AP preview of enhanced "it's a small world"

[KNRG]

Disney released the so-called America concept art to Brady MacDonald from the LA Times Funland blog...

Mary Blair piece:


Show scene:


Interesting, that there is no sketch from Mary depicting the the rest of the scene -- the farmland, the Hollywood Bowl, etc.

Here's the article:

Disneyland’s new Small World scene draws inspiration from ride creator

With the debut today of the rehabbed It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland, the public gets its first look at the controversial new “Spirit of America” scene — the focus of much angst and anguish in chat rooms and blog posts.

On one side of the boat ride, the new scene features an American West tableau with cowboys, Indians and “Toy Story” characters Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. On the other side, farmer dolls in overalls and straw hats populate an agricultural heartland montage.

“Spirit of America” replaces a tropical rainforest scene, which got severely truncated and unceremoniously tucked into another room on the ride.

Walt Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine, who oversaw the Small World rehab, explained her approach to the new American scene during a boat ride through the attraction today.
Irvine based the new scene, in part, on original concept art by Small World ride creator Mary Blair. Fellow Imagineer Tony Baxter accidentally discovered the sketch at a recent Comic-Con event.

“It just confirmed our suspicions that she always meant to have a scene for America,” said Irvine, who says the scene may have been cut from the original attraction because of time constraints.

The original sketch includes many elements — buttes, cactuses and the sun — incorporated into the new American West scene.

“It really helped me get the color tones right,” Irvine said of the sketch. “The hardest part for me was really capturing Mary Blair’s style. It really has an innocent, childlike quality.”

A lasso-twirling cowboy, familiar to many Small World fans, was relocated from the finale to the American scene.

The goal of the renovation, Irvine said, was for the changes to be as seamless and unobtrusive as possible.

“We stuck to Mary’s story,” Irvine said.

Personally, I'm confused as to how Tony Baxter magically came across this piece at Comic Con -- but not in Disney's vast archive? I mean, Imagineering said they were studying Blair's work so they could make characters fit in appropriately... but while going through all of her work for "it's a small world" and the films she worked on, they didn't find this America piece in their own archive, but they found it at a cartoon art peddler's booth at Comic Con!?

Come on.

That's all a lie - an elaborate lie.

The Contemporary - note the stripes on the buttes:

[PirateGuy 815]

Okay, my mom just watched the ride. She also likes Disney, but not as much as anyone here. She didn't know that that the girl in rags was Cinderella (which might be her favorite Disney movie) or that the Chinese girl was Mulan. She also didn't recognize Lilo, and didn't even notice Flounder.

My point... They must blend in fairly well if my mom, and former member of these very boards, can't see them.

[WallyBoag]

That's all a lie - an elaborate lie.

The Contemporary - note the stripes on the buttes:

I thought that it was probably storyboard or concept art for "A Cowboy Needs a Horse"

[YOUTUBE]3YLmQDN5B5E[/YOUTUBE]

[KNRG]

I thought that it was probably storyboard or concept art for "A Cowboy Needs a Horse"

[YOUTUBE]3YLmQDN5B5E[/YOUTUBE]

Possibly - but the look of the actual scene created is obviously from the Contemporary mural, as that's the only place that particular pattern appears. The stacked "tiers" going up the buttes and the stripes are both unique to the contemporary. Ignoring it when it was an obvious influence suggests to me they are not being honest. The buttes in the image and the cartoon look nothing like what was built - what does look like what was built is the mural at the Contemporary. Even the color scheme - look at old photos of the mural when it was photographed with a color balance toward orange (the archival ones imagineering would have) - look like the set that was built.

However, the set is a poor imitation of the mural and drops many of the details, colors, and levels of engagement present in the original work. It's a poor man's version of Mary's vision of the American west.

[club33az]

Perhaps they cut it from IASW but used it as inspiration for the Contemporary? NAH!

[club33az]

Calm down, bro.

Best you got, "bro?"

[KNRG]

Club - can you even look at it and see that the shape and proportion of the cactus is wrong and that would be integral if you were trying to mimic someone's art?

You seem to b blatantly just towing the company line in the face of all common sense to the contrary. Like, you're just trying to be contrary.

[club33az]

I tow my own line, thanks. As soon as you start making sense, maybe we can agree on something. Why do you care who's line I tow, anyway?

And they've said they used Mary Blair's design for inspiration, not mimicking it.

Irvine based the new scene, in part, on original concept art by Small World ride creator Mary Blair.

See? Make some sense?

[KNRG]

And again for the "this photo is our inspiration.." lie..

Really? Cuz the Cowboy, lasso and all, has existed since the 70's..

[club33az]

I think you guys just can't stand that the US scene was actually based on a real Mary Blair design.