Mouse Jockey

Along the wall leading to Saratoga Springs' Turf Club restaurant, there is a collection of framed jockey silks. One particular design was created just for the resort, and perfectly combines the horse racing theme with a little "Disney flair."

A Whale of a Tale

After 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea met its untimely demise, the area it occupied was filled in with dirt and a part of the land was used to build Pooh's Playful Spot, a play area for children. While the subs no longer glide around the lagoon waters, their legacy has not vanished from the area. Hidden on the doorframe inside the playground's center tree, a tiny Nautilus sub has been carved into the wood. Although the ride is gone, it is nice to know that this little detail still exists for those who remember.

Infestation

Just outside Beastly Bazaar in Animal Kingdom, there is a wonderful planter that urges the unsuspecting guest to stop and take a second look. At first glance, it appears to be just another intricately designed piece. Yet, upon closer inspection, one sees that the planter itself has been created to look like a giant piece of cheese being enjoyed by many hungry mice. It is another great whimsical piece in an excellently themed park.

Before the Last Petal Falls...

The entranceway to La Signature in France is themed as a beautiful library, like the one seen in Beauty and the Beast. It seems very fitting to find a beautiful stained glass design window featuring the opening scenes from the movie:

The Beast's enchanted red rose can also be found on the bookcase shelves:

Also of interest is the carpet, which features an beautifully intricate pattern in the Art Nouveau style:

Celebrating 13 Years of Terror

Today marks an exciting occasion as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror celebrates its thirteenth year. Normally, big celebrations are held on the fives, but for this particular ride, there will never be a more appropriate birthday.

This ride is just bursting full of wonderful details, from the deliberately placed cobwebs to props from the Twilight Zone television series. This careful attention is carried down to the smallest degree, even to the very hooks that hold the queue chains, decorated to look like lions.


Now I am off to do a bit of my own celebrating, by riding thirteen times!

Drink at Your Own Risk

Perhaps one of the funniest drinking fountains ever designed exists, quite fittingly, at the Jungle Cruise. What amazes me is how many people drink from it without even noticing that they are supposedly drinking piranha-infested water. It took me about twenty minutes of patient waiting to get a photo of this humorous little detail, and even while I was taking the picture, other guests still did not see why I found it so amusing!

An Explosive Situation

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has wonderful theming in both the queue area and on the ride itself. One of my personal favorite details is a seemingly normal crate located off to the right as you make your way into the main building. If you do not get it at first, make sure you read it outloud quickly!

Flights of Fancy

To finish up the overview of Island Mercantile, I'm going to cover the last area of the store which features various birds.


By the door that faces Camp Minnie-Mickey, there is a fantastic map that illustrates the continents as different animals. It is a gorgeous, and very unique, piece of artwork.

Happy Birthday Splash Mountain!

While July 17th is a very special day to Disney fans everywhere as Disneyland's birthday, I did not want a particular attractions birthday to get lost in the shuffle. Splash Mountain also celebrated a birthday, fifteen years of delighting and soaking guests at the Magic Kingdom. The wonderful details throughout make it a thrill ride with a lot of heart.

Happy birthday Splash Mountain!

Water, Water Everywhere

One of the final rooms in Island Merchantile has an underwater theme featuring whales and fish. The cool blues complement the bright oranges and reds found in the areas nearby.

These fish bear a strong resemblance to the ones found in the seating area for Flame Tree Barbeque.


Much like the bird plane in the previous room, this boat takes its design influence from the fish.

The threshold into this room from the outside also features a beautiful stone mosaic.

Up, Up, and Away

This area of the store also features some wonderful flying contraptions that are part airplane and part animal.

These butterfly mobiles, while not exactly practical, are nonetheless very elegant and beautiful.


This bird plane looks like it would be a lot of fun to fly around.

Beaver Tails

The next room features orange buck-toothed beavers doing what they naturally do best: chew wood. Evidence of their presence is abundant throughout.

Beast of Burden

The next room in Island Mercantile features load-bearing animals: camels and, to a lesser extent, mules and llamas. The color palette for this room is full of bright reds and oranges, suitable for capturing that arid, desert atmosphere.

The Birds and the Bees

Stepping in the next room, the theme switches to one of bugs and birds. A honeybee motif is strong on one side of the room, beginning with the shelving fixtures:

It continues into the columns:

And runs along the ceiling:

There is also an ant design on a few of the fixtures, which creates a nice complement:

To round off the room, there are fixtures that feature hummingbirds flocking around a flower: