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Cover Photography © Mike Billick Issue 52 The Statues of 40 Contents Disney News...... 8 Calendar of Events...... 12

MOUSE VIEWS...... 15 Guide to the Magic by Tim Foster...... 16 The Disney Trees Shutters and Lenses by Tim Devine...... 18 48 Hidden Mickeys by Steve Barrett...... 20 by Jamie Hecker...... 22 Disney Cuisine by Dawn Caitano...... 24 Disney Touring Tips by Elizabeth Mallers...... 26 Carrie Fisher: Disney Secrets Forever a Princess 50 by Jamie Hecker...... 28 Magic by J Darling...... 30

FEATURED ATTRACTION Muppet*Vision 3D...... 32

FEATURED FILM Set Sail on the Beauty and the Beast...... 36

Pirate & Pals 60 Wandering the World...... 68 By the Numbers...... 69 Fireworks Voyage In Search Of...... 70 Quick Quiz...... 72 Kids Korner...... 74 Mystery Quest...... 78 Tim & Lou’s Top 10...... 80 and the Diamond 64 Horseshoe Revue Expect the Unexpected

As we begin to prepare this issue to go to press, fresh off of our New Year’s celebrations, we find ourselves looking ahead to 2017, when we will get to experience some much-anticipated arrivals and new events at Walt Disney World. These include the opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar in Disney’s Kingdom (which promises to bring an astonishing and beautiful new realm to the park), Epcot’s 35th anniversary, a re-theming of the Wilderness Lodge’s pool and bungalow areas (complete with a richly detailed new backstory), and even a new water adventure at Typhoon Lagoon.

But there’s something else we can look forward to…the unknown.

For all of the highly anticipated additions and changes that have taken place over the years at Walt Disney World, there have been just as many unannounced surprises that have appeared is if, well, by magic. For example, there was the surprise change in the Transit Authority’s spiel that occurred several years ago. Other surprises can be found in a new addition to the ever-changing world of Innoventions, or even something as simple as a new cupcake unveiled at your favorite Disney eatery. I still remember embarking on the peaceful journey through Mexico in the Gran Fiesta Tour in Epcot, and being astonished to see that the animated trio of , Panchito Pistoles, and José Carioca were replaced with incredible Animatronic figures…much to my surprise! If you’re a tireless follower of all things Disney, you may be aware of some these less-publicized changes before they happen, but for most of the Disney-going public, these “out of the blue” surprises are totally unexpected, and add to the already magical experience that only Disney can offer.

As we look ahead to 2017, we eagerly anticipate the many wonderful things that Disney has announced for the upcoming year, but we just as equally look forward to the inevitable surprises that await us. And who knows? That new surprise may just turn out to be your new favorite Disney memory.

Enjoy the magic! Tim Foster

2 · Celebrations Editor Tim Foster

Associate Editors Michelle Foster • Lisa Mahan • Lou Mongello

Contributing Writers Steve Barrett J Darling Tim Devine Jamie Hecker Dawn Caitano Elizabeth Mallers

Creative Direction and Design Tim Foster Art Director Michelle Foster

Customer Service Senior Manager Lisa Mahan

Social Media/Marketing Directors Lisa Mahan

Contributing Photographers Tim Foster, Tim Devine, Mike Billick, Garry Rollins, Lisa Mahan, Jamie Hecker,

Basic subscription rate is $29.99 for six issues ($35.99 for Canada residents, $54.99 for other international residents). To subscribe online visit www.celebrationspress.com. Single issue price is $5.99. All orders must be prepaid and are payable in U.S. funds only. Celebrations (USPS 025-286) is published bimonthly in the U.S. by Celebrations Press, Inc, 308 Sundance Drive, Chester Springs, PA. 19425. Periodicals Postage Rate Paid at Chester Springs, PA and additional mail- ing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Celebrations, ATTN: Subscriptions, 308 Sundance Drive, Chester Springs, PA 19425. SUBSCRIBERS: If the postal service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

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©2017 Celebrations Press, Inc. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express writ- ten permission of the publisher. Statements and opinions herein are those of the authors and advertisers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Celebrations is owned and operated by Celebrations Press, Inc. and is not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with , Disney Enterprises, Inc., or any of their affiliates. Walt Disney World Resort® is a registered trademark of The Walt Disney Company. The Twilight Zone® is a registered trademark of CBS, Inc. This publication makes reference to various Disney copyrighted characters, trademarks, marks, and registered marks owned by The Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises, Inc., and other trademark owners. The use in this book of trademarked names and images is strictly for editorial purposes, no commercial claim to their use, or suggestion of sponsorship or endorsement, is made by the authors or publishers. Those words or terms that the authors have reason to believe are trademarks are designated as such by the use of initial capitalization, where ap- propriate. However, no attempt has been made to identify or designate all words or terms to which trademark or other proprietary rights may exist. Nothing contained herein is intended to express a judgement on, or affect the validity of legal status of, any word or term as a trademark, service mark, or other proprietary mark. While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the passage of time will always bring changes in operating schedules, attraction openings and closings, and policies. The authors and publisher shall not be held liable for any information (valid or invalid) presented here and do not represent The Walt Disney Company.

3 · Celebrations Letters

A Masterpiece!!

Last year, in my Drawing 2 class, we were asked to make a collage out of a magazine. Since Disney is such a big part of my life, I knew what magazine I was going to choose. As much as it pained me to do so, I decided to use Celebrations as my magazine of choice, cutting it up to rearrange the images. We used the collages as reference to create a colored pencil drawing. I thought you might want to see the final product. You may recognize the images from issue #24. I was able to finish the project on time, despite my teacher’s concerns. Some areas I had to rush through, especially the briar patch area, but hopefully I’ll find time to go back and add more detail later. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful magazine!

Mikayla Doggett Mansfield, CT

Got a question, photo, or story you’d like to share? email them to: [email protected] 4 · Celebrations 5 · Celebrations Letters A Spoonful of Sugar

I was on a Father/Daughter trip with my 9-year-old daugh- ter, and my daughter had just finished meeting with Alice outside the cottage on the main road at the United King- dom pavilion in Epcot. We were waiting for Mary Poppins to come and take her place. We asked a Cast Member when Mary Poppins would be coming to the cottage since my daughter wanted to meet her. The Cast Member tells us that Mary Poppins doesn’t meet at the cottage, but down the path next to the cottage, near Twinings Tea Shop. Just as we were about to go, the Cast Member says “Oh, here comes Mary Poppins now,” and to my daughter’s delight, she sees Mary Poppins walking towards her. Mary Poppins saw my daughter waiting by the path, and starts walking with her, just my daughter and Mary Poppins walking down the path, alone, to the place where she needs to be for her meet and greet. When she got to her destination she said “Oh, I see there are people waiting to meet me, thank you for walking with me.” The smile on my daughter’s face was priceless, this was a dream come true, not just for my daughter, but for me as well.

– Nathan Franco

6 · Celebrations Contributors

Lori Elias credits her pas- After being shown the joys Shaun Jex is the Editor Lindsay Mott participated sion for Disney to long- of a Disney vacation, Ray of the Citizen’s Advocate in the College Program and time friend Tara Miller, Harkness cannot imagine newspaper based in Coppell, then worked seasonally a Cast Member with the being away from work if Texas where he lives with for more than five years Disney Cruiseline. Lori is it doesn’t involve a Disney his wife and two children. at Walt Disney World. Her a Cleveland-area middle resort. When not touring He is the author of the book time was centered around school music teacher by day, the parks, Ray writes for his “Legendary Locals Magical Moments and freelance writer by night, blog Grumpy’s Hollow under of Coppell” and runs a seeing fireworks as many and Disney fan 24/7. She has the name Grumpwurst bi-weekly blog at times as possible (especially written for a number of (grumpyspace.blogspot. www.shaunjex.com Wishes). She is back home music publications, and is com). in Alabama working in thrilled to be able to share marketing and freelance her love of all things Disney. writing, but her heart will forever be split in two, with half remaining in the Happiest Place on Earth

Chris Smith loves Walt Disney World because it makes him feel like a kid again. When he visits the Happiest Place on Earth, Chris completely returns to that state of mind, ready to explore distant jungles, ride in pirate ships, and fly in rockets. Chris loves to share the magic of Disney with his wife Alexis, and his children Koty, Samuel, Scarlett and Alice Anne. Chris works on Disneykidagain.com, a Walt Disney World Blog for Disney kids of all ages.

7 · Celebrations Disney News

Premiering this Month New Experiences Star Wars Launch Bay – a multi-sensory space celebrat- ing all things Star Wars – is now updated with authentic replicas from : A Star Wars Story joining other Star Coming to Disney’s Wars memorabilia in the preview gallery. Making-of foot- age from Rogue One has been added to the “Meet the Makers” Hollywood Studios film featured in Star Wars Launch Bay. In the popular daytime stage show “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, galaxy of new Star Wars experiences is coming to Dis- Far Away,” guests will get a first look at AWR Troopers from A ney’s Hollywood Studios. Many of the new additions are Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Outfitted in their specialized Stor- inspired by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that opened in the- mtrooper armor with a dark, ominous gleam, these soldiers aters worldwide on December 16 last year. serve as bodyguards and enforcers for Director Krennic, a Guests, including fans of the epic space saga, will find new highly placed officer within the Advance Weapons Research entertainment, special displays inside Star Wars Launch (AWR) division of the Empire. A new Troopers sequence will Bay, a first-ever themed tour and more at Disney’s Holly- join the show Dec. 16. Performances daily. wood Studios. The fan favorite nighttime show, “Star Wars: A Galactic

8 · Celebrations Spectacular,” returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on De- • Encounter two Star Wars characters (Chewbacca and cember 16, temporarily joining “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” as the Kylo Ren) at Star Wars Launch Bay second nightly fireworks spectacular at the park through • An in-depth, insider’s tour around Star Wars Launch Bay Dec. 31. The show will continue to be presented in 2017. • Screening of “Star Wars: Path of the Jedi” Randomized tracks have returned to – the •Enjoy Star Wars-themed menu items during dinner at Adventures Continue, the popular attraction that uses mo- Backlot Express tion simulator-based technology. Instead of each ride expe- • A spot in the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert rience launching from the planet of Jakku, the attraction Party, which includes themed sweets and specialty bev- will be randomized to both start and end at different loca- erages, as well as reserved viewing for the Star Wars: A tions for every galactic journey. New scenes from Star Wars: Galactic Spectacular fireworks show Episode VIII will be added to Star Tours in the coming year. •Younglings ages 4-12 on the guided tour package can also train in the way of The Force in Jedi Training: Trials of the New in 2017 Temple. Priced at $129 per person, tours will be offered on For the ultimate fan comes the ultimate tour. An all-new Mondays and Saturdays throughout 2017. Star Wars guided tour is a seven-hour immersion in all the This latest flight of additions celebrating the Star Wars park’s current Star Wars experiences. Here’s what it includes: saga continues to elevate the Star Wars presence at Disney’s • A Star Wars “all-in-the-know” tour guide Hollywood Studios. Entire Star Wars-themed lands are now • Priority boarding for Star Tours – The Adventures under construction at the theme park and at Disneyland Continue Park in .

Photos ©Disney 9 · Celebrations Disney News

guests will find decor inspired by Rizzo, as well as his ex- Muppets-Themed Eatery, tended family and friends who have visited PizzeRizzo over the years. On the second floor, also known as Rizzo’s Deluxe “PizzeRizzo” Now Open at Supreme Banquet Hall, the theme is a lively wedding recep- tion complete with a disco ball and a fun party playlist. Entrees are served with a side Caesar salad, and include Disney’s Hollywood Studios personal-sized pizza pies, or a meatball sub. There’s also an here’s a new neighborhood pizza joint at Disney’s Holly- antipasto salad option, as well as specialty drink options Twood Studios, PizzeRizzo, run by and themed after the that include a non-alcoholic Peach Bellini and wildberry- lovable Rizzo the Rat from . basil lemonade limoncello, in addition to beer and wine for Located in the Muppets Courtyard area of the park, Piz- adults. zeRizzo is a quick service dining restaurant with a clas- For dessert, guests can indulge in traditional Italian sic, family pizzeria ambiance. Inside the two story eatery sweets such as cannoli and tiramisu.

10 · Celebrations Photo ©Disney 11 · Celebrations Calendar of Events • Inspirational exhibits, seminars and demonstra- tions • An outdoor concert series featuring fan-favorite bands • And much, much more With so much to see and do, you can return again and again—and uncover something new each and every time!

Star Wars™ Galactic Nights April 14, 2017 Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Hard ticketed event: $129/person) Calling all Star Wars fans! You’re invited to the debut of a brand-new event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a movie-premiere-style party where Guests of all ages—from all around the galaxy— can come together and celebrate 40 years of the Greatest Saga Ever Told… No matter your age, put on your finest Star Wars- themed costumes and attire, and walk the red carpet toward an intergalactic introduction—fol- lowed by a whole universe of event entertainment and interactive fun, from a park-wide scavenger hunt to Star Wars Character encounters and more.

Star Wars™ Half Marathon - The Dark Side April 20 - April 23, 2017 Epcot Use the Force to push through your own resis- Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival tance and achieve a stellar personal breakthrough. March 1 - May 29, 2017 On Sunday, Star Wars’ most legendary villain—Darth Vader Epcot himself—will reign over the first-ever Star Wars Half Mara- Welcome the upcoming spring season by treating your thon – The Dark Side at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Will senses to a harvest of vibrant and captivating experiences! you accept the challenge? Blossoming once again from March 1 to May 29, 2017, the Face the Galactic Empire’s Sith Lord—and your own dark Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is a fun-filled fears—at 5:00 AM on the fields of Epcot. Feel the Force, and destination for Guests of every age—and the perfect place the enchantment of Disney, as you encounter powerful for nearly every member of the family to dig up their sense surprises, on-course entertainment—and a magical finale of curiosity and discovery. Highlights may include: fit for a Naboo queen. • Outdoor kitchens offering delectable bites and libations It’s all part of a weekend of fantastic races and intergalac- • Dozens of world-renowned, Disney-themed topiaries tic fun for Star Wars fans of all ages—at Walt Disney World • Breathtaking garden spaces and wildlife habitats Resort!

12 · Celebrations Photo ©Disney 13 · Celebrations

elcome to MouseViews, a special section of WCelebrations Magazine where you’ll get an insider’s peek at the Walt Disney World Resort. In every issue we’ll bring you a treasure trove of tips, secrets, magical moments, special insights, little known facts and a whole lot more! Whether it’s a different look at a familiar attraction, a hidden secret waiting to be discovered, or a helpful piece of advice for your upcoming trip, you’re sure to find lots of fun-filled information inside.

So put on your Mickey ears, set your imagination free, and get ready to discover all of those things that make Walt Disney World the most magical place on Earth.

Ready? Then here we go...!

15 · Celebrations 2017 Movie Magic he upcoming year promises to bring plenty of new additions and changes to TWalt Disney World…both at the parks and the resorts. But there is another part of Disney that is also offering up a wealth of entertainment and excitement for 2017. These new creations won’t be found in the parks, but rather on the silver screen. A treasure trove of new films awaits us in the coming year, starting with the highly-anticipated live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame as Belle. (You can read more about this upcoming cin- ematic adventure in our Featured Film piece on page 36.) But Beauty and the Beast is just the beginning; from Disney and to Marvel and Star Wars, the Disney film universe is offering up plenty of thrills, laughs (and dare I say, a few tears) for audi- by Tim Foster ences throughout the world.

Pixar Magic We’ll begin our sneak peek of upcoming Disney films with a look at the newest en- tries into Disney’s famed animated legacy. First up is Cars 3, the third installment of the Disney-Pixar franchise that’s made Lightning McQueen a household name. Set for release on June 16th, Cars 3 finds many of our favorite characters back for a new adventure, including Mater, Sally, Ramone, Sarge, and the sheriff. Joining them will be Jackson Storm, McQueen’s newest rival (voiced by Armie Hammer, star of 2013’s The Lone ), and Cruz Ramierez, Lightning’s new racing technician (voiced by comedian Cristela Alonzo, creator of her own ABC sitcom, Cristela). Disney/Pixar has another movie in the works, Coco, inspired by the Mexican holi- day Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). The story follows the adventures of Miguel, a 12-year-old boy who gets mixed up in a series of adventures involving a century-old mystery. Newcomer Anthony Gonzales will play the main character, Tim Foster is the creator of with the cast being rounded out by Gael Garcia Bernal, Renée Victor (Weeds), and Celebrations magazine and Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order, Despicable Me 2, Doctor Strange). Few details have been the author of the Guide to the Magic book series, which released in regard to the plot, as the film won’t be released until November. includes the Guide to the Magic for Kids and the Deluxe Guide to the Magic Autograph & Sticker Book. Tim is also the creator of the www.celebrationspress.com website.

16 · Celebrations Ahoy Matey of the film, but Star Wars fans around the world are anx- Disney is also bringing back Captain Jack Sparrow and iously awaiting the next chapter of the epic saga, where we his band of pillaging plunderers in : will hopefully gain more insight into the mysteries of who Dead Men Tell No Tales. Familiar faces include Johnny Depp, Rey is, and how Ben Solo transformed into the evil Kylo Ren. Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbosa), Kevin McNally (Joshamee (And, let’s face it, we all just want to see BB-8 rolling around Gibbs), and Orlando Bloom returning as Will Turner, after again!). Unfortunately, we still have a while to wait, as the his absence from On Stranger Tides. Joining the cast is Ja- film isn’t scheduled for release until mid-December. vier Bardem, playing the villainous role of Capitan Salazar, who is on a mission to rid the seas of every pirate, especially Jack Sparrow. Bardem has taken on the role of many other treacherous villains, including roles in the films No Country For Old Men and the James Bond thriller . In an inter- esting twist of fate, Bardem played opposite Daniel Craig (as 007). Interesting because Craig had a cameo appearance as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which brings us to our next film…

New Films, and a New Hero The fourth arm of the Disney movie empire is the Mar- vel Cinematic Universe. In anticipation of the forth-coming Avengers: Infinity War (to be released in 2018), several more films will be coming out this year to lay the foundation for the epic battle to come. First up in May is Guardians of the Gal- axy Vol. 2, which will revolve around the continuing adven- tures of Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket. Then in July, Spider-man will make his Disney’s Marvel Universe title-character debut in Spider-Man: Homecoming, starring Tom Holland in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hol- land had made his Spider-Man debut in last year’s Captain America: Civil War, albeit in a supporting role.) Finally, Novem- ber will see the release of Thor: Ragnorak, the third film in the Thor saga. This installment also features the Hulk (Mark A Galaxy Far Far Away Ruffalo), who will face off with Thor in a gladiator duel in or- As we were going to press, the much-anticipated title for der to save Asgard. Chris Hemsworth and the next chapter of the Star Wars saga was announced: Epi- will be reprising their roles as Thor and his adopted brother sode VIII – Last of the Jedi. The second film in the latest Star and nemesis Loki, with Cate Blanchett (as Hela) and Jeff Wars trilogy features Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Goldblum (Granmaster) joining the cast. Driver reprising their roles as the main protagonists, joined 2017 promises to be a magical year at Walt Disney World, by Star Wars veterans , Anthony Daniels, and and for movie-goers around the world, that same magic Carrie Fisher. (Sadly, this was Carrie Fisher’s last film before will carry over to the silver screen. All four Disney cinematic her untimely passing). Joining the cast is Laura Dern, best franchises will be adding new and exciting chapters to their known for her role as Dr. Ellie Sattler in the original Juras- ongoing sagas, and all we can say is… sic Park. Few details have been released concerning the plot …pass the popcorn!

Artwork ©Disney 17 · Celebrations Star Wars & Disney s a true Disney fan as well as a huge Star Wars fan, it’s truly a dream come true Ato see all of the new Star Wars additions coming to Disney’s Hollywood Stu- dios. And the intergalactic thrills are not limited to the eager fan; these new experi- ences offer up a wealth of photographic opportunities for any shutterbug: from the young Padawan Guest with a smartphone to the seasoned photographer with all the latest gadgets. Join me as we take a brief tour of some of my favorite Star Wars ops to be found in the parks. And remember...that’s no moon...that’s Spaceship Earth. (What can I say, a bit of Star Wars humor there...well, on with the show!) by Tim Devine

Tim Devine is an avid photographer and the owner and webmaster of www.themagicinpixels.com, a website created for and dedicated to fellow Disney Photography Enthusiasts. In addition to a large gallery of photos you can browse, you’ll also find tips, articles and equipment reviews to help you create magical photo memories of your Walt Disney World Resort vacation. Also, be sure to check www.themagicinpixels.com for information on Pixelmania!, an annual festival of Disney photography, friends, and fun in Walt Disney World .

18 · Celebrations Photo ©Tim Devine 19 · Celebrations Hidden Mickeys in the Animal Kingdom Lodge isney Resorts are filled with great Hidden Mickeys, and they often stay in place Dfor a long time. I enjoy wandering the Resorts and admiring some of these great images. The following Hidden Mickeys are from Kidani Village.

1. A classic Mickey is at the 6:30 position on a large gold decor clock on a table just inside the entrance to the lobby. 2. A white classic Mickey is on a ladybug on the middle level of by Steve Barrett the closest chandelier to the front lobby entrance. 3. At the entrance to Sanaa restaurant downstairs, a classic Mickey made of dark brown baskets is on the wall behind the check-in desk. It’s at the far left. 4. Inside Sanaa restaurant, a classic Mickey is above a booth on a white wall. It’s to the left as you enter. 5. Classic Mickeys hide in the woodwork in the middle of Sanaa’s dining tables. 6. Outside Sanaa restaurant, a classic Mickey is etched on the rockwork at the bottom rear of the lobby stairs. Steve Barrett is the author of the Hidden Mickeys Guide Book Series 7. A large classic Mickey is etched in the rock to the left of the hot (Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and tub located at the top of the Samawati Spring pool area. the Disney Cruise Ships) available in the Disney Parks and in book stores, 8. A smaller classic Mickey is carved in the middle of the rock Amazon, and on Kindle and other wall behind and above the hot tub at the top of the Samawati downloadable formats. The WDW and Disneyland Hidden Spring pool area. Mickeys Guide books are also offered as iPhone and Android apps. Steve 9. A large classic Mickey, tilted slightly to the right, is sculpted in and his wife Vickie (hiddenmickeygal) the rock behind the waterfall in the water play area of the Sa- are the webmasters of www.HiddenMickeyGuy.com, and mawati Spring pool area. The image is blurred by the waterfall. are on @hiddenmickeyguy and Facebook as Guy 10. Circles impressed in rock form a classic Mickey, tilted to the Disney’s Hidden Mickeys Hunter. left, at the right side of a short rock wall behind a colorful bench in the water play area of the Samawati Spring pool area.

20 · Celebrations Photos ©Steve Barrett 1 2

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21 · Celebrations he Walt Disney Company has a rich history of firsts. Notable standouts include: Tfirst animated short with sound, first color animated short, and first feature- length animated film. Internally, the company had its share of firsts, and one that stands out is animator Floyd Norman, the first African-American animator hired by Disney. Norman was born in the serene ocean-side town of Santa Barbara, California on June 22, 1935. He had, by his recollection, a pleasant childhood, free of racial strife and animosity. As a child, he was prone to doodling on the walls and baseboards of his home. The artist within was budding, and when Norman saw on the silver by Jamie Hecker screen when he was six, he felt his calling. In high school, his science teacher saw his sketches and, recognizing his talent, referred him to a local comic book writer. Norman landed his first job as an anima- tor, working on the Katy Keene comics helmed by local artist Bill Woggon. Norman further refined his artistic skills at a local art school in . With critical experience and training under his belt, Norman applied to work at Disney as an ani- mator. He was hired on February 6, 1956. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he was the first African-American hired to work at Walt Disney Productions, but he wasn’t fazed at being a trailblazer. Said the humble and unassuming Norman of his hire, “I was just another artist looking for a job.” Norman’s first work was not unlike that of new hires, performing as an assistant in-between animator, filling in the gaps between character poses that the principal animators were doing. His first project was the audacious Sleeping Beauty, animating the Prince and his horse Samson, as well as the three fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merry- weather. The company at that time was a place of great excitement, which appealed to Norman, and he found it rewarding to work for Walt. Recalled Norman, “He was like Cronkite. Very avuncular, very demanding, yet never unkind. Your work either met his specifications or it did not, but you always knew where you stood.” Jamie Hecker has been a lifelong Norman survived a large round of animator cuts, reducing the staff from around fan of Disney, and is passing on his love to his sons. He and his family 500 to 75, with his talent keeping him employed. His next project was working on visit Orlando annually and always 101 Dalmatians, released in 1961, and The Sword in the Stone, which debuted in 1963. Nor- look forward to their next trip. man’s next assignment was on the sequences of Mary Poppins. When not in Orlando, he resides One of Norman’s regular habits at the Studio was sketching inter-office antics, in northern Virginia with his playfully poking fun at the animator’s life. Walt Disney, famous for cross-pollinating beautiful wife Suzanne, two boys talent within his company, observed Norman’s sketches and felt he had a future and four cats. You can read more about his as a story man, and assigned Norman to work on The Jungle Book rewrite. Floyd “hidden Disney” musings at stepped up to the challenge, and worked directly with Walt and other writers for myhiddendisney.blogspot.com/ the film, but quickly learned to step back and let the others take the lead. Recalled Norm of those early meetings with Walt, “It was cool to be in the room with Walt as long as he didn’t spot you. He’d look at something and say, ‘That’s not funny, do it again. I don’t like it.’” As a story artist on The Jungle Book, Norman created storyboard sketches that were pinned to a large bulletin board. The story here was shifted and shaped, often by Walt himself, working to form a concise and cohesive story. One of Norman’s contribution to the movie, along with the , was the sly sequence of Kaa the snake hypnotizing the young Mowgli. Sadly, The Jungle Book was the last animation film that Walt was involved on. He passed away in December

22 · Celebrations 1966, a year before the film made its debut. With the loss of rearview mirror. He also conceived the Barbie Doll scene in Walt, Norman felt the time was right for him to depart for which they are acting out a scene from Beach Blanket Bin- new challenges. go, complete with a limbo bar. Floyd brought a depth of ex- Norman and colleagues founded a film production com- perience with him to Pixar, and serves as the only common pany that created live-action education films. He also con- link between Walt and Pixar. tinued work as an animator on ’s Fat Albert car- Norman found himself without a job in 2000, at the age of toons. He eventually returned to Disney in the early 1970s sixty-five. He wasn’t keen on retirement, feeling that he had and contributed to and Robin more to give to Disney. He found a loophole to this though. Hood. Unfortunately he was released from Disney follow- His second wife, Adrienne, is twenty years younger than him ing that film. Norman shifted gears back to television and and is employed at Disney Publishing. Norman drives her to worked for Hanna-Barbera, first as an animator and next as work each day and remains at the Burbank studio, “Floy- a writer. He contributed to notable cartoons such as Johnny dering” around, serving as an unpaid mentor to animators Quest and Scooby-Doo. and story artists. , the producer of Disney clas- Floyd Norman’s contributions to Disney weren’t limited sics such as and Beauty and the Beast, refers to to animation and story. For six years he worked for Dis- Norman as a “wise old man” and an “elder statesman of the ney Publishing, beginning in 1987 as a writer of the Mickey company,” with much to offer to the younger generation of Mouse cartoon strip, where he prolifically created six dailies animators. and a Sunday strip. When that tenure ended, he returned Disney Special Projects recognized the inherit talent and once again to Disney Feature Animation. During Disney’s history that Norman has, and brought him in to help cre- animation renaissance in the 1990s, Norman did story work ate an animated short for the 101 Dalmatians Blu-Ray release. for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan. He wasn’t exclu- Norman found the original story sketches created by Bill sive to Disney, however. He also did story contributions to Peet and created a new sequence for Thunderbolt, the televi- Pixar on and Monsters, Inc. Norman found the cul- sion dog that the Dalmatian pups watch. In the 1961 film, the ture of Pixar similar to the much-touted early days of the Thunderbolt episode ended in a cliffhanger. Norman created Disney studio when it operated in its Hyperion location. For the conclusion to it. And with that effort, he was once again Toy Story 2, released in 1999, Floyd created the sublime visual hired back at Disney at the young age of 79. gag of Rex chasing the Barbie car, with the ‘objects in mirror For his contributions to Disney and Pixar animation, are closer than they appear’ prominently displayed on the Floyd Norman was named a Disney Legend in 2007.

23 · Celebrations PizzeRizzo: Italian Cuisine... Muppet-Style! isney’s Hollywood Studios has added a new addition to their dining lineup, the Dbrand new PizzeRizzo, located in the Muppets courtyard (replacing the former Toy Story Pizza Planet). PizzeRizzo is a quick-service Italian eatery, so no need for reservations. The location and decor, featuring Rizzo the Rat of course, ties into the Muppets theme nicely, though the restaurant isn’t bursting at the seams with total Muppet mayhem. Rather, you’ll find lots of subtle Muppet touches in the details. For example, on the walls you’ll find lots of photos showcasing some of the most popu- lar Muppets. The outside facade is that of a typical New York-style brick building, By Dawn Caitano closely resembling Mama Melrose located nearby. The exterior features a nod to the former Pizza Planet, with a sign that reads “The Best Pizza on the Planet.” On the outside brick walls you’ll also find humorous hand-painted notices such as “Tomato Loading Zone” and “You got the dough? We got the cheese!” There’s even a fire escape that’s left over from the former Streets of America, which ties in perfectly to the New York vibe. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll notice that the interior is decorated similar to Mama Melrose, with a color scheme reminiscent of a classic Italian eatery. The tile floor is red, green, black, and white. There are six stations where you can order your food, which helps to keep things moving during the peak lunch and dinner rushes. On the inside walls you can see photos of the Rizzo family and their many adventures, including their journey from Italy to New York City, where they began serving their pizza to the world. Many of the street signs showcased inside are also from the former Streets of America section of the park. You should have no prob- lem finding a table as the seating is plentiful. You can choose to sit inside, outside, upstairs, or even on the outdoor terrace. You will be happy to know there are fans outside to help circulate the air, making it a bit easier to contend with the hot Flor- ida weather. Dawn creates lasting memories by planning your customized vacations By far, our favorite room was the Deluxe Supreme Banquet Hall. Here you can all over the world. Not only does she sit back and enjoy a wedding reception. Prior to entering the room you will see a find the BEST accommodations with whimsical marquee sign reading “Gil & Lil daughter of Will & Jill and son of Phil and the BEST value, but she will fill in all Bill. BYOBP” (which means “bring your own beverage and pizza”). The decor in this the blanks for you, all at no cost to room is completely different from the rest of the restaurant, featuring fancy silver- you. Traveling is her passion! Passing sparkled curtains and red drapes hanging from the windows and ceiling. Beauti- that magic on to your family is what fuels that passion! So call Dawn today ful glass chandeliers sparkle nicely from above, and even the tables and chairs are to start your next Adventure. Go to fancier than the booths and tables found in the other areas. As you come up the celebrationspress.com/plan-trip/, steps to the second level, you’ll hear music and see lights flickering. Once inside the for a free quote. banquet room, you’ll be able to listen to the world’s best party music to keep you entertained. The flooring makes it look like there is an actual dance floor made of wood in the center of the room, though don’t get overly excited; you won’t be able to dance since the area is covered with tables. Surrounding the “dance floor” is a faux green marble floor. The fun is in the details at PizzeRizzo’s, so take the time to look around while you’re dining. The walls have flickering colored lights set against a white trellis, giv-

24 · Celebrations ing you the impression that you’re at a real party. You also a few specialty drinks such as a wild berry-basil lemonade can’t miss the giant disco ball spinning from the ceiling, Limon cello, and a non-alcoholic peach Bellini. scattering sparkling beams of light throughout the room. The new PizzeRizzo restaurant offers up a great variety Fine Dining…Muppet Style of Italian classics, perfect for a quick bite for lunch or dinner. PizzeRizzo serves a simple menu featuring a variety of For a true PizzeRizzo experience, be sure to dine upstairs, pizzas, salads and desserts. All of the entrées are served either in the Supreme Banquet Hall or on the outside ter- with a side Caesar salad, and the choices include personal- race. While the theming is not overpowering, you will find sized pizza pies available in four varieties: vegetable, pep- lots of little Muppet touches of humor throughout, both peroni, meat lovers, and cheese. They also offer a meatball inside and out. If you have the time to walk around, be sure sub. If you are looking for a lighter option, try the antipasto to examine the shadow boxes and bulletin boards; every- salad which features a bed of romaine lettuce piled high thing ties in to the Muppets theme and the backstory of with tomatoes, mozzarella, Kalamata olives, ham, pep- the Rizzo family. So if you’re in Disney’s Hollywood Studios peroni, salami, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. For des- and fancy some pizza (and a bit of Muppet humor) be sure sert, you’ll find traditional Italian sweets like cannoli and to give PizzeRizzo a try! Just don’t lollygag in the Tomato tiramisu. In addition to beer and wine, PizzeRizzo offers up Loading Zone…

Photo © Disney 25 · Celebrations Memory Maker or many families, a trip to Walt Disney World is a once-in-a-lifetime event. For Fothers, it’s a yearly tradition that brings the whole family together for a week or two of magic. And lest we forget, it’s a great place to celebrate those special mo- ments in your life, whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or even a wedding. One of the best ways to preserve those memories is through photographs. They help us freeze time and keep those memories at our fingertips, and the pictures that you take during your Walt Disney World vacation can be the best souvenirs you’ll ever By Elizabeth Mallers have. However, managing all those photos can be a daunting task. Never fear, Disney offers up a great way to keep track of all those family pictures: Memory Maker. Memory Maker provides you with unlimited digital downloads of all of your Dis- ney PhotoPass photos, videos, and more. With Memory Maker, you’ll have access to select attraction and character dining photos, photos of you taken by Disney pho- tographers throughout the parks, Magic Shots (featuring Disney characters and more), and the ability to add digital borders and “stickers” to your photos to per- sonalize them in your own special way. Memory Maker also gives you discounts on prints when ordered through the Disney web site. The price is $149 if you purchase it up to three days before your check-in date, or $169 if you purchase it while on your vacation or within the three days before you check-in. Memory Maker is linked to your My Disney Experience Account, and you will be able to view your photos from your smartphone. When you have a photo taken by a Disney photographer, they will scan your MagicBand and your photos will be loaded into your account. It’s simple, and it really helps you organize your photos in one location. You can add Memory Maker to any Walt Disney World travel package. You can purchase it directly from your My Disney Experience Account, at your resort, or even Elizabeth fell in love with Disney buy it in the parks – just be sure to link it to your My Disney Experience Account. If World as a little girl and has contin- ued to visit again and again. She has you are using it for several families, be sure that everyone is linked to your My Disney experience traveling to Disney with Experience Account too. Photos usually show up in your account quickly, but some a child with severe food allergies. might take up to 24 hours. (Attraction videos seem to take a little longer to show up Elizabeth is an agent with Destina- in your account, so keep that in mind on your trip.) You can view and download your tions to Explore, an Authorized Dis- photos from MyDisneyPhotopass.com or from your My Disney Experience Account. ney Vacation Planner. She is ready to help you plan a magical Disney vacation, all at no cost to you! Go to The Top Five Reasons to Purchase Memory Maker celebrationspress.com/plan-trip/, 5. Memory Maker has the ability to add lots of magic to your shots. These pho- for a free quote. tos are cute and very creative. Disney photographers will help you and your family strike the perfect pose, and once you view your pictures you might see that they’ve added a character or two to your shot! They can also help you create some clever poses for certain shots. We have one photo from our last vacation of my family holding hands in a circle in front of . I love it! Be sure to ask the Disney photographer to add some extra pixie dust to your memories, you won’t be disappointed. I also love the borders and stickers you can add once you download the photos. For example, I was able to add a ‘Happy Birthday’ border to my son’s pic- tures during his birthday dinner with the Disney characters. 4. Memory Maker allows you to save attraction photos, dining photos, candid

26 · Celebrations shots, and attraction videos. These are the fun shots that you will get all of the photos in your My Disney Experience you might not normally purchase, but that we all love see- Account. ing. If your son rides the for the 1. One of the best reasons to buy Memory Maker for your first time and has a giant smile on his face during the at- next vacation is that everyone is in the photos! As the per- traction photo, then you’ll get to keep the photo, and more son that’s usually behind the camera, I love that a profes- importantly the memory, for a lifetime. If you decide to add sional can take my family’s picture in front of Cinderella some extra magic during your vacation and plan a special Castle or in front of the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal King- event like a visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or Pirates dom, and that everyone (myself included) will be in the shot. League then don’t worry, Disney will take some pretty Photos like these are perfect to use in a memory book or amazing pictures of your family during this experience. even a holiday card. They make for wonderful keepsakes, This is especially true if you attend one of the special ticket- especially if your vacation involved the celebration of a spe- ed events, like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. There cial event like a birthday or an anniversary. Also, it’s great are so many character interactions to be found here, and for extended families that travel together. The beauty of the pictures are awesome if you or your kiddos are dressed Memory Maker for me is that I don’t have to worry about up for the party. taking photos or getting the ‘perfect shot’ while I am on va- 3. Memory Maker allows you to own all of your photos for- cation. I can simply ‘be in the moment’ because I know a pro- ever. (With PhotoPass, you’ll need to purchase photos indi- fessional Disney photographer is going to take the picture. vidually if you want to get prints.) Basically, Disney gives you When we went to Disney on my son’s birthday, I was able the copyright release to all of your photos, allowing you the to enjoy watching him interact with the characters and let unlimited ability to download and print them whenever Disney take the photos. I was in the moment and enjoying you want. my family. This is priceless for me. 2. Memory Maker can be shared between families and Memory Maker might not be for everyone, or in every- friends. If you are linked via My Disney Experience, than one’s budget, but if you do opt to include it in your travel everyone can share the cost of Memory Maker and still get plans you won’t be disappointed. If you are staying more all of the photos. This is perfect for multiple families travel- than a couple days at Walt Disney World, than Memory Mak- ing together. You don’t have to be together to use Memory er is well worth it for the volume of pictures you will receive Maker; simply make sure your MagicBand is scanned and of your family enjoying their vacation.

Photo © Disney 27 · Celebrations Water Water Everywhere ater. It’s the fundamental resource on Earth and vital to living. It soothes, Wprotects, and enriches life. At Walt Disney World, water is one of the key fea- tures on property, from the impressive Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon to the Riv- ers of America. Classic attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean and “it’s a small world” utilize water currents to transport us through its realms. It even has celeb- rity status – where else but on the world famous can you find the backside of water? But water at Walt Disney World need not be utilitarian. In fact, it can take on a By Jamie Hecker life of its own, worthy of an animation feature. Perhaps the best example of this is the leapfrog fountains outside of the Imagination pavilion at Epcot. There, graceful arcs of water playfully leap from one teal-colored pad to another, magically holding shape in flight. That is the science known as laminar flow. Consider the common garden hose. When in use, the water flow, based on the pressure, comes out spray- ing, perhaps in a narrow line, but nonetheless turbulent. Water droplets stray near and far from the intended path. On the other hand, consider how water released through a drinking straw will hold its form as gravity takes it downward. This is laminar flow, when all the water molecules are moving in synchronous order. Epcot’s fountains were the primary work of former Imagineer Mark Fuller, whose childhood fascination with both water and Disney merged for a brief but creative period. Like all visitors to Disneyland, the park made a deep impression on Fuller, so much so that he recreated the Jungle Cruise in miniature format in his backyard for his goldfish, using a washing-machine motor for water circulation. Fuller went on to the University of Utah to study Civil Engineering, and was introduced to the concept of laminar water flow while learning about fluid dynamics. The topic so intrigued him that he built his own laminar flow fountain for his senior honors thesis, utilizing multiple drinking straws and progressively smaller mesh screens to enforce a pure flow of water. Fuller went on to get a Master’s degree in engineer- Jamie Hecker has been a lifelong fan of Disney, and is passing on his ing from Stanford University and applied for work with Disney. He was hired by love to his sons. He and his family Imagineering, largely on the strength of his prototype fountain. Like many of the visit Orlando annually and always Imagineering hires in the early 1980s, Fuller directed his energy to Epcot Center, cre- look forward to their next trip. ating not only the whimsical leapfrog fountains that have entertained Guests since When not in Orlando, he resides opening day on October 1, 1982, but also the nearby reverse waterfall fountain that in northern Virginia with his uses dozens of nozzles to spray water upward toward a higher retaining pool. True beautiful wife Suzanne, two boys and four cats. to the spirit of imagination, this waterfall flows uphill! You can read more about his Fuller’s wizardry of water earned him high praise within Disney. “The one thing “hidden Disney” musings at I think we recognized right away was that Mark was willing to take a chance,” re- myhiddendisney.blogspot.com/ called , former president of . “He wasn’t afraid of trying something nobody else had done before. Mark’s made water an attraction in a way that no one else has before.” Shortly after the opening success of Epcot, Fuller struck out on his own and creat- ed Water Entertainment Technologies Design, better known simply as WET. While Fuller and his company may not be household names, his inspired fountain work is known worldwide. His greatest accomplishment is the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Spectacular nightly fountain shows are performed each evening to standing room only crowds.

28 · Celebrations If the Imagination pavilion fountains represent mirth trum, then the spray screens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and fancy, then Epcot’s center-stage fountain is meant to nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! represent the other end. correlate to the park itself – grand, majestic, and brimming While the centerpiece of the show is the impressive moun- with water from around the world. Aptly named the Foun- tain, there is also a need for temporary movie screens upon tain of Nations, it was dedicated with an international cer- which to present classic Disney animation during the show. emony of waters, in which visiting dignitaries contributed The water spray screens solve that riddle. When in use, each a gallon of water from twenty-five bodies of water – lakes, of the three screens uses 800 gallons of water per minute, rivers, and oceans – representing 29 countries around the sprayed in atomized form under high pressure into a semi- world. It truly is a global partnership. The fountain, with its circle shape, 50 feet wide by 30 feet tall. When not in use, the 150,000 gallons of water and 200 spray nozzles, performs an water simply collects back into the 1.9 million gallon moat impressive show every fifteen minutes, entertaining Guests that surrounds the mountain. as they meander around Future World. Outside of an unwanted afternoon downpour, water at If the silky smooth tubes of water emanating from the Walt Disney World can be entertaining and refreshing part leapfrog fountain represent one end of the aquatic spec- of the overall vacation experience.

Photo ©Tim Foster 29 · Celebrations Staying in Disneyland, Deluxe Style

he landscape at Walt Disney World is populated by several world-class deluxe Tresorts. Each embraces a different theme that ripples throughout the resort it- self. Disney’s Animal Kingdom lodge boasts African inspired décor and free-roaming animals that can be viewed from savannah view rooms and lookout points all over the Lodge. Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club resorts, which are within walking distance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, surround Guests with the New seaside culture of yesteryear, while the seaside resorts of New Jersey await you at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn located right across the lagoon. Disney’s Polynesian Village By J Darling Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Contemporary Resorts share a monorail system to the , and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge brings Guests into a spectacular log house that may have popped up at any National Park in the Pacific Northwest. Even the overseas parks have their luxurious resorts. Hong Kong Dis- neyland offers the Grand Floridian counterpart – the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. The Tokyo Resort has the Victorian-styled Hotel, and Disneyland Paris offers the Disneyland Hotel with décor inspired by the 1880’s railroad era. But aside from the suites at the Disneyland Hotel, the was miss- ing a deluxe hotel experience; that is until 2001. The major expansion of Disneyland (most notably with the addition of Disney California Adventure park) meant bringing in a new experience for Disneyland Guests. Though the Grand Floridian name inspires long time Walt Disney World Guests to dream about the red shingled roof of its east coast counterpart, Anaheim’s Grand Floridian couldn’t be more different. Florida’s Grand Floridian has been just a stones throw away from the Magic King- J Darling is a California native and dom since 1988. The resort borrowed heavily from a piece of Southern Californian life long Disney fan. Her parents first luxury, the Hotel Del Coronado. With its white walls, red exterior, Victorian-meets- took her to Disneyland when she was Old-Hollywood décor, and idyllic beach setting, the Hotel Del Coronado was the 2 years old. According to them, her perfect inspirational choice for bringing a piece of vacation luxury to Walt Disney eyes just popped out of her head, and World. However, with the Hotel Del Coronado a few hours away and no ability to apparently they never went back in. add a beach to the center of Anaheim, Disney Imagineers needed to put their think- Outside of her Disney fandom, J is a singer, songwriter, blogger, and ing caps on. What type of resort could transport Guests away from the heavily theatrical actress. populated Los Angeles area, while standing out as completely unique amongst the You can find her music at surrounding competition? Remember, while Walt Disney World is pretty much its www.jdarlingmusic.com own city, the city of Anaheim has surrounded Disneyland with a plethora of differ- and on Myspace at ent hotel options. www.jdarlingmusicmyspace.com. Her blogs are available at www.jjourneybook.blogspot.com. Craftsman-Style Luxury in California So instead of borrowing from beachside luxury, Disneyland went in the other di- rection. They borrowed from Pacific Northwest luxury instead. But, unlike Florida’s Wilderness Lodge, Guests here don’t walk into a log cabin resort. Instead, Guest en- ter through towering sliding stain-glass doors into craftsman style luxury at its fin- est. The flying buttresses could make the expansive lobby seem intimidating, but large fireplaces, complete with leather cushioned chairs, keep the experience invit- ing. Under the treads of those checking in are hardwood floors, which give way to carpeting designed especially for the resort. Only by climbing the stairs and look-

30 · Celebrations ing down at the floor from a few floors up can Guests really nized the extraordinary cuisine here. Described by Disney appreciate this ode to California. The carpeting pattern de- as “farm-to-table with flair,” the menu changes seasonally signed especially for this resort includes huge interwoven based on availability. Despite its high praise and luxurious golden poppies, the California State Flower. location, the warmth of the Cast Members and craftsman- Rooms here are larger than the other two Disney Oper- meets-California-casual décor makes Napa Rose feel special ated hotels on property (Disney’s Paradise Pier and the without pretense. If the food alone isn’t enough to get this Disneyland Hotel). Each room has a double sink vanity, wifi experience added on to any food-loving Guest’s itinerary, (which isn’t as readily available at Disneyland Resort as it the Chef’s Counter is a special delight, though there isn’t a has become at Walt Disney World – at least, not yet), a mini bad table in the house. Intimate views of Disney’s Califor- fridge, flat panel TV, and either one king bed, two queen nia Adventure Park or a peek into the Chef’s open kitchen beds, or one queen bed and a set of bunk beds for families make this a beautiful little hide-away for a special occasion. with a sense of adventure for their little ones. Standard Unlike the Grand Floridian’s Victoria and Albert’s, there are rooms include views of the landscape or pools. Downtown plenty of reservations to go around, and walk-in tables are Disney views are also available (and a nice way to gauge the usually available as well. But the best way for Guests to get size of the crowds in the mornings as the parks open), but just a taste of the award-winning cuisine without the hassle the premium views are found on the upper floors and over- of a full meal is to visit the Napa Rose Lounge. In the Lounge, look Disney California Adventure park itself. Guests can gain access to the extensive wine list offered at The hotel includes three pools which, though not as Napa Rose, as well as some a la carte options, like wood-fired elaborately themed as the Monorail pool at the Disneyland oven pizzettas. Perhaps the biggest perk of staying at the Hotel, each have their own hot tub, and the Redwood water- Grand Californian is the location. The Grand Californian is slide is fun for all ages. about a four-minute walk to the gates of Disneyland Park, and it boasts its own entrance to Disney California Adven- Luxurious Dining Options ture Park. Much like the monorail takes Guests from Down- While it’s debatable if the Grand Californian is considered town Disney and drops them right into the heart of Tomor- the flagship hotel of Disneyland Resort, there is no debate rowland, this entrance takes Guests from the sequoia-filled that some of the best food in Orange County can be found craftsman luxury of the resort and drops them into Disney right here. Napa Rose opened in 2002 and quickly became California Adventure park, right next to the trees and wa- the go-to special occasion location for locals and park terfalls of Grizzly River Rapids. Guests alike. Headed up by Chef Andrew Sutton, the fresh, The Grand Californian is the type of resort that seems seasonal menu has won awards from Wine Spectator and to ask for its own day of exploration. Even if it’s just for one Zagat, just to name a few organizations that have recog- night, it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Photo ©Disney 31 · Celebrations 32 · Celebrations Statler: Hey, Waldorf, what is this anyway? surround Muppet*Vision 3D, leading many to believe Waldorf: Oh, it’s one of those 3D movies. Better put on your that the inspired 3D attraction would also glasses. be on the chopping block. Disney surprised many by not [Statler does so] only keeping Muppet*Vision 3D, but also expanding the Statler: [looking at the audience] Hey, check out the guy in the Muppet presence throughout the parks. mask. Waldorf: That’s no mask. The Queue Statler: Ooops. Sorry, lady! As Guests approach Muppet*Vision from the path – Statler and Waldorf, Muppet*Vision 3D from Star Tours, they see the very impressive brick build- ing that houses the attraction. Be sure to examine the n the immortal words of (or a cheap hack long brick wall to your right, as you will see a row of Ijob thereof), this is a salute to the Muppets in Walt planters with flowers in them…except for the last one Disney World…but mostly Muppet*Vision 3D. I did invite that has been replaced with an ice cream sundae! Guests award-winning writers from across the globe to come will certainly notice the famous clock tower that is a here and write this article. Unfortunately, none of them part of the show building. showed up. I know, just like Fozzie, I’m not even funny One of my favorite features of the exterior of when writing about 3D. If you did not “get” any of those Muppet*Vision 3D, and a great spot to snap a few pic- corny jokes, then you really need to go experience this is- tures with the family, is the fountain that sits in front sue’s featured attraction, Muppet*Vision 3D. of the show building and features dressed as Muppet*Vision is an entertaining 3D theater show the Statue of Liberty. Although the fountain has been that opened on May 16, 1991 in Disney’s Hollywood Stu- temporarily transformed into a flowerbed while some dios. It combines a zany queue, a funny pre-show movie, work is being performed, the fountain portion will re- a 3D film, Audio-Animatronic characters, bubbles, water, turn in the near future. an exploding theater, and even a live-action character to Once inside the show building, there are numerous create a very entertaining Disney experience. gags and jokes waiting to be discovered if Guests are will- The Muppets are, of course, the creation of famed ing to take the time to find them. Are they completely Jim Henson. Unfortunately, Muppet*Vision 3D corny? Of course, but they are also pretty darn funny. Af- was Henson’s last major project, as he passed away ex- ter all, this is a 3D show based on the Muppets. actly one year prior to the attraction opening. Perhaps the most famous feature of the queue is the Although Muppet*Vision had entertained Guests for security office with a hanging sign that reads, “Be back over twenty years, it looked as though the Muppet-era in 5 minutes, Key is under the mat.” Check under the mat in Disney’s Hollywood Studios was coming to an end in yourself to see if the sign is true! 2015, when a series of blockbuster announcements were Next up, take a look at the Muppet*Vision 3D World made at the Expo in Anaheim California that would Headquarters directory. Some of my favorite listings are: change Disney’s Hollywood Studios forever. • Institute of Heckling and Browbeating, Statler and Wal- Disney executives announced that the Studios would dorf Curmudgeons in Chief. be largely re-themed with the additions of Toy Story • Patriotic Analysis and Protocol, Sam the Eagle- American. Land, a theme park area dedicated to the Pixar animat- • Department of Comedic Timing and Delivery, Take ed film franchise of the same name, and, perhaps even – Please. more exciting, a newly created land in the Studios devot- •  Soup of the Day- Cup $2.95, Bowl $1.95, No Soup- $3.95, and, ed to the world of Star Wars. In order to make room for of course, the Alphabet Soup (with jumbled letters below). these additions, numerous attractions and experiences Past the directory is a hallway with a series of doors in the Studios were closed in the months that followed, that are some of my favorite queue props found in any including the Studio Backlot Tour, the Lights, Motors, Ac- Walt Disney World attraction. On the left is the Depart- tion! Stunt Show, and the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie ment of Artificial Reality, with the hilarious note that Set Adventure. Notably, all of these shuttered attractions reads “this is not a door.” Next, Guests see the Muppet

Photo © Mike Billick 33 · Celebrations Labs Stress Testing Department with a warning that “con- • An extremely funny safety warning from Sam Eagle (and tents are under extreme pressure.” Other doors include The I agree with Sam, stopping in the middle of the row is in- Institute of Advanced Chronology – “Staying Ahead of the deed unpatriotic). Times,” and the Division of Fashion Technology – “Making • A surprise by …or Rizzo the Rat performing Tomorrow a Prettier Place to Be.” a very poor, but very funny, impersonation of Mickey. At the end of the hallway, Guests empty into a pre-show Following the pre-show, a series of doors to the right of the holding area that is themed as a backstage storage facility holding area opens, and Guests enter into the theater, which where many fun props, boxes and trunks of the Muppet is a replica of the Muppet Theater from . stars are stored. Since this is a 3D show, Guests need to pick up their 3D One of the most popular and well-known props found glasses to enjoy the attraction. Interestingly enough, of all here, and one of my personal favorites, is the net full of Jell- the 3D shows found in Walt Disney World, this is the only O hanging from the ceiling, a not-so-subtle homage to for- show that actually calls them 3D glasses. In Honey I Shrunk mer Mouseketeer and all-around Disney star, Annette Funi- the Audience, they are called “Safety Goggles,” in It’s Tough to cello. Other fun finds in this pre-show area are: be a Bug, they are “Bug Eyes,” and in Mickey’s Philharmagic, • A box that is labeled 2D fruities (flat cut-outs of fruit). they are referred to as “Opera Glasses.” • A box for Miss Piggy’s vast wardrobe, which is The Show labeled “Moi Stuff,” and Once the curtain rises, warns “Hands Off Vermin our green host, Kermit the Breath.” Surely she is not Frog, tells the audience that talking about Mickey!!!!! they will be introduced to a • My personal favorite char- brand new 3D technology acter in the entire attrac- and, like any self-respect- tion is Sam Eagle. His box able Muppet, will not be is labeled “Patriotic Para- “stooping” to any cheap 3D phernalia” and contains tricks. You can probably “Flags, Fireworks, and So guess what happens next, Forth and So On.” as the lovable Fozzie pro- The above are only a few ceeds to “stoop” with several examples of the numerous cheap 3D tricks, including props found in the holding spraying water on the au- area. Please take the time to look around and observe every- dience (via special effects in each theater chair) from his thing around you. Although I have watched Muppet*Vision flower-shaped lapel. 3D many times, I always seem to find something new and Some of the funniest parts of the show are the numerous funny each time I go through the queue. barbs tossed from the upper right balcony in the theater by Statler and Waldorf. Watch the two curmudgeons through- Pre-Show Film out the show, and you will see them move, sway, and hide at Prior to entering the theater, Guests watch a pre-show different points of the show. Don’t feel guilty for laughing at film that shows several Muppet stars preparing for the their jokes, as the penguin orchestra usually joins in. show. The film is shown on four sets of inter-connected Kermit next introduces the brainpower behind televisions that hang above the holding area. Highlights of Muppet*Vision, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his always-enter- this pre-show include: taining assistant . After things go predictably wrong, •  struggling to organize the backstage area. Waldo C. Graphic, the world’s first digitized puppet and first • Bean Bunny haphazardly attempting to help Miss Piggy digital 3D character, is released into the theater. prepare for her big performance. After Waldo proceeds to bounce on a few audience mem- •  performing a tap-dancing act. ber’s heads, Beaker attempts to use another Muppet in-

34 · Celebrations vention, the “VacuumMuppet,” to suck up Waldo and stop and Howell,” an actual movie projector manufacturer. the chaos. Unfortunately for Dr. Honeydew, this process The Chef proceeds to use a blunderbuss (an old fashioned also ends in disaster, with the entire Muppet lab and film musket) to fire numerous shots at the penguins and Waldo, sucked-up. The only thing left…Waldo! which results in a destroyed TV screen. After some ribbing Our host Kermit eventually re-appears (following a ba- by Waldo, the Chef pulls out and fires the big cannon, effec- nana cream pie 3D backfire via Fozzie), and introduces the tively destroying the entire theater. Once the smoke clears, I shows “biggest” act (take that any way you want): Miss Piggy always get a great laugh from Statler and Waldorf’s “we sur- singing “Dream a Little Dream of Me” in a picturesque lake render, we surrender!” environment. Bean Bunny, a not-so-famous Muppet charac- At this point in the show, the screen is gone, there are ter, tries to “assist” in the number, but unfortunately annoys smoking holes in the wall, and the theater is in utter sham- Miss Piggy to an escalating degree. After being dismissed bles. The cherry on top of the Muppet disaster (as well as by Sam Eagle, who is occupied with preparing for his own the finale of show) is a Muppet Labs fire truck with Kermit musical number, a devastated Bean takes Sam’s advice and perched atop backing through the wall, with park Guests runs away…taking Waldo with him! shown walking in the background. Another fun Easter egg A Muppet search team of Gonzo, Fozzie, and Kermit start to find is the picture of Cinderella Castle on the fire truck’s the search for Bean, and they are license plate. While Guests exit the soon joined by one of the most mem- theater, Kermit assures everyone orable characters in the show, a live- that the theater only suffered “mi- action Sweetums, who walks into nor” damage. the audience using a flashlight to Although the show is over, you can search for Bean (spotlights shining still get your Muppet-merchandise in the theater help to enhance the fix at the adjacent Stage One Compa- effect). No matter how many times ny Store. Stage One offers a variety of I see this show, it is always funny to Muppet-themed items ranging from hear the kids yell, scream, ooh and shirts and caps to plushes and figu- ahh at the site of Sweetums. rines. It is themed as the set of the While those reactions are legiti- Happiness Hotel from the 1991 film mate, the actual children voices that . yell when they see Bean in the upper left balcony are (SPOILER ALERT) pre- Finding the Muppets in the Mag- recorded. After some convincing, ic Kingdom Bean agrees to come back only after he is allowed to assist The Muppets can also be found now in Liberty Square Sam Eagle in his star spangled finale. in the Magic Kingdom by virtue of The Muppets Present… My favorite line in the entire show is the name of Sam Great Moments in American History. This entertaining Eagle’s number: “A Salute to all Nations, but Mostly America.” show takes place in the plaza between The Hall of Presi- Unfortunately for patriots, but fortunately for Guests of dents and the Liberty Tree. Sam Eagle joins Kermit, Miss Muppet*Vision, Sam’s performance quickly devolves into di- Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and James Jefferson, town crier saster, thanks to Waldo and Bean. The result is that Waldo of Liberty Square, as they gather outside the Hall of Presi- ends up in a penguin orchestra that is on fire. Sweetums yells dents to present historical tales in hysterical fashion as to the extremely well trained person running the film…the only they can. From the midnight ride of Paul Revere to the …to stop the projector. Sweetums, being the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Muppets best firefighter he can be, angers the penguins by dousing appear throughout the day to share with Guests their own them with water. The penguins, not to be crossed, fire a can- hilarious take on the founding fathers and the birth of the non that hits the Chef’s projector and destroys the film. United States of America. Another funny find in the back of the theater is the name Thank goodness for all of us, it seems that the Muppets of the projector, a “Yell and Howle,” which is a play on “Bell are here to stay.

Photos © Mike Billick 35 · Celebrations By Lori Elias

36 · Celebrations ovie-goers in 1991 had an abundance of riches from maid in 1989. Mwhich to choose. Whether they were sailing over Directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, The Twilight Saga: the waves of Neverland with Hook or galloping across the Breaking Dawn, Parts I and II), the 2017 edition of Beauty and western prairie as City Slickers, running from the law with the Beast is proving to be one of the most anticipated films Thelma and Louise (or facing it down with Robin Hood: Prince of the year. Part of the reason is that fans of the original of Thieves), screaming through Cape Fear and The Silence of film are delighted to see the lush scenes of the animated the Lambs, or laughing – and crying – with the ladies of Fried film brought to life. Another is the opportunity to see Green Tomatoes and the children of My Girl, 1991 will certainly the movie’s exquisite musical score performed by human go down in history as one of the best years for film. singers; along with the original song list, which includes 1991 was also the year that a beautiful animated young three Academy Award nominees (“Belle,” “Be Our Guest” and lady floated down the stairs of an enchanted castle and “Beauty and the Beast”), as well as new music composed by into the hearts of audiences with the second film of the Menken and his frequent collaborator , along with , Beauty and the Beast. The first animat- additional lyrics to the familiar melodies that were writ- ed film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best ten by , but cut from the first film. Picture was written by Linda Woolverton, based on the But what has audiences buzzing the most is the quality fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie of the cast. A mix of Disney Leprince de Beaumont; di- veterans and those making rected by Gary Trousdale their Disney debut, stars of and Kirk Wise; and featured the stage and those of the award-winning music by big and small screen, make Disney Legends Alan Men- for an exciting line-up to ken and Howard Ashman, take on this beloved film. the latter also serving as Emma Watson (Belle) has the film’s executive pro- literally grown up on-screen ducer. The cast was heav- and in front of millions of ily packed with some of movie-goers, portraying Broadway’s brightest stars Hermione Granger in the who were also no strang- Harry Potter franchise. Play- ers to television audiences, ing opposite her as the Beast including two Tony Award and Prince Adam is Dan Ste- winners: – Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She vens, who captured (and broke) the hearts of Downton Ab- Wrote – as Mrs. Potts, and portraying Lumière, Jerry Or- bey fans with his portrayal of the dashing Matthew Craw- bach, who was a year away from creating the iconic role ley. of Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order. David Ogden Belle’s father Maurice is played by Academy Award and Stiers (best known as Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III two-time Tony winner Kevin Kline, who is not only a tour on M*A*S*H) voiced Cogsworth, and Paige O’Hara and Robby de force on the theatrical stage (On the Twentieth Century, Benson created the title roles. The film earned four Acad- Cyrano de Bergerac, Henry IV, Mother Courage) but also on the emy Award nominations, with wins for both Menken and silver screen (A Fish Called Wanda, Soapdish, Dave). He first en- Ashman’s score and the title song, sung in only one take by tered the Disney fold as the heroic Phoebus in The Hunch- Ms. Lansbury! back of Notre Dame (1996). Beauty and the Beast returns to the big screen in 2017, join- Fellow Disney veteran Emma Thompson returns to por- ing the ranks of Disney’s animated films that have been tray Mrs. Potts. An Academy Award winner as both a writer reimagined as live-action films (with some help from com- and actress, the talented Thompson’s first role for Disney puter-generated imagery). Spurred on by the success of was as Captain Amelia in (2002). She por- Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015) and The Jungle Book (2016), trayed Queen Elinor in Brave (2012) and went head-to-head this is Disney’s inaugural jump into remaking the films of with Tom Hanks’s Walt Disney as Mrs. P. L. Travers in 2013’s the Disney Renaissance, which began with The Little Mer- Saving Mr. Banks.

Artwork © Disney 37 · Celebrations Ewan McGregor is primarily known for his star-making of Jones) as Plumette, Nathan Mack (television’s Babylon) turns in both 4 (1996) and as young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the as Chip and (Road to Perdition, The Devil Wears Star Wars prequels, but he also showed off his stellar vocal Prada, , The Hunger Games) in the newly- skills in the acclaimed movie musical Moulin Rouge. He fires created role of Cadenza. up his vocal cords once again as the charming Lumière. His Gaston is one of the villains Disney fans most love to hate, sidekick Cogsworth is portrayed by legendary stage and and bringing his live-action arrogance to the big screen is screen actor Sir Ian McKellen. Along with winning a Tony for Luke Evans. Gaston is the latest in a series of dashing, adven- portraying composer Antonio Salieri in the original cast of turous characters Evans has portrayed, including Apollo in Amadeus, Sir Ian has enjoyed a sterling career taking on such Clash of the Titans (2010), Aramis in The Three Musketeers (2011) esteemed roles as David Copperfield, Hamlet, King Lear, and and Bard in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The along a more pop-culture vein, Magneto in the X-Men series Battle of Five Armies (2015). and Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise. Always at his side is LeFou, played by one of Disney’s new- Audra McDonald, who portrays Garderobe, may not be a est and most adored sidekicks, Josh Gad. The comedic actor name familiar to many film fans, but she is considered one earned a Tony nomination for The Book of Mormon before of the greatest singing actresses to ever grace the Broadway being tapped to warm the hearts of Disney film fans as stage. Holding a record six Tony Awards that span all four plucky Olaf in the 2013 blockbuster Frozen. acting categories (Best Actress and Best Featured Actress in Like The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast is not entirely a a musical and play), McDonald has held recurring roles in “live-action” film, as much of what is seen on-screen is assist- television’s Mister Sterling, The Bedford Diaries and Private Prac- ed by CGI. (In other words, no, Ewan, Sir Ian, Emma, Gugu, Au- tice. She played Grace Farrell in the Disney-produced televi- dra and the rest are not actually transformed into house- sion broadcast of the classic musical Annie in 1999, as well as hold items!) Take Dan Stevens, for example: his portrayal the Mother Abbess in NBC’s The Sound of Music Live! in 2013. of the Beast was actually captured in two separate perfor- Rounding out the enchanted characters in the Beast’s mances. When working on the set with Emma Watson, only castle are Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Jupiter Ascending, Free State his body was filmed. He wore a motion-capture suit that

38 · Celebrations Artwork ©Disney would be enhanced later through computer graphics, act- ter’s production of the musical in 2014. (Incidentally, also in ing on stilts in order to appear far taller. At another session, 2014, Ms. Lansbury’s record of five Tony Awards was broken by only his face would be filmed. Wearing ultra-violet makeup Audra McDonald – the new film’s Garderobe – when she won and captured by several cameras, his facial expressions the honor for Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.) would later be mapped out digitally, and the two recording • The movie’s big production number, “Be Our Guest,” took sessions would be melded together to produce what is seen approximately six months to prepare and three months to by film audiences. put on film. Will the live-action Beauty and the Beast come close to • Emma Thompson played Sybil Trelawney, opposite Emma matching the success of its predecessor? At this time, that Watson’s Hermione Granger, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of remains to be seen. But the good news is that the “tale as old Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) as time” has a beautiful new rendition for the next genera- and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). tion of Disney film fans. • The Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast ran at the Palace and Lunt-Fontanne theatres from 1994 until 2007. Beauty and the Beast Fascinating Facts It was the first of Disney’s animated musicals to be trans- • Ariana Grande and John Legend recorded the title song ferred to the Broadway stage, and was nominated for nine for the 2017 film’s soundtrack, just as and Peabo Tony awards, winning for Best Costume Design. Bryson did for the original animated film. • The live-action production of Beauty and the Beast running at • Lyrics originally written by Howard Ashman for the film Disney’s Hollywood Studios began its run on the same day but deemed too “mature” have been reinserted into the that the movie opened in theaters, November 22, 1991. live-action film. • While the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast is Disney’s • The original Mrs. Potts, Angela Lansbury, won her second of second to appear on the big screen, it is actually their five Tony Awards for playing Mrs. Lovett in the original Broad- fourth attempt; efforts made in the 1930s and 1950s were way cast of Sweeney Todd in 1979. The live-action Mrs. Potts, scrapped when it was determined that the story was too Emma Thompson, performed the same role for Lincoln Cen- difficult to be made into an animated feature.

39 · Celebrations 40 · Celebrations Photo © Garry Rollins The Statues of Walt Disney World By Lori Elias

Some of the most popular photo spots throughout Walt Disney World are the statues that are scattered across the parks. These structures are more than a piece of scenery; just like every attraction and every building, each statue has its own story to tell.

41 · Celebrations Magic Kingdom construction of the likeness of President Obama.) Two statues that are perhaps the most well-known and Meanwhile, fellow Disney Legend Charles Boyer was hired beloved of the entire Walt Disney World Resort can be found in 1960. Boyer’s employment was meant to be temporary, but on Main Street, U. S. A.: Partners and Sharing the Magic. Both instead turned into an almost 40-year career as Disneyland’s were created by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson, whose influ- first full-time artist, as well as its “master illustrator,” creating ence can be felt throughout the Magic Kingdom. magazine covers, advertising materials and collectible litho- A Disney employee since 1939, Gibson was originally hired graphs. One such lithograph was commissioned in 1981 to as an animator, with sculpting only a hobby he enjoyed commemorate Disneyland’s 200 millionth Guest. Called “Part- during his free time; his ners,” the piece depicted animation work can a smiling Walt garbed in be seen in many Disney a tan suit and red necktie classics, including Fan- with his left hand on his tasia, , hip, with Mickey, dressed Alice in Wonderland, formally in a long black , jacket, red pants, and yel- Sleeping Beauty and 101 low bow tie, mirroring Dalmatians. Walt Disney his creator’s pose. The saw Gibson’s sculpting picture was so loved that projects in a local ex- it inspired the chang- hibit; impressed with his ing of the name of the work, Walt asked Gibson Disneyland Employees to turn his talents to Dis- Federal Credit Union to neyland. Partners Federal Credit In 1961 he became a Union, with one of the full-time sculptor for lithographs featured in what was then WED the office until its clo- Enterprises (now Walt sure in 2010; and Boyer’s Disney Imagineering). window on Disneyland’s It was Gibson who de- Main Street, U. S. A., hon- signed and constructed ors him with “Partners the forms on which the Portrait Gallery: Charles Audio-Animatronics for Boyer, Master Illustrator.” several attractions were Michael Eisner’s Dis- based, including “it’s a ney chairmanship be- small world,” Pirates gan in 1984, and with it a of the Caribbean, Walt number of promotions Disney’s Enchanted Tiki to bring more Guests Room and the Haunted into the theme parks. A Mansion. He also built number of these ideas the figure that would serve as the basis for Abraham Lincoln, were temporary attractions placed in the parks’ hubs, which the original Audio-Animatronic that was debuted in the while accessible, obstructed the view of each park’s castle, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln exhibit at the 1964 World’s which sent Imagineers scrambling for ideas to appease Eis- (and has been shown continuously at Disneyland since ner’s hunger for new enterprises without destroying the 1965), as well as Lincon’s fellow Commanders-in-Chief for the integrity of the parks. It was suggested that a permanent Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World, concluding with tribute to Walt Disney be erected, not only to honor the cre- George W. Bush. (Gibson also served as a consultant for the ator of the Disney universe, but also to serve as a reminder

42 · Celebrations Photo © Garry Rollins to younger generations that Walt Disney lived, breathed, ing him look “approachable.” In addition, his hand supports and made all of this magic come into existence. hers as a symbol of Roy’s constant support of his younger Though he had been officially retired since 1983, Gibson brother’s ventures throughout their career. agreed to helm the project, which would be based on the This statue was originally placed within a fenced-in area, Boyer lithograph. Great pains were endured to determine but due to the large number of Guests coming over the the exact positioning of the two honorees: rejected ideas fence in order to be photographed on the bench with these included Walt waving, Mickey pulling Walt toward Main two beloved icons, the Imagineers ultimately moved it to Street and Walt pointing forward with the rolled-up archi- a more accessible area, where it remains a popular photo- tectural plans for Epcot in his hand; other thoughts under graph location for Guests of the Magic Kingdom. consideration included Mickey holding a globe topped by a Across the bridge in Tomorrowland stand other pieces set of Mickey ears, and the most popular unused suggestion, that may not be as iconic as the figures on Main Street, but Mickey holding an ice cream cone. In the end, of course, the certainly do their part in creating an aura of the future. And Imagineers decided upon the stance now seen throughout some even provide a fictional function beyond aesthetics! Disney properties around the world. Gibson based his like- When Imagineers were designing the Tomorrowland of ness of Walt’s face on how he looked in 1954, which Gibson Disneyland Paris, they had to face head-on an issue that was considered the peak of his life and career. Attentive Guests plaguing the parks of the United States: with technologi- will notice the “STR” on Walt’s necktie, referring to his Cali- cal developments advancing so quickly, “Tomorrowland” no fornia property, Smoke Tree Ranch, as well as the wedding longer seemed like a world of the future, but rather a theme ring on his left hand and the Claddagh ring on his right; park version of the world of today. It would take tremen- both he and his wife, Lillian, purchased these traditional dous amounts of money – not to mention indeterminable Irish symbols of love on a vacation to Ireland in 1948. hours of creative energy – to continuously update the parks To capture the right look of Mickey’s hand in Walt’s, he in order to remain “in the future.” Instead, the Imagineers turned to Fantasia, and the image of Mickey shaking the of Disneyland Paris opted to create a new interpretation of hand of conductor Leopold Stokowski following the seg- Tomorrowland – which they called “Discoveryland” – that ment of Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. reflected the perceptions of early twentieth century sci- It was decided that the statue would be unveiled on No- ence fiction authors, and how they visualized the world of vember 18, 1993, the 65th birthday of Mickey Mouse (as deter- the upcoming centuries. This concept was transferred to mined by the opening of at New York City’s Disneyland and Walt Disney World, whose Colony Theater in 1928). Its twin was added to the Magic both received significant refurbishments. Kingdom at Walt Disney World in June 1995; this version had This new concept included a backstory for a city of the fu- a slightly different color, in order to better blend with the ture, still bearing the name Tomorrowland. The city would hues of the its host park. Subsequent Partners statues have be the headquarters of the fictional League of Planets, and been added to Disney Studios Paris and Tokyo Disneyland. a hub for space travelers from all over the galaxy. Sharing the Magic sits at the other end of Main Street in This city of the future would of course have found a way Town Square and touchingly portrays Walt’s older brother, to power itself through environment-friendly means, which Roy O. Disney, sharing a park bench with . This brings us to the Power Palms. At a casual glance, the tall statue was dedicated in October 1999, placed in approxi- metallic palm trees are simply a fun, futuristic take on the mately the same location from which Roy welcomed the trademark trees that dot the landscape of central Florida. Magic Kingdom’s first Guests twenty-eight years earlier. But while fictional, these trees have a fascinating backstory Gibson – age 81 at the time of the statue’s debut – found of their own: the fronds of the trees gather solar energy, his inspiration from photographs of Roy sitting on a bench which is stored in the coconut-shaped gourds underneath with various Disney characters during the opening of the the leaves. This energy causes them to glow, which provides park. Just as he had made great efforts to find just the right light for the evening hours of the “city” (and ergo, the park). “look” for Walt, he showed the same reverence for Roy. He One of the Power Palms is missing one of its storage gourds, had Roy seated farther back in the bench to indicate that and its leaves appear to be drooping. This is not by mistake, he had been there first, and that Minnie came to him, mak- nor caused by damage: it was built that way to depict a tree

43 · Celebrations whose energy is in the process of being harvested! set Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue in Los Angeles. Another nod to this futuristic society is the robot statue California’s Crossroads, designed by Robert V. Derrah, was near the entrance to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority intended to give the impression of an ocean liner, featuring PeopleMover in “Rocketower Plaza.” This statue depicts a buildings hosting shops and restaurants from around the typical Tomorrowland newsboy, which by that time might world, with a 30-foot tower topped by a revolving planet very well be Animatronic! Take a close look at the front page Earth at the hub’s center. (Though its role as a shopping cen- of the Galaxy Gazette, and see a tie-in to a beloved Disney ter has long ended, it is now used for office buildings and character and a nearby Tomorrowland attraction! production studios.) The Studios’ Crossroads is a faithful replica, with the Disney’s Hollywood Studios added bonus of Mickey Mouse standing proudly on top of In 2016, the extensive refurbishment of Disney’s Holly- the globe, appearing as he did in the mid-1930s. This is in ref- wood Studios resulted in the removal of the Academy of erence to Mickey’s skyrocketing popularity in that decade, Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza, and with it most of the when the original Crossroads of the World structure was park’s statuary. Since 1993, bronze busts had honored titans created. Just like its predecessor and namesake, this Cross- of the entertainment industry, including Alan Alda, Oprah roads of the World serves as a souvenir shop for general Winfrey, Edward R. Murrow, and of course, Walt purchases, such as small plush dolls, autograph books, pins, Disney. There are still a few pieces remaining, however, that and of course, the ever-popular Mickey Mouse ear hats. hold distinctive places in the park. At the other end of Hollywood Boulevard, a movie direc- One of the first sites – or sights – Guests encounter as tor, also from 1930s, takes in the scene. Garbed in clothing they enter the Studios is The Crossroads of the World. This typical of that time, he gazes into his camera, a is a replica of what is considered the first outdoor shopping three-color camera, which revolutionized the film industry mall in the United States, built in 1936 at the corner of Sun- in 1934: with its capability of mixing red, green, and blue fil-

44 · Celebrations ters, this camera made full-color film possible for the first young people and those with disabilities. time in history. The statue that stands in the Norway Pavilion was cre- A plaque installed at the base of this statue for the park’s ated by Nils Aas, who like Waitz was a native of Oslo. It is a opening welcomes Guests to this park that is “dedicated replica of a statue he constructed for Bislett Stadium in to Hollywood, not a place on the map, but a state of mind their mutual hometown; Epcot received the statue from wherever people dream and wonder and imagine…a Hol- The Foundation for the Promotion of Athletics in Norway lywood that never was—and always will be.” in honor of Waitz’s athletic success and personal legacy. Next door in China, until recently, an entire army of ap- Epcot proximately 200 ancient soldiers welcomed Guests to the Epcot’s World Showcase is a treasure trove of statues, pavilion’s House of the Whispering Willows Gallery. These each reflecting the spirit and heroes of its home country. were the Terracotta Warriors, replicas of 8000 life-size sol- Norway offers a nod to its distant past with a tall, proud Vi- diers, horses and entertainers which were constructed king guarding the entrance for the tomb of China’s first of the Stave Church. Though emperor, Qui Shi Huang commonly believed to be a (259-210 B.C.) near the pres- likeness of King Olaf II, the pa- ent day city of Xi’ian. Because tron saint of Norway, there is he wanted his reign and his actually no verification that riches to continue with him this widely-held conception beyond the parameters of is true; fact or fiction, he his earthly life, he ordered nonetheless provides a com- that an underground city be manding presence to all who built for him, with a palace enter the beautiful church that was identical to his own and its ever-changing exhibit home, guarded by this army of Scandinavian artifacts. as he had been protected in Norway also honors its life. The details on the terra- more recent past with a cotta pieces were so specific bronze statue of Grete Waitz, that no two soldiers were located in the eating area the same, with each bearing outside the Kringla Bakeri clothing or hair specifica- Og Kafe. A schoolteacher tions indicating his rank in with homes in both Oslo and the army. Gainesville, Florida, Waitz (What is most remarkable won nine New York City mar- is that the awareness of this athons, a world record, in ad- marvel is relatively new. In dition to two mara- 1974, peasants living in that thon wins in 1983 and 1986, region were in the process of the Stockholm marathon in 1988, and five wins in the world digging a well when they discovered pieces of pottery that cross-country championships. She earned a silver medal resembled sculptures of human figures. Geologists quickly at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and her Norwegian re- descended upon the area and made the startling discovery cords for the 1300 and 3000 remain unbroken. of the Terracotta Warriors, which have since been on exhibi- In 2005 Waitz was diagnosed with cancer, which she bat- tion in some of the world’s finest museums.) tled for six years before succumbing in April 2011. She was These statues have been replaced with an exhibit that remembered across the sports world not only for her prow- introduces Guests to the newest Disney theme park, Shang- ess as an athlete, but also for her humility, gracious spirit, hai Disney. This display features pictures and replicas of at- and enthusiastic dedication to promoting sport among tractions seen across the park’s six lands.

Photos © Garry Rollins 45 · Celebrations Saint George slaying a dragon lets Guests know that they city of Venice: throughout the city, one will see statues of a have arrived in the Germany Pavilion. The patron saint of winged lion with one paw holding the book open to a page soldiers, as well as the city of Freiberg, Germany, statues of with the words, Pax tibi, Marce, Evangelista meus: “Peace be St. George can be found throughout Germany as a symbol of with you, Mark, my Evangelist.” good’s inevitable victory over evil. The legend of Saint George (Both of these statues sit on top of tall columns, just as first appeared in a book of saints printed in the 12th-century. they do in Venice. It was intended that the Piazza San Marco According to the story, a dragon was holding a city hostage, would feature three columns, but the third was lost at sea and to keep him at bay, the villages would offer one of their during transport from Tyre, Lebanon, in 1125.) citizenry in sacrifice. On the day that the lot fell to the king’s Further back in the Italy Pavilion is the Fontana di Nettu- daughter, Saint George happened to be riding through the no (Fountain of Neptune), and with it a statue of the Roman region. He valiantly slayed the dragon and refused the king’s god of the sea. This statue is not a replica of any existing reward, instead maintaining masterpiece, but instead that the money be distrib- is a tribute to the style of uted among the poor of the 17th-century artisan Gian realm. Lorenzo Bernini, whom In the Italy Pavilion, two many historians credit other saints stand guard with initiating the Baroque over its replica of Venice’s Pi- trends in sculpting. azza San Marco, or St. Mark’s The theater inside the Square. San Teodoro – St. World Showcase’s next Theodore – the original pa- pavilion, the American Ad- tron of Venice, was a Roman venture, exhibits twelve soldier who lived in approx- marble-esque statues, six imately the fourth century. on either side of the stage, Ordered by those in author- adorning the theater’s ity to worship pagan gods, walls. These proud indi- he stoically refused, which viduals exemplify the traits led to his imprisonment of the collective “spirit of and eventual martyrdom. America,” celebrating the Like St. George, artwork fea- characteristics of some turing St. Theodore usually of the nation’s most ac- shows him triumphant in complished citizens. Each a battle with a crocodile or statue is life-size, standing dragon, once again symbol- between 5’5” and a bit over izing the victory of good over evil. 6 feet tall, and is mounted on a 3-foot base labeling its re- About 500 years later, St. Theodore was replaced by St. spective “spirit.” (The same statues are also on display at the Mark the Evangelist (also known as St. Mark the Apostle) Disneyland Opera House, home of the Great Moments with as the city’s patron saint. Venetian merchants were trans- Mr. Lincoln animatronic show.) porting the remains of St. Mark to Venice from Alexandria, On the right side of the theater, one will find the Spirit of Egypt, when a storm at sea threatened the safety of the Individualism as represented by a cowboy; Innovation as an ship and its crew. A vision of the saint appeared to the mer- African-American scientist; Tomorrow, a mother holding chant-sailors, instructing them to lower their sails. They did her infant child; Compassion, a doctor; and Discovery as an as they were told and survived the storm, and ergo in their early-American mountain man. The left side features the gratitude dedicated the square to their protector. It is not Spirit of Freedom, symbolized by a male Pilgrim figure; Heri- St. Mark’s image that graces the square, but rather a stat- tage, a Native American woman; Pioneering, an aviator of ue of a lion, which is the emblem of both St. Mark and the the early 20th-century; Knowledge, a schoolteacher as she

46 · Celebrations Photo © Garry Rollins might have appeared in the 1800s; Self-Reliance a farmer; the first potlatch, a ritual ceremonial feast commonly cele- and Adventure, a seaman in a mackintosh at the helm of his brated among the First Nations and Native Americans of the boat. Pacific Northwest. Both totems were installed overnight; a While not technically “statues,” for almost 20 years the dedication ceremony was held the following day, featuring Canada Pavilion has boasted three colorful totem poles a performance by the Washington-based Git Hoan Dancers alongside the Northwest Mercantile: two smaller totems (People of the Salmon). Like Boxley, members of the troupe made of fiberglass were designed by the Epcot Imagineer- have ancestral roots in the Tshimshian tribe, as well as the ing team; the tallest was carved from a 9000-pound red Haida and Tlingit peoples, all native to southeastern Alaska. cedar log on-site in 1998 by Alaskan artist David Boxley, a member of the Tsimshian First Nation. The project took Disney’s Animal Kingdom three months to complete. The Animal Kingdom’s most famous statue is not even re- This totem relays three stories regarding Txamsem, the ally a statue in the traditional sense, and actually isn’t even mystical and heroic raven god who is a primary figure in an “it”! DiVine is a “she,” and is very much a living, breathing Tsimshian mythology. The highest totem depicts Txamsem person, and a source of delight for those Guests who are tricking the Chief of the Sky fortunate enough to catch a into releasing the sun, moon glimpse of her. and stars, and also features DiVine has been an integral, a Hidden Mickey! The second if not overt, part of Disney’s tale is a story regarding Txam- Animal Kingdom since shortly sem removing his own beak in after its opening in 1998. DiVine order to escape a fisherman’s takes camouflage to an entire- hook. In the lowest segment of ly new level: wearing extended the totem, Txamsem dons the arm pieces and standing on magical feather robe which stilts that can vary her height transform the shape-shifting from 10 to 16 feet tall, she is character into his raven per- draped and made up in green- sona. ery and leaves that can make In January 2017, as part of the her very difficult to make out inaugural Epcot International among the copious foliage on Festival of the Arts, two new the route between Africa and totems were created by Boxley Asia. But sharp-eyed attention to be added to the Canada Pa- from eagle-eyed Guests might vilion: the Eagle Totem and the pick up on unusual rustling Whale Totem. The Eagle Totem among the trees, or the slight- depicts the story of a young boy who, while walking along a est movement of a branch clinging to a signpost. beach, finds an eagle caught in a net and sets the bird free. DiVine, or rather the actresses who portray her, is part of Many years pass, and the boy, now a young man, has come a performing artist troupe called Living World Entertain- upon difficult times, as his tribe is suffering from starva- ment. In addition to the Animal Kingdom, their work has tion. He finds himself on the same beach he had walked as been experienced and admired across four continents. a child, and to his surprise, the eagle is waiting there with Far from being mere ornaments or photo spots, the food, eager to repay the one who had shown him kindness statues of the Walt Disney World parks are works of art so many years earlier. This story is a particular favorite of that take Guests deeper into each experience whose pres- Boxley, who also included for the bottom of the pole the ence they grace. These beautiful and intricate pieces allow symbolic story of a beaver family teaching a human family Guests to glimpse into images of the past, embrace the the importance of respecting all creatures. beauty of the present, and peer into the imagined future… The second pole, the Whale Totem, symbolically describes much like the parks themselves.

Photo © Tim Foster 47 · Celebrations The Disney Trees

48 · Celebrations The Disney Trees By Shawn Jex

Photo © Mike Billick 49 · Celebrations hen most people think “Disney,” they conjure up im- film’s young protagonists, played by and Wages of castles, princesses, and the humble mouse Tommy Sands, are attacked by singing and dancing trees in who started it all. From pirates and fortresses to dwarfs the Forest of No Return. In Peter Pan, the Lost Boys and Pe- and thundering mountains, there are many things that go ter make their home in Hangman’s tree, and in Pocahontas into creating that magical place we call Walt Disney World. a tree actually becomes a central character in the form of But among the soaring turrets and towering spires, there’s Grandmother Willow, who acts as the voice of wisdom for an oft-overlooked component that plays a role just as im- the brave Powhatan Princess. portant as its more famous cousins. We’re talking of course about…trees. Trees in the Parks Trees? In Anaheim, Disneyland contains a number of notable Why yes! It may not be the first thing that comes to mind trees. A two-foot tall mugo pine can be seen in the Story- when you think of Disney, but trees big and small have book Land canal boats attraction. The tree lays claim to the played a vital role in the title of oldest living tree Disney experience, going in the park. The tree is all the back to the early estimated to be approxi- days of Disney anima- mately 150 years old, tion. while a Canary Island So join us as we take Date Palm on the Jungle a brief tour of those Cruise ride sits a distant unsung heroes of that second at 120 years old. one-of-a-kind magical However, both are rela- mystique…the trees of tive infants when com- Disney. pared to the Petrified Tree in , a Animated Saplings 70-million year old red- Our story begins in wood sequoia that once 1932, when Walt Disney grew in the area of Colo- produced the Silly Sym- rado’s Pike Petrified For- phony film Flowers and est. In total, Disneyland Trees, winning the first is home to over 5,000 va- Academy Award for Ani- rieties of trees. mated Short Subject. The Not to be outdone, film depicts the romance Walt Disney World also between two trees, and contains a wealth of no- the jealousy of a decrepit table trees throughout stump that started a for- the parks and resorts. est fire in a fit of pique. We’ll start our Florida The film marked the tour with a blast from first commercial use of the past, the Lawn the three-color dye sys- Mower Tree which once tem from Technicolor, resided at the Fort Wil- though out of an abun- derness Resort and dance of caution the stu- Campground near Bay dio also produced a black and white version just in case the Lake. The tree, which was little more than a stump when it color did not turn out. was finally removed a few years ago, grew up around an old- Trees are a recurring motif throughout Disney’s feature fashioned push lawn mower. It sat between the Hoop-Dee- films as well. In the 1961 live-action film Babes in Toyland, the Doo Musical Revue and the boat docks. Before the tree died,

50 · Celebrations Guests watched over the years as it slowly engulfed the tool treehouse out of steel and cement, with over 300,000 faux until only a few blades remained visible. leaves, and “roots” that go 42 feet underground. Altogether, A sign stood beside the tree telling a fictional version of the tree stands 90 feet high and stretches 60 feet wide. Be- its history: cause the tree was man-made, Imagineers could not list it “The Lawnmower Tree: as an actual banyan tree. Instead, they made up their own Too Long Did Billy Bowlegs species, dubbing the tree a “Disneyodendron eximus,” which Park His Real Slow Mower means “out of the ordinary Disney tree.” Alas, one warm and sunny day Guests can see the pulley system that brings water to the Aside a real fast grower.” top of treehouse via a clever waterwheel and bamboo buck- The ets. They can visit the Robinson’s kitchen, master bedroom, In 1960, Disney created a feature film based on Johann Da- and the organ that the father of the Robinson clan used to vid Wyss’s novel ‘The Swiss Family Robinson.’ The movie told perform the Swisskapolka. the story of the marooned Robinson family and the life they crafted for themselves on their island home. The family cre- The Liberty Tree ated a palatial treehouse, explored and studied the island, Visitors to the Magic Kingdom can also visit the Liberty and even battled pirates. Tree, as seen in the 1957 live-action Disney film Johnny Tre- Two years after the film premiered, Disneyland opened a main. Located in Liberty Square, the tree sits across from C-ticket walk-through attraction based on the Swiss Fam- and near the Liberty Bell replica. ily Robinson’s treehouse. Nine years later, the Swiss Family The tree, as featured in the film, is a depiction of an his- Treehouse became one of the original attractions at the torical elm tree in the Boston Commons. During the Revo- newly opened Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Lo- lutionary War, the tree served as a rallying point for the cated in , the treehouse takes approximately colonists. They staged acts of protest under the tree, hang- 13 minutes to explore and requires Guests to traverse 116 ing effigies from its branches and a nailing a sign reading steps. Made to resemble a banyan tree, Imagineers built the “Tree of Liberty” to its trunk. Loyalists eventually cut the

Photos © Garry Rollins 51 · Celebrations tree down and burned its wood. from a remote area on Disney property to its current home The film Johnny Tremain, starring Hal Stalmaster as in the Magic Kingdom, drilling holes in the base of the tree Tremain, tells the story of a silversmith’s apprentice whose and pruning the roots. After replanting the oak and graft- hand is damaged by molten metal. The injury forces Tre- ing a younger oak to its base, 13 lanterns were hung from main to seek employment elsewhere. He eventually begins the branches, one for each of the original colonies in the working for a print shop with a young boy named Rab who United States. introduces Tremain to the Sons of Liberty. The Liberty Tree serves as the symbolic center of the The Baobab Trees of Animal Kingdom revolutionary movement throughout the movie. The Sons Disney’s Animal Kingdom holds a staggering amount of Liberty hang lanterns from its branches and march of plant and wildlife in its 580 acres, including more than through Boston singing the song “Liberty Tree,” an original 70,000 trees and 700,000 bushes. Baobab trees are scattered song written by and Tom Blackburn. throughout the Harambe area in the park’s Africa section, “Plant the seed in our homeland, boys,” Johnny sings. “Let and more can be seen on the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction. it grow where all can see. Feed it with our devotion, boys. The baobab, sometimes call the upside-down tree be- Call it the Liberty Tree. It’s a tall old tree and a strong old cause of its root-like branches, has become a symbol of the tree, and we are the Sons, yes, we are the Sons, the Sons of African continent, growing in 32 different countries and Liberty.” living for as long as 5000 years. The trees, which only green Imagineers designed the Liberty Tree in Walt Disney three months a year, hold enormous amounts of water and World in time for the 1976 bicentennial. Landscaper Bill Ev- serve both humans and animals as a significant source of ans devised a method of relocating the 135-year old oak tree shelter and sustenance.

52 · Celebrations Photos © Tim Foster The baobab also appears in the Lion King series of mov- see the chimp near the entrance for the “It’s Tough to Be A ies, serving as the home for the sage mandrill Rafiki. It is the Bug” theater. home for Rafiki’s paintings that tell the story of Simba: his Imagineers developed an official backstory, telling the birth, presumed death, and return to become king of the mythical history of the tree. According to the story, Discov- Pride Lands. The baobab is the only tree to remain verdant ery Island in Animal Kingdom once stood void of life when during the grey reign of Scar. a tiny ant planted a seed and wished for a tree to give the Most of the baobabs throughout the Animal Kingdom wildlife shelter. The Tree of Life sprang from the seed, and are not actual trees, but reproductions made of concrete as it grew, the images of all the animals it sheltered ap- and wire. This is why peared on its surface. Guests never see leaves A close-up view of the on the large baobabs carved animals can be on the safari. A few real gained by following the baobab trees are scat- oft-overlooked (and only tered through the park, recently reopened) Tree though they are young of Life Garden Path. The specimens. entrance to the patch sits across from the Creature The Tree of Life Comforts Coffee Shop on The Tree of Life in the Discovery Island. Many of heart of the Animal King- the animals on the tree dom stands as the most can only be seen walking iconic tree in the Disney the Garden Path. parks. Built around a re- An early concept for fitted oil platform, the the tree had it contain- tree stands 145 feet tall ing a restaurant, though and 50 feet wide, with Imagineers ultimately branches spanning 165 used the inside of the feet containing over tree to house the multi- 100,000 leaves. It domi- sensory show “It’s Tough nates the landscape of to Be A Bug.” The show, the Animal Kingdom which incorporates a 3-D and took approximately film, incredible Anima- 18 months to create. Ex- tronic figures, and amaz- tensive tests were per- ing special effects, runs formed to ensure that for approximately eight the tree could withstand minutes and was based winds over 100 miles per hour. on the Pixar feature A Bug’s Life. The attraction had the cu- Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde served as executive design- rious distinction of making its debut before the film that er for the park, and early concept paintings were made by inspired it! Imagineers Dave Minichiello, Dan Goozee, Ben Tripp, and In 2016, the Tree of Life added a new nighttime attraction Gerry Dunn. Artist Zsolt Hormay and a team of sculptors called “Tree of Life Awakenings.” Every ten minutes after designed and carved over three hundred animals into dark, fireflies appear on the tree, seemingly bringing the the body of the tree, including a Hidden Mickey. Part way sculpted animals to life. The effects are achieved through through the development of the tree, renowned biologist the use of projectors, and different stories are presented Jane Goodall saw the tree and asked why no chimpanzees throughout the night. Among the stories, Guests can view a had been included. A week later, artists had crafted an im- hummingbird love story, and a fox travelling and spreading age of Goodall’s iconic chimp, David Greybeard. Guests can joy through the animal kingdom.

53 · Celebrations 54 · Celebrations Pandora & Epcot the China pavilion. Silk moths lay their eggs in Mulberry Trees also play a major role in the coming attractions trees and Imagineers chose the trees to be representative planned for Walt Disney World. In the summer of 2017, Dis- of the country’s silk industry. Maple trees, the national sym- ney will open Pandora – The World of Avatar in Disney’s Ani- bol of Canada, sit near the pavilion’s Victoria Gardens. Dur- mal Kingdom. Based on James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar, ing winter months, white flowers and plants surround the the land will bring to life the alien planet of Pandora. Among trees to create the visual appearance of snow. the planned attractions is a riverboat journey that will take Guests through a bioluminescent rainforest. The Pandora When Walt Disney began dreaming of his Florida project, theme will even be incorporated into the Tree of Life, with he pictured it as a self-contained city that would become its plans for a nightly show that will transform the tree into own fully immersive reality. Part of that vision included tre- the movie’s Mother Tree. mendous thought for the ecology of the utopian world. Even Though no major tree attractions exist in the Epcot re- though Walt’s vision changed tremendously after his un- sort, they still play a prominent role in the landscaping of timely passing, nature still played a vital role in the creation the park. Trees serve as natural barriers throughout Future of what would become the Walt Disney World Resort. This World, also helping to add a touch of life to the somewhat commitment to nature can be seen in the tremendous land- austere concrete and metal of the park. However, even scaping throughout the parks and resorts, and in the great though there isn’t a uniquely iconic tree in the park, Guests dedication that Disney has given to preserving the natural can get close-up views of trees and innovative agricultural elements of the entire area. Nature was, and continues to growing techniques by taking the “Living With the Land” be, a key element in the parks themselves; everything from boat ride. the lush jungle vegetation throughout Adventureland to the Trees are also used extensively throughout World Show- “harmony with nature” message at the heart of Pandora. In case. A tropical forest surrounds the temple in the Mexico the years since the park’s opening, trees have played a central pavilion, and a number of trees are used in Norway to rep- role in creating the amazing world that Disney envisioned, resent the dense forests in the country. Mulberry trees dot and they will continue to do so for years to come.

Photo (opposite) © Tim Foster Artwork (above) © Disney 55 · Celebrations 56 · Celebrations Carrie Fisher: Forever a Princess by Tim Foster

POE DAMERON Well…now we have a chance. The General’s been after this for a long time.

LOR SAN TEKKA The General! To me… she’s royalty. – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

57 · Celebrations o Star Wars and Disney fans throughout the world, Car- would have on the entertainment industry and the world. Trie Fisher will always be remembered for her iconic role In addition to her acting roles in films such as The Blues as Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise. But even though Brothers, Hannah and her Sisters, and When Harry Met Sally…, she created one of the most memorable characters in the Fisher also carved out a writing career, beginning with her history of film, Carrie Fisher’s legacy extends well beyond first book, the semi-autobiographical Postcards From the that of her on-screen persona. Edge, published in 1987 and made into a film in 1990 (which Carrie was born into Hollywood royalty, being the daugh- starred Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine). Fisher would ter of actors and singers Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. go on to write seven more novels and non-fiction books, as (Her parents would divorce a few years later, with her fa- well as several screenplays, including that for Postcards from ther going on to marry Connie Stevens, who gave birth to the Edge. Carrie’s two half-sisters, actresses Joely Fisher and Tricia Fisher was very forthcoming about her lifelong struggles Leigh Fisher). Growing up in a Hollywood family presented with bipolar disorder and addiction, and was also an avid the young Carrie with unique challenges, and she would supporter of many causes, including women’s advocacy, ani- frequently hide herself in books as a small child, so much mal rights, and LGBT causes. so that her family As such, Carrie nicknamed her “the Fisher’s legacy goes bookworm.” She far beyond her role began reading clas- as Princess Leia, but sic literature and to many of her fans even began writing around the world, poetry; experiences she will always be that would become remembered as invaluable in her the feisty princess post-Star Wars ca- who helped defeat reer. the evil Galactic Her first appear- Empire. Fisher may ance on stage was have shown an in the hit Broadway outward ambiva- revival Irene, where lence toward the she sang alongside role, but in actual- her mother. By this ity much of what time, she had en- Princess Leia be- rolled in London’s came was due to Central School of Speech and Drama (whose alumni includ- Carrie’s deep involvement in the character’s continuing de- ed Lawrence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft), and later attend- velopment. She thought more deeply about the character ed Sarah Lawrence College for a few years before focusing than any of the film’s writers. Citing Bruno Bettelheim’s The her attention on Hollywood. Uses of Enchantment (an analysis of fairy tales in the context Her first film role was in the Warren Beatty comedy of psychoanalysis), she once explained how the use of sub- Shampoo, and just two years later she auditioned for, and liminal power can be used to create a strong, aspirational won, the role that propelled her to super stardom. Curious- figure like Leia. “Movies are dreams! And they work on you ly, while many scoffed at ’s idea for a science subliminally. You can play Leia as capable, independent, sen- fiction adventure (just as Walt Disney was ridiculed for his sible, a soldier, a fighter, a woman in control – control being, idea of making a full-length animated feature, deridingly re- of course, a lesser word than master. But you can portray ferred to as “Disney’s Folly”), Carrie Fisher was one of the few a woman who’s a master and get through all the female who thought that the script was fantastic and that it would prejudice if you have her travel in time, if you add a magi- do well, though of course no one, not even Carrie, could have cal quality, if you’re dealing in fairy-tale terms. People need predicted the monstrous impact the movie and its sequels these bigger-than-life projections.”

58 · Celebrations Indeed, Fisher did all she could to counteract the damsel- As fans around the world mourn the loss of Carrie Fisher, in-distress image that had been the mainstay of film and and celebrate her legacy, remembrances and tributes have literature for as long as anyone could remember. She was been pouring in from friends, family, and colleagues from famously vocal about her feelings toward the metal bikini all around the world, including several members of her Star she wore in . As she worked with Daisy Rid- Wars family. ley (Rey) during The Force Awakens, she told her to “fight for Her on-screen brother Mark Hamill wrote that “Carrie your outfit. Don’t be a slave like I was.” However, when a fu- Fisher was a complicated handful; high maintenance and ror arose in 2015 over the banning of toys and merchandise off the wall, but a treasured friend for decades. It’s like we that showed Leia in the slave costume, Fisher took the high were a family, my life would have been so much drabber and road. “I think that’s stupid,” she explained at the time. “To the less interesting if she hadn’t been the friend that she was.” father who flipped out about it, ‘What am I going to tell my Harrison Ford recalled that “Carrie was one-of-a-kind… kid about why she’s in that outfit?’ Tell them that a giant brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, her life bravely...My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, and then I killed him her mother Debbie, because I didn’t like it. her brother Todd, and And then I took it off. her many friends. We Backstage.” She later will all miss her.” said, “What redeems it Star Wars creator is I get to kill [Jabba], George Lucas shared which was so enjoy- that “Carrie and I have able…I really relished been friends most of that because I hated our adult lives. She was wearing that outfit extremely smart; a and sitting there rigid talented actress, writ- straight, and I couldn’t er and comedienne wait to kill him.” with a very colorful In that way, Carrie personality that ev- Fisher was much like eryone loved. She was her alter ego in Star our great and power- Wars; not one to sim- ful princess – feisty, ply follow the rules, wise and full of hope and someone with the in a role that was more courage (and some- difficult than most times the necessary people might think. humor) to stand up for My heart and prayers herself and for what are with Billie, Debbie, she believed. In that and all Carrie’s family, way, she foreshadowed the recent wave of Disney heroines friends and fans.” who transcend the classic role of the helpless girl, and in- On December 28, fans across the country gathered and stead are self-assured, intelligent characters who possess raised their lightsabers to the sky as a tribute to the beloved the strength and maturity to overcome their greatest chal- princess, including fans in Downtown Disney in Anaheim. lenges…without the need to depend on an outside hero. It was a fitting memorial for a unique actress who trans- Part of Princess Leia’s endearing legacy is that she was formed her role into an iconic inspiration for fans young never one to follow. Rather, she was a leader, whether by and old. And, more importantly, for a woman who fought circumstance (such as when she took charge of her escape her way through a lifetime of hardships and challenges to from her prison cell) or by design (as when she become a true hero to those who knew her best. assumed the role of General in The Force Awakens). In our hearts, she will always be a princess.

59 · Celebrations 60 · Celebrations Ahoy matey! Ye come seeking adventure and salty old pirates, eh? Well this be the place (Walt Disney World that is)! One of Disney’s newest special ticket attractions lets pirates young and old set sail for fun and adventure – and for some fearsome pirate encounters on the treacherous waves of Seven Seas Lagoon with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. While this pirate adventure doesn’t require you to extort and pilfer, rifle and loot, maraud and embezzle, or even hijack (Hi Jack!), it does teach you how to walk like a pirate, talk like a pirate (ARRGGGGHHH!), and of course, sing like a pirate. So if this sounds like the perfect pirate night for you, chart a course for adventure mateys, and schedule a reservation for your family on the Pirate & Pals Fireworks Voyage. In recent years, Disney has brought the world of Pirates of the Caribbean to life, with Captain Jack Sparrow usually at the forefront to cause a bit of scallywag mischief. From the Pirate and Princess Party and various pirates taking over many parade floats, to the Jake and the Never Land Pirates encounters and the Pirate’s League itself – there are plenty of places at Walt Disney World where you can unleash your inner pirate. The Pirate & Pals Fireworks Voyage that now sets sail out of Disney’s Contemporary Resort on weeknights is no exception. This Pirate Voyage puts you in the company of some real dastardly pirates, and as if that weren’t enough, provides you with one of the best seats in the house for viewing Wishes, the Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectacular. The Pirate & Pals Fireworks Voyage gives Guests a taste of what being a real life pirate is like, at least for the night, and what it’s like to hop aboard and be a part of a real pirate crew. You’ll get to see, and enjoy, what pirates like to eat and drink (minus the rum of course, it seems that Captain Jack Sparrow has already disposed of it in his own way, unless Ms. Swann had anything to do with its disappearance, but that’s a tale for another time), and you’ll be tested on your pirate knowledge as well as your pirate singing skills (just remember to shout out “Yo Ho” from time to time and you should do fine!). There are two boats, one under the command of Captain Hook and the other captained by Mr. Smee. The host on each boat is named Patch – don’t ask (it must be a pirate thing). The voyage sets sail from Disney’s Contemporary Resort, where you and your fellow crewmates gather. It’s here that you’ll receive a true buccaneer’s welcome from your hosts and captains. Each new pirate taking part in the journey is given a Pirate & Pals Fireworks Voyage bandana and a collectible card with your boat name and row number. Once these trinkets are distributed, young pirates will get a chance to color and complete pirate puzzles amidst life-size pirate statues and treasure chests galore.

Artwork © Tim Foster 61 · Celebrations When Hook and Smee arrive, the Guests are then wel- otic symbols. If you’re a fan of this parade, this is a must-do. comed into one of the convention center’s rooms, filled with But the ultimate treasure still lies ahead. When the time pirate booty, treasure, and goodies, where you can chow is right, the boats drop anchor at one of the most amazing down on hearty pirate grub and grog. This includes a host spots to see Wishes – without the need of your spyglass. The of ‘pirate’ snacks like pretzels, cheese popcorn, fruit, cotton boats are positioned straight across the entrance to the candy, chocolate doubloons, and a best of all, a Pirate Voyage Magic Kingdom – right out Main Street U.S.A. – providing cake. You’ll also find that most-sought-out Disney treasure you with an unforgettable view of the fireworks. You may – the Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar. Drinks include water, even say that Cinderella Castle lights up like a gold dou- lemonade, Pirate Punch, tea, and coffee – so drink up, me bloon from your new pirate perspective. And never fear, the hearties, yo ho! Drinks and snacks can be taken on the boat Wishes soundtrack music is piped into the boat and timed trip as long as there is a lid for your beverages. accordingly, so you’ll get the same fireworks experience as ‘Tis also a chance for each junior pirate to get their photo Guests in the park, if not better. taken with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, before all of the pi- After Tinker Bell flies from her castle tower, fireworks rates head to the dock to embark on their mysterious jour- fill the sky as the Blue Fairy and Jiminy Cricket show how ney. A first mate is chosen from each group, and this mate the power of wishes will make your dreams come true. As gets to carry the appropriate flag, leading the pirates to the grand finale fades away into the evening sky, it’s time to their fearsome ships. You know someone in the group is dy- hoist the sails and set course for the return voyage to the ing to say: “It be a short march through the old fortress, past Contemporary. Patch has more stories to tell about Peter the dungeons to pirates cove. Pirates cove! Pirates Cove!” Pan and Captain Hook’s escapades, along with even more Maybe it should be you! trivia questions and prizes. But, stay alert! Keep your eyes As you board your ships, Smee and Hook take their leave on the horizon! The best pirate crews who know their stuff of you, as it turns out that these two scallywags need to be and sing the loudest are often rewarded with special sur- on their way to seek out the ever-elusive Peter Pan. prises – and a very special guest may just be waiting to wel- As your ship heads to the fireworks viewing across the come you warmly ashore. Seven Seas Lagoon, bathed under the evening stars, Patch Who could it be? None other than Peter Pan himself, who asks each family where they are from. Beware though; the evidently escaped the pursuits of Captain Hook and Mr. mischievous Patch will have clever barbs at the ready to Smee. Peter is waiting to escort you back to dry land, and poke fun at all aboard (all in good fun of course!). He then to take a photo with you to finish off the night in grand pi- teaches you specific pirate words and asks a challenging se- rate style. So steady your sea legs and prepare to meet Cap- ries of Disney/pirate trivia questions. Correct answers are tain Hook’s long time nemesis in person. Each child is also rewarded with some great pirate loot, so be sure to bring given his or her own plastic pirate treasure (whether they your thinking caps! You’ll also enjoy a brisk sing-a-long with answered trivia correctly or not) such as a sword, hook, eye some favorite pirate songs, where everyone is encouraged patch, or other piece of bountiful booty. to sing in their best pirate voices. (Don’t forget to practice Currently, the price for the fireworks voyage is $72 for your “argghh”s.) You’ll hear favorite classics such as “Yo Ho A adults and $43 for children. Same day booking is permitted Pirates Life for Me,” and some new favorites including the when spots are available, but planning ahead with a reser- theme song from “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.” vation is always recommended for any special event at Walt In addition to the festivities happening on the boat, the Disney World. Guests celebrating a special milestone such voyage also gives you an amazing view of Bay Lake Tower as a family reunion, birthday, or anniversary will also get and the other sights lining Seven Seas Lagoon. Breathe in special recognition. When scheduling, ask for an odd row the salty sea air (well, Florida lake air anyway!) as you and – this will give you a better view of the fireworks. Dressing your crew test your knowledge of Disney trivia, sing sea up in your best pirate threads is also encouraged and wel- chanteys, and brush up on all things nautical. comed at the event. Weather permitting; pirate voyage Guests can also get an up-close view of the Electrical Water Pageant. This is one of So remember, dead men tell no tales. But this event will be the best places to see the Pageant and its barges that are one to add to the tales that you tell about your latest Walt covered in colorful lights to form fanciful animals and patri- Disney World vacation. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!

62 · Celebrations Photo © Disney 63 · Celebrations Wally Boag and the Diamond Horseshoe Revue by Shawn Jex

64 · Celebrations he Diamond Horseshoe is one of Walt Disney World’s was working on Broadway with Katherine Hepburn. In 1943, Toriginal attractions. Built to resemble an 1840s saloon Morgan would become Mrs. Wally Boag. and dancehall, the stately white building sits on the bor- In 1946 Boag took his act to Rio de Janeiro, performing at der of Frontierland and Liberty Square, facing the Rivers of the Copacabana. The following year he travelled to Great America. Today, it is an all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant, Britain. While performing at the London Hippodrome, Boag but it was originally built to house the Diamond Horseshoe would pick a supposedly random child from the audience Revue. to come onstage. The girl, a young , would talk The show was a spin off of Disneyland’s Golden Horse- about her life before breaking into the song Polonaise from shoe Revue, a musical comedy extravaganza featuring Slue Mignon. Foot Sue and her boyfriend, the legendary Pecos Bill. At the Laurence Boag, the only son of Wally and Ellen, states that peak of the Diamond Horseshoe’s popularity, Guests were these early years shaped the performer he would become. forced to rush to the Disneyana Collectibles shop on Main “He was a vaudevillian,” Laurence said. “He started off as a Street after park opening to make reservations. ‘hoofer’ or dancer as a teenager and turned to comedy when The star of the show was comedian Wally Boag. he hit the circuit. He also did a great comic routine with his bagpipes and his ventriloquist doll, George. He would even- The First Act tually use all of these routines in his act at Disneyland. Al- Born in 1920, Boag was the eldest son of Wallace and Ev- though some were a bit risque, he cleaned them up for Walt.” elyn Boag. His father was a veteran of the First World War In 1950, Boag travelled to Australia and met Donald No- and his mother vis, a well-known was a vaudeville singer and radio dancer. Evelyn personality. The encouraged her two would later boy to follow her create and star in into the indus- the Golden Horse- try, enrolling him shoe Revue to- in ballet and tap gether. Laurence dancing at the age recalls that it was of seven. He per- Novis who intro- formed several duced Wally to times a week at Walt Disney. the Capitol Vaude- “The two of ville Theater, and them (Boag and by sixteen he had Novis) worked to- opened his own gether in Austra- dance school. lia,” Laurence Boag Within a few Wally Boag with Donald Novis and Judy Marsh said. “Donald knew years, Boag was performing in burlesque, taking part in Walt and Walt hired him for the Horseshoe. When Walt bawdy comedy acts on weekends and attending school dur- asked if Donald knew anyone for the comedy part, Donald ing the week. recommended Dad and the rest is history.” In 1939, he traveled to Hollywood and met a performer named Tom Gary, who taught him the art of twisting bal- Act Two loon animals. The talent would later become the central Boag auditioned for the Disneyland job in 1955, before the part of his act, and a staple of his Disney work. park’s grand opening. He performed his nightclub act for Over the next fifteen years, Boag took to the road. He Walt Disney in the Disney Studio in Burbank. Walt enjoyed made stops in Chicago, New York, and Boston, rubbing the act, and Boag was hired for a two week contract, a stan- shoulders with performers like Bob Hope and Cole Porter. dard performer’s contract at the time. It was the beginning He met an up and coming actress named Ellen Morgan, who of a friendship that would last until Walt’s death in 1966.

Inset photo courtesy of Laurence Boag 65 · Celebrations “Dad had a very close relationship with Walt,” Laurence than performing and writing comedy and lyrics, he was a said. “I think Walt really envied his particular comedic talent woodworker, a carver, a tinkerer and a sailor. He loved to as Walt had been a vaudevillian in his youth.” take stuff apart...whether the pieces ever fit back together The Golden Horseshoe Revue would feature Donald No- was not important. For years he would be building electron- vis, Wally Boag, and Judy Marsh. It was a musical revue, fea- ic devices in his apartment between shows. Stereos, a TV, turing song, dance, and comedy. an organ, and the like. Once Walt walked in and was so im- “Charley Lavere wrote the music,” Laurence Boag recalls. pressed he thought his talents might be better used at the “Tom Adair the lyrics and the routines were co-written by studio. Dad had to explain that it was a kit with directions my dad and Donald Novis.” and that he was not inventing anything. Another time, Dad In the act, Judy Marsh performed as “Slue Foot Sue”, girl- was working on a giant carving of a jungle scene when Walt friend of the western legend Pecos Bill. She sang songs like, stopped in. He loved that too, but was worried that cleaning “A Lady has to Mind her Ps and Qs” and “Bill Bailey,” accom- up the daily chips and sawdust might provoke a union dis- panied by Charles Lavere on piano. Donald Novis would join pute with the janitorial staff!” the act, singing while the Horseshoe girls danced. During those early years, Boag also made the acquain- Wally entered the show as the “Travelling Salesman,” a tance of a young Disney employee named , who character who pulled gag items out of a carpet bag while worked in Disneyland’s Magic Shop. Martin began visiting maintaining a steady flow of banter with the audience the Golden Horseshoe, memorizing bits performed by Boag. and band. The act incorporated his balloon twisting, an art “Steve was a great admirer of Dad,” Laurence Boag said. form that he termed “Boagalloons,” and a performance with “Dad first used Steve in a show called ‘Vaudeville Revis- his bagpipes. ited’ in the early sixties and would sell him jokes for two Later, Wally returned to the stage as Pecos Bill, with Boag bucks a pop.” and Marsh performing the song “Pecos Bill,” written by Eliot As years passed, Boag become more involved in Disney’s Daniel and Johnny Lange for the 1948 Disney film Melody business outside of the Golden Horseshoe. He performed Time. Throughout the act, Boag fired water guns into the on , and appeared in films like The audience, juggled pistols, danced, and got in a “fight” that left Love Bug, The Absent Minded Professor, and Son of . him spitting teeth onto the stage. The teeth were actually He went on tour to promote new Disney films and became lima beans stored in Boag’s cheek. Boag also made use of his the editor of Backstage Disney, a magazine for Disney Cast toupee, “accidentally” removing it and using it as a prop as Members. Each issue of Backstage featured a column by he bantered with the audience. Boag titled “The Editor Speaks,” accompanied by humorous The first performance was held on July 13th, four days be- photos of the author. fore the Grand Opening of Disneyland. Walt and Lillian Dis- In 1962, Novis left the Golden Horseshoe due to failing ney were in attendance, celebrating their anniversary. Walt health and was replaced by Fulton Burley, an Irish actor even joined in the act, pretending to shoot Wally and then whom Boag had met while working for MGM. Burley imme- dancing with Lillian across the stage. In 1956, Judy Marsh diately meshed with Boag and Taylor. left the Golden Horseshoe and was replaced by Betty Tay- “The three had a grand time coming up with new mate- lor, who would remain at the Golden Horseshoe until the rial and bouncing ideas off each other,” Laurence Boag said. show closed in 1986. In a letter dated November of 1959, Dis- “They were great at ad-libbing which seemed to take place ney wrote to Boag to thank him for signing on for another to some degree in every show, depending on the audience. three years with the company. They were family friends as well and were often at the “I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen the show, house for dinners and parties.” but I always find it stimulating to be there and watch the That same year, Boag began working on a script for a din- responses of the audience,” Walt said. “Although I practically ner theater show featuring singing birds. The team designing know the routine by heart it’s always new and exciting.” the attraction featured such Disney legends as Marty Sklar, X Away from the park, Walt Disney was impressed by Boag’s Atencio, and , and eventually became the Enchant- mechanical inclinations. ed Tiki Room. The show’s emcee would be José Carioca, the “Dad was a renaissance man,” Laurence Boag said. “Other parrot featured in the film , voiced by Boag.

66 · Celebrations “What I remember most about José and the “Barker” bird the act. Boag’s Disneyland sub, Bert Henry, would later take was that dad would talk like those characters incessantly over for Boag when he decided to return to the Anaheim while they were in production,” Laurence Boag said. “Walt park at the end of 1973. was perfecting his Audio-Animatronic creatures and he During his time at Walt Disney World, Boag was also a reg- loved dad’s zany voices. To his dying day dad would fall into ular performer at the “Top of the World Lounge,” a club and step with José and converse in that voice.” bar located in the Bay Lake Tower of Walt Disney World’s The Tiki Room opened in 1963, and became one of the Contemporary Resort. The lounge was an exclusive venue original attractions in Walt Disney World when it opened in the park’s early years, featuring popular artists like Rose- in 1971. Over fifty years since the shows debut, it remains a mary Clooney and Patti Page. Admittance cost five dollars popular attraction at and male guests were both parks, and is the required to wear coats. one place in the parks Unfortunately, little ad- that fans can still hear ditional information Boag’s voice. exists regarding Boag’s time in Orlando. In his Act Three book, a single page is After Walt Disney devoted to his time World opened, Boag working at Walt Disney moved to Florida to World. open the Diamond “Dad seemed to be Horseshoe, featuring having a good time but a show similar to the I think he was happy Golden Horseshoe Re- to return to California vue. For the first three and the park,” Laurence months, Boag was Boag said. “He really felt joined in Orlando by Ful- at home there.” ton Burley and Martha Stuart, who served as The Final Act sub for in After returning to Dis- Anaheim. The three per- neyland, Boag rejoined formed the show while the Golden Horseshoe Boag worked to estab- Revue, performing in lish a more permanent the show until his re- cast, bringing in Kay Kel- tirement in 1982. In hon- log as female lead. or of a lifetime spent “I visited him (Wally) making Disney Guests when he was working there and saw the show.” Laurence laugh, Boag was awarded a window on Disneyland’s Main Boag said, “Of course, for me it was just different enough to Street U.S.A. The window, which sits above the Carnation be different. But I liked it and dad seemed to having a good Cafe, reads, “Theatrical Agency – Golden Vaudeville Routines time. There was a male and female singer, but the rapport – Wally Boag Prop.” was not the same.” Thirteen years later, and forty years after his Disney de- Boag’s sub while performing at the Diamond Horseshoe but, Boag was named a Disney Legend. Joining him in the was a magician named Bev Bergeron, who went on to per- class of 1995 were Betty Taylor and Fulton Burley. After so form for 16 years with the show. In Boag’s book he notes that many years together creating laughter and memories for Bergeron brought a new dynamic to the show, bringing in visitors to Disney Parks, it was only fitting that the three re- elements of pantomime and audience participation into ceived the honor on the same night.

Photo courtesy of Laurence Boag 67 · Celebrations hen we last parted ways, my companion and I We found that Crystal Arts is the home of Arribas Wwere making our way to Cinderella Castle for an Brothers at the Magic Kingdom, having been consoli- ADR at Cinderella’s Royal Table, but got distracted by the dated from a couple locations after a few remodels discovery of the Engine Co. 71 sign on the firehouse. But required the space to be allocated to other uses. The now we are finally back on track and making our way glasswork produced here has a long history with Dis- down Main Street U.S.A. ney, going back to the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, As we casually wandered down the sidewalk, we real- where Walt Disney met the young Arribas brothers, To- ized that a parade was about to start, since the pathway mas, and Alfonso. Walt immediately wanted a shop in was exceptionally congested, and the growing crowds Disneyland to showcase and sell their beautiful wares, were making it slightly challenging to move swiftly. and it was the beginning of a collaboration that contin- After awhile we decided to take the “if you can’t beat ues to this day. Arribas products can now be found in them, join them” mentality, so we stopped to watch Disney parks throughout the world, as well as Disney the parade. However, we didn’t get to Springs. stay for the whole parade, because As you might expect, some of the after the first few floats passed by more elaborate pieces were rather I got a gentle nudge from my com- expensive, but as we were leaving panion letting me know she was the shop there was one piece that very hungry! But how to continue really caught our eye. It was large, our way through the crowded side- exquisitely crafted recreation of Cin- walks? Fortunately, we’ve learned derella Castle, which shimmered and over the years that if you want to sparkled as if it were made of a thou- quickly move from one end of Main sand diamonds. We figured we could Street U.S.A., it’s helpful to duck into splurge a few hundred dollars on one of the stores, since many of them such a unique collectible, but when are interconnected and you can just we found the price tag we both let move through the stores to navigate out an audible gasp. $1000? $10,000? your way to your final destination. $15,000? No, this crystal masterpiece (Plus, it’s also a great way to escape the Florida heat on could be had for the low low price of…$32,500! Unfor- a summer day!) tunately, that was slightly out of our budget, so we de- So, we turned around and dove into the first store we cided we would be content with a few photos. saw…and my wallet immediately dove deeper into my So sometimes you’ll discover the most incredible trea- pocket. Without realizing it, the store we ducked into sures you’ll ever see when you hop off the beaten path was the Crystal Arts, otherwise known as the store of to escape from the crowds. It’s a lesson well learned; very awesome, pretty, collectible things that you just don’t just race through any area of Walt Disney World cannot resist. This meant that we were once against on a determined march to get from point A to point B. delayed on our trek to Cinderella Castle as we felt the You just might miss something magical along the way. strong, magnetic pull to look around at all the pretty Until next time, this is Ray and you’ve been Wander- things. ing the World!

68 · Celebrations Year in which Ub Iwerks invented the . And 1933 what high tech equipment did he use to construct this mile- stone advancement in animation technology? Parts from old Chevrolet automobile of course. Now that’s innovation!

Year in which William Garity built the more advanced and 1937 legendary multiplane camera that was first used to create the animated short The . The camera would later be used to animate Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, , and other early Disney classics.

Number of layers in Garity’s camera, each of which would 7 hold a piece of artwork painted in oils on glass and could be moved independently. This was an improvement over the four layers in the camera created by Iwerks. Another major difference between this and the original camera was that the planes in Garity’s camera moved up and down, while those in the first camera moved horizontally. 11 Height in feet (roughly) of the Garity’s multiplane camera. Number of multiplane cameras still in existence. One is at The 3 Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California; anoth- er is at the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, France; and the last is at the Walt Museum in San Francisco.

Year the last time the multiplane camera was slated for use 1989 in a Disney animated film, namely The Little Mermaid. By this time, the camera was in pretty bad shape, and was in fact so dilapidated that is was determined to be unusable. (The depth scenes intended to be shot with the multiplane camera were instead sent to an outside facility.) Disney had started the conversion of hand drawn animation to digital animation, and their next film, Down Under, would be the first to utilize the Pixar-created CAPS (Computer Animated Production System) method, which eliminated the need for hand drawn animation cels.

69 · Celebrations The Velocipede By Tim Foster

Today I was off on a prehistoric adventure, and what better place to go than to Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the fearsome Dinosaur excursion. My journey back through time brought me face to face with some of my favorite dinos, including the Iguanodon, the Styracosaurus, the Pteranodon, and the infamous Velociraptor. (I was told there was a giant Carnotaurus in there somewhere, but I must have had my eyes closed at that point…all I remember is a thunderous roar!) Speaking of Velociraptors, I had heard tales of another prehistoric creature, the Velocipede, that was lurking somewhere in the vicinity. As it was not to be found at the Dinosaur attraction, I set off an a quest to find this elusive creature.

I wandered over to the Boneyard digsite, and it was there that I found some amazing artifacts, including the fossilized remains of a Triceratops, a Wooly Mammoth, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Indeed, the entire area was dominated by the giant skeleton of a Brachiosaurus. But try as I might, I couldn’t find any fossils for the Velocipede. Even as I asked around, all I received were quizzical looks. As I wandered about, I came upon the remains of an old jeep, which was near a set of bones set into the rock wall that you could play like a xylophone. I learned that these were actually called Xylobones; though as musical as they were, they weren’t from the elusive Velocipede. But the jeep reminded of another area that I could explore, and it was over in Epcot.

Future World was home to many references to transportation, and one of them, the Universe of Energy, included a brief mention of how man’s discovery and harnessing of energy led to many forms of transportation, including sail boats, trains, and automobiles. But most importantly of all, the attraction featured a number of dinosaurs, and I hoped that this would be the place where I would find this mysterious creature. But alas, even though I saw a Brontosaurus, an Edaphosaurus, and an Allosaurus among others, there was still no sign of the Velocipede. I wandered out of the Universe of Energy pavilion, tossing the problem around in my head, when it occurred to me that the creature I was searching for may not be a creature at all. Since I had overheard the name in Dinoland U.S.A., I assumed it must have referred to a prehistoric creature. But now I was wondering if the “Veloci” portion of the name meant “velocity,” in other words, a form of transportation. (It was actually the proximity of the dinosaurs and the brief mention of the development of transportation I had just seen that allowed me to connect the dots.) But where to go? I realized that I was in a land that was home to two state-of-the-art transportation systems, Test Track and Mission: SPACE.

70 · Celebrations But although I was privileged enough to see the X-2 Deep Space Shuttle in Mission: SPACE, there was still no sign of a Velocipede. I did see the genuine Lunar Rover in the queue area, and of course the state-of-the-art cars over at Test Track. Perhaps the Velocipede was a car of some kind? The name sounded futuristic enough, and I searched high and low throughout both attractions looking for the elusive vehicle. Still no luck. I mulled over the name a bit more, and realized that the second part of the word, “pede,” probably meant foot, or at least indicated that this was an older contraption that ran on human power. Thinking back to the Universe of Energy, it occurred to me that most of the forms of transportation mentioned there were very old, including some very early versions of the automobile. Perhaps that was the answer. But where to find an old automobile?

I realized that the answer may lie in the original Walt Disney park, the Magic Kingdom, where an entire attraction was devoted to the notion of progress. I made my way over to Tomorrowland and the of Progress to see if I might find a clue as to what now seemed to be an early form of transportation. And indeed, there was a brief part of the show where Father talked glowingly of his new car that featured an electric starter. (“Now I don’t have to crank!”) But it was the mention of his neighbor’s car that perked my ears up, especially when he honked his horn. Was this it? Alas, his car was actually a Hupmobile, a car that was introduced in 1909. Among the many innovations it introduced was the concept of “free-wheeling,” using a device that disengaged the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotated faster than the driveshaft. Which of course made little sense to me, until I learned that the same condition exists in most bicycles when the rider stops pushing the pedals. Pedals? –Pede? At last, I thought I had found my vital clue.

A made my way over to Main Street U.S.A., which was home to many antique forms of transportation. Surely I would find an old bicycle somewhere, and I wandered up and down the main avenue and side streets looking for my elusive quarry. I saw signs for jalopies, fire engines, and horseless carriages, but saw no sign of a bicycle, least of all the sight of one pedaling up and down Main Street. Perhaps I had gone down the wrong path after all, and the Velocipede I was looking for was in fact a dinosaur. I started to head back out toward the Main Street Train Station when I saw it…the Velocipede! It was on a large gate emblazoned with the name “Main Street Bicycles.” Two bicycles were featured; one was the tandem, but it was the other that drew my eye, the Velocipede! It turns out that the word “Velocipede” was originally a general term for any human-powered vehicle with one or more wheels. Today, the term is mainly used to describe bicycles of all sorts, including the one show here with the giant front wheel, which was quite popular at the turn of the 20th century. I wasn’t really interested in riding one (and indeed, I suspect the sign was just for show), but I left satisfied knowing that I had solved the mystery at long last. I thought I would go celebrate with a nice walk (not a bicycle ride!) at the Animal Kingdom’s Cretaceous Trail…

71 · Celebrations How Much Do You Know About Disney’s Flowers and Gardens? by Tim Foster

1. What is the name of the gardens in Epcot’s 6. In Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts Canada pavilion? orders the beheading of three playing card a. Rocky Mountain Gardens gardeners when they mistakenly planted the b. Victoria Gardens wrong color roses instead of the red ones she c. Jardin de Fleurs requested. What color roses did they plant? d. Queen’s Garden a. Pink b. Violet 2. And what real-life garden were they c. White inspired by? d. Black a. The Butchart Gardens b. The Gardens of Versailles 7. Rapunzel was named for a type of plant. c. Yorkton Memorial Gardens What is the plant commonly used for? d. Mont Royal Park a. Its healing properties b. Salads 3. In Beauty and the Beast, when is the last petal of c. Floral decorations the Enchanted Rose supposed to fall? d. Pest control a. 20 years after the curse was placed on the Beast b. The last day of winter after Belle arrives 8. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sneezy was c. Belle’s 20th birthday particularly allergic to a certain type d. The Beast’s 21st birthday of flower that Snow White inadvertently used as a table centerpiece. What kind of 4. What was the inspiration for the U.K. flower was it? pavilion’s hedge maze? a. Rose a. Hampton Court Maze b. White lily b. Somerleyton Hall Maze in Suffolk, England c. Hyacinth c. Saffron Walden Maze in Essex, England d. Goldenrod d. Green Man Maze in Wales 9. Of all the plants cultivated in Epcot’s Land 5. What sequence in Fantasia features the song pavilion, how many pounds are served to “Waltz of the Flowers”? Guests in an average year? a. The Nutcracker Suite a. 1,000 b. Rite of Spring b. 2,700 c. The Pastoral Symphony c. 17,000 d. Dance of the Hours d. 27,000

72 · Celebrations 10. What was the original name of the Garden 14. In Bambi, why is the skunk named Flower? Grill restaurant in Epcot’s Land pavilion? a. Because Flower thought he smelled nice a. The Farm Restaurant b. Because he had a flower-shaped white spot on b. The Good Turn Restaurant his nose c. Chip ‘n’ Dale Country Fare c. The other animals called him that as a joke since d. The Good Earth he always smelled like skunk d. Because Bambi found him in a bed of flowers, 11. In which film did first appear? and since he was just learning how to talk (and a. Mr. Duck Steps Out didn’t the word “skunk”) he called him “Flower.” b. Donald’s Crime c. The Nifty Nineties 15.  Which Disney Princess is also known as Briar d. Cured Duck Rose? a. Sleeping Beauty 12. How many different varieties of roses can be b. Pocahontas found throughout Walt Disney World? c. Cinderella a. More than 1,500 d. Snow White b. 750 c. Over 100 Quiz Answers d. 63 1. B 6. C 11. A 13. Which World Showcase pavilion features a 2. A 7. B 12. C Mickey-shaped shrub? 3. D 8. D 13. B a. Germany b. France 4. B 9. D 14. D c. England 5. A 10. B 15. A d. Norway

ANSWERS BRAIN BUSTERS WORD SCRAMBLE WHERE AM I? KIDS KORNER (pages 74-77) Mexico and Canada 1. PEACH 1. Tatooine Traders sign 2. CLAM SHELL 2. “Crawl” on the floor inside the Launch WHERE AM I? FIND THE DIFFERENCE 3. DOLPHIN Bay 1. 4. BRUCE 3. Banner at the entrance to the Star 2. Journey Into Imagination 5. BEACH Wars Launch Bay showing the symbol 3. “it’s a small world” 6. PELICANS of the First Order 4. Pirates of the Caribbean 7. JELLYFISH 4. Model of the Tantive IV from A New 5. Spaceship Earth 8. MARLIN Hope in the Launch Bay 6. Expedition Everest 5. Cantina wall in the Launch Bay MYSTERY QUEST (pages 78-79) 6. C-3P0 in the queue of Star Tours TWISTED TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 7. The village outside of Star Tours 1.  and Jungle Cruise 1. Dejarik 8. Anakin’s podracer, on display in the 2. The Haunted Mansion and Monsters 1. The starfish is gone 2. Aurebesh Star Wars Launch Bay Inc. Laugh Floor 2. “Scrapbook” is spelled wrong 3. Endor Vendors 3. Test Track and Mission: SPACE 3. There are extra bubbles 4. Starspeeder 1000 4. Spaceship Earth and Journey Into 4. The arrow is missing 5. The Black Hole Imagination 5. Bruce is a different color 6. Jedi Training Academy 5. Rock ‘n’ and Star Tours 6. The photo is flipped 6. Expedition Everest and Dinosaur 7. The hammerhead shark is bigger SECRET SYMBOLS 8. There is an extra starfish 1. Stenciled sign in the Star Wars BB-8 MATCH UP 9. The bubble is missing Launch Bay Number 6 is the unique BB-8 10. The caption is gone 2. Shuttle number in the boarding area 1 and 8 have an upside down eye. of Star Tours 2 and 4 are missing their antennas. FIND THE DIFFERENCE BONUS 3. Shuttle seating diagram in the Star 3 and 9 are missing a circle in the lower ANSWER Tours queue right of the bottom ball. Anchor and Chum 4. Hologram game table in the Star 5 and 7 have an extra line in the white Wars Launch Bay inner circle of the bottom ball.

73 · Celebrations In what attractions would you find these items? 1. Stretching pictures 2. A disappearing butterfly 3. A blue hippo 4. A dog with a key 5. A prehistoric cave 6. Broken and twisted train tracks

Each photo is actually a twisted combination of two different attractions. Can you figure them all out?

1 2

3 4

5 6

74 · Celebrations Eight of these BB-8s can be matched up in pairs, with each pair sharing the same tiny change. Can you find the only BB-8 that’s unique?

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9 Answers on page 73 75 · Celebrations Which two countries are at the opposite ends of World Showcase?

Someone’s been doing some redecorating at the The Seas With Nemo & Friends aquarium. Can you find the ten differences in the photos below?

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BONUS QUESTION What are the names of Bruce’s two shark pals?

76 · Celebrations See if you can unscramble these things you’d find at The Seas With Nemo & Friends!

1. CHAPE 2. ACLM LEHLS

3. PINHOLD 4. CERUB

5. CHABE 6. SLIPCANE

7. SLYHIFEJL 8. LANRIM

Answers on page 73

In each issue, our Kids Korner columnist will answer questions that are too tough for the grown-ups! If you have a question for her, send it to: [email protected].

What Disney movie are you most Enchanted Tales with Belle – for such a little looking forward to seeing this year? guy, he’s a big hero!!! So many movies to pick from! We get to continue adventures like Star Wars, Pirates of What was your favorite thing you the Caribbean, and even a couple of Marvel did on your last Disney trip? movies. Coco looks incredible and I’ve got Everything!!! Really :) We had such a great to make sure Lighting McQueen is going time and met so many new friends. I love to be ok. But I’ll be at the theater the first exploring the parks and finding new details, day Beauty and the Beast opens!! It looks there always seems to be something to be AMAZING and just so…magical! discovered – did you know there is a small door in one of the walls around Belle’s Who is your favorite character Village? I wonder where it goes & who it is from Beauty and the Beast? for! My favorite memory is hanging out This is like choosing one of my best friends. during a rain storm with a little guy named Of course I love Belle, her dad and Philippe, Sam, we played in the rain (before the all the castle staff (furniture??), and even lightning!) and then waited together for the Beast when he’s being all growly Finding Nemo while we dried out…we had and confused. But I have a special bond so much fun so that the big storm didn’t with Chip…ever since I got to be him at bother us at all!!

77 · Celebrations How Much Do you Know About Disney and Star Wars? 1. In the Star Wars Launch Bay, you can see the Millennium 4. Speaking of Star Tours, you’ll set off on a randomized mis- Falcon’s hologram game table from the original film. sion aboard your starship, piloted by none other than What is the name of the actual game? C-3P0. What is the name of the ship?

2. You can see the name of the game on the wall above the 5. The original attraction concept for Star Tours was devel- hologram table in the Launch Bay. However, it’s written in oped as a tie in to a different movie and not Star Wars. the official Star Wars language. What is the name of the Which film was the attraction originally conceived for? language? (This is the same language used for the depar- ture board in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.) 6.  Young padawans can practice their lightsaber skills un- der the tutelage of a Jedi Master at the Jedi Training: Tri- 3. After your adventure on Star Tours, you can visit one of als of the Temple experience. They’ll then get a chance to the best Star Wars souvenir shops to be found anywhere: test their newly learned skills against Darth Vader and Tatooine Traders. However, that wasn’t the shop’s original Darth Maul. What was the name of this action-packed name. What was it? Guest experience when it first opened in 2007?

Where can you find these cryptic inscriptions?

2 3 4 78 · Celebrations 1 Can you figure out where these photos were taken?

1 3

2 6 4 5

7 8 Only the best explorers will be able to figure this one out...

Answers on page 73 79 · Celebrations Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Lumière

1. Lumière (and all of his servant counterparts) were cre- Annie Award for “Individual Achievement in Character ated specifically for the 1991 Disney animated classic. None Animation”). Ranieri would also go on to contribute his of the characters appeared in the original fairy tale, writ- masterful hand-drawn animation style to 2009’s The Prin- ten by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Ville- cess and the Frog. neuve, published in 1740. In earlier versions of the story, the 6. In the ABC series Once Upon a Time, Lumière can be seen servants in the Beast’s castle were simply invisible! as an inanimate candelabra on a table (alongside a clock 2 Lumière was voiced by Jerry Orbach, once described as resembling Cogsworth) in the first season episode “Skin ““one of the last bona fide leading men of the Broadway Deep.” He made a more prominent appearance in the musical and global celebrity on television.” In addition third season episode “Quiet Minds,” in which he appears as to his work on Broadway, he was well known for his por- a face in the flames of a candelabra, having been trapped trayal of Detective Lennie Briscoe on the long-running TV there by Rumplestiltskin. series Law & Order (a role which he played until his pass- 7. OK, go with me here folks! The “face in ing in 2004). Unlike many other voice ac- the flames” plot device was also notably tors, Orbach provided both the speak- used in the Harry Potter film series (it ing and singing voices for Lumière. being the only way that Sirius Black, He would reprise his role numerous who was in hiding, could commu- times, including Disney’s House of nicate with Harry Potter at Hog- Mouse, the film’s direct-to-video warts). The upcoming live-action sequels, and Mickey’s PhilharMa- film stars Harry Potter’s very own gic in the Magic Kingdom. Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) in 3. “Lumière” is French for light…fit- the role of Beauty. ting for a candelabra! 8. Sharp-eyed view- 4. Curiously, Lumière wasn’t always going ers can also spot an to be the character’s name. Producer homage to the love- Don Hahn and lyricist Howard Ashman able candelabra in En- created many of the film’s characters chanted. Keep an eye while in a hotel in Fishkill, New York. Lumière out for the woman was originally named Chandal, in keeping with his dressed up as a cande- persona as a chandelier, but they soon changed it labra in one the of the live- to Lumière because it was easier to say. (Similarly, action scenes! Mrs. Potts was originally named Mrs. Chamomile, 9. In addition to his larger-than-life role in Mickey’s Phil- but the name proved to be too difficult to pro- harMagic, you’ll also find Lumière in the Magic Kingdom’s nounce so they changed it to Mrs. Potts.) Lumière Enchanted Tales With Belle, where he is brought to life was also named after the Lumière brothers, who through one of the most advanced Audio-Animatronic fig- were pioneers in early film and photography. ures ever created. 5. Lumière was animated by Nik Ranieri, who also 10. In the animated film, the human Lumière created Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Wil- served as the castle’s maître’d, and curiously bur from , and Ha- was one of the few residents of the castle to des in Hercules (for which he won the 1997 speak with a French accent.

Keepsake Image: “A Galaxy Far, Far Away”• Photo © Tim Devine 80 · Celebrations Back Cover Photo © Garry Rollins

“The natural beauty of America is a treasure found nowhere else in the world.” – Walt Disney