WDW 20K Sub Narration

[X-S Tech]

Has anyone ever seen a good version of the attraction narration circulating? There's so much 20K stuff that's been released thanks to the WDWForever system and the various Foriegn Park albums but I have never seen this surface. I have a live recording and it sounds like it's 98% identical to the DL Subs narration which WAS released. Just curious.

 

[Eric Paddon]

There are quite a few good quality home video versions that circulate where you can hear everything quite distinctly though admittedly the archival tracks mixed with the organ loop that accompanied it (which was released in the WDW Forever kiosks) would be best.

The sights seen on the voyage are identical to the DL Submarine Voyage ride but the order was changed for WDW in a number of areas to improve the program (such as the giant squid attack coming last, necessitating the "surfacing" and DL also didn't have a sister sub being crushed by the squid).

 

[X-S Tech]

And because WDW had the squid as thier finale they didn't have a sea serpent at all like DL right?

 

[Eric Paddon]

Yes, WDW did have a sea serpent but it came during the Atlantis sequence when after Captain Nemo reproached his crewman "Mr. Baxter" (an in-joke reference to Imagineer Tony Baxter) that "if you think you're seeing mermaids and sea monsters, you've been submerged too long!" the Nautilus went by a giant sea serpent tethered by two mermaids, one on each side.

 

[X-S Tech]

Actually I believe that the "Mr Baxter" reference predates Tony Baxter's involvement with WDI. I could be wrong but Disneyland has that line also and I was under the impression that that narration was original. I could be wrong.

 

[Eric Paddon]

I'd asked Jim Hill about whether the "Mr. Baxter" reference specifically meant Tony Baxter, and he said it did because Tony was responsible for overseeing the installation of 20K at Florida. It could be that the DL narration got an upgrade to include that in-joke sometime in the 70s. I would be very surprised if DL used the same narration from the late 1950s through the entire history of the ride.

 

[X-S Tech]

Hmmm... Well I was thinking about asking about the origin of the DL Sub track, so perhaps I should do that in a new topic....

 

[Eric Paddon]

If the Mr. Baxter reference was in the original DL Submarive Voyage narration in 1958, then that would be one heck of a freaky coincidence for Tony Baxter to be in charge of installing the Florida sub ride a decade later and make that line seem so perfect!

Getting back as to why the narration never got released in the WDW Forever kiosks I think it could be because unlike DL, where the narration plays with no music track, the WDW narration is tied to the organ loop (which plays a variation of the theme from the movie 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea) so much that they probably didn't want to release the raw narration only.

 

[thx99]

Is my memory playing tricks on me or is James Mason featured as the narrator for WDW's 20K?

 

[Eric Paddon]

Only in the sense that Peter Renoudet, who did the narration, did a good James Mason imitation when playing Captain Nemo.

 

[DC-88 Spaceliner]

a quick response to why certain tracks were not made available on the WDW FOREVER systems, I think the real BIG reason is that the people in charge of selecting tracks were Disneyland fans and not real big WDW fans......so WDW kinda got a "little less passion" ........I know someone who had to remind certain folks many many times to use the "Bset Time of your Life" CofP and not the 1993 version....they really didn't seem to know about those things.....But they did get some advice on stuff ....,anyway.......we did get some neat things outta those machines while they were around.





DC-88 SPACELINER

 

[DC-88 Spaceliner]

another quick note about the names in attractions seeming very basic. Remember the name MR JOHNSON from Mission to Mars was in honor of the Johnson Space Labs /Center.they provided WED a great deal of imagery for the use in that attraction........the video footage used in Flight to the Moon was mostly animated..and the host was named Mr. Morrow (Tomorrow) Interestingly......in the full TWA Rocket to the Moon attraction, there are some passenger call outs for a Johnson and Hench (John Hench) and a Tom Tomorrow. (long before Innoventions) But one thing that stayed the same from ROCKET TO THE MOON ....FLIGHT TO THE MOON and MISSION TO MARS was Third Officer Collins!!!...Whoever that was named after.i have no idea. had there been a Journey to Jupiter, i'd bet Mr. Collins would have again been out captain......



DC-88 SPACELINER

 

[X-S Tech]

But one thing that stayed the same from ROCKET TO THE MOON ....FLIGHT TO THE MOON and MISSION TO MARS was Third Officer Collins!!!...Whoever that was named after.i have no idea.

Tom Collins perhaps?