The Caribbean Conundrum: Designing the Early Magic Kingdom (Part One)

Imagine visiting the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and riding the Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and the Western River Expedition. You read that right because today's trip will take us to the past when Walt Disney World was in its infancy and anything was possible.


EPCOT (not to be confused with the theme park of the same name), or the Florida Project as it was known at WED, was Walt's brainchild. All the lessons he learned from designing, building, and operating Disneyland had prepared him for something greater than just his flagship theme park. The lessons he learned from designing the four pavilions for the New York World's Fair had influenced the direction of not just his theme park in Southern California, but a whole new concept in urban planning.

Granted, the "Garden Cities of Tomorrow" had been conceptualized in the early-1900's, way before Walt's adventure in urban planning, but the EPCOT plans were not just for a futuristic metropolis based on free enterprise, American industry, technology, and efficiency, it was a starting point for a new brand of social engineering that Walt had been toying with since he designed Disneyland in the 1950's.

Of course, this Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (wow, that's mouthful) was going to incorporate what Walt wanted in not just his theme park, but in the cities that his grandchildren and their children would inherit.

Unfortunately, he passed away before the Florida Project could be realized in his vision and this meant that the team of Imagineers who had designed and improved his park as well as expand his brand had to start from scratch. In fact, one of the most articulated ideas for EPCOT was not just the city itself or the use of mass transportation, but the inclusion of a theme park resort on par with Disneyland. Of course, this was meant to be an improvement to what was done in California and Walt's desire to build a second theme park or at least a facility on the East Coast was a factor into the development of EPCOT.

While Walt never really expressed what he wanted in the East Coast Disneyland, he expressed that he wanted it to be special. Heeding the requests of their late boss, the Imagineers knew the park in Florida was not going to be a carbon copy of the original. They planned to recycle concepts that were too ambitious during Walt's time into new attractions and include classics.

For context, the preliminary design stage for the Floridan Magic Kingdom began in 1967 and lasted about a year-and-a-half when the plans for the park were somewhat solidified and construction really took off. Florida was to receive a number of the most popular attractions from Disneyland as well as the rides that were being designed for Disneyland at that time. This meant that the landscape and layout of the park would be similar to the one in California, but there were exceptions.

In March 1967, the Pirates of the Caribbean opened to Disneyland guests and immediately became the Park's most popular attraction. At the same time, WED was planning the Florida park and they hit a roadblock when it came to the Pirates. First of all, despite the popularity of the ride in California, the designers thought that New Orleans would've been too redundant for the landscape of the park (Walt's Liberty Street plans for Disney were revisited and expanded into Liberty Square). Second of all, the proximity to the actual Caribbean along with the pirate lore of Florida determining that the ride might not be as successful with the projected audience of locals. Third of all, it would've cost too much to replicate the ride, so another ride concept was brought to the attention of Disney management.

The Western River Expedition began its life sometime in mid-1967 when Marc Davis began designing a ride that would replace the Pirates, but incorporate similar themes and elements as that attraction on a grander scale. When plans regarding the Florida Park were elaborated in 1968, Disney publicity focused on what would be different from the original Magic Kingdom, such as those new attractions that would be either exclusive to Florida or at least refined concepts and attractions from Disneyland. So attractions like the Country Bear Jamboree (frequently referred to as Bear Band or Country Bear Band), the Hall of Presidents (an old Walt-era idea for Disneyland that spawned the Lincoln show), the Tropical Serenade (an enlarged version of the Tiki Room), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (a re-themed take on the Subs), and Space Mountain (an intergalactic Matterhorn originally planned for Disneyland's 1967 Tomorrowland expansion) were the main items Disney shed light upon. Of course, there was Thunder Mesa...

It was promoted heavily in early WDW concept art as being a vital part of Thunder Mesa, a large Southwestern mesa that would've not just contained the boat ride, but a number of other attractions. 


It was promoted on the fact that it was supposed to be the Floridian counterpart to the Pirates in California and it even went into the production stage.

Unfortunately, the guests visiting Walt Disney World had something else on their minds. Upon opening in October 1971, guests found themselves in a Magic Kingdom where they could fly with Dumbo, tour a Haunted Mansion, cruise down the rivers of the jungle, sail with the children of It's a Small World, and sing with the birds of the Tropical Serenade just like at Disneyland. However, they were understandably disappointed and upset when the infamous buccaneers hadn't made the trip back east. Another key concern was that the frequent over-crowding in November 1971 necessitated more attractions in time for the Summer 1972 season, namely people-eaters, and this meant a number of concepts and rides were under consideration.

In December 1971, Pirates was quickly greenlit on a list of projects that were set for the next year and the attraction opened two years later in December 1973. This jeopardized the fate of Thunder Mesa to an extent. After all, the Western River boat ride was designed with the intent of upstaging the Pirates in mind and even when the Pirates got reconfigured in 1972 for the East Coast, Marc Davis eliminated the elements he didn't want in the original Pirates from the Florida installation and included them in the plans for the Western River attraction.

The 1972 Annual Report. Courtesy of the Disney Company. Notice how Pirates, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder were all planned around the same time to be added to the park, despite the fact that the Pirates debuted in 1973, Space Mountain opened in 1975, and Big Thunder finally began operation in 1980.

The Big Thunder Railway was a runaway mine train roller coaster that was designed to entice guests towards Thunder Mesa and it was given the green-light in about 1973 as a stand-alone project that was worked on by a young Tony Baxter.

Big Thunder Railway, as it was called, was supposed to be built in 1974 according to the 1972 Annual Report that was published around February 1973, which is curious given the fact that the Walt Disney Story post-show had an exhibit for the Western River Expedition that would debut in April 1973. So would the Big Thunder Railway serve as a thrill ride designed to entice guests to the area? Why wasn't the Western River Expedition included as a definite addition to the park on par with Space Mountain, the Pirates, and Big Thunder? After all, the Big Thunder Railway was marketed as "the first step towards the completion of Thunder Mesa"in 1973, so was there still hope for the Western River Expedition?

Consulting a February 1973 schedule of attractions that were projected opening in both Magic Kingdoms, the Big Thunder Railway was slated to debut in November 1974 and the Western River show (the nickname for the WRE) was set to open in April 1977 alongside the Mesa Cafe and Terrace (Thunder Mesa's take on the Blue Bayou). Notice that the opening date for Pirates and Caribbean Plaza was set accurately for December 1973 and how Space Mountain was set to open in April 1974 (instead of January 1975).

Feb. 1973 Project Completion Schedule for Walt Disney World, courtesy of Disney. Look at those planned attractions. Of all the E-Tickets, the Pirates of the Caribbean came right on-time because they didn't drive to Florida, they sailed the high seas. 

Planned amenities from the February 1973 project schedule for WDW, courtesy of Disney. Look under "Food and Merchandise" and you might see "Mesa Restaurant & Shops" with an expected opening date of April 1977, which would've been the same opening date for the "Western River Show" (Western River Expedition). The Mesa Restaurant would've been the WDW equivalent of the Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. After all, notice how there wasn't a Blue Bayou added to the WDW version of the Pirates? That was curiously part of the initial plans for Thunder Mesa about six years prior.

Interestingly, this shows us not only what could've been had the oil embargo hadn't affected the United States in late-1973, but it shows us that the Pirates had not completely killed off the WRE project like commonly stated and that Thunder Mesa was a realistic project that would've happened in stages much like the plans for Tomorrowland in February 1973.

The fate of the Western River Expedition wasn't decided by the addition of the Pirates to the roster of attractions in Florida, but a roller coaster that was planned during Walt's time. You read that right, Walt Disney was alive when the second roller coaster in Disneyland history was plotted out.

After the success of the Matterhorn Bobsleds in 1959, Walt came to realize that roller coasters had a place in his park and he approached John Hench to design a new roller coaster for Disneyland. At the same time, Walt wanted to update Tomorrowland and with the lessons learned in New York, he returned with new ideas for the project. Not only would a new attraction sponsored by Monsanto would be on the list, but the Carousel of Progress would return to California and the Flight to the Moon would be modernized.

In June 1966, the roller coaster planned for New Tomorrowland was given the name "Space Mountain" and it was set to be opened in 1968 during the project's second phase.

After Walt's death in 1966 and the resources were redirected to planning the Magic Kingdom in Florida, the idea of Space Mountain appeared on the preview maps and concept art for that park. The construction would be too costly for a 1971 opening, so much like the WRE, it was scheduled for Phase II. The projected opening dates for Space Mountain were delayed several times. Even with the 1973 oil crisis, Space Mountain resumed construction and eventually premiered in January 1975.

However, let's revisit the reason why New Orleans Square was dropped in favor of Liberty Square. They both have an anchor attraction, an appropriately-themed Haunted Mansion, and a network of shops and restaurants.

Of course, New Orleans is close to Florida and a recreation of America's colonial past would do one of Walt's greatest concepts justice and then would be fitting for the patriotism of the Bicentennial, but why did Caribbean Plaza get built? After all, the Caribbean is closer to Florida than New Orleans and there isn't an ounce of New Orleans theming in the Magic Kingdom, let alone a land.

Even look at the panorama of Liberty Square to Frontierland, there aren't any distinctly Southern structures beyond the antebellum facade of the Liberty Tavern. In fact, the closest thing is the Diamond Horseshoe, which evokes the frontier heritage of a saloon in St. Louis, but even the iron-work on the balconies of Adventureland can't be attributed to the Dixieland look, but colonialist styles of architecture. Heck, the Old New Orleans scene in Tomorrowland's "If You Had Wings" (1972-1987) was actually the closest direct reference to the Big-Easy at the Magic Kingdom.

But I digress.

The point is that Caribbean Plaza was an obvious afterthought in terms of the landscape of the park. Its purpose was to house the Pirates of the Caribbean and unlike the predecessor in California, the Pirates attraction was planned before the land. It's no secret that New Orleans' representation at Disneyland had been omitted when Florida was considered and it's no secret that this was the brand of representation that gave way to the Pirates instead of building a land themed to the Caribbean aspect of the Pirates ride.

Clearly, this is another sign that design decisions made by WED had been made with the intent to make Disney World vastly different than the original.

Let's look into the plans for Fantasyland at WDW. In fact, the Submarine Voyage ride was given a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme and placed in Fantasyland instead of Tomorrowland to satisfy the requirements for what makes a Magic Kingdom magical. So in the plans, three dark rides and a theatre attraction were considered for Florida. Based on the atmospheric themes of the trinity of dark rides that were present in 1955, alternatives were considered. Ichabod Crane was going to be the counterpart to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Mary Poppins was to replace Peter Pan's Flight, and Cinderella took Snow White's Adventures' place.

This was reportedly the plan until Roy Disney urged them to change to the three rides that debuted in 1971 because he knew that Disney World guests would likely never go to Disneyland and thus they would be cheated out of seeing the rides that were a defining part of the Disney park. Then again, Rolly Crump did clarify that management wanted those three rides in the new park because of their popularity. By that logic, I'd imagine that the omission of the Pirates would seem illogical because the Pirates was a defining part of the Magic Kingdom, but there are clear-cut differences. After all, the dark rides in Fantasyland were not only relatively inexpensive compared to the Pirates ride, but they were pretty simple in their construction. The Fantasyland dark rides didn't require elaborate sets, props, Audio-Animatronics, or the massive space needed to build an attraction on the scale of the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Speaking of the most magical kingdom of them all, the Floridian Fantasyland was a step-up from the medieval circus at Disneyland. It still retained some of the medieval facades from Disneyland, but it had a taller castle and themed structures. As a matter of fact, the Skyway Chalet in Disneyland's Fantasyland was erected in 1956 and yet 1970 aerial photos shows exactly where the WDW Skyway stood. Clearly, its inclusion was destined for Florida (sadly until 1999).

Another themed area was the Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant (initially known as the Small World Village in 1970) and this area was based on the 1940 classic, "Pinocchio", and the Italian storybook village in the film. It was one of the few restaurants that operated on Opening Day, 1971. Certainly, one of the only to still serve guests, as of 2018. This wasn't the only time Pinocchio would appear at the Magic Kingdom around this time.

Some WED literature dating from 1969 to around 1972 have labeled the area between the Pinocchio Village House and the Skyway Chalet, "Pinocchio Street".

The architecture then takes on an English Tudor flavor that changes into early-American Colonial with the Columbia Harbour House and the nearby Haunted Mansion is changed from the Antebellum Manor of New Orleans Square into a Dutch Gothic Revival, based on the manors of the Hudson River Valley in New York. Of course, this means that the architecture is based on styles indigenous to certain regions in the Northeast and then it gradually transitions to Philadelphia (the Hall of Presidents), Virginia (Liberty Tree Tavern), and St. Louis (the Diamond Horseshoe).

The border of Liberty Square ends with a symbolic "crossing" of the Mississippi River stream into Frontierland. Oddly, the Frontierland Shooting Arcade is a part of Liberty Square by default and the architecture continues with the Frontierland Trading Post, Grizzly Hall, and Pecos Bill representing a frontier town with various vernacular styles.

Oddly enough, the Country Bear Jamboree is housed in Grizzly Hall, which is described in the inaugural issue of Florida's "Vacationland" magazine as a "pine-walled northwoods theater", and that description evokes the locale that Disneyland's Bear Country created, which I had talked about in my essay on the narrative of westward expansion at the original Frontierland.

West of Grizzly Hall, the facades of the town included a bar (Mile Long Bar), the town hall, a Chinese laundry, and a Southwestern hacienda of sorts (Pecos Bill).

The transition ends with the junction where the former Frontierland Depot (1972-1991) stood and this is where Thunder Mesa would've sat. Of course, there is a flume ride in that spot, but it wasn't exactly what Marc Davis thought up in the 1960's, and the adjoining runaway mine train. South of the junction is the gateway to Caribbean Plaza, the very reason why I started studying Disney theme parks to this extent and the very basis for this article series.

Here, we shall proceed on our journey in the second part of this thematic tour of the early Magic Kingdom and the landscape that could've been.


THE END...FOR RIGHT NOW

The Caribbean Conundrum: Designing the Early Magic Kingdom (Part Two)

Venturing south from the vistas of the "Thunder Mesa" complex with the frontier town that morphs back into a colonial port from the early days of the American story, we reach a gate with a sign that reads: CARIBBEAN PLAZA. Here, we have made it. Within a few hundred feet, a person can walk from the Southwest and reach the Caribbean.

It's said that Caribbean Plaza was designed in a Spanish motif, but the architecture isn't exclusively Spanish. To someone who grew up in the Southwestern United States and is familiar with the Mexican borderlands, I am amazed at how the architecture of Caribbean Plaza resembles not only Mexican hacienda architecture, but Southwestern styles and even architecture I've seen in Southern California. However, I suppose WED's 1972-1974 wording really referred to the country of origin.

There are several Caribbeans based on the country of origin. There is the Spanish Main, the British West Indies, and the other versions of the golden age of piracy and colonialism. The Pirates of the Caribbean was always oriented towards the Spanish Main and the elimination of a New Orleans themed area must have made the Caribbean the only viable option for a land appropriate to a Pirates attraction. That's my assumption, but it's an assumption that can only be truly justified by the very Imagineers who designed the Pirates of the Caribbean for Walt Disney World.

Since we really can't gain that insight, we can infer that the addition of Caribbean Plaza, which makes the transition from Frontierland to Adventureland or vice versa, seem natural and like it was meant to be there. It seems too good to be true.

After all, the Pirates of the Caribbean wasn't even meant to open with the Florida park. I previously stated that the Pirates ride was quickly green-lit in December 1971 for a December 1972 opening. Could the Imagineers realistically build a copy of the Disneyland original within a matter of a year?

Let's look at what Walt did with the first one in California. In 1962, the Pirates Wax Museum was redesigned to be a ride and in WED literature in 1963 through 1965, a lot of stock is put into the fact that a boat ride would circle around the Blue Bayou Lagoon and that it would incorporate scenes from pirate lore. The idea took many forms, but the boat ride aspect was really designed and built between 1963 and 1966. In fact, the Pirates of the Caribbean was set to open alongside New Orleans Square in 1966, but delays in construction set it back to December and Walt delayed it further. As we know, Walt passed away three months before it opened to the public in March 1967.

FUN FACT: Walt did get to ride the Pirates when it was being tested in 1966 and it was about 80 percent finished by the time he passed away.

It took two-and-a-half years to build the first one, but then again it was their first time constructing an attraction of that magnitude, so ideally it would take less time should it be rebuilt.

Unfortunately, the site of the future attraction wasn't probably decided until the Spring of 1972, but actual construction began in September 1972 and it wrapped up in December 1973.

Interestingly enough, the May 1972 edition of "Eyes and Ears" (the official newsletter for cast members at Walt Disney World) confirms that the Pirates will be seen "behind the Jungle Cruise and the Tropical Serenade" and that the guests would travel "through the Louisiana Bayou" and "past treasure chests, slave auctions, and a city on fire" (I was somewhat shocked to see "slave auctions" on that page). They estimated that the opening was set for sometime in Summer 1973.

The October 1972 edition of the newsletter hinted at a Christmas 1973 opening date and the highlights of the attraction included "leaving a tropical bazaar", circling "through eerie swamplands", before plunging "down a waterfall into pirate caverns", and it concluded with the same brand of pillaging the town. However, the locale of the "tropical bazaar" was identified as "the Caribbean Plaza" and this gives an insight into the design stage of the attraction at this period in time.

Upon finally opening on 15 December 1973, the Pirates of the Caribbean became one of the most popular attractions at Walt Disney World and as proof of the magic the Imagineers were capable of, Caribbean Plaza allegedly won an architectural design award.

So then again, let's talk about tomorrow and what could've been.

Let's talk about the Walt Disney World that could have been. Let's talk about a day at this Magic Kingdom where guests could be able to ride the four major attractions that all share this amazing history: the Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (or Railway), and of course, the Western River Expedition. Certainly, there is more to be discussed on the topic of designing the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and I intend on continuing this conversation.

THEMED ENVIRONMENTS 101 (TIME-TRAVEL & GLOBETROTTING)

Themed Environments 101 (Time-travel and Globetrotting)

Originally published on 1 Sept. 2018 on the old World Watchers site

Often, I have stated my deep desire to design a theme park with my tastes in mind. Pirates, patriots, pioneers, pilots, and other legends are of my immediate interest as well as the concept of history-based theming and how it interacts with geography-based theming. Ultimately, it boils down to my perennial desire to have lived through various eras and to have visited a multitude of places in said eras. Of course, I will acknowledge that I will never time travel back to 1967 and be able to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean on its opening day, attend the Monterey Pop and Rock Festival of that summer, and enjoy the theatrical run of my favourite film, "the Graduate". However, I could time travel back to 1967 by evoking the spirit with architecture, music, and clothing befitting to that era as well as act as though I lived thirty years before I came along. The use of these environments can be voyeuristic in nature or completely participatory, but the purpose of these themed environments is to evoke feelings, memories, and thoughts. These environments are often staples of tourist destinations such as historical museums, theme parks, and other venues.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THEMED ENVIRONMENTS

Of course, these can be changed and thus become suited to one's own need or desire. 

---Mid-century City: This is a mixed-urban/suburban/rural environment designed to the time-frame of 1950 to 1970. This allows for a Mad Men-style "LARP" or a safe haven for swingers and "retro chic role players", but this environment also allows for an urban, bohemian existence. Rules regarding segregation are based on whether the city is set in the Deep South or elsewhere and thus this breeds the enclave effect of the environment.  

---Frontier Town: This is an Old West town with mountains, buttes, deserts, and other landscaping. Usually a mining camp, a Chinatown, railroad tracks with depot, red light district, saloons, mines, jails, and other staples of frontier life can be found in this environment. Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Goldfield Ghost Town have been successful at this motif.

---Exotic Outpost: This is an exotic environment with jungles, a river, and an abundance of tropical plants and animals. The time-frame would be mainly the 1930's and 1940's where explorers like Indiana Jones would set up camp, romp around ancient ruins, and interact with the indigenous population. Africa, Latin America, the South Seas, and Asia are the sites of these exotic outposts. Marketplaces, bars, and other establishments are common for this environment. Adventureland at Disneyland and Walt Disney World as well as the Animal Kingdom park at Disney World with its Harambe Village area are perfect examples of this environment.

---Enchanted Kingdom: This is a medieval-era environment set in Europe. Castles can be designed in any style suitable to the location and time period of the kingdom. This includes outlands for the peasantry as well as the main village with its variety of artisans, farmers, and other workers. The theme is mostly based on fairy tales and the Fantasyland areas of the Disney parks as well as the ancient cities in France, England, Spain, Italy, Holland, Germany, and Eastern European.

---Astropolis: This is a futuristic, space-themed environment. Usually, the motif of the area can be retro-futuristic in that it represents a vision of the future as it was depicted in the past. For example, space travel, atoms, and other technology from the 1950's-1970's time-frame could fit a retro-futuristic environment. However, the emphasis of this environment is based on the future and the emergence of new technology. 

---Aquapolis: This is a nautical environment set at any time one desires, preferably a retro-futuristic recreation of the 20th century. This is underwater and it's based on the scientific fiction of Jules Verne, the high-tech espionage of the James Bond series, and even the legend of the underwater city of Atlantis. This is a wet environment.  

---Mythopolis: This is an environment where the Parthenon of Greco-Roman mythology dwells. Anachronisms are to be avoided, but the landscape of this environment can accompany the canon of mythology with various possible settings.

---Surf City: This is an environment suited to the culture and climate of the 1960's with dune buggies, beach parties, and other icons of that era. This is an environment where group activity is highly encouraged. This is a Southern California-Hawaiian beach themed environment set to the time-frame of 1957-1970. This is similar to Mid-Century City, but it's a surfer's paradise where you could hear the Beach Boys on the radio while enjoying the leisurely lifestyle of 1960's California.

---Route 66: Based on the obviously real stretch of road that sent travelers west from Chicago to Los Angeles, this environments is based on one of the countless roadside towns. This is perfect for car buffs, history role players, and other restless souls. This environment is a town set in the 1950's-1970's. Expect to see vagrants and other travelers. In fact, the architecture is based on the California novelty style as well as what one would expect out of a road film.

---Holy Land BC-AD: This is the Biblical environment set in the Middle East around the time of Jesus.

---Warfield: This environment is a recreation of a military installation and air base set in the 1940's. Jazz and swing bands are heard on both the radio and in the auditorium where dances are held with the local women who also work in factories. The dress code is strict, the cars and planes are both WWII-era, and the currency is basically the ration books distributed to civilians and soldiers alike.

---The Boardwalk: This is a Roaring Twenties environment with a boardwalk, a few docks, and the city itself. Alcohol will only be sold in speakeasies where jazz bands play. This is a cross between Paris, Berlin, Harlem, and other hotbeds of the 1920's. Basically the theme is Great Gatsby.

Other Environments: In the future, I will include further suggestions that I feel are suitable for this list. However, the suggestions I have listed are on my personal favourite list and are unique. Enjoy.

ALICE IN SWITZERLAND?

Originally published on 24 Sept. 2018 on the old World Watchers site.

If you have ever been to Disneyland, then you might have seen the mighty slopes of the majestic Matterhorn and the infamous bobsleds bobbing in and out of the mountain. Approaching the Matterhorn from the Hub, guests are given two paths that circle the mountain. The right-hand path borders the backside of the northern Tomorrowland complex and offers a panorama of a slick highway skirting by an alpine mountain with a lagoon, fleet of submarines, and of course the rest of Tomorrowland itself. Wandering this path at night is way different than during the daytime because the neon adds to the thrill and sense of adventure to the atmosphere. The left-hand path is quicker and it passes through an area where the whimsical world of Fantasyland meets the Matterhorn. To the west of the Matterhorn queuing area is the "Wonderland" section with the Alice in Wonderland dark ride and the Mad Tea Cups ride and this is where the fictitious world of an English children's book stands in stark contrast to an imposing Swiss mountain.

Why is it that an attraction based on an English story situated next to an alpine-themed roller coaster when an attraction based on a story set in the German-Italian-Swiss-Austrian realm would better blend into the area? Well, it goes without saying that the same Imagineers who were tasked with designing the Alice in Wonderland attraction were also working on Walt's idea of a toboggan ride. The first attraction based on Alice in Wonderland was an opening day staple in the center of Fantasyland in 1955 and it was based on the Mad Hatter's "Mad Tea Cups". Initially, Imagineers planned out two walk-through attractions based on animated Disney features: Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland. However, monetary and time constraints had stalled the possibility of these two attractions opening in 1955. Around late 1957, construction began on the northeast corner of the Mr. Toad-Peter Pan show building and on 14 June 1958, Alice in Wonderland debuted to the public with Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Rabbits, and Walt in attendance. Around this time, the area directly to the east of the ride was just a hill where one of the central pylons for the Skyway ride sat and this area became known as a "lover's lane" since 1955. Walt wanted to build his toboggan ride on the site of this hill and on a business trip to Switzerland, Walt was awestruck by the Matterhorn. It was decided that Disneyland would receive its own Matterhorn and construction began in 1958. Alongside the Monorail and the Submarine Voyage, the Matterhorn opened up to the public on 14 June 1959, exactly one year after Alice opened to the public.

This doesn't really answer the question as to why Disney decided to put Alice in that corner of Fantasyland when she could've taken up a possible residency in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (later known as the Fantasyland Theatre). If Disney wanted to incorporate an alpine motif on the east side of Fantasyland, then the placement of an Alice in Wonderland dark ride would be out of place, especially with its funky facade, in that area. Granted, the 1955 facades of Fantasyland were hastily built in the style of a medieval fairground without reference to the locations of the attractions inside. For example, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was not designed in the vein of Toad Hall until the 1983 refurbishment had elaborated on the setting of the attraction and gave the ride its Tudor facade. However, 1956's addition of the Sky-Way ride had contributed the storybook chalet to the area and this started the alpine motif of Fantasyland. Of course, one must look into what attractions occupied the eastern show building and the settings of those attractions. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Peter Pan's Flight are both set in England and of course the third attraction added onto that complex was also based in English literature. Would it break the English "streak" if the third attraction had been based on Pinocchio instead of Alice in Wonderland? Yes, but it would have also been less confusing to those who obsessed over themed environments.

However, I'd argue that the placement of Alice in Wonderland around the area designated for a "toboggan ride" could've been done for two distinct reasons. The first reason was that the area on the west side of the Land was already too occupied and thus the placement of a new attraction would require the destruction of the Mickey Mouse Club Theatre. The second reason relies on the juxtaposition of a mountain based on a real setting and a fantastic world that could never really exist. Either reason leads us to the conclusion that Disney is adept at developing a world of mystery and yet a world based in what they do best---magic that makes sense.

After all, the staging of a New Orleans area on the southern bend of the Rivers of America includes the Pirates of the Caribbean, obviously connecting real-life places with magical realms.

At any rate, it's no surprise that after thorough investigation that Disney has a unique way of tapping into the public consciousness as well as extending that public perception into understanding the world as presented by the Disney Company*.



*This is no criticism intended to bar myself from ever visiting another Disney park, but a simple analysis of Disney's effective way of influencing our perception of both the real world and the fantasy world.

THEMED ENVIRONMENTS 101 (TIME-TRAVELING AND GLOBETROTTING)

Originally published on 1 Sept. 2018 on the old World Watchers blog.

Often, I have stated my deep desire to design a theme park with my tastes in mind. Pirates, patriots, pioneers, pilots, and other legends are of my immediate interest as well as the concept of history-based theming and how it interacts with geography-based theming. Ultimately, it boils down to my perennial desire to have lived through various eras and to have visited a multitude of places in said eras. Of course, I will acknowledge that I will never time travel back to 1967 and be able to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean on its opening day, attend the Monterey Pop and Rock Festival of that summer, and enjoy the theatrical run of my favourite film, "the Graduate". However, I could time travel back to 1967 by evoking the spirit with architecture, music, and clothing befitting to that era as well as act as though I lived thirty years before I came along. The use of these environments can be voyeuristic in nature or completely participatory, but the purpose of these themed environments is to evoke feelings, memories, and thoughts. These environments are often staples of tourist destinations such as historical museums, theme parks, and other venues.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THEMED ENVIRONMENTS

Of course, these can be changed and thus become suited to one's own need or desire. 

---Mid-century City: This is a mixed-urban/suburban/rural environment designed to the time-frame of 1950 to 1970. This allows for a Mad Men-style "LARP" or a safe haven for swingers and "retro chic role players", but this environment also allows for an urban, bohemian existence. Rules regarding segregation are based on whether the city is set in the Deep South or elsewhere and thus this breeds the enclave effect of the environment.  

---Frontier Town: This is an Old West town with mountains, buttes, deserts, and other landscaping. Usually a mining camp, a Chinatown, railroad tracks with depot, red light district, saloons, mines, jails, and other staples of frontier life can be found in this environment. Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Goldfield Ghost Town have been successful at this motif.

---Exotic Outpost: This is an exotic environment with jungles, a river, and an abundance of tropical plants and animals. The time-frame would be mainly the 1930's and 1940's where explorers like Indiana Jones would set up camp, romp around ancient ruins, and interact with the indigenous population. Africa, Latin America, the South Seas, and Asia are the sites of these exotic outposts. Marketplaces, bars, and other establishments are common for this environment. Adventureland at Disneyland and Walt Disney World as well as the Animal Kingdom park at Disney World with its Harambe Village area are perfect examples of this environment.

---Enchanted Kingdom: This is a medieval-era environment set in Europe. Castles can be designed in any style suitable to the location and time period of the kingdom. This includes outlands for the peasantry as well as the main village with its variety of artisans, farmers, and other workers. The theme is mostly based on fairy tales and the Fantasyland areas of the Disney parks as well as the ancient cities in France, England, Spain, Italy, Holland, Germany, and Eastern European.

---Astropolis: This is a futuristic, space-themed environment. Usually, the motif of the area can be retro-futuristic in that it represents a vision of the future as it was depicted in the past. For example, space travel, atoms, and other technology from the 1950's-1970's time-frame could fit a retro-futuristic environment. However, the emphasis of this environment is based on the future and the emergence of new technology. 

---Aquapolis: This is a nautical environment set at any time one desires, preferably a retro-futuristic recreation of the 20th century. This is underwater and it's based on the scientific fiction of Jules Verne, the high-tech espionage of the James Bond series, and even the legend of the underwater city of Atlantis. This is a wet environment.  

---Mythopolis: This is an environment where the Parthenon of Greco-Roman mythology dwells. Anachronisms are to be avoided, but the landscape of this environment can accompany the canon of mythology with various possible settings.

---Surf City: This is an environment suited to the culture and climate of the 1960's with dune buggies, beach parties, and other icons of that era. This is an environment where group activity is highly encouraged. This is a Southern California-Hawaiian beach themed environment set to the time-frame of 1957-1970. This is similar to Mid-Century City, but it's a surfer's paradise where you could hear the Beach Boys on the radio while enjoying the leisurely lifestyle of 1960's California.

---Route 66: Based on the obviously real stretch of road that sent travelers west from Chicago to Los Angeles, this environments is based on one of the countless roadside towns. This is perfect for car buffs, history role players, and other restless souls. This environment is a town set in the 1950's-1970's. Expect to see vagrants and other travelers. In fact, the architecture is based on the California novelty style as well as what one would expect out of a road film.

---Holy Land BC-AD: This is the Biblical environment set in the Middle East around the time of Jesus.

---Warfield: This environment is a recreation of a military installation and air base set in the 1940's. Jazz and swing bands are heard on both the radio and in the auditorium where dances are held with the local women who also work in factories. The dress code is strict, the cars and planes are both WWII-era, and the currency is basically the ration books distributed to civilians and soldiers alike.

---The Boardwalk: This is a Roaring Twenties environment with a boardwalk, a few docks, and the city itself. Alcohol will only be sold in speakeasies where jazz bands play. This is a cross between Paris, Berlin, Harlem, and other hotbeds of the 1920's. Basically the theme is Great Gatsby.

Other Environments: In the future, I will include further suggestions that I feel are suitable for this list. However, the suggestions I have listed are on my personal favourite list and are unique. Enjoy.

On Queue: The Top 22 Queues in the American Disney Parks

I have spent hours upon hours standing in countless lines at theme parks, especially at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts, where I have been surrounded by a multitude of details engineered by the geniuses at WED or Walt Disney Imagineering. I have judged these queues on a variety of factors, including thematic design, architectural layout, crowd control, scenic detailing/interior design, and of course, the queue's relationship to the narrative/nature of the attraction (the immersion factor).



1. The Pirates of the Caribbean (Walt Disney World, 1973)

This is arguably the most immersive queue for a Disney attraction. In fact, it was the first immersion queue ever designed by WED. Of course, there were several queues that were sprinkled with details before the Pirates opened in Florida. The Haunted Mansion at both parks were opened before the Pirates was even planned. However, the Imagineers designed the queue for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction as the first immersion-based queue. Certainly, the architectural design and visual motifs of Caribbean Plaza set up the narrative for the attraction, but the queue bridges the outside world with the attraction inside in a way that builds off of the exterior and employs the perceived location as something real and a part of the narrative of the attraction itself. For example, Castillo del Morro (the official name of the fortress guests enter) was designed in a Spanish motif as well as the rest of the Caribbean Plaza complex, according to official Disney publications at the time, and guests are convinced that they are in a Caribbean village square about to enter a colonial fortress under attack.

The interior of the Castillo is brilliant because it is a part of the attraction since the guests entering the queue become actors in the narrative of the attraction and it builds on the sounds of cannons outside (the cannon effect hasn't been really used since 2006). However, there are two queues you were able to choose from. The left side is nicknamed the Soldier's side due to the hospitable nature of the rooms: the dining room with a quaint fireplace, the arsenal with cannonballs stowed neatly, and the courtyard with the stairs climbing up into a darkened alcove and a trickling fountain. That stuccoed chamber is calm, serene, and quiet, save for the sound of a Spanish guitar playing, presumably from an unseen position upstairs. This adds to the mood and atmosphere of this side of the Castillo, but upon turning right and descending the ramp into the loading area, the mood of escape and fear begins and the feelings of safety are left at the dock as guests spot a lone galleon in the bay "outside" of the fortress. The right side is more based on fear where back in the older days, the sounds of pirates singing and soldiers assembling would echo through the dank corridors. The right side was the Pirate's side and the "subterranean" dungeon is occupied by two imprisoned pirates engaged in a game of chess. Actually, this is a gag designed by Marc Davis later on in 1977 and the humor contradicts the more serious undertones of the scene while still keeping the atmosphere consistent through the queue. Also, the Spanish guitar music appears in this scene as well, presumably played by another hidden figure. Guests pass a cannon nest overlooking the loading area and they reach the docks while a nearby cave is lit by lanterns and the sounds of pirates digging for buried treasure is heard. The threatening galleon (mentioned previously) is closer to the guests and this tops off the queue's atmosphere of fear.

Of course, I have to admit that the psychology of this architecture has been documented by other writers and to a greater extent. However, that does not discredit my observations and my impressions of the queue. Overall, I can see myself wandering that queue for hours and not feeling bored. Though, I may have to leave for a bathroom break and a bottle of Coke. Other than that, there are several parts of that queue that go beyond the expectations of a typical immersion queue. In fact, I'd argue that even with the changes and alterations that have crippled the narrative and nature of the overall attraction, the queue itself is the best work Disney has ever done and it has been a hallmark of Imagineering since 1973.



2. The Haunted Mansion (Disneyland, 1969)

Of course, I believe that the original Haunted Mansion is one of the best attractions in Disney history. It has been a classic since its opening in August 1969, but the actual Mansion has stood immaculately in place since 1962. In fact, the mystique of the Mansion had spurred rumors of people dying and even being the residence of Walt Disney himself. Needless to say, he didn't live in the Mansion, but the queue of the Mansion was mostly built during his lifetime. While the actual show building was under construction in 1968, the Mansion allegedly had the two major elevators installed in the facade as early as 1962 and a 1962/3 elevation plan included the foyer and its interior. The rest of the queue is considered part of the attraction, largely due to the fact that the Haunted Mansion originated as a walk-thru attraction.



3. Expedition Everest (Walt Disney World, 2006)

On par with the Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World, the queue for Expedition Everest was always an immersion queue amplified by minuscule references to the real-life location represented by the architecture. As much as the name establishes our expedition as being located in the Himalayas, the design of the queue brings home the fact with the Oriental eaves, use of metal sheets, waterwheels, earth-borne masonry, and faded color schemes that transport guests to a Nepalese base camp.

In fact, Serka Zong is the fictitious village at the foothills of the Himalayas where we begin our journey. The queue comprises of a fictional travel agency that thrives off the mountain's legend, a nearby temple dedicated to the mysterious Yeti, a tea garden (based on the history of also being a tea plantation at one point), a room full of the gear necessary to make the trip, a museum also dedicated to the Yeti, and the loading station where guests embark on plantation trains bound to find out the truth of this Yeti.

My love of the queue is mostly based on the high attention to detail with regards to not only the architecture, but the props used in the sets in the queue. However, they are not exactly props because most things displayed in Serka Zong were actually compiled from Imagineer trips to Nepal, India, and even Tibet (China).


4. Tower of Terror (Walt Disney World, 1994)

The Hollywood Tower Hotel was based on the hotels sprouting up in Los Angeles during the 1920's and 1930's. However, the queue of this haunted hotel with an equally haunted elevator is, well, haunted. The gardens and patios of the ride are unkempt and frozen in a spirit of a lost past. The Hotel invites guests through its labyrinth of a garden and patio into the lobby before continuing on their little tour of one of Hollywood's lost relics.

To augment the haunted vibe of the place, the fleeting sounds of a jazz band can be heard at times along the queue, no different than the Spanish guitar in the Pirates. This contributes to the eerie feeling guests have by the time they get to seeing Rod Serling on the television inside.

Oddly, television does not exactly fit the 1930's atmosphere of the Hotel. In a way, television has a unique place in Hollywood's history at this point because the year the ride is set in is 1939 and 1939 was a monumental year for the television. On 30 April 1939, the first television broadcast came from the New York's World Fair (yes, there was a New York World's Fair before the 1960's).

At any rate, the Tower of Terror is a gem and the queue really prepares guests for the attraction.



5. Jungle Cruise (Disneyland, 1955)

Since 1955, the Jungle Cruise has been a staple of the Disney park landscape. With almost every new Magic Kingdom-style park opening, there has been a Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise queue at Disneyland sets up the scene perfectly. Despite the queue being altered twice, the pretense was always the same: it was a narrated adventure down these exotic rivers. The Jungle Cruise boathouse that invited Disneyland guests to embark on the journey back in 1955 was removed in 1961 and was replaced with a Tiki-style boathouse that would be replaced once again with the 1994 boathouse we see today.

The boathouse that opened in 1994 coincided with the construction of the Indiana Jones queue next door and was designed to resemble the setting of the newest ride in Adventureland. The boathouse offered an upstairs extended queue with various rooms, such as an infirmary, an office for the skippers, and other quarters. As a kid, I thought this queue was the coolest at Disneyland for a time because of the exotic theming and the time period it clearly conveyed.


6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (Disneyland, 1995)

The Indiana Jones attraction opened a couple of years before I was born, but luckily my parents went on the ride when it debuted in 1995 and it was a family favorite. So when I was about eight and my parents took me to Disneyland after two years of not going due to circumstances beyond my control, I was finally "big" enough to brave the Temple of the Forbidden Eye and it was the funnest ride I had went on at the time. It was marvelous, but the pre-show was what really got me in the spirit of adventure and exploring.

The queue is in-between the dock for the Jungle Cruise and the entrance for both the Tarzan Tree House (at the time of opening, it was still the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House) and the Pirates of the Caribbean. The area is themed to archaeologist Indiana Jones' base camp set in the Indian River Delta of the 1930's and this is where the story starts. The narrative of the attraction is that the guests are seeking the treasures of this ancient temple in the jungles of India and they enter the queue, following Indiana's clever lead on the riches buried within. They follow the path Indy cleared and they reach the loading area to embark on their "most wonderous expedition." Before being able to reach the loading area, they get the opportunity to see the set-up of a temple being investigated as well as the press coverage of the event (the finding of the Temple) and are given safety reminders for their trip into the chambers beyond.

The brilliance of this queue lies with what it accomplished in a matter of a few hundred feet. It sets up the story and immerses guests in the labyrinth of the Temple. The queue is somewhat of a step up in terms of detail and immersion than, per se, the Castillo of the Pirates in Florida.


7. Haunted Mansion (Walt Disney World, 1971)

Much like the original Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World also has an interesting queue. I felt that the queue guests were used to from 1971-2011 was the best because it didn't rely on interactive displays and gadgetry. It relied on suspense pure and simple, but it was better for an attraction that is supposed to be haunted. However, the foyer is understandably larger given the fact that the foyer for this version of the attraction was designed and built around 1969 when the Disneyland version opened with a seven-year-old foyer. In fact, I distinctly remember turning around when I first entered the foyer at WDW and spotting a green EXIT sign glowing and if you know me, I could've told you that the Mansion in California didn't have a green exit sign over the front doors and it certainly wouldn't glow in the gloomy darkness. That's something I should address in a future comparison of the Magic Kingdoms at both American Disney resorts.

At any rate, the fireplace and portrait effect was the highlight of the queue as the guests filter into one of the two "stretching" chambers (keep in mind that the Stretching Rooms in Florida do not lower to a basement, but instead the ceiling rises) before getting jammed in the loading area. Certainly, crowd control in the loading area wasn't a strong suit for the Mansion here in Florida.


8. Jungle Cruise (Walt Disney World, 1971)

The Jungle Cruise that has highlighted a visit to Walt Disney World's Adventureland since October 1971 is arguably a step-up from the ride Disneyland guests knew in 1955. For beginners, it was designed after Disneyland's version got its comedy-laced refurbishment in 1962 and was to include not only the scenes that were added to Disneyland, but new scenes. Another improvement was the queue. While Disneyland's Jungle Cruise had a two-story boathouse from 1955 until 1961, the Magic Kingdom's two-story boathouse that has been there since 1970 and has only grew with refurbishments in early 1973 and the early 1990's.


9. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Walt Disney World, 1980)

The WDW version of Big Thunder Mountain is superb with its Monument Valley rockwork and its location on the edge of the Rivers of America, but its line is quirky. The queue is set in a mining depot for trains and the equipment found throughout the queue gives guests a story about the ride they are about to take, but the fact that it's primarily indoors is a step above Disneyland's version.


10. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland, 1979)

The greatest part of Disneyland's Big Thunder queue is based on a previous attraction. So in 1956, the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train ride opened at Disneyland and it included a miniature Old West town by the name of Rainbow Ridge. When the Mine Train closed down in 1977 to make room for Big Thunder, the Imagineers didn't want to destroy the remnants of the attraction, so they repurposed Rainbow Ridge as the gold-mining town built on Big Thunder Mountain's wealth and that improves the line because it gives guests not only something to look at while they're waiting, but it adds to the story of the attraction as well as preserving a vital part of Disney history. Also, the Imagineers went on a shopping spree across the Southwestern United States, buying old mining equipment from local auctions, and the theming of the line shows a certain degree of effort.


11. Peter Pan's Flight (Walt Disney World, 1971)

While the original queue for Peter Pan at WDW had been a primitive set of switchbacks like the other Fantasyland dark rides of the time, the 2014 refurbishment included the addition of an extended queue, which included a tour of the Darling residence, notably the infamous nursery where Peter Pan invites Wendy and her brothers to Neverland. My sense of nostalgia really clicked when I walked through this queue in 2017. It was something I really liked Disney doing. However, the closure of the restrooms to build this queue was no major loss, save for the fact that the nearest restrooms replaced the infamous Skyway Chalet that stood there. Other than that, I found myself admiring the nursery area the most, despite my understandable reluctance to embrace interactive technology in theme park queues.


12. The Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland, 1967)

Compared to its East Coast counterpart, the original Pirates of the Caribbean opened with a fairly junior queue, but it's still one of my favorites. Ever since I began sailing with the tide in the late-1990's, I had a love-hate relationship with the Pirates, but that's a dead man's tale for a different day, I suppose.

So the reason why I listed this queue at number twelve was due to the exotic nature of the ride. Instead of Florida's Caribbean fortress, you enter a New Orleans manor house and within a few dozen feet, you end up on the wooden dock of Laffitte's Landing on the Blue Bayou. It's the theming that makes it special, but on a historical note, it's important because this was the last attraction Walt Disney worked on and the queue was originally designed and built while he was still alive. He actually ate at the Blue Bayou the day New Orleans Square opened to the public and he spent the last year of his life on two major projects: EPCOT in Florida and finishing up the Pirates ride. Unfortunately, he died three months before it was unveiled to the public in March 1967, but he still rode the flume at least once and had the attraction mostly finished by the time he passed away (like over eighty-five percent of the 1967 ride was finished by November 1966).


13. Tropical Serenade (Walt Disney World, 1971)

The waiting area for the Tropical Serenade (now known as the Enchanted Tiki Room of WDW) is actually slightly better than the one in California. There may not be that 1960's Tiki bar vibe like the original, but the show and the holding area are both truly exotic. The holding area may be three lines wrapping around a rock garden and a Balinese pagoda, but the show before the show keeps guests entertained and really transitions well into what is going on in that longhouse.


14. Enchanted Tiki Room (Disneyland, 1963)

The original Enchanted Tiki Room was one of Walt's greatest investments for Disneyland and even if the holding area is not an entertaining as the one in Florida, it bears the image that the very notion of Tiki conjures up. Granted, this area is not exactly accommodating to large crowds, but the size of the area is comparable to the waiting areas for most Tiki bars. After all, it was supposed to be a Polynesian restaurant and Disney didn't have enough room to build an elaborate theatre and holding area in that location. However, they really capitalized on the Tiki and the holding area is actually well themed in terms of what a Tiki bar or attraction should look like with the lava rock benches, Tiki idols, and the juice stand built of bamboo.


15. Splash Mountain (Disneyland, 1989)

The line for Splash Mountain is always long, even at night when the air gets cold at times, but the designers of this popular attraction knew it would be a hit, so they knew to build a long and immersive line.

Beginning in the rustic, wooded barn, guests wander past the homespun aesthetic of the queue as they really dive into the caves of the Mountain, eventually reaching the inviting loading dock where guests proceed onto the Laughing Place.


16. Space Mountain (Walt Disney World, 1975)

Even though Space Mountain was originally planned for Disneyland's 1967 Tomorrowland, it took eight years until guests were able to ride through space when Space Mountain became the Magic Kingdom's first major thrill ride (roller coaster) in January 1975. The original Space Mountain was initially sponsored by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and their sponsorship included a catchy-big band tune, "Here's to the Future," that played in various sections of the queue and the post-show. The post-show area, which was an exit ramp, dragged guests past scenes of what the future would hold for guests. Mind you, this queue was designed sometime in the early-1970's, so their view of the future was color televisions, intercoms, and other gadgetry that spawned out of a James Bond film.

The coolest thing about this queue was the way guests were able to see into "space" via these portals WED designed with stars, spaceships zooming by, and you guessed it, RCA satellites floating. The theremin instrumentation always makes me shed a tear. I suppose it's a cosmic, aural reminder of how precious life is in the grand scheme of things.


17. Country Bear Jamboree (Disneyland, 1972)

The second incarnation of the Bear Band show was brought back to California, but this time saw it materialize in its own land at Disneyland in California. Surprisingly, this area was planned before Walt Disney World even opened. In 1972, Bear Country opened and along came the anchor attraction with twin theaters to handle the expected capacity. This also meant a queue was needed to hold the crowds and the cutest queue ever was built at Disneyland. The queue was a hallway with various doors shaped like their bruin occupants and there is a photo of me standing in front of one. I faintly remember it, so it counts on a sentimental scale as the attraction closed in 2001 and was re-opened as the Winnie the Pooh dark ride.


18. Country Bear Jamboree (Walt Disney World, 1971)

The genius of WED when designing Walt Disney World between 1967-1971 had planted the only E-ticket show in Frontierland towards the Hub in terms of its placement. You might be asking why I thought it was a genius move and I'll explain.

Since Thunder Mesa and the Western River Expedition were slated to appear on the northwest parcel of Frontierland, the only logical placement of the Bear Band show was towards the transition between Liberty Square and Frontierland and this is logical because this served as a taste for the type of musical comedy that Marc Davis was working on for the Western River Expedition. However, the main focus of this article should say on why the queue was excellent. After all, the holding areas for the theater shows of 1971 Walt Disney World seemed fairly bland compared to future attractions, but the Country Bear Jamboree, housed in the northwood-paneled Grizzly Hall, was a small holding space that vastly underestimated the sheer popularity of the show, but its quaint placement in an unassuming location and the simplicity of that queue had really more of an impact upon the idea that a tight space would be seen as more cozy and it really drove home the "homespun" atmosphere of Grizzly Hall.


19. O'Canada (Walt Disney World, 1982)

The Canada Pavilion at Epcot is a wonderland of scenery. What it lacks in a solid "E-ticket" attraction, it makes up in an equally exhilarating queue experience. The walk down to the holding area of the O'Canada presentation was fairly scenic. It certainly evoked a trek through the Canadian wilderness with the gorgeous rock-work and the mist generated by the gushing waterfalls. Upon reaching the holding area, the scene is just perfect for a photo op. I recommend doing this during an overcast or cloudy day. Perhaps, you'll leave the theatre in the middle of a rainstorm like I recently did in June 2017 and be greeted with a sense of being tucked away in a Canadian cavern on a rainy day, only to realize that I'm in Florida in the Southeastern United States.


20. Great Movie Ride (Walt Disney World, 1989)

The Great Movie Ride was the very reason why Disney built an entire theme park about Hollywood, but that'll be a rant for a different time. So the queue of the ride has to be classic Hollywood. What enduring symbol of the film industry and the century that Hollywood dominated would be acceptable? Certainly, a movie theatre is emblematic of Hollywood's main product---film. However, there is a certain movie house in Hollywood that serves as a landmark of the industry and popular tourist trap that the whole metropolis Los Angeles is known as. Of course, I'm talking about Graumann's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. It's a lovely movie palace in real life. I've been there a few times, but I've visited the replica in the swamps of Florida several times. I like the Great Movie Ride and I made it a point to ride it every time I visited Walt Disney World. However, it closed down in 2017 and I was lucky enough to make one last trip through the Hills of Hollywood.

So the queue was certainly like the Movieland Wax Museum in California because it was stocked with the props and memorabilia of Hollywood's past. I really liked the attention to detail in the queue and later the ride itself. 


21. Grizzly River Rapids (Disneyland, 2001)

Ah, the Grizzly River Rapids at Disney's California Adventure. Such a wonderful and, dare I say, wet ride. The queue is the greatest part of the ride should you decline a certainly slippery rafting adventure. The queue is themed after the Eureka Rafting Company's base camp along the river and the Northern California setting is presumably a National Park of sorts and the rustic scenery and decor reminds me of a cross between the old Bear Country (now known as Critter Country) and the Jungle Cruise at nearby Disneyland.


22. Kilimanjaro Safari (Walt Disney World, 1998)

One of the flagship attractions of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World is the Kilimanjaro Safari, which is themed as a real-life safari through an African animal reserve. Set in Harambe Village (also known as the African section of the park), the queue for Kilimanjaro Safari is authentically-reproduced, but the queue lacks the detail that I feel the other queues have built their narratives upon. I felt it was adventurous, but it was certainly not the best adventure-based immersion queue I've ever seen.

Tiki Culture and American History

The word “Tiki” conjures up imagery of tropical locales with white beaches, colorful beverages, outrigger canoes lounging on the shore, and the mystique of the South Seas. For Americans in the 1950’s and 1960’s, this meant an escape from the anxieties of the Cold War as well as an embrace of a foreign culture. Tiki culture and the Hawaiian chic of the mid-20th century is still a part of the cultural fabric of the United States as well as American contemporary history.


While the origins of “Tiki” culture can be found as early as the 1930’s, it is commonly associated with the 1950’s and early 1960’s, which was arguably its heyday. In the early 1930’s, the first “Polynesian” restaurant in the United States was opened in Hollywood. Named after Don the Beachcomber, the precursor to the modern Tiki bar spawned a chain of restaurants across the United States. The idea behind the restaurant was simple. To capitalize off of Hollywood’s budding interest in portraying locales that were deemed exotic, the restaurant would employ visual motifs to evoke a mood.

This advertisement for Don the Beachcomber's Bar both evokes scenery of a tropical paradise as well as entices visitors to partake in the libations and company offered at the lounge.

This proved to be popular enough that the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco introduced Polynesian culture. However, the advent of the Second World War, which had seen the deployment of thousands of men overseas, had also paved the way for the Polynesian craze by including the South Pacific as an ideal destination for vacations once the war was over and the economy improved.


By the late 1950’s, intercontinental jet travel became feasible for many Americans, including the families of servicemen who had been stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. In August 1959, Hawaii was admitted into the Union and became a part of the United States after being a territory since the 1890’s. This only made the allure of the Pacific more accessible to middle-class Americans who could visit a place that is considered exotic and yet American. For those who could not afford plane tickets to Hawaii, Tiki bars and restaurants offered them the experience for a fraction of the price. Such a concept was so in vogue that it became a fixture of cities and towns across the United States and even in foreign countries within a few years.

Scottsdale, Arizona, location of the Trader's Vic (circa 1950's)

"Pago Pago" has entertained Tucson residents since 1947. 

 

Even in the United Kingdom, tiki bars became popular in the 1950's and 1960's. Here is a tiki lounge and bar in England.

A cocktail menu for an old tiki bar in Scotland, UK.

Much like Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber, the tropical atmosphere of the Pacific was evoked in various locations with the trend of backyard luaus that hit the suburbs in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Even the entertainment industry capitalized on the Tiki craze with television shows and films depicting castaways, such as Gilligan’s Island, as well as beach-themed films. Elvis Presley had a string of Hawaiian-tinged hits and films that were popular in the early 1960’s. In fact, popular paperbacks often employed Hawaii as a suitable location for their stories.

Courtesy of the Bishop Museum exhibit, "Hawaii in Popular Imagination". I've always loved books, so this was a great thing to include and besides, I obviously liked the cover for "Too Hot for Hawaii".

Still a part of the Bishop Museum exhibit, but this shot includes a book I really enjoyed. I've been a fan of the Executioner book series since I was about 11 or 12, so it had to be included in this.

An entire musical genre of “exotic” sounds became popular around 1957 when Hawaiian bandleader Martin Denny recorded “Quiet Village” and other albums. Other musicians such as Arthur Lyman had also recorded “exotica” albums, often at the Kaiser Dome at the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki. In fact, the Hilton Hawaiian Village has a wall display of the hotel’s history as well as the musicians who have performed over the years.

The album that gave the genre its name. It was recorded at a Waikiki recording studio in December 1956 (not at the Henry J. Kaiser Dome at the Hawaiian Village as commonly thought) and released the following year. 

The roster of performers who have played at the (now-Hilton) Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki included artists such as Martin Denny (whose seminal interpretation of Les Baxter's "Quiet Village" had unleashed a new genre of music) and Arthur Lyman. This display can only be found at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki, Honolulu.

Walt Disney included a Polynesian motif in Adventureland when he opened Disneyland in 1955. He took the public interest in Polynesian culture a step further with the opening of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland in June 1963, sponsored by United Airlines, which conveniently advertised their flights to the South Seas with this groundbreaking (and earth-shaking for those who are familiar with the finale) attraction.

1963 postcard of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland.

The Disney Company expanded upon the Tiki craze when the Tropical Serenade and the Polynesian Village Resort were both opened at Walt Disney World in October 1971.

1970 postcard anticipating not only the opening of the Walt Disney World resort, but the various amenities offered by the "Vacation Kingdom" such as the themed hotel-resorts.

Pure 1970's goodness at the Polynesian Village.  

However, the Polynesian craze started to fade by the end of the 1960’s with the increasing involvement of the US armed forces in the Vietnam War.   The televising of the horrors in that war diminished interest in the Pacific region, especially with an “exotic” locale such as Vietnam becoming a warzone. Another reason for the decrease in popularity of Tiki culture was that the increasing sensitivity to the plight of indigenous groups, which made the romanticism of Tiki culture seem insensitive. After all, Native American activism, which included the “Hawaiian Renaissance” of the 1970’s, was amplified by this time with the occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969 along with other incidents involving the fight for equality for Native groups.   In Hawaii, there are groups that believe Hawaii should be granted independence from the United States and believe they were forced to allow occupation and annexation by the United States against their will.  This rising sentiment does detract from the romanticism of the perception of Hawaii and its culture.


Being involved with Tiki culture, even at an amateur participatory level, is still often criticized as being insensitive to the very real plight of an entire group of people. There is no doubt that there was a certain level of ignorance regarding racial or cultural stereotypes in the past, especially regarding marginalized groups. However, Tiki culture as being practiced with nuance and an acknowledgement of the history behind it has led me to understand the differences between authentic Polynesian cultures and the romanticized perceptions of the past. With that being stated, it was only through two major trips to Polynesia that I gained an understanding of these nuances.


In the end, Tiki culture is very much a part of the cultural, if not social, fabric of contemporary American history and continues to exist even in the mid 2010’s.   The pinnacle of popularity of Tiki culture occurred in the post-World War II era, mostly during the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Because so many World War II veterans experienced Polynesia during the war, it became more familiar to Americans.  In addition, jet travel made traveling to Polynesia much more attainable.  Once Hawaii became a state, Polynesia could be experienced while still being in the United States, which made it both an exotic escape and a domestic experience.  For those who were unable to travel to Polynesia, a taste of the Pacific could be found in theme parks, restaurants, bars, and parties at home on the mainland.
 

With special thanks to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, with their displays on Polynesian culture as well as the “Unreal: Hawaii in Popular Imagination” exhibit that debuted in July 2018.