In the old log cabin at Big Thunder Ranch we find part of the Halloween Roundup celebration. Here a a few shots of the cowboy pumpkin men that offer a not so frightful experience. First are these two who are playing cards.
Another cowboy standing by a table.
Is this Black Bart enjoying some punch?
This saloon girl is serenading the cowboys.
At Disneyland, with all of its animatronic figures and characters, some of the best features of the park are the simplest ones. Here, we see Main Street Cinema, a small building which shows classic Mickey Mouse cartoons. In front of the entrance is a ticket booth with a figure of "Tilly", a cast member who is originally from Walt Disney's home town of Marceline Missouri.
A view of the ticket booth with Tilly sitting inside. There's no movement to the figure, but the detail is fairly good.
A closer view of the figure shows more of its features. Notice the name tag. I guess that makes it an honorary cast member.
From straight on you can see not only the figure's hat hanging up, but also photographs of many famous individuals. I'm not sure what their significance is with either Disney or Missouri.
And from another angle.
Some of the signs around the entrance advertise the movies inside.
And on the other wall is more of the same.
And the star of the cinema himself, Mickey Mouse.
One thing I love about Disneyland is the animatronics. They take the concept of static figures and bring life to them. One such case is the 1987 attraction Star Tours. Here in the lobby (or pre show area) we see R2-D2 and C-3PO. I guess somehow they landed jobs working for the Star Tours organization. R2 is the navigator of this Starspeeder 3000, and C-3PO is just kind of standing around. I guess he's union.
A close up of C-3PO. He looks just like he does in the movies. And he moves!
Not as noticeable as the true animatronic figures that are found elsewhere in Disneyland, the Main Street Emporium houses a few scenes of (almost) static figures. One of which is the tableaux of a boy reluctantly getting his hair cut by this over eager Barber. Notice the Christmas garland hanging on the wall, and how it magically disappears in one of the shots. Hmmm.
The poor boy acts as if there is a razor, and not a comb, in the Barbers hand. But who can blame the child, Haircuts are second only to Dentist visits when it comes to uncomfortable appointments.
Another angle continues to capture the fear in the boy's face. The whole scenario is quite amusing.
After exploring Tarzan's Treehouse, guests can explore the grounds at the base of the tree. Here we see the kitchen and scientific set up that people can interact with. It's the last section of the attraction, and definitely the most fun!
Telescopes and musical instruments abound in this section of the attraction. Is that Swisskapolka that I hear?
A figure of a skeleton sits near the slide projector. Is this supposed to be one of Tarzan's parents, or a scientific specimen?
The kitchen stove. No good treehouse is without one. Step on the blower and watch the flame rise and the pots boil.
It looks like one of the animatronic elephants from the Jungle Cruise escaped. This photograph is older, and I think that they sent this little guy back home. Most likely, he is the elephant that now stands next to Trader Sam.
Here's the lovely couple now. Jane is sketching the ape man, while he seems to be concentrating on how wonderful he thinks Jane is. The big sketchbook in the center of the picture draws the sketches sort of like an Etch A Sketch does.
A close up of Jane. She looks very much like the cartoon character she is. The Imaginears weren't going for realism on this attraction.
Freeze! Tarzan's figure looks pretty good. Nice detail in the feet and upper torso.
The book detailing this scene.
The next room in the treehouse shows Kala as she begins taking care of Tarzan. I would have like it if there was some kind of movement to the figures, but I suppose that static scene gives us a freeze frame of the life of the characters.
Outside, in the trees, we hear baby Tarzan. His famous yell calls from the cradle.
Another book explaining the scene.
We see that they're watching TV. Actually, there's a couple of these screens in the attraction. They show drawings of the characters. That's where the motion is.
Although Disneyland is famous for their impressive attractions that take guests to other worlds using state of the art technology, some simpler attractions feel more like wax museum displays than thrill rides. Tarzan's Treehouse, for example, is a pleasant walk though attraction that offers guests a glimpse into the world of Edgar Rice Burrough's famous character. Each room in the house shows a loose recreation of a scene from the movie. The characters are more fiberglass than wax, but they do offer the same feel and atmosphere that one could find in a wax museum.
This book, as well as others, move the story along as guests walk through the treehouse.
Sabor not only scares visitors with his razor sharp teeth, but when people peek inside the room, he releases a loud roar. This effect always startles the young and old alike.
In the Queue for the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction at Disneyland is an audio animatronic Buzz Lightyear figure. The very expressive figure explaind the mission of the ride. Shoot the targets and earn points to destroy the evil emperor Zurg.
Now buzz shoots his laser gun to show how it works. His face is animated using some sort of rear projection technology similar to Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion.
From another angle we see Buzz and his Etch-A-Sketch that he uses for strategic planning.
Here is the evil Zurg, as drawn on the Etch-A-Sketch. His animatronic figure can be found near the end of the attraction.
Besides the obvious difference in material, what separates a traditional wax figure and an animatronic is the ability of motion. A figure like Trader Sam does have the same basic purpose as say a Charlie Chaplin wax figure. Each attempts to create a realistic representation of a human being. The static Chaplin figure brings the viewer into a frozen moment from one of his motion pictures. Trader Sam, through its ability to move, stretches that frozen moment into a prolonged, living experience. While a wax tableau may be a three dimensional painting, an attraction like the Jungle Cruise becomes a moving picture where time is both experienced and suspended. Neither is better than the other, in fact both create interest in the subject they represent, and each should be appreciated for the art form it is.
A closer view of Sam with the mask he wore for years. And for years he has been giving Jungle Cruise passengers the same great deal. Two of his heads for one of yours!
I often looked to see if the figure actually had a face behind the mask, but the speed of the boat, along with the seating configuration, made that difficult.
Tada! After the last major update to the attraction, which brought explosions and Piranhas, Sam decided to get a little more sun. Despite the upgrades, Sam kept the same great deal.
Doctor Nedley Lostmore lost more than he expected during his trip to the wilds of Adventureland. But as a result, guests at Disneyland can receive a personal diagnosis and a souvenir prescription card for only 50¢. Great detail has gone into the construction of Ned's head. It combines both realism and caricature, which makes it fairly tame for something that would otherwise seem pretty gruesome.
This machine sits inside the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost/Adventureland Bazaar building in Adventureland. Similar Machines inside the park have included Fortune Red in the Pieces of Eight shop and Esmeralda in the Penny Arcade. (Plus a new less detailed Esmeralda like fortune teller also inside the Penny Arcade)
Here is a picture of the Preying Mantis Manny from the movie A Bugs Life. several statues were added to the Bountiful Valley Farm section of Disney's California Adventure when it was believed that the area lacked theming. These figures are kind of cool looking. They're well detailed and people seem to enjoy them. They caught my eye back in 2003 when this picture was taken.
This vintage ad from 1978 previews the addition of the now famous Abominable Snowman who resides inside Disneyland's Matterhorn Mountain. Although not made of wax, Harold, as he is often referred as, is a beautifully designed figure. For nearly three decades He has been scaring unsuspecting guests who pass by in their bobsleds.
Here is the Yeti himself. Not the most animated animatronic ever built, but the addition of a strobe light helps create perceived motion. Basically, the effect tricks you into thinking more is going on than really is. Actually there are several Abominable Snowmen in the attraction, each with its own degree of fluidity.
Though he rarely leaves the mountain, here is a cast of a footprint "found" at the base of the south slope of the mountain.
And yet another footprint, this time from the North slope.
