Stories, Stories Everywhere

Every location in a Disney Park has its own story to tell. Some of those stories are incredibly rich and linear. Others can be summed up in a sentence or two and simply fit into the setting of the story told in a land or region. Even these smallest spaces still have fun little details to find.

Take Mrs. Potts' Cupboard, for example. When the park opened, this spot was known as The Round Table and served ice cream treats just as it does today. The name and architecture were all that was needed to tie it to the Medieval village story line of Fantasyland. With the success of Beauty and the Beast in the 1990s, the ice cream shop was rebranded with its present name, and one additional detail was introduced. The menu is presented on dishes. Of course, since this is Mrs. Potts' Cupboard, you may want to decide what you want quickly, since the enchanted plates are likely to dance away at any moment!

Next door is The Friar's Nook, offering French fries and other quick bites. The name is a play on words, referring both to Friar Tuck from Disney's Robin Hood as well as the fried foods available over the counter. The sign above the location notes that it was established in MLXXI. That's 1071 to you and me, a nod to the October 1971 opening of the place. Back then, though, it was called Lancer's Inn (later changing to Gurgi's Munchies & Crunchies, Lumiere's Kitchen and then Village Fry Shoppe).

At the Seven Dwarfs' Mine (originally the Royal Candy Shoppe), not only has the product selection expanded over the years, but so have the storytelling details. Step up to the shop today, and you'll find yourselves in the middle of the dwarfs' mining operation, straight out of the Disney animated film.

Heavy wooden beams hold up portions of the earth where it's been dug away, revealing dozens of sparkling gemstones. Fixtures are made to resemble troughs, wagons and carts, and the dwarfs' mining tools can all be seen nearby.

My favorite details, though, are over by the Vault (really just the door leading to a stockroom). There's the dustpan and broom the dwarfs' use to discard the imperfect stones, and you can even see where Dopey has hung the keys to the Vault... safely right next to the locked door.