Disneyland Resort is filled with nostalgia for moments in American history that people remember fondly. Of course, as Disneyland is over 65 years old, the park itself is a nostalgic place for many. Visitors return again and again to see how Disneyland has changed and how it remains the same. And for the park’s 100-year wonderland, an iconic piece of park history returns after being lost for more than 40 years.
2023 marks the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company, and so the Disney Gallery, outside of the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show, has been dedicated to artwork and props dedicated to the story of how the Disney movies become attractions and how those Disney attractions become movies. I spoke to David Caransi of Walt Disney’s Imaginary about one particular item on display, a model of the witch from snow White, who lived on Main Street for decades but until recently was thought to be lost. Caransi explained…
The witch who lived on Main Street. She’s from Snow White, she lived on Main Street in the jewelry store in the 60’s and 70’s. She was moved to Fantasyland in the 80’s, and in the late 80’s she was lost. They hadn’t found it until Kim Irvine and I walked through a warehouse two months ago, and there it was. And so we featured her here because she was a fan favorite of hers at the time.
Considering that Disney has had official documents for decades, it’s hard to believe that anything recently produced by the company has been lost, even if Disney has been doing it for 100 years. Yet, at one point, it seems as though the witch was put in a box and shipped to a warehouse, and then everyone lost sight of her. It took two people, and most likely some luck, to find the witch in whatever corner of the Imagineering warehouse she was trapped in. Even just a few months ago, this particular item wasn’t scheduled to go on display because it hadn’t been found yet.
The Witch is certainly a highlight of the Disney Gallery installation, but there is so much more for fans to see. There are very of concept art that some fans have probably seen before, but far more than they have. It’s worth a stop just to walk around and see what there is to see.
Of course, the Disney Gallery is only a small part of the 100 Years of Wonder celebration. You’ll have to check out between a ride on Mickey and Minnie’s new runaway railway and watching two amazing new nightly shows at World of Color: One and the Wonderous Journey fireworks display.
Source: Cinemablend
