Early Disney-MGM Streetmosphere

Welcome to "a Hollywood that never was—and always will be". These photos come from WDW Fan Boy Brett. I love these photos because they feature "Streetmosphere" characters doing pretty much nothing. Are they on break? Let's assume this is all a part of their individual acts.

Remember Studios before the thrills? It was like "ahhh, Disney's version of Universal with less to do but what they have is pretty interesting." I vividly remember my first trip to Disney-MGM Studios not too long after it opened. We drove to Florida from California. We had regularly visited Universal Studios Hollywood and quickly realized that Disney was playing copy cat. Still, we LOVED going behind the movie magic to see how movies and TV shows were made. The best part: My dad, brother, and I were obsessed with being picked out of audiences to do stuff. My mother was focussed on not being picked. We could have been chosen to mop a bathroom floor and been thrilled.

Horizons- 1985

HORIZONS!!!! Great photos from Dan Zuccarelli.

Have a couple hours and want to read hilarious Horizons-related stories? Start at the beginning of Mesa Verde Times and join Hoot and Chief as they jump out of the ride and climb around taking photos and video along the way.

America on Parade- 1976

America on Parade was a celebration of American history as the nation was celebrating its Bicentennial. The parade ran at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World from the summer of 1975 through the summer of 1976. Kelly Kellum shares these excellent photos taken in Liberty Square (fitting!) at Magic Kingdom. The parks were extra patriotic at this time. Red, white, and blue banners and other decorations were placed all over. 

Notice one of the "big dolls"? This parade was the origin of the somewhat odd "EPCOT Pageant Dolls" or "People of the World" who walked (and blinked!) around World Showcase.  

20K Lagoon- 1982

A couple more from Shaun Ortolano. GREAT COLORS!

Disneyland Skyway 1.0

The very talented Jerrod Maruyama sent these fantastic views of Disneyland's Skyway. They came from a large box of slides from his grandfather. Ever wonder how many grandparents have boxes of this stuff that end up in landfills?? What a depressing thought. Well we can be glad that not ever little treasure gets tossed.

This is the original version of the Skyway (opened June 1956), however when the Matterhorn was built (1959) the Skyway path was altered slightly to travel right through the mountain.

Something that thrilled me about the second photo above was something I didn't immediately notice. THE RAIN COVER. Did they put those on all the buckets when it rained?? I don't remember that happening in the later version (1967-1994). I'd love to know more.

Disneyland Ship, Sub, and Canoe

Erik Biczkow sent these wonderful black and white photos given to him by his grandmother.

The first photo might look a little mysterious. The miniature castle in the background is still there today. It's in Storybook Land and belongs to Cinderella. It was taken aboard the pirate ship in Fantasyland (where Dumbo is today). 

I love the angle of the Submarine Voyage photo. How creative is that.

And a canoe passing Tom Sawyer Island. Are those docks part of the old fishing area of the island, where guest could catch real fish? Yup. They say an underwater net was placed just around the dock and trout were stocked regularly. Guest could take the fish they caught with them or have them sent to the front of the park for later pickup. And according to Daveland, this was added to emulate Knott's Berry Farm's Old Mill Stream attraction.

Disneyland- 1960s

Photo sent by Anita Martinez

Photo courtesy of Angie Murphy and Anita Martinez

Photo sent by Anita MartinezAnita Martinez, a Southern California kid of the 60s, shares these photos featuring her brother and cousin. Look how neatly the park-goers dressed back then. We get a great look at the old Bashful (or is that Sleepy?) and the non-face version of the Mad Hatter.

I love this photo of the black Midget Autopia car. It looks like it belongs in a magazine of that era. How do we know it's not a regular Autopia car? Or a Junior Autopia car? (Yes, there were THREE Autopia tacks at one time). The two steering wheels let us know it's a Midget Autopia car. Know where the Midget Autopia was located? It was where Storybook Land's queue resides today and extended a bit out into the walkway leading to "it's a small world".

Mickey Mouse Review

Photo sent by Jennifer Jones

Photo sent by Jennifer Jones

Photo sent by Jennifer Jones

Photo sent by Matt Hunter RossMickey Mouse Review was a precursor to Mickey's PhilharMagic and the first occupant of Magic Kingdom's PhilharMagic's location. It featured 81 animated figures on a stage. It closed at Magic Kingdom in 1980 then moved to Tokyo Disneyland and opened in 1983. SADLY there is no Mickey Mouse Review in existence anywhere today. Tokyo shut MMR's doors forever in 2009.

A fantastic comprehensive review of the attraction here.

Thanks Jennifer and Matt!

Rivers of America / Haunted Mansion- 1970s

Three exceptional shots of Rivers-related stuff.

First, Haunted Mansion sits on the shores with Riverboat and Keel Boat docks in the foreground.

Second, we have a bit of a mystery. The boat appears to be traveling counter-clockwise around the islands. Where exactly was this taken?? You can see the old Frontierland totem poles in the background. I believe this photo was developed backwards. If so, the photographer was standing in Frontierland looking toward the Tom Sawyer Island dock (hense the rafts) and toward what would be Big Thunder Mountain today. Tell me if I'm wrong.

Third, an awesome shot of Indian Village.

Photos sent by Jeffrey Lipack. 

Polynesian "Nanea Volcano Pool"- 1985

The Nanea Volcano Pool was the original pool at the Walt Disney World's Polynesian. It was replaced in March 2001 with the current pool with a larger volcano. Look how fun it was to get to the top of the slide!!

From 1971 till 1978, this was the only pool at the Poly. The East Pool was added in 1978. It was often referred to as the "Quiet Pool" because it was less popular with children. In early 2011 it was drained and the deep end was filled in before it reopened May of 2011.

Photos sent by Dan Zuccarelli. Thanks Dan!