Walt Disney’s Magical Life & More
Sorry as I was gone this last week. I visited Disneyland’s 70th anniversary a couple of weeks ago. There is so much to talk about when it comes to this celebration of “The Happiest Place on Earth”. But the primary reason I felt drawn to come at this time was the new show at the Opera House on Main Street. I feel there is not one but two stories about the new attraction: Walt Disney: A Magical Life. This is of course the highly sophisticated and highly controversial animatronic show of Walt Disney. And I have much to say about that show experience. And to understand all of this, you have to understand efforts made earlier to help people relate to Walt Disney, to include The Walt Disney Story, One Man’s Dream and even Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. It’s a deep dive review for sure.
But there is a larger conversation about how Disney is reconnecting more people to what they once loved in their youth, experiences that foster ties. It’s as if Disney has finally realized that their history, their heritage, and their stories really do matter. And they seem to be doing much more moving forward to building on that theme. This podcast looks at Walt Disney’s Magical Life and so much more.
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Walt Disney–A Magical Life
There was so much to see and do during Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary. I promise much more to come on that in an upcoming podcast, but the primary focus for visiting at this time was to see Walt Disney–A Magical Life. People have asked since I saw it what I thought. And I guess I would say, good not great. And I was REALLY hoping for great. But there’s a lot of context behind such a simple answer. And I see its potential in being great. So let’s look at what’s working and what’s not. And that requires a contextual look at this show.
Precedents
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
- This show utilized two sections–one a standing theatrical presentation of Abraham Lincoln’s life story, and then a second sitting presentation of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln as an animatronic.
- Lincoln’s script was an amalgamation of quotations Lincoln had made in his life, all put together into one whole.
- The show ended on a dramatic piece of music, which originally was “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and in later years. “Golden Dreams”.
- This show format was replicated in the Hall of Presidents, only with more figures. Originally it was just Lincoln at the end. Then the addition of a current president and words from George Washington gave way to Lincoln speaking midway through the theatrical presentation.
- American Adventure sought to change out that format by mixing both animatronic and theatrical presentation. This gives hint to what should have been done with Walt Disney–A Magical Life.
The Walt Disney Story
- This show took over Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. It also occupied the Hospitality House on Town Square at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
- The Walt Disney Story which was released in 1973 has a longer narrative and is done in a “photo book” presentation. It covers some things that the
- Doc Sherwood and drawing Rupert the horse for a dime
- Dad was sick, and they posted stories of an auction to sell off everything on the farm
- Efforts to get into WWI
- Effort getting into the cartoon market and Alice in Cartoonland
- Silly Symphonies and color with Flowers and Trees
- Three Little Pigs and developing individual personality
- His early exposure to Snow White as a silent film
- Individual development on the dwarfs
- Challenges with Fantasia
- Work done during the war plus 4,000 insignias
- Educational films becoming True Life Adventures
- Cinderella, Alice and Peter Pan comparisons–combining laughter & tears in characters
- Breakdown of the Disneyland lands
- Showcases the newly opened Walt Disney World Florida Project and the upcoming city of the future, Epcot.
- Success isn’t as important as having a camper and going fishing
- Walt Disney’s is the host of this film and his narrative is one of a back and forth of “I’m successful, but really I’m just like you”
- The Walt Disney Story was somewhat controversial as it took over the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show, suggesting slightly that Walt was more important than America’s 16th president. The result was a combined tribute in 1975, The Walt Disney Story Featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Walt’s show occurred out in the gallery/foyer, while Mr. Lincoln played host in the theater.
- Much of the pre-show display had components from The Walt Disney estate. Those were removed in cardboard boxes just after Ron Miller was removed from the company and Michael Eisner was put in. It was a messy moment in which Lillian was not happy with the direction the company was going.
Walt Disney Presents: One Man’s Dream
The equivalent of The Walt Disney Story came in the form of Walt Disney Presents: One Man’s Dream, which premiered in 2001 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth. This included an impressive museum-style showcase (and included one of Walt’s two offices) followed by a film narrated by Julie Andrews. It is a shorter version of The Walt Disney Story. But it is almost word. for word what you get in Walt Disney–A Magical Life.
- Tough times on a farm
- Working as a kid with a paper route
- Joining the army
- Starting his own business
- Business failure early on
- First big success
- Struggles during the war
- Growth and corresponding debt
D23 AI Portrayal
- Mickey conjures up Walt
- This is a short 1:00 presentation. Dialogue includes the following:
- Lots of satisfaction developing an idea and believing in it all the way
- No secret to our approach–opening new doors & curiosity
- Looks more like Tom Hanks than Walt Disney, but the concept is intriguing, and I would suppose that his mannerisms as well as language was taken from the largest array of Walt Disney footage as possible.
- Speaking of Tom Hanks in Saving Mr. Banks, I thought his looks weren’t bad, his narrative approach even better, but his mannerisms were probably the best.
Walt Disney–A Magical Life
Walt Disney–A Magical Life begins in the gallery where we see much of Walt’s connection to Disneyland. We then move into the theater, where we see a presentation that is parallel to “One Man’s Dream”. The curtains ultimately rise and Walt then appears at his desk and delivers a short message composed of statements made over the years. His statements include
- “My greatest reward was to build this organization and to have the public accept it after all these years
- “My brother was a mailman and he had all the fun–He’s the smart Disney”
- “Do I draw Mickey Mouse–I am like a bee”
- “There’s no secret to our approach. We keep moving forward because we are curious”
- “It all began with a mouse”
His words are a combination of statements made at the end of The Walt Disney Story, and at the end of One Man’s Dream. The one statement not made is around “Quality will Out” which then goes on to say that will “hang on after Disney” which seems a little awkward being stated by an animatronic .
Music ends with “When you Wish Upon a Star” sung by Jiminy Cricket in the film
What Doesn’t Work
The list of what’s not working is longer than the list of what’s working. But what’s working is so much more important than what’s not. So let’s get the “what’s not” over with.
- The format follows Lincoln and Hall of Presidents. You have to sit through a lot of film to get to the animatronic.
- The film is a near copy of “One Man’s Dream”. It isn’t original
- Disney invited selected media to take a peek prior. The closeup versions of this and the memes that followed did not help Disney out in the least.
- In the foyer is a bust of Walt Disney. It is a perfect likeness as is other efforts such as the Partner’s statue. Unfortunately all that falls apart in part with the animatronic. It’s like a kid getting braces. It’s still the same kid, but the kid looks different with all the hardware in its mouth. The same problem occurs here.
- Despite the “wow” effect of Walt moving from a leaned back position to standing erect and taking a step forward, the look seems a little slouchy. This improves when you are down front, on the left of the theater. You can see that play out in my capturing the presentation.
- Because there is no media during his presentation, you are left simply staring at the animatronic.
- The presentation he makes is short–It starts 14 minutes/15 seconds into the show, and ends a little after 17 seconds.
- I expected more of an emotional ending. It ended with the same “When you Wish Upon a Star Ending. It was okay, but it wasn’t tear-filled for me.
I think ultimately these things could be improved upon as the organization has more time to create a more imaginable offering that engages the audience throughout. This will likely need to follow a more animatronic/media mix rather than waiting for the film to end to see the animatronic. This will also support the audio mix challenge.
What Does Work
- People are visiting this attraction. They’re curious and they’re filling the room. Capacity wise this looks like a hit–at least in the initial run
- The animatronic doesn’t look too bad, particularly if you sit in the back or at least in the middle.
- Moreover, you have to applaud Disney for doing something difficult and by no means on the cheap.
- It will ultimately be a rotating show with Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. So that’s not missing either.
- People are learning so much more about who Walt Disney is. As fans know, that’s a big part of what really inspires people about Disney as an organization.
- The show is accompanied by a spectacular gallery presentation prior and a post-show tribute to Disneyland and its Cast.
This brings us to something even bigger than the experience of seeing Walt Disney as an animatronic. Despite how poorly the company’s 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary for Walt Disney World was, there is seemingly a renewed interest and effort in really celebrating the history and heritage of all things Disney. Let’s look at some examples of that.
Disney’s Heritage Prevailing in the Parks
Window Tribute to Lillian Disney
The Disney Gallery
Mural and Cast Member Tribute
Sherman Brothers/”it’s a small world” Tribute
Epcot Statue
Returning to Walt Disney World, it’s not a small thing that World Celebration chose to add a Walt Disney statue at the base of Spaceship Earth, overlooking the rest of the park. It’s a reminder that it really started not so much with a mouse, but with a man.
Test Track
Two podcasts ago we spoke of the new 3.0 of Test Track. It’s the most casual of nods, but it’s one that plays on the Fun to be Free melody as you ride along. Very subtle, but still appreciated.
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away
Even better, we spoke of this in our last podcast about the unique magical dream light qualities that play to both The Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic.
Fantastic Four
Not only are the Fantastic Four at Disneyland, but they make a very deep cut into the old PeopleMover “Nation on Wheels” song by George Bruns. Again, it’s tailored for the most ardent Disney fan.
New Magic of Disney Animation
While the reference is made to Mary Blair’s style–and appropriately so, Imagineer Bruce bushman originally came up with a walking tour of Wonderland for Disneyland, and that seems to be a part of what is at this intersection.
I’m not saying that this perfectly makes up for the loss of Tom Sawyer Island, the Liberty Belle or Muppets 3D, but I am certain that they have heard feedback from their strongest fans that Disney history and heritage matter. And I’d like to think that there is more of this to come.
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