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bestill

- 3 years ago

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What impact (if any) has Disney had on your life?

I am taking a course on Walt Disney (easy credit--what can I say?) and I'm curious to see everyone's favorite or most significant experience involving a Disney product. Secondly, what do you feel is the most important thing Walt Disney (or the company that bears his name) did for the world? The worst thing (if any)?

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i grew up watching disney movies. in fact the first movie i ever saw in the theatre was "the lion king", i was two years old. it's one of my favorite movies to watch over and over again. i like to watch it on a rainy day or if i'm having a bad day and feeling sad i watch and it makes me feel a lot better.

he helped create the first feature length animated film. we wouldn't have disneyland if it weren't for him. and we might not have all the other animated studios today if it weren't for him. think about all the other animators who are influenced by walt disney.

It's really ruined Elton John for me.

Well, I was named after a Disney character. My brothers chose Ariel as my middle name because the movie had just come out when I was born. Also, I really love the Matterhorn ride. A lot.

I also think that the book "Paperbag Princess" would make a good Disney flick. If you haven't read it, go check it out! It would be especially good for little kids.

Speaking of Disney princesses, here's a story that I think would make a great Disney animated film. It tells the story of a Maori princess named Hinemoa and how she tries to unite with her forbidden lover. Here's a couple links to the story so you can read it yourself. http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rickja/page6.html" target="_blank">http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rickja/page6.html http://awanderingminstreli.tripod.com/hinemoa.htm" target="_blank">http://awanderingminstreli.tripod.com/hinemoa.htm

Honestly, the amount of influence the Disney company has on our lives is probably bigger than any of us usually think of. I don't even think Walt Disney would have ever imagined that his company would have expanded as much. To an extent I think the Disney company has "sold out" but is overall very high quality, with lots of talented artists. Their theme parks are extremely high quality, making you believe that you're actually in another world (with $5 sodas). And while I don't like all of the movies that they've made recently, I do like a few of them. They include "Lilo and Stitch," "Mulan," and "Hercules." And there's no way you can't love a PIXAR film (although I thought that "Ratatouille" was just okay which a few funny parts inside). What I wish that Disney would do is promote the Studio Ghibli movies more. They're these extremely good Japanese anime films that Disney has the rights to. They have shown up on DVD, where their cult audience buys them, and when a new one shows up it typically reaches just a few select theaters. I did hear that the new film "Ponyo" is supposed to reach out to a lot more people in America, so keep your fingers crossed!

I've never really liked Bluth films, there were a couple good ones like Anastacia and the Secret of NIMH.. but I really dislike that animation. Ever notice how all the side characters have overstated teeth and a constant bouncing motion? And if there is a crowd of characters that look similar, the only way they're differentiated is by wearing hats. It just seems so cheap and lazy to me. Surprisingly, hooflungpoo, Walt was not a good businessman at all. Roy had to take over the business element of the company or else they would never have made it off the ground. Walt was a dreamer and an artist, but had no idea of how to sell his product and make people recognize it. You're right about his scruples though, he wouldn't allow anything to bear his name that wasn't of the very highest quality and best innovation. Nowadays the Disney company is only interested in making money, pumping out mindless product at a rapid pace with as little expense as possible. Its sad. But atleast there's Pixar. They're the only company that ever bothers to put any kind of real message in their films (by real I mean more than the flabby "follow your heart" junk).

Best things: Pinnochio and Fantasia. They are both masterpieces, made during the period when Walt was willing to go out on a limb and create something completely new and original. Worst things: Hannah Montana, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, any Disney Channel original programming. This is marketing taken to its souless extreme. Walt may have been a savvy businessman, but he had scruples.

By far, the favourite has to be "Aladin" and "Anastasia"... Disney taught me that every girls deserves a tiara at some stage, and a prince charming at another... But far more importantly, Dinsey made me see that even the least likely candidaes are royalty within... All gils are princesses, self realisation is all that is required...

Disney Princesses' Defining Characteristics: Snow White- gentle Cinderella-forgiving Aurora- hmm tricky. Mostly she's just beautiful and good w/ animals :P Ariel-adventurous Belle-selfless Pocahontas-loyal Jasmine-confident Mulan-brave just wanted to do that.. dunno why

I've only been to Disneyland once, and it rained the whole time so a lot of rides were closed. I know I sound pretty cynical about Disney, I hope this class doesn't completely ruin it all for me. I am also very Disney-fied, 8 of my first 10 birthdays were Disney themed, The Little Mermaid was the first movie I ever saw in theaters and it's been my favorite ever since. I even married an Eric. :) We had pet rabbits for a few years growing up and named them Flora and Merriweather, I know (most) classical Disney songs by heart, and my husband proposed while we were watching a Disney movie. :D And yes--Harry Potter is cool. Beyond cool--one of the things I love most about life. lol

I live in Florida...

By the way, I love the characters in the movies. Some of the princesses are really girly, but they all have something very special about them that makes it good that kids look up to them. Cinderella: she was kind of ditzy and a total pushover, but that's just becuase she's nice, she doesn't like it when people get angry. She's just a really caring person. Snow White: even ditzier than the one aformentioned, and she's also really caring. She's shy, sweet, and she takes care of people she doesn't even know (i.e. the dwarfs). The hunter that is sent to kill her can't because she's too sweet and caring, not because she's beautiful but because he knows that the world would lose something without her. Belle: she's such a nerd and she sees right through both Gaston and The Beast. I think she and the Beast would have lived happily ever after even if he wasn't a prince. All the other girls swooned over Gaston, but she could care less. She loved her father and lived in her books. Pocahontas: strong, adventurous, caring, smart, BRAVE, I wish I was more like her. Jasmine: "I am not a prize to be won!" She could live in the palace, marry a handsome prince and live a cushy life. Instead, she falls in love with the town theif and battles the evil Jafar. Aladdin's pretty cool too. Mulan: she didn't want her father to have to go to war, so instead she disguises herself as a boy, befriends a dragon who sounds like Eddie Murphy, then beats all the guys in a pole climbing contest and plays a key role in winning a war for China. This girl is the shizz mkay? I'm leaving out some I know, but I've made my point.

I was raised on Disney. The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Bambi, Mulan, Aladdin, Pocahontas... you name it, I watched it. My first ever "real" vacation was to Disneyland when I was 4, and I've gone back three times since then. I've been truly and utterly Disney-fied, and I have no problem with that. I think that Disneyland is honestly the happiest place on earth (I totally plan on having my honeymoon there), that True Love and Prince Charming are waiting just around the corner. That friends are forever, and that there are bad people out there... but good always wins in the end. Maybe those are unrealistic views on life, but I have yet to see them have a negative impact on me. Disney had a huge part in forming me into the happy, confident, and optimistic person that I am today. I may also sound a little cheesy, but I truly adore Disney and everything that it stands for!

The worst thing? I read in my Film textbook that Walt Disney outed upward of 40 people working for him during the Blacklisting times. They were probably ALL innocent and left out of work for the rest of their lives in the film industry. He never apologized and him and his company have made millions of millions of dollars after taking advantage of those poor workers. :(

Oh!!! "Where the cut off your ear if they don't like your face..." Original lyrics in Aladdin! They've changed it in later releases because of complaints about Arab or Muslim prejudice.

Anyone ever notice how most of their protagonists only have one parent? Also, there's a possibility the Lion King was stolen from "Kimba the White Lion," a Japanese anime, and Dumbo has been accused of having subtle racism.

Beauty and the Beast was always my favorite. I think it's because she was a hardcore nerd, a bookworm and what not, but she was still attractive. She was, of course, the "beauty". But not only that, but because the Beast was misunderstood, was different, was, well, a loser. It was kinda an all-around feel good movie. I just, I loved the message, I loved how neither was perfect, how both would've been picked on in a public school.

Although I hate the way they now crank out too much formulaic(and derivative of their own work), pieces, they are still capable of magic. I think Walt would shudder at his business pumping out transparent replicas of what he(and we) considered art. I guess that's the way a corporation has to work. Disney and his business, at their best, meld true art(musical and visual) with a fundamental, universal sense of joy, and that ain't bad.

I was watching Disney movies with my friends the other day, and we were talking about the depth of so many Disney films. First off, my favorite Disney 'princess' is Mulan. I put princess in '' because she's not technically one, but falls with the others. Mulan is kick a*s. Before her, every other protagonist was a pretty, skinny girl who gets the guy cause she's pretty. Mulan was just fierce. Shang "couldn't make a man out of [her]" cause she never was--she was a hardcore, yet feminine, young girl. I can't wait to show Mulan to my future daughters if I have them because I really think it sends this fantastic message of feminism, and bravery. And the Lion King...I rewatched the Lion King when I had bronchitis last year and I wondered why exactly this movie was a kid's movie, even though I LOVED it when I was little. Scar was pure evil. Evil. He killed his brother and made a child (his NEPHEW) think it was his fault. The whole movie was about grief, guilt, and destiny--hardly themes we'd find in children's movies. And the scene at the water hole in the jungle (Remember who you are) was just...riveting. I also learned around that time that it was based on Hamlet. Anyway, I think Lion King just showed Disney's brilliance--showcasing a film with so much depth and passion and meaning but yet making it appropriate and still entertaining for kids. Love that movie.

@bestill Colorado

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It's really ruined Elton John for me.

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Well, I was named after a Disney character. My brothers chose Ariel as my middle name because the movie had just come out when I was born. Also, I really love the Matterhorn ride. A lot.

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I also think that the book "Paperbag Princess" would make a good Disney flick. If you haven't read it, go check it out! It would be especially good for little kids.

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Disney Princesses' Defining Characteristics: Snow White- gentle Cinderella-forgiving Aurora- hmm tricky. Mostly she's just beautiful and good w/ animals :P Ariel-adventurous Belle-selfless Pocahontas-loyal Jasmine-confident Mulan-brave just wanted to do that.. dunno why

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I live in Florida...

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Oh!!! "Where the cut off your ear if they don't like your face..." Original lyrics in Aladdin! They've changed it in later releases because of complaints about Arab or Muslim prejudice.

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Anyone ever notice how most of their protagonists only have one parent? Also, there's a possibility the Lion King was stolen from "Kimba the White Lion," a Japanese anime, and Dumbo has been accused of having subtle racism.

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What impact (if any) has Disney had on your life?

It's really ruined Elton John for me.

Well, I was named after a Disney character. My brothers chose Ariel as my middle name because the movie had just come out when I was born. Also, I really love the Matterhorn ride. A lot.

I also think that the book "Paperbag Princess" would make a good Disney flick. If you haven't read it, go check it out! It would be especially good for little kids.

Disney Princesses' Defining Characteristics: Snow White- gentle Cinderella-forgiving Aurora- hmm tricky. Mostly she's just beautiful and good w/ animals :P Ariel-adventurous Belle-selfless Pocahontas-loyal Jasmine-confident Mulan-brave just wanted to do that.. dunno why

I live in Florida...

Oh!!! "Where the cut off your ear if they don't like your face..." Original lyrics in Aladdin! They've changed it in later releases because of complaints about Arab or Muslim prejudice.

Anyone ever notice how most of their protagonists only have one parent? Also, there's a possibility the Lion King was stolen from "Kimba the White Lion," a Japanese anime, and Dumbo has been accused of having subtle racism.

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