The happy circus tune from the movie Dumbo played over and over during breaks in the narration as the train rolled along through and around the hills of Storybook Land. Wals gritted his teeth as they approached the hill and the train chugged out, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.”
Wals had forgotten to slow down. The train barreled over the hill and into the next turn, throwing the guests to the side of their cars. “Oops,” he muttered, shoving the speed down to its correct pace.
As the train came around the last bend, Wals, again lost in thought over the disgrace of his present situation, came to a screeching halt. Wide-eyed, the women waiting at the station quickly ran to the cars to see if everyone was all right, throwing disgusted looks at their sullen conductor.
Not really caring, Wals checked the gauges again as the train cooled. If I do it just right, I can carve three minutes off the run, he was thinking as Anne, the lead on the ride, stormed up to the gaily painted engine. Even though she had a pleasant smile plastered on her face, her eyes flashed as she dressed down the unrepentant Wals by reminding him this was a children’s ride and not the Bobsleds. Pushing the blue and white conductor’s hat that he had swiped from Costuming—that should have been only worn on the big steam train—off his forehead, he was about to tell her what she could do with the ride. Anne was saved the suggestion when a smiling mother and her six-year old daughter approached to ask if they could take a picture with the engine.
Anne flashed a quick warning at Wals, but he had a big smile on his face—the first one in three days—and gently set the little girl on his conductor’s seat. All smiles, the cute girl waved as her mother snapped a couple of pictures and then handed the camera to Anne. “Do you mind? I’d love to have a picture with Timothy here.” She indicated Wals who had just inched away.
Heaving an unheard sigh, Wals put his arm around the brunette and smiled as Anne took a second picture. Muttering nothings about ‘thanks’ and ‘have a magical day,’ Wals smile faded as the gate opened and the next batch of guests climbed aboard. Wals thought he was going to switch places with one of the handlers, as the cast members who helped the guests were called, when Anne called him back.
“Since you were having so much fun driving, I think you should go another round. This time YOU do the narration. That isn’t a request. Have a magical trip!” she called as she went back to make sure everyone was properly loaded and seated, smiling smugly to herself. She got a high-five from one of the other cast members, Ruth. “He deserved it.” Anne couldn’t get the big smile off of her face.
The people in line wondered why the two women burst into laughter when the conductor began a flat, dull monotone. “Ok, Casey, let’s get this show on the road. All aboard,” as the train sedately chugged out of the station.
Disneyland — 1956
“Here is the world of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn—and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and young-at-heart, to those who, believe when you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true.”
Walt speech showed he loved his land of Fantasy, but he detested empty spaces. Standing just outside the high arched façade at the back of the Castle, he looked up. The use of forced perspective made the Castle appear taller than its modest seventy-seven feet. Lips pursed, he thought back to the Opening Day just a few months earlier in July.
Everyone had been frantically working to get Disneyland finished and everything in order for the live broadcast. Movie stars had been invited. The press would be there. Special tickets had been printed and mailed out. The builders and workers—and Walt himself—had desperately gone over every detail they could think of to make it all ready for the Grand Opening. There was just one little thing they had forgotten to check: They hadn’t locked the doors that led to the inside of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Walt smiled as he thought back. He knew there was nothing to see inside the Castle. It was basically an incomplete shell full of rigging and construction platforms. But, that didn’t stop some curious, inventive guests who wanted to see the Opening Day ceremonies from a better, more unique vantage point.
Inside the Administration building, he was told later, a usually calm executive buttonholed another key man and yelled. “We’ve got to get to the Castle! There’s people up inside! Go get them before they kill themselves!”
The handful of guests were disappointed to lose their prime viewing spot at the top of the Castle, but they allowed the wide-eyed, yet still smiling, cast members to carefully lead them down from the scaffolding.
Knowing whom he wanted, Walt made a call to one of the Imagineers, Ken. Another man, a friend of Ken’s named Emile, heard the call and decided to go along with the two men.
“Hey, you guys come with me. There’s nothing in there, no rooms at all, but I want you to take a look.” Walt gestured around as they stood in the back courtyard.
Nodding to their boss, the three men went inside the dark interior and followed Walt up a ladder to get to the first floor. It was about eighteen feet straight up and they could see the scurrying around of some of the wild cats who lived inside the castle.
Walt was telling Ken, “I want you to put Sleeping Beauty in here. This is her Castle, after all. There’s room and I know you can do it.” Emile listened to the men talk back and forth for a few moments and then he wandered away since he wouldn’t be involved in the project. Going over to the side of the room, he noticed a big box. Inside the box was a gunny sack which turned out to be the bed where many of the cats slept.
Emile loved nice clothes and he always dressed in white. His suit he was wearing was all white and his shoes were also white. Curious, he tapped the gunny sack with the toe of his shoe and then leaned over to pick it up, wondering what might be inside.
Within mere moments, his white suit had turned gray. At Emile’s frantic yelling, Ken and Walt turned to see Emile jump over the railing to get away from the thousands and thousands of fleas that had been hiding inside the sack. Ken turned to look at Walt, but before they could even move, the fleas had covered them as well, turning them gray.
Slapping and jumping around, Walt told them, “Don’t panic, guys! I’ll get someone right away!” Picking up a phone, he called for a car to come get them. “Don’t go out into the crowds!”
A motorcycle with a sidecar came screeching up to the entrance of the Castle, and Walt got in. The cycle roared off and took Walt to Wardrobe so he could shower and change clothes.
Ken and Emile were on their own.
In the days that followed the flea incident, Walt received many recommendations on what to do with the cats. Most of the suggestions proved to be lethal for the animals. Instead, he arranged for the “castle cats” to be bathed and groomed and found homes for all of them.
Disneyland — 1957
April 19, 1957 came and Walt’s desire to “plus the show”—to make it even better—had occurred within the dark, unused interior of the Castle. After much debating, the team of Imagineers had decided to do a walkthrough inside this iconic landmark. One would think that the Castle itself would be enough of an attraction, but Walt had wanted more—and he got it.
Hosted by a popular, former child-star, dressed in a royal red robe and a golden crown on her dark curly head, Sleeping Beauty Walkthroughopened with much pageantry and fanfare. Memories of the feral cats and fleas that had inhabited the sealed rooms of the Castle were just that—a memory. Located on the west side of the castle facing Fantasyland, it was near the “secret” Frontierland exit. The entrance was protectively guarded by a canopy shaped like an elaborate golden crown that matched the rest of the medieval faire theme of Fantasyland. For a cost of ten cents, guests were allowed to set their own pace as they climbed the narrow, winding stone steps that were cast in a low, flickering light, just as Sleeping Beauty herself might have seen them. Greeted by an elaborate leather bound storybook in the first alcove,
the guests began their journey by reading the opening of the classic tale.
There were eleven dioramas in all, each in the style of the beautiful artwork that would fill the animated feature when it was released two years later. Children were both thrilled and scared by the evil-looking eyes of the castle’s gargoyles that actually blinked at them when they peeked through keyholes. The adults admired the elaborate stained glass windows that dotted the attraction as they continued their journey up and down the countless steps deep within the castle. Enthralled, they could see the three good fairies who appeared to float over the cradle of the newborn princess.
As they exited into the bright sunlight, the guests were each handed a commemorative souvenir book, its fanciful cover depicting a fairy-tale castle high on a hill.
“Imagination is the mold from which reality is created. Sleeping Beauty Castle has now been completed. Behind these grand walls, in these tall towers and courts, are the joys and tears of the beautiful princess. Share her great adventure with the powers of good and evil. May the sights and sounds stir your heart to see your own most precious dream—the dreams from which all fairytales are made!”
It was a hit. The Imagineers had been handed a gauntlet and the boys had once again come through for the boss.
Disneyland — 2008
Wolf stood with his hands on his hips, glaring up at the charming pink icon of the Park. He had just gone completely around the Castle. Again. Every so often he would pause, eyes closed, and silently try to summon a portal, attempting to find the way Rose had come into the Park so long ago.
Nothing. Not even a ripple of the force that usually started deep within his body that signaled the change that would come over him and open the mysterious vortex that still terrified him.
Just off duty, Wals located the security guard in the back of the Castle near the entry to Snow White’s Scary Adventure. “Anything?” He was hopeful.
Not having heard his friend come up to him, Wolf turned and immediately had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud. Wals was still dressed in his Casey Jr. outfit. He might have been able to hide his outer smile but his eyes betrayed him. “You look…you look cute, Wals. I like the floral suspenders. Nice look for you.” He couldn’t help but add, “I even like it better than your Prince Phillip look.”
“Once I figure out the combination to your locker, I’m going to hurt you with my sword that you hid there.” Wals glared at his friend. “Then I’m going after Lance.”
“You’d have to get past Kimberly first.” Wolf was only half-kidding.
“Like I asked earlier—and was rudely ignored—did you find anything yet?”
Wolf gave him a wolfish grin. “My, where’s that devil-may-care wicked sense of humor you’re so known for? Don’t like your new job?”
At the dark look on Wals’ face, Wolf held up a hand. “Okay, okay. Just kidding. No, in answer to your question. I’ve been around this entire building three times and haven’t sensed anything. Not even a ripple.”
Wals looked up at the three shields on the next level, not really seeing them. “Are you sure the Castle would be the entrance to Rose’s world?”
Wolf grunted. “I’m not sure of anything. That’s why we got to meet Merlin…,” he admitted, drifting off. “But,” he finally continued, shaking his head at what had initially seemed the simple solution, “this should be the perfect portal. If you remember, when you were on Tom Sawyer’s Island with Rose, the only thing that was familiar to her was the castle on your nametag.”
Silently, Wals nodded and looked away. He missed the warm, female human Rose had been in that time period. He was anxious to find a way to get her home and human again. “Yeah.” Off in his own thoughts again, his glanced at the new, unobtrusive blue and gold striped entrance to the Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough that would reopen in a couple of months. After its remodeling in 1977, it had quietly closed again in 2001. Surrounded by much excitement, secrecy, and speculation, with the promise of the very latest in technical advances, the new dioramas promised to be quite stunning.
But Wals wasn’t considering the attraction. It was the Castle itself that captured his thoughts. He had to wait while Wolf answered a call on his walkie-talkie. When the security guard didn’t suddenly go running off to fix an urgent problem, Wals put it out there. “Say, Wolf, here’s a thought: What if the portal is inside the castle?”
Wolf just stood there, silently staring at him.
Immediately becoming defensive, Wals got flustered. “Hey, I don’t know how it all works with…whatever you do…. I just had a sudden thought, that’ all.” He drifted off, unsure of what Wolf was going to say.
Wolf held up a placating hand. “No, its okay, Wals. That’s actually a good idea.”
“Don’t act so surprised,” Wals commented dryly.
That brought a small smile to Wolf’s face. “Didn’t mean it that way. I always assumed the portal had to be somewhere outside for Rose to end up in the moat. How else would she, as a swan, get out there?”
Thinking back on the history of the attraction, Wals shrugged. “Well, since we don’t know exactly when she got here, I suppose it could be possible that the Walkthrough was open and being used at the time. It has been open twice before. If that was the case, she may have just wandered outside and found the water. Or, could it be possible that Merri helped her?”
Wolf was slowly, silently nodding all through Wals’ explanation. It did make sense. It wasn’t a highly guarded entrance or exit, for that matter. There might be just one cast member assigned to it at various times during the day. As for Merriweather’s help, he gave a low growl. She hadn’t been much use so far.
“So, what do you think?”
Wals’ question brought Wolf out of his speculation. “What? Oh, you might have something there.” He glanced over at the entrance, located in the same place as in 1957. There had been a few construction workers and designers coming and going since Wals and he had been standing there, but he hadn’t seen any movement for a while. He looked back at his waiting companion. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
Without another word, Wolf strode over to the entrance and dropped the small rope that served as the barrier for the public. Followed by the now-curious Wals, he entered the brightly lit stairway and looked around. “We’re not alone.”
“Yes, we are. It’s as quiet as a tomb in here. I think everyone left for the day.” Wals’ words faded as he looked at the colorful gem-encrusted storybook in the first alcove, and leaned closer to the glass to read it.
Wolf knew they weren’t alone inside the castle. He could hear, as well as smell, the few workers still busy higher up. With his usual silence, Wolf continued up the stairs, ignoring the working animation that was being tested in some of the dioramas. He knew Wals would figure out he was gone in due time and follow; not that he needed Wals’ help for what he was about to do.
Making sure one last time that he was relatively alone when he reached the next level, Wolf closed his eyes and reached out with his strange power. Feeling no reaction at all, he strode up the next flight of stone steps.
Knowing the other men inside were just up one more level, Wolf decided to clear the way before he tried again. The workers gave the security guard a pleasant nod and figured he was just doing a perfunctory sweep through the attraction. As Wals finally joined him, Wolf was saying, “I need the place cleared. Get out.”
Wals gave a sheepish look at the workers as an apology. “Wolf, that was rude.”
Wolf looked back at the men. “Sorry. Please. Get out.”
Knowing the reputation of that particular guard, the men merely nodded and gathered up their few tools. They didn’t like it, but they weren’t going to argue. “We’ll be right outside. We have a lot to finish up, so let us know when you’re done with…whatever….” The foreman quit grumbling to Wolf and turned to his expectant men. “Okay, guys, break time. You heard the man.”
Voicing their
various feelings about being summarily dismissed, the men made their way down the stairs. Wolf waited until he could no longer hear them and knew for sure that they were completely outside.
“Little heavy-handed, don’t you think?”
Wolf barely glanced at Wals. “We don’t have time for all the pleasantries. You know who they were? Yes? Then, I’ll have Lance and Kimberly give each of them some kind of bonus later. Now, let me concentrate. You can go back to playing at the windows if you want.”
Letting the remark slide, Wals was far more interested in watching Wolf ‘at work’ than he was in the fire-breathing dragon animation that was working in one of the dioramas. He was slightly disappointed when Wolf just closed his eyes, moved his hand toward the far wall, and then moved up the next flight of stairs.
“That’s it?” Wals ventured to ask when Wolf performed the same action with no visible result.
Wolf cocked open an eye and peered at him. “What would you like me to do? Tilt back my head and let out an ear-splitting howl?”
Wals snapped shut his mouth. That was exactly what he would have liked to see. Knowing better, he gave a small shrug. “Umm, no. Just wondered.”
They had reached the apex of the stairs and were now heading downward again.
“Sound echoes through these corridors.” After a minute of letting Wals stew, Wolf decided to explain why he did what he did. “How easy do you think it would be to explain a series of wolf howls to the guys waiting impatiently and listening at the door?”
“Oh.” Wals fell silent and decided he had better just watch. Until…”Wolf! That cast member door over there just had a faint pink around it! Did you feel something?”
Wolf immediately pulled back his questing. Yes, he had felt it, his blue eyes snapping open to find the source. He put a hand on the locked door. The feeling had already begun to fade, but he knew that this just may be the location of the portal.
Wolf! Happily Ever After? Page 6
