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There's a Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow!
12 years ago
One of the things I loved about Disney when I was growing up, besides the animation (mainly the animal characters) were the amazing visionary concepts of the future, a tomorrow where technology would make it better for everybody in the world. I loved the TV shows about man in space, the eye in the sky (about weather control), the journey to the moon and mars and beyond! Like the Bell Labs Dr. Baxter films, it didn't seem like science fiction, it was like seeing documentaries of the future. This wasn't speculation; it was all really going to happen. Arriving at Tomorrowland, first in 1959, and after, when new attractions opened, it made it all seem even more real. I was sad when I discovered the plans for what Epcot was supposed to be scrapped after Walt's death. The resulting theme park was not "Progress City", but still had a positive outlook on the future. My mind was blown over and over again when I visited in the early 80's, and I arranged for my friends and mates to share the experience. Those were some of the most cherished times in my life.
A lot has changed about the Disney attitude and their concepts of the future, but sometimes, there is a glimmer of the good old days; when tomorrow was something to look forward to. Recently I stumbled on an article by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing with a link to The Optimist, an Imagineer-designed alternate reality game that lead up to the D23 Expo, the convention for the official Disney fan club.
It started with a Blog by a college student in Rhode Island, Amelia, who had discovered that her grandfather, who had recently passed away, had a treasure trove of 1964 World’s Fair memorabilia in his apartment. Digging deaper reviled correspondence that suggested that Carlos, her granddad, had not just been a storyteller and unpublished SF/Fantasy author, but was involved with the original Disney Imagineers, and their work on the Worlds Fair and the future WDW. She found letters, telegrams, notes and photos, as well as several 33 records of songs from the Disney attractions at the Fair. She mailed some of the albums to her on-line friends (the players), and it was discovered that there were hidden tracks on the records that were an alternative narration to Carousel of Progress... for 'special' VIPS, covering advanced topics like direct mental communication and inter-dimensional travel. She wanted to make a documentary about it, and asked other Disney fans for help.
Some of the correspondence led to the web site of Michael Lott's family construction company. (M.T.Lott was the joke real estate company that purchased land in secret for WDW). Eventually, Mr. Lott provided some documents of his own that indicated that there was far more going on in the exhibits his company built for Disney. With a 'client code', it was possible to obtain copies of blueprints of Tomorrowland, with notes that also indicated advanced secret projects.
The appearance of a graphic artist, Wallace, and his web site Disney Cartography, broadened the scope of the quest. His interesting posters held clues to locations around Southern California where Walt and his Imagineers had been known to visit. The Tam O' Shanter and Charlie's Chili restaurants, the carousel in Griffith Park, the barn and combine rail car at the live steamers park all had their mysteries to uncover. Wallace arranged meetings at Disneyland, and players were allowed to visit Club 33 and Walt's private apartment. It all began to point to a secret society of futurists that existed through the years, with diverse members like Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Gustave Eiffle, Amelia Earhart, Nicoli Tesla, Thomas Edison, Ray Bradury, and Walt and his Imagineers. Apparently, Amelia's grandfather, Carlos, had been a member, too.
At the D23 Expo, Wallace had a table in the collector’s forum hall. You could talk to him, and if you mentioned the password "Progress" (found in the program book in 'code' on his add page), he would give you a brochure/map and send you on a scavenger hunt around the convention and Disneyland. The brochures were not all identical, and you had to find other players and compare notes to find all the clues that lead you to the next location...
I had signed up and followed the on-line content of the game since June. Unfortunately I was not able to visit the locations in LA, nor the meet-ups at Disneyland, but players have posted details and videos on YouTube for those who couldn't be there in person. On Saturday night, Amelia's mother (another character in the game) met up with a group of players at the Opera House at Disneyland for a special presentation. She had been reluctant to discuss her father, and had been upset about her daughter posting all his personal information on-line. The crowd of excited players changed her mind, and she joined in the excitement.
I was at D23 on Friday. I talked to Wallace and ran around the convention, meeting other players and filling-in clues on my map. I could not make it to the park on Saturday, it was the PS Party day, but I did head over on Sunday. I started out at the opera house lobby, where i met one of Wallace's assistants (wearing his company T-shirt). I gave him the password and he circled two icons on my map, and placed an 'x' between the New Orleans Square train station and the Haunted Mansion. I headed over there and met a couple of young ladies that also had a map, but with different icons circled. We eventually drew lines linking the icons, which made an 'x' over Fortune Red, the pirate fortune teller. I went to see Fortune Red, paid my quarter, and got a fortune that was obviously for players. It told me to go to the 'nearest port' and take the 'steam engine' marked by the Lilly at the ringing of the Belle. The Lilly Belle is the special car on the Disneyland RR train that Walt would meet VIPS on.
I headed to the train station and met a group of people with their own maps; a family with their young daughter, and couple of women. The conductor said she would escort us to the Lilly Belle when the train arrived, which she did. The car was done up in Victorian style, and i noticed a wooden box on a table with the societie’s symbol, the '+u' mark. Inside were gold-embossed cards, each with 4 letters on them. We all took one, and the conductor said we needed to have all 14 for the puzzle. A recorded narrator told us to solve the puzzle and report to a person with a blue-striped tie at the Disney Showcase store. We laid the cards on the floor and get them in order... "Hold this ticket up when the time is right. The codeword is steamboat" was the message.
We headed to Main Street, and met the lady with the striped tie. She told us that we had to remember to hold our cards up as if to show them to a crowd, and she escorted us to the Main Street Cinema. It was closed for a 'special engagement', but we were led in. We stood on the raised section in the middle of the room, with the silent cartoons playing on the screens. We noticed the screen playing "Steamboat Willie", and held our cards up. All the films stopped. Then the screens started playing other films, which all tied together into a multi-screen presentation about the society and the future. The narrator said the society to plan and make the future must continue, and that people like us would be the new members. Then as the screens dimmed, a small platform raised up in front of the main screen, highlighted with a spotlight. On the platform were 6 pins, one for each of us. We were now part of Walt's secret society, just like Carlos, Amelia's grandfather. I hope that Amelia will complete her documentary project, now that her mom understands her father was not just a daydreamer.
It may not seem like much, but for me it was a wonderful experience, which was made more fun because you had to collaborate with others who were strangers, but quickly became friends. It was a totally non-completive game that brought together people with the same attitude about Disney that I had since I was a kid. The game was clever in that you didn't have to have all the clues, and you could start at any time and still finish. The experience brought back the feelings I had when I watched the Disney TV shows, or when I would go to Disneyland, and later, WDW and Epcot. I am very happy to have been involved, and my hat's off to the creators of this game. It really didn't promote anything, it didn't cost anything (if you were already going to D23 and Disneyland), and you could enjoy it on-line, too.
Now, it's up to me and the other members of Walt's society to make the future better for everyone. I believe we can do it!
A lot has changed about the Disney attitude and their concepts of the future, but sometimes, there is a glimmer of the good old days; when tomorrow was something to look forward to. Recently I stumbled on an article by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing with a link to The Optimist, an Imagineer-designed alternate reality game that lead up to the D23 Expo, the convention for the official Disney fan club.
It started with a Blog by a college student in Rhode Island, Amelia, who had discovered that her grandfather, who had recently passed away, had a treasure trove of 1964 World’s Fair memorabilia in his apartment. Digging deaper reviled correspondence that suggested that Carlos, her granddad, had not just been a storyteller and unpublished SF/Fantasy author, but was involved with the original Disney Imagineers, and their work on the Worlds Fair and the future WDW. She found letters, telegrams, notes and photos, as well as several 33 records of songs from the Disney attractions at the Fair. She mailed some of the albums to her on-line friends (the players), and it was discovered that there were hidden tracks on the records that were an alternative narration to Carousel of Progress... for 'special' VIPS, covering advanced topics like direct mental communication and inter-dimensional travel. She wanted to make a documentary about it, and asked other Disney fans for help.
Some of the correspondence led to the web site of Michael Lott's family construction company. (M.T.Lott was the joke real estate company that purchased land in secret for WDW). Eventually, Mr. Lott provided some documents of his own that indicated that there was far more going on in the exhibits his company built for Disney. With a 'client code', it was possible to obtain copies of blueprints of Tomorrowland, with notes that also indicated advanced secret projects.
The appearance of a graphic artist, Wallace, and his web site Disney Cartography, broadened the scope of the quest. His interesting posters held clues to locations around Southern California where Walt and his Imagineers had been known to visit. The Tam O' Shanter and Charlie's Chili restaurants, the carousel in Griffith Park, the barn and combine rail car at the live steamers park all had their mysteries to uncover. Wallace arranged meetings at Disneyland, and players were allowed to visit Club 33 and Walt's private apartment. It all began to point to a secret society of futurists that existed through the years, with diverse members like Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Gustave Eiffle, Amelia Earhart, Nicoli Tesla, Thomas Edison, Ray Bradury, and Walt and his Imagineers. Apparently, Amelia's grandfather, Carlos, had been a member, too.
At the D23 Expo, Wallace had a table in the collector’s forum hall. You could talk to him, and if you mentioned the password "Progress" (found in the program book in 'code' on his add page), he would give you a brochure/map and send you on a scavenger hunt around the convention and Disneyland. The brochures were not all identical, and you had to find other players and compare notes to find all the clues that lead you to the next location...
I had signed up and followed the on-line content of the game since June. Unfortunately I was not able to visit the locations in LA, nor the meet-ups at Disneyland, but players have posted details and videos on YouTube for those who couldn't be there in person. On Saturday night, Amelia's mother (another character in the game) met up with a group of players at the Opera House at Disneyland for a special presentation. She had been reluctant to discuss her father, and had been upset about her daughter posting all his personal information on-line. The crowd of excited players changed her mind, and she joined in the excitement.
I was at D23 on Friday. I talked to Wallace and ran around the convention, meeting other players and filling-in clues on my map. I could not make it to the park on Saturday, it was the PS Party day, but I did head over on Sunday. I started out at the opera house lobby, where i met one of Wallace's assistants (wearing his company T-shirt). I gave him the password and he circled two icons on my map, and placed an 'x' between the New Orleans Square train station and the Haunted Mansion. I headed over there and met a couple of young ladies that also had a map, but with different icons circled. We eventually drew lines linking the icons, which made an 'x' over Fortune Red, the pirate fortune teller. I went to see Fortune Red, paid my quarter, and got a fortune that was obviously for players. It told me to go to the 'nearest port' and take the 'steam engine' marked by the Lilly at the ringing of the Belle. The Lilly Belle is the special car on the Disneyland RR train that Walt would meet VIPS on.
I headed to the train station and met a group of people with their own maps; a family with their young daughter, and couple of women. The conductor said she would escort us to the Lilly Belle when the train arrived, which she did. The car was done up in Victorian style, and i noticed a wooden box on a table with the societie’s symbol, the '+u' mark. Inside were gold-embossed cards, each with 4 letters on them. We all took one, and the conductor said we needed to have all 14 for the puzzle. A recorded narrator told us to solve the puzzle and report to a person with a blue-striped tie at the Disney Showcase store. We laid the cards on the floor and get them in order... "Hold this ticket up when the time is right. The codeword is steamboat" was the message.
We headed to Main Street, and met the lady with the striped tie. She told us that we had to remember to hold our cards up as if to show them to a crowd, and she escorted us to the Main Street Cinema. It was closed for a 'special engagement', but we were led in. We stood on the raised section in the middle of the room, with the silent cartoons playing on the screens. We noticed the screen playing "Steamboat Willie", and held our cards up. All the films stopped. Then the screens started playing other films, which all tied together into a multi-screen presentation about the society and the future. The narrator said the society to plan and make the future must continue, and that people like us would be the new members. Then as the screens dimmed, a small platform raised up in front of the main screen, highlighted with a spotlight. On the platform were 6 pins, one for each of us. We were now part of Walt's secret society, just like Carlos, Amelia's grandfather. I hope that Amelia will complete her documentary project, now that her mom understands her father was not just a daydreamer.
It may not seem like much, but for me it was a wonderful experience, which was made more fun because you had to collaborate with others who were strangers, but quickly became friends. It was a totally non-completive game that brought together people with the same attitude about Disney that I had since I was a kid. The game was clever in that you didn't have to have all the clues, and you could start at any time and still finish. The experience brought back the feelings I had when I watched the Disney TV shows, or when I would go to Disneyland, and later, WDW and Epcot. I am very happy to have been involved, and my hat's off to the creators of this game. It really didn't promote anything, it didn't cost anything (if you were already going to D23 and Disneyland), and you could enjoy it on-line, too.
Now, it's up to me and the other members of Walt's society to make the future better for everyone. I believe we can do it!
When I was little back in the eighties my parents took me to Epcot and it was amazing. When I went back in the mid 90s though nothing had changed in the slightest and it was kind of sad because it lost a lot of that wonderment by then as it became obvious most of that stuff would never happen, at least not the way it was envisioned. I wonder if it is different now? Been almost twenty years since I was there but I doubt I am going to Florida anytime soon. :)
My original experience in Epcot was in the 80's, right after it opened, the right after Living Seas opened (I have been obsessed with Oceanography since I was a kid). Epcot toatlly belw me away, but then I have always been a believer in The Future!