Tragic Tale of Latest Lost History at Disneyland....

[WDWmazprty]

Check it out:

http://thedisneyblog.com/2011/12/01/tragic-tale-of-latest-lost-history-at-disneyland/


Tragic Tale of Latest Lost History at Disneyland
Posted on December 1, 2011 by John Frost



You can tell just by looking at his artwork that Disney artist Kevin Kidney is the best kind of preservationist. Not only does he try and document the great moments of the past, but he works hard to share them with the rest of us in a way the brings home the experience with new emotion. Alas, Disneyland doesn’t have a preservationist bone in its body.

As new projects are developed, no one expects Disneyland to keep everything right in place. But some attempt to save the major pieces of art would have been appreciated. Perhaps the worst offense was the destruction of Mary Blair’s Tomorrowland Murals. But there are many of examples of lost history.

Kevin Kidney shares a tale of woe about a lost mural at the Plaza Pavilion:

In 1997, at the end of the summer, the Plaza Pavilion restaurant closed forever, but the building reopened sometime later as an Annual Passholder sales center. Stopping in to look at the mural, as I often had before, I was alarmed to see that it was gone! The wall was now covered with embossed wallpaper and there were a few framed posters and a cake mold nailed to it.

I expressed my horror to a friend at WDI who informed me that the mural was considered to be a treasure, and had not been removed or painted over, but was actually safe and sound behind the new wallpaper.

Alas, even the best intentions of the Imagineers is often not enough to prevent this tragedy. Read the rest of the post at Kidney’s blog for the sad story.

If you have a photo or more information on the lost mural, please share it with us! I’d love to see it again.

 

[TP2000]

The mural was kind of cool, but I don't remember ever seeing it. Not sure how it themes with Main Street USA though, but it's cool in a retro 1960's sort of way.

This was ultimately the fault of Imagineering if it was destroyed. They should blame themselves really.

All that said... I can't really get worked up over this. It was an obscure painting in an obscure restaurant that hadn't been used regularly in decades.

Personally, I miss those old mechanical Goodyear Tire billboards that used to line the speedramps up to the PeopleMover station more than some mystery mural.

 

[worldfanatic]

Calling this a tragedy is ridiculous!

99.9999999999% of the general public didn't even knew this was there.
And rightfully so.

I've been going to Disneyland for 40+ years. This certainly wasn't a integral part of my DL experience.
It's nice to get on a soapbox and cry foul, but c'mon, choose your battles.

It's not like they knocked down the Matterhorn.

Frickin' crybabies!!!!!

 

[TP2000]

Calling this a tragedy is ridiculous!

Okay, thank you so very much for bringing this all back to earth.

I was basically thinking the same thing as you, but I was afraid I wasn't getting the broader significance to this Stouffer's mural.

It was a cute little story about a cute little mural that used to be at Disneyland, but I can't figure out why we should be all up in arms about it. The world continues to spin, and life goes on. And honestly, it was just a cheesy commercial billboard for Stouffer's.

I like Stouffer's frozen lasagna as much as the next guy, and I love Disneyland, but at some point you have to realize that the theme park in Anaheim will change and evolve.

 

[WDWFigment]

Regardless of the significance of this art in the grand scheme of things, Disney should be careful *not* to ________ off Jody Daily and Kevin Kidney. Some of the best art-design these days is by these two, and Disney would be well-advised not to alienate them. If that means *gasp* sticking to its word and preserving an insignificant piece of art, then so be it. Small cost for keeping the talent happy.

My visits to Disneyland didn't begin until after this art was hidden, but based on the photos on Kidney's blog, it looked really cool to me. There are far more egregious instances of Disney destroying art (all of Future World comes to mind), but their point still stands, regardless of the art they're choosing to defend. Disney needs to do a better job of preserving some of its history while continuing to evolve. I'm hardly suggesting that Disney's parks become stagnant museums; they certainly could save these items in the Archives (or with private collectors if not significant-enough).

 

[TP2000]

Regardless of the significance of this art in the grand scheme of things, Disney should be careful *not* to ________ off Jody Daily and Kevin Kidney.... Disney needs to do a better job of preserving some of its history while continuing to evolve.

All valid points.

But this was clearly not a situation where a dramatically lit conference room full of evil executives in TDA decided to destroy the mural on purpose. By Mr. Kidney's own account on his blog, this does not appear to be an example of systemic cultural breakdown within "Disney" as a company.

I know a bit about corporate-scale construction project management, and in all the books I've read on the Disney parks Walt Disney Imagineering is basically an in-house project management firm for Disney theme parks. They have great artists that get all the glory, but WDI also employs just as many project managers and logistics planners to get the work done. This was a mistake made not by evil TDA or Burbank execs, but by Imagineers working for Imagineering during the construction of a WDI-designed and managed project to redo the Plaza Pavilion.

If Mr. Kidney has anyone to blame for the loss of the Stouffer's mural, it's the people he works alongside with at Imagineering offices. The project managers for the Pavilion redo were the ones who allowed this mural to be unreported and not taken care of and tracked properly. Mr. Kidney probably has some icy stares to give at the coffee machine there in the WDI office when the Jolly Holiday Bakery project managers go for a second cup. :lol:

This loss of the Stouffer's mural is a mistake made in-house at Walt Disney Imagineering. That's where the specific blame lies, not with "Disney" as a whole.

 

[WDWFigment]

All valid points.

But this was clearly not a situation where a dramatically lit conference room full of evil executives in TDA decided to destroy the mural on purpose. By Mr. Kidney's own account on his blog, this does not appear to be an example of systemic cultural breakdown within "Disney" as a company.

I know a bit about corporate-scale construction project management, and in all the books I've read on the Disney parks Walt Disney Imagineering is basically an in-house project management firm for Disney theme parks. They have great artists that get all the glory, but WDI also employs just as many project managers and logistics crews to get the work done. This was a mistake made not by evil TDA or Burbank execs, but by Imagineers working for Imagineering during the construction of a WDI-designed and managed project to redo the Plaza Pavilion.

If Mr. Kidney has anyone to blame for the loss of the Stouffer's mural, it's the people he works alongside with at Imagineering offices. The project managers for the Pavilion redo were the ones who allowed this mural to be unreported and not taken care of and tracked properly. Mr. Kidney probably has some icy stares to give at the coffee machine there in the WDI office when the Jolly Holiday Bakery project managers go for a second cup. :lol:

This loss of the Stouffer's mural is a mistake made in-house at Walt Disney Imagineering. That's where the specific blame lies, not with "Disney" as a whole.

Regardless of who is responsible, when you one of your top contractors (I have no idea in what offices he works, but I do find it interesting he's not a Disney employee anymore despite working extensively (entirely?) on Disney projects--that right there is somewhat telling) says something like this:

A great deal of "classic" still exists in the park today, in quiet spots, still undisturbed by corporate synergy or the inappropriate placement of Pixar characters. But the best bits of Disneyland exist now only in photographs, old audio recordings, in vintage paper ephemera, and in our memories.

...you should take notice.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Regardless of who is responsible, when you one of your top contractors (I have no idea in what offices he works, but I do find it interesting he's not a Disney employee anymore despite working extensively (entirely?) on Disney projects--that right there is somewhat telling) says something like this:

A great deal of "classic" still exists in the park today, in quiet spots, still undisturbed by corporate synergy or the inappropriate placement of Pixar characters. But the best bits of Disneyland exist now only in photographs, old audio recordings, in vintage paper ephemera, and in our memories.

...you should take notice.

Sure, but consider the source. Since this is what he has chosen to do for a living, he likely cares about such Disneyland ephemera much, much more than the average Disney fan even does AND has a financial interest in telling you the best days are behind us and selling you his re-creation of your memories.

Really, I think this is probably a case of wanting what you can't have. He says in his blog post that it was his favorite work of art in the park. Really? In the whole park? Maybe so few people photographed the mural because it wasn't that important. Sure, it seems like it looked nice, but not everything needs to be saved. Kevin Kidney didn't bother to take a picture of it until after walking by his "favorite work of art" in the park for years! Just part of the DL fanboy culture. See: Miceage. I like it and I'm a member, but whatever is being knocked down or repainted that week is the greatest thing ever and Walt's last/best/favorite ____________.

As an aside, I agree with TP2000 that it seems like a bungle on WDI's part. It's not like they've never goofed before.

 

[TP2000]

Just part of the DL fanboy culture. See: Miceage. I like it and I'm a member, but whatever is being knocked down or repainted that week is the greatest thing ever and Walt's last/best/favorite ____________.

I agree, and I just can't keep up over there. That, and I don't remember my password for that site! :lol:

But any bit of change is immediately an example of how Bob Iger and his hand-picked leaders want to spit on Walt's grave and make fun of his wife and turn his theme park into a Pixar strip mall. I just can't keep up.

What's odd to me is that the same types of personalities (on that other board) that use this topic as a battle flag to rally around would normally be just as critical of the latest corporate sponsor or new fad showing up in the park. But here we have a blatantly corporate advertising mural that for the life of me I can't figure out how it supported the 1905 Marceline theme of Main Street USA and that no one even remembered seeing back in the 20th century anyway, but now that it's gone it's beloved and revered? :veryconfu

When Stouffer's took over this complex of restaurants with the shared kitchen (Plaza Pavilion/Tahitian Terrace) in the early 1960's, they slapped a few things on the existing buildings to brand them. The Stouffer's mural in the lobby of the Pavilion was one thing, and a bit prettier than what they did on the backside of the complex. I can just imagine the howls of horror from the superfans if the entire complex went back to its exact 1962 Walt-approved format, including the mural, and we got this nifty piece of corporate branding jutting up in the middle of Adventureland.

Thanks Stouffer's! We couldn't have had dinner at Disneyland without you. :wave:

 

[worldfanatic]

It was a cute little story about a cute little mural that used to be at Disneyland, but I can't figure out why we should be all up in arms about it. The world continues to spin, and life goes on. And honestly, it was just a cheesy commercial billboard for Stouffer's.

I like Stouffer's frozen lasagna as much as the next guy, and I love Disneyland, but at some point you have to realize that the theme park in Anaheim will change and evolve.

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, been kinda busy....including a DISNEY WORLD TRIP!!!!!!:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:
But you just cracked me up when I read this.:ROFLOL:

Really, I think this is probably a case of wanting what you can't have. He says in his blog post that it was his favorite work of art in the park. Really? In the whole park? Maybe so few people photographed the mural because it wasn't that important. Sure, it seems like it looked nice, but not everything needs to be saved. Kevin Kidney didn't bother to take a picture of it until after walking by his "favorite work of art" in the park for years! Just part of the DL fanboy culture. See: Miceage. I like it and I'm a member, but whatever is being knocked down or repainted that week is the greatest thing ever and Walt's last/best/favorite ____________.

And then I totally exploded when I read this!!!:ROFLOL:

Thanks TP and Cosmic.......YOU MADE MY NIGHT!!!!!!