While I was going through some of my files the other day, I ran across the report I typed up after my first trip to the Disney Store Trivia Finals at Disneyland in 1993, and I thought it might be fun to share it here. As you read it, keep in mind that things were different back then. No one had heard of Animal Kingdom, and not that many people had heard of the Lion King. Attractions at different Disney parks in various stages of construction included the Indiana Jones Adventure, the Tower of Terror, and Alien Encounter. There was no Partners statue at the Disneyland hub. Aladdin had just been released on video a few weeks before, and Mickey's Toontown was still quite new.

So here it is. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll beg for more. Okay, maybe not. But sit back, relax, and warp back to October 1993 for this Disneyland Retro Report.

Once my plane arrived in California, I waited for someone to come meet me at my gate, which is what my instructions said I was to do. After no one came, I thought I should go claim my luggage, which is where the transportation company representative was waiting for me. He then called on his radio for the van to come and get me, and we talked while we waited. He said that several Disney executives, including Jeffery Katzenberg, used their service to the airport but Michael Eisner usually flew in a private plane. He also said that at the Pantages theater, some of the sets from "Nightmare Before Christmas" were on display in the basement because the movie premiered at that theater.

Once the van came, Gary and Leslie were already in the van. We then went and picked up Tracy and Barb, drove around the airport twice, and picked up Steve DeDen. Tim and Tom had arrived a few days earlier. From there we went to the Disneyland Hotel, where we were staying the first night. Gary and I went to our room and changed clothes, as did the others; we then waited for each other in the lobby. Once we were all there, we went to the monorail station and rode to Disneyland.

The brand-new Mickey's Toontown

The monorail was crowded with people just riding around Disneyland, so we did not get to sit together. We rode over the site for The Indiana Jones Adventures and then on to Tomorrowland. Because everyone except me had been there before, they wanted to go straight to Toontown (stopping for popcorn on the way). After marveling at the architecture and dodging the Jolly Trolley, Gary, Leslie, Steve, and I went to Mickey's house and went in to meet him. While we were waiting, we saw the film clips that Donald and Goofy were showing in the Movie Barn; between the clips, they would make shadow puppets or do other amusing things. After we had our picture made with Mickey, we could not find Barb and Tracy, so we went on without them. We ate at the Village Haus Restaurant in Fantasyland (hamburgers!). Once we were full, we went and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, which is better at Disneyland than at Walt Disney World, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain, both of which are better at Walt Disney World. Walking around Disneyland was interesting because Steve had worked there for several years and could tell us much trivia about the park. Steve had to go to the entrance to meet his wife, so we went with him. While Gary and Leslie had ice cream (just an hour after eating a meal and two hours after having popcorn), I looked around Main Street for a few minutes. We then went to Videopolis for our rehearsal, stopping to ride Star Tours on the way.

A horse drawn trolley on Main Street

When we got to Videopolis, Barb and Tracy were already there. Also there were Dave Smith, head of the Disney Archives, Marie Ortega, from Disney Store headquarters who was in charge of us while we were there, and Curt Carlile, also from the Disney Store headquarters and the host of the competition. Tom, Tim, and Tim's brother Todd came a few minutes later. The stage, usually used for the "Beauty and the Beast" stage show, was being prepared for the contest. Once it was ready, we began our rehearsal. The dancers and characters had obviously been rehearsing a great deal already (amazing for just one show), so all we had to do was learn when to come in and answer our questions. During our break, we sang happy birthday to Dave and had birthday cake, while the performers went over their notes. After rehearsing a few more times, we went back to the hotel; Gary, Steve, Leslie, and I rode with Dave, while the others rode with Marie. Dave had trouble finding a gate that was open, and then the security guard did not recognize Dave, whom we thought everyone in the company knew.

Getting our picture made in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle

The next morning, room service came with our breakfast and newspaper, which said that the Mighty Ducks had won for the first time, which they were also saying on the news. We then got dressed and went to the lobby, where we met everyone else, and then drove over to the park. We rehearsed a few more times while the train went by on test runs. While we were waiting for time to begin, I talked to some technical people, who explained how most everything around the stage worked. Then it was time for the contest, an exciting affair eventually won by Tom; unfortunately, I was out at the end of the first round. After it was over, we went and talked to people in the audience. I met Tom Heymann, who is in charge of all the North America Disney Stores, and several people in the band. After that, we went to Club 33, an exclusive restaurant over New Orleans Square, where we ate lunch. The phone booth in the restaurant is from the 1967 Disney film "The Happiest Millionaire." Dave Smith told how trophy heads once hung on the walls, and they would take part in the conversations around them, until people felt like strangers were eavesdropping on them. When we just barely had time to finish eating, we rushed to Fantasyland, where we got on the float for the parade. The Disneyland Band, led by Stan Freese, went in front of us, and an announcer introduced us at several places. We went from Fantasyland down to Main Street. After the parade, we had a special tour of Disneyland by Dave.

Riding on the float during the parade

We first went to the Walt Disney Story, where Dave showed us the recreations of Walt's offices, and explained how they were similar to and different from the real thing. We then went to Walt's apartment over the Fire House; the apartment was Victorian in decoration, and it provided an excellent view of Main Street below. Dave said that they had to plug the hole for the fire pole because people would climb up the pole and get into the apartment. From there we walked around backstage, going under Pirates of the Caribbean, and behind the Haunted Mansion. Dave let us walk through the float storage building and climb on the floats. Next, we went through Toontown to Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, which had not yet opened. After we walked through the queue area, they tried to get the ride started, but it would not work, so they let us walk through the ride while the music was playing and the animation was going. Dave left while we were waiting because he had a plane to catch.

Inside Walt's firehouse apartment

After we walked through the ride, we rode Gadget's Go-Coaster and walked around Toontown while they filmed us for the video they were making. When we were walking around wearing our Disney Store sweaters, we could overhear people asking if we were members of the original Mickey Mouse Club. We then went to Splash Mountain; they had set up a camera on the log so that they could film us during the ride. The ride wasn't working, so we had to wait a while; while we were waiting, Tom, the security person in charge of us, took us to the control tower for the ride, which is just above where the ride begins. It has television monitors, so that the ride can be monitored, and all the controls for the ride. There was one button that would stop the entire ride when pushed. Once the ride was running, we were the first to ride it. The log with the camera could not hold all of us, so Tim, Tom, Barb, and Leslie rode in it with the camera man; Marie, Steve, Gary, and I rode in the log behind them. Pictures are taken as the logs come down the final drop and can be purchased at the end of the ride; Tom bought one for each of us as a souvenir.

Once they had finished filming us, we went back to the Hotel to change clothes and check out; some of us walked back, while some rode with Marie. We left to go to the corporate apartments, which were in Glendale, almost an hour away from Anaheim. Once we got there, we barely had time to put our things down so that we could go and eat.

Friday was the day for all of our tours, which I was especially looking forward to. We left early so that we could go to the International House of Pancakes; Tom and I also went to a nearby drug store to get some extra rolls of film. Our first tour took us to Walt Disney Feature Animation, which was in Glendale, although they were preparing to move to the new facility at the Disney Studios in Burbank. From the outside, the Animation building looked like an ordinary warehouse; most people assume that it would look different from most buildings. While we were waiting for the tour to begin, we looked at the pictures in the lobby from "The Lion King," which they were working on. Our guide then came and took us to the various departments. We passed James Baxter, the supervising animator of Belle, in the hall, and we saw the cubicle of Tony Anselmo, the animator who is also the voice of Donald Duck. We met to animators who were working on the characters Pumba and Timon, a warthog and a meercat, who provide much of the comedy in the film. Then we went to a conference room and saw the just completed opening sequence for the film; we all agreed that it was just about the best thing we had ever seen. After that our tour was over, and it was on to the next place.

Continued

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