Here's a musical analogy. I can very easily debate whether rock albums today are better/worse than albums from the 70s. There's actually an obvious answer there but that's way off topic. What I really have no business debating is whether a rock concert today is better or worse than one from the 70s since I have no experience actually attending a concert in the 70s. My opinion on the music itself is just as valid as anyone else's but I have no leg to stand on comparing the live concert experience. With WDW you can have a valid opinion on ride lineups, ticket prices and possibly even shows (if Martin has an old video it's usually pretty close to actually being there) but it's hard to understand the vibe of the parks, the cleanliness, the way the CMs interacted with guests, etc... In that case it's hard to understand what people are talking about without experiencing it first hand.
I'd compare the early days of Walt Disney World to Beatlemania, which I am too young to remember. I can be told about it but I'll never truly "get it".
It's like the story I've told about the opening of
Star Wars in 1977.
I remember being dragged to an opening day (not
the opening day, May 25, 1977, which was only a limited engagement) 10 AM showing of
Star Wars at my local theater by my brother-in-law (a Sci Fi fanatic).
I said no one goes to a movie at 10 in the morning, didn't even know they showed movies at 10 AM. My brother-in-law told me I didn't understand, this was a special showing. He said this movie was going to be big,
really big. There were maybe 20-30 people in the theater. This was back in the days when movie theaters were large with hundreds of seats per screen.
The opening music was cool, I was absolutely wowed by the size of the first Star Destroyer, but what was it with all these robots. Where are the people? I didn't even begin to warm up to the movie until Luke finally appeared on the screen.
We stayed for 3 showings that day. Even in the days before cell phones, word got out quickly. I remember people on pay phones (remember those?) calling their friends to come to the theater. The last showing we stayed for was packed.
I've never attended another showing that could ever touch the magic of that first day. Those who have grown up in the post
Star Wars era can't really fathom what it was like, especially in the early to mid 1970s, when movies (except Disney movies which really stunk in the 1970s) were targeted for adult audiences and nearly always were depressing to watch. (Just think
Chinatown,
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
Three Days of the Condor, etc.) Even early blockbusters (e.g.
The Godfather,
Jaws, and
Rocky) were cerebral, lots of gritty dialog targeted for mature audiences.
Star Wars completely changed the movie going experience. At the time, it felt like all other movies before it lacked the one thing
Star Wars had an abundance of: joy.
Star Wars was the first "fun" movie I ever watched. It's a feeling that's impossible to explain to those who did not experience the 1970s and did not see
Star Wars during its initial run.
Good stuff!
