"Retro"fitting...

I love architecture...

If you've followed this site often, you should know that. I've posted several articles(as well as Shrunken Ned's post) that show off the Disney resorts around the world's architectual styles. And each and every resort has has lovely themed buildings. Lovely stylized hotels. And each and every resort has lovely Disneyland Hotels...

Except this one. The original one. The first one. The Disneyland Hotel.

It's something I've harped on since the beginning... something that's been a thorn in my side. Seeing it compared with WDW(the Floridian is essentially the DLH there), Paris, Hong Kong and now Tokyo with their amazing DLH leaves Anaheim's version a little to wanting. Okay, a lot to be wanting. I've always hated the look of those buildings. The inconsistent styles, the very nature of their structure which looks like three giant concrete blocks that got stuck in the ground and unable to be moved, so they decided to build rooms inside them. Now we know that's not how they were built there, but it's almost how I imagine they've remained there.

I know not everyone agrees with me, but I've always championed the Victorian(or Mictorian for the Uber-Disney Geek) style for a new Disneyland Hotel. Not exactly like the others, but in that style. I personally find it a very warm, inviting style that represents the calming influence of Walt's childhood... a place where you can go to bed and forget about the outside world. That said, I've also wanted the hotel built in a different location. Right where the Pick up Bus/Taxi area is. That would be a great visual icon for those driving down Harbor Blvd. as they go past the resort. It would also be a fantastic way to enter the resort. Imagine walking under such a structure and entering the Esplanade with DCA on your left and Disneyland on your right with Downtown Disney directly ahead. In my opinion, quite striking...

But neither of those ideas are being done.

At least not under the current plan which could see the light of day by the end of the year. Remember that is "could" because the plans have changed so often. But the plan that I'm sure some of you have heard about has them gutting the existing three towers with plans for an extensive remodel that reflects the 50's retro look of the original Disneyland Hotel... the one Jack Wrather built back in the fifties, not the skyscrapers we currently see. It may not be my favorite plan, but I can understand the nostalgic feel of recreating a 50's style building. Setting the design around the a look that Walt would/could have seen during the parks opening is a nice touch. If they're able to pull it off. I haven't seen the plans, but I've had them described to me and it could turn out to be a very nice refurbishing, although a time consuming one. From what I've heard, should the details be worked out the construction could begin as soon as the end of this year. Personally, I think that's a little optimistic and don't expect to see any kind of serious work going on till at least this time next year... but we'll see.

The Disneyland Hotel has gone through several proposals over the past twenty years. When Eisner and the Suits got hold of the property, it was considered for a while that it should be demolished and rebuilt anew(yet another mistake by Eisner). Then when the WestCOT project was proposed, the idea was to refurbish all the towers and build a new fourth tower. When that project was abandoned the version we got now was proposed and put into place. A version that modernised somethings and added a new paint job on the outside. Marvelous...

All the time the tower was getting older and looking noticeably uglier. There was a proposal made to redo the towers a couple years ago, to essentially take each tower down one by one and retheme them. But this wasn't a retro retheming... this was a more, shall we say, fantasy type of retheming that would be more in the style of the actual park itself. One of more whimsy you could say. Well, as time goes by the plans for that one changed as well and we are now in an advanced stage where the look will now be retro. Back to the future, as perceived by the past. Of course, it'll have better plumbing and HDTV which those guest back in the 50's could only dream about. Here's hoping that when it's announced that the Imagineers will have been able to pass through the mess that the Suits tend to cause. Which should be easier now that there are less of them. It also helps when they show plans to Lasseter and if he's given it his blessing then I have more hope for the project. So now, instead of me having pictures in my head of a Victorian/Steampunk Disneyland Hotel with dirigibles floating above it, I'll have to imagine a retro-50's Disneyland Hotel with families swooping around in jet packs. I'd like me a jet pack, that'd be sweeeeeet.

Time will tell...

Designing After Disney...

Alain over at Disney and More has a great article about Eddie Sotto, a former Imagineer that is now designing outside the Disney world...

Give it a look and take a look at the fantastic artwork he's designed. Them Imagineers are so darn creative!

Good read...

Deco Digs to Animation Cribs...

In the market for a new chair or desk? How about one of these... an "airline" chair from designer/architect KEM Weber. The airline chair was made between 1934-35 and was only produced in limited quantities. If you happen to be lucky enough to find one for sale these days you'd better be ready to cough up a pretty penny. They range anywhere from $10-25,00o. Guess who was rather fond of this design and happened to order a few hundred of them for a certain new studio- Mr. Disney himself!


While KEM Weber (KEM being short for his full name Karl Emanuel Martin) was a student in Berlin at the School of Decorative Arts, he became involved in the construction of the German Pavilion at the Brussels World Fair in 1910. After graduating in 1912 KEM again worked for the German government on a display for the San Francisco "Panama Pacific International Exposition" in 1915. KEM was eventually sent to San Francisco to work on the project and was then stranded in the U.S shortly after WWI erupted. He took it as an opportunity and quickly opened his own design studio while also teaching in Santa Barbara. Years later he headed south to Los Angeles as an Art Director for Barker Bros.

Weber's unique design style of post Art Deco and Modern Streamline designs were bound to catch the eye of Hollywood. And they did. Walt made Weber the principle architect for the Disney Studio in the 1930's (there is a great gallery of his designs for the studio on disc 2 of the Walt Disney Treasures "Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studios")

But what a lot of people don't know is that he also designed all the furniture for the animation department as well. There are many aspects and departments in the animation process and Weber designed furniture, most notably desks, for each specific task in the process. There were layout desks, story desks, background desks, animation desks, directors desks, and ink & paint desks.



Weber's design influence has almost become iconic with the Disney look of the 1930's. When the new animation building was built in the 90's a second generation of Weber influenced animation desks were ushered in to populate the new digs. There was even a "KEM Weber" font created for all the signage and name plates for the staff. It's no surprise that some of the artistic staff, preferring the authentic, refused to upgrade to the new furniture. With the boom of the "second golden age" of Disney animation some of the staff even negotiated these pieces into their contracts.

Andreas Deja actually took the time to hunt down a specific Kem Weber animation desk out of hundreds stored in a warehouse in Glendale. What was he looking for? A specific pattern in the wood grain. No seriously he was. He was trying to identify Milt Kahl's old desk from a photo, and after a little searching he found it.



Forget the Bentley's and the Cristal in the fridge. I want to see an MTV animation cribs episode where Andrea's flaunts his KEM Weber/Milt Kahl desk!



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