A new series called Pardon Our Pixie Dust has debuted on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube channel, offering an unprecedented look behind the construction walls at some ongoing projects. In the debut episode, Imagineering takes us behind-the-scenes for a look at queue theming for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, inside the upcoming Disney Lakeshore Lodge hotel, and a 3am look at work taking place for the reimagining of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Let’s break it down!
First Look at Queue Props for Muppets Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
We’ll start with a first look at the work being done to transform Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster from an Aerosmith-themed attraction to a Muppets-themed attraction.
Imagineering Associate Set Decorator Ben Conway talked a little bit about the process of picking out props to decorate the queue with. In the video, we can see work being done in a part of the queue that is right before the load station. In fact, the prop area would be just behind me while I was taking the photo below.
Conway said that the team was working on the composition of some of the larger items, fitting them into the space provided. Conway said that he grew up with The Muppet Show, and that he went back to the show throughout a lot of his research to try and come up with fun Easter Eggs for fans of The Muppets.
Conway highlighted a statue that resembled Gonzo. The statue is called Hardware Gonzo and it adorned the roof of Gonzo’s plumbing truck in The Muppet Movie (1979). The statue is a mishmash of hardware that you might find while plumbing. The statue was even featured in the Clue: The Muppets board game as one of six weapons.
This particular area appears to be stuff that Gonzo kept over the years, including the statue after it fell off of his plumbing truck.
Pavement Work at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Next, we’re going to take a look at a behind-the-scenes segment showcasing the work that Imagineers are doing to create realistic pavement as part of the refresh of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom. This segment was hosted by Imagineering Associate Artisan Sculptor Jabe Jones.
As someone who spends a disproportionate amount of time looking at Frontierland pavement, this segment was really cool to watch. In the video, we get to see the pavement go from concrete pour to finished product, including all of the theming work that goes into creating a realistic walkway that is rich with details.
Jones gives a rundown of the full process – from pour to curing, as crews worked overnight to install the themed pavement at the exit to the attraction. While this is an extensive process, the end product is pretty great and worth the attention to detail. Here are some stills from the video, showing the progression of the work.
Sneak Peek at Disney Lakeshore Lodge Rooms
Finally, Imagineering Senior Construction Manager Colin Happ takes us inside the Disney Lakeshore Lodge hotel. While we’ve been able to watch the progress of the exterior of the hotel take shape, Happ takes us down a guest room hallway and even into one of the 900+ rooms that the hotel will have once complete.
I wanted to offer some commentary before we close out this article. This type of video is exactly what I want to see out of Walt Disney Imagineering. Stuff like this and even earlier coverage of projects such as planning and concept design is fascinating to me. While I love photographing and writing about the construction of the next great thing coming to the theme parks as part of my coverage on the site here, I obviously don’t have access behind any construction walls. That is, I don’t have access to the most interesting aspects of a project until the project is open to the public. That’s where the Pardon Our Pixie Dust series will shine.
With so many construction projects going on right now, I hope that this series can continue to offer an unscripted look behind the construction walls at the work that Imagineering does to create the experiences that we all love so much. Be sure to check out the video below yourself!
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