Jerry Bruckheimer, whose blockbuster films include Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia, and the upcoming adventure The Lone Ranger, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California. Stars Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise stopped by to join the festivities on Monday, June 24.
Years before Disneyland opened, Walt Disney and his staff considered building an amusement enterprise right across the street from their Burbank studio.
Long-time Disney fans will likely know the story about how, in 1951, Walt Disney approached artist Harper Goff to create some illustrations for a potential amusement enterprise (what we know today as a “theme park.”) While Walt’s notion eventually blossomed into the reality of Disneyland, this early concept was actually designed to be built on a parcel of land across the street from the Disney Studio. The lot, facing Burbank’s Riverside Drive, is now home to the Walt Disney Animation Studios and the West Coast headquarters of ABC.
This selection of artwork, along with the related piece above, was sourced by the staff of the Walt Disney Archives among other assorted Disneyland historical materials, under a cardboard divider labeled “Proposed Disneyland in Burbank Drawings.” Though not the original pieces of artwork, these small, hand-colored reproductions reveal details that help us understand how these early visions eventually became the Disneyland we know and love today.
One original idea for the park, as seen here, features a railroad (of course!) as well as a Mississippi Steamboat. Many highlights—a stagecoach, an Indian village, a castle, and Skull Rock—would make their way to Disneyland. Others, like Granny’s Farm, would not.
These sketches show concepts for a duck boat attraction, an experience that could have provided a relaxing excursion on the Old Mill Pond, which can be seen on the large map. The idea of a Ferris Wheel, likely based on 1937’s The Old Mill, would be revived decades later for Disneyland Paris.
This final sketch shows an exciting ride based on Pinocchio’s daring journey and fright-filled experience careening into the gaping jaws of the whale, Monstro. Where the 1951 park plan features a canal boat ride, eventually Monstro would appear in Disneyland’s very own Storybook Land Canal Boats. These early attraction designs may convince you that the future is truly in the past.
On April 8, 2013, the world lost one of its most beloved icons . . . Annette Funicello. She passed away at age 70 from complications due to Multiple Sclerosis, a disease she bravely battled for more than 25 years. While she accomplished much in her life, her fondest career memories were always tied to the Mickey Mouse Club where she got her start, and to Walt Disney, who gave her that opportunity. It is fitting that The Walt Disney Studios, where she was introduced to the world, would also be the place where at the end of her life, her legacy would be celebrated.
On Monday, June 24, 2013, friends and family will gather there to pay tribute to her. The Walt Disney Company pays tribute to her memory by rededicating Soundstage 1 as the “Annette Funicello Stage.”
Bobby Burgess, a fellow original Mouseketeer said of his lifelong friend, “Annette was one of those people who just had a natural charisma that came across the screen. Of course, she was the only Mouseketeer to be personally discovered by Walt Disney. I knew her for more than 50 years and as the song goes, ‘Through the years we’ll all be friends wherever we may be.’ And we were.”
I’m so appreciative of all those years of love and fun with such a wonderful friend.
Another Mouseketeer, Sharon Baird, was one of Annette’s closest friends throughout her life and was with her at the hospital in her final days. “I first met Annette when we both started working on the Mickey Mouse Club. We just sort of migrated to each other and started a friendship that would endure through childhood, teenage ups and downs, marriages, divorces; we shared everything. I’m so appreciative of all those years of love and fun with such a wonderful friend.”
“I think my life would have been much different and certainly much lonelier and much less complete if I hadn’t had my friendship with Annette,” said actress Shelley Fabares, who also was one of Annette’s closest pals. “She was just an incredible sweet, kind woman and I will miss her for the rest of my life.”
She was one of the loveliest people I’ve ever known . . .
As many gather today at the Walt Disney Studios to celebrate and honor Annette, even Diane Disney, Walt’s daughter, made comment (via videotaped message) of how much Annette meant to her family. “Everyone who knew Annette loved and respected her. She was one of the loveliest people I’ve ever known, and was always so kind to everyone. She was also the consummate professional and had such great loyalty to my father. She will always be very special to me.”
Following her tenure at Disney, Annette headed to the beach to co-star with then teen idol Frankie Avalon in a string of iconic surf and sand musical adventures that led to a longtime camaraderie with the popular singer. “She was a very courageous gal that fought, fought, fought, her illness,“ he said. “I loved her; we worked together and we were family because I’m godfather to her daughter, Gina. I think she represented the pure innocence of a woman who was just the girl next door. Incredibly, she never really recognized that fact that she was so popular. After being on tour I’d tell Annette ‘people just love you, they adore you,’ and she would say ‘Really?’ She couldn’t believe the fact that she was so loved, but she certainly was.”
She showed the best side of herself by coming forward to discuss her MS with courage and candor.
But it was teen idol Paul Anka, the performer would grow up to write the anthem My Way, who was her first true love. He would be inspired to write Puppy Love, his 1960 hit, about Annette. Remembering his friend fondly, he said, “Annette was a star from the time she was 12 years old, and I met her shortly after. In addition to her talent, she was self-possessed, determined, had incredible integrity, and was loved by everyone. When life threw her a terrible curve, she showed the best side of herself by coming forward to discuss her MS with courage and candor. As much as she entertained us as a young woman, she gave so much more by sharing her experience and raising awareness of this disease. She was kind and intelligent and she will be missed by her family and her wide circle of friends, in which I was lucky to be included.”
Annette’s popularity went far beyond her close circle of friends. She touched millions around the world, including some of today’s most popular celebrities, even those such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake who followed in Annette’s footsteps when they appeared as Mouseketeers in later versions of the iconic show. Following are a selection of celebrity tweets from those who took to Twitter upon hearing of her passing:
Britney Spears – “I am DEVASTATED to hear about the passing of Annette Funicello. She was a role model for me during my days as a Mouseketeer. Heartbroken.”
Justin Timberlake – “Trading in the ears for a halo. You will be missed!”
Nancy Sinatra – “Annette was my buddy. I’ll miss you forever, Annie, and I wish you godspeed.”
William Shatner – “My thoughts are with the family of Annette Funicello. My best, Bill.”
Joey Fatone – Now it’s time to say goodbye….. 🙁 RIP
Dana Delany – “Annette. You were a dream girl in saddle shoes.”
Paula Abdul – “I’m truly saddened by Annette Funicello’s passing. She was an original Mouseketeer and an original talent all-around.”
Kathie Lee Gifford – “I just loved her. I always wondered what my life would have been like if ‘Mr. Disney’ liked me too. She was lovely and gracious and very sweet.”
Joan Rivers – “Annette Funicello’s death truly saddens me. She was such a bright and wonderful part of all of our history.”
Indeed she was.
In 1992, Annette created The Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases that continues to fund research into the cause, treatment and cure of Multiple Sclerosis. If you would like to donate to Annette’s Research Fund, please visit AnnetteConnection.com.
By author and friend Lorraine Santoli
In this behind-the-scenes production photo, we see a young Fairuza Balk on the set of Return to Oz (1985) with George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars universe. Lucas attended a few days of the film’s principal photography to support his colleague, and Oz director, Walter Murch. Notice Lucas’ Mickey Mouse sweater—perhaps a nod to the rich creative legacy that Walt Disney helped impart on Lucas himself.
The idea of creating a spookhouse fascinated Walt Disney as early as 1951 –a time even before an expanse of orange groves would be chosen as the site for Disneyland. And while a brooding antebellum manor appeared on the shores of the Rivers of America in 1963, it would be six more years before the happy haunts would cast open their doors and allow foolish mortals inside.
For a time, a sign posted by Disneyland’s “Ghost Relations Department” graced the gates of the mansion, recruiting house-hunting haunts for the upcoming attraction.
In 1966, Disney Legend Wally Boag submitted this script to Imagineering chief Dick Irvine; it’s an idea for a gag which could be placed outside the mansion to stir up buzz amongst park guests. An old-fashioned house phone would be placed by the mansion gates, and when passing guests picked up the receiver, they would be connected with a frightened man trapped within the basement of the mansion. After a tragic fate befalls the caller, a ghostly voice takes the line and delivers a blurb for the attraction.
While Boag’s ghostly phone never made it into the park, he made many contributions which continue to be found in Disneyland today. Not only did he serve for decades as the comedic highlight of Frontierland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, but he also helped develop the script of The Enchanted Tiki Room and provided the voice of its emcee, José.
This early script, written by Francis Xavier Atencio, also known as X Atencio, for the Haunted Mansion might sound familiar, but its Ghost Host had a slightly different spiel. In its 18 years of on-and-off development, Disneyland’s classic Haunted Mansion featured a slew of different concepts and plotlines.
From murderous sea captains to happy haunts celebrating a ghastly birthday party,
a number of stories were proposed. By the time that Imagineer X Atencio forwarded this draft to Imagineering executive Dick Irvine, though, the attraction was starting to approach its final form. Dated July 19, 1968, the script presents a different “Ghost Host” introduction for the Mansion’s foyer, intended to be delivered by a speaking bust.
Three years before the cantankerous fowl’s first big-screen appearance, Donald Duck’s name popped up as one of Mickey’s barnyard friends in this popular storybook.
As fans of Disney Ducks will tell you, Donald Duck made his first appearance in the 1934 animated short The Wise Little Hen. But three years earlier, in 1931, the name “Donald Duck” appeared in the storybook The Adventures of Mickey Mouse. Donald looked a little different in those days, though. Aside from his jaunty green hat on the back cover, it might also be the last time he was seen wearing pants!
This was the first Disney book printed for retail sale,
published by the David McKay Company and credited to the staff of the Walt Disney Studio. It features many themes found in Mickey’s early adventures, possibly inspired by Walt’s youth in rural Missouri. There’s a farm—Mickey even lives in a “nest” under the barn!—and the story leads up to a big musical party.
Naturally, Mickey and Minnie invite their barnyard friends to the shindig. As you can see in these pages, they mention Carolyn Cow, Clara Cluck, Patricia Pig, Robert Rooster, Long Dog the Dachshund, George and Gertie Goat… and Donald Duck! Some of these characters would go on to later film success—Clara Cluck also made her big-screen debut in 1934, in Orphan’s Benefit while “Carolyn Cow” looks remarkably similar to Clarabelle Cow, then already a star of the Mickey Mouse shorts. Others, like Patricia Pig, would make appearances in Mickey’s newspaper strip but never become Hollywood stars. The rest are still waiting for their big break years later—who wouldn’t want to see the further adventures of Long Dog the Dachshund?
As for Donald, he would become one of Disney’s biggest stars, eventually making more theatrical appearances than Mickey Mouse himself.
If you’ve ever woken up to a winter wonderland outside your bedroom window or were awestruck by an ice sculptor’s creation, then you’ll understand how Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Mike Giaimo, art director for Disney’s upcoming film Frozen, felt when he headed to Canada and Norway to gather inspirational references for the film.
“I started looking at research and travel books and placed sticky notes on things that interested me . And then when I started looking back at all my notes from the Scandinavian book,
I realized that about 80 percent were all on things and locations from Norway.” — Mike Giaimo
Mike put together a list of things that inspired him from his research trips to share with Disney fans. And in doing so, he reveals some of the moods and themes of Frozen’s breathtaking landscapes and our newest Disney characters.
Disney Animators “Let it Go” for Frozen ►
“The experience of the ice hotels from our research trips influenced the look of the ice palace created by Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel from Broadway’s Wicked). Quebec, Canada has a famous ice hotel that they build it every year. Various artists design different rooms and create all sorts of ice effects. There are etchings in the ice and ice-block columns, and beds, chairs, and tables made of ice. And its really, really beautiful to see. When you walk into a structure that is made entirely of ice and packed snow, it is truly transporting. There is something elusive and ethereal about it because the icy surface from floor up the walls to the ceiling makes you feel like you are on a cloud or in some kind of Never Land in a way. We were very inspired by that and wanted to bring that into the ice palace. Also, these hotels are very different in the day and night because of the way they light them inside and out. It’s very dramatic the way the colors saturate on the icy surfaces.”
“Our character Kristoff (voiced by Glee’s Jonathan Groff) is a mountain man. He’s a rugged individualist and a kind of a loner. He’s his own man and the guy who feels he doesn’t need anyone in his life… Sven can get a long just fine—thank you very much. He is an ice harvester. And in cold regions where we visited there are people just like farmers who harvest ice from frozen lakes. They cut it out and place it on long flatbeds and put it in storage. And that’s how our film actually opens—we see the ice harvesters at work and we meet, at that time, a very young Kristoff and Sven. He’s about six years old and he’s learning the trade from the adult ice harvesters. We see a baby Sven with him, too, who’s trying to tow his own block of ice with the big guys. Kristoff is such a loner that he is reluctant when Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell from Forgetting Sarah Marshall) asks him to help her navigate the mountain terrain to find her sister. But he knows the area better than anybody else, so he agrees.”
“Sven the reindeer is a great character in the film; it’s hard to take your eyes off of him. He is Kristoff’s reindeer and we created him to be like a big, lovable Labrador dog. But he can also get his mojo on when he needs to and be serious. He is just the kind of Disney character that you’ll want to take home with you.”
“Everyone already loves Olaf our snowman in Frozen. He’s just a runaway hit. He’s the snowman that longs for summer so its very funny.”
“Scandinavia is really picturesque and a lot of the illustrative versions of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen reflect a Scandinavian influence—some were Russian, but mostly Scandinavian. I started looking at research and travel books and placed sticky notes on things that interested me. You get more specific as you hone in on what visually interests you and where the story is going. So I thought it would be really great to set our kingdom, Arendelle, on a fjord. I thought we could get a lot of mileage out of that visually. And then when I started looking back at all my notes from the Scandinavian book, I realized that about 80 percent were all on things and locations from Norway. So I decided Norway was it. It not only had the fjords I wanted, but it also had some great culture and detailing. I knew this was the place.”
“Norway’s decorative art, called rosemaling, is all over this film. It’s their rustic folk art and you find it on clothing, boxes, furniture, architecture—its everywhere. You can find it on things great and small.”
“We were influenced by a Sami couple who ran a reindeer farm. The Sami are similar to our Native Americans in the U.S. They are indigenous; they’ve lived in Norway for thousands of years. Their cultural roots run really deep. They influenced our creation of Kristoff. His outfit is Sami influenced. We learned about how they raise reindeer. ”
“We went into a castle in Oslo where we saw this hand-painted, decorative pattern on the dining room walls, which was so inspirational. Little did we know that those walls we saw in Oslo would influence the whole look of this palace—it’s really a stunning look. For the interior of our castle we created this red wallpaper that is in just about every room. When you see the characters against this wall covering it is really stunning.”
Check out this awesome concept art for a never-produced show called Justice Ducks, a “duck” spin-off using the characters Darkwing Duck and Gizmo Duck from the series’ Darkwing Duck and Duck Tales.
That’s right. Look out Avengers.
There was almost another group of super heroes that would have protected all of humanity… or, in this case, the Earth’s dogs, ducks, and chickens.
The concept art for this never-produced Disney Television Animation series recently surfaced in the Disney archives—found in a folder marked “pitch.”
Along with the art was a document (shown below) that notes some of the ideas for the characters in the proposed series. The newly formed crime-fighting duo—Darkwing and Gizmo—could have fought crime with three more super ducks, including the pliable poultry Rubber Chicken, and they would have take on evil villains on a “planetary scale” such as the evil Quackerjack.
During a 43-year Hollywood career, which spanned the development of the motion picture medium as a modern American art, Walter Elias Disney, a modern Aesop, established himself and his product as a genuine part of Americana. Enjoy this gallery of Walt through the years.
