Manifest Destiny: A Lifetime Walt Disney World Fan's First Trip To Disneyland

[Animaniac93-98]

The hallway is a by product of the show building location... Not really a holdover from the early walk through concept.

Long Forgotten blog has shown that the hallway and placement of the showbuilding date back to before a ride concept was settled on. Remember that the house and grounds themselves were completed in 1963. It's why Disney was able to show the stretching room concept on a January 1965 TV episode, more than two years before Adventure Thru Inner Space would settle the argument for what kind of attraction HM would be. They knew for a long time the "house" would be just a prop and you'd take an elevator to get under the RR tracks into the real show area.

One blog post that explains this all better:

http://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.ca/2013/01/to-find-way-out.html

 

[wdrive]

View attachment 82120 View attachment 82121 View attachment 82122

Strange Minnie has no bow in that photo.

 

[Mike S]

Strange Minnie has no bow in that photo.

Wow, I didn't even notice that lol.

 

[flynnibus]

Long Forgotten blog has shown that the hallway and placement of the showbuilding date back to before a ride concept was settled on. Remember that the house and grounds themselves were completed in 1963

I'm well aware that the manor portion was completed early and sat, as well as the concepts for the attraction being in flux. Raven's post made it sound like the reason this hallway is there is a hold-over or possibly some nod to the original concept. While the hallway's physical position may have been part of the original walkthrough attraction concept, it's reason for staying (where other elements did not) is because it was repurposed into being the means to transport guests to the ride system location. It remained not because of the original walkthrough concept, but simply because the same issues of "how do I get this huge show building in here?" remained. Many of the gags/effects are ideas from the original attraction concept... but are not unique to the walk-through concept.

What I'm getting at is... the hallway's inclusion in the final design as a walking hallway was for practical purposes, not because it was a holdover from the original walkthrough concept. And why in WDW when that practical reason did not exist, they made that same show element part of the ride portion vs duplicating DL's layout. I can see how the comment can be made, I just didn't want someone thinking "its a walking portion because that's what the original attraction was...". Its a walking portion because they couldn't bring the ride system and show building in closer to the mansion entrance.

The HM (especially in DL) is an amazing story of how Disney did things in that incredible period of expansion at WED/Disney.. and of course the incredible turbulence left in the wake of Walt's passing.

 

[flynnibus]

Poor toontown... in many ways a microcosim of the struggles of Disney today.

They built an amazing area... with so much imagination, attention to detail, humor, cute, etc. But aimed too much at little kids ONLY with much of the attractions... leaving much of the fan base left out... and hence they don't appreciate it for what it is. Add to that all the later 'dumbing down' of things for liability reasons, and then even the kid-only stuff gets crippled. So you have this amazing space... that is only able to deliver on a fraction of it's potential. Combine that with the location compromise (distance, fireworks fallout shutdowns)... the poor thing was at risk, and then beat down by its own creators.

Maybe a model of why a land needs to be approached holistically to be a success in the long run and needs a balance if it wants wide appeal to the Disney audience. Flicks Fun Fair is another example of incredible decor and setting... that due to it's target of kid-only alienated so much of the fanbase that most would say they flat out HATE FFF... while it has some of the coolest touches in the park. @Mike S make sure you goto FFF and take in the details in there... even if the attractions are useless for anyone over the age of 7

Sometimes I wonder if there was thing pendulum swing after EPCOT and Disney struggled in aiming too much adult, too much kid, then too much adult, then too much kid, etc

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The MK HM was never designed with the changing portrait hallway. It had a unique scene of portraits with eyes following you. Anyone who went on the pre-refurb classic HM remembers this well. With the 2007 refurb of MK HM, they apparently had an agenda to make the WDW ride more resemble the DL version. So now there's a little ride-through version of the changing portrait hallway (which is STILL missing the April portrait, despite the fact that DL evicted that resident in favor of the WDW foyer portrait guy), the corridor of doors was made to resemble DL's more, AKA the portraits that MK never had, DL lighting and the removal of the hands prying the door open at the end). Then, of course, they copied the floating Leota and Constance attic. They even used DL Ghost Host dialogue that had never been used at MK.

I never liked the idea of waiting in the front yard like you do at dl's mansion.. (Well garden/side). I liked the standoff approach of the menacing manor of mk's. Tho entering on the porch in dl is nice. Now if they only respect the cycles there more when it comes to the speils and doors

WDW's doesn't really make any sense and I find the (well, not so) new (anymore) queue offensive. You enter the hillside underneath the Mansion, so you're in a basement? But, I mean, it doesn't look like that once you're inside. Eh, whatever. As for the foyer spiel and the transformation of the portrait...I can't recall ever seeing that at WDW since the refurb unless you request it. It seems like whenever they let us in, the dialogue has already started and the portrait is in its final phase. Sometimes, the door to the stretching room is already open. What? Then there's the sea of people I've frequently encountered outside the stretching rooms, which doesn't happen at DL unless there's a really bad e-stop.

 

[Mike S]

Currently driving through mountains on my way to Vegas. Pictures do it no justice.

I'll post the rest of my Disneyland pics when I get over there so you guys will have to wait.

 

[flynnibus]

The MK HM was never designed with the changing portrait hallway. It had a unique scene of portraits with eyes following you.

Yes, the walls of busts... taking place in the same place the hallway is in DL.

With the 2007 refurb of MK HM, they apparently had an agenda to make the WDW ride more resemble the DL version

It lacks the authentic feel of the DL version.. but I still like the pictures

You enter the hillside underneath the Mansion, so you're in a basement? But, I mean, it doesn't look like that once you're inside.

Never bothered me... It not like it paints itself as some window scene. It's a foyer. The covering overhead as you approach the house works to break up your orientation to the structure and your awareness of location.

Eh, whatever. As for the foyer spiel and the transformation of the portrait...I can't recall ever seeing that at WDW since the refurb unless you request it. It seems like whenever they let us in, the dialogue has already started and the portrait is in its final phase. Sometimes, the door to the stretching room is already open. What? Then there's the sea of people I've frequently encountered outside the stretching rooms, which doesn't happen at DL unless there's a really bad e-stop.

I wasn't comparing to MK - but in DL they never seem to use the foyer, but rather you enter the house and go directly into the stretching room and the spiel would be started before the room is closed up. Combine that with all the stupid ppl recieting the spiel outloud... or the screamers... and it just becomes another part of the queue instead of having the show already begun. I don't feel they treat the foyer/SR setup with enough respect, instead pushing for some sort of operational efficiency I can only guess.

 

[TP2000]

Currently driving through mountains on my way to Vegas. Pictures do it no justice.
View attachment 82199
I'll post the rest of my Disneyland pics when I get over there so you guys will have to wait.

Mike, your TR and photos have been some of the most fun we've had here in months. Thank you again for sharing it all with us!

That said, and I lived on the East Coast for a bit so I'm trying to be as gentle as possible here, but the photo you just posted here are not actually "mountains". Those are just hills. If you ever return to California and head up into the mountains in the Sierras or Siskiyou ranges, you'll know the mountains when you see them.

 

[Sage of Time]

So weird seeing shots of DL with cloudy skies... Mike, you got a rarity!

WDW's doesn't really make any sense and I find the (well, not so) new (anymore) queue offensive. You enter the hillside underneath the Mansion, so you're in a basement? But, I mean, it doesn't look like that once you're inside. Eh, whatever. As for the foyer spiel and the transformation of the portrait...I can't recall ever seeing that at WDW since the refurb unless you request it. It seems like whenever they let us in, the dialogue has already started and the portrait is in its final phase. Sometimes, the door to the stretching room is already open. What? Then there's the sea of people I've frequently encountered outside the stretching rooms, which doesn't happen at DL unless there's a really bad e-stop.

You don't enter into the hillside, you're still walking up to the Mansion... just not the door you see from the front of the facade. I think some have called it the servant's entrance.

What you saw is sadly just poor show and poorly trained CMs. The correct procedure is to open the doors, allow the audio/visual to play, and THEN move people into the stretching rooms.

And yes, I saw this practice done at Disneyland, too, when it was crowded. It's annoying on both coasts. Very poor show.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Mike, your TR and photos have been some of the most fun we've had here in months. Thank you again for sharing it all with us!

That said, and I lived on the East Coast for a bit so I'm trying to be as gentle as possible here, but the photo you just posted here are not actually "mountains". Those are just hills. If you ever return to California and head up into the mountains in the Sierras or Siskiyou ranges, you'll know the mountains when you see them.

Yosemite, anyone?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I was going to Disneyland tonight anyway, but now I'm more excited!

 

[Mike S]

Now that I'm at my room in Las Vegas it's time for the fifth wave of Toontown pics. Actually, it's more like a tidal wave. Mickey's House.

 

[Mike S]

 

[ChewbaccaYourMum]

loved these benches

The castle... Didn't get to see it )=

Hope you guys like the photos from my first trip to Disneyland too.

 

[Mike S]

 

[Mike S]

 

[Animaniac93-98]

What hotel in Vegas are you staying at @Mike S ?

 

[Mike S]

What hotel in Vegas are you staying at @Mike S ?

 

[TP2000]

Ooh! You are right across the street from the Cosmopolitan! Make sure you go over there and at least wander through it all, if not have a drink or dinner; it's just a stunning complex.