Distilling Disney

[Boss Radio]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

I can stare in wonder at the pirate ship firing its cannonballs or the ghosts in the ballroom or even the magic carpets floating around Small World. And to be honest, I feel very priviliged to be able to still be able to suspend disbelief and let my imagination take over. It keeps me young, it keeps me sane, and it keeps me happy. And most importantly, as an artist, it keeps me creative. I have a constant reminder that there are no bounds to imagination. If you can think of it, you can make it happen. It is invaluable to being creative.

You nailed it.
Imagination. Pure imagination.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Boss Radio

Walt remembered tales of swashbuckling pirates from his youth - we remember the thrill of hearing "Dead Men Tell No Tales" right before the once terrifying waterfall descent into the place where dream, memory, fantasy, and nostalgia all happily intersect, and for a fleeting moment, we are 5, 7, 10 years old again.

What a knockout punch. I'd never thought of it that way...a physical manifestation of nostalgia becoming nostalgia itself. That's actually a good barometer to measure whether a new attraction will be good or not - does it tug on your heartstrings from when you were younger? Even Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters fits this bill. From the generation that discovered Pong and onward, who doesn't want to be inside of a huge video game?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

Man, we must have all got an overdose of magic this weekend.

Hell yes. I've been trying to articulate these feelings for a long time. The total immersion of the past weekend definitely made it all the more possible.

Originally Posted by MBC

And strangely, I am not that big of a "Disney" geek.
<snip>
For me though, my specific geekiness is focused on the park and Walt Disney's dream, rather than the company as a whole. And it is only Disneyland Park.

There's nothing strange about it. Each of us has a focus. I know my main focus is the park itself. I'm about to visit my first other Disney park (Paris in Oct) and I know that no matter how beautiful it is, it will not compare to home sweet home.

Originally Posted by MBC

I remember everything about those trips, even though I was so young. I remember how I felt on the rides, what they made me think and wonder about. Those thoughts all resurface to this day when I ride those same rides. I can stare in wonder at the pirate ship firing its cannonballs or the ghosts in the ballroom or even the magic carpets floating around Small World. And to be honest, I feel very priviliged to still be able to suspend disbelief and let my imagination take over.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I'd like to hear from those that feel more at home at WDW. I know from the many trip reports I've read over the years that there is magic to be found at every Disney destination. How does WDW make you feel?

I once came across a book about Celebration, FL, the suburban experiment that Disney set up. I didn't have the time to read it though. There are actually a few books written on Celebration. The idea of applying all that Disney has learned about Utopia into a real-life community interests me greatly, and I might have to dig up one of those. After I get to Harry Potter.

It's funny to me that I love the subject, since I hate homeowners associations and the communistic mediocrity I feel they harbor. Gated communities with homogenous houses couldn't be further from Walt's dream! Just look at Main Street, or anywhere else in Disneyland for that matter. Individuality is a part of the magic.

Homowners associations also involve FORCED caring. I'm polite at Disneyland because the environment engenders politeness. I pick up trash, not because anyone tells me to, but because I want the park to be clean. I find this bleeding over into my "real life", where my interactions with patrons at the library are as close to CM quality as I can make them (although I never went through Mickey U). I can only hope that the citizens of Celebration find that it's not rules that make the community magical, it's the voluntary participation.

[Boss Radio]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

What a knockout punch. I'd never thought of it that way...a physical manifestation of nostalgia becoming nostalgia itself. That's actually a good barometer to measure whether a new attraction will be good or not - does it tug on your heartstrings from when you were younger? Even Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters fits this bill. From the generation that discovered Pong and onward, who doesn't want to be inside of a huge video game?

I concur.

Disneyland is Nostagia defined - a place where you can revisit your childhood, the childhood you never had, and the thousand happy childhoods that you only dreamed of.

Best of all, Disneyland is all things to all people. No two people see it exactly the same way, possibly because we are all seeing our better selves reflected in it.

[Boss Radio]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I once came across a book about Celebration, FL, the suburban experiment that Disney set up. I didn't have the time to read it though. There are actually a few books written on Celebration. The idea of applying all that Disney has learned about Utopia into a real-life community interests me greatly, and I might have to dig up one of those. After I get to Harry Potter.

It's funny to me that I love the subject, since I hate homeowners associations and the communistic mediocrity I feel they harbor. Gated communities with homogenous houses couldn't be further from Walt's dream! Just look at Main Street, or anywhere else in Disneyland for that matter. Individuality is a part of the magic.

Homowners associations also involve FORCED caring. I'm polite at Disneyland because the environment engenders politeness. I pick up trash, not because anyone tells me to, but because I want the park to be clean. I find this bleeding over into my "real life", where my interactions with patrons at the library are as close to CM quality as I can make them (although I never went through Mickey U). I can only hope that the citizens of Celebration find that it's not rules that make the community magical, it's the voluntary participation.

I became fascinated with the concept, because it sounded like a real-world application - albeit scaled-down - of Walt's Progress City. A pure product of socio-economic engineering that would create a model community of the future.

People lined up, drew straws and the place sold out immediately.

I once bought something Disney-related from a resident, and I asked him about, and he was so happy that it was scary.

I think that in the not too distant future, we can expect to see themed developments that cater to specific segments of the population.

But I'm still holding out for Progress City. I want my moving sidewalk!

[Stan4dSteph]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I'd like to hear from those that feel more at home at WDW.

In general, this is me. I grew up going to WDW, not DL.

BTW, Celebration is no longer owned by Disney.

There was an interesting article on Tues. on MousePlanet where each staff member wrote down some of their memories/feelings of Disney. Link

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Thanks for the link....it makes for amazing reading!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

From the Mouseplanet reminiscing, here's a bit by Mike Scopa that sounds a lot like what MBC was describing.

Which time was most memorable? It could have been the two or three times when I actually forgot the day of the week it was. It might have been the first time I saw my children interact with the characters.

It could have been but it wasn't.

On that visit, on the very first night we watched the Fantasy In the Sky fireworks something changed inside of me. I did not realize it at the time but I was making my first journey into the "Disney Zone." I was free of stress, free of worry, and free of care.

I guess you could say I was filled with "Disney Magic" at that moment and I knew that I had found the one place on Earth I could depend on to release me from the cares of everyday life. That moment brought with it some unexpected tears which still surface today. It was a special moment that transformed me forever.

I'm still reading, there's so much there...

[Prudence]

I don't have to be responsible when I'm in my Disney moments.

I have to be responsible at work, at school, at home -- there are very few times that I just get to enjoy and experience with all my senses. It's a live action fairytale, cartoon, nostalgic daydream, and exotic adventure all rolled into one, with only the good parts. Childish glee isn't just sanctioned, it's encouraged.