The Making of Hong Kong Disney (or, I Met An Ex-Imagineer!)

Started by Columbiad, October 04, 2012, 07:32:26 PM

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Columbiad

So, to cut a long story short, it was one of my first days at Uni today, where I'm beginning a degree in Set Design at a Uni. in Glasgow, and my class was set the task of touring the production studios and meeting the various tutors around the facilities. One of them was a chap who taught scenic art, and when we asked for a fun fact about his work, he told us that he helped paint Sleeping Beauty castle at Hong Kong Disneyland!

Me, fangirling slightly, asked him (well more kind of shouted it.) if he worked for Imagineering and yes, he replied he did! We proceed to have a good geek over the Disney parks and he was quite taken aback by everything I knew.

Anyway, he lent me a book about the creation of Hong Kong Disneyland, "The Making of Hong Kong Disneyland: Magicians at Work," signed by all his friends in Imagineering in Hong Kong, and it was full of some interesting images and facts I wanted to share.



 First of all, an early plan of the park, showing "it's a small world" it it's centre, Tomorrowland not present, and streets leading off Main Street U.S.A., to Fantasyland and Adventureland.



Some concept art of City Hall, the Fantasyland Gardens, Tomorrowland and Tarzan's Treehouse.



And now a few misc. factoids:

The trains of HK Disneyland borrow sounds effects from the locomotives of Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

Tom Morris provided the belching sound for one of the Jungle River Cruise hippos.

Indian Rosewood trees  on M.S. U.S.A in HK, stand in for the Chinese elms on M.S. U.S.A in Anaheim, which stand in for the American Elms on the main street of Marceline, Missouri.


Hope these were of some interest - I had certainly never heard or seen of them before. :)

Josh

That's so awesome. :D How long was he at Imagineering? Did he mention why he left?
Disneyland Paris
    [li]January 2000, 2012[/li]
    [li]April 2012[/li]
    [li]August 2009, 2011, 2013[/li]
    [li]New Year 1997-98, 1998-99, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07[/li]
Walt Disney World
    [li]August 2008[/li]

Epcot_Boy

Quote from: "Columbiad"Tom Morris provided the belching sound for one of the Jungle River Cruise hippos.


I loved that :lol:

Interesting stuff, thanks for that :thumbs:


David