Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A Trip To Disneyland, July 1958 - Part Six

Here's part six of the '58 trip to Disneyland, and the second part within Fantasyland. For those of you who are keeping track!

I really like this first shot of Casey Junior returning home after an exciting (?) journey through Storybook Land. I have lots of photos of Casey, but not another one like this! One of my very smart readers pointed out to me that Casey's eyes are hollow cones, which provides the very simple and subtle effect that Casey is always smiling and looking right at YOU. Brilliant! It's sort of the same idea as the busts that watch you in the Haunted Mansion. Just visible at the upper right is the Skyway Chalet, and a Canal Boat can be seen in the dark cave below.


I believe that our photographer was standing in pretty much the same spot, but turned to his right to catch another circus train in the distance. The "patchwork quilt" landscape always reminds me of the 1933 Silly Symphony, "Lullabye Land".


And finally, the canal boat "Aurore" careens out of control as guests hang on for dear life. Hmmm, Aurore? Not "Aurora"? Sleeping Beauty didn't open until 1959, perhaps they hadn't nailed down the princess' name yet. Notice the lady in the yellow blouse and the little boy, who we saw riding one of Alice's caterpillars a few days ago!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:31 AM

    These are fun and sunny. :) Not seen any 'xactly like these either, esp. the top one. Aurore hm...

    Yess I like that quilt effect too, such a nice knack for gentle whimsy.

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  2. these are nice...crisp and colorful.

    if he had just gone "a little to the left" on image 3, he would have gotten a castle, perhaps, in his photo

    i like the picture of Casey Jr's "face". i dont believe ive ever seen one like this, either

    keep em' coming! :D

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  3. it's always interesting to see men at the helm of the storybook land canal boats attraction.

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  4. Amazing series Major, this photographer really knew his stuff! Super vintage Casey Jr. shots! "I Think can, I think I can..." Thanks Major!

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  5. I'm not having a very good day today. These pictures let me be someplace wonderful for a few minutes. Thanks for the vacation.

    "Aurore" is French for Aurora: just perhaps Disney was thinking of going with the specifically French spelling of the name. The problem is, in English, the word has a very indistinct sound when pronounced in French and sounds phony when it's Anglophied: "a-RAWR". Funny name for a lion princess. Not so good for a human one.

    Besides, they needed "Aurora" for the most blood-curdling rhyme in any Disney movie:

    Hail to the Princess Aurora
    All of her subjects adore-a

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  6. Nice detail about the boat name... 1959 documentation lists it as "Aurora," so it either changed or the people putting together the documentation didn't pay attention to detail!

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