Cinderella Castle, March 1962
Here's a pair of not-great looks at Storybook Land's Cinderella Castle, as seen from a passing Skyway gondola. The gray, cloudy sky feels a bit oppressive, if we'd had some nice sunshine these might have been much more fun to look at.
So, there it is, looming over the miniature village where Cinderella used to live. The colors are so odd - kind of unpleasant to be honest! It's like "The land where nobody is happy". Even the tangerine-sized pumpkin coach isn't on the roadway yet.
This next one is even more dark and gloomy, Tim Burton would love it here.
25 comments:
Major, I think the pumpkin coach IS there, near the bottom of the little road. Almost smack-dab in the middle of the 2nd image...
—Sue
First pic: Major, maybe that's Cinderella's tangerine coach to the right? We can't see the road but there's a tangerine-looking thing just above the edge of the Casey Jr. stone bridge. Maybe it's just a flower. It's hard to tell with all the murk. There's a parking lot light lit up; maybe this is early evening.
Is that the Matterhorn star just to the left of Cindy's castle? Sure looks like it!
Second pic: Hmm. Looks like I was wrong about the coach. It does indeed seem to be a flower, from this view.
But wait! There it is, left of center! Not far from the village. Sue spotted it, too!
No sign of the Matterhorn star in this image. Probably behind the castle.
Thank you, Major Murk... I mean Pepperidge.
JB, ‘deja vu.’ There’s the hiding star, again!!
—Sue
^ My cell autocorrect kept changing it to ‘deja bu.’ Haha! I guess that means we keep seeing Bu, again??
I was wondering if that was the Matterhorn "Christmas Star" we were seeing backstage. It looked a little small, but I can't think of what else it might be. Unless it is the smaller version of the star, which they used to put on top of Cascade Peak every year. ;-)
Looks like Cindy lived on the outskirts of Sombertown. If you squint hard enough, you can just make out Burgermeister Meisterburger and Miss Jessica. That would also explain the Christmas Star lurking in the background.
Sue, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one plagued by an uncooperative Autocorrect.
I'm having a DejaBu....I thought the same about the star, but would need to do some forensics. Since the star had to go on after the Christmas of '59 when the Matterhorn was built ...(or when DID it make it's debut...someone knows)...do the "out" buildings and the buildings in the distance make sense. I see a larger barn not on Disney property (in this context, it is correct to say "Disney") but I think that barn is where not too soon after the park opened it became a tract home village...the "on property" barn is red, so that would put a date on these as well...that may...or may not...line up with the dates of the Christmas star. On the right of pic 2 you can see a parking lot tram against what I think is a round house (?) Someone knows. To the left on pic 2 you can see very metered white things...that looks like a military graveyard, but I think it is rows of Orange Trees with their painted white trunks. Perhaps the Christmas star was being "workshopped" on site instead of at the Studio now that they had space to play with such things. It would be nice to see the star come back. I did see it as a kid and the engineering of it made me pause as to how it stayed up there, and the infrastructure needed to keep it up there. Again, I was a strange kid. I think many cost saving/energy saving strategies were attributed to the energy crisis, but it kind of sounds like "you can't have soap in your hotel room because of Covid". You would think that it would be the opposite. My life right now is in hotel rooms so I am a little overly sensitive, and you would think that soap would be a no-brainer. I always budget time to go to a nearby CVS for soap that is not the size of a thimble. I digress. I love Storybook Land....every Summer I think I could have a little Storybook Land in my backyard....then think that it would have to be done very very very well or else it would look cheesy and cheap...and all of the maintenance of boats and whatnot....I'm barely home enough to water much less maintain a miniature village that must endure New England winters...I don't remember where in France I was as a kid, but my mother and I went on some kind of similar boat ride...that was kind of the "feeling" of Storybook Land, but more a calm and peaceful ride with willows by the banks of the channels, and beautiful flowers and plants...if this even remotely sounds familiar to anyone, please let me know if you know what or where it is...I THINK it was in France...I was a tiny toddler...before the US of A, and before any Disneyland trip. In my memory it was like punting in Oxford during my summer school days...so peaceful and lovely...for those visiting the UK, I highly reccomend- it's like being on a full scale Storybook Land as you pass colleges and lovely thatch houses and such.
Sue, you are right! Believe it or not, I wrote today’s post months ago, long before you discovered that the pumpkin coach had been there all along - just lower down the path.
JB, you can see the tangerine, it’s above the J in “JR”, at the base of the stone cliff. From this distance it looks like a BB. And WHOA, is that the Matterhorn star? You’re right, it does look like it, and if this is from March (or maybe February, you know how those date stamps go), it could have just been in the process of being put away. Neat!
JB, do you mean “jinx”?! :-)
Sue, ha ha, looking ahead, you are right, we will be seeing Bu again.
TokyoMagic!, that’s the only thing, the star looks a little small, but like you said, what else could it be? I just scanned a picture of the Matterhorn with the star (for an upcoming Christmas post, believe it or not), and that star was HUGE.
Chuck, your mention of the Burgermeister Meisterburger seems coincidental, Ken M. just informed me that Paul Coker, who designed so many of those Rankin Bass characters just passed away.
Bu, since these photos are from 1963, the Christmas star would have been in its second season (meaning that it was already used in 1961 and 1962, and by March of ’63 it would be in storage, presumably). I guess that IS a tram back there in photo #2, you can see the stripes on the roof. Maybe during the slow season they didn’t need so many of them. I always thought that the star might come back now that we have energy-efficient LEDs, but there is also a possibility that the Anaheim locals might object for some reason. I’m like you, if I even attempted an abbreviated Storybook Land, I would need it to look as good as the one at the park, or why even bother. There are other parks that have miniature villages and towns, but I am not aware of one in France. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one, I’m just not aware of one. There is Madurodam in nearby Belgium. “Punting in Oxford”, ooh-la-la!
Major, you are right, time, fugitive film dyes, and the lighting conspire to make these photos very odd indeed. Fortunately they show so many beloved things that I forgive them.
I agree with all the notes so far. I’m sure that’s the Matterhorn Star, the design is right and size feels right to me, although there’s not much to provide scale. Major, even in this era of “too much is not enough” decorating, the Star will not return. The “imagineers” will use video projections or something similar, like the building owners Nanook was describing yesterday.
The tangerine coach is off to the left, heading up for a long evening of drinking and dancing (since it is Disneyland, there will be no debauchery, in spite of the alliteration), while the orange bit to the right is probably a marigold, since we see some in the lowest terrace outside under the floral sign.
Maybe that tram is in for maintenance? They probably need an oil change and tire rotation every 100,000 guests?
I would gladly build all of Story Book Land and the Tuna Clipper in my backyard, and have a staff to care for it. I would invite all the Junior Gorillas to come for tuna sandwiches and apple tarts. All I need is about a billion dollars. Look for your invitations in the mail.
JG
The Matterhorn Star reminds me of Du-Par’s sign. Something about the era.
http://ih3.redbubble.net/image.12158114.3023/flat,550x550,075,f.jpg
JG
"There are other parks that have miniature villages and towns, but I am not aware of one in France." Well, there is one fairly obscure one just outside of Paris, but it wasn't there when Bu was a wee lad.
I hadn't heard about Paul Coker's passing. Loss of another great talent. RIP.
JG, time for a Kickstarter campaign...
Major-
My sources say the Christmas Star is 24-feet in size; so it seems to me the star we see hiding behind Cinderella's Castle is it.
Thanks, Major.
All that's missing is the villagers carrying torches and wielding pitchforks. Spooky. The good doctor is making monsters again, up in his gloomy castle. "It's alive!" Thanks Major Frankenpepperidge.
Sue, yeah. When I spotted the star here, I thought of our trip down the rabbit hole, looking for that other backstage picture of the star.
I don't think "deja bu" is a thing. Why would your phone wanna change it to that? You have a weird phone. ;-)
Chuck, I get that reference. But I can't recall which of those stop-motion Christmas specials it came from... maybe "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"?
Major, yeah I spotted the 'tangerine' in the second photo.
I think the 'star' is on the other side of those Eucalyptus trees; so it's probably bigger than it looks here... maybe 20 feet across. I just googled the size of the Star; it's 24 feet. So, I think this is most likely it. And as you've mentioned before, even the crows look huge atop the Matterhorn. Edit: Nanook agrees!
JG, "Don't let's be silly". A billion dollars? A Canal Boat ride & Tuna Boat wouldn't cost more than 5 million... 10 tops! Eagerly awaiting my invitation... what should I bring?
Chuck again, haha: that link.
Jonathan, you'd think the 'good doctor' would have learned his lesson after the first debacle.
JB, yes - Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. The story is a bit silly in places, but the animation and music are top notch. Miss Jessica was my first - and so far, only - stop motion maquette crush.
JG, considering Kodachrome’s reputation, I’m often surprised at how often certain eras seem to have problems. The old stuff from the 40s and 50s frequently survives with vivid, amazing colors (though not always). Meanwhile, certain Kodachromes tended to turn blue, or violet, or even greenish. And then they’ll hit a formula that looks glorious again! i guess they were always looking to improve things. I love that the Matterhorn star is there! For some reason I have a recollection of somebody mentioning that the star could be seen backstage, but I don’t remember the exact context. Also, did they leave the star out behind Storybook Land until the following holiday season? It is certainly possible that the tram needed maintenance, think of how many thousands of miles they wound up driving. I want a Storybook Land, but I would need it to be even more “mini” than the original.
JG, I see what you mean!
Chuck, I mean BESIDES Disney parks!
Nanook, oh, I have no doubt that that really is the Christmas star, in fact, the more I look at it, I am noticing the other little “sprues” coming off of it. 24 feet! Three stories, that’s pretty big.
Jonathan, I would LOVE it if they had tiny torch-bearing villagers charging up the mountain path! Maybe for Halloween.
JB, it would be interesting to at least narrow down other Storybook Land photos from around 1963 to see if we can find the star back there. Like I said to JG, I feel like it has come up before, but I don’t remember the specifics. It looks like the star is not on the ground in its backstage position, as it it was mounted on something that raised it up. As for Rankin Bass animated specials, there are a lot more of them than I thought, and quite a few that I have never seen. “Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey”?
Chuck, I always liked Francesca from “Mad Monster Party” myself!
Major, the backstage star definitely came up before—maybe late last year?? Since JB and I had ‘recently’ read all of your blog posts, when we first joined GDB, we both recalled having seen the star backstage in one of your past photos. (Just like today, a Jr Gorilla noticed it first.) After HOURS of coordinated efforts of skimming your past posts, neither JB nor I were successful in finding that photo. I would still bet $1,000 bucks that it’s there, but don’t have time to keep searching...
—Sue
^ What Sue said. I suspect that other backstage star photo was, perhaps, linked to from GDB. Or maybe the photo was included in a GDB post with a title like "Adventureland '57", or somesuch. Where you wouldn't expect to see the backstage star.
JB, I also recall that it was sitting behind the Tomorrowland buildings—in the back open area between Tomorrowland and Main Street. We were viewing it from above—the Skyway??
—Sue
That kinda rings a bell, Sue.
Chuck, if you want to go batty, try to find it.
—Sue
I was already batty, Sue, but I’m on it.
I don't know why, but I thought the previous photo of the star showed it in a similar location as today's photo, maybe more to the right, next to Small World and the Autopia. But what do I know; I remember us going through Rainbow Caverns/Nature's Wilderness in a counter-clockwise direction (Rainbow Caverns first, Desert last). Which apparently isn't possible, according to other Jr. Gorillas. So I'm probably just as loopy with the Star's location.
JB, you could be right...but that star is sneaky...wish we knew more about it. BTW, I have a slide [my dad took] that shows a completely different star on the Matterhorn. Maybe the very first star?
Maybe Mike C. knows. BTW, where IS Mike?
—Sue
Reflecting that losing the Skyway may have been for the best. By carrying you above pedestrian level it gave you views you were never meant to see: conventional modern roofs, forced perspectives exposed, and perhaps worst of all, revealing how closely the real world pressed in from outside. As a kid, and even as a grownup, it somehow bothered me that ordinary life was going on out there while we were experiencing the magic.
At the time I couldn't put my finger on why it bothered me, but I remember being really bugged when a friend talked about visiting a pizza parlor just north of the park. Eventually I figured it was partly the idea of being that close to Disneyland and not going inside, but also the notion that beyond the northern berm there was anything so concretely non-Disneyland.
I had the same sensation with the County Fair: Some of the midway thrill rides lifted you up to see sluggish workaday street traffic and even a cemetery beyond the fence. And after leaving the busy, lively fairgrounds we might stop at a supermarket or some such, reminding that the comparative boredom of the usual was going on all the time we were having fun. There's a part of you that wants to believe EVERYBODY was at the fair, making it an epic event.
And for the record, I had mixed feelings about the star on top of the Matterhorn as well. It may have been pretty, but it turned the mountain into a structure to be decorated.
That said, everybody under 60 get off my lawn.
Post a Comment