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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

ANIMATION HALL AT ART OF ANIMATION

By Jim Korkis

Legendary Hall had been built to be the central check-in for The Legendary Years, the second half of the Pop Century Value Resort. The terrorism attack on September 11th resulted in a massive drop in travel and tourism, so Disney stopped construction on building more hotel rooms because there was a lack of demand.

Over the years, Disney announced at various times that it would finish the “ghost hotel,” but never did. In January 2010 Disney announced the resort would be re-themed into Disney’s Art of Animation Resort with construction beginning that summer.

Since much of the infrastructure was already in place, Legendary Hall was converted into The Animation Hall as a prelude to the animation experience in the four sections of the resort devoted to the animated films Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid.

The Animation Hall is the check-in center for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and includes a self-service business center (a first at a Value resort), arcade, merchandise store and food court. The interior is meant to suggest how animation evolves from simple pencil sketches of a character to the finished full color version.

The examples on the wall opposite the check-in desk progress are enlarged from the actual original rough concept art of the characters from the four films represented at the resort to the final full-colored version, cleverly leading guests in the process to the Ink and Paint Shop and the Landscape of Flavors food court as well as the door leading outside to the various sections. The background music is a loop of music from the four films.

The end of the hall features the “storyboard chandelier” designed by the former head of Pixar animation, John Lasseter. The glass plates are examples of storyboard panels for an animated film and one of the drawings featuring Lightning McQueen was drawn and signed by Lasseter who directed the film Cars. When the resort opened, it was the only drawing that was signed in the hallway.

When the resort first opened, to reinforce the overall theme, those people working in the check-in area were not referred to as “cast members” but “concept artists”.

The back wall represents a color script used by animation artists to help determine the overall color palette for each scene which helps define the overall mood.

The Ink and Paint Shop’s wall fixtures are shaped like giant paint jars, arranged by color. Traditionally, specially mixed paint was once used to color the individual cels of an animated film. Today, the coloring is done digitally by computer.

Besides the usual items found in a shop at the WDW resorts, this shop is lined with art supplies up on the shelves and the walls. Paint brushes, colored pencils, and paper all represent the tools animation artists use in order to create a feature film.

Landscape of Flavors is the six hundred seat food court with an extensive variety of ever-changing offerings, divided into four sections to reference each of the four animated features represented at the resort. It features artwork of the environments of those films on the wall, painted ceiling light fixtures and more.

For instance, the ceiling fixture in the Lion King section simulates looking up through a jungle canopy while The Little Mermaid section has a painting of the grotto holding some of Ariel’s treasures that she has gathered.

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Thanks, Jim!  There’s much more on Disney’s Art of Animation Resort here.

And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his new books Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition, and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line.

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

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: FEBUARY 6 TO FEBRUARY 14, 2021

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

Things are … a little different… as Disney World re-opens.  See this for park previews and key insights.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/6-2/14/21

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-9p 2/6, 9a-8p 2/7, 9a-7p 2/8 through 2/11, and 9a-10p 2/12 through 2/14

Epcot will be open from 11a-8p 2/6, 11a-9p 2/7, 11a-8p 2/8 through 2/11, 11a-9p 2/12, and 11a-10p 2/13 and 2/14

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-7p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-6p 2/6, and 8a-5p 2/7 through 2/12, and 8a-8p 2/13 and 2/14

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/6-2/14/21

There will be no Extra Magic Hours anymore.  They will be replaced later in the year by a new program.

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/6-2/14/21

There will be no parades until further notice.

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/6-2/14/21

Some brief incidental fireworks happen at various times at Magic Kingdom.

Otherwise, there will be no evening shows until further notice.

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 2/6-2/14/21

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

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

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

STORMSTRUCK AT EPCOT

By Jim Korkis

I’ve written a book entitled Secret Stories of Extinct Walt Disney World where I have over a hundred chapters devoted to things that have disappeared at WDW over the last fifty years. Of course, I barely scratch the surface of all the things that are gone–including this story, that does not appear in the book.

Opening in October 2009, StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Innoventions East was a 4-D weather simulator experience with rain, hail, lightning, falling power lines and pine trees, shingles ripped off a garage roof and even a flying toilet.

In a small room holding twenty guests and lasting fifteen minutes, guests experienced what it was like in a home during a major hurricane.

After the show, under the guidance of a host, the guests were asked questions and were then given the option to make different choices from landscaping to architecture…whether Southern magnolias were better to plant in sand than pine trees, if doors that open out are better than doors that open in and if duct tape on windows really make a difference.

Then the experience was re-run with those new choices incorporated to see if they made a significant difference. It was announced the exhibit would only run for three years but was so popular that it was extended and finally closed in September 2016.

The exhibit was sponsored by FLASH, which stood for the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. It was formerly the Florida Alliance for Safe Homes, which explains the “L” in the acronym.

Organizations involved with FLASH include insurance companies; manufacturers of building products that relate to disaster resistance (Simpson Strong-Tie, G-P Dens-Shield, etc.); product retailers like Home Depot; state agencies; the National Weather Service; FEMA; a few builders of disaster-resistant homes, such as Mercedes Homes; and the Salvation Army.

“We hope that guests walk away with a higher level of understanding on how to think about preparation to the next level for the protection of ourselves, our families and our community at large to ensure that on these rare occasions we can protect ourselves and recover,” said Jim MacPhee who was the vice president of Epcot when the exhibit opened.

It took seven years to conceptualize and complete the 3,000 square foot StormStruck exhibit.

Imagineer Joe Tankersley led the creation, direction and design of StormStruck.

“Doing that in a small space is a challenge, but we thought that raised the level of what we were doing here,” said Tankersley. “Our goal with all our Innoventions experiences is first of all to entertain people – we never forget that. We want to give them information they don’t have, to enlighten them and finally to empower them.”

President George W. Bush wrote in a letter read at the opening celebration, “this interactive attraction is an opportunity for people to experience the relentless winds and heavy rains of a hurricane in a safe setting. StormStruck also will help visitors to learn about the latest weather technology and inform them how to better prepare for these devastating storms.

“By encouraging Americans to be better prepared for emergencies and educating them about the danger of storms, you are helping our nation safe.”

The exhibit was especially interesting for Florida guests who lived on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of Florida and was a bit surprising and curious for those guests who were unfamiliar with the hurricane experience.

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Thanks, Jim!  And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his new books Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition, and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line.

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

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 30 TO FEBRUARY 7, 2021

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

Things are … a little different… as Disney World re-opens.  See this for park previews and key insights.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/30-2/7/21

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-8p 1/30, 9a-9p 1/31, 9a-7p 2/1 through 2/4, 9a-9p 2/5 and 2/6, and 9a-8p 2/7

Epcot will be open from 11a-8p 1/30 through 2/6, and 11a-9p 2/7

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-7p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-6p 1/30, and 8a-5p 1/31 through 2/7

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/30-2/7/21

There will be no Extra Magic Hours anymore.  They will be replaced later in the year by a new program.

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/30-2/7/21

There will be no parades until further notice.

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/30-2/7/21

Some brief incidental fireworks happen at various times at Magic Kingdom.

Otherwise, there will be no evening shows until further notice.

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/30-2/7/21

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

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

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

MAGIC KINGDOM BRICKS

By Jim Korkis

In 2019, work began on removing the hexagonal bricks in the pavement at the Magic Kingdom entrance. Reasons included reconfiguring of walkways and tram loading and unloading zones, along with enhancements to security screening. The bricks were torn up, crushed, and recycled.

Those bricks were part of what was called the “Walk Around the World” that was originally meant to encircle the Seven Seas Lagoon. Originally, starting in 1994, guests could purchase a brick for two hundred and fifty dollars and have their name or some type of memory like a wedding anniversary date, birth of a child or first visit engraved on it.

(c) Disney

There was the option of two to three lines of text (sixteen characters per line) and an image. Originally, the image was just a sideway silhouette of Mickey Mouse’s head (with the year inside it), but other images like wedding bells were later offered. Generally, most people just included their name, hometown and sometimes year.

The concept of personalized commemorative bricks right there in front of the Magic Kingdom was tremendously appealing even for those people like me who had very limited income at the time.

In those early years, I was able to get two bricks. One was at the entrance in front of the kiosks with just my family name and the date on it, and the other was by the pathway to the side of the monorail by a tree that had my name, the names of my parents, and the date of our arrival in Orlando from California.

While few guests read the fine print, Walt Disney World only guaranteed that once installed, the brick would remain for a minimum of ten years. The last bricks were sold in 2001 so by 2011 the guarantee had been more than satisfied.

One of the reasons for no longer selling bricks despite there being much more room available was to encourage guests to instead purchase a tile on the “Leave a Legacy” monolith garden at Epcot in front of Spaceship Earth that began in 1999 and were not initially selling well at all. That program ended in 2007 and those tiles have since been removed as well.

In addition, the contract specified that even though you paid for the brick and for installation, you did not actually own the physical brick. If it got broken or worn down, WDW would replace it with a blank brick.

The method for installing the bricks made it impractical to remove them individually without significant damage, but primarily logistics, timing and cost were major factors in not retrieving the original bricks.

Walt Disney World offered guests who purchased a brick a limited chance to buy a smaller six inch replica souvenir of it. Guests had to verify their brick at Guest Relations at Disney Springs or City Hall at the Magic Kingdom.

Guest Relations no longer had a complete list of the bricks, their inscription, or their location. When the original paver bricks were first offered for sale, there was a kiosk in front of the Magic Kingdom entrance where a guest could locate their brick and be given a map.

When a person purchased a brick, they were given a certificate with a code. For instance, a “W” indicated the brick would be west of the Magic Kingdom heading on the walkway towards the Grand Floridian. An “E” indicated the east side and “C” the Contemporary.

There were two numbers (also at the bottom of the brick) like “E16” to assist in locating it although the bricks were not always installed in order.

Currently there aren’t really any opportunities that allow guests to “be a part of the magic” by having their name or likeness displayed in or near the parks.

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Thanks, Jim!  And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his new books Vault of Walt Volume 9: Halloween Edition, and Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line.

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

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 23 TO JANUARY 31, 2021

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

Things are … a little different… as Disney World re-opens.  See this for park previews and key insights.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/23-1/31/21

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-9p 1/23, 9a-7p 1/24 through 1/29, 9a-8p 1/30, and 9a-9p 1/31

Epcot will be open from 11a-8p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-7p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-6p 1/23 and 1/24, 8a-5p 1/25 through 1/29, 8a-6p 1/30, and 8a-5p 1/31

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/23-1/31/21

There will be no Extra Magic Hours anymore.  They will be replaced later in the year by a new program.

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/23-1/31/21

There will be no parades until further notice.

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/23-1/31/21

Some brief incidental fireworks happen at various times at Magic Kingdom.

Otherwise, there will be no evening shows until further notice.

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/23-1/31/21

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

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