| # | Author | Message |
1
| donnyaz
Sun 10/28/2007 4:18p | last time my wife and I took the (Walk in Walts footsteps) tour the tourguide told us the no one knows who made the marble figurines that sit near the castle. Is this still true ? |
2
| trekkeruss
Sun 10/28/2007 4:45p | I seem to recall they came from Italy. I'll need to go look at some reference books. I'm sure someone knows off the top of their head, like DlandDug. |
3
| ShivaThDestroyer
Sun 10/28/2007 5:31p | Here's a little info:
http://books.google.com/books?
id=LhNnYczFJt8C&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=snow+white+statues+disneyland+sculpted+italy&source=web&ots=rRwqDn3q6l&sig=nQnpGo5fu6_yn3z6G38tu97_Mps#PPA125,M1
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4
| pirategrammie
Sun 10/28/2007 5:46p | disneyland detective says they were anonymous gifts, sculpted in Italy and shipped to WD's studio. Their shapes were inspired by a set of soaps that were all created the same height to fit inside the box.... |
5
| pirategrammie
Sun 10/28/2007 5:51p | and 101 things adds they were rumored to be created in Italy by sculptor Leonida Parma.... |
6
| pirategrammie
Sun 10/28/2007 5:53p | Shiva....Sorry I was reading and slowly typing when you posted a link...lol... |
7
| Pirate Shiva
Sun 10/28/2007 6:51p | pirategrammie, no worries. Great minds think alike ; ) besides I didn't know about the possible connection with Leonida Parma.
You were GREAT!! |
8
| Mickeyfan1
Sun 11/18/2007 5:16p | A friend gave me three sacks full of old Disneyland Lines from the ‘80s and ‘90's. While reading the Disneyland Line dated August 9, 1991 (Vol. 23 No. 33) I came across an article titled "Discovery in Detail". It is all about the Snow White Grotto. I remembered this posting, so I though I would share the last part of the article with you...
The beautifully carved set of statues depicting Snow White and the seven dwarfs in the Grotto was presented to Walt in 1961. Leonida Parma sculpted the figures from fine Carrara marble.
The eight figures were made with great care and attention to detail. Each figure is about 34 inches tall and is captured in a characteristic pose.
But there is one detail that was perhaps overlooked - the dwarfs and Snow White were sculpted to the same height. Through some imaginative placement of the figures (employing forced perspective, the height is cleverly disguised.
(A side note here...John Hench did the original design work for the grotto. Now back to the article...)
The dwarfs were placed closer to Guests on lower levels of the Grotto and Snow White stands alone at the very top, without any of the dwarfs nearby to compare statue stature.
After two decades, the spray from the waterfall and exposure to the elements were beginning to take their toll. During the construction of Tokyo Disneyland, the statues were removed and taken to the Staff Shop. Casts were made of the original statues and two sets of fiberglass replicas were created from the molds. Our Agers and Grainier from the Paint Shop added the finishing touches to make the new statues look exactly like the originals. Today, the replicas adorn grottos at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, and the originals are safely packed away.
As Paul Harvey would say...."And now you know the rest of the story!"
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9
| pecos bill
Sun 11/18/2007 7:08p | It sure is nice to know that what we are seeing are fiberglass replicas, and the originals are safely packed away in some warehouse, never to be seen again. Jeez, you would think the things were carved by Michaelangelo! |
10
| Dznygrl
Sun 11/18/2007 11:13p | I was actually glad when I found out that the originals had been switched out with replicas. Those things get a lot of abuse in that grotto. Not only from the water/weather, but people throwing coins trying to hit the dwarfs (mainly Dopey). The originals were very lovingly created as a personal gift to Walt Disney, they should be treated with care. |
