ABANDONED DISNEY: MK Fantasyland Skyway Tower

Ahhh the Skyway.  There was something about seeing the Magic Kingdom (or Disneyland) from the air.  There is something magical about spitting on the heads of tourists below.  There was something about large industrial-looking metal poles in the middle of a charming European storybook village.  But like many things we grew up loving, Disney pulled the plug on this exciting attraction/mode of transportation.  You'll often hear, "It's because someone died.  That's why they closed it."  Sorry, but death is not enough for Disney to shut something down.  (Doesn't Mission:Space kill someone once a week?).  Attractions that "don't affect attendance" and ones that give guests a view of dirty rooftops that cost money to clean... that's a different story.

 

Hi there, Dopey.  Don't you just love when a cool ride gets turned into a character meet-and-greet?  (20.000 Leagues Under the Sea queue).  Or stroller parking? The Skyway to Tomorrowland ended up being both.  Only thing left, a gift shop.  There's got to be a way to take iconic, world-changing, multimillion dollar, works-of-art attractions and turn them each into an all-in-one  toddler playground/character meet/gift shop/stroller parking lot/boring touch screen exhibit/cement walkway.  Just a thought.

 

What's with all the cables?  The lower right photo has a power box with "SNOW" written on it.  Snow, as in Snow White?  Snow White's Scary Adventure is a hundred yards away.  I have no clue.

NOTE:  Do not attempt to enter the Skyway tower without permission.  These images and video were taken 2-3 years ago with permission.   I do not know the current state of the tower, nor have I been back since.

ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 3]

This excellent map is from 1993.  I love the woodcut style.  I always love designs with choice, limited color palettes.  Even the Goofy artwork matches the rest of the design.  Thank you, Mr. Gibson for the scans!

I suppose the canoes are from Fort Wilderness recreation.  The basketball hoop, for cast members.  Reminds me a little of the run-down basketball rim bolted to a wooden staircase in top portion of the Matterhorn.  That too has been quite abandoned.  The cage-like wooden boxes (seen in the last two photos) made me wonder if they came from Discovery Island.  Who knows.

Also enjoy [Part 1], [Part 2], and [Part 4].

Related posts:

ABANDONED DISNEY Series
ABANDONED DISNEY: MK Fantasyland Skyway Tower
ABANDONED DISNEY: Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts
ABANDONED DISNEY: Country Bear- Max
If This Doesn't Scare You.....

Videos. Vintage WDW and Disneyland Videos.

Let's thank our lucky stars for the unassuming fathers and mothers who had undying desires to film their families at Disney parks in decades past.  Let's be even more grateful to those who filmed less of their kids and more of the parks themselves.  
 

I stumbled upon this collection on Vimeo a while back and rather enjoy what this man has put together.  Martin started filming WDW in 1978 with no knowledge of how valuable that footage would become.  He provides a number of 'Ultimate Tributes' to things that catch my attention such as The Rivers of America WDW , Kitchen Kabaret, If You Had Wings and Dreamflight,  Carousel of Progress 75-94, American Adventure 82, and so much more.

Another great collection that I've loved for even longer is that of Widen Your World with their collection found on their YouTube Channel.  I can't imagine Martin and every other Walt Disney World history nut not depending on Widen Your World as the ultimate source of early WDW information.  Spending countless hours in WDW archives I've witnessed first-hand that the Disney Company itself depends on WYW as it's ultimate source of early WDW.  Celebrated director of the Walt Disney Archives in Burbank, Dave Smith, has referred me to the WYW site more than once.

Among my many favorite videos on this channel are Mickey Mouse Review Show Segments 1977, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Track A and Track B, Space Mountain Movies Circa 1978 and 1981, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Port Ride Through 1990, and Disneyland Walt Disney Story Pre Show Owl.  (Yes there is great Disneyland stuff on this channel too.)

And as we've mentioned a number of times, Mesa Verde Times has an excellent collection of videos of guys sneaking around Horizons sets while the ride is in operation... if you are into that (I am!).