Q : How many rides have stayed at Disneyland ever since its opening, if there are any?
Lexi, Orlando, Florida
A: Even though most have been revised and/or renamed, the only attractions still at Disneyland today that were there on opening day, July 17, 1955, are:  King Arthur Carrousel, Peter Pan’s Flight, Mad Tea Party, Snow White’s Adventures, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Autopia, Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad, Horse-drawn Streetcars, Main Street Cinema, Jungle Cruise, Mark Twain Riverboat, and Penny Arcade.
Q : I have a question regarding an attraction at Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland. First, the narration of the current Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover sounds very similar to ORAC-1, the “Commuter Computer” from the late 1980s–early 1990s. Was that intentional? Thank you!
Robert, Kissimmee, Florida
A: I checked with Walt Disney Imagineering and they report that the current narrator of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover is different from the former ORAC-1 narrator; there was no attempt to have them sound alike.
Q : Would like to know what will become of River Country. Can’t stand to see the area left abandoned. Would love to see little log cabins built to stay in. I would love to stay there. Would be similar to tree houses I suppose. We stay at this type at Cresthaven at Lake George, New York. You can look at them on their website. Hope to see something in the future.
Andrea, Centerport, New York
A: I know of no plans to do anything with the former River Country. It closed permanently in 2001, after the much larger and more elaborate, and more popular, water parks Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach had been built.
Q : Watching some old Mickey Mouse Club footage of cartoonist Roy Williams, I noticed a striking similarity (especially in his profile shot) of him to figures used in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Knowing that the Imagineers have used real-life models for some of the pirates (Sid Caesar comes to mind as one), do you know if Roy Williams’ image was used as well, or is it just an amazing coincidence in looks? Any other information you can provide on real-life models for popular Disney parks attractions?
Kevin, Encino, California
A: The pirates were all composites of people that Blaine Gibson and other Imagineers knew or saw on the street. They were constantly making note of particular noses, or chins, or ears, or hair, which they felt they could use. In an interview with Scott Wolf on his Mouse Clubhouse website, Blaine said: “In one of the cases, I did one based on a guy at Disney. This particular guy wasn’t working where I was working, he happened to be a man working outside. And it wasn’t like I was knocking or trying to belittle a laborer because I was a laborer much of my early life. It was because he had the most wonderful face that I’d ever seen. George Snowden was a sculptor that was on my team—he was older; he was the same age as Walt was. A wonderful guy. He said, ‘Blaine, you’d better be careful with that one. It looks exactly like him.’ Well, it was more exaggerated, but when you look at it you think, ‘Yes, it looks like him,’ but in a good, exaggerated character. But I didn’t really change it because each one was costumed differently and he did turn out to be an interesting character.”