Until I was 46, the name of Disney meant little to me personally. Yes, of course I've always been familiar with Disney movies and cartoons from an early age, but the Disney magic had never grabbed me. I could take it or leave it. Cartoons are things that I have always enjoyed, and that has not changed. I used to love watching Bugs Bunny, Roadrunner and that poor coyote who was always plotting ways to catch him, as well as other familiars such as Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweetie Pie, oh yes, and Pepe La Pew who had an insatiable appetite for young female felines whom he thought were skunks. Then there are the giants of the cartoon industry, Tom & Jerry. They are true cartoon legends with their crazy antics, accompanied often by that magnificent chap Spike the dog, turning it into a dog v cat v mouse scenario, often quite violent, yet extremely hilarious. I could go on for ages talking about the golden days of the cartoon on television, but I will be digressing from the main subject of this article if I do.
At the grand old age of 46 I discovered the real Disney, during a trip to Florida and Walt Disney World. I went along with the family, not really knowing what to expect, so I had no preconceived ideas as to what I could find when I was there. I am not a ride person, so I wasn't really interested in them anyway, but there was so much more to see and do at WDW that did interest me. There were various shows that, without exaggerating, were simply breathtaking in their execution.
In front of Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom, a cast of characters perform a beautiful song and dance show, with special effects and ending with a flourish of fireworks that draw lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd, along with well deserved applause and ovations.
Some used visual effects and 3-D animation that were astonishing. Philharmagic at Magic Kingdom was absolutely stunning where animated characters and other items suddenly came right at you once your eyes were behind a pair of 3-D specs. I remember watching people in the audience actually reaching out their hands as if to catch, touch and even to save themselves from being hit by flying animated objects. I know that because I was one of those people!
Some shows used quite complex puppetry, with additional effects that include spraying the audience with water, moving floors, not to mention the feeling of having “things” running around your feet and across your shoulders as thoughtfully placed jet air jets make the audience jump, scream and laugh. These interactive shows really are excellent. The workmanship involved in putting one these shows together must be mind-blowing.
Other shows involve the use of human characters who handle their parts extremely professionally, with acting that is every bit as good as what we come to expect at the movies and on TV. Beauty and the Beast at Disney MGM Studios (as it was then) was brilliant and the Fantasmic show just took my breath away with the effects of showing animated images on water fountains along with all the acting by the cast of characters and use of the lake upon which Fantasmic is set, with the boats becoming parade floats.
At Animal Kingdom there is a magnificent Lion King show that involves human actors and performers such as acrobats, dancers, fire jugglers and wonderful lighting effects.
At Epcot, the fireworks display across the large lagoon is awesome, using a large sphere which represents the Earth, and is used as a screen for myriad images and effects. Fireworks displays are a nightly occurrence at Magic Kingdom too, around Cinderella's Castle.
Disney have it all covered. The attention to detail is awe inspiring and everything seems to work like clockwork. Yes, it can be said that it should do as everybody involved does it every day, but the complexities of what they do, and the ease in which things can go wrong demonstrate the professionalism of all those concerned, for their ability to focus and to make every show as good as or better than the last.
Then there is the history of Disney, which is the main thing that grabbed my attention at the time. It was nice to be able to look at some original artwork and storyboards from various movies as well as to see the many Oscars awarded to Walt Disney, including the one he received in 1932 for the creation of a certain Mickey Mouse. The place for the history stuff really is Disney MGM Studios, or should I say, Disney Hollywood studios following its name change for 2008. I just love the atmosphere there with all the art deco style buildings and streets that give a thick air of nostalgia of the golden days of movie making of the 30s and 40s. Disney Hollywood Studios is not just a Disney theme park though. As its name suggests, it is also a fully functional studio facility for recording and making movies both for the big screen and television. There is a fantastic stunt show involving lots of cars, people, guns and fire that gives insights into how some of the effects we all take for granted in the movies are actually done. The Indiana Jones stunt show is another one worthy of mention. It is both very entertaining and informative, and although I am not particularly into the Indiana Jones movies, I came away with a lot more appreciation of the work done by all the people involved on both sides of the camera.
