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Yes these are lame, weird and crazy questions that I have.
Since I added this section to the website
I have been getting tons of e-mails answers or close estimations
from insiders or imagineers (who want to remain anonymous) on the
many lame-o questions that I had reguarding this attraction. Here
are the many questions and some answers to these stupid questions
that I have thought about while growing up with ATIS.
1. How did they make the snow constantly fall inside the glass
Petri dish from the ceiling? Was it a vacuum or a conveyor belt
system that moved cups of fake snow along the edges inside the dish
(unseen) to the top and sprinkled it down? Why did the snow sometimes
fly all around like a whirlwind inside and other times in was a
light sprinkle? I told you these were lame questions.
I have been told by an anonymous insider that
it was just a fan that blew the fake snow around. But I could swear
that sometimes it would fall slowly down the dish! Maybe the fan
was moving slowly (when it needed repair) and it looked like it
was falling. Maybe the snow was old and was stuck at the bottom
and a little bit of it moved around.
2. Sometimes when I would ride the attraction the smaller atomobiles
were broken and didn't move along the conveyor belt inside the clear
glass tube. This always made me mad. It ruined the illusion. How
did the repair maintenance people get in there to repair the belt?
I don't see any way of getting inside that tube. Did they have access
from inside? Were there bolts from behind the Mighty Microscope
to open the clear tube to gain access to the belt?
I have been told by an anonymous insider
that the lights and miniature atomobiles could be repaired from
within the structure. There was never a need to open the clear tube
to get to them. The conveyer belt of atomobiles could be slid out
from inside and be worked when needed.
3. Did the lights (that flashed inside the exit portion of the clear
tube where the small atomobiles came out) ever go out? They must have.
How did they change them?
Same as above. See answer to #2
4. Why did kids have to spit or throw things at the eye at the end
of the ride? One year I saw someone had thrown an ice cream bar on
a stick at the eye and the stick was stuck to the protective fiberglass
cover (on the front) and the ice cream was melted all down the glass!
I also remember that before the protective fiberglass was installed
over the eye tube people would sometimes throw their trash in the
tube at the eye and it would collect inside like a trash can. It's
amazing what disrespect people can have.
We shall never know that one. Kids will be
kids!
5. What would happen if you ever stayed in your seat and went on to
ride the attraction again? I hardly ever saw anyone in the unload
area in the later years of the attraction. Would you have been caught?
….I know….who cares….it's gone! What does it matter?
I have been informed by an anonymous
insider that children (or adults) that were
caught (by infrared video camera) misbehaving would be warned by
a speaker or an attendant that would personally go to the atomoble
in question and confront the culprits involved. It is also been
rumored that any "ADULT" activity was usually ignored.
I guess the employees could get a free show on the vids while on
duty.
6. How many people have had "adult encounters" in ATIS?
Unknown
7. How about 1st 2nd or 3rd base? Hee hee.....
Unknown
8. How many people got caught having "adult encounters"?
Unknown. Records were not kept at the time.
9. Has anyone been hurt on ATIS by getting out of their atomobile
and falling into some of the steep areas that hid the atom projectors?
An insider (not confirmed but probable) sent in this answer:
"Yes, someone has been hurt on ATIS when they got out of the
atomobile during the ride. Unlike the doombuggies in Haunted Mansion,
the atomobiles weren't always on solid ground. At parts of the attraction
(the nucleus, the eye) the cars were elevated. So this poor fool
fell quite a ways. Nothing fatal though."
10. Where are all the atomobiles chairs now?
Insider says: All the atomobiles were taken
to a landfill in Mexico.
11. How many "MINI" atomobiles were in the Mighty
Microscope?
My estimation about 25-30. Depending on if
some were removed for maintenance. See movie section in website
to see a missing mobile in the microscope.
12. How many atomobiles were there in the attraction?
I have been informed by an insider that there
were a total of 123 vehicles in the attraction.
13. Where is that eye now? Who has it? Can we ever see it again?
I have been informed by an insider that the
eye is in a storage facility in Tujunga. Some of the eyelashes were
kept by some imaginers as momentous.
14. What item or items were always getting damaged by people on the
attraction?
Insider says: Mostly the Towering walls of
ice seciton due to it being close enough to touch from the car and
the large eye at the end of the attraction. Projectiles were always
thrown at that piece.
15. Did Disney ever professionally film the inside of the attraction
as a ride thru that could later be released on DVD or tape? It could
happen.
Two insiders tell me that there were never any
documented movies made of ATIS. Disney didn't document attractions
until America Sings which has been extensively documented before it
was removed. Some employees took some
movies of the attraction durring deconstruction and filmed an actual
walk-thru while the lights were on. I have yet been able to see this
footage but I would love to see it.
16. How much did Paul Frees get for his narrative services for ATIS
or any of the other attractions (Pirates and Haunted Mansion) at Disneyland.
Unknown at this time.
17. What did it cost Disneyland to run the attraction?
Unknown at this time.
18. Did ATIS break down a lot near the end of it's run?
Unknown at this time.
19. What were the top 3 reasons ATIS was removed?
So far insiders just tell me that even though
it was a favorite by many imagineers it had become outdated. Simple
as that.
20. What happened to the Mighty Microscope miniature that was used
in the warehouse sequence of Star Tours? I would love a picture of
that!
Unknown at this time.
That is it so far. If you have questions, send them to me
and I will post them here for other insiders to answer them.
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