Progress City, U.S.A.

The tsunami of Disney media excitement continues unabated. In a post on the Disney Music Discussion forum - an essential read for any Disney park music fan - producer Randy Thornton has announced the new track additions for the 2008 Disneyland and Walt Disney World Official Albums. The albums, which remain 2 disc sets this year, are scheduled for release on April 8th. The new tracks, and the eliminated tracks they replace:

The Official Album of Disneyland

Eliminated Tracks:

“Beautiful Beulah”
“All Aboard the Mine Train”
“Welcome To Tomorrowland”
“The Droid Room”
“Beauty and the Bees (Beauty and the Beast)”

New Tracks:

“The Happiest Place On Earth” (2:38) – Grand Marshall Pre-Parade
“Submarine Voyage” (15:12) – Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

The Official Album of Walt Disney World

Eliminated Tracks:

“Old Betsy”
“Welcome To Tomorrowland”
“The Tree of Life Theme”

New Tracks:

“Spaceship Earth” (10:52) – Spaceship Earth
“The Seas with Nemo and Friends” (4:42) – The Seas with Nemo and Friends
“Canada: You’re a Lifetime Journey” (5:50) – O Canada!
“Reflections of China Suite” (4:04) – Reflections of China
“Three Caballeros” (2:45) – Grand Fiesta Tour

Thornton also notes:

I don’t count these as ‘new’, but the “CTX Theme” has been expanded from (3:08) to (6:14). Also, “All Aboard the Mine Train” has left Disneyland, and is now on WDW – to represent Thunder Mountain for the time being.

Thornton points out that the Spaceship Earth track contains the entire score by Bruce Broughton. The CTX Theme is also a more complete excerpt of the 25-minute interior background music loop, and the theme from O Canada! begins with excerpts of the attraction’s load music.

For those that don’t know Thornton’s name, you should make a note of it. Whether you know it or not, if you’re a Disney fan you owe him a great deal. After coming to Disney in the late 1980s as a clerk in the music department, Thornton witnessed the production of some of the first albums Disney put out on CD. The first of these was the soundtrack album of Irwin Kostal’s 1982 re-scoring of Fantasia, which was the first film soundtrack to ever be recorded digitally. While that release pre-dated Thornton’s arrival, he contributed to the restoration of Disney’s next releases - two compilations of popular songs from classic Disney films.

The next project from Disney indicated the insistence on excellence that would mark Thornton’s career; upon discovering that Disney was reluctant to release the Mary Poppins soundtrack on the new CD format so soon after a recent vinyl re-release, Thornton found some long-lost Sherman Brothers demos for the film that spurred management to change their minds. Then, faced with management’s insistence on pressing the CD from the vinyl masters rather than remastering it from the original elements, Thornton resorted to a bit of industrial sabotage to ensure that the final disc was in fact the first digitally remastered soundtrack release.

Thornton spent the 1990s remastering Disney’s classic film soundtracks for a series of reference-quality releases; these were known for featuring complete cuts from songs and scores as well as unreleased tracks and demos. Then, mercifully, he began to produce the Official Albums of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. These albums, which had languished for years with stagnant track lists, poor-quality masters, and a general lack of panache were completely rejuvenated by Thornton’s efforts. Every year the park albums feature a refreshed list of cuts, as moldy oldies are replaced with remixed sound collages of popular attractions. Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion, all of which were formerly represented by short, creaky and poorly edited song excerpts, now take their place on the albums with full suites of music and sound direct from the rides themselves.

Thornton has also devoted a lot of time to restoring little-known albums from Disney’s past, many of which have been made available on demand in the theme parks and on iTunes. But for park fans, it’s his efforts such as the massive and justly praised A Musical History of Disneyland that have earned him so much audiophile love. His push for double-disc releases as well as greater accessibility to catalogue material only add to his legend. Keep up the great work, Randy!

Recently, Bob Iger and Co. unveiled plans for an extensive overhaul of Disney’s California Adventure. Nestled among the plans including blockbuster attractions in Carsland and a complete redo of the opening plaza was a long-shelved attraction based on The Little Mermaid. Disney followers will know that this was originally planned for EuroDisney, and can even virtually ride through the planned attraction on the Special Edition Little Mermaid DVD.

This excites me, not only because it is clear that the new regime at WDI is dusting off plans for fifteen year old rides, but because the scene shown in all press releases is the “Kiss The Girl” scene. In addition, there’s a wonderful “Under the Sea” scene on the version of the ride shown on the DVD. One way or another, you know that with a Little Mermaid attraction you are going to get good songs. These Alan Menken and Howard Ashman ditties have stood the test of time, even surviving 80’s musical production values.

Expect DCA visitors to be spotted later in the day in queue for Grizzly Soak’n Wet Wild Ride or lounging in the new Beergarten to still be humming along or outright singing these songs hours later. It is an art that until recently I thought lost to Disney theme parks. In the age of Test Tracks, Mission Spaces, and even the wonderful Tower of Terror, you do not get many songs for your buck anymore.

True, the Mermaid attraction is in a way cheating, because these songs are already well known and were paid for years ago. It’s a step in the right direction. All the heavy hitting attractions of Walt’s later years have wonderful songs written just for them: “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)” for Pirates, “Grim Grinning Ghosts” for Haunted Mansion, and the most polarizing and infectious, “It’s A Small World,” on which the entire attraction hinges.

Even less blockbuster attractions recieved their due in musical attention. “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” and later “Now Is The Time” for Carousel of Progress, all the wonderful music involved in the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Country Bear Jamboree. “Miracles in Molecules” for Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, and “Meet Me Down On Main Street.” I challenge a man to walk out of Carousel of Progress or It’s a Small World not at least humming, even if it makes them feel foolish.

There’s merit in this. After all, part of the “Disney Difference” in corporatespeak is to “Preserve the Magical Guest Experience.” Listening to these songs on record at home had a very transportative property that would put me back at WDW, just as much as a strange sulfurlike smell would make me think that Rome was burning.

Speaking of which, this song argument is one that I would throw to the wolves to argue the greatness of EPCOT in its early years pre-Epcot 95 identity crisis. Every attraction had great music to back it up, and I weep for the younger generation growing up without these songs. “Fun to Be Free,” “Listen To The Land,” “Tomorrow’s Child,” “New Horizons,” both Energy songs (not to mention the infectious song from El Rio de Tiempo) - these are all lost to us now, except from downloadable devices. At least “One Little Spark,” one of the Sherman Brothers classics survives in revised and weakened form. Consider it a lesson learned, WDI.

I believe they have considered it of late, actually. Two examples in recent EPCOT work leads me to believe all is not lost. Though at the expense of the previously mentioned song, the new El Rio De Tiempo, The Gran Fiesta Tour, showcases an even older theme from The Three Cabalieros.

Even more exciting news is over at The Seas with Nemo and Friends, as well as Finding Nemo The Musical. There Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez were commissioned to write all new numbers AFTER the movie came out, including the wonderful “(In The) Big Blue World.” Immediately, the humming and post ride singing returns to EPCOT - and, for a moment, all appears to be on track.

Until next time, this is Beacon Joe signing off.