The next image is another cute actress (did Disney have a ready source of cute actress at this time?) sitting next to a Lion who has no fur. The actress holds a copy of an image showing a lion in the zoo. This is what the lion will eventually look like once placed into the jungle.
I believe the animals shown were sculpted by Chris Mueller.
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I wonder if these were just general publicity photos, or if they were meant for a specific magazine? There are several other photos that appear to be from this same series, all involving pretty girls, which makes them unusual compared to most Disneyland publicity pics.
The animals were indeed sculpted by Chris Mueller and his team. Interestingly you can see the giant squid "Zsa-Zsa" from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to the rear (left) of photo two. Word is that Walt Disney wanted to install the prop in the cruise but was talked out of it. I don't remember if it was before or after the "Leagues" exhibit opened or closed in Tomorrowland. The creatures were mechanized by Bob Mattey, who was not on-staff at Disney's at the time. He also worked the squid and later the sharks in JAWS and JAWS 2.
Very nice!
I feel like they had a closet full of cute young actresses around as Disneyland was being built. That way they had someone available for a promomtion whenever it was needed!
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