The Animals Took My Money : NOW and Then

Oh for the “Good Old Days”.    Remember the song and book “That was then…this is now?”

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is evolving into a vastly different theme park.  In order to accomplish the new expanding retail areas and the formulas that have worked so well for Disney parks in the past, shops that we have loved are evolving and going through a metamorphosis.

 

 

Discovery Island at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is the “HUB” to connect the themed areas of the AK Park together.  It is was home to four shops;

1.     Beastly Bazaar

2.     Creature Comforts

3.     Disney Outfitters

4.     Island Mercantile

  

Put on you time capsule vest and travel back to “That Was Then…This Is Now.”

Let's travel back to a themed shopping safari through Disney’s Animal Kingdom and explore a "Wild Animal Encounter" at the Discovery Island Shops.  No it's not an E-Ticked ride, but come along and enjoy an adventure in itself.

If you look closely in the merchandise stores you will discover wonderful characters, subtle themes, wood carvings, sculptures, photos and flying creatures.  There are six themes including: animals that work, animals that have spots, animals that have stripes, animals that fly, water animals or animal that travel in herds.

2012  Beastly Bazaar

Beastly Bazaar (Closed and now a "Meet and Greet"  indoor location.

 

Located on the northeast side of Discovery Island, just before you cross the bridge into Asia.

A new meet and greet location is expected to opened in June of 2013. The new meet and greet location is home to Mickey and Minnie. The new location will is called "Adventurers Outpost" and it replaces the former Beastly Bazaar shop.

 And while many changes have been made to the inside of the building, the exterior has been largely left untouched.

The theme was is "Water animals".  But not just fish, also included are amphibians and birds that make water their home or feeding ground.

Photo HERE:- Disney Beastly Bazaar water animals

For this reason, I have decided to share some photos of the Beastly Bazaar that I have taken over the past 2 years, so that, when you visit, you will be able to compare the look of the store with the appearance of the new meet-and-greet.

Remember these little details from the old Beastly Bazaar?  The theme here is water animals. 

But not just fish, also included are amphibians and birds that make water their home or feeding ground. 

 Creature Comforts

Taking the space of the former Creature Comforts gift shop, the space has been completely transformed into a Starbucks location, offering the full range of coffees, Starbucks pastries, and Disney specialty cupcakes.

Put on you time capsule vest and travel back 2013 to “That Was Then…This Is Now.”

 

 

“Creature Comforts is located on the northwest side of Discovery Island, before you cross the bridge into Africa.  The lamppost by the entrance carries out a theme of stripes and the outside of the building is highly decorated with unusual patterns.

Walk in the door and you will notice how the decor is bright and vivid...Do you have spots before your eyes?  Take a look at the overhead light fixture. Notice anything?

 

 Creature Comforts is themed around animals with spots and stripes, such as zebras and tigers, ladybugs and giraffes.  

As Disney fans, many of us purchase a few antenna toppers to place on our cars or trucks.  BUT Creature Comforts ups this to the next level.   The interior of Creature Comforts is equally as vivid as its neighbor shops…

 

The theme continues with pleasant vibrant colors and stylized animal designs. 

LOOK at the AMAZING merchandise toppers!

The decor is reminiscent of the animal floats in "Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade".

 It specializes in gifts for younger children, clothing, stuffed plush animals and toys, and other similar items.

Creature Comforts is the place to stop for toys, and if you have small children you may be looking here for a while.

Along with selling a range of plush animals  and other gifts, Creature Comforts is currently also serving as a MyMagic+ service center for assisting guests with FastPass+.

Plush baby animal characters are popular, as are rubber creepy crawlies. Creature Comforts is located next to the Baby Care Center and the First Aid station. If you're looking for either of these, you'll find them easier by searching for Creature Comforts, then looking down a corridor to the right of the front of the building.

NOTE: Creature Comforts, a themed store located inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, is scheduled to go down for an extensive refurbishment in January of 2015.

January 2016: Creature Comforts

 Starbucks location has opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom, which now gives the coffee company presence in all four Walt Disney World theme parks.

The Animal Kingdom store is on the west side of the park, bearing left as guests approach the iconic Tree of Life. The building formerly housed a store called Creature Comforts, although that name remains on the structure alongside a Starbucks sign.  The new store is just before the bridge that leads to the Africa section of the theme park.

TY to WDWFanzone for the permission to use photos below

 BEFORE

AFTER 

 NEXT POST:

3.     Disney Outfitters

4.     Island Mercantile

My Disney Class: Disney History Investigation

Photo Credit courtesy of Wikipedia

A new feature on our blog starts this month. We will highlight web sites that share information related to Disney. Our purpose is to provide educators, ideas on research and project ideas for your classroom

Mission:
We are inspired by the innovation, creativity, storytelling and magic of Walt Disney - the person and the company. We engage educators with the ideas from the life of Walt Disney and the Disney Company in ways that can be applied creatively in the classroom. Learn along with us as we share ways to bring magic into education!
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This is a site that Ryan and I refer to every month. They reflect back to the early days of Disneyland and Walt Disney. Enjoy.

DISNEY HISTORY INSTITUTE
http://www.disneyhistoryinstitute.com/2010/05/matterhorn-mania-walts-mountain.html

MATTERHORN MANIA--Walt's Mountain

THE DHI MATTERHORN MANIA
by Paul F. Anderson

DHI got about a jigga-billion hits when I put up the essay Walt And The Admiral Build A Mountain. Beyond the hits, I also received a large number of emails concerning the images and the Matterhorn. Not wanting to be profound and write a great deal for today's essay (that and I have numerous deadlines, Pinocchio yesterday was long, and photos are cooler than my words anyway), I offer the Disney History Institute Matterhorn Mania. A series of rare and never-before-seen images from the building of Walt's mountain. Walt gets credit for many things, and deservedly so, but I think without historical context (sadly lost in today's world) we forget how ground breaking, how creative, and how brilliant he was. With historical context (something I spend an entire lecture on in my first class of "Walt Disney and American Culture," because I feel it is essential to understanding Walt Disney and his creative legacy) we have an insight into Walt and this one idea for Disneyland. Walt's idea to build the Matterhorn was pure genius. Sadly, genius is such an oft bandied about term, that it loses its impact--but not if we put ourselves back into the 1950s.
READ MORE
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7 Things You May Not Know About Walt Disney
By Elizabeth Nix

Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in 1928, produced the world’s first animated feature film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” in 1937, opened Disneyland in 1955 and along the way became one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century. From the business setback that spurred him to develop his most famous cartoon character to the persistent myth surrounding his death, check out seven fascinating facts about this entertainment legend.
READ MORE

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Disney History Institute YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/DisneyHistory

Disney History Institutes goal is to preserve and celebrate the life and work of Walt Disney, and those that worked with him through out the years and beyond. Here you will find Disney History Institute's videos showing extended views and sneak peeks at what happened in Disney's past.

Travel back and listen to Walt Disney describe Main Street for Disneyland

· A Nostalgic Trip Down 1950s Main Street With Walt Disney




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCN-1oLuxFg      Time 3:50
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Pieces Of Disney History You Can Own - BuzzFeed

http://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/pieces-of-disney-history-you-can-own#.ukzYOMzL8

YOU can purchase, “Your own little piece of the Walt Disney empire.”

Charlotte Clark Mickey doll

This is a rare relic from the 1930s — a Charlotte Clark Mickey doll. Clark was the  seamstress responsible for crafting the first line of Mickey dolls.

From Howie:  Brother can you please spare $3,999.00 WOW!

 

Listen to our PODCAST HERE:    http://mydisneyclass.libsyn.com/

Check back for:

DHI
Disney History Investigation

DAI
Disney Attraction Investigation

DSI
Disney Science Investigation
 

DPI
Disney Patent Investigation





 

Phantom Manor-Disneyland Paris-Behind The Story

Location: Disneyland Paris

Area  Frontierland   Opening date  April 12, 1992

Audio-Animatronics 92  Manufacturer  Vekoma

For additional resources and links:

Check out:    www.mydisneyclass.com

 Gather a little “Pixie Dust” from Tinker Bell and fly to Disneyland Paris to visit Phantom Manor.

Background:

Based on the original design of the Haunted Mansion, Disney has four dark ride attractions. There are three Haunted Mansions (one each in Disneyland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland), and there is Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992.

Mystic Manor- Hong Kong Disneyland

Unlike Disneyland's Haunted Mansion attraction and the Disney parks, Mystic Manor has a lighthearted, fantasy-based theme. It is a dark ride attraction, in the Mystic Point section of Hong Kong Disneyland. There are no references to departed spirits or the afterlife, due to differences in traditional Chinese culture

Join Joan and me as we travel to Disneyland Paris to explore Phantom Manor.

A Darker Premise

 The Disneyland Paris attraction contains material of a darker, more graphic nature than any of the Haunted Mansions do.

Phantom Manor takes the Disneyland “Haunted Mansion” to another level. It sets the mood with sound and music in a more dramatic fashion. In the Phantom Manor, the decay of death is on full display.  Examples include:  a restless spirit tries to wrestle its way out of a moldering casket; the Phantom can be seen digging a fresh grave; being exposed to the Phantom and his corruptible, mortal state when we encounter him beyond the catacombs; the Phantom as he threatens to pull you into the afterlife near the end of the ride experience;

Research Books and Articles:
Designing Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris by Alain Littaye

Disneyland Paris from Sketch to Reality  Didier Ghez (Author)

Over the past two months, I have discovered many articles, web resources and books about “Phantom Manor”. Hours were spent exploring the great artwork and images.   I have included an excerpt of Didier Ghez’s words. Didier was the one who wrote all of the captions and text of the book, Disneyland Paris from Sketch to Reality.

In Disneyland Paris, the center of Frontierland is Big Thunder Mountain. 

 

Excerpts from Didier's text: "...As we continue to follow the story of Thunder Mesa, the town that surrounds Big Thunder Mountain, we stumble upon a rather frightful domicile—what might be considered the second scene of this “grand western”—the terrifying haunted house known as Phantom Manor.

So who is Henry Ravenswood?

Mr. Ravenswood was the wealthy owner of the Thunder Mesa Mining Company, the company that, so the story goes, operates the Big Thunder mine. Like many entrepreneurs who made their fortunes in this era, he built a mansion out West, inspired by the architecture of San Francisco—a style that certainly stood out in this little mining town.

Let’s go behind the story and then ride the attraction, “Phantom Manor”

I discovered many elements in this new storyline and uncovered a number of intriguing insights. I have included the credits and references at the end of the post of those who assisted me.

“Phantom Manor” takes the "scream, bump, jump 'n' boo",  dark ride to the extreme, giving the fun house concept a facelift to the Nth power.  Phantom Manor goes a step in a different direction, bringing a cohesive storyline to the table with gruesome and graphic images in the attraction ride.

The Disney Imagineers created the back story about Frontierland being built from 1849 to 1890.  Henry Ravenswood (1795-1860), founded the Thunder Mesa Mining Company. He was a Western settler who struck gold in Big Thunder Mountain and created the city of Thunder Mesa (Frontierland).

Big Thunder Mountain and the gold mine, happened to be regarded by the “The Shoshoni's Indians”, as a sacred place.  It was believed, that anyone who would disturb the Thunder Bird god that protects it, would endure its wrath.

Thanks to the gold mine, Henry Ravenswood became rich and built himself a Victorian manor high on Boot Hill overlooking Big Thunder Mountain. Phantom Manor sits at the edge of Thunder Mesa, in the well-to-do part of town. 

In its heyday, the Manor was a truly wonderful residence. But over the years the house fell into ruin.

A dilapidated house inside a Disney park?  It was an idea that Walt Disney had always rejected for Disneyland. The Imagineers designed the exterior of Phantom Manor to send the message that it has fallen into decay and that something mysterious might be waiting inside.

Imagineer Jason Surrell said “French officials, weren't interested in a wholesale reproduction of Disney's American parks."

Henry Ravenswood raised a family and had a daughter, Melanie Ravenswood (born 1842).

 Melanie grew into a lovely young girl despite her brash, overly protective father who forbade her to leave the Manor or its grounds to venture into town and socialize.

Melanie became engaged to a train engineer who planned to take her far away from Thunder Mesa, much to the dismay of Henry. Henry did everything he could to stop the wedding.

  In 1860 tragedy struck the Ravenswood family in 1860 when a terrible earthquake hit Thunder Mesa. Henry Ravenswood was crushed by falling timbers. One month later, his wife Martha, also perished due to her weak heart. 

 The attraction

The Phantoms presence is first made aware just inside the gates of the attraction. "The Phantom Awaits".

A cast member dressed as a ghoulish servant opens the doors and invites guests into the foyer of the mansion.

A chilling voice of the Phantom sounds from around the room, politely welcoming guests, telling them the Legend of this place, and inviting them to explore the Manor further. 

Melanie's face fades in and out of the smallest mirror during the commentary.

 

Guests then enter an octagonal room with four portraits of a young Melanie, pictured in more felicitous times.

 

The stretching portraits are quite different from Marc Davis' original concepts seen in the Haunted Mansion

Revealing Melanie is in some haunting situations including:

·       having a picnic with her boyfriend as ants, along with a rattlesnake, scorpion, spider and beetle raid their food,

·       riding a boat about to go down a vertical waterfall,

·       picking roses from above a tombstone while a skeletal zombie emerges from the ground,

·       gripping a small rake in one hand, and wading through a small stream as an aquatic monster reaches for her foot.

On Melanie's wedding day, a mysterious Phantom unknown to anyone appeared at the manor. No one really knows who the Phantom is and what happened next, so I’ll leave this part of the story to your imagination.

 While Melanie was preparing in her room, the Phantom lured her suitor up to the attic where he hanged him by the neck from the rafters.

 The floor is lowered and the ceiling is raised slowly at the same time to provide the stretching illusion. This serves the double purpose of both dramatic effect and also bringing guests down from the Manor to where the actual ride begins at real ground level in a separate warehouse-style show building behind the berm,

 Octagonal Portrait Gallery is a cleverly disguised OTIS elevator.

 

Notice as you exit the elevator, how the lane narrows to form the queue for loading the ride vehicles.

Guests walk along the corridor to transition riders from the Manor to the ride vehicles.

At the end of the hallway stands a large portrait of Melanie Ravenswood, wearing her bridal gown.

 Guests then turn a corner and enter the loading area.  Look above the loading area. A large hall with the Grand Staircase leading to the upper floor. You can see a ghostly, foggy landscape with flashes and bolts of lightning through the huge window above the stairs

Guests board the carriages, each accommodating two to three persons, and then move upwards into a dark space…….

 

,  past a young Melanie bowing to passing guests while holding a candelabra, singing the entire time.

End part One

 Part 2 next post- Dec. 15-2015  -   Be sure to “Hurry Back”

Be sure to subscribe to our MyDisneyClass Podcast :

Listen & Subscribe here:   http://mydisneyclass.libsyn.com/

For additional resources and links:

Check out:   www.mydisneyclass.com

Disney Ultimate Collector Trading Cards

My New Journey
When it comes to Disney souvenirs, I am always looking for the unique and unusual. Joan and I have collected many things over the years from our DVC vacations. We enjoy each of our “finds” and enjoy collecting.  Every once in a while we discover NEW opportunities for treasures in each park or resort.

I was heading over to the Magic Kingdom Park on the "Friendship Boat" from Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  My phone dinged with a new post  on Facebook from a friend that said:

 ( Thank you to Themouseforless.com for use of their image)

   
"Dr. Howie-I was in line for the monorail at the Contemporary with a bag full of monorail memorabilia I just purchased at the Contemporary shops.  One of the monorails cast members walks up to me looking at my bag and jokingly says, “So, what’d you buy me?”.  I told him how I love monorails and collect the die-cast monorails.  He asked me if I collect the cards…. “Cards?” I said what cards? …. He said, “Wait here…” He came back with the ENTIRE SET of 12 monorail cards and handed them to me and said, “I only do this once a month to people who obviously love monorails, and you’re my once a month.”….. Magic!!! "

( Thank you to Themouseforless.com for use of their image)
I had no idea what the Facebook post was talking about.  Cards?  Transportation?  Since I was on the boat, I asked the cast member if he had any information about "Transportation cards".  He shared the details and encouraged me to start collecting the cards.  He then reached into his pocket and gave me card # 11 of the 26 cards.

Then I found this:

Amy said: ( from http://www.wdwinfo.com/ )

"Because we love all the modes of Disney transportation, we often talk to the drivers/captains if time allows. This is how we first became aware of the Transportation cards. During one of our chats with a friendly bus driver he handed us a collector card of a bus. When we asked what it was, he told us there were more to be collected, and all we had to do was ask the bus drivers and boat and monorail captains for them. We were instantly hooked on this new mission of collecting these free souvenirs that not everyone knew about."

 

If you have never heard of these cards, you can collect them at Walt Disney World as you travel on different types of transportation.  The Transportation Cards first appeared in 2006. 

There are three series of these cards. Each card is color coordinated, has a picture on the front of the specific transportation vessel, has a character icon, with numbers and contains some trivia on the back.

 


They are FREE, but very limited. To get a card just ask your driver, pilot or captain.  It is up to the transportation drivers/captains/pilots whether they carry them or not. To collect a whole set, you have to do a lot of asking. Each type of transportation only carries that kind of card; for example bus drivers only carry bus cards and boat captains only carry boat cards.
 

If they have any, they will be happy to share. Just ASK!

  On my last trip, I discovered that you can also ask for the cards from the Ticket and Transportation Center, transportation buildings, and the cast members who work at your resort’s transportation loading areas.
 

  
SERIES Details:  Series One (http://nslists.com/distran1.htm)
Included eighteen cards, which were available from 2006 through 2010. The set consisted of 3 buses, 3 boats, and 12 monorail cards. Since you can no longer get the Series One cards, I decided to search on e-Bay. This is what turned up in the search.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DISNEY-TRANSPORTATION-CARDS-1-18-/301694620736?hash=item463e669440

 

Disney Transportation Cards Series Two  (2009)  

( http://www.tradingcardspace.com/community/showthread.php?t=4829 )

 

 

Consisted of 25 cards: 3 buses, 10 boats, and 12 monorails.  My research indicated that this is a very hard set to collect that include the original cards, which are now referred to as 1^st edition.  In 2012, the " Grand Yacht One" card was re-released, with a notice that it is referred to as 2^nd edition.
These cards are ONLY handed out by the cast members assigned to each of the transportation vehicles listed below.  Card  #25 was made, but pulled because of a typo and because the monorail was involved in an accident and removed from service.

Disney Transportation Cards Series Three   (2013)

This set contains 26 cards: 3 buses, 11 boats, and 12 monorails. Series Three is still being distributed by some drivers/captains/pilots, but are in limited supply.

 

Thank you to http://disneymamas.com/ for the images

Disney Transportation Cards Series Four   (2015)
Series 4 is due in 2015,  but has not been received by the drivers/captains/pilots I have spoken with.  It appears to be one of the best-kept secrets of when they will be available.  

 Looks like a research trip to WDW is to solve this mystery.  Hmmm ..What was the phone number of my Disney travel agent?


Follow Dr.Howie on twitter @mydisneyclass

Check out his new website:  www.mydisneyclass.com

( An Educational Website created by educators for teachers)