The Disneyland Monorail (originally named the Disneyland Alweg Monorail System ) is an attraction and transportation line at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California , United States. It was the first daily operating monorail in the world.
195-528: Walt Disney originally envisioned the monorail as a practical form of public transport for the future. However, the technology would never catch on in the United States. The monorail came about during a time when America's—and particularly Los Angeles '—obsession with the automobile was increasing, and monorails in the United States were mostly only located in Disney's theme parks. The job of building
390-452: A "friend in deed and [we] certainly have been in need." Floyd Norman , the studio's first black animator who worked closely with Disney during the 1950s and 1960s, said, "Not once did I observe a hint of the racist behavior Walt Disney was often accused of after his death. His treatment of people—and by this I mean all people—can only be called exemplary." Watts argues that many of Disney's post-World War II films "legislated
585-418: A $ 300,000 refurbishment that would happen sometime in early 2020. On January 9, 2023, the version at Disneyland went through another refurbishment, and re-opened on March 17, 2023, which included a freshening up of the audio-animatronics and projections, and a new projected scene of a tunnel collapsing replacing the original rat cave scene. Guests board an Enhanced Motion Vehicle (EMV) intended to appear as
780-408: A battered military troop transport. EMVs ride on neoprene -filled tires for operational precision. The tires are driven by hydraulic rotors that provide forward motion, and hydraulic pressure is applied onboard each vehicle at 3,000 pounds per square inch (21,000 kPa) using DC pressurizers. The vehicle has four-wheel steering atop the surface of a slotted roadbed. The track has only three switches:
975-518: A camera, he began experimenting at home. He came to the conclusion that cel animation was more promising than the cutout method. Unable to persuade Cauger to try cel animation at the company, Disney opened a new business with a co-worker from the Film Ad Co, Fred Harman . Their main client was the local Newman Theater, and the short cartoons they produced were sold as "Newman's Laugh-O-Grams". Disney studied Paul Terry's Aesop's Fables as
1170-406: A car to just that car. The open hatch allows guests in the affected car to transfer to an adjacent car where they can safely wait for evacuation by fire response crews. If the emergency affects the entire train, then guests are evacuated to the surface of the beam. Guests again open the emergency roof hatches but do not simply move to the adjacent car. Instead, they use a small handrail present along
1365-647: A certain installment of the "Career Day" newsreel segments on The Mickey Mouse Club focusing on the bureau (which aired in January 1958), as well as an unmade 1961 educational short warning children about the dangers of child molestation . Disney's public persona was very different from his actual personality. Playwright Robert E. Sherwood described him as "almost painfully shy ... diffident" and self-deprecating. According to his biographer Richard Schickel , Disney hid his shy and insecure personality behind his public identity. Kimball argues that Disney "played
1560-637: A creator of entertainment for an almost unlimited public and as a highly ingenious merchandiser of his wares can rightly be compared to the most successful industrialists in history." Correspondent Alistair Cooke calls Disney a "folk-hero ... the Pied Piper of Hollywood", while Gabler considers Disney "reshaped the culture and the American consciousness". In the American Dictionary of National Biography , Langer writes: Disney remains
1755-414: A cynical manipulator of cultural and commercial formulas", while PBS records that critics have censured his work because of its "smooth façade of sentimentality and stubborn optimism, its feel-good re-write of American history". Disney has been accused of antisemitism for having given Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl a tour of his studio a month after Kristallnacht . Riefenstahl's invitation
1950-473: A distributor. Following the 1927 sensation The Jazz Singer , Disney used synchronized sound on the third short, Steamboat Willie , to create the first post-produced sound cartoon . After the animation was complete, Disney signed a contract with the former executive of Universal Pictures, Pat Powers , to use the "Powers Cinephone" recording system; Cinephone became the new distributor for Disney's early sound cartoons, which soon became popular. To improve
2145-513: A downright feeling of animosity for our M. Mouse. Mr. A. Hitler, the Nazi old thing, says that Mickey's silly. Imagine that! Well, Mickey is going to save Mr. A Hitler from drowning or something some day. Just wait and see if he doesn't. Then won't Mr. A. Hitler be ashamed!" In late 1939, when Disney was discussing plans to move his staff to a newly built studio in Burbank , one employee asked him how
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#17327732666282340-628: A few months later. Orange was delivered in late Summer of 1987, followed by Blue in early 1988. The oldest train, Red, was also the last to be removed from the line for refurbishment in early 1988. The beamway path was re-aligned into the Eeyore section of the parking lot in 1994 to accommodate the construction of the Indiana Jones Adventure show building. The trains were fitted with new electrical pick-up shoes and tail view cameras, enabling two-train point-to-point shuttle service where
2535-541: A fictional club at the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , itself a reference to the character Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars . Eventually, guests encounter a projection of a newsreel of the discovery, followed by safety instructions delivered by Sallah. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse appear on the cover of a copy of Life Magazine in Professor Jones' office. At the loading area, guests board
2730-525: A foreign language, not suppressed or sponsored or anything. Just Disney." Many of those with whom Disney worked commented that he gave his staff little encouragement due to his exceptionally high expectations. Norman recalls that when Disney said "That'll work", it was an indication of high praise. Instead of direct approval, Disney gave high-performing staff financial bonuses, or recommended certain individuals to others, expecting that his praise would be passed on. Views of Disney and his work have changed over
2925-806: A functional city was replaced by a park more akin to a permanent world's fair . In 2009, the Walt Disney Family Museum, designed by Disney's daughter Diane and her son Walter E. D. Miller, opened in the Presidio of San Francisco . Thousands of artifacts from Disney's life and career are on display, including numerous awards that he received. In 2014, the Disney theme parks around the world hosted approximately 134 million visitors. Early in 1925, Disney hired an ink artist, Lillian Bounds . They married in July of that year, at her brother's house in her home town of Lewiston, Idaho . The marriage
3120-667: A generous donor to Thomas E. Dewey 's 1944 bid for the presidency . In 1946, he was a founding member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals , an organization who stated they "believ[ed] in, and like, the American Way of Life ... we find ourselves in sharp revolt against a rising tide of Communism, Fascism and kindred beliefs, that seek by subversive means to undermine and change this way of life". In 1947, during
3315-431: A goodwill trip to South America, ensuring he was absent during a resolution he knew would be unfavorable to the studio. Due to the strike—and the financial state of the company—several animators left the studio, and Disney's relationship with other members of staff was permanently strained as a result. The strike temporarily interrupted the studio's next production, Dumbo (1941), which Disney produced in
3510-462: A half hour-long TV program entitled Indiana Jones Adventure featuring Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies reprising their roles from Raiders of the Lost Ark . Forty days prior to the attraction's opening, a "Forty Years of Adventure" promotion giveaway of 40 unique annual trading cards began. Guests with valid paid admission received a voucher at the main gate turnstile to exchange for the card of
3705-523: A kind of cultural Marshall Plan . They nourished a genial cultural imperialism that magically overran the rest of the globe with the values, expectations, and goods of a prosperous middle-class United States." Film historian Jay P. Telotte acknowledges that many see Disney's studio as an "agent of manipulation and repression", although he observes that it has "labored throughout its history to link its name with notions of fun, family, and fantasy". John Tomlinson, in his study Cultural Imperialism , examines
3900-425: A large audio-animatronic cobra appears to the right of the vehicle, striking at the riders. The transport heads back to return across the rope bridge and flashes its headlights at an oncoming transport about to cross (again, depending on the transport's timed arrival). The transport turns sharply to the right, traveling behind the giant stone carving of Mara's face, and enter a room full of skulls (the number of skulls
4095-478: A larger fee for producing the Oswald series, but found Mintz wanting to reduce the payments. Mintz had also persuaded many of the artists involved to work directly for him, including Harman, Ising, Carman Maxwell and Friz Freleng . Disney also found out that Universal owned the intellectual property rights to Oswald. Mintz threatened to start his own studio and produce the series himself if Disney refused to accept
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#17327732666284290-727: A larger plot in Anaheim , 35 miles (56 km) south of the studio, was purchased. To distance the project from the studio—which might attract the criticism of shareholders—Disney formed WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering ) and used his own money to fund a group of designers and animators to work on the plans; those involved became known as "Imagineers". After obtaining bank funding he invited other stockholders, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres —part of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)—and Western Printing and Lithographing Company . In mid-1954, Disney sent his Imagineers to every amusement park in
4485-589: A larger-than-life cobra . Prior to the 2010 refurbishment, the Indiana Jones figure in front of the Gates of Doom had his back pushed against the gates. During the refurbishment, he was replaced with a more advanced figure that now is leaning his full body weight into the right door. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is told through twelve letters and telegrams scattered throughout
4680-450: A left/right split switch just before loading/unloading, a left/right combine switch just after safety check station/dispatch and a compound switch to swap vehicles in/out of the maintenance bay, behind the mirrors. Beneath the slot a tubular guideway guides the front wheelset and a damper for the rear wheelset, and three electrical buss bars provide the EMV 480 volts AC. The power is divided among
4875-409: A massive boulder rolling toward the transport. The transport seems to back up as the boulder threatens to crush Jones and the tourists (this effect is achieved by moving the walls of the room forward, not moving the transport backward). At the last possible second, the transport accelerates, and suddenly the floor seems to give way, sending the transport into the chamber below. An impact resonates through
5070-609: A model, and the first six "Laugh-O-Grams" were modernized fairy tales. In May 1921, the success of the "Laugh-O-Grams" led to the establishment of Laugh-O-Gram Studio , for which he hired more animators, including Fred Harman's brother Hugh , Rudolf Ising and Iwerks. The Laugh-O-Grams cartoons did not provide enough income to keep the company solvent, so Disney started production of Alice's Wonderland —based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland —which combined live action with animation; he cast Virginia Davis in
5265-474: A month. In July 1924, Disney also hired Iwerks, persuading him to relocate to Hollywood from Kansas City. In 1926, the first official Walt Disney Studio was established at 2725 Hyperion Avenue; the building was demolished in 1940. By 1926, Winkler's role in the distribution of the Alice series had been handed over to her husband, the film producer Charles Mintz , although the relationship between him and Disney
5460-831: A nervous breakdown in October 1931—which he blamed on the machinations of Powers and his own overwork—so he and Lillian took an extended holiday to Cuba and a cruise to Panama to recover. With the loss of Powers as distributor, Disney studios signed a contract with Columbia Pictures to distribute the Mickey Mouse cartoons, which became increasingly popular, including internationally. Disney and his crew also introduced new cartoon stars like Pluto in 1930, Goofy in 1932 and Donald Duck in 1934. Always keen to embrace new technology and encouraged by his new contract with United Artists , Disney filmed Flowers and Trees (1932) in full-color three-strip Technicolor ; he
5655-616: A new Indiana Jones -themed attraction for Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California . Unlike the previous collaboration, this attraction was created with a backstory "set in the Lost Delta of India, circa 1935". Indiana Jones Adventure is the fourth collaboration between Disney and Lucasfilm , after the Disneyland attractions Captain EO , Star Tours , and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and prior to Disney buying Lucasfilm (and thus
5850-485: A new home in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. With the help of his friends Ward and Betty Kimball , who already had their own backyard railroad , Disney developed blueprints and immediately set to work on creating a miniature live steam railroad for his back yard. The name of the railroad, Carolwood Pacific Railroad , came from his home's location on Carolwood Drive. The miniature working steam locomotive
6045-471: A party through the plant. Leni was in the party. If we had known it in advance she wouldn't have got in." Animation historian Jim Korkis, theorizes that Disney may have also met with Riefenstahl for financial reasons: as an attempt by Disney to recover over 135,000 Reichsmarks owed from his German film distributor and to get the ban on Disney films lifted in Germany. Animator Art Babbitt , organizer behind
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6240-542: A period of time, to which her father raised no objections and even reportedly said, "Sharon, I think it's wonderful how these Jewish families have accepted you." Disney has also been accused of other forms of racism because some of his productions released between the 1930s and 1950s contain racially insensitive material. Gabler argues that "Walt Disney was no racist. He never, either publicly or privately, made disparaging remarks about blacks or asserted white superiority. Like most white Americans of his generation, however, he
6435-504: A right turn. Thousands of snakes line the walls and ground and a gigantic audio-animatronic version of the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl , with glowing red eyes, appears to the right of the vehicle, striking at the riders. The transport heads back to return across the rope bridge and flashes its headlights at an oncoming transport about to cross (again, if the transport's arrival is timed correctly). The transport turns sharply to
6630-573: A series of popular live-action nature films, titled True-Life Adventures , with Seal Island the first; the film won the Academy Award in the Best Short Subject (Two-Reel) category. In early 1950, Disney produced Cinderella , his studio's first animated feature in eight years. It was popular with critics and theater audiences. Costing $ 2.2 million to produce, it earned nearly $ 8 million in its first year. Disney
6825-455: A showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise. During 1966, Disney cultivated businesses willing to sponsor EPCOT. He received a story credit in the 1966 film Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. as Retlaw Yensid, his name spelt backwards. He increased his involvement in the studio's films, and was heavily involved in the story development of The Jungle Book ,
7020-521: A simple and inexpensive manner; the film received a positive reaction from audiences and critics alike. Shortly after the release of Dumbo in October 1941, the U.S. entered World War II. Disney formed the Walt Disney Training Films Unit within the company to produce instruction films for the military such as Four Methods of Flush Riveting and Aircraft Production Methods . Disney also met with Henry Morgenthau Jr. ,
7215-680: A theme park. When he visited Griffith Park in Los Angeles with his daughters, he wanted to be in a clean, unspoiled park, where both children and their parents could have fun. He visited the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was heavily influenced by the cleanliness and layout of the park. In March 1952, he received zoning permission to build a theme park in Burbank, near the Disney studios. This site proved too small, and
7410-522: A third Yellow train was added. From Hotel Station there were two trips above Disneyland available aboard the monorail—a quick tour and general admission. Guests wishing to embark upon a vista-dome view of the park, including a leisurely layover in Tomorrowland within the tail-cone could purchase an exclusive round-trip tour ticket at Hotel Station and save the expense of general admission to Disneyland. Nose and tail-cone door latches were independent of
7605-439: A train is possible even when the doors of the train cars are closed. A cast member outside the car can also forcibly open the rightmost door panel of the car by releasing the air pressure holding that panel closed. The air pressure release is a handle beneath the rectangular center window that is similar in appearance to a car door handle. If a train is stopped on an open beam, then guests evacuate through emergency exits located in
7800-588: A turbulent quest, aboard military troop transport vehicles, through a dangerous subterranean lost temple guarded by a supernatural power . The attraction premiered as Temple of the Forbidden Eye at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on March 3, 1995, and opened to the general public on March 4, 1995. A second, and nearly identical, version of the ride opened as Temple of the Crystal Skull on September 4, 2001, at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan , unrelated to
7995-471: A variety of perspectives, ranging from views of him as a purveyor of homely patriotic values to being a representative of American cultural imperialism . Widely considered to be one of the most influential cultural figures of the 20th century, Disney remains an important presence in the history of animation and in the cultural history of the United States , where he is acknowledged as a national cultural icon . His film work continues to be shown and adapted,
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8190-431: Is 1,995, a reference to the year of the ride's opening), and Mara roars at the riders from above. The transport turns towards the left and dips underneath the main bridge as a fireball erupts ahead from the laser beam. The vehicle nearly gets hit by the deadly laser blast from the "Broken Nose Of Mara" as the transport travels across a mini wooden bridge and veers into a pitch-black tunnel. Shocks of electricity suddenly chase
8385-455: Is a large room in the first pyramid with elaborate, South American-inspired frescoes on the walls; skeletons litter the floor around the queue walkway. The queue subsequently passes through a series of smaller, intricately themed chambers. Paco, a South American tour guide, hosts a black-and-white safety film, which plays on a continuous loop. Everyone is seeking the Fountain of Youth. There
8580-517: Is a large tornado effect near the bridge. The eye of the large skull is crystal and emits lasers and other lighting effects. The transport turns left and enters another chamber filled with skeletons, some of which pop out toward the guests. Suddenly, all is dark; the music tinkles with chaotic violin pizzicatos. The transport's headlights flicker on, illuminating walls swarming with thousands of beetles. Hissing sounds are heard, and riders are blasted with puffs of air. The transport finally heads out of
8775-432: Is a single carved door with pools of water to the side, complemented by mist and what appears to be endless hallways. All guests enter the same hallway, seeking the Fountain of Youth. This single hallway contains effects from all three variations seen in “Forbidden Eye”: fiber optic stars, statues holding glowing treasure, and water effects. At the end of the hall awaits the Crystal Skull. It glows demonically, signaling that
8970-399: Is prepared individually for removal by supporting the remaining segment and disconnecting the bellows, cables, and articulated motor truck. The car is then rolled outside along the beam to a position where a custom crane-hoist harness is fitted to it and the car is hoisted off the beam and transferred to a truck trailer on which a transport beam is bolted. The Diesel/hydraulic tractor (pictured)
9165-620: Is treated as a second gate into Disneyland Park , so a general admission passport or valid annual pass must be presented to ride the monorail and the tail-cone tour is no longer offered. The system resumed limited shuttle operations in 2000 when the Downtown Disney Station became operational, but a significant portion of the beamway was still unusable due to construction. In 2001 the monorail resumed full capacity forward direction circuit operations, passing through Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa , as well as showcasing
9360-446: Is used as a switcher to carefully tow each car into and out of the maintenance shop. The procedure is reversed for fitting new segments of monorail train cars to the beam while testing each system and connection. Each fully assembled train is then slowly and methodically tested thoroughly over many months before it can be placed into revenue service for guests. It was determined after delivery of Mark VII Monorail Red that platform clearance
9555-531: The 1941 strike at the studio and who held a well-known grudge against Disney, claimed in his later years that he saw Disney and his lawyer attend meetings of the German American Bund , a pro-Nazi organization, during the late 1930s. However, according to Disney biographer Neal Gabler: "...that was highly unlikely, not only because Walt had little enough time for his family, much less political meetings, but because he had no real political leanings at
9750-641: The 1985 Disney World monorail fire , a safety handrail was added along the top of the train, as well as emergency fire exit hatches leading to the roof. The attraction's name remained the "Disneyland Monorail System", as it had been painted on the Mark III trains' skirts. The Mark V trains were built by Ride & Show Engineering, Inc. , incorporating bodies that were produced by Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm of Germany (now Airbus ). Purple first made its appearance for testing in Autumn of 1986 and began regular operations
9945-642: The American animation industry , he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons . As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned (22) and nominations (59) by an individual. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award , among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and have also been named as some of
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#173277326662810140-509: The Chouinard Art Institute ; he brought animals into the studio and hired actors so that the animators could study realistic movement. To portray the changing perspective of the background as a camera moved through a scene, Disney's animators developed a multiplane camera which allowed drawings on pieces of glass to be set at various distances from the camera, creating an illusion of depth. The glass could be moved to create
10335-665: The Disneyland series, which was made in collaboration with NASA rocket designer Wernher von Braun . Disney also oversaw aspects of the full-length features Lady and the Tramp (the first animated film in CinemaScope ) in 1955, Sleeping Beauty (the first animated film in Technirama 70 mm film ) in 1959, One Hundred and One Dalmatians (the first animated feature film to use Xerox cels ) in 1961, and The Sword in
10530-655: The Downtown Disney District. The original Monorail was a round trip ride with no stops. In 1961, the track was expanded to connect to a station at the Disneyland Hotel , making it an actual transportation system. The original Hotel station was torn down in 1999 and a new station, now called the Downtown Disney Station, was built in the same place. All riders must disembark at Tomorrowland Station, and during peak traffic periods,
10725-625: The Indiana Jones movies. The queue begins outside, winding past a 2.5 short ton (2.3 t) Mercedes-Benz troop transport truck. This is the actual vehicle used in the desert chase scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark . A small mining car near the truck is a movie prop as well, used in the mine scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom . Guests also walk by a noisy "hit-and-miss" engine/generator set piece, which appears to power
10920-532: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opened a three-month special exhibit in honor of Disney titled "Inspiring Walt Disney". Indiana Jones Adventure Indiana Jones Adventure is an enhanced motion vehicle dark ride attraction based on the Indiana Jones film series, located at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea . Guests accompany intrepid archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones on
11115-784: The Second Red Scare , Disney testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), where he branded Herbert Sorrell , David Hilberman and William Pomerance , former animators and labor union organizers, as communist agitators; Disney stated that the 1941 strike led by them was part of an organized communist effort to gain influence in Hollywood. The New York Times reported in 1993 that Disney had been an FBI informant passing secret information to J. Edgar Hoover about communist activities in Hollywood. However, while Walt Disney
11310-696: The Secretary of the Treasury , and agreed to produce short Donald Duck cartoons to promote war bonds . Disney also produced several propaganda productions , including shorts such as Der Fuehrer's Face —which won an Academy Award—and the 1943 feature film Victory Through Air Power . The military films generated only enough revenue to cover costs, and the feature film Bambi —which had been in production since 1937—underperformed on its release in August 1942, and lost $ 200,000 at
11505-551: The Times before school and repeated the round for the evening Star after school. The schedule was exhausting, and Disney often received poor grades after falling asleep in class, but he continued his paper route for more than six years. He attended Saturday courses at the Kansas City Art Institute and also took a correspondence course in cartooning. In 1917, Elias bought stock in a Chicago jelly producer,
11700-684: The greatest films ever by the American Film Institute . Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney developed an early interest in drawing. He took art classes as a boy and took a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early 1920s and set up the Disney Brothers Studio (now The Walt Disney Company ) with his brother Roy . With Ub Iwerks , he developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928, his first highly popular success; he also provided
11895-595: The opening, closing and medal ceremonies . He was one of twelve investors in the Celebrity Sports Center , which opened in 1960 in Glendale, Colorado ; he and Roy bought out the others in 1962, making the Disney company the sole owner. Despite the demands wrought by non-studio projects, Disney continued to work on film and television projects. In 1955, he was involved in " Man in Space ", an episode of
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#173277326662812090-446: The "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" ( EPCOT ), which he described as: an experimental prototype community of tomorrow that will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be
12285-503: The 1930s and 1940s stated, "As far as I'm concerned, there was no evidence of antisemitism. I think the whole idea should be put to rest and buried deep. He was not antisemitic. Some of the most influential people at the studio were Jewish. It's much ado about nothing. I never once had a problem with him in that way." In addition songwriter Robert B. Sherman recalled that when one of Disney's lawyers made antisemitic remarks towards him and his brother Richard , Disney defended them and fired
12480-687: The 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . On August 10, 2024, it was announced at the D23 Expo that an Indiana Jones attraction will replace Dinosaur at Disney's Animal Kingdom , featuring a different story, involving Indiana Jones hunting a mythical creature in a Mayan temple . Because of the success of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Bay Lake, Florida , Walt Disney Imagineering and George Lucas collaborated once again to create
12675-532: The 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks . In 2001, the German author Peter Stephan Jungk published Der König von Amerika (trans: The King of America ), a fictional work of Disney's later years that re-imagines him as a power-hungry racist. The composer Philip Glass later adapted the book into the opera The Perfect American (2013). Several commentators have described Disney as a cultural icon . On Disney's death, journalism professor Ralph S. Izard comments that
12870-592: The Arts (colloquially called CalArts), and had an architect draw up blueprints for a new building. Disney provided four exhibits for the 1964 New York World's Fair , for which he obtained funding from selected corporate sponsors. For PepsiCo , who planned a tribute to UNICEF , Disney developed It's a Small World , a boat ride with audio-animatronic dolls depicting children of the world; Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln contained an animatronic Abraham Lincoln giving excerpts from his speeches; Carousel of Progress promoted
13065-588: The Disney theme parks have grown in size and number around the world and his company has grown to become one of the world's largest mass media and entertainment conglomerates . Disney was born on December 5, 1901, at 1249 Tripp Avenue, in Chicago's Hermosa neighborhood. He was the fourth son of Elias Disney —born in the Province of Canada , to Irish parents—and Flora ( née Call), an American of German and English descent. Aside from Walt, Elias and Flora's sons were Herbert, Raymond and Roy ; and
13260-688: The Disneys moved to Kansas City, Missouri . There, Disney attended the Benton Grammar School , where he met fellow-student Walter Pfeiffer, who came from a family of theatre fans and introduced him to the world of vaudeville and motion pictures. Before long, Disney was spending more time at the Pfeiffers' house than at home. Elias had purchased a newspaper delivery route for The Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times . Disney and his brother Roy woke up at 4:30 every morning to deliver
13455-464: The Forbidden Eye premiered on March 3, 1995. Among the invited celebrity guests were George Lucas , Michael Eisner (Disney CEO at the time), Dan Aykroyd , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Brendan Fraser , Wayne Gretzky , Elliott Gould , Keenen Ivory Wayans , Dennis Miller , Lindsay Wagner , Tony Danza and Carrie Fisher . To promote the opening of the attraction, the Disney Channel produced
13650-543: The Gates of Doom!" (For the Observatory of the Future scene, Mara's last line is changed to, "Your destiny now lies beyond the Gates of Doom!") The transport momentarily appears to head toward an exit before making a sharp left turn into a large crumbling corridor. Using the hydraulic systems, the transport is given the effect of being lifted off the ground as it floats towards the Gates of Doom. Lightning flashes along
13845-406: The Indiana Jones franchise). Several early concepts were considered, including a walk-through adventure and a high-speed mine car adventure within a temple. To avoid a long queue, Imagineers considered using Jungle Cruise launches to shuttle guests to the loading area. The team tested key show elements in a Burbank warehouse on a full-sized elevated track that resembled a freeway. This enabled
14040-560: The Kansas City Film Ad Company, run by A. V. Cauger; the following month Iwerks, who was not able to run their business alone, also joined. The company produced commercials using the cutout animation technique. Disney became interested in animation, although he preferred drawn cartoons such as Mutt and Jeff and Max Fleischer 's Out of the Inkwell . With the assistance of a borrowed book on animation and
14235-690: The Mark III Yellow becoming the Mark V Orange. The Mark III Blue remained blue (albeit a lighter shade) and the last was Red, remaining Red. The notable difference was the loss of the bubble-top driver's area in favor of a streamlined " Learjet " look similar to the Mark IV trains at the Walt Disney World Resort . The new trains also sported closed passenger compartments (with windows that could be opened) and pneumatic doors. Following
14430-856: The Mark III to Mark V conversion, the refurbishment from Mark V to Mark VII was done one train at a time. The entire Mark VII Monorail fleet consists of three trains—Red, Blue, and Orange. The first Mark VII train, Monorail Red, arrived at Disneyland on December 20, 2007. It was originally expected to be in service by the end of February 2008, but due to design change issues, it did not begin serving park guests until July 3, 2008. Mark VII Blue arrived on-site on April 10, 2008, began daytime riderless testing on August 1, 2008, and began guest service on September 16, 2008. Monorail Mark VII Orange arrived on-site on August 14, 2008, began riderless testing in March 2009 and began guest service on April 7, 2009. The Disneyland Monorail has two stations: one in Tomorrowland, and another in
14625-594: The Matterhorn. They are also sounded when a bird lands on the track, and as a greeting to passing Disneyland Railroad trains near the switch to the barn. The original monorails were equipped with horns that sounded more like real ground-level trains. "Monorail Shop", as it is officially known ("Shop" for short), is Disney's monorail maintenance facility located behind "it's a small world" and I-5 Freeway entrance to Harbor Blvd . at Disneyland and provides space for four monorails on its upper level (the bottom level houses
14820-655: The O-Zell Company, and moved back to the city with his family. Disney enrolled at McKinley High School and became the cartoonist of the school newspaper, drawing patriotic pictures about World War I; he also took night courses at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts . In mid-1918, he attempted to join the United States Army to fight the Germans , but he was rejected as too young. After forging
15015-572: The Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio, where he drew commercial illustrations for advertising, theater programs and catalogs, and befriended fellow artist Ub Iwerks . In January 1920, as Pesmen-Rubin's revenue declined after Christmas, Disney, aged 18, and Iwerks were laid off. They started their own business, the short-lived Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists. Failing to attract many customers, Disney and Iwerks agreed that Disney should leave temporarily to earn money at
15210-752: The Pooh and the Blustery Day was released in 1968, it earned Disney an Academy Award in the Short Subject (Cartoon) category, awarded posthumously. After Disney's death, his studios continued to produce live-action films prolifically while the quality of their animated films was allowed to languish. In the late 1980s, this trend was reversed in what The New York Times describes as the " Disney Renaissance " that began with The Little Mermaid (1989). Disney's studios continue to produce successful film, television and stage entertainment. Disney's plans for
15405-692: The Rescue! and the Sunset Showcase Theater. The track then crosses through the gateway to the Disney California Adventure park. Passengers can see Disneyland Park on the right and Disney California Adventure on the left. The monorail then passes through Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa then makes a sharp curve to the right and enters the Downtown Disney station, which has a vegetative theme to match
15600-605: The Rotunda Calendar, pulling on a rope triggers responses from Dr. Dunfor Pullit, an out-of-sight archeologist supported by the rope beneath the sarcophagus stone. Various crates throughout the queue contain some significant features; one marked with the number "990 6753" refers to the number on the crate holding the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark . Another crate is marked "Deliver to Club Obi Wan", referring to
15795-503: The Seven Dwarfs , based on the fairy tale . When news leaked out about the project, many in the film industry predicted it would bankrupt the company; industry insiders nicknamed it "Disney's Folly". The film, which was the first animated feature made in full color and sound, cost $ 1.5 million to produce—three times over budget. To ensure the animation was as realistic as possible, Disney sent his animators on courses at
15990-534: The Stone in 1963. In 1964, Disney produced Mary Poppins , based on the book series by P. L. Travers ; he had been trying to acquire the rights to the story since the 1940s. It became the most successful Disney film of the 1960s, although Travers disliked the film intensely and regretted having sold the rights. The same year he also became involved in plans to expand the California Institute of
16185-656: The Submarine Lagoon and Autopia . The track crosses the lagoon four times. The track then curves around the Matterhorn Bobsleds, giving a view of Fantasyland, then turns left to reenter the Tomorrowland Station. All monorails are equipped with Grover 1056 2-chime air horns. The horn must be sounded twice when departing a station, at one point where the track parallels the currently unused PeopleMover/Rocket Rod track, and when approaching
16380-598: The U.S. Government would have disqualified him from making these films. The Walt Disney Family Museum acknowledges that ethnic stereotypes common to films of the 1930s were included in some early cartoons but also points out that Disney donated regularly to Jewish charities and was named the 1955 "Man of the Year" by the B'nai B'rith chapter in Beverly Hills. The organization itself found no evidence of antisemitism on Disney's part. The plaque read: "For exemplifying
16575-477: The U.S. to analyze what worked and what pitfalls or problems there were in the various locations and incorporated their findings into his design. Construction work started in July 1954, and Disneyland opened in July 1955; the opening ceremony was broadcast on ABC, which reached 70 million viewers. The park was designed as a series of themed lands, linked by the central Main Street, U.S.A. —a replica of
16770-453: The affluent ... [' Yankee '] lifestyle has a direct pedagogic effect". Disney has been portrayed numerous times in fictional works. H. G. Wells references Disney in his 1938 novel The Holy Terror , in which World Dictator Rud fears that Donald Duck is meant to lampoon the dictator. Disney was portrayed by Len Cariou in the 1995 made-for-TV film A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story , and by Tom Hanks in
16965-476: The attorney. Gabler, the first writer to gain unrestricted access to the Disney archives, concludes that the available evidence does not support accusations of antisemitism and that Disney largely got that reputation due to his association with Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals – an anti-Communist organization formed in 1944, that was rumored to have antisemitic undertones. Gabler concludes that "...though Walt himself, in my estimation,
17160-537: The attraction "broke down". Many variables can cause a ride stop: a vehicle may hit an obstacle on the path such as guest items dropped from the vehicle ahead, the vehicle wheels might slip or skid on a wet or damp section of track, or if a vehicle experiences conditions where it must quickly accelerate followed by a sudden stop, the vehicle may overshoot its target or move very slightly backwards causing it to shut down. The attraction features four Audio-Animatronics , three of which are animatronics of Indiana Jones, one of
17355-415: The attraction and the first seven years of operation, from 1995 to 2002. One of three styles of Marabic decoder cards was distributed to each guest, advertising their promotional campaign on the back. "It’s great to have AT&T as presenting sponsor," said then-Disneyland President Paul Pressler . "With Disneyland celebrating its 40th Anniversary and preparing to open its most exciting attraction, we welcome
17550-468: The attraction has a pre-selected score to play which is already of a certain length. If the vehicle finds itself remaining in one scene for an extended period of time, the score will play in full or until the vehicle leaves the scene. If the vehicle remains in a scene longer than the length of the score, then an exaggerated soundtrack of the vehicle's engine will fade-in and play to keep riders from experiencing awkward silence. Due to safety reasons, vehicles on
17745-458: The beam hits the cavern. Formerly, there was an effect in place within this scene where the light beams would hit the ceiling, causing dyed ice cubes to rain down, simulating the rubble of the caving temple, but it was removed due to operational issues. However, the sound effect for the rubble can still be heard upon entering the room. The transport then turns left and enters catacombs of false pathways lined with skeletons, some of which pop out toward
17940-432: The beam. This bus bar is similar to the electrified or "third" rail of a subway train. 33°48′46″N 117°55′00″W / 33.8128°N 117.9167°W / 33.8128; -117.9167 Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( / ˈ d ɪ z n i / DIZ -nee ; December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of
18135-438: The best tenets of American citizenship and inter-group understanding and interpreting into action the ideals of B'nai B'rith." Disney had numerous Jewish employees, many of whom were in influential positions. None of Disney's employees including animator Art Babbitt , who disliked Disney intensely – ever accused him of making antisemitic slurs or taunts. Jewish story man Joe Grant , who worked closely with Disney throughout
18330-469: The box office. On top of the low earnings from Pinocchio and Fantasia , the company had debts of $ 4 million with the Bank of America in 1944. At a meeting with Bank of America executives to discuss the future of the company, the bank's chairman and founder, Amadeo Giannini , told his executives, "I've been watching the Disneys' pictures quite closely because I knew we were lending them money far above
18525-406: The bridge (depending on the transport's timed arrival), which turns away just before reaching it. The transport then accelerates across the bridge, which sways and jostles under its weight. The massive stone face of Mara shoots beams from its eye, attempting to destroy the bridge. The transport makes it safely across, then turns sharply to the right. Hundreds of snakes cover the walls and ground, and
18720-481: The cards are now only distributed during special events or when made available. If unable to receive a decoder card, the code is easily solvable as each symbol bears a strong resemblance to its corresponding letter in the English alphabet . The sole exception is the letter I , which, appropriately, resembles an eye . Where the text is painted, vowels appear in red. The queue contains several interactive features. In
18915-437: The central figure in the history of animation. Through technological innovations and alliances with governments and corporations, he transformed a minor studio in a marginal form of communication into a multinational leisure industry giant. Despite his critics, his vision of a modern, corporate utopia as an extension of traditional American values has possibly gained greater currency in the years after his death. In December 2021,
19110-441: The chamber as if the boulder has crashed down, nearly striking the transport. The transport plunges down into darkness and swerves right to see Jones standing in front of the boulder, which has been cracked by its impact. An exhausted Jones wipes his forehead and says one of the following: A final triumphant refrain of music ushers the guests back into the station. Sallah welcomes back the tourists and tells them to remain seated as
19305-470: The character easier to animate. Disney, who had begun to distance himself from the animation process, provided Mickey's voice until 1947. In the words of one Disney employee, "Ub designed Mickey's physical appearance, but Walt gave him his soul." Mickey Mouse first appeared in May 1928 as a single test screening of the short Plane Crazy , but it, and the second feature, The Gallopin' Gaucho , failed to find
19500-638: The company's first public stock offering in 1940, and implemented heavy salary cuts. The latter measure, and Disney's sometimes high-handed and insensitive manner of dealing with staff, led to a 1941 animators' strike which lasted five weeks. While a federal mediator from the National Labor Relations Board negotiated with the two sides, Disney accepted an offer from the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs to make
19695-711: The construction of Disneyland, Disney worked on other projects away from the studio. He was consultant to the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow; Disney Studios' contribution was America the Beautiful , a 19-minute film in the 360-degree Circarama theater that was one of the most popular attractions. The following year he acted as the chairman of the Pageantry Committee for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California , where he designed
19890-576: The couple had a fifth child, Ruth, in December 1903. In 1906, when Disney was four, the family moved to a farm in Marceline, Missouri , where his uncle Robert had just purchased land. In Marceline, Disney developed his interest in drawing when he was paid to draw the horse of a retired neighborhood doctor. Elias was a subscriber to the Appeal to Reason newspaper, and Disney practiced drawing by copying
20085-412: The creation of Mickey Mouse". In 1933, Disney produced The Three Little Pigs , a film described by the media historian Adrian Danks as "the most successful short animation of all time". The film won Disney another Academy Award in the Short Subject (Cartoon) category. The film's success led to a further increase in the studio's staff, which numbered nearly 200 by the end of the year. Disney realized
20280-478: The darkness and onto the bridge which spans the pit. The transport stalls for a moment as another oncoming transport can be seen across the pit (if the transport's arrival is timed correctly), but it turns out of the way before reaching the bridge. The transport then accelerates across the bridge which sways and jostles under its weight. The massive stone skull shoots beams from its eye at the bridge, attempting to destroy it. The transport safely makes it across and makes
20475-585: The date of birth on his birth certificate, he joined the Red Cross in September 1918 as an ambulance driver. He was shipped to France but arrived in November, after the armistice . He drew cartoons on the side of his ambulance for decoration and had some of his work published in the army newspaper Stars and Stripes . He returned to Kansas City in October 1919, where he worked as an apprentice artist at
20670-538: The day, each in a series featuring the landmark attraction of the year starting with 1955. The last card was distributed on March 2, 1995. A special "41st" card of larger issue featured the Indiana Jones Adventure on March 3. Artist Drew Struzan produced a one-sheet poster in the same theme as the films, using permission from Ford to use his likeness. The adventure opened to general admission on March 4. AT&T Corporation sponsored construction of
20865-408: The decades, and there have been polarized opinions. Mark Langer, in the American Dictionary of National Biography , writes that "Earlier evaluations of Disney hailed him as a patriot, folk artist, and popularizer of culture. More recently, Disney has been regarded as a paradigm of American imperialism and intolerance, as well as a debaser of culture." Steven Watts wrote that some denounce Disney "as
21060-400: The development of animated film. New animated and live-action films followed after World War II, including the critically successful Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Mary Poppins (1964), the last of which received five Academy Awards. In the 1950s, Disney expanded into the theme park industry, and in July 1955 he opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California . To fund
21255-481: The doors closed. Jones, speaking in Japanese, scolds the tourists for waking the Crystal Skull and instructs them to proceed up the steps to the left. The triumphant musical theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark is heard as the transport accelerates up the flight of stairs, entering a room with a rope bridge and a large stone face resembling the Crystal Skull. Blues and greens are the colors that fill this room. There
21450-535: The early to mid-1950s, Disney began to devote less attention to the animation department, entrusting most of its operations to his key animators, the Nine Old Men , although he was always present at story meetings. Instead, he started concentrating on other ventures. Around the same time, Disney established his own film distribution division Buena Vista , replacing his most recent distributor RKO Pictures . For several years Disney had been considering building
21645-481: The family , neither Disney nor his wife hid the fact Sharon had been adopted, although they became annoyed if people outside the family raised the point. The Disneys were careful to keep their daughters out of the public eye as much as possible, particularly in the light of the Lindbergh kidnapping ; Disney took steps to ensure his daughters were not photographed by the press. In 1949, Disney and his family moved to
21840-411: The film's production, with Walt even sending him gifts. When Baskett was in failing health, Disney not only began financially supporting him and his family, but also campaigned successfully for an Honorary Academy Award for his performance, making Baskett the first black actor so honored. Baskett died shortly afterward, and his widow wrote Disney a letter of gratitude for his support claiming he had been
22035-482: The financial risk. ... They're good this year, they're good next year, and they're good the year after. ... You have to relax and give them time to market their product." Disney's production of short films decreased in the late 1940s, coinciding with increasing competition in the animation market from Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . Roy Disney, for financial reasons, suggested more combined animation and live-action productions. In 1948, Disney initiated
22230-405: The first arriving train was disembarked, moved along empty to just beyond the station, the second train arrived, disembarked, embarked and dispatched so the first train could be loaded and dispatched for the return. In 1999, the monorail began lengthy periods of closures due to construction of the Disney California Adventure theme park where the monorail beamway passed through what had formerly been
22425-547: The five steam locomotives that circle Disneyland). Monorails access this yard by stopping at the switch near the road crossing and then the switch will switch to the facility spur. Then the monorail travels slowly into the yard where another switch leads it into the designated track. No train will ever be left outside the facility because routine maintenance is performed nightly. The diesel/hydraulic powered "work tractors" are primarily used each morning for beam inspection and maintenance-of-way which includes trimming vegetation beyond
22620-445: The floral motif throughout the shopping district. Downtown Disney station has one platform. After a five-minute loading, the train leaves Downtown Disney and makes a short loop around the district before crossing above the esplanade between the two parks and heads back to Disneyland. Once inside the park, the monorail crosses the railroad again and goes into a series of sharp bends and curves around Tomorrowland. The track travels above
22815-580: The former "Eeyore" parking lot was demolished, and the Monorail and Jungle Cruise attractions were rerouted. Disney filed for patent on the ride-system on November 16, 1995. Harrison Ford was asked to reprise his role as Indiana Jones, but ultimately negotiations to secure Ford's participation broke down in December 1994 for unknown reasons. Instead, Dave Temple provided the voice of Jones. Ford's physical likeness , however, has nonetheless been used in subsequent audio-animatronic figures. The Temple of
23010-428: The frame of the chassis, which allows the shell to articulate independently. A guest's physically intense experience is programmed to achieve the illusion of greater speed and catastrophic mechanical failure using the enhanced-motion vehicle's ability to add several feet (metres) of lift then rapidly descend, shudder and tremble, and intensify cornering with counterbank and twist. The intensity of each experience varies as
23205-576: The front-page cartoons of Ryan Walker . He also began to develop an ability to work with watercolors and crayons. He lived near the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line and became enamored with trains. He and his younger sister Ruth started school at the same time at the Park School in Marceline in late 1909. The Disney family were active members of a Congregational church . In 1911,
23400-422: The future) on the condition that they never gaze into the eyes of Mara. Although the discovery, dubbed the "Temple of the Forbidden Eye" by the media, sets the archaeological community abuzz, funding quickly runs out. Sallah begins conducting guided tours to raise money so the excavation can continue. Good fortune comes to many tourists, while others do not return at all. Jones eventually ventures inside to find
23595-403: The futuristic city of EPCOT did not come to fruition. After Disney's death, his brother Roy deferred his retirement to take full control of the Disney companies. He changed the focus of the project from a town to an attraction. At the inauguration in 1971, Roy dedicated Walt Disney World to his brother. Walt Disney World expanded with the opening of Epcot Center in 1982; Walt Disney's vision of
23790-412: The guests. Suddenly, the transport veers to the left, and all is dark. The transport's headlights flicker back on, illuminating walls swarming with thousands of beetles. Hissing sounds are heard, and riders are blasted with puffs of air. The transport heads out of the darkness and onto the bridge which spans the pit. The transport stalls for a moment as another oncoming transport can be seen about to cross
23985-428: The hotel. Both platforms were lengthened in 1968 for the new five-car Mark III trains, which added a fourth Green train. By the early 1980s, the Mark III trains were showing their age and the wear of years. In 1985, Disneyland began phasing out the Mark III trains one by one. The older trains were stripped to the chassis and rebuilt as Mark V trains. The Mark III Green went first, to become the Mark V Purple followed by
24180-406: The illusion that the transport is entering a specific room. As the guests approach the idol, Mara suddenly opens his eyes. Inevitably, as someone looks into them, the idol immediately scowls at the guests and, using projection mapping, shows the idol’s face 'bleeding' with colors as he rescinds each of his gifts. During his rescinds, Mara cries out, "You looked into my eyes! Your path now leads to
24375-576: The importance of electricity; and Ford's Magic Skyway portrayed the progress of mankind. Elements of all four exhibits—principally concepts and technology—were re-installed in Disneyland, although It's a Small World is the ride that most closely resembles the original. During the early to mid-1960s, Disney developed plans for a ski resort in Mineral King , a glacial valley in California's Sierra Nevada . He hired experts such as
24570-432: The importance of telling emotionally gripping stories that would interest the audience, and he invested in a "story department" separate from the animators, with storyboard artists who would detail the plots of Disney's films. By 1934, Disney had become dissatisfied with producing cartoon shorts, and believed a feature-length cartoon would be more profitable. The studio began the four-year production of Snow White and
24765-509: The impression of a camera passing through the scene. The first work created on the camera—a Silly Symphony called The Old Mill (1937)—won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film because of its impressive visual power. Although Snow White had been largely finished by the time the multiplane camera had been completed, Disney ordered some scenes be re-drawn to use the new effects. Snow White premiered in December 1937 to high praise from critics and audiences. The film became
24960-406: The journey is about to take a turn toward the Gates of Doom. The transport momentarily appears to head toward an exit, before making a sharp turn into a large corridor. Lightning flashes along the walls, illuminating large cobra statues overhead as the transport seems to "float" through the room using the EMV technology. The Gates of Doom pulsate with green mist as Indiana Jones struggles to keep
25155-404: The land, but the deal later collapsed over funding. In late 1965, he announced plans to develop another theme park to be called "Disney World" (now Walt Disney World ), a few miles southwest of Orlando, Florida . Disney World was to include the "Magic Kingdom"—a larger and more elaborate version of Disneyland—plus golf courses and resort hotels. The heart of Disney World was to be
25350-470: The left. The transport then accelerates up the flight of stairs. The transport emerges from the passage and teeters on the edge of a vast pit of lava . If timed correctly, another transport can be seen attempting to cross a rickety rope bridge that spans the pit under a crumbling ceiling. On the far side of the cavern, there is a 45-foot-tall (14 m) stone face of Mara that periodically shoots green rays at both transports, causing flames to erupt from where
25545-408: The lights strung deep into the temple. Much of the queue is inside the temple itself. Throughout the bowels of the temple, petroglyphs in "Marabic" warn temple visitors of the rewards and perils that can be found further within. The glyphs can be translated into English using a simple character substitution encoding. In the early months of the attraction's existence, guests were given decoder cards;
25740-417: The live-action musical feature The Happiest Millionaire (both 1967) and the animated short Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968). Disney had been a heavy smoker since World War I. He did not use cigarettes with filters and had smoked a pipe as a young man. In early November 1966, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and was treated with cobalt therapy . On November 30, he felt unwell and
25935-460: The main door release button. A simple dial indicator above the tail-cone compartment door could be turned to one of three positions—General admission guests, round-trip only guests, and mixed. Hostess attendants at Tomorrowland Station would check the dial position and open the door for general admission guests. If general admission guests boarded the tail-cone in Tomorrowland, the dial would be set to mixed, then all mixed tail-cone guests disembarked at
26130-490: The main street in his hometown of Marceline. The connected themed areas were Adventureland , Frontierland , Fantasyland and Tomorrowland . The park also contained the narrow gauge Disneyland Railroad that linked the lands; around the outside of the park was a high berm to separate the park from the outside world. An editorial in The New York Times considered that Disney had "tastefully combined some of
26325-509: The making of Alice in Wonderland . Roy believed the program added millions to the box office takings. In a March 1951 letter to shareholders, he wrote that "television can be a most powerful selling aid for us, as well as a source of revenue. It will probably be on this premise that we enter television when we do". In 1954, after the Disneyland funding had been agreed, ABC broadcast Walt Disney's Disneyland , an anthology consisting of animated cartoons, live-action features and other material from
26520-502: The missing tourists and uncover the temple's power source, known as the "Jewel of Power," which Abner Ravenwood believes is located within an immense cavern beyond the Gates of Doom. One week later, with Jones yet to reappear, Marcus Brody requests Sallah continue conducting the tours in the hopes they may locate Jones. The attraction's immersive and carefully detailed queue leads guests through dimly lit temple chambers and eerie passageways containing booby-trapped sections reminiscent of
26715-496: The monorail offers only one-way trips where all passengers must also disembark at the Downtown Disney Station and re-board for the return trip to Tomorrowland. Admission to Disneyland Park must be purchased to ride the monorail. In the fall of 2006, the Tomorrowland Station was remodeled due to the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage construction. The original speed ramps were removed, and a new concrete ramp
26910-570: The monorail was originally assigned to the Standard Carriage Works of East Los Angeles, but in late 1958, Walt Disney, pressured for time, moved it to his Burbank studios. Disney designer Bob Gurr then headed a Disney team that designed and manufactured the cars, chassis, suspension and propulsion systems. Gurr and Disney were assisted by Alweg , the German company that pioneered straddle beam monorails . The Disneyland Alweg Monorail System opened on June 14, 1959, just in time for
27105-488: The most successful motion picture of 1938 and by May 1939 its total gross of $ 6.5 million made it the most successful sound film made to that date. Disney won another Honorary Academy Award, which consisted of one full-sized and seven miniature Oscar statuettes. The success of Snow White heralded one of the most productive eras for the studio; the Walt Disney Family Museum calls the following years "the 'Golden Age of Animation ' ". With work on Snow White finished,
27300-495: The name is similar to that of the fourth Indiana Jones film , the design of the titular skull is entirely different and the scenarios in the attraction are unrelated to the film. The Temple of the Crystal Skull building exterior resembles a large Aztec pyramid and temple, set in the South American port " Lost River Delta " at Tokyo DisneySea. The design is influenced by ancient South American architecture and art. There
27495-412: The new park. In 2004, Monorail Orange was removed from the line and taken to Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale to be reverse engineered . Monorail Blue was removed in September 2006 for rebuilding. The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage show building was extended into the lagoon beneath the monorail, which closed from August 21 through late December 2006 to prepare for the 2007 opening of Nemo. Like
27690-423: The on-board computer constantly chooses between pre-programmed intensity versions already stored in its memory as it traverses the show building with its load of guests. This ride system was invented specially for the Indiana Jones Adventure and has only been implemented in one other attraction: Dinosaur , located at Disney's Animal Kingdom (opened as CTX: Countdown to Extinction). Heavy or light traffic within
27885-529: The opportunities this relationship is sure to create." The attraction currently has no sponsor. The ride was temporarily closed on September 4, 2012 for an extensive refurbishment and re-opened on December 7, 2012. Scheduled modifications included enhancements to lighting, paint, figure animation and other effects. In 2013, the idol of Mara that appears in the Hall of Promise scene was updated with projection mapping effects. On November 19, 2019, Disney announced
28080-496: The parking lot. Although the beamway's route was not altered, a significant amount of construction was done around the existing beamway, and much of the terrain under the beamway's support columns were regraded, necessitating the closures. Additionally, the Disneyland Hotel Station and all of its nearby hotel structures were completely demolished and a new station built in the same location. Downtown Disney Station
28275-458: The pleasant things of yesterday with fantasy and dreams of tomorrow". Although there were early minor problems with the park, it was a success, and after a month's operation, Disneyland was receiving over 20,000 visitors a day; by the end of its first year, it attracted 3.6 million guests. The money from ABC was contingent on Disney television programs. The studio had been involved in a successful television special on Christmas Day 1950 about
28470-493: The process by urging Iwerks to abandon the practice of drawing every frame individually in favor of the more efficient technique of drawing key poses and letting assistants sketch the inbetween poses . Disney asked Powers for an increase in payments for the cartoons. Powers refused and signed Iwerks to work for him; Stalling resigned shortly afterwards, thinking that without Iwerks, the Disney Studio would close. Disney had
28665-430: The project he diversified into television programs, such as Walt Disney's Disneyland and The Mickey Mouse Club . He was also involved in planning the 1959 Moscow Fair , the 1960 Winter Olympics , and the 1964 New York World's Fair . In 1965, he began development of another theme park, Disney World , the heart of which was to be a new type of city, the " Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow " (EPCOT). Disney
28860-652: The quality of the music, Disney hired the professional composer and arranger Carl Stalling , on whose suggestion the Silly Symphony series was developed, providing stories through the use of music; the first in the series, The Skeleton Dance (1929), was drawn and animated entirely by Iwerks. Also hired at this time were several artists, both local and from New York. Both the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies series were successful, but Disney and his brother felt they were not receiving their rightful share of profits from Powers. In 1930, Disney tried to trim costs from
29055-456: The queue as well as three newsreels shown before guests board the attraction. In 1935 India , Indiana Jones reunites missing fragments of a map documenting the precise location of an ancient temple believed to have been buried in a flood over two thousand years ago. According to legend, the temple was built to honor the deity Mara , who offers one of three gifts to all who come to the hallowed site (eternal youth, earthly riches, or visions of
29250-607: The re-dedication of Tomorrowland and a broader expansion of Disneyland which included the Matterhorn Bobsleds , the Submarine Voyage , the expanded version of Autopia , and the Motor Boat Cruise . The Mark I trains (Red and Blue) consisted of three cars each. The opening ceremony was attended by then-Vice President Richard Nixon and his family. During the ceremony, there was difficulty with
29445-536: The reach of guests, cleaning and repairing the electrical commutator rails as well as periodically scheduled servicing and painting of the concrete beam guideway. They are powerful enough to return a fully loaded train fitted with tow-bars to a station platform, then to the Monorail Shop, independent of 600 V track power. In order to remove old monorail trains and replace them with new ones, they are shunted to maintenance shop beam "D" where each car segment
29640-640: The recently begun War in Europe would affect its construction - to which Disney responded by asking: "What war?" During World War II , Disney was actively involved in making propaganda films against the Nazis, both for the general public (such as Der Fuehrer's Face and Education for Death ), as well as educational and training films exclusively for the United States Government . As early as March 1941 (several months before America's entry into
29835-537: The reductions. Disney declined Mintz's ultimatum and lost most of his animation staff, except Iwerks, who chose to remain with him. To replace Oswald, Disney and Iwerks developed Mickey Mouse , possibly inspired by a pet mouse that Disney had adopted while working in his Laugh-O-Gram studio, although the origins of the character are unclear. Disney's original choice of name was Mortimer Mouse, but his wife Lillian thought it too pompous, and suggested Mickey instead. Iwerks revised Disney's provisional sketches to make
30030-496: The renowned Olympic ski coach and ski-area designer Willy Schaeffler . With income from Disneyland accounting for an increasing proportion of the studio's income, Disney continued to look for venues for other attractions. In 1963, he presented a project to create a theme park in downtown St. Louis , Missouri; he initially reached an agreement with the Civic Center Redevelopment Corp, which controlled
30225-431: The ribbon cutting. At opening, the monorail was merely an attraction, taking people on a scenic trip around Disneyland before returning to its only station. In 1961 it became a true transportation system when the track was extended 2 1 ⁄ 2 miles outside the park to a second station near the Disneyland Hotel . As part of this project, the Tomorrowland station was lengthened to accommodate four-car Mark II trains and
30420-415: The ride path cannot reverse. Contrary to the finale scene when the vehicle reverses away from the boulder, the vehicle is actually stationary while the motion base tilts backwards and the cave walls accelerate past the riders to give the illusion of reversing. The safety systems of the Indiana Jones Adventure are very sensitive and can lead to a ride stop several times in a day, leaving guests to believe that
30615-432: The ride system can cause speed variations as the vehicles try not to enter the specified safety distance between one another. On busy days, each vehicle may slow to a crawl at intervals within the ride path in order to allow the vehicle ahead to gain distance, then suddenly jerk back into higher speed. Because of these unexpected variations in speed, the soundtrack to the ride is not of a specific length, in fact, each scene of
30810-412: The riders, and darts are heard striking the transport as it rolls over the trigger stones between the skeletal warriors. The transport then approaches a dark area and stops. Indiana Jones suddenly appears above the vehicle hanging on a rope in a shaft of light. He welcomes the adventurers' rescue and bids for them to turn on the headlights and allow him to board. As the lights flicker on, they illuminate
31005-400: The right, entering behind the giant stone skull. The transport slides past hundreds of human skulls which decorate the walls, as the crystal skull on a plinth radiates light. Turning left, out of the massive stone skull, the transport continues downward, passing under the rope bridge. Encountering a carved skull-like face in the wall in front of the vehicle, the transport pauses for a moment as
31200-478: The role of a bashful tycoon who was embarrassed in public" and knew that he was doing so. Disney acknowledged the façade and told a friend that "I'm not Walt Disney. I do a lot of things Walt Disney would not do. Walt Disney does not smoke. I smoke. Walt Disney does not drink. I drink." Critic Otis Ferguson , in The New Republic , called the private Disney: "common and everyday, not inaccessible, not in
31395-406: The roof of the train. Guests open roof hatches by first removing decorative plastic from the ceiling above a bulkhead footstool and then by lifting open a hinged hatch that will flip across the bulkhead dividing two train cars. Guests evacuate to the roof by climbing through the open hatch onto the top of the train. The bulkheads separating cars are designed as firewalls that will contain a fire within
31590-429: The show). One of the segments of Disneyland consisted of the five-part miniseries Davy Crockett which, according to Disney biographer Neal Gabler , "became an overnight sensation". The show's theme song, " The Ballad of Davy Crockett ", became internationally popular and ten million records were sold. As a result, Disney formed his own record production and distribution entity, Disneyland Records . As well as
31785-454: The studio began producing Pinocchio in early 1938 and Fantasia in November of the same year. Both films were released in 1940, and neither performed well at the box office—partly because revenues from Europe had dropped following the start of World War II in 1939. The studio incurred a loss on both pictures and was deeply in debt by the end of February 1941. In response to the financial crisis, Disney and his brother Roy started
31980-564: The studio's library. The show was successful in terms of ratings and profits, earning an audience share of over 50%. In April 1955, Newsweek called the series an "American institution". ABC was pleased with the ratings, leading to Disney's first daily television program, The Mickey Mouse Club , a variety show catering specifically to children. The program was accompanied by merchandising through various companies (Western Printing, for example, had been producing coloring books and comics for over 20 years, and produced several items connected to
32175-488: The team to test set pieces, lighting, effects, transport clearances, and motion profiles. Groundbreaking for the Temple of the Forbidden Eye occurred in August 1993, with more than 400 Imagineers working on its design and construction. Tony Baxter led a core project team of nearly 100 Imagineers. To create space for the 0.5-mile (0.80 km) queue area and the 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m ) show building , an area of
32370-486: The three doors begins to glow more brightly than the other two, and Mara announces which gift the passengers have chosen to receive. The doors open, and the passengers enter the Hall of Promise, where the idol of Mara resides at the end of the hall. As originally built, the Chamber of Destiny only had one actual operating door and corridor. Since the ride's opening, the room's walls and ceiling were designed to rotate across
32565-601: The time." Disney's office appointment book makes no mention of him attending Bund rallies, and no other employee ever claimed he attended such meetings. According to Gabler, Disney was apolitical and "something of a political naïf" during the 1930s and he had previously told one reporter – as tensions in Europe were brewing – that America should "let 'em fight their own wars" claiming he had "learned my lesson" from World War I . Disney also demonstrated his political naivete in an October 1933 article for Overland Monthly claiming: "Of course there must be millions of people who have
32760-551: The title role . The result, a 12½-minute, one-reel film, was completed too late to save Laugh-O-Gram Studio, which went into bankruptcy in 1923. Disney moved to Hollywood in July 1923 at 21 years old. Although New York was the center of the cartoon industry, he was attracted to Los Angeles because his brother Roy was convalescing from tuberculosis there, and he hoped to become a live-action film director. Disney's efforts to sell Alice's Wonderland were in vain until he heard from New York film distributor Margaret J. Winkler . She
32955-405: The top of each train car to move to the front of the train. The Disneyland Fire Department assists in the safe evacuation of the disabled train. Platform gates are operated manually and remain closed until the next train arrives and cast members determine that it is safe to board. The trains are powered by 600 V DC electric current, drawn from a small rail (bus bar) running along the right side of
33150-426: The transport before it stalls for a brief moment. All of a sudden, the transport starts up again and it heads towards an empty corridor leading towards a way out of the temple when, suddenly, the electrical shocks blasts the corridor, causing it to collapse and block the tunnel. The transport careens through another dimly lit tunnel with paintings of spear -wielding skeletal warriors adorning the walls. Blasts of air hit
33345-418: The transport reaches the loading area. Set in an unspecified region of Mexico during the 1930s, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull takes place in the Temple of the Crystal Skull, an Aztec temple guarded by a Crystal Skull . Hosted by a character named Paco (portrayed by Katsuhisa Hōki ), the story features Indiana Jones (voiced by Kunio Murai ) searching for the Fountain of Youth. While
33540-467: The troop transport. Through the radio, Sallah (voiced by Bob Joles ) reminds the tourists to fasten their seat belts and points out a problem with the brakes (in earlier versions of the ride, there would alternatively be problems with the gas pedal or the steering wheel). The transport takes off, past a cluster of mirrors concealing the maintenance dock entrance, and turns a corner into the Chamber of Destiny, where guests are presented with three doors. One of
33735-434: The two motion systems, control, safety, and audio systems. Each transport can accommodate twelve guests with three rows of four seats each, with the front-left seat behind a non-operational steering wheel. Each troop transport is a motion simulator which travels at a maximum speed of just over 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) atop a slotted roadbed / guiderail track. The transport car body is attached by three hydraulic rams to
33930-535: The values in Disney's films are those "considered valuable in American Christian society", which include "individualism, decency, ... love for our fellow man, fair play and toleration". Disney's obituary in The Times calls the films "wholesome, warm-hearted and entertaining ... of incomparable artistry and of touching beauty". Journalist Bosley Crowther argues that Disney's "achievement as
34125-404: The voice for his creation in the early years. As the studio grew, he became more adventurous, introducing synchronized sound , full-color three-strip Technicolor , feature-length cartoons and technical developments in cameras. The results, seen in features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio , Fantasia (both 1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942), furthered
34320-407: The walls, illuminating large cobra statues overhead as the transport continues forward. The Gates of Doom pulsate with green mist, and an audio-animatronic Indiana Jones (voiced by Dave Temple) struggles to keep the doors closed. Jones pushes the doors shut, making the transport drop to the ground, and scolds the tourists for looking into the idol's eyes. He instructs them to proceed up the steps to
34515-552: The war) Disney began offering his services to various branches of the United States Armed Forces to make training films "...for national defence industries at cost and without profit. In making this offer, I am motivated solely by a desire to help as best I can in the present emergency." These training films contained highly classified information and required the highest level of security clearance to be viewed. If Disney had any previous sympathies toward Nazism,
34710-515: The work of Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart , whose 1971 book Para leer al Pato Donald ( transl. How to Read Donald Duck ) identifies that there are "imperialist ... values 'concealed' behind the innocent, wholesome façade of the world of Walt Disney"; this, they argue, is a powerful tool as "it presents itself as harmless fun for consumption by children." Tomlinson views their argument as flawed, as "they simply assume that reading American comics, seeing adverts, watching pictures of
34905-431: The working doorway and a set of four façades (two on each side of the real doorway) so that three "doors" are always visible at any given time. Each of the doors are lit differently based on which particular chamber has been randomly chosen, and decoy tracks leading to the other doors have been used to enhance the effect. In 2013, new projection mapping effects were added for the Hall of Promise. The Chamber of Destiny’s doors
35100-421: The “spike room”, the ceiling appears to be retained by several upright bamboo poles. When the key supporting pole is pushed or pulled, guests are startled by sounds of the ceiling dropping as the spikes begin to descend slowly toward them. In the next area, large stone blocks released from the ceiling (triggered by the diamond-shaped stones below) are barely kept in place by wooden wedges and supports. Further on, in
35295-530: Was a heavy smoker throughout his life and died of lung cancer in 1966 before either the park or the EPCOT project were completed. Disney was a shy, self-deprecating and insecure man in private but adopted a warm and outgoing public persona. He had high standards and high expectations of those with whom he worked. Although there have been accusations that he was racist or antisemitic , they have been contradicted by many who knew him. Historiography of Disney has taken
35490-566: Was added on the east end of the station to handle the queue and access to the station, with concrete stairs on the west end to handle the exiting Monorail passengers. The monorail travels in one direction only. All passengers board at a single platform. Leaving Tomorrowland station, the monorail crosses the Disneyland Railroad and continues along Harbor Boulevard on the eastern edge of the park. Turning to enter Disney California Adventure, it passes Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to
35685-437: Was also able to negotiate a deal giving him the sole right to use the three-strip process until August 31, 1935. All subsequent Silly Symphony cartoons were in color. Flowers and Trees was popular with audiences and won the inaugural Academy Award for best Short Subject (Cartoon) at the 1932 ceremony . Disney had been nominated for another film in that category, Mickey's Orphans , and received an Honorary Award "for
35880-431: Was also updated with projection mapping effects in 2015. As of 2024 , the machinery used to rotate the room has been deactivated and is no longer used. Instead, the transport always enters the second door in the center, and the effect of entering a specific room is accomplished using projectors hidden on either side of the chamber, which shuffle through various video effects that are superimposed onto all three doors to create
36075-474: Was built by Disney Studios engineer Roger E. Broggie , and Disney named it Lilly Belle after his wife; after three years Disney ordered it into storage due to a series of accidents involving his guests. Disney grew more politically conservative as he got older. A Democratic Party supporter until the 1940 presidential election , when he switched allegiance to the Republican Party , he became
36270-592: Was generally happy, according to Lillian, although according to Disney's biographer Neal Gabler she did not "accept Walt's decisions meekly or his status unquestionably, and she admitted that he was always telling people 'how henpecked he is'." Lillian had little interest in films or the Hollywood social scene and she was, in the words of the historian Steven Watts, "content with household management and providing support for her husband". Their marriage produced two daughters, Diane (born December 1933) and Sharon (adopted in December 1936, born six weeks previously). Within
36465-561: Was less involved than he had been with previous pictures because of his involvement in his first entirely live-action feature, Treasure Island (1950), which was shot in Britain, as was The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952). Other all-live-action features followed, many of which had patriotic themes. He continued to produce full-length animated features too, including Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). From
36660-669: Was losing the rights to both the Out of the Inkwell and Felix the Cat cartoons, and needed a new series. In October, they signed a contract for six Alice comedies , with an option for two further series of six episodes each. Disney and his brother Roy formed the Disney Brothers Studio—;which later became The Walt Disney Company —to produce the films; they persuaded Davis and her family to relocate to Hollywood to continue production, with Davis on contract at $ 100
36855-479: Was made a "Special Agent in Charge Contact" in 1954, FBI officials claim this was largely an honorary title regularly awarded to members of a community who might be of use to the bureau. The FBI declassified and released Walt Disney's file on their website, and revealed that much of Disney's correspondence with the bureau (via studio personnel) was in relation to the production of educational films ; such as
37050-480: Was not antisemitic, nevertheless, he willingly allied himself with people who were antisemitic, and that reputation stuck. He was never really able to expunge it throughout his life." Disney distanced himself from the Motion Picture Alliance, and had no involvement with the organization after 1947. According to Disney's daughter Diane Disney-Miller , her sister Sharon dated a Jewish boyfriend for
37245-517: Was racially insensitive." The feature film Song of the South was criticized by contemporary film critics, the NAACP , and others for its perpetuation of black stereotypes , but during filming Disney became close friends with its star, James Baskett , describing him in a letter to his sister Ruth as "the best actor, I believe, to be discovered in years." Disney and Baskett stayed in contact long after
37440-495: Was solicited to Disney by painter and ballet dancer Hurbert "Jay" Stowitts , a close friend of Riefenstahl, and a former colleague of Leopold Stokowski who at the time was collaborating with Disney on Fantasia . A month later a spokesperson for Disney told the New York Daily News : "Miss Refiensthal got into the studio, but she crashed the gate. A Los Angeles man who is known to Disney obtained permission to take
37635-512: Was sometimes strained. The series ran until July 1927, by which time Disney had begun to tire of it and wanted to move away from the mixed format to all animation. After Mintz requested new material to distribute through Universal Pictures , Disney and Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit , a character Disney wanted to be "peppy, alert, saucy and venturesome, keeping him also neat and trim". In February 1928, Disney hoped to negotiate
37830-530: Was taken by ambulance from his home to St. Joseph Hospital where, on December 15, at age 65, he died of circulatory collapse caused by the cancer. His remains were cremated two days later and his ashes interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California . The release of The Jungle Book and The Happiest Millionaire in 1967 raised the total number of feature films that Disney had been involved in to 81. When Winnie
38025-402: Was too tight for the new, elongated end-compartments, so Monorail Blue was modified at the manufacturer and entered service before Red . Emergencies requiring train evacuation will be handled differently depending upon the location of the train and the nature of the emergency. If a train is stopped at a station platform or the work platform, guests can exit the train onto the platform. Exiting
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