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.....

ABANDONED DISNEY Series

UPDATED 1-10-10 (with additional photos and text)

Announcing:  A new ongoing series featuring the parts of Disney theme parks we grew up loving, left to rot and decay.
 

We already featured ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 1] and [Part 2] and look forward to Part 3.

We welcome any photos you may have that fall into this category.  We are looking for photos of abandoned rides, ride vehicles props, animatronics, etc.

Don't worry- there will always be a never-ending supply of the 'abandoned'.   We all know about the ever more powerful attractions chopping block with a line-up of classic, world-changing, fantastic rides just waiting their turn on this theme park death row.  It really warms the heart.

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To officially get this series going, we present to you some abandoned animatronic figures from our favorite futuristic adventure, Horizons (a ride abandoned only long enough to pull up the wrecking ball).

 

 
 

Where are they now?  These naked animatronics are piled up under The Carousel of Progress.  Yep, in the basement of the C.O.P building directly under one of the stages.  The Carousel of Progress in it's round building is divided into 6 pie-shaped pieces- one for each of the 4 acts plus 2 small stages for load and unload.  Under these stages are pie-shaped maintenance and storage rooms.  Remember, the center portion of the building is stationary.  Only the outer portion with seating rotates.

One (somewhat) redeeming part of this story is the fact that these figures are not completely abandoned.  Their parts are used for the C.O.P family.  I imagine some of these pieces are from other attractions.  If you think you recognize any of the parts, let us know!

Photo of Horizons dad decorating cake courtesy of Mesa Verde Times.  Thank you Hoot and Massimo for identifying some of the above animatronics!

Look for more 'Abandoned Disney' post coming soon.