Random Thread & the *insert topic here*

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

In the late 1950s, Walt Disney introduced the concept of a pirate adventure to his staff at Walt Disney Imagineering. Like so many other of his ideas, it was far ahead of the current technology needed to achieve the desired effects. It was not until the mid 1960s that the show moved closer to reality. Pirates of the Caribbean opened at DISNEYLAND® Park in New Orleans Square in February, 1967 and in Walt Disney World on December 15, 1973.

The flat-bottomed boats are propelled by jets of water. Lift pumps in the staging area create a current that carries the boats through the channel.

There are 4 cannons on the roof of the attraction and 15 inside. They were all manufactured by Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI).

The drawbridge at the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean is non-operational.

The waterfall may be 52 feet long, but the actual drop is only 14 feet.

"Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)," music by George Bruns, lyrics by X. (Xavier) Atencio.

The black pirate flag, which flies just outside the entrance to the attraction, features a white skull and crossing swords. This type of flag is representative of ones flown by Caribbean pirates from the 1500s to the early 1800s and holds no additional special significance.

As of the 1700s, pirates began using flags sporting a variety of symbols to include the skeleton, flaming swords, and the hourglass. The most popular design was that of a white skull and crossbones on a black background. This symbol is known as the Jolly Roger.

Paul Frees voices many of the rogues in the attraction. Guests can also hear him as the Ghost Host in The Haunted Mansion. X. (Xavier) Atencio also lends his voice to the talking skull and crossbones (JollyRoger) that issues a warning prior to the waterfall drop in the attraction.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION


Located in Adventureland, across from Swiss Family Treehouse and beside “The Enchanted Tiki Room -- Under New Management” are the Magic Carpets of Aladdin! Themed after Disney's Aladdin, the colorful ride fits right into the theme of Adventureland.

 

[nerdylightbulb]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

The attraction design is very similar to the Dumbo Ride. It is a hub-and-spoke attraction with 4-passenger vehicles (16) configured as magic carpets centered by a giant -- and animated -- Genie lamp.

Joelk reports:


"The floor of the boarding and queue areas is nice, too. Terra Cotta style tiles, nicely aged, and distressed concrete in some areas with embedded "jewels".

"Only one camel facing the ride, and he spits in one direction at one level (about mid-level), so you're not going to get very wet on this ride, even if you try. The other camel faces outward in the direction of the Adventureland entrance, and his head moves back and forth."

Boarding arrangements have changed slightly since the attraction opened. The attraction host/hostess has a hand-held counter to tally a precise number of guests. Also, the boarding spiel has been lengthened with the addition of Spanish safety warnings. This pushed the movement control directions to approximately when everyone is already seated.


"The ride was very short. I timed it at 80 seconds, from start to beginning of the landing (when the carpets descend.) A manager said it's the same ride length as Dumbo."

 

[nerdylightbulb]

 

[MickeyisBeast]

such a stupid game.
Dumbo fits that description perfectly.
the question should have been more direct.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

The centerpiece is a giant Genie's bottle adorned with characters from "Aladdin," Disney's 1992 animated film.

First permanent attraction with Aladdin theming at Walt Disney World Resort.

Music from the animated classic is featured throughout.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin opened on May 23, 2001.

 

[nerdylightbulb]

Logan goes like halfway and then he's like "Ehhhhh... I'm done."

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Swiss Family Treehouse -- Disney's 1960 live-action film "Swiss Family Robinson" may not be so popular today, but it's really worth a look -- especially before you bring your kids to this walk-through attraction. The make-believe tree beautifully recreates the home the shipwrecked family in the movie builds for themselves, right down to the organ in the "living room" and the skylight in the parents' bedroom.

The story of the movie goes like this: A shipwrecked family of five salvages material from their downed ship, the Swallow, to create a home among the leaves of a huge old tree on a South Seas island. There are bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a library, all set up just like other 19th-century homes. Eventually, the family has to battle a band of pirates, and then they are rescued -- well, sort of. You have to see the movie!

As you climb the steps of the Swiss Family Treehouse, you pass through the various rooms, with explanatory placards that tell the story of the Robinsons. You get close-up views of each of the rooms, which feature furnishings from items salvaged from the wrecked vessel. There's a lantern, a log book, ornate railings, and, standing prominently in the living room, the ship's wheel from the Swallow. Ropes from the ship drive a water-wheel system that dips buckets of water from the stream, carrying it to the top of the tree. Books are open, the dinner table is set and the family pipe organ plays happily -- in fact, there's a feeling that the Robinsons could walk in at any moment.

At the top of the tree, you look out on to Adventureland below -- there's a view of the winding river and Jungle Cruise, giving the feeling of being in the middle of a tropical island.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

Disney's movie The Swiss Family Robinson was released in 1960 and starred John Mills, Dorothy Maguire, James MacArthur and Tommy Kirk.

The 60-foot-tall treehouse has been a favorite Adventureland attraction since the Magic Kingdom opening in October 1971.

The tree's structural root system goes four stories into the ground (42 feet) below the tree.

The moss is real, but the more than 330,000 polyethylene leaves are not! The tree itself is made from cement and steel.

The tree has a 15-foot trunk and nine main limbs.

The entire attraction weighs about 200 tons.

While the tree is meant to be a banyan tree, Disney has named it "Disneyodendron Eximus," which means approximately "an out of the ordinary Disney tree."

 

[nerdylightbulb]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

"Hang onto your hats and glasses, folks, cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!" And with that, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened on September 23, 1980 and celebrated its Grand Opening on November 15, 1980.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is situated at the far end of Frontierland, past Splash Mountain.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a wonderfully themed roller-coaster with turns and dips through caverns, mountains, avalanches and floods reminiscent of the Old West.

The queue area takes you into the headquarters of the Big Thunder Mining Co. You enter converted ore cars for your journey... but wait, there is NO conductor! Too late, you are off for a 3 1/2-minute ride into the wilderness!

The theming is a Southwestern landscape, reminiscent of the wind swept features found in Arizona's Monument Valley. Caves, grottos, a waterfall, big horned sheep, a spiral butte, dinosaur bones and sulfur pools are just part of the scenery you will encounter on your ride.

Speeds can reach 24-30 miles per hour so the centrifugal force as you round the turns will pull you from one side to the next.

There are no serious drops on this ride (nothing like Splash Mountain) but there are 3 good dips that can put some air between you and your seat.

The main butte is 197.6 feet above sea level and 100 feet above ground.

Enjoy the music of the old west with songs like: Big Rock Candy Mountain (1885), Blue Tail Fly, (1846), Red River Valley (1896), Oh My Darling Clementine (1884) and more.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad debuted at Disneyland on September 2, 1979. It opened at in the Magic Kingdom on September 23, 1980. Opened in Toyko Disneyland July 4, 1987 and in Disneyland Paris on April 12, 1992.

The names of the six trains are: U.B. Bold, U.R. Daring, U.R. Courageous, I.M. Brave, I.B. Hearty and I.M. Fearless.

There are 20 Audio-animatronics throughout the attraction including chickens, donkeys, possums, a goat, a longjohn-clad resident spinning through the flood in a bathtub, and a rainmaker whose name is Professor Cumulus Isobar.

Genuine antique mining equipment can be found around the 2.5 acre attraction. These pieces were purchased at various auctions throughout the Southwest and include a double-stamp ore crusher, an ore-hauling wagon, and an old ball mill used to extract gold from ore.

During constructions, workers used 6,500 tons of steel beams, rods and mesh, 4,675 tons of concrete, 90,000 gallons of water and 4,000 gallons of desert paint.

Dallas McKennon recorded the "Hang onto Your Hats and Glasses" announcement that is played just before you leave the station. Dallas also provided the voice for Benjamin Franklin in Epcot's American Adventure.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had a minor rehab in October 2007. Sound systems were enhanced along with minor painting and minor upgrades.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

Ready for some good ol' songs of Americana? If so, the Country Bears will entertain you in Grizzly Hall! Located in Frontierland just past the Frontierland Shootin' Gallery and before Pecos Bill Cafe, the Country Bear Jamboree is a theater-style attraction with audio-animatronic characters. Come in for some old-fashioned music -- you'll have a foot- stompin', hand clappin' good time!

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION

As you enter Grizzly Hall, get ready for close to 16 minutes of good ol' country music! You'll be entertained by 18 bears, a raccoon, a buffalo, a stag and a moose the likes of which you may never see again.

Big Al, Zed, Ted, Henry, Liverlips McGrowl, Teddi Beara, Trixie and Bubbles, Bunny and Beulah will entertain you with songs like:

My Woman Ain't Pretty, but She Don't Swear
Mama, Don't Whip Little Buford
Tears Will Be the Chaser for My Wine
All the Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down
Blood on the Saddle
The Ballad of Davy Crockett

On December 19, 1984, a Country Bear Christmas Special show was introduced with new costumes, sets and decorations. The Chrismtas Special last ran in 2006.

In May 1986, the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown replaced the Country Bear Jamboree, but fewer than six years later, in February '92, the original show returned. .

 

[nerdylightbulb]

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTERESTING FACTS

Your hosts for the Country Bear Jamboree are none other than Melvin, Buff and Max. Unfortunately, all you can see of them are their heads! There was a time, way back when, that as you exited the attraction, these three characters were on the other side talking to you.

Country Bear Jamboree was the first major attraction to actually debut at Walt Disney World in Florida, and subsequently open at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. The original show was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and Frito Lay.

Thurl Ravenscroft provided the voice for Buff the Buffalo and Tex Ritter that of Big Al.

The Country Bears movie was released by Disney in 2002, based loosely on the characters found in this attraction.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

INTRODUCTION

As you make your way around Frontierland, you will begin to hear screams of delight. Look up and you'll see the famous water drop of Splash Mountain in the distance!

This is the quintessential Disney attraction -- theme, audio-animatronics, laughs, thrills and a happy ending! The Splash Mountain attraction is based on Walt Disney's 1946 classic "Song of the South." Crafty Brer Rabbit is pursued by Brer Fox and his lumbering cohort Brer Bear through swamps and woods all the way to the Laughin' Place!

Splash Mountain is located in Frontierland's west end, between Pecos Bill's restaurant and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

ATTRACTION -- Queue -- The long queue takes you through the insides of Chickapin Hill until you reach the loading zone. An eight-passenger log (four rows of two seats), hollowed out by sharp-toothed beavers, will carry you on your 11 minute journey along the flume.

Splash Mountain -- The story goes that against the advice of Mr. Bluebird, Brer Rabbit leaves his briar patch home in search of adventure. Brer Fox and Brer Bear seize this opportunity and begin their legendary pursuit of the rabbit. At first, Brer Rabbit outwits his pursuers, but as you proceed you soon discover Brer Rabbit is heading for trouble. For the grand finale, you plunge with Brer Rabbit from the top of Chickapin Hill, down five stories into the briar patch.

Laugh, clap and sing aloud familiar songs such as "How Do You Do," "Everybody's Got a Laughin' Place" and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."