Imagineering Theory: The Disney Animated Canon And Area Themes, Part 1

It's a major challenge keeping up a weekly posting schedule (nearly 18 months now, go me!) and from time to time I run low on inspiration. This is one of those times.* So for the next few weeks, I'll be doing something...straightforward. Please don't be disappointed if there are no astonishing insights or beautifully written passages for a while; I need to go on some sort of auto-pilot. Consider it a necessary compromise between my usual practices and putting the blog on hiatus.

Have you seen the new teaser trailer for Moana yet? I know it's got me excited for the movie. It looks like it's going to be completely wonderful. I just have one teeny tiny probably groundless misgiving.

Dear Disney:

Do not use this as an excuse to mess with the Enchanted Tiki Room.

Seriously.

I'm sure we'll come to love this guy:

But we already love this guy, just as he is:

They may represent the same mythological figure, but they are not interchangeable. Get it?

I'm not too worried, actually. I think Disney learned their lesson with the fiasco that was Under New Management! and will not be retooling the Tiki Room in order to promote Moana. I am just as certain that we will see a Moana face character and a Maui costume in Disneyland, and if it's planned right, they'll show up for meet and greets in the vicinity of the Tiki Room. Or at least somewhere in Adventureland.** And that got me thinking about the Disney Animated Canon as a whole, the placement within the parks of various attractions and other features, and whether I think, in each case, it was the best choice.

So why not do a rundown?

The fellas over at Parkeology did something similar a couple years ago: they went through the Disney Animated Canon film-by-film and pinpointed what they consider the best tie-in for each in the Disney parks. They're primarily Walt Disney World guys, so most of their focus was there, but they also have the luxury of being able to travel, so their list includes references from Disney resorts all over the world. I am not so fortunate, so I'll be sticking with Anaheim in my analysis. Huge surprise, right?

(Incidentally, their version is excellent, and you should definitely read it. Start here.)

So here's my goal: identify how each film in the Disney Animated Canon has been used in the Disneyland Resort, decide whether I like it as-is, and if not, propose something more thematically appropriate. It's not going to be very in-depth and it's going to be absolutely dripping with my personal biases. But hey...that's what having a blog is all about!

So let's get this show on the road with the first eleven films in the Disney Animated Canon!

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Location: Fantasyland

There's absolutely no guesswork about this one—Snow White has laid claim to a Fantasyland dark ride since Opening Day. You can't really dispute any of the original movie-based Fantasyland offerings since they defined the land to begin with. But Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is also a Princess fairy tale, which is what Fantasyland has evolved to focus on.

Nope, no issues here.

2. Pinocchio (1940)

Location: Fantasyland

This also seems like a natural fit. Pinocchio isn't exactly a fairy tale, but it is a storybook tale from Europe, and tales of that type comprise one of the other cornerstones of Fantasyland theming.

3. Fantasia (1940)

Location: Multiple

This is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time—maybe one of my favorite movies, period—but I freely acknowledge that you can't really make a single theme park attraction for it due to its composite structure. That said, it pops up in various places and forms around the Disneyland Resort, some of which might surprise you. The coolest is surely Fantasmic!, which boasts animation clips from no fewer than four individual sequences in the film. (I'll spot you “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” and “Night on Bald Mountain,” but can you identify the other two?) The sneakiest must be the Primeval World diorama, which evokes imagery from the “Rite of Spring” segment, some of it quite specific:

The subtlest might be the Sorcerer's Workshop in California Adventure, which is named after Yensid but includes scant evidence of him specifically. And of course Mickey Mouse appears in his Apprentice getup everywhere, from parades and shows to his own Movie Barn.

I wish we got a better variety of references to this outstanding movie, but failing that, this scattershot approach is pretty appropriate. What's a bit odd is that there's nothing for it in Fantasyland, even though at least half the segments feature magic and/or mythology.

4. Dumbo (1941)

Location: Fantasyland

This is another of those movies that was represented in Fantasyland right from the start, so we can't really say it's out of theme. On the other hand, if Dumbo weren't made until today, there's no way it would be considered a good fit for the land of fairy tales. It's an interesting paradox.

5. Bambi (1942)

Location: Grizzly Peak

This movie is so iconic that it's surprising they haven't done more with it in the parks...but maybe the trouble is that it's hard to place. Fantasyland used to be the default destination for anything to do with animated films and characters, but as a story Bambi is too realistic to make sense there. The North American wilderness suggests Frontierland, but that area is more to do with history and human struggles. Critter Country is for anthropomorphized beasts.

But that's just Disneyland Park. California Adventure has Grizzly Peak, representing a more contemporary American wilderness suitable for recreation and appreciation of wildlife. A while back, I proposed a Bambi-themed vegetarian restaurant for this location. They haven't done that, more's the pity, but they have installed this cute sign in Grizzly Peak Airfield:

It's not just a character reference—this is a reproduction of an actual sign that Disney artists designed for the Forest Service to use before Smokey the Bear was created to be the anti-forest fire mascot. So I'm pretty comfortable declaring Grizzly Peak the most fitting land for Bambi.

6. Saludos Amigos (1942)

Location: Adventureland?

This is where I start running into real trouble. Disney's “package era” is hit-or-miss when it comes to quality, and even more so when it comes to representation in the parks. Saludos Amigos tends to be overshadowed, both officially and in the eyes of the public, by its de facto sequel, The Three Caballeros (see below). I'm really not sure where you could put something pertaining specifically to Saludos—Adventureland is my best guess because it is a travelogue of exotic places, some of them tropical, but it's a rough fit. If only they had built International Street back in the day, that would be perfect.

7. The Three Caballeros (1944)

Location: Frontierland

We're in slightly better shape here. The second half of this movie takes place in Mexico, which gives it an affinity for the El Zocalo area of Frontierland. On the rare occasions when the park rolls out the Caballeros costumes for meet-and-greets, that's where they set up. The three also appear in Mickey's Soundsational Parade and in puppet form on “it's a small world,” but in both cases the entire point is still “Hi, we're from Mexico!” and doesn't change my assessment.

8. Make Mine Music (1946)

Location: ?

I got nothin' for this one. Even the most well-known individual segments, such as “Casey at the Bat” and “Peter and the Wolf,” don't line up well with any of the area themes in the Disneyland Resort. Fortunately, it's not much of a loss.

9. Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Location: Fantasyland

If we did get something permanent related to this movie, it would almost certainly pertain to “Mickey and the Beanstalk” rather than the forgettable*** Bongo segment. As an adaptation of a classic fairy tale, it would belong to Fantasyland pretty much by definition.

10. Melody Time (1948)

Location: Frontierland

The standout segment here is “Pecos Bill,” which already gets its due honors in Frontierland as the original backstory for the Golden Horseshoe. The current stage backdrop advertises “Slue Foot Sue's Finishing School,” along with other heartwarming tributes to the original cast.

This movie also includes the “Johnny Appleseed” segment, which if anything is even more appropriate for Frontierland.

11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Location: Fantasyland

This film, of course, has a Fantasyland dark ride going back to Opening Day. Like the Dumbo rides, it seems a little oddly placed nowadays—automobiles and fairy tales don't really mix—but I wouldn't have it anywhere else.

So much for the first round. Join me next week for the next eleven!

* Also, I'm recovering from a minor accident, and I'm just sore enough to have a hard time concentrating.

** Not Hollywood Land. Are you guys listening to me over there?

*** When it isn't being uncomfortably apologetic of intimate partner violence.