Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) better known by his pen-name of Mark Twain is a historic author, frequently referenced in the Disney Parks. Mark Twain appears as a character in multiple attractions, is the namesake for the Mark Twain Riverboat, and his Tom Sawyer stories are the inspiration for the attraction Tom Sawyer Island.
History[]
Background[]
Origins[]
Samuel Langorne Clemens was born on the November 30 of 1835 in Missouri, with his birth correlating with Halley's Comet. Growing up in Missouri, Clemens was known to play on Jackson's Island with the older boys of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Joe Harper.
As a young-man, Clemens became a sailor aboard the Liberty Belle Riverboat under one Captain Horace Bixby, allowing him to travel throughout the rivers of America; seeing the life of a steamboatman as a great childhood ambition. While on the rivers, Clemens became aware of local customs, stories and lore of the frontier lands such as: the stories of Big Thunder Mountain, how Chick-a-Pin Hill became Splash Mountain, a Powhatan tribe moving further out of their territory, river-pirates, a man from the Bayou called "Beacon Joe", and the ghost stories surrounding the Haunted Mansion.
Mark Twain[]
Clemens came to be well known under the pen-name of, "Mark Twain", a pseudonym inspired by nautical terms from his time as a sailor. Twain wrote many popular books, some of which focused on the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. By around the 1880s-1890s, Clemens was also an agent for The Western River Line of steamboats, with one boat, "The Mark Twain" seemingly being named for him.
Demise[]
Clemens died on the April 21 of 1910, when Halley's Comet returned in the night-sky.
Appearances[]
Disneyland[]
Adventureland Treehouse[]
Clemens' story The Stolen White Elephant (1882) appears in the twins' room.
Main Street Cinema[]
The Disneyland Casting Agency had a posting reading, "Riverboat Pilots Cast sought for classic Mark Twain costume adventure, B. thatcher Productions.".[1]
Mark Twain Riverboat[]
This riverboat is named for Sam Clemens' pen-name. In the ride's audio, a sailor will announce, "Mark Twain", prompting the captain to talk about the author. Following this, Sam Clemens will be heard saying, "When I was a boy, there was but one ambition among my comrades in our village. That was to be a steamboatman. We had ambitions of other sorts—to become clowns or pirates. These ambitions faded out, but the ambition to be a steamboatman always remained. Of course, when I was younger, I could remember everything, whether it happened or not…".
Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island[]
The newspapers on the bulletin-board are from November 30, 1835, the day of Sam Clemens' birth with additional references to Halley's Comet, a comet which was visible both at Clemens' birth and death.[2]
Disneyland Paris[]
Frontierland[]
The Lucky Nugget Saloon[]
An in-universe advertisement for the saloon mentions one Mr. Mark Twain as being amongst the performers of the saloon.[3]
Thunder Mesa Daily Messenger[]
This newspaper had an advertisement for the Western River Line reading, "The Western River Line now offers frequent passenger and freight service by steamboat, connecting Thunder Mesa, Rainbow Ridge, Tumbleweed, Stillwater Junction, and Grizzly Gulch with all points on the Rivers of the Far West. Contact S.L. Clemens and M. Tobin, Agents".
Thunder Mesa Riverboats[]
One of Thunder Mesa's two riverboats is named the Mark Twain.
Walt Disney World[]
EPCOT[]
The American Adventure[]
An audio-animatronic Mark Twain co-hosts this attraction alongside Benjamin Franklin.
Magic Kingdom[]
Liberty Belle Riverboat[]
Sam Clemens is a character in this attraction, heard during his time as a riverboat sailor under Captain Horace Bixby. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer appears within the boat's salon.
Skipper Canteen[]
Mark Twain's book, "Tom Sawyer" appears in the library.
Tom Sawyer Island[]
On Tom Sawyer Island, there is a crate addressed to, "S.L. Clements" at 203 Hill Street, Hannibal, Missouri.[4] Aboard the Liberty Belle, Clemens will mention having played on Jackson's Island as a boy along with Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Joe Harper.
Trivia[]
- Clemens was born and died when Halley's Comet was visible. Because of this, Disney chose 1986 as the original year Tomorrowland would be set in as it would be the year Halley's Comet was visible again (though light pollution caused it to be incredibly difficult to see).
- On the Liberty Belle Riverboat, Clemens is referenced as knowing and/or being connected to the lore of various Disney properties:
- Sam Clemens indirectly references Mike Fink when mentioning "Keelboaters" which Frontierland is home to.
- Sam is identified as having been childhood friends with Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and Joe Harper; his fictional creations.
- Clemens talked about Chickapin Hill and how it was turned into, "Splash Mountain" by a burst dam.
- Clemens also talks about the backstory to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
- Both Clemens and Bixby are familiar with, "Beacon Joe", a character from the Blue Bayou scene of Pirates of the Caribbean, with Clemens acknowledging his origins by saying, "Look whose drifted out of the bayou".
- The Powhatan tribe which the Liberty Belle encounters is implied to be the tribe of Pocahontas.
- Clemens talks about the lore of the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion.
- In the safety spiel, he references River Pirates who operated out of the vicinity. This references the River Pirates of Wilson's Cave Inn seen on the attraction, though could also reference Davy Crockett and the River Pirates.
The Prince and the Pauper display in Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
- The queue for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway in Disneyland contains a display dedicated to the 1990 Mickey Mouse adaptation of Mark Twain's 1881 novel, The Prince and the Pauper.
Gallery[]
