A Spirited Perfect Ten

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
Walt Disney was a salesman first. That's a nice way of saying he was a con artist too. He convinced a lot of people that he was a great guy.

He was a salesman and a great guy. Who said so? The Sherman Brothers, Art Linkletter, Ray Bradbury, Mervyn Le Roy,and Annette Funicello, just to name a few. You know, people who knew him. Please notice that I'm answering your flame-bait in a civil manner. Now go ring some doorbells and run away or something.
 

HauntedMansionFLA

Well-Known Member
And of course, the reality is largely going to be somewhere in the middle. Which is why no matter what way a recently living person who becomes a myth really is, there will be varying opinions. Just like any of us. We all have our good days and bad days - though admittedly, some have much worse or best days than the average folk.

As much as I am no George Lucas apologist, though - I do have to say - the man was generous financially, to a lot of folks. He didn't have to give the main Star Wars actors points (officially, he bought their likeness rights with them, but they came out on the much better end of it, they and their heirs will have a piece of Star Wars in perpetuity), nor the key crew members he later gave 1/4 points to (and even a 1/4 point of Star Wars is "never work again" money). He is also known to be quite charitable.

He can't write his way out of a paper bag, and his directing skills seem to inexplicably bring the worst performances out of otherwise capable to excellent actors while at the same time elevating trash cans to compelling characters, but one thing I've never heard about the guy is that he was stingy or anything other than a generally good person. I think much the same of Walt Disney, though the man obviously had flaws and didn't always act the way he should have toward those that helped build his success.

As to Jobs...shiver...Ebenezer Scrooge would be a worthy Monopoly opponent for him.
I like in some interviews Lucas still refers to Pixar as "his" company. ( Which he did start it but sold it off)
 

alphac2005

Well-Known Member
Yep, drank too much and his smoking caused him to get lung cancer and pass away at the age of 66. WDW would look totally different unless Roy talked some sense into him. A lot of the FLA project was good but some of it was not feasible.

So true. It would have been quite interesting for the real EPCOT to have been built, if Walt had lived and if it could have really come together because the long-term viability of the concept would have been very interesting to have seen unfold. A utopian vision from the 60's most likely would have not held up if it wasn't constantly modernized. And, as our thread is noting, Walt's history and biography has been constantly white washed. No matter how they try to portray it, he kept moving on to his next project and lost a great amount of interest in each main area. EPCOT would have likely been no different.

As for Roy, you're right, there wouldn't have been a Magic Kingdom and resorts if it wasn't for him as he saw that to be the only way that EPCOT had any chance of being economically viable. The company sells us today with the story that Walt bought all this land to build theme parks in Florida. Right......
 

Cesar R M

Well-Known Member
So true. It would have been quite interesting for the real EPCOT to have been built, if Walt had lived and if it could have really come together because the long-term viability of the concept would have been very interesting to have seen unfold. A utopian vision from the 60's most likely would have not held up if it wasn't constantly modernized. And, as our thread is noting, Walt's history and biography has been constantly white washed. No matter how they try to portray it, he kept moving on to his next project and lost a great amount of interest in each main area. EPCOT would have likely been no different.

As for Roy, you're right, there wouldn't have been a Magic Kingdom and resorts if it wasn't for him as he saw that to be the only way that EPCOT had any chance of being economically viable. The company sells us today with the story that Walt bought all this land to build theme parks in Florida. Right......
I actually wonder if it would look alot like Tomorrowland during its "heightdays".
 

Phil12

Well-Known Member
He was a salesman and a great guy. Who said so? The Sherman Brothers, Art Linkletter, Ray Bradbury, Mervyn Le Roy,and Annette Funicello, just to name a few. You know, people who knew him. Please notice that I'm answering your flame-bait in a civil manner. Now go ring some doorbells and run away or something.
See, I told you he was a great salesman.
 

truecoat

Well-Known Member
I kinda felt that was the point of "Mary Poppins" the book as set up in the movie. In real life, Mary can't save Mr Banks, but in fiction everything wraps up nicely.
I read all of the critical articles before going to see "Saving Mr Banks"- pretty much every Disney blog had one- it added to my enjoyment, knowing the actual happenings behind the scenes. I'm a weirdo that way. There was one that pointed out objects in Walt's office and the differences between the actual thing and the movie set. That's nerdery I can get behind!

I wasn't looking for a happy ending so much as a defined relationship between her and the aunt I guess.
 

ChrisFL

Premium Member
SDL had a fire at the castle today (Via DisneyandMore.blogspot.com)

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lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
So true. It would have been quite interesting for the real EPCOT to have been built, if Walt had lived and if it could have really come together because the long-term viability of the concept would have been very interesting to have seen unfold. A utopian vision from the 60's most likely would have not held up if it wasn't constantly modernized. And, as our thread is noting, Walt's history and biography has been constantly white washed. No matter how they try to portray it, he kept moving on to his next project and lost a great amount of interest in each main area. EPCOT would have likely been no different.

As for Roy, you're right, there wouldn't have been a Magic Kingdom and resorts if it wasn't for him as he saw that to be the only way that EPCOT had any chance of being economically viable. The company sells us today with the story that Walt bought all this land to build theme parks in Florida. Right......
EPCOT really isn't the big mystery it is portrayed as being. The organization is from the 1890s and is still mimicked to this day. The biggest issues would be the political organization and economic pressure to ditch the employment requirement so as to attract those who can pay the higher rents of well organized communities.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
As for Roy, you're right, there wouldn't have been a Magic Kingdom and resorts if it wasn't for him as he saw that to be the only way that EPCOT had any chance of being economically viable. The company sells us today with the story that Walt bought all this land to build theme parks in Florida. Right......

Except Walt had been trying to find new locations for themepark's not just Epcot for many years prior to the Florida project. It wasn't just Roy thinking of parks beyond disneyland.

Theme parks were always part of the Florida project vision. The thing was is Walt wasn't interested in working on the theme park and it was Roy to insist that the themepark be done first

Roy's contribution was doing the theme park first, and driving the company to continue with the project even after walt's death -- not the idea that there needs to be a theme park in the plan.

Walt had been keen to add new theme park projects and the feasibility work had always been about that... Not epcot. The whole political twists to create rcid and that idea all came after the property was selected. Highlighting that wasn't part of the selection criteria
 

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