It occurred to me the other day that so much of what we see at Disney isn’t actually what we think it is. Or it used to be something very different, but we don’t realize it.
Let me explain.
When you ride on Splash Mountain and sing along (jubilantly, if you’re anything like me) with the geese and the swamp critters at the end, you probably aren’t thinking about how they were all audio-animatronics made for the America Sings attraction that closed in 1988.
You also probably don’t recognize a few of those same geese in their stripped-down droid form in the queue for Star Tour either, singing songs like “I’ve been workin’ on the same droid, all the live-long day” in honor of their previous position.
Hopping over to the Magic Kingdom for a moment, the Carousel of Progress has its own recycling act, as the audio-animatronic robin that Mary Poppins sings to can be spied perched in a tree outside the window in the spring scene.
And of course, there is one of my favorite repurposing moments in the parks… the beloved pipe organ from the Haunted Mansion (in Disneyland) is the actual set piece that Captain Nemo played in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In 1955, Walt Disney was scrambling to fill an incomplete Tomorrowland with something for opening day, and an exhibit of select set pieces from this popular film was set up as a stop-gap until other attractions could be added, but it turned out o be so popular with guests it remained for 11 years. When the exhibit was dismantled, they set aside the organ (without the fan pipes) for use in the future Haunted Mansion ballroom.
I also have a place in my heart for the way the Imagineers turned an old car from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride into a black spider for Haul-o-Ween time in Radiator Springs.
All this creative recycling makes me think about the value of the past, and, more specifically, the value of our pasts. Disney these days doesn’t often just toss out old floats, costumes, sets, props, or attraction pieces… they find a new use for it or place it carefully in storage or the archives for such a time as it might be needed.
But this wasn’t always the case. I love watching “Prop Culture” on Disney+ because they specifically talk about how props used to be discarded after filming or even destroyed, as filmmakers at the time did not see them as having much value. The first episode delves deep into items from Mary Poppins, including Bert’s carousel horse, Mary Poppin’s umbrella, and the snow globe of “Feed the Birds” fame. (Highly recommend a watch!)
An interesting thing happened as time passed… those disposable, discardable props went from worthless to priceless, all because of the memories attached to them. What one man saw as trash, another saw as treasure, so to speak. And over time, all of these props continue to grow in value because they captured a moment that was unique in its occurrence, while simultaneously also being revived over and over by our rewatching of our favorite films.
Just as Disney repurposes, what if there are moments being repurposed in our own lives? We all have baggage we carry around like old props that once served us but are now on the shelf in our minds. Often this baggage is viewed with a negative connotation, but what if even the worst of our pasts could be remade into something beautiful for our future?
Take, for example, the way Disney reuses structures. Right now at Epcot, we are watching Ellen’s Energy Adventure transform (ever so slowly) into Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Now, some may say it’s tragic to watch old attractions become extinct before our very eyes, but while I share that sentimentalism for a few by-gone attractions (*cough* Disneyland Peoplemover *cough* *cough*), by and large I believe we all can lean into what is ahead while still holding on tight to the memories that got us this far.
And while the paint might change, the characters altered, or the float repurposed, we can see what used to be in what is now, and how we might not have what we have now without what came before.
There might be parts of the past that you’d like to paint over and forget altogether. Maybe some of it needs to be placed in the archives for years down the road when you’re ready to see it again. But maybe there are parts of your past that made you into who you are today. Moments that, while painful at the time, shaped who you’ve become. They’ve made you kinder. More compassionate. Stronger. Exquisitely broken.
Maybe you’re repurposed too.
So as you keep your eyes open for that which Disney chose to reuse instead of throw away, choose to look for things in your life that are being made new as well.
And while we’re at it… can I just say, relationships fall solidly into this category. Especially right now. With so much fighting the past two years from COVID to politics, it’s a wonder we have any relationships left at all. And some of them we have archived, or just plain put out by the back dumpster with a “good riddance.” It’s easy to just throw them out, especially when we have so little emotional energy left after all that has happened.
But those relationships had value. They taught us something. They molded us and gave us memories that, good or bad, will influence our next steps.
And let this be your reminder… who you are now is not who you were then. You have changed. Allow yourself to step into that, to be your fully-repurposed self in a world that will tell you that you can only be useless because you’ve been broken.
On days when you wonder if any of your past can be used for anything good in your future, just remember what our favorite Fairy Godmother said: “Even miracles take a little time.”
Just for fun, here are a few other repurposed parts of the magic!
- The yellow mushroom outside of Alice in Wonderland used to be a ticket booth but is now just a decoration
- The cars of Casey Jr Circus Train in Disneyland used to be calliope cars on the original carousel before it was converted to all “jumper” horses
- The dirt dug up from Seven Seas Lagoon in Disney World was repurposed to make the second level of the Magic Kingdom (which is the one guests see… the lower level Utilidoors are for Cast Members only)
- A small, quiet eating area near the Matterhorn used to be the loading platform for the Motor Boat Cruise attraction
- Rainbow Ridge, now part of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland, used to be a main feature of the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland attraction
What are some of your favorite repurposed attraction features? Tell me all about it in the comments!
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