More DL Subs...

[Sarangel]

From Al Lutz's MiceAge.com:

Ah, 40 Million, it has such a familiar ring to it. That's the ballpark figure that the Submarine Voyage remodel we've been following for over a year has to come in under for the project to get a final greenlight.

Over the next six weeks a group of WDI employees will be crawling around Disneyland's Submarine lagoon and inspecting the fleet of vehicles. The current plan is to install the basic special effects show package inside one of the vehicles in late August and early September, run it through a crash course and make sure it's something that could work, and then put on a show for Michael Eisner and the other big execs by the end of September. If Mikey likes it, the greenlight will theoretically be lit with Disney's new fiscal year that starts October 1st.

The ride concept they are going for this time is a combination of some of the effects they had cooked up back in 1998 in a last ditch attempt to save the ride from Paul Pressler's plan to shut it down for good. That ambitious plan added a lot more suspense to the ride, with portholes that would crack right before your eyes and a leaky hull that would creak and groan under the pressure from an attacking squid.

Six years later, some of that technology has resurfaced for this latest attempt at bringing back the Subs, but with a much more lighthearted Finding Nemo storyline. Sharp-eyed observers will likely be able to notice some of this action going on in the lagoon over the next few weeks, and we'll be there to document what we can from the shoreline.

Wish the guys and gals on this Submarine salvage project luck, as they are in a race against time to get something together that will impress Eisner enough to open up Burbank's pocketbook. BTW it was Bruce Gordon who actually sparked the original rumor at the NFFC convention when he said to keep an eye on the Lagoon.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Were the DL subs ever based on 20k as WDW's version was ?

 

[Sarangel]

Nope. They were yellow, as I recall.

Sarangel

 

[exDS vet]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
Were the DL subs ever based on 20k as WDW's version was ?

The original Submarine Voyage was inspired by, but not based on "20,000 leagues Under The Sea." Originally the imagineers wanted to use glass-bottom boats, but Walt Disney insisted on "real" submarines. The eight vessels were built in Burbank and trucked to Disneyland. The attraction which opened in 1950 originally cost $2.5 million. It's theme was a journey through "liquid space".

 

[exDS vet]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
Were the DL subs ever based on 20k as WDW's version was ?

The original Submarine Voyage was inspired by, but not based on "20,000 leagues Under The Sea." Originally the imagineers wanted to use glass-bottom boats, but Walt Disney insisted on "real" submarines. The eight vessels were built in Burbank and trucked to Disneyland. The attraction which opened in 1950 originally cost $2.5 million. It's theme was a journey through "liquid space".

The submarines were originally painted grey. They were painted yellow for a fresher look in the 1980's.