Wildhorse Saloon 1999

Entertainment, straight from 1999.

Videopolis East

The Pleasure Island building that eventually housed 8Trax, the 70's nightclub, started its life in 1989 as Videopolis East.  "Why East?" you ask, because Videopolis was the name of a music and dance venue in Fantasyland at Disneyland at the time.  Videopolis East was described in the guidemaps of the day as "The place for young adults to dance to latest videos! No alcohol. (Under 21.)"

This is a Videopolis East patch.

I'm guessing that the no alcohol concept didn't work out to well since within a year the venue had changed to Cage.  Cage was described as "With an underground atmosphere, it's THE place for alternative music."

Sometime after that it switched to 70's music and changed its name to 8Trax which is what it remained until all the clubs on Pleasure Island closed.

WDW Meetings & Convention Ticket Brochure

The great thing about this 1994 brochure is the number of pictures in it of things that either no longer exist or have been seriously altered.  Let's count...

Out of the six images on these panels, only two still exist.  That view of Spaceship Earth is no longer possible with the monolithic Leave A Legacy stones in place.  The Aladdin's Royal Caravan parade has been gone from the Studios for almost 18 years.  Mickey's dressing room and Mickey's Starland is long gone.  Classic Illuminations (which I really miss) has been extinct now for 13 years.

The only image on these pages that might qualify is SpectroMagic.  With the rotating schedule of night parades I suppose it could return.

Only one of these images qualify as well.  While the Magic of Disney Animation does still exist, since it's no longer a working production facility you will never again see an animator at work.

Two images on these pages.  Splashtacular didn't even last a year after it's debut (I never even saw it even though I worked the press event for its premiere).  Body Wars and the entire Wonders of Life pavilion have sat vacant now for years only be used as a special event tent.

Here's the jackpot!  No more Mannequins (best dance club ever!!!).  No more Neon Armadillo.  No more Pleasure Island Jazz Company.  No more entertainment and some of the buildings in this photo have been demolished.

Final count:

22 total pictures

12 extinct or altered attractions

Portobello Yacht Club Dessert Menu

I'm not sure exactly when this is from but certainly no later than the mid-90's.

Pleasure Island & Marketplace Map April 1990

Portobello Yacht Club Mini Menu

From the early to mid 90's.

Pleasure Island & Marketplace Map February 1990

Portobello Yacht Club

The newer more sedate exterior of the Portobello Yacht Club. Check the old color scheme here.

Pleasure Island & Marketplace Map August 1989

Portobello Yacht Club

Still operating on Pleasure Island near Fulton's Crabhouse, the Portobello Yacht Club now sports a more sedate color palette but this is how it originally looked.

During the Lake Buena Vista Car Show in the early 90's.

You can just catch a glimps of the Empress Lilly to the left of the building.

This and the following shot were taken from aboard the Empress Lilly.  Note the now demolished Fireworks Factory and XZFR Rockin Rollerdrome rising over the roofline.

The lakeside patio.

Motion

Now demolished, this area was originally the Fireworks Factory restaurant and bar.  It was later remodeled to be the Wildhorse Saloon country music club and ended its life as Motion video bar.

Suspended Animation

Before there was The Art Of Disney store, the place to purchase your cels, poster art, and other collectibles was Suspended Animation on Pleasure Island.

Comedy Warehouse

Once laughter filled this space and now it sits sad and alone, only a backdrop for passersby.

Ottmar Liebert In Concert At Pleasure Island

While I've never had the pleasure of seeing Ottmar Liebert in concert, I love his music.  It seems like he performed a couple of times at PI back in the early 90's.  This flyer is from a 1991 performance during the Festival of the Masters.

8Trax aka Artificial Intelligence Lab

Originally Videopolis East and later Cage, the last incarnation for this location before the pillaging of PI was 8Trax, a 70's themed nightclub.

Lower level entrance near the Waterfront.  Both entrance awning are made to look like 8-track tapes.

Upper level entrance.

The Pleasure Island Saga.

Mannequins Dance Palace

Happy Birthday to me.  If it was still open, there's a good chance that I would be at Mannequins this evening to celebrate.

Lights.  Mannequins had the best lighting of any club I've ever patronized.

The amazing rotating dance floor as seen from Dawn's bar.

The rotating dance floor as seen from the second floor.

Looking towards the stage from near Dawn's bar.

A crowded rotating dance floor as seen from the second floor.

Mannequins drop down screen.

Storm cloud drop down screen in front of the stage.

Mannequins Dance Palace

Today's focus is on the entertainment inside Mannequins.  These pictures are all of the entertainment offerings of the last several years of the club's existence.  In the earlier years there were several shows during the course of the evening on the elevated stage area at the rear of the rotating dance floor.  My favorite of these was acted out to "Phantom of the Opera" by Harajuku.  Sadly during those years I never thought to take a camera.  During the later years the disco ball girls seen below were probably my favorite.  Please note that I  shot these without the aid of a tripod was almost certainly in some stage of intoxication so many of them are a tad blurry.

Disco ball girl how you glisten and gleam!

Is this pose totally Charlie's Angels or what?

More disco ball girls.

Catholic school girls.

Muscle boys.

I guess this is the Priscilla Queen of the Desert look.

Geishas.