Originally Posted By Wbnemo1 The original 11 foot Nautilus used in the filming of Disney's 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, will be on display this Sunday(9/10/06 for a public viewing between 11-4 pm. It has been put in the center of the entire special pin event going on there now. If you live in Florida area and can get there, It's a must see! It will be on display at the Millenium Villiage building at Epcot World Showcase between Canada and Great Britain..I sincerely love this Submarine boat and hope to see tons of pics... Best, Will
Originally Posted By idleBrain Thank you so very much, Will, for this info! Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Long story short... my head cold from hell forced us to push our WDW park hopping from Friday to Sunday. Which meant I had valid park media for today, for entrance to Epcot. Yippee! I had the chance to chat with Rich Allsmiller, whom I had not seen since the Fabulous Disney Babe introduced us at DL, way back in the late nineties. Rich and his friend Dave, who was also on hand, did the restoration work on this Nautilus. And WOW!! IT IS AWESOME!! After thanking Rich for the Toad car replica he created as part of DL's 50th merchandise offerings (my favorite DL ride vehicle), he had the opportunity to give me a rundown on what he and Dave did to restore the Nautilus back to her original glory. Rich pulled out his digital camera and gave me a quick slideshow of the work-in-progress from photos he took as the restoration unfolded. What an amazing labor of love! However... what was NOT pleasant to hear was what Disney was going to do with this incredible artifact of movie history. This original 11-foot model of the Nautilus used in the film was going to be discarded or destroyed or given to Mouse Surplus as salvage after it was removed from the Living Seas pavilion during the Nemo makeover! The WDW flying monkeys could not be bothered with keeping this amazing model for historical purposes. AARRGGHH!! So Rich's comrades were able to save the Nautilus from a nasty fate, fix her broken parts, restore her original brass luster (yeah... it's made from BRASS), and return it to Epcot for permanent display on property, perhaps at Guest Services. The model had never received any restoration or repair work since the day it was mounted in the Living Seas queue, which was neglectful enough. But wow! I'm so glad I got sick last week, so I would have the opportunity to see the model today. What an homage Rich's and Dave's restoration is, to the artistry and craftsmanship which created this model over 53 years ago!
Originally Posted By Wbnemo1 Guess it wasnt mentioned that I did the restoration too.....there were a few of us actually....now lests see some pics Will
Originally Posted By idleBrain Oh that is so cool, Will! Here's your chance to set the record straight: * How many folks participated in the restoration? * How long did it take to complete? * What kind of 'guarantee' is WDW now promising, that the model won't end up on Disney Auctions or at Baxter Manor? 8^D
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Pictures are here. Enjoy! Nautilus Model <a href="http://ssdisney.home.att.net/Nautilus/" target="_blank">http://ssdisney.home.att.net/N autilus/</a>
Originally Posted By Wbnemo1 gonna let Rich tell the story...hope ya don't mind. she turned out great though.. Will
Originally Posted By Wbnemo1 sweet pics you just missed me...i had to gas up before coming over...I arrived about 11:30 or so Will
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Great to hear this isn't going to Mouse Surplus. This company has no regard for its history.
Originally Posted By tonyanton Thanks for the pix! idlebrain...that story really sickens me. That model would be great for the "The Great Movie Ride" queue or the "One Man's Dream" exhibit. Or send it back to Burbank to the Archives.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom The model looks great. I hope it goes on display. I would really hate for it to go to the Archieve. If that happens then only Cast Memebers can see the model.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Don't know if you noticed -- but the sign in the 5th picture is misspelled. "If your surprised it's Brass" should be "If you're surprised it's brass" Oh well.
Originally Posted By Wbnemo1 i only glanced at it..too busy looking at the Nautilus herself...sooooooooo pretty Will
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom You mean there was a sign there some where ? Who cares about the sign. I was looking at the "goods". What an extremely well done model.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 thanks for the pix -- they are cool... except now it makes me even less tolerant of the playground--I'll have to give that tree an extra kick the next time I am there
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Wbnemo1 -- A question that only an engineer would care about -- what does that thing weigh?
Originally Posted By Wbnemo1 hmm short answer!... over 200.. the actual figure classified unless declassified by a certain Team member Best, Will
