Originally Posted By Megara I was shocked to recently discover that my 10 year-old niece did not know who Walt Disney was. She told me, she thought it was just a name, like Dreamworks. I have to wonder how this could have happened and came to the conclusion that the Disney channel and TV must take some responsibility for not keeping Walt alive enough to kids today. We have cable in Australia and receive the Disney channel. We are subjected to absolute rubbish on this channel, in my opinion, and it seems to be overrun with tweenies shows with overdressed, overacting and big mouthed kids. Who decides what is shown on this channel, obviously not a Disney fan. They must think that only children want to watch Disney, but forget that adults are the ones with “paychecks†that pay for Disney entertainment. Would it be too much to ask if it they added a few adult related shows that might be more interesting to watch? If I want to watch any specials on the Disney themeparks I have to catch them on “other†channels like the travel channel. I don’t understand how Disney can have an entire channel and NOT show any of the millions of hours of historic footage they have. Why can’t we watch the “Wonderful World of Disney†for at least 1 hour, once a week? Is that too much to ask? I remember growing up during the 70’s and 80’s and we always looked forward to watching Uncle Walt at 6.30pm on Sunday nights. Perhaps kids today could benefit from learning something from these older “educational†shows instead of showing them how to be a smartass from the tweenies shows. I always imagined that Disney would want to keep Walt’s dream alive to children of the world. What has happened?
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x My daughters both watch the Disney Channel 24/7, or Disney DVDs, and both my kids know Walt as "Mickey's Dad" and that he is in heaven. They are 5 and 2. If you can find it, the Snow White VHS (the release from the time before this last time...maybe mid-90's) has pictures and video of Walt working on Snow White. Also, the Disneyland 50th Anniversary planning DVD has Walt saying his Opening Day Dedication. I'm sure there are children's books out there with pictures and a history on Walt Disney...Walt is the epitome of childhood entertainment, IMO. If there isn't, I'll write one. I'll get on that next summer after I graduate.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss While I understand and can sympathize with you about the Disney Channel (which I never watch), I don't think it's that big a deal that your niece doesn't know who Walt Disney was. His legacy is the parks and the entertainment. That was Walt's dream, not the worship of himself.
Originally Posted By brotherdave Unfortunately, Walt Disney is no longer a 'person' for many people, but simply a 'brand' name.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!! say it ain't so ! I guess I am fortunate that my kids know who he is ( certainly would get little from TV ) - as my oldest shares his December 5th birthday and over the years has written her share of compositions at various levels of school on him - plus he was born is Chicago like her. At 10 - point her to the internet ( or library ) and have her read some on Walt...it would be a shame if the next generation didn't understand the creative talent that has created so many wonders for them. I would think Walt would have to be one of top 100 most influential people of the 20th century - so worth knowing more about from a historical standpoint also.
Originally Posted By Megara <<it would be a shame if the next generation didn't understand the creative talent that has created so many wonders for them.>> so true I guess her mother not being a Disney fan (like many) hasn't exposed her to a lot of things that we have been.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<it would be a shame if the next generation didn't understand the creative talent that has created so many wonders for them.>> Not to take anything away that Walt did, but without his Imagineers and animators, he would have accomplished much less. They all deserve recognition.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy ^^^Similar things have been said regarding the attention he drew to "The Nine Old Men". He praised them and showcased what they did, but what about the storymen? Animating is only one part---it takes writing to create the scripts and the lines that help endear viewers to these characters and personalities. If it weren't for animators *or* storymen, there would be no animated features (I never thought of this till someone brought it to my attention...very interesting). I had no idea "Disney" was a person for several years as a kid. I clearly remember being in the car on the way to see a movie one day, Mom said we were going to see "a Disney movie", and I saw this as a pattern. I asked her why they were called "Disney" movies, because I just thought it was a descriptive noun in the past (like comedy, musical, suspense, etc.). That's when she told me he was the man who made the movies they call "Disney movies", and I was quite surprised to learn that "Disney" was a person.
Originally Posted By TheRedhead I really don't see the Disney Channel's new tween-centric programming as the reason why a kid wouldn't know who Walt is. Even at its peak, the Disney Channel kept the Walt stuff on late at night, after a ten-year-old goes to bed. And while I miss the old Disney Channel, Disney has more than made up for what they took off the channel by putting out tons of Walt stuff on DVD. Get that kid her own Netflix queue!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss When I say animators, I mean the whole enchilada: animators, storymen, in-betweeners, etc., just as Imagineering is made up of more than guys who think up rides.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy Yeah, I was just using a parallel example which I found interesting. Like you said, many people think Walt did everything, but he had a team. And in the past Walt had people thinking "The Nine Old Men" were so revered, but they were only part of the legacy as well.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs Netflix is a movie-renting website; you sign up, make a list, and they send you the DVDs. It's like renting from a video store, only there are no due dates, late fees, etc. There is a monthly fee though. I don't have it, but I know lots who do use it. <a href="http://www.netflix.com" target="_blank">http://www.netflix.com</a>
Originally Posted By irishfan I think I was about 9 or 10 when I realised that Walt Disney was once an actual person, so I cant really say this is too surprising.
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle Heck, until I was 7 I thought it was spelt "Disnep". I knew how it was pronounced, but was convinced that fancy "Y" was a P. I can't remember, but I think when mum explained it was actually a Y she also told me about Walt Disney the person. On the flip side of the discussion, my sister (a marketing lecturer) commented to me after she'd been to DLR and HKDL that she thought they were playing up "Walt Disney" a lot more than when she was last at Disneyland 8 years earlier. She thought it might be because people are becoming more interested in the people behind major corporations - such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson. I hadn't really noticed, but I could see her point. It could also have been because it was during the 50th, but I guess at least they're keeping Walt's "name" alive at the parks.
Originally Posted By Aussie Obsession Megara, Netfix sounds like BigPond movies that we have here. My kids knew at a very early age who Walt is and what he has acheived. Even here in Australia we can do our bit to ensure that his legacy is never forgotten!
Originally Posted By TheRedhead During the Wonderful World of Disney 2 weeks ago, they showed "Finding Nemo." During the movie, they showed clips of all the new Nemo-related rides that are opening. They did quite a bit on the Nemo Subs, and they talked about Walt and his original subs. They even showed a clip of him bragging about his "fleet." The company still trots him out when appropriate.
Originally Posted By Rebekah I would suggest visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum online. It is a collection of video, audio and essay about Walt. They have a special section for kids <a href="http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/collection/childrensguide.html" target="_blank">http://disney.go.com/disneyato z/familymuseum/collection/childrensguide.html</a> R
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Lots of DVD's on the market that can solve the Walt info problem. I have one that has hours of opening day at Disneyland and also the Walt Disney Story is fantastic. IT's on DVD as well.
Originally Posted By chickendumpling Great link, Rebekah. Thanks! I sympathize with you Megara. I can't remember ever not knowing who Walt Disney was - but then again I grew up in Southern California. In any event, I hope you have a fun time introducing her to the Uncle Walt you grew up with.
