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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.

MICKEY’S PHILHARMAGIC

By Jim Korkis

At the Magic Kingdom, the show building that currently houses Mickey’s PhilharMagic Concert Hall beginning in 2003 once housed the Magic Kingdom opening day attraction, Mickey Mouse Revue. Both attractions feature Mickey as a conductor leading an orchestra in some of the classic tunes from the Disney songbook.

Mickey Mouse Revue was removed from the Magic Kingdom in 1980 and transplanted to Tokyo Disneyland where it lasted from 1983 until 2009 when it was replaced by Mickey’s Philharmagic.

(c) Disney

Mickey’s Philharmagic is a twelve minute film written by Alex Mann and directed by George Scribner, who directed the animated feature Oliver and Company (1988). It recounts the misadventures after Donald Duck borrows Mickey Mouse’s magical hat from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Donald is swept away into several different Disney animated features scenarios as he tries to catch the errant hat.

Although the starting point is that Mickey Mouse will be conducting the PhilharMagic Orchestra at the Fantasyland Concert Hall, just as he had lead several orchestras in his short cartoons, Mickey appears just briefly at the beginning and the end of the show. A total of fourteen different Disney animated characters appear.

At 150 feet wide by 28 feet tall, the screen for Mickey’s PhilharMagic is the largest seamless projection screen in the world. The theater accommodates up to 496 guests (including those in wheelchairs/ECVs) who use 3-D “opera glasses” to enjoy the show.

Wayne Allwine originally supplied the voice for Mickey Mouse when the attraction opened. Most of Donald Duck’s lines were pieced together from sound tracks of old cartoons where he was voiced by his original voice Clarence Nash. Tony Anselmo, the current voice of Donald, supplied only five new lines such as the scene where Donald Duck hums to the tune of the song Be Our Guest .

It is considered a 4-D attraction, meaning that in addition to the 3-D film itself, there are other elements like scents (including apple pie offered by Lumiere), water spray (in Ariel’s underwater world), the jets of air (while flying over London) and a figural rear end of Donald Duck struggling in the back wall of the theater at the end of the show. The rest of Donald can be found in the wall of the Fantasy Faire merchandise shop after exiting the attraction.

It is one of the very few attractions where WDI collaborated directed with Walt Disney Animation Studios, as it did with Fantasmic!

The entire production of Mickey’s PhilharMagic was created totally on computer, representing the first time the featured classic Disney characters were completely modeled and animated by computer. The next time was in the straight-to-video Twice Upon a Christmas released a year later in 2004.

Animator Nik Ranieri, who brought Lumiére to life for the original animated feature Beauty and the Beast, returned to render him in 3-D for Mickey’s PhilharMagic. This was the final time that actor Jerry Orbach reprised his role as Lumiere before his death in 2004.

Animator Glen Keane, who animated Ariel in The Little Mermaid, also returned to animate her for this film. It was his first time doing computer animation.

Songs featured in the show include Be Our Guest, I Just Can’t Wait to Be King, Part of Your World, A Whole New World, You Can Fly!, and instrumental versions of Sorcerer’s Apprentice and the Mickey Mouse Club March.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic was the seventh 3-D film presented at WDW following previous films including Captain EO, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Magic Journeys, Muppetvision 3D, It’s Tough to be a Bug and Working for Peanuts.

“We’re always exploring ways to take 3-D to the next level,” said Tom Fitzgerald, executive vice president and senior creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering in January 2002. “We keep looking for new ways to allow guests to become a part of the action and story. Mickey’s PhilharMagic will be the most animated, energetic and magical 3-D show we’ve ever created!”

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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 latest, More Secret Stories of Disneyland, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: AUGUST 11 TO AUGUST 19, 2018

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

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/11-8/19/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-10p 8/11,  9a-11p 8/12 through 8/16, 8a-6p 8/17, 8a-12MN 8/18, and 9a-10p 8/19

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 8a-10.30p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 8a-9.30p 8/11, 9a-9.30p 8/12, 9a-8.30p 8/13, 9a-9.30p 8/14 through 8/17, 8a-9.30p 8/18, and 9a-9.30p 8/19

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/11-8/19/18

Saturday 8/11 Morning: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Sunday 8/12  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 8/13  Morning: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Tuesday 8/14 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 8/15 Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 8/16 Morning: Epcot, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Friday 8/17 Morning:  Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 8/18 Morning: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Sunday 8/19  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/11-8/19/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p 8/11 through 8/16; 2p 8/17 through 8/19

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/11-8/19/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 9.15p 8/11 through 8/16  and 8/18 and 8/19

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9 and 10.30p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9.15p 8/11; 8.45 and 10p 8/12; 8.45p 8/13; 8.45 and 10p 8/14 through 8/19

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/11-8/19/18

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

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WHAT IS JANUARY LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?

Early January 2019 will be dominated by holiday crowds and higher prices, but after the 5th, most days will see low crowds and low prices–with upticks around the marathon, the Martin Luther King Day three day holiday weekend, and possibly during the days before and after the Pro Bowl on January 27.

January is not recommended for first-time visitors who may never return, because of ride closures. For returning visitors–and first timers who know they can return–after the first week, January is usually a great time to visit, with low crowds and low prices. If you can, visit after Martin Luther King Day–January 21 in 2019.

[Read more →]

Toy Story Midway Mania (the opening name, commonly now shortened to “Toy Story Mania”) opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in May 2008, and had its capacity expanded by 50% in May 2016.

The premise of Toy Story Mania is that it is a carnival game that Toy Story’s Andy got for his birthday.

Riders are shrunk down and board ride vehicles in a depiction of Andy’s bedroom scaled to the shrunken riders, and then they play Andy’s game.

After boarding the ride vehicles (each holds two people in each of two rows, although you can also have a lap-rider), you play five carnival-style tossing games…

…using a simple pull-shooter to aim the various things you throw, darts, baseballs, rings, etc…

…at various gameboards hosted by Toy Story characters—e.g. Woody, the Green Arm Men, and Rex and Trixie.

The game concepts will be familiar to anyone who has been to a county fair or other venue with midway-style attractions. What makes Toy Story Mania different is that what you are shooting at is presented on screens (supported by 3-D glasses), and the targets morph and multiply, based both on the passage of time and also on what you are successful in in targeting.

Toy Story Mania was an instant hit at the Studios when it opened, partly because it is silly and much more fun than it sounds, and partly because it was one of the few rides there that appealed to every demographic. Waits did not become reasonable until Disney increased capacity by 50% in 2016.

For the opening of Toy Story Land, Toy Story Mania had its entry shifted from the old Pixar Place into the new land, and also had its exit shifted into Toy Story Land.

The new entry—all covered, and largely indoors and air-conditioned (all indoors in the FastPass+ queue) provides the opportunity to highlight even more toys and games:

The exit now quickly shifts from indoors to an extended outdoor walkway, which returns to the “Andy’s Backyard” theming of the rest of Toy Story Land. Here you will also find additional toys:

Both the new entry and the new exit add to the fun of the experience–although I have to note that to be true to my childhood, the balsa glider ought to be nose down, with a broken wing…

Before the opening of Toy Story Land, Toy Story Mania was among the top FastPass+ priorities at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, at the moment guests can book among their three pre-bookable FastPass+ only one of the three Toy Story Land rides, and most have been choosing one of the two new ones—Slinky Dog Dash or Alien Swirling Saucers. The same pattern of preferring the new rides has been happening among stand-by riders.

As a result, Toy Story Mania has been (so far) pretty easy to see, either via stand by or via grabbing extra FastPass+ after you’ve tapped in for your third ride.

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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.

THE DISNEY WORLD GATEWAYS

By Jim Korkis

For those of us who live in the Walt Disney World area, roads and traffic have been a major mess for the last few years, especially around the Magic Kingdom where the roadways are constantly shifting and familiar routes no longer exist. [A new flyover is expected to open in a couple of weeks—Dave.] Disney’s Hollywood Studios will soon have a new entrance as well, once construction has been completed on roadways being built in anticipation of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Even Disney Springs has become so crowded that a third new parking garage is almost completed, and additional roadwork on Buena Vista Drvie continues seemingly on a never-ending schedule.

However, an important entrance icon that we usually take for granted still exists as a landmark to announce that we have arrived on WDW property.

The original concept for Walt Disney World was that guests would unexpectedly discover the vacation destination, so there was only minimal signage along the roads.

By the time Michael Ovitz was hired as president in 1995 to take the role previously held by Frank Wells, attendance at the parks had grown so large that this intriguing conceit was no longer effective. When Ovitz and his wife visited the Walt Disney World property, Judy Ovitz complained that she couldn’t tell where Disney property truly began.

Michael Ovitz approached CEO Michael Eisner with the complaint and, as a gesture to show his willingness to work with the new president, authorized the building of three gateways on the perimeter of Walt Disney World property.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were in April 1996 for three colorful gateways that would define when guests had arrived on WDW property. One gateway was planned for World Drive, another for Epcot Drive and the final one at the far northeast end of Hotel Plaza Boulevard.

Ovitz had suggested that they be decorated by huge iconic smiling figures of Mickey and Minnie because the primary audience was families with children.

The gateways were officially completed in September of that year and were similar but with slight variations in size. Each gateway was thirty feet high, with sixteen foot high characters and a purposely bright color palette of red, yellow, purple and green, to match already existing property signage.

Now retired Disney artist Don “Ducky” Williams told me: “Yes, that is my artwork of Mickey and Minnie but I didn’t do it specifically for those entranceways. I did a lot of work of the Disney characters in poses that could be used on material and it was in the Disney Design Group files. Imagineering just took it which they often did and never told me and used it. That was not a problem. It was just part of my job to do things like that.”

The images of Donald and Goofy were done by Disney Design Group artist Darren Hunt.

Arches with colorful flags adorned the World Drive and Epcot Drive entrances but there was no arch on the one at Hotel Plaza Boulevard, so there were no height restrictions for delivery trucks.

According to Hal McIntyre, vice president of WDI Planning and Infrastructure in 1996, the goal of the collaboration between Imagineering (that designed the gateways) and Walt Disney World was to “create a first class, high quality image that marks the resort’s boundaries. The gateways’ message is simple: You have arrived at Walt Disney World!”

McIntyre pointed out that the idea of a prominent gateway to the property had continually been brought up over the years beginning as far back as 1988. At that time, gateways had been designed and were ready to move forward when for undisclosed reasons they were shelved at the next to last minute sometime in 1990.

Senior show designer Michale Warzocha emphasized that the gateways were meant to represent WDI’s “tribute to the WDW Resort front door.” He acknowledged the contribution and support of Ovitz to finally getting these gateways done.

It turned out to be one of the few contributions by Ovitz to Walt Disney World. Ovitz was let go in January 1997 after being very vocal about being frustrated with his interactions with Eisner and the vague definition of his authority.

A challenge quickly arose where the gateways were so distinctive and attractive that guests were stopping their cars in order to take their pictures next to the entryway.

However, Imagineers had not created a space for this to happen, so it became a major safety issue. Instead of designing an area where this could be done, WDW put up warning signs, barriers and occasionally parked police cars to discourage this practice.

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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 latest, More Secret Stories of Disneyland, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: AUGUST 4 TO AUGUST 12, 2018

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

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/4-8/12/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-10p 8/4, 9a-10p 8/5 through 8/7, 9a-11p 8/8, 9a-10p 8/9, 9a-11p 8/10, 8a-10p 8/11, and 9a-11p 8/12

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 8a-10.30p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 8/4, 9a-9.30p 8/5, 9a-9p 8/6, 9a-0.30p 8/7, 9a-9p 8/8, 9a-9.30p 8/9 and 8/10, 8a-9.30p 8/11, and 9a-9.30p 8/12

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/4-8/12/18

Saturday 8/4 Morning: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Sunday 8/5  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 8/6  Morning: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Tuesday 8/7 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 8/8 Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 8/9 Morning: Epcot, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Friday 8/10 Morning:  Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 8/11 Morning: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Sunday 8/12  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/4-8/12/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/4-8/12/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 9.15p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9 and 10.30p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9.15 and 10.15p 8/4; 9.15p 8/5 through 8/11; 8.45 and 10p 8/12

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/4-8/12/18

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

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