Tucked away along the backside of the Seven Dwarfs Mine
Train rolling hillside, in the seaside village of Ariel and Prince Eric, sits a
selection of merchant shops. Woodcarvers and provision providers can be found
among the business residents. Perhaps most importantly to those setting sail
for distant, and conceivably unknown, ports of call would be the cartographer.
It just so happens that there is one in town who has his shingle out, and his
name is H. Goff.
While this may be the fictitious home utilized to house New
Fantasyland’s DVC kiosk, there is much more to the story here. This sign pays
respect to one of the grandfathers of Imagineering, Harper Goff. One of the
designers who dreamed up Disneyland and then made that dream a reality, Goff
found a home quickly at Disney in the early 1950s. He was the banjo-man for the
Firehouse Five Plus Two, a train enthusiast, and an eye for art that immersed
viewers into the world he had created. All of this is well and good, you might
be telling yourself, but what does it have to do with New Fantasyland?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVBgmkGsweag6rmEJmR05tXrq_HJMoSs2_3rcynl_16HadJeGVtuUEAJCaRW_OA3CFjKb735GOAyzdZ_PE6FNaaoZMdBTiftWYgXfPa_qJeBoiXJnZve8nmRYGyTtkN_WqX-It5Tg76RJ/s200/HG+Cartographer+-+Weathervane+%252809-14%2529.jpg)
In case you’re trying to tie up all of the loose threads,
Goff had at one point in time been asked to create the storyboards for Walt
Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. At the time, however, it was supposed to
be an installment in the True-Life Adventure documentary series. Walt wasn’t
precisely pleased with Goff’s interpretation of the Jules Verne novel instead
of documentary storyboards he had been asked to create, but the incredible
environments and designs Goff had created sold Walt on the feature film. Among
Goff’s many notable accomplishments within the film, he was responsible for the
scaly, sea serpent figure that would become known the world over as the
Nautilus submarine.
To put a nice bow on the name (H. Goff), adornment (squid
weathervane), and the place (New Fantasyland), it is worth noting that the one
time E ticket attraction, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Submarine Voyage, once
dove beneath the waves, ice caps, and down to the very heart of Atlantis on
this very spot in the Magic Kingdom. Those submarines, however, are a story for
another day. Not a bad way to remember a legend who gave so much to the Disney
world we all know and love today, huh?
1 comment:
This is so interesting! I recently took a bunch of photos here for an upcoming blog post. I was just going to highlight the photos, and I had no idea of the backstory. When I post the photos, I will link to your piece, to share this history.
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