Tag Archives: Matterhorn

The 15 Day Disneyland Challenge: Day 13

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Note: This post is part of a 15 Day challenge with questions referring to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. For more information, or to see all 15 questions, please refer to the introductory post, The 15 Day Disneyland Challenge. As stated in that post, I am not the creator of the challenge – just a willing participant!

Day 13: The thing you like to take a picture of at the parks that isn’t a character.

Honestly, there’s so much I was unsure what I should pick – until I started looking through my pictures and realized there’s one icon that is definitely used more than others: The Matterhorn. There are just so many angles to take pictures from, so many perspectives! Instead of using many words today, I’ve decided to let some of my pictures from past trips speak for themselves.

A view from the Submarine Lagoon – Only things missing are Skyway buckets!

 

The view from Alice in Wonderland – truly a wonder.

 

Almost the same spot as from Alice, only from the ground and with the Monorail!

 

Even with scaffolding on the mountain, I love to take pictures of it – this one from Pixie Hollow!

 

A view from an elephant…

 

I love how it peeks out over the top of Peter Pan’s Flight!

 

Perhaps my favorite picture I’ve taken of the mountain – love how it blends with the faux range of Pinocchio’s village yet still towers over all in its majesty.

 

And with that, I leave it to your answers – who else has a favorite thing to photograph in the parks?

 

 

 

Remembering Frank Wells

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Frank Wells, 1932-1994

On this day in 1994, Disney lost a true legend. Frank Wells, former President and COO of the Walt Disney Company, was tragically killed in a helicopter accident in Nevada at the young age of 62.

When “The Lion King” opened in theaters many saw a dedication in the credits that read: “In Remembrance Of Frank Wells – President of the Walt Disney Company 1984-1994.” I remember seeing those words, and knowing of the man, but not knowing the impact Mr. Wells truly had on the company.

Wells was one of the driving forces in the turn around of the Disney Company in the 1980s. According to his Disney Legends profile:

“During his 10-year-tenure, Disney enjoyed unprecedented growth and revitalization with annual revenues up from $1.5 billion to $8.5 billion. Disney stocks increased a whopping 1,500 percent, while its theme parks and resorts revenues tripled. Disney Consumer Products revenues rose 13-fold, while its filmed entertainment revenues jumped 15-fold. Frank helped make Disney one of the most successful film studios in the world.”

I would personally argue that the Eisner era enjoyed its greatest successes while Wells was in tenure for the company. He seemed to be the “Roy” to Michael’s “Walt.” For more on what Frank meant to the company, I highly recommend the fantastic documentary “Waking Sleeping Beauty.”

Frank Wells was also quite an adventurer. In 1983, he set out to climb the highest mountain on each of the world’s seven continents within a single year – a feat never before accomplished at that time. He scaled six, but was forced to turn back near the top of Mount Everest. His mountaineering exploits were chronicled in his book,”Seven Summits,” co-authored by Dick Bass and Rick Ridgeway and published in 1986. His love of mountain climbing was paid tribute in the Matterhorn at Disneyland.

The “Lost” Expedition

I still salute – rather quickly – every time my bobsled passes by. Thank you, Frank. Your contributions to Disney helped to rejuvenate the company and bring magic to a new generation of fans.