How much of WDW's success is down to Walt's personality?

[mergatroid]

Now I know that WDW is a very imaginatively built park with fantastic attractions and incredible theming, but how much do you think Walt Disney's personality helped make it seem such a magical place? I'm aware the Walt we see portrayed wasn't always the real person and indeed there have been things written about him that maybe paint a diferent picture to the kindly 'Uncle Walt' that we see on the screen. But the perception of the on screen Walt is how the majority actually see him and let's be honest he came across as a real honest, clean cut all American character that everyone felt comfortable sitting down and listening to. Seeing clips of him still adds something to my visit to the parks along with the statue at the MK which always is comforting to see to make my visit seem that little bit more special.

So as well as the company as a whole, does anyone think a different character with all the same ideas and movies would have been quite as successful or do you think that there was something about Walt himself that portrayed a certain charm that made things that little more special?

 

[rufio]

So as well as the company as a whole, does anyone think a different character with all the same ideas and movies would have been quite as successful or do you think that there was something about Walt himself that portrayed a certain charm that made things that little more special?

Does not compute. Walt Disney was one of a kind!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Walt's success in building DL set the model for the building of WDW. His influence, drive for innovation, perfecting the plan, on the imagineers and others was still fresh in their minds as they constructed every facet of WDW. A different character could have built an amusement park but it certainly wouldn't have been a Disney park. Or the Disney World we know and love.

 

[bethymouse]

"It all started with a mouse". Walt Disney was simply a genius beyond his years. His legacy will live on forever!

 

[Skibum1970]

I think that his personality drove WDW and DL but the success is more than just that. He made "Snow White" and set the bar pretty high and then he followed that up with other movies that people wanted to see. His imagination, as well as those who worked with him, seems to have been boundless. When he built Disneyland, the place was swamped because it was Disney, meaning him and his company. His imagination again took the standard amusement park model and made it into something more. So much so that the same model is copied in the majority of amusement parks throughout the world today (ie. themed areas). So, WDW is successful because of his personality, his imagination, and his gift to communicate both to the people who watched his movies and those that visited his parks. It remains successful because of the imagination of those that followed. They don't always have the same success but the movies, such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, were as well made as Snow White. I hope that the driving forces behind WDW do not lose sight of that, although it sometimes seems as if they have. Still, we go to WDW and feel youthful again as we walk under the arches leading to the Magic Kingdom. We sing along, at least in our heads, to the merry tunes. We still chuckle at the "backside of water".

So, his personality drive the success but that personality was the summation of the whole of who he was and what he wanted to do.

 

[mergatroid]

I think that his personality drove WDW and DL but the success is more than just that. He made "Snow White" and set the bar pretty high and then he followed that up with other movies that people wanted to see. His imagination, as well as those who worked with him, seems to have been boundless. When he built Disneyland, the place was swamped because it was Disney, meaning him and his company. His imagination again took the standard amusement park model and made it into something more. So much so that the same model is copied in the majority of amusement parks throughout the world today (ie. themed areas). So, WDW is successful because of his personality, his imagination, and his gift to communicate both to the people who watched his movies and those that visited his parks. It remains successful because of the imagination of those that followed. They don't always have the same success but the movies, such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, were as well made as Snow White. I hope that the driving forces behind WDW do not lose sight of that, although it sometimes seems as if they have. Still, we go to WDW and feel youthful again as we walk under the arches leading to the Magic Kingdom. We sing along, at least in our heads, to the merry tunes. We still chuckle at the "backside of water".

So, his personality drive the success but that personality was the summation of the whole of who he was and what he wanted to do.

Very well put. We always love the film at 'One man's dream' at DHS.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Personally I think it is impossible for anyone to be the way Walt was portrayed. He was human. He got mad, perhaps swore behind closed doors, might have lashed out at his wife, his two girls, etc. So you have to take it in that context. The Disney company certainly elevated him to be a better person. But in his heart of hearts I have never thought he was a bad person. A strict no-nonsense business man for sure, but always intent on doing everything to his utmost best.

I also think we have pretty good evidence that Walt wasn't the bigoted Jew-hating man he has been painted out to be in recent years. The evidence to me, is "Small World." Would a truly devout racist man be able to stomach that ride? Walt built it for the World's Fair and then put it in Disneyland just months before he died. Along with all of his lighthearted movies I feel this is enough evidence to see he was nothing like the negative stories paint him out to be