Let’s cruise down Disneyland Paris’ Rivers of the Far West with Alain Littaye on the newly refurbished Molly Brown. ~~Rick
Disneyland Paris: Rivers of the Far West on the Molly Brown
by Alain Littaye
Disney and more blog
Here’s a big Disneyland Paris update for you with great pictures from Max Fan, D&M contributor and DLPWelcome webmaster. Today, we’re going back to Frontierland to see the refurbished Molly Brown sailing again on the Rivers of the Far West. I asked Max to jump on the Molly Brown and to shoot a detailed trip down the river so that we can be eyewitnesses to the sad condition of the Rivers of the Far West.
All aboard the Molly Brown which is now arriving at Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing!
Good news – the Molly Brown is in excellent condition following her weeks of refurbishment.
Let’s start the cruise with views of Big Thunder Island on the left and Thunder Mesa buildings on the right.
Big Thunder was repainted some years ago and is not in bad condition. A repainting of the back facade of the building below – which houses the shooting gallery – would be welcome. Note that they’ve removed the benches which were formerly in the little space under the small roof in the center of the picture. This is a clumsy move by park managers as this was a unique place to sit and relax away from the crowds and peacefully gaze upon the boats and scenery of the Rivers of the Far West. Let’s hope they restore these benches!
A few yards away, guests can see the authentic props that Imagineer Pat Burke installed near the Big Thunder building to add authenticity to DLP Frontierland. Here, also, a little refurb and cleaning would be welcome.
We’re arriving now at the River Rogue Keelboats and you can see one of the boats visible in this photo. Unfortunately the attraction has been shuttered for a very long time due to operational costs. I doubt they have plans to reopen it any time soon, which is a shame.
Speaking of the River Rogues, the cavern needs an urgent refurbishment, as you can see.
Max also shot this close-up photo of the riverbanks which need some repainting too. DLP is apparently considering completely emptying the lake to make it possible to refurbish the entire area. So far no decision has been made due to the cost of the operation. I don’t care if they do the refurb without emptying the lake as long as they do a real good job.
More shots of Big Thunder Mountain…
Arriving near the fisherman cabin…
The fisherman was hidden some days ago under a tarp, but DLP guests can clearly see him now, although the AA dog normally on the left is still missing. The small building itself needs some refurbishment if they don’t want to one day find it in the same bad condition as the Mark Twain…
Now that the Molly Brown has emerged from refurbishment, the Mark Twain has been returned to dry dock and is now almost invisible for DLP guests. We’re still waiting for (good?) news about its fate.
After a turn on the left, we are now sailing towards the geysers and Wilderness Island on the left. DLP Imagineers choose the right name for it, as the trees and vegetation have grown up so much that it’s now indeed a real wilderness!
You see only trees below, but if the original plans had been executed, you would see a trapper cabin similar the one below in a scene from the movie How the West Was Won. It’s not too late DLP folks to add it and it won’t cost you that much and will improve the show!
On the right hand side, facing Wilderness Island, the plans originally called for a bison herd. The idea was to have about fifteen bison, including some baby bison, and most of them would have been placed near the river’s edge plus two or three near the train track, just like I’ve put them on the pics below.
The bison would be mechanical figures with small motors placed in their heads and rear ends to have their ears and tails moving, to give “life” to the buffalos. Some would also have their head slowly moving left and right. The bison would be made of fiberglass – similar tp the three moose which are in pretty good condition after 22 years.
The three moose are always here, but they also need a bit of repainting.
We’re now arriving at the geysers area and these are a BIG problem which will require a BIG budget from DLP.
Everything that looks grey and not white in the pictures below – i.e., almost everything – is simply the concrete structure itself as all of the paint has been worn away by the elements. I guess that this is what happens when you don’t take care of an outdoor set for decades! It now looks unbelievably ugly, and the irony is that the only set piece that seems to have its original color is the skeleton dinosaur!
It’s hard to believe that we are in a Disney theme park, isn’t it?
The geysers themselves haven’t been working in years and the whole area is very, very, VERY far from the normal standard quality of a Disney park. It has reached a point where it’s not only a shame but completely ridiculous to leave the geysers in this awful condition witnessed by millions of DLP guests sailing each year on the Rivers of the Far West. It’s hard to believe that they are only just now considering a refurbishment of this area.
We’re now sailing towards Rainbow Arch which, along with the Mark Twain and the geysers, is the OTHER big problem. This one should be more simple to resolve if they do it before the stone arch finally collapses. As you’ll see on the pictures below, whatever side you’re looking at, it urgently needs a refurb and a complete repainting.
The coyote is always here, standing on rocks which also need a repainting as soon as possible.
We’re now nearing Phantom Manor which is not in especially bad condition, although the facade has aged. The danger here is that park managers might consider that neglecting this building would be acceptable because it adds to the theming of an abandoned manor.
We’re back now at Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing where guests can still enjoy the Halloween season, running until early November. Young guests can enjoy a meet and greet with Jack and Sally, the two beloved characters from Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as the Phantom Manor Halloween band.
THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT!
Alain is the editor of one of the most amazing Disney books ever published. This book is a must for every serious Disney book collector.
Order your copy now from the MiceChat store – HERE.
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