Fantasyland 1971
You can see what I assume is a medieval ticket kiosk in the middle of the frame.
You can also observe the original overall medieval tournament look for the Happiest Land of All, a kind of extension of the style of Sleeping Beauty's castle, the back of which can be seen in the distance.
Between the old Carousel with the striped roof on the left and the then-less ornate Dumbo Flying Elephants ride on the right you can glimpse the Fantasyland (Mickey Mouse Club) Theater (with the striped awnings. See photo below).
The theater was one of the original 1955 attractions, then called the Mickey Mouse Club Theater. I remember seeing it in a set of Viewmaster 3-D reels showing the Mouseketeers.
In 1964, the name was changed to the Fantasyland Theater. It closed permanently in 1982 for the beautiful Fantasyland renovation project.
In 1983, the theater space became Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, a pleasant and nostalgic dark ride which remains there to this day. The ride as a whole is rather blah but the final room does have charming 3-dimensional realizations (models) of some of Gustaf Tenggren's original toy designs for the film.
TOP PHOTO from an original GAF color transparency by Ross B. CARE, copyright 1971.
Wouldn't it be cool if the older vintage versions of D-land could be stored next door in an adjacent park? Great detailed observations, Ross, this brought back awesome memories!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. I just added another photo which links to the previous one of the Dumbo ride.
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