The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (164 page)

Imagineers
do their best to find aesthetic solutions that satisfy most Guests, not just splitting the difference but truly pleasing all factions.  As
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
became
Hollywood Land
, the
Imagineers
removed the district’s kitschier elements and reinforce its elegance while deepening and clarifying the land’s ties to
Walt
’s history and the
magic
of
Disney
.  There were subtle changes to
Hollywood Land
, making it less cartoonish, more glamorous, more immersive, and more clearly pertinent to
Disney
.

The
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
changes began in 2010.  The frustrating
cul-de-sac
was removed in February 2010, so Guests visiting the
Tower of Terror
can transition easily to
Flik’s Fun Fair
,
Cars Land,
Pacific Wharf
, or
Paradise Pier
, without having to retrace their steps along
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
and through the entrance district.

Hollywood Pictures Backlot
was renamed
Hollywood Land
, a much simpler and more evocative name.  People the world over are familiar with the famous Hollywood sign, 45-foot tall letters on the side of Mount Lee that spell “Hollywood” and have been captured in numerous films, TV shows, photos, and postcards, one of Hollywood’s iconic images.  What some people don’t know is that the sign was originally erected as a real estate advertisement for the “Hollywoodland” housing development, so it originally spelled “Hollywoodland”.

The Hollywoodland sign was erected in 1923, the same year
Walt
moved to Los Angeles.  As
Walt
walked up and down the Hollywood streets, fruitlessly seeking a studio job, he would’ve seen that sign on the hillside, towering over the bustling, booming town below. 
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
was renamed
Hollywood Land
because it harks back to those heady early days when geniuses like
Walt
were arriving in town with barely a nickel in their pockets, but plenty of dreams and moxie, soon transforming Hollywood into the entertainment capital of the planet. 
Did You Know?
  True to its name,
Hollywood Land
sometimes serves as an avatar for the
real
Hollywood, like when
Hollywood Land
hosted the premiere for
Disney
’s
Lone Ranger
reboot. In 2013,
Lone Ranger
stars
Johnny Depp
and
Armie Hammer
, as well as
Disney
brass and a mélange of
Disney Channel
and
ABC
talents strolled the red carpet (hello
Jason Earles
, and
Krysten Ritter
, and–hey!–
Bernie Kopell
of
ABC
’s
Love Boat
). 
Silver
was corralled nearby. 
The Lone Ranger
was unveiled in both the
Muppet
and
Hyperion
movie palaces.  Guests who attended paid $1,000 per ticket; all of the money went to the American Indian College Fund.

Hollywood
Land Attractions

Disney Animation

[
FastView:
 
Fun mini-attractions, and the awe-inspiring
Courtyard Gallery
.  For aspiring animators and fans of
Disney
animation.
]

It’s only fitting that one of the flagship attractions in
DCA
’s
Hollywood
section is a celebration of
Disney
animation, the art that built the
Disney Company
and revolutionized the way stories are told on film.

The
Disney Animation
building occupies a large slice of real estate on the southeast section of
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
.  Guests are drawn inside by kinetic signage, a horizontally scrolling, electronic ticker-tape marquee and a vertical neon sign.

As you stroll the winding entrance corridor, look down; you’ll see images of pixie dust set in the floor
, guiding you forward. 
Pixie dust
is a central image for
Disney
.  It began with
Tinker Bell
’s wand in
Disney
’s 1953 animated feature
Peter Pan
, and was popularized when
Tinker Bell
waved her wand and sprinkled
pixie dust
to open the
Disneyland
television programs that launched in 1954.

Pixie dust
is a twinkling visual image, usually accompanied by an aural shimmer of harp chords that symbolize
magic
.  When you see or hear
pixie dust
, you can be sure something
magical
is about to happen, a transformation, a resurrection, or a dream made reality.

Guests emerge from the relatively narrow entrance corridor in
the
Courtyard Gallery
, a vast oval space lined with enormous movie screens on which sketches, studies, and finished footage from
Disney
’s animated features are projected, to the accompaniment of the ravishing musical scores from those films.

It’s a dizzy experience the first time you walk into this room, particularly if you’re an artist or an art lover.
  Guests not knowing what to expect are dazzled by the scope, color, motion, and music of the
Courtyard Gallery
.  Giant images from
Sleeping Beauty
,
Mulan
,
Tangled
,
Pinocchio
,
Tarzan
, and so forth loom above you while their award-winning soundtracks play.

Guests who want to enjoy the entire
sequence of images can sit on the comfortable benches provided or simply stand or stroll about.  The film runs almost 25 minutes and loops continuously.  You’ll see scenes from
Snow White
,
Pinocchio
,
Cinderella
,
Beauty and the Beast
,
Aladdin
,
The Lion King
,
Tarzan
,
Mulan
–scenes, in fact, from most
Disney
animated masterpieces from 1937 onward.  In recent years, footage from
Disney-Pixar
films has been added, including brief clips from
Finding Nemo
and the
Toy Story
and
Cars
films, as well as recent visual and musical stunners
The Princess and the Frog
and
Tangled
. This exhibit is a tribute to
all
forms of animation.

The massive scope and beaut
iful kineticism of the
Courtyard Gallery
give it the flavor of a sacred, though secular space.  It’s here that fans of
Disney
animation congregate in silent admiration of
Disney
’s animated creations, in rapt contemplation of the iconic images.

Four sub-attractions branch off
, almost like chapels, from the central
Gallery
, including the
Animation Academy
,
Character Close-Up
, the
Sorcerer’s Workshop
, and
Turtle Talk with Crush
.  All are wheelchair accessible and fun for Guests of all ages. 
Did You Know?
  For special events, this space is transformed into an art gallery or shop.  For example, when
DCA
was rededicated on June 15, 2012, special merchandise–commemorative pins, watches, and clothing–were displayed throughout the
Courtyard Gallery
, and
Annual Passholders
were invited inside to view and purchase the memorabilia.  And when the
Disney-Burton
collaboration
Frankenweenie
was released in 2012, the
Courtyard Gallery
displayed glass cases containing actual models and sets from the film. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  I love this place!  You can create your own cartoons and learn how to draw things!

Animation Academy

[
FastView:
 
Learn to draw
Disney
characters like
Mickey
,
Goofy
, and
Winnie the Pooh
!  A schedule posted on the sidewalk tells you when each character is being taught.  A lot of fun, and your drawing makes a great souvenir.
]

Guests who want to learn how to draw beloved
Disney
characters like
Mickey Mouse
should plan to attend the
Animation Academy
.  Sessions begin every 30 minutes; periodic announcements in the
Courtyard Gallery
alert Guests when the next session is drawing nigh.

The
Animation Academy
session is brief–about 15 minutes long–but it’s a rich experience led by a
Disney Animator
who teaches Guests of all ages how to draw a
Disney
character.  Not only can you and your little ones draw a character, you can take your illustrations home with you.  Put them on your fridge, in a scrapbook or frame.  This is one of those interactive
Disneyland
experiences that truly connects you to
Disney
and its art and will stay with you long after your visit.

Guests queue outside a bank of automatic doors, within earshot (and in some parts of the queue, within view) of the beautiful show in the
Courtyard Gallery
.  For safety reasons (the doors swing outward, toward Guests) you need to stay
behind
the white line in front of the
Animation Academy
doors.  It can get crowded in this waiting area, so keep your little ones close to you.

Sketches of
Disney
characters like
Pocahontas
and
Mulan
line the walls of the queue area.  These are pencil sketches, showing all of the artist’s lines, not neat, finished drawings, and give Guests their first clue that the
Animation Academy
is about expression, not perfection.

When it’s time to enter the
Animation Academy
, the doors will swing open toward you.  These doors have no handles on them, probably to prevent impatient Guests from bursting in on a class in session.  You enter a small amphitheater at the top of the staircase.  Instructions may vary based on how crowded the session is, but for the most part Guests are asked to sit near the front.

When you choose a row, move as far along it as you can, to be sure there’s plenty of space for the Guests behind you.  When you can’t go any farther, sit.  The benches are comfortably upholstered
.  On each seat is a large clipboard with a fat yellow pencil secured in a spiral clip.  Stow your bags, jackets etc. next to you or at your feet.  Place the clipboard on your lap and help your kids do the same.

The academy
is a warm, homey space with a small stage surrounded by shelves that stretch up to the high ceiling, overflowing with oversized books,
Disney
dolls and toys.  Because the shelves and objects are enormous, Guests have the sensation of being kids again in their bedroom or their nursery.  The effect is enchanting, calculated to put little Guests at ease and transport grown-up Guests to that early state of wonder and imagination that most of us experience until adult cares and workaday obligations dull and muffle it.

A Cast Member introduces the
Disney Animator
who’ll be teaching the class, invariably a gentle, amiable professional wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt decorated not with palm trees and hula dancers but with sketches of
Disney
characters.