News Rapunzel’s Tower coming to Storybook Land Canal Boats

[CoastalElite64]

I noticed that little sign. Surely that won't be part of the actual scene along the canal banks, and was just included in the artwork to reinforce what this new addition was? I mean, they can't be that stupid to start plopping explanatory signs on each scene, can they?

The silly sign wasn't what first caught my eye though. I first noticed that the CM piloting the boat was a circa 1985 Attractions Hostess like the kind they don't hire anymore. White, slim, pretty, blonde, fits into a uniform, always has a date on a Saturday night in Fullerton, etc., etc. Who approved this little bit of Non-Inclusive debauchery in this artwork???

View attachment 887521

Is it still 2025? Or is WDI slipping back into 1963?
View attachment 887530

But then there was the inevitable second look, and it got worse. They've got grown adult men, riding Storybook Land Canal Boats unattended by children, oohing and aahing with mouths agape at.... what exactly? They aren't looking at Rapunzel's Tower, and they certainly aren't looking at the pretty blonde Hostess. So why are they in awe?

Come on boys, tone it down just a bit, you aren't supposed to be that into it!

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Saying this nonsense when Disney princesses are park royalty and the main ambassadors of the Disney parks.

 

[TP2000]

Oh no, the audacity of people enjoying themselves at a theme park, paying attention to an attraction they waited in line for instead of staring at their phones or engaging in loud distracting conversations, and at a theme park designed for everyone instead of one just designed for skinny thrill seeking teenagers of all places!

Good thing Walt Disney wasn't a grown man who enjoyed miniatures to the point that he tried to make his own!

How awful!!!!

I'm kind of surprised that of all the folks posting in this thread, that I am the only one who knows the attraction well enough to remember that at this part of the canal layout, a few yards west of where the Rapunzel Tower is going as the boats travel eastbound back to the dock, the boat has absolutely NOTHING to look at off the starboard side.

Where the mouth-agape gentlemen seem to have found intense interest as they look due south from that exact spot on the canal, there's... nothing.

Just a blank wall and some low-maintenance landscaping against the backside of the Dumbo queue. Since 1955.

But something tells me the WDI intern that put that artwork together doesn't know the park very well, likely was never a CM or even knows any, and has no idea what the basic layout of StorybookLand Canal Boats has been for the past 70 years.

Thus, they can draw these guys looking south at the backside of the Dumbo queue and give them this level of emotion...

You can't see her tattoos from this angle.

Good one! Thanks for getting it!

And guess what, there are tons of skinny blondes working at Disneyland. I'm sorry not every CM is pretty enough for you to ogle.

Trust me, she's not my type.

 

[TP2000]

Saying this nonsense when Disney princesses are park royalty and the main ambassadors of the Disney parks.

Saying you don't understand the historic standards Ops CM's used to live up to in the 20th century, and being able to distinguish that from costumed face characters.

 

[TP2000]

Not to pile onto this like everyone else, but my guess is the reason they went with a blonde female CM is a cheeky nod to Rapunzel herself, as if she is piloting the boat.

Oh, that might make sense! Are they smart enough for that though?

What caught my eye as much as the circa 1985 Attractions Hostess look was her uniform. The old one with the puffed short sleeves and the little colored jumper. The girls working that ride used to wear those in the 70's and 80's. '

It seemed like a deliberate call back to the 20th century look those CM's always had at StorybookLand. Which was weird, and I wonder how they got it past the HR censors today?

What's next, mandatory white knee socks again?!?

 

[Disney Irish]

I'm kind of surprised that of all the folks posting in this thread, that I am the only one who knows the attraction well enough to remember that at this part of the canal layout, a few yards west of where the Rapunzel Tower is going as the boats travel eastbound back to the dock, the boat has absolutely NOTHING to look at off the starboard side.

Where the mouth-agape gentlemen seem to have found intense interest as they look due south from that exact spot on the canal, there's... nothing.

Just a blank wall and some low-maintenance landscaping against the backside of the Dumbo queue. Since 1955.

View attachment 887617

But something tells me the WDI intern that put that artwork together doesn't know the park very well, likely was never a CM or even knows any, and has no idea what the basic layout of StorybookLand Canal Boats has been for the past 70 years.

Thus, they can draw these guys looking south at the backside of the Dumbo queue and give them this level of emotion...

View attachment 887620


Good one! Thanks for getting it!



Trust me, she's not my type.

My guess is they had several guests facing that way to show "joy" otherwise you basically just have a bunch of guests with the back of their heads being shown. And that isn't the view you want when trying to show a new addition to the attraction, you want to show off how its suppose to evoke "joy".

 

[Disney Irish]

Oh, that might make sense! Are they smart enough for that though?

What caught my eye as much as the circa 1985 Attractions Hostess look was her uniform. The old one with the puffed short sleeves and the little colored jumper. The girls working that ride used to wear those in the 70's and 80's. '

It seemed like a deliberate call back to the 20th century look those CM's always had at StorybookLand. Which was weird, and I wonder how they got it past the HR censors today?

What's next, mandatory white knee socks again?!?

View attachment 887621

Were they ever green like in the concept art? I don't know CM costumes well enough to know.

To me this just looks like artistic license.

 

[DrStarlander]

I'm kind of surprised that of all the folks posting in this thread, that I am the only one who knows the attraction well enough to remember that at this part of the canal layout, a few yards west of where the Rapunzel Tower is going as the boats travel eastbound back to the dock, the boat has absolutely NOTHING to look at off the starboard side.

Where the mouth-agape gentlemen seem to have found intense interest as they look due south from that exact spot on the canal, there's... nothing.

Just a blank wall and some low-maintenance landscaping against the backside of the Dumbo queue. Since 1955.

View attachment 887617

But something tells me the WDI intern that put that artwork together doesn't know the park very well, likely was never a CM or even knows any, and has no idea what the basic layout of StorybookLand Canal Boats has been for the past 70 years.

Thus, they can draw these guys looking south at the backside of the Dumbo queue and give them this level of emotion...

View attachment 887620


Good one! Thanks for getting it!



Trust me, she's not my type.

Maybe this?

 

[TP2000]

Were they ever green like in the concept art? I don't know CM costumes well enough to know.

To me this just looks like artistic license.

They had several different versions of those jumpers over the decades. Green, yellow, robin's egg blue, red, pink, etc.

Always with white linen blouses with puffy short sleeves. They had white kerchiefs and aprons in the 60's. With mandatory white knee socks. And always young ladies who you just knew had a date every Saturday night, so don't even try asking fellas. Very pretty, perky, charming, upbeat, girl next door types.

 

[DrStarlander]

And always young ladies who you just knew had a date every Saturday night, so don't even try asking fellas.

...unless you're one of these guys? I've gotta think these guys can ask

 

[Disney Irish]

They had several different versions of those jumpers over the decades. Green, yellow, robin's egg blue, red, pink, etc.

Always with white linen blouses with puffy short sleeves. They had white kerchiefs and aprons in the 60's. With mandatory white knee socks. And always young ladies who you just knew had a date every Saturday night, so don't even try asking fellas. Very pretty, perky, charming, upbeat, girl next door types.

Didn't need the additional description or commentary of the CMs, but thanks.

Again I suspect it was just artistic license, a call back to the legacy of the attraction. I don't expect it to be anything beyond that.

 

[chadwpalm]

Maybe this?
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On it!

 

[TP2000]

...unless you're one of these guys? I've gotta think these guys can ask
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I think you're right!

 

[Parteecia]

...unless you're one of these guys? I've gotta think these guys can ask
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A friend worked Fantasyland Attractions in the '70s. Yes, they could ask.

 

[TP2000]

A friend worked Fantasyland Attractions in the '70s. Yes, they could ask.

You young ladies had, and still have, excellent taste. Brava!

 

[mickEblu]

I'm sure some will disagree but I don't think it can be understated how important the real grass is for this attraction. Really hoping they resisted the temptation to swap it all out for turf during this long refurb. Considering how little grass there is to maintain and all the miniatures they'd need to cut around I'm hoping they came to the conclusion that it is not worth the hassle.

 

[TP2000]

I'm sure some will disagree but I don't think it can be understated how important the real grass is for this attraction. Really hoping they resisted the temptation to swap it all out for turf during this long refurb. Considering how little grass there is to maintain and all the miniatures they'd need to cut around I'm hoping they came to the conclusion that it is not worth the hassle.

Don't worry, you can just insert this guy into any new artwork announcing the newly refurbished Storybook Land Canal Boats, Presented by Monsanto and pretend that everyone is mouth agape thrilled, THRILLED, with all the new Astroturf.

 

[mickEblu]

Don't worry, you can just insert this guy into any new artwork announcing the newly refurbished Storybook Land Canal Boats, Presented by Monsanto and pretend that everyone is mouth agape thrilled, THRILLED, with all the new Astroturf.

View attachment 887764

Lol. I’ll actually give him a pass if he’s looking over at the ol big blue dumbo fence that perhaps has been finally covered by greenery. The climbing roses haven’t quite done the job.

 

[mickEblu]

What’s going on with the new paint job on Monstro. Is it just bad lighting? Seems flatter to me with out some of the details and highlights found in previous versions. They also removed some grass/ shrubbery from in front of him that will hopefully be replaced . Seems like he lost a lot of detail to the left of his lower mouth/ lip and the paint just looks kind of caked on. Paint job seems kind of shoddy. Maybe it’s not done and they are still going to do some shading around some of those grooves going down his face on lower portion that’s painted white? But they took down the walls/ scaffolding so I’m not holding my breath.

It also appears they went with the more vintage color scheme: darker body and whiter lips. I prefer the more recent color scheme.

New:

Old:

 

[Distorian]

What’s going on with the new paint job on Monstro. Is it just bad lighting? Seems flatter to me with out some of the details and highlights found in previous versions. They also removed some grass/ shrubbery from in front of him that will hopefully be replaced . Seems like he lost a lot of detail to the left of his lower mouth/ lip and the paint just looks kind of caked on. Paint job seems kind of shoddy. Maybe it’s not done and they are still going to do some shading around some of those grooves going down his face on lower portion that’s painted white? But they took down the walls/ scaffolding so I’m not holding my breath.

It also appears they went with the more vintage color scheme: darker body and whiter lips. I prefer the more recent color scheme.

New:

View attachment 890980


Old:

View attachment 890981

Everything looks so dry and drab in the new photo. Not just the whale but the grass, the shrubs, the tree, the flowers. I think you're right that the new paint scheme is darker overall, but the surrounding foliage is doing it no favors.

 

[Parteecia]

Everything looks so dry and drab in the new photo.

Comparing the color of foliage that didn't change, I think it's more of a difference in light or cameras.