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Disney Down Under, Take 2: My Second Attempt at a Dream Disney Resort
- Thread starter Brer Panther
- Start date
Suchomimus
Well-Known Member
Big Thunder Mountain, 20K Leagues, Jungle Cruise, Western River and Disneyland Railroad
I'm not sure... I might, though.
On a side note, I'm really honored that my thread was dubbed "Thread of the Week". I certainly was not expecting that!
Anyhow, here's the first ride-through...
THE WORLD-FAMOUS JUNGLE CRUISE
The Jungle Expedition Company boathouse serves as the entrance to the attraction. The boathouse has clearly seen better days, but that doesn't stop us from heading inside. The queue is decorated with artifacts, detailed maps, and preserved specimens sitting on shelves. An ongoing radio broadcast can be heard. After walking through the boathouse, we find ourselves at the dock outside, where a large tramp steamer is parked, waiting for us.
As we climb aboard, the boat's skipper tells us, "Welcome aboard, folks. Have a seat. Anywhere. We've got thirty seats on this boat, and they're all fine, but I personally recommend grabbing a seat near the front. There's no truth to the rumor that the ride is longer if you sit in the front. Hey, while we're waiting for more people to board, here's a quick joke: what do you get if you cross an elephant with a rhino? Eckiphino. Well, okay, that's not REALLY what you get, but this is a family attraction." As the skipper blathers on, you'll probably notice that across the river from the dock is a dense jungle, seemingly endless. Once every seat on the boat is full, we begin our adventure into the jungle unsure of what we'll find in there.
"Hello, and welcome to the World-Famous Jungle Cruise!" the skipper says with a smile. "My name is Jeff and for... however long we'll be out here, I will be your skipper, guide, captain and cruise director. Is this anyone's first time on the Jungle Cruise? Well, what a coincidence! It's MY first time, too! For your safety, please keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the boat at all times. And please watch your kids."
A dense canopy surrounds us, a gentle mist pouring down from it in a refreshing breeze. Giant butterflies are seen perched on rocks, while curious toucans stare at us from the tree branches. "Well, folks, we've entered the deep rainforest, where it rains about three hundred and sixty-five days a year," the skipper announces. "And it's here that we see some of our first specimens on the World-Famous Jungle Cruise: three toucans. Here's a fun fact for you: did you know that three toucans make a six-pack? And just look at those butterflies! Usually they don't grow that big... they grow a lot bigger."
Eventually, we arrive at the majestic Inspiration Falls, a small waterfall that flows into the waters of the jungle. "This is Inspiration Falls," the skipper informs us. "We call it that because it inspires one to go... deeper into the jungle, that is." Across from the falls, a group of smiling bullfrogs sit on the remains of a biplane that seems to have landed in the rainforest. "And over there is what remains of the Jungle Expedition Company's 'Flights Over the Jungle' business. I actually used to fly those things, but it was PLANE to see that I was more suited to drive a boat." As we continue on, an abandoned War Camp comes into view. "This is peculiar," Skipper Jeff admits. "Usually, there a bunch of pygmies scattered around this Pygmy War Camp. Hence why it's called a Pygmy War Camp. But I don't see any. Maybe they all got scared off by... ah, there he is!"
Opposite the War Camp is a large tree where an enormous python can be found, hissing sinisterly. "Everyone, this is Bob the python," says the skipper. "Don't worry, he's not gonna hurt us. He's a vegetarian. Hence why he's got a stranglehold on that tree." Turning away from the python, we come across a lone okapi standing on the shore. "Here's Ted the okapi. He's actually one of the smartest animals here in the jungle," the skipper comments. "The other day, I asked him what four minus four was and he said nothing."
Suddenly, on all sides of the boat a herd of water buffalo emerge from the river, giving us curious looks. "Well, if it isn't my pals the water buffaloes!" Skipper Jeff exclaims. "Here's a question for you all: what has two tails, three horns and six feet? The answer is a water buffalo with spare parts!" Then one of the buffalo attempts to ram into the boat, shaking it a little. As the boat ventures on, the skipper mutters, "Jeez, I didn't think the joke was THAT bad..."
As the river turns to the left, we come across a safari camp overrun with mischief-making gorillas. One of them sits atop a braying pack mule, trying on a pith helmet. Another shoots carelessly at crates of ammunition floating in the water. They've even managed to turn over the campers' jeep. "Here, we see what happens when you leave your kids at home alone," Skipper Jeff says dryly. "Word of advice... if any of you are wearing yellow, don't make any noises like a banana. It drives them APE." Continuing on, we spot another gorilla that's gotten into a battle with a crocodile. It stands on the shore, whacking the crocodile on the head with its rather large fist. As we go by, Skipper Jeff informs us, "And here's a couple of Jungle residents hoping to get roles in the next Donkey Kong game."
Suddenly, the bushes on the right side of the boat start to rustle. A large bull elephant emerges and lets out a loud trumpet. "Whoa! We'd better not make this African bull elephant angry. He's the second most-feared animal in the jungle," Skipper Jeff exclaims. On the other side of the riverbank, we see another African elephant with a calf in tow - apparently, the bull elephant was protecting his mate and child. "And over here," says Skipper Jeff, "Is THE most-feared animal in the jungle... his wife."
Soon, we approach the magnificent African Veldt. Rocks, sand, and tall grass serve as a backdrop for such animals as zebras, giraffes, antelope, vultures, wildebeest, and baboons. "Welcome to Big Game Territory, folks!" Skipper Jeff announces. "This grassland is home to a variety of different animals - giraffes and zebras and baboons and... hmmm, I don't recognize those black ones with horns. They must be GNU." Continuing on, we encounter a Pride Rock-esque structure where a pride of lions is feasting on a zebra. "Ah, look. It's a pride of lions protecting that sleeping zebra," the skipper says. "Did you know that a zebra can run thirty-five miles per hour? In the jungle, this is what is known as FAST FOOD."
Nearby the lions, an angry rhinoceros has chased a group of poachers up a tree. A few hyenas stand to the right of the tree, laughing. "In Big Game Territory, we tend to get a lot of poachers," Skipper Jeff explains. "Apparently, nobody ever told those guys that poaching is illegal. Ah well, that rhino will make sure that they'll get the point in the end."
Fog appears all around us as we enter a more dangerous part of the jungle. "Oh, goody. We've arrived at Hippo Swamp," the skipper groans. "I know what you're thinking: 'What's wrong with that?' Well, let me tell you something, folks, the hippos in this jungle aren't anything like the ones you saw in Fantasia." On every side of the boat, hippos emerge from the water, wiggling their ears. "Ah, great. They're wiggling their ears and blowing bubbles. Whenever a hippo does that, it means they're angry." Several hippos actually attempt to charge at the boat, but they fortunately miss. "Phew! We made it through in one piece," Skipper Jeff sighs with relief. "Do you know what a hippo eats? The answer: anything it wants. Though I've never seen a hippo that eats humans. Those apparently were some hungry hungry hippos..."
"We're not out of danger yet, folks," Skipper Jeff warns us. "The tribal drumming that I hear tells me that we're about to enter Headhunter Country... that's not a good place to be headed." Sure enough, ahead of us is a primitive village constructed from bamboo and grass. Here we see a group of natives dancing around an open fire. "Everybody be very, very quiet..." Skipper Jeff whispers. "The trick to getting by headhunters is to not draw attention to yourself..." Alas, a lone headhunter standing on a rock spots us and shouts something to get the attention of his tribe. "Or maybe the trick to getting by headhunters is to run as fast as your legs can carry you..." the skipper admits.
On every side of the boat, headhunters pop out and attack. Some throw spears at us (via wind effects). "Everybody get down!" Skipper Jeff advises us. "They've been attacking me like this ever since I told them I didn't like Frozen!" Up ahead, some headhunters are standing atop a large rock formation, pushing what appears to be a giant boulder. No prizes for guessing what they plan on doing with it. Fortunately, the boulder misses the boat, landing in the water with a loud SPLASH (which might get us wet). As the boat escapes from Headhunter Country, Skipper Jeff says, "And it would seem as though we've been able to get ahead of those guys. And wouldn't you know it, we've run into Trader Sam!" Trader Sam stands proudly on the shore, a top hat on his head, holding an umbrella in one hand and a few shrunken heads in the other. "Everybody say hi to Trader Sam," Skipper Jeff suggests. "He's the Head Salesman of the Jungle and also runs a charming little bistro called the Cannibal Cafe. I ate there the other day... the baby-back ribs were delicious, but they cost me an arm and a leg! Now, over there are my friends the crocodiles." Indeed, three crocodiles can be found sitting on the shore, opening their mouths every so often. "Their names are Roy, Michael and Bob. They might look scary, but they're pretty friendly fellows," the skipper tells us. "Hey, do you all know what the difference is between an alligator and a crocodile? Well, alligators don't live in Africa. Crocodiles do. Simple as that."
Another waterfall comes into view. "That over there is Schweitzer Falls," Skipper Jeff explains as we do a U-Turn. "Named for Dr. Albert Falls, it gives us the opportunity to get a glimpse of... drumroll, please... THE BACKSIDE OF WATER!" We suddenly head BEHIND the waterfall, and as a result get a view of the "backside of water". "This is something you don't see every day!" Skipper Jeff exclaims. "I, on the other hand, see it every few minutes... now, we've just arrived at the Irrawaddy River in Asia. Do you feel that wetness in the air? That's not mist, that's the monkeys in the trees."
Suddenly, the skipper is startled by a roaring black panther sitting in the branches of a tree. "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat! A black panther!" he exclaims. "Otherwise known as a black LEOPARD. Otherwise otherwise known as T'Challa. Heh heh heh... he's really tired of jokes like that... Now, if you look on your left, you'll see a family of orangutans..." From the branches of another tree swing five orangutans - two adults and three babies. "They look friendly, but I wouldn't recommend getting too close... those guys are really animals. And... hello, what's this up ahead?"
"This up ahead" is what appears to be the ruins of an ancient temple, guarded by a hissing king cobra. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle - the ruins of an ancient temple!" Skipper Jeff points out. "Everyone, we have three options here: we can go into the temple 'cause that's where the river's flowing, we can turn the boat around and head back the way we came, or we can all get out of the boat and walk around the temple on foot. I choose the first option, I hope that's okay with everyone..."
Thus, into the temple our boat cruises, resulting in our boat being shrouded in almost total darkness. On our left, a large tiger emerges from behind a column, growling ferociously. "Don't panic, folks," Skipper Jeff advises us, "Bengal tigers can jump up to twenty-five feet. And we're only five feet away, so he'll sail right over us." As it turns out, the tiger is the least of our worries: all of a sudden, crumbling pillars on all sides of us fall, just barely missing our boat. Cobras slither out of the shadows, hissing. One might even spit water at you! "And, uh, over there are some cobras sticking their tongues out at us... yeah, they're rude like that," Skipper Jeff says with a shrug. Statues and murals representing Indian deities decorate the ruins. Some of the deities actually seem to be alive - the eyes of those in the murals follow us as we float by, and the statues' heads turn to face us. More crocodiles emerge from the waters around us, opening their mouths. "Ah, yes, there are crocodiles in Asia, too. I probably should've mentioned that," Skipper Jeff admits. "They're always looking for a handout. Word of advice, keep all of your body parts inside the boat!"
As the way out of the temple comes into view, a few macaques swinging over our heads. We're in no danger, they're just monkeying around. However, we DO have to worry about a large Komodo Dragon bursting out of the water and attempting to climb onto the boat. "GAH! A Komodo Dragon!" Skipper Jeff exclaims. "Don't worry, folks, I'll scare him off!" He clears his throat, then shouts, "GO AWAY, YOU STUPID LIZARD!" The Komodo Dragon retreats back into the water, to which the skipper chuckles and says, "Works every time..."
Back outside, we find ourselves in a grotto of waterfalls, streams, and frolicking Indian elephants. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the one-and-only Indian Elephant Bathing Pool," Skipper Jeff announces. "Feel free to take pictures, they all have their trunks on." All around us are smiling elephants. One showers under a waterfall, a baby squirts water into the mouth of a crocodile on the shore, and a mischievous bull elephant sticks his head out of the water and shoots a stream of water in our path. "Thank goodness that one's aim was off..." the skipper says with a sigh of relief. "Here's a joke for you: why did the elephant ride the World-Famous Jungle Cruise? I don't know, but I'd like to find out - he keeps sinking our boats!"
Once past the elephants, we spot slender lorises in the treetops before floating by one more animal: a lone black-and-white tapir, just standing there on the shore munching on foliage without a care in the world. "And to cap off our trip on the World-Famous Jungle Cruise, here's one of my personal favorite residents of the jungle. This is Todd the Tapir," Skipper Jeff says. "He doesn't do much. Usually, you can find him just sitting there munching on foliage. He's a Malayan Tapir, one of six species of tapirs on this planet. Five other species live in South America - let's see, there's the Baird's tapir, the South American tapir, the little black tapir, the mountain tapir... ah yes, and my Uncle Ted. I'm just kidding, of course. He's not a tapir. A tapir's nose isn't as large as his is."
"And now," Skipper Jeff tells us, "We're arriving at the the scariest part of the World-Famous Jungle Cruise... the return to civilization! Please remain seated until the boat comes to a complete stop." Indeed, our boat is approaching the dock, where we can get out of the boat. As it pulls in, the skipper says, "Make sure you have all of your personal belongings with you. Anything left on board I plan to sell on eBay. If you had a good time on this ride, then my name is Skipper Jeff and this is the World-Famous Jungle Cruise. If you didn't have a good time... well, then my name is, uh, Robert and this is Pirates of the Caribbean. Now please get off my boat."
With that, we step off the boat and back onto the dock before heading back into Adventureland for another adventure. As we walk off, we hear Skipper Jeff calling after us, "Be sure to tell your friends how much you liked it! We're doing everything we can to keep the lines down!"
All right, here's the next ride-through...
If you'd like to head inside Splash Mountain, take the shortcut. It's not hard to find, its entrance is a large barn crafted out of redwood and scrap metal. Above the entryway is a wooden sign bearing the attraction's name, topped by the image of Brer Rabbit. As you might have guessed, this "shortcut" is actually the attraction's queue. Let's step inside!
The queue, once you enter the barn, is lined with small animal homes (look inside one of them - the one belonging to Brer Frog, to be precise - and you'll see his shadow, sitting in a rocking chair). Wooden plaques boasting quotes from a Mr. Uncle Remus are hung up on the walls, as are portraits of some of the forest's residents: Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, Brer Frog, Brer Gator, Mr. Bluebird, the Swamp Boys, the Goose Brothers, Brer Porcupine, Brer Raccoon, Saddlesore Swanson, and the Boothill Boys. Also scattered around the queue are a few signs, warning us of "FIFTY-FOOT PLUNGE AHEAD!" and that "YOU WILL GET WET - YOU MAY GET SOAKED!" While mainly reliant on the sunlight from outside during the day, the queue also features a few lanterns here and there that at night give it a nice glow. Yet another sign near the end of the queue warns us that this is your last chance to exit.
Finally, we arrive at the bank of a river, back outside, where several hollowed-out logs are parked, ready to take us for a cruise through Chickapin Hill. Each log fits eight people (four rows of two). As we climb aboard, a Goofy-esque voice greets us: "Fer yer safety, please keep yer hands, arms, feet and legs inside the log and be sure to watch yer kids! Have a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah ride!"
And with that, we embark from the riverbank and make our way towards a cave opening. Once inside the cave (on our right is a small sign reminding us to remain seated), our log climbs up a small lift hill, at the top of which is a large hole that exposes the outside world. Seated in a rocking chair near the top of the hill is Brer Frog (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), smoking a pipe and telling a story to a young rabbit, a young turtle, and a young porcupine. "Now, this here tale didn't happen just yesterday, nor the day before," he tells them (and us). "Yep, 'twas a long time ago. And in them days, everything was mighty satisfactual. The critters, they were a lot closer to the folks, and the folks, they were closer to the critters, and if you'll excuse me for sayin' so, 'twas better all around. It's a story about ol' Brer Rabbit. This here Brer Rabbit, he's the out-doin'-est, the most bodacious critter in the whole world. But mark my words, that rabbit is gonna put his foot in Brer Fox's mouth one of these days! Sooner or later, Brer Fox and Brer Bear are gonna catch that Brer Rabbit for sure!"
Once at the top of the hill, the log shoots down a small waterfall and takes us around the mountain. Occasionally, another log full of people comes down the large waterfall and into the briar patch, splashing good (which might get us a bit wet). After circling the mountain, we float into a sawmill and mount a second lift hill. Scattered around us as we climb the hill are several hand-crafted wooden items, saws, piles of sawdust, and at the top of the hill, a hooting scarf-wearing owl. Listen closely and you might hear a song, "How Do You Do?", playing in the background (the same country-western style of music used in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland's versions of the attraction).
One small waterfall later and we are back outside, MUCH higher up than before. The music is now playing louder, and there are a few critter homes around us, including those of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear (who can actually be heard sleeping inside - and he snores!), as well as, on one of the riverbanks, a wagon that sells something called "Critter Elixr". You also might just get a good view of the park as the log swings around the bend - and if you are, then chances are you're too busy doing that to notice that we are about to head down another, much larger waterfall, which a nearby sign dubs "Slippin' Falls".
The waterfall lands us in the middle of a lush, colorful swamp (in truth, we are now inside the mountain). Our first stop is the Old Watering Hole, which according to a sign has a strict "NO FISHING" policy. Perched atop the sign is our friend Mr. Bluebird, who occasionally tips his hat to us. All around us are the Goose Brothers, a cheerful flock of geese (about seven to be exact) who are currently doing a little fishing. Some of them fish from the riverbanks, others are in boats, and one stands on a dock. They're not having much luck: one has caught an old boot, another the hat from off another goose's head, others nothing at all. The geese (all voiced by Jess Harnell) greet us by singing "How Do You Do?", accompanied by three humming bullfrogs wearing floppy yellow cowboy hats. Also here is Brer Frog, who fishes from the back of Brer Gator, who also has a fishing pole in his claws.
"How do you do? Mighty pleasant greetin'
How do you do? Say it when you're meetin'
How do you do? With everyone repeatin'
Pretty good, sure as you're born
What goes up is sure to come down
A penny lost is a penny found
How do you do?
And you howdy back
A little bit of this
And a little bit of that?
How do you do?
Fine, how are you?
How you come on?
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Stop jumpin' around, you'll run out of breath
Why don't you sit back and calm yourself?
You can carry on, now, if you must
We'll do what we like 'cause that suits us!
How do you do? Mighty pleasant greetin'
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
How do you do? Mighty pleasant greetin'
How do you do? Say it when you're meetin'
How do you do? With everyone repeatin'
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
The weather is good
The fishin' is fine
Oh, what do we do
With all of our time?
Well, we sit and we think
And we wiggle our toes
That's what you ask us
And that's what we know!
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
How do you do?
Fine, how are you?
How you come on?
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born!"
Cruising under a bridge, we come across Brer Rabbit (Jess Harnell), who stands outside his Briar Patch home with Brer Terrapin (Frank Welker). He informs us and Brer Terrapin (in song) that he's running away from home in search of his Laughing Place. Unbeknownst to him, though, Brer Fox (J.D. Hall) and Brer Bear (Marc Wilmore) are observing this from behind a tree across the river. The fox, standing on the bear's shoulders, announces, "I'm gonna catch that Brer Rabbit this time for sure!"
"I'm lookin' for a little more adventure
I'm headin' for a little bit of fun now
I'm hopin' for a little more excitement
Time to be movin' along!
I've had enough of this old briar patch
I think an adventure's about to hatch
I'm movin on
Say goodbye to me
Down at the Laughin' Place is where I'll be
I'm lookin' for a little more adventure
I'm headin' for a little bit of fun now
I'm hopin' for a little more excitement
Time to be movin' along!
I've nailed up my door, I'll see you around
The Laughin' Place is where I'm bound!
If you're headin' out and not comin' back
Then I'm comin' too, I've packed my sack
I've headin' for a little bit of fun now
Time to be movin' along
Time to be movin' along!"
Next we float past a small critter jugband made up of Brer Porcupine (Jess Harnell), who drums on the back of a turtle, Brer Raccoon, who plays a harmonica, and Saddlesore Swanson, who strums a guitar. More critter homes are seen on our left and right, plus a few trees, one of which has a bunch of signs pointing in different directions: one of them has "To Chickapin Hill" written on it, another one has "To the Rainbow Caverns" and the third one has "To the Briar Patch". Look up as we leave this scene and you'll see a railroad trestle, across which a rabbit and a fox go by on a handcar.
"He's lookin' for a little more adventure
But he's headin' for a little bit of trouble
He's headin' for a little bit of danger
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around
Careful, Brer Rabbit, better mend your ways
You're headin' for trouble one of these days
Warnin' this rabbit, I'm afraid, is a waste
He's makin' his way to the Laughin' Place!
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around
He's lookin' for a little more adventure
But he's headin' for a little bit of trouble
He's headin' for a little bit of danger
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around!"
Then we come across Brer Fox and Brer Bear again. It seems that Brer Bear has gotten himself caught in a trap that Brer Fox set for Brer Rabbit and his now hanging from a rope over the river. Brer Fox stands nearby, yelling angrily, "What are you doin' up there in my rabbit trap, Brer Bear?! I'll tell you what you're doin', you're makin' a fool outta yourself, that's what you're doin'! Now get down from that tree! We gotta go find that Brer Rabbit!" (not that Brer Bear seems to notice) Across the river, a scruffy-looking grey dog in a hole-filled hat sits atop a grazing donkey.
We then see Brer Rabbit again, hopping across a small fence and laughing at his foes' misfortune. "Those boys won't catch me! My Laughin' Place is where I'm bound!" he tells us. Above our heads, three baby possums hang from their tails on a branch. A nearby roadrunner hums from his perch on a rock. Up ahead is "Hitchhiker's Point", where we see an alligator, a cat, and an eagle holding knapsacks and asking us to be taken along to the Laughin' Place that they've been hearing so many great things about.
"We're lookin' for a ride along the water
Take us along, we really think you ought'er
The sun's shinin' down, it's only gettin' hotter
Why don't you take us along?"
Finally, we turn a corner and once again run into Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear. Brer Fox is at the moment trying to push Brer Bear's enormous rear end through a hole in a tree. A sign next to the tree reads "This-a-Way to the Laughin' Place", presumably painted on there by Brer Rabbit, who peeks out from behind a nearby log and tries very, VERY hard to hold back his laughter. As we enter the tree through an arch formed by its roots, we hear Brer Bear say, "Duh, I don't see no Laughin' Place... there's nothin' in here but bees!"
Suddenly, we hear a loud CRACK and hurtle downwards into a dark cave, accompanied by the screams of the fox, the bear, and the rabbit as they presumably fall in too. Then, just as quickly as we went down, we shoot back up and finally land in a cave full of beehives, moss, roots hanging from the ceiling, and angry bees. The music has now changed to "Everybody's Got a Laughin' Place". Going deeper into the cave, we see Brer Bear, who is sitting on the ground screaming in pain due to the fact that a beehive has somehow lodged itself onto his nose. Across the river, Brer Rabbit is laughing hysterically at the bear's misfortune, saying, "I didn't say this was YOUR Laughin' Place, Brer Bear! I said it was MINE, and I'm laughin'!" However, he doesn't realize that Brer Fox is sneaking up behind him, holding a beehive and raising it high over the rabbit's head.
We then go down a much smaller waterfall and go through the rest of the Laughin' Place, which seems to be a flooded mine shaft with multiple geysers, waterfalls, and vines - plus many laughing critters having a good time. First we see a fox, a rabbit, and a turtle riding geysers. A brown bear eats honey out of a broken beehive. A donkey showers under a waterfall. Little weasels pop in and out of nooks and crannies here and there. A hound dog spins around in a rowboat. Two storks balance on mushrooms. All of these critters sing "Everybody's Got a Laughin' Place".
"Hee hee hee hee, ho ho ho
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Take a frown, turn it upside-down and you'll find yours we know-ho-ho!
Honey and rainbows on our way
We're laughin' 'cause our work is playin'
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Take a smile, wear it for a while and you'll find yours we know-ho-ho
Honey and rainbows on our way
Take a frown, turn it upside-down and soon you'll find you're here to stay
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Come on in, give us all a grin
And you'll find yours we know-ho-ho
Laughin' is how we spend our day
Plenty of fun is what we make
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
We've found one and it's filled with fun
And you'll find yours we know-ho-ho
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Take a frown, turn it upside-down and soon you'll find yours we say-hey-hey
And soon you'll find you're here to stay!"
Near the exit to the Laughin' Place, we see Brer Fox, who holds a beehive-stuck Brer Rabbit by the ears. "I bet you're wishin' you've never been born, huh, Brer Rabbit?! Well, you're MINE! You're MINE!" the fox shouts. "And you're NOT gettin' away this time!" "Wh-wh-wh-what are you doin', Brer Fox? Let me go!" Brer Rabbit begs.
The happy music chances to the same version of "Burrow's Lament" used in the Florida and Tokyo versions. The climb to the top of Chickapin Hill is up ahead. Leafless trees with jagged branches are on all sides of us. Atop one of the branches (which is right above the lift hill) are perched the Boothill Boys (Jess Harnell), two menacing-looking vultures wearing top hats and tuxedos. And they're taunting us.
"Everybody's got a laughin' place... Maybe THIS one is YOURS!"
"And wait'll you see that old Brer Rabbit. He sure ain't laughin' no more!"
"If you've finally found your Laughin' Place, how come you aren't laughin'?"
"Laughin' place? We've got your laughin' place... Right up here..."
"Time to be turnin' around..."
"If only you COULD!"
Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes as our log boards the lift hill and chugs up to the top of the mountain, the dramatic music growing louder and louder. Finally, near the top of the hill, we see Brer Fox's lair. Inside, Brer Rabbit is tied to a barbaque spit next to a sizzling cauldron. Brer Fox (whose shadow is all that we can see) shouts, "Well, now, Brer Rabbit, I reckon I'll have to ROAST YA!" Brer Rabbit nervously replies, "Uh, y-y-y-yes sir, Brer Fox! You go right ahead and roast me! But whatever you do, PLEASE don't fling me in that briar patch!" As we finally reach the very tip-top of the hill and emerge into the open daylight, we hear Brer Fox exclaim, "Well, I'm glad I thought of THAT, 'cause that's JUST where you're goin'! Hee hee hee! Here ya go!" The log then tips downward and we hurtle down the fifty-food waterfall and land in the Briar Patch with a large splash.
Emerging from the Briar Patch, an instrumental version of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (again, same one used in Florida and Tokyo's versions) begins to play as our log sloshes around the Rivers of America before heading back towards the mountain. A small waterfall might get you even wetter as you pass by it, while large trees provide a bit of shade from the hot sun. And what's this? Is that singing coming from the cave opening in front of us?
Entering the cave, we go under a banner reading "WELCOME HOME, BRER RABBIT" and into the ride's fantastic finale. The centerpiece of this scene is a gigantic riverboat called the "Zip-a-Dee-Lady", filled with chickens, foxes, can-caning geese, a goose who acts as the pilot, and a pig playing the organ. Also here are the Swamp Boys, a band made up of three instrument-playing alligators. Mr. Bluebird also reappears here, perched on a treebranch and whistling along to the other critters' singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah".
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Welcomin' back Brer Rabbit today
We always knew that he'd get away
He's had enough of movin' on now
It's where he's born and bred in
The briar patch is where he's headin'
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' our way
We never doubted he'd get away
Movin' on taught him a lesson
You learned it well, Brer Rabbit
Gettin' caught's a nasty habit
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', feelin' this way!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
It's a time for celebratin' today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Gathered together this wonderful day
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Brer Fox and Brer Bear are gonna get it today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
That hungry gator's gettin' his way
Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!"
We then float by another small jugband consisting of a fat bear drumming on an upside-down washtub, a lanky wolf strumming a banjo, a rooster playing a fiddle, a skunk playing a washboard, and a beaver playing a one-stringed "thang". After that, we come across none other than Brer Fox, who is currently standing atop Brer Bear's briar-stuck bottom to escape Brer Gator, who is currently chomping on his tail. "YOW! This is all your fault, Brer Bear! You let Brer Rabbit get away! YEOW! And stop that singin'! YOOOOOOOW!" Brer Fox snaps as the bear can be heard stupidly singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". Cruising by them, we then see Brer Rabbit, who is currently relaxing outside of his Briar Patch home and singing as well.
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Home sweet home is the lesson today
My, oh my, born and bred in the Briar Patch and I'm here to stay!
I'm through with movin' on now
It's where I'm born and bred in
The briar patch is where I'm headin'
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm back in my home now, and I'm sure gonna stay!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Home sweet home is the lesson today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm glad to be home now
And I'm here to stay!
Movin' on taught me a lesson
But what Brer Fox don't know is
The Briar Patch is where my home is!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm back in my home now, and I'm gonna stay!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
It's a time for celebratin' today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm sure glad to be here, and I'm here to stay!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Home sweet home is the lesson today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm back in my home now, and I'm here to stay!
Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!"
The attraction's unload area is held inside what appears to be a Boat Rental Shack. Seated on the porch outside is Brer Frog again, finishing up his story to the younger critters. "And that's how Brer Rabbit was able to outwit Brer Fox and Brer Bear. He sure learned his lesson," he chuckles. "You can't run away from trouble... there ain't no place THAT far." Finally, our log comes to a complete stop, and we are given the opportunity to unload. The attraction exits out into the Chickapin Hill Photography Studio, where you can pick up an on-ride photo of your fall into the Briar Patch.
Splash Mountain
As I've said before, if you keep walking straight in the forest, you'll eventually come across a large, strange sort of mountain made out of mud, grass, and rocks. At the top is placed a gnarled tree stump, and right below THAT is a large opening out of which a fifty-foot waterfall spills, shooting down the mountain and into a large briar patch stuck at the bottom. This is Chickapin Hill, but the locals have given it a nickname: "Splash Mountain".If you'd like to head inside Splash Mountain, take the shortcut. It's not hard to find, its entrance is a large barn crafted out of redwood and scrap metal. Above the entryway is a wooden sign bearing the attraction's name, topped by the image of Brer Rabbit. As you might have guessed, this "shortcut" is actually the attraction's queue. Let's step inside!
The queue, once you enter the barn, is lined with small animal homes (look inside one of them - the one belonging to Brer Frog, to be precise - and you'll see his shadow, sitting in a rocking chair). Wooden plaques boasting quotes from a Mr. Uncle Remus are hung up on the walls, as are portraits of some of the forest's residents: Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear, Brer Frog, Brer Gator, Mr. Bluebird, the Swamp Boys, the Goose Brothers, Brer Porcupine, Brer Raccoon, Saddlesore Swanson, and the Boothill Boys. Also scattered around the queue are a few signs, warning us of "FIFTY-FOOT PLUNGE AHEAD!" and that "YOU WILL GET WET - YOU MAY GET SOAKED!" While mainly reliant on the sunlight from outside during the day, the queue also features a few lanterns here and there that at night give it a nice glow. Yet another sign near the end of the queue warns us that this is your last chance to exit.
Finally, we arrive at the bank of a river, back outside, where several hollowed-out logs are parked, ready to take us for a cruise through Chickapin Hill. Each log fits eight people (four rows of two). As we climb aboard, a Goofy-esque voice greets us: "Fer yer safety, please keep yer hands, arms, feet and legs inside the log and be sure to watch yer kids! Have a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah ride!"
And with that, we embark from the riverbank and make our way towards a cave opening. Once inside the cave (on our right is a small sign reminding us to remain seated), our log climbs up a small lift hill, at the top of which is a large hole that exposes the outside world. Seated in a rocking chair near the top of the hill is Brer Frog (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), smoking a pipe and telling a story to a young rabbit, a young turtle, and a young porcupine. "Now, this here tale didn't happen just yesterday, nor the day before," he tells them (and us). "Yep, 'twas a long time ago. And in them days, everything was mighty satisfactual. The critters, they were a lot closer to the folks, and the folks, they were closer to the critters, and if you'll excuse me for sayin' so, 'twas better all around. It's a story about ol' Brer Rabbit. This here Brer Rabbit, he's the out-doin'-est, the most bodacious critter in the whole world. But mark my words, that rabbit is gonna put his foot in Brer Fox's mouth one of these days! Sooner or later, Brer Fox and Brer Bear are gonna catch that Brer Rabbit for sure!"
Once at the top of the hill, the log shoots down a small waterfall and takes us around the mountain. Occasionally, another log full of people comes down the large waterfall and into the briar patch, splashing good (which might get us a bit wet). After circling the mountain, we float into a sawmill and mount a second lift hill. Scattered around us as we climb the hill are several hand-crafted wooden items, saws, piles of sawdust, and at the top of the hill, a hooting scarf-wearing owl. Listen closely and you might hear a song, "How Do You Do?", playing in the background (the same country-western style of music used in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland's versions of the attraction).
One small waterfall later and we are back outside, MUCH higher up than before. The music is now playing louder, and there are a few critter homes around us, including those of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear (who can actually be heard sleeping inside - and he snores!), as well as, on one of the riverbanks, a wagon that sells something called "Critter Elixr". You also might just get a good view of the park as the log swings around the bend - and if you are, then chances are you're too busy doing that to notice that we are about to head down another, much larger waterfall, which a nearby sign dubs "Slippin' Falls".
The waterfall lands us in the middle of a lush, colorful swamp (in truth, we are now inside the mountain). Our first stop is the Old Watering Hole, which according to a sign has a strict "NO FISHING" policy. Perched atop the sign is our friend Mr. Bluebird, who occasionally tips his hat to us. All around us are the Goose Brothers, a cheerful flock of geese (about seven to be exact) who are currently doing a little fishing. Some of them fish from the riverbanks, others are in boats, and one stands on a dock. They're not having much luck: one has caught an old boot, another the hat from off another goose's head, others nothing at all. The geese (all voiced by Jess Harnell) greet us by singing "How Do You Do?", accompanied by three humming bullfrogs wearing floppy yellow cowboy hats. Also here is Brer Frog, who fishes from the back of Brer Gator, who also has a fishing pole in his claws.
"How do you do? Mighty pleasant greetin'
How do you do? Say it when you're meetin'
How do you do? With everyone repeatin'
Pretty good, sure as you're born
What goes up is sure to come down
A penny lost is a penny found
How do you do?
And you howdy back
A little bit of this
And a little bit of that?
How do you do?
Fine, how are you?
How you come on?
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Stop jumpin' around, you'll run out of breath
Why don't you sit back and calm yourself?
You can carry on, now, if you must
We'll do what we like 'cause that suits us!
How do you do? Mighty pleasant greetin'
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
How do you do? Mighty pleasant greetin'
How do you do? Say it when you're meetin'
How do you do? With everyone repeatin'
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
The weather is good
The fishin' is fine
Oh, what do we do
With all of our time?
Well, we sit and we think
And we wiggle our toes
That's what you ask us
And that's what we know!
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
How do you do?
Fine, how are you?
How you come on?
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born
Pretty good, sure as you're born!"
Cruising under a bridge, we come across Brer Rabbit (Jess Harnell), who stands outside his Briar Patch home with Brer Terrapin (Frank Welker). He informs us and Brer Terrapin (in song) that he's running away from home in search of his Laughing Place. Unbeknownst to him, though, Brer Fox (J.D. Hall) and Brer Bear (Marc Wilmore) are observing this from behind a tree across the river. The fox, standing on the bear's shoulders, announces, "I'm gonna catch that Brer Rabbit this time for sure!"
"I'm lookin' for a little more adventure
I'm headin' for a little bit of fun now
I'm hopin' for a little more excitement
Time to be movin' along!
I've had enough of this old briar patch
I think an adventure's about to hatch
I'm movin on
Say goodbye to me
Down at the Laughin' Place is where I'll be
I'm lookin' for a little more adventure
I'm headin' for a little bit of fun now
I'm hopin' for a little more excitement
Time to be movin' along!
I've nailed up my door, I'll see you around
The Laughin' Place is where I'm bound!
If you're headin' out and not comin' back
Then I'm comin' too, I've packed my sack
I've headin' for a little bit of fun now
Time to be movin' along
Time to be movin' along!"
Next we float past a small critter jugband made up of Brer Porcupine (Jess Harnell), who drums on the back of a turtle, Brer Raccoon, who plays a harmonica, and Saddlesore Swanson, who strums a guitar. More critter homes are seen on our left and right, plus a few trees, one of which has a bunch of signs pointing in different directions: one of them has "To Chickapin Hill" written on it, another one has "To the Rainbow Caverns" and the third one has "To the Briar Patch". Look up as we leave this scene and you'll see a railroad trestle, across which a rabbit and a fox go by on a handcar.
"He's lookin' for a little more adventure
But he's headin' for a little bit of trouble
He's headin' for a little bit of danger
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around
Careful, Brer Rabbit, better mend your ways
You're headin' for trouble one of these days
Warnin' this rabbit, I'm afraid, is a waste
He's makin' his way to the Laughin' Place!
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around
He's lookin' for a little more adventure
But he's headin' for a little bit of trouble
He's headin' for a little bit of danger
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around
Time to be turnin' around!"
Then we come across Brer Fox and Brer Bear again. It seems that Brer Bear has gotten himself caught in a trap that Brer Fox set for Brer Rabbit and his now hanging from a rope over the river. Brer Fox stands nearby, yelling angrily, "What are you doin' up there in my rabbit trap, Brer Bear?! I'll tell you what you're doin', you're makin' a fool outta yourself, that's what you're doin'! Now get down from that tree! We gotta go find that Brer Rabbit!" (not that Brer Bear seems to notice) Across the river, a scruffy-looking grey dog in a hole-filled hat sits atop a grazing donkey.
We then see Brer Rabbit again, hopping across a small fence and laughing at his foes' misfortune. "Those boys won't catch me! My Laughin' Place is where I'm bound!" he tells us. Above our heads, three baby possums hang from their tails on a branch. A nearby roadrunner hums from his perch on a rock. Up ahead is "Hitchhiker's Point", where we see an alligator, a cat, and an eagle holding knapsacks and asking us to be taken along to the Laughin' Place that they've been hearing so many great things about.
"We're lookin' for a ride along the water
Take us along, we really think you ought'er
The sun's shinin' down, it's only gettin' hotter
Why don't you take us along?"
Finally, we turn a corner and once again run into Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear. Brer Fox is at the moment trying to push Brer Bear's enormous rear end through a hole in a tree. A sign next to the tree reads "This-a-Way to the Laughin' Place", presumably painted on there by Brer Rabbit, who peeks out from behind a nearby log and tries very, VERY hard to hold back his laughter. As we enter the tree through an arch formed by its roots, we hear Brer Bear say, "Duh, I don't see no Laughin' Place... there's nothin' in here but bees!"
Suddenly, we hear a loud CRACK and hurtle downwards into a dark cave, accompanied by the screams of the fox, the bear, and the rabbit as they presumably fall in too. Then, just as quickly as we went down, we shoot back up and finally land in a cave full of beehives, moss, roots hanging from the ceiling, and angry bees. The music has now changed to "Everybody's Got a Laughin' Place". Going deeper into the cave, we see Brer Bear, who is sitting on the ground screaming in pain due to the fact that a beehive has somehow lodged itself onto his nose. Across the river, Brer Rabbit is laughing hysterically at the bear's misfortune, saying, "I didn't say this was YOUR Laughin' Place, Brer Bear! I said it was MINE, and I'm laughin'!" However, he doesn't realize that Brer Fox is sneaking up behind him, holding a beehive and raising it high over the rabbit's head.
We then go down a much smaller waterfall and go through the rest of the Laughin' Place, which seems to be a flooded mine shaft with multiple geysers, waterfalls, and vines - plus many laughing critters having a good time. First we see a fox, a rabbit, and a turtle riding geysers. A brown bear eats honey out of a broken beehive. A donkey showers under a waterfall. Little weasels pop in and out of nooks and crannies here and there. A hound dog spins around in a rowboat. Two storks balance on mushrooms. All of these critters sing "Everybody's Got a Laughin' Place".
"Hee hee hee hee, ho ho ho
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Take a frown, turn it upside-down and you'll find yours we know-ho-ho!
Honey and rainbows on our way
We're laughin' 'cause our work is playin'
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Take a smile, wear it for a while and you'll find yours we know-ho-ho
Honey and rainbows on our way
Take a frown, turn it upside-down and soon you'll find you're here to stay
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Come on in, give us all a grin
And you'll find yours we know-ho-ho
Laughin' is how we spend our day
Plenty of fun is what we make
Boy are we in luck!
We're visiting our Laughing Place
Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
We've found one and it's filled with fun
And you'll find yours we know-ho-ho
Everybody's got a Laughin' Place, a Laughin' Place, to go-ho-ho
Take a frown, turn it upside-down and soon you'll find yours we say-hey-hey
And soon you'll find you're here to stay!"
Near the exit to the Laughin' Place, we see Brer Fox, who holds a beehive-stuck Brer Rabbit by the ears. "I bet you're wishin' you've never been born, huh, Brer Rabbit?! Well, you're MINE! You're MINE!" the fox shouts. "And you're NOT gettin' away this time!" "Wh-wh-wh-what are you doin', Brer Fox? Let me go!" Brer Rabbit begs.
The happy music chances to the same version of "Burrow's Lament" used in the Florida and Tokyo versions. The climb to the top of Chickapin Hill is up ahead. Leafless trees with jagged branches are on all sides of us. Atop one of the branches (which is right above the lift hill) are perched the Boothill Boys (Jess Harnell), two menacing-looking vultures wearing top hats and tuxedos. And they're taunting us.
"Everybody's got a laughin' place... Maybe THIS one is YOURS!"
"And wait'll you see that old Brer Rabbit. He sure ain't laughin' no more!"
"If you've finally found your Laughin' Place, how come you aren't laughin'?"
"Laughin' place? We've got your laughin' place... Right up here..."
"Time to be turnin' around..."
"If only you COULD!"
Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes as our log boards the lift hill and chugs up to the top of the mountain, the dramatic music growing louder and louder. Finally, near the top of the hill, we see Brer Fox's lair. Inside, Brer Rabbit is tied to a barbaque spit next to a sizzling cauldron. Brer Fox (whose shadow is all that we can see) shouts, "Well, now, Brer Rabbit, I reckon I'll have to ROAST YA!" Brer Rabbit nervously replies, "Uh, y-y-y-yes sir, Brer Fox! You go right ahead and roast me! But whatever you do, PLEASE don't fling me in that briar patch!" As we finally reach the very tip-top of the hill and emerge into the open daylight, we hear Brer Fox exclaim, "Well, I'm glad I thought of THAT, 'cause that's JUST where you're goin'! Hee hee hee! Here ya go!" The log then tips downward and we hurtle down the fifty-food waterfall and land in the Briar Patch with a large splash.
Emerging from the Briar Patch, an instrumental version of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (again, same one used in Florida and Tokyo's versions) begins to play as our log sloshes around the Rivers of America before heading back towards the mountain. A small waterfall might get you even wetter as you pass by it, while large trees provide a bit of shade from the hot sun. And what's this? Is that singing coming from the cave opening in front of us?
Entering the cave, we go under a banner reading "WELCOME HOME, BRER RABBIT" and into the ride's fantastic finale. The centerpiece of this scene is a gigantic riverboat called the "Zip-a-Dee-Lady", filled with chickens, foxes, can-caning geese, a goose who acts as the pilot, and a pig playing the organ. Also here are the Swamp Boys, a band made up of three instrument-playing alligators. Mr. Bluebird also reappears here, perched on a treebranch and whistling along to the other critters' singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah".
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Welcomin' back Brer Rabbit today
We always knew that he'd get away
He's had enough of movin' on now
It's where he's born and bred in
The briar patch is where he's headin'
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' our way
We never doubted he'd get away
Movin' on taught him a lesson
You learned it well, Brer Rabbit
Gettin' caught's a nasty habit
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', feelin' this way!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
It's a time for celebratin' today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Gathered together this wonderful day
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Brer Fox and Brer Bear are gonna get it today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
That hungry gator's gettin' his way
Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!"
We then float by another small jugband consisting of a fat bear drumming on an upside-down washtub, a lanky wolf strumming a banjo, a rooster playing a fiddle, a skunk playing a washboard, and a beaver playing a one-stringed "thang". After that, we come across none other than Brer Fox, who is currently standing atop Brer Bear's briar-stuck bottom to escape Brer Gator, who is currently chomping on his tail. "YOW! This is all your fault, Brer Bear! You let Brer Rabbit get away! YEOW! And stop that singin'! YOOOOOOOW!" Brer Fox snaps as the bear can be heard stupidly singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". Cruising by them, we then see Brer Rabbit, who is currently relaxing outside of his Briar Patch home and singing as well.
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Home sweet home is the lesson today
My, oh my, born and bred in the Briar Patch and I'm here to stay!
I'm through with movin' on now
It's where I'm born and bred in
The briar patch is where I'm headin'
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm back in my home now, and I'm sure gonna stay!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Home sweet home is the lesson today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm glad to be home now
And I'm here to stay!
Movin' on taught me a lesson
But what Brer Fox don't know is
The Briar Patch is where my home is!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm back in my home now, and I'm gonna stay!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
It's a time for celebratin' today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm sure glad to be here, and I'm here to stay!
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Home sweet home is the lesson today
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
I'm back in my home now, and I'm here to stay!
Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-Ay
Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!"
The attraction's unload area is held inside what appears to be a Boat Rental Shack. Seated on the porch outside is Brer Frog again, finishing up his story to the younger critters. "And that's how Brer Rabbit was able to outwit Brer Fox and Brer Bear. He sure learned his lesson," he chuckles. "You can't run away from trouble... there ain't no place THAT far." Finally, our log comes to a complete stop, and we are given the opportunity to unload. The attraction exits out into the Chickapin Hill Photography Studio, where you can pick up an on-ride photo of your fall into the Briar Patch.
Next ride-through. Don't worry, we'll head back to Adventureland and take a ride on Indiana Jones, but I'm still working on the ride-through for that. In the meantime, here's the ride-through for Western River Expedition. I actually had a lot of inspiration from @DisneyManOne's versions of the attraction. I hope that's okay. But I tried very hard to make mine at least a LITTLE different.
We climb into our wooden, twelve-person boats, apparently rowboats judging from their appearance - the front section is dedicated to seating and the back is stocked with a large number of crates. The ride system is similar to that of Pirates of the Caribbean over in Adventureland, but the boats aren't as long and the flume is wider. Each boat has four rows of three. The friendly voice of our narrator, Hoot Gibson, can be heard: "Hoo! Hoo! Howdy, everybody! Headin' out to the ol' frontier, are ya? Well then, for your safety, please stay seated and keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the rowboat, and please watch your young'uns. Oh, and be sure to stow your personal belongin's away. You can't bee too careful around here, ya know. Strange things have been known to happen around these parts..."
Our boat leaves the dock and chugs through the canyon as the sun sets off in the horizon and the sky turns into one you would see at night, millions of twinkling stars appearing in the process. Every so often, you'll hear the howl of a far-off coyote. Among the foliage and rocks is a large tree, and sitting on one of its branches is old Hoot Gibson himself (voiced by Travis Oates), a wise old owl who at the moment is fast asleep. As we approach the tree, he wakes up and takes notice of us. "Hoo! Hoo! Roamin' the ol' frontier, eh? No better place for a good adventure if you ask me," he says. "Some of the best adventures happen right here in the west, and nights like these remind me of the good ol' days of cowboys and pioneers... Wouldn't it be great if there was a way we could actually get back to the old west? You know, I can almost hear those old cowpokes singing around the campfire now..."
This is the cue for a shooting star to fly by in the night sky, and suddenly the stars form constellations of cowboys, buffalo, horses, etc. Drifting under the branch, we head towards an old cave. Inside, you'll find hundreds of stalactites, stalagmites, and rockwork - many of them resembling familiar old west shapes such as a rabbit, a coyote, and a cowboy. It's here that our boat starts up a small lift hill and re-emerge back outside before floating through the open prairie at nightfall.
Large shadowy buttes dot a landscape and the open night sky. The words to the ride's theme song can be heard. Three large buffaloes are gathered around a trio of prairie dogs poking their heads in and out of their holes barking the "words" to the song. Nearby, a cowboy atop his horse strums a guitar and sings, his cattle bellowing along with his tune. Scattered around the cowboy and cattle are several confused-looking desert animals: a jackrabbit, a roadrunner, a fourth buffalo, a fourth prairie dog, and a desert tortoise. Framed in natural rock arches are coyotes in the distance, howling along. Nearby, a cook at the cowboy's chuck wagon is also singing, as are the cowboy's three buddies, who are sitting around a campfire. Strangely enough, they're joined by an entire chorus of singing cacti. One cowboy only has one boot on - the other boot is lying nearby, and if you look closely you'll see a befuddled rattlesnake slithering out of it. What the campers don't know, of course, is that a trio of grizzly cubs have wandered into their campsite. Two cubs cheer on the third one as he perches atop one of the cacti swiping fish from a nearby clothesline. One cowboy plays the banjo, blissfully singing and completely unaware that a huge grizzly bear - presumably, this is the mother of the cubs - is right behind him and letting out a loud ROAR.
As we approach the riverbank, Hoot Gibson reappears wearing a prospector's hat. "Boy, this is when the gold mines were basically the gatherin' place for all the prospectors in the west," he tells us. "They all wanted a piece of it, and as a result, mines went bust." Indeed, four miners are kneeling along the banks of the river, shuffling their pans in the water. One of them finds a pair of underwear in his pan. His nearby mule clutches a pan in its mouth, also dipping it in the water, but he's not having much luck either. Occasionally he'll lift the pan back up and let out a frustrated "EEHAW!" before trying again. A fifth miner, his hat covering his eyes, snoozes with a fishing pole in his hands. Every so often, the line tugs and a large fish leaps up from the water.
"Just a word of warnin', folks," we hear Hoot Gibson say. "When roamin' the frontier, it's best to be on your guard. The desert may look beautiful at sunset, but it can be a mighty dangerous place too." Indeed, up ahead we see a quintet of banditos holding up a stagecoach crossing a wooden bridge. Each bandito wears a bandana, as do the grizzly bears that they're riding. A couple of mules look on curiously. The Head Bandito wears a top hat and rides a mangy black bear much larger than the grizzlies, a bear with one glowing eye, an eyepatch, jagged teeth, and a tiny bowler hat. Pointing his guns at us, the Head Bandito (Eric Bauza) snarls, "If someone finds out about us, it's your head, you hear? I assure you that we will meet again, amigos..."
We suddenly dip down a small drop and head towards a far-off western town. Hoot Gibson, now wearing a cowboy hat, appears and informs us, "Ah, Dry Gulch. This is the place where all those miners went to spend their newfound fortunes. Every night was like a wild hoedown, and greed and depravity ruled the land..." The water becomes choppier and speeds up a bit, as though they're whitewater rapids. Among the cattle skulls, tumbleweeds and briars, a flock of goofy-looking vultures can be seen watching us, perched on the arms of cacti. One vulture wears a cowboy hat. Don't ask me where he got it from. In the blink of an eye, we plunge down another waterfall and reach the city limits of Dry Gulch, the roughest town in the west. A sign comes into view reading "WELCOME TO DRY GULCH. POPULATION: WHOEVER SURVIVES. TOWN FOUNDER: WHO KNOWS?" Perched atop the sign is a raven.
The town walls are littered with wanted posters for various criminals. The right side of town is bathed in bright blue moonlight, the houses standing out with their green clapboard and yellow windows. Everywhere you look on this side of town are cowboys having themselves a wild good time. At a local saloon, an extremely-drunk cowboy (Tom Kenny) sits atop his drunk-out-of-his-mind horse atop the general store, firing his guns in the air and hollering various words that back in the day the prairie folk considered offensive. "YEEHAW! I'VE NEVER FELT THIS GOOD! I'M A FLYING EAGLE!" he shouts, to which his horse responds with a loud neigh. The general store owner (Jeff Bennett) stands on one side of his shop's porch, angrily waving his fist and shouting, "Get down from there at once, you no-good cowpoke! I'll call the cavalry on you in an instant!" On the other side of the porch, another cowboy cheers on his friend, waving his hat in the air. Horses tethered nearby cheer on the cowboy's horse. A mother (Tress MacNeille) appears, covering her son's ears and saying, "Never become a cowboy, Billy. They're horrible men." HER mother (also Tress MacNeille), waving her umbrella furiously, snaps, "Hush now, Sarah! Your father was a cowboy and I was a cowgirl. GET DOWN FROM THERE, YOU RASCALLY, FLEA-BITTEN VARMINT!"
Outside the saloon, the house pianist can be seen tickling the ivories of his honky-tonk piano. Several dance hall girls perform the can-can. Why are they outside? Well, through the windows we can see the shadows of brawling cowboys. One cowboy has fallen face-first in the mud.
Atop an overhead bridge (which we naturally go under) stand a drunken cowboy firing his guns and screaming the song's lyrics at the top of his lungs. Right next to him is a Native American, covering his ears and scowling. Next, we find ourselves at a rodeo, where several have gathered to watch a large bull chase a foolish farmhand in circles. At the end of the street, a salesman known as Dr. Fix-It (Maurice LaMarche) presenting his wares from atop a stage produced from his wagon. The wagon reads "DR. FIX-IT! HE CAN FIX ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! HENCE WHY HE'S CALLED THAT!" Today, he has gathered the attention of two children, a horse, a trio of pigs, a duck and her ducklings, and a lazy bloodhound. Onstage he is joined by a strong-man (or rather, some guy behind a piece of wood painted to look like a strongman) and a rather angry bear playing a fiddle. Holding a bottle of some sort of miracle tonic, he boasts, "I, Dr. Fix-It, have the answer to all your problems! I present the one and only Strong-Man Potion! It will solve all your problems guaranteed! Drink one drop of this tonic and your life is saved!" One of the children (Tara Stong) asks, "But I am a little girl. How can this help me?" Dr. Fix-It replies, "Do you want that dolly in the toy shop window?" "Yes," the little girl admits. "Well, you can't have it unless you're a strong-man!" Dr. Fix-It claims. Not realizing that she's being conned, the little girl says, "I'll take twenty!" "That-a girl! How about that, ladies and gentlemen? Our first customer!" Dr. Fix-It says proudly. "Who's next? Who wants a bottle?" Reaching his hand in the air, the other child (Elizabeth Daily) says, "I do! I do!" "Son, you're a genius. What for?" Dr. Fix-It asks the boy, who says, "I want to marry Mary Sue." "Mary Sue? Why, that's a horse's name!" Dr. Fix-It chortles, which results in the horse looking offended. "Why marry her when you can be a strong-man forever? You don't need love!" Fooled, the boy exclaims, "And how! I'll take twenty!"
Off to the side of Dr. Fix-It's wagon is another one of his little stints - "Take Your Picture With a Bear". Here a photographer takes a picture of a rather goofy-looking cowpoke next to a bored-looking bear.
Now, in contrast to the blue palate that decorates the right side of the town, the left side of the town is bathed in a fiery red. On this side, a bank robbery and gun battle is underway - the result of too much alcohol and too little authority. Various shady-looking outlaws duck in-and-out from behind misplaced safes, overturned furniture, and confused-looking animals, firing guns at both us and other criminals. The Cavalry has joined the battle, returning fire and attempting to keep what little piece the town has left. The brave general (Jim Cummings) sits atop his proud horse, barking orders to his men. A couple robbers have pulled the entire safe out of the bank and are using it as a shield. The town barber peeks outside his shop, returning fire. The Mayor (Jeff Bergman) opens the doors of City Hall, shouting, "I will have order! As mayor of this city, I..." Before he can finish his sentence, his hat is suddenly spun around by a gunshot, and he looks at us and says "You're on your own." Then he heads back inside. The town's cowardly sheriff can be seen hiding behind a nearby barrel, gun at hand but too terrified to go back into town, his fierce-looking but also terrified dog at his side. The sheriff's horse, meanwhile, is pursuing a criminal through the town, neighing ferociously. Nobody notices the clearly-visible tunnel being dug from beneath the jailhouse, nor does anybody hear the sound of escaping prisoners digging away underground. The sheriff's deputy hides behind a building, taking an absurdly long time to shoot her targets.
Leaving all of this madness behind, we turn a corner and enter a dense pine forest on the outskirts of town. Up ahead, we hear the sound of Native Americans drumming and chanting. Hoot Gibson reappears and whispers, "These natives are summoning the Thunderbird, the only bird capable to calm the greed of men. But be warned, a storm is coming..." We approach a Plains Indian Village, where the natives are taking part in a ceremony of sorts, intended to summon the mighty Thunderbird. Some chant and pound drums, others dance. A roaring fire produces smoke-made images of the Thunderbird, among other things. An incoming storm can be heard, complete with the rumbling of thunder. The friendly Chief (Wes Studi) attempts to warn us from proceeding: "No. It's too dangerous. Please do not go further." Because we're fools, we do indeed go further.
The water becomes rapid, the storm has begun, and rain, thunder, and lightning surround us on all sides. Red-eyed wolves begin to appear in the foilage, growling hungrily. At one point, a mountain lion even pounces out and snarls at us. We try to evade the storm by ducking into a nearby cave, but inside flood water begins to pour into the canyon from the buttes above to the left and right, spattering on jagged rocks. The boat turns another corner and begins chugging up a huge waterfall that takes us out of the cave, where we finally see it. The enormous Thunderbird, flapping its wings and letting out a mighty screech. It creates a huge bolt of lightning that strikes a tree, causing it to burst into flame.
Soon the whole forest is on fire. A frightened Hoot reappears in a nearby tree and says, "Don't worry, folks! I've found a safe place up ahead where you can get outta your boats and get away from the flames!" As the waters become choppier and the flames become hotter, we go around a bend in the river and run right into those banditos from before. "Did I not say that we would meet again, amigos?" the Head Bandito growls. "But do not worry, we will be happy to help you ashore... for a price." The boat comes to a stop as the Head Bandito speaks. After a few seconds, he snaps, "Not willing to pay, are you? Then it's over the falls for you! Adios!"
The Head Bandito laughs evilly as the boat suddenly tips down a large waterfall - about fifteen feet to be precise - into the darkness below, landing with a splash in the beautiful Rainbow Caverns. Stalactites and stalagmites line the ceiling and floor, whilst phosphorescent pools glowing in a number of different colors serve as the home for a spectacular display of fountains. A triumphant arrangement of the Western River Expedition theme plays. Hoot Gibson appears once again in a little rowboat, dressed as a fisherman with his line cast in the water and a pole in his wings. "Ain't nothin' like a western adventure, eh?" he asks us. "Heh, and it looks like those old banditos got what was comin' to them!" Indeed, rounding a bend we find the nest of the sleeping Thunderbird, and on the opposite side of the nest are the banditos, who've been tied to a post and surrounded by chirping baby Thunderbirds, all reaching up their necks hungrily. A little ways down, the banditos' bear mounts have fallen asleep in awkward positions.
And with that, our boat pulls back into the load area. "Well, I guess our little adventure on the western frontier has come to an end," we hear Hoot Gibson say. "But don't worry - they'll always be a day for another one. So when the boat stops, kindly step out to your right, and until we meet again, so long!" Once the boat comes to a stop, we disembark and head up a flight of stone stairs back outside to Frontierland for another adventure.
Western River Expedition
As I've said before, the base of Big Thunder Mountain holds the entrance to the attraction, a small cave opening with a wooden sign above the entryway. Once inside, you're immersed deep in the underground caverns and mine shafts of the mountain. At one point, you might just walk under the track from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad without even knowing it. Eventually, you'll walk up a small wooden staircase and arrive in the attraction's load area, which represents a canyon at sunset. Look closely, and you'll notice that some of the clouds in the sky resemble cowboys, cacti and long-horn steers.We climb into our wooden, twelve-person boats, apparently rowboats judging from their appearance - the front section is dedicated to seating and the back is stocked with a large number of crates. The ride system is similar to that of Pirates of the Caribbean over in Adventureland, but the boats aren't as long and the flume is wider. Each boat has four rows of three. The friendly voice of our narrator, Hoot Gibson, can be heard: "Hoo! Hoo! Howdy, everybody! Headin' out to the ol' frontier, are ya? Well then, for your safety, please stay seated and keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the rowboat, and please watch your young'uns. Oh, and be sure to stow your personal belongin's away. You can't bee too careful around here, ya know. Strange things have been known to happen around these parts..."
Our boat leaves the dock and chugs through the canyon as the sun sets off in the horizon and the sky turns into one you would see at night, millions of twinkling stars appearing in the process. Every so often, you'll hear the howl of a far-off coyote. Among the foliage and rocks is a large tree, and sitting on one of its branches is old Hoot Gibson himself (voiced by Travis Oates), a wise old owl who at the moment is fast asleep. As we approach the tree, he wakes up and takes notice of us. "Hoo! Hoo! Roamin' the ol' frontier, eh? No better place for a good adventure if you ask me," he says. "Some of the best adventures happen right here in the west, and nights like these remind me of the good ol' days of cowboys and pioneers... Wouldn't it be great if there was a way we could actually get back to the old west? You know, I can almost hear those old cowpokes singing around the campfire now..."
This is the cue for a shooting star to fly by in the night sky, and suddenly the stars form constellations of cowboys, buffalo, horses, etc. Drifting under the branch, we head towards an old cave. Inside, you'll find hundreds of stalactites, stalagmites, and rockwork - many of them resembling familiar old west shapes such as a rabbit, a coyote, and a cowboy. It's here that our boat starts up a small lift hill and re-emerge back outside before floating through the open prairie at nightfall.
Large shadowy buttes dot a landscape and the open night sky. The words to the ride's theme song can be heard. Three large buffaloes are gathered around a trio of prairie dogs poking their heads in and out of their holes barking the "words" to the song. Nearby, a cowboy atop his horse strums a guitar and sings, his cattle bellowing along with his tune. Scattered around the cowboy and cattle are several confused-looking desert animals: a jackrabbit, a roadrunner, a fourth buffalo, a fourth prairie dog, and a desert tortoise. Framed in natural rock arches are coyotes in the distance, howling along. Nearby, a cook at the cowboy's chuck wagon is also singing, as are the cowboy's three buddies, who are sitting around a campfire. Strangely enough, they're joined by an entire chorus of singing cacti. One cowboy only has one boot on - the other boot is lying nearby, and if you look closely you'll see a befuddled rattlesnake slithering out of it. What the campers don't know, of course, is that a trio of grizzly cubs have wandered into their campsite. Two cubs cheer on the third one as he perches atop one of the cacti swiping fish from a nearby clothesline. One cowboy plays the banjo, blissfully singing and completely unaware that a huge grizzly bear - presumably, this is the mother of the cubs - is right behind him and letting out a loud ROAR.
As we approach the riverbank, Hoot Gibson reappears wearing a prospector's hat. "Boy, this is when the gold mines were basically the gatherin' place for all the prospectors in the west," he tells us. "They all wanted a piece of it, and as a result, mines went bust." Indeed, four miners are kneeling along the banks of the river, shuffling their pans in the water. One of them finds a pair of underwear in his pan. His nearby mule clutches a pan in its mouth, also dipping it in the water, but he's not having much luck either. Occasionally he'll lift the pan back up and let out a frustrated "EEHAW!" before trying again. A fifth miner, his hat covering his eyes, snoozes with a fishing pole in his hands. Every so often, the line tugs and a large fish leaps up from the water.
"Just a word of warnin', folks," we hear Hoot Gibson say. "When roamin' the frontier, it's best to be on your guard. The desert may look beautiful at sunset, but it can be a mighty dangerous place too." Indeed, up ahead we see a quintet of banditos holding up a stagecoach crossing a wooden bridge. Each bandito wears a bandana, as do the grizzly bears that they're riding. A couple of mules look on curiously. The Head Bandito wears a top hat and rides a mangy black bear much larger than the grizzlies, a bear with one glowing eye, an eyepatch, jagged teeth, and a tiny bowler hat. Pointing his guns at us, the Head Bandito (Eric Bauza) snarls, "If someone finds out about us, it's your head, you hear? I assure you that we will meet again, amigos..."
We suddenly dip down a small drop and head towards a far-off western town. Hoot Gibson, now wearing a cowboy hat, appears and informs us, "Ah, Dry Gulch. This is the place where all those miners went to spend their newfound fortunes. Every night was like a wild hoedown, and greed and depravity ruled the land..." The water becomes choppier and speeds up a bit, as though they're whitewater rapids. Among the cattle skulls, tumbleweeds and briars, a flock of goofy-looking vultures can be seen watching us, perched on the arms of cacti. One vulture wears a cowboy hat. Don't ask me where he got it from. In the blink of an eye, we plunge down another waterfall and reach the city limits of Dry Gulch, the roughest town in the west. A sign comes into view reading "WELCOME TO DRY GULCH. POPULATION: WHOEVER SURVIVES. TOWN FOUNDER: WHO KNOWS?" Perched atop the sign is a raven.
The town walls are littered with wanted posters for various criminals. The right side of town is bathed in bright blue moonlight, the houses standing out with their green clapboard and yellow windows. Everywhere you look on this side of town are cowboys having themselves a wild good time. At a local saloon, an extremely-drunk cowboy (Tom Kenny) sits atop his drunk-out-of-his-mind horse atop the general store, firing his guns in the air and hollering various words that back in the day the prairie folk considered offensive. "YEEHAW! I'VE NEVER FELT THIS GOOD! I'M A FLYING EAGLE!" he shouts, to which his horse responds with a loud neigh. The general store owner (Jeff Bennett) stands on one side of his shop's porch, angrily waving his fist and shouting, "Get down from there at once, you no-good cowpoke! I'll call the cavalry on you in an instant!" On the other side of the porch, another cowboy cheers on his friend, waving his hat in the air. Horses tethered nearby cheer on the cowboy's horse. A mother (Tress MacNeille) appears, covering her son's ears and saying, "Never become a cowboy, Billy. They're horrible men." HER mother (also Tress MacNeille), waving her umbrella furiously, snaps, "Hush now, Sarah! Your father was a cowboy and I was a cowgirl. GET DOWN FROM THERE, YOU RASCALLY, FLEA-BITTEN VARMINT!"
Outside the saloon, the house pianist can be seen tickling the ivories of his honky-tonk piano. Several dance hall girls perform the can-can. Why are they outside? Well, through the windows we can see the shadows of brawling cowboys. One cowboy has fallen face-first in the mud.
Atop an overhead bridge (which we naturally go under) stand a drunken cowboy firing his guns and screaming the song's lyrics at the top of his lungs. Right next to him is a Native American, covering his ears and scowling. Next, we find ourselves at a rodeo, where several have gathered to watch a large bull chase a foolish farmhand in circles. At the end of the street, a salesman known as Dr. Fix-It (Maurice LaMarche) presenting his wares from atop a stage produced from his wagon. The wagon reads "DR. FIX-IT! HE CAN FIX ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! HENCE WHY HE'S CALLED THAT!" Today, he has gathered the attention of two children, a horse, a trio of pigs, a duck and her ducklings, and a lazy bloodhound. Onstage he is joined by a strong-man (or rather, some guy behind a piece of wood painted to look like a strongman) and a rather angry bear playing a fiddle. Holding a bottle of some sort of miracle tonic, he boasts, "I, Dr. Fix-It, have the answer to all your problems! I present the one and only Strong-Man Potion! It will solve all your problems guaranteed! Drink one drop of this tonic and your life is saved!" One of the children (Tara Stong) asks, "But I am a little girl. How can this help me?" Dr. Fix-It replies, "Do you want that dolly in the toy shop window?" "Yes," the little girl admits. "Well, you can't have it unless you're a strong-man!" Dr. Fix-It claims. Not realizing that she's being conned, the little girl says, "I'll take twenty!" "That-a girl! How about that, ladies and gentlemen? Our first customer!" Dr. Fix-It says proudly. "Who's next? Who wants a bottle?" Reaching his hand in the air, the other child (Elizabeth Daily) says, "I do! I do!" "Son, you're a genius. What for?" Dr. Fix-It asks the boy, who says, "I want to marry Mary Sue." "Mary Sue? Why, that's a horse's name!" Dr. Fix-It chortles, which results in the horse looking offended. "Why marry her when you can be a strong-man forever? You don't need love!" Fooled, the boy exclaims, "And how! I'll take twenty!"
Off to the side of Dr. Fix-It's wagon is another one of his little stints - "Take Your Picture With a Bear". Here a photographer takes a picture of a rather goofy-looking cowpoke next to a bored-looking bear.
Now, in contrast to the blue palate that decorates the right side of the town, the left side of the town is bathed in a fiery red. On this side, a bank robbery and gun battle is underway - the result of too much alcohol and too little authority. Various shady-looking outlaws duck in-and-out from behind misplaced safes, overturned furniture, and confused-looking animals, firing guns at both us and other criminals. The Cavalry has joined the battle, returning fire and attempting to keep what little piece the town has left. The brave general (Jim Cummings) sits atop his proud horse, barking orders to his men. A couple robbers have pulled the entire safe out of the bank and are using it as a shield. The town barber peeks outside his shop, returning fire. The Mayor (Jeff Bergman) opens the doors of City Hall, shouting, "I will have order! As mayor of this city, I..." Before he can finish his sentence, his hat is suddenly spun around by a gunshot, and he looks at us and says "You're on your own." Then he heads back inside. The town's cowardly sheriff can be seen hiding behind a nearby barrel, gun at hand but too terrified to go back into town, his fierce-looking but also terrified dog at his side. The sheriff's horse, meanwhile, is pursuing a criminal through the town, neighing ferociously. Nobody notices the clearly-visible tunnel being dug from beneath the jailhouse, nor does anybody hear the sound of escaping prisoners digging away underground. The sheriff's deputy hides behind a building, taking an absurdly long time to shoot her targets.
Leaving all of this madness behind, we turn a corner and enter a dense pine forest on the outskirts of town. Up ahead, we hear the sound of Native Americans drumming and chanting. Hoot Gibson reappears and whispers, "These natives are summoning the Thunderbird, the only bird capable to calm the greed of men. But be warned, a storm is coming..." We approach a Plains Indian Village, where the natives are taking part in a ceremony of sorts, intended to summon the mighty Thunderbird. Some chant and pound drums, others dance. A roaring fire produces smoke-made images of the Thunderbird, among other things. An incoming storm can be heard, complete with the rumbling of thunder. The friendly Chief (Wes Studi) attempts to warn us from proceeding: "No. It's too dangerous. Please do not go further." Because we're fools, we do indeed go further.
The water becomes rapid, the storm has begun, and rain, thunder, and lightning surround us on all sides. Red-eyed wolves begin to appear in the foilage, growling hungrily. At one point, a mountain lion even pounces out and snarls at us. We try to evade the storm by ducking into a nearby cave, but inside flood water begins to pour into the canyon from the buttes above to the left and right, spattering on jagged rocks. The boat turns another corner and begins chugging up a huge waterfall that takes us out of the cave, where we finally see it. The enormous Thunderbird, flapping its wings and letting out a mighty screech. It creates a huge bolt of lightning that strikes a tree, causing it to burst into flame.
Soon the whole forest is on fire. A frightened Hoot reappears in a nearby tree and says, "Don't worry, folks! I've found a safe place up ahead where you can get outta your boats and get away from the flames!" As the waters become choppier and the flames become hotter, we go around a bend in the river and run right into those banditos from before. "Did I not say that we would meet again, amigos?" the Head Bandito growls. "But do not worry, we will be happy to help you ashore... for a price." The boat comes to a stop as the Head Bandito speaks. After a few seconds, he snaps, "Not willing to pay, are you? Then it's over the falls for you! Adios!"
The Head Bandito laughs evilly as the boat suddenly tips down a large waterfall - about fifteen feet to be precise - into the darkness below, landing with a splash in the beautiful Rainbow Caverns. Stalactites and stalagmites line the ceiling and floor, whilst phosphorescent pools glowing in a number of different colors serve as the home for a spectacular display of fountains. A triumphant arrangement of the Western River Expedition theme plays. Hoot Gibson appears once again in a little rowboat, dressed as a fisherman with his line cast in the water and a pole in his wings. "Ain't nothin' like a western adventure, eh?" he asks us. "Heh, and it looks like those old banditos got what was comin' to them!" Indeed, rounding a bend we find the nest of the sleeping Thunderbird, and on the opposite side of the nest are the banditos, who've been tied to a post and surrounded by chirping baby Thunderbirds, all reaching up their necks hungrily. A little ways down, the banditos' bear mounts have fallen asleep in awkward positions.
And with that, our boat pulls back into the load area. "Well, I guess our little adventure on the western frontier has come to an end," we hear Hoot Gibson say. "But don't worry - they'll always be a day for another one. So when the boat stops, kindly step out to your right, and until we meet again, so long!" Once the boat comes to a stop, we disembark and head up a flight of stone stairs back outside to Frontierland for another adventure.
As requested by @Miru, here's...
The answer to that is YES. Yes we do. Into the entryway we journey, making our way through subterranean corridors dimly lit by flickering lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Bamboo poles keep the ceiling from falling down on top of us - don't touch one, or you'll hear the ceiling start to crumble. Cobwebs and strange carvings decorate the walls. Eventually, we enter a small chamber where a film projector creates the image of a black-and-white newsreel on a screen. In the video, an unseen announcer (Corey Burton) says, "Deep in the remote jungles of India sits the foreboding Temple of the Fire Snake. Rumor has it that it got its name from a supernatural creature that calls the temple home - a fantastic beast known as the Fire Snake. Nobody has gotten to actually lay eyes on this beast... hence, many have traveled to India simply to visit the temple and get a good look at it, from film directors to the paparazzi to, well, folks that aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer. However, all of those that have entered the temple have yet to come back out. A week ago, the man who discovered the temple, archaeologist Indiana Jones, ventured into the temple himself to solve this riddle. But he, too, has yet to reappear. Could he have had a run-in with the quote-unquote 'Fire Snake'?"
Suddenly, the video cuts to an image of Sallah, played by John Rhys-Davies, sitting on the hood of a jeep. "Welcome, my friends, to the Temple of the Fire Snake!" he greets us. "I, Sallah, shall now give you counsel to seek out a miraculous journey. Here in your transportation devices are ingenious pouches for safekeeping all earthly treasures when the journey becomes, uh, bumpy. And to keep YOU safe and sound, I advise you to keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the vehicle at all times. And just to make sure you do, there are special belts attached to the seats. Simply pull it from the right, inserting it into the left like so. A word of warning to you all: your off-road journey is high-speed and turbulent - going over rough and rugged terrain, and then suddenly you are turning sharply, and dropping suddenly! It is unlike ANYTHING you have ever experienced, I assure you. Well, my friends, the moment is drawing near. Already I am envious of the wonders that await you - IF you manage to avoid encountering the Fire Snake, that is..."
Afterwards, we walk under the screen and down a flight of wooden stairs into the ride's load station, held in the temple's core. Each transport-jeep has three rows of four, fitting a total of twelve. In front of us is a dark tunnel. Upon boarding, Sallah's voice crackles from an unseen radio: "Hello? Hello? Come in! Splendid! Hello again, my esteemed friends! Remember to put all earthly treasures in the pouch directly in front of you and stay seated with the seatbelt well-fastened and your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the transport. If you are traveling with children, you must keep a close watch on them. Buckle up tightly now!" As the jeep begins to move, Sallah adds, "Friends, the brakes may be needing a little adjustment. Heh heh. Easy on the curves. Good luck, everyone!"
The tunnel is very dark, but if you squint you can make out strange carvings and murals. Listen closely and you'll hear water dripping from the ceiling and the squealing of scurrying rats. Eventually, our jeep starts up a small hill towards a stone statue of the Fire Snake, its mouth open wide and its eyes appearing to glow. The ceiling above twinkles with fiber-optic stars, and all around us are piles and piles of treasures and artifacts. Suddenly, a voice hisses, "Come closer... closer..." The jeep does, eventually coming to a stop right in front of the Fire Snake statue. Suddenly, lightning flashes and thunder rumbles as the stone statue suddenly begins to crack and fall apart before bursting into flame. Where the statue once stood is now the actual Fire Snake in all of its flaming, terrifying glory. "Yeeeeeeeeeeees..." it snarls (with the voice of Keith David). "You have freed me from my stone prison... for that, you shall be rewarded... with my wrath!"
The entire room suddenly bursts into flame. Jets of fire even appear from out of the ground as we do a U-Turn and try to escape, swerving around the flames. As if that wasn't enough, giant statues of tiger-headed warriors surround us on all sides, many of them throwing their giant spears at us as we go by. At the end of the room, we see Indiana Jones himself (Dave Temple), holding on to a vine descended from the ceiling. "Great. I ask for help and they send me TOURISTS," he groans, baffled. "Swerve left. That's the only way out. And try not to get into any more trouble, would you?"
Taking his advice, we immediately swerve left into another chamber... which just so happens to be full of hissing cobras. "Why did it have to be snakes?!" we hear Dr. Jones exclaim. "Sorry, but you guys are on your own. Watch out for anything that slithers!" Fortunately, we manage to dodge the snakes and head up a large flight of stairs out of the chamber, then cross a rickety wooden bridge over an enormous pool of magma. Rocks and debris fall from the ceiling, just NARROWLY missing us. We also have to watch out for dive-bombing bats. Eventually, we make it across the bridge and into another chamber.
Suddenly, our jeep screeches to a halt. It's stuck on something. But what? As the jeep's headlights flicker on, we discover that the room is full of spider webs... and a couple extremely large spiders. As if things couldn't get any more tense, a giant tarantula - at least the size of the jeep - descends down in front of our jeep. Before the tarantula can do... whatever it is that it plans on doing, the jeep manages to get free and speed off into the next chamber.
The next chamber initially doesn't seem too bad... it's dark, sure... and there are a few rats scurrying about, but they don't want to hurt us. They're just staring at us in our jeep, tilting their heads in confusion. And then things take a turn for the terrifying. Mummified skeletons suddenly appear, reaching towards us and groaning. One wears a tattered pair of Mickey Mouse Ears. Peeking out from behind a quartet of skeletons, Indy says, "Tourists? I thought I told you to get out of here. Well, watch your step. We don't want to interrupt their beauty sleep." This is our cue to speed out of the chamber, going over the occasional bump. "I said watch your step!" Indy calls after us.
Lightning flashes and thunder rumbles as we enter the next chamber, where water pours down the walls. Soon, the room is very much flooded. Regardless, our jeep manages to make it across the room, where we see Indiana Jones again... soaked and surrounded by monstrous crocodiles, one of which he's standing on the back of. He tries to fight them off with his whip, shouting, "Back! Back! Go find something else to snack on!" One of the crocodiles turns and begins to swim towards us. "I didn't mean the tourists!" Indy complains. "Quick, get out of here!" We don't need to be told twice. Immediately, our jeep speeds out of the chamber.
By now, it's just complete chaos. Walls crumble, rocks fall, more tiger-headed warrior statues throw spears at us, and a giant boulder even comes our way. Indy reappears, hanging from a rope in front of the boulder. "Careful down there! Ugh, I've got a bad feeling about this!" he groans. The floor suddenly gives way, sending us down a small drop and into the attraction's grand finale.
The Fire Snake reappears, larger than life and very, very close to our faces. He slithers around the room, igniting most of the room and allowing it to burst into flame. In fact, we soon find ourselves engulfed in a tornado made of fire, spinning around as the Fire Snake cackles.
Fortunately, Indiana Jones arrives to rescue us. As the thunder gets louder and the lightning gets brighter, the archaeologist appears with a spear stolen from one of those warrior statues and throws it at the roof of the temple, causing it to crumble. Immediately, the room begins to fill with rain, extinguishing the Fire Snake as it lets out a pained roar. Also extinguished is the fire that surrounds us, allowing us to make our escape.
As we head up another flight of stairs and return to the temple floor, we see Indiana Jones again one more time before arriving back in the load area. He stands on a collapsed statue of a tiger-headed warrior, a bit beaten by all that went on. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" he quips. "Now, stay out of trouble, will ya?" The franchise's iconic theme begins to play triumphantly as we reenter the load area and disembark.
Forgive me if this ride-through isn't very good... I haven't seen an Indiana Jones film in decades, and I've never been on any of the Indiana Jones rides, so I mainly had @MANEATINGWREATH and @DisneyManOne's own Indiana Jones rides and a ride-through video of Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure for inspiration.
INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE: THE TEMPLE OF THE FIRE SNAKE
The foreboding Temple of the Fire Snake looms high over Adventureland. An uphill trail, almost labyrinth-esque in design, serves as the queue for this attraction, decorated with large columns decorated with carvings of cobras - fitting, given the temple's namesake. At night, torches light up the queue. Eventually, we reach the base of the temple, where a large mural depicts the horrific Fire Snake himself: a strange sort of beast, snakelike in appearance but seemingly made entirely of flames. Do we dare go inside the small entryway in the temple's base?The answer to that is YES. Yes we do. Into the entryway we journey, making our way through subterranean corridors dimly lit by flickering lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Bamboo poles keep the ceiling from falling down on top of us - don't touch one, or you'll hear the ceiling start to crumble. Cobwebs and strange carvings decorate the walls. Eventually, we enter a small chamber where a film projector creates the image of a black-and-white newsreel on a screen. In the video, an unseen announcer (Corey Burton) says, "Deep in the remote jungles of India sits the foreboding Temple of the Fire Snake. Rumor has it that it got its name from a supernatural creature that calls the temple home - a fantastic beast known as the Fire Snake. Nobody has gotten to actually lay eyes on this beast... hence, many have traveled to India simply to visit the temple and get a good look at it, from film directors to the paparazzi to, well, folks that aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer. However, all of those that have entered the temple have yet to come back out. A week ago, the man who discovered the temple, archaeologist Indiana Jones, ventured into the temple himself to solve this riddle. But he, too, has yet to reappear. Could he have had a run-in with the quote-unquote 'Fire Snake'?"
Suddenly, the video cuts to an image of Sallah, played by John Rhys-Davies, sitting on the hood of a jeep. "Welcome, my friends, to the Temple of the Fire Snake!" he greets us. "I, Sallah, shall now give you counsel to seek out a miraculous journey. Here in your transportation devices are ingenious pouches for safekeeping all earthly treasures when the journey becomes, uh, bumpy. And to keep YOU safe and sound, I advise you to keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the vehicle at all times. And just to make sure you do, there are special belts attached to the seats. Simply pull it from the right, inserting it into the left like so. A word of warning to you all: your off-road journey is high-speed and turbulent - going over rough and rugged terrain, and then suddenly you are turning sharply, and dropping suddenly! It is unlike ANYTHING you have ever experienced, I assure you. Well, my friends, the moment is drawing near. Already I am envious of the wonders that await you - IF you manage to avoid encountering the Fire Snake, that is..."
Afterwards, we walk under the screen and down a flight of wooden stairs into the ride's load station, held in the temple's core. Each transport-jeep has three rows of four, fitting a total of twelve. In front of us is a dark tunnel. Upon boarding, Sallah's voice crackles from an unseen radio: "Hello? Hello? Come in! Splendid! Hello again, my esteemed friends! Remember to put all earthly treasures in the pouch directly in front of you and stay seated with the seatbelt well-fastened and your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the transport. If you are traveling with children, you must keep a close watch on them. Buckle up tightly now!" As the jeep begins to move, Sallah adds, "Friends, the brakes may be needing a little adjustment. Heh heh. Easy on the curves. Good luck, everyone!"
The tunnel is very dark, but if you squint you can make out strange carvings and murals. Listen closely and you'll hear water dripping from the ceiling and the squealing of scurrying rats. Eventually, our jeep starts up a small hill towards a stone statue of the Fire Snake, its mouth open wide and its eyes appearing to glow. The ceiling above twinkles with fiber-optic stars, and all around us are piles and piles of treasures and artifacts. Suddenly, a voice hisses, "Come closer... closer..." The jeep does, eventually coming to a stop right in front of the Fire Snake statue. Suddenly, lightning flashes and thunder rumbles as the stone statue suddenly begins to crack and fall apart before bursting into flame. Where the statue once stood is now the actual Fire Snake in all of its flaming, terrifying glory. "Yeeeeeeeeeeees..." it snarls (with the voice of Keith David). "You have freed me from my stone prison... for that, you shall be rewarded... with my wrath!"
The entire room suddenly bursts into flame. Jets of fire even appear from out of the ground as we do a U-Turn and try to escape, swerving around the flames. As if that wasn't enough, giant statues of tiger-headed warriors surround us on all sides, many of them throwing their giant spears at us as we go by. At the end of the room, we see Indiana Jones himself (Dave Temple), holding on to a vine descended from the ceiling. "Great. I ask for help and they send me TOURISTS," he groans, baffled. "Swerve left. That's the only way out. And try not to get into any more trouble, would you?"
Taking his advice, we immediately swerve left into another chamber... which just so happens to be full of hissing cobras. "Why did it have to be snakes?!" we hear Dr. Jones exclaim. "Sorry, but you guys are on your own. Watch out for anything that slithers!" Fortunately, we manage to dodge the snakes and head up a large flight of stairs out of the chamber, then cross a rickety wooden bridge over an enormous pool of magma. Rocks and debris fall from the ceiling, just NARROWLY missing us. We also have to watch out for dive-bombing bats. Eventually, we make it across the bridge and into another chamber.
Suddenly, our jeep screeches to a halt. It's stuck on something. But what? As the jeep's headlights flicker on, we discover that the room is full of spider webs... and a couple extremely large spiders. As if things couldn't get any more tense, a giant tarantula - at least the size of the jeep - descends down in front of our jeep. Before the tarantula can do... whatever it is that it plans on doing, the jeep manages to get free and speed off into the next chamber.
The next chamber initially doesn't seem too bad... it's dark, sure... and there are a few rats scurrying about, but they don't want to hurt us. They're just staring at us in our jeep, tilting their heads in confusion. And then things take a turn for the terrifying. Mummified skeletons suddenly appear, reaching towards us and groaning. One wears a tattered pair of Mickey Mouse Ears. Peeking out from behind a quartet of skeletons, Indy says, "Tourists? I thought I told you to get out of here. Well, watch your step. We don't want to interrupt their beauty sleep." This is our cue to speed out of the chamber, going over the occasional bump. "I said watch your step!" Indy calls after us.
Lightning flashes and thunder rumbles as we enter the next chamber, where water pours down the walls. Soon, the room is very much flooded. Regardless, our jeep manages to make it across the room, where we see Indiana Jones again... soaked and surrounded by monstrous crocodiles, one of which he's standing on the back of. He tries to fight them off with his whip, shouting, "Back! Back! Go find something else to snack on!" One of the crocodiles turns and begins to swim towards us. "I didn't mean the tourists!" Indy complains. "Quick, get out of here!" We don't need to be told twice. Immediately, our jeep speeds out of the chamber.
By now, it's just complete chaos. Walls crumble, rocks fall, more tiger-headed warrior statues throw spears at us, and a giant boulder even comes our way. Indy reappears, hanging from a rope in front of the boulder. "Careful down there! Ugh, I've got a bad feeling about this!" he groans. The floor suddenly gives way, sending us down a small drop and into the attraction's grand finale.
The Fire Snake reappears, larger than life and very, very close to our faces. He slithers around the room, igniting most of the room and allowing it to burst into flame. In fact, we soon find ourselves engulfed in a tornado made of fire, spinning around as the Fire Snake cackles.
Fortunately, Indiana Jones arrives to rescue us. As the thunder gets louder and the lightning gets brighter, the archaeologist appears with a spear stolen from one of those warrior statues and throws it at the roof of the temple, causing it to crumble. Immediately, the room begins to fill with rain, extinguishing the Fire Snake as it lets out a pained roar. Also extinguished is the fire that surrounds us, allowing us to make our escape.
As we head up another flight of stairs and return to the temple floor, we see Indiana Jones again one more time before arriving back in the load area. He stands on a collapsed statue of a tiger-headed warrior, a bit beaten by all that went on. "There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" he quips. "Now, stay out of trouble, will ya?" The franchise's iconic theme begins to play triumphantly as we reenter the load area and disembark.
Forgive me if this ride-through isn't very good... I haven't seen an Indiana Jones film in decades, and I've never been on any of the Indiana Jones rides, so I mainly had @MANEATINGWREATH and @DisneyManOne's own Indiana Jones rides and a ride-through video of Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure for inspiration.
Working on the ride-through for Nature's Wonderland now... I've started the ride-throughs for Enchanted Forest Fantasafari and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but I've hit writer's block on both attractions. But they're coming! I might do a ride-through of the Disneyland Railroad, but I doubt I'll do Big Thunder Mountain Railroad... in my mind, it's likely going to be very similar to Florida's, maybe with a few elements of California's. Not much to talk about.
Are there any more attractions that anyone would like to see ride-throughs of?
Are there any more attractions that anyone would like to see ride-throughs of?
Next ride-through's up.
The load area is backed by a large mural featuring Peter Pan and the Darling children flying over London, Captain Hook's pirate ship, and the Crocodile swimming in the water towards it. Of course, our ride vehicles are miniature pirate ships with two rows of two (again, like in Paris), allowing for double the capacity and groups of three or four to ride together. Once everyone is aboard, the ship floats towards the top floor of the Darling household, which it promptly enters via a window.
Inside, we see Peter Pan himself, floating on top of the room and shaking Tinker Bell like a pepper shaker, allowing "pixie dust" to fall on top of Wendy, John and Michael - this will allow them to fly. As we fly out the window, Peter Pan (Adam Wylie) can be heard exclaiming, "Come on, everybody! Here we gooooooooooo!"
A calming instrumental of "You Can Fly" (very similar to the one used in Florida's version) plays in the background as we fly over the Darlings' backyard, where Nana the dog can be seen, watching us and barking in confusion. After that, we fly past some of the neighboring houses and then over London. This scene isn't too different from the "flying over London" scenes in the other versions - the cars driving on the road, Big Ben, Thames' River, etc. Occasionally, Peter Pan and the Darling kids will fly by, projected on the walls of the room. After we fly by Big Ben, we suddenly approach the "second star to the right", which we suddenly fly through (it's a mist screen) and find ourselves flying over Neverland.
Captain Hook's ship, the Jolly Roger, can be seen in the water as we fly by. We can hear Hook (Corey Burton) shout, "Here they come, Mr. Smee! Shoot them down!", to which Mr. Smee (Jeff Bennett) says, "Aye-aye, cap'n!", then a cannon can be heard firing. Fortunately, whatever's been shot out of that cannon narrowly misses our boat (this effect is accomplished via a gust of wind). Look in the water during this scene and you might see a large orange octopus peek out - a reference to the 2002 sequel Return to Neverland. We then fly through the Jungles of Neverland, where we can see Peter Pan's band of Lost Boys playing around their hideout, the Hangman Tree. We float through a waterfall (another mist screen) and encounter Neverland's more beastly residents: a hippopotamus, three monkeys, a rhinoceros and a bear. Next, we fly by Mermaid Lagoon, where several mermaids can be seen. Some of them wave at us as we fly by. One of them also has a seagull perched on her head (and she doesn't seem to happy about it). Then we fly by the Indians' camp, where Tiger Lily and her tribe sit around a campfire. Some of the Indians play drums.
We then fly through Skull Rock (entering it through one of its "eyeholes") before approaching the Jolly Roger again. Unlike the previous scene, the ship here appears fully-sized. Wendy is preparing to walk the plank, her brothers and the Lost Boys are tied to the mast of the ship, and Peter Pan and Captain Hook are dueling on the mainsail. The Crocodile waits in the water nearby, licking his lips and making that ticking sound.
After swinging around the ship, we see that all of the pirates have been knocked out and Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael and John are standing at the ship's steering wheel. Peter calls out to Tinker Bell, "We're sailing for London!" Tink responds by showering the entire ship with pixie dust. We then fly by the ship and see Captain Hook trying in vain to prevent himself from being eaten by the Crocodile (he's currently standing in the reptile's jaws). "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, PAN!" he shouts. "SMEEEEEEEEEE! DON'T JUST SIT THERE, SAVE ME!" Mr. Smee, who can be seen nearby in a rowboat, replies, "I'm comin', cap'n!"
After flying through some foliage, we see the glowing ship flying off into the night, trailing pixie dust behind it. We then turn back into the load area and disembark our ship before heading back into Fantasyland.
Peter Pan's Flight
The entrance to this version of the classic Disney Parks dark ride resembles a Tudor-style mansion, similar to the one that serves as the entrance to the Disneyland Paris version - even the sign above the entryway resembles the one in Paris. Entering the tower under the sign, we make our way through a series of ornate wooden switchbacks before finally reaching the load area.The load area is backed by a large mural featuring Peter Pan and the Darling children flying over London, Captain Hook's pirate ship, and the Crocodile swimming in the water towards it. Of course, our ride vehicles are miniature pirate ships with two rows of two (again, like in Paris), allowing for double the capacity and groups of three or four to ride together. Once everyone is aboard, the ship floats towards the top floor of the Darling household, which it promptly enters via a window.
Inside, we see Peter Pan himself, floating on top of the room and shaking Tinker Bell like a pepper shaker, allowing "pixie dust" to fall on top of Wendy, John and Michael - this will allow them to fly. As we fly out the window, Peter Pan (Adam Wylie) can be heard exclaiming, "Come on, everybody! Here we gooooooooooo!"
A calming instrumental of "You Can Fly" (very similar to the one used in Florida's version) plays in the background as we fly over the Darlings' backyard, where Nana the dog can be seen, watching us and barking in confusion. After that, we fly past some of the neighboring houses and then over London. This scene isn't too different from the "flying over London" scenes in the other versions - the cars driving on the road, Big Ben, Thames' River, etc. Occasionally, Peter Pan and the Darling kids will fly by, projected on the walls of the room. After we fly by Big Ben, we suddenly approach the "second star to the right", which we suddenly fly through (it's a mist screen) and find ourselves flying over Neverland.
Captain Hook's ship, the Jolly Roger, can be seen in the water as we fly by. We can hear Hook (Corey Burton) shout, "Here they come, Mr. Smee! Shoot them down!", to which Mr. Smee (Jeff Bennett) says, "Aye-aye, cap'n!", then a cannon can be heard firing. Fortunately, whatever's been shot out of that cannon narrowly misses our boat (this effect is accomplished via a gust of wind). Look in the water during this scene and you might see a large orange octopus peek out - a reference to the 2002 sequel Return to Neverland. We then fly through the Jungles of Neverland, where we can see Peter Pan's band of Lost Boys playing around their hideout, the Hangman Tree. We float through a waterfall (another mist screen) and encounter Neverland's more beastly residents: a hippopotamus, three monkeys, a rhinoceros and a bear. Next, we fly by Mermaid Lagoon, where several mermaids can be seen. Some of them wave at us as we fly by. One of them also has a seagull perched on her head (and she doesn't seem to happy about it). Then we fly by the Indians' camp, where Tiger Lily and her tribe sit around a campfire. Some of the Indians play drums.
We then fly through Skull Rock (entering it through one of its "eyeholes") before approaching the Jolly Roger again. Unlike the previous scene, the ship here appears fully-sized. Wendy is preparing to walk the plank, her brothers and the Lost Boys are tied to the mast of the ship, and Peter Pan and Captain Hook are dueling on the mainsail. The Crocodile waits in the water nearby, licking his lips and making that ticking sound.
After swinging around the ship, we see that all of the pirates have been knocked out and Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael and John are standing at the ship's steering wheel. Peter calls out to Tinker Bell, "We're sailing for London!" Tink responds by showering the entire ship with pixie dust. We then fly by the ship and see Captain Hook trying in vain to prevent himself from being eaten by the Crocodile (he's currently standing in the reptile's jaws). "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, PAN!" he shouts. "SMEEEEEEEEEE! DON'T JUST SIT THERE, SAVE ME!" Mr. Smee, who can be seen nearby in a rowboat, replies, "I'm comin', cap'n!"
After flying through some foliage, we see the glowing ship flying off into the night, trailing pixie dust behind it. We then turn back into the load area and disembark our ship before heading back into Fantasyland.
Twilight_Roxas
Well-Known Member
It looks good, but I think it should have been well based off the Shanghai Disneyland version. Just a personal opinion.
Yep, the Haunted Mansion - and It's a Small World, too, for those curious - will be in the second gate of the park, which I'm still working on. Don't worry, I didn't forget about it!
And now...
After that, we arrive at the load area, backed by a large map of the Hundred Acre Wood. It's here that we board our hunny pots, each fitting about four people (two rows of two). As we climb aboard, we hear Tigger (voiced by Jim Cummings) exclaim, "Hellooooooooooo out there! It's me, Tigger - that's a T-I-Double "Guh"-Er! Bein' safe is what Tiggers do best, so please stay seated with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the hunny pot at all times, and be sure to watch your ador-a-bibble tykes. T-T-F-N!"
With that, the hunny pot begins to move forwards into the Hundred Acre Wood. The song "A Rather Blustery Day" begins to play as wind blows in our faces. A narrator (Jeff Bennett) begins to tell the story: "One blustery morning in the Hundred Acre Wood, a little bear named Winnie the Pooh set off in search of honey..." Indeed, we see Pooh Bear (Jim Cummings) flying via a balloon over to the nearby Hunny Tree. "I've got a rumbly in my tumbly," he tells us. "It must be time for breakfast!"
From there, we go further into the woods, encountering all of Pooh's friends. Like Pooh's Hunny Hunt, here the audio-animatronics are all appropriately fuzzy like real stuffed animals, and they also blink and move their mouths. We first see Rabbit (Tom Kenny), who is sitting in his garden in his wheelbarrow, stuck in a pumpkin. "Oh, why do these things always happen to ME?" he groans. "Why, oh, why, oh, WHY?" Nearby, outside of Kanga (Tress MacNeille) and Roo's house, Kanga is holding onto a scarf to keep Roo from flying away. "Oh, dear! Hang on tightly, Roo!" Kanga says, to which Roo replies, "Look, Mama, look! I'm a kite!"
To the left of Kanga and Roo's house, Gopher (Michael J. Gough) pops out of his hole and wishes us a "Happy Winds-Day!" Across from this, Eeyore (Peter Cullen) can be seen standing nearby his house, which Pooh inavidently knocks over as he soars by. "Happy Winds-Day, Eeyore!" Pooh calls out, to which Eeyore says, "Thanks for noticing me." As we go by, the donkey tells us, "If you ask me, he'll never reach that tree..."
Meanwhile, Piglet (Travis Oates) is currently outside his house, nervously holding on to a spinning broom to prevent from flying away. "Oh, d-d-d-dear!" we hear him utter as we go by. As it turns out, the wind is so strong today that the treehouse where Owl (Andre Stojka) lives has been knocked down. Owl himself is sitting nearby the wreckage in a rocking chair, blathering on about his relatives. "Ah, yes," he says, "This reminds me of the time my Great Uncle Robert paid a visit to the countryside of Scotland... being an owl, of course, he flew over the grassy hills of..."
Heading into Owl's house, we suddenly find ourselves in the forest at night. In front of us, Tigger jumps out from a clump of bushes (via a projection behind a physical prop) and exclaims, "I'm Tigger! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Come on, everybody, let's all bounce together!"
Our hunny pot promptly begins to bounce as we follow Tigger through the forest. Tigger keeps popping out from behind bushes, trees, etc., singing "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers". This scene is very similar to the one in the Magic Kingdom version, albeit with fuzzier Tiggers. Eventually, Tigger bounces upside-down, allowing us to duck under him. "Phew! I almost bounced clear outta the ride!" he says.
After this, we arrive at Pooh's House, where we see that outside Tigger has pounced on Pooh. "So, you like honey, do ya? Well, in that case, I'd recommend watchin' out for Heffalumps and Woozles," he warns Pooh. "What do they do?" Pooh asks. "Oh, nothin' much, just steal honey," Tigger says, to which Pooh gasps, "Steal honey?!"
The rumbling of thunder, accompanied by a flash of lightning, can be heard as we enter Pooh's House through his front door. The narrator says, "The very blustery night turned into a very rainy night. Pooh kept guard over his honey, hour after hour after hour, until..." As we see Pooh fall asleep near the window and a cupboard stocked with honey pots, the narrator continues, "Pooh finally fell fast asleep, and began to dream..." All of a sudden, Pooh actually begins to float into the air as the room goes dark and a field of stars appears. Tigger's voice can be heard saying, "Heffalumps and Woozles... Heffalumps and Woozles steal honey... beware... bewaaaaaaaare..."
The next thing we know, we're in Pooh's dream, surrounded by Heffalumps and Woozles of all shapes and sizes - all of them singing "Heffalumps and Woozles". On either side of us is a Jack-in-the-Box-Woozle that pops out of its box and cackles. In front of us is a large pink Heffalump wearing a checkered shirt and holding an umbrella. Heffalump Bees fly over our heads. One wall of the room is in fact a large mirror, onto which a large Heffalump is projected, sucking the honey out of our hunny pot with its trunk, getting larger with every suck. Several Heffalumps and Woozles play music - a Heffalump uses his trunk as a tuba, a Woozle blows a horn, two more Heffalumps play their trunks like accordions. A nervous-looking Pooh can be seen holding onto the basket of a Heffalump hot-air balloon. A polka-dotted Woozle holds a jar of honey over his head, which he promptly pours onto the track, making our hunny pot spin out of control. Finally, we approach a Woozle dressed as a British soldier lighting the fuse of a Heffalump with a cannon-esque trunk. When the fuse goes out, we are blasted with air. Zipping under a Heffalump watering can, we escape from Pooh's dream, going by a projection of Pooh holding onto an umbrella as he floats out of the dream as well.
We find ourselves back in the Hundred Acre Wood, now caught in a flood-inducing rainfall. The narrator says, "Pooh woke up to discover that it was raining all over the Hundred Acre Wood. There was a thunderstorm on Page 71, and on Page 72 there was a bit of a cloudburst. It rained, and it rained, and it rained..." As a chorus begins to sing "The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down", our hunny pot begins to float. Rain is projected on the walls of this scene. We float by Pooh, who is sitting on a log with ten pots of honey. "Oh, bother. Could you help me rescue my supper?" he asks us. Then we see Eeyore, who is standing on a doorframe. "First the wind, and now THIS..." he groans. "Well, at least there hasn't been an earthquake yet..." Roo is holding onto Eeyore's tail in one paw and Kanga's paw in another. Kanga, meanwhile, is sitting in an upside-down umbrella boat with Gopher and Rabbit. Nearby, Owl is sitting in his rocking chair on a rock, STILL blathering about his relatives. Tigger, his tail tied to a branch for support, is climbing to a small tree and reaching out to Piglet, who's about to go over a waterfall on a chair. "We'll save ya, Piglet!" Tigger shouts, to which Piglet says, "Hurry! I think we're about to go over a very big waterfall!"
"Finally, the rain went away..." the narrator says, "And everyone gathered together to say..." A pair of doors painted with a rainbow open in front of us as we see all of Pooh's friends, including Christopher Robin, at a Hero Party for Pooh. "HOORAY!" they all cheer. "Hooray for Pooh, too!" Piglet says. "Uh, where is he?" Nearby, Pooh is seen sitting inside a honey tree, munching on all the honey he can eat. "I'm right here, everyone," he says, "But you can start the party without me. Yum yum..."
With that, our hunny pot re-arrives in the loading area, where we can disembark and go on another adventure in Fantasyland... or, if we'd like, go on another trip through the Hundred Acre Wood.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Entering the farmhouse that Christopher Robin calls home, we find ourselves in the pages of a giant book. Enormous pages, each one telling a story about a certain bear of very little brain, surround us as we walk through the queue. Eventually, we walk by a page that looks very much like this:After that, we arrive at the load area, backed by a large map of the Hundred Acre Wood. It's here that we board our hunny pots, each fitting about four people (two rows of two). As we climb aboard, we hear Tigger (voiced by Jim Cummings) exclaim, "Hellooooooooooo out there! It's me, Tigger - that's a T-I-Double "Guh"-Er! Bein' safe is what Tiggers do best, so please stay seated with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the hunny pot at all times, and be sure to watch your ador-a-bibble tykes. T-T-F-N!"
With that, the hunny pot begins to move forwards into the Hundred Acre Wood. The song "A Rather Blustery Day" begins to play as wind blows in our faces. A narrator (Jeff Bennett) begins to tell the story: "One blustery morning in the Hundred Acre Wood, a little bear named Winnie the Pooh set off in search of honey..." Indeed, we see Pooh Bear (Jim Cummings) flying via a balloon over to the nearby Hunny Tree. "I've got a rumbly in my tumbly," he tells us. "It must be time for breakfast!"
From there, we go further into the woods, encountering all of Pooh's friends. Like Pooh's Hunny Hunt, here the audio-animatronics are all appropriately fuzzy like real stuffed animals, and they also blink and move their mouths. We first see Rabbit (Tom Kenny), who is sitting in his garden in his wheelbarrow, stuck in a pumpkin. "Oh, why do these things always happen to ME?" he groans. "Why, oh, why, oh, WHY?" Nearby, outside of Kanga (Tress MacNeille) and Roo's house, Kanga is holding onto a scarf to keep Roo from flying away. "Oh, dear! Hang on tightly, Roo!" Kanga says, to which Roo replies, "Look, Mama, look! I'm a kite!"
To the left of Kanga and Roo's house, Gopher (Michael J. Gough) pops out of his hole and wishes us a "Happy Winds-Day!" Across from this, Eeyore (Peter Cullen) can be seen standing nearby his house, which Pooh inavidently knocks over as he soars by. "Happy Winds-Day, Eeyore!" Pooh calls out, to which Eeyore says, "Thanks for noticing me." As we go by, the donkey tells us, "If you ask me, he'll never reach that tree..."
Meanwhile, Piglet (Travis Oates) is currently outside his house, nervously holding on to a spinning broom to prevent from flying away. "Oh, d-d-d-dear!" we hear him utter as we go by. As it turns out, the wind is so strong today that the treehouse where Owl (Andre Stojka) lives has been knocked down. Owl himself is sitting nearby the wreckage in a rocking chair, blathering on about his relatives. "Ah, yes," he says, "This reminds me of the time my Great Uncle Robert paid a visit to the countryside of Scotland... being an owl, of course, he flew over the grassy hills of..."
Heading into Owl's house, we suddenly find ourselves in the forest at night. In front of us, Tigger jumps out from a clump of bushes (via a projection behind a physical prop) and exclaims, "I'm Tigger! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Come on, everybody, let's all bounce together!"
Our hunny pot promptly begins to bounce as we follow Tigger through the forest. Tigger keeps popping out from behind bushes, trees, etc., singing "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers". This scene is very similar to the one in the Magic Kingdom version, albeit with fuzzier Tiggers. Eventually, Tigger bounces upside-down, allowing us to duck under him. "Phew! I almost bounced clear outta the ride!" he says.
After this, we arrive at Pooh's House, where we see that outside Tigger has pounced on Pooh. "So, you like honey, do ya? Well, in that case, I'd recommend watchin' out for Heffalumps and Woozles," he warns Pooh. "What do they do?" Pooh asks. "Oh, nothin' much, just steal honey," Tigger says, to which Pooh gasps, "Steal honey?!"
The rumbling of thunder, accompanied by a flash of lightning, can be heard as we enter Pooh's House through his front door. The narrator says, "The very blustery night turned into a very rainy night. Pooh kept guard over his honey, hour after hour after hour, until..." As we see Pooh fall asleep near the window and a cupboard stocked with honey pots, the narrator continues, "Pooh finally fell fast asleep, and began to dream..." All of a sudden, Pooh actually begins to float into the air as the room goes dark and a field of stars appears. Tigger's voice can be heard saying, "Heffalumps and Woozles... Heffalumps and Woozles steal honey... beware... bewaaaaaaaare..."
The next thing we know, we're in Pooh's dream, surrounded by Heffalumps and Woozles of all shapes and sizes - all of them singing "Heffalumps and Woozles". On either side of us is a Jack-in-the-Box-Woozle that pops out of its box and cackles. In front of us is a large pink Heffalump wearing a checkered shirt and holding an umbrella. Heffalump Bees fly over our heads. One wall of the room is in fact a large mirror, onto which a large Heffalump is projected, sucking the honey out of our hunny pot with its trunk, getting larger with every suck. Several Heffalumps and Woozles play music - a Heffalump uses his trunk as a tuba, a Woozle blows a horn, two more Heffalumps play their trunks like accordions. A nervous-looking Pooh can be seen holding onto the basket of a Heffalump hot-air balloon. A polka-dotted Woozle holds a jar of honey over his head, which he promptly pours onto the track, making our hunny pot spin out of control. Finally, we approach a Woozle dressed as a British soldier lighting the fuse of a Heffalump with a cannon-esque trunk. When the fuse goes out, we are blasted with air. Zipping under a Heffalump watering can, we escape from Pooh's dream, going by a projection of Pooh holding onto an umbrella as he floats out of the dream as well.
We find ourselves back in the Hundred Acre Wood, now caught in a flood-inducing rainfall. The narrator says, "Pooh woke up to discover that it was raining all over the Hundred Acre Wood. There was a thunderstorm on Page 71, and on Page 72 there was a bit of a cloudburst. It rained, and it rained, and it rained..." As a chorus begins to sing "The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down", our hunny pot begins to float. Rain is projected on the walls of this scene. We float by Pooh, who is sitting on a log with ten pots of honey. "Oh, bother. Could you help me rescue my supper?" he asks us. Then we see Eeyore, who is standing on a doorframe. "First the wind, and now THIS..." he groans. "Well, at least there hasn't been an earthquake yet..." Roo is holding onto Eeyore's tail in one paw and Kanga's paw in another. Kanga, meanwhile, is sitting in an upside-down umbrella boat with Gopher and Rabbit. Nearby, Owl is sitting in his rocking chair on a rock, STILL blathering about his relatives. Tigger, his tail tied to a branch for support, is climbing to a small tree and reaching out to Piglet, who's about to go over a waterfall on a chair. "We'll save ya, Piglet!" Tigger shouts, to which Piglet says, "Hurry! I think we're about to go over a very big waterfall!"
"Finally, the rain went away..." the narrator says, "And everyone gathered together to say..." A pair of doors painted with a rainbow open in front of us as we see all of Pooh's friends, including Christopher Robin, at a Hero Party for Pooh. "HOORAY!" they all cheer. "Hooray for Pooh, too!" Piglet says. "Uh, where is he?" Nearby, Pooh is seen sitting inside a honey tree, munching on all the honey he can eat. "I'm right here, everyone," he says, "But you can start the party without me. Yum yum..."
Well, it's only been... a while, but I've got another ride-through for you all!
We begin to move. A sharp turn to the left has us heading towards a large rabbit hole - the entryway to Wonderland. Into the rabbit hole we go, and once inside, down we fall, furniture flying above our heads. We don't actually go down a drop, but forced perspective and the ride vehicle spinning a little makes us feel as though we're really falling. Look up and you might just see Alice (Hynden Walch) falling as well. Landing at the bottom of the rabbit hole (the vehicle jostles to simulate a crash landing), we see the White Rabbit (Jeff Bennett) dart around a corner. We follow him, running straight into a door with a talking Doorknob (Corey Burton) on it. "Looking for the White Rabbit?" he asks as the door opens up. "Well, ha ha, why don't you have a look around?"
A splash of water in our faces welcomes us to the Seas of Wonderland. As we toss and turn in the waves, Alice floats by in a large bottle, as do a Gryphon (Corey Burton) and a Mock Turtle (Frank Welker) conversing in a wooden boat. The centerpiece of this scene is the Caucus Race: here various birds, jumping fish, and lobsters try to stay dry by running around a large rock where Mr. Dodo stands. This is achieved via a conveyor belt similar to the one used in the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where the pirates chase after women. After finally washing up on the shore, we see a Walrus and a Carpenter leading a happy band of oysters into a nearby forest, plus the White Rabbit arriving in a spinning upside-down umbrella.
Venturing into the forest, we next run into Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Corey Burton). "The White Rabbit? Oh, that's easy! He went this way!" Tweedledee says, pointing in one direction. "No, no, he went THAT way!" Tweedledum pipes up, pointing in the other direction. Looks like they're not going to be much help.
Fortunately, a nearby sign tells us that the White Rabbit's house is nearby. Indeed, there it is up ahead. Outside, the White Rabbit is freaking out. "HELP! MONSTER!" he yells as we see that Alice, now much larger than before, has gotten stuck in his house. Mr. Dodo reappears here, trying to prevent Bill, a lizard with a ladder, from running off.
Are we getting smaller? It would seem that way, considering that the flowers around us are getting taller. Bread-and-butterflies and rocking-horseflies zip around as the flowers begin to croon "All in the Golden Afternoon". Suddenly, a purple flower (Tress MacNeille) announces, "Those aren't flowers. To put it bluntly, they're WEEDS!" and a large dandelion pops out and roars at us. Escaping the flowers, we come across a large Caterpillar (Corey Burton), sitting on a mushroom and smoking a hookah. "Whoooooooooooo aaaaaaaaaare a-yoooooooooou?" he asks upon noticing our presence.
Inching away from the mushroom, we're startled by the appearance of a gigantic puppy, wagging its tail and holding a stick in its mouth. Don't get too close; it probably won't bite but we have no time to play "Fetch" with this puppy.
Next we see Alice again, looking at a sign nailed to the trunk of a tree. "TULGEY WOOD?" she reads. "Curiouser and curiouser... I wonder if I'll find the White Rabbit here..." This part of Wonderland is possibly the creepiest: red eyes peer out from dark corners, strange sounds can be heard here and there, and bizarre creatures abound, though most of them are not that threatening. As we go by a large Mirror Bird, a Glasses Bird perches on the head of one rider (this is similar to the Hitchhiking Ghosts effect used in the Haunted Mansion). Horn Ducks quickly waddle to get out of the way. A Drum Frog and a Cymbal Frog hop from one lily pad to another (a projected effect). Umbrella Vultures peer down at us from the treetops. A Birdcage Bird chases after an Accordion-Owl (another projected effect). A Shovel Bird is hard at work, digging a hole (yet another projected effect). A Broom-Headed Dog sweeps up after us.
"Looking for something, are we?" a voice asks as its source, the Cheshire Cat (Jim Cummings), appears in front of us (via another projection). "You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself..."
The forest starts to get darker from here. A pair of Hammer Birds and Pencil Birds are hard at work on a sign reading "BEWARE OF THE JABBERWOCK". More strange beasts appear around us: a badger-like Slythy Tove, a parrot-like Borogrove, and a flock of Mome Raths. The Jub-Jub Bird eyes us hungrily from our left. On our right, the dopey-looking Bandersnatch watches us from the bushes.
Finally, we run into the aforementioned Jabberwock. A strange sort of dragon with eyes of flame, the beast glares down at us, bares its teeth, and... doesn't try to eat us? Nope, instead it looks confused and asks (with the voice of Frank Welker), "Why aren't you scared of me?! I'm the Jabberwock! The most ferocious beast in all of the Tulgey Wood! Start screaming!" It seems as though we don't have to worry about becoming the Jabberwock's next meal.
As we turn away from the Jabberwock, the Cheshire Cat reappears. "Perhaps you should visit the queen," he tells us. "She'll be MAD about you, simply MAD!" He then pulls on a nearby tree branch, opening up a shortcut in the trunk which we then go through.
Making our way through a large hedge maze, we run into three playing cards (Corey Burton, Rob Paulsen, and Maurice LaMarche) sloppily painting a bushful of white roses red and singing "Painting the Roses Red". Turning away from them, we see the White Rabbit again, blowing a trumpet and announcing the arrival of the Queen of Hearts (which is followed by much applause and cheering) and the King (accompanied by a small "HOORAY!"). Apparently, the Queen (Tress MacNeille) is competing against Alice in a game of croquet. The King (Eric Bauza) has a large book of rules opened up, and he reads, "Uh, Rule 42: The Queen always wins." As the Queen bends down and we stop in front of her and Alice, who else but the Cheshire Cat should appear as the Queen's preparing to take a swing. "You know," he tells us, "We could make her REALLY angry. Shall we try? It's loads of fun!"
As we turn away and enter the Queen's Castle, we hear a loud CRASH, accompanied by the White Rabbit gasping, "Oh my fur and whiskers!"
Then we end up in the middle of a trial in the Queen's Courtroom. Who's on trial? Not just Alice, but US as well, and the judge is the Queen of Hearts. "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" she yells as card guards jump down to seize us, but we're fortunately able to speed off, the guards in hot pursuit.
From here, it's just total chaos. The Queen continues to yell for our heads as she and the guards chase after us through the hedge maze. Some even jump in front of our tracks and try to slow us down, but to no avail - we just barrel through them! It seems as though we should be able to escape the Queen's wrath by ducking back into the forest.
The question is, which way do we go now? There are signs all around, but none are much help (they say things like "THIS WAY", "NO, THAT WAY", and "NOT THIS WAY, THAT WAY"). The sounds of laughter can be heard coming from different parts of the forest. Finally, the Cheshire Cat reappears. "Wasn't that a lot of fun?" he asks us. "You should visit the Mad Hatter. I'm sure he'll be mad about you, too..."
Heading in the direction that the cat is pointing in, we head for a quaint little table in the woods where Alice, the Mad Hatter (Corey Burton), the March Hare (Jeff Bennett), and the drowsy Dormouse celebrate their unbirthdays. Occasionally, the March Hare will spot us as we circle the table and offer us some tea... which he then pours on our heads. Then the Mad Hatter will suddenly shout, "Clean cup, clean cup! Move down!", despite Alice's protests that she hasn't had a sip of tea yet (this is achieved via another conveyor belt).
Instead of stopping for a cup of tea, we decide to head for a large smoky, swirling tunnel that lies ahead of us. The tunnel serves as our exit out of Wonderland and back outdoors to the load area, where we disembark and head back into Fantasyland.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
Like the Disneyland version of this attraction, this attraction's queue and load area is held outdoors. Decorated with topiaries, giant mushrooms, and strangely-colored leaves, it is here that we board our ride vehicles: large Cheshire Cats. These cats fit a total of six guests (two rows of three), and their eyes and grins glow in the dark. Once everyone has boarded their cat, we hear the voice of the pompous Mr. Dodo (Jeff Bennett) giving us some safety instructions: "Ahoy! And other nautical expression! Off to Wonderland, eh? For your safety, I recommend remaining seated with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside your Cheshire Cat at all times, and be sure to watch those children... and your heads! Down the Rabbit Hole you go!"We begin to move. A sharp turn to the left has us heading towards a large rabbit hole - the entryway to Wonderland. Into the rabbit hole we go, and once inside, down we fall, furniture flying above our heads. We don't actually go down a drop, but forced perspective and the ride vehicle spinning a little makes us feel as though we're really falling. Look up and you might just see Alice (Hynden Walch) falling as well. Landing at the bottom of the rabbit hole (the vehicle jostles to simulate a crash landing), we see the White Rabbit (Jeff Bennett) dart around a corner. We follow him, running straight into a door with a talking Doorknob (Corey Burton) on it. "Looking for the White Rabbit?" he asks as the door opens up. "Well, ha ha, why don't you have a look around?"
A splash of water in our faces welcomes us to the Seas of Wonderland. As we toss and turn in the waves, Alice floats by in a large bottle, as do a Gryphon (Corey Burton) and a Mock Turtle (Frank Welker) conversing in a wooden boat. The centerpiece of this scene is the Caucus Race: here various birds, jumping fish, and lobsters try to stay dry by running around a large rock where Mr. Dodo stands. This is achieved via a conveyor belt similar to the one used in the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where the pirates chase after women. After finally washing up on the shore, we see a Walrus and a Carpenter leading a happy band of oysters into a nearby forest, plus the White Rabbit arriving in a spinning upside-down umbrella.
Venturing into the forest, we next run into Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Corey Burton). "The White Rabbit? Oh, that's easy! He went this way!" Tweedledee says, pointing in one direction. "No, no, he went THAT way!" Tweedledum pipes up, pointing in the other direction. Looks like they're not going to be much help.
Fortunately, a nearby sign tells us that the White Rabbit's house is nearby. Indeed, there it is up ahead. Outside, the White Rabbit is freaking out. "HELP! MONSTER!" he yells as we see that Alice, now much larger than before, has gotten stuck in his house. Mr. Dodo reappears here, trying to prevent Bill, a lizard with a ladder, from running off.
Are we getting smaller? It would seem that way, considering that the flowers around us are getting taller. Bread-and-butterflies and rocking-horseflies zip around as the flowers begin to croon "All in the Golden Afternoon". Suddenly, a purple flower (Tress MacNeille) announces, "Those aren't flowers. To put it bluntly, they're WEEDS!" and a large dandelion pops out and roars at us. Escaping the flowers, we come across a large Caterpillar (Corey Burton), sitting on a mushroom and smoking a hookah. "Whoooooooooooo aaaaaaaaaare a-yoooooooooou?" he asks upon noticing our presence.
Inching away from the mushroom, we're startled by the appearance of a gigantic puppy, wagging its tail and holding a stick in its mouth. Don't get too close; it probably won't bite but we have no time to play "Fetch" with this puppy.
Next we see Alice again, looking at a sign nailed to the trunk of a tree. "TULGEY WOOD?" she reads. "Curiouser and curiouser... I wonder if I'll find the White Rabbit here..." This part of Wonderland is possibly the creepiest: red eyes peer out from dark corners, strange sounds can be heard here and there, and bizarre creatures abound, though most of them are not that threatening. As we go by a large Mirror Bird, a Glasses Bird perches on the head of one rider (this is similar to the Hitchhiking Ghosts effect used in the Haunted Mansion). Horn Ducks quickly waddle to get out of the way. A Drum Frog and a Cymbal Frog hop from one lily pad to another (a projected effect). Umbrella Vultures peer down at us from the treetops. A Birdcage Bird chases after an Accordion-Owl (another projected effect). A Shovel Bird is hard at work, digging a hole (yet another projected effect). A Broom-Headed Dog sweeps up after us.
"Looking for something, are we?" a voice asks as its source, the Cheshire Cat (Jim Cummings), appears in front of us (via another projection). "You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself..."
The forest starts to get darker from here. A pair of Hammer Birds and Pencil Birds are hard at work on a sign reading "BEWARE OF THE JABBERWOCK". More strange beasts appear around us: a badger-like Slythy Tove, a parrot-like Borogrove, and a flock of Mome Raths. The Jub-Jub Bird eyes us hungrily from our left. On our right, the dopey-looking Bandersnatch watches us from the bushes.
Finally, we run into the aforementioned Jabberwock. A strange sort of dragon with eyes of flame, the beast glares down at us, bares its teeth, and... doesn't try to eat us? Nope, instead it looks confused and asks (with the voice of Frank Welker), "Why aren't you scared of me?! I'm the Jabberwock! The most ferocious beast in all of the Tulgey Wood! Start screaming!" It seems as though we don't have to worry about becoming the Jabberwock's next meal.
As we turn away from the Jabberwock, the Cheshire Cat reappears. "Perhaps you should visit the queen," he tells us. "She'll be MAD about you, simply MAD!" He then pulls on a nearby tree branch, opening up a shortcut in the trunk which we then go through.
Making our way through a large hedge maze, we run into three playing cards (Corey Burton, Rob Paulsen, and Maurice LaMarche) sloppily painting a bushful of white roses red and singing "Painting the Roses Red". Turning away from them, we see the White Rabbit again, blowing a trumpet and announcing the arrival of the Queen of Hearts (which is followed by much applause and cheering) and the King (accompanied by a small "HOORAY!"). Apparently, the Queen (Tress MacNeille) is competing against Alice in a game of croquet. The King (Eric Bauza) has a large book of rules opened up, and he reads, "Uh, Rule 42: The Queen always wins." As the Queen bends down and we stop in front of her and Alice, who else but the Cheshire Cat should appear as the Queen's preparing to take a swing. "You know," he tells us, "We could make her REALLY angry. Shall we try? It's loads of fun!"
As we turn away and enter the Queen's Castle, we hear a loud CRASH, accompanied by the White Rabbit gasping, "Oh my fur and whiskers!"
Then we end up in the middle of a trial in the Queen's Courtroom. Who's on trial? Not just Alice, but US as well, and the judge is the Queen of Hearts. "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" she yells as card guards jump down to seize us, but we're fortunately able to speed off, the guards in hot pursuit.
From here, it's just total chaos. The Queen continues to yell for our heads as she and the guards chase after us through the hedge maze. Some even jump in front of our tracks and try to slow us down, but to no avail - we just barrel through them! It seems as though we should be able to escape the Queen's wrath by ducking back into the forest.
The question is, which way do we go now? There are signs all around, but none are much help (they say things like "THIS WAY", "NO, THAT WAY", and "NOT THIS WAY, THAT WAY"). The sounds of laughter can be heard coming from different parts of the forest. Finally, the Cheshire Cat reappears. "Wasn't that a lot of fun?" he asks us. "You should visit the Mad Hatter. I'm sure he'll be mad about you, too..."
Heading in the direction that the cat is pointing in, we head for a quaint little table in the woods where Alice, the Mad Hatter (Corey Burton), the March Hare (Jeff Bennett), and the drowsy Dormouse celebrate their unbirthdays. Occasionally, the March Hare will spot us as we circle the table and offer us some tea... which he then pours on our heads. Then the Mad Hatter will suddenly shout, "Clean cup, clean cup! Move down!", despite Alice's protests that she hasn't had a sip of tea yet (this is achieved via another conveyor belt).
Instead of stopping for a cup of tea, we decide to head for a large smoky, swirling tunnel that lies ahead of us. The tunnel serves as our exit out of Wonderland and back outdoors to the load area, where we disembark and head back into Fantasyland.
Next ride-through up.
Further into the stone antechambers, the rooms begin to change as if by magic - suddenly, they start to resemble a concert hall, albeit one with the same medieval masonry texture at the beginning of the queue. The sounds of an orchestra warming up for some sort of concert can be heard. Musical instruments appear on display - guests can play them, if they'd like. The far corner features a screen - tastefully held within a medieval stone arch - housing the film's Soundtrack, which reacts to whatever sounds those waiting in line make.
Down further halls we go, with framed concept art for assorted Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 segments appearing on the walls. Eventually, we arrive in the attraction's load area, backed by a mural featuring an orchestra (look closely, and you'll see that each member of the orchestra is a caricature of an animator who worked on Fantasia or Fantasia 2000, such as Ward Kimball, Art Babbit, and Eric Goldberg).
We climb aboard our boat, which is similar to those from EPCOT's Maelstrom attraction, though they look less like viking ships and more like a set of balcony box seats (with four rows of three). Directly across from the mural is a cast member behind a podium (actually the cleverly disguised control panel) dressed as a conductor. The voice of the attraction's narrator (Corey Burton) recites the safety spiel, the "conductor" taps their baton, and the boat begins to move.
"There are three kinds of music on this program," the narrator says as we climb a small lift hill. "First, there's the kind that tells a definite story. Then there's the kind that, while it has no specific plot, does paint a series of more or less definite pictures. Then there's a third kind, music that exists simply for its own sake. Now, the number that opens our program, Toccata and Fudge, is music of this third kind, what we call absolute music..." After dipping down a small drop, we find ourselves in a dimly-lit room where projected musician shadows display against plain walls, all dominated by ever-shifting primary colors. Fiber-optic images create a mental landscape inspired by music.
As we leave the room, the music transitions from "Toccata and Fudge" to the familiar strains of "The Nutcracker Suite". Here, the boat travels through forest scenes depicting the four seasons. Screens, framed by physical trees and vines, display the fall leaves, winter snowflakes, and dancing nature sprites. Eventually, we approach a group of seven mushrooms, circling them as they dance in a manner reminiscent of the Chinese. "Now we're going to do one of the most famous and popular ballets ever written, The Dance of the Hours," the narrator says. "It takes place in the great hall, with its garden beyond, of the palace of Duke Alvise..."
Suddenly, our boat hurtles down another drop - this one much larger - and lands in a hall of Greco-Roman columns. On all sides of us are elephants and ostriches attempting to perform a delicate ballet... and struggling at it. As we continue on through the room, the elephants and ostriches are joined by hippos, and then by alligators. Needless to say, things escalate into the most bizarre ballet that you're likely to ever see!
Leaving the room, we head up another lift hill and find ourselves in a frozen Arctic landscape where aurora lights shine across the beautiful night sky. "Pines of Rome" begins to play in the background. As we chug up, up, up into the night sky, we are suddenly joined by a large pod of flying humpback whales, flying alongside our boat via a combination of projections, mirrors and animatronics. Our boat is approaching a storm cloud from which bright light shines. Going through it, we re-emerge in...
A version of 1930s-era New York City in the style of Al Hirschfeld. "Rhapsody in Blue" begins to play as our boat makes its way through the hustle and bustle of the city. Scenes from the Fantasia 2000 segment are reenacted via projections and animatronics. At one point, the boats even "climb" a building under construction before dropping down into an open manhole and entering the next scene.
"And now we're going to hear a piece of music that tells a definite story..." the narrator tells us. "As a matter of fact, in this case the story came first and the computer wrote the music to go with it. It's a very old story, one that goes back almost 2,000 years." We have entered one of Fantasia's most iconic segments, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". Standing on a might crag, Mickey Mouse - Yen Sid's sorcerer's hat atop his head - commands the stars above and the waves below. Our boat circles the crag as Mickey performs feats of wondrous wizardry before our very eyes.
Suddenly, we're doused with water and find ourselves back in Yen Sid's masonic chambers, where an army of living broomsticks endlessly fills a water well. The entire room - not just our flume - appears to be flooded. Mickey stands atop a giant book, frantically trying to reverse his spell. On top of THAT, we end up getting caught in a whirlpool and sink into the water, emerging in the attraction's grand finale: "Night on Bald Mountain".
Our boat actually begins to climb Bald Mountain as the music swells and eerie specters fly above our heads. Seated on top of the mountain is Chernabog, a massive audio-animatronic surrounded by flame effects. He acts like a conductor himself, "conducting" the spectres and demons that revel in his presence. How will we get out of this mess? We immediately find out the answer: a forty-foot drop that sends us hurtling down the backside of Bald Mountain and into the darkness...
With a loud splash, we suddenly find ourselves back in the concert hall! The audience, on the left side of our boat, is applauding, and the silhouetted conductor (on the right side of the boat) is taking a bow. Mickey Mouse (Bret Iwan) runs up and shakes the conductor's hand. "My congratulations, sir!" he says. The conductor chuckles and replies - in the exact same voice as the narrator - "Congratulations to you, Mickey." Did all of that really happen, or were we just imagining it as we listened to the music?
Our boat arrives in the unload chamber, the orchestra's temporary backstage within Yen Sid's fortress. Soggy instruments are chaotically strewn about, curiously enough. We unload amidst this mess and exit via stone hallways back out into Fantasyland.
Credit goes to @D Hindley, as his own Fantasia-based attraction served as inspiration for this.
FANTASIA
Yen Sid's foreboding-looking workshop stands in front of us, practically begging us to go inside. Towers and turrets are formed by crumbling rockwork. Every so often, the curtains of the window above the workshop's entrance open and Yen Sid peers down at us. After a moment's hesitation, we head inside. First, the queue takes us past Yen Sid's private chamber, where he practices his powerful magic. His shadow is cast on the wall, commanding smoke from a cauldron.Further into the stone antechambers, the rooms begin to change as if by magic - suddenly, they start to resemble a concert hall, albeit one with the same medieval masonry texture at the beginning of the queue. The sounds of an orchestra warming up for some sort of concert can be heard. Musical instruments appear on display - guests can play them, if they'd like. The far corner features a screen - tastefully held within a medieval stone arch - housing the film's Soundtrack, which reacts to whatever sounds those waiting in line make.
Down further halls we go, with framed concept art for assorted Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 segments appearing on the walls. Eventually, we arrive in the attraction's load area, backed by a mural featuring an orchestra (look closely, and you'll see that each member of the orchestra is a caricature of an animator who worked on Fantasia or Fantasia 2000, such as Ward Kimball, Art Babbit, and Eric Goldberg).
We climb aboard our boat, which is similar to those from EPCOT's Maelstrom attraction, though they look less like viking ships and more like a set of balcony box seats (with four rows of three). Directly across from the mural is a cast member behind a podium (actually the cleverly disguised control panel) dressed as a conductor. The voice of the attraction's narrator (Corey Burton) recites the safety spiel, the "conductor" taps their baton, and the boat begins to move.
"There are three kinds of music on this program," the narrator says as we climb a small lift hill. "First, there's the kind that tells a definite story. Then there's the kind that, while it has no specific plot, does paint a series of more or less definite pictures. Then there's a third kind, music that exists simply for its own sake. Now, the number that opens our program, Toccata and Fudge, is music of this third kind, what we call absolute music..." After dipping down a small drop, we find ourselves in a dimly-lit room where projected musician shadows display against plain walls, all dominated by ever-shifting primary colors. Fiber-optic images create a mental landscape inspired by music.
As we leave the room, the music transitions from "Toccata and Fudge" to the familiar strains of "The Nutcracker Suite". Here, the boat travels through forest scenes depicting the four seasons. Screens, framed by physical trees and vines, display the fall leaves, winter snowflakes, and dancing nature sprites. Eventually, we approach a group of seven mushrooms, circling them as they dance in a manner reminiscent of the Chinese. "Now we're going to do one of the most famous and popular ballets ever written, The Dance of the Hours," the narrator says. "It takes place in the great hall, with its garden beyond, of the palace of Duke Alvise..."
Suddenly, our boat hurtles down another drop - this one much larger - and lands in a hall of Greco-Roman columns. On all sides of us are elephants and ostriches attempting to perform a delicate ballet... and struggling at it. As we continue on through the room, the elephants and ostriches are joined by hippos, and then by alligators. Needless to say, things escalate into the most bizarre ballet that you're likely to ever see!
Leaving the room, we head up another lift hill and find ourselves in a frozen Arctic landscape where aurora lights shine across the beautiful night sky. "Pines of Rome" begins to play in the background. As we chug up, up, up into the night sky, we are suddenly joined by a large pod of flying humpback whales, flying alongside our boat via a combination of projections, mirrors and animatronics. Our boat is approaching a storm cloud from which bright light shines. Going through it, we re-emerge in...
A version of 1930s-era New York City in the style of Al Hirschfeld. "Rhapsody in Blue" begins to play as our boat makes its way through the hustle and bustle of the city. Scenes from the Fantasia 2000 segment are reenacted via projections and animatronics. At one point, the boats even "climb" a building under construction before dropping down into an open manhole and entering the next scene.
"And now we're going to hear a piece of music that tells a definite story..." the narrator tells us. "As a matter of fact, in this case the story came first and the computer wrote the music to go with it. It's a very old story, one that goes back almost 2,000 years." We have entered one of Fantasia's most iconic segments, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". Standing on a might crag, Mickey Mouse - Yen Sid's sorcerer's hat atop his head - commands the stars above and the waves below. Our boat circles the crag as Mickey performs feats of wondrous wizardry before our very eyes.
Suddenly, we're doused with water and find ourselves back in Yen Sid's masonic chambers, where an army of living broomsticks endlessly fills a water well. The entire room - not just our flume - appears to be flooded. Mickey stands atop a giant book, frantically trying to reverse his spell. On top of THAT, we end up getting caught in a whirlpool and sink into the water, emerging in the attraction's grand finale: "Night on Bald Mountain".
Our boat actually begins to climb Bald Mountain as the music swells and eerie specters fly above our heads. Seated on top of the mountain is Chernabog, a massive audio-animatronic surrounded by flame effects. He acts like a conductor himself, "conducting" the spectres and demons that revel in his presence. How will we get out of this mess? We immediately find out the answer: a forty-foot drop that sends us hurtling down the backside of Bald Mountain and into the darkness...
With a loud splash, we suddenly find ourselves back in the concert hall! The audience, on the left side of our boat, is applauding, and the silhouetted conductor (on the right side of the boat) is taking a bow. Mickey Mouse (Bret Iwan) runs up and shakes the conductor's hand. "My congratulations, sir!" he says. The conductor chuckles and replies - in the exact same voice as the narrator - "Congratulations to you, Mickey." Did all of that really happen, or were we just imagining it as we listened to the music?
Our boat arrives in the unload chamber, the orchestra's temporary backstage within Yen Sid's fortress. Soggy instruments are chaotically strewn about, curiously enough. We unload amidst this mess and exit via stone hallways back out into Fantasyland.
Credit goes to @D Hindley, as his own Fantasia-based attraction served as inspiration for this.
Well, it's only been... what, forever? But here's...
Tomorrowland Sea Exploration Headquarters is an incredible sight to see. Almost EPCOT Center-esque in design, it features an amazing mural of sea life out front, as well as a fantastic fountain... that's currently being worked on by several robot plumbers. "This job is a real drag," one of them complains as he uses a plunger on one pipe. "Yeah, I know," says another, "But it puts motor oil on the table." "Say, here's a plumbing joke to cheer you up," a robot sticking a plumbing snake into another pipe says with a smile. "How many plumbers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" "I don't know," the one with the plunger says dryly, "How many?" "None. Plumbers don't change lightbulbs, electricians do!" the robot with the plumbing snake replies. "That was a pretty lousy joke, Rusty," a robot cleaning out a pipe complains. "I never even wanted to be a plumber anyway," another robot, screwing off a faucet with a plumbing wrench, admits. "When I was first built, I wanted to be a submarine pilot, just like the folks in that building." "I guess that was a PIPE DREAM, eh?" Rusty (the robot with the plumbing snake) quips. "Knock it off, Rusty!" the robot with the plunger snaps.
If we're not too distracted by this humorous display, we head inside the Headquarters. The building's interior is almost steampunk-esque, with large fish tanks on either side of us. Impressively, the tanks don't have just one shape as fish tanks usually do - they're constantly changing shape, rearranging themselves, and occasionally even even acting as a fountain and shooting water into the air (the tanks aren't actually filled with water - it, and the fish inside, are projected). After a series of switchbacks, we walk through a set of doors at the far end of the room and find ourselves back outside. Actually, we're still in the show building - it just LOOKS like we're back outside and standing on a wooden dock overlooking the ocean.
It's here that we board our futuristic submarines. They pretty much look like normal submarines, except they seem to be floating over the water as opposed to being half-submerged into it. The door to the submarine opens up, and we are invited to climb aboard. Each submarine has twelve seats - half of them face the left side of the sub, the other half face the right side of the sub. Don't worry, it doesn't matter which side you sit on... there's a lot to see on both sides of the ride.
Once every seat on the sub is filled, the door closes and we hear the sub's captain (Peter Reneday): "This is the captain speaking. Welcome aboard. We are underway and proceeding on a course that will take us on a voyage through liquid space. En route, we will pass below the polar ice cap, and then explore depths seldom seen by man." As the sub departs from the dock, the captain continues, "Make yourself comfortable, but please remain seated at all times. And watch your children. All right, let's take the sub down! Dive! Dive!"
This is the cue for our submarine to suddenly dive down into the beautiful briny sea. Of course, we're not REALLY going underwater. The "diving" effect is achieved via projections, lighting, and our sub leaving the load area and entering another, smaller room... then cruising into another room that looks as though it's underwater.
But as far as we're concerned, we're underwater. Below us is the ocean floor, with green seaweed and brightly-colored coral scattered about. It's here that we encounter a large group of sea turtles, brought to life via a combination of animatronics and projections. "Here among the reefs, you will see many familiar inhabitants of the undersea world," the captain says. "The great green sea turtles, for instance, are the reptilian patriarchs of the deep. These amphibious descendants of the dinosaur have changed little in the past two hundred million years." Floating by the sea turtles, we next see a pair of lobsters fighting atop a rock, waving their claws like boxers. "And here we see those rascals, the lobsters," the captain points out. "It's a bit hard to tell, but I'm guessing that they're either fighting or doing some sort of mating dance. Now, over here are some groupers, otherwise known as giant sea bass." As he says this, a couple groupers swim by our sub. "They roam the coastal bottom in search of food. The giant clam is obviously quite safe from such marine predators," The captain explains, referring to a giant clam on the right side of the sub. It opens its mouth every five seconds, then closes it again. "Now, witness the crew from one of our satellite ships," the captain tells us as we see several divers harvesting kelp from its bed. One has tethered a sea turtle to keep it from munching on the kelp. The captain explains, "They are harvesting their abundance that nature has sown here beneath the sea. Kelp beds are cultivated. Sea creatures corralled and protected from predators, just as terrestrial shepherds protect their flock from ravenous wolves."
As we continue on, several moray eels can be seen poking their heads through the coral formations. Stingrays fly above the sub. On either side of the sub are colorful fish. Horseshoe crabs scurry about on the ocean floor. Atop one piece of coral is a large crab, using its claws to "trim" a nearby bunch of seaweed. A clownfish peeks out of an anemone (have we found Nemo?). "I've just received word that there's a surface storm ahead," the captain informs us. "All controls, eight degrees down! Hold her at eighty fathoms and proceed on course!" As he says this, a stream of bubbles shoots up on both sides of the sub, indicating that we have dived deeper. Once the bubbles clear, we discover that it's now much darker - we're farther from the "surface light". "The submarine can dive safely below the violence of ocean storms," the captain says. "Surface vessels are not so fortunate."
We approach a collection of 18th and 19th century sailing ships... or rather the crumbling wreckage of 18th and 19th century sailing ships. "Witness the evidence of their fate," the captain tells us. "For ages, these rotting holds have kept their secret treasures, safeguarded by man-eating sharks... nature's most unpredictable predators of the sea." Immediately after he says this, a shark glides by our field of vision. On the left side of the sub, the shark is a Great White, but on the right side of the sub, it's a Tiger Shark. The sub starts to speed up a little to get away from the sharks... only to run into a large octopus, which slithers towards the sub changing colors in the blink of an eye. Does the octopus want to harm us, or is it friendly? Either way, we have more important things to focus on now - we've reached the Polar Ice Cap.
"Steady as she goes," the captain says as the submerged lower sections of icebergs come into view. Solar pinging emits. "In this region of the polar ice cap, you are witnessing a rare visual phenomenon. The Aurora Borealis above us. Take her deep!" As the diving bell rings, bubbles shoot up again... and once they've cleared, it's so dark that you likely would not be able to see your hand in front of your face. "We have past beneath the North Pole, and are now descending into that region in deeper water where the sun has never penetrated. Here, in this realm of darkness, nature has provided the residents with their own... eerie luminescence." This is the cue for several deep sea fish, all of them glowing eerily, to appear. One fish, on the right side of the sub, has its jaws open, and it looks hungry.
"We've reached maximum depth limit. Take her back up to eighty fathoms!" we hear the captain say. Our submarine tilts a little as the bubbles shoot back up, giving the indication that we are going up. Suddenly, a red light at the top of the sub begins flashing. "Red alert!" the captain shouts. "All hands to stations! Trim the tanks! Steady as she goes!" Our sub suddenly begins to approach a giant squid, its long tentacles seeming to ensnare our sub. "Full repellent charge!" the captain yells before lights flash around us to indicate the use of an electrical charge against the giant squid. "Emergency maneuver! Take us up!" the captain commands as we speed away from the squid, our sub now tilting down to imply that we're going back down to the inky darkness of the deep.
"Phew... thankfully, we seem to be out of that jam," the captain tells us. Suddenly, the waters become a tad brighter, revealing that we are surrounded by... Greek architecture? Or at least, what looks like Greek architecture? There are temples and the collapsed remains of giant statues. "What on Earth?" the captain mutters. "I believe that we've made an incredible discovery. These ruins could very well be the legendary sunken continent of Atlantis! Some scholars theorize that a remarkable civilization was destroyed by a tremendous volcano. Others treat any concept of Atlantis as pure fantasy, along with legends of sea serpents and mermaids." As if on cue, a couple mermaids swim towards the sub (via projections) - and then we suddenly see a giant sea serpent smiling at us. "Hmmm... perhaps we've been submerged for too long..." the captain admits.
Suddenly, the waters grow more violent and darken to a reddish glow. "Don't panic," the captain says, "We're just experiencing some unusual turbulence. We'll be... by Neptune's flippers, it's a ruddy underwater volcano! Helmsman, steer clear of the tottering columns! Red alert!" Indeed, numerous columns around us are teetering as a result of the underwater volcano, which it would seem is preparing to blow its top. And then...
It erupts! The force of the eruption sends us hurtling upwards back towards the surface (like before, this is achieved via projections, lighting, and our sub entering another, smaller room). As our sub re-emerges at the dock and the door re-opens, the captain tells us, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived back at our home port. Please remain seated until the sub has come to a complete stop. It has been a pleasure having you aboard this memorable voyage that has taken us twenty-thousand leagues under the sea. Thank you for sailing with us. All ashore please!" Following the captain's orders, we step out of the submarine and back onto the dock. What a whale of a tale THAT was!
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Tomorrowland Sea Exploration Headquarters is an incredible sight to see. Almost EPCOT Center-esque in design, it features an amazing mural of sea life out front, as well as a fantastic fountain... that's currently being worked on by several robot plumbers. "This job is a real drag," one of them complains as he uses a plunger on one pipe. "Yeah, I know," says another, "But it puts motor oil on the table." "Say, here's a plumbing joke to cheer you up," a robot sticking a plumbing snake into another pipe says with a smile. "How many plumbers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" "I don't know," the one with the plunger says dryly, "How many?" "None. Plumbers don't change lightbulbs, electricians do!" the robot with the plumbing snake replies. "That was a pretty lousy joke, Rusty," a robot cleaning out a pipe complains. "I never even wanted to be a plumber anyway," another robot, screwing off a faucet with a plumbing wrench, admits. "When I was first built, I wanted to be a submarine pilot, just like the folks in that building." "I guess that was a PIPE DREAM, eh?" Rusty (the robot with the plumbing snake) quips. "Knock it off, Rusty!" the robot with the plunger snaps.
If we're not too distracted by this humorous display, we head inside the Headquarters. The building's interior is almost steampunk-esque, with large fish tanks on either side of us. Impressively, the tanks don't have just one shape as fish tanks usually do - they're constantly changing shape, rearranging themselves, and occasionally even even acting as a fountain and shooting water into the air (the tanks aren't actually filled with water - it, and the fish inside, are projected). After a series of switchbacks, we walk through a set of doors at the far end of the room and find ourselves back outside. Actually, we're still in the show building - it just LOOKS like we're back outside and standing on a wooden dock overlooking the ocean.
It's here that we board our futuristic submarines. They pretty much look like normal submarines, except they seem to be floating over the water as opposed to being half-submerged into it. The door to the submarine opens up, and we are invited to climb aboard. Each submarine has twelve seats - half of them face the left side of the sub, the other half face the right side of the sub. Don't worry, it doesn't matter which side you sit on... there's a lot to see on both sides of the ride.
Once every seat on the sub is filled, the door closes and we hear the sub's captain (Peter Reneday): "This is the captain speaking. Welcome aboard. We are underway and proceeding on a course that will take us on a voyage through liquid space. En route, we will pass below the polar ice cap, and then explore depths seldom seen by man." As the sub departs from the dock, the captain continues, "Make yourself comfortable, but please remain seated at all times. And watch your children. All right, let's take the sub down! Dive! Dive!"
This is the cue for our submarine to suddenly dive down into the beautiful briny sea. Of course, we're not REALLY going underwater. The "diving" effect is achieved via projections, lighting, and our sub leaving the load area and entering another, smaller room... then cruising into another room that looks as though it's underwater.
But as far as we're concerned, we're underwater. Below us is the ocean floor, with green seaweed and brightly-colored coral scattered about. It's here that we encounter a large group of sea turtles, brought to life via a combination of animatronics and projections. "Here among the reefs, you will see many familiar inhabitants of the undersea world," the captain says. "The great green sea turtles, for instance, are the reptilian patriarchs of the deep. These amphibious descendants of the dinosaur have changed little in the past two hundred million years." Floating by the sea turtles, we next see a pair of lobsters fighting atop a rock, waving their claws like boxers. "And here we see those rascals, the lobsters," the captain points out. "It's a bit hard to tell, but I'm guessing that they're either fighting or doing some sort of mating dance. Now, over here are some groupers, otherwise known as giant sea bass." As he says this, a couple groupers swim by our sub. "They roam the coastal bottom in search of food. The giant clam is obviously quite safe from such marine predators," The captain explains, referring to a giant clam on the right side of the sub. It opens its mouth every five seconds, then closes it again. "Now, witness the crew from one of our satellite ships," the captain tells us as we see several divers harvesting kelp from its bed. One has tethered a sea turtle to keep it from munching on the kelp. The captain explains, "They are harvesting their abundance that nature has sown here beneath the sea. Kelp beds are cultivated. Sea creatures corralled and protected from predators, just as terrestrial shepherds protect their flock from ravenous wolves."
As we continue on, several moray eels can be seen poking their heads through the coral formations. Stingrays fly above the sub. On either side of the sub are colorful fish. Horseshoe crabs scurry about on the ocean floor. Atop one piece of coral is a large crab, using its claws to "trim" a nearby bunch of seaweed. A clownfish peeks out of an anemone (have we found Nemo?). "I've just received word that there's a surface storm ahead," the captain informs us. "All controls, eight degrees down! Hold her at eighty fathoms and proceed on course!" As he says this, a stream of bubbles shoots up on both sides of the sub, indicating that we have dived deeper. Once the bubbles clear, we discover that it's now much darker - we're farther from the "surface light". "The submarine can dive safely below the violence of ocean storms," the captain says. "Surface vessels are not so fortunate."
We approach a collection of 18th and 19th century sailing ships... or rather the crumbling wreckage of 18th and 19th century sailing ships. "Witness the evidence of their fate," the captain tells us. "For ages, these rotting holds have kept their secret treasures, safeguarded by man-eating sharks... nature's most unpredictable predators of the sea." Immediately after he says this, a shark glides by our field of vision. On the left side of the sub, the shark is a Great White, but on the right side of the sub, it's a Tiger Shark. The sub starts to speed up a little to get away from the sharks... only to run into a large octopus, which slithers towards the sub changing colors in the blink of an eye. Does the octopus want to harm us, or is it friendly? Either way, we have more important things to focus on now - we've reached the Polar Ice Cap.
"Steady as she goes," the captain says as the submerged lower sections of icebergs come into view. Solar pinging emits. "In this region of the polar ice cap, you are witnessing a rare visual phenomenon. The Aurora Borealis above us. Take her deep!" As the diving bell rings, bubbles shoot up again... and once they've cleared, it's so dark that you likely would not be able to see your hand in front of your face. "We have past beneath the North Pole, and are now descending into that region in deeper water where the sun has never penetrated. Here, in this realm of darkness, nature has provided the residents with their own... eerie luminescence." This is the cue for several deep sea fish, all of them glowing eerily, to appear. One fish, on the right side of the sub, has its jaws open, and it looks hungry.
"We've reached maximum depth limit. Take her back up to eighty fathoms!" we hear the captain say. Our submarine tilts a little as the bubbles shoot back up, giving the indication that we are going up. Suddenly, a red light at the top of the sub begins flashing. "Red alert!" the captain shouts. "All hands to stations! Trim the tanks! Steady as she goes!" Our sub suddenly begins to approach a giant squid, its long tentacles seeming to ensnare our sub. "Full repellent charge!" the captain yells before lights flash around us to indicate the use of an electrical charge against the giant squid. "Emergency maneuver! Take us up!" the captain commands as we speed away from the squid, our sub now tilting down to imply that we're going back down to the inky darkness of the deep.
"Phew... thankfully, we seem to be out of that jam," the captain tells us. Suddenly, the waters become a tad brighter, revealing that we are surrounded by... Greek architecture? Or at least, what looks like Greek architecture? There are temples and the collapsed remains of giant statues. "What on Earth?" the captain mutters. "I believe that we've made an incredible discovery. These ruins could very well be the legendary sunken continent of Atlantis! Some scholars theorize that a remarkable civilization was destroyed by a tremendous volcano. Others treat any concept of Atlantis as pure fantasy, along with legends of sea serpents and mermaids." As if on cue, a couple mermaids swim towards the sub (via projections) - and then we suddenly see a giant sea serpent smiling at us. "Hmmm... perhaps we've been submerged for too long..." the captain admits.
Suddenly, the waters grow more violent and darken to a reddish glow. "Don't panic," the captain says, "We're just experiencing some unusual turbulence. We'll be... by Neptune's flippers, it's a ruddy underwater volcano! Helmsman, steer clear of the tottering columns! Red alert!" Indeed, numerous columns around us are teetering as a result of the underwater volcano, which it would seem is preparing to blow its top. And then...
It erupts! The force of the eruption sends us hurtling upwards back towards the surface (like before, this is achieved via projections, lighting, and our sub entering another, smaller room). As our sub re-emerges at the dock and the door re-opens, the captain tells us, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived back at our home port. Please remain seated until the sub has come to a complete stop. It has been a pleasure having you aboard this memorable voyage that has taken us twenty-thousand leagues under the sea. Thank you for sailing with us. All ashore please!" Following the captain's orders, we step out of the submarine and back onto the dock. What a whale of a tale THAT was!
Twilight_Roxas
Well-Known Member
I can’t wait to see what you’ll do with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, and Avengers Campus.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching our station at the entrance to the second theme park at Disney Down Under Resort. If you're standing, please hold on to the handrails and stay clear of the doors until the Monorail comes to a complete stop and the doors open. Remember to collect your belongings and assist small children by the hand. Welcome to Disney's World Tour.
Disney's World Tour serves as a salute to the planet that we call Earth. Inspired by EPCOT's World Showcase and the unbuilt park Disney's America, the park features multiple lands dedicated to a country or continent, from the United States to Australia. There's a lot to do, so we'd better get started.
After arriving in the park and making your way through the turnstiles, you'll find yourself in the first section of the park, the Main Street USA of Disney's World Tour in other words - World Plaza.
World Plaza is inspired a little by Tokyo DisneySea's Mediterranean Harbor, albiet with a more whimsical tone. Sort of a combination of towns that you'd find in various parts of Europe, the land is just far enough removed from all of them to avoid making the other lands redundant. The town overlooks the nearby Waters of the World, a large body of water that the park's lands revolve around. Near the entrance of the park is Disney's Mediterranean Resort, a hotel actually found in the park.
World Plaza is home to many a sailor, explorer, adventurer, and world-traveler. You can also find a few shops and restaurants. For example, there's the Traveler's Treasure Trove, where adventurers, explorers etc. can barter and trade goods such as (park) maps, telescopes, binoculars, model ships, things like that. Or, there's the Ristorante Sull'Acqua, which sits by the Waters of the World, a charming bistro decorated with maps of the world and artifacts from far-off countries. You can dine inside or outside, overlooking the lake. On the menu are fresh fish, pasta dishes, pizza, and more.
If you'd prefer a lighter snack, the Refreshment Port is a good place to visit. Here you can find a variety of savory and sweet treats and drinks. You can order a coffee, a cinnamon bun, a hot chocolate, a muffin, a freshly-baked cookie... things like that.
It's also here in World Plaza that you'll find the park's first thrill ride: Soarin' Over the World. On this version of the ever-popular attraction found at many other Disney Parks, we climb aboard a Da Vinci-esque flying machine for a flight around the planet Earth. We'll fly over such locations as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids, and the Taj Mahal.
Similar to how Elsa's Castle stands at the end of Main Steet USA, at the end of World Plaza is a strange sort of palace. The structure is painted with pastel colors. In the center of the palace is a large clock tower. Below the palace, topiaries in the shape of animals stand proudly in the gardens. In front of the structure is a fountain featuring a small boat full of children holding up signs. And right next to it is a sign bearing the attraction's name - "it's a small world".
This is a ride that likely needs no introduction. Like its siblings at the other Disney Parks, "it's a small world" has guests joining the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas. You'll travel to every continent on the planet, each represented by an enormous diorama of Technicolor glitter, fabric, paper-mache, and Audio-Animatronic dolls singing that iconic song. The attraction exits out into the Small World Toy Shop.
"it's a small world" serves as the hub of Disney's World Tour - from here, you can find a pathway that leads to each of the park's other lands. For example, one pathway leads to a land that represents Africa...
Disney's World Tour serves as a salute to the planet that we call Earth. Inspired by EPCOT's World Showcase and the unbuilt park Disney's America, the park features multiple lands dedicated to a country or continent, from the United States to Australia. There's a lot to do, so we'd better get started.
After arriving in the park and making your way through the turnstiles, you'll find yourself in the first section of the park, the Main Street USA of Disney's World Tour in other words - World Plaza.
World Plaza is inspired a little by Tokyo DisneySea's Mediterranean Harbor, albiet with a more whimsical tone. Sort of a combination of towns that you'd find in various parts of Europe, the land is just far enough removed from all of them to avoid making the other lands redundant. The town overlooks the nearby Waters of the World, a large body of water that the park's lands revolve around. Near the entrance of the park is Disney's Mediterranean Resort, a hotel actually found in the park.
World Plaza is home to many a sailor, explorer, adventurer, and world-traveler. You can also find a few shops and restaurants. For example, there's the Traveler's Treasure Trove, where adventurers, explorers etc. can barter and trade goods such as (park) maps, telescopes, binoculars, model ships, things like that. Or, there's the Ristorante Sull'Acqua, which sits by the Waters of the World, a charming bistro decorated with maps of the world and artifacts from far-off countries. You can dine inside or outside, overlooking the lake. On the menu are fresh fish, pasta dishes, pizza, and more.
If you'd prefer a lighter snack, the Refreshment Port is a good place to visit. Here you can find a variety of savory and sweet treats and drinks. You can order a coffee, a cinnamon bun, a hot chocolate, a muffin, a freshly-baked cookie... things like that.
It's also here in World Plaza that you'll find the park's first thrill ride: Soarin' Over the World. On this version of the ever-popular attraction found at many other Disney Parks, we climb aboard a Da Vinci-esque flying machine for a flight around the planet Earth. We'll fly over such locations as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids, and the Taj Mahal.
Similar to how Elsa's Castle stands at the end of Main Steet USA, at the end of World Plaza is a strange sort of palace. The structure is painted with pastel colors. In the center of the palace is a large clock tower. Below the palace, topiaries in the shape of animals stand proudly in the gardens. In front of the structure is a fountain featuring a small boat full of children holding up signs. And right next to it is a sign bearing the attraction's name - "it's a small world".
This is a ride that likely needs no introduction. Like its siblings at the other Disney Parks, "it's a small world" has guests joining the happiest cruise that ever sailed the seven seas. You'll travel to every continent on the planet, each represented by an enormous diorama of Technicolor glitter, fabric, paper-mache, and Audio-Animatronic dolls singing that iconic song. The attraction exits out into the Small World Toy Shop.
"it's a small world" serves as the hub of Disney's World Tour - from here, you can find a pathway that leads to each of the park's other lands. For example, one pathway leads to a land that represents Africa...
Alright, next land of Disney's World Tour...
There aren't any major attractions in Hujambo Village, but you'll find quite a few shops and restaurants. Kula Vizuri (that's Swahili for "Good Eating") is the land's table-service location, serving up African specialties, the menu similar to Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Meanwhile, there's also the Hujambo Village Market, a small fruit stand also offering water, juice, bottled soft drinks, and chips.
If you'd like, you could pay a visit to Pipi na Chipsi (Swahili for "Sweets and Treats") Sweet Shop, a confectionery with Africa-inspired treats. Or there's Zawadi Traders, a shop with a colorful selection of African goods. Or you could drop by Duka la Kijiji (Swahili for "Village Shop"), home to many a souvenir and gift.
Eventually, the streets of Hujambo Village give way to the Grasslands, where the animals found in Africa can be found. In the back of the land is a headliner attraction for the park - sort of the park's equivalent to Expedition Everest. A large mountain based on Africa's own Mount Kilimanjaro serves as the facade for a roller coaster called, well, Mount Kilimanjaro. Using the same technology as Hong Kong Disneyland's Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, here riders climb aboard a mine cart and climb the peak of the mountain before literally dropping into the core. Be careful, as Mount Kilimanjaro is actually a stratovolcano that could erupt at any second.
For those that are looking for a tamer experience, another attraction is located nearby - Pride Rock Falls. Based on Disney's 1994 animated classic The Lion King, Pride Rock Falls is sort of a cross between a Fantasyland dark ride and a log flume. Aboard small wooden boats, riders are immersed into the story, dodging hyenas, getting caught in a wildebeest stampede, and finally becoming part of a battle against Simba and his friends against Scar for Pride Rock. While there are multiple drops and even some water coaster elements, the ride is tamer than Splash Mountain.
At the exit to Pride Rock Falls is a gift shop, Meerkat Mercantile. This is your number-one spot in the park for Lion King merchandise and plush toys of African wildlife. And bugs. Bugs that you can EAT (don't worry, the only "bugs" sold here are of the candy variety).
Next door to the shop is Restaurant Hakuna Matata. Here diners munch on African delicacies, kabobs, and strange desserts inspired by Timon and Pumbaa's favorite food - bugs. No worries, though, as the desserts are slimy yet satisfying!
Stay tuned, for we'll soon find ourselves leaving the grasslands of Africa and winding up in Asia...
Africa
Africa is similar to the land of the same name at Disney's Animal Kingdom - it doesn't focus on one specific area of Africa, but rather combines many different areas into two sublands - Hujambo Village and The Grasslands. Worn buildings, Swahili architecture, and cheerful villagers welcome us as we enter Hujambo Village ("Hujambo" is a word that means "Hello" in Swahili).There aren't any major attractions in Hujambo Village, but you'll find quite a few shops and restaurants. Kula Vizuri (that's Swahili for "Good Eating") is the land's table-service location, serving up African specialties, the menu similar to Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Meanwhile, there's also the Hujambo Village Market, a small fruit stand also offering water, juice, bottled soft drinks, and chips.
If you'd like, you could pay a visit to Pipi na Chipsi (Swahili for "Sweets and Treats") Sweet Shop, a confectionery with Africa-inspired treats. Or there's Zawadi Traders, a shop with a colorful selection of African goods. Or you could drop by Duka la Kijiji (Swahili for "Village Shop"), home to many a souvenir and gift.
Eventually, the streets of Hujambo Village give way to the Grasslands, where the animals found in Africa can be found. In the back of the land is a headliner attraction for the park - sort of the park's equivalent to Expedition Everest. A large mountain based on Africa's own Mount Kilimanjaro serves as the facade for a roller coaster called, well, Mount Kilimanjaro. Using the same technology as Hong Kong Disneyland's Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, here riders climb aboard a mine cart and climb the peak of the mountain before literally dropping into the core. Be careful, as Mount Kilimanjaro is actually a stratovolcano that could erupt at any second.
For those that are looking for a tamer experience, another attraction is located nearby - Pride Rock Falls. Based on Disney's 1994 animated classic The Lion King, Pride Rock Falls is sort of a cross between a Fantasyland dark ride and a log flume. Aboard small wooden boats, riders are immersed into the story, dodging hyenas, getting caught in a wildebeest stampede, and finally becoming part of a battle against Simba and his friends against Scar for Pride Rock. While there are multiple drops and even some water coaster elements, the ride is tamer than Splash Mountain.
At the exit to Pride Rock Falls is a gift shop, Meerkat Mercantile. This is your number-one spot in the park for Lion King merchandise and plush toys of African wildlife. And bugs. Bugs that you can EAT (don't worry, the only "bugs" sold here are of the candy variety).
Next door to the shop is Restaurant Hakuna Matata. Here diners munch on African delicacies, kabobs, and strange desserts inspired by Timon and Pumbaa's favorite food - bugs. No worries, though, as the desserts are slimy yet satisfying!
Stay tuned, for we'll soon find ourselves leaving the grasslands of Africa and winding up in Asia...
Next land.
If you enter Asia from the previous land we covered, Africa, you'll find yourself in Japan. You'll also have walked by the large red torii gate that marks the entrance to the land.
Pagodas tower overhead. Footbridges cross streams full of colorful koi fish. Tranquil gardens abound. Carts offer potted bonsai trees, Japanese tea kettles, lanterns, fans, and Calligraphy brushes. This section of Asia only has one shop - the Zamaku Department Store, filled to the brim with Japanese footwear and clothing, books, model cars, and even merchandise relating to such Japanese franchises like Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, and Hello Kitty.
The most popular dining location in Japan is the Oishi Yushoku Cafe. It's sort of a counterpart to EPCOT's Teppan Edo, with chefs preparing your meal right in front of you. Entrees include beef, chicken, seafood, and more. Or, for a lighter meal, there's a quick-service location called the Umizoi Grill, which with its outdoor seating overlooking the Waters of the World and varied menu of teriyaki, noodles, sushi and other Japanese dishes, offers something for everyone.
The iconic Mount Fuji towers over Japan. If you'd like to head inside, you can take a ride on the Fuji Express. A much tamer experience than Mount Kilimanjaro over in Africa, this fun-for-all-ages roller coaster takes guests both inside and outside the mountain from its base to the snowy summit.
There's also the Bullet Train Pass, a simulator attraction in which guests feel as though they're in the car of a train - thanks to the "windows" actually being high-definition screens. You'll travel past several of Japan's landmarks and into many of its cities.
Eventually, the architecture of Japan is replaced with that of China. The Great Wall can be seen in the distance. Acrobats perform tricks for large crowds. Grand temples serve as facades for attractions and restaurants. There are no shops, however, merchandise is sold at a large open air market. You can find (among other things) silk clothing, candles, stuffed animals, and - since it's a Disney park - Mulan merchandise.
Who doesn't love Chinese cuisine? If you're getting hungry, there's always a table open for you at The Giant Catfish, a buffet of different culinary delights from China, or the Willow Tree Cafe, which focuses more on baked goods such as buns and tarts. Of course, both locations offer tea.
In a large temple in the center of China, a show called Wondrous China can be found. A clone of the attraction coming to EPCOT, this theater-in-the-round show takes guests on a tour of China, from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City to the mighty Yangtze River.
Nearby, in a small water garden, you can find Lucky Dragon Rickshaws. This is an outdoor ride a la Autopia at Disneyland where guests ride around the garden in rickety rickshaws pulled by goofy Chinese dragons. The dragons that pull the rickshaws are rather impressive animatronics, capable of blinking, roaring, breathing smoke, changing color, and glowing at night. The ride is about five minutes long.
Keep walking by the water garden where the dragons race and you'll eventually find yourself in India. My friend and fellow Armchair Imagineer DisneyManOne once described India as "a country with plenty of qualities that would be wonderful to showcase through attractions, shows and food." Entering this section of Asia through a gate inspired by the Mughal Red Fort in Delhi, you might see an ancient temple inspired by the Shore Complex of Bengal. The pavilion in general is pretty peaceful, though some background music is provided by musicians performing on traditional Indian instruments. India's main gift shops are Cancala Ioga, which boasts a selection of Indian toys, books, toys, games, film, and sundries, and Faribada Fashions, which focuses more on Indian clothing, shoes, and perfumes.
India's signature table-service restaurant is the Maharajah's Palace - where you can dine like royalty. Designed like the inside of an actual Indian palace, here you can dine on curry, chicken, naan, pork, hummus, and all sorts of Indian food.
You can't miss the enormous Rajput fort, built of yellow sandstone atop a rocky outcropping. Just inside is an elaborate Omnimover dark ride, The Four Fables. This attraction is based on the book of Hitopadesha, a series of ancient texts designed as common fables, using anthromorphic animals to tell the stories. Riders board hollowed-out logs and travel through the jungles of India to see how these four fables are illustrated through the eyes of animals.
Also within this fort is a beautiful art gallery, full of Indian art and sculptures. Actually, this art gallery doubles as a queue/holding area for a show called Festival of Wonder, a celebration of the many wonders found in India utilizing live musicians, a team of dancers, Circlevision screens and more.
While traveling from Asia to another continent would usually be rather hard, here at Disney's World Tour it's remarkably easy. The next land, Europe, is just ahead...
Credit goes to DisneyManOne for many of the ideas in this chapter.
Asia
Asia is quite a continent. With such countries as Japan, India, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Thailand, it's home to many different cultures and landscapes. Asia at Disney's World Tour serves as a tip of the hat to this magnificent continent, with sublands dedicated to Japan, China, and India.If you enter Asia from the previous land we covered, Africa, you'll find yourself in Japan. You'll also have walked by the large red torii gate that marks the entrance to the land.
Pagodas tower overhead. Footbridges cross streams full of colorful koi fish. Tranquil gardens abound. Carts offer potted bonsai trees, Japanese tea kettles, lanterns, fans, and Calligraphy brushes. This section of Asia only has one shop - the Zamaku Department Store, filled to the brim with Japanese footwear and clothing, books, model cars, and even merchandise relating to such Japanese franchises like Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, and Hello Kitty.
The most popular dining location in Japan is the Oishi Yushoku Cafe. It's sort of a counterpart to EPCOT's Teppan Edo, with chefs preparing your meal right in front of you. Entrees include beef, chicken, seafood, and more. Or, for a lighter meal, there's a quick-service location called the Umizoi Grill, which with its outdoor seating overlooking the Waters of the World and varied menu of teriyaki, noodles, sushi and other Japanese dishes, offers something for everyone.
The iconic Mount Fuji towers over Japan. If you'd like to head inside, you can take a ride on the Fuji Express. A much tamer experience than Mount Kilimanjaro over in Africa, this fun-for-all-ages roller coaster takes guests both inside and outside the mountain from its base to the snowy summit.
There's also the Bullet Train Pass, a simulator attraction in which guests feel as though they're in the car of a train - thanks to the "windows" actually being high-definition screens. You'll travel past several of Japan's landmarks and into many of its cities.
Eventually, the architecture of Japan is replaced with that of China. The Great Wall can be seen in the distance. Acrobats perform tricks for large crowds. Grand temples serve as facades for attractions and restaurants. There are no shops, however, merchandise is sold at a large open air market. You can find (among other things) silk clothing, candles, stuffed animals, and - since it's a Disney park - Mulan merchandise.
Who doesn't love Chinese cuisine? If you're getting hungry, there's always a table open for you at The Giant Catfish, a buffet of different culinary delights from China, or the Willow Tree Cafe, which focuses more on baked goods such as buns and tarts. Of course, both locations offer tea.
In a large temple in the center of China, a show called Wondrous China can be found. A clone of the attraction coming to EPCOT, this theater-in-the-round show takes guests on a tour of China, from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City to the mighty Yangtze River.
Nearby, in a small water garden, you can find Lucky Dragon Rickshaws. This is an outdoor ride a la Autopia at Disneyland where guests ride around the garden in rickety rickshaws pulled by goofy Chinese dragons. The dragons that pull the rickshaws are rather impressive animatronics, capable of blinking, roaring, breathing smoke, changing color, and glowing at night. The ride is about five minutes long.
Keep walking by the water garden where the dragons race and you'll eventually find yourself in India. My friend and fellow Armchair Imagineer DisneyManOne once described India as "a country with plenty of qualities that would be wonderful to showcase through attractions, shows and food." Entering this section of Asia through a gate inspired by the Mughal Red Fort in Delhi, you might see an ancient temple inspired by the Shore Complex of Bengal. The pavilion in general is pretty peaceful, though some background music is provided by musicians performing on traditional Indian instruments. India's main gift shops are Cancala Ioga, which boasts a selection of Indian toys, books, toys, games, film, and sundries, and Faribada Fashions, which focuses more on Indian clothing, shoes, and perfumes.
India's signature table-service restaurant is the Maharajah's Palace - where you can dine like royalty. Designed like the inside of an actual Indian palace, here you can dine on curry, chicken, naan, pork, hummus, and all sorts of Indian food.
You can't miss the enormous Rajput fort, built of yellow sandstone atop a rocky outcropping. Just inside is an elaborate Omnimover dark ride, The Four Fables. This attraction is based on the book of Hitopadesha, a series of ancient texts designed as common fables, using anthromorphic animals to tell the stories. Riders board hollowed-out logs and travel through the jungles of India to see how these four fables are illustrated through the eyes of animals.
Also within this fort is a beautiful art gallery, full of Indian art and sculptures. Actually, this art gallery doubles as a queue/holding area for a show called Festival of Wonder, a celebration of the many wonders found in India utilizing live musicians, a team of dancers, Circlevision screens and more.
While traveling from Asia to another continent would usually be rather hard, here at Disney's World Tour it's remarkably easy. The next land, Europe, is just ahead...
Credit goes to DisneyManOne for many of the ideas in this chapter.