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In order to bring the most up to date and accurate information to the site, I of course spend a lot of time searching the Internet and looking for anything to do with the characters. In my cyberspace travels I often come across a lot of old things that I find really neat and interesting. I never post any of these things on the blog as I usually try to keep the blog current, but I felt maybe I should start to share some of my past findings with you.
Today's Blast From the Past is going to be to Disney Afternoon Avenue in Disneyland California.
The website Yesterland.com has some really cool old things on it, and I often check it to see what has been added - to see what wonders I never got to see, and also things that have now become obsolete since I have been visiting the parks. The site focusses mainly on the Disneyland Resort, but does sidetrack to other things from time to time. I will refer to it in this article a lot, as that is where most of today's information comes from.
Disney Afternoon Avenue was the predecessor to Toontown, and occupied the space that is now Small World Promenade. Disney Afternoon Avenue featured a Gummi Boat ride, and a smaller version of Autopia amongst other things. And then of course there was characters. This wouldn't be a Character Central article without them!
There were some fantastic characters that used to roam this land, including Tale Spin Baloo (apparently you could meet him in his dressing room), members of the Beagle Boys, Rescue Ranger Chip and Dale, Rebecca Cunningham and Don Karnage!
There was also a stage show at what is now the Fantasy Festival Stage (bet you didn't know it had been around so long?), titled Plane Crazy, and featured most of the Disney Afternoon characters, including one that until recently I had no idea even existed as a real character - Fat Cat!
Sadly the land and it's cool show did not last very long, and closed within the same year.
The end of the Afternoon Avenue wasn't quite the end of the stage shows though, and since it closed there have been a number of productions including Animazement, which had some really cool characters such as a face version of Quasimodo, Clopin, and Hercules.
There has also been a Pocahontas show, a Christmas show that had some cute outfits for some of the Big 8, and the last major thing to play there, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which featured face versions of the dwarfs.
Nowadays the theatre is what we know as the Princess Fantasy Faire, probably one of the most underwhelming experiences at Disneyland, and a waste of such a HUGE space in a park that is so constrained. Did you know the land used for the theatre and it's supporting facilities could house at least two dark ride attractions? Can you imagine what they could build there in it's place?...
Only time will tell if something worth while will ever return this corner of the park, but for now we have some cool latest additions to the park to keep us happy, such as Soundsational.
Dan. |