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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE ART GALLERIES OF WORLD SHOWCASE

By Jim Korkis

There are six art galleries in Epcot’s World Showcase, which allow Disney World guests the opportunity to more closely experience other cultures.

While each pavilion is staffed by cast members from that particular country along with merchandise as well as food and beverage locations that are representative of each country, the purpose of Epcot was to be educational and give greater understanding of America’s international neighbors and their histories.

Each of the six art galleries was designed to be of museum quality and to preserve the genuine artifacts from light, heat and humidity. The collections usually rotate out after three years based on the assumption that it takes an average guest about three to five years to return for a visit to Walt Disney World. In addition, the items on exhibit are generally on limited loan from private collections or the country itself.

“The galleries at Epcot represent a very, very important part of what I think the theme park experience is all about,” stated Van Romans, Director Exhibit Development Walt Disney Imagineering in 1989.

“Guests expect the rides. They expect restaurants and merchandising spaces. But they don’t expect to see absolutely wonderful historical things from other countries being shown. They are very surprised. These galleries are intimate and unique and hold some wonderful treasures.

“We worked closely with the Cultural Ministries in each country and I think that the United States and, in particular, Florida should be very proud that these collections are right within their grasp to be able to enjoy.

“The whole gallery program emphasizes these treasures. The material is all real. It is directly from their culture, directly from their history. We are the jewel box of the parks.”

The American Heritage Gallery is located inside the American Adventure building. Currently, it houses a private collection called “Re-discovering America: Family Treasures” from the Kinsey Collection. Art and artifacts pay homage to African Americans who helped build and transform a nation.

The Gol Stave Church Gallery is the smallest of the galleries because it is housed in a replica of a stave church. The gallery has previously featured an exhibit devoted to “The Vikings: Conquerors of the Seas” but with the transformation of the pavilion, it now showcases “Creating the World of Frozen” about the research in Norway that led to the making of the popular animated feature film.

The Gallery of the Whispering Willow is adjacent to the waiting area for Reflections of China to give guests a chance to experience it before the next showing of the film. The former “Tomb Warriors Guardian Spirits of Ancient China” collection has been largely (but not entirely) superseded with material about Shanghai Disney.

The Bijutsu-kan Gallery is inside the castle at the rear of the Japan pavilion. The latest exhibit is devoted to “Kawaii – Japan’s Cute Culture”. Kawaii is rooted in Japan’s Shinto past and has become a fundamental part of Japanese culture including food, fashion and architecture.

The Mayan Ceremonial Hall Gallery is located inside the pyramid in the Mexico pavilion. “Animalés Fantásticos Spirits in Wood” celebrates a modern Mexican folk art where in Mexican villages surrounding the city of Oaxaca gifted artisans create woodcarvings of animals, humans and mythical creatures.

The Gallery of Arts and History is connected to the Fez House in the Morocco pavilion. “Moroccan Style: The Art of Personal Adornment” presents how the craftsmanship of Moroccan decorative arts are a visual representation of cultural identity.

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Thanks, Jim! Come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: SEPTEMBER 24 TO OCTOBER 2, 2016

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on September 2016 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/24-10/2/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 9/24, 9a-7p 9/25, 9a-11p 9/26, 9a-8p 9/27, 9a-11p 9/28, 9a-7p 9/29 and 9/30, 8a-12MN 10/1, and 9a-7p 10/2

Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 9/24, 9a-9p 9/25 through 9/29, 9a-10p 9/30 and 10/1, and 9a-9p 10/2

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8.30p 9/24, 9a-8p 9/25 throug h10/1, and 9a-7.30p 10/2

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-9p 9/24 through 9/29, and 9a-8.30p 9/30 through 10/2

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/24-10/2/2016

Saturday 9/24 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 9/25 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 9/26 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 9/27 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 9/28 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 9/29 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 9/30 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 10/1 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 10/2  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/24-10/2/2016

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 8 and 10p 9/24, 9/26 and 9/28; 9 and 11/p 10/1

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/24-10/2/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 9p 9/24 and 9/26; 8p 9/27; 9p 9/28; and 10p 10/1

IllumiNations at Epcot: 10p 9/24; 9p 9/25 through 9/29; 10p 9/30 and 10/1; 9p 10/2

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.15p 9/24; 7.45p 9/25 through 10/1

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/24-10/2/2016

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/24-10/2/2016

See this for forecasts.

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OVERVIEW: APRIL 2017 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews April 2017 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

The late Easter in 2017 and the pattern of pricing and spring breaks before and after it means that the only period in the month that I recommend is the end of the month–April 22 and later.

[Read more →]

My review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas is now fully updated based on stays in a refurbed Studio and a refurbed One Bedroom Villa in August 2016.

The review begins here, and includes the following pages:

• An overview of Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Theming and accommodations at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Photo tour of a Studio at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Photo tour of the living/dining/kitchen space in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Photo tour of the bath and master bedroom in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Villas

Details of the revised spaces are in each of the “photo tour” pages, but here’s some summary comments from the first page of the updated review:

Studios now sleep five–the fifth on a fold-down bed.

Studios have also lost drawer space.

One and Two Bedroom Villas have had much carpet replaced with wooden flooring.

The master bath in One and Two Bedroom Villas is simplified, with the whirlpool tub being replaced with a soaking tub, and the window between the bath and the master bedroom now gone.

In all villas and studios, the refurbed spaces have a more austere and less playful color palette than the former decor.

Compare the above from an old Studio…

…with this from a new one.

The new review begins here, with all new room photos and floor plans. Check it out!

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Yesterday I published updated materiel on Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort based on my July visit–our seventh here.

The review begins here and includes the following pages

• An overview of Saratoga Springs
• Theming and accommodations at Saratoga Springs
• A three page photo tour of a Studio and a One Bedroom Villa (the two combined being a Two Bedroom Villa):
  • Photo tour of a Studio at Sratoga Springs
  • Photo tour of the Living/Dining/Kitchen Space in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs
  • Photo tour of the Bath and Master Bedroom in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs
• Amenities at Saratoga Springs
• Dining at Saratoga Springs
• The Pools at Saratoga Springs

There have been only minor changes here since my last review–i.e. very light changes to the rooms, mostly bed linen.

All the room photos are new…

…and I’ve also updated all the floor plans.

The order of the material also now matches how I’ve been restructuring these reviews lately, with the overview of the accommodation options here preceding, rather than following, the photo tours.

All the great new restaurants opening at Disney Springs (detailed in Chapter 7 of the book I co-author) have made Saratoga Spring’s location within walking distance of Disney Springs a feature rather than a bug. This should make the resort much more appealing to returning visitors.

For first-timers, however, I’m still not keen on it–Saratoga Springs still has weaker kid appeal and lower convenience than Disney Vacation Club alternatives.

Moreover, the rooms, though in quite good repair, are now a generation behind many other DVC spaces, which have added larger flat screen TVs, a fifth sleeping spot to their Studios, and more power points.

Check out the updated review–it beings here.

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

REFLECTIONS OF CHINA

By Jim Korkis

When Epcot’s China Pavilion opened in 1982, it featured a Circle-Vision 360 degree movie called Wonders of China that gave foreigners a glimpse of areas of China that had rarely seen before by outsiders. This film closed in March 2002 and was replaced in May 2003 with a new movie called Reflections of China.

Jun Tang, Vice president of China Affairs for the Walt Disney Company, worked with government officials to implement Disney’s strategy in Chinese relations and maintain a consistent presence in that country. His challenge was to manage the contract negotiations and to seek support from China’s film communities to produce a new film.

In the twenty years since the first film, Hong Kong and Macau were returned to the borders of China and Shanghai became a thriving international metropolis.

“A project like this always has its ups and down,” said Tang in 2002. “China is so big and there were so many things we needed to take into consideration. But the filming was much smoother than the original twenty years earlier. With the advent of reform in China, working with foreign companies is more commonplace. This made our job much easier. All you need is communication.”

David Katzman was the director for Theme Park Productions, and in January 2002 took a team of Imagineers to China. They screened the original film Wonders of China to representatives from the China Research Institute of Film Science and Technology. Then they went over the film scene by scene, shot by shot.

Despite language difficulties, the group mapped out a plan to update the film.

“Some of our technical and production terms don’t translate perfectly,” explained Katzman. “We’d get these puzzled looks from the Chinese about things we take for granted. We had to constantly try to explain ourselves.”

Because of these difficulties, it took several months for both Disney and China to negotiate and approve everything.

Senior Imagineering Show Writer Steve Spiegel took the outline and created the final script.

In the original film, the character of Li Bai, a Tang Dynasty poet known in the West as Li Po, was the narrator and Spiegel felt it was so effective that he wanted to duplicate that same element in the new film. Unfortunately, the original actor who played the part of Li Bai was not available so another actor was cast and made up to look like not only Li Bai but the first actor as well.

Another challenge arose because the narration had to be in English, but the new actor cast in the role spoke no English at all.

“We had him pronounce everything phonetically,” recalled Spiegel. “Then we went back and re-recorded the dialogue with another Chinese actor who spoke English.”

Twenty-five percent of the original film was able to be kept because it primarily featured scenes of China’s natural beauty that had not changed in any significant way. However, the other seventy-five percent was new footage or footage that was originally shot for Wonders of China but not used.

“When you look at the landscape, the beauties of China have not changed,” said Tang. “The changes in China are not in the construction of the buildings. It’s in the people. They’re more open, more engaging and more sophisticated.”

Nine cameras on a specially made platform were used to photograph the new images over a two month period that included filming in seven Chinese cities. When filming the Huangshan Mountain sequence, over three dozen locals were hired to lift a 300-pound camera unit up 16,700 stone steps. Senior Imagineering Creative Executive Paula Kessler oversaw the entire project.

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Thanks, Jim! Come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!