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Interested
in finding out more about virtual theme park rides, Disney
park history, or other cool topics? These are some of the
web sites I've found particularly interesting. Click on the
links below to continue your adventure.
UPDATED
SEPTEMBER 9, 2005
Extinct
Attractions and Theme Park History
Save
Toad: The Web Site that Started it All
The
most comprehensive Mr. Toad site on the web! Read
all about JT Toad's epic "Save Toad" movement.
Be sure to check out the hundreds of heartfelt submissions
from Mr. Toad fans, as well as detailed information
on Mr. Toad in film and literature. A great all-in-one
resource.
A
wonderful website devoted to Walt Disney World's
now-extinct attractions. Want to know more about
If You Had Wings? Check out this site!
Widen Your World also includes a very thorough
review of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, explaining
in eloquent detail why the experience was so special
to so many.
Fans
of classic Walt Disney World know that across
the walkway from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride,
there once existed a mind-blowing journey through
liquid space: the 20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea submarine voyage. Check out this web
site for an amazing collection of info, photos
and video clips.
With
more information about defunct Disney attractions,
this site also offers a growing series of extinct
attraction DVDs.
Want
to rediscover Walt Disney World's early years through
the magic of postcards? Click this link for some
truly rare and wonderful imagery.
For
years, The 'E' Ticket Magazine has been
one of the best sources of information about
Walt Disney, the Imagineers, and the Golden
Age of Disneyland. The magazine's issues are
always full of great photos and fascinating
interviews.
Paul
Anderson's Persistence of Vision magazine
is another great historical resource about the
creative genius of Walt Disney and the Imagineers.
Issue #6/7, about Disney's creative efforts
at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, is a must-read
for theme park history buffs.
World
Headquarters for Dark Ride and Funhouse
Fans! The leading source of information
on classic dark amusement rides, including
funhouses, dark rides, spook houses and
haunted houses.
Other
Virtual Attraction Projects
Great
news! Steve Wesson has finished his Adventure
Thru Inner Space 3D ride-through project, and
is now taking orders for the DVD! This extinct Omnimover
ride was a Disneyland classic, and Wesson's CGI
project at atommobiles.com is absolutely incredible.
"Miracles from molecules are dawning every
day!"
Believe
it or not, I'm not the only person attempting to recreate
a defunct theme park ride in 3D animation! Dizneyworld's
attempt to bring the classic WDW attraction If You
Had Wings back to life is a very cool project-- well
worth a visit.
The
growing effort to recreate Disney theme parks and attractions
continues, this time with a very cool rendering of the
old Horizons building from Epcot. Jason has captured
the spirit and beauty of the show building in all its
glory.
The
Haunted Mansion is another Disney classic perfect
for immortalization in the 3D realm, and CGI artist
Ray Keim is hard at work doing just that. Visit his
website to see his impressive 3D models and illustrations
of the Haunted Mansion facades!
The
"Monsters, Inc. Factory Tour" was
created by an enterprising college student
for a Walt Disney Imagineering contest called
"ImagiNations." Now that a Monsters,
Inc. ride is slated for Disney's California
Adventure park, the creator of the site
has removed most of the material. However,
at last check he was still accepting e-mail
inquiries about the project.
Other
Disney-Related Websites
"A
Different Look at Disney and More..."
Al Lutz keeps a constructively critical
eye on Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company.
A must-read for Disney fans.
Want
to know the latest theme park news and
rumors? This is the site to check out.
One of the most reliable and authoritative
theme park industry sites on the web.
It's
a critical question for
the theme park industry:
how do you balance nostalgia,
creativity and profit
pressures in an era of
change? Are the recent
changes at Walt Disney
World enhancing or diluting
the magic? Visit this
site for some thoughtful
commentary on the current
state of WDW's theme parks.
Not everyone will agree
with the "D-Troops"
philosophy-- but visit,
explore, and decide for
yourself.
Thousands
of Disney fans already know this is a
great place for info on the Haunted Mansion,
Disneyland, and more. Be sure to visit
the site's "At Home Imagineering"
section, where you can create your own
Disney magic!
From
the author of the Walt Disney World
Trivia Book, Lou Mongello's site
contains trivia, secrets and fun facts
about WDW, as well as photo galleries,
discussion forums, weekly trivia games,
and crosswords. There's also WDW news
and updates, as well as Q&A with
the author, and articles from guest
columnists.
Other
Cool Websites Worth Exploring
Part
of the Monorail Society website. Information on a very
cool project-- a working, rideable backyard monorail!
This is a undertaking so wonderfully amazing you have
to see it to believe it.
The
future of urban transportation is just around the corner.
It's called "Personal Rapid Transit" or PRT,
and the folks at the Taxi 2000 Corporation already have
a working prototype. This is a technology that would have
been right at home in Walt's original EPCOT. "Tomorrow's
horizons are here-- today!"
For
more on the origins of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT),
click this link to see a seven-minute film from the
1970s, about a prototype system from Germany that was
decades ahead of its time. Cheesy production values
and boxy construction aside, it kind of makes you wonder
why the future is taking so long to arrive. WARNING:
this is an 82.9 Mb MPEG file! "It's always fun
looking back at tomorrow."
While
watching PBS late one night, I stumbled upon something
so unbelievably cool, it's hard to accurately describe.
A small company named Animusic has produced
an incredible series of computer animations set
to music. Virtual instruments play each note, and,
well, you just have to see for yourself by checking
out their website. I can't help but imagine these
"virtual virtuosos" as working animatronics,
playing their ethereal tunes throughout Tomorrowland.
Here's
an unusual link for all you nostalgia buffs out
there. Remember the Intellivision video game console?
If you spent countless hours playing "Bomb
Squad," "Snafu" or "B-17 Bomber"
back in the 80's, there's a wild and wacky music
CD you simply MUST add to your collection! Click
the link to find out more.
More
proof that using computer animation to recapture
nostalgia can be quite effective. Check out this
amazingly detailed 3D animation of the ultimate
video arcade, circa 1984. If you were one of the
millions swept up in the video game craze of the
early 1980s, you'll absolutely love this animation!
Coaster
Dynamix unveils a very cool new product: a realistic-looking,
fully operational model roller coaster kit! See
what several years of research
and development have produced-- and don't miss
the video clip.
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