Film Fest Saturday - How to Play Football

Sorry for the lack of posts recently - I've been pretty busy, as usual.

Anyway, to kick off the fall season, here's a Goofy short highlighting that classic American sport of football!



Fun stuff, huh? Sure makes me ready for fall!
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What Will You Celebrate?

Today, the Walt Disney Company released their plans for next year's Disney Parks promotion. Themed around the question "What will you celebrate?", an emphasis is being placed on birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones. The highlight of this promotion is a free ticket on your birthday. Yes, that's right. Visit Disneyland or Walt Disney World on your birthday and receive complimentary admission.

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually like this promotion. I don't think we need another one, but this one actually makes sense, and is something people will understand. Plus, it could make a nice lead-in to the predicted 55th anniversary celebration of Disneyland. Hopefully it will turn out to be better than Year of a Million Dreams. I just hope a decision is made to do no more promotions for a while.

So, if it's your birthday, don't forget to stop by the park. Be sure to visit disneyland.com to register and get more info.
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Film Fest Saturday - Paradise

Sorry the film is one day late - had to get that railroad article out.

Anyway, here today is Paradise, a look into the nature of an automated life.



Okay, I'm off! Bye all!
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The Disneyland Railroad - A Most Valuable Asset

When Walt Disney first embarked on the design process of Disneyland, he said, "I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train." Walt had a passion for trains, and even had built a miniature model railroad in his backyard. Thus, it should not be surprising that as he laid out a dream park, a railroad ran all the way around it.

Over the years, the Disneyland Railroad has been known as an icon of the park, nearly as well known as Sleeping Beauty Castle herself. Main Street Station is the first thing that guests see as they enter Disneyland, and the last thing they see when they leave. As guests continue to explore the park, the train can be seen and heard in many of the different wonderful realms of Disneyland, making it an unforgettable sight.

What most guests don't realize, however, is that the Disneyland Railroad is one of the most valuable assets the park possesses. "How?" you ask. To explain that, let's step away from the railroad for a moment and focus on Disneyland itself.

One of the greatest things about Disneyland is the surreal escapism of the park. Due to elaborate designs and details, all of which incorporate magnificent theming, Disneyland feels like no other place in the world. While visiting the park, you truly feel as though you're somewhere else entirely. This is achieved through the "suspension of disbelief", which refers to how people perceive aesthetic works. If you find yourself engulfed in the story presented by the book or film you're following, your mind will accept the fact that what you are following is otherwise completely implausible, or even impossible.

Disneyland takes this "suspension" to another level. As stated before, the park contains elaborate designs and details to make for an incredibly immersive experience. You believe you're in another world at Disneyland because it looks and feels and sounds like another world. However, all these designs and details aren't enough to create this suspension of disbelief. In order to properly feel the effect, guests cannot be allowed to see the outside world at all while visiting the park. Doing so breaks the illusion, and all the theming in the world can't cover it up.

Fortunately, shutting out the outside world isn't terribly difficult, and can be achieved by means of a simple barrier. But what barrier would suffice that wouldn't negatively affect the theming of the park? A fence or brick wall would look bland, and might even make guests feel as though they're being imprisoned.

Luckily, instead of a fence or wall, the Disneyland Railroad does the job just fine. With the exception of a few small areas built after Disneyland opened, the railroad surrounds the entire park, and is raised on a natural berm to prevent the outside world from becoming visible. Nearby elements, such as trees or buildings, fill in the remaining gaps. Thus you have a natural barrier that hides reality, yet is not imposing at all, but rather friendly looking.

Now you know one of the most important, as well as the most subtle aspects of the Disneyland Railroad. Granted, there are others, which could even be considered equally important. The railroad reflects Walt's legacy of trains, and serves as a transportation system around the park. Even so, I'm most impressed by the fact that Walt's train that surrounded Disneyland became a most effective element in keeping the world out and keeping the magic in.

That's it for now folks, all aboard!
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A Most Magical Model Railroad

I recently promised a post on the significance of the Disneyland Railroad, but that's still in the works. In the meantime, please enjoy this link featuring one man's model railroad and the magic surrounding it.

Click here.

That's all for now!
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Film Fest Friday - Bully for Bugs

It's Friday again! Time for another short film. Today's feature is a classic Looney Tunes cartoon entitled "Bully for Bugs".



On a side note, I have heard multiple good things about my post on tunnels at Disneyland, so I'm considering writing a second note entitled "The Importance of the Disneyland Railroad". Stay tuned for that, 'kay?
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The Importance of Tunnels

One of the great things about being a Disneyland cast member is slowly understanding the little intricacies and details of Disneyland, in operation, in design, and so on. This was particularly effective on Splash Mountain, since I spent most of my time there, but at the same time I came to know more about Disneyland in general as well. Perhaps one of my greatest discoveries was the importance of tunnels to both the park and individual attractions.

This was something I first discovered on Pirates of the Caribbean actually. For quite some time I had known that the placement of the waterfalls in the attraction was a practical application, as it allowed the Imagineers to take guests below the park's railroad berm and out into a much larger show building. However, it wasn't until this summer that I realized that these drops (particularly the first one) were actually incredibly effective storytelling techniques.

Consider things in this light. Pirates of the Caribbean is located in New Orleans Square. French quarter versus Caribbean town. That's quite the juxtaposition, and in my opinion it doesn't work very well. So how did Walt Disney get away with putting pirates in New Orleans? Simple. Guests enter the attraction and begin the ride in New Orleans. Suddenly, they pass under a bridge where they discover a mysterious skull and crossbones mounted above them. After being warned that "dead men tell no tales", the guests unexpectedly plunge down a waterfall into the darkness, essentially, a sloped tunnel. After emerging, they suddenly find themselves in a dark grotto full of skeletons and treasure.

So why does this tunnel device work so well? If nothing else, tunnels are disorienting. It doesn't matter where you were before you entered the tunnel. After passing through the dark for a few seconds, you have no idea where you are, where you're headed, and where you came from doesn't really matter any more. Combine that slight confusion with the added disorientation of the drop, and, well, you could be anywhere by now. Were you in a Louisiana swamp a moment ago? Who knows? You just plunged down a waterfall in the dark, and now you're somewhere else entirely.

At this point, I realized that this tunnel concept was utilized throughout the park. Many E-ticket attractions have some sort of tunnel, including Indiana Jones Adventure (Chamber of Destiny), Space Mountain (launch tunnel), Splash Mountain (second lift), and even the Submarine Voyage (bubble curtains). Some of these attractions even utilize two "tunnels", placing one in actual attraction as well utilizing a second, minor tunnel for the line. Space Mountain uses a good portion of its line space as a tunnel of sorts, causing guests to wind around inside the mountain and making them feel as though they're descending into a space station. Indiana Jones also uses a tunnel by taking guests deep into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye before they board their transports. These tunnels are incredibly immersive and allow guests to feel more and more like they're actually in a space station or jungle temple, so that by the time they've boarded the attraction, they actually believe that they are where they are.

Finally, two of the most effective as well as the earliest tunnels can be found just beyond the park gates. As guests enter, they see before them Main Street's train station, beyond which lies the Magic Kingdom. In order to truly enter the park, they must pass through one of the two tunnels underneath the train station. These tunnels are not dark or foreboding, but rather serve as portals. A plaque mounted above each tunnel reads "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy." As guests pass through, they truly do leave behind the world of today, and quickly find themselves in Main Street U.S.A., the timeless turn-of-the-century town.

Two tunnels, dare I say portals, simple, but effective.

And now you know the importance of tunnels to Disneyland.
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