Thursday, June 04, 2015

Sleeping Beauty Castle, July 1958

 Today's images aren't that exciting, but at least they're pretty. They are from a lot of 1958 photos taken by somebody who had a good "photographer's eye". I have deemed this first one to be postcard worthy. Look at how un-pink the castle is! Sure, there's a little bit, but it is very subtle.

That little fence between the flowers and the moat is just tall enough to trip over (if you're really clumsy) - which makes me wonder, has anybody ever fallen into the moat? Also, you can see to the right, there is a hill instead of a Swiss mountain. Another detail.... see those little shields on all of the cloth banners?


In this closer view (not a zoom-in on the previous slide!) you can discern that they are signs heralding the opening of the new "Alice in Wonderland" dark ride, which debuted on June 14th, 1958. I love that ride!


19 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Yes, indeed - enjoy the drawbridge of the castle while it still can raise and lower. No longer. Perceived 'safety issues', don't-cha know. (I wonder if the portcullis still goes up and down-?)

Thanks, Major for sharing the Sleeping Beauty Castle while still authentic.

Nancy said...

The moat seems so expansive here; for whatever reason, I dont remember it being this big when we were there. Has it ever been made smaller since the early days? (I dont have any photos of it myself)

The colors have a definite hazy quality for me here, looks like a warm day where the air gets that "look", tho I know that at Disneyland it doesnt get humid like it does at Magic Kingdom. :-)

Monkey Cage Kurt said...

A glorious shot of the castle I would venture to say. Only a couple of elegant swans gliding by in the foreground would have topped it off. Although personally I’ve always thought crocodiles would’ve been a better choice for that moat.

Good find Major. Thank you!

Monkey Cage Kurt said...

Wait, would it be “foreground” or “forewater”? No it’s probably still “foreground”.

K. Martinez said...

When I was a kid, one of the things I seem to remember about Sleeping Beauty Castle was the changing color intensity over time. I always attributed it to the smog, sun and weather causing the paint to fade over time until the Castle was deemed in need of a fresh coat of paint again. Still, even at it's most brilliant coloring it was never garish like it is today. But who knows. Maybe my old memories are incorrect. Thanks, Major.

@Nancy - I think the tremendous tree and foliage growth at Disneyland today makes everything look smaller. JMO.

K. Martinez said...

@Monkey Cage Kurt - Definitely crocodiles. I used to tell friends that my dream house would be a fortress surrounded by a moat stocked with alligators or crocodiles.

Monkey Cage Kurt said...

Yeah, either way alligators or crocodiles. The only other viable option would be a Nessy of some kind.

Chuck said...

If they ever put snapping lizards in the moat, I imagine they'd have to use caimans so they matched the scale of the castle. You could get away with crocs or 'gators at WDW, but they'd ruin the forced perspective at Disneyland.

Anonymous said...

What strikes me is how dirty and foul the water in the moat looks. Was it always like that back in the day?

Monkey Cage Kurt said...

I believe Disney puts die in the water of some of the lakes and ponds in order to hide the bottoms. In some cases it is to conceal tracks for the boats, pump lines, and whatnot. It also makes it look more authentic. A stark contrast would be the waters of the submarine lagoon, which need to remain transparent.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, I actually thought that they had “nailed down” the drawbridge already, but I’m not sure where I got that notion. I have no idea what is going on with the portcullis. If anybody knows, please chime in!

Nancy, I know what you mean, in some photos the moat looks quite large, and in others, fairly small. Maybe it’s just the angle. The colors might be the result of a different scanner setting, which I tried for a while.

Monkey Cage Kurt, what about piranhas and electric eels? “Forewater”, yes, that should be a thing.

K. Martinez, I’m not sure when I became aware of the changing colors on the castle; it might have been in the 1980’s, when the pink became more prominent on the upper spires. It is true that the larger trees, as beautiful as they were, really messed with the scale;.

K. Martinez again, each day at noon they could feed the crocodiles as part of a show. “Disneyland salutes reptiles!”. They could toss in smoked turkey legs.

Monkey Cage Kurt, they could create their own genetically unique monster; part octopus, part tiger, and part kitten (because kittens are adorable).

Chuck, “snapping lizards”, that’s a new one to me. In George R.R. Martin’s books, he calls them “lizard lions”, which I like.

Anonymous, I don’t think the water was really that foul; it is the exact same water as was found in the Rivers of America and the Jungle Cruise… it all circulates throughout the park. I think they call that the “dark water” system, while the water in the sub lagoon, “Pirates”, and “It’s a Small World” are part of the “clear water” system.

Monkey Cage Kurt, I would like to watch them dump in the dye. It must take massive quantities! It does seem like sometimes it looks more yellowish, sometimes greenish, and other times it is a blue-green.

Chuck said...

"Lizard lion" - that's awesome. One more reason to start reading those books. Should I begin immediately, or wait for winter to come?

Matthew said...

Holy smokes what can I add to this conversation?? Well, let me try. Agreed that swans would make it a prettier than pretty picture. The one thing that strikes me is... where is the Disney Family Crest and Coat of Arms? Yep, that seems to be missing. Which then leads me to the next question... when might they have added that to the castle? Maybe one of your readers will know the answer to that one Major. I thought it was there opening day. Finally, I'm sure someone has fallen in... but I don't recall it happening while I was there.

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle

Major Pepperidge said...

Chuck, I liked the books a lot, but they’re not for everyone. I have friends who found them to be boring. If you like “A Game of Thrones”, you might want to at least check out the first book. Winter is an excellent time to cozy up with a good book!

Matthew, I knew that the Coat of Arms was not there in the beginning, but did a little bit of searching; Wikipedia says that it was added to the castle “sometime between June 1965 and July 1965”. So perhaps it was something Walt wanted to add as part of Disneyland’s “Tencenniel”.

K. Martinez said...

Major - I wonder why Disney chose to call their decade celebrations a "Tencennial" instead of the correct term "decennial"? Is it just one of those "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" words their marketing department made up?

Major Pepperidge said...

K. Martinez, I have wondered the same thing, but it was probably because they assumed that a lot of people wouldn't know what "decennial" means. I am not aware of "tencennial" being used anywhere else.

Dean Finder said...

The Communicore Weekly guys go into some detail about how Disneyland's "dark water" system is maintained and circulated through the park.
http://www.communicoreweekly.com/episode-148-disneylands-big-river-stitching-snow-maleficent-planes-storybook-circus/

Deb said...

I always figured it was a flip-flopped centenial!

Deb said...

Add another n to that. lol