The drawbridge does really work. It has been raised and lowered twice. First, when Fantasyland was new in 1955. Then it was lowered to allow the excited youngsters to run in during the televised grand opening of Disneyland. The second opening was after the complete rehab of Fantasyland in 1983, when the land was again "opened" via the drawbridge and re-dedicated.
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Directly over the drawbridge entrace is the Disney family's crest, or coat of arms. Look up as you enter the castle and you can plainly see it.
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The height of Sleeping Beauty's case is only 77 feet above the moat, but does look taller through forced perspective (things are actually smaller as they are higher, thus making them look even further away. This technique is also used on the Matterhorn nearby, and all the buildings on Main Street.
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The Sleeping Beauty walk-through attraction was added to the castle in 1957, to coincide with the release of the animated film of the same name. On hand at the dedication ceremony was Shirley Temple.
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Between the time the castle was constructed and the walk-through added two years later, the castle was empty and overrun with feral cats. Workers installing the walk-through complained often about all the fleas in the castle!
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Immediately inside the castle, within the arches, on the west side is now the Princesses Shop. This was formerly the Christmas Shop, now found in New Orleans Square, and was originally a candy store, and remained one until about 1988.
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Just inside the Castle courtyard, on your right, is the original Fantasyland Magic Shop. Later this became a Christmas shop, then was the place to find merchandise related to the Disney Villians. It's closed at present, unsure what its future may hold.
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A little research was needed on this, but it appears that there is one attraction at Disneyland that was built for the original park, demolished, then completely rebuilt again. It's Dumbo. The story is that the original ride in Fantasyland was there on opening day. During the reconstruction in 1982-83, it was to be moved, but the same attraction, with pretty new ornamentation was ready to be shipped to Disneyland Paris. Europe wasn't ready for it yet, so the new Dumbo was installed at Disneyland, and the old one was dismantled. The New Dumbo is on the left, the old Dumbo on the right. You can also see the carnival or circus theme that Fantasyland had before the rehad in 1982/83.
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King Arthur's Carrousel has 72 horses, all white, yet all painted differently. The original carrousel purchased for Disneyland was an 1875 Dentzel carrousel, and came from an amusement park in Toronto.
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Since the closing of the Skyway between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, there is only one attraction at Disneyland where the guests are suspended, rather than riding on or in their transportation: Peter Pan's Flight (the little pirate ships hand from an overhead rail).
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Yes, that bright red apple in the witch/queen's hand in Snow White's Scary Adventure is sometimes missing. It's frequently stolen by souvenier-seeking guests, thus depriving the next guest of the chance to see the apple. But they are cheap, and are replaced often by the ride cast members.
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The 1983 remodel of Fantasyland added the present fascade to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, built to resemble Toad Hall itself. Thus, like Toad Hall in Storybookland, it has a multitude of chimneys (and supposedly only one fireplace) which actually produce smoke.
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The castmembers who host the Storybook Land Canal Boats used to tell you about a place you could not go. At the end of the ride, to the left just before you return to dock, there is a cave with a waterfall. Through it, you can see King Triton's castle from the Little Mermaid. Before that castle was added, this was Never Never Land. It was called that, because the castmembers told the guests that it was where the boats were put away for the night, and you could Never Never go there. Probably just as well, as it isn't exactly show material. Here's that Never Never land from the inside:
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There are 18 tea cups in which you can ride on the Mad Tea Party attraction.
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Perhaps one of the best puns ever at Disneyland was one that may have been unintentional. Captain Hook's pirate ship, which was present at Disneyland's opening, contained a restaurant inside, which served great tuna sandwiches. Thus, the frequently cowardly Hook was sponsored by Chicken of the Sea.
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Captain's Hook's ship at Disneyland was originally constructed of wood, and was nestled snugly in its own little lagoon. But because of damage to the wood, it was eventually replaced by a ship that was entirely concrete. The very same ship design is now located at Disneyland Paris, but the original from Disneyland was destroyed during the 1982-83 remodel, since it couldn't be removed intact.
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Casey Jr. Circus Train was scheduled to be up and running on Disneyland's opening day, but it refused to operate properly. So it sat idle for two weeks, finally opening on July 31, 1955.
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Kathryn Beaumont, who provided the voice of Alice in Wonderland in the 1951 film, returned to do additional dialogue for the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland when it was remodeled in 1982. Here's a 1982 photo of Kathryn and John Debney, who composed new incidental music for the attraction,and oversaw the recording of the new soundtract.
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There is a time capsule, or Time Castle, buried in the forecourt of the castle. It was placed there during special ceremonies on the 40th Anniversary of Disneyland on July 17, 1995. To see the marker and its inscription, click this link.
Yes, there is a half-court size basketball court in the base of the Matterhorn. There's actually lots of room in there, as it is empty space surrounded by structural steel.
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In recent years, the geography of Frontierland has undergone some dramatic changes. The Fantasmic Stage on the south end of Tom Sawyer's island has been rebuilt (twice actually), but the biggest change was the elimination of the Living Desert and the Rainbow Ridge Mine Train. This attraction used to occupy the space where Big Thunder and the old Big Thunder Ranch, or Festival of Fools outdoor theatre now sits. There was a small mining town, and a REAL train that took you through rainbow caverns, and a Disney-fied desert, with teetering rocks, stuffed bobcats, and rubber rattlesnakes. Even the dinosaur bones that now grace the water spash portion of Big Thunder once occupied the desert that was once here.
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Disneyland has always been very good at recycling things. That includes portions of attractions. Below is the Assay Office from Big Thunder, and the same building as it appeared when it was the Comstock Building in Rainbow Ridge.
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The Mark Twain stern-wheeled steamer has two stories. First, the hull is made of steel and was fabricated near Long Beach, then trucked to Disneyland. The entire superstructure of the ship was actually built at the Disney Studios in Burbank on a sound stage. It was then disassembled, hauled to Anaheim, and reassembled in place above the hull. It has plied no other waters but the Rivers of America at Disneyland. By the way, it really does run on steam. The boiler is oil-fired, and the paddle-wheel does provide the locomotion for the ship. Of course, it doesn't require a captain to navigate the river, as it runs along a guidance track. You can plainly see the track curving to the right on the river bottom in this photo taken in 1994, when the river was drained to make repairs and improvements to the Fantasmic! staging. The Columbia is seen sitting in the background at upper right.
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There's so much on Main Street USA it's hard to know where to begin, but let's start with the Fire Department. There really is an apartment over the Fire Department, and yes, Walt used to stay there from time to time during visits to the park. It has never been opened to the public, but was photographed the first time for the August, 1963 issue of National Geographic.
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The Watch Shop (or Clock Shop, or Jewelry store, if you prefer) on Main Street was originally a pharmacy, and featured, among other things, live leeches in jars on the counter. It was originally sponsored by the Upjohn Company, and they gave away sample bottles of their Unicap vitamins in very small glass bottles, which held about 6 pills.
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Disney Legend Wally Boag, the original Pecos Bill and creator of the Golden Horseshoe Review (in its final form, at least) appeared throughout the park. The Golden Horseshoe Review held (or still holds) the record for continuous performances of a live show, and Wally was very involved in other areas of the park. I am privileged to have been there and seen him perform many times during his tenure. He also provided the voice for Jose the Parrot in the Tiki Room (Thurl Ravenscroft, of Haunted Mansion fame, provided the voice for Fritz), and his creativity helped many other shows and attractions. A few years ago, he got his own window on Main Street.
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The Disney merchandise and preview shop on the corner of town square was originally the Wurlitzer shop, featuring pianos and the like.
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According to the sign on the Disneyland Railroad Train Station, the elevation of Disneyland is 138 feet above sea level.
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The Main Street Bank was the Bank of America for many years. Yes, you could actually open an account there. It was one of the first places to offer Disneyland character checks, which were then offered by other branches of BofA. They have long since been withdrawn from availability to the public. I had such an account at one time, so here's a sample check (I've blotted out some of the personal info):
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Shortly after the Main Street Electric Parade debuted in Disneyland, and WAY before there were CD's of the same, the Theme from that delightful show was available on a 7" 33 1/3 rpm picture disk at the park. I still have mine! It contained the entire theme from the parade and all the sub-parts thereof! Here's what it looks like:
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While we're on this cusp of time, the New Tomorrowland is now open, but parts of the old Tomorrowland Fresh is still our memories. Let's take a look at some of the recently "old" attractions.
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Space Mountain is 173 feet tall. As such, it is presently the highest structure in Disneyland (to the tip of the main spire). The Matterhorn, on the other hand, is only 143 feet tall, a loser by 30 feet.
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Okay Captain Eo Fans! Here's a few pics and notes. First, one of the songs from Captain Eo, "Another Part of Me" appeared on Michael Jackson's "Bad" CD. The other main song, "We are Here to Change the World" has not been released on any album to date.
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Okay, so this isn't trivia: If you'd like to view the Captain Eo Page follow this link.
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Star Tours present location has held several attractions. First, there was the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, a walk-through for the post-atomic age. This was replaced in 1967 by the Adventures through Inner Space, which featured the delightful atomobiles and the Mighty Mircroscope. This used the same ride system as the Haunted Mansion (but painted blue) and took you deeper and deeper into a single snowflake. The ride narration was again provided by Paul Frees. This closed in 1985 to make way for Star Tours, which now occupies the same space. And yes, the Mighty Mircroscope can be seen on the Star Tours attraction. It's down and to the right just as your StarSpeeder shoots over the railing into the maintenance by, before heading up and out the space portal. Nice touch, Imagineers!"
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Does anyone know what the letters CMB mean or meant on the space vehicle that is suspended overhead in the loading/unloading area of Space Mountain? I've asked several CM's, and no one seems to know...
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Remember the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walk-through? This was one of my favorites as kid. As most people now know, part of it lives on at Disneyland. Captain Nemo's organ, from the beautifully furnished parlor of the Nautilus, is now played for eternity (perhaps) by the ghost in the ballroom of the Haunted Mansion.
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On another note, here's a couple of Disneyland legends:
A while back, a story circulated that a criminal conspiracy existed to kidnap toddlers from Disneyland to sell as abandoned or orphaned children to couples who would adopt for a fee. This story included the nationality of the suspects, and that they would find these children wandering at Disneyland, take them into the nearest restroom where they would change their clothing and even dye their hair! This story appeared in several newspapers, and of course, on the internet. The only problem with it was there was absolutely no truth to it. Thus it is best regarded as an Urban Myth.
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Similar to the above is the story about the guy who stood up just before the bobsled entered the Matterhorn cave and smashed his brains all over the pseudo-granite. Nice and gory, but again, it never happened.
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The Skyway did not close because a guest fell to his/her death from these suspended aerial trams. That also did not happen. The Skyway was closed, ostensibly at least, due to problems with handicapped access.
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There has been at least one recognized birth at Disneyland. A special birth certificate was created for the event (afterwards, of course) and presented the the parents. I've seen a copy of it, featuring Disney characters and announcing the vital statistics. Now if that kid isn't a Disneyphile, who could be?
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According to the original (1st edition) Disneyland Guidebook, the opening day attractions were these:
Santa Fe & Diseyland Railroad Disneyland Street Railway (the horse-drawn trolleys on Main Street) Disneyland Fire Department (that fire wagon in the fire house was a ride up and down Main Street) Disneyland Penny Arcade and Shooting Gallery: This bears special attention. According to the Guidebook, here you had "A fun packed collection of games, amusements and Americana, and tests of skill and marksmanship at the .22 caliber shooting gallery." (Yep, real, live .22's!!) Main Street Cinema Explorer's Boat Ride (now the Jungle Cruise) Log Fort and Block Houses (actually, the entry fascade to Frontierland) Mark Twain River Boat Painted Desert (Stage Coach Ride) Conestoga Wagons (through the Painted Desert) Davy Crockett Museum (then the Mercantile) Sleeping Beauty Castle (the walk-through wasn't open yet) Peter Pan Casey Jr (although not operational on opening day) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Snow White Ride-Thru Mickey Mouse Theatre (also not operational opening day) King Arthur Carousel Mad Tea Party Dumbo Canal Boats of the World (now Storybook Land Canal Boats) Clock of the World Space Station X-1 Speedboats (later Phantom Boats, later really phantoms, now long, long gone) Autopia Spaceport Rocket to the Moon (the Moonliner from TWA) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit (sets and effects from the film) That's it! Unless of course you count the Corest Shop on Main Street from Hollywood-Maxwell, the Yale & Towne Lock Shop, the Bone Carvers in Frontierland, the Red Wagon Inn On the Plaza by Swift, Co., the Aunt Jemima Pancake House from Quaker Oats, or the long, long gone Chicken Plantation House in Frontierland. Or the one I had actually forgotten until I read about it, the Welch's Grape Juice Beverage stand in Fantasyland! Cold Grape Juice!!! Yum!!!!
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I've also heard one about the teenager(s) who hid out in Disneyland for days on end, evading security at night, sleeping on Tom Sawyer's Island, etc. While some visitors have adventured into remote areas for their own reasons, usually not really criminal, there is no record of anyone living at Disneyland for days on end, or even overnight.