Disney Afternoon and Gummi Glen at Disneyland!

From 1990 to 1997, The Disney Channel aired a two-hour block that featured animated programming aimed at children. Yeah, you got it... it was called the Disney Afternoon!  This defunct television event has become somewhat of a fascination for me. Although any nineties child (and their parents, I'm sure!) could pick a title from the line up and accurately sing the hook, the shows' relative obscurity to most have rendered them irrelevant to Disney as it exists today.

Of those that constituted the Disney Afternoon, of particular interest to me is The Gummi Bears. Although I can't remember specifics from the show, I DO being enamored by the extended fantastical world, now I see that it was like Lord of the Rings for children! I'm making it a personal goal to get hold of the DVDs.

All of this, however, serves as background for the REAL subject of today's post. A while back, I became aware that in 1991, the Motor Boat Cruise at Disneyland got a Gummi Bears themed overlay as part of Disney Afternoon Avenue (which eventually became Mickey's Toontown fair). Since the show is a source of interest to me, I've wanted to have a look at what photos exist of it. Unfortunately, since the overlay was short-lived and this was an age before camera phones, precious little exists. Here is what I was able to find:

The motor boats floated past cardboard cutouts of Gummi Glen, the hollow tree the Gummi bears lived in and the location where they made Gummiberry juice (I'm really trying to type this with a straight face). It's some classic Eisner-era ramshackle non-sense, but an interesting (if somewhat insignificant) piece of Disneyland history nonetheless.

Given that vinylmations have been released of some of the Gummis, there seems to be some kind of niche market for these characters. I think it'd be a hoot if some of the classic Disney characters were brought back as walk arounds. Heck, I'd make a special trip to get my photo taken with Darkwing Duck!

Vinylmations of Cubbi Gummi and Gruffi Gummi.

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!

Little Mermaid's Island!

Although Disney acquired the Muppets in 2004,  the companies' association began long before that.  In fact, Disney came very close to cutting a deal with Jim Henson in 1990.  Unfortunately, Jim passed before the deal was made and thus, Disney and the Muppets parted ways for nearly 15 years.

There were a few things that came of this fleeting relationship between the two creative giants, my very favorite being a pilot for a puppet version of a Little Mermaid television show!  The show was to be called Little Mermaid's Island, and this is all that exists of it on youtube:

What I want to know is how this video only has around 10,000 views!?!  The existence of this concept came to my attention whilst listening to a Disney Dish with Jim Hill episode (where I get all my really good behind the scenes Disney information, sorry Lou Mongello).  Being a huge fan of Jim Henson's non-Muppets body of work, it breaks my heart that this was not made.  Henson's creations have this sweetness and charm to them that is totally unique, and this brief glimpse is no exception.  My short term life goal is to acquire the full episode, which I will of course post when and if I am able!

Disney Mermaids: 'Splash' fountain at the Studios

A lot of people don't realize that the Disney 'fold' extends beyond animation, Pixar, Star Wars, and the Muppets, to include films released by Touchstone Films, a sub-label of the Disney Company, and even Miramax (acquired by Disney in 1993).

The 1984 romantic comedy Splash is one of my favorite live-action Disney films for all it's silliness, fantasy, and Tom Hanksiness, not to mention the little fact that it's a mermaid movie i.e. the best kind of movie!  This, coupled with my love for great water features, makes the Splash fountain one of my favorite little things at the Studios!

An Instax photo I took of the fountain.

The fountain as it appears in the film.

In addition, this fountain as an actual prop from the film supports the waning notion that Hollywood Studios celebrates the process of film creation.  With the inevitable Star Wars expansion, I can only hope this beautiful piece finds a good home where it can be enjoyed for decades to come.