Walden Lilliputian Witchcraft is a term coined by Henry Thoreau in his book Walden, highlighting his exploration of the small wonders and enchantments found in nature. Thoreau's experience of living in a tiny cabin by Walden Pond allowed him to uncover the hidden magic and mystical aspects of the natural world. While many might overlook the intricate details of nature, Thoreau paid close attention to the delicate webs spun by spiders, the mesmerizing dance of fireflies, and the ethereal beauty of sunlight filtering through leaves. He was drawn to these miniature spectacles, finding solace and inspiration in their ability to transport him into a world of enchantment. For Thoreau, this fascination with the small, often overlooked aspects of nature revealed a form of witchcraft—a power to bewitch and captivate the human mind. In his observations, Thoreau sought to encapsulate the profound sense of wonder and mysticism that can be found in even the tiniest corners of the natural world.
In the end, the technology just wasn’t there in the late
1940s / early 1950s to properly program these tiny mechanical figures. But on
the other hand, there were aspects of Lilliputian
Land that were very doable 60+
years ago. These included ” … an Erie Canal barge
(boat ride) that takes you through the famous canal boats of the world, where
you visit the scenic wonders of the world in miniature.”
Mind you, if it were up to me, I would have abandoned the Canal Boat idea entirely and instead gone ahead with the restaurant ideas that Walt had come up with for Lilliputian Land. And did I mention that the Summer of 1995 was one of the soggiest in Central Florida history, with 75 inches of rain falling between the months of June July of that year alone.
In his observations, Thoreau sought to encapsulate the profound sense of wonder and mysticism that can be found in even the tiniest corners of the natural world. The concept of Walden Lilliputian Witchcraft thus serves as a reminder to appreciate the magic that surrounds us, even in the seemingly insignificant aspects of our environment..
The Disneyland That Might Have Been: Mickey Mouse Club, Treasure Island & Lilliputian Land
Given that Disneyland
Park kicked off its 60th
anniversary celebration last month, I thought it might be fun to take a look at
some aspects of the Happiest Place
on Earth that didn’t make it off the drawing boarding. Take — for example —
the Mickey Mouse Club.
1953 site plan for Disneyland
Park, showing Walt originally
envisioned all of
the “lands” at his theme park being placed. Copyright
Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
According to the “Inside Disneyland” document that
Roy made available to various
television executives back in September of 1953 as Walt’s brother tried to
persuade CBS, NBC and ABC to come underwrite the cost of building the world’s
first theme park …
Herb Ryman‘s drawing of Disneyland’s
Treasure Island and the giant hollow tree
that was to
have served as Mickey Mouse Club headquarters. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved
“Mickey Mouse, the best known personality in the world has
his MICKEY MOUSE CLUB headquarters in Disneyland.
Located on Treasure Island, in the middle of the (Rivers
of America), a fantastic hollow tree and treehouse serves at the Club Meeting
place. The hollow tree is several stories high, with interesting rooms and
lookout spots for club members. There is a Pirate cove and buried treasure on
the Island … and direct from this location the Club
presents THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB TELEVISION SHOW.”
The cast of the Mickey Mouse
Club marches up Main Street, U.S.A.
as part of
Disneyland’s opening day parade. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved
And as the above photo demonstrates, while the Mouseketeers
were on hand for Disneyland’s grand opening on July 17, 1955, they didn’t actually
shoot the “Mickey Mouse Club” TV inside the Park. Not on a regular
basis, that is. More to the point, when the island in the middle of the Rivers
of America became a place that Disneyland Guests could actually visit in June
of 1956, it wasn’t called Treasure Island. But — rather
— Tom Sawyer
Island.
Explorer’s Map for Tom
Sawyer Island.
Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Meanwhile over between Fantasyland and what was then known
as “The World of Tomorrow,” Walt wanted to build Lilliputian
Land. Which — according to this project’s
description — was supposed to have been ” … A Land of Little
Things.”
Site plan for Lilliputian
Land at Disneyland
Park. Copyright
Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
This proposed Disneyland “land” was to have
featured ” … a miniature Americana village inhabited by mechanical
people nine inches high who sing and dance and talk to you as you peek through
the windows of their tiny ships and homes.”
The little mechanical figure at the heart of
Walt’s
“Dancing Man” project. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All
rights reserved
“And how exactly was Walt going to pull off that
effect?,” you ask. Well, this is an aspect of Disneyland
that Walt devoted a lot of time to in the late 1940s / early 1950s. He even
brought in Buddy Ebsen to choreograph a simple eccentric dance that these tiny
mechanical figures could possibly perform.
Walt helps Buddy rehearse. Please note the mirror
& grid pattern behind Mr.
Ebsen. This was to help WED personnel help
replicate Buddy’s distinctive
dance moves when it finally came time to program
this tiny mechanical
figure. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
In the end, the technology just wasn’t there in the late
1940s / early 1950s to properly program these tiny mechanical figures. But on
the other hand, there were aspects of Lilliputian
Land that were very doable 60+
years ago. These included ” … an Erie Canal barge
(boat ride) that takes you through the famous canal boats of the world, where
you visit the scenic wonders of the world in miniature.”
Please note the tiny canal boats that’s about to
pass under that railroad bridge
in the center left of the above piece of
concept art. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Perhaps the thing that would have been easiest for Walt to
pull off at Disneyland Park
had he actually gone ahead with construction of Lilliputian Land would have
been that ” … little diamond-stack locomotive 17 inches high (which)
steams into a tiny railroad station. You sit atop of a Pullman
coaches like Gulliver, and the little 9 engineer pulls back the throttle taking
you on the biggest little-ride in the land.”
Herb Ryman’s rough sketch of a handful of
Disneyland Guests riding a 17-inch
high locomotive through Lilliputian
Land. Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
For those of you who know your Disney family history, this
miniature railroad that Walt wanted to build at Disneyland
sounds a lot like the teeny-tiny steam train that he used to operate in the
backyard of his Holmby Hills home.
Walt takes his daughters Diane & Sharon
(plus some lucky Guests) rolling past
Lily’s flower beds. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
As I understand it, it was the one-two punch of these
miniature trains having an understandably low hourly ride capacity as well as
Disney’s lawyer being afraid that some child being scalded by live steam that
ultimately prevented this particular ride from being installed at Disneyland.
Fantasyland’s “Canal
Boats of the World” ride floats past bare dirt banks
on Disneyland’s
opening day. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved
Ironically, one aspect of Lilliputian
Land did actually make it through
to Disneyland’s Opening Day. Sadly, the “Canal
Boats of the World” ride ultimately proved to be one of the least popular
attractions at the Happiest Place
on Earth. Which is why — as part of a $2 million expansion of Disneyland
Park — the “Canal Boats”
were closed down in January of 1956. And after six months of toil & effort,
this Fantasyland attraction re-opened as …
Disneyland
postcard from the late 1950s shows Storybook Land Canal Boats
in all their
glory. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
… the Storybook Land Canal Boats ride. Mind you, if it
were up to me, I would have abandoned the “Canal Boat” idea entirely
and — instead — gone ahead with the restaurant ideas that Walt had come up
with for Lilliputian Land.
Where “little people with little appetites” would have been able to
” … get miniature ice-cream comes” …
… ” … or the world’s smallest hot-dog on a tiny
bun.”
But what do you folks think? Would you have preferred it if — 60+ years ago —
Walt had actually found a way to get Mickey Mouse Club / Treasure
Island and/or Lilliputian
Land built at Disneyland
Park?
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Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.
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Reviews for "Witchcraft and Folklore in Thoreau's Walden Lilliput"
- James - 1 star - I can't believe I wasted my time reading "Walden lilliputian witchcraft". It was one of the most confusing and nonsensical books I have ever come across. The plot was all over the place and the characters were completely unrelatable. I struggled to finish it and when I finally did, I couldn't help but wonder why I bothered in the first place. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a coherent and enjoyable story.
- Sarah - 2 stars - "Walden lilliputian witchcraft" had so much potential, but it fell short in so many ways. The writing style was overly complex, making it difficult to follow the storyline. Additionally, the characters lacked depth and development, making it hard to connect with them. I was left feeling confused and unsatisfied after reading this book. I had high hopes for it, but unfortunately, it didn't deliver.
- Michael - 2 stars - I had heard great things about "Walden lilliputian witchcraft", but I was left disappointed after reading it. The story was slow and unengaging, and the magical elements felt forced and out of place. The author seemed to rely too much on excessive descriptions and symbolism, making it difficult to understand the overall message of the book. Overall, I found it to be a pretentious and underwhelming read.