.

Luckily, the force of that geyser has heaved us out of the chasm, away from that collapsing bridge. We land safely on the rim of Geyser Mountain, then quickly rumble back down to the barn. We climb out of our ride vehicle and stumble into the nearby gift shop. Happy to have survived our recent brush with death.

So do you get the idea here, DISNEYFREEK? Where “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” uses powerful elevator motors to send guests hurtling toward the ground at faster-than-gravity speeds, “Geyser Mountain” would have used this same technology to send you soaring into the sky. Supposedly bouncing in a super-heated stream of water that was being expelled by this massive geyser.

Sounds like a neat ride, doesn’t it? Well, the Imagineers certainly thought so. Which is why they had models made of Geyser Mountain. (I just saw one — not too long ago — when I was visiting friends at WDI.) Then they talked to Team Disney Anaheim reps about how this project was the obvious way to re-energize DL’s tired old Frontierland. Which has gotten increasingly tame (and lame) over the past 10 years. Not to mention being a way to take the “Tower of Terror” incredibly-expensive-to-develop ride system and using that technology to create a whole new attraction for the corporation’s West Coast sort for about a 1/3rd of what the original TOT attraction cost.

But — of course — cost ended up being a decisive factor in the Mouse’s decision to ultimately hold off on adding “Geyser Mountain” to Disneyland’s roster of rides. Mind you, GM did look like it was going to get greenlighted. At least for a little while.

That’s why DL officials let the Imagineers do some prep work for the project. Which is why Cascade Peak (which had been a Frontierland landmark since 1960) got pulled down in October of 1998. Because WDI had hoped that — once this aged structure was out of the way — it would be that much easier for Walt Disney Company management to officially greenlight construction of this new DL thrill ride.

Sadly, that never happened, DISNEYFREEK. Had everything gone according to plan, “Geyser Mountain” would have been up and running at Disneyland by this past summer. It was supposed to have been the attraction that would have lured visitors away from the wonderful new theme park that had been built next to “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Disney’s California Adventure.

But since it turned out that DCA was going to need all the help it can get in order to lure DLR guests to come through its turnstiles, that’s why the Walt Disney Company ultimately decided to bag the idea of building a “Geyser Mountain” in Anaheim and opted instead to bring a clone of that already-established-hit-thrill-ride, “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” to California Adventure instead. With the hope that a Southern California version of this Disney-MGM favorite might help DCA from going DOA.

But — by doing that — Disneyland officials pretty much snuffed out any chance of a version of “Geyser Mountain” will ever get built in Anaheim anytime soon. After all, you don’t want to build too many attractions that use the very same technology too close together at the same time. Otherwise, they undercut the effectiveness of one another.

I mean, look what happened over at DCA when “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” and “Kermit the Frog Presents Jim Henson’s Muppetvision 3D” opened up on the very same day in the same park. While both of these shows — which skillfully mix 3D film, in-theater effects and Audio Animatronics to create some memorable entertainment — were huge hits in Central Florida at their respective theme parks (I.E. “Muppetvision” in MGM, “Tough to Be a Bug” in DAK), these two show were greeted with a collective shrug when they both opened at DCA in January 2001. Too much of a good thing. Or should I say “Too much of the same thing?”

Anyway … with construction of “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” now nearing completion at Disney’s California Adventure, it now seems quite unlikely that “Geyser Mountain” will be erupting from out behind Disneyland’s Frontierland and Fantasyland area anytime soon. Which is a shame.

Mind you, this doesn’t mean that this ambitious sounding thrill ride is totally dead in the water. After all, good ideas never really die at WDI. So — with luck — this proposed Frontierland ride could (several years down the line. Once the Mouse stops being so stingy about what the corporation is willing to spend on new theme park attractions) could be resurrected as a possible addition for WDW’s Frontierland. Or DLP’s Frontierland. Or TDL’s Frontierland. Or even HKDL’s Frontierland. You get the idea, right?

Me personally? I remain ever hopefully that — someday, somehow — this dynamite-sounding ride will actually make off the drawing board and out in the real world. In a theme park near you very soon.

And I’m guessing the Imagineers feel the same way too. Otherwise, why would they keep that “Geyser Mountain” model out in the open on display? If not to remind themselves that, occasionally, they can still come up with killer ideas for new Disney theme park attractions.

Now if the Mouse House managers would allow WDI to actually get around to building these things.

Next, Loose Eel Ball (Funny pseudonym there) writes in to ask:

Dear Jim:
Since your site seems to love to celebrate all the really bizarre and obscure things that the Walt Disney Company has tried to get off the ground over the years, I was wondering: What’s your favorite lost cause? The Disney project that you wish with all your heart had actually been realized as it was originally planned?

Dear Loose Eel Ball:

Jeese, that’s a tough question to answer. I mean, there are literally dozens of intriguing ideas that never made it off Disney’s drawing boards for one reason or another. Or truly promising projects that wound up being botched for one reason or another.

Take — for example — Disney’s live action version of “Babes in Toyland.” This 1961 Walt Disney Studios release is generally regarded as one of the company’s lesser features. But still, I can’t help but wonder how differently this film would have turned out if the picture’s original director — veteran animator Ward Kimball — had actually been allowed to helm the project. Sadly, Ward and Walt had a falling out just before the start of production on that picture. So Disney replaced Kimball with Jack Donohue. And the end result was one fair-to-middling film fantasy.

Given Ward’s wonderfully weird wit and imagination, I’m fairly certain that any version of “Babes in Toyland” that Kimball had ended up directing would have been infinitely more entertaining that the one that we ended up with. But I guess we’ll never know now.

Disney history is littered with projects like this. So you have to wonder if “The Rainbow Road to Oz” (that Oz picture that Walt tried to get off the ground in the mid-to-late 1950s, which was to have starred the Mouseketeers) would have been any good if Walt had actually put the thing into production. Or — for that matter — if “Return to Oz” (Walt Disney Pictures’ 1984 attempt at revisiting and revitalizing the colorful world that L. Frank Baum so carefully mapped out in his series of “Oz” books. If you haven’t seen this much maligned Walter Murch film for a while, make an effort to do so. Disney’s “Return to Oz” doesn’t deserve the reputation that it has. The movie really is quite entertaining and much more faithful to the actual style and the tone of the Baum books than its more acclaimed predecessor, MGM’s 1939 Academy Award winner, “The Wizard of Oz”) hadn’t had $5 million cut out of its production budget just weeks before shooting was due to begin by then-Disney execs who were suddenly getting nervous about “Oz”‘s enormous price tag.

Even today there are Disney projects that seemingly miss greatness by inches. I may be one of the only people on the planet who actually liked “Geppetto,” that Stephen Schwartz musical that the Mouse presented on “The Wonderful World of Disney” back in May 2000. But even I admit that this made-for-TV project would undoubtedly been infinitely more entertaining if the Mouse had been able to land the actors that they originally wanted for this film.

I mean, instead of Drew Carey in the show’s title role and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Blue Fairy, how about Dick Van Dyke as Geppetto and Julie Andrews as the magical creature that gave Pinocchio life. That’s right. The stars of “Mary Poppins” reunited some 35 years after the fact. Wouldn’t that casting coup have made “Geppetto” appointment television during the May 2000 sweeps period?

Sadly, Disney offered this role to Andrews just months after she had had that surgery that had so badly damaged her vocal cords. So Julie reluctantly had to take a pass on the project. Dick Van Dyke, however, was supposedly very interested in playing the part of Geppetto. So much so that — for a time — the Mouse tried to convince Dick’s other famous co-star — Mary Tyler Moore — to come play the Blue Fairy in this made-for-TV musical.

Unfortunately, this “Dick Van Dyke” reunion (for some reason or another) fell through. Which is how we ended up with Drew Carey and Julie Louis-Dreyfus in “Geppetto.” Which was a lot of fun with a number of very charming songs. But it wasn’t really as good as it could have been.

Yeah, the history of Walt Disney Pictures is littered with stories like this. What if “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” had starred Julie Andrews and Ron Moody instead of Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson? What if “The Watcher in the Woods” (in its original form) hadn’t been so rushed during the final phases of its production? Would this suspense thriller have been more of a success if it had just stuck with its original out-of-this-world ending.

It’s so hard to choose just one story, Loose Eel. So I guess I won’t.

Mind you, when it comes to choosing just one Disney history book, I never have that sort of problem. Particularly when it comes to the Disneyland Paris resort. To explain: Claire T. wrote in this week to ask:

Jim:
I’m please to see that you’re looking to expand your website’s coverage. In particular to start doing stories about both Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. And I’ll look forward to reading those articles whenever they turn up on your site.
My problem is … I’m heading over to DLP sometime in the next few weeks. So I’d like to be able to read up on that resort. Learn more about the history of its two theme parks and their back story.
So is there a book that you could recommend me? Something that would allow me to get up to speed quickly? Or should I just wait ’til those DLP articles start popping up on JHM?
Thanks in advance for your help here, Jim. Keep up the great work at your site.

Dear Claire:

Well, those articles about Disneyland Paris SHOULD start popping up on JimHillMedia.com in a week or so. But — until then — if you’d really like to read a great book about Disneyland Paris, then I suggest you pick up a copy of Alain Littaya and Didier Ghez’s “Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality.”

This full color, 320 page volume is something that every serious Disneyana fan should have in their library. Profusely illustrated, this book is filled with dozens of never-seen-outside-of-WDI drawings and paintings which reveal many abandoned ideas for the Parisian theme park. Including a late 1920s / early 1930s version of Main Street U.S.A. where gangsters and flappers would rubbed elbows with DLP’s guests.

There’s lots of great stuff like that to be found in “Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality,” Claire. Early concepts for the castle (including an art deco whatchamacallit — which is topped off by a Sorcerer Mickey — that has to be seen to be believed). Numerous peeks at Nemo’s hidden base (back when the bottom floor of what-was-then-known-as Discovery Mountain would have featured a secret lagoon where a fullscale version of the Nautilus would have sat). Littaya and Ghez’s book is just loaded with stuff like this.

Speaking of Didier, I just heard that Ghez is selling off some of the collector’s editions of “Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality” at reduced prices. Given that this version of the book features four reproductions of concept paintings that were done for this theme park, now might be a great time to take Didier up on his offer.

For more information about how you can pick up a copy of the collector’s edition of “Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality,” Claire T., I suggest that you get ahold of Ghez by sending an e-mail to this address: dghez@hotmail.com. He’ll then pass along the particulars about how you can got about picking up an autographed copy of his great DLP book.

Trust me, Claire. This is the one you really want to read before you head out for that theme park.

Speaking of heading out … that’s it for this week, folks. I hope you enjoyed the assortment of stories that we had up on JHM over the past five. Our aim is to amuse and inform you. If we just ended up annoying you … sorry about that. We’ll try to do better next week, okay?

Til then, you take care, okay?

jrh

Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Abraham Lincoln is Here to Stay – Walt’s Disneyland Attraction That “Can’t” Be Replaced

Published

1 month ago

February 20, 2023

Jim Hill

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Happy Presidents Day. Which is when we – as Americans – are supposed to honor the memory of two of our country’s commanders-in-chief: George Washington (born on February 22, 1732) and Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809).

Walt Disney and Abraham Lincoln

Walt Disney was a life-long admirer of Honest Abe. Walt often told the tale of how – back when he was a kid – Disney fashioned a stove pipe hat & a fake beard for himself (supposedly made out of poster paper). Then – dressed in this outfit — Disney stood in front of his grade class and recited Lincoln’s Gettysburg address from memory.

Lower Left: Walt Disney (right) dressed as Abraham Lincoln with Walter Pfeiffer (left).

Walt’s obvious affection & admiration for our 16^th President continued well into his adulthood. Which explains “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” an attraction that the Imagineers originally created for the 1964 – 1965 New York World’s Fair which was built around an Audio Animatronic version of Abraham Lincoln.

This robotic Lincoln caused such a sensation among visitors to Flushing Meadows that – even before this edition of the New York World’s Fair ended on October 15, 1965 – Walt had a second version of “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” built. Which he then had installed inside of the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland Park.

Disneyland’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”

This second version of “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” opened on July 18, 1965. But the West Coast clone of this New York World’s Fair show never quite caught on the way that the East Coast original had. Even when Disneyland began giving away a free pass to this Main Street, U.S.A. attraction with every ticket book sold to Guests, the Californian version of “Great Moments” failed to capture even a tenth of the people who visited this theme park annually.

And given that the Main Street Opera House was this 500-seat venue right up by the entrance of Walt’s family fun park, it made the Imagineers crazy that this beautifully appointed / centrally located theater would only have a handful of people inside at most performances of “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

Which is why – after Walt passed away in December of 1966 – WDI began quietly casting around for show ideas that they could possibly use as replacements for the seriously under-performing “Great Moments.”

Walt Disney Replaces “Great Moments”

Ironically, it was Walt himself who provided the solution to Anaheim’s “Great Moments” problem. As part of Walt Disney Productions’ 50^th anniversary celebration, the Imagineers mounted “The Walt Disney Story” inside of the Main Street Opera House. This exhibit (which featured a lobby filled with the awards that Walt had won over his lifetime as well as a film which then looked back at Disney’s career) necessitated the closing of Disneyland’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

Which did NOT sit well with the good folks of Orange County. This corner of Southern California is known nationwide as a conservative stronghold. Which is why – when these folks learned that the April 8, 1973 opening of “The Walt Disney Story” at Disneyland meant that that theme park’s robotic version of Honest Abe would now go into storage – these people began bombarding the Mouse House with angry phone calls & letters.

“The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”

Which is why — less than two years into the run of “The Walt Disney Story” at Disneyland Park – the Company caved. The Main Street Opera House closed its doors on February 12, 1975 and began yet another revamping. Some four months later, this 500-seat venue re-opened with what can politely be described as something of a camel of an attraction: “The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

The way that this retooled version of this Main Street, U.S.A. attraction worked was … Well, the lobby area of the Main Street Opera House now celebrated the life & career of Walt Disney. Whereas once Guest entered the actual theater portion of Disneyland’s opera house … This was where the “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show from the 1964 – 1964 New York World’s Fair was now framed in such a way that this AA-based attraction was supposed to be seen as one of Walt’s greatest achievements. This technological triumph that then paid tribute to our 16^th president.

This creative compromise may have addressed many of the concerns that Southern Californian conservatives had (not to mention quelling a lot of the complaints that had been coming out of Orange County). But it also frustrated Disneyland managers as well as the Imagineers.

“And why was that?,” you ask. Because the revised “Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” hadn’t solved the Main Street Opera House’s attendance problem. This nearly-10-year-old attraction was now even less popular with Disneyland visitors. Fewer than 1-in-20 Guests now bothered to check out this show during their day at the Park.

Bringing “Hall of Presidents” to Disneyland

What especially made the Imagineers crazy about Mr. Lincoln’s return to the Main Street Opera House is that this development then derailed their plans to bring Disney World’s “Hall of Presidents” to Anaheim.

How many of you remember the “Disneyland Presents a Preview of Coming Attractions” display that used to be on Main Street, U.S.A.? This collection of models & concept art was housed inside of that theme park’s old Wurlitzer Music Hall building. And from 1973 to 1989, Guests could drop by here for free and then check out some of the rides, shows & attractions that the Imagineers were considering for construction in Anaheim.

And among those ideas was a West Coast version of WDW’s “Hall of Presidents.” Which – if all had gone according to plan – was to have opened at Disneyland Park just in time for the Summer of 1976 (i.e., America’s bicentennial).

But what with the good folks of Orange County insisting on “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” ‘s return to the Main Street Opera House ASAP back in 1973, that idea was now off the table. Which is why – instead of a West Coast version of WDW’s “Hall of Presidents” – Disneyland got another patriotic, Audio Animatronic-filled show out ahead of America’s bicentennial. And that located-in-Tomorrowland attraction was “America Sings,” which opened at Disneyland Park on June 29, 1974.

Meanwhile, attendance levels for the “Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show continued to erode (Now fewer than 1-in-50 visitors bothered to swing by the Main Street Opera House to check out that show during their day in the Park). The Imagineers tried to use cutting edge-tech as a reason to lure people back to this under-attended attraction. Which is why — in 1984 — they installed an all-new Lincoln in this theater that (at that time, anyway) was the most sophisticated Animatronic figure ever built for a Disney park. It didn’t matter. People still stayed away.

“MuppetVision 3D” to Replace “Great Moments” at Disneyland

Which brings us to the Summer of 1990. Prior to his tragic passing on May 16^th of that year, Jim Henson had completed production of “MuppetVision 3D.” Then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner wanted to honor his friend’s memory by having “MuppetVision 3D” open at Disney theme parks on both coasts in the Spring of 1991.

Down in Florida, “Kermit the Frog presents MuppetVision 3D” would be shown inside of a purpose-built theater at Disney-MGM Studios. Whereas the West Coast version of this attraction … Well, by now, attendance levels for “The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” had fallen straight through the floor. Only 1-out-of-a-100 Guests ever bothered to drop by the Main Street Opera house. And even with that new cutting-edge Lincoln AA figure (which made use of the very same tech that powered the Wicked Witch of the West AA figure in “The Great Movie Ride” at Disney-MGM Studios theme park) on display, this seriously-under-attended show often experienced walk-outs.

Which is why the Imagineers now wanted to install “Kermit the Frog presents MuppetVision 3D” in the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland. Given that the theater that the Imagineers were building in Florida was to have 564 seats and the one that already existed in Anaheim had 500 seats … These two venues for “MuppetVision 3D” basically had the same hourly capacity.

Abe Lincoln might not have been part of “MuppetVision 3D”, but Robot Lincoln did appear on “Muppets Tonight” in episode 206.

So the plan was that “The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” was to quietly close after the Labor Day Weekend in 1990. Then the Imagineers would retool the Main Street Opera House both inside & out so that it would then be a suitable venue for the Muppets. The Imagineers were already inside of this Main Street, U.S.A. taking measurements for this proposed redo when these plans then went off the rails.

Abe Lincoln to Stay

You see – on August 19, 1990 – news broke about this upcoming redo of the Main Street Opera House. Both the Orange County Register & the Los Angeles Times ran stories about this proposed show swap. And while Disneyland spokesman Bob tried to put things in the best possible light, insisting that this Disneyland theater would soon receive a floor-to-ceiling refurbishment, that this venue would look better than it had in years, Orange County conservatives would have none of this. In a large way, it was 1973 all over again. They quickly flooded the Company’s switchboards with thousands of angry phone calls.

And within one week’s time, the Los Angeles Times actually ran an article with this headline:

“Abe Lincoln to Stay, Kermit the Frog Hops Away”

Will Disneyland’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” Ever Get Replaced?

And since then … Well, while the Imagineers still periodically make an attempt at sprucing up Disneyland’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show (How many of you remember that god-awful binaural sound version of this attraction which debuted in Anaheim back in July of 2001? That version — which featured a 3D haircut as well as Honest Abe seeming to bend over & whisper into Guests’ ears – earned the comical nickname, “Creepy Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” It was quietly shuttered in February of 2005) … Nowadays, the “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show at Disneyland Park is considered untouchable.

Whenever the Imagineers have tried in the past to put a different show in this space at that theme park, Orange County conservatives have risen up in force. And as a direct result, the Main Street Opera is one of the most under-utilized facilities at Disneyland Park. Last I heard, the average attendance for a presentation of this Audio Animatronic show is 30 people.

But on the other hand, if you’re looking for something to do at Disneyland and you happen to be headed there on Presidents Day Weekend … Well, there’s one place at that theme park where I can guarantee you that you won’t encounter a line.

Film & Movies

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

Published

2 months ago

February 6, 2023

Jim Hill

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This year is the 30^th 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 23^rd 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 23^rd 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).

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.

Film & Movies

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

Published

2 months ago

January 30, 2023

Jim Hill

Listen to the Article

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 14^th 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

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.