68 - Magic Journeys

Welcome to Episode 68 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Magic Journeys - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will take you back to WDW each month.  Enjoy!

Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.

1. Our first letter is from Andy all about the Mannequins - he goes through this photo, explaining what each piece of hardware does. This is super helpful and also neat to look back; the system also included the classic 3.5" Floppy Disk!
2. Going back to September, Jason sent us a tweet about his trip to WDW. So many good shots of the topics we have discussed over the years. Thanks, Jason!
3. John touched base with us about the Mardi Gras parade items and props sitting in Port Orleans: French Quarter. Brian gives us the full story on this one and the connection is amazing. We also heard from Jacques, giving even more insight into this whole thing. Mr. Mardi Gras comes up and we love this back story. Thanks, everyone!
4. We heard from Colleen on Instagram and she shared with us a super neat cup from Pleasure Island. These aren't very common to see anymore but we absolutely loved that you shared this with us!
5. Dane wrote us about 'The Guide to Tomorrowland' - This was from way back in Episode 26: Tiny Bubbles. We included this item in our giveaway for the year - click here to read it!
6. We got a letter from Carla regarding the Retro Food episode we recently did. She had quite a few corrections and insight into some restaurants in WDW.
7. Phil wrote in about a friend who does high-profile celebrity security. Apparently, Tom Cruise used the services during a visit to WDW. This trip had many great stories and experiences, which Phil shared with us. Thank you so much Phil; this was great!

We have a copy of 'Walt Disney World: The First Decade' to send to one lucky winner. Send us an email with the subject line Decade to contest@retrowdw.com - we will pick a random winner from the entries to get this hardcover book from the 80s. Good Luck!

This month, we take you back to EPCOT Center and as far back as opening day. Magic Journeys: This is one of those short-lived attractions that most have not seen, but if you did, you get it. This was extremely high tech, advanced and the effort level that went into this is absolutely insane. Todd takes the lead, giving us a bit of history and why this whole thing came about. We hear from Murray Lerner, including original audio and interviews looking back at the creation of this film. Overall though, this film was intended to see the world through the eyes of a child. Of course, we get the technical reasons as to why 3D works and what is actually happening with your eyes. The 'how' of this film is something you really won't believe. Two whole years in the making with computer graphics, 75mm film, multiple frames on top of one another - the making of this film is a treasure trove of facts and figures. We also include clips from our interview with Mark Eades. He played a major role in creating this film, helping with the setup, and also was integral in making sure it worked. We also discuss the film made with the Dreamfinder, Ron Schneider. He goes into how they had to create a preview film all about Magic Journeys, just to have something in the theater for opening day.

We have set our date for the next big Lake Buena Vista Historical Society event: RetroMagic 50. We will all be back at Walt Disney World in 2022 for this weekend-long event which takes place April 23-24.

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