The history and backstory of Disney rides

[Figmentforever24]

So yea I have been away for a while now as life has a funny way of keeping one busy. Anyway I said I be back with some awesome articles on some awesome things, and well since I am a keeper of my word here they are for you to enjoy! The first one being Tomorrowland of the Walt Disney World resort.


So go back to the planning of Walt Disney World, and you would see that the Tomorrowland for Magic Kingdom was as unplanned as the one for Disneyland was. The beginning plans for the western side of the park would be two big buildings on either side of a grand entrance plaza. There would have been an indoor roller coaster, a racetrack and even some pretty big bodies of water that would have channeled in from Seven Seas Lagoon. Go back to the very early plans of the land, and a monorail station was even planned for the land. The monorail would have left the transportation center, through the Contemporary Resort, through the Persian Resort, and into the Tomorrowland station before heading to the main gates. Of course this changed as funding was moved around and ideas like the Persian Resort were saved for later dates. Construction was well underway for the Magic Kingdom by 1970, and the plans were still changing for the land. Funding was changed and moved around, and finally the buildings to open with the Magic Kingdom in 1971 were finalized. The buildings began construction, and plenty of space was left open for future projects.


The first order of business was the entrance to Tomorrowland. Disney wanted something grand to mark the entrance so two giant water features were decided on for both sides of the pathway. The spires also changed their looks throughout the designing process, from giant square walls to long narrow spires. Finally the narrow spires won out and were used. The spires had flat slopes on the front that allowed water to run down them smoothly. The water wasn’t visible when the park opened so ripples were carved into the stone shortly after opening to make the effect more effective. With deadlines to meet, Disney rushed to finish anything they could by opening day. By the grand opening of the park Tomorrowland had opened with two attractions.


With the opening of the land a lot of space on the southern portion of the land was left empty for future plans. Yet plans were well underway and were changing all the time. The land had four main buildings making it a very barren land with clear views of the Contemporary Resort. This was an idea that goes back to early planning for every land, but Tomorrowland would be the only land to do this. On the southern portion of Tomorrowland a small building stood that is well known to many folks. The Tomorrowland Skyway opening with all of the Magic Kingdom, and would take guest from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. The design of the small station was sleek yet futuristic with a cascading waterfall on the front of the building. There was then a staircase to the upper floor where guest would board their cars. The upstairs area also held extra space for car maintenance and extra queue space. The ride would cross Tomorrowland over the raceway, and then would so something unheard of for cable cars….make an almost 90 degree turn. Speaking of the raceway, that was the other Tomorrowland attraction to open with the land!

The Grand Prix Raceway was the idea used to add some detail to what was then very open and barren land. Yet the raceway wasn’t always planned for Tomorrowland as it was originally planned for Holidayland. Yep Magic Kingdom had a very short lived Holidayland that would have been north of Tomorrowland. The raceway at Magic Kingdom would stay as part of Tomorrowland, but unlike Disneyland, would have a different themed. Disneyland has Autopia which was designed to be cars driving on the interstate. Magic Kingdom designed theirs to be a 60’s racetrack. (Note: Did you know that the Raceway had a VIP lounge? Yep that little box room above the track was used for special occasions!) These two rides would be the only two opening day attractions until November 25th of that same year.

On November 25th the third Tomorrowland attraction opened: The CircleVision 360 theater. This show was located in the building to the right when you enter Tomorrowland from the main entrance. Remember these buildings were still being finished when the park opened, mostly on the inside though. The first show inside this state of the art facility would be called America the Beautiful. This building (Known as the South Building) already had a balcony wrapped around the entire building. (There was no Tomorrowland Terrace as of yet so the building was visible from all sides) This balcony served no purpose at the time, but was saved for a future attraction….hmmm. The side of the building facing the plaza was cut into to allow for some cover from the elements. As guest entered, they entered the entrance hall which was behind a wall of glass. Guest entered then the waiting area with a slopped ceiling before entering the show. The ceilings and walls inside the waiting room were painted different shades of red and orange. Guest then walked into the final waiting pin down a slopping path before entering the theater. Guest would enter the 9 screened theater before exiting out the other side onto a ramp that took them out into the main plaza. The film that was shown was not entirely new for the park. In fact the show had been shown before at the 1958 Brussels World Fair. After the fair closed the show played in Disneyland for about two years. For Magic Kingdom Disney refurbished the film to fit the new screens and gave the film a new name.


Across from America the Beautiful stood the North building which was built to match the South one in a lot of ways. The façade of the building was literally identical to the one on the other side. This meant that the glass wall that held the show and the covered area were the same as well. The attraction for this building also had the slopped ceiling and was even decorated a lot like the theater across from it. The main difference in the North building was the size. Connected to the North Building was the restaurant for the entire land. The attraction portion of the building took up the South part of the building. The northern part was for Tomorrowland Terrace a very high capacity restaurant for the Magic Kingdom. The restaurant was complete with plenty of seating and a hydraulic stage. There were also two separate bathroom facilities in the building. One accessible from the outside and the other from the restaurant. There was also a juice bar as well as two separate shops. Like the South Building there was also a balcony that wrapped along the outside. The only difference is this one cut through the middle of the building right between the restaurant and the attraction. Inside a large room was left empty of the upper floor and a glass wall allowed guest to see the balcony from one of the stores. Lets talk about that attraction though. The attraction had a waiting area behind the glass wall just like its counterpart across from it. Guest then went into a pre-show room that had three separate levels. The three levels overlooked a mission control room through a large glass window. Guest then exited into the hall where they entered one of two identical theaters. The theater on the right (Theater Two) would exit directly out into the plaza after the show. On busier days an alternate route would take guest out through another exit. The theater on the left (Theater Two) also exited out into the plaza via another route. (You may have seen this no longer used exit. Enter Tomorrowland from the main entrance and look to the left right away. A small little corner is tucked away where guest would exit the ride!) The attraction to open in this building would prove to be one of the most popular rides in the park at the time. The ride was scheduled to open November 25th like America the Beautiful yet was delayed due to some visual effects that had to be perfected. So Flight to the Moon opened to the general public on Christmas Eve 1971. The name of the ride said it all as guest would board a shuttle for a flight to the moon. Screens were installed in the floor and ceiling to show the back and front of the rocket. Screens were also on the walls to act as the info center for the rocket. Large speakers were added as well as air filled seats. Guest would ride and lower into their seats throughout their journey, a very special effect.


As Magic Kingdom moved into its New Year work began on something new. On the side facing away from the plaza, the South Building had something added to it. This new area would be a new large seating restaurant for Tomorrowland. A new small building was also added to the backside of the building for a future attraction that would be needed very soon. The new eatery would still allow guest to flow through into Tomorrowland, but they would move between two seating areas of the new eatery. But what about the addition of that building to the back? There was now enough space for a new ride, but what would it be? Actually the answer would be a unique attraction similar to Adventures Thru Inner Space. Remember the ride from Disneyland? The balcony that went around the building new split between the old building and the new building much like the North Building. The new ride called If you had Wings would open of June 5th 1972. This was just in time for the large crowds expected that summer! Sponsored by American Airlines a Omni mover journey through different world wide locations. This was the second Omni mover for the park and features many projections throughout the ride. Actually the ride was mostly projections. The restaurant wouldn’t open until 1973 and would be called the Plaza Pavilion. From 1973 to 1980 the restaurant was classified as Main Street USA not Tomorrowland, but that would change in 1980. Anyway in 1973 with the opening of the restaurant, something big was finalized. Yes the final plans for the southern portion of Tomorrowland were finalized and they were going to be huge! Construction began right away in 1973, and for the next two years Tomorrowland would become a construction zone!


At the center of the new expansion would be Star Jets. This ride was not your ordinary spinner as it was above a tower, and you reached it with a replica of the NASA launch space lift. The jets themselves spun around a replica of the Saturn V which of course is now famous. The ride opened in 1974.

What was once a beautiful view of the Contemporary Resort was now gone. In its place was a rounded building with a mysterious ride inside. The Carousel of Progress which had been in Disneyland for many years had now moved over to Walt Disney World. The ride would open January 15th 1975. This would be the third time the ride had been moved, and with the movement came some new enhancements. The AA’s were all replaced and the sets were cleaned. A new rotating theater was also built for the ride. The biggest change of course would be the future scene or the finale. The scene had to be changed to stay updated with the future so the scene was changed a lot. The new scene reflected the 1970’s……a lot. The last major change was the theme song for the ride. The original theme song for the ride was called “Wait for Tomorrow”. Yet this didn’t reflect the American dream as much anymore so the ride song was changed to “Live for Today.” The ride itself was sponsored by General Electric. This wasn’t the only ride that opened that day. Magic Kingdoms Signature attraction also opened that day as well…..Space Mountain.


From the very beginning of the planning stages an indoor roller coaster for Tomorrowland was planned. The original name for the ride was Space Port. Originally Walt Disney planned the ride for Disneyland. The Matterhorn was so popular that he wanted to create a ride with four separate tracks rather then two. There wasn’t enough room and he died shortly after so the idea was shelved. The plans came back to life as Space Mountain and Walt Disney World was going to house the attraction. The idea for the ride had track both inside and outside of the ride at first along with a communication pre-show that was paid for by the sponsor. Originally the ride would have had eight tracks, but then it was brought down to four like the original plans. Then finally it was decided on two twin tracks inside the mountain. The sponsor of this new ride would be RCA. With the entire ride being inside Disney was able to fully immerse guest in an awesome experience and use plenty of new visual effects. Originally Space Mountain was going to be built inside the berm of the park and would be less round then before. Yet a bigger building was needed to hold the ride so it was moved OUTSIDE the berm. This was going to involve a lot of work. Disney had to get guest past the train tracks somehow. Not to mention they had to divert a canal and fill in part of a lake! So a small building was built inside the berm where guest would enter and go under the train tracks. The tunnel would then continue on to the ride. When the ride was first planned there were going to be two separate queues. There was also a VIP lounge and many RCA displays along the queue as well as an emergency exit. Guest not wishing to see the pre-show would skip it and move on to the main room where they would split into two identical lines for the two identical rides. After the ride guest reach the lowest level where they exit and merge into one line that takes them back under the tracks and into Tomorrowland. Show Scenes would also be along the speed ramp sponsored by RCA. After all of the technical stuff you come down to the coaster itself. Both sides of track are the same with Alpha (Right Side) having ten feet more track. No not as in a longer ride, but to reach the exit.

Construction began with the center piece that would hold the roof and main building. The Train was closed as the tunnel had to be built for the train to pass through. This was a massive project! The interior is 4,508,500 cubic feet! That makes it one of the biggest in Walt Disney World! Space Mountain also was the first to use a computer for its ride system. Something new in that day and time. It and Carrosel of Progress opened to the public on the same day and marked the grand beginning of Tomorrowland!

More to come! LOTS MORE TO COME!

 

[circus4u]

Love these back stories! Have one question though, I seem to remember that If You Had Wings was Eastern Airlines and then Delta took over and the show was changed; I don't remember American Airlines sponsoring it. How long did American Airlines sponsor the pavilion? Thanks for the history and please keep it up.

 

[Figmentforever24]

Tomorrowland Part 2 - The last report I ended with a little bit of a weird end as I didn’t describe one ride that opened with the expansion of Tomorrowland. The Peoplemover! So that is where we will start off from!

So like I said before, Space Mountain was originally planned to be inside the Berm. With the Peoplemover still planned, this meant the track would have looked a little different. It still would have passed through Space Mountain, but would have taken a loop around the entire raceway. A special repair maintenance building would have also been built what would have been behind 20,000 Leagues at the time. Those empty balconies that wrapped around both the North and South building would also serve a purpose other then looks. Pieces of track were simply built on to whatever was there already, making this a pretty simple attraction to make. The Peoplemover opened on July 1st 1975 as the WEDWay Peoplemover. It, like most of the rides in the Magic Kingdom, also shared a sponsor! The ride at the time of opening was sponsored by the Edison Electrical Company. The Peoplemover was different from most rides as it was powered by linear induction. This was completed by magnetic field coils found along the track route. Talk about clean energy! They would simply pull the car towards the magnet, and as it reached the magnet the next magnet pulled it further along. The ride also had a very special narrator to narrate the clean energy ride…..Jack Wagner. The ride opened to believe it or not pretty rave reviews. A ride that provided a very nice rest from the hustle and bustle of the park. After the opening of the Peoplemover Tomorrowland was a finished land.

Things were already being updated in the new land before the new expansion was completed. For one thing Flight to the Moon was outdated. Man had walked on the moon three years before the opening of the attraction, and the ride only drew in crowds for its special effects. Disney needed a ride that would be updated and still draw in the crowds. So on April 7th 1975 Flight to the Moon was closed to the public. A new experience opened on July 7th called Flight to Mars. Pretty much the same ride, but with some cosmetic changes. Even the pre-show remained largely unchanged except for clothing, names and voices. Some of the footage was swapped out, but not much. Some of the new footage was actually footage from NASA space missions! Pretty neat! The ride also received a new sponsor: McDonnell Douglas from 1980 to 1986. Of course that was five years after the ride opened. The ride proved popular once again, but it relied a lot more on science fiction then fact like the ride before it. Yet the storyline was pretty realistic as NASA themselves wrote and approved the script as well as make some of the footage.


Apart from rides Tomorrowland wasn’t light on food or shopping. Places like Sun Care Center and Space Place opened with the original land, but places like the Lunching Pad would come later on. In the Tomorrowland Terrace live acts were performed almost daily. This was due to the hydraulic stage in the seating area. Bands performed for many years proving some much needed entertainment for the land.


Tomorrowland had everything at the point, but not everything planned was built either. For one thing Tomorrowland had a planned train station as well. The station would have been where the store is now connected to Space Mountain. A white canopy would have been built to mark the train station. Of course other things also changed in the land. For example America the Beautiful didn’t live many years either. In fact America the Beautiful was the very first thing to change in the land. The show closed on March 15th 1974 and reopened as the Magic Carpet: Round the World. The show then was removed in 1975 for the placement of America the Beautiful a second time. The show was edited and cleaned as it was prepared for the bicentennial celebration of America. It didn’t last long as Magic Carpet: Round the World would return in 1979. Apart from the show, changes were also made to the entrance to Tomorrowland. The water pouring down the pylons had very bad issues with wetting the sound walk to much. So by the late 70’s the water was turned off completely. By 1980 new tile was placed inside the towers to give it a clean look without water.


In 1981 Disney planned to add more entertainment then the one band playing at the Tomorrowland Terrace. So they turned an empty cast parking lot between the South building and Carousel of Progress into an outdoor theater. The theater was a way to introduce a new show for the tenth anniversary of Magic Kingdom. The show was called Walt Disney World is your World and used the same music the tenth anniversary parade did. The only difference is that the performers sang each performance live rather then prerecorded music. Originally the show as well as the stage was meant to only be there that year, but the stage as well as the show stayed for many more years. The first change came during Christmas 1983 when they played Mickey’s Twas The Night Before Christmas. Then in 1985 the main show changed to Show Bis Is. This show reflected more of the 80’s rock culture, and lasted into 1987 when Disney Mania took over. It then stayed until 1991. The name for the theater then became the Tomorrowland Theater. Then in 1993 the funniest show of all came with RapnRoll. A show that was short lived and long forgotten.


The CircleVision theater would stay the same in Tomorrowland until 1984 when an entirely new film would be coming to the CircleVision theater. The show closed early 1984 to make way for the new film called American Journeys. The new show would open on September 15th. The show reflected on America’s Greatest Moments like the moon walk, Revolutionary War and much more.



The Peoplemover stayed the same for nearly decade after opening in 1995. The only literal changes would be new paint colors from time to time. It would be the Carousel of Progress that would see the next change. In 1981 the last scene was updated with a new future kitchen. Then in 1985 General Electric declared that they would no longer be sponsoring the pavilion. So in 1992, after 20 years, the show went without a sponsor. In 1991 the new computer in the final scene was updated and the script was changed as the 90s came.


Space Mountain also received some upgrades thanks to the sponsorship from RCA. Originally there were two rockets that held four people. Two people would straddle each other. In 1989 the cars were replaced with the cars we now have today. The next change came in 1998 when the lapbars were replaced with better bars to better fit a wider range of guest. Outside the entrance was also modified over the years. The ride opened with a huge four person rocket on display as well as one large open door. In 1989 this changed. The rocket was removed and much of the pre-show displays were replaced due to the request from RCA. General Electric also began to sponsor the ride in 1985.

Alright this is it for this edition! Stay tuned for more!

 

[skier_pete]

Very detailed...but no talk at all of "If you had Wings?"

I remember "Mission to Mars" and this ride as my two main memories from childhood of Tomorrowland. I think I was too scared to go on Space Mountain as a kid.

 

[Figmentforever24]

I know Tomorrowland ended on a weird note, but it seems I have hit a road block on information so I will have to get back to it. I do have some great articles coming so stay tuned!

 

[Figmentforever24]

I’ve done many of the Epcot Center articles, and nothing has been more fun. Yet there was one vie held off doing, because well…it is so special to me. This is an article that I truly feels needs the full justice it deserves, and so here you are. This is the original imagination pavilion. No pavilion touched the hearts of so many people like Imagination did. Horizons gave us hope for tomorrow, and Spaceship Earth showed us the pride of the human race, but Imagination, well that was something special. It filled us with laughter and brought smiles to both young and old. If one ride truly captured the true spirit of what Epcot stood for, it was the ride. I hope you truly enjoy this article as much as I have enjoyed writing it.



Go back to Epcot Center in 1977 and things were still pretty fluid. Things were still shifty as far as the pavilions go, but the sponsors were starting to line up. One of these sponsors was Kodak, who signed an agreement in 1977. Their pavilion, Imagination, was actually the very last pavilion to be designed for Future World. The original plans for this piece of land was the Ecology and Mineral Pavilion. These plans called for a pavilion inside of glass domes. The idea was eventually cancelled and the design and ideas were used for imagination as well as The Land. The Land was to use all of the information originally contained inside the cancelled pavilion. WED also realized they needed something more fun for the park….thus came Imagination. Original plan called for a ride thru attraction that took place on two different floors. It would have two huge revolving sets. The first floor would be used to have most of the ride while the second floor was to have the finale for the ride. The upstairs turntable was to be used to exit guest from the ride and into the interactive area called imageworks. Balconies were also planned for the front of the balcony as well as a small dining area. Eventually as plans moved along the dining was cut from the plans as well as the balconies. The ride developed even more and was placed on a single floor as well as the unload area.

The pavilion was coming along nicely, but the pavilion was missing something. They needed mascots for the ride, and the characters had to be more whimsical. Rather than waste time creating new ideas, ideas were used from the old Discovery Bay plans from Disneyland. In Disneyland this new land would have called for a traveling theater. The theater would have hosted many different scientific inventions, and was to be hosted by the scientist Professor Marvel. A professor who also bread dragons. WED grabbed the idea of the professor and a dragon and presented them to Kodak. Kodak loved them so much they approved both in one sitting. A few changes were made to the characters of courser to reflect the pavilion. The professor was not to be man who collected ideas and imagination. His helper was to be a little dragon created from bits and pieces of imagination. His name was to be called….Figment or Figment of the imagination. Funny little side note, but originally Figment was going to be green. Yet Kodak didn’t like the idea as it was too close to the color of their rival Fuji Film. So the colors were messed around with from yellow, red, blue and finally the purple and pink we know today. The ride itself needed some talented heads and they were given just that. Tony Baxter as well as Steve Kirk were taken off the Discovery Bay concept and moved to Imagination.


The ride itself would begin with “Flight to the imagination”. This was to be the beginning of the ride for guest. This is where they would meet Dreamfinder and Figment. They would learn how they collected ideas, sounds, and thoughts to make imagination. Their collections are then taken to the Dreamport where all of the ideas are stored. Guest then travelled through the imagination through many well thought out and planned scenes. The first being art, literature, performing arts, science and technology, and then the finale. The finale was to be huge and to feature all of the previous ideas dreamed up by Figment. Things were finalized and the construction began.


Unlike other Future World pavilions, this pavilion started rather late in the process. Much of Epcot Center was well into construction before Imagination was finalized. For example the roof was being placed on The Land when the foundation for Imagination was being poured. Work carried on regardless as the building was water sealed and the base for the rotating scene placed. The main building was the focus to finish as the glass roof would come later. The Magic Eye Theater Next Door was also rushed to be finished, and was looking to open with the rest of Epcot Center. With the buildings finished, ride prep could begin. All props were created off site, and were rushed to the park for installation. The ride along would have 78 special effects throughout the ride. This is more than all of the opening rides at Magic Kingdom combined. Of course not all effects would work in the ride, and some were removed including a very cool laser effect. Compared to other rides in Future World, this ride would be a little different. Most of the rides took place on multiple floors while this one remained on one floor. Of course this ride was probably more complex than most. Very careful planning and detail went to make everything in and out of the pavilion perfect. Even the gardens were placed a certain way to allow almost an enchanting effect. Water features and fountains were scattered throughout the gardens and flowers. The inside was far more interesting though as the main ride used almost all of the building. Guest first entered into the large atrium entrance lobby. This was also load/unload for the ride. The ride took up the back corner and then there was imageworks upstairs with a winding staircase at the exit for guest to take. (The stairs are still in the gift shop today) There was also a direct entrance from the ride exit to the theater next door. The VIP lounge was also placed on the backside of the theater. The ride itself featured 1450 feet of track and had 92 cars! Not to mention the ten spare they had in case of emergency!


The ride itself loaded on a curved track in the main atrium. This was strange as loading was usually a straight track. The ride vehicle itself was also very different as it was an Omnimover type vehicle, but it was chained together with just a few cars. Once the ride began the cars split into groups of four and went into the ride. (The cars today are still fairly the same) The ride began with a short introduction, but then the real wow factor of the ride came. Guest came to the Flight of Imagination scene which was a revolving set. The set was 75 feet wide and had five scenes that were EXACTLY the same. The cars would move at the same speed as the set and would move right along with it. The cars would also turn from front to the side to face the scene. The cars would stay this way for two minutes as they moved around the scene. You felt as if you were standing still the entire time but you really were moving. This then allowed another set of cars to come in right behind and do the same thing……a true marvel for its time. After they left the revolving scene the cars then faced forward and continued on. The cars stayed split into groups of four the entire ride until the end. They would then link up again for the finale and unload. After you unloaded you either exited the building or went to imageworks upstairs. Upstairs were many exhibits including: Figment’s Coloring Book. Guest could paint on the walls with paint guns. There was then the infamous Rainbow Tunnel. This was a tunnel that changed colors as you passed based off sensors. (Tech not seen in the early 80’s.) There was the Image Warp which used mirrors and screens. There was also the Stepping Stones. These are still around today in the current Imageworks. Lumia, a ball of light that changed colors when hearing different sounds. Dreamfinder’s School of Drama. Making Faces, another thing available today. Kaleidoscope which is where guest produced giant wall paintings by hand. Tabletop Pin Screens. Guest would push on pins and make different patterns. Electronic Philharmonic. Guest could produce music by passing their hand through the laser…another thing still around.


October 1982 was the opening date for the park and Imagination wasn’t finished….Horizons was either but that’s a different story. So all hands were moved from the finished pavilions to Imagination. Park previews began before opening and open construction continued even through that….this needed to be finished. On October 1st 1982 the Imagination pavilion had its grand opening to the public. The 3-D theater and Imageworks was a huge hit….but there was no ride. Guest would enter and see the huge hole in the wall showing something probably went there. The ride wouldn’t open to the public for 5 months due to issues with the turning scene. The trains had issues linking and then unlinking to the revolving scene. This was never really fixed and caused problems throughout the years with the ride. The table was always being fixed and this would push Kodak to have it removed in the 1998 rehab of the ride. There was also a speed ramp at unload that became a problem and was removed only three months after the ride opened to guest. The ride would eventually open to guest on March 5th 1983.


Even with the problems, Imagination was by far one of the most popular rides in the park. During the rework of Epcot in the 90’s the ride survived as it watched many other pavilions be destroyed and replaced. Yet not even it was safe from the work of Eisner and would change in 1998.

 

[circus4u]

As always, very informative and appreciate your effort. Your info about Imagination brought back a few memories. I have a question for anyone though. When Epcot first opened, I remember the newscasts in Tampa commenting that you would not see Mickey Mouse or any of the other Disney characters in Epcot, even in the gift shops. Figment was to be the sole character representative for the park. I moved from Florida in 1996 and didn't get back to Epcot until 2012. I can't remember if any of the Disney characters were in Epcot at the time I moved or not. If they were there, they were probably more the exception than the rule. When did the characters start showing up in Epcot? Was it when Donald moved into Mexico?

 

[Micca]

As always, very informative and appreciate your effort. Your info about Imagination brought back a few memories. I have a question for anyone though. When Epcot first opened, I remember the newscasts in Tampa commenting that you would not see Mickey Mouse or any of the other Disney characters in Epcot, even in the gift shops. Figment was to be the sole character representative for the park. I moved from Florida in 1996 and didn't get back to Epcot until 2012. I can't remember if any of the Disney characters were in Epcot at the time I moved or not. If they were there, they were probably more the exception than the rule. When did the characters start showing up in Epcot? Was it when Donald moved into Mexico?

Going by memory (risky!) the "No Disney character" rule was pretty short lived. I have pics with my DDs in WS with a sombrero wearing Donald Duck from around 84-85. The addition of Donald to the Mexico pavilion is fairly recent.

 

[Figmentforever24]

Mickey and the gang were in the park from the beginning but not just out. You could mingle and watch them perform to music at the Odyssey. Within three years guest could find them roaming around in Communicore. Their outfits were pretty cool though I would encourage you to look it up.

 

[ProTraderColin]

This thread is awesome!

 

[Figmentforever24]

This thread is awesome!

Thanks! At this point though I have had a few good history reports to start, but for whatever reason they fall through. Tomorrowland was a good example. I was doing great on it but then the info just got weird. I have a huge gap of non available info that I am unable to find, and I rather put it off till I can finish it properly. If anybody has ideas or suggestions I would love to hear them! I cant promise how soon they will be up, but I will do my best!

 

[Figmentforever24]

Brace yourself for the wildest history report in the wilderness! That’s right, I’m back with Big Thunder Mountain railroad, and it is going to get crazy so hang on!


Let us go back to the year 1971, when Magic Kingdom opened to the public. Tomorrowland and Frontierland shared a common theme in that they were not finished. In Frontierland, a giant space was reserved for a very impressive show building. The entire show building would be called Thunder Mesa, and would hold not one but TWO E-ticket attractions. They were called “Big Thunder Railroad” and “Western River Expedition”. This was going to be a very detailed project with Big Thunder Railroad being the parks first coaster and Western River Expedition being the equivalent to Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. The rides were not the only thing included in the giant building. There would have been stores, restaurants and even different walking trails. The Main Street railroad tracks were going to be involved as well. A similar version of the Diorama scene from Disneyland was planned to be added to the back western edge of the building where the railroad would travel through the scene.


The train ride itself was going to be both inside and outside the mountain, and would load on an elevated train station to the far right of the show building. The Big Thunder ride was not just thrilling but scenic as well. It would start by passing scenes through mountains, mines and caverns. The ride would start very calm and normal, until it reached a steep hill. The train would struggle halfway up the hill before rolling backwards into a closed section of the mine that was hidden from view. The real fun would then begin as guest travel backwards around curves, hills and sharp turns. The train would come to a screeching halt as the brakes stopped it from going over a dark pit. Things would return to normal as the car moved forward into the station.

As I mentioned earlier, the train ride was not the only plan. Guest could also enter a large cave. This cave would show the canyon at dusk with the nighttime sky lit above it. Guest would cross over an inside river to a loading dock. This dock would hold the boats that would take us through the desert. The boats would depart the dock and head up a large hill. Before the moved up, an AA owl named Hoot Gibson would begin to give the entire safety spiel for the ride. The owl would be seen again as guest started the accent. The owl would begin our story by telling how the night sky reminded him of the west. (Still inside the building) Guest would then look up at the roof where clouds would begin to change into shapes of cattle and cowboys. We would crest the hill and the theme song for the ride would begin. At this point guest would flow down the river hearing the theme song, and seeing many different singing and talking AA’s. Even some singing Cacti were thrown in for good Disney measure. Everything would be chipper until our owl friend appeared again. We would see two vultures as the owl warned us about the dangers of the west. Our boats then enter the middle of a heist where a stagecoach is being robbed by Mexican bandits. At this point the Disney railroad would cut above through the scene as our boats pass under the tracks. Our boats then entered “Dry Gulch” known as the toughest town around. A trip our west would not be complete without Indians and so the next scene would be just that. We would travel through the village of happy Indians to find a forest on fire! The trees were burning and they were going to fall on the boats. This is where the big drop would take place as the river became wild and guest dropped out the mountain. They would then head to unload. Sounds pretty spectacular right? Well there would be one problem that put this on hold…money.

Walt Disney World was costing more money than expected. Many of the projects had to be finished before others as many were halfway done. Not to mention a halfway finished resort. A compromise needed to be made. Thunder Mesa could be built for the price of 4 attractions that could help soak the crowds. This was something that could not be risked so Thunder Mesa was thrown on the back burner. They were moved to what was known as “Phase 1”. This simply meant that the rides could be built once funds were up in a 5 year time period.


When the park opened many guest poured in like they expected and many of them had been to Disneyland. The park had many new rides as well as the favorites from the old park. Thunder Mesa was on the board to be built, but guest were complaining about the lack of a certain ride. Pirates of the Caribbean was missing from the park as Western River was going to be the ride in the same style. Disney told the press that no plans were made for Pirates, and that Wester River was going to be better. Disney wanted Thunder Mesa to be in Magic Kingdom so bad that they even kept the land cleared for it. Of course guest started to complain and things changed….big time. Without getting in details about Pirates of the Caribbean itself, people wanted the ride. It was a big hit in Disneyland for the past four years and they wanted it in Orlando. Disney would bow to the wishes of guest and built Pirates. Pirates would open in 1973 and this would be the first shot in the body of Thunder Mesa.


Everyone knows the famous designer Marc Davis. He loved the Thunder Mesa idea, and Western River Expedition was the biggest part for him. Multiple issues were starting to occur that was making WRE harder and harder to come to fruition. Budget was playing a big part of the issue as much of the money was being spent on Tomorrowland. Remember, Tomorrowland had two rides and two vacant building when the park opened. The land needed rides and it needed them fast. The second issue was that one of those rides was Space Mountain. Thunder Mesa was unique in that it was going to have the first coaster, Space Mountain now took the spot. This was not the only ride being built, and with a full on expansion of Tomorrowland taking place, there was no money to be spend in Frontierland. Not to mention the Wild West was not as popular as Disney thought it was going to be. There were a real lack of guest moving to that side of the park. Pirates now was a major ride in the park and the thought of another similar boat ride next door was disturbing. Would people even want to ride it? Then the final nail in the coffin came thanks to Tony Baxter.

Since the late 60’s early 70’s Tony Baxter had been working on many different projects for Disneyland. One of the biggest issues out west was that there were not enough thrill rides in the park as guest were wanting more thrills. Matterhorn was having a hard time fulfilling the needs of the people, and the west side of the park was in trouble. Haunted Mansion and Pirates were losing their new factor, and nothing in Frontierland was popular anymore. The main attraction was a slow train ride called “Mine Train through Natures Wonderland”. While impressive, the ride was becoming a drag for the park. A new thrill ride was being planned to add some juice to the slow side of the park. Not to mention adding another thrill ride and boosting the frontier theme. Tony didn’t use his own ideas entirely, in fact something out east caught his eye. It was this project called Thunder Mesa, but more importantly the runaway train. He juiced it out, added some different mountain shapes and eliminated the backwards portion of the ride. He would still use the same name for the ride. The idea was a big hit, and plans were greenlit almost right away. Disney executives saw this as an answer to a new ride in Orlando as well and it would fit in Frontierland. After all there was all that empty space. A plot was picked where Thunder Mesa would go, and boom it was dead. Marc was not ready to give up on the boat ride just yet thought. He went to Tony and the board to try and keep the boat ride next door. He said the new ride could be built, but let a separate plot next door be saved for a small WRE. All of the buildings, shops, eateries and walkthroughs would be cut for just a smaller portion of the boat ride. Much of the singing scenes would be removed, and half of the Indian scene. There was a small period of time when Disney planned to have all of the rides including Pirates and Space Mountain in the park. It seemed like a win for everyone, but it was not going to last.

Big Thunder Mountain broke ground in 1979 in the middle of construction of the Disneyland version. (Sorry we just got to Thunder Mountain, but Thunder Mesa played a huge role in this ride) The construction for the project was huge. The river was even drained for the first time since park opening. This was due to the ride being built on the edge of the river. The ride would take 22 months to build and a total of 600 tons of steel pieces would be used! The mud that was used for the mountain shape was specially made offsite and consisted of about 4500 gallons total. 300, 000 dollars were spent in AA’s props and sets. Lots of money then. The mountain would also be the tallest structure in the park. At 197 feet it would be taller than the castle! The ride alone was going to cost Orlando close to 18 million dollars! That was more than the entire Disneyland project plus some for comparison. The Orlando version would also be the longest version, being 110 feet longer than the one in Disneyland. A total of 2780 feet long. The ride would also be faster than out west going a total of 40 mph. The length of the track was due to the mirrored position of Anaheim’s version. Orlando would have the overall largest mountain (To be fair, they had more room. Google Disneyland’s from the air and see where they built it) the entire ride was about 2.5 acres.

By 1980 the ride was almost finished and the park begin testing with guest. On November 15th, 1980 the ride opened to the public…officially. Many guest noticed the ride was very similar to the Disneyland version. Indeed it was almost exactly the same other than a few extra twists. The ride was even given a light backstory stating that miners from the town of Tumbleweed went looking for gold in the mountain. They built trains to mine in and out but the gold they found was cursed. Their town was flooded, earthquakes took place in the mountains and the trains went mad. Overtime the town and the mines were left empty, but the trains continue to run to this day. Minor changes were made to the scenes throughout the years. Steam near the end of the ride originally would wet guest and was toned down for that reason. The flooded town also lost the flash food effect and was now just filled with water.

So what do you think? Would you have liked to see Thunder Mesa? Is Big Thunder amazing? Hope you enjoy!

 

[rteetz]

Brace yourself for the wildest history report in the wilderness! That’s right, I’m back with Big Thunder Mountain railroad, and it is going to get crazy so hang on!


Let us go back to the year 1971, when Magic Kingdom opened to the public. Tomorrowland and Frontierland shared a common theme in that they were not finished. In Frontierland, a giant space was reserved for a very impressive show building. The entire show building would be called Thunder Mesa, and would hold not one but TWO E-ticket attractions. They were called “Big Thunder Railroad” and “Western River Expedition”. This was going to be a very detailed project with Big Thunder Railroad being the parks first coaster and Western River Expedition being the equivalent to Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. The rides were not the only thing included in the giant building. There would have been stores, restaurants and even different walking trails. The Main Street railroad tracks were going to be involved as well. A similar version of the Diorama scene from Disneyland was planned to be added to the back western edge of the building where the railroad would travel through the scene.


The train ride itself was going to be both inside and outside the mountain, and would load on an elevated train station to the far right of the show building. The Big Thunder ride was not just thrilling but scenic as well. It would start by passing scenes through mountains, mines and caverns. The ride would start very calm and normal, until it reached a steep hill. The train would struggle halfway up the hill before rolling backwards into a closed section of the mine that was hidden from view. The real fun would then begin as guest travel backwards around curves, hills and sharp turns. The train would come to a screeching halt as the brakes stopped it from going over a dark pit. Things would return to normal as the car moved forward into the station.

As I mentioned earlier, the train ride was not the only plan. Guest could also enter a large cave. This cave would show the canyon at dusk with the nighttime sky lit above it. Guest would cross over an inside river to a loading dock. This dock would hold the boats that would take us through the desert. The boats would depart the dock and head up a large hill. Before the moved up, an AA owl named Hoot Gibson would begin to give the entire safety spiel for the ride. The owl would be seen again as guest started the accent. The owl would begin our story by telling how the night sky reminded him of the west. (Still inside the building) Guest would then look up at the roof where clouds would begin to change into shapes of cattle and cowboys. We would crest the hill and the theme song for the ride would begin. At this point guest would flow down the river hearing the theme song, and seeing many different singing and talking AA’s. Even some singing Cacti were thrown in for good Disney measure. Everything would be chipper until our owl friend appeared again. We would see two vultures as the owl warned us about the dangers of the west. Our boats then enter the middle of a heist where a stagecoach is being robbed by Mexican bandits. At this point the Disney railroad would cut above through the scene as our boats pass under the tracks. Our boats then entered “Dry Gulch” known as the toughest town around. A trip our west would not be complete without Indians and so the next scene would be just that. We would travel through the village of happy Indians to find a forest on fire! The trees were burning and they were going to fall on the boats. This is where the big drop would take place as the river became wild and guest dropped out the mountain. They would then head to unload. Sounds pretty spectacular right? Well there would be one problem that put this on hold…money.

Walt Disney World was costing more money than expected. Many of the projects had to be finished before others as many were halfway done. Not to mention a halfway finished resort. A compromise needed to be made. Thunder Mesa could be built for the price of 4 attractions that could help soak the crowds. This was something that could not be risked so Thunder Mesa was thrown on the back burner. They were moved to what was known as “Phase 1”. This simply meant that the rides could be built once funds were up in a 5 year time period.


When the park opened many guest poured in like they expected and many of them had been to Disneyland. The park had many new rides as well as the favorites from the old park. Thunder Mesa was on the board to be built, but guest were complaining about the lack of a certain ride. Pirates of the Caribbean was missing from the park as Western River was going to be the ride in the same style. Disney told the press that no plans were made for Pirates, and that Wester River was going to be better. Disney wanted Thunder Mesa to be in Magic Kingdom so bad that they even kept the land cleared for it. Of course guest started to complain and things changed….big time. Without getting in details about Pirates of the Caribbean itself, people wanted the ride. It was a big hit in Disneyland for the past four years and they wanted it in Orlando. Disney would bow to the wishes of guest and built Pirates. Pirates would open in 1973 and this would be the first shot in the body of Thunder Mesa.


Everyone knows the famous designer Marc Davis. He loved the Thunder Mesa idea, and Western River Expedition was the biggest part for him. Multiple issues were starting to occur that was making WRE harder and harder to come to fruition. Budget was playing a big part of the issue as much of the money was being spent on Tomorrowland. Remember, Tomorrowland had two rides and two vacant building when the park opened. The land needed rides and it needed them fast. The second issue was that one of those rides was Space Mountain. Thunder Mesa was unique in that it was going to have the first coaster, Space Mountain now took the spot. This was not the only ride being built, and with a full on expansion of Tomorrowland taking place, there was no money to be spend in Frontierland. Not to mention the Wild West was not as popular as Disney thought it was going to be. There were a real lack of guest moving to that side of the park. Pirates now was a major ride in the park and the thought of another similar boat ride next door was disturbing. Would people even want to ride it? Then the final nail in the coffin came thanks to Tony Baxter.

Since the late 60’s early 70’s Tony Baxter had been working on many different projects for Disneyland. One of the biggest issues out west was that there were not enough thrill rides in the park as guest were wanting more thrills. Matterhorn was having a hard time fulfilling the needs of the people, and the west side of the park was in trouble. Haunted Mansion and Pirates were losing their new factor, and nothing in Frontierland was popular anymore. The main attraction was a slow train ride called “Mine Train through Natures Wonderland”. While impressive, the ride was becoming a drag for the park. A new thrill ride was being planned to add some juice to the slow side of the park. Not to mention adding another thrill ride and boosting the frontier theme. Tony didn’t use his own ideas entirely, in fact something out east caught his eye. It was this project called Thunder Mesa, but more importantly the runaway train. He juiced it out, added some different mountain shapes and eliminated the backwards portion of the ride. He would still use the same name for the ride. The idea was a big hit, and plans were greenlit almost right away. Disney executives saw this as an answer to a new ride in Orlando as well and it would fit in Frontierland. After all there was all that empty space. A plot was picked where Thunder Mesa would go, and boom it was dead. Marc was not ready to give up on the boat ride just yet thought. He went to Tony and the board to try and keep the boat ride next door. He said the new ride could be built, but let a separate plot next door be saved for a small WRE. All of the buildings, shops, eateries and walkthroughs would be cut for just a smaller portion of the boat ride. Much of the singing scenes would be removed, and half of the Indian scene. There was a small period of time when Disney planned to have all of the rides including Pirates and Space Mountain in the park. It seemed like a win for everyone, but it was not going to last.

Big Thunder Mountain broke ground in 1979 in the middle of construction of the Disneyland version. (Sorry we just got to Thunder Mountain, but Thunder Mesa played a huge role in this ride) The construction for the project was huge. The river was even drained for the first time since park opening. This was due to the ride being built on the edge of the river. The ride would take 22 months to build and a total of 600 tons of steel pieces would be used! The mud that was used for the mountain shape was specially made offsite and consisted of about 4500 gallons total. 300, 000 dollars were spent in AA’s props and sets. Lots of money then. The mountain would also be the tallest structure in the park. At 197 feet it would be taller than the castle! The ride alone was going to cost Orlando close to 18 million dollars! That was more than the entire Disneyland project plus some for comparison. The Orlando version would also be the longest version, being 110 feet longer than the one in Disneyland. A total of 2780 feet long. The ride would also be faster than out west going a total of 40 mph. The length of the track was due to the mirrored position of Anaheim’s version. Orlando would have the overall largest mountain (To be fair, they had more room. Google Disneyland’s from the air and see where they built it) the entire ride was about 2.5 acres.

By 1980 the ride was almost finished and the park begin testing with guest. On November 15th, 1980 the ride opened to the public…officially. Many guest noticed the ride was very similar to the Disneyland version. Indeed it was almost exactly the same other than a few extra twists. The ride was even given a light backstory stating that miners from the town of Tumbleweed went looking for gold in the mountain. They built trains to mine in and out but the gold they found was cursed. Their town was flooded, earthquakes took place in the mountains and the trains went mad. Overtime the town and the mines were left empty, but the trains continue to run to this day. Minor changes were made to the scenes throughout the years. Steam near the end of the ride originally would wet guest and was toned down for that reason. The flooded town also lost the flash food effect and was now just filled with water.

So what do you think? Would you have liked to see Thunder Mesa? Is Big Thunder amazing? Hope you enjoy!

It would've been cool to see what thunder Mesa could've been like. Big thunder is my favorite Disney attraction.

Welcome back by the way.

 

[skier_pete]

A well told story. I wish you had put a little more about the recent re-do of the ride at DLR, and the fact that many of the buildings from Mine Train to Nature's Wonderland got reused - but maybe this was supposed to focus on the WDW version. The interesting thing is if WRE did get built, the Thunder Mountain ride likely would have been a paler version of the one we have now.

 

[Catvondita]

Loving these! Keep up the good work!

 

[Figmentforever24]

A well told story. I wish you had put a little more about the recent re-do of the ride at DLR, and the fact that many of the buildings from Mine Train to Nature's Wonderland got reused - but maybe this was supposed to focus on the WDW version. The interesting thing is if WRE did get built, the Thunder Mountain ride likely would have been a paler version of the one we have now.

The plans to update Big Thunder Mountain went as far back as 2008. Like the original plans for Thunder Mountain, Disney realized that the entire side of the park was not pulling guest in like Fantasyland and even the dated Tomorrowland were. The massive undertaking for Disney's California Adventure had been announced so much of the funding money went to the park next to Disneyland. The original plans for the redo of Thunder Mountain were much bigger, but would lack the funds needed for the project. There were two more scenes that were going to be added to the mountain including a lamp fire in the first scene and a collapsing tower on the second left. The explosion scene was still planned for the ride as well. When the redo for DCA was announced, there were no funds left the mountain to receive the changes it needed. The plans were shelved until 2011.

With most of the DCA work finished, Disney turned their gazes back to the home park. DCA was going to be crowded when the new areas opened, and something in Disneyland needed to draw guest into the original park. The update for Thunder Mountain was brought back, but then Disney realized the ride was in really bad condition. They wanted to take the ride for a few months to add the scenes, but the track and structure of the mountain was beginning to literally rot in some places. The entire track had to be replaced, and some of the wooden show scenes from the original Mine Train through Natures Wonderland rebuilt. It was then decided that the coaster would go down for massive refurbishment to replace the track and add the new show scenes. Of course money become an issue again and the money for most of the new scenes were placed into the track replacement. The final show scene would be the finale and would make the cut.

It took well over a year before the ride would reopen to guest. Multiple delays pushed back the ride opening, as new lighting, audio, paint, wood, projectors, fog and more were added to the ride. This refurbishment was the biggest any of the Thunder Mountains had ever had and it showed. The ride reopened to much fanfare with the new scenes added. Disney Paris will be next to receive the new additions to their mountain and maybe Orlando as well.

 

[rteetz]

maybe Orlando as well.

Well BTMRR is scheduled to get about a 4 month refurb so I think it's likely as they don't need the track redo in Orlando.

 

[Figmentforever24]

Well BTMRR is scheduled to get about a 4 month refurb so I think it's likely as they don't need the track redo in Orlando.

The track in Orlando is in much worse shape then one would think. Something will have to be done the middle of the next decade and that is being VERY generous.

 

[Musicman20]

Brilliant thread; great work.

 

[rteetz]

The track in Orlando is in much worse shape then one would think. Something will have to be done the middle of the next decade and that is being VERY generous.

Really? I wasn't aware. We all know how they operate tho. Look at space mountain.