Marvel's Seekers of the Weird!

A few weeks back I posted about Marvel's Disney Kingdoms series. Inspired by somewhat more obscure pieces of Disney history and culture, the series seeks to 'much like... the silver screen has expanded the anecdotes and mythologies of Disney theme park attractions, the Disney Kingdoms team… had high hopes to join forces with the brilliant storytellers at Marvel to do the exact same thing through beautifully illustrated comic books' (Josh Shipley, WDI)

My post a few weeks back spotlighted the newly released Figment, but before Figment came the Seekers of the Weird series. The series is based on a set of concept sketches by Imagineer Rolly Crump in the early 60's for an attraction that would be called the Museum of the Weird.  The idea was that it would be a walk-through post-show type deal for the Haunted Mansion.  Unfortunately, the attraction was never fully developed, but as they say, 'no good idea at imagineering every really dies'.

The original concept sketches are really quite cool. Apparently, after Rolly showed Walk the sketches, Walt remarked the following day that he was 'up all night thinking about those weird little drawings'. I guess the Seekers of the Weird team thought the same thing because where original source material existed, they altered very little:

I can't wait to see what's next in the Disney Kingdoms series, who knows maybe we'll get some decent movies out of it too!

Film Friday: Landscape at Pop Century!

One thing I love about the Diana mini is that it provides the opportunity for happy accidents.  I took these snaps whilst walking around the 50s courtyard at Pop Century, and I had no idea until I received my film back that it had not wound completely… or maybe I forgot to wind it! Who knows, the important thing is that it resulted in this unique panorama and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Authentic Mid-90's Figment Plush!

This week I have been staying a friend's house whilst working in the city.  Although this friend isn't a Disney fan in particular, she did pull out this memento from her trip as a child to show me:

That's right! That lovable fellow with two tiny wings and eyes big and yellow, Figment! Here are some more pictures of this very special Disney parks character:

Tiny Ringer Tee!

The best part is that when I took off his little shirt, I learned that his belly is pink!:

Decades after his creation, Figment continues to enchant audiences. Heck, Marvel even wrote a comic about him!  When I asked my friend what is was about Figment that captured her heart (although I don't word things like that in everyday speech!), she said that it had something to do with the fact she had never seen him before. I see this as evidence that every attraction does not have to be tied to a franchise, and in fact, it is often endearing that it not.  I really hope that at some point Disney returns to a philosophy of original attraction developement as opposed to relying so heavily on its films as the sole source of inspiration.

Japanese Movie posters from the 70's and 80's!

Those who read this blog regularly are well aware of my somewhat debilitating Japanese infatuation.  Although Disney is American as apple pie, there is something about the Disney-Japan association that fascinates me. To this day, there seems to be something about the company that resonates with the people of Japan...

With that in mind, I share these vintage film posters. Between the bold color choices and how chock-full of information they are, I think they are such a neat find. I would love to get a hold of some frameable prints for my house. 

1982 re-release poster. Love the weird clock platform they're dancing on.



1970 Sleeping beauty poster. Love the colors.

1974. Love the composition and the little blue-pink snowflake pattern!

1982 re-release, those squares are so 80s!

1975, my very favorite animated classis. I love that this poster covers
so many scenes, its almost like a trailer in paper form!

Film Friday: The Greenhouses at the Land Pavilion

When EPCOT Center opened October 1, 1982, the park's mission was use technology and innovation to create attractions that educated its visitors in an entertaining way. Although EPCOT is still my favorite Disney Park, the Future World area has somewhat lost sight of that simple mission as attractions have closed and been replaced by new, sparkly thrill-ish rides. 

One attraction that continues to convey that original message is Living with the Land (which also happens to be one of my favorites).  These photos were snapped in the working greenhouse portion of the attractions. Although these were taken from one of the boat vehicles, I plan on taking the 'Behind the Seeds' tour next time I am down to get a closer look at some of the amazing plants here!

Vintage Disney Parks fabrics!

As aforementioned, I spend a decent amount of time skulking around Ebay in hopes of finding unique vintage Disney Parks merchandise.  Whilst looking for Disney-related craft supplies, I came across the following fabric prints:

I love that the Contemporary made it on.

Tomorrowland specific… WHAT!?

Love the castle illustration on this one.

I thought this one was especially charming.

Disneyland Hotel, where I will be staying in less than a month!

Besides the fact they are incredibly charming, these prints are interesting to me based on the fact that the current Disney company gravitates towards generic, mass produced merchandise, opting to keep assortments down in order to maximize profits.  I should also mention that even the small pieces were extremely expensive!  I guess the Disney die-hards want park-specific, land-specific merchandise.  With the Coop opening at Disney Springs and the Haunted Mansion store opening in the old Yankee Traders building, it will be interesting to see how the company approaches merchandise design and assortment and in the coming years.

Film Friday: Dinoland USA

Some snaps of Dinoland USA at Animal Kingdom on a super rainy day. Shot with my Diana Mini on 35mm:

Sci-fi pins from my pin collection!

Anyone that has visited a Disney Park in the past 20 years is aware that pins are serious stuff to many Disney fans! Whilst I am by no means a 'serious' collector, I do have a little collection consisting of pieces that, for whatever reason, took my fancy:

Some Disney fans don't care much for pins, but for me, they are a very satisfying, yet relatively cheap (especially if you buy them second hand off Ebay) way to indulge in something I love. For instance, I may not want a ceramic model of Spaceship Earth, but can I commit to a pin? You betcha! It's like merchandise snacking.

I have too many to share all at once, so for today I picked out three, all related to Disney science fiction films:

The Nautilus, from the live-action classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Adorable Wall-E, from my very FAVORITE Pixar movie.

Tron, the original, because TRON THE ORIGINAL!

Original Fan Doodle by Yours Truly!: Space Mountain Range!

When it comes to show buildings, vying for first place (neck and neck with Spaceship Earth and the Florida Enchanted Tiki Room) is Space Mountain. I just love it. This building, flat white, peculiar and mysterious, yet incredibly classic and iconic, just does it for me. When I feel inspired to do Disney-related art, it is often this building that acts as the catalyst. Today I would like to share this doodle-collage of a Space Mountain range:

I have printed off a bunch of copies and think that I'll continue to experiment with color and stuff. I hope you all enjoy this little piece, and I hope to make original fan art a more regular facet of this blog. Let me know what you think of this in the comments section!

Film Friday: Storybook Circus at Twilight

Dusk is a special time of day anywhere, but it is especially enchanting at Disney Parks.  This picture was taken on the first evening of my 2013 trip with my boyfriend and his nephew… I remember arriving at Magic Kingdom at the tail-end of the golden hour, strolling down Main Street and entering Storybook Circus as sun really began to set.  The sign really looked so lovely, lit up in the twilight and I was pleased to get a decent shot with my (then-new) camera as instant photography can be a bit finicky without enough light.  The Imagineers did a tremendous job with the re-themeing in this area.

Shot with my Instax 7s.

Woman Crush Wednesday: Turbo-Babe cosplayer Traci Hines!

It is no secret that cosplay has become quite a interesting dynamic within any given fandomsphere, with Disney characters being (possibly) the most cosplayed of all!  As a lady prone to lady crushes, it seemed appropriate to participate in the alliterative internet ritual 'Woman-crush Wednesday' (I may even make it a habit!) and give a shout out to the most famous Disney cosplayer, Traci Hines.  Although Traci does all the princesses (along with Alice, Tinkerbell, and Pinocchio and various other mash-up characters) she was made famous by her uncanny portrayal of Ariel.  I picked out some of her best Ariel shots to share with you today.  Traci, if you're reading, I both love you and see you as a symbol of all the unfairness in the world.  Enjoy!

Uggghhh, my dreeammmmm...

That DOG!

Pink, my signature color.

That Ursula is amazing too, check that necklace.
 Love the materials used in Traci's dress and that bow takes it to the
next level of awesome.

Disneyland's Monsanto House of the Future!

Awhile back, I wrote a post about the time Imagineers tarted up Cinderella's Castle to look like a birthday cake for the park's 25th anniversary, and how every Disnerd keeps at least a mental list (mine may be a hard copy!) of extinct events and attractions that they are super bummed to not have been around for.  The Monsanto House of the future is next on my list.

Developed as a collaboration between Walt Disney, Monsanto, and MIT Scientists, the house existed as a walk-through attraction in Disneyland's Tomorrowland between 1957 and 1967.  With all its components made of the brand-spanking new consumer product, plastic! (HA!), the house was set up to show visitors what domestic life in (the then far-off year) 1986 would look like.

One thing I can say is that between Space Mountain, Spaceship Earth, the Contemporary, and this, Disney sure has a way with white, 'futuristic' buildings.  That sounds like a post in and of itself.  Enjoy these images from a 1954 issue of Life Magazine:

Film Friday: Decades at Pop!

The subject of today's Film Friday is a set of photos I took at Pop Century, one of the hotels on Disney property.  Even though Pop is classed as a value record, I still love the themeing here.  Its bright color scheme lends itself well to lomography, and I love the way this set of photos of the large decade sculptures turned out.  These were shot on 35mm with my Diana mini! Enjoy!