‘Art of Disneyland’ Shows Park Beginnings

“The Art of Disneyland,” an exhibit of drawings and models currently on display in the Anaheim amusement park, offers viewers a tantalizing glimpse--but no more--of how its ideas and attractions are created.

Most of the exhibit in the Disney Gallery in New Orleans Square consists of architectural drawings and preliminary sketches. It’s interesting to compare these early versions with the finished buildings nearby. A large map of the entire park, hastily painted in 1954 by matte artist Peter Ellenshaw for Walt Disney’s television program, depicts a hot-air balloon, a large circus tent and other features that no longer exist.

Marc Davis, one of the studio’s leading animators, contributed the most vivid drawings in the exhibit. (He switched to designing attractions for Disneyland after animating Cruella De Vil in “101 Dalmatians.”) His pen-and-ink sketches of animals for the Jungle Cruise and America Sings attractions suggest the mood and personality of the characters, but reveal the details of animal anatomy.

Preliminary drawings of the monorails, the new Star Tours ride and New Orleans Square are technically competent, but hardly remarkable. They don’t really make strong enough graphic statements to hold the viewer’s attention for more than a few seconds. They’re interesting because of what they depict, rather than how they depict it. (“Oh, look, Madge, there’s Space Mountain!”)

A larger exhibit that explained the steps that go into the creation of a ride would be a more effective showcase for these drawings. How many intermediary steps come between the first sketches and the finished attraction--and how long does the process take? How do the designers create figures that can hide the machinery needed to animate them?

It would also be interesting to know more about Disney’s reactions to these drawings. A note card explains that he felt the decayed building in the original design for the Haunted Mansion was too “run-down looking” and that he didn’t want anything tacky in Disneyland (“We’ll take care of the exterior and let the ghosts take care of the interior”). More of his comments would provide insights into his vision of the park, and help explain how he used his staff to realize that vision.

The gallery itself is at least as interesting as the material on display. Disney planned this group of quiet, elegant rooms above the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean (“The Royal Suite”) as a place for his family to entertain important guests, but he died before the facility was finished. (Its wrought-iron balconies offer a perfect view of the park’s nightly fireworks shows.)

“The Art of Disneyland” will remain on display through next summer, but the material in the exhibits will be changed annually.