Introduction; The Greatest Showman
The Mouse Who Sold The World
The Incredible Story of Walt Disney, America's Showman
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Part I: America's Greatest Showman
Excerpt from A World of Laughter, A World of Tears (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Walt Disney Company) By NostromoNancy from YouTube, July 17th, 2015.
[click on video] Title card and intro for NostromoNancy plays.
Walter Elias Disney, the human, was born on December 5th, 1901, but Walt Disney, America's Greatest Showman, Uncle Walt and a bunch of dozen more names that has been attributed to America's favorite straight white man, was born on October 27th, 1954 with the premiere of the anthology television series named "Disneyland". To help fund the almost-completed in construction park, the Disney Brothers entered an agreement with the ABC Television Network. The Network agreed to help finance the park on the condition that Walt would create an anthology series for the network.
(Image source "ClickAmericana.com")
This turned out to be a lucrative deal for both sides on the entertainment spectrum to promote the park, on top of the funding, Walt had acquired the ability to promote the park as well as showcase some of Disney's previous animated films and to promote upcoming projects from the studio. The key element that would elevate this anthology series was Walt himself, who would host the said program, and while Walt had performed on-screen in specials before, this would be his first consistent role as a television personality. And the immediate power of his charming performance had on the impact on American culture cannot be overstated. The character of "Walt Disney" was warm, funny, and all-around calming.
Given how deep the Disney brand is ingrained in our popular culture today, it's hard to imagine a world or time without Walt Disney, his company, his theme parks, and his movies. For some, the man can sometimes be seen as god, and one of the most prestigious accomplishments of the American Dream. But like all American History, the history behind Walt Disney the human, has been consistently and constantly revisionised, if not changed.
And there's no better way to describe what I call: "Disney Revisionism" then the second episode of the first season of Matt Groening's Futurama "The Series Has Landed"
[A clip from the aforementioned episode plays]
BENDER: Fine! I'm going to build my own theme park! With blackjack! And hookers! You know what- forget the park!
(Image source "futurama.fandom.com")
In this second episode of the popular adult animated sci-fi sitcom, the main character of the show, Curtis J. Fry [1], has been unfrozen after 1000 years in cryogenic sleep and has not yet had time to assimilate into the shifted prespectives and priorities of the 31st Century. Now, a delivery boy for a planetary delivery service, his first delivery is a trip to the Moon. An exotic adventure for Curtis, but a mundane trip, to well, Disneyland for the rest of them.
The only thing worth visiting on the moon, in fact, is a chintzy theme park: a very theinly veiled allegory to the Disney theme parks as well as also what Disney does best: Revising history and changing it to suit the park's best needs. Which the park goers are almost ambivalent to, but Curt knows to be inaccurate. So, when Curt points out that the infamous "BANG, ZOOM" line in the 1950s sitcom, the Honeymooners, was actually a metaphor of domestic abuse, it's almost always met with bitter annoyance. People just want to take in the theme park's attractions at face value without thinking about the implications of this so-called "revised history" and then go home.
For the purposes of this long-form essay that is being split into... 4 parts to keep my own sanity in check. *Mimics Mickey Mouse's voice* Oh, boy!
(Please fucking kill me.)
This example, however, is a pretty spot-on parody on how the Walt Disney Company and its tendency to sawdown, strip, and sprinkle pixie dust on... well, everything. The constant revisionism of Walt Disney, as a person and showman, has... uh, ruffled some feathers? To put it into the nicest possible way.
And before you run to the comment section, to fill the comments with diatribites on how old Uncle Walt was rascist, homophobic, fascistic, antisemitic sack of shit. Let's just say that's a conversation for another day! *Wink-wink, raises middle finger.*
It ultimately doesn't matter whether or not Walt was the patron saint of all that is good and pure about humanity, or the very face of evil, depending on who you ask on any given day of the week. But both seem to miss the fact that when you accept him in all of his childlike naivety and eccentricity and inflated ego and stubbornness, he's just one of the most fascinating figures in modern history.
And his childhood, if anything is quite... sad? An interview between him and Oprah Winfrey, back in 1992, a year before his death, is the greatest example of why this "Disney Revisionism" exists in the company, even today:
Walt Disney: Have you ever been to Kansas City, Mrs. Winfrey? Do you know Missouri at all?
Oprah: I have, a couple of times.
Walt Disney: Well, it's mighty cold there in the winters. Bitter cold. And my dad, Elias Disney, he owned a newspaper delivery route there. A thousand papers, twice daily; a morning and an evening edition. And dad was a tough businessman. He was a "save a penny any way you can" type of fella, so he wouldn't employ delivery boys. No, no, no... he used me and my big brother Roy. I was eight back then, just eight years old. And, like I said, winters are harsh, and Old Elias, he didn't believe in new shoes until the old ones were worn through. And honestly, Mrs. Travers, the snowdrifts, sometimes they were up over my head and we'd push through that snow like it was molasses. The cold and wet seeping through our clothes and our shoes. Skin peeling from our faces. Sometimes I'd find myself sunk down in the snow, just waking up because I must have passed out or something, I don't know. And then it was time for school and I was too cold and wet to figure out equations and things. And then it was back out in the snow again to get home just before dark. Mother would feed us dinner and then it was time to go right back out and do it again for the evening edition. "You'd best be quick there, Walt. You'd better get those newspapers up on that porch and under that storm door. Poppa's gonna lose his temper again and show you the buckle end of his belt, boy."
[Oprah looks noticeably unsettled by his story]
Walt Disney: I don't tell you this to make you sad, Mrs. Winfrey. I don't. I love my life, I think it's a miracle. And I loved my dad. He was a wonderful man. But rare is the day when I don't think about that eight-year-old boy delivering newspapers in the snow and old Elias Disney with that strap in his fist. And I am just so tired, I'm tired of remembering it *that* way. Aren't you tired, too, Mrs. Winfrey? Now we all have our sad tales, buy don't you want to finish the story? Let it all go and have a life that isn't dictated by the past? [2]
it is impossible to define a person in a word. Walt was a simple man, and at the same time, a very complicated one. He was a futurist that traded in nostalgia. A conservative obsessed with progress. A gentle mentor with an impatient temper.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Consider this as your first look of one of the many, MANY butterflies that will be in this timeline.
[2] Obviously lifted, and slightly retooled from Saving Mr. Banks.
Greeting folks, I originally started this thread back in March, before briefly cancelling it, and, well, bringing it back. I super duper promise this time, this time, it's different. No more delays, no more cancellations. I plan on achieving this by piecing together created primary and secondary sources, video, and other forms of media to tell the story of this timeline from 1966-2021. The premise of this timeline is simple. Walt doesn't die in 1966, instead he lives on (not forever, but just a little longer than our timeline). I will examine how this would've changed the development of Disney World, Florida, and America as a whole. I will be bringing you guys into the parks, resorts, and try my best to even bring you guys into the film and alternate world that this timeline establishes.
There will be plenty of surprises, many changes, but what I hope to accomplish is split. On one hand I want to showcase how different the world can be through small changes in small events, the second thing I hope to accomplish is to explain my grand theory behind the Disney company. I believe that the Walt Disney Company is perhaps the most important company ever founded on American soil. It has defined the American self-identity, not just through its film and television but through its parks and resorts. Rising to prestige simultaneously with the United States, Disney has been with America every step on the way to the present. And with recent... events, that have occured involving the company, I believe the time is perfect to re-examine this most American of America's companies. So sit back, and I'll see ya real soon!
The Incredible Story of Walt Disney, America's Showman
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part I: America's Greatest Showman
Excerpt from A World of Laughter, A World of Tears (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Walt Disney Company) By NostromoNancy from YouTube, July 17th, 2015.
[click on video] Title card and intro for NostromoNancy plays.
Walter Elias Disney, the human, was born on December 5th, 1901, but Walt Disney, America's Greatest Showman, Uncle Walt and a bunch of dozen more names that has been attributed to America's favorite straight white man, was born on October 27th, 1954 with the premiere of the anthology television series named "Disneyland". To help fund the almost-completed in construction park, the Disney Brothers entered an agreement with the ABC Television Network. The Network agreed to help finance the park on the condition that Walt would create an anthology series for the network.
(Image source "ClickAmericana.com")
This turned out to be a lucrative deal for both sides on the entertainment spectrum to promote the park, on top of the funding, Walt had acquired the ability to promote the park as well as showcase some of Disney's previous animated films and to promote upcoming projects from the studio. The key element that would elevate this anthology series was Walt himself, who would host the said program, and while Walt had performed on-screen in specials before, this would be his first consistent role as a television personality. And the immediate power of his charming performance had on the impact on American culture cannot be overstated. The character of "Walt Disney" was warm, funny, and all-around calming.
Given how deep the Disney brand is ingrained in our popular culture today, it's hard to imagine a world or time without Walt Disney, his company, his theme parks, and his movies. For some, the man can sometimes be seen as god, and one of the most prestigious accomplishments of the American Dream. But like all American History, the history behind Walt Disney the human, has been consistently and constantly revisionised, if not changed.
And there's no better way to describe what I call: "Disney Revisionism" then the second episode of the first season of Matt Groening's Futurama "The Series Has Landed"
[A clip from the aforementioned episode plays]
BENDER: Fine! I'm going to build my own theme park! With blackjack! And hookers! You know what- forget the park!
(Image source "futurama.fandom.com")
In this second episode of the popular adult animated sci-fi sitcom, the main character of the show, Curtis J. Fry [1], has been unfrozen after 1000 years in cryogenic sleep and has not yet had time to assimilate into the shifted prespectives and priorities of the 31st Century. Now, a delivery boy for a planetary delivery service, his first delivery is a trip to the Moon. An exotic adventure for Curtis, but a mundane trip, to well, Disneyland for the rest of them.
The only thing worth visiting on the moon, in fact, is a chintzy theme park: a very theinly veiled allegory to the Disney theme parks as well as also what Disney does best: Revising history and changing it to suit the park's best needs. Which the park goers are almost ambivalent to, but Curt knows to be inaccurate. So, when Curt points out that the infamous "BANG, ZOOM" line in the 1950s sitcom, the Honeymooners, was actually a metaphor of domestic abuse, it's almost always met with bitter annoyance. People just want to take in the theme park's attractions at face value without thinking about the implications of this so-called "revised history" and then go home.
For the purposes of this long-form essay that is being split into... 4 parts to keep my own sanity in check. *Mimics Mickey Mouse's voice* Oh, boy!
(Please fucking kill me.)
This example, however, is a pretty spot-on parody on how the Walt Disney Company and its tendency to sawdown, strip, and sprinkle pixie dust on... well, everything. The constant revisionism of Walt Disney, as a person and showman, has... uh, ruffled some feathers? To put it into the nicest possible way.
And before you run to the comment section, to fill the comments with diatribites on how old Uncle Walt was rascist, homophobic, fascistic, antisemitic sack of shit. Let's just say that's a conversation for another day! *Wink-wink, raises middle finger.*
It ultimately doesn't matter whether or not Walt was the patron saint of all that is good and pure about humanity, or the very face of evil, depending on who you ask on any given day of the week. But both seem to miss the fact that when you accept him in all of his childlike naivety and eccentricity and inflated ego and stubbornness, he's just one of the most fascinating figures in modern history.
And his childhood, if anything is quite... sad? An interview between him and Oprah Winfrey, back in 1992, a year before his death, is the greatest example of why this "Disney Revisionism" exists in the company, even today:
Walt Disney: Have you ever been to Kansas City, Mrs. Winfrey? Do you know Missouri at all?
Oprah: I have, a couple of times.
Walt Disney: Well, it's mighty cold there in the winters. Bitter cold. And my dad, Elias Disney, he owned a newspaper delivery route there. A thousand papers, twice daily; a morning and an evening edition. And dad was a tough businessman. He was a "save a penny any way you can" type of fella, so he wouldn't employ delivery boys. No, no, no... he used me and my big brother Roy. I was eight back then, just eight years old. And, like I said, winters are harsh, and Old Elias, he didn't believe in new shoes until the old ones were worn through. And honestly, Mrs. Travers, the snowdrifts, sometimes they were up over my head and we'd push through that snow like it was molasses. The cold and wet seeping through our clothes and our shoes. Skin peeling from our faces. Sometimes I'd find myself sunk down in the snow, just waking up because I must have passed out or something, I don't know. And then it was time for school and I was too cold and wet to figure out equations and things. And then it was back out in the snow again to get home just before dark. Mother would feed us dinner and then it was time to go right back out and do it again for the evening edition. "You'd best be quick there, Walt. You'd better get those newspapers up on that porch and under that storm door. Poppa's gonna lose his temper again and show you the buckle end of his belt, boy."
[Oprah looks noticeably unsettled by his story]
Walt Disney: I don't tell you this to make you sad, Mrs. Winfrey. I don't. I love my life, I think it's a miracle. And I loved my dad. He was a wonderful man. But rare is the day when I don't think about that eight-year-old boy delivering newspapers in the snow and old Elias Disney with that strap in his fist. And I am just so tired, I'm tired of remembering it *that* way. Aren't you tired, too, Mrs. Winfrey? Now we all have our sad tales, buy don't you want to finish the story? Let it all go and have a life that isn't dictated by the past? [2]
it is impossible to define a person in a word. Walt was a simple man, and at the same time, a very complicated one. He was a futurist that traded in nostalgia. A conservative obsessed with progress. A gentle mentor with an impatient temper.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Consider this as your first look of one of the many, MANY butterflies that will be in this timeline.
[2] Obviously lifted, and slightly retooled from Saving Mr. Banks.
Greeting folks, I originally started this thread back in March, before briefly cancelling it, and, well, bringing it back. I super duper promise this time, this time, it's different. No more delays, no more cancellations. I plan on achieving this by piecing together created primary and secondary sources, video, and other forms of media to tell the story of this timeline from 1966-2021. The premise of this timeline is simple. Walt doesn't die in 1966, instead he lives on (not forever, but just a little longer than our timeline). I will examine how this would've changed the development of Disney World, Florida, and America as a whole. I will be bringing you guys into the parks, resorts, and try my best to even bring you guys into the film and alternate world that this timeline establishes.
There will be plenty of surprises, many changes, but what I hope to accomplish is split. On one hand I want to showcase how different the world can be through small changes in small events, the second thing I hope to accomplish is to explain my grand theory behind the Disney company. I believe that the Walt Disney Company is perhaps the most important company ever founded on American soil. It has defined the American self-identity, not just through its film and television but through its parks and resorts. Rising to prestige simultaneously with the United States, Disney has been with America every step on the way to the present. And with recent... events, that have occured involving the company, I believe the time is perfect to re-examine this most American of America's companies. So sit back, and I'll see ya real soon!
