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Wonderful World of Disney
High above Disneyland, the rivers, railroads, mountains and castles twinkle in the twilight as the fantasy world of fairy tales and make believe prepares to shut down for the night.
A solitary cast member closes a wrought iron gate at the park’s entrance as the very last guest leaves the Happiest Place on Earth for the evening.
Wearing a checked vest and a wide-brimmed hat, the lone cast member walks past the floral Mickey Mouse display under the train station and disappears through the darkened tunnel leading to the closed park.
With its towering gabled roof, the Victorian-era train station sitting high atop the berm ringing the park effectively serves as a stage curtain hiding the wonders that lay beyond. The sign above the train station entrance welcomes visitors to Disneyland, population 750 million. A glowing clock near the peak of a cupola marks the time at one minute past midnight.
Beyond the berm, the graveyard shift stirs to life as an orchestrated procession of gardeners, electricians and painters tackle a punch list of overnight assignments. Utility vehicles brimming with flowers, tools and supplies make intermittent stops. Cherry-picker cranes roll into position while bleating out a beep-beep-beep warning. Golf carts carrying supervisors zip to and fro.
Turn-of-the-century storefronts inspired by Walt Disney's childhood home of Marceline, Missouri stretch for two blocks down Main Street USA. The mix of architectural styles evoke small town Middle America of the early 1900s. Forced perspective hides the true scale of the buildings, turning the streetscape into a stage set where characters and visitors alike become players in a never-ending production. For 60 years, the short street has served as an entryway to a world of magic, dreams and imagination.
Thousands of lights rimming the decorative gingerbread trim of the buildings reflect in the thin layer of water sprayed on the pavement by a hose-wielding custodian. The smell of wet asphalt, fresh paint and potting soil slowly replace the day’s odiferous confections of popcorn, cotton candy and churros.
Up ahead at the central hub, a massive banner hanging over the entrance of Tomorrowland reads: Star Wars Festival Coming Soon. Just inside the futuristic land, the brass and bronze Astro Orbitor rocket ride sits idle after a day of nearly non-stop flights to outer space and back.
Sleeping Beauty Castle stands at the center of the park, a towering symbol of one man’s steadfast determination in the face of long odds and his unwavering belief in the power of imagination. Crowned turrets jut into the ink-black sky as the squared teeth of the parapet wrap the midsection of the Disney icon inspired by Germany’s Neuschwanstein castle.
A solitary figure in a fedora and weathered leather jacket emerges from the castle drawbridge entrance, backlit by the Fantasyland carousel in the distance. A coiled whip bounces on one hip, balanced by a holstered revolver on the other. Slowly, the distinctive silhouette of Indiana Jones comes into focus before making a sharp right turn and striding purposely into Adventureland.
Tonight, like many others, Indy is lost in deep, existential thought. He asks himself: Who is Indiana Jones?
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Sample chapters
Prologue: Once Upon a Time
Chapter 1: Wonderful World of Disney
Chapter 2: A Whole New World
Chapter 3: Exile on Main Street USA
Chapter 4: Evil Plans
Chapter 5: Real Princesses of Disneyland
Chapter 6: Action Figure
Chapter 7: Code R
Chapter 8: Common Foes
Chapter 9: Peace, Love & Mickey
Chapter 10: Operation Death Star
Chapter 11: Frozen Ever After
