It's not often that a blog post haunts me, but that is exactly what happened after reading “Notes on a Time That Was Not Happy” on Passport to Dreams Old and New. I am reminded of the C. S. Lewis quote about kindred spirits: “Friendship arises… when two companions… discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure or burden.”
In the case of “Notes on a Time That Was Not Happy,” I am sad to say the author and I share a burden. While we may not agree on all things—and keep in mind that the definition of “Disney” means many different things to many people—the spirit of the essay spoke to me in profound ways. Perhaps some of these very same issues will speak to my readers as well.
An “Us vs. Them” Debate
One observation that resonated with me was the author's claim that the plethora of electronic platforms has led to an “us versus them” stance among Disney fans. “Old School” Disney fans like me remember early Walt Disney World as somehow better, less hectic, more authentic,somehow “truer” to its original vision, while others who never experienced vintage Walt Disney World see things in a much different way. For long-time visitors to the Vacation Kingdom of the World—those of us who were “Disney before Disney was cool” as my friend says—it's difficult to wrap our minds around the fact that many current visitors have no notion of things lost over the last two decades.
There's an entire generation that has never known that “it's fun to be free” on the World of Motion, never encouraged to believe, because “if you can dream it, then you can do it,” never told that “one little spark” can make “a dream come true.” They may have never dined in elegant splendor on the Empress Lilly in what was once known as the Walt Disney World Village in Lake Buena Vista. There are guests who were never warned by Caption Nemo to “beware the tottering columns,” never raced with Mr. Toad “merrily, merrily, merrily on the way to nowhere in particular,” never waved to Dopey atop the bridge at the end of Snow White's Scary Adventures.
Many present day guests can't mourn the loss of a simpler, yet far more complex, Main Street U.S.A. that featured an outdoor flower market and cozy little shops rather than sprawling mega-stores, ending in a leafy Hub with mature trees and twinkling lights, because they never experienced the original. There's really no way for those of us who loved these things to articulate the feeling of loss that still aches. As the author, known as FoxxFur, so eloquently states in her post, “I'm upset because I'm genuinely, emotionally, deeply dismayed by these things. I don't require agreement, but empathy would be nice.”
Nothing highlights this divide stronger than the varied responses to the destruction of the Sorcerer's Hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Guests who remember the Studios in its original form applaud this move; some others, who only experienced this park after 2001, feel differently. It's humbling for me to remember that my unbridled joy at the impending demise of this structure contrasts with genuine sadness felt by others. It helps me understand why some people really don't miss The World of Motion or the original Canadian film the way I do and even, to some degree, why they can't sympathize with me.
Overall, however, I think that it doesn't have to be an “either/or” in regards to present day Walt Disney World and fond memories of years gone by. FoxxFur states
“Fans who see other fans of such a different Disney culture and Disney background… assume there can be no overlap between them. But I'm a fan too, and I love my stuff just as much as other, newer fans. I just like different stuff. There's no crime in that.”
So the next time I long for the original Journey Into Imagination, I will stop myself before I complain. My kids love Figment, even in this truncated version, because it's all they know. Before I compare the classic Main Street Bakery with the new Starbucks, I will remember that this current version is the Main Street Bakery to many current guests.
This is not to say that I won't continue to hold Disney to an incredibly high standard, and that I will gripe loud and long about things that need improvement. For example, I will continue to berate that horrendous “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It!” that screams its way down Main Street much too often for my liking. Even my kids dislike it. I will argue again and again for consistency of sightlines, integrity of design, and adherence to the Disney tradition of theming. I care too much about Walt Disney World to ever stop sounding the clarion horn when wrongs need to be righted.
Nonetheless, all Disney fans, old and new, need to remember that everyone's memories are valid. After all, “those of us who grew up with World of Motion should maybe stop feeling superior to those who grew up with Test Tack, as if our childhoods were objectively superior to theirs. They have their reasons, and [we] have [ours].” I couldn't agree with FoxxFur more.
In With the New and Out With the Old
Another stumbling block to good relations between old and new fans is the ever-contentious idea of change. Those in favor of constant change, whether it's good or bad, misquote Walt Disney himself with the line, “Disneyland will never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world.” I like to counter with Walt's next line in this very same quote: “Even the trees will grow. The place will become more beautiful.” In the opposite camp, some Disney fans are emotionally attached to everything, good or bad. There is fault and merit in both ways of thinking.
Long-time Disney fans can become unreasonably attached to places and things and complain about every single change. On the other hand, some visitors–and marketing departments–are obsessed with the new. Just watch one of the Disney television channels in the resorts and this focus is readily apparent.
Some changes, even to favorite attractions, are good. The technical upgrades to The American Adventure, for instance, enhance our enjoyment of a classic show in the Disney tradition of audio-animatronic presentations. The digital restoration of Impressions de France is nothing short of breathtaking. The loss of Food Rocks in exchange for Soarin' is clearly a winner for fans (although I still miss Kitchen Cabaret). The new Dumbo area of Fantasyland, the Fantasyland Forest, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are wonderful additions to the Magic Kingdom that will enchant and delight guests for generations. While I will always miss Mr. Toad and Horizons, I actually really like Winnie the Pooh and Mission: Space. Vacations are about visiting old favorites and experiencing new surprises along the way.
However, there's room for both the old and the “new and improved” at Walt Disney World. Walt said that, “In Florida we have the blessing of size. We have enough land here to hold all our dreams and plans.” So why not build Mission: Space next to Horizons? Why not keep the World of Motion and build Test Track around and behind it? I realize that the addition of attractions means additional expenses with staffing, operations, and upkeep, but the Walt Disney Company is doing very well these days; a little reinvestment of profits would be a good thing.
While I never bought into the Beanie Baby, pin, or Vinylmation crazes, it makes me smile to see other people enjoying these collections, but it also makes me sad because entire stores have been turned over to these very specific fads. Why can't we still have a Disney Art Gallery or a Main Street Jewelers. Must it be one or the other?
Another issue for Disney fans is outright fear. Recent history has not been kind to many places near and dear to our hearts. For many of the Disney faithful, the lyrics of The Beatles' “In My Life” echo eerily: “There are places I remember / All my life though some have changed / Some for ever not for better… In my life I've loved them all.”
The words of John Lennon and Paul McCartney capture my feelings as I stand in the now treeless Hub or enter the Polynesian Village Resort lobby, emptied of its iconic waterfall. Walt Disney World should evolve, but there's no reason to lose so many good things along the way.
The other issue for many Disney fans is that despite popular misconceptions, Walt Disney World is not tacky and loud like Las Vegas. “Disney” doesn't just mean animated characters or spectacle. It can mean quiet little nooks to read; a lovely, quiet bench to sit and chat with a friend; a cultural immersion—real or imaginary—that takes us out of the present and transports us to Aunt Polly's porch for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; or to a turn-of-the-century park at the end of Main Street. It might mean lunching in a revolutionary tavern full of authentic historical details or strolling through a dense grove of pines catching glimpses of a fairy-tale castle through the trees. These little things are just as Disney to me as Mickey Mouse.
In her post, FoxxFur laments the loss of Disneyland's Court of Angels in New Orleans Square. She observes,
“Loud tourists, crazed Fastpassers and people whose entire kitchen is Mickey Mouse-themed blew past the area daily because to them there was nothing especially “Disney” about an intimate courtyard. What upset aesthetes like me is that, conversely, there was nothing more Disney than the Court of Angels—Walt Disney, that is… The Court of Angels was the symbol of the entire Disney way of doing things… It was there because it was nice, and simply being nice was more than enough.”
I love that final statement that “simply being nice was more than enough.” Too often, modern management views Disney parks in much the same way as retail managers view stores: how much money can we make per square foot. It's this attitude that lead to the loss of the flower market on Main Street, the conversion of the arcade, movie theater, and fire station to retail space, the addition of the tower shops between World Showcase and Future World, the “Leave a Legacy” in front of Spaceship Earth, and the ubiquitous merchandise carts cluttering walkways throughout the parks.
Sometimes, less is more.
Can You Feel the Love?
The line from Passport to Dreams Old and New that haunted me most was the following: “for all the money, all the time, all of the energy expended on showing your love to a place and a product, Disney does not love me back.”
While I will not attempt to argue that the modern Walt Disney Company loves any of us, I will argue that many of the people at Disney do care for us. There are people within the company who strive to hold Disney to traditionally high standards. People like Walt Disney World Resort President George Kalogridis, who responds to letters with phone calls and gifts; Randy Thornton, who produces the wonderful Legacy Collection music; and Stacia Martin, whose diligence restored lost footage to Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Happiest Millionaire. And while Imagineering has lost many champions to retirement—such as Marty Sklar and Tony Baxter—there are many Imagineers waiting for their “magic feather” to soar to new and unimagined heights by creating new attractions or enhancing old favorites in such a way that the original charm and delight is kept intact. After all, Disney “is a premium product and there is no shame in expecting a premium result.”
Look to Your Dreams
Walt Disney loved the spirit of the Sherman Brothers' song, “There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” This optimistic spirit embodies that elusive “Disney zone” that many of us used to feel at Walt Disney World: what's here now is amazing, and future additions and enhancements are bound to be wonderful as well.
Lately, however, those signs stating “this area is being refurbished for your future enjoyment” can send shivers of fear down the backs of Disney fans. What structural, aesthetic, and design changes are in store for The Liberty Tree Tavern? The Central Plaza? The Pirates of the Caribbean? While Disney has reversed some of the worst travesties—The Tiki Birds Under New Management comes to mind—there are still so many refurbishments that need attention; I'm looking at you, Journey into Imagination. Like FoxxFur, I want “to see tasteful refurbishments to troubled attractions that add substantially to the emotional and physical value of the attraction.” She goes on to say that she wants “to see good projects being led by talented people that expand Walt Disney World without closing other parts of it.” She wants “a reason to believe.”
And so, on the behalf of Disney fans old and new, I would like to ask those in power at the Walt Disney Company to keep in mind the true affection and emotional attachment so many of us feel for the Vacation Kingdom of the World as Imagineers plan enhancements to old favorites and dream up new places of wonder and enchantment. Walt Disney was a firm believer in dreaming big and working his way towards those seemingly impossible goals. I like to think that he would have loved the lyrics from the song “Look to Your Dreams” by John Bettis and Richard Carpenter, sung by Karen Carpenter:
Look to your dreams
Don't they seem worthwhile?
Don't they still seem in style?
Aren't you glad they're still there?Once conceived, once believed
Fantasy's reality's childhood
And like a seed, visions need constant careThe future may say, blame blind yesterday
For taking dreams away
They could mean more than they seem
The dreams of those who genuinely care about Walt Disney World do mean more than they seem. While some things that I loved are gone, and probably won't return, there is still much to love about Walt Disney World. The spirit of Walt and his brother Roy, two businessmen who cared about people—be they employees or customers—still lives in many people at the Walt Disney Company.
I'm cautiously optimistic that the future of Walt Disney World holds good things for all generations of Disney fans. There's room enough here for Olaf and Figment, for spectacle and serenity. Like the best of Imagineering's output, the Vacation Kingdom of the World can, indeed, live up to Roy O. Disney's hope: “May Walt Disney World bring joy and inspiration and new knowledge to all who come to this happy place… a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn together.”
