Original Alice in Wonderland Ride

[fantasmicsyd]

Man, I wish we had a clearer photo of the pillar scene. I just looked at the Ken Anderson illustrations and for the first time it was clear to me how the scene was meant to be staged. Hopefully they turn up one day!

 

[Parteecia]

I'm trying to remember when the physical apple was replaced with the holographic apple.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

I'm trying to remember when the physical apple was replaced with the holographic apple.

As far as I know, it was a mirror effect upon reopening in 1983.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

I just discovered that the "Have an apple, dearie" that Stefano said he was able to make out at 1:05 in the 1972 recording is not the same "Have an apple, dearie" that I always thought I heard at the cauldron scene at 0:54/0:55. The line I hear at the cauldron is delivered with a subdued demeanor and a lower-pitched voice, but if you listen very closely, you can hear that the one at 1:05—playing for riders one car behind at the cauldron scene assuming no part of the ride is missing from the recording—is identical to the familiar, high-pitched, maniacal versions of the line. It's unmistakable once you hear it.



So as it turns out, there was indeed a high-pitched "Have an apple, dearie" (possibly even the same one used in Forty Pounds of Trouble) in the ride at the time of the 1972 recording, and it just happens that the reel didn't play when it was supposed to. I still think the line was meant to play at the cauldron scene (at least at the time of the recording) as opposed to the pillar, as not only would this match the pace of the recording, but you can in fact hear the squeak of crash doors opening at 1:02, which virtually confirms that the sinister laugh at 1:00 is at the pillar vignette. As for the sound heard at 0:54/0:55 at the cauldron... I have no idea what it could be, really.

My new hypothesis is that the "Have an apple, dearie" line was originally used for the pillar, moved to the cauldron at some point, and then moved back to the pillar. I'm not sure why this would have been the case, but it's fairly plausible considering the confusing inconsistencies between the recording and Stefano's recollection.

Are these the same voicelines you are talking about:
Forty Pounds of Trouble version heard here at 1:09 next to the boat witch. Though I don't know if the audio track even matches the video.
And the Alternate take heard at the 1991 WDW cauldron at :47.

 

[Okee68]

Are these the same voicelines you are talking about:
Forty Pounds of Trouble version heard here at 1:09 next to the boat witch. Though I don't know if the audio track even matches the video.
And the Alternate take heard at the 1991 WDW cauldron at :47.

To clear up any confusion, the sound I thought I was hearing at 0:54/0:55 in the recording (which I'm still under the impression is at the cauldron scene) was a very muffled, lower pitched "Have an apple, dearie?" that sounds nothing like any other version of that line.

Then, the muffled noise in the background at 1:05 is certifiably some version of "Have an apple, dearie?" which, depending on your interpretation, is playing for riders either one car behind at the cauldron scene (which I personally think is the case) or one car ahead at the pillar scene (which would require you to assume that the recording is missing the scenes between the Witch's shadow and the scary forest, which wouldn't be consistent with the pacing of the first half of the castle area). Wherever it may have been, it's much more similar to the versions of the line from Forty Pounds and WDW 1971 than whatever I thought I was hearing at 0:54/0:55. You need to really tune your ears a certain way to hear it, but it's absolutely there.

This revelation has made it clear to me that the vague sound at 0:54/0:55 is something completely unrelated, and that the real "Have an apple dearie?" line at the time of the recording was consistent with what one would expect the line to sound like going by Forty Pounds and WDW 1971. However, it's so incredibly faint that I have no idea whether it was the Forty Pounds version or another recording entirely. It's definitely not the 1971 Ginny Tyler version from WDW, as that one is drawn out a bit longer than what I hear in the recording.

The reason you can't hear "Have an apple, dearie?" at the cauldron scene is simply because the reel didn't activate as Magic Joe's car passed by. The recording is also missing the apparent howling wind and ghoulish moans in the forest, as well as the Witch's death scream, so it's likely that the ride was in need of some touching up at the time the recording was captured.

 

[Dragonman]

I’m sure more recordings exist, it’s just a matter of asking around in the right places.