1
Disneyland, the First 50 Magical Years
Posted by Club 33,
28 February 2010
·
17 views
Disneyland Attractions
I admit, a Disneyland, the First 50 Magical Years post may seem a bit belated at this point. However, with the attraction now having been gone for a year, it's as good a time as any to discuss what music and audio of the attraction exists.
The first major piece of audio from the film to surface was a recording made from the attraction's ALD feed. Originally exclusively made by and for Utilidors Audio Broadcasting, the recording is now in wide circulation. It runs 15:46. The circulated version is actually slightly different from the version that continues to play on Utilidors, which runs 15:57. The circulated version contains only the audio from the film and does not include the introduction or load/unload music. The Utilidors version includes some of the unload music along with cast member announcements.
There is an induction recording of the load/unload music recording running 4:20 which features the entire loop cycle between the end of one show and the beginning of the next. It has not circulated.
The score for the film was composed by John Debney. It combines original music with several themes from Disney films and attractions.
A score medley running 8:17 is in limited circulation. The medley contains several pieces of score from the film, as well as a version of the load/unload music which differs from the version actually used in the attraction (the medley version features an ending, whereas the attraction version played on continuous loop until the start of the show cycle, and does not contain the choral vocals featured in the attraction version).
The complete score can be found on a Promo CD, which contains 30 tracks and has a running time of 25:37. Sharp eyed readers will note than this is actually longer than the film itself. Firstly, the promo score features every individual cue by itself, whereas in the film they tend to overlap. Secondly, the CD contains three different versions of the load/unload music. One is the same instrumental version mentioned in the previous paragraph. The other two feature the same music bed but with choral vocals- not, however, the vocals that actually appeared in the attraction. In the final attraction version the choir merely hummed along to the medley, and only during the part featuring Debney's original theme for the score. In the Promo Version, the entire loop has full choral vocals with lyrics, with female and male voices trading off. Here are the lyrics, for those of you who wish to sing along:
[Disneyland, the First 50 Magical Years Theme]
Twinkle, twinkle, second star to the right
Glimmers and gleams for wishes and dreams
Always shining bright
If you believe in magic
If you believe in magic
All your dreams can soon some true
[It's a Small World]
It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears
There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small, world
[Yo Ho, A Pirates Life For Me]
A pirate's life for me
We pillage we plunder we rifle and loot
Drink up me hearties yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me hearties yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
[Grim Grinning Ghosts]
When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake
Spooks come out for a swingin' wake
Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize
[There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow]
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
The instrumental and one of the vocal versions have a definite ending, while the other vocal version loops back to the beginning of the It's a Small World section as it was in the attraction. With the vocals the loop has a very different tone to it and it's interesting that they evidently decided to do away with them in the end.
In December of 2009, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln returned to the Opera House as "The Disneyland Story presents Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln". The lobby area is now split into two sections: The Disneyland Story, which connects to the new Disney Gallery next store, and the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln pre-show. Disneyland, the First 50 Magical Years now plays on a large television screen as part of the Disneyland Story exhibit, complete with benches for guests to sit and watch the film. The film has been edited to play on continual loop, and is cut into sections bracketed by an image of Sleeping Beauty Castle playing on the screen for 30 seconds or so. It's not known why these gaps were put in, but some Cast Members working the attraction use them to introduce the exhibit to guests.
Audio from the film still plays on the ALD system in synch with the new presentation. As with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Honey I Shrunk the Audience, the current feed includes only dialog and narration and no music or sound effects. The film audio is interrupted every 20 minutes or so by the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln pre-show.
While the film itself may have received a mixed reaction- mostly due to it's usurpation of Lincoln, it was still very well done. It features some great historical footage for the park and is a great primer on Disneyland history for the uninitiated. Debney's score expertly weaves in a huge array of themes from Disneyland's history along with some great underscore and incidental music, some of which is hard to make out in the final show mix. I for one am glad it can still be enjoyed in some form at the park.
The first major piece of audio from the film to surface was a recording made from the attraction's ALD feed. Originally exclusively made by and for Utilidors Audio Broadcasting, the recording is now in wide circulation. It runs 15:46. The circulated version is actually slightly different from the version that continues to play on Utilidors, which runs 15:57. The circulated version contains only the audio from the film and does not include the introduction or load/unload music. The Utilidors version includes some of the unload music along with cast member announcements.
There is an induction recording of the load/unload music recording running 4:20 which features the entire loop cycle between the end of one show and the beginning of the next. It has not circulated.
The score for the film was composed by John Debney. It combines original music with several themes from Disney films and attractions.
A score medley running 8:17 is in limited circulation. The medley contains several pieces of score from the film, as well as a version of the load/unload music which differs from the version actually used in the attraction (the medley version features an ending, whereas the attraction version played on continuous loop until the start of the show cycle, and does not contain the choral vocals featured in the attraction version).
The complete score can be found on a Promo CD, which contains 30 tracks and has a running time of 25:37. Sharp eyed readers will note than this is actually longer than the film itself. Firstly, the promo score features every individual cue by itself, whereas in the film they tend to overlap. Secondly, the CD contains three different versions of the load/unload music. One is the same instrumental version mentioned in the previous paragraph. The other two feature the same music bed but with choral vocals- not, however, the vocals that actually appeared in the attraction. In the final attraction version the choir merely hummed along to the medley, and only during the part featuring Debney's original theme for the score. In the Promo Version, the entire loop has full choral vocals with lyrics, with female and male voices trading off. Here are the lyrics, for those of you who wish to sing along:
[Disneyland, the First 50 Magical Years Theme]
Twinkle, twinkle, second star to the right
Glimmers and gleams for wishes and dreams
Always shining bright
If you believe in magic
If you believe in magic
All your dreams can soon some true
[It's a Small World]
It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears
There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small, world
[Yo Ho, A Pirates Life For Me]
A pirate's life for me
We pillage we plunder we rifle and loot
Drink up me hearties yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me hearties yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
[Grim Grinning Ghosts]
When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake
Spooks come out for a swingin' wake
Happy haunts materialize, and begin to vocalize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize
[There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow]
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
The instrumental and one of the vocal versions have a definite ending, while the other vocal version loops back to the beginning of the It's a Small World section as it was in the attraction. With the vocals the loop has a very different tone to it and it's interesting that they evidently decided to do away with them in the end.
In December of 2009, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln returned to the Opera House as "The Disneyland Story presents Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln". The lobby area is now split into two sections: The Disneyland Story, which connects to the new Disney Gallery next store, and the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln pre-show. Disneyland, the First 50 Magical Years now plays on a large television screen as part of the Disneyland Story exhibit, complete with benches for guests to sit and watch the film. The film has been edited to play on continual loop, and is cut into sections bracketed by an image of Sleeping Beauty Castle playing on the screen for 30 seconds or so. It's not known why these gaps were put in, but some Cast Members working the attraction use them to introduce the exhibit to guests.
Audio from the film still plays on the ALD system in synch with the new presentation. As with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Honey I Shrunk the Audience, the current feed includes only dialog and narration and no music or sound effects. The film audio is interrupted every 20 minutes or so by the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln pre-show.
While the film itself may have received a mixed reaction- mostly due to it's usurpation of Lincoln, it was still very well done. It features some great historical footage for the park and is a great primer on Disneyland history for the uninitiated. Debney's score expertly weaves in a huge array of themes from Disneyland's history along with some great underscore and incidental music, some of which is hard to make out in the final show mix. I for one am glad it can still be enjoyed in some form at the park.
