Original Alice in Wonderland Ride

VicariousCorpse

Well-Known Member
I think the skull pile might be from the 1960s Peter Pan ride. The 1960s version made it a little more in line with the other two in terms of scare factor, and that may even have been based on David Hall concept art for the film.

Is this what you're talking about?

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They look to be a in a similar layout to the other ones. Then I assume you must be talking about this concept art:

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All guesses based on your descriptions since the girl is in the boat with Smee next to some skulls.

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Miru

Well-Known Member
Is this what you're talking about?

View attachment 773021

They look to be a in a similar layout to the other ones. Then I assume you must be talking about this concept art:

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All guesses based on your descriptions since the girl is in the boat with Smee next to some skulls.

View attachment 773023
Yes. And also in the 1998 making-of, you can see another such piece of concept art that looks even closer to it.



At 4:51 you can see that skull pile.
 

Miru

Well-Known Member
Yeah you’re definitely right. Btw speaking of Peter Pan I’ve always found it cool that the WDW version of the ride still contains elements of the original Disneyland version such as Captain Hook yelling “Fire Mister Smee!”.
Yes, that Jimmy MacDonald line has never changed despite not sounding much like Hans Conried, it’s strange that the line has been cut rather than replaced with something closer to the Hans Conried voice on the ODL version.
 
Something else I wonder about is the original Tink figure that flew around Neverland on a motor attached to a track of some sort. Anybody have any photos of her? I know WDW had a flying Tink at load until I want to say the early 90s and I’m wondering if they were cast from the same mold.
 

Professortango1

Well-Known Member
Yes, that Jimmy MacDonald line has never changed despite not sounding much like Hans Conried, it’s strange that the line has been cut rather than replaced with something closer to the Hans Conried voice on the ODL version.
I thought that was so bizarre when I rode it for the first time as an adult.
 

Okee68

Well-Known Member
There are still quite a few parts of the original Alice ride that I've never seen a photo of, namely the doorknob, the majority of the Tulgey Wood scene (the eyes at the beginning and anything after the birdcage bird), the beginning of the Mad Tea Party scene with the "Mad Hatter" sign, and the signs and doors in the crash room.
 

Dragonman

Well-Known Member
There are still quite a few parts of the original Alice ride that I've never seen a photo of, namely the doorknob, the majority of the Tulgey Wood scene (the eyes at the beginning and anything after the birdcage bird), the beginning of the Mad Tea Party scene with the "Mad Hatter" sign, and the signs and doors in the crash room.
Have you tried asking around in the vintage Disneyland Facebook group? That’s where those Greg Ziak photos came from.
 

Okee68

Well-Known Member
Not sure if these have been posted here yet or what photo coverage is currently missing but I’ve found a good thread with lots of original SW photos: https://discuss.micechat.com/forum/...ort/yesterland/198762-snow-white-s-adventures
Those black and white photos are the classic ones featured in the "E" Ticket issue on Snow White, as well as KenNetti. They were likely taken prior to the park's opening, and seven of the thirteen currently serve as the only available photographic evidence of their respective part of the ride. Snow White definitely seems to have been the least photographed of all the pre-1983 dark rides.
 

Dragonman

Well-Known Member
Those black and white photos are the classic ones featured in the "E" Ticket issue on Snow White, as well as KenNetti. They were likely taken prior to the park's opening, and seven of the thirteen currently serve as the only available photographic evidence of their respective part of the ride. Snow White definitely seems to have been the least photographed of all the pre-1983 dark rides.
It’s definitely possible more photos exist, it’s just the matter of making those who have them aware of the situation so they can be uploaded. For all we know they could be hidden away in Grandmas photo albums.

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Okee68

Well-Known Member
Some really good shots of Toad's exterior and loading queue circa 1980:

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All of the canvas awnings in Fantasyland were redesigned to look a bit less tacky at some point in 1976 or 1977, and Toad was no exception. Notice the less garish color palette of the exterior and the removal of noisy geometric patterns in favor of heraldic charges.

Also notice the immaculate detailing of the queue mural, the camouflage on the operator's control console, and the rock wall on the hell end of the mural extending onto the side wall, which previously had just been dull grey.
 

Dragonman

Well-Known Member
Some really good shots of Toad's exterior and loading queue circa 1980:

View attachment 777107
View attachment 777108
View attachment 777109

All of the canvas awnings in Fantasyland were redesigned to look a bit less tacky at some point in 1976 or 1977, and Toad was no exception. Notice the less garish color palette of the exterior and the removal of noisy geometric patterns in favor of heraldic charges.

Also notice the immaculate detailing of the queue mural, the camouflage on the operator's control console, and the rock wall on the hell end of the mural extending onto the side wall, which previously had just been dull grey.
It’s a shame all that effort into the FL dark rides would be destroyed only a few years later.
 

Okee68

Well-Known Member
When it comes to my very niche interest in the pre-1983 Fantasyland dark rides, one of my favorite things to do is listen to the Magic Joe recordings from the 1970s and intentionally focus my ears on the many sound effects bleeding through the walls from other scenes.

The reason for this is not only because doing so provides a realistic and nuanced feel for how it would have actually sounded to ride through those early versions of the dark rides... not only because the lack of soundproofing made for a constant cacophony of noise that often unintentionally improved the atmosphere in rides that were otherwise very scarce audio-wise (adding extra chaos to Toad, more looming villainy to Snow White, and an additional layer of surrealness to Alice)...

But also because it's fascinating to hear bits and pieces of ridethroughs happening concurrently with the one actually being recorded. As a matter of fact, it's often possible to make out virtually an entire ridethrough's worth of sound effects somewhere ahead of or behind Magic Joe's vehicle. So, in essence, each one of those audio recordings is really a recording of at least seven or so ridethroughs to varying degrees.
 

Okee68

Well-Known Member
Very early concept illustration for Snow White's Adventures, which I'm sure everyone here has seen before:

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I'm bringing this up because I find it interesting how this early concept is actually more similar to the later interpretations of the Snow White ride than what was actually made in 1955, with a greater focus on the cheerier aspects of the film, a happy ending, fully dimensional scenery, and Snow White herself appearing in several scenes.

This version of the ride would have required much more time, space, and budget than what was provided, which leads me to believe that the unique characteristics of the 1955 and 1971 rides—the much more pronounced emphasis on the scary aspects of the story and the idea that riders themselves are meant to assume the role of Snow White—were born from those limitations.

Working with ultraviolet fluorescents and small, boxy corridors, it was much more feasible to portray dark, claustrophobic locales such as the castle and the mine than the spacious forest glade and the stunning ending scene. It was also much more feasible to include only a small number of animated figures—all of which are either shrouded in darkness or otherwise subject to dim ultraviolet lighting conditions that hide their imperfections—than to sculpt a large ensemble of figures that would often be subject to much brighter lighting conditions which would have exposed their cruder qualities and made them less believable.

So, while I will personally always prefer those first two or three versions of the ride, there's certainly something to be said for how the later, happier versions of Snow White's Adventures are ultimately closer to the original, unrestricted vision of the ride than the earlier, unabashedly scary versions.
 
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