Reliving Fond Memories - May 24, 2004

Reliving Fond Memories
Page 1 of 1

by David Mink (archives)
May 24, 2004
This month David talks about Storybookland.

Storybook Canal

The sun is setting over the dark treetops. As the breeze sighs, the trees part and splinters of sunlight zing through the foliage and into our eyes. We wait in line for one of our favorite attractions. The wait is ten minutes, which isn’t bad, and it’s nice to take a breather under the willows. If you haven’t already guessed, I have a soft spot for the “classics�?. They serve as a reminder of why I love Disney in the first place.

21 years ago a new Fantasyland opened to ecstatic reviews. Though I mourned the loss of Captain Hook’s Pirate Ship, I loved the new look of the rides. But the look of one remained essentially the same. This is because it is a salute to the company’s founder and his hobbies that were the foundation of the Magic Kingdom.

Storybook Canal Coats (And Casey Jr.) remain among my favorites. I love the fantasy of it, creating small landscapes in exacting manicured detail. The effect is that the tableaus are real enough to live in…if I were eight inches high.

Storybook is one of the few remaining rides that have Walt’s fingerprints on it. His love of miniatures was one of the main factors in building Disneyland. It was a hobby he had taken up after a doctor suggested he needed something to get his mind off work. But this, as with railroads, provided the kernel that would come to live years later. The entire park was built to scale, as if Main Street were a miniature made large enough to walk into. This also contributes to the intimate feel of the place, an effect that has been totally lost in subsequent parks.

The attention to the detail of the small buildings is what brings me back. A lot of love and attention obviously went into each idyllic scene. It was the small Toad Hall and inspired the front of the attraction when Fantasyland was rebuilt. And as I glide past Pinocchio’s village, the Matterhorn in the background becomes part of the entire scene. I love these subtle accents that make this attraction so fascinating. It is a year round job to keep the trees and shrubs miniaturized. And no, Tinker Bell had no hand in it.

The canal boats have remained virtually unchanged through the years. Toad Hall was moved to make room for Agrabah from Aladdin, and Eric’s beachfront castle from the Little Mermaid was added in the 1990’s.

Thought of as quaint and out of step by bigger brains, this attraction remains a popular one. The lines are steady. The boat I was on had several children. Their large brown eyes were fixed in wonder, taking in the small church and trees. The girl turns excitedly to her month, pointing, “That’s where Alice lives!�?

In her fresh excitement, this girl encapsulates the very reaction that keeps this attraction ever youthful.

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-- David Mink

Reliving Fond Memories is normally posted the third Wednesday of each month.

The opinions expressed by our David Mink, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted May 24, 2004