In June/July 1975, we embarked on our first trip to WDW. We loaded up the van and our family drove from Boston to Orlando. We camped (Tent) at Fort Wilderness, site located at Cotton Tail Circle. (Still have pics) In 1975 WDW was in full pre-bicentennial celebrations. Space Mountain had just opened and the Magic Kingdom was the only destination. I remember our family walking down to the beach at FW and there we watched the Electrical Water Pageant. What pure bliss! As I vaguely remember the music for the EWP was the Don Dorsey (Classical music pieces) at that time. We have been back to WDW many time now, but that first trip was as you would expect Magical. I make it a point every time I am at WDW to never miss a showing of the EWP. It may be old and not state of the art, but that is it's simple magic. The music on my project is from the 1973 EWP picture record.
I am currently working on a digital re-construction of the original 1971 EWP (Partially filmed for the opening day celebration) and a second version of EWP. I have spent quite a lot of time looking at videos, videos from super 8 films, Disney's brochures and other photographic sources and have finally come up with "a close as I can video" given the source materials.
This is a work in progress and hope that the many fans of the EWP will enjoy it. The floats, animation, effects and timing are being tweaked to make it as much like the original experience as if you were sitting on the shore or watching from your hotel balcony. Over the years, many of the floats have changed and I will be considering a video of the pageant that shows the float changes over the years. I may be doing a fantasy EWP based on the illustrations on the 1973 record (for fun)..eeek
Nothing can ever replace the first time seeing the EWP sitting on a sandy shore on a warm Florida night. If any of you have images or information of the EWP from 1971-75 or later they would be greatly appreciated. I have one mystery float that I am looking at currently, it is a red float that looks like an elephants head and trunk it is after the turtle, film is from a WDW souvenir super 8 dated 1974. I thought it was the current octopus, but it's not the right shape. Wiki has it as a red squid, I am seeking better images. Anywho. I hope you enjoy, please keep in touch, and thanks for having this great forum.
Enjoy the show!
