Random Thread & the *insert topic here*

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

Splash Mountain opened July 17, 1992, and the Official Dedication was held October 2, 1992.

More than 65 Audio-Animatronics fill the attraction, which also has one of the largest animated props in the finale. The Showboat is 36 feet wide and 22 feet high, and rocks back and forth as a cast of 12 audio-animatronics sing and dance to "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."

To bring the classic Disney story "Song of the South" to life, Walt Disney Imagineers created a magnificent mountain chock-full of backwoods swamps, bayous and waterfalls.

The concrete flume course is more than 2,600 feet long, or about 1/2 a mile.

Splash Mountain has a 950,000 gallon water reservoir!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

Hidden Mickey Alert: "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" scene—lying on his back in the pink clouds to the right of the riverboat.

After exiting the ride you'll find Brer Rabbit's house, a place where kids can play that also makes a great photo op!

Ride Photos -- Just as your log begins to tip down the 45 degree waterfall, flashes go off capturing your expression! Be sure to view your photo at Splashdown Photos as you exit. If you decide to purchase your photo, remember you can use Disney Package Delivery to have the photo sent either to your resort or the main entrance of the park so you don't have to lug it around.

There is a bridge where you can watch your family and friends plummet down Chickapin Hill and wind their way to the conclusion of the attraction. This is a great place for photos! Be aware, however, that splashes from the plummet can sometimes soak the viewing area... so be alert!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

Located across the Rivers of America in Frontierland and accessible only by raft, Tom Sawyer Island offers children a fun place to run and explore and blow off steam, while grown-ups can sit and sip a cool drink.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Tom Sawyer Island -- A giant-sized playground geared to youngsters, Tom Sawyer Island is inspired by the famous works of author Mark Twain.

Guests board a motorized raft at a dock located just at the foot of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad over to the island. The raft ride takes only a few minutes. At the dock on the island, guests can sit in rocking chairs and play checkers, or begin to explore the grounds. Maps are posted periodically -- be sure to check where you want to go, as paths meander every which way.

There are dark passageways and caves to explore, an old mine, a scary, bouncy, rope bridge, a barrel bridge (below right), and the focal point, an old-fashioned fort, named Fort Langhorn (Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorn Clemens). Kids will have fun exploring all four corners of the fort, playing with the noisy air rifles and cannons, then venturing into the dark "escape tunnel."

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

Located in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, the Hall of Presidents is an original Disney classic first conceived of by Walt Disney himself. The attraction is derived from "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln," which premiered at the New York World's Fair in 1964.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Hall of Presidents -- The lobby of this beautiful theater is filled with portraits of the presidents. You enter the darkened, 700-seat theater and first view a patriotic film in which specially produced paintings are projected onto a screen that stretches about halfway round the theater (180 degrees). The film covers much United States history, focusing on the origins of the Constitution and the presidency.


At the conclusion of the film, the screen parts to reveal a stage filled with lifelike Audio-Animatronics versions of each and every one of the US presidents. Each of the figures moves, nodding a head or gesturing in some way, as their names are called. The program concludes with speeches given by our current president, Barack Obama, and the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who actually rises from his chair to give the Gettysburg Address. Obama's speech, recorded in the White House Map Room, includes the presidential oath of office and his thoughts about "the American dream."

For the first time in the attraction's history, George Washington stands and delivers a stirring speech, voiced by actor David Morse.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

© Disney

The Hall of Presidents was last updated with the addition of President Barack Obama in July 2009. Read more about the changes made at that time in the Hall of Presidents Press Release.

The attraction was updated with President George W. Bush in July 2001. Prior to that, the Hall of Presidents was refurbished in 1993 with the addition of an Audio-Animatronics figure of Bill Clinton, which marked the first time the attraction featured words spoken by a sitting U.S. President.

Disney Legend Blaine Gibson (pictured in the photo above), who is primarily responsible for creating the 42-member presidential cast, came out of retirement to sculpt presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The figure of President George W. Bush is the same height as the real President Bush, although some of the other dimensions were altered to accommodate the internal workings of the Audio-Animatronics technology.

The red tie on President Bush is authentic, made by the same designer who provides most of the Chief Executive's ties. The suit the Audio-Animatronics figure wears is also based on President Bush's preferences -- dark blue with a white shirt -- and had to be specially made.

Although George W. Bush is the 43rd president, only 42 individuals have held the office. Grover Cleveland served two separate terms as president, as both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States.

The year 1787 over the entrance to the Hall of Presidents refers to the date the United States Constitution was signed.

Actor J.D. Hall, the voice of Frederick Douglass in the "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" show at Disneyland in California, is the narrator of the show, as of July 2001. The narrator just prior to Hall was American poet Maya Angelou.

The late actor Royal Dano provides the voice of the Animatronic Abraham Lincoln. Dano was selected by Walt Disney himself to voice the first animated Lincoln figure, which debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair and later became part of the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction at Disneyland in California.

Actor David Morse voices George Washington in the new version of the attraction. Morse played Washington in the award-winning HBO miniseries, "John Adams."

 

[nerdylightbulb]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

A Magic Kingdom classic! Since it debuted with the opening of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971, the Haunted Mansion has been one of the best-loved attractions at Walt Disney World Resort. Located atop a hill overlooking Liberty Square, this spooky house is home to 999 happy haunts -- and eagerly awaits visitors willing to defy becoming Ghost #1,000.

 

[nerdylightbulb]

Freaking JARLOS <3

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Queue: Themed after the English Tudor style found in lower Hudson River Valley in New York, the stately Haunted Mansion looks down on Liberty Square. Visitors make their way up a winding path, and through the wrought-iron gates, eventually passing a small graveyard with an assortment of tombstones engraved with punny epitaphs. The names featured on the tombstones are those of some of the attraction's original designers and developers:

• Rest in peace, brother Huet. We all know you didn't do it.
• R.I.P., good friend Gordon. Now you've crossed the river Jordan.
• Master Gracey laid to rest. No mourning, please, at his request. Farewell.
• At peaceful rest, he's brother Claude. Planted here beneath this sod.
• Here lies good ol' Fred. A great big rock fell on his head.
• Here rests Wathel R. Bender. He rode to glory on a fender.
• Dear departed brother Dave, He chased a bear into a cave.
• Here lies a man named Martin. The lights went out on this old Spartan.

Be sure to note one of the newest tombstones, on your left just before you enter the mansion, which honors the late Walt Disney Imagineer Leota Thomas (her maiden name was Toombs). Every few minutes, the lovely Leota's sculpted head leans forward, opens its bright green eyes almost imperceptibly, then closes them again.

The Haunted Mansion: When the darkly attired Cast Member invites you inside, you enter the foyer of the mansion and are greeted by your invisible host... your "Ghost Host," voiced by Paul Frees. (You might recognize the voice -- Frees provided the voice of characters for many animated cartoon classics, including Boris Badenov from the the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show.)

You're then directed into an octagonal room with unusual paintings encircling the walls. Before your eyes, the paintings change -- they seem to grow longer and longer, even though the floor and ceiling aren't moving, and as they stretch, slightly macabre and/or humorous images emerge. One portrait even ages, Dorian Gray-style!

From this room, you'll exit to a dark passageway, where you'll be shown to your "Doom Buggy" ride vehicle to tour the mansion. Synchronized speakers inside each doom buggy allow your Ghost Host to explain the supernatural scenes that unfold around you. Your egg-shaped vehicle glides silently through the library, conservatory, hallways, ballroom, attic and even graveyards. In the ballroom scene especially, note the holographic images that dance and cavort around the room. The ghosts appearing here are caused by a variation on an illusion known as "Pepper’s Ghost."

Guests ride past a séance being held by Madame Leota, a disembodied head projected from a crystal ball. The face is that of the late Leota Thomas, and the voice that of Eleanor Audley, who also provided the voices of other well-known Disney movie characters: Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent and Cinderella's Lady Tremaine.

Your doom buggy turns sideways, and you pass in front of a mirror. Thanks to a little Disney magic, an eager, "hitchhiking" ghost appears inside each doom buggy, sometimes right in your lap!

As the ride nears its end, look up to the right and see Little Leota, the small figure perched on the ledge above urging you to "hurry back...hurry baaa-aaack..." Her form and voice also both belong to Leota Thomas.

Mini-Review: An original, and still one of the best attractions in the Magic Kingdom -- perhaps even in all of Walt Disney World! The animatronics, the special effects, the attention to every detail make this ride worth visiting again and again. Put Haunted Mansion on your must-do list!
For more in-depth unofficial information on the Haunted Mansion attraction, visit DoomBuggies.com

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

The Haunted Mansion is the only attraction featured in different lands at each of the four Disney theme parks worldwide:

Disneyland -- New Orleans Square
Magic Kingdom -- Liberty Square
Tokyo Disneyland -- Fantasyland
Disneyland Paris (where it is known as Phantom Manor) -- Frontierland

The singing busts in the graveyard scene warble the attraction’s theme song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts." Though sometimes mistaken for Walt Disney, the face on the bust on the left actually belongs to Thurl Ravenscroft, the song's soloist. Ravenscroft is best-known as the voice of Tony the Tiger, the mascot of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal. In addition to Ravenscroft, the Singing Busts include Jay Meyer, Verne Row, Bob Ebright, and Chuck Schroeder.

Grim Grinning Ghosts, with lyrics by X Atencio (who also wrote the Ghost Host’s script) and music by Buddy Baker, was recorded by the Mello Men, a singing group made up of Bill Lee, Max Smith, Bob Stevens, and Thurl Ravenscroft. The group also provided the vocals in many of the Disney films and theme park attractions.

Legendary voice artist Paul Frees -- known to many as Boris Badenov from "The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show"-- is the attraction's narrator, or "Ghost Host." He also provided the voices for most of the rogues in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

The following names are found in the crypt at the exit to The Haunted Mansion:

Asher T. Ashes
Wee G. Bord
I. Trudy Dew
Dustin T. Dust
Manny Festation
Metta Fisiks
Pearl E. Gates
Rusty Gates
Hail N. Harty
C.U. Later
Hal Lucinashun
Rustin Peese
I.M. Ready
Hap A. Rition
Emma Spook
Paul Tergyst
M.T. Tomb
Love U. Trudy
Clare Voince
Bea Witch

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION


Timothy Mouse leads the parade from the central hub. Sixteen replicas of Dumbo the Flying Elephant are attached and glide up and down as you twirl around. This is what's known as a "hub and spoke" attraction.

Ride with Dumbo for a minute and a half over Fantasyland. You control the height of your elephant as you circle around

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Allie's hungry.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

Dumbo was an Opening Day attraction at the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971 and was remodeled in 1993.

Dumbo can also be found at Disneyland (opened August 16, 1955), Tokyo Disneyland (opened April 15, 1983) and Disneyland Paris (opened April 12, 1992).

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears;
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears;
There's so much that we share,
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all!"

Walt originally designed the attraction for the Pepsi-Cola Company to benefit UNICEF at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. When the Fair closed, the attraction made its way to Disneyland and was so popular that it was one of the original attractions when Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971! It is located in Fantasyland.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

it's a small world -- The children of the world host this simplistic yet charming, whimsical, gentle boat ride. Small boats glide along the international waters and you are very quickly surrounded by dancing dolls, animlas and flowers, singing that now almost infamous song, "It's a Small World."

As your boat serenely glides along the 1,085-foot canal for 10 1/2 minutes, you'll be entertained by 289 Audio-Animatronics Doll Figures, 147 toys and 36 animated props. Each room you pass through has a theme, with the Audio-Animatronics outfitted in clothing and with props that reflect their respective cultures. The major themes include: Europe, Asia, Africa, Central/South America, South Pacific Islands, the Finale and the Good-bye Scene.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

There are a total of 289 dolls that "sing" the familiar song, "it's a small world," in five languages (English, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish). Academy Award®-winning composers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who won two Oscars® for their work on Disney's feature film "Mary Poppins," were asked by Walt Disney to create a simple, yet catchy, piece that could be sung in many different languages while guests traveled by boat through the attraction -- thus, the famous "it's a small world" theme song was born. The song was recorded by a church choir in London, a school chorus in Rome, Italy, TV performers in Mexico City and kids from Tokyo and Burbank, California. It was later spliced together with sounds and styles that represent 25 countries.

English, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish can be heard in the attraction song.

Walt Disney Imagineer artist Mary Blair created the conceptual drawings and doll designs for "It's a Small World."

Today, the Walt Disney Classic Collection features a series of sculptures representing the various figures in It's a Small World.

All four theme parks have a version of It's a Small World.

A clown figure in a hot air balloon in the "Finale" scene was the only frowning figure in the entire attraction -- it was apparently removed during the latest renovation of the ride.

You can hear the following international songs while waiting in the pre-show area:

"Ach Du Lieber Augustin," or, O Du Lieber Augustin (1815 - Germany/Austria)
"Alouette" (1879 - France/Canada)
"Chiapanecas" (1938 - Mexico)
"Estaba La Pájara Pinta (Spain)
"Funiculì--Funiculà" (1880 - Italy)
"Hava Nagila" (1963 - Israel)
"Irish Washerwoman", or, The Scotch Bagpipe Melody (1792 - Ireland)
"London Bridge" (1744 - England)

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

It's the Mad Hatter's "un-birthday" party and you're invited to spin your way across the floor in oversized teacups. The Mad Tea Party is located in Fantasyland, across from the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, on the pathway leading to Mickey's Toontown Fair.

ATTRACTION

Mad Tea Party -- Inspired by the unusual tea party scene in the 1951 Disney adaptation of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," the Mad Tea Party is one of the original Magic Kingdom attractions.

You wait in a mostly covered queue for your chance to spin around for 1.5 minutes in one of 18 pastel-colored teacups. Dizziness is sure to ensue! It's good, clean, non-thrill fun for all ages. What else can we say about it?

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

That silly ole Pooh Bear and his pal Piglet take you on a gentle journey through the Hundred Acre Wood. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is located in Fantasyland, on the site of the former Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.



ATTRACTION

Hop aboard your own 4 person Hunny Pot and join Pooh and his friends on a short adventure in search of the pot of hunny! A storm breaks out and the waters rise in Hundred Acre Woods. Owl, Baby Roo, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Rabbit all join together to save Piglet from falling over Floody Place Falls.

This is a short ride with whimsical music that kids seem to love. You even get to hop along with Tigger!

(RIP, Mr. Toad)