Disney Movie Premier Buttons

Though I’ve never made it to an actual premier, back in the mid 90′s, Disney was having annual events in New York City that I was fortunate enough to attend.

The first was from the Lion King’s premier run at Radio City music hall in 1994, which I first shared back when I originally introduced the Jar of Buttons.

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The very next year, Pocahontas had it’s World premier in Central Park, and I could have gone as I was a Cast Member at The Disney Store. And I couldn’t go! I couldn’t get off of work from my “real” job! Oh, the humanity. I remember distinctly being totally envious of several friends who went, and all I got was this button!

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Finally, I did get to see Hercules during it’s premier run at the newly renovated New Amsterdam Theatre.

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Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare Button

By Nick

As I mentioned in this Breakfast with Aladdin post, in the past, when you went to a character meal, you’d get a button.
This one is from a breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, located at the Grand Floridian Resort.

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Like the Aladdin breakfast at the Soundstage Restaurant, this is from the early to mid 90s. Unlike the Soundstage Restaurant, however, 1900 Park Fare still exists, and still offers a character breakfast with just about the same characters as it did in the early to mid 90s. Mary Poppins, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and assorted friends, such as Tigger.

My wife and I visited a while back, and it’s a delicious breakfast buffet.

But I’d still like a free button!

Do You Remember When Dinosaur was Countdown to Extinction?

By Nick

One of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World is Dinosaur, located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Dinosaur is a dark ride that takes us back to the Cretaceous Period, aboard a Time Rover, to bring back a live dinosaur, dangerously close to when a large asteroid is going to hit the earth. Along the way we encounter many species of dinos, and come very close to getting hit by meteorites.

Did you know, however, that the ride was initially called Countdown to Extinction? It was changed to Dinosaur to promote the film of the same name, released in 2000. At that time, there were several changes made to the ride, including toning down some of the more frightening effect elements, and making the ride itself less intense.

I was not fortunate enough to ride the original, but do have a few items from that period, including this button.
The button is lenticular, starting with the Carnotaurus in the distance…

…and, suddenly, he is upon Mickey!

I also have a book, “Countdown to Extinction, A Hologram Adventure to the Age of the Dinosaurs”,
from Disney Press, by A. J. Wood, illustrated by Chris Forsey.

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From the back cover:

Catch the mistakes in the Dino Institutes Files on a holographic adventure through the prehistoric past.

The Dino Institutes Files have been corrupted by a computer error and there’s only one way to find the mistakes. Climb aboard the Time Rover and explore the age of the dinosaurs, but be careful: the past is filled with a hungry Carnotaurus, meteor showers, and erupting volcanoes. With vivid illustrations and holograms on every page, this exciting book ties into the knew Countdown to Extinction attraction at DinoLand U.S.A., part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, and brings the dinosaurs back to life.

Throughout the book, we are asked to find the mistakes in the Time Rover Files.

For instance, we are asked to look at the picture and find 2 mistakes. The files state that these tiny chicken sized dinosaurs, Compsognathus, were 98 feet big. That would be a big chicken! So, error number 1. The file states that the Compsognathus has five fingered hands. Clearly the picture shows they have three, so we have mistake number 2! I feel so smart!

Can you tell which is the T-Rex and which is the Triceratops?

YOU are smart too!

We are getting the Time Rover files all straightened out!

Speaking of Time Rover, I’ll be featuring MY very own Time Rover in a future post, so please stop back.

Breakfast With Aladdin Button

by Nick

Back in the 90s, in what was once Disney-MGM Studios, was The Soundstage Restaurant located where Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! is currently located in Disney Hollywood Studios. It was a full-service restaurant that was designed to look like a “live set” from whichever Disney animated film was released at that time.
When I visited, it was themed around Aladdin.
As this is 20 some years ago, my memory is fuzzy on details, but I have this button to remind me that I ate there at least!



Did you experience this meal, and what did you think of it?

Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Memorabilia

By Nick

Much like a museum, there is nowhere near enough shelf and wall space to display all of my collection, so, much of it is in storage. These were just pulled out of the attic.

I was in the Magic Kingdom October 1st, 1996 for Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary, and picked up several souvenirs.

One was the special 25th t shirt, long since worn out, a white shirt with the same graphics as this button:



Another button, this one lenticular:






And finally, I'd like to share this Souvenir Pack:



It includes a pennant, sticker, and another button.

500 Disney Stores Button and 500 Disney Musings Posts!

According to Wikipedia, the 1st Disney Store opened in Glendale, California, on March 28th, 1987.

According to this button, from my Jar of Buttons, the 500th Store opened on July 5th 1996, and according to Google, that store was in Phoenix, Arizona.



Of course, there has been a lot of changes since then, including not actually being owned by Disney for a time. They are now once again owned by The Walt Disney Company.

I share this button today because this is Disney Musings 500th post!

I want to thank all of my Disney loving friends that have contributed articles, and all our loyal readers for checking in with us.

I also want to thank all the people who have Disney pages and groups on Facebook, fellow bloggers who host Blog Hops, and the other blogs I share articles with, that allow me the opportunity to share our posts to a wider audience!

If I make just one person happy a day with this blog, then it's worth it!

500 Posts & Climbing!

Vintage EPCOT Center World Showcase Buttons

By: Nick

Unlike Epcot’s Future World, not a lot has changed in World Showcase, and for that I’m grateful.
This is perhaps my favorite section of my favorite park in Walt Disney World.
These buttons were bought back in the early to mid 90′s.



 
 


Long before I had a real passport, I had my World Showcase passport, and I'll share that here tomorrow.

Epcot's International Flower and Garden Button and Brochures

By: Nick

The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival started in 1993.

Throughout the park you’ll find many topiary displays, themed to a particular subject, as well as lush gardens. Guests can meet gardening experts and learn new ideas they can use in their own home gardens.

This button is from 1995.



I was able to attend in 1994 and 1995, and have brochures from both festivals.
This is from 1994.



It’s amazing to see how the festival has grown. The topiarys look rudimentary compared to what you’ll see today.







From 1995.









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This years Flower and Garden Festival started March 5th, and runs through May 18th.

I Was King For a Day at Epcot

I Was King For a Day. Well, for about 10 minutes, anyway.

Have you ever had the urge to stand up in front of strangers and act? Have you ever had the urge to stand up in front of strangers and act foolish? Regardless of your answer, you can have this experience at Epcot!

While on a trip to Walt Disney World a couple of years ago, my wife and I were in Epcot, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the United Kingdom Pavilion. We happened to walk up just as The World Showcase Players were setting up for another "King Arthur and the Holy Grail" show. For those who don't know, this is an audience participation and improvisational show, usually performed on the street in front of the Tea Caddy shop, across from the Rose and Crown. The players pluck members of the audience for the roles of Arthur, Sir Galahad and the Wicked Witch Pellum. The central character of course is King Arthur. For this role, someone charming, brave, and handsome is needed.

In other words, me.

While in this show, you can be boisterous, silly, and yes, foolish, or shy, reserved, and even embarrassed.

Go for it, have fun! You will very likely never see these people again.

 
After the show, I even received payment! An Honorary World Showcase Player button!

But the thing I'll treasure most is the memory of the fun I had, and the knowledge that I may have helped to make another visitor's park experience more enjoyable.

Do You Remember: The Adventurers Club?

Last Saturday, I discussed Pleasure Island. My favorite club at PI was the Adventurers Club, which was styled after a private club for world travelers and explorers and was set in 1937.
The walls of the club were covered with artifacts and photographs from various explorations.
It had animatronics, puppets, and a cast of "adventurers" who performed in shows and improvisational comedy while mingling with the clubgoers.
There was also an actual club to join, with a newsletter, (which I have somewhere, and will surely share if I rediscover it) and a button.

There was so much to see and do at this club, including drinking specialty beverages, such as the official drink of the club, the Kungaloosh, which may of may not have come in this canteen, (I can't remember, too many Kungalooshes).

Sadly, the Adventurers Club closed in 2009, with the rest of the clubs on Pleasure Island, but fans, including me, still hope that it will return once more to Walt Disney World in some form or another.

Do You Remember : Pleasure Island?

Pleasure Island is / was  a section of the Walt Disney World Resort within Downtown Disney's shopping, dining, and entertainment district. Pleasure Island officially opened May 1, 1989.  A misconception is that the island completely closed on September 2008, but only the clubs closed.  The island's stores and restaurants remained open.

The site is often mistakenly thought to have been named for 'Pleasure Island' from Pinocchio, where unsupervised children misbehave and are eventually punished by being changed into donkeys that have to work in salt mines. But there was an interesting back-story created by Walt Disney Imagineering, that had nothing at all to do with Pinocchio.

The island's nightclubs were once home to a shipping company owned by adventurous businessman Merriweather Pleasure. A great storm destroyed the business and Mr. Pleasure disappeared with the warehouses remaining behind. Years later, these warehouses were refurbished and converted into nightclubs.

This button is likely from 1992, the first year I visited Walt Disney World.

This shot glass is from that same time. Both feature the Pleasure Island mascot, the Funmeister.

There was much fun to be had a Pleasure Island. Every night was New Year's Eve for instance, with a countdown and fireworks.

Speaking of fireworks, there was a restaurant called Fireworks Factory, with a pyrotechnics theme.  According to the island's fictional backstory, Merriweather Pleasure manufactured fireworks in the building until one of his cigars caused an explosion. The restaurant was decorated with authentic pyrotechnic props.

I also enjoyed the Comedy Warehouse, a nightclub which featured improv comedy. But the best thing about Pleasure Island was The Adventurers Club, which I would visit on multiple evenings during my trips. Stop back soon for a look at this beloved and very much missed spot.