 This building will be closing June 5th and reopening June 9th. This building houses three rides, two shops and one restroom. That's six different amenities for guests inside of this one building.    Curious as to why, during the busiest season, Disney would close three iconic attractions - Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? You can see those shingles are all starting to pop up but what else could it be? With all the recent fire concerns could it be just to remove a lot of debris on the rooftop that's gathered over the years. The gutter has all of those items that have been collected in the gutter. Let's examine the overall shape of this amazing building.  I understand this area right here takes us up above the area where Mr. Toad is. I don't know if you're above Mr. Toad the entire time but why else would they take you up on the second floor other than to conserve space?  There's the Peter Pan tree where you can see the initials of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling. You can hear the Peter Pan Loop through this door.  This turret over here is where the Peter Pan style roof and the Bavarian Village begins. This corner pocket and how it all comes together is no accident. The parallel alignment that you see is imaginary. It's a jigsaw puzzle of little pockets. Every so often it bends and folds and pops out and extrudes and goes back in just making one big building look as if it actually is a European style Village. This building spans from across the Matterhorn, and wraps around the east side of the castle. The architecture is stunning. Walt created the look of several different facades for each attraction, in order to give the illusion of multiple structures. To see MORE of this beautiful building AND the three attractions, watch the video slideshow!  These incredible early concept drawings for the Mad Tea Party attraction by artist Bruce Bushman include a number of features that were ultimately not included in the final attraction. Of course, the attraction is inspired by the animated movie Alice in Wonderland which was released by the Disney Studio in 1951, just a few years before the park opened. In the first artwork you will notice the concept includes large characters from the movie, including the Mad Hatter and March Hare enjoying a cup of tea on top of a table, as well as Chesire Cat and Caterpillar. In the second drawing, the teacup ride vehicles were set to spin on a platform designed like a tablecloth with doilies alongside a number of items you would expect to find on a table during a tea party, including a teapot, creamer, and a sugar bowl. The final image shows the attraction in its original form when Disneyland opened in 1955. The ride was plagued early on with mechanical problems and was soon reengineered within the park’s first year of operation. In 1983, Fantasyland received a major overhaul and the attraction was moved to the location where it sits now next to the Alice in Wonderland attraction.    You’ll lose your head over the Alice in Wonderland line designed by Disney Legend Mary Blair. 2021 marked the 70th Anniversary of Disney’s classic Alice in Wonderland. The timeless classic was released in July 1951. It is the 13th animated classic created by Disney.  Disney describes Mary Blair as an imaginative color stylist and designer. Mary Blair helped introduce modern art to Walt Disney and his Studio. Also, Mary’s unique color and styling greatly influenced such Disney productions as Song of the South, Make Mine Music, Melody Time, So Dear to My Heart, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan.  Every day is a Golden Afternoon with your teatime confections served on this set of four porcelain dessert plates featuring Alice and the Garden of Live Flowers. Designs adapted from inspirational art for Alice in Wonderland by Disney Legend Mary Blair.
      Painting the roses red. Oh pardon me, but Mister Three why must you paint them red?  I found these awesome Cheshire Cat PJ bottoms and curated a complete ensemble around them. Bright colors and whimsical style.   |
My Story
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 70s/80s we visited Disneyland on a regular basis and often after school, before "Annual Passes". 
Categories
All
Archives
May 2023
|
RSS Feed
