A Look at Disney Investigates: Classic Shorts Showcase: How To Be A Detective

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney as we continue on with A Look at Disney Investigates with our second Classic Shorts Showcase event as we look at How To Be A Detective.

The Plot

We open in a crime ridden town, where we see all kinds of underhanded activities going on, and then we meet our Private Eye, Johnny Eyeball (Goofy) as a bride to be tells him to find Al.  But the Chief of Police (Pete) tells Eyeball to leave the case alone but Eyeball goes on with the case to find Al and keeps running into a shady & suspicious character that appears to be based on the weasels from Wind In The Willows.  And every time that Eyeball comes across this character, he ends up getting hurt.  Honestly, this short has a lot of great slapstick such as Goofy falling down an elevator chute.  And at every locale,  Chief shows up to tell Eyeball to leave the Al case alone.  This all culminates in a great car chase involving Eyeball, the Weasel, and the Chief of Police and ends with a three car pile up. And The Bride shows up at the end and calls for Al and we find out here that Chief of Police is Al and The Bride had been looking for him as he had been evading their wedding, which we see at the end as they are married by a different weasel.

This short was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the noir take.   Even down to how the narration was handled. 

Narrator

Narrator - Voiced Unlisted 

The narration for this short was different than that of other How To shorts as it adapted more to the tone of a noir story and really helped to evoke the setting. 

Characters

Main Character

Johnny Eyeball (Goofy) voiced by Pinto Colvig 

Goofy, while not the greatest detective was really fun in this role and I think that was the sole purpose as to why they used.  Though,  I'd really love to see a short with Donald getting frustrated trying to solve a mystery.  Getting back to the review at hand, I loved Goofy in this short as his slapstick was just so on point as every single thing that he did put a big old smile on my face.

Supporting Characters

Al (Pete) voiced by Billy Bletcher 

This is one of the few times that Pete isn't a bad guy.  He served more as the straight man to Goofy's antics and it worked rather well.   

Weasel - Voice Uncredited 

The Weasel was the closest thing that we had to a bad guy.  He was pretty fun with all of the different ways that he took out Eyeball during the short.

The Dame voiced by June Foray 

The Dame didn't have much to do in the short other than serving the role of a femme fatale in this short and for the most part, that worked out pretty fine.

My Final Thoughts

This short is really fun.  It really works well with putting Goofy in the role of a detective.   This short has some of the best slapstick that I've seen from a Goofy short.  Everything about this short just came together to deliver a great time.  Join me next time as we look at special Darkwing Duck Music Fridays.  

A Look at Disney Investigates: The Barnaby Boys (Recess Episode Review)

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we continue our investigation here with A Look at Disney Investigates as we take a look at the 13th episode of season 3 of Recess as we look at The Barnaby Boys. I'm so excited to be reviewing this episode as this is one that I've wanted to look at for a long time.  If you've read any of the entries in my series, On The Case, then you know that I'm a fan of The Hardy Boys.    And this episode is one big Hardy Boys episode.  Now, they never state it in the episode but with the books that our lead characters are reading, you get that idea and the set up for this episode is like that of a classic Hardy Boys book.  Heck, our lead characters, T.J. and Vince even end up dressing like Frank and Joe, granted the show didn't use those names.  And I may have some experience in dressing up like The Hardy Boys as during my Junior year of high school, we had a Spirit Week and one of the days was Famous Duos Days, where you could come dressed up as a famous duo. So I talked my best friend, who admittedly isn't to The Hardy Boys as much as I am to dress up as Frank & Joe. Granted, none of the other students knew who we were. And when I tried to explain to them, who we were. They kept asking "Isn't that a wrestling team?"  And me, having never watched wrestling had no clue about who they were talking about.   With that outta the way, let's begin.

The Plot

We open  on our two lead characters, T.J. and Vince sitting at recess reading books starring The Barnaby Boys, while their friends look on in surprise.  Though, one friend, Spinelli is annoyed by this as she needs them for her kickball team.  But the two pay very little mind to this.   The next day, they come to school dressed in sweater vests like The Barnaby Boys.  Again, I totally understand this. That's when they notice that a unusual new janitor filling in for this usual one.  And the boys attempt to get some information on him and find out that he used to work at their school as the janitor.  And they attempt to get his files but that seems to be a no can do until Spinelli threatens to punch Menlo, the kid in charge of the files and  there they find out that he works as a janitor at a school closer to his home but has been attempting to get his old job back.   And there, they come across a piece of paper with the number 19-16-25 on it. And at first, Gretchen, one of their friends that is a certified genius takes this to be a code and thinks that it means that the janitor Earl Ramen is a spy.  So, our characters decide to spend the next couple of days spying on him and notice that he keeps going to one particular spot.  They wonder why, he keeps going to that one spot, so they decide to check the school blueprints and find that spot use to have lockers. Though, they have no idea where they could be until they discover that the school has a storage room behind the school's clock.  Oh, and it's also at this point, that they realized that the numbers weren't a code but rather a combination for a locker.   They get to the storage room and all seems hopeless until Gretchen pulls out a toothpick using an idea from one of The Barnaby Boys books as she had read all of them the night before.   And there, we discover why Ramen had wanted to get his old job back as he had stolen the head of Thomas Jefferson from a statue in town, and now planned on selling it back to the town for 300 bucks.  Spinelli, who didn't go up with the rest of her friends because she thought they were being dumb showed up with the cops at the end and the day is saved.

I LOVE this episode.   This episode is such a treat as Hardy Boys fan.  They never mock  The Hardy Boys or say it's silly to love books like this.  It's just a fun episode that uses The Hardy Boys as it's inspiration.  

Characters 

T.J. & Vince voiced by Andy Lawrence & Rickey D'Shon Collins

I totally get the enthusiasm that these two had for The Barnaby Boys as that would so be me.  Even, the sweater vest.   I saw so much of myself and my love of The Hardys in these two throughout this episode. I mean yeah, they changed the names but I knew what they were talking about.  I mean, they even referenced The Hardy's boat, The Sleuth.  Granted, The Barnaby's boat is called The Sloop but still.  One odd thing for me is that apparently, one of The Barnaby Boys is named Biff.  And in The Hardy Boys books, one of Frank & Joe's friends is Alex "Biff" Hooper.  Kinda threw me but I went with it.  

Supporting Characters


Spinelli voiced by Pamela Segall-Adlon

What I said about mocking isn't entirely true as Spinelli did that but that was more because she was annoyed at the way her friends were acting but we do find out in the end that she has also read all The Barnaby Boys books and that's why she her friends were being dumb because The Barnaby Boys wouldn't go after someone without the authorities.  Yeah.... Frank & Joe have totally done that.  Okay, I know it was inspired by but it's not The Hardy Boys.   Still though, the payoff at the end with her frustration was worth it.




Gretchen, Mikey, & Gus voiced by Ashley Johnson,  Jason Davis,  & Courtland Mead

These three admittedly didn't have much to do in terms of the episode but they were good supporting characters nonetheless.




Villain


Earl Ramen voiced by Brad Garrett

Even, the bad guy in this episode was a lot of fun.  He was just so sleazy and had this air to where you knew even before the reveal that there was something shady about him.  




My Final Thoughts



Like I said up top, I love this episode.  This episode is just so much fun.   I can keep heaping praise onto it but you guys should really check this one out for yourselves.  This episode is such a delightful little treat.  Join me next time for a Classic Shorts Showcase as Goofy shows us....

A Look at Disney Investigates: Sherlock Goof (Goof Troop Episode Review)

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. And today, we continue A Look at Disney Investigates as we look at the 11th episode of the second season of Goof Troop.   Something that I remember that Goof Troop did a bit was episodes that would introduce us to Goofy and Max's ancestors, and these included takes on Robin Hood, the Old West, gangsters, cavemen, Frankenstein, and the subject of today's review, Sherlock Holmes. These episodes all followed a similar setup in that Max would either be doing something or have something going on in his life that would remind him of one of his ancestors.  

The Plot

We open on Max trying to capture a mouse as it's raining and this is the most fun that he's had since it started raining.   And this reminds Goofy of his ancestor, Sherlock Goof.  The greatest rat-catcher in all of London.  And we flash back to Victorian era London  and see Sherlock Goof on his first day on the job as we see him trying to capture a mouse at the mansion of an upper crust named Reginald.   Though, the mouse is smarter than Sherlock Goof (who is really just Goofy)  but really, that's no surprise.   Though,  the mouse does come in handy as soon as a cat burglar that works for the villain of the episode, Professor Inferiority (Pete) enters the mansion to steal the key to the Tower of London. He gets sidetracked by other things and starts stealing them, even though he has a letter telling him to only take the key.  The mouse sees this and uses Sherlock Goof's mouse traps to capture the burglar.

And this has perhaps one of my favorite lines as Sherlock Goof gets the credit for the trapping the burglar.

He's wearing a mask.  Must be a politician.

So, Reginald declares Sherlock Goof to be the greatest rat-catcher in all of London and decides to set up a detective business for him and has him patrol the Tower of London.  And here, the Professor's two goons attempt to take out Sherlock Goof and they unsuccessful until the Professor traps him.  And here, Sherlock Goof comes across the mouse that he was trying to capture and they decide to team up and names the mouse Sparky.   Sherlock Goof decides that he needs some help and finds one Dr. Watson, who is a little overly excited to meet Sherlock Goof and Goof is just there to buy his book, How To Be A Detective.   Something I appreciate here is that we even get the How To Narrator during this portion of the episode.  Goof following the advice of the narrator find the Professor's hideout on the seas after he has fired his two goons for not killing Sherlock Goof.    This leads to a brawl, where hot water eats through part of the professor's ship.  And Sparky trying to chase the jewels that the Professor stole from the crown jewel but is swept up but he and Sherlock Goof end up in the water and the Professor is drifted away but Sherlock Goof is saved by Dr. Watson and he asks Sherlock Goof to let him write about his exploits. And Sherlock Goof agrees to let him to do that,  and Sherlock Goof gives Sparky a home.


The episode ends in the present (Well, present of when the episode aired)  and Goofy finds the same house that his ancestor that Sherlock Goof gave to Sparky.  And Max decides to let the mouse that he was chasing in the beginning use it and named the mouse, Sparky.  



Overall, this episode was pretty fun and I enjoyed it but there's not too much to it.




Characters




Narrator - Corey Burton



Burton is dead on as the How To Narrator and I loved  bringing him in as it harkened back to the shorts that really made Goofy popular. And the name of the book is actually a name of a Goofy short, that we will be looking at during this event.





Main Character


Sherlock Goof (Goofy) voiced by Bill Farmer

       

From what I remember of most of the Goof Troop episodes that focused on the ancestors of Goofy and Max is that all of the ancestors that were presented were just a variation on Goofy.   There was no  difference between the ancestor Goofy and the Goofy of Goof Troop, which I guess that works.  As these episodes were just inset Goofy and other characters into classic era/story.




Supporting Characters



Sparky - Voice Uncredited

Sparky was pretty cute and made for a fun sidekick to Sherlock Goof.



Dr. Watson voiced by Frank Welker

Dr. Watson was a bit eccentric and enthusiastic about the smallest things like meeting Sherlock Goof. He didn't get to much to do in the episode as Sparky served the sidekick role more in this episode than Watson did.




Villain


Professor Inferiority  (Pete) voiced by Jim Cummings

What I said about Sherlock Goof just being Goofy also applies to Professor Inferiority just being Pete.  Granted, it works with Pete as the villain because there really isn't much that you need to change.  



My Final Thoughts


This episode is alright, nothing too special but it's enjoyable for what it is.   Join me tomorrow as we leave The Disney Afternoon behind and head to Disney's One Saturday Morning to look at an episode that I've wanted to look at for a long time.  Join me next time as we look at the Recess episode....



The Barnaby Boys

A Look at Disney Investigates: Darkly Dawns The Duck (Darkwing Duck Pilot Episode Review)

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. And today, we continue our investigation as A Look at Disney Investigates continues as we look at the pilot episode of Darkwing Duck.  This episode does a lot to set up for the characters and it's world.  With that outta the way, let's begin.

The Plot

Darkwing Duck is starting out as a new superhero in the city of St. Canard.  DW dreams of being a famous superhero but he hasn't exactly caught his big break yet as he's stuck with small time crooks. Though one night, while out on patrol, he comes across the men that work for the nefarious Taurus Bulba (voiced by villain extraordinaire Tim Curry)   and discovers that they are planning to steal a top-secret  military weapon known as the Ramrod .  However, it seems all is lost as Darkwing is unable to stop them.  Darkwing eventually gets some help from biggest and only fan, Launchpad McQuack.   Okay, I want to address something right here that I find especially confusing as Darkwing's creator came out and said that Darkwing Duck and DuckTales are not in the same universe, even though Launchpad is in both shows.     Which okay fair, I guess as he created the show but there are references to DuckTales on Darkwing's show as GizmoDuck also appeared a bit on the show.  And there aren't that many references to Launchpad working for Scrooge and Tad Stones says he just believes the Launchpad in his show to be an alternate version of the character from DuckTales. Even though, Terry McGovern voiced the bumbling pilot in both DuckTales and Darkwing Duck.  

Heck, even Disney Adventures referenced that Launchpad used to work for Mr. McD in the crossover, where the heroes of The Disney Afternoon had to face off against the villain known as Solego but it seems like that had very input from the creators of these shows.  And for all intents and purposes, Launchpad in this show acts exactly the same as he did on DuckTales, so Mr. Stones this may be your show and I love what you did with DW but....  I have to disagree with you and say Launchpad in Darkwing Duck is the same Launchpad McQuack that we saw in DuckTales.   

Anyways with that aside, let's get back to the plot of the episode.  Even with Launchpad's help, Darkwing loses the sight of Bulba's men and turns down Launchpad's desire to be DW's sidekick.  Bulba discovers that while he has gotten the Ramrod, he doesn't have the arming code for it and a previous attempt to get it resulted in the death of it's inventor, Professor Waddlemeyer before Bulba could learn the code.  

Bulba sends his men after Waddlemeyer's granddaughter Gosalyn at the orphanage that she is being kept at in the hopes that she knows the arming code.   This results in a car chase and Darkwing ends up saving Gosalyn and after this, Darkwing returns with Gosalyn to his hideout and promises to protect her until all of this blows over.   Here Darkwing discovers that Professor Waddlemeyer had taught his granddaughter the arming code without her realizing it in the form of a lullaby that he used to sing to her.  I just have to say that this is one of the sweetest moments of the episode and shows a more human side to DW as this is where you really start to see Darkwing and Gosalyn start to bond.   It's such a sweet moment that makes it clear how much Darkwing grows to care for Gosalyn and makes it really natural, when he adopts her at the end of the episode.

Soon,  a newly escaped Bulba lures Darkwing out of the shadows to his secret hiding place and trick the police into arresting him. All seems lost as Darkwing is sitting in a cell but soon Launchpad comes and springs him loose on the Ratcatcher.  And we get the introduction of one of the coolest aspects of the show, Launchpad's fanmade DW jet, the Thunderquack.  Which is made to look like Darkwing's face.  They fly off to Bulba's flying base of operation as we see that he is holding Gosalyn hostage.  And this results in a climatic battle between Bulba and DW with Bulba falling to the ground presumed to be dead (Or so, we are led to believe).  And the episodes as we see a battered and beaten up Drake Mallard (aka Darkwing) coming to the orphanage to adopt Gosalyn.  

This was a really fun episode and it did a good job of setting everything up for the rest of the series to come.

Characters

Main Character

Darkwing Duck voiced by Jim Cummings 

Darkwing is such a fun character.  Here, we have a character that has such a huge ego and is really into being a superhero for the fame and fortune that comes with it. But underneath it all, you also see that he does care for the people that enter his life. Sure, he may say that he likes to work alone but we see that he needs a support system to function and to keep himself grounded in reality.   Wait a sec....

Yeah, DW is basically Lego Batman of The Lego Batman Movie years before that movie ever came out.   I guess, it's a common trope but it works and Darkwing is such a fun character, that even with that thought, I'm still able to enjoy the show on it's own.

Supporting Characters

Gosalyn voiced by Christine Cavanaugh 

Gosalyn is a great character and I will agree with the Nostalgia Critic that she is one of the first kids in The Disney Afternoon to feel like a real kid.  She has a lot of spirit and spunk and matches wits with Darkwing wonderfully. In many ways, this pilot shows that these two need one another.   

Launchpad McQuack voiced by Terry McGovern 

I won't say too much on Launchpad here as I went into great detail about his appearance on this show during the plot section. He is the same character that we saw on DuckTales here.   

Villain

Taurus Bulba voiced by Tim Curry

Bulba is such a fun villain as you can see that he looks at ones like Darkwing as being beneath him.  I love the way that Curry plays this character as he just makes him so dapper and as though being in prison was just a minor inconvenience to his bigger plans.

My Final Thoughts

This episode does a great job of setting everything up and makes for an enjoyable viewing experience.  It was a treat to go back to and re-watch this pilot.   I'd say that if you guys haven't seen this, go ahead and check it out.  Join me next time as we look at...

A Look at Disney Investigates: Classic Shorts Showcase: Alice's Mysterious Mystery

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney as we continue our investigation here of mystery/detective/crime fighting stories as we resurrect Classic Shorts Showcase as we look at one of the shorts from the Alice Comedies.  The Alice Comedies were a series of shorts that saw a little girl enter a cartoon world and would interact with the characters there.  And a certain Disney baddie got in his start in these comedies as the earliest known version of Pete can be seen in these shorts.  Keep in mind, that these shorts predate the creation of Mickey Mouse, and even that of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit.  The short that we are looking at today is from 1926 and features the second Alice, Margie Gay.  Who played Alice from 1925-1927.   This short along with many other Alice Comedies is included on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD,   Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts 1920s - 1950s .  

I'll admit right here that this is the first Alice Comedy that I have watched. I know I know, that's a part of Disney history that I need to be more familiar with.  I'll say right now, that I highly enjoyed this short and it got surprisingly dark in areas.  With that outta the way, let's take a look at Alice's Mysterious Mystery.   

  

The Plot


We open on Pete & one of his rat henchmen tricking poor innocent puppies that happen to be school children into thinking that he is a dog catcher and rounds them all up in a school and we soon learn why, they are being rounded up as Pete is taking them to a sausage factory to make sausage out of these poor little puppies.  Yeesh, and I thought the donkey scene in Pinocchio was nightmare inducing.

Alice and Julius, her cat friend are on the case and we get one of my favorite moments of the short.

As they overhear one of the pups screaming for it's life.  And they follow Pete into the city, where we see him trapping more pups by using a beautiful female dog to lure them into the sausage factory.

And they are taken down a chute to where they will separated by what grades of meat, they'll be.


Well.... that got dark.   Here have a picture of Fluttershy being cute.

 




















We even see one pup pleading for his life as he is led to the death chamber. Yeah, it's actually called that. And well, we doesn't make it out alive as the next time we see him, he's now links.     Alice and Julius finally catch up to our villains and Julius seeing what is going on decides to release the pups and kicks Pete down the chute that leads into the factory.  



Over on the Internet Animation Database, there is some discussion about who did most of the heavy work on this particular short with a few saying that this seems like an Ub Iwerks thing as Ub when let loose would go out there with dark humor.  And yeah, this short got really dark.  Granted, it's enjoyable but not what I was expecting from something called Alice's Mysterious Mystery.


Characters


Main Characters


Alice played by Margie Gay

Alice didn't seem to do much but she did put in some effort here and there to help save the pups but really, it was mostly Julius who did most of the heavy lifting.




Julius

Okay, this must've been the design for cats during this time period but looking at Julius, all I could think of was Felix The Cat.  Still,  Julius proved to be the resourceful and smart one as he was the one that ended up saving the day.



Villain



Pete

Sweet Christmas, Pete went full on dark in this short.  And the craziest part about it is that he just seemed to be doing it because... well because he could.   That's creepy.  Honestly, when you stop to think about this short, it's up there with the WWII Chicken Little short as one of the darkest things that has ever been covered on Classic Shorts Showcase.



My Final Thoughts


This short is good but really dark.  That's not a turnoff but I was not expecting what I got with this short. Join me next time for the first Music Fridays of this event as we look at songs from Dick Tracy

The Mathematics of Disney Imagineering

Hey guys, I wanted to share with you this math paper on I did on Disney Imagineering that got me a 96.

            Mathematics is found in many professions around the world including in construction and theme park design. It is stated on Business.com’s article about education needed for theme park design that for minds that wish to enter the theme park construction, they should “foster a natural interest in and understanding of science, math, and physics”.   (Wheeler, 2017)  The leading example of mathematical minds in the theme park industry is perhaps the Walt Disney Imagineers.   Imagineers are some of the most creative minds working today.  Imagineering is a portmanteau word that as the About Imagineering page on the Disney Imagineers website states that it is a combination of imagination and engineering. (About Imagineering, n.d.)

            Jeff Kurtti in his book, Walt Disney’s Imagineering Legends and The Genesis of the Disney Theme Park elaborates on what Imagineering is by stating that it was first formed by Walt Disney in 1952 as Walt Disney Incorporated (which would later become WED) to build one of his biggest projects, Disneyland.  Kurtti goes onto explain that “Walt Disney Imagineering remains the design, development, and master planning branch of the company employing a multitude of disciplines utilized in places all around the world”.  (Kurtti, 2006)  It has been seen in many projects that the Imagineers have worked on, that the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.)  are required in many of their projects.  Whether it be something on a smaller scale such as replacing an old ride with a new one or adding a whole land to one of their many theme parks.   One of the prominent ways that math features in the Imagineering process is the usage of measurements and scales.   One of the most ambitious undertakings for the Imagineers came, when they brought Mount Everest to life in the state of Florida at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as the rollercoaster, Expedition Everest.     Expedition Everest as of this date is the largest manmade mountain that has been built.   And as stated at Disneyavenue.com, “Expedition Everest… is made from 18,000 tons of steel and painted with 2,000 gallons of paint. It is the tallest artificial mountain in Florida”.   (Mahne, 2015)

            As discussed by Disney Imagineer Senior VP, Joe Rhode in the classroom DVD, The Science of Disney Imagineering: Design and Models building Expedition Everest was no easy feat.   They needed to start with small models before attempting to build the real thing.   They needed to start with building what are known as presentation and research models to get a better understanding of how the mountain should look.   As Rhode explains to the host, Asa Kalama, “We started with these little paper models.  Which would give us the basic idea of what the mountain would look like.  We built these clay models and added one inch pieces of paper that covered 20 ft. of the model”.  (Kaplan, 2009)  Joe Rhode goes onto explain that by starting with these models and using these smaller models helped the Imagineers to figure how they needed to build Expedition Everest because as Rhode stated in a prior scene, it’s easier to make a mistake on the models than it is when they were building the real thing.   One of the most fascinating aspects that Rhode mentions is that they went through twenty-seven different models before building the real thing in Florida.  Building these twenty-seven different models helped the Imagineers to have a concept of what Everest should look  like, when the real mountain came to fruition.  This is an example of concept design, which is described as “the initial big picture or macro design.  It shows us what problems the product will solve… and how it will solve them”.   (Hedges, n.d.)     This goes a long way in explaining why the Imagineers had to build such a large number of different models as they would not be able to determine from just one model, what aspects could cause them difficulty.  

            Rhode further explains that by starting with the smaller models of Everest, they can figure out the scale and proportion for what Expedition Everest should’ve been before embarking upon building this rather mountainous rollercoaster.  Figuring out what the scale and proportion on the miniature mountain was a crucial necessity for them to understand what the relationship needed to be in relation to how they were going to build their artificial Everest.   With this build, they did have the real Mount Everest to use as a basis but their rollercoaster mountain needed to be scaled down considerably from 29,029 Ft.  that the real Everest stands at whereas the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom only comes in at 199.5 Ft. but Rhode went ahead and rounded this up to 200 Ft.    That’s a difference of 28,829 Ft. between the real Everest and the one that was brought to life by the Imagineers.   To elaborate upon this, further, “scale refers to the size of an object (a whole) in relationship to another object (another whole)”.  (Lamp, n.d.) It is highly emphasized that the team of Imagineers that worked on Expedition Everest needed an understanding of how scale and proportion functioned in order to ensure that the manmade mountain was up to scale. 

The Imagineers needed to have a firm understanding of what the scale and proportion for Expedition Everest. And one way, they were able to figure how tall the mountain needed to be was by travelling to the real Everest and were able to transpose the information of what the scale of Everest, when they came back stateside to start working on building Expedition Everest.   This gave them the basis for what the rollercoaster’s height should be.  Once again, Expedition Everest’s height is 200 Ft. and that is relation to its length, which comes in at 4,424 Ft.   It should be noted that the 200 Ft. height primarily refers to the exterior and the length of the track focuses on the interior of the rollercoaster.   Concerning the length of the track that is found on the interior, this is where Disney Imagineer, Todd Camill steps in and explains that he designed a computer-aided-designed (CAD) model to figure out how to sufficiently place the track that would be laid on the inside of Expedition Everest.  Using the CAD model is yet another example of how Imagineers such as  Todd Camill needed to have a design of the concept before the construction crew could start laying the groundwork for the rollercoaster.   Camill explains that “this model at one point helped us (the Imagineers) discover a steel beam that would’ve ran right through ride track”.  (Kaplan, 2009)  This is another example of why it is important for the Imagineers to have a succinct understanding of what the relationship between the scale and proportion should be before they set upon building a ride of this magnitude. 

 One can imagine that this was a very laborious and daunting endeavor to bring the world’s most famous mountain to life in a state that is rather flat.  There were many things that the Imagineers needed to consider, when working on the architecture of this ride and knowing what the scale and proportion or the relationship for the ride was going to be while building it is perhaps the most important thing that they needed to understand.  For, if they had made any error while building the models, they may not have had the space to lay the 4,424 pieces of track that are needed for the cars that the guests sit in. It could have ended up being too tight. To most people visiting a theme park like Disney’s Animal Kingdom, they will most likely never notice of the hard work that the Imagineers put into a ride like Expedition Everest but were it not for them deducing what the ride’s mathematical relationship should be, the guests that ride this rollercoaster would never be able to experience the rush and adrenaline that comes from riding Expedition Everest.    

References

About Imagineering. (n.d.). Retrieved from Walt Disney Imagineering Imaginations: Dream . Design . Diversfy: https://disneyimaginations.com/about-imaginations/about-imagineering/

Hedges, G. (n.d.). What is Concept Design? A Product Development Perspective . Retrieved from ptc : http://www.ptc.com/cad-software-blog/what-is-concept-design

Kaplan, D. (Director). (2009). The Science of Disney Imagineering: Design and Models [Motion Picture].

Kurtti, J. (2006). What is Walt Disney Imagineering . In J. Kurtti, Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and The Genesis of The Disney Theme Park (p. vii). New York City : Disney Editions .

Lamp, L. (n.d.). Design in Art: Scale and Proportion. Retrieved from Sophia : https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/design-in-art-scale-and-proportion

Mahne, K. (2015, July 12). Making of: Expedition Everest. Retrieved from Disney Avenue : http://www.disneyavenue.com/2015/07/making-of-expedition-everest.html

Wheeler, N. (2017, February 22). Amusement Park Designers and Education Training . Retrieved from Business.com : https://www.business.com/articles/amusement-park-designers-education-and-training/

The Mathematics of Disney Imagineering

Hey guys, I wanted to share this paper that I got a 96 on in my math class about the mathematics of Disney Imagineering.

            Mathematics is found in many professions around the world including in construction and theme park design. It is stated on Business.com’s article about education needed for theme park design that for minds that wish to enter the theme park construction, they should “foster a natural interest in and understanding of science, math, and physics”.   (Wheeler, 2017)  The leading example of mathematical minds in the theme park industry is perhaps the Walt Disney Imagineers.   Imagineers are some of the most creative minds working today.  Imagineering is a portmanteau word that as the About Imagineering page on the Disney Imagineers website states that it is a combination of imagination and engineering. (About Imagineering, n.d.)

            Jeff Kurtti in his book, Walt Disney’s Imagineering Legends and The Genesis of the Disney Theme Park elaborates on what Imagineering is by stating that it was first formed by Walt Disney in 1952 as Walt Disney Incorporated (which would later become WED) to build one of his biggest projects, Disneyland.  Kurtti goes onto explain that “Walt Disney Imagineering remains the design, development, and master planning branch of the company employing a multitude of disciplines utilized in places all around the world”.  (Kurtti, 2006)  It has been seen in many projects that the Imagineers have worked on, that the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.)  are required in many of their projects.  Whether it be something on a smaller scale such as replacing an old ride with a new one or adding a whole land to one of their many theme parks.   One of the prominent ways that math features in the Imagineering process is the usage of measurements and scales.   One of the most ambitious undertakings for the Imagineers came, when they brought Mount Everest to life in the state of Florida at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as the rollercoaster, Expedition Everest.     Expedition Everest as of this date is the largest manmade mountain that has been built.   And as stated at Disneyavenue.com, “Expedition Everest… is made from 18,000 tons of steel and painted with 2,000 gallons of paint. It is the tallest artificial mountain in Florida”.   (Mahne, 2015)

            As discussed by Disney Imagineer Senior VP, Joe Rhode in the classroom DVD, The Science of Disney Imagineering: Design and Models building Expedition Everest was no easy feat.   They needed to start with small models before attempting to build the real thing.   They needed to start with building what are known as presentation and research models to get a better understanding of how the mountain should look.   As Rhode explains to the host, Asa Kalama, “We started with these little paper models.  Which would give us the basic idea of what the mountain would look like.  We built these clay models and added one inch pieces of paper that covered 20 ft. of the model”.  (Kaplan, 2009)  Joe Rhode goes onto explain that by starting with these models and using these smaller models helped the Imagineers to figure how they needed to build Expedition Everest because as Rhode stated in a prior scene, it’s easier to make a mistake on the models than it is when they were building the real thing.   One of the most fascinating aspects that Rhode mentions is that they went through twenty-seven different models before building the real thing in Florida.  Building these twenty-seven different models helped the Imagineers to have a concept of what Everest should look  like, when the real mountain came to fruition.  This is an example of concept design, which is described as “the initial big picture or macro design.  It shows us what problems the product will solve… and how it will solve them”.   (Hedges, n.d.)     This goes a long way in explaining why the Imagineers had to build such a large number of different models as they would not be able to determine from just one model, what aspects could cause them difficulty.  

            Rhode further explains that by starting with the smaller models of Everest, they can figure out the scale and proportion for what Expedition Everest should’ve been before embarking upon building this rather mountainous rollercoaster.  Figuring out what the scale and proportion on the miniature mountain was a crucial necessity for them to understand what the relationship needed to be in relation to how they were going to build their artificial Everest.   With this build, they did have the real Mount Everest to use as a basis but their rollercoaster mountain needed to be scaled down considerably from 29,029 Ft.  that the real Everest stands at whereas the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom only comes in at 199.5 Ft. but Rhode went ahead and rounded this up to 200 Ft.    That’s a difference of 28,829 Ft. between the real Everest and the one that was brought to life by the Imagineers.   To elaborate upon this, further, “scale refers to the size of an object (a whole) in relationship to another object (another whole)”.  (Lamp, n.d.) It is highly emphasized that the team of Imagineers that worked on Expedition Everest needed an understanding of how scale and proportion functioned in order to ensure that the manmade mountain was up to scale. 

The Imagineers needed to have a firm understanding of what the scale and proportion for Expedition Everest. And one way, they were able to figure how tall the mountain needed to be was by travelling to the real Everest and were able to transpose the information of what the scale of Everest, when they came back stateside to start working on building Expedition Everest.   This gave them the basis for what the rollercoaster’s height should be.  Once again, Expedition Everest’s height is 200 Ft. and that is relation to its length, which comes in at 4,424 Ft.   It should be noted that the 200 Ft. height primarily refers to the exterior and the length of the track focuses on the interior of the rollercoaster.   Concerning the length of the track that is found on the interior, this is where Disney Imagineer, Todd Camill steps in and explains that he designed a computer-aided-designed (CAD) model to figure out how to sufficiently place the track that would be laid on the inside of Expedition Everest.  Using the CAD model is yet another example of how Imagineers such as  Todd Camill needed to have a design of the concept before the construction crew could start laying the groundwork for the rollercoaster.   Camill explains that “this model at one point helped us (the Imagineers) discover a steel beam that would’ve ran right through ride track”.  (Kaplan, 2009)  This is another example of why it is important for the Imagineers to have a succinct understanding of what the relationship between the scale and proportion should be before they set upon building a ride of this magnitude. 

 One can imagine that this was a very laborious and daunting endeavor to bring the world’s most famous mountain to life in a state that is rather flat.  There were many things that the Imagineers needed to consider, when working on the architecture of this ride and knowing what the scale and proportion or the relationship for the ride was going to be while building it is perhaps the most important thing that they needed to understand.  For, if they had made any error while building the models, they may not have had the space to lay the 4,424 pieces of track that are needed for the cars that the guests sit in. It could have ended up being too tight. To most people visiting a theme park like Disney’s Animal Kingdom, they will most likely never notice of the hard work that the Imagineers put into a ride like Expedition Everest but were it not for them deducing what the ride’s mathematical relationship should be, the guests that ride this rollercoaster would never be able to experience the rush and adrenaline that comes from riding Expedition Everest.