Commentary Land

Disney’s Treehouse Villas: Original WDW to Today

11 July 2024 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

For those of you who have been reading Zannaland in one form or another since the beginning (that’s *15* years ago!) you have probably heard me talking or writing about my stays at the Lake Buena Vista Vacation Villas many, many times. If not, you can read about it at that link. I wish I had even more proof of my stays there; rolls and rolls of photos, ephemera, journal entries…it’s a time I would definitely travel back to if I could. That’s probably why I’m so grateful that the Treehouse Villas are still a place anyone can stay on Walt Disney World property. It was always my dream to stay in a Treehouse Villa (I mean, what child of the 80’s wouldn’t want to stay in a treehouse?!) I’m not sure why we never made it there back in the day, I can only imagine perhaps my parents were not as excited about potential mosquitos while staying in a swampy forest? The other (more probable) scenario is that Disney started to build more and more new resorts, and we wanted to try them all, finding new favorites along the way. 41 years after my first-ever stay on WDW property, I finally had this dream come true. (There are fewer and fewer dreams left – Cinderella Castle Dream Suite, I’m looking at you!) Now the Treehouses have gone through a few changes over the years, and I thought before I reviewed my recent visit, I’d take a stroll down one of my favorite streets of all – Memory Lane. Let’s see where those Treehouses came from and how they’ve stuck around after all these years.

Back in the planning stages of Walt Disney World Resort, after Walt had sadly passed, and the original idea of EPCOT would not come to fruition, some thought there could still be a way for folks to live IN Walt Disney World. They soon realized residents would have to vote on town governance issues, which is a WHOLE other topic. So instead, they decided to build some townhomes and spec houses for corporate sponsorship. Disney aimed to have corporate lease-to-purchase sales of these properties, so companies could have getaway home style resort accommodations for employees. This didn’t work out the way Disney had hoped, so after a few years, Disney opened up reservations to stay at these unique properties. The first were the Vacation Villa townhomes (where I stayed a few times as a child), followed by the Treehouse Villas, built up on stilts to “prevent flooding” as they were essentially nestled in to a swampy wetland area. A golf course had also been built and was followed by the Fairway Villas, little duplex-style homes right on the, well, fairway. Club Lake Villas were the last to be built, aiming at housing conventioneers. The four larger spec homes that had been built but never further developed were the Grand Vista Suites. These were like what we’d now think of a “grand villa” under the Disney Vacation Club lineup, but back then, more like a real 3-bedroom home.

Today we’ll just discuss the Treehouse Villas, which were of course the most whimsical of the lineup. Can you imagine Disney building a property today with a spiral staircase in the middle of the living space? Well that’s what the Treehouse Villas originally were. One bedroom on the ground level, with a spiral staircase leading up to the main living room, with two more bedrooms and a full kitchen upstairs. An outdoor deck overlooked the wetlands or the golf course, or the canal (later named the Sassagoula River!). If you’ve ever visited, you’ll see that there are smaller roadways connecting the villas. This is because all of the Lake Buena Vista Villas were intended to be traveled to by golf carts. You could rent one at the main check-in area and park your car there, making the rest of the trip by cart. That’s also how you’d travel to the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village (later Disney Village, later Downtown Disney, later Disney Springs). We did this when we stayed in the 80’s, and I almost drove our rented golf cart into the canal separating the Vacation Villas from the Village. Good times. I was 9, what do you want from me? (I didn’t ACTUALLY go into the canal.) Anyway, now of course there are parking spots, and there were when we stayed at the Vacation Villas too, but we still got a golf cart. It was THE way to travel.

Another of my vivid memories was taking the Disney buses (there were maybe only 4 routes back then?) and looking for the correct flag bus that went to the Villas. Because the Treehouse Villas were the first stop, riding back there in the pitch black at the end of the night was always a treat. I’d look out the huge windows in the front and watch for deer, bunnies hopping across the road, racoons, all sorts of critters. The Treehouse Villas were a magical utopia to me as we’d drive by, day or night. With their floor to ceiling windows and round shape, truly a dream destination. Ok, back to history.

When Michael Eisner took over, a lot of what he had experienced personally in his life became the blueprints for changes he made at the company. And while we all look back on his time fondly (I know I do), some of his decisions didn’t always translate to success for the Company. One of those blueprints was the Disney Institute. It’s funny to me that I (and many of my Disney-obsessed friends and family) take for granted our inherent knowledge or first-hand experience with long past Disney experiences. I mean, they certainly aren’t talking about the Disney Institute’s creation in Traditions, or on the latest vlog. Anyway, the Disney Institute does technically still exist and is now usually a corporate enrichment program for “master class” type of professional development.

When it started, however, anyone could choose to spend a portion or all of their Walt Disney World Vacation learning a new skill under the various topics of: Animation, Culinary, Gardening, The Great Outdoors, Photography, Television, as well as youth programs. In order to make Disney Institute a reality, changes were made to the existing villas and the surrounding buildings. During this time, the Treehouse Villas were turned into residences for the International Program Cast Members. You could still view the villas as you sailed by on a boat going from the Port Orleans Resorts to Downtown Disney.

When the Disney Institute didn’t take off as planned, it was retooled a few times, finally closing to the public in 2000. At this time, the Vacation Villas and all its other properties had to be destroyed. Well, “had to be” is debatable, but they were. The new resort of Disney’s Saratoga Springs sprung up in its place becoming the seventh Disney Vacation Club property. It would’ve been very easy to raze the Treehouse Villas and add another building or three of DVC villas to the Saratoga Springs land. For whatever reason, Disney chose to actually remodel the Treehouses, make them modern, yet still rustic, and create a few ADA compliant treehouses as well. They remained in their location and became a part of the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa family. And the rest, as they say, is history, well, actually that brings us up to current time. There are lots of sites out there that cover this history more in-depth, this is just my personal memories and knowledge from previous research.

I have attempted to stay at the Disney Treehouse Villas many times over the years, but we are not DVC members, and I’ve never really gotten into attempting to figure out renting points, so when we stay at Disney, it’ll be a cast member or travel agent rate, or sometimes full price. But the Treehouse Villas always remained woefully out of reach at over $1000 a night on an off-peak date. I was finally able to secure a 50% off rate recently, despite being right around the 4th of July. It was the perfect storm of all of the kids (2/3 of whom have real jobs where dates aren’t always the easiest to take off) being available and me being able to work from home meant I could make it work too. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my stories and my excitement and awe walking up to the treehouse. Today I shared a Reel on instagram, and I had so much fun both recording and creating it, it inspired me to get back to writing again as well. So here we all are. I did forget to take any still photos but I guess that just means I have to go back again.

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A post shared by Zanna ✨ Disney ✨ Travel ✨ Adventures (@zannaland)

We had a wonderfully relaxing few days there and it was like when we go up to the mountains in a cabin, without the 10 hour drive. The couch was comfy, the views were amazing, and it was so secluded. We felt like we were in Fort Wilderness before they changed Trail’s End (RIP). I also felt like I was 9 again for a bit, and really renewed my passion for the Walt Disney World Resort and what made me fall in love with it to begin with. If you’ve read this whole post, I hope you now know a little more about WDW history and if you’ve been at the Treehouse Villas before, I hope it brought back some wonderful memories for you as well. I’d love to hear them in the comments if so!

June 25 marked 15 years of me writing on this site, zannaland, and though I don’t write as much (or even post as much on instagram thanks to my full time job AND running VeganDisneyFood.com) zannaland is always, always on my mind and something I will probably never give up on because sharing my love for Disney history and how it has affected my life and my family is a passion I just can’t shake. Thank you again for reading, and I promise, more to come.

The History of Little Orange Bird at Walt Disney World – Up the Waterfall Episode 36

19 August 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

This week we delve into one of my favorite topics: the unique and fascinating story of the Little Orange Bird and his residence at Walt Disney World. Much like Figment showing up in all the EPCOT festival merchandise, Orange Bird is now found all over the parks and resorts, when just 8 years ago, he couldn’t be found anywhere.

Back in the late 1960’s, Walt Disney World was still in its planning stages. Disney was working to obtain sponsorships from various corporations who wanted to be involved in the new park. With those sponsors came the opportunity to be affiliated with a particular attraction, show, or restaurant. The Florida Citrus Commission closed a deal with Disney on October 22, 1969, underwriting a “tropical bird show” for $3 million.

Original Sunshine Pavilion — Image courtesy of MrThemeParkAudio

That “tropical bird show” of course became the Sunshine Pavilion, which included the Tropical Serenade (or Tiki Room) and with it the Sunshine Tree Terrace, serving the soon-to-be-famous Orange Swirl, among other citrus delicacies.

Disney company marketing maven Vince Jefferds came up with the Orange Bird idea and developed the backstory, which would be released in book form, with an accompanying record with six songs penned by the renowned Sherman brothers. Bob Moore, the designer who handled many special projects for the Disney Company including the Walt Disney postage stamp and the eagle mascot for the 1984 Olympic games, came up with the character design for the Little Orange Bird.

On this week’s episode of Up the Waterfall, we discuss all things Orange Bird, from his inception to appearances in the park, and reappearance 8 years ago. We hope you’ll join us for this citrus-filled discussion and memory sharing of the adorable little bird with an orange for a head. You can also read my article on the Return of Orange Bird from when he first reappeared at the Sunshine Tree Terrace back in 2012.

Do you have memories of the Little Orange Bird? Are you a Citrus Swirl fan? Or is it Dole Whip all the way? Let us know! Join in the discussion at Facebook.com/UpTheWaterfall or any of the places listed below. Thank you as always for listening or watching! If you enjoyed – please share with a friend you think may enjoy too!

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New Disney Podcast! Up the Waterfall

3 September 2019 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Hello! Well, it’s all finally happening. If you’ve been following along these recent Zannaland.com changes, we’ve been talking about all the things that were coming up. With the addition of our video producer-extraordinaire, Christian (my son, who’s basically grown up with Zannaland), we’ve added more videos, vlogs, and now, a project I’ve been wanting to do basically ever since getting married to @otisney and realizing the amount of Disney history we wanted to discuss and share, a podcast! Since podcasting has grown and changed and morphed over the last 15 years, we have decided to share ours as both an audio and video podcast. We aren’t doing any fancy effects at this point, but if you want to follow along and see our faces while we talk and any props we may use as an example along the way, feel free to watch vs. just listen.

I explain this in our first episode, but we will go into it more in the future too, but the name, “Up the Waterfall” comes from Walt Disney’s Tencennial show for Disneyland’s 10th birthday. And seeing him explaining things to Julie Reihm, the first Disneyland Ambassador, just always made me instantly smile…even just watching the clip at the end of our first show put a smile on my face again. So that’s the sort of feel I wanted to have with our podcast. It’s not just a historical podcast, it’s not a news podcast, it’s a combination of all of our experiences, thoughts, and yes, knowledge (which I will admit is mostly on Scott’s side of the desk!) about Disney parks and all the made them what they were and are today. We hope you’ll listen in on our journey as we explore this podcasting path.

We’re no podcasting or even broadcasting experts, so keep that in mind as I say “um” 27 times 😛 But we’ll keep figuring things out and hopefully make a great show that keeps you wanting more.

You can listen to the podcast right here on Zannaland, there is a Podcast tab at the top of the site now, or you can (eventually, it’s not quite searchable there yet but it is there!) search “Up the Waterfall” on iTunes, or you can watch on Zannaland’s YouTube channel. You can also visit UpTheWaterfall.com for the latest show too, but everything will be shared here as well. Thank you so much for supporting all of these updates and new ventures that we’ve wanted to do for so long, and a HUGE thanks to Christian for making it all happen and pushing us to just do it, and of course Scott for his patience when it took me 5 years to get it going. 🙂

What You Must See Before Visiting Disney’s Gran Destino Tower

16 July 2019 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Walt Disney World’s Newest Resort Option – Gran Destino Tower

As I’m sure you’ve heard and seen by now, Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs is now open. We shared video and photos over on our social channels and Christian and I discussed our thoughts on the highlights of this amazing new resort in our latest resort video. But there is something else you must see before you visit or check-in to Gran Destino Tower…

Two Artists Combine Their Vision

Salvador Dalí first met Walt Disney at a Warner Brothers studio party in 1945. He had come to Hollywood to work on a dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound. The pair struck up what may seem to some as an unlikely friendship, but in reality made perfect sense. Disney had already been pushing the boundaries of art and animation for years. Pink elephants on parade from Dumbo, and the frightening forest scene from Snow White to name a few. Of course, Fantasia itself was a lesson in taking feature animation to a higher plane. So a common bond of creative envelope-pushing, combined with boundless self-promotion, naturally brought these two men together. The next logical step was to collaborate on a project combining Dalí’s surreal vision and Walt Disney’s gift for animation.

Here is an excerpt from Salvador-Dali.org about the origin of the Destino project:

On January 14, 1946, Salvador Dalí signed a contract with Walt Disney to make a short animated film entitled Destino. To work on the project, the painter installed himself in the Disney Studios in Burbank, California, where he set about drafting the screenplay and creating a series of drawings and oil paintings. The main characters, a dancer and a baseball player who is also the god Chronos, develop Dalí’s original concept, which revolves around the importance of time when we are waiting for destiny to enter into our lives. The song chosen for the soundtrack of the film, ‘Destino’, by the Mexican Armando Domínguez, was a major inspiration for Dalí in the development of his work.

The short, intended as part of a package film, was to have a running time of between 6 and 8 minutes, but only 15 seconds were made and it was not until 2003 that Disney resumed and completed the project on the basis of Dalí’s first ideas and original sketches.

A Found Treasure

Despite having 135 storyboards and 22 paintings from Dalí’s eight months in the studio, the project was abandoned when the Disney Studios could not continue funding it. The project was shelved and forgotten until Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew, discovered the artwork while working on Fantasia 2000. He secretly sent the project to be completed in France by a team of animators and a director, Dominique Monféry, who attempted and succeeded in continuing the story that Dalí and Disney (and Imagineer John Hench, who is credited as a writer as well) set out to tell. It was released in 2003, and nominated for an Oscar that year for Best Animated Short. If you haven’t seen it before, here it is below in its (2003) entirety:

If you happen to own the Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 Blu-Ray + DVD Movie Collection set, there’s a bonus. Destino is actually on the Fantasia 2000 disc! Also included is an 82-minute documentary, Dalí & Disney: A Date with Destino. There you’ll hear more about the collaboration between these two artistic geniuses.

Additionally, the always-impressive Taschen has published a few books on his elaborate dinner parties. Taschen Diners de Gala and the Wines de Gala, if you want to delve deeper. And of course, The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is an amazing place to explore Dalí ‘s life and work. It’s also not too far from Walt Disney World, if you want to extend a vacation and see something new.

Inspiration for Gran Destino Tower

Getting back to Gran Destino Tower, when you first approach the tower from either the parking lot or the Lago Dorado side, the inspiration of Destino is more than apparent. The shapes and designs throughout the resort come straight from the art in the short. Dahlia, and her morphing into a bell shape in the film, is directly represented in the lamps in guest rooms, and the designs in the Dahlia lounge on the 16th floor. The Dahlia lounge in particular is entirely inspired by the film, with Dahlia’s hair represented in waves on the ceiling, the dandelion images in a painting on the wall, and the seed heads floating away and becoming the light fixtures on the ceiling.

So before you head to this gorgeous new resort, watch the 6 minute short, and then see how many representations you can see as you explore and discover. Whether Surrealist art is your thing or not, the artistic vision and creativity is undeniably impressive. Gran Destino is enjoyable and breathtaking even without viewing Destino, but seeing it and the inspiration, is, in my opinion, worth your time. I’m sure Disney history buffs, animation and art fans will agree. Kudos to the Disney team for transforming art into function and honoring the work of Salvador Dalí as well as Walt Disney. I’m so excited that Destino has been brought to life for all to see and enjoy in a new way.

Have you visited Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort? What was your favorite part of this newest area of Walt Disney World?

*Disclosure: some links above are affiliate links.

EPCOT Center Inspired Home Office

9 June 2019 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

It’s been about 6 years since I’ve had a home office set up, despite my working at home for the last almost 7 years. After I moved, and moved again, I just had too much other stuff going on to worry about setting up an actual workspace for myself. We moved into this house that we had built right behind Cinderella Castle a little over 3 years ago, and we’ve slowly…very slowly worked on decorating various spots (with the help of my adult children who still live here and are great with projects).

We recently converted a mess of a “game room” (where we had an old living room set, my 10 year-old’s Disney Infinity collection, and our board games stored) into an actual home theatre. While it’s not quite model-home standard, it was done 100% by the kids, a little bit by me, and even Scott helped. So every time we go in there, I think of the fun few weeks of crazy trips to Lowe’s and IKEA and realizing we broke yet another drill bit or discovering that the platform has a few soft spots in it…but loving all those memories.

I snagged this from an ebay listing, because my map is still in a box somewhere 😛

EPCOT Center Inspiration

The impetus to start these projects was because one of the reasons we picked this house was the glorious upstairs loft space, and it had become a catch-all for years of accumulated boxes of random stuff, and somewhat an extension of my 10 year-old’s room, so he could run around and play in a bigger space. Creating a dedicated movie room made me realize we really owed it to ourselves to make the rest of the upstairs something to be proud of, and useful, rather than piles of boxes and toys. So, next up was the office nook.

The difference between this space and a normal office with a door, was it is completely open to the upstairs, and slightly visible from downstairs looking up. So I wanted something that didn’t clash with anything else in the house. The teal/blue color is probably the one carried through most of the house, so it was a good starting point. I had hopes of making it a personal space for all of *my* random Disney collected items and things that generally make me happy, so I wanted it to be bright and colorful. Naturally, my thoughts turned to the original 1982 color pallette of…EPCOT Center.

While it’s not a direct “EPCOT-themed room” the colors and some choices were definitely inspired by that original EPCOT Center guide map that has stuck with me all these years. Back at the EPCOT 30 celebration that D23 put together, I painted my nails to match the guide (my friends did their own tribute in nail polish as well). Most of EPCOT Center, including its various color and design schemes has just stuck in my brain all these many years. So when I had a chance to start over and create the office I really wanted, it was a natural choice.

Without further ado, here is the finished office:

EPCOT Center Office Design — Bonus cat cameo by Luna Lovepaws

I was initially going to paint a wall that teal/turquoise blue color, but I decided to go with curtains instead so I could finally get some of my many prints up on the wall. I’m sure I’ll add more to it as I uncover more boxes full of things I carefully stored away over the years, I’ve already added to it since taking these photos. Also, I am *fully* aware that I have the office decor of a 12 year old’s room, but really, that’s where my brain is most of the time. I may not play with all my toys I’ve collected, but it makes me very happy to look at them. (Which is probably some sort of sad psychological statement about me, but I’m ok with owning that.)

I’ll post the rest of the photos in a gallery, including a before photo so you can see how much had to happen to get to this point. Feel free to click to enlarge any of the photos to see any details and scroll through the gallery. After seeing previews of the gallery, it looks like a lot of the details were lost in the resizing and uploading, so I’m going to add the original photos to flickr for anyone that wants to see higher quality versions of the photos below.

Overview
These toys on the right are from my childhood or my siblings
Kitten cameo!
night view
Some of the collection
Orange Bird came to roost
I had these Shag prints up in another part of the house, but stole them for the office because the colors went well
Stella the kitten cameo
Those top prints are now framed and on the walls
With the light on
Found more books to put out
Those prints now up
The carpet reminded me of both EPCOT and Morocco in World Showcase
Before – a mess!

Where to Buy

90% of the office comes from IKEA, including all the desk pieces and frames. Cheap is good. Here’s a rundown of specific pieces – if I could link to them, I did, and NONE of them are affiliate links haha.

IKEA Linnmon Table Top – I got the 39″ and a 78″ top along with the corner piece all in white
IKEA Linnmon Table Legs – in white and blue (I hoped the blue would match more but I’m ok with it 😛
IKEA Alex Drawer Unit – 2 of these in white – everything comes in other colors if white isn’t your thing I almost did all black but had the bookcase in white already so wanted to keep it clean looking.
IKEA KALLAX Storage Unit – This is actually an old EXPEDIT piece, but they’ve now discontinued that and made it KALLAX. I think the EXPEDIT just had wider edges on the outside. This also comes in multiple colors.
IKEA KALLAX Smaller Storage Unit – This holds the printer, paper, ink etc. It’s also an old Expedit, and has a 2 drawer add on and a door add on in two of the cubbies.
In addition to the different colors, you can usually add on wheels to the smaller storage units if you want, or the drawer units, but I’m using them in place of table legs so didn’t need to move them around a lot. There are also different styles of legs as you’ll see. I really sound like an IKEA commercial.

The curtains are from Target:

Windsor Light Blocking Curtain Panel – Eclipse – I wanted to match the accent chair, and this was as close as I could come. I also wanted to keep it a solid color because of the bold pattern on the rug.

The desk chair, area rug, accent chair, and floor lamp are from Wayfair:

Laverty Conference Chair in Orange – I knew I wanted to invest more than $40 on the cheapest desk chair, and I knew I wanted it in a fun color. I was hoping to find a mid-century look, which I think is achieved by the chrome along with the color. This was actually the first thing I decided on, and everything else was planned around this color.
Orange Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug – Part of the reason this office took so long is I am terrible at making decisions. I would scroll through area rugs on Wayfair, on Target, on Pier 1, World Market…and never make a decision. Once I had finally decided on the color pallette and chosen the orange chair, I could narrow it down a little, and I think this was on page 44 of my filtered list of “orange or blue geometric style area rugs” on Wayfair and it just popped out and spoke to me. I have to say tho, in person, it is not as bright as in the photos on Wayfair (or here), and much more muted colors of orange and teal and red. But it still works with everything and ties it all together nicely, I think.
Eytel Side Chair in Turquoise – I knew I wanted a mid-century Eames-inspired accent chair, and once I had the desk chair and rug, I was able to narrow down to a nice teal/turquoise color and this one spoke to me.
Craftsbury 56″ Floor Lamp – At this point in the process I was delirious from scrolling through too many options and styles and colors. I thought this was a nice, orange canvasy shade that would match everything, but when it arrived, it was a cork lampshade. I was kind of meh about it, but didn’t want to deal with returning it because Wayfair’s free shipping does not extend to returns, and it was my own fault for not reading the description better. But when it’s on, it does have a nice orange glow, and it works.

I’m kind of obsessed with accent pillows, so I figured I’d tie some things together with those. I really thought the red in the rug was a dark pink when I ordered that pillow, but it all worked out in the end. The pillows are from Pier 1 because they are always having a pillow sale:

Velvet Flanged Pillow in Fuschia –
Sunbrella 20″ Knife Edge Pillow in Canvas Sunflower – these seem to be no longer available, but they came in a set of two. I got them solely for the size (lumbar) and color, they are technically outdoor pillows, so they won’t fade in the non-existent direct sunlight of this office.

The table next to the chair is just old and put there because I thought it needed a table but didn’t want to buy one. It’s a little big and the wood doesn’t match but eh, I think it works. If anyone has any questions on anything else specific, the prints or collectibles, just ask, I’m happy to explain details, artists, etc.

I hope any EPCOT Center fans out there appreciated my attempt at capturing the colors and in turn the feel of such an inspirational place.
Many thanks to my son Christian for going on IKEA runs, helping me assemble furniture and putting the prints in frames (and pushing me to work on the office to begin with!) I hope you enjoyed the tour – if you did, I’d love for you to share it! Thanks for visiting my office of future past.

A Disney Local Perspective: Holiday Traditions Old and New

6 December 2018 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

There’s a special magic to blinking open your eyes from a long sleep and realizing it’s somehow both still dark and very bright out that morning – only to discover the reason for that is the windows and all outside are covered in snow. Tiny frozen stars etched onto the glass, snow glistening as it drapes over each tree branch and coats each pine needle. It was only yesterday you were stomping around in that very grass, crunching the fallen leaves under your feet releasing that earthy smell, combined with the crisp air that could only mean snow was on its way. There is nothing quite as magical as the blanket of freshly fallen snow, except maybe on Christmas morning…These are some of my fondest memories from growing up, along with, of course, the entire Christmas season and all it promised each year.

Being a December baby, it was always a time of surprises and never-ending wonder at the beautiful sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the season. My family would always wait to get our tree (real of course) till the weekend before my birthday, which is two weeks before Christmas every year. Decorating that tree was such a special tradition. Every ornament had a story, and we all had our favorites. Of course my mother had already been baking for weeks by that point, every family member, friend, and neighbor got a carefully packaged container of her famous Christmas cookies, wrapped in clear plastic and tied up with a red ribbon. She would store the dozens of them between sheets of wax paper in white 5 gallon tubs from the restaurant where my father was a M’aitre D’. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sneak quite a few back in the day. The Russian Tea cookies have always been my downfall (and my favorite).

Another favorite tradition was driving through the neighborhoods to see Christmas lights. For some reason, growing up, both my grandparents and our house only ever did white candles in our window at Christmastime. (I think my grandmother thought colored outdoor lights looked “tacky”?) We had colored lights on the tree, candles in the window and a wreath on the door. No colorful C6 bulbs stapled to our rooftop or wrapped around our bushes. But what that austere decor made me do was appreciate everyone else’s lights all the more. Many towns in New England have a town square or green with big old trees, which are usually covered in lights, sometimes twinkling, sometimes not, including Watertown Square, which we would pass on the way to my grandparents house. The Boston Common in downtown Boston also did this with many of their trees, and we’d sometimes take a drive to the city just to see them, ending at the big tree outside the Prudential Center. I can still feel the cold vinyl of the backseat in the family car, as the dark winter night was suddenly lit with thousands of lights before my eyes.

Of course I have other memories too; taking part in the Christmas pageant at school where I got to be an angel, the smell of the incense during holiday mass, and the opposite of extremes, watching all the holiday specials on tv, usually with a mug of hot cocoa and some of those famous Christmas cookies I mentioned above. Snow days off of school, walking up to the hill on the other side of our own town square and sledding down all day with friends till my socks were soaked and my toes and nose were frozen from cold. And I’m sure I’m not alone with these memories, and they probably still exist today for kids in New England towns or anywhere up north that gets snow. I know I’m not unique in that regard. By stark contrast to my current location, I never once visited Walt Disney World during the holidays as a child. Even when we moved to Ocala in 1985 and became annual passholders I did not experience a Disney Christmas, since we drove back up to Massachusetts to have the holidays with my grandparents. After college, I moved back to Florida from Massachusetts in 1995 to work at Walt Disney World, and finally experienced the holidays in the parks first hand, as a cast member on Main Street. U.S.A.

Which brings me to the purpose of my post today. If you asked any of my children to write about their holiday memories, they would have a very different answer, and not just because 25+ years separate our childhoods. Some parts would be similar; we still make cookies, we still watch those holiday specials (although I may be the only one that appreciates their vintage charm), I have managed to break the “only candles in the window” decorating rule, and of course we still drive around and look at lights, it’s just that our neighbors do a bit more decorating down here. In fact, there’s a castle down the street that really goes all out. All of my past memories and traditions are why, if I let myself pause long enough, seeing those icicle lights on Cinderella Castle brings me to tears. Because as many years of memories as I have riding in the backseat and looking at lights through the car window, I now have many more of myself and my children walking down Main St. U.S.A. and seeing the Castle lights for the first time, or images in my head of my oldest two side by side in a double stroller, looking up with eyes wide, mouths agape, and hands outstretched to catch the “snow” as we strolled through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. And later, my youngest, now 10, dancing in the Streets of America to Feliz Navidad as a tiny 5 year old, laughing and spinning around, as I captured it on video. I’m tearing up just thinking about it. Don’t even get me started on Candlelight Processional and how I’m moved to tears every year as the songs swell and the voices sing out and you realize all the things you are truly, truly grateful for on this earth.

These are the holiday traditions and memories my children grew up with. And I know they wouldn’t trade them for the world. We are extremely blessed to be so close to all of these amazing holiday experiences, and to have been able to attend them for so many years so that they have become traditions, not just holiday happenings, but part of the ever-growing tapestry of our family story. One could say that these new traditions couldn’t possibly mean as much, since they take place at the globally dominant headquarters of capitalization and money-hungry corporate messages of “buy this!” abound. And you would be right, and wrong. Yes, Disney parks are corporate wizards at marketing their way into your wallets and making you think you need more and you need it now. But if you sift past the mind-numbing amounts of instagrammable offerings thrown at you, you can experience the holiday spirit in its refined, concentrated form. Christmas lights, traditional holiday storytelling, holiday treats from around the world, parades, cookies, holiday music and trees and decorations everywhere. Gingerbread houses, caroling, Santa and Mrs. Claus, the story of Christmas….These are the takeaways and the memories created at the Place Where Dreams Come True (and the Happiest Place on Earth because we’ve been to Disneyland during the holidays too and they are pretty darn magical over there as well), which will carry my children into adulthood as they create their own traditions with whatever and whomever the future holds for them.

My holiday story has gone from one where you never know who would show up at the front door for some coffee and Christmas cookies, to walking through a Disney park and never knowing which friends and neighbors you’d bump into. My oldest children drove right around the Magic Kingdom every day on their way to and from high school. And now they walk into a park and see friends working as Cast Members, or work there themselves, sharing the magic that they grew up enjoying with thousands of guests each day. I know they realize how “magical” their lives are as far as our connection to Disney and Orlando in general, and it amazes me to see how grounded and inspired they are by those connections that have become their backstory. And as happy as my memories are of waking up to new fallen snow and the promise of a day of sledding, theirs are just as happy of celebrating birthdays and milestones at favorite Disney restaurants or riding through Fort Wilderness to see the holiday decorations or attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party each year. Times change, the backdrop may change, even family shrinks and grows over the years, but the holiday memories still abound, no matter where you may find them.

Have your holiday traditions changed over the years? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear them.

The End of The Great Movie Ride – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

27 September 2017 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Being raised by parents who grew up in the middle of the golden age of movie-making, I think Disney-MGM Studios on a whole had an instant familiar feel to it, though I had never stepped foot west of the Mississippi. As I’ve mentioned before, California seemed like a distant other country to me.

I was 15 in 1989 when the park opened; raised on a steady diet of old movie lines and songs sung by my father, who had over the years made me watch a few of his favorites. I say “made” because at that age and prior, I had no real appreciation or interest in anything black and white that wasn’t an A-Ha music video.

But this time in my life, 6 years after I’d met and fallen in love with EPCOT Center, was filled with quite a few trials and tribulations, so it was easy to find solace here and take an immediate interest. I’m not exactly sure of the date the first time I walked down Hollywood Blvd, enveloped by the motion picture soundtracks that swirled in the air, but I do know I was instantly in love once again, this time with the Hollywood that never was, and always will be.

Just as with EPCOT Center’s opening, I had gotten my news about what to expect from my trusty Birnbaum’s: Walt Disney World guidebook. I was fascinated and oh-so excited to experience all of the interactive and behind-the-scenes attractions that Disney-MGM Studios promised, all of which I now miss dearly as they have faded away over the years. It was a different time of course, even the then-modern television showcasing and state-of-the-art production studios were from a time when there was no reality tv. The magic and glamour of movie and tv production was still a palpable, undiscovered mystery to most.

Today, anyone with a phone can be a star or be famous, even if only in viral form, and kids know that. So for many that grew up with me or before, Disney-MGM Studios was a romantic interpretation of the real, live movie and tv-making processes and history. Now, the park seems like a fantasy that exists nowhere and those that appreciate the history and nods to the past are, as with EPCOT’s history, few and far between (though we do tend to find each other and stick together online and off).

As the years have passed, the park changed its moniker to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but slowly cannibalized itself from any real connection to a studio park. What we were left with was a front section still in tribute to Hollywood’s past, in both architecture, landmarks, and overall feel, but the rest of the park became almost a question mark as to how things related to the original theme (as has also happened with much of EPCOT). So we were left with a just a few highlights to the transitory feeling of being a part of Hollywood past, and indeed a part OF the movies. How long these places and theming will remain is unknown.

Rather than walking through an Ewok village “set” or a backlot restaurant with props, we will now roam through a galaxy’s edge where you are expected to be part of the landscape and population. How will the park explain those anomalies? I guess they don’t have to, as we have learned. Guests’ tastes change, kids’ interests change, and as is evidenced by crowd levels at all of the attractions that have been on the chopping block recently (Maelstrom, Universe of Energy, etc.), the things that made us fall in love with a particular park or area, are not the most popular in today’s time.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is certainly a park in flux, and many of the experiences we knew and loved, and maybe took for granted, are now a part of history. We are no longer entering a park that is a tribute to Hollywood and movie making, but mostly tilted toward the actual movies themselves. Which is fine, but we are also allowed to mourn what once was, when it was (for a while), done so well.

Even those not bothered by the closing of The Great Movie Ride will admit it was a great ride, but proclaim “it needed more love” or “it needed updating.” And while I agree that every ride that features animatronics needs a lot more updating than it currently receives within Disney parks, on the Great Movie Ride specifically, how does one keep updating a field which changes daily? Sure, they could keep adding movies to the montage at the end, but at which movies’ expense? Do you take out Singin’ in the Rain’s show scene and add Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump sitting on a bench? Or John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing from Pulp Fiction? Movies are for the most part, so subjective, it’s impossible to please everyone.

For example, I love the Great Movie Ride as it is. For what it is. I would love to have the latest model animatronics in it, but other than that, I would’ve left it how it was pre-TCM/Robert Osborne additions. But that’s just me. I know there are countless others like me who have the entire ride sequence memorized, down to the music cues and the original montage ending, both music and clips. It’s provided endless quote opportunities within my family and friend groups.

One of my favorite memories of The Great Movie Ride was when two cast members were acting out the scene from The Searchers that played in front of us in the queue, one of them shouting “No you don’t, Ethan! Ethan, no you don’t!” The entire ride experience is forever ingrained in my brain, as I’m sure it is for many other guests and cast members. It is, in a word, iconic.

The Great Movie Ride combines so many parts that make its whole a classic Disney attraction. First, you have the show building itself, an exact replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood (now the TCL Theatre). Seeing that at the end of the street when you first pass the Crossroads of the World instantly transports you to Hollywood. The detail in the building itself is impeccable. If you can before it closes, walk around and really pay attention to the workmanship (or if you can’t, watch Martin Smith’s Ultimate Tribute, which I watched in the background while typing this, for inspiration – and hopefully, the building itself will remain for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway…).

Great Movie Ride interior — Image ©Tom Bricker disneytouristblog.com

Next, you have the queue area, with again, ridiculously insane details from the original theatre, movie props and costumes, and the film trailers as you approach the ride. The ride vehicle system has always fascinated me (a smaller version of the theatre system from Universe of Energy, which I’ll discuss my thoughts on later).

Any attraction that has theatre style moving vehicles is just amazing to me. It is a shame that both of these types of attractions will soon be no more. I really think the technology has stood up to time and the fact that they hold so many guests at once is always a good thing.

Finally, you have the ride experience itself, which showcases both iconic scenes from famous movies or genres, as well as interactive “surprise” elements and of course, a happy ending. The level and attention to detail within the movie scene sections is mind blowing.

I’ve been lucky enough to have full access to walk the ride, and been able to see into the “trash” in the gangster scenes – with cigarette butts inside tin cans that are never visible from the ride vehicle, but there because it makes the scene authentic. The signs in the western scene are written as if you just happened upon a town in Deadwood or some other village of the old west. It’s truly Imagineering at its finest. You are transported to another location, where anything could happen, but within the safety of a Disney park. The finale with the movie montage lifts you up and shows you the power of movies to endure through generations and inspire our daily lives.

I always walked off The Great Movie Ride with a smile on my face, filled with a love of movies and their history. I will miss that experience, and that feeling, but I am very, very grateful for the many memories I have had over the years; with my late father, with my mom, with my children, with my husband (the first place we held hands), and many friends. To me, it was one of the truly “Disney-at-its-best” rides, and I hope that it isn’t the last of its kind. This particular ride closing is perhaps the first “park icon” attraction to close. 27 Oh, one more thing. When I yell “Action!”, don’t forget the thunderous applause for your tour guide. Places, everybody! And…Action!

Thanks for the memories, Great Movie Ride, and thunderous applause to all who were a part of its design, creation, and running for the past 28 years.

If you need a pick-me-up to remember this wonderful attraction, head over to my good friend Glenn’s fan site that he created long ago in tribute to the Great Movie Ride – Pretty Good Movie Ride.

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D23…and Me (and You)

12 August 2015 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Like many other posts which I begin here lately, this one has been brewing a while, probably since the EPCOT 30 celebration put on by D23 back in *gulp* 2012…wow, has it really been that long? Well anyway, I wanted to say a lot about D23 back then, and since that time, my sentiments have only grown. I feel that I should preface this by saying that, yes, I am a charter D23 member. Growing up in the 1980’s and falling in love with the Walt Disney World of that time, and then EPCOT Center, I was lucky enough to have parents who were equally as interested and full of love for the parks. As a result, we subscribed to Disney News in our small town of Sharon, Massachusetts, and even joined the Magic Kingdom Club when it was available as a non-corporate membership. I still have that vinyl tote bag and gold membership card that came with the yearly fee to join. So joining D23 seemed like a natural thing to do, to get more knowledge and information about something you love. You got a slick magazine full of interesting articles on current and historical Disney, and the ability to attend special events. More importantly, I felt like I was supporting an arm of the company which held the same values and love for Disney past that I did. So I gladly joined and am a gold member to this day.

There has been some sharp criticism of D23 itself by hardcore fans, noting the cross-promotion or really over-synergisation (if that’s not a word. it is now) of whatever current flavor-of-the-month Disney Channel, Disney Jr., or Disney Consumer Products was strutting out on display. I do agree that most of those who joined D23 did so for the historical aspect; the archives, the trivia, the peek or entrance into otherwise unseen experiences. However, much as we like to think we are Disney’s most important fans (those with a devout love of the company’s storied past achievements and promise for the future), who will put our wallets where our mouths are when presented with the right choices, there simply aren’t enough of us to warrant a separate, exclusive club, without dipping into the overflowing pond that is families, kids, and more kids. After all, who would buy all of the things without the constant suggestion from kids about how they HAVE to have the newest whatever from the newest show on Disney Jr.? I’m oversimplifying of course, but obviously the mass-market is where the money and the success is. Bottom line, for now, you have to endure the latest Disney pop sensation to justify an archives exhibit, presentations by Tony Baxter, and other things that make a Disney nerd’s heart go a-flutter. In a perfect world, that wouldn’t be the case, but there you go.

Now where the concept of D23 just explodes (which is also what happens to the brains of most attendees), is at the special multi-day events, where the best and the brightest come together to bring you, well, the best and the brightest insights into Disney’s past, present, and future, through concept art, Imagineering processes, music, construction, and more. Many times, these stories are told straight from the horse’s mouth, when present or retired Disney cast members, Imagineers, Legends, and archivists share the information.

The first of these events was the D23 Expo in 2009. At that time, I was personally just starting down my blogging and “public” (for lack of a better term regarding my forays into the social media channels of the Disney community) path of Disney love. The concept of me leaving my three children (the youngest not even one at the time) and flying off to the far-off country of California to experience this “Expo” chock-full of Disney history and more, was beyond foreign to me. I’ve mentioned before that before my first visit to California (which I’ll expand on in a moment), the idea of flying to California just seemed an unreachable, unattainable, unthinkable option. What can I say, I was (not-so-)young and uninformed. Before my stint on the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (now Disney Parks Moms Panel) and the training weekend involved, I had *never* left my children for more than a few hours or a sleepover at Grammie’s house. Meeting friends in the local Disney community along with being on the panel led to the desire to simply do more; learn more, experience more and, as silly as it sounds, live more. Without straying off-topic too much, let’s just say I was a very sheltered person in many ways for many years. Painfully shy in person (ok this is still pretty true today), I had zero self-confidence and pretty much lived my life the way I always had, because it’s all I knew. Again, I don’t want to stray too much because that’s really another whole blog post for perhaps a different site altogether, but I must note that I by no means didn’t enjoy or appreciate my role as a mother to my children. But what followed in the months after I began blogging and doing more was that the whole world (though I still stuck to the Disney areas for the most part) opened up to me. So, while I missed out on the first D23 Expo, and followed along on live streams and tweets and instagrams of friends there, I decided that I could and would attend the first Destination D here in Walt Disney World. Again, as corny as this must sound, that event really changed my life.

The Destination D events are held on the even years in between the Expos (except for the first WDW one which was in 2011), and are smaller, more concentrated, less stressful events focusing solely on a particular aspect or two of Disney history. The first one was held in Disneyland and focused on just that: Disneyland. I missed that one too, because of that whole California-being-a-far-off land-that-I-still-couldn’t-possibly-get-to thing. The next one, in Walt Disney World, focused on vintage WDW to celebrate the resort’s 40th birthday (and also combined a very hot, very arduous scavenger/trivia hunt which has not been duplicated since).

To say I fell in love, would be a very severe understatement. The things we got to see were like viewing my childhood on a highlights reel, with bonus features of the stuff I missed before I was born. We heard from some of the original folks involved in the creation of Walt Disney World, from its inception to land purchases to infrastructure to making it all a reality. As a fan like most all of us in the room were, hearing these amazing tales and insights was such an honor. The real hit of the event were the three Imagineers, Jason Surrell (now with Universal but whose spirit still very much haunts the Disney community), Jason Grandt, and Alex Wright. These three had been making their presence and personalities known for months on twitter, and seeing them interact in person was a treat. Like a set of brothers giving each other an increasingly harder time each time they spoke, it was great fun, along with the fact that they shared wonderful information about their projects and the company. Oh, and to top all of that off, Richard Sherman appeared to play and sing our favorites, along with the surprise arrival of the original Dreamfinder, Ron Schneider, in full costume, with Figment. Yes, 8 year-old me was in heaven. In addition, I had the joy of meeting people I had only ever interacted with on twitter, and realizing this was actually real life. So I decided then and there, that I would make every effort to attend every future D23 event like this that I could.

Despite this new-found enthusiasm for Disney history, the Disney community, and D23 events, California and the 2011 D23 Expo still seemed sooo out of reach. When a couple of friends showed me how it could actually be affordable (ahh, I miss airfares to CA for under $300…) and I was able to work it out with my family at home, I finally took that giant leap and got myself to Disneyland. And THERE, my life truly changed. As I’ve written before, I fell head-over-heels in gushy, messy, ridiculously over-the-top in L-O-V-E with Disneyland. Everything people had warned me I wouldn’t like about Disneyland (it’s so small! it’s old! there’s so much more at WDW!) were the exact reasons I fell in love. It was perfection to me, wrapped up in a tiny little jewel-box of a park, drenched in history and dripping in emotions. Emotions I didn’t really know what to do with. I had never been a Disneyland local. I hadn’t grown up with that park, or during the time of Walt’s direct impact on it, so why was this place affecting me so? Maybe I had just been a WDW local for too long, and experiencing something new yet still familiar was just the right answer to an equation I didn’t know I’d tried to solve. Maybe it was the people I was with, sharing stories of their childhood memories there as well as park history and lore. Whatever it was, I drank it all in, and didn’t want to leave. As a result, I spend most of my time in Orlando trying to figure out how I can get back to Disneyland. And now I seem to have gone off on a tangent.

Well, really, it’s not too much of a tangent, since D23 is what brought me into the world of Disneyland, making it attainable and within reach, and worth getting to (not that Disneyland isn’t worth getting to on its own, but as an east coast girl who’d only ever been as far west as Chicago one time, having that much more reason to fly all the way to California was just what I needed). Since then, I went back to Disneyland for the Destination D in 2012, attended the amazing EPCOT 30 event, back to Disneyland for the 2013 Expo, the second Destination D in WDW, and now, the 2015 Expo will begin in just a few days and I’ll be there.

You can find hundreds of accounts of the events and happenings within these D23 events, from live blogging to play-by-plays to full video of presentations. But what those can’t convey are the the feelings that come with seeing these sometimes once-in-a-lifetime events in person. Beyond the big Hollywood stars that appear during the Studios presentations, or even the oft-anticipated news from Parks & Resorts on the Next Big Thing, it is the less-publicized little gems where you hear those first-hand stories, or see those never-before-seen photos or film footage of extinct attractions or concept art that really draw me to D23 and its productions. Sure, there are countless hours spent waiting in line to secure a seat at the bigger showcases, but they are for the most part worth it. And those gems will show themselves, and you’ll find yourself having another eye-opening epiphany of, “wow, this is why I became a Disney fan.”

And to think, I initially intended this post to be a sort of planning guide or tips for getting the most out of the D23 Expo…well, in a way, perhaps it is. Because getting the most out of any event, is remembering and realizing why you wanted to take part in it to begin with, right? You could focus on the lines, the fact that some will get shut out of seeing presentations they want to see, some merchandise you really want may be sold out, and the parks will be extra crowded. But, you are enveloped in history and surrounded by love for a company and a place and people who share that love. And you get to do it all right across the street from Disneyland. What could be better? So if you haven’t ever been to a D23 event or an Expo, think about why you want to go and focus on those things as you look at the schedule or plan your attack on the day. You won’t see everything. You will be tired. You will probably even get cranky. But that’s okay. When it’s all over, you may find you even miss those lines, and what you got to experience at the end of them.

So, a heartfelt thank you to D23 for making me sit up and take notice of my passions and things I could do to further develop them and even grow a bit as a person because of it. Now I’m flying to Disneyland for the 8th time in 4 years like it’s nothing. And I couldn’t be happier with where I’m heading.

To follow along with my D23 Expo 2015 adventures, add me on twitter: @zannaland, instagram: @zannaland, facebook.com/zannaland, or even snapchat as zannadeux. I may blog during the Expo, but most likely my updates will be on the above channels, as I tend to spend all my possible hours not at the Expo in Disneyland.

I’m excited to share my experiences with you and hope you enjoy following along. And if you were on the fence about joining D23, maybe I’ve convinced you a little bit to jump over to this side. If you’re already convinced and attending the Expo, I hope to see you there! I do have that shy/awkward thing going on, but I still love meeting new people at these events!

For all of the official scoop on the D23 Expo 2015 presentations and events, follow @DisneyD23 on twitter, facebook and instagram too. You can see a schedule of all the events too and more in-depth descriptions of the major stage presentations.

By way of disclaimer, I was provided with a single media pass for the D23 2015 Expo. That has not swayed my opinions in any way, all of the above is really me and views, like ’em or not.

The Disneyland Difference

17 July 2015 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

I’ve wanted to write a post with this title since my first visit to Disneyland in 2011. I will probably still write about the different types of Disneyland differences in future posts, but today, it’s all about the intangible.

The date of my first visit is actually embarrassing to admit – a lifelong Disney fan such as myself only visiting the original park that started it all, just 4 short years ago. And yet, I feel such love and devotion to this place, it’s almost as if I’ve now edited it into my childhood memories and have meshed its history with my own. How can that be, you may wonder? How can a theme park in the former Anaheim orange groves, a place with rides and parades and corn dogs have so much impact on a girl that grew up in the 70’s and 80’s in New England?

Well, the answer to that question could be found at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Oddly, I didn’t visit that spot until last September, but after roaming through its rooms and soaking up every chapter of the Walt Disney story on two different visits now, I had so much more respect, love and reverence for the man behind the name. The why of Disneyland can be found there. The how of Disneyland can be found there, along with all of Walt’s history and accomplishments. Of course I knew Walt’s story before I went to Disneyland, visiting the museum just expounded that knowledge and respect. So is that the answer? Is Walt himself the “Disneyland Difference”? In a word, yes. In many more words, continue reading…

Obviously, Walt is no longer walking down Main Street, or spending the night in the family apartment above the firehouse. But the fact that he did, the fact that he put so much of himself into his park and in turn into its stewards, is truly the definition of a legacy. Much like oral traditions passed down from family to family, the Walt Disney story, the Walt Disney philosophy and work ethic and determination and desire to make families happy and entertained – has lived on and spread like the unfurling roots of a great tree.

As with all great figures in history, Walt had his own disciples to spread his good word over the years. I don’t mean that in an irreverent or sarcastic way, I mean it very seriously. Walt had a different way of doing things from the very start. If he had an idea, and he couldn’t make it work, he didn’t give up on it, he figured out a new way to make it happen. That could mean a completely new way of creating and sharing animation, it could mean hiring great people to make his ideas come to pass, or it could mean a completely new way of designing and building a family amusement park. Because of his ideas, and his ideals, as his reputation grew, so did people’s desire to work with him. Animators led the way for Imagineers, and together they carried on the work, as well as the quality of work, that Walt established from the start. In addition to the way Walt did things, he had a very particular way of telling the story he wanted to tell. And those two combinations are forever etched within the walkways and walls of Disneyland. While the park has changed over the years, there are still stories which will never evanesce from the grounds, no matter how many other things may.

Walt did not just want to have us ride a merry-go-round or a train, he wanted to take us on an adventure, and be a part of the story along the way. As a result, we do leave the world behind and enter into a world of yesteryear, fantasy, adventure, or tomorrow. Walt found the perfect equation to make everyone happy in his park, with the caveat that it would never be finished. The initial fear from investors that the idea would be a flop and fail within weeks was proven wrong within days. Turns out we did want to remember the past and hope for the future, and we wanted to do it again and again.

When Walt was no longer around to tell his stories, others passed on the tradition. When you get a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon, or board a pirate ship to fly over London, you may be helped by someone who’s mother worked in the same park, or who’s grandmother remembers the time she visited the park and Walt was there, waving to guests. The stories, the legends, the myths, are passed on. We are lucky enough to still have some of those first-hand stories shared by original Imagineers, or Disney Legends like Richard Sherman. I think any of us would happily sit in a room and listen to them talk for hours, still fondly remembering the man and his ideas, as if Walt had just walked out of the room a minute before.

The spirit and energy that has been there since day one hovers over the park like an invisible cloud, enveloping the park and all within it. From the crowded moments when you just want to get a FastPass to ride Space Mountain one more time, to the quiet moments of solitude, when it’s just the music, the twinkling lights, and the faint scent of popcorn; it’s all still there. The simple joy. The memories. The promise.

Some of those same experiences may be felt in Walt Disney World and other Disney parks, but none of them will ever duplicate the uniqueness, the charm, and yes, the comfort that is Disneyland. Perhaps that is why this little girl who grew up in far off Massachusetts and had only ever visited Walt Disney World in its vast expanse of family fun, felt instantly at home, walking down the very first Main Street, U.S.A. Much like putting on prescription glasses for the first time and seeing every leaf – vibrant and crisply outlined on every tree; Disneyland is concentrated, amplified Disney magic. Which I know, sounds corny and cliched, but there is no other way to describe it: the perfect storm of all the senses coming to life, even the ones which lie hidden within our hearts and our minds and cannot be put into words (despite my feeble attempts to do so).

If you were to take away all of the walk-around characters, all of the merchandise and specialty-anything at Disneyland today, it would still be the Happiest Place on Earth. That moniker does not come from profits or stockholders or board room decisions. It comes from the heart of the park, which is, in fact, the heart of its guests, and in turn its cast members. Walt knew that, and succeeded at putting hopes and dreams behind a turnstile, where you could visit them any time you wanted. Disneyland itself became our best friend. Our first love. Our stolen kiss under the stairs. Our tears of remembrance. Our hope for a better tomorrow. Our happily ever after.

Happy Birthday, Disneyland. It may have taken me a while, but I found my way to you. And much like the person who guided me to you on my first visit, you were worth waiting for.

Here’s to 60 times 60 more years of memories to come.

The Hollywood That Never Was And Never Will Be

2 July 2015 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

The Disney park currently known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been the much maligned “not-a-full-day-park” for years and years now. It usually comes in 3rd or 4th place, depending on whether the person choosing enjoys Disney’s Animal Kingdom or not. I have personally defended Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the past, based on the memories and the hope it once held, and the potential future I thought it could enjoy. However, as of late, much like the former EPCOT Center, DHS has been slowly cannibalizing itself in the name of “progress” and throwing the old “Disneyland will never be finished” quote around as justification for whatever NEXTNEWNOW change comes down the line.

When the Disney-MGM Studios first opened, it was a fun, light-hearted, action-packed look through the history and current world of entertainment. The park combined a mix of Hollywood history with architecture and icons reminiscent of the golden days of the silver screen, along with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how movies, tv shows and the stunts within them were made. The park also offered a loving and closer look at some of what made Disney famous; animation and its animated characters. It was a fun mix of the two other parks down the street; the fantasy of Magic Kingdom and the discovery and education aspect of EPCOT Center. Even with the advent of the cry “we need more thrill rides!”, efforts were made to keep new areas of the park and their rides fit in to the theme of the park, one way or another.

Then, something happened, and suddenly, this fun, well-loved, full-day park began to decline. I’m sure there were several factors of which I am unaware, since I’m not in Imagineering or the boardroom discussing budgets, theme park attendance, profits, and whatever else results in the decisions Disney makes regarding its attention or lack-of toward specific parks or attractions. The hopes that this would be a “working studio” never really came to fruition. Hollywood stars didn’t really want to travel to Orlando to work, and certainly the conditions of humid, humid and more humid are not the best compared to sunny and 72 degrees every day in Hollywood. The Backlot Tour became more and more stagnant, with less and less relevant references, props, and costumes to interest newer guests. Part of the charm and allure for me as a young 13 year-old Disney fan visiting the park, was the wow factor of seeing props from favorites like the Rocketeer or Flight of the Navigator and actually believing “they are just storing these props here until they need them for a new film.” The pretense that “this is how movies and tv shows are made and you are getting an insider’s look” worked on me and I loved it. But when the pretense changed, the curtain fell and suddenly, the whole story and message of the park changed.

The once hour-plus-long Backlot Tour was broken up into two parts to create more attractions and make it easier on guests to enjoy. The special effects tour was still an incredibly fun and educational attraction. Seeing blue screen effects, miniaturization, sound effects and more, plus a short movie filmed right at the park ending in a walk through the props/sets of that movie was great. But again, soon the films used became outdated. These things could’ve been updated, or even treated in a kitschy manner, “back in the late 1980’s, this was the highest technology at the time for special effects!”. But instead, the tour was just closed. The death knell for the Backstage Tour was the demolition of Residential Street in 2003, to make room for Lights, Motors, Action!, which, while loud, and not particularly efficient in terms of loading and unloading the immense theatre to view the show, does fit in to the movies theme. After that, the Backlot Tour was an attraction you never really had to wait for, and went the way of Listen to the Land over in Epcot – replacing a live, interactive human cast member with a pre-recorded spiel. I remember how sad it was the first time I rode the tram tour through Catastrophe Canyon, and there was no presumption of driving through during a production break and the “surprise” of being caught in the middle of an elaborate special effects scene with potential “danger” that followed. It was a sad moment.

This brings me to my next point, that yes, Catastrophe Canyon could work as a “hey, we’re now going to drive through a set and you’ll see how an action scene could be filmed” just as the park itself could work as a “hey, welcome to the Everything-We-Couldn’t-Fit-in-Magic-Kingdom Park. Enjoy the random attractions!” But that’s not what this park was created for. It’s like when you see an old band you loved in the 80’s on tv, and now they have super trendy haircuts and hair dyed a couple shades too dark, and clothes that really don’t work on a 60+-year-old…and they are screaming “look at me, I’m still relevant! I’m still fun and cool!” Except they aren’t. They are focusing on all the wrong things and forgetting why their fans loved them to begin with. Disney basically created fans back in the 80’s with both EPCOT Center and Disney-MGM Studios, fans with discerning tastes, that appreciated and then craved story…history…and yes, even education.

Those fans were then pushed aside for the quicker, easier-to-control fan. Disney Jr. shows, make-shift “experiences” with little to no theming, and audience sing-a-longs receive no complaints from this new fan. This new fan is happy to see Olaf and take photos with rocks (sleeping trolls!), and just pretend most of the park doesn’t exist. A park that now, with the closure of the Magic of Disney Animation and One Man’s Dream (unofficially confirmed as of this post), has SIX attractions (rides), plus 5 “shows” and is a thin, staple-gunned-together shell of its former self. A park where, just because they can, turned a former queue of a former temporary replacement attraction, into a “lounge” with metal benches, air conditioning, and a few photos on the walls. These new fans will love this. A place to sit and cool down. Oh look, old black and white photos of Walt, wow! These new fans don’t come to this park expecting a story, details, or something new around each corner. They come to this park thinking, “I like Frozen. I like Star Wars. I like Pixar movies.” They walk in and see Frozen. They see Star Wars. They see Pixar films. They drink Olaf drinks. They buy Elsa dresses and build lightsabers. They leave happy, never knowing or wanting anything else. Leaving the old fans saying, “but…wait…what about…?”

Now I’m not saying there isn’t hope. Just like with EPCOT, I cannot abandon all hope for a place that fostered and nurtured my love for Walt Disney World to begin with. I just can’t. At the same time, I can’t just forget all that “once was” and blindly accept whatever replaces it. It saddens me that the ideals and ideas that once created such amazing, unique, and entertaining places seem to have disappeared. I know that the ideas are there. I know that there are Imagineers who remember and value the once (truly) untouchable Disney Difference. Imagineers who want to create amazing environments and experiences for guests. Who wanted to be Imagineers because of how affected they were by some aspect of Walt Disney or the empire he created, and wanted to be a part of that creativity. But who are also sadly restrained by budgets and projections and profits and return on investment and how to get the most dollars out of the least materials/space/investment/time. The hope is still there, it just needs to be let out of its box and released upon the world. I get that the parks here in the states aren’t ever going to have the budget and carte-blanche that a place like Tokyo Disney Resort has. But I also get that Disney as a company isn’t exactly scraping together funds to pay the electric bill each month. There has to be a better way, which will, in the long run, create and keep more and more dedicated guests, fans and yes, brand evangelists. Yes, it’s harder and takes longer. It’s much easier to get a large group of people hyped over a particular facet of a brand and spread that hype across the land so that everyone wants to buy all the Elsa and Anna dresses/dolls/cups/pins/dessert parties/VIP experiences vs. getting a set group of people educated, interested and loyal to a place and the attractions within that place. Obviously it makes sense from a business perspective. Does it make sense in a long-term investor sense? I don’t know. Does it matter? I guess time will tell.

We all know that the Studios park is in flux. There are things happening, we just don’t officially know what yet. Cars Land, Star Wars Land, Pixar Play Land, all of these things have been thrown around as rumor or fact depending on who you talk to. The problem, and really the impetus for this post, is that how these changes and “updates” have been handled is an embarrassingly good example of bad show. If you are going to close half of the physical park, have an announcement! Have a “Coming Soon!” sign or wonderful artist renderings of the future of the park for all of us to look forward to. Why the secrecy? Why the quietly displaced cast members and closed attractions with zero plans or hopes or ideas to look forward to? Even with the polarizing Avatarland/Pandora over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we had a reason for Camp Minnie-Mickey closing, for walls being up, for construction happening. Even with the walls everywhere that characterized Disney(‘s) California Adventure, we knew Cars Land and Buena Vista Street were waiting. With each closure at DHS, we get nothing but a generic message. Are they waiting for the D23 Expo to announce all of the changes? Perhaps. But these closures and temporary band-aid pop-up attractions have been going on for quite some time here, with no explanation or alternative other than sing-a-longs and specialty drinks. With this much advanced knowledge of closings of attractions, surely better planning and action could’ve been taken to create replacements that don’t shine a light on flaws and problems, but rather are worthy of making positive impressions on all the park’s guests. Or, in absence of that, at the very least, some sort of acknowledgement that the park is growing and changing and please pardon the pixie dust. But to act like the park as is today, is okay is very “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain…” and we all know how that turned out.

There has been much speculation as to what the new iteration of a Studios park will be called. Disney Studios doesn’t fit because there are no studios left, real or imagined. Disney’s Hollywood Adventure doesn’t fit because the Hollywood is limited to the main Hollywood Blvd. shops leading to the Great Movie Ride, and Sunset Blvd. Disney Movie Magic? Disney Movies Park? Disney Entertainment Adventure? Disney-Frozen-Fun-Time-Featuring-Olaf-with-Added-Mater-and-Star Wars-Cause-We-Know-You-Like-That-Too-Oh-and-Also-a-Ride-About-Movies-Other-Than-Frozen? I kid, but seriously, the park is just digging itself further and further into a hole that die-hard fans won’t be able to let go (that does NOT count as a Frozen pun) for quite some time, even if the changes are spectacular. The recent Great Movie Ride update with Turner Classic Movies treatment has its plusses and minuses, in my opinion. Part of what made that ride was the spiel and the cast members who recited it, and that has now changed, with the addition of Robert Osborne narration. We are no longer passing through the streets of London or the seedy underbelly of the gangster film, we are discussing movie facts, with an occasional aside from our driver. The ride itself is still intact, with newly added films to the end montage, and the interactive gangster or cowboy element is there, but makes a little less sense now, to me. That said, I’m glad it wasn’t ripped out and that a major sponsor such as TCM was willing to come on board. My plea is for Those Who Make the Decisions to remember what made this park so special to begin with. It was a giant inside joke that we were all in on – “we’re just tourists, but we get to go behind-the-scenes!”. That message can and has changed, but there should still be some sort of cohesive theme that ties all of the different portions together and makes the park worthy of the love and adoration its former incarnation once had. Maybe a little less synergy and a little more of letting the Imagineers do what they do best.