The five best things Disney has done

Cafe Society
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I’m an unabashed Disney fan, even though it’s difficult at times. As a pseudo-hipster liberal, I’m supposed to keep a cynical detatchment towards everything, especially schmaltzy, cloying sentimentality. But still, for over 50 years now (I’m more of a fan of the theme parks than the movies and TV, so I start counting from the opening of Disneyland) they’ve managed to make stuff that’s family-friendly and accessible, while still being genuinely impressive and spectacular.

So I felt like starting a cheesy pro-Disney appreciation thread. With a poll, no less!

In my mind, the 5 greatest achievements of the Walt Disney corporation:

  1. The Main Street Electrical Parade
    The music just came up on my iTunes shuffle, which is what prompted this thread. Even now, at a greying 34, the moment I hear the start of the music, I can vividly remember being 5 years old and seeing the parade for the first time (at Walt Disney World). This is everything Disney is about – taking the latest technology (at least, at the time) to make something that’s just spectacular, and, yes, wondrous. I’ve heard countless variations on the music and seen several variations of the parade, and every damn time it’s like I’m a kid again. The “it’s a small world” music annoys me, but I can (and do) listen to “Baroque Hoedown” on repeat and love every minute of it.

  2. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
    I’ve heard people dismiss it as just a drop ride, but it’s the “Disney touch” that knocks it over the top. The fog at the entrance and the old music playing over tinny speakers can make the queue line genuinely creepy, even in the middle of a bright, hot Florida afternoon. The pre-show is excellent, and the effects within the ride are genuinely surprising (in Florida’s version; I was a little disappointed with California’s). The end part of the ride is just the climax of an entire experience, not the whole thing.

  3. Space Mountain (at Disneyland)
    The Walt Disney World version of Space Mountain was my favorite roller coaster for years, until I rode Disneyland’s version. Then I was torn; Disneyland had the music (which worked only intermittently) and was a slightly better coaster, but WDW had the better effects. With the 50th anniversary rehab at Disneyland, though, its version of Space Mountain is back on top. I miss the Dick Dale music, but the new version is pretty cool. And the effects – the blue light tunnel borrowed from Florida, and a new spinning launch tunnel which is just too damn cool – are exactly what was needed to make it the best roller coaster ever.

  4. Kim Possible
    It’s an animated series that seems too intelligent and genuinely funny to be produced by Disney. Everybody has always said that what separates “classic” from “competent,” at least in animation, is being able to make something that appeals to adults as much as it does to kids. “Kim Possible” has the feel that everybody involved in the making of the show just gets it and understands why it works.

  5. The Haunted Mansion
    I already used up all the gushing adjectives I know for the first 4, so I can’t say much except that I love this ride. I was on it a couple weeks ago and the ride stopped right in front of the singing busts, and I noticed a dozen new details I hadn’t seen before. Considering how many times I’ve ridden the thing, that’s saying quite a bit.

If I’d picked 10, I would’ve named the Enchanted Tiki Room, the fountain at Epcot’s Future World, the Illuminations fireworks show at Epcot, Lilo and Stitch, and that special where they have Louis Armstrong playing on the Mark Twain riverboat at Disneyland. But then this post would’ve been 5 pages long.

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… for its shareholders: Working it so that every Hong Kong taxpayer has stumped up more than HK$3,000 each (US$350-ish) to fund the construction of Hong Kong Disneyland.

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Awesome. I was wondering how long it would take for somebody to post something like that; the first post after the OP was even faster than I could have expected.

Look: get in line. People in Orange County have bitched about Disneyland for the past 50 years, people in Florida and the rest of the country have bitched about Walt Disney World, and nobody needs a reminder on how well “EuroDisney” went over with the French. It’s old news. They’ve been getting criticism both over their artistic merits and contributions to culture, and their business practices, since long before I was born. We’ve heard it.

And as should be obviously to anyone reading my OP, including its various disclaimers, that’s not what this thread was about. It was about seeing past the multinational corporation and getting to what the creative people in the company are trying to do: entertain people and make them happy. Pretty simple, huh?

Maybe you and the other fine people of Hong Kong should try to unclench for a moment and see your selfless tax burden as a way of increasing tourism and bolstering the economy in your city, so that people might actually want to visit. And if not, then go bitch about it somewhere else. There are a lot of residents of the suburbs of Paris, I’m sure, who’d love to join in on a Disney-bashing party. If they’re not already tired of it.

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Count me as another reluctant fan. As much as I don’t want to be sucked in by it all, as much as I like to think I’m too sophisticated and clever, the folks at DW managed to startle me into breathlessness on a couple of occasions:

Neverland Club at the Polynesian Resort: This is one of those evening-care facilities where you can drop your children off for a few hours of fun and crafting while you frolic with other adults. Fine. It’s a great idea and we’ve used the Simba Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but Neverland Club goes happily berserk with the Peter Pan theme-ing. The receptionist sits in the Darling Nursery behind a desk made to look like Wendy’s bed, and when they’re ready to go play the children climb up a stack of blocks and sail through a window into Neverland complete with pirate ship, lagoon, and a starry night sky. I seriously wanted to stay and play.

I would have to second the Tower of Terror. As we walked out, my 5 year-old said “I’m never, ever, ever going on that ride ever again” and he said it with an ear-to-ear grin. But he meant it. He wouldn’t ride it again despite the fact that the ride itself had been so much fun. Later I found he was a bit freaked out by the effects, music, lighting and general creepiness of the pre-ride…all the things that made it so much more than just another ride and which I adore!

Character Brunch at Crystal Palace. Of all the character meals we’ve had, this one is…well, it’s really in its own league. The restaurant is flawlessly themed, bright and serves excellent food, and the Pooh characters are delightful. (This coming from someone who doesn’t get the ‘adult women wearing Pooh stuff’ trend) I really didn’t want to be enchanted, but I was.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. TV cartoon. I’d say much the same as the OP said about Kim Possible, ‘cept I’ve never seen Kim Possible. Buzz, on the other hand, I’ve seen a whole bunch of…a few times. The writing is fresh and clever enough to stand up to multiple adult viewings, doesn’t hinge every episode on some lame moral value, and therefore plot lines are less predictable than you’ll find on most adult shows.

The Starlight Pavers at Epcot. They’re just concrete with pinpoints of light coming from underneath, about 50 of them. They are so subtle that most people walk right past without noticing. Each glows for a few moments, then goes dark, making this section of the plaza a twilight masterpiece for anyone who cares to watch. Simple, quiet, and charming. The memory of my sons jumping from one lighted stone to the next is one of my favorite of the trip.

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The film Fantasia - Nothing like it had ever been done. It was truly a work of genius (or more to the point, geniuses). Since that work of art, others have tried to replicate it (including the Disney Studios themselves) but they all fall short.

The ride in Tomorrowland (I’m probably going to get this wrong) Rocket to the Moon - It fired so many imaginations that it was no surprise to me that in just under a generation after children were introduced to that, individuals were walking on the moon.

Disneyland itself - The whole idea of a true theme park as opposed to an amusement park was so brilliant. Before I get jumped all over, Yes, I know there were small “pocket” theme parks that existed before Disneyland, but nothing for consistentcy and sweep like Disneyland. I would also point out that it was a clean park. I am old enough to remember amusement parks pre-Disneyland and one of my dominant memories of them was always how dirty, grimey and cheap feeling they were.

Mickey Mouse Club - In a day and age of entire networks dedicated to young people, we forget how little children’s programing there was on television in the 50s. Mickey Mouse Club had young people who talked to us. People we could identify with and idolize. Yes, it was monocromatic, but it was the 1950s for Heaven’s sake.

The Wonderful World of Disney My father used to call that show the “show that created color television.” Yeah, that was a broad generalization, but we knew people who bought color television sets they could just barely afford just so they could watch “Disney”. And the range of programing that show brought. From how tos on making a film, to educational cartoons, to travelogues, to adventure programs, to mysteries - such an expanse, it was mind boggling.

Well, those are my five, but I would add another Disney contribution just for the males of my generation.

Annette ahhhhhhhh…

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This summer spectacular.

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As a music geek I have to mention Fantasia. I read somewhere that most people’s first introduction to orchestral music is via cartooons. Just try to hear “The Sorceror’s Apprentice” without seeing Mickey getting swept away in a strom.

As a semi-gamer I have to mention Kingdom Hearts (the Square-Enix link isn’t working). This game combines classic Final Fantasy characters and classic Disney characters in new ways. In Japan, Disney characters are wildly popular, as is the Final Fantasy series. A lot of people thought Square and Disney couldn’t work the two series together, but they did. For me personally it re-kindled my love of Disney. There’s something very cool about being able to throw down against Capt. Hook and Jafar.

The Lion King. If you don’t get choked up at the line “Come on Papa” you have no heart. :wink:

The monorail and to a lesser extent the ferry. Its’ very cool that in order to get into the Magic Kingdom you have to be taken. Its’ like going to a, forgive me, a whole new world. The monorail is still cool and futuristic, even now.

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I can think of a million and one reasons to hate Disney, but I sure loved watching Kim Possble, Dark Wing Duck, Rescue Rangers, and Gummi Bears.

Can’t say I have ever been to Disney World, however.

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Never been to Anaheim, only Paris and Fla. I’ve spent about a month all in all in the two parks, and my first nomination would be** the parks ** themselves. Last time I was in Orlando, I went to Universal, mostly because I wanted to go on the Spider-Man ride. Which was awesome. I actually think it tops any ride in any Disney park, except Space Mountain in Paris.
However, the rest of the park was more amusement park, than theme park. Disney has managed to create its own little universe where I can even enjoy one of the ceesiest rides on the planet - It’s a small world.
2. Space Mountain, Paris. This is by far their best roller coaster.
3. Jungle Book. Simply because it was the first animated feature I ever saw. And it was the first time I went to a theatre to see a movie. It has a very special place in my heart. Objectively, Disney’s made movies that are a lot better, but for me, Jungle Book tops them all.
4. Hooking up with Pixar. True, not their own creative work, and the divorce will make this a Lennon-McCartney issue. But without the marketing clout and distribution network, would Pixar have gotten off the ground. Their movies are very expensive to make and take a very long time to produce. Pixar has rejuvenated the whole animation concept, without forgetting to tell a story (as the guys over at Dreamworks frequently do).
5. All the classic animated shorts.

BTW - the shuttle buses at WDW are made in Roswel, NM. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

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I’ve only been to Disneyland once, so I don’t really remember much. Here’s my list in no particular order.

  1. Haunted Mansion at Halloween all decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas stuff (I guess I should say the parks themselves, but that one stuck out for me).
  2. Mickey Mouse Ear hats.
  3. Finding Nemo
  4. Lost
  5. Miramax?

Where do they do the electric light parade? I’ve always wanted to see it.

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The Main Street Electrical Parade started at Disneyland proper, then moved to the MK in Disneyworld. After a bit there it came back to Anaheim and was at DCA. I think it’s in for rehab at the moment.

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Lilo and Stitch and Timon and Puumba.

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Hmm, five best things. That is a hard question.

  1. Disneyland - Without a doubt, the best idea that Walt ever had.

  2. 'Remember…Dreams Come True" - The current nostalgia-based fireworks show. It is simply the most amazing fireworks show that I have ever seen.

  3. Mary Poppins - Probably one of the best children’s films ever made.

  4. Pirates of the Carribean (The ride) - Has there ever been an amusement park ride as immersive and wonderful. I think not.

  5. Fantasmic - The water-based show in Disneyland with film projected on huge water vapor screens. Very innovative and a must see.

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The customer-oriented philosophy of the theme parks. Although you certainly pay for it, the parks really stand behind that *Happiest Place On Earth * thing. They’re so nice and helpful, and if anything ever goes wrong, they really go out of their way to try and make things right. Not to get into detail, but I’ve had two instances where we thought we were in a negative situation and the Disneyland folks bent over backwards to make it right…even when it was out own fault.

I like how the modern animated films (Little Mermaid on) have strong female characters.

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Seeing past all the bad things and celebrating the few good things is exactly why businesses (Disney ain’t alone) are allowed to continue doing what they’re doing.

That said, as much as I hate Disney, I have nothing but fond memories of Epcot Center.

Sorry, I couldn’t come up with 5.

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I have to 2nd this. I own a weeks timeshare in Orlando, FL and have been going to Disney World almost every year since I was born (Live in Atlanta, Ga so it is only a car ride away). The way Disney takes care of their customers, the way they have the line queues, everything. I’ve gone to Universal and Sea World many times, but everytime I’ve gone I always say “If only this was Disney”.

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Here’s another vote for the Disney attitude toward customer service.

Once my husband and I misunderstood the monorail system and ended up stranded late at night in a monorail station a long distance from our Disney hotel, with no way back except through the parks, which were closed and locked. A security person noticed us standing around looking scared and confused. He got on the radio and talked to someone, and about five minutes later, an entire bus had been commandeered for us. The bus driver was funny and pleasant, and didn’t seem to mind giving a couple of nitwits a private ride back to the hotel. We were amazed and impressed. We offered the driver a tip, but he cheerfully declined it.

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  1. Releasing Miyazaki’s movies in the US
  2. Paying for production, distribution, and promotion of Pixar movies
  3. Miramax, when they’re not caving in to protesters
  4. Aladdin. Jafar’s pretty badass for a Disney villain
  5. I can’t think of a fifth item right now.
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  1. Produced Nightmare Before Christmas
  2. Typhoon Lagoon
  3. Gadget Hackwrench
  4. The Soundtrack to The Lion King
  5. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
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:: Twitches :: I. love. Disneyland! I get all giddy just *thinking * about Disneyland! [ol]
[li]The attitude the staff has to have- always smiling, always friendly, always accomodating. That alone makes Disneyland better than any park, IMHO.[/li][li]All of the hidden stuff that is fun to look for if you know about it (Hidden Mickeys, etc). [/li][li]The Blue Bayou Restaurant- the food is good for theme park food, but the atmosphere makes it my favorite restaurant…ever.[/li][li]The Haunted Mansion because that is my favorite ride. I could ride the Haunted Mansion over and over and over. The little touches make the ride. [/li][li]Disney’s approach to thrill rides (Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain): the rides still can be scary and get your anticipation revved, but there is that Disney touch of happiness that always makes you smile.[/li][/ol]

So, um, anyone wanna go to Disneyland? :smiley: