The Americana at Brand is a just-opened $400 million outdoor mall in Glendale from the creators of the theme park-esque The Grove in Hollywood. They both feature trolleys designed by George McGinnis, a regular designer of vehicles for the Disney parks. You can rent apartments that overlook the park and pond for $3000+ but you’ll hear the fountain show all day long. I know because they were vacant and unlocked when I was there opening day, that’s how I got the photo from the balcony.

…and they’re currently for sale on ebay. The seller explains: “We purchased this group of related drawings and paper at a local estate auction. The estate sale was that of a designer named Aureli - according to the auctioneer who sold this he had been an architect and had taught at both Columbia and MIT.” (A quick search didn’t turn up anything on this name Aureli.) Let’s hope Disney’s recently announced “new” House of the Future will have interiors this super.

SEE ALSO: Looking At It’s A Small World, Seeing Modern Art

The iconic facade and sets of Disneyland’s It’s a Small World attraction were designed in the late 1960’s and bear the unmistakable markings of that time (and the couple proceeding decades). But I wanted specifics. What had Mary Blair, the attraction’s main designer, been exposed to that may have inspired the famous styling of that ride? Here’s a sampling of what I found:

Top image below: Mary Blair, Small World concept art, 1965. And below, two pieces by Auguste Herbin, 1951 and 1950, that are undeniably similar to Blair’s work.Below is a collage by Ray Eames in 1949. Besides a similar styling to Blair, the collage technique and use of transparent layers was something Blair would later use in many of her Small World collages.Below is another Blair illustration, and below that, a Paul Klee painting, Burg und Sonne, 1928I saw many similarities between Klee and Blair, like the three images below. The first image, Klee’s Landscape with Yellow Birds, 1932, uses leaf shapes seen in the Blair piece below it. The third piece is also a Klee and has some subtle similarities to the work above it.The Small World attraction debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair with a an enormous kinetic sculpture at the entrance called the Tower of the Four Winds (second image below). Designed by Rolly Crump but I see inspiration in an unproduced Do Nothing solar-powered kinetic toy designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1957 (first image below).And lastly it seems It’s a Small World continues to inspire others, like perhaps Rex Ray (second image below) whose work possesses the same sense of retro-whimsy seen in Blair’s art for the finale scene in the attraction (below).SEE ALSO MY: Patty Wickman Paints Women Wrestling and I’m All Hey that’s from Epcot

It’s one of the best things I saw in Vegas. It’s designed in-house under the direction of Audra Danzak, lighting design by Daivd Hersey, and scenic elements designed by Stephen Stefanou. The display is changed five times a year (but constantly refreshed) and takes about a week to change out.

Holiday show: Dec. 1
Chinese New Year: Jan. 12
Spring celebration: March 15
Summer garden party: May 17
Harvest show: Sept. 13

I’m not saying Disney should be doing this now, but the original Fantasyland facades were a great example of a low budget project still looking great because it was well designed visually. I don’t have a conscious memory of seeing Disneyland this way when I visited in the late 70’s/early 80’s, but I’m sure it left a subconscious impression on my developing aesthetic sensibilities, that and Wilton cake decorating catalogs. I stole these pictures from http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com by the way.

I found it on the way back to LA from San Francisco, I took the scenic coastal route (10 hours), and drove by this Halloweeny fantasy while getting lost in Santa Cruz. It’s called the Weeks House and was built in 1886. There’d recently been a fire (links to atricle) in the back and I thought the place was abandoned but I wanted to see the inside so I shot photos through the windows until I got around to the side and realized there was someone still living in part of it. See more of the house, and the trip, on my Flickr pages - including my sporadic, semi-live, phonecam feed.

First, Muse performs Invincible in a It’s a Small World-style attraction I’d so love to see built. (I’ve tried to track down the designer but emails to the production company have gone unanswered.) Below is the YouTube link, but a higher-res version is here.

Second, Goldfrapp’s Twist

Someone over at Dior thought Victoire de Castellane’s new flower and insect-heavy jewelry collection needed it’s own island inside Second Life. I made a visit, filmed it, and set it to Philip Glass, resulting in overly dramatic virtual home movie.

The latest version of Disney’s Tower of Terror attraction opened this past fall at their Tokyo Disney Sea park in Japan and the façade is frickin’ amazing. Like the other Towers of Terror it’s just under 200’ and features a free-fall attraction inside. But who cares about that – the exterior is the show. This top-heavy architectural mélange of Moorish, Gothic, and Victorian styling clearly appears to be the work of a wealthy eccentric, and it was, according to the attraction’s storyline.

The official attraction website is exhaustively elaborate but heavy on back-story. For photos, like the ones I stole above, see here and this site for tons more info and full video of the attraction and grounds.

Just for fun, I’ve put together a comparison of Tower of Terror attractions from around the world in descending order of aesthetic appeal.