The entrance to Disneyland’s Adventureland still bears a strong resemblance to how it looked in the 1950s, but there have, of course, been changes. Here are some of them:

• The crossed bull elephant tusks (which were probably never real) no longer look like ivory.
• There’s large mask where the tusks cross.
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and the Tiki Juice Bar (Dole Whips) are now on the left side of the entrance.
• Thatch replaced the roof tiles on the building in the background.

There have always been headhunters in the Jungle Cruise. It wasn’t possible to identify the exact location of the original scene. These days, there are native dancers on the right side of the boat, followed by an ambush party of masked warriors on the left side.

• The original headhunters in the 1950s, with their face paint and colorful, feathered headdresses look like something out of a movie from the 1940s or 1950s.
• The later headhunters seem more authentic. Perhaps Imagineers consulted newer issues of National Geographic in the intervening years.

“it’s a small world,” which premiered at the 1964-65 New York Worlds Fair, came to Disneyland in 1966. Today, the large, playful façade still looks much as it did in 1966. But there are some obvious changes:

• Each of the four photos above shows a different sign.
• On the first two photos, “it’s a small world“ is presented by Bank of America.
• The trees behind the façade are now mostly gone on the 2009 photo.
• The current gold and white color scheme is close to original, unlike the pastel color scheme of the 1990s (not shown here).
• On the 2015 photo, the façade is being refurbished behind an attractive scrim, February 2015—but take a look at the oval clock face.

Storybook Land Canal Boats passengers have started the ride by being swallowed by Monstro the Whale since 1956.

• Compare the whale’s mouth and teeth in the early photo and the later photos.
• The Casey Jr. tunnel on the oldest photo is still there, but the rockwork is now hidden under greenery.
• Walt Disney once said about Disneyland, “Not only can I add things, but even the trees will keep growing. The thing will get more beautiful every year.” That’s certainly evident here.

The Submarine Voyage and Matterhorn Bobsleds were both part of the birth of the “E” Ticket in 1959. The original Submarine Voyage closed in September 1998. The attraction finally reopened in June 2007 as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, with characters from Disney/Pixar’s 2003 feature, Finding Nemo.

• The first, most obvious difference is that the gray, military submarines are now a cheerful yellow.
• The Matterhorn of 1959 had tiny evergreens, which made the mountain look larger.
• Large trees at the base of the Matterhorn have their own beauty, but change the perceived size of the mountain.
• The ivy growing up the base of the Matterhorn in the 2009 photo is gone on the 2015 photo.

Monorail Red travels above the Submarine Lagoon on a slender “highway in the sky.” The same description applies to both photos, but the second photo was taken 50 years after the first.

• The original Mark I Monorails had three cars per train; the current Mark VII Monorails have five cars.
• The Submarine Lagoon now has a backdrop of large trees.
• The show building was enlarged and the entry waterfall was relocated for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
• The unused PeopleMover track passes through the later photos but is largely hidden by the Monorail train.

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Tahitian Terrace Menu Long Ago & Now: Frontierland Home

© 2009-2015 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks

Updated February 27, 2015.

Vintage photos of Disneyland: Charles R. Lympany and Frank T. Taylor, courtesy of Chris Taylor.
Photo of dancing Jungle Cruise headhunters (2008 photo): Allen Huffman.
“it’s a small world” façade (photo from 1970s): Robert Demoss.
Photo of Monstro at Storybook Land (2005 photo): Allen Huffman.
All photos from 2009 and 2015: Werner Weiss.