Did you like, or dislike, the Mary Blair murals at Disneyland? Why?

[MickeyMania]

Walt himself hand picked Mary for the job and approved the content and installation of the murals, how can anyone say they didn't belong in Tomorrowland?

I think they should have at least TRIED to save the murals, but I think "Walt picked her therefore it deserves to be there" is kind of flawed logic. Walt was a great idea man who could think like a kid and an adult, but that doesn't mean his taste is unquestionable. Fans who remember the early years will remember when comedian Wally Boag was all over the company (in the parks, in movies, scheduled to be the voice of Tigger, etc) just because Walt thought his slapstick bit was a riot.

[Janie]

I think "Walt picked her therefore it deserves to be there" is kind of flawed logic.

Walt picked Anaheim as the location for Disneyland, too. Was that flawed logic? Maybe he should have picked Las Vegas instead. Or some spot in Nebraska.

Walt was a great idea man who could think like a kid and an adult, but that doesn't mean his taste is unquestionable. Fans who remember the early years will remember when comedian Wally Boag was all over the company (in the parks, in movies, scheduled to be the voice of Tigger, etc) just because Walt thought his slapstick bit was a riot.

It's called DISNEYland, not "MyIndividualTasteLand." Not Eisnerland, not Igerland, not TheSuitsInAccountingLand. Not Marketingland. Not FocusGroupSurveyResultsland. Disneyland. It's supposed to reflect Walt Disney and yes, his personal tastes. It worked just fine for the first 11 years of its existence, it worked just fine for the next 17 years after that, but ever since 1984, everybody's gotten it into their head that they can second guess the man who turned his dream into reality. I know Walt said "Disneyland is yer land" but if it really was, it'd be called "Yerland," not "Disneyland."

It's Walt's park. Always has been, always will be. It's his legacy. And people need to remember that.

[Janie]

I had an idea - - make those areas a wrap-around video mural with digital squares representing the old tiles -- then Mary's "restored" mural can give way to digital art, futuristic ads, short films and cartoons of the future, then go back to Mary's mural design again. A mural of Tomorrow.

Ooo. Oooo!!!!

OK, somebody give merlinjones Dick Cook's job. This man is on FIRE!

I got goosebumps rereading that post. That is the absolutely most perfect idea I have heard for Tomorrowland in a long, LONG time.

[hollywood1939]

The one Mary Blair mural on the left (Circlevision/Buzz side) is still there underneath the current mural. So maybe we'll get a peek someday?

You can visit part of the one on the Star Tours side, today! Though I don't think you would recognize it. It was broken up into tiny pieces and I believe it was Imagineer Tony Baxter that salvaged what was left and had those pieces shipped to Paris where they were used (as sort of an homage and one of those secret insider factoids) to decorate the "Pizzeria Bella Notte" restaurant at Disneyland Paris. The style of using old broken pieces of ceramics as part of building and walkway design is quite common in Italy...so the pieces fit right in with the particular building style and design of this great Fantasyland restaurant.

So if you're ever at Disneyland Paris...stop by the restaurant and say "Hi" to Mary and a little secret connection to Disneyland in Anaheim.

But most of the mural on the Star Tours side was severely destroyed and damaged...and not just a few large holes (which there are)...the mural went all the way to the ground on that side and they cut much of that whole section out. Though large sections of it still remain covered up there too. But the Buzz side is largely intact under a specially built frame that separates it from the current mural.

An Imagineer friend recently turned me on to a Small World Mary Blair mural that Walt donated to the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, that's still there and you can visit today! He pointed me to some photos of it here:

http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/...=11661&forum=6

I never knew it existed until he told me. I'll have to check it out someday.

Even though it's not the same one from Disneyland...perhaps you can get a little "fix" by visiting it if you're ever in the area?

Personally...I loved the Mary Blair murals. But I did think they were somehow out-of-place with their location in Tomorrowland.

I was about to say the same thing, until I saw you already posted it. I read this in Kevin Yee's book.

[barfownz]

It was removed from the park about 8 years ago. This was mentioned in several of the posts above.

Ah, I didn't see. All i read was the thread posters post and all of page 2. *shrugs*

[PragmaticIdealist]

I always found the murals out of place, as well. I do think, though, that moving the existing mural to the Disneyland Hotel and re-creating there the demolished counterpart would be an ideal way to re-interpret the pieces in a new context where they might make better sense.

[Simply Mad]

I enjoyed the murals but I always thought they were out of place in tomorrowland. I think she could have done some great murals to line the walk back to small world.

I couldn't have said it better. I happened to love them, but wished they had been better placed.

On a side note, I can't wait until they complete Tomorrowland...the rainbow of colors in there gives a disconcerted feeling. I miss the unified color theme.

[cleo07]

I am a huge fan of Mary Blair! I absolutley miss the murals! However I do agree that they did not fit in Tommorowland. I think they would be amazing around the Small World attraction. She's a VERY important part of Disney's history, and I think that those murals should be displayed somewhere in the park.

[HuckSawyer]

I like the associations that people are making between the murals and Fantasyland. I think that's because the murals' theme is heavily centered on children and Fantasyland is the most child-oriented land in the park.

For that reason, I don't think that the murals were a good fit in Tomorrowland. Tomorrow and the future are all about being grown up, going out and exploring, and going dancing at the Tomorrowland Terrace.

I like the murals, but maybe they'd work better on the Small World mall. Her installation at the Contemporary Resort is a much more "grown up" piece and a better fit for Tomorrowland, in my opinion.

[HuckSawyer]

I am a huge fan of Mary Blair! I absolutley miss the murals! However I do agree that they did not fit in Tommorowland. I think they would be amazing around the Small World attraction. She's a VERY important part of Disney's history, and I think that those murals should be displayed somewhere in the park.

I've GOT TO LEARN TO TYPE FASTER!!!