October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

[Werner Weiss]

Four weeks ago, I ran Then and Now: Main Street and the Castle, part of a series comparing Disneyland photos from the 1950s to similar photos in 2009. Here's the next installment.

Link to Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Please discuss it here.

[a-net-fan]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

AWESOME shots. TSI sure is a fraction of its former self. It looks like it used to be such an amazing island. Now..... not so much.......

[sir clinksalot]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

I LOVE these Then and Now updates.

[danyoung]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

I really enjoy the Then & Now comparisons. It's surprising how similar some of the lands look to their early counterparts!

[aduecey]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

too bad no interior shots of the davy crockett arcade.
i miss the old timey arcade offerings

[ttrocc7007]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

I love these 'Then and Now' comparisons, though I do find it awfully disheartening to see the Tom Sawyer then and now with its Fantasmic crud in place.
Likewise I would probably come close to tears to see the New Orleans area then and now at night with the Fantasmic gear. No area of Disneyland has been so thoroughly trashed in the name of contemprary 'entertainment' as has the once beautiful and serene Rivers of America.

[Dizzey]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Great job, Werner. I'm wearing out my arrow keys toggling up and down to make the comparisons! Must have been a challenge to get the framing so close with all the changes to the various landmarks.

For sure there are some things to miss from the old days, but I really love the way the landscaping has grown in to make the place a little less stark and more park-like. Disneyland Paris is awesome in this regard.

Anyway, thanks for all the effort. This is one of my favorite places to check during lunchtime...

[danyoung]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

No area of Disneyland has been so thoroughly trashed in the name of contemprary 'entertainment' as has the once beautiful and serene Rivers of America.

I couldn't disagree more. I think they did an incredible job of incorporating a major function like Fantasmic! while still preserving the atmosphere of Frontierland as it was before. Sure, you can't walk around in a totally empty land like before, unless you go on an off-F! night. Small price to pay for the single greatest mixed media outdoor spectacular on the planet!

[MickeyMaxx]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Thanks, Werner. I love when you do these comparisons!

[Jesser-pie]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

This is one of the best disney websites in my opinion! I am really loving the now and then articles (I jumped up and down inside my head a few times when I saw this one posted).
Just out of curiousity who prefers the now over the then (at least in visual terms)?

For some reason, I think the now photo's showcase more details.

[cellarhound]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Amazing how trees grow up, huh? It is the first thing I notice, how little we can see from a distance...

[Athlonacon]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

I really love these comparisons, please keep them coming! They are so fascinating, not so much for what has changed, but for what has NOT changed. It's incredible how similar some things still look and how they haven't strayed too far, even after 50 years. What's really amazing is how you find almost the exact spot someone was standing 50 years ago to take the same shot. The framing is practically identical.

Excellent work Werner, as usual!


On a totally side note, the "Subtle Changes" link should be http://www.yesterland.com/changes.html and not "change.html"... the link is currently broken.

[danyoung]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Just out of curiousity who prefers the now over the then (at least in visual terms)?

Most of the time I'll prefer the current versions, just because DL has had over 50 years to grow some of those trees and shrubs and plants. Most areas look much more filled in than in the olden days.

[Werner Weiss]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

On a totally side note, the "Subtle Changes" link should be Yesterland presents Disneyland Then and Now: Subtle Changes and not "change.html"... the link is currently broken.

Thank you for catching that. I just fixed it.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Thanks! Do you have "then and now" shots of the Nature's Wonderland area?

[a-net-fan]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

Most of the time I'll prefer the current versions, just because DL has had over 50 years to grow some of those trees and shrubs and plants. Most areas look much more filled in than in the olden days.

I agree for the most part only in a cosmetic way. Just think how much has been lost on Main Street....that isnt as noticable like the Penny Arcade for example. Although Main Street may look just as nice if not nicer today....I think it has suffered some over the years at its core. Same with TSI. That is one example where I think it looked better in the past. Look at that fort rising from the distance and the rockwork. Its beautiful. Nothing really draws your attention to the island and I still say the Fantasmic area looks awful. That area has really suffered.

[Lux1972]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

What's really amazing is how you find almost the exact spot someone was standing 50 years ago to take the same shot. The framing is practically identical.

I agree! I was very impressed how the new shots were taken almost identically to the old shot. You must have had the old photos with you as a reference when taking the new ones. How long did it take to set up the shot to be so exact?

[Werner Weiss]

Re: October 22, 2009: Disneyland Then and Now: Frontierland

I agree! I was very impressed how the new shots were taken almost identically to the old shot. You must have had the old photos with you as a reference when taking the new ones. How long did it take to set up the shot to be so exact?

I printed the "then" photos "2-up" on printer paper. I took several shots for each "now" photo from slightly different locations and/or with the zoom set to different focal lengths.

In most cases, I took the shots fairly quickly. I had to wait a long time for the Monorail. Only Monorail Red was running, but that was good because the 1959 photo was of the Mark I Monorail Red. Fortunately, I took the shot at almost the perfect moment.

The main thing was to capture a slightly larger view. That way, I cold crop the images so that the edges would match reasonably well.

I had some vintage photos of the Mark Twain, but it wasn't operating when I was there in September 2009. And it won't be operating again the next time I'm at Disneyland because they probably won't be done with the work on the drained Rivers of America. Some day!

A kind Yesterland reader recently sent a bunch of photos (primarily from the 1960s) to me. I hope I'll be able to put together at least one more "then and now" photo essay in the future.

Also, another wonderful Yesterland reader sent some terrific code to me that allows the photos to occupy the same frame, with controls to slide back and forth between them. (I'm not describing it well.) For this to work best, the photos need to be even more closely matched.

Unfortunately, there's now something wrong with the zoom on my Canon G7 camera, and it's now very hard to set the zoom accurately (except for zooming all the way in or out).