THE KENNETTI MAIN PAGE & MAIN INDEX
Site design and maintenance: Kenneth Sundberg
Latest Update: February 2, 2011

SNOW WHITE'S SCARY ADVENTURES
The KenNetti Tribute - The Book of Spells

The Book of Spells

In Walt Disney's original 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Evil Queen browsed her Book of Spells several times. Ever since the book has been an important piece of information and decoration in each Snow White dark ride.

For KenNetti's Snow White's Scary Adventures Tribute, the Book of Spells is a special "blog" page that includes short FAQ about the Tribute, some comments, latest news, the Tribute's update history and special previews of the upcoming veeeery exciting material.

"Now, begin Thy magic spell."

Kenneth Sundberg Answers
What is the SWSA Tribute?

KenNetti is my personal website - but still terribly unfinished. It evolved from a very modest "Ken's Corner" which was dedicated only to my hobbies and interests. Nowadays creating and developing the KenNetti site is both a big hobby and a definite interest to me.

If I have one true obsession, it is the obsession for information. Despite a vast amount of information on the Internet, the quality and the presentation of it are often questionable. And even if good information is found here or there, the continuous searching usually bugs me. Thus I began collecting comprehensive databases that would make it easier for myself to talk about things I love. Yes, KenNetti is basically a database for my own use.

Because it contains only the things I find interesting, it tells shamelessly about me and features quite unusual perspectives. So, it's actually a mixture of a blog, a fansite and a serious database. The name of KenNetti is a combination of my name and the Finnish slang word "netti" (meaning the Internet). I wanted the domain name to be as simple as possible. Simplicity is also a guiding force in everything I do. I actually hate websites that are too complicated in their structure and with everything flashing, blinking and moving with very little actual content to be found (and unfortunately, Disney's official sites are some of the absolute worst). Despite of KenNetti's crazy starting point, I am reaching for certain credibility with my site.

The Snow White's Scary Adventures Tribute - alias "SWSA Tribute" - is only one part (though an enormous one) of the KenNetti site.

The "SWSA Tribute" (which I also call the "Tribute") is actually a subsection of KenNetti's Snow White Database, that includes several smaller sections about the 1937 classic animated movie by Walt Disney. The Fairest ...and the Scariest of Them All is another enormous section of the Snow White Database, offering a thorough look to the more epic and truly scary movie that was planned but eventually not made. As readers may have already noticed, I'm usually incapable of giving a short, simple answer. Instead of simple answers I very often end up telling long stories in the same ridiculous fashion as Rose did in The Golden Girls sitcom. However, even if I digress, my stories very often form a whole with a point. The KenNetti website has been designed in very similar way: everything connects to everything. Though the site is currently very incomplete (especially its English sections), my future vision of it is really a database where everything will eventually connect to everything (with thousands of links) - exactly like in my very own head...

Unfortunately I have also other life and a quite demanding job outside KenNetti, so there's nowadays very limited time for this crazy hobby of mine. My perfectionism is one of the real reasons why KenNetti's updates take usually several months to realize; when designing and making them I usually get more and more ideas what should be included and what kind of images I'd like to include. In the images (the photos and other such stuff) I very seldom have good originals. I shouldn't probably admit it, but I have an ancient computer and an ancient Photoshop - and I like to use them both so much that I simply dread the day when I have no other choice but to replace them. And I don't have the equipment for taking "screencaptures" of movies or video - a tool that would definitely make the KenNetti images much easier to create. I have a decent amount of magazines and books and other stuff which I use as a basis for my KenNetti images. I have never enjoyed taking photographs (I prefer motion - and that's why videocamera is a tool that I like). Because I don't enjoy taking them nor owning an expensive camera, I have very few photos of my own from Disney parks.

All these reasons put together explain why I have needed to use a huge amount of imagination - and search for people who are willing to share their photos - to get the images I want. Hence KenNetti's extensive image "processings" (enhanced and expanded photos that have been created from several photos put together and finalized through painstaking methods). However, I nowadays actually take a surprising amount of pleasure of these image processings. Being ready for epic challenges has always been a part of my personality. I've also received a surprising amount of positive feedback of KenNetti's "distinctive" visual look - even though I completely and sincerely admit that very little of my image processing work would exist if there weren't the gorgeous original art - movies, theme parks, and other stuff - created by thousands of people whom I admire and salute.

So, as much as I would like to update KenNetti all the time, my perfectionism usually stands in the way. I don't usually like to publish unfinished things - which gives a tinge of irony to the current badly unfinished KenNetti. Not to mention the enormous revision of the SWSA Tribute that I have been planning and making since the summer of 2010.

That is why I finally decided to include here a sort of "blog" - this particular Book of Spells - that will include latest news of the revision's development and, of course, news and short comments about Disney's Snow White rides.

- Kenneth Sundberg -
February 2, 2011

Special thanks to Robert Lughai at
Filmic Light: A Snow White Sanctum
for asking the original question

The SWSA Tribute
History & Updates

November 2006
Kenneth Sundberg researches world-wide dark ride history and writes a his very first analysis on Disney's Snow White dark rides.

April 2007
The very first - and very little, modest and inaccurate - version of the "Tribute" was published at "Ken's Corner" (the older personal site of Kenneth). A few weeks later a slightly updated Tribute appears at the new KenNetti.fi website.

August 2007
A new, much better version of the Tribute is born thanks to the invaluable help and support from David Eppen with his Gorillas Don't Blog and Dave DeCaro at the brilliant Davelandweb.com.

January 2008
The better version of the Tribute is finally completed with 150 specially enhanced photos and a few more pages.

July 2008
With the invaluable help of Kurt Raymond and many others, the Tribute is revised, improved and expanded.

January 2009
Once again, a revision expands the Tribute.

April 2009
With the invaluable help of Dan Olson and all the aforementioned wonderful people, Kenneth completes another huge revision of the Tribute.

July 2010
Totally knowing that the Tribute needs much updating and improving, Kenneth starts his most biggest and most time-consuming revision of these pages.

January 24, 2011
Only a temporary update, but at least there's some evidence about the huge revision coming up. The index page with pages 2 ("The Throne Room") and 3 (Disneyland's original 1955 ride) have been updated (and the last-mentioned, previously one single page, has transformed into two separate pages, 3 and 3 B).

February 2, 2011
"The Book of Spells" has opened!

Kenneth Sundberg Answers
Have you ever ridden the SWSA rides?

Yes I have ridden. I think I could not have written several analyses of these rides on my "SWSA Tribute" if I hadn't experienced them myself. I actually love the 1983 Snow White's Scary Adventures in California's Disneyland more than The Haunted Mansion, although the last-mentioned was the attraction that made me initially fall in love with dark rides.

My first time in a Disney theme park occurred actually very close to my initial falling in love with Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie (1937). This time, I even know almost exactly when it happened: Christmas 1982. I was 8-years-old. I flew with my mother to Tampa, Florida, and we spent the holidays there till New Year. It was my first trip to the United States. During that trip we naturally made a one day's visit to Walt Disney World, precisely the Magic Kingdom park. Being complete novices that time we probably just walked and admired everything, because I really don't remember any visits to the rides - with one significant exception. I could swear I still remember the very spot where we were sitting in Fantasyland, when my mother noticed from the "Pictorial Souvenir" guide that there was even a "ghost house" in the park. So, there we went!

From early childhood I have always been interested in ghosts and other spooky stuff, although I had a real love/hate relationship with the Finnish amusement parks' too noisy and too scary "ghost trains". When we had been standing in The Haunted Mansion's queue for, perhaps, the standard 45 minutes, we finally reached the "cellar" door. When I noticed that people had to walk into the darkness - I didn't see a loading area anywhere - I really started retreating. Luckily my mother was as stubborn as me, and pulled me inside. I was probably kicking and screaming. However, I do remember very clearly that when the organ melody and the warm voice of Paul Frees' Ghost Host reached my ears, I was already captivated. After the ride I was completely spellbound. Before we left WDW, mother bought me the little "Read-Along" version (the 24-page book and record) of The Haunted Mansion - and nearly the entire trip back to Finland I scribbled my own versions of that wonderful book's comical illustrations.

Ever since The Haunted Mansion attraction has been extremely close to my heart. Disney's Mansion has been the guiding light for me of "child-friendly horror" - of fear that isn't oppressing nor harrowing, but enchanting and inviting.

Mother took me back to Orlando a few years later (I believe in Christmas 1986). During that trip we stayed very close to the Walt Disney World area and visited the Magic Kingdom park a lot. Thus it's quite clear that the WDW version of Snow White's Adventures hasn't made a particular impression on me, while The Haunted Mansion had me completely enthralled.

The next summer (of 1987) we headed for California - and what a lucky coincidence it was: Snow White's Golden Anniversary had hit also Disneyland. Maybe because of a very high-quality live show at the Videopolis stage and the cute decorated windows on Main Street, Snow White's presence had her arms all around me - and I fell completely in love with the gorgeous Snow White's Scary Adventures ride. I do admit that I also fell in love with Disneyland's The Haunted Mansion, precisely because its original white facade was so incredibly elegant.

What beautiful and warm memories I have of that specific summer trip! I have to be extremely grateful to me mother that she continued investing her money on our Disney holidays. During the next years - when I was in my teens - we were back at California and Florida several times. It is noteworthy that I have ridden more on Walt Disney World's original, very scary Snow White's Adventures (1971-1993) than on Disneyland's remodeled 1983 version, and yet the latter one made significantly greater impression on me. I believe my love and admiration to it is based on the music, stronger colours, distinct elegance and Gothic atmosphere. The original WDW version was unfortunately noisy, obnoxious and very imbalanced whole compared to California's high-class SWSA.

However, the Disneyland Paris version of the Snow White ride may have also something to do with the fact that I love California's SWSA so much. Basically the ride and its facade are copies of the California SWSA - but there are countless differences too! At Disneyland Paris I've visited total 8 times (first visit during the opening summer of 1992, last visit in summer 2009) - and I totally admit that my love towards the Paris Snow White ride is nowadays much stronger than my affection towards the same park's Phantom Manor (which is elegant and epic 3/4 of the ride, but offers a ridiculously bad climax with absolutely no elegance). I have said it many times, that if I lived in Paris, I'd probably ride the park's SW ride at least once a week. Yes, the Disneyland Paris annual passes are so ridiculously cheap. Hmmmm, did I say I'm not any kind of fanatic?

I should mention that Tokyo Disneyland has been many years my dream destination, but I still haven't been there. So, in addition to California's original 1955 Snow White ride, the Tokyo version is the one that I haven't experienced myself. All my knowledge of Tokyo's Snow White ride is based on YouTube videos and on a couple of guest testimonies.

In the California SWSA and its Paris counterpart, my most favourite scene is the "Drawbridge" with the huge doors opening (to the powerful, throbbing music of Leigh Harline) and revealing a beautiful view of the Evil Queen standing in front of her Magic Mirror. I have a cinematic imagination - and maybe that's why this particular scene during the ride is, in my opinion, totally "epic". Of course, I could sit for hours in Fantasyland's evening atmosphere and watch the tower window of SWSA and witness the Evil Queen's cold stare at me.

- Kenneth Sundberg -
February 2, 2011

Special thanks to Robert Lughai at
Filmic Light: A Snow White Sanctum
for asking the original question

KenNetti Presents
SNOW WHITE'S SCARY ADVENTURES
T h e -T r i b u t e

The Tribute Main Index

Research, analyse, text,
design and image processing
by Kenneth Sundberg

All original artwork © Disney

Other information & photo sources:
Jack E. Janzen: E-Ticket Magazine #13
Randy Bright: Disneyland - Inside Story (1987)
Richard Holliss & Brian Sibley: Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs & the Making of the Classic Film (1987/1994)
The Imagineers: Walt Disney Imagineering (1996)
The Imagineers: The Imagineering Field Guide to the
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (2005)
Jeff Kurtti: Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends and
the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park (2008)
David Koenig: Mouse Tales (1994/2006)
David Koenig: More Mouse Tales (1999/2002)
David Koenig: Mouse Under Glass - Secrets of Disney
Animation and Theme Parks (1997/2001)
David Koenig: Realityland - True-Life Adventures
at Walt Disney World (2007)
Alain Littaye & Didier Ghez: Disneyland Paris
- From Sketch to Reality (2002)
Tim Hollis & Greg Ehrbar: Mouse Tracks
- The Story of Walt Disney Records (2006)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Original Motion
Picture Soundtrack CD (Walt Disney Records, 1993)
Steve Birnbaum: Walt Disney World - The Official Guide (1986)
Birnbaum's Disneyland - The Official Guide (1997)
Steve Birnbaum: Walt Disney World - The Official Guide (1991)
Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas: The Disney Villain (1993)
Disney theme park guidebooks & maps
YouTube / Wikipedia.org / Answers.com
www.DoomBuggies.com message boards
Happy Hills Way Happy Hoppies Test & Travel Group
Dr Vanessa Toulmin, NFA Website, 1997: Fairground Shows
Nick Laister (www.joylandbooks.com)
Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (www.dafe.org)
Laff in the Dark (www.laffinthedark.com)
www.MovieMusic.com messageboards
Kentsu Pictures Video Archives
and Kenneth Sundberg
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KenNetti is a totally non-commercial website by Kenneth Sundberg to pay tribute and to honour the work of the talented people behind some of the most wonderful things found on this planet. All the material is gathered here only to inform, to promote things that need to be noticed, and to entertain people all over the world. KenNetti and Kenneth Sundberg are not affiliated to any of the companies, theme parks, movies, people, ghosts or other things appearing on this site. No rights of reproduction have been granted to KenNetti or Kenneth Sundberg, except where indicated. If You feel that some image or material whatsoever should not appear on this site, please CONTACT Kenneth Sundberg so that we can quickly resolve the problem.