*Some sources (as “Disneyland Admission Media Rides and Attractions” report, published 1971) cite June 24, 1967 as the opening date.

One can easily slip into the jargon of “ride,” but at Disneyland there is a "story behind the story" of every attraction, every attraction is a living experience for the guest. Disneyland ride-through attractions or adventures have officially been defined as an “individual show, ride, or exhibit designed to produce an entertaining Guest experience. Disney attractions stir the imagination, enliven the senses, and provide the participants with positive, innovative entertainment, which is the essence of the DISNEYLAND Show.” It is important to review the story of the attraction, tell the story, explain it, and create interest. This is the story of Rocket Jets.

You may recall hearing how Walt Disney, on the eve of Disneyland’s first day of operation, promised that “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow, to add new things, as long as there is imagination left in the world.” From April of 1956 through September of 1966, the Astrojets put Disneyland guests into the cockpit of (1 of 12) personal rocket ships and sent them shooting at high speed (like stars), as high as 60 feet through the air. But in 1967, the Rocket Jets would take Disneyland guests to even greater heights above Tomorrowland in their personal Saturn V rocket “spacecraft”! Internal materials published during 1966 teased: “Tomorrowland Jets - To be raised to a new level with access via a glass elevator.”

While the Tomorrowland AstroJets attraction was manufactured by the Klaus Company of Memmington, Bavaria (and not too different from the model at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania), the Rocket Jets were a completely unique experience produced for the New Tomorrowland! United States Patent Ser. No. 9,356 (the “Rocket Amusement Ride”) was filed on behalf of WED Enterprises, Inc. by George F. McGinnis, on November 13th, 1967. The patent carried a fourteen-year term from December 31st, 1968.

The RocketJets was one of eight new and exciting Disneyland attractions which carried total Park investment to $95 million.

Though an updated futuristic Rocket Jets would replace these mid-century-style jets, pilots of the original Astro-Jets understand the important place they hold in Tomorrowland history - inspiring an attraction which is beloved and around the world and seemingly “timeless” more than a half-century later!

The futuristic updated Rocket Jets attraction deserved a brand new logo, so one was created featuring an arrow pointed (where else, but) upward!

Paint is important. The “Master Color Book” is the Bible for color selection at Disneyland, maintaining a catalogue of 4,000 shades of color. The book contains color specifications for every land, building, exhibit, and prop which requires paint maintenance. It insures that Disneyland will always have the same bright colors selected by the art directors who designed the attraction. In addition to the Master Color Book, there is a standby supply of ready-mixed paint available for touch up work. Thousands of cans of paint are stored in a special room which sounds like a walk through of Disneyland. Each can is labeled with names. Disneyland painters repainted every prop in the Park every two years. By 1969, this sign was one of 20,000 signs of various sizes and shapes and colors that needed to be maintained in their original condition.

Brand new silk-screened attraction posters were created for the Rocket Jets, heralding the technological marvels of space flight! The poster’s artwork is credited to Ken Chapman, who evokes the iconic feel of the legendary Disneyland attraction poster artist Björn Aronson!

The original 1967 attraction poster optimistically heralds an era of futuristic space travel aboard Rocket Jets, when you’ll be able to “fly one yourself”!

The original 1967 attraction poster optimistically heralds an era of futuristic space travel aboard Rocket Jets, when you’ll be able to “fly one yourself”!

During the 1970s, Rocket Jets Passenger Seating signs instructed men to sit in the rear of the Rocket Jet, women were instructed to sit in the middle, and children were instructed to sit in the front. “Those now entering, please ride two or three persons to a jet ; No single riders. Every pilot should have a co-pilot. If you are the tallest rider, please sit in the back. Thank you.”

-Rocket Jets Spiel, c. 1988

It looks like the old Moonliner Rocket has disappeared, but a new Tomorrowland icon would soon appear and tower high above the Tomorrowland skyline - the Saturn V rocket ship designed by Imagineer George McGinnis (with the tip of its pinnacle reaching 85 feet in the air)!

It looks like the old Moonliner Rocket has disappeared, but a new Tomorrowland icon would soon appear and tower high above the Tomorrowland skyline - the Saturn V rocket ship designed by Imagineer George McGinnis (with the tip of its pinnacle reaching 85 feet in the air)!

Disneyland guests could now pilot a high-flying jet into Disneyland’s own outer space. The Saturn V Rocket Jets blasted off from perhaps the highest point over Tomorrowland! The Rocket Jets sat atop the lofty Peoplemover Station and tracks.

Before “lift-off”, Rocket Jet Console Hosts and Hostesses (c. 1988), announced to passengers : “Attention Pilots! Please secure all hats and packages and prepare for Blast Off! To raise your Rocket Jet, pull back on the control lever in front of you. To make your jet dive, push forward. Please remain seated at all times.”

Rocket Jet Console Hosts and Hostesses (c. 1988), stated : “Attention Pilots! Please secure all hats and packages and prepare for Blast Off!”

Disneyland “queue lines” were designed as part of the attraction to make the Guests' time in line as comfortable as possible. According to “INFORMATION ON DISNEYLAND'S NEW TOMORROWLAND - A WORLD ON THE MOVE” (©️ 1967 Wed Enterprises, Inc): “Guests thrill to the breath-taking new version of the popular Rocket Jets that soar high above all of new Tomorrowland. The attraction tops the tri-level PeopleMover Station, Tomorrowland's theme center and pivotal point.”

“Here you go! Blast Off!”

-Rocket Jets Spiel, c. 1988

“Attention Pilots : Push your Control Lever forward and prepare to land. Please remain seated until your jet has come to a complete stop, and step out carefully. Follow the exit arrows on the pavement back to the elevators. Thank you.”

- Rocket Jets Spiel, c. 1988

Many factors affected the operability of many Disneyland attractions. Regular three-week rehabilitations (like from September to October of 1977; and then in ‘78) maintained the show quality. During the early 1980s, a c.1984 strike affected the operation of the Rocket Jets and one elevator, causing the attraction to go “101.” More commonly, inclement weather affected the operability of Disneyland attractions.

The Rocket Jets continued to soar above Tomorrowland during the construction of The Magic Eye Theater. During their flights, passengers received brief glimpses behind the construction barrier.

Maintenance Daily Work Plans were employed by Park Operations and Attractions Crew Members, overseen by Jim McDonald. Disneyland Park Operations Crew M-43 Machinists would read the daily “Third Shift Report” and Defect Sheet, make a standard opening inspection of all RocketJets in the Tomorrowland area, check it’s overall appearance, check for any discrepancies and notify M-1 Machinists and the proper department supervisor. Notify M-41 of any further work to be done or parts needed prior to opening. M-43 Machinists would respond to all Downs and delayed openings in T/L area whether or not it was mechanical. Upon arriving at a down attraction, they would determine what the failure was, determine which crafts were needed, determine an estimated time needed to repair, notify M-1 Machinists of all available information, and assist other crafts to repair attraction as needed.

The Saturn V Rocket stood towering over the top of the launch tower.

The toy featured switch activated lights and a motorized propeller.

“The centerpiece of the ‘new’ Tomorrowland, the Observatron is depicted in this artwork by Imagineering Consultant Eric Heschong, as part of The Disney Gallery's ‘Imagination and Beyond’ exhibit. This piece, produced in colored pencil and acrylic, was done in 1996 to supply Imagineers with a technically accurate portrayal of the much anticipated centerpiece.”

By 1992, the Orbitron Flying Machines (described as an ”aerial carousel attraction,” landed in Discoveryland at DISNEYLAND PARIS. Six years later, the Astro Orbitor landed at Disneyland with a Leonardo da Vinci-inspired mobile of planets. The 90-second adventure featured 12 two-person orbitors.

By 2003, the Orbitron had a legacy in Tomorrowland at Honk Kong Disneyland. A prospectus describes: “Guests pilot their own spaceship amid spinning planets and other interstellar orbs on this soaring aerial adventure high above Tomorrowland.”

Honk Kong Disneyland opened with the Orbitron where guests could pilot their own flying saucer high above Tomorrowland.

Rocket Jet #1 was auctioned through “Celebrating 50 Years of Magical Memories” of Disneyland.

This particular Rocket Jet is appropriately numbered “67” - appropriate considering the attraction’s first year of operation!

Ultimately all good things do not last forever. When the RoketJets attraction was dismantled, the massive rocket pylon was taken to a facility in Burbank where it spent some time stored in the yard. But not all the RocketJets disappeared from Tomorrowland. In the present, after “your astro blasting adventures,” be sure took for this RocketJets artifact inside the Little Green Men Store Command. One of the rockets has been re-themed and repurposed into this store display, which stands poised ready to head “to infinity and beyond”!

By 2008, WDI master planners entertained the concept of an update, investigating ride systems and describing the project as “Rocket Jet Packs.” But by the spring of 2008, soaring in an Astro Orbiter Rocket was likely the closest visitors would come to the true-life experience of flying over Disneyland (considering a 3-mile “no-fly-zone” radius, which extends 3,000 feet over the “happiest place on earth”).

It has been said that “Disney magic” begins with the Disneyland Cast Member who support a “Good Show” - a positive Disney image! Since the beginning, Atmosphere Entertainment complimenting the theme of areas was staged to entertain Disneyland Guests on an immediate and personal level. A variety of live shows entertained Guests throughout the day.

“Disneyland revolutionized outdoor entertainment and established a new approach to showmanship. The concept of a living stage was a radical change from the conventional amusement park, fair or fun zone. A variety of live shows entertained Guests throughout the day.”During early years of Disneyland (1955 to 1965), Frontierland featured a riverfront path known as Orleans Street. One of the popular attractions along Orleans Street was the Dixieland Gazebo Bandstand, where several dixieland bands performed throughout the day and night. Of these, the most notable band was the Disneyland Strawhatters.

However, in 1966 new waterfront “land” (New Orleans Square) was introduced, and with that land came brand new entertaining Atmosphere units. One band in particular would have such a profound effect on New Orleans Square, that their image would become synonymous with New Orleans Square, and their name immortal. Yes, long before the Bootstrappers, or the Jambalaya Jazz Band, the original “one-of-a-kind” Royal Street Bachelors (occasionally billed as the “Royale Street Bachelors”) once performed signature Dixieland notes on the quiet streets and courtyards of New Orleans Square, Disneyland. INA Guides described their contribution to the Disneyland show as : “Sparkling, toe-tapping Dixieland melodies… heard in New Orleans Square from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.”

Please step this way, as we meet both the founding and supportive members of the original Royal Street Bachelors, and learn a little about their work and legacy!

Jack McVea (November 5, 1914 - December 27, 2000) was the son of Los Angeles musician Satchel McVea (of Satchel McVea and his Howdy Entertainers). Owing to his father’s talent, Jack learned to play the banjo from the age of 12, and he also learned to read music. Even more, Jack soon became fond of playing both tenor and baritone saxophone (for which he is now, most remembered), and after leaving school, had the privilege to play with both Lee Williams and Lionel Hampton’s big bands.

In 1946, the door would open to Jack McVea & His All Stars, when they recorded the hit song “Open the Door Richard” on the Black and White record label. Though his group disbanded some years later, “fortuosity” was in his favor. Jack was specifically sought out by Disneyland, to contribute a New Orleans sound to the atmosphere of Disneyland’s future developement! A Disneyland Press Release divulged, “According to McVea, he was not much of a clarinetist but learned overnight to play three songs to secure the job.” After his diligence, he was hired immediately, and became the face of his Royal Street Bachelors.

Herb Gordy, was a cousin of music publisher Berry Gordy. From an early age, the left-handed artist became a skillful double bassist. He performed with Tiny "Mac" Grimes and the Rocking Highlanders. According to one account, “he also painted the edges of his bass in green phosphorescent paint. When Herb did his solo, they turned out all the lights, and the audience saw a ghostly green double bass dancing on stage.” This talent would provide the essential bass for the Royal Street Bachelors, and provide Herb a long career with Disneyland! If you’re a Cast Member, you may have heard the nickname of the large New Orleans Dressing Room - the “Herb Gordy Dressing Room” - in his honor.

Harold Grant joined the band after the passing of the original banjo player*. He had a talent for both banjo and guitar, and was featured in recordings (like Fred Clark’s “Ground Hog Snooper”, recorded 1953). Harold loyally continued with the trio for some 25 years. If you have any information or experiences involving Harold’s time with the Royal Street Bachelors, we hope to preserve more about his story here.

*The original Royal Street Bachelors banjoist is believed to have been a musician named Herman “Tiny” Burrell Mitchell). If you have any information or images leading to confirming his identity, please contact us. We would just love to preserve his story alongside those of his band members!

During their early days, the Royal Street Bachelors performed at one of their usual Royal Street locations near the opened Hench doors off the One-of-A-Kind Shop in New Orleans Square. Shows generally occurred throughout the day, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Billed as the “Royale Street Bachelors,” the trio performed alongside other legendary jazz musicians at the 6th annual Dixieland at Disneyland (held Saturday, October 1st, 8pm to 2am).

The Royal Street Bachelors occasionally teamed up with another iconic Disneyland act - the Strawhatters. The Strawhatters predated the Royal Street Bachelors by nearly a decade, performing from the Dixieland Gazebo Bandstand along Frontierland’s waterfront thoroughfare originally known as Orleans Street. When New Orleans Square debuted (and the streets were renamed), the Royal Street Bachelors regularly played the One-Of-A-Kind Shop storefront, and the Strawhatters were moved to the French Market Stage. But occasionally the two (now) legendary bands met, and when they did, the result was something special!

Though the Royal Street Bachelors and other New Orleans Square musicians performed in different areas of the land, the “Bachelors” occasionally performed alongside the Shoeshine Boys (Teddy and Kenny) and the Delta Ramblers, as their shifts overlapped.

The trio can briefly be seen wearing this very ensemble for their Court of Angels performance of “When The Saints Go Marching In”, while Donnie Osmond, Jay Osmond, Br’er Bear, and Br’er Fox enjoy their melodies and beats, in “Disneyland Showtime” (a c.1970 Wonderful World of Disney episode).

The trio was also known to frequent the little cool alcove near LaFitte’s Silver Shop. Here, they would perform for 30 or 45 minutes. A typical daily schedule looked like this:

11:00 - 11:45

12:00 - 12:45

1:00 - 1:30

2:30 - 3:15

3:45 - 4:15

4:30 - 5:00

5:15 - 5:45

The same year that the preceding “Vintage View” was captured, the Royal Street Bachelors provided evening entertainment for the “Lead-Foreman “End-of-Summer Dinner” (held during the Fall of 1972) for more than 2,000 Park Employees of Disneyland’s Food Division.

The trio played in the streets of New Orleans Square, nearby Le Gourmet and La Boutique d’Orleans.

The “one-of-a-kind” trio forms a New Orleans Square “welcoming committee” as they perform in one of their most common locations - the corner of Esplanade and Royal Street, near the One-of-a-Kind Shoppe! During the very year that this Vintage View was captured, Disney News (the official magazine for Magic Kingdom Club Families) told the story of the Royal Street Bachelors in its Spring, 1974 issue.

There’s another Disney connection on this page - Herb guest starred on Art Linkletter’s People Are Funny television show. If you’ve ever seen Disneyland’s opening day broadcast, then you know that Art Linkletter has been involved with Disneyland’s most momentous occasions since the beginning!

During their later years, the Royal Street Bachelors continued to welcome guests to New Orleans Square near one of their original prime locations, and Disneyland Employee Newsletters occasionally mentioned the members of the Royal Street Bachelors! The band even performed special shows for Disneyland Cast Members only, during the Family Open House of 1980.

Disneyland LINE (vol. 15, no. 25), published June 23, 1983, gave honorable mention to Jack McVea (17 years), Herb Gordy (16 years), and Harold Grant (15 years) - veteran Cast Members who possessed a “world famous Disneyland smile” that was “guaranteed to shine throughout the Park all summer long”! The accolades had not ceased three years later, when Disneyland LINE (vol.18, no. 6) of February 6th, 1986, highlighted Jack McVea’s contributions in the column “It Takes People”. The Royal Street Bachelors continued to be featured in Park media, for instance, they can be seen performing for a brief few seconds, on the c.1993-1994 VHS format “A Disneyland Day - Relive The Memories” souvenir.

By 1986, the Royal Street Bachelors were performing between 10:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m., Wednesday through Friday.

Ernest (a.k.a. “Ernie”) McLean would later substitute for Harold Grant (on banjo). In an excerpt of a Disney Parks interview (which can be read at the DisneyParks Blog HERE). Ernest recalled how he was personally called by Walt Disney, to be a part of the Royal Street Bachelors in Disneyland : “I auditioned as a guitar player for a tour. I didn’t think I was going to get the job. Then they started to talk about rehearsals and going to the studio, so I stopped them and said, ‘You haven’t offered me the job,’ and they replied, ‘Why do you think we are telling you this if you didn’t get the job?’ Once the tour ended, [Walt] Disney eventually called me to sub for the banjo player at Disneyland. That is when I became permanent at Disneyland.” When he wasn’t playing a solo (near a hidden amplifier) in one of New Orleans Square’s quiet alleys, Ernie was a Royal Street Bachelors regular on guitar and banjo. This he did for more than 30 years.

Two years after this Vintage View was captured, Jack would retire from Disneyland.

Yes, Jack McVea led his original Disneyland band - the Royal Street Bachelors - for a total of twenty-six years - from 1966, until his retirement in 1992! During that time, Jack encouraged the principles involved in a process that Walt called “Performance Excellence.” He encouraged the members of the Royal Street Bachelors to strive to excel each day in the fulfillment of their individual roles and responsibilities in an environment consistent with defined Disney behaviors. As a result, the Royal Street Bachelors were continually challenging themselves and each other to try new methods of working more effectively and efficiently. This was evident through their harmonious teamwork as they accomplishing these efforts.

Unlike other successive bands which would appear on Disneyland’s “stage,” this trio would become immortalized as both a New Orleans Square icon and tradition (well beyond their lifetime). Their images can be seen in numerous pieces of promotional printed items (like Disneyland Souvenir Guides, and advertisements). The measure of the Royal Street Bachelors’ contributions, can be seen, felt, and heard, in the rich and living legacy which they have left behind. The presence of the Royal Street Bachelors is still certainly felt in New Orleans Square!

Though the present Royal Street Bachelors band consists of more than three members (on stage at one time), it carries on the spirit of the original band, by channeling some of the same Dixieland melodies that the original trio played. Members over the years have included Kenny Treseder (saxophone), Terry Evens (guitar), Jefferey Littleton (bass), and many others. Instead of performing in various locations along Royal Street, the Royal Street Bachelors now generally perform from the French Market Restaurant Stage. The present showtimes occur occasionally in the morning, around noon, and generally hourly after that, until around 5p.m.

During 1991, Imagineer John Horny immortalized “The Royal Street Bachelors” in a painting that would be released as a limited lithographic print thru The Disney Gallery. One of the prints hung in the original foyer stairway of Club 33 at Disneyland for a number of years. An associated plaque read : “John Horny captures the true spirit of ‘the birthplace of jazz’ in his painting of the Royal Street Bachelors - Jack, Herb, and Ernest performing in New Orleans Square as they have since the land debuted in 1966.” The homage likely had the approval of the current members, who autographed an original print (which was auctioned through Van Eaton Galleries many years later). A print currently resides in the foyer of Disneyland’s redesigned Club 33.

The Royal Street Bachelors also inspired another iconic New Orleans Square attraction which is unseen by most Disneyland guests (but must be seen to be believed) - an animated painting, which hangs in the Members-Only Lounge of the new Club 33! At intervals, members of the trio (plus one Strawhatters member) will “disappear” to “play” a solo or a duet. The wall mounted instrument animates and seems to play by itself. Once silenced, the Royal Street Bachelors member reappears yet again in the painting. Designers of this Club 33 Members Only Lounge went to great lengths to make sure that the feel and tone of the accompanying music honor the memory of the original Royal Street Bachelors!

“Sleeping Beauty Castle - A Symbol of Disneyland”

Since Walt embarked into television, the castle has been a symbol of something magical and fantastic! In one pre-Opening interview with Bob Thomas, Walt once divulged : “‘That’s why I used the castle for the symbol on the TV show,’ he said. ‘I think fantasy captures the imagination more than anything else.’” For this reason, a fairy tale castle became a visual element at the beginning of each Disneyland story! While some early elements of Disneyland were not so defined and sure, Herb recalled that Walt “knew he wanted a castle.”

The castle was to serve as the “marquee” of Disneyland, but more so than the Main Street Station and Floral Marquee, as Walt referred to it - a “wienie.” Walt once expressed: “‘This is a magic place… The important thing is the castle. Make it tall enough to be seen from all around the Park. It’s got to keep people orientated,’” according to “Disneyland - Inside Story” by Randy Bright.

“Concept and Design”

In 1952, Walt Disney founded a company called WED Enterprises, Inc. in order to master-plan and design his dreams of a Park. Walt knew that it would require the assembling of a coalition of talents to Imagineer his “Sleeping Beauty Castle” main attraction at Disneyland. The company was staffed by Animators, Art Directors, Artists, Artisans, Architects, Set Designers, and Planners from the Studio. Early thumbnail sketches and other concept artwork seemed to be unencumbered by restrictions of budget, schedule or the laws of nature and physics. Though guided by Walt, his artists appeared to engage in “free-thinking,” as if implementing the modern “Blue Sky” Imagineering process.

While many artists contributed, the talented Herbert Ryman is of note. Herb had joined the Disney Studio in 1938, after Walt saw a public show of his work in New York. (Herb's paintings were being exhibited with those of another up and coming artist, Andrew Wyeth.) Herb Ryman acted as art director for such films as Fantasia and Dumbo, but had left Walt Disney Studios in 1946 and (by 1953) was employed by 20th Century Fox. Walt reached out to Herb and during one weekend (September 26 & 27, 1953) the first “Schematic Aerial View” over Disneyland originally produced!

As you will see, Herb recalled [“Working With Walt - Interviews With Disney Artists” by Don Peri] his initial reluctance to grant Walt’s request as the drawing was due Monday morning. However, the designs of the castle were produced, with inspiration from medieval European architecture like Ludwig II’s Bavarian Schloss Neuschwanstein located in Allgäu in Germany. This is evident in the work of Marvin Davis and Herb Ryman (as you will see). In fact one particular (prepared by July 21, 1953) entitled “Castle Entrance to Fantasyland” by WED Enterprises, Inc. artist Marvin A. Davis featured certain forward-facing elements very similar to Neuschwanstein.

According to the account of Herb Ryman in “A Brush with Disney” (pages 143-147): “It was about 10 A.M. on September 26, 1953,” when Dick Irvine called. He said, “Walt wants to talk to you.” That was when Walt grabbed the phone, according to “Disneyland Inside Story” by Randy Bright. Herb Ryman continues: “Walt called unexpectedly. When I remarked that he was at the Studio on a Saturday morning, he commented, ‘Yes, it’s my Studio and I can be here any time I want.’

I was not working at the Disney Studio at that particular time, because in 1946 I had gone back to 20th Century Fox. I had deserted Walt, which was a very criminal act (at least he thought it was). However, I was curious, and flattered, that Walt would pick up the phone and call me. I had no idea what he wanted.

He asked how long it would take me to get there. I said if I came in the clothes I’m in now, it’ll take 15 minutes, but if I get dressed, take a bath and shave, it’ll take 30 minutes. He said, ‘Well, why don’t you come as you are. I’ll be out front waiting for you.’ So I drove over to the Studio and sure enough Walt was out in front, standing there. We went into the Zorro building. Bill Cottrell, Dick Irvine and Marvin Davis were there, all friends of mine. Walt said, ‘Herbie, I’m in the process of doing an amusement park, we’re working on it right now.’ I asked, ‘Where is it going to be?’ He said, ‘Well, we don’t know. I’ve got Harrison Price at Stanford Research working on where it ought to be, the feasibility survey.’ I asked, ‘What are you going to call it?’ He said, ‘Well, I’m going to call it Disneyland.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s a good name. What is it that you want to see me about?’ He said, Well, my brother Roy is going to New York on Monday morning. He’s flying out of here to go to New York to see the bankers. Herbie, we nee $17 million to get us started.’

Walt had sold his insurance policy and his house in Palm Springs, trying to get the money together. ‘You know, the bankers, they have no imagination. They can’t visualize when you tell them what you’re going to do before we can have any chance of getting the money.’ I said, ‘I would love to see what you’re going to do. Where is it?’ He pointed at me and said, ‘You’re going to do it!’ I said, ‘No, I’m not. You’re going to call me on a Saturday morning at 10 A.M. and expect me and it will embarrass you.’ Walt asked the other guys to leave the room.

We were alone. Walt paced around the room with his arms folded, kind of paced back and forth, then went over and stood in the corner, kind of looked back at me over his shoulder with a little kind of sheepish smile, like a little boy who really wants something.

With eyes brimming, he asked, ‘Herbie, will you do it if I stay here with you?’ I begin to think, well, he’s very serous about this, and Walt, after all, was my friend, and so I said, ‘Sure, if you stay here all night tonight and all night Sunday night and help me , I’ll stay here. I’ll see what I can do.’

Our agreement cheered Walt, and he sent out for tuna salad sandwiches and malted milks and we started to work. Marvin and Dick and Harper Goff had a lot of preliminaries and groundwork on other parks that Walt had conceived of, which were very small things. So all of this was sort of put into the hopper. Walt had shown me plans from many well known Los Angeles architects, which he had relegated to the garbage pile. These architects went to so much work figuring out sewers and electrical specifications, but they were unable to capture the vision that Walt was trying to achieve. Finally he turned to his own people. He explained to me that Disneyland was to be a world apart. Entering its portals was to leave behind the hum-drum everyday world. This was my assignment. I got a big piece of paper and started to draw.”

And so the first “Schematic Aerial View” over Disneyland was completed (over two days - September 26 & 27, 1953). It depicted the castle with much “draw concept,” prominently appearing at the highest point. This artwork was to be carried by Roy Disney to potential bankers and other investors during 1954 to 1955. Subsequently, about 140 of these drawings are believed to have been produced during Disneyland development, varying in details. Herb Ryman’s mother, who was excited about the project, recorded in her diary: “Herbert is helping Walt to do a map of an amusement park. Roy Disney is going to New York soon to talk to the money people about helping finance Disneyland.” About a year later, Herb would continue to produce more suggestions of the illuminated Sleeping Beauty Castle at night, and no doubt, his mother had much more to record. For now, the next stage in the master planning of Sleeping Beauty Castle would commence.

By July 1, 1954, George Whitney of Disneyland, Inc. directed Amusements, with Ron Miller overseeing analysis, philosophy, capacities, planning, operator training, and amusement procurement.

“Architectural Models”
"From fairytale castles to extraordinary buildings", the settings and stages of Disneyland and Disney Parks are brought to life in part, due to their "architecture with a plot", as expressed by Beth Dunlop, Author of “Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture”. 

In the beginning, Harriet Burns and Fred Joerger “worked in a tin shack out in back of the Studio, building models to help… work out the original designs for Disneyland. Everything depended on models, and Fred and Harriet were the best you could get.” A dimensional architectural model was created by Fred Joerger, Wathel Rogers and possibly Ken Anderson (which currently resides in Gallery 9 of the Walt Disney Family Museum). Models explored the various dimensional relationships, site-lines, flow patterns, ergonomics, and visual appeal to convey the desired creative intent. But there was one problem - the top half of the Castle was placed backwards atop the bottom half of the castle. This was noticed by Herb Ryman, who (in order to end the debate) picked the pieces up and turned the top of the castle around. When Walt unexpectedly walked into the Model Shop room, he like the design, approving the look of the Castle.

Architectural drawings helped define all designs, production and construction strategies, costs, schedule, and resource requirements. “Disneyland is unique in that some of the world's foremost creative artists and architects control all design at Disneyland.“ By February 12, 1955, working construction elevation drawings (by architect Roland E. Hill) were approved by both Bill Martin and Richard Irvine, engineers of WED Enterprises, Inc. (then located at 2400 West Alameda Avenue in Burbank, California). Forced perspective (a scaling toward the top) was employed to produce an illusion of greater size or depth.

“Construction”

Soon after the specs were complete, work began on laying the “concrete foundation, constructed of plaster and concrete material formed to similate stone.” Next, a steel and heavy wood frame was erected. Then work began on the walls and battlements, which achieved forced perspective, “constructed of stone cut in graduated sizes, from large at the foundation to small at the topmost sentry posts.” [“Walt Disney Disneyland,” published 1964]

Atop these were laid a “wood and plastic shingle roof with numerous steeples and turrets of varying heights to approximately 40 feet.” A total of 11 such steeples and turrets would tower over Sleeping Beauty Castle. The lone cathedral spire has similar architectural elements to those found on Berner Minster in the old city of Bern, Switzerland. According to inserts published in area newspapers during July of 1955, Disney buildings were roofed by Pioneer Roof & Shingle Company (then located at 608 Mateo Street, Los Angeles, California; 7522 Westminster Avenue, Westminster, California).

The forced perspective technique was applied to the Castle. The blocks on the bottom of the castle were constructed bigger and got smaller the higher up. The reduced scale helped frame views of Sleeping Beauty Castle, securing it as a visual anchor, the Castle drawing the Guest down towards the hub. The perspective also supported a feeling of well being.

Inside, was space for an attraction and two small stores (comprising 4,292 square feet). The interior finish was of sheet rock, wood panel and other variable materials for effect. By 1958, the entire castle was appraised at a value between $326,800 and $322,000.

Walt also liked the color palette as Harriet Burns recalled, “because he thought it would blend with the sky, making the castle looks taller.” Speaking of Harriet Burns (who had previously designed and built the Mickey Mouse Club Mouse Clubhouse for the television series), she also made notable contributions toward Sleeping Beauty Castle. Soon (during 1954), parade-goers received one of the earliest previews of the attraction when a Sleeping Beauty Castle float appeared in the Anaheim Halloween Parade. Even atop the float, the castle was was designed to have ”draw concept” - designed in a manner in which it would generate interest and beckon the observer. Like some advanced “High Concept,” final designs were quickly generated and approved.

When Disneyland was being constructed, the McNeil Construction Company was the primary construction company on site. According to one source, “much of the construction was unique for the firm for it meant going well back into yesterday in building the Main Street U.S.A. area. Castles of old and such structures were new to the workers but they took them in stride.” Much of the physical labor of Disneyland’s construction was arranged through Bruce and Lawrence’s McNeil Construction Company (located at 5858 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California).

However, A.E. Fowler and Sons was the official company contracted to supply the lone crane (and heavy machinery) that was essential to constructing Disneyland. A.E. Fowler and Sons (of Orange, California) was a truck crane service company that was previously instrumental in building many well known locations around Orange County including Disneyland! The company offered bulldozers, skip loaders, dump trucks. They also provided excavating and earth moving services, performed grading, as well as heavy hauling.

Now, one A.E. Fowler and Son’s crane was to be utilized in heavy lifting around Disneyland. For instance, the crane was utilized in constructing the Jungle River Cruise, and lowering the boats into the water. It was also used to transport the Mark Twain’s boiler to its deck, and lumber to the Golden Horseshoe and Mark Twain loading dock. Time lapse photography (taken about 4 months before the park’s opening) shows this crane being utilized in numerous other ways around the construction site. It can be seen transporting steel and wooden framing, placing trees and walls, elevating workers, tools, and materials (like lumber and concrete) to otherwise unreachable heights (i.e. towers, spires, and roofs). Attesting to the usage of A.E. Fowler and Son’s crane is its appearance in “A Trip Through Adventureland” (an episode of “Walt Disney’s Disneyland”), where the crane is used to both support a cameraman who is “keeping a day-to-day record of the growth of Adventureland,” and (off-camera) place one of the Naphtha Launches in the Jungle River.

A.E. Fowler and Son’s had four crane operators on site at Disneyland - Ivan Myrick and partner Gayle Funk in one crew, Ron Vasey and “Bonie” Bonebreak in the other crew. Both crews worked day and night (around the clock) from 1954 to 1955. This rigorous work schedule was such that Ron’s daughter Rhonda remembers that period this way: “My Dad was very good with his hands. I didn’t know much of what my father was doing. My father spoke once about helping put the Jungle Cruise boats in the river. But I wasn’t told a lot of what was going on…I do remember going to visit my dad in a dirt field.”

Gloria Pedersen relates : “Mell Kilpatrick took the photo and was Walt’s personal photographer. He just showed up in the beginning of construction and started taking pictures. He became “chatty” with Walt and Walt liked him. So, Walt ended up giving him permission to take all the photos he wanted.” You can read more about the life of Mell Kilpatrick by visiting this official link HERE.

Gloria Pedersen (daughter of Ivan Myreck) recalls : “I was 8 years old when Disneyland opened but a couple years before that we lived in South Santa Ana. I remember vividly, that Daddy came home from work one day and said he had a surprise. He piled everyone into the family sedan and we drove and drove. It started to get dark, and Dad would stop the car. Mother would get out of the car and look at the street signs because we were in the middle of orange groves. We drove for about an hour until we finally arrived. He stopped the car, told us all to get out, and we all thought Father had lost it. Then he said, ‘This is where they are going to build…Disneyland’. We had never heard the word Disneyland before, so my brother asked, ‘WHAT is Disneyland?’

Daddy’s company got the contract with Disney because they needed a big crane and daddy’s company had one. My dad (Ivan Myrick) worked as a crane operator for A.E. Fowler and Sons, and their crane was the only one present…when they “broke ground” at Disneyland.

Walt had a deadline and worked people around the clock. While one team was operating, the other was sleeping. Dad didn’t come home for weeks on end. There were no cellular phones or pagers back then. On ‘pay day’, he would call Mom [from a pay phone] and have her bring him a change of clothes. Mom would ask him, ‘How will I find you?’ Dad would answer, ‘Just look for the boom of the crane - its the largest thing out here.’ Mom just headed for that boom, and that’s how we would find Daddy.

I have vivid memories of going to Disneyland before it was opened to the public, and before Press Day. Anybody who had anything to do with the creation of Disneyland was there. There was free food, and there were only a few attractions open (the carousel and Mr.Toad’s Wild Ride). Daddy asked Walt what he should do with the crane and Walt said, ‘Leave it here. Something might go wrong. We might need it. Leave it here.’ We were on the train, and we just passed the Indian Village. All of a sudden, they kept paging my dad, ‘Myreck, get to the Main Street Station immediately.’

I remember yelling at him, ‘Daddy, don’t do it. You’ll get killed!’ Well, Daddy jumped off the train while it was still moving. Back then the cranes were all manual, so Daddy’s arms and legs got a good workout all day long while operating it. He ran all the way from the Indian Village to the Main Street Train Station, to find out that a passenger train had derailed. It turned out that he used the crane to put the train back on the tracks. That was my Dad, who saved the day!”

“Walt Disney’s Railroad Story : The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom,” by Michael Broggie (2014), pp. 235-237 elaborates further on this derailment. Within a week of Disneyland opening, a brakeman had pulled the switch connecting the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad’s main line with the parallel line at Main Street Station. The caboose had not made it fully across the switch and was derailed. But that’s a story for another “Vintage View” section.]

In addition to assisting the heavy construction of buildings and placing trees at Disneyland, “A.E. Fowler and Sons built schools, shopping centers, and banks. They planted trees and poured concrete. They used to call my dad ‘Mr. Orange County’, because you really can’t go anywhere without seeing his work. We went to The Walt Disney Story inside the Main Street Opera House to watch the film, and there was Daddy’s crane!”

“Walt was fascinated by the big pieces of equipment and the men who operated them. He was there watching Daddy work that day and that’s the day I met Walt Disney.”

- ”The Birth of Disneyland” by Gloria Pedersen (daughter of Ivan Myrick)

And so, Sleeping Beauty Castle began to take form (with the help of A.E. Fowler and Sons’ orange Crane). The drawbridge was built at the Mill (on the future site of the Opera House), before being transported to Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The Mill temporarily included the Plaster Shop which created ornamental archway pieces for Sleeping Beauty Castle. The stone and staff work on our Castle was built with more than two thousand sacks of cement ... enough to pour a sidewalk three feet wide and a mile long.

“The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland is seventy-five feet tall. Because the bricks in the upper courses of the base are slightly narrower than those below, the perspective is ‘forced,’ making the castle appear taller than it is.” According to Dave Smith (Chief Archivist Emeritus of The Walt Disney Archives), “Sleeping Beauty Castle was built of lath and plaster, and sculptured concrete. The ‘stones’ were sculpted, with larger ones at the bottom rising to smaller ones at the top, with the forced perspective making the castle seem taller than it really is.” [Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016] The “tower sections” with those tiny bartizan towers (or, echaugettes) topped with conical roofs and spires were prefabricated and placed on top of crenelated kaiser columns and other top rooftop sections (the tallest one rising some 77 feet above the moat).

Some of these spires were topped with wrought iron roof cresting. Many of the gleaming finials, crests, wind vanes, and flagpoles were comprised of lightweight aluminum which had been “anodized a rich gold,” according to the Anaheim Bulletin, Tuesday, July 5, 1955. For a final touch, “22k gold leafing covers the spires of Sleeping Beauty Castle,” according to “Disneyland - A Treasure Chest of Trivia” prepared by Walt Disney Productions, 1990. From the flagpoles, swallowtail flags would fly.

Sleeping Beauty Castle appeared on quite a few pre-opening day licensed products like television trays, games, and coloring books. Many ideas for licensed merchandise were suggested, including a Sleeping Beauty Castle Doll House, proposed by the Strombeck-Becker Mfg. Co. All these suggestions were regulated by the Walt Disney Productions Mfg. Co., overseen by Philip Sammeth (c.1955).

Some of these viable project Concepts (as seen above), were supported by a well-developed business case and built expectation.

As of June 2, 1955, C.V. Wood Jr. sent an Inter-Office Memorandum to Walt Disney regarding the best estimates that could be obtained at the time regarding the completion status of individual sections of the Park and Opening Day. C.V. wrote: “Castle and Courtyard: The exterior construction will be complete.”

“With just days until the Park’s unveiling, Walt decided he wanted the castle drawbridge to be lowered for the first pint-sized patrons to run across into Fantasyland. His men worked feverishly to find and install a motor on the stationary drawbridge.” [“Mouse Tales: A Behind-The-Ears Look at Disneyland” by David Koenig] Scenes of the drawbridge being lowered and raised during the construction period are seen in a few brief scenes of A Pre-Opening Report from Disneyland.

Even before Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom opened to the public, few visiting members of the press glimpsed inside Sleeping Beauty Castle only to describe what they saw. Florabel Muir (of the New York Daily News) revealed in her (July 10th, 1955) article “Walt’s Wonderland,” “Up a set of stone steps we found Sleeping Beauty sacked up the medieval splendor in a vaulted bedchamber. Below was a dungeon (not yet staffed with a resident ogre) equipped with kiddie-size implements of torture.”

A short time later, in fact “two days before opening, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle sprang a gas leak. There were little blue flames burning all around it, but fortunately, we were able to get it fixed,” according to the recollection of Ken Anderson.

“Press Preview & Grand Opening”

“55er” Cora Lee Sargent recalled: “I thought that the unfinished Castle was breathtaking!”During Dateline Disneyland, Art Linkletter asked his six-year-old daughter Diane, “Where would you like to go, of all the places in Disneyland?” After a moment, she responded (not fully understanding the significance of what she was about to say), “To the great big castle, where Sleeping Beauty is!”

Crowds of children stood at the fairy-tale castle at the entrance to Fantasyland, south of the drawbridge. Then the drawbridge (once referred to as “the world’s most unusual welcome mat”) was lowered by Frank Heidemann, operating using hoists and weights, similar to those used in medieval times. Bob Penfield (who served as Supervisor of Construction Services) once shared: “On Opening Day I remember standing in the Carrousel when they lowered the drawbridge for the first time.” (Disneyland LINE, Vol.25, No.28, published July 16th, 1993)

“Recalled one longtime employee, ‘There were two doors to inside the castle and one was left unlocked, so we had people climbing up into the castle thinking it was an attraction. But it was just superstructure in there. I've always wondered how no one got killed.’” [“Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland” by David Koenig]

At long last, the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle (with its eight towers and battlements, some rising 71 feet high in the sky) marked the entrance to the enchanting Fantasyland - the happiest land of them all! All this was constructed four years before the film debuted - the initial walk thru giving guests a preview of the future feature film release!

The landmark was a “composite of many castles - both real and legendary,” according to the narrator of “Disneyland U.S.A.” (released December 20, 1956, by Buena Vista Film Distribution). “Sleeping Beauty’s Castle” (as it is called in the very same feature film of 1957), would become one of the outstanding features of the Disneyland skyline, and the chief icon and symbol of Walt’s “Magic Kingdom” - Disneyland!

By October of 1959, there were no flags in Fantasyland, only pennants and banners.

Accenting Sleeping Beauty Castle was an abundance of tress and flora. On the left, you’ll notice one of the “stately Italian cypress trees supplemented by groupings of cocculus, viburnum, and Pittosporum tobira,” (according to Disneyland World of Flowers, published 1965). Each of these was (no doubt) selected by landscape architect Ruth Patricia Shellhorn and placed by horticulturalists Jack and Bill Evans.

The gravity flow of water began in Tomorrowland, the highest point in the waterway system, passing Fantasyland and filling the castle’s moat, flowing past the entrances to Frontierland and Adventureland and ultimately filling the Jungle Rivers of the World before flowing into the Rivers of America. The water enters a Main Pumping Station where hydraulic pumps send 2 million gallons of water every hour through subterranean cement tunnels and back to Tomorrowland. While engineers and construction workers were responsible for the drafting and installation, the very idea of this system (at a drop of seven feet) has rarely been attributed to Ruth Shellhorn. “Designing in the field without plans, she helped lay out water courses with stakes and string and supervised grading around the moat to dramatize the Park’s centerpiece, the majestic castle,” according to “Ruth Shellhorn” by Kelly Comras.

Nightly these pools and fountains were cleaned.

“Sleeping Beauty Castle, flanked on either side by enormous earthen berms, was anchored with a thickly planted background of what oddly become towering pine trees and cedar trees. Shellhorn specified that the trees be planted in drifts, making the castle seem to emerge from a deep, dark forest. Canary Island pine was substituted for the Northern European fir and spruce trees that surrounded Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, the likely model for the Disney’s theme park palace,” according to “Ruth Shellhorn” by Kelly Comras.

About the landscape, Disneyland World of Flowers (published 1965) divulges : “The drawbridge leading to Fantasyland crosses a moat edged with "swan-proof" juniper. We call it swan-proof because those graceful white birds will eat almost anything - except juniper. Thus we are able to keep green foliage along the water's edge.

To the right of the drawbridge, two unusual trees arc reflected in the waters of the moat. The taller looks like a stylized weeping willow. It is equally graceful, green all year, and produces quantities of tiny yellow flowers in the spring. An aristocrat of the garden, this fine tree bears an awesome Latin name of Pittosporum Phillyraeoides, or willow leaf Pittosporum. Its companion is melaleuca nesophila, which arches out over the water. The melaleuca is also evergreen, displays dainty lavender flowers for many weeks in early summer, and is fast growing. This specimen is a good example of how to bring out the best in a plant by pruning. Both trees, incidentally, are native to Australia.”

“True-Life Water Birds of Disneyland”

Despite what Ward Kimball may lead one to believe, it hasn’t always been “tough to be a bird,” especially around Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Since the beginning, the pools of Disneyland have been residences for a small variety of wildlife. Here in the moat surrounding Fantasyland Castle was a place for peaceful swans to swim and reside. As opposed to the migrant wild geese, mallards, and other birds of Frontierland, these “white, and the black swans residing in the moat around the Fantasyland Castle were a gift from the Hollywood Turf Club.” (“Disneyland Dictionary”). Mouse Tales elaborates how Walt Disney and an unnamed woman accepted the gift of black and white swans for his castle moat from Dore Schary, head of MGM Studios, and director Meryn LeRoy soon before the opening of Disneyland. [See photo with the Anaheim Public Library] “Unfortunately, the birds had bad tempers and were determined to escape. They had to be penned in with a short wire fence.”

“Maintenance”

When the first swans died off, Disneyland began renting replacements, getting a fresh batch every six months.

The Park owned its own moat team. Great care went into maintaining their environment and the pools were kept clean by Custodians who worked in the Park after midnight. Magic making MAINTENANCE MACHINISTS were challenged by unique new problems each day. A typical maintenance request representing part of a day's work may sound like: “Swans in castle moat are oily... check out.”

The short wire fence didn't stop guests from going down to try to pet them - and getting snapped at. Disneylander Dean Narath recalled “watching a swan come out of the Castle moat, take out after Dominic Conte, and chase him down Main Street!”

Walt dedicated Fantasyland to “the young and young at heart.” As to what you may call a key demographic of those audiences who pass through the turnstiles and toward the realm of fantasy beyond Sleeping Beauty Castle, Walt once divulged: “Disneyland is not just for children.” This may be evident by the number of adults depicted in the Vintage Views of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Fred and Mary (the grandparents of the children; pictured above) flew all the way out to visit Disneyland during 1955 because their son worked for Mattel and the company had a contract with Disneyland.

Natalie Brashier (possibly seen above), was the “pretty cover girl” of “Disneylander” (October 1957). A brief description in the periodical mentioned how she had just spent a long and busy summer as one of the “Princesses” in Sleeping Beauty's Castle. While Van Arsdale France and even Walt once mistakenly referred to it as “Snow White’s Castle,” it was always called “Sleeping Beauty Castle.” [See Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016] Four years after Sleeping Beauty Castle opened, the animated feature Sleeping Beauty premiered in 1959.

Walk-Through attraction (April 29*, 1957 - October 2001 ; December 5, 2008 - )

According to “Disneyland: Inside Story,” “Ken Anderson remembers the time when Walt discovered an empty space at Disneyland. (Empty spaces were always anathema to Disney.) It was inside Sleeping Beauty Castle at the entrance to Fantasyland, and it would soon turn out to be less empty than Walt had thought.

Disney invited Anderson and 20,000 Leagues set designer Emile Kuri on a walk-through of the facility. Anderson had just finished his work on Sleeping Beauty, one of the Studio's most ambitious and beautiful animated films. The trio ascended an obscure ladder high inside the castle, and Walt continued to talk to Anderson. ‘Now, Ken, I know this is awfully crowded, but I'm sure you can build a Sleeping Beauty attraction right in here... in this castle.’”

“Wildlife was discovered living inside Sleeping Beauty Castle before the diorama was put in. When the design crew went in to inspect the supposedly vacant quarters, they found dozens of wild cats - and thousands of fleas.”

Ken continues: “Meanwhile, Kuri, dressed in an immaculate white suit, had moved ahead of the group and was poking curiously around the premises. It seemed that everywhere he poked, he discovered cats. There were cats on the beams, cats on the walkways, and cats underfoot with practically every step. And they were wild, not friendly in the least. It seemed that they had probably taken up residence in the castle sometime during the construction period two years earlier.

Kuri jumped over a partition to a spot where a large cardboard box rested with a gunnysack over it. In the dim light, he picked up the old gunnysack. Suddenly, shockingly, his sparkling white suit turned gray. He let out a half-scream, half-cry for help and began jumping up and down violently. In desperation, he ran toward Disney and Anderson.

‘We were covered with fleas,’ remembers Anderson. ‘It seemed the whole area was so filled with cat fleas that they were happy to see people! We were slapping ourselves and rolling up our trousers when Walt said, ‘Don't worry, fellows. I've got a phone here!’ Disney made a quick call and said, ‘Hello, this is Walt.’ There was a pause. ‘Walt Disney, that's who!’

After the great escape, and the even greater de-fleaing, Disney wouldn't let the staff harm the cats. After all, an entire ‘civilization’ had taken up permanent residence in the formerly lifeless castle. He arranged for their relocation, finding new families for the ‘castle cats.’

By the way, Anderson did indeed figure out a way to cram a Sleeping Beauty attraction inside a castle that was never planned to host a show. When the attraction opened in 1957, the guests climbed a winding staircase through the castle, where beautiful miniature dioramas unfolded before them, telling the story of Sleeping Beauty. Irvine thought of the dioramas as being like de-partment-store window dressing, but he gave Anderson high marks for great illusions and beautiful sketches.”

Page 11 of “Marc Davis: In His Own Words” features a picture of Fred Joerger, Walt Disney, Claude Coats, and Ken Andersen (who served as art director for Sleeping Beauty) reviewing models for the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through during late 1956.

Soon one Associated Press article “Plan Trip Into Drop of Water, Liberty Square for Disneyland” (by Bob Thomas, published April 20, 1957) briefly divulged the big project. Upon being invited to Walt Disney Studio, Bob Thomas mentioned, “Walt gave me a preview of his ambitious plans at his Burbank studios. He showed models and sketches… Now under construction : the interior of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, depicting the princess’ story.” The walk-through attraction included 12 “look-into” scenes “which visualize the ageless love story of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Charming,” according to Disneyland Holiday (published Summer of 1957). The “ride structure” (passageways and sets) of this amusement was appraised at a value between $118,350 and $129,400. This newest adventure represented an “added ‘plus’” not only for the iconic landmark, but “for your visit to Disneyland, Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom,” according to Vacationland, Summer of 1957.

In 1957, the walk-through Sleeping Beauty Castle attraction (with narration and dramatic scenes viewed through glass) was to open, being accounted as a major addition to Disneyland. As early as February of 1957, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club Magazine advertised the new attraction (in a two-page pictorial). Some sources (as “Disneyland Admission Media Rides and Attractions” report, page 40, published 1971) mention a soft opening occurring on April 13th.

Some sources (as “Disneyland Admission Media Rides and Attractions” report, page 40, published 1971) cited a soft opening occurring on April 13th, while other sources state April 28th, 1957, and “Disneyland Backstage” magazine (Summer, 1965) cites an official opening occurring in “June.” Next, the walkthrough attraction opened on April 29, 1957. Some sources state that the opening occurred on April 28th, 1957, and “Disneyland Backstage” magazine (Summer, 1965) cites an official opening occurring in “June.”

Actress, diplomat, and author Shirley Temple Black helped to unveil the new walkthrough attraction, featuring diorama scenes from Walt Disney’s retelling of the famous story! Disneyland Map Guides (revised for 1957) describe Sleeping Beauty Castle in the following way: a “medieval castle where Sleeping Beauty slumbers in her magnificent bedchamber.”

Hank Dains recalled: “Well, I quess one of the funniest things happened when we were opening the Castle. Wathal Rogers and I worked on the sets. We were waiting for Walt and the press to come out and we decided to check something out. One of our sets had slipped. I had to crawl into a hole to fix it. Wathal said, 'You get in there, and I'll tell you when it's right.’ So I got in there and got stuck. Wathal said the set was fine, ‘but they're coming up the steps now. just lie down and shut up!’ And so...I laid there holding up the sets while Walt and the press walked through.”

By 1960, the Guided Tour of Disneyland included “a close look at the wonderous things behind the walls of Sleeping Beauty's Castle.“

The “Schnickle-Fritz” Polka Band plays their “jolly music with an ‘um-pa-pa’ beat strolling through” the Fantasyland Courtyard. Behind them, is the crowning attraction of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The admission for both the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through attraction was one “C” Coupon (35 cents).

However, in the years that’s followed, Dick Nunis (in one Inter-Office Communication dated July 19, 1961) divulged : “Our experience from guest reaction has been that walk-thru attractions have a low appeal.” And so the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough would briefly cease operation during the winter season of 1962.

Meanwhile, Sleeping Beauty Castle had inspired another attraction. By 1964, the character of the 3rd hole of The Magic Kingdom Golf Course of the Disneyland Hotel Golf Centre was still themed after Sleeping Beauty Castle.

These Vintage Views of visitors (of various walks of life) commemorating their visit to Walt Disney’s Disneyland are reminiscent of the words of one Military Chaplain Reverend Glenn D. Puder, who partook in the Dedication of Disneyland on July 17th, 1955: “Let us join with him then, in dedicating these wonder-filled acres to those things dear to his heart and ours. To understanding and goodwill among men - laughter for children, memories for the mature, and aspirations for young people everywhere.”

“Grassy areas of the Park are cut weekly, and lawns must be completely renewed at least once a year”, according to Disneyland World of Flowers, published 1965.

According to Light magazine published for July and August 1956: “Incandescent floodlighting was used to emphasize the natural color of stonework and decorative elements. Pink and blue fluorescents are concealed in battlements. Simulated candles in windows.”

On the right side, there is a miniature version of a real spire, which towers over Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. During a 19th century restoration, French architect Eugene Viollet-de-Duc designed the spire as an added embellishment for Notre-Dame Cathedral.

A pair of Siberian Elms frame the entrance to Fantasyland. In contrast from the elms that line Main Street USA, these ones are permitted “a more natural character”, according to Disneyland World of Flowers (published 1965).

Those wooden bridges were constructed of beams which were “fired” to give the illusion of centuries-old wear to new wood.

By 1969, 38 jovial gardeners were employed in the Land scape Department carrying out their daily tasks tending flora and fauna; 60 percent or more had been in the department for 10 years plus. To stimulate their interest, as well as the guest's, Tony Virginia and Simon Dubois, who head up the department, were introducing new plant materials never seen before by many, such as new hybrids and old fashioned plants including that grandma used to grow, such as Godetia (planted along the castle moat).

According to one early 1960s Vacationland magazine: “Many of Disneyland's rides, notably the Sky Ride and Monorail, take guests high above building roof-tops. Consequently, in order that the views seen are tidy and colorful, roofs are brushed regularly and washed or painted when needed.”

Here, we can see the Disney family crest has been added over the castle’s “dummy portcullis.” In addition, a compass has been added to the Castle Forecourt ground in the “Compass Rose” of Disneyland. The all-new Compass Rose pattern in reminiscent of the introduction of Walt Disney’s Disneyland, where “(each week) as you enter this timeless land, one of these many worlds will open to you - Frontierland, tall tales and true from the legendary past, Tomorrowland, promise of things to come, Adventureland, the wonder world of nature’s own realm, Fantasyland, ‘the happiest kingdom of them all’”, and of course, Main Street U.S.A.! Like a true-life compass, the points of the Compass Rose lead from the Main Street U.S.A.’s hub, and (like spokes on a wheel) into the four cardinal realms of Disneyland!

Sleeping Beauty Castle also came to house many services, including wheel chair rental ($5.00 a day) and stroller Rental (ranging from $1.50 - $1.75 in the early days), and two shops - a clock shop, and the A.R. Brooks Corporation’s Candy Kitchen (later renamed Castle Candy Shoppe) which offered a variety of unusual candies!

The song “When You Wish Upon a Star” (lyrics by Ned Washington; music by Leigh Harline) is often associated with Fantasyland and Sleeping Beauty Castle.

By 1977, Sleeping Beauty Castle archways was home to the Arts and Crafts Shop (specializing in ornate carvings, clocks, music boxes and crafts from “Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, England, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria”. The shop offered “inexpensive wooden toys, cuckoo clocks, bear steins and collector’s art pieces, like the popular German ‘Hummel’ figures.” According to Disneyland LINE (April 14, 1977), there was a waiting list for the Hummels (priced at up to $900, and a top seller for three years). At the time of publishing the aforementioned publication, there were “about 45 people on the list”

Its Christmas year-round with Yuletide decorations and gifts featuring the Disney characters.

By (April-June) 1981, WED Imagineering surveys of Sleeping Beauty Castle (and it’s shops) were conducted, including the 2,248 square-foot structure, its 351 square-foot Candy Shop, the 583 square-foot Arts and Crafts, and the 116 square-foot Glass Blower. The 4,675 square-foot Courtyard was also surveyed.

All of these were evaluated before the forthcoming New Fantasyland refurbishment.

In 1968, this attraction about the slumbering princess received a major expansion. The story of Sleeping Beauty was revealed in miniature sets and tableaux. The following four statistics are based on the results of Disneyland Attractions Time Studies gathered in 1968:

Theoretical Hourly Capacity : 1200

Instantaneous Capacity : 130

Total Area Available for Guests: 1262 square feet

Dispatch Interval Time: :03

Average Time Spent in Castle: 6:12

The dioramas slightly differed through the 1980s and 1990s.

Guests continued to enter Sleeping Beauty Castle to see diorama scenes from Walt Disney’s popular film “Sleeping Beauty” for a number of decades until the walkthrough was closed in 2001. The attraction remained closed until 2008. But by 2008 (during the Disney Princesses theme and experience initiative), WDI master plans entertained the concept of some sort of Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Blu Ray “synergy project” involving the Castle Walk-Through. When the attraction reopened that year (in 2008), it featured numerous pluses!

Disneyland "B" Adult Attraction (20 Cent Value), May of 1960 - August of 1964 ; Disneyland "A" Adult Attraction (10 Cent Value), December of 1961 - September of 1963 ; Disneyland Jumbo "B" Adult Attraction (25 Cent Value)

You may notice that there was no Compass Rose before Sleeping Beauty castle in the early days of Disneyland.

During the early days of Disneyland, Christmas trees would be positioned here, not in Town Square. The cover of Dell Comics Christmas in Disneyland (December of 1957) would preserve this tradition.

Disneyland (and Sleeping Beauty Castle & Disneyland Compass Rose) was used as the backdrop for numerous magazine articles (in publications like McCalls, 1956 ; Better Homes and Gardens, 1956) and catalogues (as American Playground Device Company, 1956 ; Schwinn Bicycles) as far back as 1955.

The Compass Rose (before Sleeping Beauty Castle) was occasionally utilized as the backdrop for promotional photographs used in advertisements and press release material. For instance, models wearing Manhattan (“quality makers of the finest men’s furnishings, sportswear”) and Lady Manhattan Mansmooth ®️ Batiste Sport Shirts were photographed here for a 1962 advertising campaign. A few years later, photographs for this Schwinn catalogue were shot at Disneyland during the Tencennial celebration of 1965 (the cover of which is pictured above).

When Disneyland was closed, it was very common to see vehicles parked in Compass Rose for some promotional feature.

In 1984, a GM Pontiac J2000 was parked here for a National Car Rental Advertisement in coordination with the PSA “Magical Smiles Tour.”

Sleeping Beauty Castle was also featured in a Look Magazine photo shoot (in conjunction with new Disneyland 3-D post cards) on May 23, 1966.

Sleeping Beauty Castle was also featured in another type of promotional form of media - the music video! Presumably during the winter of 1974, the location was used as the setting for a few shots featured in Karen and Richard Carpenter ‘s “Mr. Postman” music video, released in 1975. Sleeping Beauty Castle Courtyard was occasionally appeared in promotional television spots, as when it was staffed and operated for an RCA commercial (filmed April 10th, 1963). The location occasionally appeared in promotional media, as when Michael Jackson sang “When You Wish Upon A Star” near Sleeping Beauty Castle and Swan Lake for the televised Disneyland 25th Anniversary special.

By the mid-1980’s, Disneyland (and the Castle Forecourt) became the Stage for “special groups” of - “talented High School, College, and Community Groups.” For instance (in May of 1986), the Castle Forecourt welcomed West High School Marching Band and Banning High School Marching Band.

Sleeping Beauty Castle became the backdrop for many scenes of television commercials, and television shows.

By the 2000s, the winter season overlays were more extravagant. The castle battlements, turrets, towers, flying buttresses, and parapets were draped in snow garlands, wreaths, garland strobes, LED circuits, and Icicle light sets. Contributing to the 2007 stage was Show Designer John Addis, Lighting Designer, Technical Director and draftsperson K.C. Wilkerson, and Scenic Designer Tom Butsch.

Most days, the drawbridge of Sleeping Beauty Castle is down and the welcome mat is out! However, necessary rehabs are occasionally in order to maintain the integrity of the Show. However, rehabilitations aren’t what they used to be. Back in “Ye Olden Days” of yore (before retaining walls obscured much Disneyland development in lieu of Show Quality), Disneyland visitors were once invited to become “sidewalk inspectors” of “the greatest construction show on earth.”

Refurbishment work has much impact on the Guest experience. Today rehabs, themselves, are viewed as a distraction. Locations undergoing work are often covered to minimize distraction. Sometimes, temporary fencing or signage is used. In those instances, Cast Members try to stay true to the theme and story. For example, these walls keep Guests informed but support the story.

Let’s take a look back at just a few projects, as they were perceived by audiences.

Walt Disney Imagineer John Stone designed, developed, and supported overall design by producing Massing Models of Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Rehabs were planned to follow the Disneyland waterway flow: (1) Storybook Land Canal, (2) Motor Boat Cruise, (3) Sleeping Beauty Castle Moat, (4) Rivers of America, and (5) Jungle Cruise.

Some minor refurbishment and construction taking place at the top of Sleeping Beauty Castle, indicated by the rooftop scaffolding near the turrets. Meanwhile crowds of guests pass under the “Dummy Portcullis” below.

Before recent decades, scrim-encompassed scaffolding did not obscure rehabilitations from the eyes of guests or Dwarfs.

Paint is important. The “Master Color Book” is the Bible for color selection at Disneyland, maintaining a catalogue of 4,000 shades of color. The book contains color specifications for every land, building, exhibit, and prop which requires paint maintenance. It insures that Disneyland will always have the same bright colors selected by the art directors who designed the attraction. In addition to the Master Color Book, there is a standby supply of ready-mixed paint available for touch up work. Thousands of cans of paint are stored in a special room which sounds like a walk through of Disneyland. Each can is labeled with names. Disneyland painters repainted every prop in the Park, as in Sleeping Beauty Castle every two years. Projects included “aging” doors in Sleeping Beauty Castle.

In 1983, Sleeping Beauty Castle’s drawbridge was raised - for the first time in 28 years. This was for the premier of New Fantasyland and to accommodate “Believe You Can, And You Can” - a Del Monte- sponsored television show (starring Mari Amsterdam and Heather O’Rourke) - which was shot before New Fantasyland opened to the public. As a sidelight, the television special features footage of the drawbridge being lowered before a young Heather O’Rourke, but played in reverse to appear as it is being raised (which may be of interest to you, if you’ve never seen this done before). According to LINE magazine (Vol.15, No. 10, March 10, 1983) : “Maintenance coordinated the raising, arranging at first to raise the bridge with a crane since it was uncertain whether the winch system would still work after 28 years. Then it was discovered that the original lead weights, used as counter balance in the winch system, were still in place in their assembly behind the portcullis. With the additions of more weight, approximately 1,500 pounds altogether, the system worked perfectly and the drawbridge was raised. Incidentally, the large winch outside Arts ‘n Crafts is decorative only ; the real winch is in the attic above the drawbridge.”

The heraldry of the shields that once lined the Sleeping Beauty Castle Drawbridge are the same ones that could be seen high atop the Courtyard.

“Legacy”

By the mid-1960s, the Disneyland Hotel Golf Centre: The Magic Kingdom Golf Course had a Sleeping Beauty Castle hole inspired by the attraction.

“Once Upon A Dream” (c. 1970s - 1982), Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip walked with each other through Sleeping Beauty Castle Courtyard! This magical moment was frozen time, through the magic hands of skilled craftspeople, and the blessing of two gifts bestowed upon Sleeping Beauty Castle - one to the west (pictured), and another to the east. But changes were in the wind, and when new developments (like the Village Haus Restaurant Sponsored by Sun Giant) began to take form during the early 1980s, this particular mural was removed from the water fountain.

Today there are hand-rendered frescos of scenes from Sleeping Beauty on the walls.

Get ready to “dine at Disneyland” like never before - enjoying “Tomorrow’s food service today!” A long time ago…before General Electric’s Carousel of Progress…before Innoventions…and (definitely) long before Star Wars Launch Bay…was Tomorrowland’s “Stratosnak” Space Bar!

According to “THE DISNEY THEME SHOW - an introduction to the art of Disney outdoor entertainment: Volume II”: Of all the guests’ senses that come into play at Disneyland, the most difficult response to predict was taste. If 70,000 guests were to arrive on a single day, there would probably be 70,000 different ideas about food. Generally speaking, Disneyland food locations fall into three categories - sit-down restaurant service, “buffeteria,” and fast-food categories. The most extensive theming has always been found in the sit-down restaurant locations but all locations were housed in authentically motified facilities.

The Space Bar was to be the first West Coast version of the automat (a common type of dining experience in New York during the 50s and 60s), with a catch - guests would dine in the futuristic year of 1986. Both Herb Ryman and Gabriel Scognamillo created many concepts (rough layouts, elevations, and artistic drawings) which contributed to the final design of the “futuristic” automat. [Some of these designs were refined and published later on July 15, 1955, as a supplement for the “Register” of Santa Ana, California.]

Meanwhile (in 1954), Walt was searching for participants to lease shop and restaurant spaces at Disneyland, and help generate the necessary capital to fund construction of Disneyland. In a synergistic relationship, the companies (in turn) could sell their products and advertise their corporate names in the Park. Several “reliable old firms” sponsored the “abundance of restaurants devoted to pleasing all tastes and all budgets,” according to “The Story of Disneyland”, published 1955. “55er” Rima Bruce (who started with Jim D'Arcy in Food when all food was Lessee and typed memos and menus) recalled that “the phone never stopped ringing with everybody trying to get a food lease in the Park.“

By October 195, 34.48% of Disneyland Inc. stock was owned by American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc.

By July of 1954, Raul Grizante of Disneyland, Inc. was overseeing food philosophy, area & location, food specialties, and beverages for Disneyland. This colorful quick service pavilion would be both partially designed and operated by UPT Concessions Inc. a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theaters Inc. Food service equipment was provided by Coast Distributing Company of Los Angeles (who ran a “Congratulations” message to Walt Disney and Staff in “The Disneyland News,” Vol. 1, No.2 ; August 10, 1955). “55er” Marion Schawacha recalled: “one day I put in an application and I saw Chet Miller with the U.P.T. We were taken around the property, climbing over piles of lumber, as projects were pointed out. On the first of June, I went to the Space Bar, doing everything… stocking the shelves and getting set up for hamburgers. chicken pot pies, tuna burgers, chili beans.”

The Space Bar structure was a one-story cafe comprising 2,779 square-feet. The Space Bar was of stucco and cemesto board on steel frame composition, built atop a concrete foundation and slab. The entire plywood interior structure was covered by a flat composition roof, with a formed steel canopy covering the concrete and terazzo floors. The Space Bar also had three restrooms (containing 19 fixtures) and was connected to the 1,760 square-foot Skyway Station. Altogether, the Space Bar was valued between $63,100 and $65,900.

Some of these viable project Concepts (as seen above), were supported by a well-developed business case and built expectation.

Disneyland, Inc. continued to team with the Participant sponsor to develop the attraction. As late as May 25, 1955, “ABC’s Automat type restaurant… was [sic] changed from Autosnak to Stratosnak,” according to one official and authorized “Disneyland Information & Nomenclature List” (prepared by Bill Cottrell of Disneyland Inc., by May 25, 1955). It was estimated that the Stratosnak Space Bar would have the capacity to serve 800 guests per hour. With that, the Space Bar would become one of Disneyland’s eating facilities which was predicted to contribute to accommodating “15,000 persons daily, hitting a peak of 60,000 on holidays and week-ends…” and one of “twenty restaurants and snack bars, capable of saving 8,000 hourly,” at least according to “Building A Dream” (prepared by the Disneyland, Inc. Public Relations Department).

As of June 2, 1955, C.V. Wood Jr. sent an Inter-Office Memorandum to Walt Disney regarding the best estimates that could be obtained at the time regarding the completion status of individual sections of the Park and Opening Day. C.V. wrote: “Stratosnack: Will be completed.”

“55er” Dean Penlick was a Chef Manager in a very successful Beverly Hills Restaurant when it was purchased by the American Broadcasting Company. Then UPT was the Lessee for all fast foods in Disneyland, and brought Dean to Disneyland as a food consultant.

“55er” Marion Schawacha recalled opening day: “The waiting lines were all mixed up and criss-crossing each other. The line from Autopia would end up at the Space Bar, and vice versa. All you could see in Tomorrowland was PEOPLE!”Beginning in July of 1955, a variety of food and refreshments were available! Guests could order soft drinks (Root Beer, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Orange Drink), salads, sandwiches (hamburgers, hot dogs), desert (pastry and pie), Coffee and candy. Carnation Farms would also serve this and 14 other wholesale customers who operated restaurants and snack bars in Disneyland.

Dean Penlick recalled: “I was working in Tomorrowland at a food facility that was an automat. It was all vending machines. This operation would take in many thousands of dollars a day in coin… but we were too busy to count the coins. So we worked up a formula where we weighed the coins and used that weight as a basis for our deposits.”

A few Disneylanders fulfilled a starting role at the Space Bar, like Terry Carnes.

Guests selected these items from immaculate, fully-automated vending machines, and placed them on their trays, before making their way toward the Patio Seating area. The Space Bar Patio Seating Area was located in a rather central location - providing a great view of several attractions, like the busy Tomorrowland Autopia race track and (later) the Skyway cabins ascending from the Tomorrowland Skyway Station! This early Disneyland Map excerpt (though rather simple) gives an idea of what the Space Bar Patio’s table arrangement under the Space Bar awning looked like.

The Space Bar was operated by U.P.T. Concessions with a scope of sales on snacks and soft drinks for VIPs and Disneylanders. Marion Schawacha recalled: “Walt was a fantastic man...he had great pride in the place. He liked popcorn and he liked hot dogs and he would always PAY for his food! Instead of taking his guests to a fine restaurant, he would bring them to the SPACE BAR!”

Additional covered seating was available nearby, offering another amazing view of Tomorrowland! At one time there were a total of 26 metal canopies (measuring 4’x4’) on steel posts.

In a move of corporate synergy, the Space Bar was one of 16 Disneyland “eating places” which featured “fine food with fine coffee - Maxwell House,” from 1955 to 1957, as well as Carnation Farms products!

The vending machines at Disneyland also yielded some revenue for Disneyland Inc. Notwithstanding annual operating expenses (at $1,429 in materials) and repair and maintenance materials (at $15), a total of $8,497 (less $154 for expenses) for the fiscal year (52 weeks) ending September 29, 1957 and a total of $10,333 (less $1,468 for expenses) for the fiscal year (52 weeks) ending September 28, 1958.

A rare view of Space Bar construction (and barriers) as seen from a shaky Skyway gondola descending into Tomorrowland.

A storage addition was added to the Space Bar in 1958. After labor, materials, purchases, and sub contracts (Automatic Sprinklers, Allstate Roofers, and Jezowski & Markell), the cost of the job totaled $1,615.57. By September of 1958, an appraisal of Disneyland “land improvement” assets valued the Automat at $129,117.

In the left corner of the photo, you’ll notice a space in the midst of the Tomorrowland “StratoSnak” Space Bar seating area. This location was often utilized for dancing and Date Night Dance bands during peak seasons.

According to Disneyland World of Flowers by Morgan Evans, “On each side of the dining terrace you will see a curious tree called ‘star pine’ (Araucaria excelsa). It comes from faraway Norfolk Island in the south Pacific, where it is known (not surprisingly) by yet another name, ‘Norfolk Island pine.’ It is not truly a pine, but a sort of second cousin. If you are a tree and have needles, and your seed is borne in cones, it's all in the family - the conifer family.”

This was the view from underneath the StratoSnak Space Bar awning.

According to Dave Smith (previous Chief Archivist Emeritus of the Walt Disney Archives), “In its early years, Disneyland did not have the atmosphere bands that are used today… It would be several years before other bands appeared on a regular basis : Kay Bell and the Spacemen first performed in 1961.” [Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016] In addition to the usual Tomorrowland ambiance, entertainers made appearances at the Space Bar. Chuck Corson (Disneyland Entertainment casting Director, 1959 - 1973) was responsible for much of the big-name talent (and big bands) that appeared in the Park, it was Sonny Anderson (of Disneyland Entertainment) who was largely responsible for many of the youthful bands that performed at the Space Bar (and later, Tomorrowland Terrace). Acts like the Mustangs and the Spacemen owe their appearance at Disneyland, predominantly to Sonny Anderson.

The area had a permanent, covered dance floor for Date Night dance bands during peak seasons. Guests also found plenty of room to swing at the Space Bar Dance Area (labelled in some guides like “Walt Disney’s Guide to Disneyland”, published 1964). Both the Space Bar Band (debuting during the summer of 1961), and the Astronauts (the band) could be found providing swingin’ melodies during Date Nites (perhaps starting during the Summer of 1961) at the nearby the Space Bar! During 1962, both Teddy Buckner and his Band performed during Disneyland’s 2nd Annual Grad Nite, and Bobby Rydell performed in a segment of “Disneyland After Dark,” from the Space Bar Stage. The 5th Annual New Years Eve Party (held Monday, December 31st, 1962 thru Tuesday, January 1st, 1963) brought the vocalist Kay Bell and the Spacemen to the Space Bar. Grad Nite 1964 continued to bring performances by the Spacemen and Kay Bell to this dining area. Also during 1964, Gary Lewis (Jerry Lewis’ son) won the contract to perform with his six-piece rock and roll band (at the Space Bar in Tomorrowland) on Friday and Saturday nights. Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra also performed at the Space Bar.

By January, 1966, Disney had bought out the UPT facilities, a subsidiary of American Broadcasting Company.

I’m 1967, the Space Bar tarmac was raised in front to a point, level with, or just a bit higher than the dance floor.

For about a decade (during the 1960s), the Patio Seating area was elevated and enclosed with panels.

According to Bill Evans (“Walt Disney Disneyland World of Flowers”): “Yucca and Australian spear lily, seasonally highlighted by cockscomb and verbena, greet visitors to the Space Bar.”

During the construction of the New Tomorrowland, the site of the old Space Bar was utilized for the Carousel Theater.

While located beneath the PeopleMover station, the new Space Bar offered “soft drinks, ice cream, popcorn and other refreshments.”

During the development of Space Mountain, a new form of the Space Bar was renamed The Lunching Pad. About 1981, the Tomorrowland fast food location offered Popcorn, Space Mist, Ice Cream Bars, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Frozen Bananas, Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Twinkies, Milk, Almonds, Raisins, and Ham and cheese sandwiches.

If you would like to read more about the original Space Bar, it’s my pleasure to recommend adding Marcy Smothers’ “Eat Like Walt - The Wonderful World of Disney Food” to your personal Disney Home Library! Therein, Marcy has extensively researched and finely crafted a small section of a chapter dedicated to “Walt Disney’s Disneyland - Tomorrowland” If you would like to bring the magic of Disneyland restaurants and concessions to your dining room table, “please step this way” toward www.eatlikewalt.com where Marcy has shared a few recipes for memorable Disneyland menu options, so you too can “Eat Like Walt.”

Construction : June of 1975 - 1977

Opening : May 4*, 1977

Dedication : May 27, 1977

*Disneyland Rides & Attractions and Attendance Report, Fiscal Year 1981.

One can easily slip into the jargon of “ride” but at Disneyland there are attractions and every attraction is a living experience for the guest. Disneyland ride-through attractions or adventures have officially been defined as an “individual show, ride, or exhibit designed to produce an entertaining Guest experience. Disney attractions stir the imagination, enliven the senses, and provide the participants with positive, innovative entertainment, which is the essence of the DISNEYLAND Show.”

There is also a “story behind the story” of every attraction. It is important to review the story of the attraction, tell the story, explain it, and create interest. This is the story of Space Mountain.

When Disneyland was being conceived, Walt intended that his Park have “no roller coasters”, by the recollection of Buzz Price. However, Walt Disney also said : “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow, always adding new things to provide its visitors with exceptional and entertaining attractions.” In Walt’s eyes, Disneyland was “like a piece of clay,” because if there was something he didn’t like, he wasn’t stuck with it. He could reshape and revamp it. After years of personally reshaping and revamping, Walt divulged: “I’m not the perfectionist anymore. It’s my staff - they’re the ones always insisting on doing something better and better.”

The success of the Matterhorn Bobsleds a few years prior (in 1959), had proved the viability of thrill rides within Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom! While some early research and development was conducted through Arrow Development, Space Mountain would become one of the Park’s first roller coaster-type attractions to be developed through WED Enterprises. In 1964, Walt assigned WED Enterprises artist “Captain” John Hench (an old sketch artist from the Hyperion Avenue Studios era of 1939; a background artist) with the task of researching and creating initial concepts and sketches for future indoor roller coaster attraction at Disneyland. This potential adventure would be included in the New Tomorrowland expansion project of the mid-1960s.

Walt Disney’s Imagineers knew their audience. Even while Tomorrowland featured the Flying Saucers attraction, early 1960s maps began to depict another space-themed attraction - a “Spaceport & Rocket Flight Future Attraction” (also referred to as “Space Voyage.” Some of the earliest visions of the Show Complex Building (with its towering white spires) were created by the Legendary John Hench, who made “the first little sketches on the thing.” Even such early renderings proved that the building was designed to have ”draw concept” - designed in a manner in which it would generate interest and beckon the observer. In the words of John Hench, “It's all very obvious: careful communication, watching what you say, and being explicit and having something to say in the first place.”

According to Marty Sklar “I like to think that I interpreted and reinforced Walt's creative approaches because it was really Walt Disney who set this whole thing up. I've worked hard to be the champion of Walt's philosophy and values over the years… John Hench was the king of design, but even being as smart as he was, he wasnt able to communicate easily down the line, so there was a role for me in helping to achieve what the great designers had developed.” [“Ripley’s Pioneers: Legends of the Amusement Park Industry Volume One” by Tim O’Brien]

“Disneyland is unique in that some of the world's foremost creative artists and architects control all design at Disneyland.“ Walt Disney Productions artist Herbert Ryman was influential to some exterior elements, while some interior settings were sketched by WED Enterprises Employee George McGinnis. Notable WED Enterprises, Inc. engineers and artists like Bill Watkins and Roger Broggie Sr. would also be involved in the development of the space adventure - “Space Voyage”!

According to LINE Magazine, “John remembers his first meeting with Walt about the project in late 1964. ‘Walt didn’t call it Space Mountain at that time but he felt we needed an attraction in Tomorrowland that would present the future through space travel. Walt had a prophetic ability and knowledge of how to bring different experiences together in a perfect blend…and he knew Space Mountain would be attraction that would serve to enrich the guest’s experience one step further.’” Space Mountain was likely one of several attractions that Walt had in mind when mentioning he had ”plans afoot - some on the drawing board or in model form, others only in the ‘dreaming’ stage…to be added through the year 1980.” [“Walt Tells Problems Studied for New Disneylands,” by Ted Thackery Jr., published Thursday, February 11, 1965, for the Herald Examiner of Los Angeles, California.]

Early concepts featured four “tracks” (some of which wove inside and outside of the Show Building), complete with “soaring spires” (borrowing some style from Herb Ryman’s c.1964 “suggestions” for the New Tomorrowland). About the years 1965 to 1966, the job of “Space Ride R & D” (No. 034-53-22) was opened at WED Enterprises, Inc. Project 034-53-22 was described as Research & Design of a “Matterhorn-type ride with a structure housing four separate loading areas and ride tracks.”

According to “Progressland at Disneyland: a proposal for the General Electric Company from Walt Disney Productions” ©1965: “The word for 1967 is Tomorrowland -a New Tomorrowland. When the present Tomorrowland was designed, in the early 1950's, Early Bird, Gemini and Apollo were space age terms of the distant future. Even the household word ‘astronaut’ was still to be coined. Times-and-tomorrows have changed. So recently Walt Disney and his creative staff have taken a new look at the Tomorrowland area. To research ideas. Walt and his team visited Houston, Huntsville and Cape Kennedy, discussing the latest Space Age wonders with astronauts and scientists, including Dr. Wernher Von Braun. The result: a decision to close the entire Tomorrowland section of Disneyland in the Fall of 1966 for complete redevelopment - the re-building and enlarging of an entire area of Disneyland to provide for dramatic and exciting new attractions and exhibits. In New Tomorrowland, a towering structure will serve as spaceport and theme center. Inside, guests will experience the sensation of racing through distant space.“

Internal materials published in 1966 mentioned: “With four maior new attractions nearing completion for summer, 1966, openings at Disneyland, Walt and his staff af WED are looking toward 1967 - 1968.“ By May 25, 1966, an allowance of $150,000 was allocated toward the cost. By October 1, 1966, an actual cost of $119,000 with a write off of $119,000 was pending approval.

According to John Hench (who led the project), even back in 1965, plans called for a two-level building with guests entering from the second level. “Walt had originally thought of having the lifts on the outside”, John recalls, “but we could control the light much better with an enclosed structure.” Testifying to this is image of this design can be seen in the pages of “A World of Smiles” (the Tencennial Tour Guide scrapbook). Soon, the “Walt Disney Productions Annual Report to Shareholders and Employees Fiscal Year Ended October 2, 1965” announced: “In New Tomorrowland, a towering structure will serve as a spaceport and theme center. Inside, guests will board four-passenger ‘rocket ships’ to experience the sensation of racing through distant space. Spiraling upwards as high as an 18-story building, the ‘Tomorrowland Mountain’ will be the highest point in the Magic Kingdom, a magnet visible for miles.”

“A ‘Hold’ on Space Mountain, and a ‘Gap’ in Development” - It’s a fact, that the “Space Mountain” name was first attached to the project during 1966. During this time, Herb Ryman produced mode concepts of the spire-topped show building and WED Enterprises, Inc. engineers were utilizing “far-ahead” computers to conduct stress and design analysis (including those of the curves and turns of the track). The layout revolved around utilizing gravity and kinetic energy to keep the cars moving forward. Some of these viable project Concepts (as seen above), were supported by a well-developed business case and built expectation. However, it seemed that there was not the necessary space to house this attraction, as Walt was “running out of building room inside the 20-feet Hugh earthen berm surrounding Disneyland.”

Then there was the matter of the computer technology to control the safety “Block (brake) System.” The Automatic Block System was a series of consecutive blocks governed by block signals that were actuated by a train, engine or by certain conditions affecting the use of a block. The system was used on the Disneyland Railroad but was seemingly limited for application toward Space Mountain. So after Walt’s passing (in December of 1966), any plans for this particular future Disneyland attraction were put on hold while Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom was brought to reality.

A WED philosophy is that there is no bad idea. “We say that because if you get in a meeting and somebody comes up with something and someone turns to him and says, ‘That's a stupid idea!’ you'll probably never get another idea from that person. So, we try to create an open environment where people can say anything. Quite often, something that sounds dumb at the time will turn out to be just the little spark that sets everything off Somebody will come in later and say, You know, I thought what so and so said was dumb, but I’ve been thinking about it and I think there's a little gem here.’ Its amazing how many times that happens…‘ Marty said that he's been around so long and has discussed so many ideas that he has seen many resurface after many years. ‘When that happens, I know from experience that a lot of them won't work, but I don't say, 'Well, you know what? We tried that 20 years ago and it won't work; because so much changes. If we went back through our archives, we'd probably find a lot of things that we could do today that we couldn't do at the time because the technology wasn't there.’“ [“Ripley’s Legends - pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry” by Tim O’Brien, Volume One]

Walt once said: “Since my outlook and attitudes are ingrained throughout our organization, all our people have this curiosity; it keeps us moving forward, exploring, experimenting, and opening new doors.” So began the blending of creative and technological innovation with the essence of great Disney storytelling. Soon, one of the Magic Kingdom’s planned adventures included the “Space Voyage” - the first incarnation of Space Mountain! Four years later (and by the early 1970s), true-life space-age computer technology had advanced enough to control the proposed safety “Block System” enabling multiple cars to safely run along the rails simultaneously. In fact, the block system was controlled with the help of two Data General Nova 2/10 computers. Sensors (electronic elements in the track) monitored the speed and spacing of vehicles.

So, the plans (employing research, development, and conceptual artwork of John, George, and Herb) were “dusted off” by the WED Creative Development Division members. New concept art was created by artists like Walt Disney Imagineer Clem Hall (c.1974). New software from NASA was utilized to design the support structure and required specs of the attraction. Though the original four “track” concept was reduced to two “tracks” and the attraction would be fully-enclosed in the Show Building (design by WED Enterprises Imagineering Project Engineers Glenn Durflinger, Bud Stacy and Randy Carter), the attraction would make use of the old c. 1966 working title.

By about 1974, one official publication commented: “WED's number one priority at present is to investigate all the elements of a possible ‘Space Mountain’ in Disneyland-design, track layout, show, cost, etc. ‘Space Mountain’ -now being completed at Walt Disney World, is a thrill ride beyond compare, where space shuttle-like cars zoom past black light and fluorescent laser effects at ‘un-believable’ speeds. The most exciting portion of this "trip," however, is the sector in which shuttle passengers seem to enter a state of weightlessness while passing through space at supra sound barrier speeds. It is tentatively planned for behind the Tomorrowland stage.” [“WED - What. Where. Why and Who?” by Vicki Stowe]

True life astronauts Gordon Cooper (of the Mercury 9 & Gemini 5), James Irwin (of the Apollo 15), and Scott Carpenter (of the Mercury 7) helped open Space Mountain at Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom, on January 15th, 1975. Space Mountain was a grand success.

Meanwhile, Disneyland had managed to “maintain its levels of attendance in the face of rapidly expanding competition for California's leisure dollar, and despite the fact that the Park has not opened a major new area since Bear Country in early 1972.” As approximately 60% of the Park's attendance came from within the state of California, “new attractions remained a vital factor in stimulating repeat visits and assuring the Park's continued future growth. Therefore, in 1975, the Company committed itself to a major new capital development program for Disneyland.” By September of 1975, construction crews received the “All Clear” (under the supervision of Maintenance Lead Bud Poole) to begin work on the second incarnation of Space Mountain, and Disneyland's second “mountain.” Construction commenced during September of 1975.

The steel frame of the Space Mountain show building is 200 feet in diameter, holding more than 1 million cubic feet of space. It is hard to see from this “Vintage View”, that the base of the structure is set 17 feet below grade (or, ground level). A considerable portion of Space Mountain was placed below the ground level in order to reduce the height visually in relation to the smaller Sleeping Beauty Castle. From ground-level, the structure would measure 75 feet tall not including the spires. If Imagineers did not scale down and sink part of Space Mountain deep into the earth it would have become a Visual Intrusion and a contradiction, dwarfing Sleeping Beauty Castle and all of Main Street.

There are a total of thirty-six steel support beams atop forty-five concrete pilings.

Before the 1,100 seat Space Stage was installed in front of the Space Mountain Complex, this was the look of its facade and the Tomorrowland Stage.

The show building was 75 feet tall (without the external spires).

But it was 117 feet from the ground to the top of the tallest spire point.

The show building would measure 117 feet from ground-level to the top of the tallest spire.

While the tubular steel track layout of the Matterhorn Bobsleds was installed before much of the wood frame and stucco was applied, the Space Mountain show building exterior was enclosed before the steel track was laid. The length of the competed ride track was 3,035 feet, (not including the spur track, and storage track, which brought the approximate total to 3,450 feet). Soon, one Program Logic Controller (PLC) system and a Nova system (“for message generation” and alerting operators and engineers to any conditions of units) was installed. These were similar to those first installed at Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida.

Plans for the majestic Space Mountain Show Building were still being approved by February of 1975. But as soon as construction began, LINE magazine often published the “Space Mountain Update”, to educate Cast Members on the progress of the attraction.

For instance :

•Saturday, March 5, 1977 : 2400 pounds of sand was cycled through the Mountain to evaluate structural aspects of the attraction.

•By March 10, 1977 Disneyland LINE reported : “The Spaceport Load/Unload Area construction is progressing rapidly an assembly has started on the Intergalactic Probe. All attraction control equipment has been delivered and installed, and initial ride control testing will begin [during the remairing days - March, 10th-12th] this week. All catwalks along the track have been installed. Installment of the five speed ramps is currently in progress. Regrading of the area in front of Mission to Mars was started this week. Regrading is necessary for a smooth thematic transition into the new Space Mountain complex.”

Air-conditioning controls dust, and a practical mechanical application of the technology was essential in the attraction where projection equipment and film was used.

The lower areas of the Space Mountain Complex will house a modern arcade, a merchandising shop, a fast food facility, and a large amphitheater for live entertainment.

This is where Guests will wait in an orderly fashion (queue) to board Space Mountain.

Disneyland “queue lines” were designed as part of the attraction to make the Guests' time in line as comfortable as possible.

Two moving sidewalks (similar to the Stephens-Adamson Speedramp at the Tomorrowland Monorail Station) were installed in front of Space Mountain. These Speedramps would help guests to the upper concourse (and ride entrance).

In 1981, the “I-Have-An-Idea” Program yielded new Starcade and Space Mountain Speed Ramp handrails, courtesy of Phil Hilde, Larry Johnson, and Virgil Stroud of the Disneyland Mechanical Department. Under the older system the handrails were wearing out and being replaced every three weeks. Under the new Guest Control queue area routing system, the handrails only needed to be replaced every four or five months.

Space Mountain construction was proceeding on schedule and its completion was anticipated about the middle of 1977. The accompanying article (to the picture) published some statistics about Space Mountain: “When finished, Space Mountain will be able to accommodate more than 2100 guests per hour. Using specially designed six-passenger vehicles in tandem, dispatched every 20 seconds, guests will travel over 3000 feet of track at speeds up to 28 miles per hour.”

Next the show building was described, almost like the theme building of Tomorrowland: “The main structure is 200 feet in diameter and contains more than one million cubic feet of space. The rest of the Space Mountain complex contains a large amphitheater for presentation of live entertain-ment, a fast-food facility, a merchandising shop specializing in Character clothing and a large, modern arcade, featuring themed electronic games.”

Next, the show was described: “A planetarium-type pre-show, using lights reflected from passing Space Mountain vehicles, will entertain inform guests as they move up an ascending ramp to the loading dock. Guests can also view the attraction in actual operation before boarding. And former astronaut Gordon Cooper appears in a short film explaining what is to happen on the ride. There is even a special ‘chicken’ ramp for those who have a change of heart and want to leave before boarding.

Cooper views Space Mountain as ‘an attempt to give people the most realistic feeling of what they might encounter in space without actually taking a real space flight. As we gain new knowledge and insight concerning space, Space Mountain will be improved upon in true Disney fashion.’

The space journey takes its passengers on a fast-moving voyage through a three-sided, 90-foot-long solar tunnel, giving guests the of traveling through infinite space.

Shooting stars, diving meteors and iridescent comets shriek through the black void as the cars orbit a glowing satellite, then plunge on past strange stars and unknown galaxies. At re-entry, voyagers fly through a multicolored vapor curtain before arriving safely back on Earth.“

Two coats of an Elastomeric Coating are applied (over a span of weeks) to the 100,000 square feet of peaks that comprise the surface of the Space Mountain complex. The resulting finish will last up to five years according to Disneyland LINE (June 29, 1978).

Due to the ongoing construction in the Backstage Area, the Hills Bros. Gate was not used during the Easter Parade of April 10, 1977 (at 2:00 pm). The route would run from the Fire Station Gate to the Small World East Gate.

After 12 years of planning and two years of construction, Space Mountain was completed during May of 1977. Press Release packets divulged the following “operational data” about Space Mountain.

Disneyland Publicity Writers of the Marketing Division (Bob Roth, Frank Whiteley, and Al Flores) were very busy brainstorming Press campaigns related to the big grand opening! Meanwhile, quite a few Disneyland Cast Members recall becoming “test pilots.”

According to writer Donia Ruescher:

“Space Mountain captures the essence of Superspace. The expectant ‘space voyager’ is transported through the space station launch portal, and through the vast man-made ‘solar field.’ He then orbits the glowing ‘satellite,’ become engulfed in spectacular nebulae and plunges past myriads of strange stars and unknown galaxies to begin reentry.”

While a few fortunate Disneyland Cast Members recalled test piloting Space Mountain well before the official Disneyland Cast Premier, most of the Cast attended the Disneyland Cast Premier to be accounted among the Inaugural Flight Crew. These lucky astronauts were given these mementos of their journey!

“More than 6,000 Disneyland Cast Members and their guests enjoyed Space Mountain Cast Premiere ceremonies over five nights during the last two weeks in preparation for the Grand Opening of our new Tomorrowland addition this Friday, May 27.” [Disneyland Line, May 26. 1977]

On May 27, 1977, “space travelers” led by true-life Mercury astronauts (Alan Shepard Jr., Walter Schirra Jr., Virgil Grissom, Colonel L. Gordon Cooper, Donald Slayton, Commander M. Scott Carpenter, and William Douglas) were gathered after eighteen years, and welcomed to Futuristic Station - a massive spaceport! Some of these astronauts had been involved with other flights (Mercury 7, Mercury 8, Mercury, 9, Gemini 5, Gemini 6, Apollo 7, Apollo 14, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project). Their 18-year reunion was officiated by Disneyland Ambassador Susan Donald, and would span three days (May 27 - 29, 1977). These were joined by John Glenn Jr. (of Mercury 6) for a tour on the Saturday following the Grand Opening. For now (May 27th, 1977), these astronauts entered the attraction queue, and stepped aboard futuristic Speedramps (in service from 1977 to 1997), to help move comfortably from the ground floor to the upper level of Tomorrowland. Transmissions from Mission Control and Flight Dispatch echo through the Space Port, as the Mission Status Board charts current Space Flights. Guests make their way past windows where rockets streak by with flashes of light (as stars glitter in the distance). After passing below the hovering Intergalactic Probe (which “warms its engines for an explorative venture into the unknown”), guests boarded one (of twelve) sleek rockets bound for the “vast dark void of outer space”. Moving slowly along an ascent, the rockets prepare for “blast-off”. Their ascent takes them through meteor showers, “passing through the apparent infinity of a Solar Energizer, where chasms of light seem to stretch forever”. Circling a glowing geodesic satellite, the rockets approach a colorful gaseous nebula, shooting stars falling to each side. Suddenly the rockets reach the apogee of their ascent and quickly plunge into the realm of ‘Superspace’, where time is non-existent and distances are spanned at infinite speeds. Roaring past unexplored galaxies the rockets twist, turn and dip thier way home, finally bursting through a cosmic vapor curtain before slowing to landing speed at the Space Port”, according to the Disneyland Aeronautics and Space Administration’s “Space Mountain Rockets.”

Even after that event, a WED/MAPO Official Inaugural Flight event was held on June 2nd, 1977, with commemorative posters given to all those who participated.

Disneyland’s spectacular new $20 million voyage thru outer space (or, journey along 3,450 feet of track, at maximum speeds of 30 to 32 miles per hour) - Space Mountain - was “the most incredible attraction in 22 years,” according to Vacationland magazine, Summer, 1977). Eight years after the live broadcast of the Apollo Moon Landing was viewed (on this very location) and during the summer of 1977, thousands of Disneyland Guests waited in lines to board Space Mountain. These impressive lines (“kept on queue” by Audience Control Crews) wound all the way through the Tomorrowland Mall, and clear to the entrance of Tomorrowland (a picture of this can be viewed in “Backstage,” Summer of 1977). Just two years later (by 1979 - 1980), it was still just as “incredible,” as admission for a flight through Space Mountain was one “E” coupon, the same as passage down the icy slopes of the Matterhorn, stepping aboard Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or admission to the Country Bear Jamboree. This was with good reason - Space Mountain was a realization of one of Walt’s “dreams”! At this point, we must recall the words of John Hench who once said, “We didn’t just build this because we needed another thrill attraction…Walt always intended this to be here and we never abandoned the idea.”

The Disneyland Planning Department prevented having too many attractions of the same ticket value down at the same time.

While five years of negotiations were underway for Tokyo Disneyland, it was decided to bring the smaller incarnation of Space Mountain (Disneyland, Anaheim, California) to Japanese guests! Space Mountain opened at Tokyo Disneyland, on April 15, 1983!

A new Space Mountain ride control system was installed in 1988, which simplified the role that Hosts and Hostesses performed.

Space Mountain still offered to opportunity to race through outer space to the far reaches of the universe.

After Euro Disney’s Jules Verne-inspired version of Space Mountain opened (with its higher speed, first-ever loops in a Disney Park, and the first ever synced audio track to a roller coaster-type thrill ride), one of these elements would soon come to Disneyland (in Anaheim, California).

For now, this (prior Vintage View) was the sight of Space Mountain.

“Safety”

Safety is a major concern of the Park Operations Crew. Maintenance Daily Work Plans were employed by Park Operations and Attractions Crew Members, overseen by Jim McDonald. Each day, the M-43 Machinist would make a standard opening inspection of all speed ramps in the area. M-43 would then notify M-41 of any further work to be done, or parts needed prior to opening. The M-43 would go to the Space Mountain workshop, read Mechanical logbook, and notify M-41 of any further work to be done or parts needed prior to opening.

During each day M-43 would, at least once, circulate to all attractions in T/L and discuss with each attraction lead any problems, defects, or any other feedback regarding the attraction. M-43 would then notify the Mechanical Dept. of anything regarding this department and notify the M-1 of anything regarding other crafts.

Safety is also a major concern of Engineering. Every year they would make a complete test and inspection of all structural parts of Disneyland. And since Guests would look to Disneyland for their safety the department team was continuously designing new guest and personnel safety devices.

Guests also play a role in safety. This aforementioned sign served as a form of Guest Control, courteously reminding Guests (the elderly, expectant mothers, and those with underage children) to be consider any physical limitations which might be aggravated by the nature of the ride. Guests with any type of back or neck brace and children under three were not permitted to ride. Though signs were posted, the courteous Cast Member also took the responsibility to monitor for underage children and expectant mothers, directing wheelchair guests to the front of the attraction, and determining if a physical limitation might be aggravated by the nature of the ride.

Height restrictions on signs safeguarded guests long before Ride Switch, the process that allowed Guests with children who do not meet age and/or height requirements to enjoy an attraction.

“Federal Express & Pan Galactic News Network Pre Show“

In 1995, Federal Express (FedEx) became a Disneyland Participant as sponsor of Space Mountain. New “magical opportunities” were Imagineered, including improved lighting and effects. A new show entertained the guests leaving the attraction before exiting into the new Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. arcade.

But the biggest change was a brand new 15-minute out-of-this world show created by Eddie Sotto, produced by Doug Miller and Tom Fitzgerald (WED Senior Vice President of Theme Park Productions), and co-written by Seven Spiegel, that featured parody broadcasts and commercials. You may recall humorous clips from PNN (the Pan Galactic News Network), “My Favorite Earthling” (on the UFO Network), and the “Blast Off Channel” (“24 hours of lift-offs, launches and laughs), as viewed through “channel surfed” screens. [See WED Eye Openers, August 15, 1995] Of course, some of the most memorable spoofs parodied concurrent commercials of Space Mountain sponsor Federal Express.

Here, an astronaut floats in deep space and desperately needs a package. The package is sent to the wrong address because the sender used “Ozone Express” instead of Federal Express.

A number of talented actors and actresses appeared contributed to the short films. Mario Lopez (of “Saved by the Bell”) was the channel-surfing host in Mission Control, comedian Charles Fleischer performed the role of used satellite salesman Crazy Larry, with Glenn Shadix as fashion designer Ray Cathode and Kelly Coffield (of “In Living Color”) was transformed into weather caster Wendy Beryllium. The preceding Vintage View preserves a Backstage moment for Michael Carrington and Elaine Hendrix (of “Get Smart”) who portray the SMTV News Broadcasters Pam Pulsar and Dirk Tachyon as News Anchors of PNN. They weren’t the only celebrities to make an appearance, as the futuristic broadcast also included a statement by President Garco (the robot featured alongside Walt Disney in the c.1954 Disneyland episode “Mars and Beyond”).

Costume Designer Colleen Atwood designed all the costumes for the SMTV video. This Vintage View preserves a costume fitting for actress Alexandra Wentworth (who had roles on Seinfeld and In Living Color) as Space Mountain Pan-Galactic News Network Reporter, Wendy Berrylium.

The “Wd Eye Openers” column (published August 15, 1995) gave a wonderful, detailed summary of production.

Beyond these years, both 1996 and 1997 were momentous for Space Mountain at Disneyland! In 1996, Dick Dale’s surfer sound descended upon the warp-speed roller coaster ride.

The following year (1997), many aesthetic changes occurred, altering the Show Quality of the building. Notably, a third ring was added to the roof of the Space Mountain Complex, and the Speed Ramp was removed during a massive Tomorrowland overhaul.

Ten years after FedEx became a Disneyland Participant (and after some renovation), Space Mountain would re-open (on July 15, 2005), with a “refurbished” brand-new track, new pre-Show scenes, an updated score (by Michael Giacchino) and a special ceremony attended by former astronaut Neil Armstrong.

“Remove Vehicles” - In a historic (and frankly, never-to-be-repeated) auction, Van Eaton Galleries in conjunction with Richard Kraft offered the public a free show of rarely seen “Disneyana.” Among Richard Kraft’s former artifact collection at the “That’s From Disneyland” pre-auction museum show was one of the original twelve c.1977 Space Mountain Vehicles. Compared with those of the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, the new vehicles were streamlined and simplified, with a wider body, side-by-side seating for twelve passengers (as opposed to single-file seating for eight passengers). By 1984 a report revealed that a pair of Space Mountain tandem sleds weighed 2,300 lbs.

This is yet another original Space Mountain Vehicle that once shuttled guests through the reaches of the cosmos at “hyperspeed”. During 1996, Boston Acoustic speakers were installed that would only enhance the attraction’s Show Quality experience with a new onboard soundtrack. In 2020, one of these vehicles (with speakers) was auctioned off through Van Eaton Galleries, and became the property of a proud new owner.

Which brings us to our final “sidelight.” Inside Space Mountain (just above a Decompression Supplies Hatch, along the queue), is another hatch appropriately labelled, “Bay 12, Command Module, Captain John Hench.” This is appropriate, as John Hench (the longest-termed Disneyland employee, at 64 years with the company) first created concepts for Tomorrowland, and then assisted in re-designs of Tomorrowland (in 1967 and 1998). Two years after Space Mountain opened, John assumed the title of WED Enterprises Senior Vice President on September 17, 1979. John helped develop many shows and attractions for Disneyland, and was “instrumental in master-planning every Disney park world-wide, actively involving himself in show concepts, architecture, costumes, graphics and every other aspect of design.” But most important were his contributions toward the towering Space Mountain!

Marty remembered Hench as a “mentor”: “John Hench was the most articulate and well-read person that ive ever worked with and he encouraged me in so many ways.” It is of note to the credit of John’s humble character: “John Hench, an original Imagineer with WED, told Marty [Sklar], ‘When we get finished with a project, you or none of us can say, ‘I did that, I did this, because we all did it, so many hands touched it, changed it and made it better, that it's a we, it's never an I.’”

By 2003, the Space Mountain had a legacy in Tomorrowland at Honk Kong Disneyland. A prospectus describes: “A warp-speed adventure to the far reaches of the universe and back. Guests board 12-passenger ‘rockets’ that streak at white-knuckle speeds through a meteor shower. Each vehicle has an on-board sound system that synchronizes music and sound effects with the racing rocket.” The complex would also have a concourse, “a futuristic garden area between Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters that serves as a rest spot for weary intergalactic travelers in Tomorrowland. Shade trees, benches and unique water elements enhance the park-like environs.”

Then there was CyberSpace Mountain at DisneyQuest in Downtown Disney, allowing Guests to design their very own rollercoaster.

Since the beginning, the Four Keys of the DISNEYLAND Show (operating priorities in presenting the DISNEYLAND Show) have been present - Courtesy, Safety, Show, and Efficiency. Guided by these Four Keys, are Walt Disney Imagineers, who are always seeking out new magical opportunities to increase the efficiency, safety, and show quality of Disneyland adventures. This being the case, Walt Disney Imagineers are constantly seeking to improve upon the show of Tomorrowland and one of its most popular attractions - Space Mountain! During the 1990s, Tim Delaney (of Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Development) created concepts of a Star Wars inspired Death Star overlay for Space Mountain. In 2008, WDI master plans entertained the concept of an update to the Space Mountain Show Building, Forecourt and “HISTA” involving some sort of Global 3-D technology.

On July 15, 2005, Space Mountain was relaunched with a new generation of special effects, state-of-the-art show elements, new rocket vehicles, and an upgraded sound system, featuring an all-new audio track. The opening ceremony took place at 10AM and the attraction was open to guests at 11 AM.

There have been many “Overlays” to Space Mountain over the years, like borrowing “Ghost Galaxy” from Hong Kong. A few years later, the Space Mountain Show was temporarily changed for the spring of 2016, when a new Star Wars inspired adventure started a tradition of temporary seasonal ride refurbishments! After being launched into hyperspace, shuttles jump right out of hyperspace travel, and into battle with several tie fighters and a star destroyer in Hyperspace Mountain! In 2017, Hong Kong Disneyland carried the Hyperspace Mountain tradition, as Guests dodge blaster fire and dash through a raging dogfight between Rebel X-wing Starfighters and Imperial TIE fighters.

While new “Overlays” add new dimensions of adventure to Space Mountain, there’s at least one location where guests can enjoy the Space Mountain of John Hench’s imagination (at least, in miniature form) - The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California!

STAR TOURS presented by M&Ms Chocolate Candies (January 9, 1987 - 1995)

STAR TOURS presented by Energizer (by c.1996-2006)

STAR TOURS – THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE (2015-Present)

At Disneyland there are living experiences for the Guest. Disneyland ride-through adventures have officially been defined as an “individual show, ride, or exhibit designed to produce an entertaining Guest experience. Disney attractions stir the imagination, enliven the senses, and provide the participants with positive, innovative entertainment, which is the essence of the DISNEYLAND Show.” Star Tours was certainly one attraction which has epitomized these purposes since its beginning. The adventure transports Guests on a thrilling sightseeing excursion to the Moon of Endor and the universe of Star Wars© guided by a fearless rookie pilot. Now we invite you to relive the origin story of Star Tours, from the creative forces of Walt Disney Imagineering and George Lucas!

“Blue Sky for Star Tours”

A short time ago… in a nearby galaxy… a big decision during the era of Michael Eisner’s and Frank Wells’ leadership would end in the first full Disney Parks’ attraction based on a non-Disney movie! “The ultimate thrill adventure from the creative forces of Disney and George Lucas” would become Tomorrowland’s premier attraction!

Walt Disney once said: “Since my outlook and attitudes are ingrained throughout our organization, all our people have this curiosity; it keeps us moving forward, exploring, experimenting, and opening new doors.” Walt also once divulged, “When we consider a new project, we really study it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way.” [“Walt Disney Productions Annual Report to Shareholders and Employees Fiscal Year Ended October 2, 1965”] Both of those philosophies had become traditional, core guiding principles for Walt Disney Imagineers by the time that Star Tours was in development.

In “One Little Spark! Mickey’s Ten Commandments and The Road to Imagineering,” Marty Sklar recalled: “We were meeting at the Imagineering offices in 1985 to discuss the Star Tours simulator attraction. The charge was to find a way to interpret George Lucas’ Star Wars films in a four-and-a-half minute experience. It was all new to all of us - it was the first simulator show of its kind when it opened little more than a year after concept work began. One of my colleagues complained about the number of cliches that seemed to flow from our Imagineering team members. That’s when George Lucas spoke up with the sage advice: ‘Don’t avoid the cliches - they are cliches because they work.’”

So, Walt Disney Imagineers follow the sage advice of Walt Disney and George Lucas – they believed in the new project “all the way” and leaned into the clichés of the Star Wars universe.

“Concept”

The initial concepts for the show were formulated by Show Designers. Walt Disney Imagineers designed and developed concepts themed to the time, place, and story of Star Wars, capturing the Interest and partnership of George Lucas. John Stone created several inspirational acrylic art pieces depicting the thrills and chills of a “Star Wars Ride”. Gil Keppler designed the pre-show vehicle which included textural panels, reminiscent of Tie Interceptors.

“Script”

The scriptwriter contributes the storyline, narration, and dialogue to the show's conceptual development.

“Design – Storyboards to Models”

Storyboard – The storyboard enables artists and writers to visually organize the initial sequence of scenes for a show.

Design – The show exterior of the Starspeeder 3000 was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering (of Glendale, California), with key plans, elevations, and other drawings completed by Bechtel Civil, Inc. (of San Francisco, California). Each Starspeeder would ultimately contain a RX024 (REX) Audio-Animatronics figure, a Monitor, Film and Projection System and even Strobe light effects.

Show Set Design – Designers took the concept from storyboard and scale models to actual set designs and blueprints.

From set designs and storyboards, model builders constructed Show Models - miniatures of the various show scenes. Under the direction Tony Baxter, Walt Disney Imagineers John Stone, Tom Morris, Bruce Gordon, Chris Tietz, Joe Rhode, & John Horney prepared a 1/20-scale model of a New Tomorrowland tailored to the “Disney - Lucas” joint adventure.

Next, “Audio-Animatronics” figures were sculpted in miniature, before being sculpted in full-size. The show’s mood and atmosphere were enhanced by the special effects and lighting created by the WED "Illusioneering" laboratory. Meanwhile, engineers developed the facility, ride and show systems to meet design specifications.

“Audio-Animatronics”

Developed by WED Enterprises, this amazing system utilizes pneumatics hydraulics and electronics to animate human, animal, and other three-dimenstonal figures. Many Disneyland attractions feature Audio-Animatronics figures. This attraction employed Audio-Animatronics® - the Disney-designed system that combines sound, mechanics and electronics for three-dimensional animation.

Sculpting, Casting & Molding – As mentioned, the “Audio-Animatronics” figures were first sculpted in miniature, before being sculpted in full-size. At MAPO, several plaster molds were made of each full-size clay figure. From those, a fiberglass “shell” parts were cast and covered with the flexible or firm parts.

Electric and Mechanical Manufacture & Assembly – All the while, MAPO designed the electronic and mechanical components, which were then manufactured and assembled. After that, the fiberglass “shell” case was attached over the electronic at mechanical workings of the Audio-Animatronics figures.

It’s a fact that all droids leaving the system must cleared by customs control. Ordinarily, MAPO would next send the figures back to WED for embellishments like fur, feathers, paint and wigs. But all of the Audio-Animatronics figures were robotic androids. For the C-3PO Audio-Animatronics Figure, Walt Disney Imagineers utilized some parts of the authentic gold-leaf plated C-3PO costume (worn by Anthony Daniels during the filming of Star Wars). The G2-9T repair droidswere actually repurposed Audio-Animatronics Geese Quartet frames from America Sings.

Audio – Dialogue for C-3PO, RX-24 and the rest of the cast was recorded. C-3PO was voiced by Anthony Daniels, while it’s breakout star, the memorable Captain REX was voiced by Poul Reubens.

Then the final show tracks including sound effects, dialogue, narration and music score were mixed.

Animation – Next, Walt Disney Imagineers used a console and computer to program the life-like movements of the show’s three-dimensional “Audio-Animatronics” figures. This included Captain REX, who “never got used to his programming”.

One of the most memorable cast members was the Captain REX Audio-Animatronics ®️ Figure who first piloted StarSpeeders at “light speed for Endor”, in Star Tours at Disneyland.

“Show Set Design”

Since 1955, Disneyland queue areas and “Audience Waiting Areas” were especially designed as part of the attraction to make the guest's time waiting in line as comfortable as possible. During Walt’s day, they were equipped with live entertainment to set the mood for the forthcoming show. After Walt, Disneyland “queue lines” continue to be designed as part of the immersive experience for Guests.

For Star Tours, full-sized show sets were constructed from smaller models at the Tujunga facility. Next, many fixtures and props for the show were carefully selected to give attention to story consistency in all elements of the show.

Unique one-of-a-kind props were also individually fabricated. These would be installed in the physical structure that was being constructed at the site.

Meanwhile, all of the show’s graphics and signing were also being individually designed.

Little stage dressing details factored into the immersive storytelling. For instance, audiences’ attention would be captured by this “Gate 2” sign when they heard the announcement: “There has been a gate change for Star Tours flight 114, StarSpeeder service to Endor. Flight 114 will now be departing for Gate Number 2. This is a gate change only. Thank you.”

In the original Star Tours, homage to George Lucas’ first feature film was made through an announcement heard in the queue: “Will the owner of a red and black landspeeder vehicle ID THX-1138 please return to your craft? You're parked in a no-hover area.”

Since then, “THX” has appeared in numerous aspects of the story, and worked its way into the mythology of the Star Wars universe.

However, more than references to George Lucas were worked into the Star Tours story. Another announcement heard in the queue heralded: “Star Tours flight 55 is now ready for boarding at gate number 3.”

Special Effects & Lighting – The show’s mood and atmosphere were enhanced by the those aforementioned special effects and lighting created by the WED “Illusioneering” laboratory. This included the liquid crystal display and illuminated Status Board, in Show Scene 1. All of these were prepared, awaiting installation in the show building.

Film – The attraction’s entire main show film ran at 70mm/30 frames per second. The Audio/Video System was through a Videodisc Player.

Air Conditioning – A practical mechanical application of Air-conditioning technology was installed to control the dust, and was essential where projection equipment and film was used. It looks like droids aren’t the only ones that could suffer from a little dust contamination.

Entertainment Costuming – Meanwhile, Disneyland Wardrobe provided the designs and furnished costumes for Attractions Hosts and Hostesses, which would also give careful attention to story consistency. Disneyland and Walt Disney World each prepared their respective park’s costuming.

On July 22, 1986, a very limited number of Walt Disney Imagineers stepped board a simulator for a preview of Star Tours, at the Walt Disney Imagineering “Sharing the Magic” Open House Event.

“Construction”

On September 3, 1985, construction commenced on site. Steadily, the project would take shape, with a scheduled grand opening of January 9, 1986.

One of the earliest jobs involved cast-in-place concrete foundations, which were poured within wooden frames on the construction site. Underneath the concrete foundations were hydraulic pipe trenches, and other essential elements related to function of the motion simulator.

Above, the wood “formwork” was removed from the concrete foundations.

The reinforced concrete mat would become a foundation for bolting the legs of the motion simulator. This dense mass of a thick concrete foundation block would act as a dampener, distributing massive stress evenly across the earth, ensuring the ATLAS simulator machinery stayed perfectly level and never broke loose over millions of ride cycles. Without this concrete foundations, the intense, repeating shaking, jolts, and drops from the hydraulic pistons would transfer directly into the building’s main framework, causing severe structural fatigue and rattling the entire show building.

Rolling compaction commenced, compacting and grading the dirt soil around the motion simulator base. This created a stable, dense base that could safely support the weight of the show building, and further fortified the concrete foundation of ATLAS motion simulator bases.

The steel skeleton frame of the Star Tours show building began to take shape, with a corrugated steel roof deck crowning its steel columns and horizontal girders.

Working with the show set designers, architects designed the physical structure in which the Star Tours show was to be presented. These plans were translated into reality through teams of construction crews.

Above, the Star Tours “Show 1 Stage” and queue began to take form. Paneling has been added to the security tower and things are starting to take shape.

The highlight of the “Show 1” area would be a security center control with Mon Calamari operators overlooking passengers in the queue below.

This vantage from the PeopleMover track overlooks what would become the “Show 1” stage where the C3PO Audio-Animatronics figure would be installed.

This is a ground view of a corner of the future Droidnostics Center show scene of “Show 2”. The upper tier is the queue ramp that guests would eventually use to walk through the room.

Walt Disney Imagineers in London had looked into developments of a company called Rediffusion Simulation, which was constructing simulators (“a large box with seats mounted on six hydraulic rams”) primarily for military application.

Next, engineers developed the ride systems to meet design specifications. Here we can see one of the final four military-grade ATLAS flight simulator cabins (or “Starspeeders”) resting on the roof. It’s has been prepared to be lowered into the attraction building via crane. This attraction "vehicle" will be used to convey the show/ride experience to guests.

Walt Disney Imagineers intended to transport the Starspeeders by helicopter, but it was decided to haul them by truck and lower them through the attraction’s hatch by crane. Project Manager Dave Melanson described its transportation and installment this way (in Disneyland LINE Magazine, No. 35, Vol. 18, August 28, 1986) : “To get the StarSpeeder in Glendale trucked down to the Park, we had to get clearance from the California Highway Patrol. we had to move the StarSpeeder in the middle of the night when there would be the least amount of traffic. All four would be brought down Harbour Boulevard and then through Katella Gate, since clearance under the Monorail was best through that entrance.“

Project Manager Dave Melanson continued to describe: “A crane stationed near the Kennel would lift each StarSpeeder over the Berm and the Administration Building. A second crane would take it from there and finally lowering it through the hatch. These are very specialized cranes, having 165-ton capacity and a 260-foot boom - the kind of cranes you’d use, for example, to lift a 747 plane.” Above, one of hydraulic motion-based “StarSpeeder” cabins can be seen, as it was lowered through the hatch and into its position within the Star Tours attraction building.

Project Manager Dave Melanson continued: “When each Starspeeder was lowered through the hatch , four heavy-duty fork lifts, which moved in synch, carried the cabins to their spot. Now comes the job of getting everything ready and testing it out.” Next, each Starspeeder was mounted to its Motion Base - a moving platform, with hardware installed below it.

What the Starspeeder looks like resting inside the attraction, with construction scaffolding around it.

This doorway would connect the Star Tours Loading Area with the motion simulator.

Those legs beneath the cabin are called “Pivot Shafts” or “Actuators”, and were originally manufactured by Rediffusion Simulation in England. Each simulator had a total of six Actuators – hydraulically-operated devices, which provided precise movement to the Starspeeder Motion Base. In fact, an astounding six degrees of freedom provided the ability to move up to 35 degrees, in the X, Y, and Z planes. This resulted in exact tilting shaking, and nudging the cabin to match the screen visuals experienced by passengers of StarSpeeder 1000s. When the Actuators (or “Pivot Shafts”) were in the “settled” simulator position they were fully retracted.

The Actuators were also capable of supporting the massive weight of ATLAS cabins. It was estimated that each of the four “StarSpeeder” simulators contained 40 seats and could support a vehicle weight with a payload of approximately 26,000 lbs. – owing to its “Actuators”.

This attraction vehicle technology led to Imagineering the ride systems referred to as EMVs Enhanced Motion Vehicles, used in the Indiana Jones Adventure:Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

“Don’t Get Technocal With Me! What Pressure?”

What REALLY propels a StarSpeeder through space – hydraulic power! These heavy-duty hydraulic pumps fluid reservoirs, and accumulator assemblies would supply high-pressure fluid to the motion base actuators. However, hydraulic machinery generates significant heat, noise, and vibration, requiring a dedicated service room away from the guest queue and ride cabins. But after all, this system would be responsible for creating the aggressive tilts, pitches, and drops experienced by passengers of Starspeeder 1000s.

This image is a little hard to see, but you’re looking at the left portion of the southern “The Spirit of Creative Energies” mural behind the construction barrier. Mary Blair’s murals (together with the facade of Its a Small World) were the optimistic “bookends” that encapsulated the progressive story of Walt Disney’s vision of Tomorrowland.

The southern “The Spirit of Creative Energies Among Children” mural encompassed the façade of the former Adventure Through Inner Space building. In this photograph, an extension has been made to top the structure, before exterior work is carried out. Soon, Mary’s murals would be removed from the show building and replaced by a new vision of Tomorrowland.

The Future is NOW - 1986! Guests of Tomorrowland, passed posters teasing “The Ultimate Thrill Experience” that was headed exclusively to Disneyland during the winter of 1986. As the posters never mentioned a particular adventure or attraction, this campaign was exciting and ambiguous, inciting much anticipation among guests as to what was coming.

Ultimately, the “ultimate thrill experience” – Star Tours, joined the Magic Eye Theater & Captain EO, and Star Traders during the winter of 1986.

Signage and other decorations were prepared for the big event.

Disneyland Cast Members were trained and prepared.

Finally, the ultimate thrill experience arrived!

“Launch Party”

The Star Tours Launch Party consisted of one continuous operation from 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 9, through 10:00 p.m. Sunday, January 11, 1987. Special Launch Party tickets were sold at the Main Entrance from midnight to 7:00 a.m. January 10 and 11, 1987. These tickets were $14.00 and are good only from midnight to 7:00 a.m. on January 10 and 11, 1987.

Guests excitedly lined up in a 4-hour queue that extended all the way down Main Street U.S.A., and park hours were extended for an astounding total of 60 straight hours of Park operation from 7pm to midnight! Guests who entered the Park during this time could exit and re-enter the Park any time during the party, provided they had a Star Tours Launch Party wristband. This wristband could be obtained as the guest exits the Park, and needed to be untampered and undetached, and a valid Disneyland passport was required. All of this, so that guests may board one of four shuttles to a “galaxy far, far, away.”

Of course, “due to the nature of the attraction expectant mothers and guests with certain physical handicaps may not ride. Certain height and age restrictions also applied”, according to the Guide to Disneyland (published 1987).

This Vintage View was captured during the filming of the Star Tours 60-Hour Party Promotional Television Spots.

“Opening Ceremony”

The $32 million attraction first shuttled guests to a moon of Endor in “a galaxy far, far away” (all with the help of RX-24 and R2-D2), during January of 1987. On Friday, January 9, at approximately 10:00 a.m.. the Star Tours Grand Opening Ceremony took place, launching the first Disneyland attraction to feature stories and characters that were not originally a part of Walt Disney Productions. “Star Wars” characters appeared to open the proceedings, followed by the ribbon cutting with “Star Tours” creator George Lucas and Disney Chairman Michael Eisner wielding a lightsaber, while C-3PO, R2-D2 and Mickey Mouse looked on. The ceremony took approximately 10 to 15 minutes, before nonstop flights commenced.

Also on Friday, January 9, a press conference was held at Videopolis from 11:00 a.m. until noon. A press center was located at the lower level of Space Place throughout the party. George Lucas was among Disneyland Guests on the second day of operation according to interviews conducted during the 1980s. Scheduled to participate were Michael Eisner, Walt Disney Attractions President Dick Nunis, and Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Vice President of Creative Development Marty Sklar. Special Press Conference guests were “Voyager” pilots Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan and Mercury astronauts Gordon Cooper and Donald Slayton, and Mrs. Gus Grissom, widow of Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom.

Here, in Star Tours “Show 1”, C-3PO and R2-D2 run diagnostics on a Starspeeder 3000. Overhead, a Liquid Crystal Display runs travel advertisements for galactic destinations while a Status Board, gives information about gates and incoming and outbound flights. Meanwhile, a couple of Mon Calamari Security officers overlook the passenger-filled queue from a Control Tower.

Above, a Supervisor shouts: “Hey, you droids on transport 22, get back to work!”

“Now see what you have done! We'll lose our jobs for sure.”

“Don't insult me, you overgrown scrap pile! At least I'm doing my job!“

In Star Tours “Show 2”, Guests entered Droidnostics Center (Sector 2) of the Tomorrowland Starport. There, they through the Lower Droid Room and Upper Droid Room, divided by a Liquid Crystal Display Wall. Inside, Guests were introduced to a new repair droid named G2-9T, who was completely repairing a navigator droid whohadcompletely burnt out its logic module during a routine flight.

“Loading Area”

Guests continued into the Loading Area Pre-Show containing 12 Video Monitors.

“Main Show”

Captain RX-24’s very first commercial space flight began a little “bumpy”. After a critical navigation error he turned the wrong way, missed the main spaceport exit, and nearly crashed the StarSpeeder 3000 through a maintenance bay door. But after overriding the brakes, Captain Rex was able to narrowly pull the ship back into the launch tube and blast into space.

R2-D2 initiated the hyperdrive shortcut to Endor, but overshot the peaceful forest moon, and dropped the StarSpeeder out of hyperspace directly inside a dense, turbulent ice comet field. After successfully navigating a labyrinth of obtrusive ice crystals, the StarSpeeder 3000 shattered free of the a massive comet and into open space.

Immediately after escaping, the StarSpeeder 3000 is intercepted by an Imperial Star Destroyer and pulled into its tractor beam. However, an X-wing fighter squadron arrives and attacks the Star Destroyer, taking out the tractor beam emitter and freeing the StarSpeeder. Captain Rex follows the Rebel starfighters into battle, joining a dangerous trench run assault against a third Death Star. The StarSpeeder maneuvers through the trench, dodging Turbo Laser Tower fire and Imperial TIE fighters. One X-wing fires proton torpedoes that blow up the Death Star battle station, just as Rex makes a final, desperate jump to lightspeed to escape the explosion!

“Star Tours Cast Premier”

The Star Tours Cast Premier was held January 12-16, 1987! All interplanetary travelers were required to have a current passport, the necessary visas and a Boarding Pass prior to leaving the space port.

Many Disneyland Cast Members experienced heightening expectation that could only be reflected by the sentiments of Captain Rex: “I've always wanted to do this!”

Desiree (a former Tomorrowland Character Shop employee) recollected her realization (during that month) that “now the adventure is real” : “The Character Shop cast members were…the first to ride Star Tours. We were cashing out our registers when they came down the exit and needed to test it with people, so we all got to go on several weeks before the opening. Well…it was beyond amazing. Of course, they kept it a secret, but we had heard the term ‘simulator’ come up, but at that time, no one knew what it meant. It just blew our minds. You just couldn’t believe that something like that could be created and I remember telling my parents it was like a fantasy to be able to feel like you were literally in the middle of a Star Wars movie.”

At first glance at this Star Tours “Space Sickness” Bag you may remember just how much you hate space travel.

On the Grand Opening Day, no Star Tours merchandise was available in the Park, and this was reinforced in print, on those pre-opening Fact Cards issued to Disneyland Cast Members. However, each guest entering the Park with a paid admission received a Star Tours watch.

Things were far different during the one-year anniversary of the attraction, which was celebrated with an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme promotion!

“Rehabilitations”

Maintenance Daily Work Plans were employed by Park Operations and Attractions Crew Members, overseen by Jim McDonald.

When routine rehabilitations called for maintenance to be performed on Audio-Animatronics figures, they were carefully repositioned as closely as possible to their “night mode” positions so that when a trial run was started, the movements of the functions were not violent.

“Legacy”

The “E” Ticket adventure Star Tours had again proven the name Disney was synonymous with excellence. Since its origination by Walt Disney in 1952, Walt Disney Imagineering had been the creator of Disney Parks like Tokyo Disneyland and attractions like Star Tours. Now, operator Oriental Land Company was interested in bringing the galaxy far, far away to their Tokyo Disneyland Park.

Walt Disney Imagineering was already instrumental in the creation, design, engineering, production, construction, and installation of the original Star Tours at the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Because of this, Star Tours at Tokyo Disneyland was not an entirely new project, but would be a replication of an existing attraction. So, it’s Project Life Cycle would take less time to complete. Beyond that, Walt Disney Imagineering would achieve what was then referred to as the “Triangle of Success” – exceeding the Disney standard of distinctive, lasting entertainment value; completing the job on schedule; and completing it within budget. Many Walt Disney Imagineers likely recalled the confident words of Captain Rex “I'm sure to do better next time!“

By Summer 1988, plans were moving at lightspeed, toward the completion of Star Tours’ newest destination at Tokyo Disneyland. Walt Disney Imagineering (the exclusive design, research and development firm that manufactured experiences for the Walt Disney Company), Walt Disney Attractions Japan (a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company who oversaw and managed Disney’s operational, strategic, financial, and licensing relations for the Tokyo Disney Resort) and the Oriental Land Company (the operator of Tokyo Disneyland) gathered for weekly Tokyo Disneyland Star Tours Team Meetings.

For example, the Tokyo Disneyland Star Tours Team Meeting Summary (above), documented some of the topics that were discussed in the Estimating Conference Room of Walt Disney Imagineering Campus during June 1988. On that occasion, one of the primary topics were Project Cost Summary Exposures – documented financial risks, uncommitted budget portions, and potential cost variances that could impact the baseline budget of Star Tours or Tokyo Disneyland. The Star Tours Project’s Cost to Date for any actual expenditures, approved invoices, and work physically performed up to the reporting period totaled $6,079, and was within the budget of $20,732. This influenced the Estimated Total Cost which was slightly lowered to $20,577 (a variance of $155).

Critical Schedule Milestones were achieved and discussed. Apparently, an undisclosed number of cabin panels went missing from Walt Disney World, but had been “received” and shipped to Tokyo Disneyland by June 22. According to the summary, all required show set drawing work and remaining model sections were completed and shipped on schedule.

Items of interest were noted. For example, the Urayasu Fire Department had reviewed the Star Tours facility drawings, and specifically suggested the addition of “Exit” lights in the bays where guests were entering and exiting Starspeeders. This raised a problem for Show Designers, because those “Exit” lights were severely impacting show quality.

Meanwhile, production work was also wrapping up for the arrival of Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park in Florida. This impending job schedule deadline was severely impacting the availability of the WDW Project Team when various requests were made by Engineering and Production Managers or members of the TDL Project Team. The assembly-level plans and schedules for production work carried out by WDW and MAPO, on Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park, were available upon specific request, but were occasionally not made available as the Project Team struggled to adequately manage that portion of the project. So naturally, this was also a item of interest at the June 1988 Tokyo Disneyland Star Tours Team Meeting.

“It All Begins Soon… Only From Star Tours – at Tokyo Disneyland”

But after those few remaining meetings and all of the completed jobs, Star Tours introduced the perfect getaway vacation – exclusive tour packages conveniently departing daily from Tokyo Disneyland. On July 12, 1989, the “E” Ticket Star Tours adventure opened in a magnificent newly designed show building.

Star Tours at Tokyo Disneyland introduced a few new characters, like the SK-Z38 Droids. According to the story, a few months after the Battle of Endor, the G2-4T Repair Droid discovered a couple of SK-Z38s within the Star Tours Travel Agency.

Guests discovered these very same droids also settled down in Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park, when it opened on December 15, 1989.

Star Tours opened in Discoveryland at Euro Disney on April 12, 1992.

“Star Tours the Adventures Continue”

By 2008, WDI master plans entertained the concept of of a “classic update and adjacent placemaking” to Star Tours at the original Disneyland. “Star Tours 3.5” had a target of realization within the following 5 years.

In 2011, Star Tours the Adventures Continue introduced new exotic destinations for passengers of the new StarSpeeder 1000 models. According to Dave Smith (Chief Archivist Emeritus),many actresses and actors fulfilled roles in the new attraction: “The rebel pilot [of the Hoth Snow Speeder] … is Rob Howe, and the Naboo Squad Leader is April Royster ; neither of them work for Imagineering or ILM. I’m also told that Darren Criss, also of Glee, provided some miscellaneous voices.” [Disney Facts Revealed by Dave Smith, 2016]

“New Magical Opportunities for Star Wars”

Just a few years later, The Walt Disney Archives announced: “on December 21, 2012, The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. Included in the deal were the special effects powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, along with the rights to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.” This would pave the way for even more Star Wars-themed entertainment, merchandise, and attractions produced by Disney Enterprises, Inc.