Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in the Magic Kingdom occupies an entire block of building facades which once hosted three separate stores (a perfume shop, an antique store and a silversmith). When Christmas came to Liberty Square in the late-90s, a new backstory was written for the location, incorporating the holiday motif while maintaining distinct identities for each section of the shop.
Stories like this are created for just about every project Walt Disney Imagineering takes on. Much like the script for a movie, the story treatment serves as a blueprint, guiding each Imagineering discipline in their design choices. While not every detail from a story treatment might make it into the finished project, it provides the foundation for everything from architecture and props to graphics and music selections.
As a Show Writer at WDI at the time, I was given the assignment of creating the backstory for Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. I'm happy to present it to you here, accompanied by photos of some of the great work my colleagues did to bring the story to life:
Here in Liberty Square, at the close of the 18th century, Americans herald the birth of a new nation and their new found freedoms, including the religious freedom to celebrate the traditions of Christmas. It's a simpler observance, prior to the advent of tinsel or trees or Santa Claus. Beautiful greens, adorned with fruit and pine cones and other natural items, decorate doors, sashes, and mantles. Candles gleam in every window, and you can almost smell the mince pies and plum pudding baking.
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe is actually a series of buildings, storefronts with 2nd-story residences, brimming with busy craftspeople preparing for the upcoming festivities. Each “shop” has its own purpose and, thereby, its own character.
(After the original treatment was written and approved, the Art Director on the project decided to add story-related graphics to the location apart from the signs identifying Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. This allowed an opportunity to not only add another layer to the storytelling, but also incorporate a bit of Hidden Disney. In the example of the Music Teacher's Shop, it's a reference to Disney's animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, complementing Liberty Square neighbor Sleepy Hollow Refreshments.)
More formal in nature, the Music Teacher’s Shop is set with recorders, mandolins, and fiddles – perhaps readied for playing at a ball in honor of Twelfth Night (January 6). The music on the sheets and meeting the ear is that of Watts’ beloved “Joy to the World” and traditional English favorites, “The Holly and the Ivy” and “I Saw Three Ships.”
Next door is a Woodcarver’s Shop, casual and more rough-hewn. The tools of the trade sit amidst curled shavings of pine and cherry. In the corner is a lovingly crafted hobbyhorse, and decorative holiday ornaments are all around.
Nearest the Liberty Tree is the quaint home of a family of Pennsylvania Germans, folk artists and craftsmen whose hospitality is evident in the beautiful items they offer for sale and in the pot of hot cider they keep on the stove. They are always ready to welcome townsfolk and travelers alike, spreading wishes of good cheer.
At Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe(s) of Liberty Square, Christmas comes anew with the dawning of each day, its spirit alive forever in the hearts and homes of its residents.
(The portion of the store that became the family home was originally the Silversmith shop and included a "wood burning" stove. The stove reference in the story treatment was intended as a reason to keep it, but it was ultimately removed to allow for more display space.)
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