Desktop Tea Time

Tea time everyone!

Nick Nitsch brings us another of his fun and expertly designed desktops to conclude our celebration this week of Disney's Animal Kingdom's 10th Anniversary. Embedded in the design elements of Expedition Everest are references to the Royal Anandapur Tea Company, and Nick has extended that concept into this desktop.

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The Animal Kingdom Anniversary Desktop

Honoring ten years of Disney's Animal Kingdom, Nick Nitsch brings us another in his series of stunning Disney desktops. Celebrate a decade of exploration and a future of discovery with this beautiful design. Thanks, Nick!

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Sky Crown Part 3

A quick weekend treat for all you desktop collectors. Nick Nitsch serves up the third and final design in his series of desktops inspired by Disney's Sky Crown and Mineral King. Nick will be returning again soon with more Disney-themed desktop designs so stay tuned. Thanks, Nick!

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The Club 33 Desktop

Our newest resident desktop designer Nick Nitsch returns with an exclusive design inspired by a very exclusive place. I was very fortunate to have dined at Club 33 on my recent trip to Disneyland; an altogether amazing and exciting time. Nick's elegant desktop vision is a happy reminder of that wonderful experience.

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Return to Sky Crown

Even though we are well into spring, we haven't quite given up the ghosts of winter as Nick Nitsch serves us up another terrific desktop inspired by Disney's unrealized Mineral King ski resort. Nick revisits the Sky Crown designs created by an uncredited 1960s-era studio artist and takes us back to a bright and shiny "what might have been." Much thanks again to Nick for all his efforts.

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The Sky Crown Desktop

Prompted by our virtual souvenir of the Sky Crown license plate, 2719 Hyperion reader Nick Nitsch generously provided his own interpretation of early 1960s logo drafts of the Mineral King project. Inspired by those designs, Nick created this retro-themed desktop that pays homage to the ski resort that never came to be. Thanks, Nick!

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Desktop Retro: The Skeleton Dance

To celebrate Halloween, our resident desktop design genius Dan Cunningham takes a detour out of Walt Disney World and travels all the way back to the very early days of classic Disney animation. Dan summed it up nicely when he wrote to me, "Some important names in animation history are on that title card, so I thought they deserved special attention. Naturally, this will be appropriate for people to have during the next week (or more often, for the fans of the macabre side of animation.)" As always, enormous thanks to Dan for all his efforts!

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Desktop Retro: EPCOT Center

October 1, 2007 has passed but the Celebration continues. Dan Cunningham returns with another of his amazing retro desktops. From Dan:

I don't know if the blog fans are suffering an EPCOT Center hangover yet, but here's one more item featuring masterful concept art by Herbert Dickens Ryman. As you probably know, Ryman is a giant in the history of W.E.D./Imagineering, and I think he amply captured the excitement and spirit of the park in this rendering. Not to mention, he was a most humble and gentle man for someone with such enormous amount of talent and skill.

As always, enormous thanks to Dan for all his his efforts.

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Desktop Retro: The 21st Century Begins

We are almost exactly one month away from the 25th Anniversary of the opening of EPCOT Center. Dan Cunningham helps us celebrate with a desktop that takes us back in style and design to 1982. Dan also includes a much-requested widescreen version as well. Thanks again to Dan for all his efforts.

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Desktop Retro: The Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village

It's back to the 1970s again with Dan Cunningham's latest retro desktop. The roots of Downtown Disney stretch all the way back to the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village and Dan celebrates those earlier, distinctly more subdued years of quiet waterfront shopping and dining. A big thanks again to Dan for all his efforts.

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Desktop Retro: Wet Paint

Dan Cunningham is back today with his latest Desktop Retro. This particular design is inspired by what could be called the coolest Walt Disney World souvenir that you could never purchase. The acquisition of a classic Wet Paint sign depended almost entirely on either the generosity of a paint brush-carrying cast member or your own stealth-based covert actions. Dan does it again with this great distressed version of that very fun design.

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Desktop Retro: The Orange Bird

After receiving great acclaim last week from 2719 readers, Dan Cunningham returns this week with an amazing and beautiful desktop design that celebrates another fondly remembered bit of Walt Disney World nostalgia.

The Orange Bird was another prominent icon of the resort's first decade. Just this week, Wade Sampson posted a terrific and very comprehensive article on MousePlanet that details the history of this now relatively little know Disney character. And be sure to check out Foxxfur's fun Orange Bird post over at Passport to Dreams Old and New.

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Desktop Retro: Walt Disney World

2719 Hyperion reader and graphic designer Dan Cunningham made the very generous offer to share with us a wonderful desktop he designed. Dan transports us back in time to Walt Disney World's first decade with this beautiful, retro-inspired wallpaper. This particular graphic was iconic to anyone who visited the Resort during the 1970s. Big thanks to Dan for allowing us to dress up our screens with a little bit of true Walt Disney World nostalgia.

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We Tow the Stars!

It's been awhile since we featured a desktop design, so here's a bit of fun from Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World.

Posts will be light over the weekend as we head to MagicMeets this Saturday in Harrisburg, PA. I very much look forward to meeting any 2719 readers who will be in attendance. I'll likely be garbed in 2719 Hyperion regalia so please say hi if you see me.

Tomorrowland Public Works

Here is another great graphic element from Walt Disney World's "The Future That Never Was." While an embossed metal version of this logo can be seen on trash cans throughout Tomorrowland, this full color version is usually reserved for refurbishment signs and is seen less frequently. The logo's retro-deco look is reminiscent of commercial art styles from the 1930s and 1940s.

For those who want to "clean up" their desktop," here's a wallpaper featuring the design. Click on the image for a full size 1024 x 768 version.

Tomorrowland in Gear

Here is a desktop that I custom-made a few years back, featuring the Tomorrowland logo from Walt Disney World. I am a big, big fan of the retro-future designs throughout Tomorrowland as many of the readers here already know. Click on the above image for a larger desktop friendly 1024 x 768 version.

The Multiflex Octoplane

We haven't done a desktop in a while, so how about a clever set of blueprints straight out of Mickey's Toontown Fair. Take note--this conceptual design involves the cooperation of neighborhood chipmunks (namely Dale), and the emergency escape parachute has been cut for budgetary reasons. Just one of many details from Fido's Fearless Flight School for Cats and Dogs.

Magic Kingdom Travel Guide

Time again for some desktop wallpaper. The Magic Kingdom Travel Guide is located on a wall on the lower level of the Main Street Train Station. Click to link to a full size version.

Treasure Map o' the Caribbean

Yet another map for your desktop viewing pleasure. This one is located at the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Bucaneer Gold at DisneyQuest at Walt Disney World.

Inside the Miss Daisy

If you can dodge all the various water spouts and make it inside Donald's Boat at Mickey's Toontown Fair, you'll be treated to to seeing this colorful map adorning one of the walls. Link to the larger version if you would like it to reside on your desktop.