Main Street's Masterpiece Maintenance Mural

Now, this is what all maintenance doors should look like. Located near the Fire Station, this jolly painting adds character and backstory to a relatively quiet corner of Main Street, while turning an ordinary pair of maintenance/vehicle access doors into a little showpiece.

It also functions as a pretty classy and fun bit of advertising; National Rent-a-Car sponsors the Main Street Vehicles.

Mr. Toad's Experimental Fireplace

Disneyland's Fantasyland dark rides have received tweaks and improvements from time to time, even after their extensive 1983 remodeling. The first noticeable change after the summer of 1983 was the abandonment of an interesting but problematic special effect on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Ever since the opening of New Fantasyland, the last part of the ride's queue has been great fun. Upon entering Toad Hall and encountering the foreshadowing tapestry, you hear jolly music -- and a distinct CRASHING sound which repeats every fifteen seconds or so.

As you near the boarding area, you see the source of the noise as you watch the departing motorcars disappear through library doors -- only to immediately crash back out through the room's fireplace.

The effect (done with scrim, animation and fiber optic embers scattering across the floor) is a hoot to watch -- but it's not quite what the Imagineers tried to achieve in 1983.

Going through my old photos, I remembered I'd taken a shot of the original fireplace effect.

Pinocchio's Daring Journey in 1983

Pinocchio's Daring Journey opened in Disneyland as part of the massive Fantasyland remodel in 1983. Then and now, guests encounter a bit of foreshadowing as they enter the queue and pass this deceptive, cheerful poster for Stromboli's show.

The above image is from this past summer, but all the following photos are from my family's first trip to "New Fantasyland" in the summer of 1983.

Ride vehicles designed to look hand-carved by Geppetto begin the journey by entering Stromboli's Theater. Guests have about two seconds to watch Pinocchio on stage before veering to the right as "Something Goes Terribly Wrong."

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Before & After

One night at Disneyland back in the late 1960's, my parents let me borrow their camera to use up the last shot on whatever I wanted. My nine-year-old-mind knew exactly what to do: take a photo of random people bursting out of hell at the end of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

I have no idea who those folks are in the picture, but I love their attitude. And look -- that plucky kid didn't take his hands off the steering wheel -- not even while being taunted by cackling demons with pitchforks!

Jumping ahead to this past summer...

...we can see that I took better photos when I was nine. We can also see that the newer unload zone -- now inside Toad's mansion -- isn't nearly as gothic-looking. It's more difficult to photograph the final "crash" doors now without being a nuisance, but way back on the right you can see how those once hellish-looking doors are now painted to look like they lead from a wine cellar or pantry.

Inside, however, the ride is just as loud, chaotic and crazy as ever. Long live Mr. Toad's Wild Ride -- May its dynamite kegs never stop exploding.

After Hours: Pirates of the Caribbean

Here's one Disneyland tip to remember: enter Pirates of the Caribbean one minute before closing. You just might get a boat to yourself (and have empty boats ahead and behind). Twenty minutes later, you'll exit into a strangely deserted and wonderfully dark, quiet incarnation of New Orleans Square, Frontierland and Adventureland.

The simple, quiet fun of seeing Disneyland after closing, if only for a wonderful few minutes, makes staying past midnight worthwhile despite aching feet and heavy eyelids.

The entry to Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean is secretive and understated to begin with; after closing it's absolutely poker-faced. A first-timer could mistake the place for a shop or restaurant. Who would guess these simple doors lead to a moonlit bayou and the most epic-length theme park ride on Earth?

I think a lot of life-long Disney fans get hooked during quiet moments like this.