Calling All Deeks! Old School Disney World Videos!

Recently I was asked by some family members to convert some old home movies into digital files.  At first it was a painful process.  The video is captured in real time.  That meant I had to sit through hours of boring footage.  My boredom suddenly turned to surprise.  I stumbled across some old school Disney World footage.  All of it was from 1996, the golden age of Disney World.  Not all of it was usable but I trimmed it up and found some real gems on there.  There was footage of the monorail from riding with the pilot, the old double decker buses in Epcot, a good chunk of the original Illuminatiions and more.

Here is the full list.

Splash Mountain in 1996

Big Thunder Mountain in 1996

Magic Kingdom in 1996

The Monorail from the Pilot's Box (second half)

The Back Lot Studio Tour

Busch Gardens in 1996

Busch Gardens Orangutan Show

Disney MGM Studios in 1996

Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet

Epcot in 1996

Original Illuminations

What To Do When Your Child Is Afraid of a Ride

What can you do when your child is afraid of thrill rides?  First of all lets breakdown the reasons why some children do not like thrill rides. 

-          The Dark:  Some kids are afraid of the dark. Anything they can’t see tends to freak them out.  If you really break this down it’s a fear of the unknown that most kids outgrow or get over through experience. Problem is if your kid is afraid of the dark rides like Dinosaur, Tower of Terror, and even tame rides like Pirates can be a deal breaker.

 

-          Noise: You can also call this the loud factor.  Some kids are freaked out by loud noises.  Let’s face it Disney can be crazy loud at times.  Whether you like it or not your hearing is most likely worst than your child’s. So the big boom that made you jump made your kid jump, was louder to them, and they have no positive experience with loud noises which means it’s going to be a negative.

 

-          Drops: This is a big one. The human body was not designed to feel an accelerated plummet. It’s just not a natural feeling.  Our minds naturally resist the sensation.  For adults the mind can segment bad from good when it comes to this.  For kids that might not be the case. 

 

-          Reflection:  Reflection is the parents.  Parents can amp a kid up or calm them down.  For example. My niece and her parents went on Splash Mountain.  Her mother hates all rides. I’m not sure if she’ll ever be turned but she freaks out!  She freaked out bad while on the ride. Guess what happened.  My niece freaked out so bad she refused to ride any rides for the rest of the trip.

 

Those are just some of the most common things that freak a kid out.   You could also add characters for some kids but we are talking about rides.

Do not underestimate the impact of the above on your kids.  You know your child. You know what freaks them out.  Do not force them to do something they are not comfortable with.  Doing this will make things worse.  However, don’t despair. Children can overcome their fears.

First let’s do a small case study of how a kid broke and how, and when, he came around.

The kid in question was not afraid of the dark or of loud noises but he was petrified of drops. This fear came about as the result of an incident when he was very young.  His family attended a theme park which had a Snoopy roller coaster.  The child did not want to ride but the rest of his family coerced him.  The fact that Snoopy was on the roller coaster helped. This brings us to rule number one.  Never coerce a child onto a ride they are nervous about. Why?

When a child is nervous or intimidated the body releases ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone).  This hormone serves for one purpose. Get to your adrenal cortex and cause a dozens of other hormones to flood the body.

The sudden spike of hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine and dozens of others causes your heart rate to spike, pupils to dilate, blood-glucose to spike, and your digestive system to shut down.

The funny thing is the same thing happens to someone who wants to go on the thrill ride.  The difference is its impact on the person’s brain.  If it’s not a willing event it can lead to post traumatic stress. Your brain treats the event must differently if you willing seek out the event.

So what happened to the kid?

Bawled his eyes out and screamed even after the ride was over.  He also didn’t willing ride another ride with a drop for a decade.

The parents tried give him tough love from time to time by dragging him on a flume ride or similar ride.  His friends even tricked him onto a roller coaster where you couldn’t see the drops.  Instead of helping these events made things worse.  The reason is same as above.  They were not willing experiences.

How did this kid ever start riding thrill rides again?

Positive reinforcement was the key to getting this kid to like thrill rides.  Remember this kid only had negative memories associated with thrill rides.  Positive ones had to be established.  Positive ones could only be created if they kid willingly got on the ride.

One warning – compensation IS NOT positive reinforcement.  If you tell the kid they will get a treat or everyone will do something they want to do if they ride the ride it’s not positive.  They are not willing getting on the ride.

So how do you get the kid on the ride?

First things first, tell the child the family is going on the ride and they can wait in with another family member.  This works well in Disney World because of child swap.  Try to avoid play areas.  You want the kid to be bored.

After the family has gone on the ride DO NOT tell the kid how fun it was. That can kick in a defensive mode or make the kid feel bad. Instead have the other family members talk about their favorite parts in an excited and positive manner.  Do not use any negative adjectives like “scary.” Do not discuss the ride with the kid unless they ask questions.  When they do, answer the question in a positive and calm manner.  When you do this you are making the kid feel like they are missing out on something without telling them they are missing out on something. This method draws the kid to that conclusion on their own.

If the child asks to ride the ride, after everyone has ridden the ride, tell them you will later.  The reason for this is reinforcement of the missing out but it also lets you redirect to a less intense ride.  For example if your kid is afraid of roller coasters and you use the above on Space Mountain, redirect to Big Thunder Mountain.  For most kids BTM is must less intense. Then you can build up to Space Mountain without overloading the kid.  Try to avoid rides like Pirates or Splash for this.  The combination of dark and drop could be too much.

There is a good chance that once they start willingly getting on these rides they will quickly start riding everything.  Even if they still balk from time to time – LET THEM.  Forcing them could undo any progress you have made.

This even works for teenagers.  The kid in the example was 16 when he finally got back on thrill rides.

Photo of the Week - Big Thunder Mountain Sepia

It's hard to take a bad photo of Big Thunder Mountain.   One thing that can make your photos more interesting is change it to black and white or sepia.  Either one can really bring out more details.  The best thing to do is to change them to black and white or sepia after the fact that way you can undo it change if you want to.

Photo of the Week: Big Thunder Mountain Sepia

If you are going to do Big Thunder Mountain you might as well do it in style.  Fitting the time frame of tomorrow land nothing seems to fit as well as a nice sepia shot.

Photo of the Week: Big Thunder Mountain

It's hard to find a ride as old as Big Thunder with theming as good as Big Thunder.  It gets even better when everything is running like all of the water effects.  Sadly right now Big Thunder is in tough shape.  The good news is Big Thunder is going down for a full refurb.  WOOOOO!

Photo of the Week - Big Thunder Mountain Panoramic Shot

This photo is about 15 years old and was scanned so sorry about the quality. Just to show how old it is, it was taken with a Kodak Advantix camera. Believe it or not you can still find those on the used market.

One thing those cameras did great was their panoramic ability. I got some great photos over the years using that setting.

Don’t Chew Dynamite

Many people over the years have noticed the goat chewing a stick of dynamite on Big Thunder Mountain. What many people do not realize is, there have been 132 dynamite chewing goats on Big Thunder Mountain.

The reason for so many goats is simple. Chewing dynamite is dangerous. At first nothing happens but, in time, the protective casing breaks down and then BOOM! It’s time to find a new dynamite chewing goat.

“It’s true we’ve had 132 different goat cast members play that roll. It’s also true that there have been some ‘incidents’ but we take safety very seriously,” stated a Disney spokesman.

When asked why give they give the goat actual dynamite to chew on he responded, “Because he’s a dynamite chewing goat. If we didn’t give him dynamite he’d just being chewing a plastic stick!”

It’s hard to comprehend such stupefying logic but the spokesman when on to say, “No humans have ever been injured in a dynamite explosion. You also have to remember that the goats are thrill seekers. They enjoy chewing dynamite.”

When asked how he knew goats were thrill seekers he responded, “Because they climb mountains and chew dynamite!”

The spokesman refused our request for him to undergo an IQ test.

One thing that is being considered is having future goats wear a football helmet. Apparently someone at Disney feels that will protect them from exploding dynamite.

New Video: Big Thunder Mountain

A new video of Big Thunder Mountain has been posted. It was taken in March of 2010. The intro was filmed at Tom Sawyers Island near Fort Longhorn. The video was originally taken in 1080p. You might notice something missing from the film. The Goat chewing dynamite appears to be missing. I could be wrong. If I am please let me know but I didn't see it any of the times I went on the ride.

The video can be viewed here.

New Video - Disney Montage!

You can see my latest video - Disney Montage, HERE.

All of the video was taken in December 2008.

The music used is Disney's favroite montage music. It's from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Big Thunder Mountain

I’ll start by saying Big Thunder Mountain was the first roller coaster I enjoyed. When I was a kid I was a wimp. I hated thrill rides. Big Thunder helped change that.

Big Thunder Mountain was the second Roller Coaster to be opened in Walt Disney World. It goes without saying that it is one of the best rides in Disney World and is a classic. In an age when a roller coaster was an ugly collection of twisted steel or wood Disney created an experience not instead of a thrill ride. Down to this day it remains one of the most well themed roller coasters in the world.

Big Thunder was one of the first Disney World roller coasters to be designed with computers. You may not have known this, but you have noticed it. How? Compare the Space Mountain to Big Thunder. Space Mountain can be jerky and it’s not what one would call a smooth ride (at least in its original state). Big Thunder has a really smooth ride when compared to Space Mountain.

The queue starts off great. After you walk under the sign you’re teleported to the old west. The old broken down mining equipment is all over the place. At times there the water is even running which really adds to the feel. However, once you enter the building it takes a turn. This can be a brutal experience. A seemingly never ending maze of switch backs. There are only a couple of decent things in this part of the attraction. The first are the panoramic views of the roller coaster itself. The second is the decent into the mine where you get on the trains.

The loading dock is one of the best loading areas you’ll find for any roller coaster. It is themed to the point where you start to believe you are in a mine. The other thing that stands out is the announcement. They could have done anyone’s voice but they didn’t. They must have been very picky. It’s the perfect western coot. It fits perfectly.

When you start moving you go through what I call the bat cave. You can see glowing eyes and hear the bats screeching. This ends at the first lift. I have to say that this lift is loud. I think it’s the loudest lift hill I have ever been on. I don’t know if this is because of when this attraction was built or if it’s on purpose. Anyways, this is a fun hill but be careful if you are video taping. The lift hill ends at a broken water tank. Water dumps off both sides of the track but you will get a little wet.

As you go through this ride you’ll see why it has some of the best theming of any roller coaster. You’ll see something new every time you ride this. If you think you’ve see it all – have you sent he guy in the bathtub, the goat chewing dynamite, the dancing girls, or what is going on in the bank? If you haven’t you might want to ride it again and then do ride it a few times at night. I’ve mentioned it before but this ride is completely different at night.

Another great part of this ride is the last lift hill. It is in a cave and as you go up the lift there is an earthquake happens the giant boulders start to tilt towards the track. It’s a great effect and fits in well with the story of the ride.

Not many people know the story of Big Thunder Mountain. Miners started mining the area despite being warned by Native Americans that the mountain was a sacred mountain where spirits lived. A massive earthquake occurred and the miners ran for their lives. When they came back they were shocked to fine the mining trains running on their own as if possessed by the mountains spirits.

Now that you know the story, go back and check the theming again. It’s creepy how well it fits into the story.

Theme Parks at Night: The Magic Kingdom

Few theme parks take on another life at night like the Magic Kingdom does. Not even Epcot can match the Magic Kingdom in its night time grandeur. Here are a number of things that are amazingly different at night.

Cinderella’s Castle: During the day Cinderella’s Castle is amazing. At night it’s hard to describe. It’s lighted with changing colors like green, blue, purple, and pink. In the holiday season it gets even more impressive. They hang lights to accentuate the castle on top of the flood lights they use to illuminate it.

Splash Mountain: Splash Mountain at night is amazing. You can’t see the drops as well. They tend to be shadowed and dark. A number of things are lighted causing cool shadows throughout the exterior of the ride. The biggest change is the final drop. During the day you can see the bottom or at least get a feel for it if they have fogged it up. At night they don’t just fog it they often light the fog up making the drop seem bottomless.

Big Thunder Mountain: Few rides change as much as Big Thunder Mountain does at night. The lighting is amazing but it goes beyond the lighting. There are parts of Big Thunder that you can only see at night. For example the town scene comes alive a night. I won’t give it away but as you pass it you can look into the buildings at night. It’s crazy.

The Jungle Cruise: The Jungle Cruise takes on a fun creepy feel at night. Things seem to move even though you know they don’t. There seems to be more going on at night even though you know nothing has really changed. You have to ride it to really know what I’m talking about.

Tomorrow Land: Tomorrow Land during the day is cool but there is no doubt that Tomorrow Land was build with the nighttime in mind. The neon lights are everywhere. Everything takes on a cool futuristic feel. The best way you can experience it? The Tomorrow Land Transit Authority of course. The TTA is a must do at night.

The New Summit Challenge

I’d say very few people know what the Seven Summits challenge is. Unless you follow or research professional mountain climbing, don’t feel bad if you don’t know it. The Seven Summits challenge is completed when an individual successfully summits the tallest mountain on every continent. Needless to say this is a very difficult and dangerous task. Despite the risk and monetary cost, a number of people have completed the challenge.

A far more dangerous challenge is joining the 8000 meter club. To join the 8000 meter club you need to climb every mountain that is 8000 meters (24,000 feet) or higher. To my knowledge the only American who has joined this club is Ed Viesturs. The risk in doing this can be enormous. Most people think Everest is dangerous. They are right. For every 20 people who summit Everest, one person dies. To join the 8000 meter club you also have to climb a number of other dangerous mountains including K2 and Annapurna. For every five people who summits K2, one person dies. For every three people who summits Annapurna, one person dies.

Why would someone attempt either? The main reason is people like the challenge, the fame, and in some cases they get “Addicted to Danger” (Jim Wickwire).

In the spirit of dangerous challenges, a new summit challenge has emerged. The new challenge is called “The Four Peaks Club.” To join this club you need to free climb, without a rope, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Expedition Everest Mountain.

The dangerous in attempting this is extreme. To date no one has completed the challenge.

It’s recommended that one starts with Space Mountain as a warm up, then attempt Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, and Expedition, in that order.

Many people have already been killed or severely injured in attempting to join the Four Peaks Club. Here is a brief rundown of the accidents to date:

- 8 people have been electrocuted when lightening struck Space Mountain during their ascents

- 4 people have been impaled on the thorns in Splash Mountain after falls

- 2 people were clubbed by Brer Bear after being mistaken for Brer Rabbit on Splash Mountain

- 4 people were bitten by Brer Fox on Splash Mountain

- 24 people were stung by bees on Splash Mountain.

- 5 people have been crushed by logs at the bottom of the chute in Splash Mountain

- 3 people have lost their grips and slid off of Space Mountain breaking bones and other serious injuries

- 14 people have been run over by trains on Big Thunder

- 7 people have been nailed in the crotch by a mountain goat on Big Thunder

- 11 people have fallen to their deaths trying to reach the highest point of Big Thunder

- 9 people have been run over by a train on Everest.

- 21 people have fallen from the steep slopes of Everest, 10 died, 11 were seriously injured

- 73 people have been mauled or eaten by the Yeti on Everest.

Big Thunder Mountain Video Posted

A video of Big Thunder Mountain has been posted. This video was taken in December of 2008. You’ll notice we got stuck on one of the lift hills in the dark. My camcorder is awful in low light so you really don’t see much while we were stuck. You might hear a few comments but that’s about it.

You can view the video HERE

On a side note I finally had a chance to update many of the posts with photos so feel free to scroll through the blog to see the new pics.