- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, in the
Enchanted Forest of New Fantasyland (Magic Kingdom), is a family
coaster inspired by the film classic “Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs” that takes Walt Disney World Resort guests into the
famous mine, glittering with diamonds, rubies, and other
precious gems, where the Seven Dwarfs sing happily as they work.
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is
almost completely “on stage.” With its location in the middle of
New Fantasyland, guests aboard the rockin’ coaster are afforded
amazing views from all angles.
- The footprints of forest
creatures, large and small, and the impressions of sticks,
stones and acorns are embedded in the dirt path that meanders
through the Enchanted Forest, leading to the attraction.
- The Dwarfs cottage is a
meticulously detailed representation of the cozy home seen in
the classic film, down to the wisteria vine and birdhouse at the
front door.
- At the first interactive station
in the attraction queue, Doc’s note explains the jewel washing
game. As the jewels flow by in a wooden trough, or sluice,
guests touch and drag them into a tray on the side of the
sluice, matching them by color and shape. The trough is about 15
feet long and is accessible from both sides.
- At the third interactive station
in the queue, “Vault” is carved into the wooden crosspiece, or
lintel, above the doorway. This is a reference to the scene in
the film where Dopey opens the vault and throws in a bag of
gems, then locks the door with a key. For safekeeping, Dopey
hangs the key to the vault on a peg next to the door. The key
hangs on a peg next to the entrance to the vault in the queue as
well.
- The figures of Grumpy, Doc,
Bashful, Sleepy, and Happy, seen in the cottage near the end of
the attraction, originally appeared in Snow White’s Scary
Adventure, a Magic Kingdom attraction now the site of Princess
Fairytale Hall. The figures of Snow White, Dopey and Sneezy, in
the cottage scene, were created for this attraction.
- The two vultures perched on the
jib crane near the mine entrance are styled after the vultures
in the film and originally appeared in the Snow White’s Scary
Adventure attraction.
- The individual mine cars are
designed to reflect similar vehicles that appear in the film,
handmade of wood by the Dwarfs, shaped with an ax, and used to
haul rocks and jewels. Hand-hammered metal bands and nails are
used to bind the wood. In the film, the mine cars sit in a
cradle that allows them to be tipped to unload their contents.
Here, the cradle design allows the cars to swing back and forth
as they carry riders along the winding track.
- The innovative, patented ride
system for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is an original design
developed at Walt Disney Imagineering. It features five-car
trains designed to swing independently from side to side as they
move along the track. This newly patented design provides a
one-of-a-kind ride experience.
- Next to Doc’s workstation in the
mine, the carved wooden clock is a replica of the one seen in
the film with the figures of two miners striking an anvil. As in
the film, that motion signals the start of the beloved song, “Heigh-Ho.”
- At the jewel washing station, a
melody from the classic film can be created by moving from
spigot to spigot. There are 12 spigots, corresponding to the
notes of the musical scale.
- The jewels seen throughout the
mine come in four different sizes and six different colors: red,
green, amber, purple, blue and clear.
- The shadows of the Dwarfs
marching homeward along the track on the lift inside of the mine
were rotoscoped from the scene in the original film where the
Dwarfs march across a log bridge, singing “…home from work we
go.” (Rotoscoping is a technique where the movements of a figure
in original live or animated footage are copied, or traced,
frame-by-frame).
- At the top of the second lift,
guests have a brief moment to enjoy an inspiring view across
Fantasyland to Belle’s cottage, Beast’s Castle above Be Our
Guest Restaurant, and beyond. Then, the track drops
precipitously, passing under a trestle and looping around the
mountain crossing over the same trestle. The vehicle picks up
speed as it careens down the mountain, twisting and turning,
with its cars swinging back and forth. At the foot of the
mountain, the mine train loops back to cross a pool at the
bottom of a waterfall.
- In the original tale by the
Brothers Grimm, the Dwarfs were unnamed. When Walt Disney and
his animators decided to name them to correspond with their
character, scores of names were rejected including: Wheezy,
Jumpy, Baldy, Hickey, Sniffy, Stuffy, Burpy, Tubby, Shorty,
Deafy and Dizzy.
- In the last view of the cottage,
around the corner of the far wall, the Wicked Queen can be seen
in her disguise as an old hag watching Snow White and the Dwarfs
through a cottage window. She turns toward the train as it
passes, and cackles wickedly.
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