Conference koolit::disney

    The Land is Sponsored by Kraft.  As you enter the building, you
    are actually going up to the second floor.  As you enter looking
    to the left and right show 2 tile mosaics.  These represent the
    different strata in the Earth, as if you were entering it.
    
    Inside you have 3 attractions, the Farmer's Market for fast food,
    and the Land Grille, a full service revolving restraunt.
    
    Hanging from the ceilings you have 3 representations of hot air
    Balloons, like a a country fair.  The middle balloon was so large
    that the construction crews could not bring it in through the front
    door of the building.  Instead they modified one of the boat from
    the boat ride and floated the balloon in on the boat.
    
    The Land Grille was originally name the Good Turn Restraunt.  People
    had problems remembering the name.  When guests would try to remember
    the name they would say, "You know, the one in the Land..."  So
    Disney had the name changed to include The Land as part of the name.
    

    The Harvest Theater is on the top level of the Land (sponsored by
    Kraft) pavillion.  As you enter the pre-show area for the Harvest
    Theater, notice the walls.  There is a mural made from carpet and
    in the carpeting is the story of the cycle of life of a plant. 
    but, if you use your mind in a sightly peverted way, you can see
    the cycle of life from the human perspective.
    
    Also in the preshow area is a column that contains clips and comentary
    about the film.  In one picture, (If i remeber correctly, it is
    the side facing the doors to the theater) you can see the rice terraces
    from the Phillipines.  If you look closely, you can see one person
    urinating against one of the terraces.
    
    Once inside the theater, if you look at the back you can see two
    holes in the back wall for the projectors.  Rumor had it that this
    was supposed to be a 3-D documentary, but Kodak had the idea nixed
    or they would pull out of the Imagination pavillion.
    
    During the show there are several "special" scenes or props.  The
    first one is when the indian is riding up to the edge of the cliff.
     If you look at the horses feet you can notice there are 3 rocks
    in the shape of Mickey Mouse.  
    
    There is a sceen taking about water pollution in which a scientist
    is is mixing a flask.  Look in his glasses and you can see the
    reflection of the camera man.  Shortly thereafter there is a show
    of kides jumping in water and if you listen closely you can hear
    the first kid ask the director if he is suppoesed to jump in now.
    
    During the replanting sequence you can see a small field mouse scurry
    by the hand of one of the planters.  After the tress grow up in
    the scene there is a shot of people ready to enter the woods during
    a hike.  If you look in the lower lefthand cornor as the camera pans
    back, you can notice one of the crew ducking out of the way of the
    shot.
    
    Next time you go down, seehow many of these items you notice once
    they are pointed out to you.
    
    Joel

	"Good Afternoon ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Joel and I
    will be your host on this trip across the land and through time
    to the heart of 1something that we all seem to have forgotten.  No 
    matter who we are or where we live we must eat food in order to 
    survive and we do this in relationship with the Land."
    
    There are only two extra features that I know about for this
    attraction.  The first is when you are passing through the desert
    scene turn around and look at the rock formation to the rear right
    of the boat.  In the rocks, you will see a profile of Richard M.
    Nixon.  In the first farm theater, if you look closely at some of
    the black and white footage, you can see Walt as a young kid.
    
    Occassionally, if one of the cast members is in a good mood, you
    will find a pair of the purple 3-D glasses sitting across the brow
    of one of the aligators in the tropical rain forrest sequence. 
    A definate No-no for a cast member if they are caught.

    There are many stories and rumors abounding about the Kitchen Kaberet.
     The first is the Bonnie figures.  If you look the the posters to
    either side of the enterance, you will notice Bonnie sitting on
    a cresent moon wearing a showgirl jacket with nothing on underneath
    it.  Apparently the showgirl figures inside the show actually looked
    lie that when the park first opened, but changed to their current
    state after a park guest noticed that it wasn't very appropriate
    for their child to be seeing this kind  of show.
    
    During the show there are several suggestive lines and glances given.
     The first is given by the Kitchen Crack-pots at the beginning.
     They come up and give Bonnie a heavy glance every once in a while.
     Later, Miss Ice Cream extorts, "I'm cool through and through and
    I've got a double scoop for you."  At the end of the show when all
    of the characters are coming out for their final appearance, look
    at Mr. Eggz as the Cereal Sisters appear.  He gives them some
    suggestive winks and nods.  When the final bBonnie appears, the
    one where she is back in kitchen garb, Mr. Eggz goes wild with shaking
    back and forth, winking, and bow tie waving.  Mr. Dairy Goods gives
    Bonnie a major check out from bottom to top and down again.
    
    The reason for all of these sexual attributes?  The story goes that
    during an all night brainstorming session, the designers got a bit
    sloshed and decided to see what they could design and pull over
    the executives eyes.

    When I worked at Disney in 86, the Living Seas, sponsored by United
    Technologies, had just opened.  No, I won't talk about the elevators
    and the decent, sorry.  
    
    Once you arrive at the bottom of the ocean, you take a short sea
    cab ride to Sea Base Alpha.  As you esit the sea cab and the moving
    walk way, look down and what do you see?  Mickey Mouse ears!  There
    is a submirsable hanging from the ceiling and this is the shadow that
    it casts.
    
    If you look at the ceiling, you will notice what looks like numbers and
    letters intermixed together.  The configuration is something like
    MMIIIYY, ie 01JRT65, and is supposed to represent the signature
    of the designers with their birth month, initials, and birth year.
     
    Also, it you look at the to right by the Dolphin tank you will
    see LS 95 representing The Living Seas, cost 9.5 million.  There
    is also LS 86 meaning the Living Seas, opened 1986.
    
    At the time of it's opening, the Living Seas had the largest and
    nicest company rooms in any of the pavillions.  It was also agreed
    up on that UT would have a hellipad at the rear of their pavillion.
    Part of the research that goes on also happens in the back, there
    are tanks that hold sea lions that are used in the research.
    
    Statistic:  the windows are not glass, but rolled plexiglass and
    these are some of the largest contiguous sheets in the world.

    Lastly, if you want to see more of the behind the scenes fo the
    Living Seas, watch the Disney made for TV movie, Splash II;  this
    was the first movie to be produced from the MGM Studio/Theme park
    and used the Living Seas as a backdrop to the movie.
    

    Over the weekend I got feedback from a WDW castmember friend of mine.
    He went through a "walkthru" of the Cinderella Castle last week with a
    bunch of people from WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) and he said they
    are pretty upset at what's going on down there with the castle.
    
    I didn't realize that WDW had spent $1.9 million last year to give the
    castle a fresh paint job. Then after all that was done the marketing
    boys down there convinced management to turn the castle into a birthday 
    cake. It's certainly not going over too well with the CM's.
    
    He also told me that they are receiving tons of complaints and
    cancellations on wedding packages that had been booked over the next 16
    months. 
    
    He also said that they have been selling 25th Anniversary souvenirs for
    a while now and that more is coming. He also said that starting this
    Fall you'll be able to buy Animal Kingdom stuff even though the park
    won't open until 1998.
    
    I posed a few questions that I hope get answered in his next mail
    message...one of which is whether or not they plan on changing the
    EPCOT operating hours back to their original times.
    
    But it sure sounds like the CM's don't like this move to turn the
    castle into a cake. They had the same reaction when in 1994 the people
    who run MGM decided to forego "Sorcery in the Sky" and go with the NY
    Street Party.
    
    Is this a familiar scenario? Management not listening to it's
    employees?
    
    Mike