Friday, May 1, 2009

A Disney Hollywood Studios 20th Anniversary Celebration - Part Four - Wallpaper Pictures



The Disney and more tribute for the Disney Hollywood Studios 20th Anniversary is going on! As i have posted plenty of DHS artwork the last three days i thought that a "wallpaper collection" article will make a little change.

All the pictures below are Disney pictures of DHS favorite attractions and restaurants and you probably know most of the pictures, but here they are in high-res and would do perfect wallpaper for your computer screen.

So, enjoy, and see you tomorrow sunday for a new article!





















All pictures: copyright Disney
Editor's Note: Here is the article about Disney's Hollywood Studios Great Movie Ride. Including a great story about the "Casablanca" scene and a two-part video of the entire ride. Don't miss it!

Also, Mark Taft of Insights and Sounds have a fantastic report on the Disney Hollywood Studios with dozens of pictures shoot 20 years ago in May 1989, only two weeks after the park's opening!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

A Disney Hollywood Studios 20th Anniversary Celebration - Part Three - The Great Movie Ride original artwork and behind the scenes pictures



Hello, here is part three of this Disney MGM Studios series, and, as promised, the article is about the Great Movie ride with original artwork and great behind the scenes photos of imagineers at work.

Above is the artwork for something that was probably a mural painting, and below a rendering of the Chinese Theatre area.



Another one of the Hollywood Boulevard with the Chinese Theatre in the background.



Here is a rare rendering for the Singing in the rain scene.



And of course, this one is for the John Wayne scene.



Here is the artwork for the gangsters scene.



And this is the rendering for the final Wizard of Oz scene.



Before we have a look to some behind the scenes pictures, here is a great story told to me by a friend imagineer about the "Casablanca" scene of the ride, and more specifically about the real plane one can see in the decor:
"The Casablanca scene has the real Casablanca Lockheed Electra plane used in the movie - and the tail section is in the WDW Jungle Cruise. The plane was located by Malcolm Cobb of WDI/ California, in Texas. Malcolm got the Lockheed registry of all the planes and their history and present owners and set out looking. On this Texas plane, no one had any idea it was the real plane until they ran its serial numbers and found it had been registered to the movie studio that made the film at that time. This was done after the purchase was completed. When Malcolm found it, it had been sitting for some time and not running. Another owner nearby owned three of these planes and wanted much more money for his as they were flyable. Malcolm didnt need one that flew and bought the cheapest one, being the real on. When the man who owned the three planes found out what he had missed, he was pretty upset at himself, as it had been right next to his backyard."

The first behind the scenes picture below shows an imagineer at work on the Busby Berkeley opening scene.



When we think about an Indiana Jones attraction, we generally think about Indiana Jones Adventure, or the Epic stunt spectacular, or the Temple du péril but we often forget that there is a great Indy scene in the Great Movie ride! Here, one imagineer is at work on one of the giant Anubis statues.



Other imagineers at work in the same room.



Final touch to the Ark of the Covenant scene.



Inside WDI workhouse, an imagineer measuring the beautiful Ark of the Covenant replica.



Putting in place the Egyptian mummies...



Final touch on the same mummies...



Almost cheek to cheek between a beautiful imagineer and a quite well done mummy...



No, it's not Tarzan and Jane, but two imagineers at work on the vegetation of the Tarzan scene.




And for those of you living outside the U.S who never had the luck to ride the Great Movie Ride, here is the video of the full ride, in two parts.




The Disney Hollywood Studios 20th Anniversary tribute is still going on tomorrow, don't miss it!

All artwork and photos: copyright Disney Enterprises Inc.

Youtube video: copyright coasterimage.com

A Disney Hollywood Studios 20th Anniversary Celebration - Part Two - Sunset Boulevard and Tower of Terror original artwork



Hello, here is the part two of this Disney MGM Studios series, and, as in France it's already April 2nd, it's not an april fools!

Finally, the article about the Great Movie ride will be the next one, and instead we will have a look today on the original artwork for the Sunset Boulevard and Tower of Terror.

Let's begin first by a series of renderings for the Sunset Blvd facades, and note that the one above on the top show a building that was never built.





And, yes, the next one is the Carthay Circle Theater, which was replicated at Disney-Mgm and who will be, too, one of the icon of the new DCA placemaking, hosting the "Walt Disney story".



Here is another one, showing the Tower of terror in the background, and the Carthay Circle Theater on the right.



This next one is a beautiful night view, and the Carthay Circle Theater is now on the left!



And this rendering seems to indicate that a "Disney film festival" was envisioned by the imagineers in the Carthay Circle Theater. Just like on the rendering above, note the red tramway on the right. Never built, we will finally get it in the new DCA placemaking.



On this next rendering, have a close look the "orange grove" area on the top left, finally never done.



Let's have a look now to the Tower of terror renderings, beginning by these two early concepts. As you can see , the building had a totally different look.




Here is another TOT concept art, pretty rare, too.



The next renderings are others concept, closer to the final version, and a picture of the model.






This one is really interesting as it shows how the ride was previously envisioned, and as you can see, the Twilight Zone room was supposed to be in the basement and not at the top.



Let's end with a picture of the model that we all know, but always beautiful.



Okay, next time, promise, you'll have the Great Movie ride article!

All artwork and photos: copyright Disney Enterprises Inc.