Walt Disney Doing Funny Things

…..You’ll never beat Walt.

Walt Disney was nominated for 59 Academy Awards, won 22, and earned 4 honorary recognitions from the Academy.

…..You’ll never beat Walt.

Walt Disney was nominated for 59 Academy Awards, won 22, and earned 4 honorary recognitions from the Academy.

…..You’ll never beat Walt.

Walt Disney was nominated for 59 Academy Awards, won 22, and earned 4 honorary recognitions from the Academy.

…..You’ll never beat Walt.

Walt Disney was nominated for 59 Academy Awards, won 22, and earned 4 honorary recognitions from the Academy.

On July 17th, 1955, the world of entertainment was deftly changed with the debut of Disneyland. The first popular theme park to feature thematic environments and that strived to meet guest expectations in service and quality, Disneyland quickly became a cultural standpoint, not only in America, but around the world.

Walt Disney’s cultural institution has endured, flourished, and changed the face of themed entertainment and exhibitions. It is incredible to think of how many lives Disneyland has changed and enriched. Disneyland is special place and today is a very special day.

I can’t wait to be back in what Walt called “this happy place” that serves as a “source of joy and inspiration for all the world” in just a few weeks.

NEW POST! Talking Tiki II: The Sublimity of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto -

          If you’re in search of an apt example of the thematic differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland, comparing their shared attractions, aesthetics, and themes is usually the quickest way to the core of the question. Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and many other attractions can be found at both parks, yet each entity is vastly different from its…

The WEDway PeopleMover and the Community Transportation Services Division 

The mid 1970s were marked with a flurry of creativity and activity for Walt Disney Productions. Main efforts centered on expanding their existing two theme parks, and looking to finally act upon Walt Disney’s plans for EPCOT in some regard. Simultaneously, Disney was broaching the subject of an Asian Disneyland in Tokyo. Despite all of these far flung and grandiose ideas, concentration settled on developing a “ride” system for a public works project. 

Initiated in 1974, the Community Transportation Services Division (CTSD) was an arm of WED dedicated to building and designing a mass transit system for public use. Their concepts and ideas dwelled in earlier efforts to build a transportation venue in the parks, the first PeopleMover in Disneyland and the WEDway PeopleMover in the Magic Kingdom, a re-design of the first concept. 

The second iteration of the Peoplemover system, the Walt Disney World line differed from the Disneyland model of using moving tires, and instead moved vehicles along a track by using an induction linear model. This system utilizes electric magnets to activate in sequence and “pull” trains of Peoplemover cars down the tracks. 

This second version was instrumental in the formation of the CTSD and WED Imagineers were tasked with applying the technology on a larger scale for “short-range, intra-city transportation needs of airports, shopping centers, communities and even governmental projects”.  These systems were to be licensed and sold by Disney to whatever industry that wished to apply them. Further, it was a goal and hope of the division that the solutions found in designing a wider transportation system could be applied to the master planning and design of related Disney projects. EPCOT’s Theme Center and World Showcase were prime candidates for this type of project and in their formative stages were often “packaged” with these transportation systems, as seen in the renderings above. Further, Disney associated their transportation work as a sort of extension of EPCOT’s logos and pathos in the sense that transportation solutions were part of a pressing need in cities and urban environments that Disney hoped to solve. EPCOT, of course would have been the “solution center” for exhibiting the answers to those problems by showcasing and using a new WEDway line and a possibly linear induction powered redesign of the Walt Disney World Monorail System. 

By 1979, though, the Disney developed WEDway Peoplemover would only have one real application outside of Walt Disney World. Planned to make a debut in 1981, the Tuner Construction Company had won a bid to install a WEDway in Houston International Airport. Costing $13 million, the Peoplemover model would have featured the unique linear induction motors, to propel six three-car trains over a 7500-foot route between the airport’s three terminals, hotels, and parking area. 

On this day in 1975, Tomorrowland Phase 2 was officially complete when the Walt Disney World version of the WEDway Peoplemover came online.

The second iteration of the Peoplemover system, this line differs from the Disneyland model that uses moving tires, and instead sends vehicles along the track by using a linear induction system. This technology utilizes electric magnets to activate in sequence and “pull” trains of Peoplemover cars down the tracks. 

The very same linear induction WEDway system was put to public use in Houston’s airport. 

There were also plans to install a WEDway line that would have taken guests to Lake Buena Vista, Walt Disney World’s host community. Similar plans detailed the inclusion of a WEDway line to the Future EPCOT Theme Center and the World Showcase Theme Center. None of these lines or projects materialized, though when EPCOT was finally completed, CommuniCore was built up to two stories in hopes of one day installing a WEDway on that second level. (The last two renderings are the LBV and World Showcase WEDways) 

Today, the Tomorrowland WEDway remains one of the great atmospheric rides in the Magic Kingdom. Providing a grand circle tour of Tomorrowland, it is a relaxing and interesting way to take in the sites and vistas of the land, and adds kinetic flair to Tomorrowland. 

Welcome back to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, Hatbox Ghost. 

After a 46 year absence, Yale Gracey’s legendary attic denizen has made his return to New Orleans Square. 

On this day in 1993, Spaceship Earth burned down.