Tours Departing Daily

Disneyland photography blog

The Future is Now

Disneyland, Tomorrowland

The way the Monorail snakes through Tomorrowland has always been fascinating to me. I’m sure there are engineering reasons for its course but to me it just seems to wind around for the sake of being interesting. Often times, I haven’t been watching for it and it surprises me, emerging from some hidden location.

I particularly love this stretch of track over the rocks of the submarine lagoon. The rocks feel so alien, lending a strong sci-fi feeling to the setting (almost John Carter-esque), which, in turn, makes the Monorail feel more like a spaceship traversing the Red Planet. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, with a little imagination, the future is now.

Winds in the East, Mist Coming In

Disneyland, Main Street USA

When I heard the title words whispered at the beginning of Saving Mr. Banks, I got a warm fuzzy feeling that I would enjoy what’s in store. The film was released today on Bluray and DVD. Michaela and I had the pleasure of getting to see it at The Walt Disney Studios with my parents as an early Christmas gift. I’ve got a post planned about that excursion for tomorrow. You should check back as I’ll share that unique experience along with a few pictures I was able to take while we were there.

As for Saving Mr. Banks (don’t worry, no spoilers here), I know there have been a lot of mixed feelings on it. I, personally, loved the film and can’t wait to pick up a copy and watch it again. It was not what I expected it to be in that the story focused primarily on P.L. Travers and less on Walt Disney. But at the end of the movie, I really didn’t care because the story had been told well and touched me. Some people seem to think it’s not historically accurate. I’m sure it’s not. It wasn’t made as a documentary so there was no false pretense. Fictionalization should be expected or you’re barking up the wrong genre.

Another common complaint I’ve seen is that not enough was done to represent Disneyland accurately for the time period. I’d heard that going into it and, honestly, I didn’t notice. Don’t get me wrong. I love good production design. That’s pretty much what Disneyland is. I was just so enthralled in the character development that suspended disbelief kicked in. I was paying too much attention to Thompson and Hanks, who gave outstanding performances, to notice any shortcomings. In fact, the strong point of this movie (outside of the story itself) is the acting. Everyone gave dynamic, believable performances.

Movie review aside, I want to leave you with the words that open the film to put you in the same mindset I had for this picture —

The Tomorrowland Train Station

Disneyland, Tomorrowland

I’ve always found myself soaking in the Tomorrowland train station when I’m on the train in a very focused way. Maybe it’s the architecture and lines that lead your eye in or the pop of color amidst concrete or maybe it’s the contrast of looking at the idea of progress while firmly seated in the past (on a genuine steam locomotive). I don’t know how many times I’ve stared at this view before it occurred to me to take a picture of it. Do you have any unusual places you consistently find yourself getting lost in at Disneyland?

Walt Disney, the Perpetual Optimist

Disneyland, Main Street USA

The Partners Statue on Main Street seems to impart the idea of Walt Disney that’s been built up in my head, that he was a perpetual optimist. No matter what I read or see or hear of the man, there he is, believing for a better world and reaching for progress. He wasn’t perfect. As his daughter, Diane, so eloquently said, “what made him human is what makes you human.” Even so, sometimes it’s hard to comprehend being the same species as someone like Walt Disney.

I recently came across an article titled Disneyland is Good For You that features a great deal of insight from Disney Legend, John Hench. In the article, Hench blows minds every few lines or so with casual brilliance, talking about how much thought goes into an experience like Disneyland to make it what it is. A bit that really stuck out to me, though, was when John wondered if people would really appreciate perfect details like real leather straps on a stagecoach. According to Hench, Walt’s response was, “If they don’t appreciate it, if you do something and people don’t respond to it, it’s because you are a poor communicator. But if you really reach them and touch them, they will respond…because people are okay.

People are okay.

I don’t know that you’d find those words coming from my lips without qualification of some type or another. Maybe “some people are okay” or “people are okay sometimes“. But to leave it at “people are okay”??? Uh uh. Have you seen what’s going on in Ukraine? Don’t even get me started about Twitter. Walt must’ve known something I have yet to learn or maybe there was a lesson I’ve had that he chose not to accept. Either way, I think we can all agree that in July of 1955 when he said “To all who come to this happy place, welcome” he really meant it. It’s evident that the sculptor knew it. As much as Walt’s reaching forward he’s also welcoming in every single person who comes to his happy place and assuring them that they’re okay. They might not believe it. But Walt sure did.

The Thrill of the Race

Cars Land, Disney California Adventure

One of the highlights of Cars Land is watching people as they ride Radiator Springs Racers. There’s so much life and exuberance in the thrill of the race. People laugh and smile. They shout and raise their hands. Perfect strangers wave to (or taunt) each other from cars that are neck and neck to the finish line.

It’s not about winning or losing as much as it’s about confronting the possibility of an outcome that could go either way. People avoid challenges every day. At Disney Parks, we find ourselves in an environment that comforts us enough to embrace a challenge and find out that the outcome, whatever it may be, is okay. Heck, we have fun simply trying. Don’t get me wrong. Winning is awesome. But you’ll never win if you never try.

Sunset at the Cozy Cone Motel

Cars Land, Disney California Adventure

Cars Land is not a great land because of its attractions. They’re fun, sure. But that’s not what draws many of us back again and again. Cars Land is a great land because of its atmosphere. It feels like it’s supposed to feel, from the impressive range down to the lines, finishes and textures of every detail. It’s the same way Cars (the film) feels like Route 66. I should know, having grown up just off of Route 66, where glass bottle sculptures and abandoned motels abound.

An atmosphere capable of immersing you completely is what has made Disneyland what it is for the past six decades and what Disney California Adventure was sorely in need of. Cars Land delivered, along with many of the other components of DCA’s makeover, having transported us to a time when the Mother Road was vibrant and full of life. The sun may have set on Route 66, but in Cars Land it still rises.