When I think of Disney World now, I think about how much detail went into everything. The rides that tell stories, the animatronics.... It all makes for a pretty amazing experience. When we walked into an art store, the amazing beauty of the artwork contained within was astounding, and really got me into the Disney atmosphere.
Walking around the parks, its hard not to notice the attention to detail, especially if you are looking for Hidden Mickey’s. We didn’t do that on this trip, but we plan to in future trips. But details are still all around you. Around the Dumbo ride, there are peanuts embedded in the concrete.
When I first arrived at Disney, I was instantly struck at how little there is of Beast there. I instantly credited the place as completely underestimating the popularity of Beauty and the Beast. Its an older film, recently re-released with 3D and such, but looking around the park.... There is no Beast pins (at least they are VERY rare), no Beast plushes, and no Beast shirts. You can find Belle everywhere, and sometimes there’s a Beast motif along with her.
The final day we hit Magic Kingdom and went over to the brand new Fantasy Land. It was cool to see how they designed Beast’s castle to be way off in the distance behind some mountains. We went into Gaston’s tavern first, and it was quaint, then I went into the room to the right, and boom, I was in the scene from the movie. Fireplace, picture above it.... The detail was astounding, which is something to say, as I had been in Disney World for a few days.Then we went over to the restaurant. At first it wasn’t open, but they were allowing people to peak inside. The restaurant is the largest in Disney, seating over 550 people, and the inside was stunning. The main ballroom was as beautiful as any Disney restaurant, with huge chandeliers and a wonderful glass rear with a view of snowy mountains. Unfortunately you can’t get a close look during the sneak peak.
So we came back for lunch. We got there later than we wanted (10 minutes early) and the line was already massive, luckily the place seats so many, so the line moves pretty quick. Get in, and the level of detail inside ramped up....
In the West Wing, its dark, it has a wonderful mood. On the wall is a portrait of the man the Beast once was, and its been clawed through. The beautiful tapestries on the walls, art work, all destroyed by Beast’s claws in his anger. And then, in the corner, under glass, is a rotating holographic rose. Every 8 minutes a storm brews, lightning arcs behind the window.... In that same instant, the lights flicker, the painting of the man that was once Beast, becomes a portrait of Beast with the same eyes...and under the jar, a rose petal falls from the rose....
The entire room itself is a work of art. We left there and went to the other room, its called the Rose room. In the middle is a life size rotating effigy of Beast and Belle dancing, and on the walls are HUGE paintings depicting scenes from the movie.
The level of detail in that place was truly surreal. I walked out of there still believing that Disney underestimated the popularity of that movie, but wow. I was amazingly happy when we found a Hidden Mickey or two in the place.
The fact is, I walked into Disney World expecting a theme park. I walked away with an experience. Coupled with the actors, its hard not to feel like you’ve visited places from the movies. And I promise you, I’ll never forget sitting in the West Wing of the Be Our Guest restaurant any time soon.
