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Disney History Gone But Not Forgotten In the Parks WDW vs DLP

WDW vs. DLP: Frontierland (Part One)

My favorite Land in Disneyland Paris is Frontierland, and this article is the first in a series of five comparing it to its Floridian counterpart. I am hoping to cover as much of the this Land as is possible, with the exception of the Railroad station, which I wrote about for a previous article – see http://mousescrappers.com/wordpress/?p=656

Several Imagineers I have spoken to about the creation of this Land have referred to it as “Westernland” (the name given to the version in Tokyo, due to “Frontier” being a term not thought to be as recognizable by its target Guests). Although this could on occasion have been them getting their resorts muddled up, there was a period of time when the name was strongly considered for use in the France park, although the Land’s Art Director, Jeff Burke, claims to have been adamant from day one that “Frontierland” was the only name which should or could be used.

Personally, I feel the theming of Frontierland in Paris to be one of the most thorough and in-depth, which is in part due to its size as the biggest Frontierland worldwide. However, much credit must go to the Land having such a coherent backstory, although I suspect that some sections of the storyline may have been retrofitted. However, over time, I feel additions and changes to the Land have contradicted much of this backstory, as did a temporary overreliance on cartoon characters, especially when Woody’s Roundup Village was in operation.

A photo-op from the now defunct Woody’s Roundup Village. Photo courtesy of www.photosmagiques.com

One example of an element of the Paris Frontierland’s backstory which is downplayed more now than in the park’s earlier years is the distinction between the “rich” half of the Land and the “poor” half. Likewise, although the Land is still a hub for Halloween activities, the two halves are no longer changed during that celebration into “Trickland” and “Treatland”.

Recently, although Halloween celebrations in the Paris resort have been more minimal than they once were (and also more Main Street based), during the season, Frontierland still features Pumpkin-Head mannequins, themed bands and the meet-and-greet with Jack Skellington and Sally. In previous Octobers, the Land has also featured face-painting, mummified ships, spooky dinner shows and occasionally an overall re-name/re-theme to “Halloweenland”.

Jack and Sally in DLP’s Frontierland, in Boot Hill Cemetery. Photo courtesy of www.disneyandmore.com

Christmas is also celebrated in Paris’ Frontierland more than elsewhere in the park, with seasonal stage shows, reindeer, Santa’s workshop and a chance to meet the big guy himself.

Other than perhaps during the Halloween/Christmas celebrations, both the Paris and the Florida Frontierland are set in the mid to late nineteenth century. They both feature a generous smattering of props from the era as well as a smoking area, a pin trading location and a shooting gallery.

Attractions currently existing solely in the Paris Frontierland include Legends of the Wild West (a self-guided walking tour of Fort Comstock) and two Native American camps: Pocahontas Indian Village (a play area for younger Guests) and a set of tepees near the Land’s main entrance. In the earlier days of the park, Guests could walk in and around the latter, whereas nowadays they can only be experienced from a distance, although -as of the last few months- smoke has started to come from one of them.

In part two of this article (to be published on Thursday 7th Nov 2013), I shall be looking at the restaurants, shops, theatres and shows of these two Frontierlands, and then parts three to five will look at the “main” attractions of the Paris Land (Rivers of the Far West, Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor) and comparing them to their Florida equivalents. These three articles will be published Nov 21st, Dec 5th and Dec 19th respectively.

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WDW vs DLP

WDW vs. DLP: Fantasyland (Part Two)

In the concluding section of my two-part article comparing the Fantasyland in Walt Disney World with its namesake in Disneyland Paris, I shall be looking at the Castles, the meet-and-greets and that unforgettable international cruise:a  “it’s a small world”.

 

THE CASTLE

In both WDW and DLP, the Castle stands visible from the majority of Main Street as the parks’ most recognizable weenie. Standing at 167ft in DLP and 190ft in WDW, this structure (often thought to be one of the entrances to Fantasyland, although it is actually IN that land) is the focal point of the night-time show: Disney Dreams in DLP and Celebrate the Magic in WDW.

Whilst WDW’s Castle is named after Cinderella; the Paris equivalent is themed to Sleeping Beauty and is officially known as Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant.  Both feature shops in their interior on the first floor.  On the second floor in Paris is a walk-around area which tells the tale of Sleeping Beauty, whilst the equivalent story in Florida features a restaurant (Cinderella’s Royal Table). Above that is Cinderella’s Castle Suite, which I know very little about, but there is a lot of interesting information, and photos, on the subject at http://www.disneytouristblog.com/cinderella-castle-suite-tour-photos/

Both versions of the Castle feature coats-of-arms, stained-glass windows and (allegedly) a hidden Mickey in their tiles. The one in Paris however also has an animatronic dragon living in its dungeon, sixteen towers (to represent Aurora pricking her finger on her sixteenth birthday) and various water features.

For more about the Paris Castle, see my article of 2012 comparing it to its Californian counterpart: http://mousescrappers.com/wordpress/?p=3681

 

MEET-AND-GREETS

In Florida, Cinderella can regularly be met inside the Castle (specifically in the restaurant on the second floor).  There is an equivalent eatery in Paris (L’Auberge de Cendrillion) which is equally classy, and also a good place for character meet-and-greets.

Although DLP doesn’t have any equivalents to the meet-and-greets in WDW based on Ariel or Merida (nor does it have any version of Pete’s Silly Sideshow) there are still several other locations in DLP’s Fantasyland where one can meet the characters.

One of these places is just in front of the Castle (the Royal Castle Stage) and another is just behind it, in a location where stage shows based on Sleeping Beauty and/or The Sword in The Stone are occasionally performed.

Other locations in DLP’s Fantasyland where you can encounter characters include Meet Mickey (pretty similar to the one in WDW’s Main Street) and Enchanted Tales with Belle. Enchanted Tales in DLP is a lot more simplistic than its WDW counterpart though, with none of the set, props or animatronics; it also features Belle in her “village” dress, rather than her “Princess” costume.

The final place in DLP’s Fantasyland where characters can be met is Princess Pavilion (similar to WDW’s forthcoming Princess Fairytale Hall, although hopefully the latter will be better run and with more to look at).  Whilst Princess Fairytale Hall is to be on the location of the former Snow White ride; Princess Pavilion is on the site of the former post-show to “it’s a small world”.

 

IT’S A SMALL WORLD

The concept of both versions of “it’s a small world” (as well as the lower case lettering and the quotation marks) is remarkably similar in both Paris and California, with identically-faced dolls singing the titular song, which was written by the Sherman Brothers in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both feature the same recurring motifs and many identical sets and figures –not necessarily in the same order- and both were opening day attractions.

The main differences to the ride itself occur in the Finale room, which in WDW is much busier, features the ditty sung only in English and has drabber lighting.

The following room, known as the “goodbye room” is also stylistically different; in WDW this features the word “goodbye” in various languages adorning flowery designs, whereas in DLP this room features oversized postcards with ethnically different characters bonding on each. This scene makes less sense in WDW though, seeing as this resort’s attraction doesn’t feature a “hello room”.

Generally though I prefer the interior of WDW’s “it’s a small world”, because there is more to look at, and (after one ride) you don’t get the feeling you have seen everything.  Other reasons for it being my preference includes the trenching style meaning one can naughtily splash your friends, less chance of being bumped from the boat behind, better maintenance, better segueing and more interesting lighting effects.

The exterior of DLP’s “it’s a small world” however is much prettier than WDW’s.  In part this is because the load/unload zone is outdoors (and away from any restaurant windows). Both now feature the infamous clock, although DLP’s is the only one of the two which puts on a mini-show every quarter hour and it is visible from further away. The overall look is more aesthetically pleasing, featuring topiaries, real-life ducks, a three-dimensional model of the globe design seen in two-dimensions above the entrance to the first scene of WDW’s ride, and the Railroad tracks.

For more about the Paris “it’s a small world”, see my article of 2012 comparing it to its Californian counterpart: http://mousescrappers.com/wordpress/?p=3860

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Disney History DL vs DLP Gone But Not Forgotten In the Parks Reviews

Anaheim vs. Paris: Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybook Land Canal Boats

Early plans for the Fantasyland in the Anaheim park included a roller coaster called Rock Candy Mountain, upon which guests were transported on Casey Jr. style trains. There would be a canal surrounding this, which guests could circumnavigate on miniature boats.

It is claimed that this concept was abandoned when Imagineers thought that visitors may be put off by the sickly looking design for the mountain. However, other sources imply that it was for financial reasons that this wasn’t built.

What did appear on opening day was Canal Boats of The World, known to some Cast Members as The Mud Bank Ride. It broke down often, with employees frequently having to pull the boats along by hand. As part of the spiel, Cast Members had to promise that the ride would be improved over time, with replicas of major world cities being added over time.

Although these cities were never added, one feels perhaps this could have been a precursor to It’s a Small World.

On July 31st 1955, Casey Jr. Circus Train opened nearby, giving riders the chance to see the same pieces of mud from a different angle. As Dumbo the Flying Elephant has not opened yet, Casey Jr. was officially the first Dumbo based attraction to open at the park.

Several portions of the passenger cars had once been part of the chariots on the same Dentzel Carousel that had been transformed into King Arthur Carrousel for Opening Day.

On September 16th 1955, Canal Boats of The World was closed for good, to be replaced with Storybook Land Canal Boats, which opened on June 16th 1956.

Very little about either Casey Jr. Circus Train or Storybook Land Canal Boats has been changed since then, although various scenes on the latter have been altered or replaced. For example, the Sultan’s Palace from Aladdin was added in 1994 in the position of Toad Hall. Toad Hall was re-added to the attraction, at a different location, the following year.

1994 was also the year that the equivalents of these two rides were added to Disneyland Paris. To date, neither of these attractions have appeared in any other Disney parks worldwide.

Casey Jr. Le Petit Train du Cirque is very similar in design to its California counterpart. However, truer to Walt’s original intention, this version is billed as a roller coaster, although (due to it never being reliant on gravity) officially it is a power coaster, Disney’s only one to date.

Although both versions have a top speed of approximately 14mph, the Paris one feels faster due to being a shorter ride (two and a half minutes, as opposed to California’s three and a half) and has several rises and falls whereas Anaheim features only one “lift”.

In most ways, the ride experience is identical. Both feature trains of seven cars, a rearrangement of the Frank Churchill/Ned Washington song from the movie and cages which can make the rider feel claustrophobic.

The Paris version does however have a “going backwards” option, a synchronised on-board audio system (the first coaster in the world to feature this) and it goes closer to the Canal attraction. The two attractions are more closely intertwined, and in some instances –such as the Beast’s Castle- shows propping not visible on the boat ride.

Le Pays de Contes de Fées (which translates as The Land of Fairy Tales) is, conceptually at least, very similar to Storybook Land Canal Boats. Both feature miniature models of scenes from Disney movies –although the films in question are not always the same- and travel in a dyed waterway with music playing throughout to set the atmosphere.

Both versions feature boarding by the side of a faux-lighthouse. The Californian one used to be a ticket office, whereas the one in France is used mainly as storage for cleaning utensils.

The France version does not have an on-board guide. Likewise, it does not have dialogue emerging from any of the models nor is it powered by motors.

All the boats in the Anaheim ride are named after Disney characters. This is the case in France too, although the latter uses their French names. There are 20 such boats in France and 13 in the States; although both versions rarely have all in circulation at any one time.

All of the boats in France are named after female characters, whereas in California, there is one named after a male: Flower, the skunk from Bambi.

The Paris equivalent features a Rapunzel scene –maybe the Imagineers were presupposing Tangled- and a tiger-mouth entrance to the “Cave of Wonders” scene but no Monstro.

 

Portions of this article first appeared in my musings for DLDHistory.com in March 2011.

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Gone But Not Forgotten In the Parks

Gone But Not Forgotten

“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.” – Walt Disney

If you’ve been to any Disney Park more than once, then chances are you’ve probably experienced the closing of one or more attractions.  Since my first visit as a child to Walt Disney World in 1972, I’ve witnessed the closure of several attractions including two of my childhood favorites, Skyway to Tomorrowland/Fantasyland and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.   I’ve yet to visit the Magic Kingdom without reminiscing about these and other “gone but not forgotten” attractions and feeling a little sad that they are no longer part of the magic.

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Photo taken on one of my husband’s childhood trips in the 70’s.

When Disney announced that they were going to be removing an entire land due to the Fantasyland expansion, it was almost too much for me to comprehend.  I mean, just like the skyway and submarines of my childhood, there were attractions in  Mickey’s Toontown Fair that have been part of the lives of my own children that they will not be able to revisit with their children one day.   Curiosity soon replaced nostalgia and excitement began to build as details emerged with sketches of new places to visit in this new area.  It helped that the Dream Builder signs on the retaining walls in Fantasyland reminded us  in Walt’s own words that Disney must move forward and focus on the future.  No Disney park is a museum enshrined in the past, but an environment that must keep growing and changing with the times and with technology.  That means we have to let go a little of the past to make room for the future.

As memory keepers, we have our own special way of coping with change by documenting these attractions so we can keep their memory fresh in our minds.  There are many ways to document attractions in your scrapbook that are closed or are scheduled to be closed.  A scrapbook layout can be made of pictures taken at or on the attraction throughout the years.  Another way to document the change is to include pictures of the attraction before it closed and then another picture in the same spot after it has been replaced with something new.   I made the following layout after our trip in 2010 when we knew it would be our last trip to Toontown to document all the years we visited Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

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This column will be used to discuss and reminisce about favorite Disney attractions, parades, restaurants, etc. that are no longer in existence.  We hope to inspire you to preserve your own memories of not just these things but for all of your Disney memories.

‘We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney