Happy Birthday Walt: Where His Presence Can Be Felt Most at Walt Disney World

(Tom Simpson on Flickr)

 Yesterday would've been the 116th birthday of Walt Disney. He was a man beyond his time, seeking to make better his own, driven to unimaginable success by his desire and ability to make people's dreams come true. While others sought only or primarily financial gain in the operation of their businesses, Walt simply wanted to bring joy and happiness to the world, and he happened to have a great imagination and the talent of bringing together the right group of people to make his visions a reality. Nothing stopped him, not even financial difficulties or the "sharp pencil boys" that Walt always made sure worked for him and not the other way around. Visionary, optimal behaviorist, leader, game-changer, creator, and human, he all was. He made possible some of the greatest animated and live-action characters and films the world has ever seen, and then went on to make an entirely new and prosperous business for himself when he invented the world's first true theme park. Disneyland changed Walt's company and the world for the better, but it wasn't long before Walt set out on his grandest and most ambitious dream yet. Sadly, he passed away before he could see it to completion. His Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow died with him, but his Vacation Kingdom shines in the hot Floridian sun to this day, and within lies the final incarnations of Walt Disney's last and greatest dreams: the Magic Kingdom, the wonderful resorts and their amenities, and what's left (not much) of EPCOT Center. Walt may have never stepped foot in the complete World that is named after him, but he has a powerful presence there nonetheless. To honor his birthday and the incredible life that it represents, I will now take a look at where Walt Disney's presence can be felt most at the World that he would've been proud of.

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

(Norm Lanier on Flickr)

 Walt's hands may have never touched this first recreation of his Tiki Room, but even without Walt's physical presence, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is nearly every bit as nostalgic and filled with Walt's spirit in Florida as it is in California. As it is, WDW's Tiki Room contains much of the essence that made the original show at Disneyland an instant classic. The same delightful avian banter and spellbinding songs that enchant guests in Disneyland play in abridged form at Disney World's Tiki Room. Although the tiki birds at Disneyland will always be the first true audio-animatronics, the birds that sing and the flowers that croon at the show that used to call itself Tropical Serenade represent in spirit that same momentous achievement that Walt made all those years ago.

WEDWAY Peoplemover and the Monorail

(Joe Penniston on Flickr)

(CetusCetus on Flickr)

One of mankind's greatest dreams has always been the freedom and ability to travel quickly and comfortably to wherever they pleased. In that spirit, Walt showcased in his lifetime two marvelous and groundbreaking transportation systems at Disneyland; the Peoplemover and the Monorail. The Monorail was first; a gleaming, sleek, emissions-free train of the future gliding in the skies above on a roundabout trip through Tomorrowland at Walt's kingdom. The iconic Monorail trains would become the perfect mode of transport to and from Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel when a station was opened there, and well after Walt had passed a Monorail station was created at Downtown Disney. Advances in track and vehicle technology made by Disney during the creation of Ford's Magic Skyway for the World's Fair would lead to the development of another truly spectacular transportation system: the Peoplemover. This motorless, emissions free system of cars powered along a track with motorized wheels embedded in it was thought by Walt to be a revolutionary concept for future transportation, one that he was proud to use for a grand circuit tour of his Tomorrowland.

At Walt Disney World, both the Peoplemover and the Monorail were intended to play a much bigger role. Both were meant to be the primary means of getting out and about in Walt Disney's E.P.C.O.T., the first time that the two systems would have been used in tandem in an actual city anywhere. Although the city of tomorrow never came to fruition, the Monorail and Peoplemover still had starring roles in Disney World's grand show. In addition to transporting guests between the Ticket and Transportation Center, the Magic Kingdom, and the Polynesian and Contemporary Resorts, the Monorail line at WDW would later be expanded to include EPCOT Center and the Grand Floridian Resort when they were built. Deep within the paradise of the Magic Kingdom, a new and improved Peoplemover, now using magnetic linear induction motors instead of embedded motorized tires, sailed on a covered track high above the utopia of Tomorrowland. Unfortunately, neither line expansion nor update of the trains has happened for the Monorail since the late 80s, and while WDW's Peoplemover outlasted its Disneyland cousin, it has been somewhat neglected in recent years. Despite this, both the Peoplemover and Monorail remain wonderful examples of the innovative ideas and inventions that Walt so often showcased in his projects.

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress

(Joe Penniston on Flickr)

 If there ever was a theme song that could encompass Walt's life and who he was, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" would be it. As the Carousel of Progress has changed and moved over the years, first from the Progressland Pavilion at the World's Fair in '64 to its home in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, then to Walt Disney World when GE felt it was time to tap into a new audience on the East Coast, it has never truly lost its very real and very powerful connection that it has with Walt Disney and all it represented. Even though the final scene is outdated and the GE appliance advertisements have been replaced with a mediocre sitcom in the script, as long as that wonderfully unique theater is still rotating in Tomorrowland, Walt's presence will always be alive and well somewhere in the World dedicated to him.

Progress City and the Original E.P.C.O.T.

(Cory Doctorow on Flickr)

 At last, we come to the one thing in all of Walt Disney World that can claim the most powerful connection by far to Walt; a piece of the original Progress City model. The model that now resides in a dark and quiet corner of a Peoplemover showbuilding was once part of the magnificent Progress City model that resided on the second floor of the Carousel of Progress building at Disneyland. This powerful, bold, and delightfully kinetic model was filled with painstakingly detailed buildings and landscaping, moving cars and vehicles, and an electrician's cornucopia of lights. Only a fraction of this model exists today, but in the face of being overlooked and in need of some TLC, this part of Progress City that figuratively and literally has Walt's fingerprints on it continues to be a powerful physical and spiritual link between Walt Disney World and the man himself.

This model also represents one of the last physical conceptions remaining of Walt's most powerful yet unrealized dream; his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. An actual city never came to be at WDW, but the theme park that rose from its ashes was genuinely sublime. In its prime, EPCOT Center was an optimistic and futuristic force to be reckoned with, combining Walt's vision of American free enterprise and international cultures showcasing their very best with some of the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring work that WED Enterprises (the original Imagineers) ever did. EPCOT Center sought to be, and for a time was a transformative center of learning and culture for all the world. EPCOT Center lit the spark of many of today's great thinkers, inventors, and scientists. The tide has long since ebbed for EPCOT Center, but it will be hard indeed for the world to forget the brilliant attractions and concepts that resided there and the truly remarkable effect it had on today's society and livelihood. The theme park with the amazing geodesic sphere was not Walt's city, but the same brilliant concepts, themes and ideas that Walt had made the beating pulse of his E.P.C.O.T. were reincarnated beautifully in EPCOT Center.

I hope you've all enjoyed this look at just a few of the incredible things that Walt accomplished in his lifetime and beyond. May his spirit and soul live on, if not at the Disney company, in our hearts and memories of the experiences and dreams that Walt made come true for all of us.

Happy Birthday Walt

December 5th, 1901 - December 15th, 1966

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy First Anniversary for Haunted Serenade: Five Overlooked Walt Disney World Attractions I Am Grateful Are Still Around

It has now been a year (and a few days) since I published my first writings on Haunted Serenade, a tribute to masterpieces and strange things alike at Walt Disney World and regions beyond. As it is getting very close to Thanksgiving, that wonderful day of counting blessings, I thought I should express my thanks and gratitude for some of my own. To everyone who has taken the time to read and express their thoughts and appreciation of this blog, thank you. Your praise, thanks, and opinions have been nothing short of wonderful for me to see. I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving, and I look forward to sharing more of my thoughts and musings on some WDW's greatest or overlooked attractions and more!

Another thing I felt I should express my thanks for is those few remaining Walt Disney World attractions that are often overlooked but are childhood favorites of mine that are still alive and well at their respective theme parks in the World. Without further ado, here are five of the most underrated but personally beloved attractions that I am grateful are still alive:

#5: WEDWAY Peoplemover

(Joe Penniston on Flickr)

Rain or shine, daytime and especially nighttime, the Peoplemover has always been a reliable old friend, one of the most relaxing and comfortable attractions in the entire Disney World. The covered and sturdily supported track eliminates any fear of heights, and combines a gentle motion, a relatively quiet atmosphere, and wonderful looks at the attractions of the land to produce a singularly relaxing ride. It's particularly wonderful at nighttime after a long, sweaty and exhausting trip around the Kingdom, just the perfect kind of ride to put up your feet on and relax, especially if the obnoxiously loud Tomorrowland dance party is not performing. But no matter the time of day or night, the breeze from the motion of the Peoplemover and the dark and calming trips inside the show buildings are a much-needed respite from the brutal Florida climate. A preview of Buzz LightYear's Space Ranger Spin and a look of part of Walt Disney's original Progress City model are both wonderful, but the trip inside Space Mountain is undoubtedly the highlight of this experience. Otherworldly and soothing music from outer space accompanies glimpses of the lift hills, the incredible post-show dioramas, and a previously amazing look at the ride itself that unfortunately is now too dark to see much but still hints at the thrills and terrors of Space Mountain.

(Hector A Parayuelos on Flickr)

 Both the Magic Kingdom and the guests that enjoy it are very fortunate that the WDW Peoplemover has chugged along long after Disneyland's Peoplemover was first transformed into the disastrous Rocket Rods and then completely abandoned. The countless days and nights I've traveled up those conveyor belts to that platform underneath Astro Orbiter and been whisked away on the most pleasant and relaxing ride in the Magic Kingdom is one of the greatest pleasures I've ever had in visiting the Magic Kingdom. The Peoplemover continues to provide true magic on my vacations even as less and less of that magic is present in much of Walt Disney World, and for that I am most thankful.

#4: Gran Fiesta Tour

(Rain0975 on Flickr)

This may be a surprising inclusion for those who have considered this attraction in a lesser form after its conversion from El Rio Del Tiempo to Gran Fiesta Tour. But as I mentioned in my detailed comparison of both attractions and their success, I have every bit as much to love about Gran Fiesta Tour as I did El Rio Del Tiempo. Namely, one of the greatest yet understated scenes in a Disney boat ride I have ever experienced; the few moments of silently gliding through a dark, thick jungle, and emerging in that amazing lagoon with the Mayan pyramid, and the fiery volcano in the distance. This scene is one of the most comparable things in WDW to the sublime Blue Bayou in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean, and it basks in that same incredible atmosphere of scenery and darkness.

(Sam Howzit on Flickr)

 Another thing I undoubtedly enjoy about this attraction is the starring role the Three Caballeros play. Although I am in general not a fan of character overlays of attractions at Epcot, Gran Fiesta Tour comes the closest to success as an attraction out of all of them, and it is nice to see old and overlooked characters such as Panchito Pistoles (the rooster) and Jose Carioca (the parrot) be featured in an attraction. Donald Duck also happens to be my favorite Disney cartoon character, so this ride can't help but be a personal favorite of mine. Gran Fiesta Tour also unintentionally continues in a way to inform people about Mexico and its culture; Dias De Los Muertos and footage of various real locations in Mexico figure prominently into the experience. All of this adds up to a fun, colorful, and enjoyable attraction with a great trio of characters that unlike Frozen Ever After does not completely ignore and in fact showcases the very real Mexico it is supposed to represent. That is indeed something to be thankful for.

(Inazakira on Flickr)

Unfortunately, out of all the attractions in this list, Gran Fiesta Tour may be in the most imminent danger. The Pixar film "Coco" appears to be doing great in the box office, and it doesn't take a genius these days to figure out what will happen next. The fundamental problem with what would be the second IP overlay of the original Mexico ride is that "Coco" to my knowledge almost entirely focuses on Dias De Los Muertos and the Land of the Dead. If the Mexico ride were to be rethemed to feature Miguel from this movie, it would most likely mean that the attraction would be rethemed as well to mostly be about Dias De Los Muertos, and that's the equivalent of an attraction at the America Pavilion that only focuses on Halloween (I know the two holidays are not exactly the same, but it's as best of an analogy as I can make). This would mean that only one main aspect of Mexican history and culture would be represented in that pavilion's attraction, a questionable decision at best. I hope fervently that this does not happen, in part because of the reason just stated, but also in part because I still hope to enter that misty tunnel and see those wonderful Three Caballeros on the other side.

#3: Tom Sawyer's Island

(Rain0975 on Flickr)

 I bet you can feel the motion of the raft taking you to Tom Sawyer's Island right now. I know I can. I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't boarded a raft named after Tom himself or one of his friends and made for the island across the Rivers of America. From the moment you step off the raft and start exploring the island, there's no limit to the adventure or relaxation you seek. Whether you sit down on a barrel and play rustic checkers with a friend, precariously cross the unpredictable floating barrel bridge, venture into the abandoned, creaky Harper's Mill, or try to scare each other stiff in the dark and eerie tunnels and caverns beneath the island, there is always something to do, a path to walk, and a way to relax. Isolated from the rest of the Kingdom by the Rivers of America, you can enjoy the quiet, shaded woods of Tom Sawyer's hideaway as you watch the Liberty Belle sail by or the wild trains speeding on Big Thunder Mountain in the distance. If the last raft didn't return to the mainland well before sunset, you could spend all day and all night on this island and may still not do or see  everything that's there. Fort Longhorn in particular is a playground for child and adult alike; junior cowboys and Indians would be at home running around while the parents admired the dioramas of fort life within its walls. There are even mock rifles to shoot with! Tom Sawyer's Island is a veritable treasure of adventure and fun in all forms, and I am thankful for the many times I've gotten to go on whatever adventure I wanted to have in that wonderful place.

#2: Living With The Land

(Hector A Parayuelos on Flickr)

By all accounts, the mere fact that this Epcot attraction is still alive is a miraculous and joyous thing. Of all the attractions in the original Future World that truly strove to entertain, inform, and inspire, this is the only one still left. In a world without Horizons, the original Journey Into Imagination, World Of Motion, the Nemo-less Living Seas, and Universe of Energy, Living With the Land is still alive and well, its refurbishment in 1994 updating it rather then ruining it. While the ride still has the misfortune of having part of it become outdated by about two decades, that is a far better fate then being gutted and replaced with a shell of itself or outright demolished. Those guests who step into one of those beautiful canopy-covered boats end up experiencing the last true bastion of EPCOT Center and its dreams and ideals. The ride itself is neat. The dioramas of a thunderstorm, tropical rainforest, desert and prairie are all wonderful works of classic Imagineering from the WED era. The living greenhouses, aquariums and laboratory, completely unique experiences in an attraction that set it apart from its peers in Future World, boasts a mind-boggling array of plants, crops, and aquamarine life, not only displaying great advances and experiments in agriculture and aquaculture, but also contributing to the supply of ingredients for meals served at Walt Disney World. While it is a shame that this in particular is where the out of date parts show, hanging plants and hybrid agriculture are still cool sights to see, reminders of Epcot's original geeky spirit.

(Joe Penniston on Flickr)

With the recent and painful closure of Universe of Energy making all too clear the demise of both EPCOT Center and the Epcot park that still strove to inform in some way, it seems to be only a matter of time before Living With The Land as we know it is gone. What confounded ride based on an existing IP will replace it? I don't know. But this I do know: I am especially grateful to be able to have experienced the last great and true EPCOT Center attraction, and learn some things about living with the land.

#1: Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (AKA Tropical Serenade)

(Norm Lanier on Flickr)

 Were it not for a fire 6 years ago that to this day is still known as a freak act-of-God, this attraction would probably not be on my list today. This fire, far from ruining the Tiki Room, saved it from the tyrannous rule of Iago, a rule that was all 11-year old me had ever experienced in the Tiki Room before the fire. When I at last got to see the true Tiki Room, it was one of the best things I ever got to experience. The amazing towering pagoda that marked the entrance and the marvelous interior of the Tiki Room with its brilliant window dioramas of tropical paradise were already things I knew and enjoyed, however plagued the actual show was by the New Management. But I had never gotten to meet Clyde and Claude, that absolutely wonderful pair of toucans perched on the tiki god inside the waterfall before. And when the first few lines of "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" passed with no obnoxious Iago interrupting and descending from the ceiling, well, the true enchantment of the Tiki Room began. The glee club's cheerful singing and whistling during the first song delighted me in no small amount. Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz made excellent hosts of the Tiki Room, their playful banter and one-liners showcasing the natural talents of the Tiki Room that had been suppressed for so long. When the wunderbar birdmobile descended from the ceiling and the girls sang, their song was a pleasant surprise: "Let's All Sing Like The Birdies Sing" was one of my fondest memories from the Disney sing-along films I used to watch constantly as a little kid. But it was when the flowers and tikis did their incredible performance of the Hawaiian War Chant that I really fell under the spell of the Enchanted Tiki Room. I sat enthralled as the chant got faster and more raucous, as the volcanoes and peaceful blue skies in the windows turned an eerie red, and smoke poured out of the center planter and enveloped the room. Then came the thunderstorm to punctuate the climax, and afterwards the joyful goodbye bid by the tiki birds to the tune of "Heigh Ho". It did not take long after I passed through those beautifully carved exit doors for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room to become my favorite show in the entire Walt Disney World.

(CarrieLu on Flickr)

The return of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room to the Magic Kingdom was nothing short of a miracle, a stunning resurrection of a show back from the abyss in which many late great Disney World attractions have gone and never come back. But now, rumors swirl about Moana "joining" the Tiki Room, and it will remain to see if Disney remembers the critical lesson that the terrible Under New Management taught them about not messing with the Tiki Room. It would be heartbreaking if they didn't. But regardless of all that, I will be forever thankful and happy that it returned and is still around for countless guests to enjoy, and for getting the incredible opportunity to enjoy for myself Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (and getting to eat a Citrus Swirl while seeing it!).

The End

Happy Thanksgiving from Haunted Serenade, and Happy First Anniversary Haunted Serenade!