Originally Posted By dresswhites from those pics, disney has really improved with age. old fantasyland seemed to lack charm and trees. where there any trees in old Fantasyland? it must of miserable in the summertime.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice ^^If I remember right, the only landscaping was by the Skyway station and a bit at Skull Rock once that was built. It was very shopping-center-carnival-like way back when. The dark ride facades were VERY basic, as were the surroundings for the 'spinners.'
Originally Posted By dresswhites it is interesting that Walt never found the opurtunity to spruce up Fantasyland. you would think when he opened up Alice that would be the signal to start some changes in the land. But Alice appears to have the same carnival look the rest the land had. the other thing i never understood was the matterhorn. Walt being the perfectionist he was, why was the interior of the matterhorn left undone? surely he didn't think seeing the structure of the mountain was great theming. he and his imagineers were capable of theming the whole ride experience. Mine Train Through Natures Wonderland, the Jungle Cruise, even the Tiki Room is proof of this. Does anyone know why Fantasyland and the matterhorn seemed to get the short end of the stick when it can to enhancing the lands?
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster I would hardly call Walt a perfectionist. He was too easily distracted by new technology to bother with anything ever being perfect. But he was brilliant when it came to understanding what would impress the general public. The Disneyland we have today was mostly engineered by Walt's successors.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Well, I think the main reason was money. The early days were probably about adding new attractions rather than enhancing lands. I guess Fantasyland must have been the lowest priority because so much attention was focused on other areas that really needed improvement, like Tomorrowland. I've read lots of stories that say that Walt wanted Fantasyland to look like a fairytale village, but just didn't have the funds. Lord knows what Disneyland would have truly looked like if Walt had unlimited funds...
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I have a feeling it would still be under construction, and would cover roughly 2/3 of the continent.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "the other thing i never understood was the matterhorn. Walt being the perfectionist he was, why was the interior of the matterhorn left undone?" I never understood the Matterhorn Bobsleds either. Not only was it poorly themed, it never truly fit into the surrounding thematic realms adjacent to it. Even today, if you think about it, the attraction’s placement doesn't make a whole lot of sense wedged in between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland next to a tropical coral reef. I think that a lot of what is said about Walt Disney being this or that is partially created by Disney PR since his death. It's pretty evident by his body of work that he was often unable to achieve the level of perfection generally attributed to him. Above of all he was a showman, and his most successful projects were those that connected with the public on an emotional level.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Oh, and did I mention that I'm thrilled about the upgrades to Alice?
