Sunday, December 09, 2018

Sunday Stuff

I'm using up three "ho hum" scans today, all from May of 1966. 

This is actually a decent photo of part of the "African Veldt" scene, I just think it's a little boring. That being said, I don't think the actual veldt was ever so lush and colorful as the Disneyland version (maybe it is after seasonal rains?). The animatronic lion figure is kind of far away; I'll bet Walt would have liked to have it closer to the River, except for the fact that the lions are chowing down on a dead zebra.


This one turned out way too dark and murky, for some reason. It's very hard to see here, but there is an elephant that seems to be lounging on the embankment, which I used to think was odd. I think I've read that this elephant used to be a mammoth killed by cave men in the 1964 New York World's Fair (as part of Ford's "Magic Skyway" ride).


Aaaaand... here's a pretty, but not entirely in-focus shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle. 


12 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

One of the great things about out-of-focus images of the Sleeping Beauty castle is, it's almost impossible to see the little labels of each stone identifying the "Tab A goes into Slot B..." (Oh, those Imagineers-!)

Happy Sunday, Major.

K. Martinez said...

Is that a Kodak picture spot sign lurking at the left of the Sleeping Beauty Castle pic?

I never knew about that particular elephant originally being the mammoth in Ford's "Magic Skyway". I learn something new almost every day. I wonder if they recycled any of the cavemen from the World's Fair attraction as well. Thanks, Major.

Orange Co Native said...

In the castle photograph. What is missed today is the foliage and flowers. It is becoming less and less with each passing year. In terms of the Jungle Cruise, the elephant that is laying on the rock, does the elephant still exist today? I never noticed it on my trips to Disneyland in the past few years.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, your comment reminds me of the early Whitman book, “Let’s Build Disneyland!”. The art is fascinating because so much of it is off-model. I have a copy of this book (unused!), I should photograph it and share it here on the blog.

K. Martinez, that Kodak guy was always lurking! I think I saw him at the grocery store the other day. The cavemen in the Magic Skyway were supposedly never used in the Grand Canyon Diorama scenes because they were so crude, but it might have also just been an artistic decision to not have human figures in the diorama. I really do wonder if any of their mechanics were reused in any way, though!

OC Native, I believe that the “sleeping” elephant is long-gone, though I could be wrong. I’ll bet TokyoMagic knows! I think the Sacred Elephant Bathing Pool was altered during the construction of the Indiana Jones attraction, perhaps that’s when Old Sleepy was removed.

JC Shannon said...

For once, I do know some Disney trivia. I read an article about the Disney Imagineers designing the Magic Skyway a few years ago. The dinosaurs were salvaged and used in the Diorama, so it makes sense that the mammoth would have been as well. I like the Veldt pic, it is definately postcard worthy. I ain't lyin', get it? In the second photo, I can just hear Walt saying: "I don't need the whole elephant, just the butt." Great stuff on a Sunday, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, as for that elephant that's lying on the rocks, way off in the shadows....he/she was still there the last time I rode the Jungle Cruise, which was just two years ago.

I remember the first time that I saw that elephant (maybe in the nineties?) and I thought that it must be new (not gnu!), but I guess I had just never noticed it before (or maybe I had, but just took it for granite!)

Chuck said...

Major, I know we discussed this here before, but for the life of me, I can't find the post. I'm pretty sure the elephant sunning himself began life as this mammoth at the '64 fair.

walterworld said...

Thanks Chuck, and dang you Photobucket! What a bad experience it is going back there. Are they like some kind of an Internet picture purgatory or what?

Photoshop aside, it looks like you're right RE the DNA of that poor mammoth. But I'm sure those Cavemen were just having him over for dinner :D

Thanks Major (As Always!)

Major Pepperidge said...

Jonathan, all this reading is bad for you. Please watch more TV. Preferably daytime television - the GREATEST television of all. Maybe they reused the caveman armature for those gorillas that would pop up every now and then in the Jungle Cruise? Walt used plenty of butt humor in his cartoons, so why not use an elephant butt… it’s just good business.

TokyoMagic!, thanks for the confirmation that the lazy elephant was still there as of 2 years ago. Your puns are pretty corny, but definitely Jungle Cruise worthy!!

Chuck, yes, I think we discussed that mammoth before as well. And yes, I think that is the same figure in that World’s Fair pic. Thanks for doing the work to find it.

Matthew said...

Late to the party... but as of last week that elephant is still there.

Now, regarding that elephant... you see the elephants love to play Marco Polo. I would always catch this guy by yelling "Fish out of water!" A wonderful gag in the evening when you could shine the light on him.

Day time trips... I would simply explain this one loves to climb out of the pool and do cannonballs off of these rocks.

Sometimes I would simply say, "I wonder where that one is going?"

Regarding the fact that he used to be part of the Magic Skyway. The photo @Chuck shows was probably a static figure; however, both the truck and bottom half of our Jungle Cruise elephant moved. So probably using the same mold they added limited animation. This one appears to be in a similar pose and had animation in both the truck and head; however, I have seen pictures where this mammoth is missing his lower half.
http://www.disneyhistoryinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Mammoth3.jpg

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle

Anonymous said...

How sweet, those lions are standing guard over that sleeping zebra. I bet he's wearing Aqua Veldvta aftershave. I think the vultures are the same ones who played in Jungle Book, or was this ride scene a precursor of that?

On the way to the "Back Side of Water", we can admire the "Back Side of Elephant", there's an odd kind of symmetry to that. At least they have their trunks on.

It's a nice shot of the SBC, especially with the flowers. Disneyland used to be a tour-de-force of landscaping. I'm terrified of what I might find on the next visit, the news isn't encouraging.

JG

Unknown said...

I know this is an ancient post, but the elephant on the embankment was actually one that Walt specifically wanted. The elephant was originally grabbing hold of a tree. Walt acted out the whole scene to show how the elephant would reach for a tree branch, and that is what they modeled that elephant off of. The story is in Marc Davis: In His Own Words Vol. 1 by Pete Docter and Christopher Merritt.