Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

[nytimez]

Fair enough. But Diane Disney didn't, FWIW.

Yes, I remember she was quite upset. But, family members tend to prefer hagiography.

 

[Magenta Panther]

True, but it was her property that Walt wanted.

And he was extremely difficult himself to work with as any of the greats that worked with him -- and are left -- can attest.

He was a visionary and a genius, but also obstinate and not nice at times. In other words, he was human.

sad thing is many people likely believe he is a character created by TWDC ...no, I am not kidding.

Yeah, some people think he' s like Betty Crocker: a manufactured personality and icon. That's why every person who visits WDW HAS to see "One Man's Dream". It's not a thorough biography of Walt, but it's a decent one considering the venue and length.

And sure, Walt could be difficult. Demanding. Not effusive with praise (his dad was like that too). He smoked (too much), drank (not nearly as much, thank goodness) and he swore (but never in front of women or children). But he wasn't the phony manipulative bigoted moneygrubbing monster some in the press and other media have tried to paint him as. That's the stuff that makes me mad. Some people get a perverse pleasure in tearing him down, because of the family values he stood for. Because some people hate those values. They either think they're entirely false (which is a sad way to think) or they think such values stand in the way of "progress". No, Walt was amazing because he was a good man and accomplished so much despite being human. That's why I admire him so much and why he inspires me still. A person's humanity doesn't have to get in the way of greatness.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Yes, I remember she was quite upset. But, family members tend to prefer hagiography.

In some cases. But sometimes they simply know the truth and prefer the truth to be told.

 

[nytimez]

In some cases. But sometimes they simply know the truth and prefer the truth to be told.

And what makes you so sure that's the case here?

I won't claim the book is perfect. But I think it was well-sourced and painted an excellent portrait of both his strengths and flaws, and I actually think it leans more toward strengths. Some of the complaints make it seem like Gabler demonized Walt and I don't think he did that at all.

In fact, I think it debunked some of the more persistant Walt myths, such as his supposed racism and antisemitism.

My complaint with the book is that I think it sped too quickly through his final years.

 

[71jason]

Hurrah for middle aged men molesting underage girls in the parks.

And he's proud of it too.

Whoa, whoa, whoa ... who you calling middle aged? He's younger than me!

Also, why should the parks be any different than the rest of Orlando? (I kid, that last girl I saw David with was 19 at least ...)

 

[ChrisFL]

And sure, Walt could be difficult. Demanding. Not effusive with praise (his dad was like that too). He smoked (too much), drank (not nearly as much, thank goodness) and he swore (but never in front of women or children). But he wasn't the phony manipulative bigoted moneygrubbing monster some in the press and other media have tried to paint him as. That's the stuff that makes me mad. Some people get a perverse pleasure in tearing him down, because of the family values he stood for. Because some people hate those values. They either think they're entirely false (which is a sad way to think) or they think such values stand in the way of "progress". No, Walt was amazing because he was a good man and accomplished so much despite being human. That's why I admire him so much and why he inspires me still. A person's humanity doesn't have to get in the way of greatness.

Yep. People tear him down because they can't live up to what he accomplished, or can't understand how he could have been such a good person.

 

[FigmentJedi]

I love Fantasia - except the part about dinosaurs. First of all, I hate "Rite of Spring". What a mess of a melody. I can't understand why it's so famous. And the dinosaur segments nowadays look very lame. If that part were cut out, Fantasia would be the perfect animated film IMO. I love the Nutcracker Suite segment. So beautiful...

I'm the exact opposite. Nutcracker Suite's always been my least favorite of the major segments.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

@Tahu , I love your new avatar!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/the-walt-disney-image-problem-76157.html
Last weekend, The Guardian published a long-ish piece on Philip Glass’s soon-to-debut opera The Perfect American based on the novel of the same name by Peter Stephan Jungk. The book (and it appears the opera, too) is a veritable checklist of accusations that have been leveled against Walt Disney throughout the years: he was a McCarthyite, a racist, a misogynist, an anti-Semite, a megalomaniac. It manages to come up with new fictional flaws too, like philandering and incestuous obsession with his daughters.

Jungk’s book has been described by Walt Disney biographer Michael Barrier as “infantile” and “wretched.” That is perhaps why the Guardian reported that the Disney company called Glass to ask him not to work on the opera. The article also says that the finished opera was submitted to the Disney Studios for consideration, and there was no response. Jungk, the author of the book, said that he interpreted the company’s lack of response as “a green light.”

Glass says that despite all the negative (and untrue) traits the opera attaches to Walt, his intentions were noble:

“When I started out, people thought I was going to laugh at him. But I see Walt Disney as an icon of modernity, a man able to build bridges between highbrow culture and popular culture; just like Leonard Bernstein, who could jump from a Broadway musical to a Mahler cycle.”

To me, the opera is representative of a bigger problem faced by the Disney company, and that is that the company has been unable to present an alternative narrative to the perpetual vilification of Walt Disney in contemporary pop culture. The lack of honest and easy-to-access information about Walt is precisely why a majority of teens and twenty-somethings today have a wildly distorted and inaccurate view of Walt Disney, the man.

The Disney company could do much more to humanize the founder of their company. Instead the company has taken the tactical approach that its founder must be deified. In response, they build statues of Walt using every conceivable material that is known to mankind, from bronze to Tom Hanks.



These statues end up being as one-dimensional and untrue as the negative portrayals. Today’s generation is too savvy to accept an image of Walt Disney as an irreproachable god-like entity, and so they seek their truth elsewhere. It is through this cycle that the Disney company continues to lose control over its founder’s image.



Disney animator and director Ward Kimball, the subject of my own as-yet-unpublished biography, rebelled in his own idiosyncratic fashion against the Disney company’s deification of Walt, which he felt diminished the man’s accomplishments and tainted his legacy. Ward never censored himself when he was asked to speak about Walt Disney at public functions. He made sure to incorporate stories about honest human interactions with Walt, of which he had more of than almost any other artist who worked at the company. In Ward’s stories, Walt may have used a cuss word and he may have just walked out of the bathroom after taking a , but he was a human being who people could recognize, understand, and most importantly, admire.

The Disney family-operated Walt Disney Family Museum, in its own way, does a great job of humanizing the founder of the company. However, the museum is not a panacea for Walt’s image problem because its impact is limited to tourists and Disney fans. It cannot combat the steady stream of misinformation about Walt from mainstream cultural sources like Family Guy and Saturday Night Live.

The Disney company itself, with its vast media reach, is in the best position to rehabilitate the image of its founder and offer a counterimage to the flood of negative portrayals of its founder. A good first step would be to acknowledge the fact that Walt Disney wasn’t a god, but a human being.

 

[The Duck]

Hey Everyone who wanted to read that crazy lady's Sara Strand's Blogs (including @WDW1974)

Here's the google cache links:

Day 1 Where she hates on MK

Day 2 Where she Rants on Epcot

Somewhere lost in her racism, homophobia and xenophobia is the underlying point (I guess) that Disney is an utter pain the the for the uninitiated and ill-prepared. It is not for the 1D1P or 2D1P guests anymore; it is a true vacation destination that takes days and planning to be able to do anything. Which is awfully sad....

Well, she sounds like a simply lovely individual! A regular Donna F******g Reed.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Well I am not reading all that but at least it looks like her kids had a great time. Isn't that what it's all about? Just being happy, having a good time and escaping for a little?

She just seemed unpleasant to begin with though.

 

[SirLink]

As a brit, how would you feel if they built a ride in the UK pavilion centered around Wallace and Gromit?

I wouldn't mind quite frankly Wallace and Gromit although in Claymation form best represents the UK in our sense of design, innovation and quirky sensibilities.

However, before that what UK pavilion needs is a ride based on "A Christmas Carol" seen as we are the country that invented Christmas cards. You could even have a little shop selling replicas of early Christmas cards - as well as merchandise from one our most celebrated authors.

 

[Bolna]

I wouldn't mind quite frankly Wallace and Gromit although in Claymation form best represents the UK in our sense of design, innovation and quirky sensibilities.

However, before that what UK pavilion needs is a ride based on "A Christmas Carol" seen as we are the country that invented Christmas cards. You could even have a little shop selling replicas of early Christmas cards - as well as merchandise from one our most celebrated authors.

There are so many things that could be done at Epcot to plus the existing countries... And I think your idea is just lovely. However, at the moment the only things that get added are water front restaurants and since the UK already has one, I guess the UK won't see any building work for a long time (unfortunately).

 

[PhotoDave219]

Well, she sounds like a simply lovely individual! A regular Donna F******g Reed.

I don't recall Donna Reed graphically discussing coitus in a very uncomfortable place.... And I don't mean the back of a Volkswagen.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Whoa, whoa, whoa ... who you calling middle aged? He's younger than me!

Also, why should the parks be any different than the rest of Orlando? (I kid, that last girl I saw David with was 19 at least ...)

Ha!

... What am I being accused of? All my lady friends of late are over 35.

 

[crispy]

Just my thoughts on the low attendance at Disney Parks and the economy. We are the typical family that many people think Disney is targeting (two kids and some disposable income). At this point, we are finding we can do two or three vacations a year if we do a non-Disney vacation or we can do one Disney vacation. This year we have spent 4 days touring Chicago and staying right downtown (surprisingly inexpensive in the off season) and we then took a 5 day cruise to Canada out of Boston. Both of these trips combined was less than a 6 day trip to WDW staying at one of the moderate resorts.

I think many people find themselves in the same position - they can spend a lot going to Disney for a week or can take longer (and much less stressful) vacations elsewhere. On other words, Disney is pricing many of us out.

I am currently looking at a 5 day Fall vacation. Right now, I can stay at a Universal partner hotel for 5 days, receive 2 days of free dining, and Universal tickets for around $1200 (with some hotels priced less and some more). If I want to stay at one of the Universal hotels (Portofino, Hard Rock, Royal Pacific) and get tickets (no dining), I can book a package for around $1900. The same stay at a VALUE resort at Disney with room and tickets only is right around $1800. If I choose a Deluxe Hotel and tickets at WDW (equivalent to the Universal on-site hotels) I am looking at between $3000 (at AKL) and $4000 (at Polynesian). I know the argument is made that Disney has a lot more to offer to justify the prices, but at this point, many are less worried about what is being offered and more worried about what they can actually afford.

I have actually said on this thread that my family just isn't interested in doing Universal, but we are now seriously considering doing it this fall. Yesterday, 20% of the employees in my husbands department were laid off. We are pretty frugal anyway, but it was a pretty sobering event and a reminder that we need to trim some of the fat from our budget. We don't want to not travel, but we need to be more budget-conscious about how we spend our money.

 

[Lee]

I don't recall Donna Reed graphically discussing coitus in a very uncomfortable place.... And I don't mean the back of a Volkswagen.

Nice.
Five points to Dave for a Mallrats reference.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Oh yeah, I was in Kingdom briefly last night before an insane headache took root. It was empty. MSUSA had prime spots for parade 10 minutes before. Most rides were walk-on or very short wait. (Except Peter Pan)

 

[stevehousse]

I would love for my family to go to Uni, but my kids are still to young at 5 and 2 to justify for us to go, hence why we do Disney instead. Uni barely had anything for them to do or ride...the worst part is my DS5 loves Harry Potter but I don't want him to go and not be able to experience anything...

 

[PhotoDave219]

I would love for my family to go to Uni, but my kids are still to young at 5 and 2 to justify for us to go, hence why we do Disney instead. Uni barely had anything for them to do or ride...the worst part is my DS5 loves Harry Potter but I don't want him to go and not be able to experience anything...

What is a DS5?