Friday, March 27, 2015

Disney Snapshot of the Day Flashback Friday - Cinderella Castle Goes Pink as it is Transformed Into a Cake for WDW 25th Anniversary

darthmaz314's Disney Snapshot of the Day today brings you another installment of in "Flashback Friday" series, in which we hark back to all things of Disney World past. This week we take you back nearly 20 years as we revisit the preparation for Walt Disney World's 25th anniversary in 1996. One of the ways Disney celebrated this milestone was to completely desecrate its most enduring park icon, as they turned Cinderella Castle into a very gaudy and heavily decorated birthday cake. The first step was to...gulp...paint the entire castle pink. Here we see this first step of the transformation in process, along with what has become an all too familiar prop in the shadow of the castle in recent years...a crane, which can be seen behind it in the photo. Also pictured below is a photo of the finished "castle cake" courtesy of disneywikia.com

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Cinderella Castle Goes Pink as It is Transformed Into a Cake for WDW 25th Anniversary

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The Finished Product - Way Too Sweet!!!

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

darthmaz314's Disney Snapshot of the Day - Hidden Disney Edition - Pirates of the Caribbean Eternal Stalemate Chess Match Scene

darthmaz314's Disney Snapshot of the Day brings you another Hidden Disney addition today. One of Walt Disney World's most popular and treasured attractions is Pirates of the Caribbean. This classic Disney dark ride has entertained guests for decades at the Disney parks and has spawned a film franchise that has grossed well over a billion dollars, with a fifth film currently in production. Yet as with many iconic items from the Disney canon, there are lesser know details hidden away that make it even more classic. 

In today's Hidden Disney Snapshot of the Day we see the "eternal stalemate chess match" scene from the Pirates attraction. The story goes that the two pirates are at a stalemate in the game, which having dragged on so long results in both of them passing away in their seats. It is said that the chess pieces are actually arranged such that it actually represents a true point in the game where no one can make another move to win. 

Don't remember seeing this scenes during the boat ride through Pirates? That is because it is not in the dark ride portion of the attraction itself. This scene actually appears along the attraction queue and is only visible if you look through those barred window-like openings in the wall that you pass as you wait in line. In fact, you would actually have to look through the opening and down, as this scene is actually many feet below the winding corridors of the attraction queue above.

A few other not so hidden (and downright disappointing) things you can pick out in this photo are the janitorial supplies behind the metal bars in the upper left and the piece of trash that someone must have thrown down there while passing through the queue. Looks to me like someone needs to unlock that broom and dustpan and clean up around those pirates.    

Want more Pirates? Click on the links below for a full POV ride-through of the attraction (using night vision since it so "bloody dark,") and another Snapshot of the Day featuring a Pirates scene.





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Friday, March 6, 2015

Disney Snapshot of the Day - Flashback Friday - Tron Epcot Monorail

darthmaz314's Disney Snapshot of the Day today introduces another new feature called "Flashback Friday." This feature will highlight moments from Disney gone by, including attractions that are no longer operating and all things of Disney World past. 

Our first post highlights Disney's fairly new advertising method of promoting their big movie release for a particular year by installing a "wrap" over one of the operating monorails. In short, one of the monorails is shrink wrapped in a billboard, basically turning it into a mobile advertisement for a major Disney release. Featured today is the Tron Legacy monorail which could be seen trolling through Disney property back in 2010. Captured here as it crosses in front of the majestically massive Spaceship Earth, the Tron monorail, much like interest in its movie namesake, did not last very long.

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Tron Epcot Monorail 


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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

darthmaz314 Disney Snapshot of the Day: Hidden Disney - Peanut Shells in the Pavement at Dumbo

darthmaz314's Disney Snapshot of the Day today introduces a new feature called "Hidden Disney." This feature will highlight those small details scattered throughout Walt Disney World that often go unnoticed but can be some of the most endearing aspects of the Disney experience.

The Fantasyland expansion that took place over the last few years introduced new attractions and experiences such as The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Be Our Guest Restaurant, relocated some others, like the Barnstormer, and revitalized a classic original attraction, Dumbo The Flying Elephant. The new Dumbo opened with many changes, not the least of which is the fact that there are actually two separate rides, meaning that the previous ride system now has a twin. This approach doubles the attraction capacity and reduces wait time for the normally slow-loading ride. An interactive queue, featuring a children's play area to utilize during excessive wait times was also added. 

Hidden beneath all of this in the queue walkway is one of the those Hidden Disney touches. Look at the ground as you walk through the queue and you will notice that peanut shells have been incorporated into the pavement. In the normally hectic hustle and bustle of a day at Disney, this type of detail can go unnoticed and unappreciated. However, these are the small touches that make something truly "Disney." These small elements of theming and subtle storytelling are what set Disney parks aside from your average amusement park. 

So the next time you are tearing through a Disney park trying to make the most of your entertainment dollar, take a moment to soak in some of these smaller details. Some are hard to find, which kind of makes them even more special. If you notice any you would like to share, post a comment below or send an e-mail to darthmaz314@gmail.com and we will share them in future posts.

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Peanut Shells in the Pavement at Dumbo


darthmaz314 always welcomes your comments and asks you to share this and all our posts with your friends (or enemies) if you like what you see. Also, please visit, follow, and like our facebook page...