Storybook Land Canal Boats is an attraction located at the Disneyland and Disneyland Park (Paris) theme parks. Passengers embark on a leisurely paced outdoor boat ride through a winding canal featuring settings from Disney animated films recreated in miniature. The Disneyland version was one of the original attractions when the park opened on July 17, 1955, although the miniature buildings and landscaping were not added until the following year.[1] The version in Disneyland Paris is named Le Pays des Contes de Fées (meaning "The Land of Fairy Tales" in French) and opened in the spring of 1994.
History
English church and watermillDutch landscape
The ride's concept dates back to Walt Disney's plans for a "magical little park" across the street from his Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. This modestly scaled, never-built amusement park was to include a gravity flow canal boat ride among its attractions.
When plans for the much grander Disneyland were being made, there was to be a "Lilliputianland", inspired by Madurodam, a miniature city in the Netherlands that Disney once visited. However, the technology did not yet exist to create the miniature animated figures that were to inhabit the "Lilliputian" village, so the canal ride opened under the name Canal Boats of the World. It was intended to be a journey past miniature recreations of the great landmarks of the world, but time and money prevented its completion. The ride was plagued by other problems. The outboard motors were prone to overheating, often forcing the boats to be pulled by hand, and because the attraction opened with little landscaping, it earned the nickname among park executives as "The Mud Bank Ride".
After two months of operation, the Canal Boats closed while Storybook Land was constructed and the muddy banks were landscaped with miniature plants, including a bonsai tree planted by Walt Disney himself. The idea of having Monstro the whale consume the canal boats came from a never-implemented concept for a "Monstro the Whale" ride, in which small boats were to be swallowed by Monstro and then plunged down a watery path into a pond below.
Over the years several scenes have been added to and removed from the attraction.[3] Most notably, the Sultan's Palace from Aladdin appeared where the miniature Toad Hall from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad had previously stood for a major refurbishment done in 1994. Toad Hall returned the following year in another location.
For the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in 2005, the Tinker Bell boat was painted gold and the lighthouse given a gold and maroon theme. Due to high demand, a second boat, Wendy, was painted gold and also renamed the Tinker Bell for the duration of the anniversary. Once the anniversary had concluded, both boats were repainted to their former appearance.
Beginning December 20, 2014, the attraction at Disneyland added the village of Arendelle from Disney'sFrozen including Anna and Elsa's castle, Wandering Oaken's Trading Post, and Elsa's ice palace. These additions replaced the three Dutch windmills representing The Old Mill (1937).[4]
Passengers enter the attraction through a chain queue that winds in front of the loading dock. A lighthouse at the queue's entrance was once a ticket booth from when Disneyland required tickets for riding individual attractions. Storybook Land Canal Boats originally required a "D" coupon.
The motor-driven boats are scaled-down replicas of Dutch, English, and French boats. All of the boats are named after female Disney characters except for Flower (retired), the male skunk from Bambi. Passengers are seated along the edges of the boat, facing inward, although children are sometimes permitted to ride on the front flat part of the boat. A costumed guide sits just above the passengers on the back of the boat, perched above the engine housing, and narrates the ride.
After departing from the dock, the boat passes through a short cave sculpted to look like Monstro, the whale that swallowed Pinocchio. Monstro is partially animated: his eye opens and closes, and periodically steam comes out of his blow hole.
The canals past the Monstro cave are landscaped with miniature trees and shrubs. Along the banks are small buildings representing the homes of characters from Disney animated films, although not all the locations were actually depicted in film. While no characters physically appear in the attraction, many of these settings feature sound recordings of characters singing.
The miniature settings include:
The Three Little Pigs' houses and The Big Bad Wolf's home from Three Little Pigs
An English village, with a church and the entrance to the White Rabbit's hole, from Alice in Wonderland
Village of Arendelle from Frozen, featuring Anna and Elsa's castle, Wandering Oaken's Trading Post, and Elsa's ice palace
Cobblestone Alpine village with Geppetto's wood shop from Pinocchio
Prince Eric's seaside castle and King Triton's underwater castle, partially hidden behind a waterfall, from The Little Mermaid
The boat then returns the passengers to the loading dock from which they boarded.
The attraction pauses operation during any fireworks shows, allowing riders to view the show from the canal. Normal operation resumes once the show has ended.
Names of the Canal Boats:
Alice
Ariel
Aurora
Belle
Cinderella
Daisy
Fauna
Faline
Flora
Jasmine
Merryweather
Snow White
Tinkerbell
Wendy
Storybook Land Canal Boats Queue Music
The Second Star to the Right from Peter Pan
Snow White Overture
Babes in Toyland Overture
Sleeping Beauty Overture
Darby O'Gill and the Little People Overture
Love is a Song / Little April Showers Medley from Bambi
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes / The Working Song Medley from Cinderella
Paris version
Unlike the original in California, a guide does not accompany the riders. The boats here are guided by an underwater wire rather than being propelled by an on-board motor. Passengers enter their boats via a slowly revolving platform. The whole transport system was developed by Intamin (as a Tow boat ride).
The Cave of Wonders from Aladdin midway through the voyage replaces the Disneyland version's Monstro cave. The boats also float past these settings, accompanied by music from the respective film and minimal dialogue:
^Strodder, Chris (2017). The Disneyland Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Santa Monica Press. pp. 460–461. ISBN978-1595800909.
^Gennawey, Sam (2014). The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney's Dream. Keen Communications. pp. 116–117. ISBN978-1-62809-012-3.
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![Kensington Gardens from Peter Pan[6]](File:London_Park.jpg)
