Snow White Book Trailer for Ron Miles' "3500"

My day job is working in video production and post-production. Recently, I completed this promotional clip for Ron Miles' book, 3500--An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White.

Ben's parents knew at an early age that something wasn't quite normal with their son. His story and how he came to love a fairytale princess and the classic Walt Disney World Fantasyland ride is beautifully told by his father.

Work is also progressing on a short documentary film that I'm producing which will share Ben's story as well.

NEW BOOK! 3500 - An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White

Over the last couple of years, I have come to know and become friends with Ron Miles, author of the brand new book, 3500: An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White. I first learned of Ron, and his son Ben, after stumbling across a blog account about Ben's attraction to Snow White's Scary Adventures at the Magic Kingdom. At the time, he'd successfully completed a little over 3000 rides!

Front Cover

I soon contacted Ron and he agreed to allow me do a series of blog entries about his son's dark ride adventures. The story fascinated me right from the start, not only because I could relate to Ben's passion for all things Snow White, but also because of what Ron and Sara (Ben's mom) had sacrificed to help their autistic child. Not the least of which was a post-divorce, joint cross-country move from Seattle to Orlando, just so their son could experience the one place that really seemed to open him up--Walt Disney World.

Sample Page

Myself a filmmaker, I couldn't help but imagine how this story might be developed for a documentary. Ron was open to the idea so in 2011, both my wife and I traveled to Orlando with camera gear in hand. We met and interviewed Ron, and then headed to the park to film Ben in action on his favorite ride.

Ron's interviews were every bit as open and honest as his writing. His new book is a heartfelt look back at the ups and downs of raising an autistic child in the shadow of The Most Magical Place on Earth. From their first trip to the park, to Ben's love of Snow White, to the final ride and closing of the Scary Adventures a decade later, Ben's journey is a moving one that you won't be able to put down.

Back Cover

In addition to the book, Ron also composed, performed and recorded a beautiful song. "All is Well" is a lullaby to Ben in honor of his love of the Snow White attraction and his monumental achievement of 3500 rides.

As for the documentary, it's currently in production. I returned to WDW last May to get more on-camera interviews with Ron and his wife Kris. And also to shoot the final day of operation for Snow White's Scary Adventures. We're still not exactly sure how long the film will turn out to be, but we'll keep everyone posted as soon as it nears completion.

For more information about Ron and Ben, and to purchase the book and a high quality version of the song, please visit Ron's blog, Stalk This! at shmoolok.com.

Ben's Last Ride Continues to Make News

Ron Miles is the father of Ben, the last person to ever ride Snow White's Scary Adventures at Walt Disney World. Because it was such a special moment, the news of the event has spread online including a write-up on Boing Boing. And just this past weekend, Ron was interviewed via Face Time on Sacramento Good Day television...

Video and screen captures copyright Sacramento Good Day.

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.

_______

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

Scary Adventures - The End is Near

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST.

May 31: I spent the morning taking in a few attractions--Pirates, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, Space Mountain, TTA. By the time I finally made it back over to the Scary Adventures, it was clear that the Snow White fans were coming out in force to bid their farewells. The line was as long as ever.

SWSA queue around 1:00 pm.

For me, I'd said my solemn goodbyes to the ride yesterday and had no plans to actually board a mine car again (or so I thought). Tonight, I would simply focus on documenting the evening with my camera. Ken and I met around 4:00 pm, both of us with the same intention of parking ourselves at SWSA until the bitter end. Before the night was over, we'd meet quite a few other Snow White fans who had the same idea.

Ken wore a red clip-on bow in honor of the occasion as he counted mine cars. He calculated that a total of ten ride vehicles were operating on the track that evening, eight in motion and two in the loading/unloading area at any one time. Note the cast member directing traffic within the wheelchair/disability access area. The line here is usually quite short, but on this evening it was overflowing out into open pavement beyond the queue...

Long line for wheelchair/disability access.

A diehard fan displays his "Save Snow White's Adventures" shirt...

Throughout the day, even cast members were spotted taking their own last spin on the ride...

One guest went all out and came dressed as the Evil Queen, along with a very young Snow White. She would tell me that Disney wasn't thrilled about her being in costume within the park and asked her not to pose for photos with other guests...

By 5:00 pm, Ron had arrived with his son Ben. Ben's mother, Sara, would join them a short time later. If you're familiar with Ben's story, then you know that he holds the record for most times aboard Snow White's Scary Adventures. Over the last nine years, he's racked up more than 3000 rides. To be specific, Ben would start the night with 3451 rides under his belt.

If Ben had his way, he'd probably spend all of his time in the Magic Kingdom on the Snow White attraction. He enjoys it that much. However, to create a little balance in his park experience, his parents long ago implemented a rule that he could ride it three times in a row, but then they'd have to go do something else before coming back for another round of three. Yet tonight was different. This was the end. No such rules applied anymore. To the great surprise and joy of Ben, he was allowed to get right back in line after his third ride of the night.

The three-ride limit has been lifted; Ben is all smiles.

You can't visit an attraction as many times as Ben has without a few cast members getting to know you. Earlier in the week, Disney had been in contact with Ron. Several of the cast members wanted to come see Ben on this final night, and the word was that they were planning something special for him, but just what the specifics were, Ron did not know.

The lines for the Snow White attraction continued to grow as the evening pressed on. Ron and Sara were alternating rides with Ben when at about 7:00 pm, cast member Stacey Patrone came over to speak to them. They were led away from SWSA to a quiet spot in front of The Friar's Nook where they waited with a few other cast members.

For Ben, the only thing that could top an evening of continuous rides on the Scary Adventures would be a visit from Snow White herself. That's exactly what Disney did. The Princess made her entrance by happily skipping right up to greet him. After talking and posing for photos, they held hands and walked over to the queue. Ben, Snow, Ron, Sara and a Disney photographer all boarded the mine car and experienced the dark ride together. Afterward, she escorted him back to The Friar's Nook where she blew him a kiss and said goodbye. Ben was smiling and laughing throughout.

Video of Ben and Snow White...

After all the commotion, Ken managed to nab Snow White's autograph on a CD he'd brought with him from Finland...

As we entered the waning hours of Snow White's Scary Adventures, the queue line only continued to grow.

FINAL DAY CONCLUDED IN NEXT POST.

Scary Adventures - The Final Days

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST.

May 29th: I arrived in Orlando on a shoestring budget, most of which had already been spent on airfare and car rental. Enough cash remained for a visit to Downtown Disney in the afternoon to purchase a two-day park ticket plus a little leftover for food.

That evening I drove up to the home of Ron Miles and his wife Kris who had generously offered me their guest bedroom during my short stay in Florida. Ron's son, Ben, is the subject of an independent documentary I am producing, though I wouldn't actually see Ben on this trip until the final night at the Scary Adventures. He usually stays with his mother, Sara, during the week. Ron, Kris and I talked well into the evening about the Snow White attraction, about Ben, and what they thought the effect might be on him after the ride closed forever.

Ron and Kris

May 30th: In the morning, I continued my interviews with Ron on camera and then headed to the park. I was eager to have a look at the Scary Adventures as well as some of the new Fantasyland construction, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride in particular.

Framework for Dwarfs Mine Ride

The park guests were certainly aware of Snow White's impending closure. The queue line was long and practically everyone was snapping flash photos and shooting video once they boarded their mine car. I observed the scene but refrained from taking a ride myself.

40 minute wait for SWSA

At 2:00 pm, I'd made arrangements to meet (for the first time) Kenneth Sundberg who had arrived several days earlier from Finland. Ken is well known for his detailed KenNetti Snow White database. We found each other in front of the Scary Adventures and hit it off immediately. We retreated to the air-conditioning of Pinocchio's Village Haus where we happily swapped Snow White stories as only two enthusiasts can. [I'll be uploading video of Ken speaking on Snow White topics in a future post.]

Ken and Robert

A few hours later, we headed back over to get in line for Snow White. The WDW version of the Scary Adventures has always been my favorite but not so much for Ken. Having had the fine fortune of experiencing the attraction at four different Disney parks--Orlando, Anaheim, Paris and Tokyo, Ken found aspects of the Florida ride not on par with the others. However, his opinion would begin to change over the next 24 hours.

I knew that I'd be shooting pics and video as the day moved on, but I refrained from using my camera at this time. I wanted to take in the "Adventures" and experience its charm for one last time without any photographic distractions. Although we'd each end up riding on several more occasions, this was truly the beginning of the end...and it felt like it. The dark ride of course only lasted three minutes, but afterward, we both fell silent and were visibly moved.

As nuts as this may sound, it was a feeling not all that dissimilar to when one is with a loved one who is close to death. You know the end is near, so you say your goodbyes and open your heart to the remaining time you have together. I know, because I would lose my own mother who passed away just one week after my return from this trip. The feeling was real. And for those last two days of Snow White's Scary Adventures, the magic was more alive than ever. Even Ken admitted that he was beginning to understand the connection I felt towards it.

That evening, Ken would head off to experience other areas of the park while I broke out my camera in earnest. The Magic Kingdom ended up remaining open for a special extra hour that night until 11:00pm, giving me more time to soak it all in.

LAST DAY COMING UP IN NEXT POST.