This piqued my interest. When I was high school I did an extensive report on the Walt Disney Co. for my economics class. It was right around the time that Celebration was established and I was facinated with it. I'm a little ashamed to say I haven't really thought about is since. A quick google search led me to their official website. I've only perused for a minute or two but once again I'm enthralled. Wow, a real live Stepford (in a sense). There are also some pics here. One interesting thing that I noticed is that it snows nightly on Market Street from Nov. 25-Dec 31st. Hmm.

I have a book on Celebration and found it fascinating reading. It was an interesting concept that of course me the same kind of compromises that Disney made in it's other projects at the same time. It has it's staunch supporters, but it never came out the way it was envisioned.

Progress city, the original EPCOT was another cool concept - but early on, I think Walt realized that in order for it to work it had to be run by a benevolent dictatorship. It's residents were all supposed to be temporary - there to build and test pototypes, and then go home. Democracy and majority rule would quickly dilute the ideals - and yet, it still seems so appealing.

A print of the 1966 concept art of Progress City hangs proudly above my desk at work. It warms my heart every time I look up.

This discussion, both on the board and the ones I've been having off line, have been fascinating. I'm not sure the distilling process is done. Maybe I'm not sure it can ever be distilled in a universal way, but the discussion sure is fun.

The event planner in me is alive and kicking. Stay tuned for more. ;)

The thread title "Distilling Disney" was a last moment afterthought. The real title of the OP, "Why Disney will never be cool", was the original concept, even though it grew into something larger as I wrote it.

I do think that "Disney Magic" is something that can be measured and purposefully created.

I disagree.

If it is considered cool to an individual, and also the group they hang around, then it is still cool. To the group of people who, in varying degrees, are fans of Disney, then it will always be cool. Even in the Disney microcosm, there are still verying degrees of what people think are cool =. I for one, am not a Pin-Trader, but there are those who have footlocker size portfolios of the rerest pins, etc, and they are considered coool by their peers. I happen to have certain things in my small collection that some think are cool also.
I think the word "geek" is used as a blanket term to also give some chic'-ness to some people's fanatacism.
As for bieng socially inept,there are situations that really do apply. See definition #3 Due to the fact of the amount of knowledge attained on certain subjects, it can alienate Disney people when the simple questions are asked. I know for myself it it hard to hold back the complete history and backstory contained in my personal archives when someone asks simple questions where I know they only want a "yes/no" or short answer. When people ask the time, I don't have to explain how to build a watch or how it works :grin:

Ask someone who watches the fireworks, just seen The Lion King, has just experienced something Disney related what they think about Disney, most likely they will think it is "Cool"

Ask them what they think of Fanatics (Whether it be of Disney, action figures, comics, entertainment/actors/musician, collectibles, pro/con issues, etc...), then That is where the uncoolness comes in. When it steps beyond the realm of fun and takes over ones life, that becomes sad.


All in all, it is perception.
Will Disney be cool...
Yes.

Rereading my post, I realize I didn't make clear something that I thought I had - that the word "cool" now means "anything that I think is neat or interesting", but that for the purposes of this piece, I'd be going with the social sense of "cool". By using the broader term, everything is cool, because there's always someone somewhere that will think that thing is neat or interesting. In that sense, the word means nothing, really.

I wasn't trying to discuss whether Disney is called "cool" by some people - obviously, it is.

What a thread this is! I can't even begin to conjure up anything I might contribute, except to say that it is all very useful to a bit of fiction I"ve been slowly chipping away at for a long time. Thanks for the insightful dialog, everyone!

Less germane to the overall topic, it's worth mentioning that Celebration doesn't belong to Disney anymore. They sold it off a couple of years ago. It's a fascinating place to visit, but most people I take there immediately compare it to the artificial world of The Truman Show. It has a kind of Stepford quality, and is only slowly taking on the sense of community that makes a place real. It has never given me that warm magic vibe that the best Disney park or resort experiences deliver. But I like to go there occasionally. There is an excellent little cafe on a corner in their tiny downtown region.

Rock on, y'all.