Category: Main Collections

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GEAUGA LAKE: The Legendary Life and Loss of The World’s Most Adventurous Amusement Park

Year after year, season after season, traces of amusement parks past flicker out of existence. From historic dark rides to classic coasters; beloved landmarks to entire parks, sometimes, no amount of history, nostalgia, legend, or love can save a classic. Though Park Lore’s collection of Lost Legends is stocked with the stories of beloved theme park favorites of yesteryear, there’s no story as staggering as that of Geauga Lake.

You may never have even heard of the little amusement park nestled into the hillsides southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. But its story is one that sounds too wild to be true: a full-sized Six Flags and a full-sized SeaWorld, facing each other across a spring-fed lake that – literally overnight – merged into a single, gargantuan super-park. Mega-coasters, killer whales, dizzying flat rides, a Batman water ski show, dolphins, log flumes, waterslides, tigers, penguins, and motion simulators for one price, Six Flags Worlds of Adventure stood a chance at becoming the best amusement park on Earth… and more to the point, a fitting rival for Cedar Point just an hour and a half west…

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FANTASMIC! The Mysteries, Magic, and Visions Fantastic of Disneyland’s Dreamy Nighttime Spectacular

As the sun sets behind the horizon, a shimmering layer of Pixie dust settles across Disneyland. Torch-lit jungles underscored by the distant calls of unseen animals; wrought iron waterfronts alive with the smell of beignets and the sound of live jazz; frontier towns where lanterns signal refuge from the unknown of the uncharted wild West… Walt Disney would’ve been the first to admit: “a new kind of magic takes over in Disneyland after dark.”

That’s why we’ve launched a new limited series of in-depth stories that crisscross our Lost Legends, Modern Marvels, and Declassified Disaster collections: NIGHT MAGIC, the stories of the spectacles Imagineers have brought to life under cover of darkness at Disney Parks around the globe. Today, our Night Magic series continues to unfold with one of the most outrageous, extravagant, eccentric, hallucinatory, and downright wonder-full productions ever staged by Disney’s designers.

Image: Disney

Each evening, Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios erupt into an abstract, larger-than-life, emotional, and epic battle between good and evil that’s loud, bright, and explosive enough to leave Las Vegas spectacles scrambling for more mortars. FANTASMIC! isn’t just a journey into Mickey’s imagination utilizing every tool in the Imagineering arsenal; it’s a generation-defining classic; a lasting testament to the grandeur of the “Ride the Movies” era; “the one to beat” for every nighttime spectacular to come after.

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It’s Kind of a Sweet Story – The History of the Dole Whip From Polynesian Paradise to Disney’s Tropical Hideaways

Forget Space Mountain, “it’s a small world,” or Pirates of the Caribbean. Splash Mountain who? Jungle Cruise? Never heard of it. For generations of Disneyland and Magic Kingdom guests, it’s not any particular E-Ticket that makes a day at Disneyland or Magic Kingdom complete; it’s a Dole Whip. Today, this non-dairy, frozen, pineapple-flavored soft serve treat has ascended into an upper echelon of Disney Parks lifestyling, inspiring merchandise, media, and the Parks’ snack-obsessed culture.

The Dole Whip is an Instagram-ready icon; as “Disney” as Dumbo; the Zeus in Disneyland’s pantheon of must-try treats. And like the best Disney Parks classics, the story of this sweet snack is one wild ride. From Polynesian paradise to the mid-century Tiki Craze; Walt Disney’s tropical serenade to the citrus swirls of an Orange Bird and the expanded mythologies of the Tropical Hideaway, this widely-available-yet-distinctly-Disney frozen treat and its pan-Pacific story are just the in-depth explorations that our Special Features collection was made for!

Image: Disney

So where do we begin in our quest to uncover the story of this Adventureland anchor? Believe it or not, the Dole Whip was not an Opening Day offering at either Disneyland or Magic Kingdom… Nonetheless, the story of this tropical treat begins a long, long time before Walt Disney World… or even Walt Disney…

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Non Omnis Moriar: The Heartbreaking Haunting of Disneyland Paris’ Phantom Manor

As the cool autumn breeze drifts across the misty Rivers of the Far West and the last streaks of sunlight strike the face of Big Thunder Mountain, a dense fog descends through the red rock hoodoos. One by one, the lanterns of Thunder Mesa’s porches spring to life, and up on Boot Hill, an unexplainable lamp sparks behind the frosted windows in the attic of the old Ravenswood Manor…

Today, we offer you this chilling challenge: forget everything you know about grim, grinning ghosts, happy haunts, and a Ghost Host. One of the most spectacular dark rides on the planet may sound like your local Haunted Mansion, but beneath the surface, Disneyland Paris’ Phantom Manor is something all its own… A landmark of ’90s Disney Weirdness, this reinterpretation of an untouchable classic often falters… but it does so remarkably.

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Snow White’s Scary Adventures: The Many Lives of Fantasyland’s Legendary Fairy Tale Dark Ride

Locked into a chair and cornered by a growling, drooling, bloodthirsty alien… Braving the otherworldly unknown hidden within the historically haunted Hollywood Tower Hotel… Racing through the cataclysmic darkness of the final minutes of the Cretaceous with a hellish Carnotaur giving chase… Navigating the misty graveyard path into the flickering parlor of an abandoned manor…

Long before these frightful experiences were part of a Disney Parks visit, guests were startled, spooked, and downright scared by a Fantasyland favorite that tricked its riders into expecting princesses and happy endings.

Image: Disney

Yep, for generations of visitors who grew up with Snow White’s Scary Adventures, it was a test of bravery to come out the other side with eyes open… A terrifying classic in the century-old spook house tradition, this Fantasyland favorite wasn’t just a tribute to the first of Disney’s animated features and its royal heroine, but to Walt’s own fascination with fear…

So as we dive into the full story of this Walt Disney original, we’ll explore not only its permutations that span three continents, but its gradual pruning at the hands of modern Imagineering. Is Snow White’s Scary Adventures really gone? If you dare, head with us into the dark woods to find out…

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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NIGHT MAGIC: The Main Street Electrical Parade From Powering On to “Glowing Away” Forever

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… Disneyland proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination in thousands of sparkling lights and electro-syntho-magnetic musical sounds… The Main Street Electrical Parade!”

For generations of Disney Parks guests, that triumphant, electronic, vocoded fanfare was far more than an announcement; it was a prelude to a dream. Dazzling sights set aglow in the darkness of Disneyland; infectious, joyful music bounding throughout Magic Kingdom; a dreamscape of hundreds of thousands of lightbulbs reflecting in the eyes of young and old… This was peak Disney.

For fifty years, the Main Street Electrical Parade was a synthesized, symphonic, mobile masterpiece, elevated to stand among classic attractions like very few entertainment offerings can. It was an icon of the era; a masterwork of engineering, audio production, design, and marketing… and then, it was gone. At least, for a while.

Today, we induct the Main Street Electrical Parade into our catalog of Lost Legends – the in-depth stories behind loved-and-lost theme park classics from around the globe. We’ll trace the development of this sensational cross-generational fan favorite, follow its many rebirths, and see how the concept has been often imitated (but never quite duplicated!) in an array of dance-along nighttime parades that have come since.

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The Disney Institute: Behind Eisner’s Brainy Plan to Rethink What Walt Disney World Could Be

When’s the last time Disney did something different? Like, really unexpected? Something so out of left field – so completely out of the box – it felt like a reinvention and a risk? Think back to the days before box-office tie-ins and IP lands. When’s the last time Disney made a move that truly surprised and excited you? Disney English? The Disney Cruise Line? The Disney Vacation Club? Maybe!

But one thing’s for sure: one of the bravest, boldest, and most surprising moves at Disney in the last few decades is one that’s no longer around (except that it is) that you can no longer visit (except that you can): The Disney Institute was a really-for-real reinvention of what Disney could do. And today, it’s gone… kind of. Just image: Would you be willing to visit Walt Disney World but skip its theme parks entirely to visit a self-contained informal education campus where you could pursue new interests and dream hobbies?

So what was the Disney Institute? A program or a place? A campus or a course? Did you study there or stay there? Did it close or continue? And for that matter, is it a Lost Legend missed by those who experienced it, or a doomed Declassified Disaster whose failings we should learn from? The answer is… yes. Today, we’ll dig into the unusual history of one of Michael Eisner’s more far-flung pet projects; how it was conceived, where it came to life, why it disappeared… and how you can still experience it today.

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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Disney’s Possibility Studios: A Tour Through The Action-Packed Movie Park That Never Was

Possibilityland. If you’ve been with us at Park Lore long enough, you may have traveled with us to this spectacular place where never-built attractions are alive once more. In fact, our Possibilityland series is packed with in-depth tales of never-built rides from around the globe. But once in a while, our trips to Possibilityland take a detour. From time to time, we like to step back and walkthrough entire parks as they could’ve been if one person said “yes” instead of “no.”

So far, our “What If?” Walkthroughs have taken us through the Magic Kingdom that almost was; an alternate reality Future World with its cancelled pavilions restored; and an epic journey through Disneyland’s could-be-classics. And today, our trip through Possibilityland brings us to the Pan-Pacific Gates of a park you may hardly recognize… Welcome to the Disney-MGM Studios that never was.

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Possibilityland: A Walk Through The Disneyland That Never Was… But Could’ve Been

To all who come to this place of possibility: welcome. Possibilityland is your land. Or… It could’ve been!

Here at Park Lore, our Possibilitlyand series contains the stories of rides, attractions, lands, and even theme parks that almost were. With each entry, we’ve explored never-built, could-be classics from the Western River Expedition to Muppet Studios; Disney’s America to Westcot. But today, our trips into Possibilityland set their sights on an entire alternate-reality version of a park we think we know…

Today, we’ll walk through themed lands of Disneyland that look quite different from the ones we know and examine the attractions that were cut just before they came to life. In Possibilityland, we can find attractions, areas, and even full lands that simply never came to pass. Think about it: if someone had said “Yes!” instead of saying “No!” (or vice versa), this could be the Happiest Place on Earth!

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Discovery Bay: Disneyland’s Never-Built Land of Immigrants, Inventors, Artists, and Adventurers

Long ago and a world away, great adventures await… In the pantheon of beloved cancelled concepts at Disney Parks, there’s perhaps no project as legendary as that of Discovery Bay. Once envisioned as a continuation of the story of the Rivers of America, this retro-futuristic steampunk land of time machines, submarines, lighthouses, greenhouses, inventors, and adventurers was set to become an icon of Imagineering… but it was never built.

Luckily for us, anything’s possible in Possibilityland, our ever-expanding alternate reality walkthroughs of never-built attractions from around the globe. So even if Discovery Bay never saw the light of day, today we’ll trace the true history of the concept straight from page one and explore the could-be classic attractions this land might’ve contained… Then, we’ll see not only why this city by the bay was scrapped, but where its DNA lives on…

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