Here's a pair of not-bad Snoozles™ featuring the Snow White Grotto in Fantasyland. This charming feature was not even a year old, having debuted on April , 1961 (this first photo is from August 1962). Snow White was placed at the top of this water feature, which is very reminiscent of the Villa d'Este near Rome. The story goes that she's up there to disguise the fact that she is the same height as the dwarfs; the perspective trick is very effective, because she does look a bit taller than them to me!
This next photo of the Grotto has a very different mood, but was taken only three months after the first one in November of 1962. The photographer has chosen an interesting composition, with half the image consisting of bushes and shrubs, while the Grotto itself is off to the left. "I'll baffle them all!", he thought to himself.
Are you sure Snow White is the same height as the Dwarfs? 'Cuz I always thought she was taller! Those sneaky, sneaky, Imagineers! They done pulled a trick on me, and I fell for it! This is an excellent photo of the Grotto. Snow is illuminated in an ethereal light. Some of the Dwarfs are MIA though. But we do get a nice view of the frogs!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the photographer was intrigued by that leaning path lamp? ;-) We get lots of that white fencing here. It almost looks like they just unrolled it and called it a day. We can also see the circle of fishes spitting water at the Dwarfs. This photo has a Google Street View vibe to it. (Is that the correct term?)
"Why, these aren't Snoozles at all!", exclaimed JB. Nice 'Snoozles', Major. Thanks.
I have a feeling that the white fencing in this particular case, was to keep the swans from leaving the area. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need to have it on the other side of the waterway, where the public never has access.
ReplyDeleteI know that I had seen and photographed a Snow White Grotto at Tokyo Disneyland. And I know they have one in Hong Kong Disneyland, because on opening day, they were so desperate to "pad out" the few attractions that they did have, that they listed it as a separate attraction. But I couldn't remember if Walt Disney World has the Grotto. I did a search and the darn results came back as yes and no. I'm going to assume that they don't have one, since I don't remember ever seeing it there, or photographing it. I know that Paris and Shanghai also don't have the Grotto, so now the question is, will Disneyland Abu Dhabi have one?
Thanks for our weekly dose of Sunday Snoozles, Major!
I think the reason the internet (A.I.?) is confused about Walt Disney World is, because they have a "Cinderella Wishing Well." And I'm guessing that they skipped building the grotto, because some of the animal characters from the film are carved into the base of the wishing well, and Cinderella herself, is depicted on top of a fountain in the Castle courtyard.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of Walt's wimsey and use of even the smallest space. I think finally having more space (WDW) created a park less intimate and magical.
ReplyDeleteWe always go by the Grotto on our visits, It's like an old friend.
Thanks Major,
Zach
TOKYO: that’s correct - Walt Disney World has a Cinderella wishing well … but I can’t seem to find information on when it appeared in the Magic Kingdom - from what I can tell so far it was at least 1988 … but it may be older .
ReplyDeleteDUBAI Disneyland is going to be very interesting as both that regions religions forbid art work depicting living things … humans , animals , plants . That’s includes paintings , posters , sculptures and architecture. “As only God can create these things”
So does that mean Audio Animatronics would also fall under that exclusion ? That’s why Islamic & Muslim mosques feature only geometric patterns …as does clothing and and other manufactured pattern - only geometric shapes and images - no living things . No Snow White grottos , no attraction posters, no haunted mansion stretching portraits , no small world dolls … no Mickey and Minnie , …. Just Donald in MathmagicLand …. Minus Donald Duck .
What a very charming part of Disneyland...often empty...(unless a character or two is lurking around)...I love the little borders...as you can see back then the fence was not continuous...the foliage is so well done here...creating a shady spot no matter what time of day. The frogs and the fish were always my favorite, and I always had a penny for the well...I remember it went to Variety Clubs International back then, but now Make A Wish...which even in my time there was a great partnership with the Make A Wish foundation, and there was a separate department that dealt with the tickets, a personal Mickey greet in private, and perhaps a few more things too. Back then the word was, like all the cash in Disneyland, it was just taken to Cash Control to be counted, and then put into rolls, etc. where it would be recycled back into Disneyland change funds. The change counting machines even though they were very analog, were very accurate: and we I think had five of them in the ODV "Garage", as we dealt with masses of coins of course. People paid in pennies too...and EVERY PENNY COUNTED....and you better be spot on...all variances were posted on the wall next to your name every day. I think the guests thought we were crazy crawling around the ground for a nickel, or a penny...but it very much DID matter. After cash control got your big bag of coins, they would run it through a counter again, where your totals would be compared to your "sheet"....and that better be totally accurate too...as if it wasn't...that was bad: as it only indicated money lost from the garage to cash control...which was about 50 feet from the garage, which was behind America Screams...I mean sings....Thanks Major and Welcome Back Mellissa. I'm looking forward to the fashion commentary again!
ReplyDeleteI love the Snow White Grotto. I’ve told the story before, so I’ll save space today, but it’s a sentimental spot for me. I used to worry that Snow will be replaced by a statue of Rachel Zegler, but I think we dodged that.
ReplyDeleteMajor, interesting comparison to Villa d’Este. I think the Grotto is better than the Villa gardens because it’s just around the corner from the Matterhorn, and Villa d’Este does not have a roller coaster. That trip to Italy was wasted on me.
Thanks for these nice pictures of a special place.
JG
And now, the most obscure question ever asked: What are the white wire boarders for at the water's edge? I assume it's to keep the waterfowl out of the plantings? - Scoots
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ReplyDeleteThe composition of the second picture is nice, with the deck and foil-age, but I prefer the first one, with the play of light on the water and the contrast of the white statues against the dark rockwork. I've always liked how it looks as though Snow is lifting up her skirts to wade in the water.
Bu, you reminded me of a teen novel I read many years ago, about a high school girl girl who worked at Knott's Berry Farm for the summer, and nearly got in trouble when a customer accused her of giving the wrong change.
For a while when I was a kid, my uncle owned a cleaning company that had the contract for the local mall. Part of his job was cleaning out the coins from the bottom of the fountains every night - I remember they went to charity, but which one escapes me. Might have been the March of Dimes. He also collected all the escaped helium balloons. Sometimes he'd stop and give them to my sister and me, and I'd use them to send my Barbie doll to the ceiling. I'm expecting a fat royalty check for "Up" any day now.
@Melissa, LOL. No one gets checks from Pixar except John Lasseter.
DeleteJG
@scoots, yes, the best that any of us can guess now is that the funny "Ace Hardware" wire fencing was to keep the swans and waterfowl out of the landscaped areas. I am pretty sure there were other parts of the banks where the birds could get out of the water since they were year-around residents.
ReplyDeleteJG
JB, I won’t be contradicted! This is outrageous! I never thought I’d live to see this sort of mutiny. Why, I have half a mind to quit GDB and only do my Partridge Family blog. Nanook will be able to tell us what kind of spotlight was used to illuminate the Snow White statue, he just knows that stuff. I admit that the leaning lamp reminds me another famous leaning landmark - the leaning stop sign of Studio City (I’m giving Oxnard a break). You often see people posing with their hands up so that their friends can take pictures of them “holding it up”.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, you are probably right about that fencing, I just scanned a photo of the Burning Settler’s Cabin, and some ducks are sleeping on shore right near it. Sort of eliminates the drama. But the Settler can’t use little white fencing, that wasn’t invented until Thomas Edison came up with the idea. I had no idea there was more than one Snow White Grotto! I’m curious to know the state of Honk Kong Disneyland, have they expended the number of attractions by a large amount? I admit that after it opened I sort of stopped paying attention to what was going on there.
zach, I agree with you, I can just imagine Walt seeing that odd empty space and saying, “Boys, (*cough*) we gotta put something there. Maybe a Stitch Grotto?”. “Boss, we won’t invent Stitch for decades”.
Mike Cozart, does the Cinderella Wishing Well have beautiful marble statues carved in Italy? Or do they just name it after her? WAIT, has a Dubai Disneyland been announced?? I feel like you’re being funny, but maybe I missed an announcement.
Bu, for some reason the soundtrack from the Grotto really sticks in my head, the ringing bells, the sound of Adriana Caselotti’s still-girlish voice, it all adds to the charm. I also liked the spouting fish, as if they were in a Esther Williams musical. Which I’ve still never seen any of, but saw highlights in “That’s Entertainment!”. I remember a young boy looking down into the well and yelling, “LOOK AT ALL THAT MONEY!”. Everybody laughed. OK, I was the only person who laughed, but it was a musical, magical laugh that lifted everyone’s spirits. I guess in some ways I’m not shocked that the park was so exacting about every penny, and yet… it’s so uncool! Just be cool, babies.
JG, I feel so bad for Rachel Zegler, who seems like a lovely person, and talented, but boy oh boy did she get cast in a stinker of a movie. Never replace Adriana Caselotti, she will always be THE Snow White for me. Ha, the convenience of Disneyland is pretty nice, but I feel very lucky that I got to go to Villa d’Este, what a place.
Anonymous, I can’t tell if your name is “Scoots” or if that’s your way of saying, “See ya later!”. I guess it’s not important. It seems the consensus is that the fencing is to keep the ducks or swans out of the flower/plant beds!
Melissa (wow, two days in a row!), “foil-age”, ha ha. That does seem to be a word that some folks have trouble with. Another is “tongue”. I often see it as “tounge”. What were we talking about again? Snow better not be lifting up her skirt, I better not see so much as a bare ankle, or they will be hearing from me in City Hall. There was a teen novel about somebody working at Knott’s Berry Farm?? It’s so funny about the human impulse to throw coins into water, I don’t really understand it, but it is true. With all of those helium balloons from your uncle, I’ll bet you were able to speak with a squeaky voice all the time. THE DREAM.
JG, I am sorry that Lasseter turned out to be a creep, I feel like Pixar really lost something when he left. Weirdly, his films for Skydance have been nothing to write home about, so maybe it’s all moot.
JG, I always think that the ducks (there are no more swans, sadly) who live at Disneyland have really found a paradise. Endless popcorn and churro bits, it’s like heaven.
TOKYO: that’s correct - Walt Disney World has a Cinderella wishing well … but I can’t seem to find information on when it appeared in the Magic Kingdom - from what I can tell so far it was at least 1988 … but it may be older.
ReplyDeleteMike, I was also wondering when it was added. I tried to look it up, but the A.I. response was that it opened with the park in 1971, and I was pretty sure that was wrong. But maybe it was confusing it with the Cinderella fountain in the Castle's courtyard. A.I. always seems to be confused!
That's interesting about Dubai not being able to depict living things in artwork. Maybe all of the attractions in that park will be "projection based." And we all know that projections are so much better than audio-animatronic figures and physical sets. :-/
Major, yes, they announced last year that they would be building a Disneyland in Dubai.
I’m curious to know the state of Honk Kong Disneyland, have they expended the number of attractions by a large amount? I admit that after it opened I sort of stopped paying attention to what was going on there.
Major, they had to add more attractions, because there wasn't enough there when they opened.....sort of like DCA. I was in Tokyo when Hong Kong Disneyland opened, and I was considering extending my vacation and going over to Hong Kong to see the new park, but ultimately decided not to. I figured it would be incredibly crowded. Then I spoke with a client who worked at DL and who was in Hong Kong for the opening. She said they saw everything in just half a day! Sad! That's how the Disney Studio Park was when I was in Paris. Actually, that park was even worse than DCA in it's early years, if you can imagine anything being worse than that. I never made the trip to Hong Kong because even though they added some attractions, it still didn't seem like a full day park. Also, they only have the one park. I just always chose to go back to Tokyo, because they have two incredible parks and each one is worthy of multiple-day visits in order to see everything.
I can just imagine Walt seeing that odd empty space and saying, “Boys, (*cough*) we gotta put something there. Maybe a Stitch Grotto?”. “Boss, we won’t invent Stitch for decades”.
ReplyDeleteMajor, I forgot to mention that during one of my Tokyo visits, they had added a Stitch figure to their Snow White Grotto! But fortunately, it was only temporary and part of a seasonal thing. Now I can't remember if it was for Christmas, or if it was during a promotion where they hid Stitch figures all over the park. I'll have to check my photos.