If you missed Part 1, the story of Pleasure Island, you can go back and read it here. Now for Part 2.
Once the Imagineers decided to make S.E.A. an immersive story, they went all out. They created characters and stories, and eventually tied this story together in the theme parks all over the world. For a very long time, it was rumored that Joe Rohde was behind S.E.A., but he denied that on twitter. Still, Joe Rohde did have a hand in designing the Adventurer’s Club, so I think that makes him a major part of the story. Same with Tony Baxter, but we’ll get into all that.
Lord Henry Mystic is the main character of Hong Kong Disney’s Mystic Manor. A well-travelled member of S.E.A., he found his pet monkey, Albert stuck in a giant spider web in Papua New Guinea. This is where he decided to build his mansion, Mystic Manor, on what is now known as Mystic Point, and he opened it to the public as a public museum in 1896. On an expedition in Bali, Mystic and Albert came upon an enchanted music box that would bring inanimate objects to life when it was opened. Aside from the attractions he is seen in, you can also read about him in the 3rd Tales from the Haunted Mansion book.
Harrison Hightower III is the main character at Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror. He is also directly named in the original Pleasure Island backstory as travelling with Merriweather Adam Pleasure. He was known as being corrupt, and collected treasures and antiquities under shady circumstances. He stole the cursed idol Shiriki Utundu from the Mtundu Tribe in the Congo. On New Year’s Eve in 1899, at a grand celebration he held at his hotel, Mr. Smelding, his personal valet, warned him to be respectful of the idol, but, as he was too arrogant to be told what to do, he refused to listen. Once inside the elevator, the idol came to life and plunged the elevator straight down the shaft, leading to the closure of the hotel. Inspired by Joe Rohde, and you can see the resemblance.
Created in 2013 as part of the refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, he is modeled after Tony Baxter, who originally designed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and wrote the backstory for Jason Chandler for the never-realized Discovery Land. The T actually stands for Tony. He was a member of the wealthy East Coast Bulion Mining Family. In 1870, he took a sea river expedition along the Colorado River. He later took an expedition to El Dorado, where he became friends with Jason Chandler. In 1899, he became owner and President of Big Thunder Mining Company, and dug up gold from the Big Thunder Mountain range in Arizona. Aside from his appearances in the parks, Bulion can be found in the Disney Kingdoms comics.
Main character of Disney Cruise Line, she was an English Sea Captain and Treasure Hunter. In 1898, she launched her experimental vessel, the RV Oceaneer Lab, which she used to survey the ocean and look for buried treasure. She was also at the legendary party at the Hightower Hotel in 1899. She made a voyage along the Orinoco River in South America, where she was attacked by locals. In 1901, Oceaneer did an archaeological dig on an island in the Bahamas called Castaway Cay. This is where she found a pirate sword from a shipwreck that would become her favorite. Rumored to have been named after famed Imagineer Mary Blair.
Mary Oceaneer’s Famous Discoveries:
- A pipe belonging to an Atlantican Princess named Ariel
- Contract made by someone named Ursula
- Deadman’s Chest from The Flying Dutchman
- Seemed to have knowledge of the lost city of Atlantis
In the mid-20th Century, Oceaneer took her ship the M.S. Salty IV to the Florida Lagoon of Placid Palms. The lagoon was hit by a hurricane and beached in the lagoon. This is now known as Typhoon Lagoon.
Albert Falls, of the World Famous Jungle Cruise, began as a joke by the Skippers, and was later visualized as a character in the Skipper Canteen. He was a scientist, theologian, and explorer known for his ability to navigate remote waters of the world. And, of course, an amazing sense of humor.
On June 5, 1888, Falls discovered the sunken Cambodian temple, of course, known as “Shir Lee Temple.” And, surely you’ve heard of his most famous discovery, on August 12, 1891, when he discovered Schweitzer Falls and the backside of water. In 1911, he established the Jungle Navigation Company. He hoped this shipping company would improve the way cargo was moved. JNC headquarters, in what is today known as the Skipper Canteen, was his home. There is a secret room in his library where S.E.A. would hold meetings. His granddaughter, Alberta Falls, came to live with him when she was 8. Sadly, in 1927, Albert disappeared, and Alberta took over JNC. In 1931, Alberta Falls launched the very famous “Jungle Cruise” tours.
19th Century Inventor and former president of S.E.A. By the 1880s, he began selling his technology to Big Thunder Mining Company for their operations in Big Thunder Mountain, to assist his good friend Barnabus T. Bulion. He was a character created in the 1970s by Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter. Aside from his appearances in the parks, he is found in Disney Kingdoms comics.
Camellia Falco is the host of Soaring: Fantastic Flight in Tokyo. In 1850, she inherited the Museum of Fantastic Flight from her parents. She was the first woman inducted into S.E.A. in 1851. She was a hot air balloon traveler, and her mission in life was to advance human flight.
Jock Lindsey was hired by Indiana Jones as his pilot. He was a S.E.A. Member and leader of the Air Pirates Circus.
Pamelia Perkins, president of the Adventurer’s Club in 1937, when she moved to Florida.
Come back for the conclusion!
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