Walt Disney World Detail (with Aerial Images) *Updated page 20, post #297*

[°O°Joe]

I thought I'd start a fun thread that details different attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Each day (or whenever I have time) I'll post a new satellite image(s) of an attraction and give some details about the specific attraction.

All images are borrowed from http://maps.live.com/ and are copyright 2006 Microsoft Corporation.

I hope you enjoy!

(P.S. Feel free to add your own "tid-bits" if you'd like...)

Direct links below (sorted by park and in alphabetical order)

Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (7-13-07, Post #235)
Haunted Mansion, The (4-19-07, Post #33)
Peter Pan's Flight (4-27-07, Post #140)
Tomorrowland Transit Authority (10-11-07, Post #278)

Epcot
France Pavilion, The (4-20-07, Post #70)
Imagination! Pavilion, The (4-22-07, Post #94)
Italy Pavilion, The (1-13-08, Post #297)
United Kingdom Pavilion, The (5-15-07, Post #193)
Universe of Energy Pavilion, The (7-03-07, Post#221)

Disney MGM Studios
Fantasmic! (4-18-07, Post #2)
Great Movie Ride, The (4-24-07, Post #110)
Muppet*Vision 3-D (10-09-07, Post#263)

Animal Kingdom
DINOSAUR (4-26-07, Post #127)
Kali River Rapids (5-05-07, Post #176)

 

[°O°Joe]

Hollywood Hills Amphitheater / Fantasmic!

The Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is the purpose-built riverside amphitheatre at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, USA which showcases the night-time spectacular Fantasmic!.

Opened in 1998, just off Sunset Blvd., the 10,000-seat amphitheater was designed to hold concerts also. The seats are centered in a crescent around a moat-surrounded island where the live action of Fantasmic! takes place.

The arena is named so because of its proximity to the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

Fantasmic! Attraction Facts

Official debut: October 15, 1998
Location: Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre, Disney-MGM Studios, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Producers: Walt Disney Entertainment (in conjunction with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering)
Executive Producer: Ron Logan
Score: Bruce Healey
Director: Barnette Ricci
Villains: The Wicked Queen, Hades, Ursula, Cruella de Vil, Jafar, Judge Claude Frollo, Scar, Chernabog, Maleficent, and Governor Ratcliffe
Show cost: Approximately $20,000 per showing

Contrasts

The shows in Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios, although with the same theme and music, have some slight differences:
-The fountains move from side to side at Disneyland when Mickey waves his arms and stay in a constant fan spray at Disney-MGM studios.
-The Jungle Scene with Kaa, King Louie, and the monkeys from The Jungle Book at Disneyland is replaced with a tribute to The Lion King at the Disney-MGM Studios.
-The Peter Pan re-enactment from Disneyland is taken out of the Disney-MGM Studios version and replaced with scenes from Pocahontas at the request of Michael Eisner, who wanted more recent films in the show.
-The Pink Elephant clips and Pinocchio puppets are replaced with a montage of many clips from Disney features inside bubbles at Disney-MGM Studios.
-Due to Equity contracts, Ariel cannot flip her fin past 90 degrees and no lifts can be performed in the princess medley at Disney-MGM Studios.
-Ursula's reprisal of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is taken out to introduce the other Disney Villains. She plays a smaller role in the Florida show than the California one.
-More villains are featured in the Florida version. Many of the additions are villains from Disney animated features released after the Disneyland version was first featured.
-In California, Mickey destroys the villains by pointing the sword at the Dragon and saying "You may think you're so powerful, well this is my dream!", which causes "light" to shoot toward the villains. In Florida, he still says this, but before he destroys the villains, he causes a wall of water to block out the island.
-Whereas the show is performed on the Rivers of America at Disneyland, they needed a new draw for Disney-MGM Studios for the night. The Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre was built at the Disney-MGM Studios, which was especially made for Fantasmic!
-Instead of the Mark Twain riverboat at Disney MGM Studios, the characters in the Florida show dance on a boat based on the steamboat from Steamboat Willie.

Controversy

The original finale for the Florida version of the show was said to involve Mickey walking on the surface of the river and rising up in a column of water to slay the dragon. While some say the effect suffered from technical problems, others suggest that former Disney CEO Michael Eisner felt the concept had too many religious parallels. A simpler ending of Mickey using the sword in the stone was used instead. However, the show's CD (Fantasmic! Good Clashes with Evil in a Nighttime Spectacular (1998 CD)) had already been produced with the last track called "Mickey Walks On Water/Evil Destroyed."

 

[sdenis]

Can't wait to see how it's done!

 

[disneymom2twins]

this is going to be a fabulous thread...thank you for your hard work!!

 

[fan_of_small_world]

I'm in! Can't wait to see what's next!

 

[tinkgurl]

I'm loving this!

 

[jonslola]

I like this thread, it's very cool

 

[Baghdad Bob]

Awesome, post more

 

[ktturner]

Very cool! I love how close you were able to get with the picture!

 

[Iluvpluto2]

This is going to be an excellent thread. I can't wait for more.

 

[mickeyholic]

I am going to love this thread!!! I can't wait for an update!!!

 

[mshawsc]

This is awesome! Thank you!

 

[novdisneydreams]

Fantastic! Thanks for doing this

 

[Rich271]

Great Thread.

 

[milmore104]

Great thread. Thanks can't wait to see more.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Very cool, love the pics and the facts!!!

 

[Kimberly815]

Fun! Count me in!

 

[PoppyAnna]

Subscribing.
Cool thread esp as I do fantasmic for the first time in about 16 days!
thank you for your efforts.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I like this. Thanks!!

 

[puffinp51]

Thanks! Waiting for more!