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Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks Book Review – Up the Waterfall

14 October 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Everyone loves Disney books, and Scott has made no secret that it is his greatest passion. I recently bought him a couple of new releases that came out, and we were given a new holiday book to review – Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks. This book looked so amazing that I thought it deserved its own episode to share the fun and spread the word of this great new title. While we certainly could’ve devoted an entire hour to this one book (it’s THAT chock-full of Disney holiday nuggets), we added a few more recent titles, like the Disney Monorail book and Disney Maps of favorite movies.

As promised, here is a rundown of the books we discussed. The links are affiliate links, which means no extra cost to you, but we will get a very small commission amount, which helps offset the costs to run Zannaland and Up the Waterfall. We appreciate your help and consideration. Just click on the book title or cover image to go to the link to purchase.

Mickey Mouse: From Walt to the World, by Andreas Dejas:

A companion book to a recent exhibition at the phenomenal Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio in San Francisco, California, this book details the global phenomenon of the Walt Disney Original, Mickey Mouse, and his contributions to the world, including black and white and color cartoons and films, merchandise, comic books, and even modern art. This book and all the other companion books for all the previous retrospective exhibitions at this first-rate museum are excellent keepsakes showcasing amazing displays. Very highly recommended.

The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky, by Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt, et al.:

This book is a fantastic must-have addition to anyone’s Disney book collection. It is filled with not only the history of the monorail itself, but also how Walt Disney became interested in transportation, futurism, and the desire to bring monorails to the parks. Here are some photos from the book (not high-quality scans, just to give you an idea of what lies in store!).

Monorails of Disneyland and Walt Disney World list

Disney Monorail concept art panorama — The Disney Monorails book inside jacket – as mentioned on the show! – sorry for the quality, but you get the idea.

Disney Maps: A Magical Atlas of the Movies We Know and Love, by Disney Book Group:

This is a fun book that families will love. I know Gio would love getting his hands on this book to explore the various lands we know and love from Disney animated movies. It provides a character list and fun facts about each film too. Here is an example of the Ratatouille pages:

Entertaining with Disney: Exceptional Events From Mickey Mouse to Moana! by Amy Croushorn:

This book is like Pinterest in book form. Entertaining with Disney is all organized by theme and has detailed instructions for creating the crafts, making the snacks, and setting the scene for your exceptional Disney events. I got this book for Scott as kind of a joke because he’s not really an entertainer in any way, but he is a completist, so he can cross this one off his list. However, *I* love it, and even if I don’t make any of these super cool themed parties, it’s really relaxing and fun to look at! Here’s the Peter Pan spread:

The Art of Disney Costuming – Heroes, Villains, and Spaces Between, by Jeff Kurtti and the Staff of the Walt Disney Archives:

This book is a companion piece to the D23 Expo Archives exhibit from the most recent Expo in 2019. There are spectacular close-ups of the many beautiful and detailed costumes displayed there, as well as backstories. There are also sections on the costumes created for Disney parks, really fascinating stuff. Here are a couple of pages from the book:

Holiday Magic at Disney Parks: by Graham Allan, Rebecca Cline, and Charlie Price:

The headliner of this episode, Holiday Magic at the Disney Parks (out October 20, available for pre-order now) is a must-have for any collection. Packed with nearly 1,900 amazing photographs, it truly is an encyclopedia of information, detailing the history of the Fall and Winter holidays at Disney parks. This includes decorations, snacks and food items, parades, spectaculars, parties, and rethemed attractions at ALL of the Disney Parks, and Disney resorts as well.

Featuring comprehensive descriptions and photos, the authors have documented the history of these holiday offerings from Disneyland’s earliest years to present day. This book is a great way to see all the holiday fun and remember the magic. We can’t say enough about this masterpiece. Here are just a few of the many, many, pages of documentation:

Disneyland holidays Tomorrowland — How amazing is this vintage Tomorrowland photo from Disneyland??

Again, these are not high-quality scans, just some photos to show you the treasures that lie inside these books. I know I can’t wait to get my hands on them myself and dig into this Disney history. We hope you enjoyed this book-filled episode. If so tell us in the comments below, leave us a review wherever you watch or listen, give us a thumbs up on Zannaland’s YouTube and Subscribe to see all our other videos. Thank you as always for watching and listening! We’d love to know if you pick up any of these titles for your Disney book collection! You can watch this week’s episode right here:

Ways to Help Laid Off Cast Members:

As we mentioned on the end of the show, it is such a devastating time for so many. As locals, and a Cast Member family, we want to spread the word as much as possible about ways to help if you can.

Cast Member Pantry Facebook group for Orlando area Cast Members

Ear for Each Other Facebook group featuring Cast Members from both coasts offering their services or talents for sale

Google Sheet with Cast Member run Small Shops and businesses

Also check out our friends Sarah and Tom Bricker’s post on ways to help, including donating to the Second Harvest Food Bank in both Orlando and Orange County, California. Thank you for reading, and thank you for helping the magic makers.

As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast! Thank you!

Listen to Up the Waterfall:

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Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions on ANY of these movie choices, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney Parks fans!

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Hidden Details of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World – Up the Waterfall

7 October 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

One of the things that separates amusement parks from theme parks, is just that, the theme. Theming takes you out of the real world and puts you into the environment that the creators want you to experience and be a part of. In the realm of theme parks, Disney has been the leader for quite some time. Part of what helps Disney achieve that status, is “story” or backstory if you will, and the layer upon layer of detail used to create that story.

On this week’s Up the Waterfall show, we focus on Magic Kingdom and some of its many hidden details. All of these details pull you into the story, if you take the time to notice them. We list our favorites, but because we didn’t want a 3 hour show, we don’t mention ALL of the details, as there really are stories behind everything.

We start right at the front of the Magic Kingdom and go clockwise through the lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. The list below will serve as a guide along with the podcast, leaving out any we didn’t mention, and room for more we may add!

Main Street, U.S.A.

Walt Disney World Railroad Main Street Station: there are quite a few timetables with references to other Disney parks, movies, and characters.

Main Street Windows: most everyone knows that the names on the windows of Main Street, U.S.A. reference Imagineers and folks involved in the creation and legacy of Walt Disney World and Disney Parks in general. We reference the Windows on Main Street book from 2009, which is a great guide to the stories behind these windows. There’s also an updated version from 2014, Main Street Windows: A Complete Guide to Disney’s Whimsical Tributes.

The Chapeau Telephone: this is an old favorite, you used to be able to listen to several full conversations on there. According to our friends at the RoadSideTrippers instagram account, they checked it out about a week ago, and sadly the line kept cutting out a lot, so it wasn’t up to its old performance. Hopefully when times are better, Disney can spare some love for this little detail.

Adventureland

Jungle Cruise: most of us remember the half a plane used in the Casablanca scene of the Great Movie Ride (rest in peace), well the other half of that plane is right in the Jungle Cruise!

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen: This relatively new (by Magic Kingdom standards) restaurant is chock full of references to the Jungle Cruise itself and other Disney attractions and names. Right as you enter you are greeting with a painting of Dr. Albert Falls, and an abstract of his wife Alberta, who opened up the restaurant. Once inside, the doors on the second floor are nods to original Imagineers and legends, including Marc Davis, Harper Goff, and Bill Evans, landscape designer for Disneyland and the Jungle Cruise itself.

The real magic (and hidden details), however, lies in the bookcases which lead to the “hidden” rooms of the restaurant. Almost every book in the shelves is some reference or pun, including author names like “Cap Size” and “Sid Truss” along with nods to created characters like Merriweather Pleasure of Pleasure Island lore, and even “Vagnini” a nod to former archivist, Disney Imagineer (and friend!) Steven Vagnini. We won’t list all the titles and names here, but be sure to check them out next visit. We didn’t even touch on all of the S.E.A. references in this spot, so stay tuned for a future discussion on that very topic.

Tortuga Tavern: Scott gives us the rundown on the rich backstory of this spot, with lots more than just the book with some characters’ names written in it! Be sure to look around next time you visit.

Frontierland

Pecos Bill’s: yes, another restaurant – but it’s really a great way to insert lots of details that you don’t have to worry about being missed as you ride by in an attraction! Funny thing, I actually missed most of the ones Scott mentioned in Pecos Bill’s! Sounds like I need to get back there right quick! We touched briefly on the redux of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue area, but again, this is a spot that we feel needs more attention than just a part of a podcast. If you have a favorite, let us know (I am very partial to the Barnabus T. Bullion painting that looks eerily like my beloved Tony Baxter – the Imagineer responsible for Big Thunder Mountain of course).

Liberty Square

The enjoyable part about Liberty Square is that so much of its detail can be traced back to actual history. In all cases of Disney parks planning, Imagineers go above and beyond to have authentic details, pay homage to actual places or events, or at the very least expand upon the references we know and love. Liberty Square is no exception. With homages to “2 if by sea” lanterns, use of the original Liberty Bell mold to cast the Disney version, and architecture that looks like you are walking through historic Boston or Philadelphia, it’s a wonderful place to explore.

Fantasyland

Cinderella’s Fountain: or La Fountaine de Cindrillon in French, is a beautiful little detail. I recently discussed it on my zannaland instagram page as well, which was actually the impetus for this episode!

Sir Mickey’s: a very fun shop with lots of great visuals to see right off the bat (giant vines from a beanstalk and the face of a giant peeking in from the eaves), to minute details referencing two original Mickey shorts.

Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid: As we know, this was once the spot of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. We show you all the hidden references to this original ride in the Fantasyland area, and a special hidden Steamboat Willie as well.

Tomorrowland

Robotic Palm Trees: this is a favorite “fun fact” that gets thrown around, but we couldn’t not mention it. The backstory is that the Tomorrowland Power Company uses these metal palm trees to harvest the suns rays, and the “coconuts” that grow are “energy balls” to harvest and provide power for the citizens of Tomorrowland.

Space Mountain Queue: There is a rich rundown of hidden details within the queue, including references to other Disney theme parks and their Space Mountains, as well as former “futuristic” attractions. We mention our favorites on the show.

We had to end our episode there, but we know there are so many more we didn’t mention. Listen or watch below and let us know your favorite details or what we missed. We’d love to hear from you. And make sure you look up, look down, and look all around next time you’re in the Magic Kingdom! Scroll down to see where to listen and connect with us, but before that, as mentioned on this episode, we’d like to share some places to help displaced Cast Members, many of whom are Imagineers or directly responsible for the details we know and love. If you can, please help. Thank you.