by Jim Korkis
Epcot
Revisiting Italy
Two massive columns can be found in the Piazzetta di San Marco in Venice, Italy. On top of the western column is a statue of Saint Theodore of Amasea slaying a dragon and on top of the eastern column is a winged lion, a symbol closely associated with Saint Mark, the patron saint of the city. At different times, each of these saints were considered the guardians of the city.
The winged lion has become the symbol of Venice and is also represented on the side of the Doge’s Palace. Public executions and legal gambling took place between the two columns. These famous columns have been duplicated in a smaller scale version for the entrance of the Italy pavilion.
Most towns across Italy were built around piazzas, or town squares, where people could mingle, interact, and do their daily business. At this pavilion there is the Piazza del Teatro (Theater Plaza) where a raised circular stage was built to showcase performances by groups like a street theater Commedia Dell Arte troupe known as the World Showcase Players and an instrumental group called Rondo Veneziano.
Surrounding the piazza is a wall. At the far end was the giardino, or garden, and behind the wall, Imagineers planted olive, cypress, pine, and date palms on mounds to give the impression of an Italian provincial countryside that continued on forever and to hide the backstage perimeter road.
The planted trees were of varying ages to try to give the forest an authentic look.
Originally there were plans for a gondola dark ride in this area that for budgetary and time restrictions was eliminated as the pavilion was being built.
To the right hand side of the wall is an ornamental gate, flanked by columns constructed from capitals of various designs. It is meant to look as if someone took the capitals from ancient ruins and piled one on top of the other to create this feature.
It was the intention of the Imagineers that this location was going to include replicas of Roman ruins. When budgetary issues resulted in that plan being abandoned, the designers adapted part of those features to build the gate. The columns look as if they’ve been constructed from the relics of other columns because they were originally designed to represent ruins.
The wall is overflowing with grape vines to represent Italy’s wine industry, one of the largest producers in the world.
Fountains can be found everywhere in Italy and many of them were designed by the nation’s most prominent artists. The Fontana di Nettuno (Neptune’s Fountain) in the pavilion is inspired by the sculpture work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and such fountains as Rome’s Fontana del Nettuno sculpted by Giovanni Ceccarini.
The fountain exemplifies the massive and elaborate style of many Italian fountains. It features the sea god from Roman mythology accompanied by two dolphin companions who act as his messengers. The statue was framed with rebar and then sprayed with gunite (a mixture of cement, sand, and water) to look like stone.
Those same dolphin designs can be found on other areas of Disney property, from the door handles at the Doge’s Palace to the ones at the Beach Club Resort that lead outside to even the enormous statues on top of the Dolphin Resort.
The water in this fountain is propelled through the dolphins’ mouths by a pump concealed within the structure behind it. These are not the mammal dolphins usually found at sea parks.
The coloring of the pavilion features delicate hues that are distinctive to Italy. A warm palette of shades of pink, reds, oranges, and yellow abound on the buildings and even the pottery.
Epcot
Morocco
Morocco is the only World Showcase pavilion sponsored entirely by its government rather than by businesses operating in that country. It opened September 7, 1984. The pavilion was inspired by the cities of Casablanca, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Fez.
When plans for a pavilion devoted to Africa fell through, King Hassan II of Morocco felt there needed to be a pavilion representing the culture of Africa. In addition to funding the building of the entire pavilion, much of its authenticity is due to the fact that the king sent many of his personal artisans to adorn the pavilion with carved and painted wood, plaster, tiles, and mosaic.
Although the overall design of the pavilion was done by Imagineering in consultation with Morocco, the actual artwork and decorations were done by these artisans that included eight plaster craftsmen, eleven tile craftsmen, and two wood craftsmen. They worked at Epcot for approximately six months.
Nine tons of handmade, hand-cut tiles were used, the same kind that had been used to decorate palaces of past kings of Morocco. The designs consist of different combinations of geometric patterns. Islamic law forbids the depiction in artwork of any living thing like plants, animals, or humans. It would be considered an affront against Allah who is the only one who can create life.
King Mohammed Ben Abdellah was the first world leader to send President George Washington in 1777 a letter recognizing the United States as an independent sovereign country. A copy of that letter and President Washington’s reply is on display in the lobby of the Restaurant Marrakesh which is built to look like a typical southern Moroccan fortress. The interior is designed after several different palaces.
Outside to the left and high on the wall, the Dar al-Magana from the city of Fez is a unique water clock where people were able to tell the hour using the twelve windows and platforms carrying brass bowls.
Bab Boujouloud is a replica of the entrance gate of the same name located in Fez. The center of the gate is big enough to accommodate large groups of people and traffic like camels loaded with goods. At night, the center would be blocked and those entering the city would have to enter through the smaller arches on the side and pass a guard.
The gate transitions guests from the Nouvelle Ville (new city) to the Medina (older city) where the Souk (marketplace) is located.
The Nejarine Fountain is a replica of a fountain located in the Medina of Fez and is an excellent example of the tile work of King Hassan’s artisans. The word Nejarine translates to “carpenters.”
The Koutoubia Minaret at the front of the pavilion is a prayer tower beside a mosque that exists in Marrakesh. The Chellah Minaret at the back of the pavilion is located near the capital city of Rabat. A prayer caller (muezzin) would ascend to the top and call citizens to prayer.
Fez House is a representation of an upper-middle-class family where all generations including any extended family would live in one house. Built in the Moorish style of architecture, rooms are like apartments and would surround a central open-air courtyard. To add authenticity, the Imagineers recorded family conversations that periodically play on the second level.
The exterior does not seem appealing because of the traditional belief that beauty is on the inside as well as the fact that the harsh weather in the country is damaging to any exterior building. It is referred to as “architecture of the veil.”
Epcot
France
The France pavilion was meant to capture springtime in Paris during the Belle Epoque, the Beautiful Era (1871–1914), a time of stability and optimism before World War I and the resulting damage to the city.
The International Gateway Bridge between the United Kingdom and France pavilions was meant to be reminiscent of the Pont des Arts archway pedestrian bridge that crossed the River Seine.
It was the first metallic bridge in Paris and was meant to resemble a suspended garden, with trees, banks of flowers, and benches. This historic monument was built in 1804 and demolished in 1981 because of structural damage and eventually rebuilt but with some significant differences.
Along the side of the river there are items like an artist’s easel and canvas (an Impressionist painting of the International Gateway) propped up against the wall with the artist’s bicycle nearby to create the impression that there is activity along the waterfront but that the people are just briefly away at the moment.
The streets of the pavilion are lined with cobblestones and romantic background music fills the air. The goal was to provide a historical stre
tch of French architecture representing several styles and influences.
When he began designing the pavilion, architect Harry Webster thought to re-create the Place du Tetre, the artists’ colony near the cathedral of Sacre-Coeur, but realized the building would have dominated the skyline too much. He decided it would be more effective to have a “single exclamation point provided by the Eiffel Tower.”
The original Eiffel Tower in Paris was built in 1889 for the World’s Fair. Disney used the original blueprints and drawings of engineer Gustave Eiffel who also designed the interior framework of the Statue of Liberty. One of the most famous landmarks in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was reconstructed at Epcot at one-tenth scale and rises 103 feet into the air. It includes replicas of tiny (non-working) elevators and turn-of-the-last-century beacon lights.
Since guests are not allowed to go where the base of the structure would be, there was no reason to complete that part. The top of the tower actually rests on top of a building, but its scale makes it look farther away and that other buildings in front are hiding the base, so it seems complete. The actual tower is only 69 feet high on top of a 34-foot-tall building.
When the Dolphin Resort was built, guests could see the back of the pavilion, so additions had to be made to conceal the fact that the bottom of the tower was on top of a building.
Disney’s Eiffel Tower is more tan and pinkish than the one in Paris today. The reason is that it is meant to resemble the coloring of what it looked like in the late 1800s.
The schedule for filming “Impressions de France” had to be readjusted because the actual iconic tower was soon to undergo a three-year renovation. Since the film required four scenes of the tower, the shooting schedule was shifted so that those scenes were shot first.
The park bordering the canal along the right side of the pavilion was inspired by the famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by pointillist artist Georges Seurat.
Behind Les Chefs de France is Le Petite Rue (the Little Street) to showcase a typical rural street. It was meant to convey the design and craftsmanship of a street built without the aid of metropolitan construction work but “with strong farming hands, forming rustic and rugged looking exteriors and natural and unpretentious interiors.”
Epcot
Canada’s Totem Poles
When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the totem poles in Frontierland were meant to be artistic enhancements like on a movie set and not authentic re-creations. A decade later, when Epcot opened, the same was true of the three fiberglass totem poles that decorated the entrance to the Canada pavilion.
Totem poles can recount tribal legends, commemorate people or significant events, represent supernatural powers, and mark the territory of a specific tribe, among other things. Guests were not troubled by these colorful fakes that added to the atmosphere of the area.
Over the decades, the world’s attitude to native cultures changed significantly. The Disney company was sensitive to these changes and so, for the Canada pavilion, even though it would not increase attendance or revenue, it was decided to replace the fiberglass totem poles with realistic cedar poles that would more accurately represent an authentic cultural experience.
In April 1998, Disney employed Tsimshian artist David Boxley from Alaska, noted for his decades-long dedication to authentic tribal art, to carve a 30-foot-tall totem pole to replace the one near the trading post. Boxley was raised by his grandparents and taught the Tsimshian traditions.
This beautiful hand-carved totem pole tells the well-known tale from the Pacific Northwest Indians of Raven and Sky Chief. The trickster Raven steals a “golden ball of light” from a hidden box and tosses it up into the sky where it becomes the sun, the moon, and the stars.
In 1986, Boxley made a major decision to leave the security of a teaching position and devote all of his energies toward carving and researching the legacy of Northwest Coast Indian art. Boxley has carved over 68 totems in the last twenty-six years for museums, corporations, and other institutions.
He stated:
Carved from mature cedar trees, totem poles are an important part of the coastal First Nations culture. Totem poles were created and raised to represent a family-clan, its kinship system, its dignity, its accomplishments, its prestige, its adventures, its stories, its rights and prerogatives. A totem pole served, in essence, as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry.
On January 22, 2017, at 11:30 am, two new totem poles carved by Boxley were installed to replace the remaining original fiberglass poles at the Canada pavilion.
The Eagle Totem Pole tells one of Boxley’s favorite cultural tales, in which a boy finds an eagle caught in a net on a beach and frees it. Years later, when hunger strikes the boy’s tribe, he walks on the same beach, only to find the eagle there waiting for him with food—paying him back for his kindness years ago. The bottom of this totem pole also tells the story of how a family of beaver taught a human family the importance of treating all creatures—human and animal—with respect.
The Whale Totem Pole depicts the tale of the first potlatch, a ceremonial feast celebrated by the Nagunaks and creatures of the undersea world.
The overnight installation was followed by a dedication ceremony for the new poles that included a performance by the Git-Hoan Dancers (People of the Salmon).
Based in Washington state, Git-Hoan members can trace their ancestral roots to some of the main tribes of southeast Alaska, the Tsimshian, the Haida, and Tlingit. They also performed at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts on January 21 and 22, 2017.
Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Land
Variations of Toy Story Land inspired by the popular Pixar movie franchise exist at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland.
In 2015, it was announced that a Toy Story Land would be built on eleven acres at Disney’s Hollywood Studios near the area already designated as Pixar Place and would open at the end of June 2018.
According to Disney publicity, in addition to Toy Story Midway Mania! that already opened in 2008 and expanded to include a third track in 2016 and supposedly is under Andy’s bed, the land would feature the following:
Toy Story Land. In Andy’s backyard, guests are shrunk to the size of their favorite toys and invited to join Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the Toy Story gang for a larger-than-life adventure among giant building blocks and game-board pieces. It’s the perfect setting for toys of all kinds to gather together for an experience that’s more fun than a Barrel of Monkeys.
Alien Swirling Saucers. Andy has collected enough game tickets at Pizza Planet to get the Alien Swirling Saucers (Home Edition), which has now landed (pun intended) in his backyard. The game features alien-driven flying saucers whipping rockets around four turntables while the Claw looms ominously overhead, seemingly ready to nab those who are “chosen.”
Slinky Dog Dash. Andy built Slinky Dog Dash with his Dodge & Dash Mega Coaster Kit. Instead of using the coaster that came in the box, he decided to put his Slinky toy on the tracks. The result is a family-friendly thrill adventure that whooshes around curves, up hills, and down drops as it winds around the backyard.
One of Andy’s huge footprints is near the attraction.
According to Imagineer Kathy Mangum, Toy Story Land was inspired by the overwhelming guest response to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure:
As all of you know, here in Anaheim we’ve been quite successful with taking immersive experiences to a whole new level as we did with Cars Land. In fact, one of our favorite stories from opening day is that we overheard a little boy asking his mom, “Is this where they filmed the Cars movie?”
That’s exactly how we want people to feel—like they’ve stepped onto the set of their favorite film…like the quaint town of Radiator Springs or, in the case of Toy Story, the wild and adventurous outdoors of Andy’s backyard.
The idea behind the Sli
nky Dog Dash was to have a family-friendly coaster but also to take advantage of the fact that Andy has a big imagination so would have incorporated some of his other toys into the standard design and to make the coils stretch to their limits.
For Alien Swirling Saucers, Mangum said:
As you rotate around the toy planets and satellites as part of the game, you’ll swirl to the beat of fun “Space Jazz” music developed just for this experience. The music, the lighting, and the sound effects will add to the flurry of your adventure while the Claw looms ominously over you.
The entrance to the new land will be through the area that originally held Soundstage 4 which formerly held walk-through experiences like The Making of the Haunted Mansion Movie, the set from the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians and two different versions of the Journey into Narnia, and finally Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Woody’s Lunch Box is the quick-service food-and-beverage location. Andy has taken a vintage Woody-themed lunch box and propped it open with a thermos. Scattered about the area are toys, items from the lunch box, and a book. A green army man keeps a lookout for Andy’s return from going off to grab a different snack.
Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Midway Mania!
The highly popular Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 31, 2008, in the area labeled Pixar Place. It was John Lasseter’s suggestion that the archway entrance look like the entrance to the real Pixar Studios in northern California, even using the same type of brick.