Ex-Jack Sparrow spills on Disneyland

May 21, 2008, posted by Elaine

It’s not surprising that the experiences from working at Disneyland are pretty dichotomous in nature - either you love it or hate it. A face character working as Jack Sparrow at Disneyland pretty much reveals what went on behind the scenes, from how he got hired to how he got terminated. It’s a very interesting read.

Disney warned us we were going to have a lot of horny women coming on to us. They were also worried about girls. I heard Disneyland had an Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She was very flirtatious, and they finally pulled her because men found her too sexually arousing and were acting out.

You never knew when the casting department was going to come into the park and watch you—they came out of nowhere—or something might end up on YouTube. If a character does something a parent believes is wrong, that’s the video that ends up on YouTube. I was on YouTube after I sat in a lady’s stroller. It’s something I often did, and parents would laugh and take pictures. But management came to me and said, “It looks like you’re sitting down on the job, and we can’t have that.”

I wouldn’t say it was surprising, since Disney has always had very, very strict regulations on ‘keeping the magic alive’, which pretty much told (and trains) cast members never to break the illusion that the characters are real. Also, Disney seems to be policing Youtube, so WATCH OUT FOR THOSE LADIES WITH CAMERA PHONES.

Disney’s House of the Future

March 3, 2008, posted by Laura

The Monsanto House of the Future was an attraction unveiled in Disneyland in 1957. It was meant to be a representation of what a home in 1986 would look, feel and act like. The home, built almost entirely of synthetic materials, included such features as an ultrasonic dishwasher, sinks which adjust based on the height of the user, hands-free telephones, a wall-sized television, electric razors and toothbrushes, and intercoms with mini-TV screens. The house, which had plastic walls and seating, was comprised of four wings which included a kitchen, living room, two child rooms (boy and girl) with adjoining shared bathroom, dining room, family room, and master bedroom with attached bathroom. The attraction was open for ten years, closing in 1967 when the house was sawed apart and removed. Later, the area became known as “Alpine Gardens” and a souvenir stand found its home where the futuristic attraction used to live.

What is old has now become new again, however, as Disney has announced that there will be an all-new House of the Future built at Disneyland. It is expected to open in May of this year in the Innoventions pavillion. The new 5,000 square foot attraction will not be a projection of the future as its predecessor was, however. The Innoventions Dream Home will feature up-and-coming technology which we can expect to be incorporated into some homes sometime in the not-so-distant future to help simplify hectic lifestyles. The home will feature lighting and thermostats which adjust automatically when people enter a room; closets that will be able to help coordinate outfits for colors that suit the individual and keep track of which clothes are in the laundry or at the cleaners; and countertops which will be able to identify the groceries set upon them and suggest recipes based on the selection. It will feature software and hardware which aims to make life simpler for the inhabitants so that their focus can be elsewhere.

Unlike the original House of the Future, the Innoventions Dream Home will meet with the fictional family who live in the home. The Elias family (a family name given as homage to the original dreamer, Walter Elias Disney) spend time in their home, sharing the latest in mobile phones, computers, music and gaming with guests as they prepare for a trip to China. This is similar to the Carousel of Progress (which once inhabited the building in which Innoventions currently resides), wherein guests travel through time with a family, learning of the changes in life since the early 20th century. The Innoventions Dream Home takes a very different angle on this however: the Elias family will be real people, portrayed by Disneyland cast members who will interact directly with the guests who visit the home.

The new House of the Future may not be as futuristic and innovative as the original version was, but it seems poised to make a longer stay, as it could be renovated as time goes by to include new technological advances. As previously mentioned, the attraction is poised to open in May of 2008, though no official release date has yet been specified. I personally look forward to seeing these technological advances in action.