Rare Artworks of Never Produced "Little Mermaid and the Sea Palace" Dinner Show for Disney-MGM Studios

Another amazing item on sale in the fantastic Van Eaton Galleries auction happening Dec 7 and 8 and titled "An History of Disneyland and Walt Disney World" is this incredible archive of production materials from a never produced The Little Mermaid dinner show for Disney-MGM Studios.

This collection includes a 7-page first draft script of select scenes, 8-pages of typed storyboard suggestions with hand-written notes throughout... 4 original ink drawings for the show, 4 printed concept rendering, 21 sheets of original rough pencil storyboard drawings, 15-pages of printed character models and stage designs, and 2-pages of original ink Ariel drawings!

This set provides an incredible look at this unproduced show and is a great artifact in the history of Disney-MGM Studios. Most of the sheets measure 11"x8.5", and the set is in very good condition overall with minor spots of wear throughout from use.


Titled "The Little Mermaid and the Sea Palace" it will for sure would have been an amazing show!

The auction item include rough pencils and ink renderings with Ariel ( above and below ) and Triton.






And the good news is that this Unproduced Litlle Mermaid Show Archive ( auction item no 1379 ) has a reasonable estimate of only $300 / 500. So if you're interested by it, jump to the Van Eaton Galleries auction page HERE.

Pictures: copyright Disney

Disney-MGM Studios : The David Copperfield Magic Underground" Restaurant Project That Never Was

Who remember the "David Copperfield Magic Underground" restaurant project that was supposed to open at Disney-MGM Studios in the late 1990's - and finally never opened. It was announced on a big billboard near the entrance of the park, and then, not only the billboard but the whole project really disappeared! 

You might be interested to know what happened, so here is more about this project-that-never-was: David Copperfield's Magic Underground was planned to be a restaurant based on Copperfield's magic. There was a sign on Hollywood Boulevard during the late 90s indicating the restaurant was coming soon. Signs were also located around Pleasure Island and signs outside Disney-MGM Studios. A Magic Underground restaurant was also going to open in New York's Times Square. Plans also included eventual expansion into Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as well as Paris and Tokyo. The restaurants were to have magic props and other items on the walls of the restaurants while magicians would go around to tables doing sleight of hand tricks. There was also to be a larger stage for larger stunts. The restaurant in Times Square was 85 percent completed, but, amid disputes between the creative team and the financial team, and enormous cost overruns, finances dried up from the investors, so the project was cancelled, and Disney cancelled the lease. Copperfield was not an investor in the project; the investors reportedly lost $34 million on the project".

 ...Well, since then Michael Eisner also have disappeared from the WDC, but it's for other reasons! Probably the only thing that survived from this project is this great and funny picture at the top of Eisner with David released by WDW marketing office when everything was going fine with the project... until today as i've been sent this other picture above coming from a 1990's issue of "Eyes and Ears", a cast-members magazine, announcing this restaurant that never was.

Pictures: copyright Disney