Shaking my head again at Disney's idea of Canadian...

[coastgirl]

Okaaaay.

Now I have to admit I didn't stop at the Canadian pavilion on our first trip to the world last spring, b/c it just looked too Disneyfied...and I just felt awful for those poor young people wearing plaid flannel shirts and lumber jack boots in 90F heat...

I have heard many good things about "Off Kilter" though, and while I am more of a purist in my Celtic music (hey, I live 1/2 an hour from Cape Breton), I can respect the whole "Celtic rock" thing--I remember Rawlins Cross from St John's back in the '80s and Figgy Duff even before that.

Anyway, have been thinking, well, maybe next time we'll stop for a performance of Off Kilter. Just clicked on a link posted by one of many fans on another board and--not ONE of them is Canadian! Not ONE. 3/5 are Floridians, one is Irish and one from I think Puerto Rico.

Okay, okay, maybe they're GOOD, but THEY'RE. NOT. CANADIAN.



THanks. I just needed to get that out. Phew.

 

[Babyjustrun]

We're not lumberjacks.
We don't live in nothing but Roots clothing.
And we don't wear beavers on our head..
And yes, I agree the people working there should at least be Canadian.

 

[dsneygirl]

We're not lumberjacks.
We don't live in nothing but Roots clothing.
And we don't wear beavers on our head..
And yes, I agree the people working there should at least be Canadian.

Actually 95% of the people working in the pavillon ARE Canadian. I know because I was one of them. Young people from all over Canada move to Orlando for a 1 year contract to represent their area of Canada.

The pavillon was designed to represent Canada's history when our ancestors were miners, hunters and fur trappers for the most part. The pavillon is one of the most beautiful pavillons in the WS. With the gardens and the waterfall.

Also you have to look at it in context. Do you think all Mexican men wear sarapes on a daily basis? Or all Germans wear leiderhausen? What fun would it be to see CM's in their Nike or Gap?


As for Off Kilter. They have been performing at the Pavillon for almost 10 years now and the reason they are not Canadian is politics...visas. It would be very hard for Disney to argue that they had to have Canadian performers and pay for the lengthy paperwork to secure their Visas year after year.

 

[dsneygirl]

Oh and the shirts are not actually flannel. They are polyester. And when I worked there we thought we had it good. You only had to wear shorts in the 90 degree weather while our neighbours in the UK pavillon had long skirts and panty hose

 

[Buzz & Woody]

of TODAY'S canadians, not the historical we'd have a person from every corner of the world representing Canada at that pavillion. I think that we are still one of the highest multi-cultural countries in the world. I kind of like the "historical" view of us.

 

[Disney-For-Life]

My husband and I have a tradition of eating at Le Cellier everytime we go to Orlando and we just love it. All of the servers we have had there have all been Canadian, and both the food and the service is EXCELLENT. Only 345 days till we get to eat there again!

 

[coastgirl]

Sorry, I didn't mean to start a controversy, I was just a little disappointed the band of which I've heard good things ISN'T Canadian.

I am sure the experience of working there is really great; I shouldn't have said "poor" young people, as I can imagine lots of people would give their eye teeth for that job. As for the current reflection of Canada, yes, we are not (and never were!) all United Empire Loyalist stock; it's like many of the nations that are portrayed in a way more stereotype than reality. (Had an exchange with an Englishwoman recently about how Rose and Crown really SHOULD have at least one curry on the menu, as that's the most popular take-away in the UK.) I am happy enough to enter into the Disney version of cultures, and it IS fun and to some degree educational--they're selling entertainment, they're not the UN. I'm just so dang proud of this country that I bristle when it's oversimplified, even if it is a very pleasant oversimplification. And next time I plan to spend more time poking around the Canadian pavilion, and the rest of them too...I have seen lovely photos of the Victoria Gardens display, as we lived in Victoria for a decade, and gardening pride is a VERY current cultural phenomenon in that neck of the woods!

 

[coastgirl]

My husband and I have a tradition of eating at Le Cellier everytime we go to Orlando and we just love it. All of the servers we have had there have all been Canadian, and both the food and the service is EXCELLENT. Only 345 days till we get to eat there again!

Hey, just read your sig...congrats! You are still newly weds!

 

[seashoreCM]

and I just felt awful for those poor young people wearing plaid flannel shirts and lumber jack boots in 90F heat.

Poor Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Toy Story Soldiers, etc. Central Florida summer heat and humidity are brutal.

Depending on how much repertory the sponsor wants to get into, the CM's could be in different costumes at different times, even each day of the week, (and various exhibits changed for variety).

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Little Miss Liberty]

I'd be happy if they at least changed the movie they show. If someone dosen't know much about Canada to begin with what do you think people think of Canadians when there done watching?

 

[SaraMc]

I'd be happy if they at least changed the movie they show. If someone dosen't know much about Canada to begin with what do you think people think of Canadians when there done watching?

I do believe that they are in production right now of a updated version

 

[seashoreCM]

Who decides what goes into the pavilion? The Canadian government or some Canadian corporations? Isn't this the sponsor's decision?

 

[dsneygirl]

Who decides what goes into the pavilion? The Canadian government or some Canadian corporations? Isn't this the sponsor's decision?

The Canadian govt has no affiliation whatsover with the pavillon. Nor does it have any sponsors. So it's all up to Disney.

Also when I was working there many guests just raved about the movie saying our country is incredibly beautiful.

 

[Disney_Mama]

Even though the movie is old. I love it.
Well said dsneygirl

 

[Little Miss Liberty]

Yes I'm sure people come away watching the video and can see that Canada is beautiful. It's hard not to. I just think that the movie is way to dated and it's about time they got a new one. I think a more modern video would create a lot of tourism for our country. There are so many things that can be included in that video and so many things that have changed. Anyways this has been argued way to many times on this board and I'm glad there making a new one.

 

[F4disneyfan]

I love the movie and hope to hell they don't change it at all. It would be a travesty to re do that movie it is Canada in all it's glory wether it is a decade or 2 old has no bearing IMHO. The pavilion is the best in WS my next favourite is GB and France falls close behind that the rest I don't really care for especially the American pavilion it just does nothing for me nor does the show.

 

[Little Miss Liberty]

The current video absoloutely does a nice job of showing Canada. I just think the video is of poor quality. And a new video can do just as well in showing Canada in a good light.

 

[SaraMc]

I love the movie and hope to hell they don't change it at all. It would be a travesty to re do that movie it is Canada in all it's glory wether it is a decade or 2 old has no bearing IMHO. The pavilion is the best in WS my next favourite is GB and France falls close behind that the rest I don't really care for especially the American pavilion it just does nothing for me nor does the show.

Um but we have Nunavut now and they just calle Manitoba and Sask.. the praries. Im sure that all the stuff that made the other movie beautiful will be in this one.