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VIDEO - Behind-the-scenes with WDI creating the loading area mural for Mermaid
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
Wow, impressive and huge and beautiful. This is really different (dare I say better/grander?) than DCA's version, and a perfect fit for the east coast.
Scuttle
Well-Known Member
Yes it does seem better and grander. I have a feeling WDW's Mermaid is going to blow DCA's out of the water. Visually, Beast and Mermaid are going to be incredible it looks like.
PhilharMagician
Well-Known Member
That may be why the windows just past the contume shop were all covered with brown paper blocking the view into the shop last week and the week prior. The carpentry shop was still viewable. I thought something was odd.
Prototype82
Well-Known Member
Well I would imagine there would be set work built around it...
Neverland
Active Member
Good lord, that's beautiful. I've already seen the ride many times on youtube, but what I'm most excited for is just how gorgeous the show building, inside and outside, is going to be in comparison to California's. DCA's load area is so cartoony and small compared to this.
I'm assuming the mural is curved just because it's so big and couldn't fit inside the building? The track layout doesn't have a curve like that; the load/unload area is a straight line.
I'm assuming the mural is curved just because it's so big and couldn't fit inside the building? The track layout doesn't have a curve like that; the load/unload area is a straight line.
Skipper03
Member
It will be like pan or pooh, you ride right past it but can't really touch it... I don't think there will be much chance for that!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Ha! I don't think I can. This mural looks fantastic, and obviously on a much taller scale than DCA's.
Obviously it's done in a different style, less cartoony and more realistic than DCA's version.
But I also have to think this seems at least 10 or 15 feet taller than DCA's version. The length seems about the same, and that would make sense since it is really framing the load/unload belts area that would be identical between the two rides.
But the height on this New Fantasyland version of the mural seems just much taller. Perhaps because the show building in Florida is not sunk into the ground like DCA's? Perhaps more of the show building in Florida sits above the ground level, and thus the mural would have to be taller for the Florida version? Anyone know if that may be the reason for the extra height here?
DCA Little Mermaid Load/Unload Area with Mural
This WDW New Fantasyland version of the Mermaid mural just seems so much taller, in addition to being done in a completely different artistic style.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
Are we absolutely sure that the track layout is exactly the same as the DCA version? I mean, I'm not saying they added a loop in the middle, but that is not a little bend in the mural, it really is almost L-shaped. I would expect the mural to mirror the ride path like it does at DCA, so what gives?
sponono88
Well-Known Member
TP2000: Imagineer Larry Nikolai explained that the DCA Mermaid mural is meant to reflect the storybook illustrations from the time period that Paradise Pier is based on (early 1900s). I think this 'storybook' approach explains the difference in style from the mural in Florida.
Yes, the track layout will be identical to the DCA ride -- WDI confirmed this at the D23 Expo. In the video the mural appears to be curved, probably because they had to fit the very long canvas inside that warehouse (DCA's Mural is 86 1/2 ft long).
Yes, the track layout will be identical to the DCA ride -- WDI confirmed this at the D23 Expo. In the video the mural appears to be curved, probably because they had to fit the very long canvas inside that warehouse (DCA's Mural is 86 1/2 ft long).
Mad Stitch
Well-Known Member
Very cool and interesting. Even if the ride layout is the same at least they do little things like this to make each ride a little bit unique and fit into their respective park.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Interesting info! I agree that the length of the mural at the DHS studio seems to match the DCA mural. And they curved the canvas to get it all to fit in their studio.
But I'm still curious why the WDW version of the mural appears to be taller. My growing hunch is because the show building in Florida is taller because it can't be sunk into rocky ground like they did in DCA. Here's a picture from '09 when they were building the Mermaid building and the World of Color viewing area next door.
They dug about 15 feet into the soil and started their foundation there. Thus, when you board your clamshell at roughly ground level in DCA, you go down to a basement level when your clamshell pivots to go "under the sea" for about half of the ride.
In Florida, if they couldn't dig out that 15 feet of basement due to the high water table, the building would be taller near the front of the ride as they still had to work in the identical lower track section and elevations from the DCA version. That would mean a taller loading area as the mountains and facade out front need to hide a show building in Florida that sticks up more above ground level.
Mystery solved! I think.... :lookaroun
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
I actually kinda like the bend/curve in the mural, would be nice if it were implemented that way and the track went around a bend, instead of just a straight line but thats just me.
yeti
Well-Known Member
True. The old mural reflects that classical story-telling feel of conventional dark rides, what with all of the characters displayed, smiling and interspersed, villains possibly lurking in the corner. Given the nature of Paradise Pier, it works. In FLE? Not so much. To me it seems the purpose of the expansion is to move the beginning of the story to before the ride starts rather than housing a ride in an elaborate show building. The mural is always a byproduct of traditional show buildings, which makes me a little surprised that we're getting any mural at all. I was expecting just a rocky wall or something.
I digress. Both murals work in their respective locations, but on the whole, I give the benefit of the doubt to ours.
ob1thx1138
Member
That would explain a taller show building, but it does not explain a taller load/unload area. You still have to enter at the same relative elevation in either case. If that means the ride is in the basement in DL and the load area is at ground level. And in FL the ride is on the first level and the load/unload area is above that then the distance from the load area to the roof should still be the same. It just means you would have to walk uphill to get to the load area in FL just like you have to walk uphill to get to the castle because of the utilidors underneath. So there is no reason for the load area to have a higher ceiling unless they made a decision to "raise the roof" lol. Which they may have had to relocate some the mechanics to above the ride in Florida whereas it was beneath the ride in California due to them being able to have a sub basement in California, but doing so in Florida would require them to move the load / unload up so far that it was not feasible. I don't know, that is just a guess.
One other thing I just thought of. Didn't they tie the new show building into existing architecture in DL? If that is the case then they were probably limited by how high they could make the show building, thus limiting how high the mural could be. In WDW they were not limited by that factor so they could extend the height of the load / unload area to something they felt would work better.