LP Lotion: Disneyland in the Motor City
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Disneyland in the Motor City
Last month Lindsay and I were privileged to be invited to the Henry Ford Museum to experience firsthand a new independent traveling exhibit dedicated to Disneyland. With the curator and exhibit designer as our guides LaughingPlace.com and Tales from the Laughing Place magazine were given exclusive access to the exhibit's collection and presented in this article are extensive photographs from the show unlike any ever published before. Further information about how the Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland display came into existence will be presented in the fifth issue of Tales from the Laughing Place magazine that hits newsstands in early January 2006.
Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland is being initially displayed at the Henry Ford Museum at the Ford Motor Company's compound in leafy Dearborn, Michigan until January 1 2006. The presentation has been entirely conceived and designed by the museum's staff with the only Disney input being the loan of the artefacts for a five year period. It is clear that the show is segmented into three acts namely Walt Disney the man, Disneyland the concept and Imagineering as the creative force responsible for the design of the Disney theme parks, hotels, stores and restaurants.
On approaching the exhibit visitors will encounter a Jolly Trolley from Disneyland's Toontown (remarkably in considerably better condition than I have ever seen a Trolley!) and are drawn into the display area via a portal that clearly showcases the "D� and "Welcome� sign from the previous Disneyland marquee (the one immediately prior to the conception of the Disneyland Resort). In the first room museum-goers are presented with home video footage of Diane Disney Miller and her family as shot by Walt himself.
The concept of Disneyland is introduced with the original drawings for the Burbank Studios park that Walt planned before the decision to locate a park in Anaheim. A progression through the genesis of Disneyland takes in the Mickey Mouse Park right through to the original Herb Ryman "Lost Weekend� park map in its entirety. My first thought was just how gigantic the drawing was and how much graphite had been deposited on the paper by Herb's shading. It is a remarkably powerful piece of design.
Rounding out the first room is the original pitch book that Roy took to New York City in an attempt to raise funding for Disneyland. It is considerably thinner than one would expect and features very little information about what was actually going to be inside the park! The front slogan has no mention of the word "Fantasy� instead inviting readers to leave the world of today behind for the world of the past and tomorrow. Quite remarkable considering that the whole Disneyland concept trades extensively on the notion of fantasy and the suspension of belief.
The second phase introduces visitors to the notion of Disneyland via the television series. The main room has its own hub-and-spoke design with each major land taking up a quadrant. Interactive displays highlight the elements within each land but the museum has cleverly paired them with popular culture references such as television commercials that not only shaped Disneyland but also were inspired by the first theme park. It is an eye-opener to see how many references were taken from other consumer products. Each land features extensive artwork from the likes of Ryman, Marc Davis, Harper Goff and John Hench. In addition the exhibit is peppered with disused signage and concepts that never truly materialised as the artist envisaged.
The Disneyland section concludes with artwork from other Disneyland parks around the world such as Tim Delaney's futuristic castle concept for EuroDisneyland (that was never designed to become reality but invited junior imagineers to let their imagination expand for a park that is ultimately the most beautiful Magic Kingdom ever conceived) and Katy Olsen's castle treatment for Hong Kong Disneyland.
To demonstrate that the work of Imagineering isn't just to conceive attractions the show features artwork that was used for such simple purposes as signage, cast member instructions and even restaurant menus. The crystal clear message is that every single element of the park from the trash cans (and many are shown here) to the restroom logos are carefully considered to ensure that the environmental theming is consistent and controlled throughout.
Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland also considers attractions that used to be or never were. Some neat coin-operated games from a Pirates of the Caribbean arcade have been faithfully restored for the exhibit including one called Th' Devil T'Play! with the playful slogan The Ne'er Do-Well Do Well at This! All of the artwork on display is by Sam McKim.
However my personal favourite can be found in the next alcove. Tucked away in a cul-de-sac are the attractions, lands and even parks that never made it beyond the drawing board. In an interesting juxtaposition the curator has placed the original (giant-sized) overview of Edison Square by Herb Ryman directly opposite artwork by Dan Goozee from the PR disaster that was Disney's America. Over ten years have passed since the unveiling of Disney's plan to build on historic land in Virginia. Seeing some of the original concepts for the park reinforced my (strong) belief that Disney should never have bowed to local pressure and quashed this project.
The remainder of the exhibit space is devoted to Walt Disney Imagineering and the various cast members that have called the place home. The curator has opted to concentrate on certain themes rather than a broad-brush approach. The first theme is "Better than Real� and uses both the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion to demonstrate how attractions can often be grounded in reality and the world that surrounds us. Visitors can crouch down alongside a giant scale model of the Jungle Cruise and Adventureland from Disneyland (complete with miniature boats such as the Suwanne Lady and even a costumed cast member trudging along the dock). The Haunted Mansion sequence unfolds with a sketch by Harper Goff of a similar attraction that was planned for the Mickey Mouse Park back in 1952.
The design team were keen to demonstrate a clear link from the creation of animated movies and theme park attractions. They were keen to feature a storyboard that was used for an E-ticket adventure at Disneyland and settled on a remarkable sequence of drawings from Splash Mountain. Many of the vignettes offer a perspective from the log's rider demonstrating the importance of conceptualising the attraction through the eyes of the guests. Immediately behind this impressive piece of artwork is an eclectic mix of artwork and models from the development of Toontown at Disneyland.
As visitors meander into the final twists and turns of the exhibit they will encounter areas devoted to Pirates of the Caribbean and it's a small world that even includes a series of maquettes developed by Mary Blair for the legendary attraction. The latter serves as an introduction to Walt Disney's involvement in the New York World's Fair in 1965. The most important artefact in the exhibit can be found standing tall and proud behind Perspex in this section. The original Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronic is displayed partially clothed for all to see. However it is a discolored crate lid alongside the Lincoln figure that was more interesting to me. The curator opted to display the original lid from the Lincoln crate that carried the former President from coast-to-coast for the World's Fair. Two labels can clearly be seen on the lid; the first offering the shipping address for his outbound journey and the second his return home. It is quite remarkable that Lincoln continues to be stored in this vessel.
The exhibit reaches its conclusion with artwork from the last E-ticket attraction to debut at Disneyland Park namely Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. I was astonished to see artwork dated as early as 1988 (seven years prior to the attraction's debut) where the concept name was Indiana Jones and the Lost Expedition. A giant snake from the attraction is present to demonstrate the effect of blacklight on set pieces. The show even offers an insight to how the boulder sequence from the ride's gripping finale was conceived by imagineers like Chuck Ballew without actually giving the trick away!
Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland is a wondrous and fitting tribute to the world's first theme park. Developed by the Henry Ford Museum the project is a must-see for anyone interested in Disneyland history. The exhibit closes at the Dearborn, MI campus on January 1 before hitting the road. West coast residents can expect to see the exhibit open (minus Lincoln) in Spring 2006 at Oakland's
Tales from the Laughing Place would like to thank all of the staff at the Henry Ford Museum for their hospitality during our visit.
Please note visitors are not permitted to take photographs within the exhibit. Tales from the Laughing Place was given express permission from both Disney and the museum to do so. However certain artefacts could not be photographed such as the Lincoln Audio-Animatronic and certain set pieces (such as the blacklit snake from Indy). Tales from the Laughing Place honoured all such requests from Disney.
Issue 5 of Tales of the Laughing Place magazine will be released in early January 2006. In addition to an article about the genesis of the Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland exhibit the 52-page issue will also feature the following articles:
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Red Letter Haze: The Grand Opening festivities of Hong Kong Disneyland;
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State of Mine: Disney's California Adventure park at 5;
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The creation of Monsters, Inc. and the history of Superstar Limo at Disney's California adventure park;
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The construction of Hong Kong Disneyland featuring interviews with WDI's chief architect, Wing Chao and the park's managing director John Verity;
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A walk in the park with Hong Kong Disneyland horticultural designer John Sorenson; and
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A look at the creative process of producing entertainment for Hong Kong Disneyland.
Subscriptions can be renewed or purchased at http://www.laughingplace.com/tales
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