Grandmother Meets Snow White on 80th Birthday

This beautiful little story was posted a couple days ago on the Humans of Disney facebook page...

For my grandmother's 80th birthday, we took her to the Magic Kingdom. As soon as we arrived in the park, we saw Snow White (her all-time favorite princess) walking to her spot to begin signing and taking photos.

My grandmother visited the park with her 3 kids when the park opened but she hadn't met any characters, so we quickly pushed my grandmother's wheelchair in line.

Her view was obscured so she had no idea what she was in line for until we were right in front of the princess and she immediately began to cry.

Afterward, my grandmother grabbed my hand as we were rolling her onto Main Street and said 'I know Snow White is just a character, but she's real to me.

Yes, we agree. Snow White is real for us too. :)

William Shatner's Childhood Memory of Snow White

In the June 7, 2015 edition of Parade (the American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine), an interview with William Shatner appeared in the column, "Walter Scott's Personality Parade". As you would expect, a couple of the questions were related to Star Trek. However, Snow White got a mention too!

Question: What entertainment resonated with you at a young age?

Answer: My earliest memory of something on screen was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Disney film. I remember the movie was over and my dad was taking me out, and I was holding on to an armrest. I wanted to see it again.

Images and text copyright Parade.

Special thanks to Colin Cameron for sharing this with the Filmic Light.

Tết & Chinese New Year "Lucky Money" Envelopes

Today marks the Lunar New Year and the following comes from guest contributor Squeaky of Reviews by Squeaky. She shares with us some interesting Snow White finds...

Both China and Vietnam still employ the Lunar calendar. Since they use the moon (instead of the sun) to track the passage of time, they have a different New Years day. The Lunar New Year--more commonly called “Chinese New Year”--usually falls in between late January to mid February. In 2015, Lunar New Year Day is today, February 19th! In Vietnam this day is called “Tết.”

Marking the coming of Springtime, this day is very important in these cultures. I would compare it to the Christmas Holiday in the Christian world combined with the party atmosphere of New Year’s Eve. For three days, people will visit their friends and families to partake in food and assorted traditions.

Similar to Christmas, young people will receive gifts from adults, called “Lucky Money.” Because red is considered the most lucky color, the money is given inside red envelopes, in the hopes that this money will bring good luck to the person spending it throughout the coming year.

Normally you buy these red envelopes in a pack of 6 for about a quarter. They measure around 4.75″ x 3.25″, perfect fit for a bill folded in half.

In 2011, I found some red envelopes that featured Snow White and her Disney Princess friends. I don’t read Chinese but I assume the translations would be common things people say to each other on the occasion: “Happy New Year!” and “Health, Wealth, and Good Luck!”

2011 Chinese writing. All four of these envelopes share the identical design on the back side.

2012 + 2013 Chinese writing.

2013 Vietnamese writing; this one translates to “Academic Advancement.” A hope all adults want for young people.

2014 Vietnamese writing.

Happy Springtime from us all

All Things as you wish + Welcome New Spring

Wishing Good Fortune

This year in the Chinese/Vietnamese Zodiac is the Year of the Ram/Sheep. Wishing everyone Health Wealth and Good Luck in the coming New Year. May all your endeavors succeed as you wish. --Squeaky

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Also see earlier Archive entries featuring Squeaky's Snow White costume and carpet-bag.

1967 Snow White "Personal Appearance" Tour Across US

The 1967 re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to US theaters was promoted by Disney in a variety of interesting ways, including a personal appearance tour by the characters themselves. The troupe was scheduled to visit 18 cities on what was billed as a "coast-to-coast" stint, although the furthest west they would actually go was Denver.

The tour was advertised in the official film pressbook (p.14).

A while back, the Filmic Light was contacted by Edward Grant, one of the cast members who participated in this event. Ed played Bashful on the trip, and he shares with us his fond memories of the tour--which occurred now over 47 years ago:

Filmic Light: You were already working at Disneyland at the time, so how did you first learn about the 1967 Snow White tour? Was this your first time as a costumed character?

Edward Grant: The news of the pending tour was "leaked out" among the cast members at the park, primarily through the various divisions under the Operations Department at Disneyland. All that was known was that a tour was being put together for the re-release of the film and they would be needing eight shorter individuals from within the park's ranks to fill those positions. No experience was required.

A new movie was about to premiere in Hollywood and Disney would be using the "regular" Snow White characters from the park for that event. Thus, this gave an opportunity to some "rookies" to play these roles on the tour. We submitted our names and waited. Most of those volunteering were either "ride operators" or "parking lot crew" members.

FL: Were there auditions and rehearsals beforehand?

EG: There really weren't any auditions. We were notified that the Studio and Operations had chosen 8 individuals (one alternate, just in case), all men/boys, to go on the tour. Each of us was informed privately and given the amounts of dollars we would receive for our work. All of us were put into a screening room at the Park where we literally watched the entire Snow White movie.

Afterwards, we were all taken to Wardrobe to be fitted for our costumes and then an impromptu performance out in the park, just to get the feel of the sometimes cumbersome outfits. After a few minutes inside them, it was clear that this was truly not going to be just a lark!

An independent musician, Bob Messenger, was brought in so a "routine" of sorts could be worked out. The ideas for this came directly from the movie itself, especially where all of the dwarfs would be able to interact with an audience in some way. The Studio had also auditioned and hired a young woman to play the part of Snow White. She was small with a lovely voice that sounded very much like the movie's star. After this routine was established, we actually appeared at a local movie theatre (in Riverside, CA) and we did our act on stage for a live audience following the showing of the film. The response was fantastic and we knew then that we would be a hit!

There was one more Park "stroll" just to see how we must react to the various things people do to your typical Disney character. This meant NEVER EVER speaking!!!! Be sure to lean over before you start to walk because vision was not very good towards anything or anyone standing directly in front of us. The Studio did not want anyone trampled by a dwarf!

FL: You were Bashful. How did you get to be him and not one of the other dwarfs?

EG: We were picked at random for our roles. I was BASHFUL just because that is how it worked out. I must say that some of my fellow troupe members had the real life personality to match their dwarf characters. DOC and HAPPY were so funny that I would crack up inside my costume many times during their turns for being introduced by Snow White.

Earlier I mentioned that there were seven guys picked to go on the tour with one alternate. I was the eighth, but because number seven needed to go to summer school and also make some extra funds, we traded places. And I paid him for the opportunity with no regrets. He got his much needed class, and I got this wonderful experience.

FL: Where did the tour start? And where did it go?

EG: The tour was set for 18 cities in 20 days. Starting on June 5, 1967 and ending on June 24th, the order of cities was: Dallas, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Denver.  

An advertisement for the tour, for the film, and several Snow White records was published in the June 10, 1967 Billboard Magazine (Volume 79, Issue 23, p.15).

Image scan courtesy of Colin Cameron.

FL: What did you do? Visit shopping centers, theatres, schools, and/or other locations?

EG: Beside the obvious movie theatre locations where the film would be shown, another stop on our routes would always be the newspapers that were going to advertise it. This usually included a short walk around at the paper's offices with "photo ops". If there was a Bozo the Clown TV show in town, we then appeared on it! There sure were a lot of Bozo's back then! Talk about syndication!

Sometimes a motorcade down main streets was done. This was kind of awkward for us dwarfs due to the fact that we had to be sitting on the convertible top boot with no place to hold on--since our hands were inside the costume! Quick stops could result in tumbling dwarfs everywhere! In almost every city, we would make a stop at the local children's hospital for all of the obvious reasons. Sometimes very heartbreaking for all concerned. Department stores with large auditoriums were also a good venue. Those with a runway proved to be quite hazardous to some of us due to the very limited vision. More than one of us took a tumble into the audience, no harm to anyone thank goodness.

FL: What was your costume like to wear? What was it made of?

EG: Our costumes were very ingenious for sure. The lower part you simply put on over a tee shirt, shorts, socks and tennis shoes. The "head" was the heavy part and would hit the scale somewhere between 50 to 60 pounds. The face was hollow so you could put your hand into the big nose and animate the overall face. As for seeing, there was a screen located in the hat of each costume, painted black so not to reveal us inside. With the large floppy shoes adding the "clown" affect, the whole package was heavy but not so much as to be impossible.

The issue for us was the time of the year we were touring--SUMMER! We California guys really did not know what humidity was, but we found out when we got off the plane in Dallas. That was a very rough first day for all of us. As I mentioned before, the costume was all about the "illusion and magic" of the character. Absolutely no sounds (other than SNEEZY) were allowed. If you happened to fall down you just lay there until you were righted by staff.

Speaking of which, we had a great wardrobe man along with us on the tour. Each day he would take all of our cloth lowers and have them cleaned and refreshed for the next day. The inside of the "head" had a fibre glass skeleton that had to be wiped clean from our sweat. He was also in charge of making sure all of our personal luggage plus the costumes were loaded up at the hotel and transported to wherever the plane had been parked overnight.

FL: Did you travel by plane? Stay in hotels? What was the everyday experience like when you were not in costume? Did the group do other things together when not working?

EG: All of our travel was on board of Walt's personal plane, a Grumman Gulfstream I. It was piloted by a total of four retired military men (mostly Marines) for this tour. They were the coolest guys and the most professional individuals that I had ever met. This aircraft was a turboprop and could be quite loud inside and out. There was a pull out jump seat between and slightly behind the flight crew and many and hour was spent watching them fly us! I personally had never flown commercially, so this was a very big thrill for me.

Since I was the only married dwarf, night times were spent with these gentlemen dining and going out to movie's. The rest of the guys were usually out on the town in every city! All of our hotel accommodations were top notch. We each had our own rooms for privacy. The biggest and fanciest hotel would have to be the Royal York in downtown Toronto. WOW!

The usual day was up early for breakfast at the hotel. Board a rented box truck with lift gate in the rear of the hotel and start our day. Our costumes were cleaned and in large canvas bags inside the truck. There were usually folding chairs for us to sit on and a cooler with cold water and soda's. Lots and lots of ice was a must. Clean hand towels were there for when we suited up. These were essential for the working periods, since some of us wore eye glasses and they would fog up during our heated performances. At each stop some one would yell at us to suit up and let them know when all of us were ready. In no way were we to be seen out of character by the public.

After no more than 45 minutes, it was back into the truck, two at a time on the lift gate. When were all inside the roll up door was pulled down and we could get out of costume. We developed the habit of singing "Getting Out Of My Head Over You" on a regular basis! Traveling inside these non-air conditioned boxes was not really all that safe for us, but we endured just the same. The Show Must Go On was our motto.

FL: What were the other people in the group like? Did you know any of them before you started? Did you stay in touch with any afterwards?

EG: Each and every one of my troup members was some one who would do anything for you at a moments notice. The very best Disney people. The Disneyland Ambassador, Marcia Minor, was the nicest young woman I had ever met. Truly a class act and well deserving of her position. The head of the tour, Tom Bradly, came from the Studio and was a blunt and to the point guy. Really a take charge kind of person.

We from the Park had an Operations Department manager along just for us. His name has drawn a blank on my old memory, but I will eventually get it back. Likewise with our Wardrobe man. A true professional in every way. Very handy with a needle and thread too. Our musical side-kick, Bob Messenger, was a very talented guy. He had perfect pitch and could play many different instruments. On this tour the accordian fit the movies' score.

Our very own Snow White was played by Miss Lisa Binney (we all later nicknamed her Liza Benni). Absolutely lovely soprano voice. Short stature but not exactly petite like the movie's Snow. She was your typical stage brat! At the beginning of the tour she was under the impression that we seven lads were there to be at her beck and call, to carry her luggage, etc. She soon learned that we just didn't roll that way, and she was truly on her own when it came to taking care of herself.

During this great experience, we pretty much grew closer and closer with one another. As far as we were concerned, our show could always be improved on. Many open discussions about dancing this way or marching that way enabled the actual show to improve with each performance. Our 'handlers" respected many of our ideas and went along with them. They were in charge of all of the details of our appearances, etc. and they did that very well. When one of the dwarfs was obviously in trouble, they were the first to close the curtain and get us help. More than once one of us fell or was pushed over, but never for long. Assistance was always there and concern for our well-being was paramount to them.

In the photo below, the troupe and flight crew are pictured at the tour's last stop in Denver. Ed is standing on the steps, third from the top. The plane is Walt Disney's turbo jet, a Grumman G-159 Gulfstream 1. (It had been on display for years on the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. The attraction closed on September 27, 2014.)

FL: This seems like it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Is there a fond memory you'd like to share about the experience?

EG: I would have to say it would be our many stops at the Children's Hospitals across America. The memory of seeing so may smiles from those injured or sick kids will be with me forever. On one special visit to a Shriner's hospital, there was a child who had been burned over 90% of his body from an accident involving gasoline. During our brief visit, each of us went into his room along with Snow White. She introduced each of us to this lad covered in bandages. After all seven of us had had our turn, it was time to go. The parents of this little boy came out into the hallway and thanked us for visiting their son. That was so very hard, but it helped us realize just how important this tour really was. A couple of days later our tour director let us know that he had received news that the boy had passed away but not before he actually was able to smile at photos taken of him with each and every one of us at his bedside.

FL: Did you continue to work for Disney after the tour?

EG: After the tour, we all returned to our jobs within the Park. Most of us were what was called "permanent part-time", meaning we worked weekends, holidays, and private parties throughout the year. For me, being the only married dwarf, the need for full-time hours was what I was after. The Operations Department did their best to find me hours during the work week. Sometimes I would drive a shuttle bus carrying construction workers from their parking lots into the Park or backstage area where they were working. I would drive the Disneyland Hotel tram as well. At one point I was offered to try out a position with "Key Control" for the Park. Unfortunately,  I didn't have the manual dexterity needed for that position. In late 1967 I had to find a more permanent full time job outside of the Park. It was a very sad day for me; my thoughts of the fantastic times I spent with the Disney organization are still as strong today as they ever were.

Since leaving Disney, Ed lost touch with the other members of the Snow White troupe. But he would love to plan a reunion and is hoping to reconnect with those who were involved. If anyone knows the whereabouts of any of these folks, you can contact the Filmic Light and we'll pass the info onto Ed.

Snow White Costume with "Reviews by Squeaky"

Squeaky from the "Reviews by Squeaky" blog is a true fan of Snow White. She first viewed the Disney film when she was a very young child...

I remember it as the first movie I ever saw in the theater. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be Snow White when I grew up. Actually, I STILL want to be Snow White when I grow up! My friends would loving say I’m a tad obsessed. I’ll just say, I have a healthy appreciation for all things Snow White.

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Back in 2002, one of Squeaky's close friends created a Snow White corset for her. It was made of PVC plastic, a material most commonly used as a faux leather.

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Squeaky has an extensive Snow White collection...

Through the years, I’ve been lucky enough to collect some wonderful (and some not so wonderful) Snow White items. Most of them are Disney licensed, but some are not. My collection consists mainly of things people have given me. Particularly, my late boss, Max, had a tradition of gifting me a snowglobe on my birthday and another for Christmas, every year for ten years.

See a Snow White carpet bag that Squeaky shared in an earlier post.

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In 2009, Squeaky found herself without a costume for Halloween, so she turned to the Disney Store and purchased this adult size small dress. The simple over the head design contains no buttons or zippers. It’s mostly polyester with a tulle overlay skirt, which hits at the middle of the calf when worn.

The sleeves are a proper princess puff design with red panels. The royal blue bodice feels like crushed velvet. Down the center is a row of tiny red roses.

The yellow tulle skirt has little hearts made of glitter for accents. At the bottom of the skirt, the glitter creates outlines of popular scenes, which repeat twice to completely encircle the dress.

Earlier this year in May, Squeaky is seen wearing the dress at Disneyland's Snow White's Grotto during the all-night "Rock Your Disney Side" event.

Special thanks to Squeaky for sharing her Snow White passion with us.

Harry Rasmussen - 1938 Movie Experience of Snow White

Born in Denmark in 1929, Harry Rasmussen first saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Christmas Day in 1938 when he was 9 years old. The event would have such a lasting effect that animation would become his life's work.

As a 14-year young man, Harry became an apprentice animator on the first Danish animated feature, The Tinderbox (Fyrtøjet). And as an adult, he was employed with Nordic Cartoon Films in Copenhagen.












Being in the "biz" allowed him some special opportunities, like the day back in 1959 when he got to meet Walt Disney who was traveling in Europe and visited the studio.

That's Harry's hand in the lower left of the photo below...To the left of Walt Disney is animator Anton Fredsøe. On the right is the director of the Metropol Theatre and Mickey Mouse Corporation of Denmark, Jørgen Jørgensen, and the Director of Nordisk Film Junior, Ove Sevel. Behind Jørgen Jørgensen (in dark shirt) is Ib Steinaa. Photo © 1959 Paul Dupont and and Dansk Tegnefilm Historie/Harry Rasmussen.

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Ward Kimball with his wife Betty visited in 1965...In the courtyard at Nordisk Film in Valby, Ward behind the wheel, beside him Walther Lehmann. Rear passengers from left: Flemming Jensen, Kirsten Steinaa and Betty Kimball. Standing beside the car (which had been used in the filming of the 1962 movie "The Dear Family") are Harry Rasmussen and Anne Lise Andersen. Photo taken by Henning Bahs with Kimball’s camera.

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In 1977 while on vacation in the States, Harry received an invite to The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank where he met Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson, Woolie Reitherman, Ken Anderson and Vance Gerry. They even asked Harry to come work for the Disney Studio, but he had to decline because it would mean uprooting his family from Denmark.

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Harry first heard the name of Walt Disney when Snehvide og de syv Dværge (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) officially premiered in Denmark on September 29, 1938. But he would not have an opportunity to see the film until nearly three months later when the movie was shown simultaneously on Christmas Day in major provincial towns, and later also in the small town cinemas.

His family was living in the city of Nakskov, about 2 km outside of the town center. One day, he happened to be passing the local theatre, and to his great surprise and excited joy...

I saw the film publicized on the cinema facade, and when I looked beyond the iron grid that sealed off the entrance, I caught a glimpse of some life-sized figures of dwarfs. They were cut from plywood and installed in the hall and partly overhanging the cabinets on either side of the entrance, where behind the glass windows were suspended a number of pictures with scenes from the movie, as was common at that time.

It was so breathtaking, that on the following day after school, I rushed back to the cinema hoping to see more of the images in the showcases. But since it was outside of the opening hours, the iron front gate was closed and locked. Yet by pushing my head close to the bars, I managed to get even more of a glimpse of film images that enthralled me.

The theatre was located on the corner of Railway Street (Jernbanegade) and Dana Street (Danagade). The entrance was under the red canopy where now there is a pizzeria. The dark building that can be seen at the left rear of the picture is the old cinema. This photo was taken during a visit to Nakskov in the summer of 2001, © Harry Rasmussen.

Christmas Day 1938. With his father staying home with the two younger siblings, Harry was accompanied by his mother as they headed off to see Snow White for the first time.

Mother could not at that time have done me no greater joy or service than when she took me into the KINO to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film was a great and profound experience, indeed, a revelation for me, and probably for many others that were there for the sold out performances. My concern was whether there were any tickets left when we reached the ticket sales, as we stood in a long queue, which went right into the street and around the corner of the cinema building.

When the queue would slowly move forward, I have an opportunity to revisit the exhibited frames in one showcase, which we came close to during the excruciatingly long wait. And when we at last reached into the hall, I saw some of the great figures of dwarfs, cut into plywood and painted in vibrant colors, which were placed around the room, and mom and I passed close to two of the characters, “Dopey” and "Doc". I was almost feverish with excitement at the sight which imprinted itself deeply and unforgettable in my highly susceptible child's mind.

The curtain slowly and almost ceremoniously opened while the musical overture came from the big speakers. My eyes were immersed in the vividly drawn shapes, the brilliant colors, and the glorious scenes on the silver screen. And my ears on the beautiful music and the most catchy tunes one could imagine. They were quite familiar by this time, being played almost daily on the radio.

Harry shares some insight into the Danish voice actors and singers that were apart of this original release.

Operetta singer Annie Jessen (1915-1993) and Marius Jacobsen (1894-1961) laid the Danish voices and singing respectively for Snow White and Prince. I will never forget, because they were part of the first spell of the film. Many years later, the film's Danish soundtrack would be re-recorded with different and new actors. Although the result was good, it can never really measure up to the original Danish version, at least not seen with my nostalgic eyes.

As a boy I did not know the Danish actors who voiced the Wicked Queen, Witch or dwarfs. But many years later, I managed to find out it was none other than Clara Pontoppidan, who placed her wonderful voice to both the Queen and the Witch. For the dwarfs: Alfred Arnbak (Happy), Carl Fischer (Bashful), Aage Foss (Sneezy), Sigurd Langberg (Grumpy), Valdemar Lund (Sleepy), Victor Montell (Doc). One source believes, however, that Svend Bille, Rasmus Christiansen and Albert Luther also did dwarfs voice work, but I have not managed to verify this.

A lasting impression...

The music and action were so well planned that you were left feeling quite happy and pleased when the curtain was slowly drawn and the lights were lit in the hall. Mother and I had to trudge the relatively long way home in the semi-darkness and cold of the night, but I barely noticed. I was so filled with thinking about the film that I almost felt like I was in another world, or more precisely, in Snow White’s adventure world.

And to think, this world still lives in me, even now as an 84-year-old writer of these lines. It most surely is due to having retained a childlike spirit in spite of all the less pleasant and evil that has happened in the world since that time in 1938, which of course should not be ignored. But one should not forget to remember all the good things that have occurred too.

The fairytale of Snow White and the Witch or the real-life light and dark constitute the larger LIFE ADVENTURE, which we ourselves all play and have a role in.

Harry retired from his career as an animator in 1991. Here he is today, holding a Snow White shirt that was purchased while visiting Disneyland in 1977 with his daughter. It's never been worn but instead has been saved as a remembrance from his trip.

Harry with a set of Snow White figures that were a gift from his wife some years ago.

Photos courtesy of Harry Rasmussen.

Special thanks to Harry for sharing these Snow White memories with us. Harry's website can be viewed at Dansk Tegnefilms Historie 1919-2000 (The History of Danish Animated Cartoons 1919 - 2000).

4 Years of Blogging...To Snow or Not to Snow

Today, on the 76th anniversary of Disney's Snow White world premiere, I mark a much smaller milestone. The Filmic Light is now four years old. This started out as a simple experiment where I might explore my somewhat unusual interest. Yet, with help from many, many generous people around the world, it's slowly developing into something more palpable.

Very early on, one reader made a comment questioning whether there would actually be enough content to dedicate an entire blog solely to this subject. Even I naively believed that pretty much all of the Snow White related material could be documented in just a matter of a few years. It's now clear I was wrong. From stories about the making of the film, to animation art, movie memorabilia, and a seemingly never-ending flow of merchandise, Snow White is alive and well in the collective consciousness of the 21st century.

The downside to this project is that, as other bloggers know so well, it's a heck of a lot of work. I can think of better things to do with my time than sitting in front of a computer screen for four straight years. But it's just too fascinating for me to quit.

It's an honor and pleasure connecting with others who share this same disposition. So here we go with another year. The Snow White Archive is growing and there's plenty more to come. Stay tuned.

Scary Adventure's - The End is Here

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST.

"I'm Wishing"...

Magic Mirror on the wall...

The Queen makes her transformational spin into Witch #1 whose head tilts down as you pass by...

Entering the dungeon...

Spell book and cauldron. Witch #2 dunks the apple into the poison brew...

Witch #3 poles her boat thru the swamp...

The less oft-seen solo croc moves along the right side of track...

Witch #4 offers the poison apple to Snow White...

Witch #5 escapes to the rocky cliffs...

The dwarfs give chase. Doc's lamp shakes in his hand. Hidden black lights set the mood...

Lightning strikes as Witch #6 attempts to dislodge the boulder...

True love's first kiss...

Of course there are newer, faster, and much more technologically advanced theme park attractions, and I certainly enjoy many of them. Yet, my encounters with Snow White's Scary Adventures have always left a very lasting impression. I loved its classic dark ride design, simple yet clever special effects, and its incorporation of both music and sounds from the film. These all combined to re-tell the story and create an experience that was very much alive for me.

Now just three hours remained before it would close forever. More people than ever were lining up to say farewell, and as they exited, cameras flashed and actual "goodbyes" were spoken by many. An energy of both melancholy and celebration seemed to be simultaneously permeating the queue area, or at least that was my sense of it.

At one point, the line stretched all the way down to Winnie-the-Pooh. I'd never been around so many Snow White fans. There were the diehards who kept riding over and over. One I ran into rode all day long, from the rope drop at 8:00 am until close at 10:00 pm. With only a few short bathroom breaks and a quick 20 minute lunch at nearby Pinocchio Village Haus, he managed to ride in each of the different dwarf mine cars for a grand total of 37 round trips (which is quite good considering the length of the queue line).

Several Disney website and blogger folks were on hand including Kevin Yee of MiceAge.com. Both active and off-duty cast members were now showing up. The only one who probably didn't quite understand that this was indeed the end was Ben.

While his parents took turns riding with him, Ben kept racking up the numbers. With less than an hour left, I asked Ron about the current ride total and was surprised to hear how close they were to 3500! Around a dozen I think it was. At the start of the day, they needed 49 rides to reach their goal. Yet, the park would be closing soon. Ron did the calculations and mathematically, it just didn't seem possible. But Sara said not to worry; they were gonna make it!

Sara and Ron takes turns riding with Ben.

I knew there were numerous guests in line who were hoping to be aboard that very last mine car. But as Ron wrote in his blog post...

As the night progressed, virtually everyone in the crowd seemed to understand what was going on with Ben and gladly helped in making his experience a special one. I didn't realize it until the next morning, when my wife pointed it out to me, but as my family was so focused on Ben's last night with SWSA, dozens of random strangers were tweeting and blogging about Ben and how much his experience was touching their hearts.

At 10:00 pm, the line was capped. No additional guests could get in, yet all those already in line would be able to have their last ride. This did not apply to the wheelchair/disability loading area. Along with just a couple of other people, Ben was able to continue boarding while the regular queue line slowly began to dwindle.

It took about a half hour but by 10:30 pm, no one was left in line. A crowd had gathered out beyond the ropes, and they were cheering and applauding each and every remaining guest as they came out and exited their ride vehicles. The operators had placed a green cone in one of the mine cars to mark that the last of the guests had come thru.

The green cone

Then Ben, both his parents, and his grandfather who works maintenance at night in the park, all boarded their vehicle to become the last "official" guests to ever ride Snow White's Scary Adventures.

The last "public" ride on SWSA.

Three minutes and ten mine cars later, the crowd burst into applause as Ben came thru the doors.

Park guests and cast members alike were cheering and clapping for Ben and his parents as they made their way out of the queue.

Camera flashes lit up the area. It was truly an amazing scene.

Yet in actuality, this was not the last ride aboard the Scary Adventures. As it turns out, Ben missed the goal of 3500 by just seven rides. Cast member Stacey Patrone was aware of this and once again stepped up to make this a night to remember for Ben's family.

In the darkness out beyond the ropes, the standing crowd of fans did not immediately disperse. This was the end for SWSA and many of them stood in silence as if to pay their last respects.

Cast members and security guards quietly held position.

The ride operators made themselves look busy around the queue.

Stacey had instructed Ben's parents to wait by The Friar Nook's while the crowd slowly dwindled. Ron allowed both Ken Sundberg and myself to join them. It took a little time, but the last of the park guests finally made their way toward the Fantasyland exit.

Our small group was then invited back to the queue where the cast members fired up the ride for one last set of Scary Adventures. When they turned the key in the control panel, an alarm began to sound, apparently because it was after hours or maybe because the attraction had already been shut down for the night. Anyway, it took a moment before they managed to silence it. Then they asked how many trips Ben still needed to make 3500. Seven!

Ben and his mom got into the first seat, Ron and I in the second, and Ken in the third. We were off! Disney was holding the ride open after park hours just so Ben could reach his goal. Ben's family (and a couple of Snow White fanatics) were thrilled. I personally never thought I'd ride it again, but here I was.

It was clear how special this moment was for Ben's family. After nine years and 3493 rides, they were nearing the end of a very long journey that had started with their move from Seattle to Orlando. I made a decision not to film our little group during these last rides. Everyone was having such a good time, talking and laughing. I didn't want to infringe upon it.

We joked about how you're supposed to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle. Sara said that after several thousand times, she'd always wanted to reach out and touch the wishing well. So Ron, who was sitting on the right side of the mine car, did just that. Next time thru they switched positions and Sara got her hand on it.

As we approached the swamp, Ron mentioned that the third crocodile is a tough one to reach because it moves, and you have to be in the right place at the right time. I happened to be sitting left center and got my first touch on its snout as we whizzed by.

We were all having such a good time. It was a perfect release to an intense emotional day. Then on the sixth round, Sara had a splendid idea to let Ben go solo on the final ride. I could see Ron was a little apprehensive at first. In all of the previous 3499 trips, Ben had always been supervised by at least one of his parents. I thought it was a brilliant way to end. For me, the Snow White story has always held deep symbolic meaning. Ben was now eighteen. So there could be no better way to finish than for him to go thru the dark ride on his very own mythological rite-of-passage.

We all exited the mine car, I grabbed my camera, and Ron and Sara led Ben to the boarding area. He hopped in the empty vehicle, but when his parents didn't follow, the curious look on Ben's face said it all.

Stacey Patrone ran the control panel for the last time.

Number 3500! The Sneezy mine car carried Ben thru Snow White's Scary Adventures on the last ride ever.

Video of Ben entering and exiting the ride for the very last time...

"Magical" is a descriptive which can sometimes be over utilized by the Disney marketing machine. But on this evening, the Magic Kingdom really was. What a night! What a last couple of days! I'll really miss the Scary Adventures on my next visit, but I won't soon forget the connection I felt to it and to the other fans who also enjoyed this classic dark ride on its final run.

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If you haven't yet read them, be sure to check out Ron Miles' blog posts:

• SWSA Final Night - Prelude
• SWSA Final Night, Part 1 - The Beginning of the End
• SWSA Final Night, Part 2 - The Fairest One of All
• SWSA Final Night, Part 3 - Counting Up, Counting Down
• SWSA Final Night, Part 4 - The Big Ending
• SWSA Final Night - Epilogue

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Some other nice write-ups, photos and/or videos from the final night:

Matt Roseboom at Orlando Attractions Magazine

Ricky Brigante at InsideTheMagic

Chris Barry at MousePlanet