Cinderella Castle, Storybook Land
As castles go, Cinderella's Castle is pretty nice. Good views, close to good schools, convenient access to a nearby Walmart, a 7-11 (for Lotto tickets and Slurpees), and Costco... what more could anybody want?
This first picture (from August 1969) gives us a comprehensive view of the the castle and its surroundings. It was quite a move up for Cindy, who'd been scrubbing floors and... well, mostly scrubbing floors. So much scrubbing. Maybe the wicked stepsisters needed to remove their shoes when inside the house? Even at this distance, you can see the you-know-what. The trees make for a pretty backdrop.
This next one is from just two months earlier (June, 1969), and the June Gloom gives this one an ominous feeling. Something bad is going to happen! Not real bad, just sort of bad. "I dropped my ice cream bar" bad. But still! From this angle we can see the tunnel that went right through the mountain and beneath the castle. Cinderella had to move her dungeons off-site, which was a pain. And hey, there's the you-know-what again!
12 comments:
Major-
The pumpkin coach seems so small in these images - but I suppose it was always this way. (Inflation, perhaps).
Thanks, Major.
"you can see the you-know-what."
You are, of course, referring to the Royal Latrine; which is that quaint little cottage just downhill to the left of the village.
This is an excellent photo of Cindy's Castle (and surroundings). There must be a Union 76 station partway up the twisty road to the castle; we can see the orange "76" ball.
The "you-know-what" is in the same location as the other pic; I guess life is pretty slow in Cindy's village. That gaping hole was made by Earth's tiny second moon that goes whizzing by every 90 minutes. Walt didn't know the little moon came through here when he bought the orange/walnut grove for the Park; but he made the best of it and incorporated it into the scenery. (I stole this idea from Jerome Bixby's sci-fi short story, "The Holes Around Mars".)
Despite the June Gloom, this is also a nice photo. Thanks, Major.
For years I have wondered (perhaps on this very blog) if there was an actual miniature road that led up to the castle from the village or there were just some visual elements designed to make it look like there was a road there from the vantage point of the canal boats. The first photo proves that Disney’s craftsmen did indeed build an actual causeway all the way to the front door of the castle. It’s little details like this that make us love the place so much. I wonder if the castle has miniature garderobes, too?
I went down the Storybook Land rabbit hole this morning...lot's of interesting legends/myths/and perhaps some truth. I must have been sleeping for the past 20+ years: I didn't know that on Google you can rate rides...do people pay attention to things like that? Storybook Land is always a 5 for me...on Google it's a 4+...with lower ratings from possibly jaded adults saying "nice for the little ones". Storybook Land is a work of art, and both little ones and big ones can enjoy it and appreciate it. Those interested in all things botanical can marvel at the bonsai and other rare things...those interested in architecture: enough said...those interested in classic story book tales can appreciate it...and yes: for the little ones it's something to be enchanted by and inspired by: like me. I like that we call Cinderella's Castle: Cinderella's Castle...but wasn't it Prince Charmings Castle? I suppose that is a mouthful to say. Apparently, Prince Charming does not have an actual name: but "Harry" has been mentioned: although there is no official name. I suppose if I dig deeper I can find more data. "Charming's Castle"...not to be confused with "Charmin's Castle": which is a castle that should probably not be rained on. Thanks Major!
I'm afraid Cindy divorced Prince Charming and then abandoned her castle in California for a much bigger castle in Florida when she married Prince Moneybags.
Like Bu, Storybook Land is a 5 for me as well.
Thanks, Major.
Please enter another 5 for Story Bookland on my behalf. This little entwined pair of rides (there, I said it!) is peak Old Disneyland and I hope it endures forever.
Major, you are right, Cindy outsourced her dungeons to Sleeping Beauty, just down the block, and they split the proceeds of the churro sales.
The punkin coach looks like the orange golf balls I used to use to play in late fall at the Shastina course, you could see them in the snow.
Love these photos! Thank you!
JG
Nanook, I really do think the coach was about the size of a tangerine!
JB, I would never point out a latrine, in GDB world, bathrooms don’t exist! They aren’t genteel. I admit to being a little jaded when it comes to photos of Cinderella Castle, but I just scanned two that I think are particularly pretty, so stay tuned for those. I used to love the old Union 76 orange ball signs! I’ve learned something today, all about Earth’s tiny second moon, it’s always great to know new facts about the Universe.
Chuck, I think that the roadway was much more visible from Casey Jr., and the Imagineers would pretty much have to make it look like a real road, and not a piece of a pathway. My last two trips to the park, I’ve wanted to ride the Casey Jr. Circus Train, but my gosh, the lines move slowly (because they are often only running one train, BTW) - I did get in line but bailed when it was convenient. So I do the Canal Boats, which I love, but I want that elevated viewpoint. “Garderobes”, no idea what those are. Are they full of garder snakes?
Bu, I’m not sure that I feel the need to rate rides on Google, but then again, I also don’t feel the need to take a picture of my restaurant meal and post it on Instagram. I love Storybook Land, and it seems to still be quite popular, thankfully. It’s one of those attractions that is low on thrills but high on Imagination. It was Prince Charming’s castle, but once Cindy moved in, he was relegated to one room with a TV no windows. I’m not sure that any of the Princes in the early Disney movies have names, nobody cares because they are so boring.
K. Martinez, now I’m picturing a series of movies that tell the story of Disney princesses AFTER the original movies ended. The possibilities are endless!
JG, Mike Cozart has dropped hints that there has been talk of removing Storybook Land. I always wonder, at what point will I become so disheartened that I won’t ever want to go again? Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Major, a garderobe was originally a small room or closet for storing clothing in a castle, (from the French garde de robes, meaning "robes (or clothing) protector"), but the term morphed over time to initially mean any small room in a castle and eventually mean the same thing as toilet.
The first prince to get a real name in a Disney fairy tale feature was Prince Philip in Sleeping Beauty. He’s also the first prince in a Disney fairy tale feature that’s actually an interesting character who has his own compelling story that’s fleshed out in the film. My younger son argues that the movie is as much about him as it is about Princess Aurora, and he says that the bold prince fighting an evil faerie who turns into dragon is the main reason why Sleeping Beauty has been his favorite Disney fairy tale feature since he was very small. Well, that and he thinks the princess is smokin’ hot.
^ That was me. ^
It seems like late retcon, but Snow White’s prince ‘charming’ is named Florian, a lovely name if you ask me.
And the teeny pumpkin gives great scale…and must be headed downhill.
MS
Love that Chuck.
This is the first time I've seen the pumpkin in Day-Glo Psychedelic Orange. Groovy!
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