Lileks and Disney

Once again, James Lileks does Disney (scroll down):

We went to Epcot the first day. I love Epcot. Don’t have the same reaction I did the first time, where newness and delight was tinged with a certain sort of sadness – seeing the 70s ideas of THE FUTURE! was nostalgic and bittersweet. The glass pyramid, the monorail, the enormous million-faceted sphere, the tinged concrete, and all the other details that made you feel like you were in a Gene Roddenberry pilot. Now I enjoy it for what it is, and enjoy its curious conjoining of Science! and international comity. One half techno-theme-park, one half permanent Festival of Nations housed in exquisite sets.

Here he is from two years ago and, as I noted then, Lileks gets it. He's blogged each of his visits since though I've failed to note them. Each of his entries, though, just about sums up my own feelings for the place and makes my own seem paltry in comparison.

But that's okay. If I can't go there myself, I'll relive those trips through Lileks. Good enough for now.

Disney Blog

I have some online friends who are in the Public Relations business and they've recently been knocking around the ideas of what special challenges there are out there for PR folk. Imagine working in the PR department for BP during their disastrous oil spill this past Spring and this Summer. A textbook case.

Social media is proving to be a massively effective tool in their toolkit for getting their clients' message out. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter.

The Disney PR department has started a blog and like all things Disney, it's just about perfect. The commenters, though, seem like "plants" but I haven't tested them to be sure so I'm just guessing. The posters seem as enthusiastic about all things Disney and always able to answer questions or make points that dovetail nicely with the latest Disney talking points. The posters are good, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a willing member of the Disney cult. No, really.

Still, I'm sure my PR friends can't help but look on with envy at this perfect-storm of a post:

Eight turtles injured by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have begun their rehabilitation at Walt Disney World Resort under the care of our animal experts.

Late last week, Disney’s Animal Programs research scientist and veterinarian Dr. Andy Stamper transported the six endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles — among the most endangered species of sea turtles in the world — and two green sea turtles from the Florida Panhandle to our facilities here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Engineers and water science expert have converted a backstage area into a temporary rehabilitation facility – setting up salt-water pools capable of housing up to 35 sea turtles.

Disney. They care about wildlife.

Oh, and ticket prices are going up.

Walt Disney Co.'s Princess and the Frog Stirs Controversy Among Evangelicals

I think we evangelicals have bigger things to worry about than this:

Walt Disney Co. no doubt expected kudos for breaking racial barriers in its holiday hit, "The Princess and the Frog," and that praise has come from some quarters. But the entertainment giant also finds itself receiving stinging criticism from conservative evangelical Christians on a Web warpath. Hollywoodjesus.com said the animated feature's preoccupation with voodoo, black magic, bloody amulets and Ouija boards was "too dark and extreme for this kind of kids' film." Christiananswers.net rated the movie "Offensive"; citing a Tarot card reading, soul transfer and implied reincarnation, the site called the film "demonic." A reviewer for the respected magazine Christianity Today charged that the movie was "disturbing," with a "hollow, thoughtless core." These and other essays provoked furious debate involving hundreds of Internet responses, likely echoed in evangelical moms' groups in churches nationwide. Disney declined to respond directly to the criticism, saying in an email to me: "The Princess and the Frog is a lighthearted musical fairytale set in New Orleans during the jazz age featuring Disney's first African American Princess, which audiences and critics around the world have enthusiastically embraced."

Disney hasn't been as family friendly as it has in the past but it's still the only entertainment company that you can depend on to provide high quality family fare. Evangelicals criticism of this movie, like their mis-guided boycotts in the past, is mis-placed. We should be looking to Disney as a partner in the promotion of solid family values.

Roy Disney Dead at 79

Roy Disney, nephew of Walt, has died:

Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose powerful behind-the-scenes influence on The Walt Disney Co. led to the departure of former chief Michael Eisner, has died. He was 79.

The company announced that Disney died Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif., after a yearlong bout with stomach cancer.

Company president and chief executive Bob Iger said Disney was much more than a valued 56-year company veteran.

Although he generally stayed out of the spotlight, Roy Disney didn't hesitate to lead a successful campaign in 1984 to oust Walt Disney's son-in-law after concluding he was leading the company in the wrong direction.

Nearly 20 years later, he launched another successful shareholders revolt, this time against Eisner, the man he'd helped bring in after the previous ouster.

Eisner and his wife issued a statement expressing their sympathies over Disney's death.

Disney War, the story of Roy Disney and his work to get Miller ousted, Eisner hired, then fired makes for fascinating reading; it says something about Disney that Eisner would be moved to issue a statement expressing sympathy. (I guess it says something about Eisner, too.)

Definitely the end of an era.

Disney World Opened 38 Years Ago

It was 38 years ago, er, yesterday that Disney World opened. Here's an early commercial:



I have no memory of the commercial but I do remember Disney World being a bright, golden destination a kid could hope to some day visit. I think it would only be a few short years after it opened that we'd managed to get there. The tales a cousin told of his first visit were mesmerizing. Don't ask how many times we've been there since. It never gets old.

Oh, and here's something I didn't know: The Christmas Parade down Main Street doesn't actually take place on Christmas Day:

You can pre-register now for tickets to be in the audience for the 2009 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade taping in the Magic Kingdom. Production is the first weekend of December as it has been in the past, but this year a third day has been added. Concert performances on the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage will be filmed on Thursday, Dec. 3 and Friday, Dec. 4. The parade itself will be taped on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Huh. Didn't know I was so naive to think that what I was seeing on Christmas morning was the real thing. Ah, but that's what Disney does, doesn't it: give me a reality that I want but that's not necessarily real. I'm fine with that.

Rachel's American Idol Experience

I've downloaded all the pictures from my camera and cell phone and got the pictures that Uncle John took, so expect some more posts about vacation.

First up: Rachel's American Idol Experience.

If you're a fan of American Idol, you know the new attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios is The American Idol Experience. Interest contestants can audition throughout the day for one of three slots in seven shows, with a chance to win a slot in the finale and have a crack at winning the golden ticket, which is a pass to the front of the line of a real American Idol audition.

Rachel saw that and was hooked. Could she she try? Sure, why not? We headed out what we thought was first thing in the morning but was actually closer to noon and got in the short line for auditions. Made our way inside and she got her chance to sing her a capella version of a pop song I'm not familiar with but which she sounded beautifully. Right on key to my ears. Rachel's always had the talent of perfect pitch. The screener gave her some tips, asked for some changes, and had her give it another go. Nailed it. But the screener said they only had 21 slots for the day and, unfortunately, they'd filled the ones they needed of her style. But she sounded and looked good, followed and applied directions well, and wished her luck. A nice let down. She'd gave it her best and, well, sometimes that's -

"Dad, if we came back earlier tomorrow, I'd have a better chance of getting in."

Well, I couldn't argue with that logic. And it was good to see her fired up so, why not? We scheduled another early rise and when we got back to the room that evening, she spent a good deal of time practicing for the next day.

Next day, we were up bright and early and in the park a little after opening. Same routine, got to the first screener, who was a nice lady from Texas, and who, again, was impressed with Rachel's sound and look and ability to follow and put into effect the advice she was given. On to the next round for her! Which was like a producer or something.

We cooled it for a while in the "red room," with Coca Cola logos emblazoned everywhere, and Rachel got a chance to choose her performance song from a list and listen to the track on an iPod and do some more practicing. We got called in and met the "producer," another nice, encouraging guy, and he had Rachel give her song a go with the backing track and watched her on his monitor. They have all sorts of videos throughout the process with Ryan Seacrest and the other Idols mouthing their lines and this time Seacrest came on and told Rachel she didn't make it to Hollywood but she did make it to a show later in the day! Woot! Her slot was for 5:00 and she was to show up an hour before, with her VIPs - Mom and Emily - to show up for special seats at 4:30. She leapt out of the room, waving her lanyard, just like in the TV show. I managed to catch her at a calmer moment:

We came back as instructed - since she's under 18, I have to be there for everything - and met her competition, a young man who is a theatre major in Pennsylvania, entering the National Guard in a month, and a young lady who had graduated with a theatre degree from New Jersey, who had competed two months prior and won her show but not the finale, wearing a red dress and nice shoes. Sigh. Well, Rachel was undaunted. She had time with hair and makeup:

Some time with a vocal coach, and then she cooled it for a while in the green room, which is actually more blue than green:

And we waited for rehearsal time. We were restricted from taking video and all I had was my Blackberry and I'd be stuck backstage during the performance but I would get a chance to see how things would go during rehearsal.

Here's the sign on stage:

They worked on coming out onstage and hitting their spots:





And then she ran through her performance:



Wow! The backing tracks really boomed through the auditorium and Rachel kept right up with it. Flawless, if you ask me, and it's not like I'm prejudiced or anything. The young man did Michael Jackson's I Want You Back - suck up - which was quite good, and the young lady did a soulful version of Natural Woman. Tough competition but Rachel was up for it.

Backstage again for us. We heard the audience come in, got a peak at 'em through the curtains - the auditorium held 1,000, not a huge amount but big enough - and Rachel managed to keep her cool.

Once Rachel headed back onstage, my only view was of the monitor. Thanks to my crappy Blackberry camera, I got some crappy pictures of the monitor and Rachel's performance:





They had three judges, just like the show: an amiable black guy, who liked what he saw and heard, a kooky gal, who liked what she saw and heard, too, and a cranky guy, who was mean and got lots of boos for his comments. The other two performed, the audience voted and. . .

The girl in the red dress won.

Dang.

They closed the show, everybody rushed on stage and congratulated her, the judges and Seacrest character came back and slapped me on the back, and everyone was just as nice as they could be. Rachel took her loss well and we chalked this one up as something we'd never done before and we were glad Rachel had done it. Proud? Oh, you can't imagine.

I think Rachel learned a little something about herself, about applying her talent, and overcoming her fears. Something you don't expect when you go on vacation. Beats another set of Mickey Mouse ears.

Fog and Mist

Hard to believe the date on this one. More like October. Another view from the boardwalk.

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Disney Marketplace

Since I don't know in what order these pictures will post because I'm mobile-blogging them, I'll just jump in and hope things make sense.

We spent the evening at the Disney Marketplace. Huge crowds. As multi-ethnic as the Star Wars cantina scene though maybe not quite as dangerous.

A DJ on a stage led the young folk in dances to his jams. Lotsa Moms joined in; far fewer Dads. Finished up with The Chicken Dance which got everyone involved. The Chicken Dance cuts across all cultures. The universal dance.

The sun goes down, the lights come up, the magic cranks up a few notches, as if that's possible.

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Rachel and Emily Begin Their Day

 

Rachel chows down.

Enter: Emily.

The day just got more interesting.

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Update: Swapped out Emily's picture for a Picasa version that rotates the picture so she's upright instead of on her side. The rotate function on my Blackberry works but didn't save the change when I posted. No big deal.

Battle of the Tribute Bands

Hotel California, an Eagles tribute band, was performing at the American Pavilion at Epcot as part of their summer concert series. We've caught tribute bands here before and they've always been good. Real crowd favorites.

Over at the Great Britain pavilion, British Invasion played. They're a, you guessed it, a Beatles tribute band. We caught two of their sets but I didn't get their picture. Another crowd-pleasing group, they've been here for 13 years. Not a bad gig.

Over at the Canada pavilion, it was Off Kilter performing. They're not a tribute band but play a fun mix of rock and Celtic music. Their rock version of Danny Boy was surprisingly good. Lots of fans. One guy, who I think was a ringer, put on quite a dance show to their music. The band claimed to not know him but enjoyed him as much as the audience.

Think what you want about tribute bands. I read a recent article about them that pointed out they have their own loyal fan base and many perform with the blessings of the original. They're out there, working hard at something they love, pleasing a lot of people. We should all be so fortunate.

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That's no man, man.

At the Japan pavilion at Epcot, we watched the drummers perform. Impressive, exciting. I thought the were men but when I moved closer, it became clear they weren't. Did that change things? Not really. It's the drumming that counts, not the drummer's gender. My assumption was the surprise. I missed getting their picture while they performed. I got them instead cleaning up afterwards.

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Different Views of the Same Resort

We're at The Boardwalk Villas and no matter the time of day, you can't help but get a great shot, even with a camera phone. Of course, it's all part of the same Disney plot to convince you that you should be happy. Don't fall under its devious spell!

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Blue Lights

I hate hate hate blogging from my Blackberry. Part of the reason: I have no idea what these posts will look like until they post, then I can't edit them well. This is a perfect example. Thought I'd included this picture with the previous post. Didn't. Couldn't do a dang thing about it. Except post it as a separate post. Which I did.

Anyway. . .

These are the pretty blue lights from the waiting line at Soarin'.

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Standing in the Soarin' Line

It was only a promised 95 minute wait so we were game. At least we were indoors where it's cool. The line goes by these panels where an animated computer program and audience participation provides the amusement. You move your body and stuff happens on the screen. Funny to look back at the crowd and see them waving their arms and gyrating like crazy. Turned the corner. The blue lights were pretty. Final wait time: somewhat longer than advertised. But the ride was so delightful we'll hold off the lawsuits.

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Museum Celebrates Life of Walt Disney

I'm surprised there isn't something like this already:

He's the reason adults of a certain age can't stop themselves from finishing the song line beginning "M-I-C-K-E-Y," the force causing untold legions to see marching mops when they hear the rousing strains of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

But the story of Walt Disney the man sometimes gets forgotten in the telling of his legend. Descendants of the 20th-century innovator hope to fix that disconnect with The Walt Disney Family Museum, opening this fall in San Francisco.

"My dad's story is an inspirational story," Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, said. "I want people to understand his character and how he pursued his career."

And have fun.

Another stop to be made on the pilgrimage to all things Disney. Maybe I'll get lucky and the exhibit will hit the road and come this way.

Missing Mom, Girl Found at Disney World

Well, if you're gonna concoct a crazy story to cover your tracks while you go to Disney World, at least go in style:

A suburban mother who claimed she and her daughter had been abducted and stuffed in a car trunk is was in custody in Florida on Thursday after the pair were found at Disney World, where they had flown hours after the mother reporting their abduction. . .

Henry told reporters that Sweeten borrowed a co-worker's driver's license and presented it as her own when she bought an airline ticket and flew to Orlando, Fla., then checked into the Grand Floridian Hotel with her daughter, Julia Rakoczy. The two were taken into custody at the hotel Wednesday evening, Henry said.

Ah, The Grand Floridian. Destination of choice for whacked out suburban Moms. And me, too. Some day, I'll get there. Some day.

Animatronic Obama Going to Disney World With High-Tech Style

Here's another non-news story that's about Obama but because it's about Obama, it's suddenly news:

Barack Obama was standing on a riser inside a warehouse here, delivering an inspirational speech about the blessings of freedom, when his left index finger began to twitch uncontrollably, unnerving his aides.
The nation’s 44th president was in obvious distress. At least it looked like him. But with silicone skin and a tangled nest of wires for veins, this Obama was a 21st-century reproduction.

More specifically, it was an audio-animatronic representation of the president, as imagined by the Walt Disney Company, and assembled with the direct involvement of the White House staff — and of Mr. Obama himself. The president supplied not just his measurements, but he also recorded that speech (which was initially drafted by a Disney writer) — and yet another recitation of the oath of office, this one in Disney high-definition sound.

In that Hollywood building here, the life-size, three-dimensional figure was being put through its final tune-up, its chin rising and hands gesturing in response to technicians, in preparation for shipment to the Hall of Presidents exhibit at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Well, it's the New York Times so if you expected a tone that's less than fawning, I'm sorry to say you'd be disappointed.

Of course Disney is adding Obama to the Hall of Presidents exhibit or ride or attraction or whatever it's called: he's the President! Disney does this every time we get a new one, and with the latest technology. And, yes, amazingly so, the President records the speech given by his animatronic double. Where was the Times when Bush's was installed? Or the other Bush? Or Reagan? (I imagine the Clinton installation was equally amazing to the writers at the Times but I can't be bothered to look it up.)

Well, it's good to see patriotism return to the pages of the Times so I'm glad for that.

Disney CEO Drops F-Bomb at Shareholder Meeting

I take second place to no one in my affection for all things Disney but, my, how the mighty company has fallen:

Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger scowled at and said "f--- you" to Tom Borelli, director of the National Center for Public Policy Research's Free Enterprise Project, at Tuesday's annual Disney shareholder meeting.

Iger's remark came after Borelli told Disney shareholders about Iger's refusal to sell the DVD or the distribution rights of the miniseries "The Path to 9/11."

Borelli had just ended his presentation and was attempting to shake Iger's hand on his way back to his seat. Iger, who was sitting in the audience at the time, also refused to uncross his arms and shake Borelli's hand. Borelli, who had received applause from fellow shareholders after his presentation, went back to the podium and precisely reported to his fellow shareholders what Iger had just said, to gasps from the assembled crowd. Borelli then sat back down.

"The Path to 9/11" is a miniseries based on the federal "9/11 Commission Report." The miniseries aired in 2006 on the Disney-owned ABC television network. The shareholder meeting was held at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California.

Sure, write this off as right-wing whackness but if I were a shareholder, I'd be seething. No, not for the vulgarism - must we coarsen every exchange in our lives? - but for the lack of good business sense by the CEO. Most entertainment companies can't wait to rush to release to DVD whatever they have in their video vaults - a quick browse of the Blockbuster aisles will show you there's all kinds of krep out there - but Disney, the master buck-maker, decides to play coy.

Though I didn't see it, the miniseries was popular and clearly there's an audience for it. You're just giving us right-wingers fodder, Disney. Release the thing already!

Lileks Finishes Disney

Lileks posts his 2nd and 3rd installment of his Disney trip here and here. (And, of course, my Disney posts begin here.)

Surprisingly, he'd never been to Disney-MGM and, not surprisingly, he fell in love with the architecture. And he only logged a partial day in the Magic Kingdom before heading home. Ha! Amateur!

Still, it's good to see someone else's impressions, especially someone who agrees about the magic of the place. Disney does what it does and it does it very well and if it's something you can't get, well, I doubt there's much hope for you.

Anyway, you'll enjoy Lileks' posts. And while you're there, you may find something else you like as well.

Lileks Blogs Disney

James Lileks returns to Disney - twice in one year but he explains why in his post - and stays at the same property we stayed.

Lileks truly gets Disney:

I love it, too – on nineteen different levels, from the coldest sense of amazement at the finely-meshed gears of commercial exploitation to the sappiest nostalgia for my own childhood to the general appreciation for the Americana that saturates the best parts of the operation. If you come here with one eye wide open, and one eye squinting with critical amusement and a sense of skeptical distance, you are guar-an-teed to have a grand time.

It should be an interesting next few days from one of my favorite bloggers.