Tink in the New Year!

I am back! I hope everyone had a truly wonderful and magical Christmas! I had a beautiful time with amazing people, and I'm still holding onto Christmas because I'm not quite willing to let it go yet! I'm a big Christmas fan! But enough about that. Onward to the next post!

Here's a cute prototype piece that someone (not me!) removed from the Studios. I don't know much about it at all besides the obvious and that it is from 1959. The outside looks quite vintage, however the inside looks quite modern, which is interesting from a design standpoint. Does anyone have this book in its entirety? I'd like to know what it was about. If anyone can help me out, that would be great!

Happiest of New Years to all of my readers! Please make yourselves known by adding your cute faces or avatars to the "Followers Who Reside Under the Sacred Tree" section. It always makes blogging much more fun and worthwhile to know that there are people out there who follow it. :)

Annette and the Princess

It's been a while, I know! But what can I say? Christmas has made for a busy few months. Not just one! However, I return with 5 very nice photos from November 23, 1958.

As you can see, they feature one of my favorite (and yours I'm sure!) Mouseketeers, Annnette Funicello. She is serving as a special hostess and accompanying Princess Sophia of Greece. The older woman is Mme. Mary Carolou.

I don't know if there is much to say about the photos, really, but they do appear to be having the most fun on The Jungle Cruise. I wonder if Annette spent the whole visit with the Princess, or just shot a few photos. I would assume the latter, as she does look a bit reserved.

Either way, they are some very nice photos of the castle, with not very much vegetation surrounding it at this early date.

Just to note: all of these photos open quite large.

I hope everyone is successfully preparing and enjoying the holidays so far! :) I will try to squeeze in some holiday-themed posts soon.

Ain't it Ducky!?

So, I have this thing where when people do really good impersonations of Disney characters I get oddly excited like a 5 year old on Christmas day. People say I'm easily amused, yes, but I think it's the coolest thing!
That is part of the reason why I was happy to find this today on YouTube. It's just a little something, but it made me smile- and perhaps clap my hands excitedly. I hope it makes you smile, too. Clapping optional... but good for the soul. Enjoy!

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough

Sleeping Beauty came out (again) on DVD today, so in honor of that (even if I haven't purchased it yet) and the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough comeback, I present to you this nice little piece from Walt Disney's Magazine at the opening of the first walk through.

I'm a HUGE fan of Eyvind Earle and his amazing art, a lot of which depicts the area in which I live and have visited. I've been a fan since the first time I was swept away with Sleeping Beauty, and I keep my eye out for any art pertaining to his backgrounds.

I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about the style in reference to how it was used in an animated film, but as an artist myself, I just think it's magical!

I love the diorama effect of these small sized paintings. They draw your eye in, even in a magazine format.

I look forward to picking up my copy soon and seeing a great film in all its widescreen glory!

For your baby, in 1958

This is a pretty sweet piece from my collection. It's a mobile for your baby's crib with dangling characters from Sleeping Beauty. They include the nameless animal characters, which I think is pretty cute.

I couldn't find a thing to attach this to that would make it stay up, (and wasn't made of nice wood) otherwise I would have taken a photo of how this hangs, but when upright, looks just like the photo, so you'll have to use your imaginations. :)

The plastic pieces that dangle remind me of the "before" state of those old Shrinky Dinks. (Let me hear it! Who loved Shrinky Dinks as a kid? I did!) When I got this, I was slightly tempted to bake it... but don't worry, I won't.

I just found this.

I was going through some photos yesterday and found this adorable photo of my mom and sister at Disneyland in March of 1979. Great little shot of the flower market on Main Street. Not too much more to say about it, except... don't you just love finding Disneyland photos you haven't seen before in your own house?! Good stuff.

Happy Labor Day, everyone! :)

From the "Things That Should Still Be There" files...

I give you, the deconstruction of the Mary Blair mural in Tomorrowland. Sad photos I just came across in my files. The mural was something I loved so much and I was so sad to see it come down. (I have chunks of it... or so they were given to me as. Never knew if they were real and always doubted they were... but one can hope!) There's not much to say about these, except to say the sweetness was sucked out of Tomorrowland when it went. But, I do look ahead to an eventual wonderful Tomorrowland (one day) that actually has everything to do with tomorrow. That'd rock.

In order to lessen the slightly sad nature of this post however, I will supersize today's post with a bright shot of color with this Mary Blair delight! It's lovely, even off of a wall, isn't it?

Oh, Blogger.

Would love to know why Blogger is being a pain about me reposting this image. It used to work, now it doesn't, and it wouldn't let me fix it, then when it would, it still didn't work. So I repost it here for everyone... especially the Major who caught the problem for me. Thanks so much. :)

Gone Hollywood!

First thing's first... Happy 53rd Birthday, Disneyland!!! Back in my OC days, I would make my pilgrimage to The Happiest Place on Earth every July 17... when I wasn't already there working it, that is. It was my thing, and even though I celebrate from afar now, I still try to do a little something commemorative on this day. Some might call me a dork, others (especially those equally into the Disney thing as I am) know far better!

All right, that out of the way, I have a decidedly un-Disneyland post for everyone today. I was just flipping through my large collection of vintage magazines the other day and came across this! It never ceases to amaze me how big of an impact Disney had on film back then. There have been so many times I've unexpectedly come across a great article on something Disney related in Photoplay, which is exactly what happened this time. One of my favorite Disney shorts, being my love of all things old Hollywood, I adore all the caricatures in this film and was stoked to find someone giving props to it with a full layout.

I have left the scans LARGE so everyone can read the fine print under each of the photos. Happy reading!

And the Best Dressed is...

Victory over Vista! I have achieved success with my scanner, so I will be able to get back to posting whatever I can scan on the blog until I figure out the deal with my camera. I have discovered one very cool article that I will post in the coming days. I, myself, haven't seen it before on any other site/blog, and that's always a positive. I have to paste it all together in Photoshop because it doesn't come close to fitting my scanner bed. Anyway, on to the post!

I was chilling out the other day, going through an old Photoplay from 1938, getting a recipe from Bette Davis (ginger bread, yum!), discovering I have movie star leg measurements (sweeeet!!), when I turned the page to learn "Who's Really Who in Hollywood Society". I learned that Charlie Chaplin gave the best parties, Jimmie and Lucille Gleason gave the best garden parties, and that Walt was SNAPPY!!! Yes, dear readers, Walt was considered one of the best dressed in Hollywood (as well as one of the more athletic) and was in a class with some very sophisticated individuals, as you will see.

I have cropped out an excerpt of the article, as it is quite lengthy. If anyone is interested in the full article, just yell. Enjoy, everyone, and thanks for returning after the hiatus. More to come, keep checking back! :)

The Woes of Windows Vista

Hey folks!
My apologies for not keeping this blog updated. I was forced to get a new computer and have been experiencing a lot of computer glitches mainly trying to get my camera and scanner to make friends with Windows Vista. They're not digging each other, so I have no way of getting anything new for you all to look at... yet! I will prevail. I know this! Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, though. If I find anything online that's significant and easy to share, I will post it in the meantime.
Take care, everyone and keep checking back.

Donald teams up with the Cheerios Kid!

Put a little "Go Power!" in your day and watch this cute 50's commercial. Not too much to say about it, but a nice little time capsule nonetheless!

Disneyland '61!

I came across this recently uploaded episode of Walt Disney Presents. I'm always so happy to find these wonderful shows that I miss so dearly from The Disney Channel (yes, back in its good old days). I wonder how my neighbors would feel if I installed a full size version of that super cool dancing topiary model in my front yard?! Hmmmm...

Enjoy this three-parter. I will attach the links to the other parts below for your convenience.

Part Two
Part Three

So Long, Farewell

It was funny... I had this urge to watch the round table discussion with current animators on the second disc of Cinderella, Monday. I think I just wanted to immerse myself in that element a bit. Sometimes, after a hectic day, I find it helpful to get into the artistic "zone" by listening to others who so frequent the "zone" as well. Ollie came to mind and I was wondering how he was doing... and yes, how much longer he'd be with us.
When news of him came the following day, I met it with mixed emotions. I was never fortunate enough to know or even meet Ollie, as many in the Disney community have, but so many of my beautiful childhood memories are wrapped up with the incredible work he did. I have been so thankful for the blood, sweat, and tears he put into his craft to help deliver something to the public that would become a part of their soul in many ways. Those films are a part of me, and I've been long appreciative to the incredible Nine Old Men, as well as the lesser known artists for giving me countless of remarkable, unforgettable moments.
So, yes. I was sad. But in another way, happy. Happy to know that Heaven is a greater and even more creative place than it was just a few days ago. Happy that I know he was greeted by incredible people that we all have come to respect, and most happy to know that he was reunited with his wife and best friend, Frank Thomas. I never knew how he was able to carry on without the both of them. I don't think I could if put in the same situation.
So, here's to a life superbly lived. May we all strive for similar excellence in our crafts. My life-long admiration to you, Ollie. To quote a song sung by another amazing artist in his own right, "Thanks for the memories..."

April Peace Day

I wish I could say something April Foolsy. But alas, I'm not so great at pulling gags. I used to be... but they usually involved buckets of water or plastic wrap on toilets. Things of that nature. Ah, youth.

Instead I bring you something non-Foolsy and is just plain pretty in my opinion. I've been having Disneyland withdrawals... as it has been too long since my last happy jaunt there. Popping in the WDT Disneyland DVD, watching People and Places for the 100th time, I just dug this shot. I dug a lot of them, actually. I really like all that grassy area of old. I like the composition of the shot, and the watercolor-like colors. It's so peaceful. So, on my blog anyway, I declare it April Peace Day, for those of you who suck at pranks like I do.

Have a peaceful day! :D

October '85- part deux.

Ahh! I forgot part two. My bad. Here's the rest of October '85!

The Disney Channel Magazine, October 1985

Ah, October. October 1985 to be exact. We've come several months forward since our last Disney Channel Magazine post.
Every October, the Disney Channel would feature much Halloween programming, that seemed to increase throughout the years until the channel's downfall. This year we had the very popular "A Disney Halloween" as well as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and the classic "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Much like "The Watcher in the Woods," that movie freaked me out as a kid, but I loved it anyway!
In later years, the channel would also see my childhood Halloween favorite, "Witch's Night Out".
In addition to the fun Halloween programming, we have the classics ranging from Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" to Annette in "The Monkey's Uncle."
One of the greatest things about the Disney Channel was its variety. You could watch brand new episodes of Danger Bay, and later on catch up on a classic episode of Ozzie and Harriet, while having learned a bit about Marc Davis on "A Disney Family Album". You could literally watch the channel all day, be entertained and be educated. It was great stuff and I miss it everyday!
I have included a couple of articles from this issue. Danger Bay was a great show, and of course, reading about the "New Management" is always interesting in hindsight.
Stay tuned for part 2!

Yes, Virginia... There Was a Contraption

For years I thought I might have been the only person who remembered a little show called "Contraption". It was this great game show from my youth that involved clips from Disney films, trivia, and riding around in these super cool little "contraptions", and getting "contraptiles" to win the game. I loved that show. I wanted to be on that show! So I would question people, when the topic arose, on whether or not they remembered it. The answer, even to Disney Channel devotees, was always a big fat NO. Bummer for me. Countless no's later, and a few "no, but it sounds cool!", I turned my quest for proof of existence to YouTube, and though it took me over a year to find some type of mention of it, some brilliant and wonderful person uploaded an entire show.

I'm confident by the comments left on the video that there are other people out there who have been searching for this, too. I found it a few months ago, but didn't think to put it up on the blog until now, with the whole Disney Channel topic running. So, for those people, here it is! Let's hope other people upload other episodes! (For those of you who checked out the previous post, you will find mention of Contraption in that Disney Channel Magazine.) I'm only posting the first portion. You can link to the other 3 parts by navigating your contraption mobile on over to YouTube.

By Request: The Disney Channel Magazine - May 1985 part 2

Here's part two! I hope it's bringing back some memories for all of you.
Have a great week, everyone!

By Request: The Disney Channel Magazine - May 1985 part 1

All righty! We have had a request for The Disney Channel- the way it used to be! I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way about the channel as I do. It was truly a wonderful channel back in the day, and to see what it has become is rather depressing. For those of you who like to look back on how things were in better times, or for those who are trying to recall a certain program or film that was shown on the channel, this post's for you! If you're like me and you are a child of the 80's who grew up on The Disney Channel, a nice little portion of your childhood is contained in these pages. No doubt a trip over to YouTube to find some of these gems will follow shortly!
I will be posting some more Disney Channel Magazines in the near future from other years. Keep in mind I will only be posting programming. If anyone would like me to post the articles in the magazine, just shout and I'll be very happy to do so.

Promoting Snow White

Continuing on my whole Old Time Radio thing, which I hope everyone is enjoying...

On the Lux program, Walt Disney guest appeared twice (as I know of). I have already posted the Snow White appearance, but on December 20, 1937, he did another... a sort of promo announcing his upcoming films. It appears at the end of "Song of Songs," with Marlene Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (For those of you who want to skip ahead, Walt's portion begins around 47:00.)

The following day after this aired was the premiere of Snow White at the Carthay Circle. Walt sounds excited and eager as he speaks with Cecil B. DeMille. I love how Walt figures making Snow White on his own would have taken him 250 years. It's also quite cute to hear him working in the sponsor, Lux Flakes, into his speech. Walt also figures that the cost of Snow White's wardrobe stands at around $100,000-clearly a huge sum for the time for any one's wardrobe (as it is now!)

Walt goes on to talk a bit about film making and the upcoming feature length films- Bambi, Pinocchio, and Fantasia - as well as the shorts.

It's a very nice little time capsule that I hope you all enjoy!

"Song of Songs", featuring Walt Disney- December 20, 1937

A Dreamy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!!!
My best wishes to all of you for an amazing 2008! May the year bring you more love than you've ever experienced, more wishes than you ever had granted, and more happiness than you've ever known!

Today I bring you some Snow White offerings... and there's a reason for this. It's my little reminder to you all, I suppose. Dream big for the New Year, just like Walt did. No matter how remote the chances of your dream coming true, dream it, believe it, and do it, and don't believe anyone who tells you you're crazy. Snow White and Disneyland serve as reminders of that for me. I hope they do for you, too. Anything is possible this year!

I came across these fun little clippings whilst going through the archives of one of my local papers. Check it out... Snow White's very first showing, and they had the nerve to show it for one day only!!! Absurd!! (Yes, I know this was typical, but it's still not right!) Plus, that's quite a drive north back then to see a film. I wish I could find out what the turn out was like.

For those of you who enjoyed the OTR Pinocchio, here is Snow White, with a bit of Walt speaking with Cecil B. DeMille in the intro. He sounds excited. I love it! Have fun, everyone! :)

Lux Radio Theatre- December 26, 1938