Real-life 'Up' House

You know you liked Pixar's 'Up'. I did. My wife and I scored an advanced screening thanks to an old college roommate of mine (who once punched me in the nose over a girl... ha!). The film was 95% complete and the small group of critics in the theater all loved it. We enjoyed the simplicity and the originality. And the talking dogs. That Pete Docter is one creative fellow. Aaaaaand he's a big lover of old-school Epcot. That's right... Maybe we can get more info on that topic later. For now, enjoy National Geographic Channel's fun little adventure.

Frontierland Shootin' Arcade Like You've Never Seen It

Come on. You know the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade is the best 25¢  you'll ever spend at a Disney park. (Or is it a buck now?)

 

Once upon a time, a few of us were locked behind a big black curtain for days and days as we applied a fresh new coat of paint on this set work. I'd do it again. It was a joy to climb around the desert landscape and play with all the moving parts that don't always move like they should anymore. We even got unlimited use of the electronic rifles... thanks to Mr. Hoot!

One thing that is especially clever about the set is that thar walkway between the foreground with toombstones and the middle ground with the buildings. There's another walkway between the middle ground and the background. And it's all so seamless to the shooters standing by. Take that, Kilimanjaro Safaris. You weren't the first to hide trenches.

The backside of fake arboriculture:

Get a load of that cool covered wagon mechanism hiding behind the rock:

Here we see some "before" shots and sadly I have no "after" shots of these rocks. And boy I'd like some close-up video of that mine car flying in and out of that "Lucky #13" mine.

I really do hope they never take this thing out of either Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. It's a fun little B-ticket attraction. Aaaand.... it's INTERACTIVE.... all you Disney management who insists on ineractiv-izing things. This is already interrrrractivvve, so no need to touch it. Maybe add a Frito Kid machine off to the side. :)

Controls:

"Big Thunder Arcade"?? Can someone provide the history of the "Big Thunder Arcade"?

And I love these handwritten instructions on the light switch. They say, "Exhaust fan switch in attic leave on during operation". And then someone was nice enough to further clarify in red marker on the wall next to it, "Leave on operation".

Related posts:

Carousel of Progress Like You ve Never Seen It
The Haunted Mansion Like You've Never Seen It
Pirates of the Caribbean Like You've Never Seen It
Frito Kid and Deeee-licious Fritos!

Walt Disney Studios Post Production Behind-the-Scenes

Take a tour of the Walt Disney Studios with Gil Gagnon, VP of Post Production Services.

Earlier this week we brought you Imagineering Sound Design Behind-the-Scenes. Today we present another film by Michael Coleman and SoundWorks Collection entitled Walt Disney Studios Post Production Tour.

Something mentioned in the video really intrigued me. A tunnel under studio building where artwork and other delicate items would be transported. I wish I had photos!

At first glance I thought this guy's sketch might have been the inspiration for the new Walt Disney Animation Studios. But then it was brought to our attention that the pose was the one found on the studios sign way back in the Hyperion days. For some reason I thought the Hyperion sign featured a standing Mickey and not a walking Mickey. Either way, it's good to have this for a current logo.

Related posts:

Imagineering Sound Design Behind-the-Scenes
Original Visions of CalArts
The Makings of a Good Sequel
Videos. Vintage WDW and Disneyland Videos.