Storybook Land, March 1958
Here are three nice photos from Storybook Land - one of Disneyland's most charming attractions in my opinion.
This first picture is especially nice, I like how it captured another boatload of guests over there. Instead of a pretty girl in a dirndl, you've got an undercover KGB agent running the boat. I don't like it! Toad hall looks magnificent, even in miniature. And that arched bridge for the Casey Jr. Circus Train is pretty nice too, reminding me of Roman aqueducts. If we look through the middle arch, we can see a blurry building... is that where Cinderella lived with her cruel stepsisters?
Even this modest house of sticks - home for one of the three little pigs - has some intricate details. Look at the door and the tiny doorknob, or the crooked stove pipe, and even the itty-bitty mailbox and flagstone path.
And finally, there's the cottage that belonged to the seven dwarfs. It's pretty faithful to the artwork from the 1937 film. With all of the attention to detail, I wonder why those out-of-scale mushrooms were placed there? Also, I can't remember, but do sounds emanated from these miniatures? Perhaps the "Silly Song" from that fun musical sequence?
8 comments:
Every time, the "miniature" landscaping just awes me. How imaginative, resourceful and skillful to conceive, produce and maintain this mini-marvel. I'm so glad that it has survived the decades, it's certainly a gem that the folks at Disneyland can be proud of.
Have you seen a cuter, more finely detailed miniature hut than the House of Sticks there? Interesting that they chose a sort of medium size for the stones of Casey Jr's bridge. Works great with your perception. :)
OK, I admit it...I rarely ride this attraction, mostly because I don't like being out in the sun. Ya, I know, So Cal girl doesn't like sun = weird. Whatever...
Once it get's cooler out here (because I refuse to go to the Park when it's 110 degrees) I will go for a Storybookland ride and take some close-up shots. I promise.
While Walt's love of miniatures is well documented; the where with all to create this attraction is truly a gift. I remember my kids as they got older wanting to skip this one; until it was over and we would all enjoy the memories of places brought alive for just a few minutes.
A beautiful little corner of the park in its own valley. I always wanted to bring opera glasses to see the houses up close, but you know how that goes.... I'd just wind up riding It's a Small World over and over to look at the legs on the can-can girls... ooh la la.
The older I get, the more this ride becomes my favorite. I always have liked it, but the nostalgia grows over time.
I rode with Mom, since Dad couldn't stick it.
Later, I rode with the girls in high school, since the "manly" sports guys wouldn't do it.
Later still, with my wee children.
Then finally alone. Sometimes my wife and daughter will go, but mostly not.
These little tableaux are masterpieces of "imagineering". Detail, proportion, scale, perspective (forced and real), layered backgrounds and images, multivalent compositions (where elements perform different roles in different views), I could go on and on, but won't because I like you folks.
If this were ever lost, I doubt it could be restored. The skills and the mindset it represents are no longer valued or taught in architecture or set design. You can see that by going outside to DCA.
Is there a canal boats attraction at other Disney parks?
JG
There is a storybook canal attraction at Disneyland Paris.
You are correct, Major - that blurry building in the background is Cinderella's house (before she married the Prince).
I have always loved this attraction. As a kid, I wanted to shrink down and live in Pinocchio's Village, go to church down the canal by Alice's tree, and visit distant relations up in Sonoma at Traintown. Thanks (as always) for posting!
JG, I am one of those people that loves the charm and craftsmanship that permeates Storybook Land. So far I've managed to talk people into riding it, mostly because it doesn't have a long line. But I don't expect it to ever be removed!!
Chuck, I have had lots of fantasies of living at Disneyland, but the thought of shrinking and living in Storybook Land never crossed my mind. It would be great though!
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