"The Subs Are Back" read billboards all over town. Disneyland has refurbished their classic submarine ride to appeal to a new generation interested in Finding Nemo. But some of us liked the old ride! I went with my family waaaaaay back when it was still connected with the Disney classic film 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea -- which I LOVED! That giant squid was so scary! And James Mason's Captain Nemo was so beguiling! I was always a bit put off by Kirk Douglas' salty sailor but was obviously too young to appreciate Kirk's fine physique. My GOD, those SHOULDERS! You can ogle them in the video below and if that doesn't do it for you there's always Spartacus!

Disney's submarine ride was definitely one of the highlights of that first trip to The Tragic Kingdom. I was obsessed with the girls in the mermaid suits and thought they had the best job in the world! I'm sure those living mermaids were a contributing factor to getting me to L.A. to live out my Hollywood fantasies! I went to Disneyland way too many times in the late '80s and haven't been back since they began to allow kids with dyed hair into the park. (Believe it or not there was time when jet black or fuschia hair was considered 'subversive' and not allowed in Disneyland! On one of the last trips there I remember seeing a punk hurridly try to get her brown wig back onto her fire-engine-red-head after a wild ride on the Matterhorn!) An ex of mine used to go all the time with his L.A. punk friends to see cool acts like The Ventures and they would always be asked to either leave or take off their leather jackets because they "looked too much like an act."

Not having kids, I'm not acquainted with the animated Nemo story but hope there is still some of the original ride left intact. It's all pretty strange though when you realize you're just trolling the bottom of what is essentially a swimming pool. But now that they've restored the submarines, can they please bring back the old Tomorrowland?