Monstro and Pirate Ship, July 1967
You and I have seen many (MANY) photos that are similar to today's offering, and yet… I think that these are a bit nicer than usual. Hopefully you'll agree.
SO… we're on the Skyway, and we're heading from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. We've already passed above the sub lagoon and through the Matterhorn, when off to our right we spot this colorful view of Monstro the whale. One of the things that makes this picture a little bit different is that "It's a Small World" can be seen (in my collection, these views are mostly pre-IASW). Look at how massive that ride's façade is! And yet it is chock full of detail and delicate filigree. Crowds are lining up to ride "The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed 'Round the World" - and they're also queueing up for the Storybook Land Canal Boats. Notice the hillside with the purple flowers, where only the ghost of the words "Story Book Land" can be seen. Wait, a ghostly Storybook Land - for Halloween?? GENIUS!
As always, this Pirate Ship looks so much better when it is sporting its striped sails. The ship is swarming with people, including that lady in the yellow dress. I'll bet she never imagined that she would be noticed by complete strangers 47 years later!
11 comments:
Oh Major-
You are correct - both of these images are "nicer than usual", certainly due to the angle of each shot. They capture so much Disneyland loveliness. I like the way the photographer was able to capture the Skyway buckets peeling out in a straight line in front of the camera vehicle at the same time as he 'took in all there was to see".
And as for the 'lady in the yellow dress' being unaware of her "fame" 47 years later, that 's not the case; as she was clairvoyant, and is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame right along with all of us.
If you look at the POV in the second image, we're actually heading from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, looking backwards. We've yet to pass through the Matterhorn and over the sub lagoon. The Skyway's movement was clockwise.
I still remember those two circular planters with a tree in each, located in front of "It's a Small World". That whole Small World Plaza was pretty clear in my head. I guess it impressed me back then. Extra nice set today. Thanks, Major.
I'll take a Halloween overlay to Storybookland over one to the Haunted Mansion any old time! Or even both, if it comes to that.
That may be one of the best vintage pictures of Monstro I've ever seen. With the scale of it's a small world in the background, it makes him look like he could devour a whole city if he took a mind to.
Great photos and nice perspective with IASW in the background.
The crowds that day look like Monstro had his fill of (human) krill. No wonder he's so corpulent.
The panorama of IASW is great, I agree the facace looks full-of-gree.
That angle on Monstro is wonderful! Love the high gloss on his "skin". It's always welcome to see more than one attraction in a photo, and this one is chock full of goodness.
Great pics!
These really are great pic's. The slight change in andle makes all the difference. I can even forgive the complete loss of Skull Rock in favor of gaining the view up the Skyway.
Monstro was one of the first ride features, he appears in the earliest sketches of Disneyland, swallowing guests into various versions of different experiences, at last settling into Storybook Land.
In some of the old sketches, he looks like he was intended to be the "weenie" that would draw guests further into Fantasyland (similar to the Castle and Rocket Ship), but somehow along the way, he got twisted off axis. Personally, I think he is much more menacing seen in profile.
Thank you, Major.
JG
Sadly, Dress like a Dole Whip, Get a Free Tuna Pie Day didn't last any longer than Dress Like Charlie the Tuna, Get a Free Dole Whip Day.
really nice pictures today! :-)
the man on the far left hand lower corner near Monstro looks like he is standing inside the ride perimeter in the water. the view of Small World is pretty incredible here....i ever realized before how grand it really is
liking the picture of the Pirate Ship very much. was there seating inside the ship to eat as well as outside? never got the chance to actually see it, long gone before my first visit
thanks for the beautiful views
Nanook, the lady in yellow could have at least smiled for the camera! ;-)
K. Martinez, ha ha, I honestly was thinking about which direction the Skyway was going in the first photo, but by the time I got to the second photo, I had already forgotten about it. That's what I get for writing in a hurry…
Melissa, wouldn't it be great if they could somehow make tiny vaporous ghosts inhabit those scenes? Ghostly 3 Little Pigs, townspeople in Geppetto's Village… it would be awesome!
Alonzo, mmmm, krill. Monstro has lost weight recently, he has switched to "I Can't Believe It's Not Krill".
Tom, Monstro was mean, but he took pride in his appearance.
JG, I'm not sure I've ever seen artwork with Monstro as the main attraction in Fantasyland… although there was one in which boats were sliding down his big tongue. Maybe that's the one thou mean?
Melissa, I love it!
Nancy, maybe he dropped his cell phone! I don't know if there was seating inside the pirate ship, but my guess would be "no". However, I could be wrong...
Major, check this out -> http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=/storage/Imagineering-Disney_Bruce-Bushman_12.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1289076937000
Precursor to the Pirate waterfalls.
I can't find the drawings I was thinking of, the first one showed Monstro almost on the axis of the castle arch, the other shows him rotated to his current orientation, but still centered on the axis.
At some point, he was slid over to the east, maybe to make way for the Mad Tea Party.
JG
JG, yes, that is the drawing I was thinking of (I think I usually see a colorized version). Look at how HUGE Monstro was going to be! That would have been pretty cool, but totally out of scale for Fantasyland I guess. The other drawings that you are describing don't sound familiar, though I must have seen them.
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