Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks

[Eddie Sotto]

It often occurs to me, and has been talked about in some books, that this is the way Marc Davis seemed to have thought to me. It seems as though he thought clever sight gags and characters were all you needed to have a good attraction, and had little interest in a guy like Claude Coats's desire to provide depth, theming and immersive backgrounds.

And I know Davis is a legend, and justifiably so, and I feel like a heathen in these parts when I say this, but: I'm not a big fan of that. I feel like Davis was better when his ideas were included as a part of an attraction equally contributed on by others (something I know from his own quotes he didn't like doing as much), like the Haunted Mansion.

I spent some quality time with Marc and you're right, he was a mighty Imagineer. Arguably the most influential of them all and Walt loved his comic sense. Marc could even add a sense of humor to Nature's Wonderland. He had a way with staging of scenes that was unequalled and the same was true of his character design and expressive anatomy. The movement in those Pirate drawings is amazing. He was a great art teacher as well, so he had the draftsmanship down cold. As with the films he worked on, they are collaborative mediums of art. It took a team to pull it off. The characters always played against great layouts and backgrounds. If you look at Pinocchio or Snow White, those richly executed worlds supported the characters and their action. Sleeping Beauty was so stylized that the characters lost some of their emotion to the stiff settings. So there is a balance. Same is true in rides. In Film classes they teach that the sets barely suspend the characters, they don't overpower them. Marc was backed by some of the best production designers from Fox Studios that gave the architecture of the parks and the shows the depth they deserved. There was a classical sense of scale and restraint that is lost on many of today's designers. Those convincing backgrounds "suspend disbelief" along with the actors. So I'd say my favorite shows are the ones where the collaboration of all the talent took us somewhere we could never go. Even if they hated each other!

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Very astute observations about Marc's work in relation to the "set piece" approach in the attractions themselves. It brings to mind "America Sings". Really enjoyed the attraction- and my wife worked on it as well- but I was always aware this was a theater. The limitations of size, overhead space, and the more cartoonish backgrounds were a reminder that this was a more humorous look at American music.

I had never thought about this same style background for WRE. Had it been built with that viewpoint in mind, I probably would have enjoyed it but exited the ride thinking it wasn't as fabulous as Pirates. And not knowing why.

 

[HMF]

He would have them come to his office and play "Feed the Birds" to him as he loved it so much.

This is sort of off topic but I was always curious why that particular song meant so much to him.

 

[Mansion Butler]

Off topic, but I found a new "world between the turnstiles" detail today: there's a nifty antique scale you can play with in the Frontierland pin store.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

This is sort of off topic but I was always curious why that particular song meant so much to him.

It's about the merits of charity. Interesting how Walt wanted only one actress to do that small part. When it comes to the question of what kind of person Walt was, it's right on topic!

FEED THE BIRDS

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way to the people she calls,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs.

Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do.
Their young ones are hungry,
Their nests are so bare;
All it takes is tuppence from you."

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag.
"Feed the birds," that's what she cries,
While overhead, her birds fill the skies.

All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares.

Though her words are simple and few,
Listen, listen, she's calling to you:
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."

So there you have it...

Great link to read here...trust me!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_the_Birds

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Off topic, but I found a new "world between the turnstiles" detail today: there's a nifty antique scale you can play with in the Frontierland pin store.

Great. My fave MK "inbetween" are the mosaic murals in the Castle.

 

[HMF]

It's about the merits of charity. Interesting how Walt wanted only one actress to do that small part. When it comes to the question of what kind of person Walt was, it's right on topic!

FEED THE BIRDS

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way to the people she calls,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs.

Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do.
Their young ones are hungry,
Their nests are so bare;
All it takes is tuppence from you."

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag.
"Feed the birds," that's what she cries,
While overhead, her birds fill the skies.

All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares.

Though her words are simple and few,
Listen, listen, she's calling to you:
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."

So there you have it...

Great link to read here...trust me!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_the_Birds

I remember hearing a story that Richard Sherman was playing the song in Disneyland on Walt's (would be) 100th Birthday and a dove landed on the piano and listened as he played it.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

i remember hearing a story that richard sherman was playing the song in disneyland on walt's (would be) 100th birthday and a dove landed on the piano and listened as he played it.

get out!!!!!

 

[_Scar]

Eddie, I can imagine you knew so many people high up at Disney... have they ever talked about where/in what state Walt's body is like fans do? :lol:

Do a mjaority think he's frozen awaiting technology to unfreeze him? :ROFLOL::lookaroun

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

get out!!!!!

I KNOW!!!

That's soooo awesome, very emotional as well. Aww...

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Eddie, I can imagine you knew so many people high up at Disney... have they ever talked about where/in what state Walt's body is like fans do? :lol:

Do a mjaority think he's frozen awaiting technology to unfreeze him? :ROFLOL::lookaroun

Some of us have taken a long lunch hour and went to his gravesite at Forest Lawn in Glendale Ca. Very low key. It was weird to have Michael Eisner say on TV once that it was a big secret and he had to have someone take him to the spot. It's not. We used to make the obvious "Disney on Ice" jokes, but that's about it. It's hard to figure out just how the whole frozen thing got started, that's a bigger topic than where he actually is. Someone actually told me once that they had been to his among other notables cryogenic chamber. Very matter of fact. not a family member that's for sure.

EPCOT Experimental Prototype Cryrogenic Option for Tomorrow!

Here's some info on the real grave.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=284

 

[_Scar]

Some of us have taken a long lunch hour and went to his gravesite at Forest Lawn in Glendale Ca. Very low key. It was weird to have Michael Eisner say on TV once that it was a big secret and he had to have someone take him to the spot. It's not. We used to make the obvious "Disney on Ice" jokes, but that's about it. It's hard to figure out just how the whole frozen thing got started, that's a bigger topic than where he actually is. Someone actually told me once that they had been to his among other notables cryogenic chamber. Very matter of fact. not a family member that's for sure.

EPCOT Experimental Prototype Cryrogenic Option for Tomorrow!

Here's some info on the real grave.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=284

LOL

At least it's not all serious. Maybe his thirst for the future and what it brought sparked the "frozen rebirth" rumors. It freaked me out as a kid when I heard this rumor... :lol: love the Disney on Ice joke

 

[Eddie Sotto]

LOL

At least it's not all serious. Maybe his thirst for the future and what it brought sparked the "frozen rebirth" rumors. It freaked me out as a kid when I heard this rumor... :lol: love the Disney on Ice joke

Probably so. I looked a the list of who IS frozen and it was pretty short. Only Ted Williams the baseball player was recognizable.

 

[_Scar]

Probably so. I looked a the list of who IS frozen and it was pretty short. Only Ted Williams the baseball player was recognizable.

Bet it costs a pretty penny, eh?

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

I remember my grandparents and I argued over this. They believed Walt was frozen, but I always told them he was cremated which I believe is true...?

Well, anyway, they said there were newspapers saying that he was indeed frozen, but to be honest it could have all been rumor. I didn't believe it. I still don't.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I remember my grandparents and I argued over this. They believed Walt was frozen, but I always told them he was cremated which I believe is true...?

Well, anyway, they said there were newspapers saying that he was indeed frozen, but to be honest it could have all been rumor. I didn't believe it. I still don't.

He was creamated. Collect the bet from your folks.

 

[_Scar]

He was creamated. Collect the bet from your folks.

They should of spread his ashes at DL

 

[GrimGhost]

It's about the merits of charity. Interesting how Walt wanted only one actress to do that small part. When it comes to the question of what kind of person Walt was, it's right on topic!

Eddie, I read the article. It was very interesting. I don't know if you've read Neal Gablers book on Walt (Triumph of the American Imagination). I have it on audio and listened to it many times now. He suggests that no one had any idea why Walt would cry as the Sherman brothers played it for him. He posed the possibility that among other things that perhaps the woman simply reminded Walt of his mother. It leads me to believe he somehow missed the comments from the Shermans on this. Either way, I agree with your take on the song and Walt.

On an unrelated note, may I say thank you very much for all the time you have given us all on this thread!!!

 

[Mansion Butler]

Great. My fave MK "inbetween" are the mosaic murals in the Castle.

When we go through our Magic Kingdom orientation as CMs, a lot of the facilitators have everyone pick one gem on those mosaics to call their own, so we can polish it every time we walk through the castle.

 

[ChrisFL]

I remember hearing a story that Richard Sherman was playing the song in Disneyland on Walt's (would be) 100th Birthday and a dove landed on the piano and listened as he played it.

I heard this story from WDWRadio, and what I recall is that a bird flew down going under the piano and back out during the song.