Walt Disney Family Museum - Ribbon Room

With no small amount of hyperbole, the Walt Disney Family Museum is one of the greatest museums ever, located at the Presidio in one of the greatest American cities ever, San Francisco. Once in a while, my sister works there as a volunteer.

One of the best rooms in the museum is galley number 7. For a lack of better words, I call it the ribbon room. It is reminiscent, to me at least, of the main lobby of the Disney Animation exhibit at the California Adventure. This ribbon room is about the Disney Studio's post-WWII film productions, when Walt tried to diversify his business. It features all of the films released between 1945 and 1955 (animation and live-action alike), stopping just short of the opening of Disneyland (in its own, equally impressive gallery). The films are:

• The Three Caballeros (1945)
• Make Mine Music (1946)
• Song of the South (1946) (yes, the museum wisely did not let this film slip by unnoticed)
• Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
• Melody Time (1948)
• So Dear To My Heart (1949)
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
• Cinderella (1950)
• Treasure Island (1950)
• Alice In Wonderland (1951)
• The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)
• Peter Pan (1953)
• The Sword and the Rose (1953)
• Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1954)
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
• Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Anyway, the ribbon room is my most favorite in the museum. It shows off the artifacts to create the live-action movies and the artwork of the animated movies (such as the waterproof camera used for "20,000 Leagues"). But the best part is this long strip of film that adorns the upper wall of the museum and features constantly shifting images (hence, my comparison between this and the California Adventure's Animation exhibit lobby). Here's a small sample of such images (all cobbled together from various online sources):

In fact, I was just there very recently, and I had heard beforehand about the fact that you can now take pictures in there (provided you turn the flash off). Sometime later, in a future post to this blog, I will put up some of my own pictures taken. Stay tuned! And if you ever visit San Francisco, be sure to make time for the Walt Disney Family Museum. It's a great place!

Mickey and the SF Giants

Just another, even quicker one...

On one of my very first posts, I had put up an image of a pin showing Goofy joining my favorite baseball team, the San Francisco Giants. I later learned that I actually did not have that particular pin. Instead, it was a Mickey pin, like so:

Anyway, it does look nice. It also reinforces what my favorite baseball team is. Mind you, that's just my opinion.

The Pinocchio ride mural

Just a quick one for today...

At most, but not all, of the Disney parks, one dark ride in Fantasyland is themed to Pinocchio. Called Pinocchio's Daring Journey (or Les Voyages de Pinocchio (or Pinocchio's Fantastic Journey) at Disneyland Paris), it retells the film in dark ride. It is quite a wonderful ride. It was designed first for Disneyland, but opened first at Tokyo Disneyland, opening there on that park's opening day on April 15, 1983. It opened at Disneyland as part of that park's "new" Fantasyland about a month-and-a-half later. The Paris version opened with that park on April 12, 1992.

Anyway, all versions of the ride have a mural right at the loading area, which features the same basic thing: Foulfellow and Gideon enticing Pinocchio over toward them. Gideon holds a mallet behind his back. Behind the both of them, the Coachman stands, looking rather smug as he holds some bags of cash in his hands, waiting to pay the two rogues. Pinocchio, meanwhile, holding an apple and a book, no doubt heading for school, is interested in them and looks their way, while Jiminy Cricket stands trying to stop him. Behind Jiminy is a sign pointing in different directions, to school, Stromboli's Theater and Pleasure Island. Behind them, a coach full of boys is ready to head off for Pleasure Island in the distance, which is actually attached by a bridge. The donkeys pulling the coach look sad.

Though it is basically the same design, there are some slight differences between them. Here below is Disneyland:

Here's the Tokyo Disneyland mural:

As you can see, the tint is much bluer than the Disneyland one, which is more red. The cobblestone street is much different, and Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket are further away from the villains than they are in California. Basically, the mural appears to look longer than the Disneyland mural. The sky is also completely blue with night, rather orange/pink with sunset.

Finally, the Disneyland Paris mural:

It looks closer to the Disneyland mural, mainly in the position of the characters and the sunset sky being reused. The main difference, besides the words being translated into French, is how the Coachman appears to be grinning somewhat. Pinocchio also has a more excited expression on his face.

Special thanks to Daveland for the use of the second Disneyland picture. Also thanks to PhotosMagiques for the Disneyland Paris picture.

"Pinocchio" in Disney On Parade

Before there was Disney On Ice, there was Disney On Parade. Just imagine this show without ice, and it's pretty much the exact same kind of show. They both traveled to arenas from town to town and even went international.

From 1969 to about 1974, this show ran. In the course of that timespan, not less than four kinds of shows emerged. They each depicted production numbers based on different Disney movies, and they all depicted a huge array of Disney characters. Most of the time, these films only appeared once per show. However, there was one exception: Pinocchio.

One show, from 1971, the second show, to be exact, depicted scenes from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia and a Barnyard Bash, as well as some short little sketches in between, such as with Goofy and Herbie the Love Bug. But there was also a scene from Pinocchio.

 

Based on information I have, including pictures, a blog and especially a whole TV special about the show (you can check it out on YouTube), it involves the first half of the film: Pinocchio is brought to life, and then Jiminy Cricket sings him "Give a Little Whistle" (although, as seen in the show, he sings, "When you get in trouble, and you don't know what to do…" rather than "…and you don't know right from wrong…"). Then J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon waylay Pinocchio, telling him to forget school and be a great performer instead. They sing "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee" (with new lyrics, no less) as they take Pinocchio to perform in Stromboli's puppet show. Pinocchio performs "I've Got No Strings" amid some real live puppets, who bounces about on trampolines, doing backflips in the air as they do so. Even Jiminy gets in on the fun. Then Stromboli captures Pinocchio, saying to him, "You will never get away from-a Stromboli now!" Pinocchio, however, manages to escape. And (except for Stromboli also appearing in a little quick comedy sketch involving other Disney villains) that ended the Pinocchio scene in this second version of Disney On Parade.

And a few years later, it started another:

 

In 1973/4, in the fourth show, there were scenes from Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mary Poppins, plus the Country Bears. But there was also a second scene of Pinocchio.

Called "The Further Adventures of Pinocchio", it depicted basically the second half of the film: Pinocchio is taken to Pleasure Island, where bad boys drink beer, smoke cigars, play pool, and, ultimately, make such big jackasses of themselves that they turn into real jackasses (i.e., donkeys). But Jiminy Cricket comes to his rescue in the nick of time and they save Pinocchio's father Geppetto to fulfill the puppet's wish to become a real boy. Oh, yeah, and a lot more performers, too. And how Jiminy looks different compared to the Disney parks and even the first Pinocchio scene of the show!

 

Mind you, I was not even born yet in those days, so I don't know very much, so the resources I have are from the Internet and some actual programs of the show that my parents do have from actually seeing the show themselves. For more on the show, go to this blog here (special thanks to that blog for the first picture at top): http://disneyonparade.blogspot.com/.

The Seven Faces of Walt

In my last post, I mentioned Jack Kinney as author of "Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters". Well, today, I again bring up both Kinney and his book. Contained therein, on page 157, is a series of sketches on Walt Disney himself:

According to Kinney:

"It was bandied about by the boys in the back room that Walt stopped by the studio basement on his way in to change into his mood costume for the day. These moods became known as 'the Seven Faces of Walt.'"

These sketches appear to reflect the times and attitude one employee felt about the boss. For some of the employees, including Kinney, it resembles an uncomfortable relationship with Walt. In addition to the fact that in almost every sketch Walt is depicted as having a smoke, of the seven "faces", four appear to be bad guys (Legree, Fuehrer, Scrooge and Satan), all dark in tone.

Only three are not evil, sinister or otherwise dark in tone, but even Walt as Mickey Mouse looks a bit smug, as he gestures toward an open chest chock full of cash (even the "s" in "Mouse" is designed as a dollar sign). According to the opinions of some that I got when I posted the picture elsewhere on other forums, they suggested that Kinney may have been envious of Walt's acquired wealth (hence how he looks as Scrooge or as Mickey). At least from my perspective, Legree and the Fuehrer seem to represent total obedience to Walt at all cost (and in the case of the latter, the unfounded notion that Walt was anti-Semite; I honestly doubt he was anti-Semite, but that's another blog post for another time). As for the Bountiful Angel and Mr. Nice Guy, perhaps these might have occurred with people who did the very best for Walt (like, say, the Nine Old Men), and they might also have represented his reputation to the world as a great iconic showman, that the public at large might have known more about these two faces than those actually working for Walt to bring his creations unto the world.

Maybe either one or both of them were not in the best of moods when the sketches were drawn up. It probably shows a way for one employee to vent his frustration about his boss. However, Kinney managed to stay on at Disney until he was terminated in 1957. Ironically, at the time of his being hired in 1931, he had been warned that his job might only be temporary and Kinney had always believed that. And when Walt finally fired him in 1957, Kinney still believed that his job was only temporary! Go figure.

Hockey Homicide

Hockey Homicide is probably one of the best Goofy cartoons ever made, as wild and rollicking as any at Warner Bros. or MGM. It is one of my most favorite Goofy shorts. Directed by Jack Kinney, it was released on September 21, 1945, just after the end of World War II. The sports commentary comes as fast and hard – and as contradictory – as the action onscreen, courtesy of funnyman Doodles Weaver (uncle of actress Sigourney Weaver, by the way), and satirical to boot.

 

The teams, all comprised of Goofy, consist of the Loose Leafs going up against the Ant Eaters, and the team players, as in any Disney sports short, are all named after the various Disney staff members of the period. The stars of the respective teams are named Icebox Bertino, after animator/storyman Al Bertino, and Fearless Ferguson, after famed animator Norm Ferguson. The referee is named Clean Game Kinney, referring to Jack Kinney himself. In fact, in his own autobiography, "Walt Disney and Assorted Other Characters", Kinney devotes one entire chapter to sports at the Disney studio as a way of blowing off steam and get away from the doubtlessly-mind-numbing work of bringing these brilliant cartoons to the screen. Kinney apparently got involved as much as any of them, and in the book, he is referred to at least once as "Clean Game" Kinney. I can only assume that he was in charge of keeping things orderly when they do go out and play.

A running gag in Hockey Homicide is the unbridled animosity between the star players of the two teams, Bertino and Ferguson, who spend much of their time just beating up each other with their hockey sticks and strangling each other. Kinney blows his whistle and sends them both into the penalty box. Once the time is up and they are released, they get right back at it with each other – and are promptly sent back in! As sportscaster Weaver says, "Here come Bertino and Ferguson out of the penalty box... and there go Bertino and Ferguson back into the penalty box."

But then, the action and commentary both intensify big time as a whole bunch of hockey pucks pile up on the rink and cause mass confusion between players and spectators alike. Things become even more crazy and violent than they have already as the spectators especially all get down into the rink and engage in a gigantic brawl. The mass confusion is not helped in the least as the narration gets confused over what game is being played as he mentions almost every kind of sports game there is, what TVTropes.org calls "Gretzky having the ball". Reinforcing this are rapid-fire images from other Goofy sport cartoons of the past, and even a split-second appearance by Monstro the whale from Pinocchio! Meanwhile, the players have managed to get out of the way of the brawl and watch from the spectator seats as the sportscaster says, all out of breath, "And that's why ice hockey is called a spectator sport.”

Now, I have some observations I’d like to make about this, my most favorite Goofy cartoon. Mind you, these are just my opinions. One thing is that the recurring fight between Bertino and Ferguson. I’m not sure if there has been some kind of actual animosity between the two of them that triggered the running gag. It might have been more of a friendly rivalry, all in fun. Such was commonplace at the Disney Studio.

Another thing is the climatic brawl at short’s end. As stated earlier, things get so ferocious that clips from past cartoons pop up, including a rapid-fire appearance by Monstro the whale from Pinocchio. It was shortly after the release of Hockey Homicide that Pinocchio had its first re-release on October 17.

I always thought that there was a correlation between the two, that Hockey Homicide had a bit of subliminal advertising in there, while also adding to the chaos. Someone has also claimed, fairly, that it was little more than a means of a humorous and absurd way of adding to the drama, which also seems fair. These people seemed to think that any similarity between this cartoon and the re-release of Pinocchio was mainly coincidental, and it probably is. But I still think that there is something more to the story, that the similarities, coincidental or not, are not too far off.