From From Stu
I'm finishing up the final five scans from Sue B's cousin Stu, from a 1992 trip to Disneyland. 1992, we were all so young, so innocent.
In the last Stu batch, there was a photo of the man himself with citizens of Duckburg. And how he's with Belle and Ernie (not many people remember that the name of the Beast was "Ernie") from "Beauty and the Beast", which had been a huge hit in 1991. Ernie is not too pleased that Belle is ignoring him for the suave, sophisticated Stu.
Next, here's another feature I don't ever recall seeing - an elephant-shaped topiary right next to the Dumbo attraction. He looks like he could use some water, or maybe some Mountain Dew.
This one is cool because we get a decent glimpse of the Abdominal Snowman, lurking in a dark cave inside the Matterhorn. Sometimes you can hear his mighty roar from ground-level, that's just how PO'd he is. I guess bobsleds passing your home every 15 seconds would get old in a hurry.
Here's a Skyway view looking down upon the Sub Lagoon - the Skyway would close in just two years, sadly. Although the subs were now bright yellow "research vessels", the attraction had not yet be Nemo-fied. A Mark V Monorail (my least-favorite style) sits at the station, while the white-painted Peoplemover trains trundle along.
And finally, we get a nice view looking over toward the Rocket Jets and Space Mountain, with "Mission to Mars" in the lower left - that attraction would close in November of 1992. It sure feels like Stu's photos capture the last gasp of Tomorrowland shortly not long before the 1998 update.
THANK YOU, Stu, Sue, and Lou (Perry)!
12 comments:
1) I don't think Stu needed to worry about Ernie roughing him up for stealing his girl. I mean, how much damage can a 2D cutout do?
2) I've never seen an elephant topiary next to Dumbo either. I don't remember seeing any images of it on your blog. And why did they give topiary Dumbo red tusks? ;-p Or maybe he's eating red licorice.
There is a blue Mickey-ear balloon trying its best to blend in with that blue banner, chameleon-like. Just a few seconds earlier, it was green, to blend in with the trees behind it. I wonder how long it'll be before we actually see color-changing balloons in the Park? They'd be a huge hit! And they would cost only $349.00!
3) So, is this an AA Harold the yeti? Or a projection? They did a good job creating the melty snow cave.
4) We don't often see the yellow "research subs". Did they retain their original gray-sub names?
5) Nice Tomorrowland picture! Somehow Space Mountain looks a bit smaller here. Maybe it expands and contracts with the ambient temperature. Is that some sort of (white) vehicle in front of Mission to Mars? Or maybe it's a kiosk that sells merch?
Nice photos from Stu. Thank you, Sue and Major.
Wow, there is all sorts of goodness, here.
The Beast is giving his best Fonzie pose. Aaaaaaaaaaay!
There are two of those topiary elephants in front of the Dumbo attraction. But this one does look a little anemic.
That pic of the Abominable Snowman was taken from the Skyway, and that is the quality of pic that I always wanted to take from the Skyway. Mine always turned out great of the surrounding rockwork, but unfortunately Harold always came out blurry.
What is that in front of Mission to Mars? It looks like maybe a photo op, but I don't ever remember seeing it. And if that's what it is, what is that supposed to be? The front car of the Monorail? A Star Tours Starspeeder?
Thank you Lou, Sue, Stu, and Major, too!
Tokyo Magic is correct : there were two elephant topiaries near Dumbo . They were added during the 1983 New Fantasyland.
That vehicle in front of MISSION TO MARS was the speakers and sound amplifiers for a Tomorrowland band that performed in the forecourt of “Mars” - it was very “Star Speeder -esque” looking . during this time you would have seen two extended elliptical shapes on the slurry so the performers could use it as a guide for their choreography. At the moment I cannot recall the band’s name and I don’t have access to any guides or show schedules to check at the moment . I think it was GALAXY CORP?? Or STAR CORPS?? FUTURE CORPS?? TOMORROWLAND CORP?? They played marching band music of themes like Star Trek , Indiana Jones , Star Wars … etc.
There are many "B-4 TRE" things in these photos...despite being slightly Eisner-i-fied. Well, Stu looks great with Belle and Fonzi..er...Ernie...I'm not a gigantical fan of cut out photo ops unless you can put your head through a hole...I think it would be better if Belle's face had Stu in it, mustache and all. I'm pretty sure Ernie would still be giving his Fonzi OK. I don't remember the topiary elephant either, but the "New Fantasyland" was a feast for the eyes...I could have missed it. Just trimming hedges into a square is hard work. Topiaries give me incredible stress just looking at them. This elephant would have to been cultivated for many years prior. The topiaries that have a wire structure and ivy growing in them is kind of "faking it", but fanciful nevertheless. That is a great photo of cave + Yeti....I didn't even think it could be taken from the Skyway. I love the color yellow, but I think the military needs to take over the subs again. The "WDW" style Monorail I have always been a fan of: (in WDW), but of course it's predecessor: there will never be a viable replacement. All part of the "no color neutralization" of Tomorrowland '90's. Nothing has color...BUT...there are shocking yellow subs (?)...which actually look great in the water. If there were still colorful Monorails and PeopleMover cars it would be a more cohesive Tomorrowland. It's nice to see Coke Terrace as Coke Terrace...and a mostly intact Tomorrowland...still a little bland with the "Star Wars" all white all the time set design. Weren't there stormtroopers with that Star Tours thingy? The Rocket Jets were so much fun up so high. I have a 8mm movie (somewhere) that I took up there. It was high enough to be classified as an actual thrill ride. In the Tour Guide Times circa '86..."Tour Guide Tessie" boarded a rocket jet, that flew off from the ride into space....where Tessie was describing asteroids and planets to her tour guests in "ad lib" fashion...WHERE is that newsletter? It was so much fun to produce when it was for enjoyment, and not some corporate-y "thing". That serial cartoon was the thing that threw the suits into a "Tessie Tizzy".....after that, I produced an extremely sterile newsletter to prove it could be done, then I shut it down. I'm wondering if anyone remembers the same things I do? Where is the creator of "Tessie Tour Guide"...what was her name? That's it for Wednesday's memory rabbit hole. Thanks Major, Lou, Sue, and Stu.
Wait, this isn't me! I'm calling my lawyers!
Ok, I don't have lawyers.
I wish I had been at Disneyland then, but alas, no. I guess my fellow Stu's pics will suffice.
Thanks, Stu!
Poor Ernie, passed over again. Belle gets to wear her fancy Party Dress, but he has to stay in character as the Beast instead of the Handsome Prince. It’s not fair.
That is a great picture of the Snowman, he’s a spokesman for Pepto-Bismol now after all those digestive issues. Maybe that’s why the Castle is so pink.
I really admire topiaries, and I have wondered how long before the opening of IASW were they made part of the design? Seems like years of lead time might be needed, but that design was in flux seemingly right up to construction? Maybe they came from TopiariesRUs in San Bernardino.
This version of Tomorrowland is kind of sad, it’s like all the fun is being washed out of it. I liked the LearJet monorail at first because it felt like Disneyland was finally getting some love after years of cool stuff going to WDW. Now I realize how wrong I was, the Bob Gurr originals are the best.
And oddly, after washing all the color off of the other ride vehicles, the subs are made yellow? All in the name of research. I mildly despise Nemo & co. but at least the subs are running again instead of being mothballed as they were for so long.
More fun shots from Lou, Sue, Stu, and Major! Thank you!
JG
JB, Ohhh, I didn’t know that Ernie was a 2D cutout! I assume that the Dumbo topiary is not there anymore, or else I am truly unobservant (which is very possible). I don’t trust Mickey balloons that can change their color, how do we know what it really looks like? Yes, that is Harold the Yeti, though he’s not much of an AA; I think he raised his arms, and *maybe* turned a little. More of a giant mechanical toy. I think they changed the names of the subs when they were painted yellow, but I don’t have time to look them up right now! I don’t know what that thing is in front of Mission to Mars, it does sort of look like part of a vehicle, and yet… not.
TokyoMagic!, was Ernie going to say, “Sit on it, Potsie”? And what was Potsie supposed to sit on anyway? Hopefully a comfortable chair. So there are STILL topiary elephants in front of Dumbo? Wow I totally have never noticed them. Not that I go over to the Dumbo ride, really. I just see it from afar. I really like that view of the Snowman, cool that it was taken from the Skyway. And as I said to JB, I can’t tell what that thing is in front of Mission to Mars!
Mike Cozart, perhaps I visit a Disneyland that is in a parallel dimension that has no topiary elephants. Yes, that’s the only explanation that makes sense. Interesting about the speakers & amps in front of Mission to Mars, I guess I appreciate that they made an effort to make them themed. I have seen patterns on the ground in front of MtM in some of Irene’s photos and had no idea why they were there. Ha ha, all of those band names would work!
Bu, I know what you mean, those cutout photo ops are cheap, and yet they are sort of fun too, they can be done “right”. This seems to be a concept that they return to over and over. I would like Belle to have Stu’s face! I’ve noticed metal armatures inside the topiaries, maybe that makes it easier to shape them, though they would still need constant trimming. Do they use ivy? I have no idea. I thought it was boxwood or something. Somewhere I have a really great photo of the Yeti, you guys probably won’t see it for years, but you *will* see it. I miss our old Subs; as I’ve said, I’d rather have Nemo Subs that none, but I wish the dark ride portion was better somehow. Maybe a combination of the projections and some physical things too. “Tour Guide Times”, wow, I’d love to see those. Sounds very similar to many other Disneyland cast member bulletins.
Stu29573, you are just going to have to cope with the fact that there are other fellows named “Stu”! I run into other Majors all the time, and now we just laugh and give each other a high five and a piece of Hubba Bubba gum.
JG, maybe if Ernie brushed his teeth more, you know? Be more minty fresh. I’ve still never seen the “new” (but not that new) snowman in the Matterhorn, the only time I’ve been on it since he moved in, the effect wasn’t working. Bummer. My mom has a neighbor who has carved his bushes into topiaries, but they aren’t animals, more like shapes from a lathe. When I went to Disneyland in early June, I got there early and hit Space Mountain (by myself), but otherwise our group did not go in there at all! I get the logic of painting the subs yellow. Remember when there were waterproof Walk Man stereos and yellow boom boxes to indicate that they were more rugged?
Disneyland began experimenting and growing topiaries in the early 1960’s with plans to use them for GARDEN IF THE GODS and RAINBOW ROAD TO OZ attractions. The exterior of IT’s A Small World actually evolved from concepts for The Wizard’s Palace for RAINBOW ROAD TO OZ. When the geometric and and animal shaped topiaries were presentable they were displayed along the Disneyland Railroad to the approach to the Fantasyland station.
Disney landscape designers and gardeners found a simpler way to create the plant sculptures by using faster growing plants and not using the traditional messy olive trees the French used in the 1600’s & 1700’s . And the biggest Disney trick : used a wire frame in the desired shape!!
Some of the topiaries in the spiral shapes used in New Fantasyland had been growing with plans to use them along the transition of Fantasyland and Discovery Bay. During the BIG cast backstage tours for Disneyland’s 25th anniversary in 1980, special displays by landscaping previewed topiaries being grown for Discovery Bay and Dumbo Circus …. And some of the original WED sculptures that were used to create the metal frame work for early topiaries ultimately used at ITS A SMALL WORLD.
Omg :
Garden OF the Gods attraction.
Those WDW-style monorails look odd in Disneyland, like some kind of AI-generated uncanny valley image.
Mike, Future Corps was the marching band in the Future World section of EPCOT Center. Maybe they replicated them for the EPCOT-ification of Tomorrowland.
Nice work, and play, today everyone. I’m glad Cozart explained the topiary business so I didn’t have type all that. Additionally I think some of the ones grown in the meadow behind Fantasyland got sent to Florida and sprinkled around for something to see along the roads, since they didn’t get used for Garden of the Gods (yes they take years to sculpt; now kinda faked more and more with moss and ficus repense instead and I’m not sure about even that on these detailed faces now…which look like dyed seeds ala Rose Parade).
That was proper Tomorrowland. Thanks.
MS
I still cannot recall the name of the Disneyland Tomorrowland marching band …. But they always opened their performance with the theme from THE JETSON’S.
FUTURE CORPS and FUTURE WORLD BRASS never performed outside of EPCOT CENTER … with one exception at Tokyo Disneyland for World Music Festival .
I think “CORPS” was in the Disneyland version’s name …
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