The Dark Side of Disney - Leonard Kinsey [56]
I remember first finding out about Hoot and Chief when someone sent me a link of a static video taken from inside one of the sets from Horizons. Inside meaning, not from the Omnimover vehicle, but from a video camera that was obviously set on a tripod, filming from a perspective that riders would not be able to see from their vehicles. I assumed it was unearthed raw footage from a Disney-shot promo video, which was cool enough. But soon afterwards Hoot and Chief unleashed a ton of incredible behind-the-scenes videos, photos, and audio clips on their blog, and slowly but surely revealed the mind blowing story behind what I (and many others) believe to be a historically significant documentation of a now-extinct attraction.
Hoot Gibson, molesting an Animatronic on the set of Horizons
Their often heart-pounding blog entries detailed paranoid and over-planned escapes from the Omnimovers, discoveries of hilarious props hidden by Cast Members in the sets (notably a giant black dildo in the Mesa Verde fridge), the secrets behind some of the best special effects in the ride, and cat-and-mouse chases between them and security guards through backstage areas. But most of all, the blog entries show an over-abiding love of an attraction that they knew was close to death, a thought which in their mind demanded action, risks be damned.
Hoot, introduce yourself and tell me a bit about your background and how you met Chief.
I grew up on the west coast of Florida so trips to WDW were frequent. I loved the place as much as any other kid but in 1976 the magnitude of it all finally hit me. I remember realizing that Walt Disney was a real man, he had talented men and women working for him, and REAL people created this amazing place. I wanted to be part of it.
When I graduated High School I packed my stuff and went to work at the Magic Kingdom. I applied to be a custodian because it seemed like the kind of job that would allow me the most freedom for exploration. I was right. Custodians are looked down upon by every other cast member and that's no secret. Most of them weren't very smart.....and I hate to say it.........but some were borderline retarded.
The incredible upside to the job became clear one night when I was on my way to explore the Jungle Cruise. I was making my way across the maintenance dock and POW a security guy came out of nowhere.
He asked me what I was doing back there and I said, "My Lead told me to come down here and empty a trash can but I can't find it." Security guy said, "Well that one looks like shit so empty that one." He left and I went on to sit on some Audio Animatronic elephants and photograph them inside and out.
Working at the park was far from what I thought it would be. The people there were mean and overall disenchanted with the place. I had imagined a place where I would work with the other fans of Walt Disney but it was far from that. My focus became more on gathering information and less on making a career. One crowded day on Main Street, a new guy showed up.
Chief walked onto the scene with his white uniform on and a book about Walt Disney under his arm. I said, "What are you? Some kind of Disney Freak?" He said, "Yep." I said, "Me, too." It was an electric moment for sure. We talked all day and come to find out we were on exactly the same page. That night we snuck into Jungle Cruise. The next night... the entire park. It started an amazing string of planned adventures that seemed to never end.
Chief, posing with the Animatronic dive team in Horizons
We eventually got fired from the Magic Kingdom. We didn't fit in so insubordination led to our predicted demise. I went to art school in 1987 and Chief joined me second year. We found that crazy shit happened wherever we went but the Magic Kingdom was still our focus.
On a basic level, what was it that drove you to explore these rides beyond the bounds of a normal guest? Most people are happy sitting in the ride, experiencing what they’re meant to experience. Why did you need more?
We had