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It's the Mouse vs. The Fixer
JACK LAKEY
TORONTO STAR
STAFF REPORTER
May 2, 2005
ORLANDOThere's a Mickey Mouse movie playing here at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, but it has nothing to do with the famous rodent.
The film, entitled O' Canada, is intended to feature the best of our country for visitors to Epcot's Canada Pavilion.
It should be Woe Canada. The movie captures and magnifies almost every hokey cliché about the Great White North, from dog sleds, herds of caribou and men in lumberjack shirts to a narrator who keeps saying "eh."
Toronto is kissed off in the 18-minute film in a matter of seconds, in an aerial shot of the skyline. It offers not a hint of the culture, diversity and sophistication of Canada's largest city.
The Fixer usually sticks pretty close to home. But an email from Angie Filipowich of Mississauga, who wrote that the film was embarrassing to Canadians and badly in need of updating, piqued our curiosity.
We came. We watched. We cringed.
"I thought, `Here's something you can fix,' because it's been bugging me for a long time," Filipowich said in an interview.
"As it is, Americans don't know anything about us, and this just adds to the myths, especially that `eh' that's thrown in. It made my skin crawl. And Mounties riding in on their horses. Could anything be more cliché? We get stereotyped enough.
"And it's so old. It doesn't make sense that they haven't updated this movie. It's gotta go."
Concerns were also raised at a committee meeting of Toronto city council last December, during a discussion of funding for tourism promotion.
Councillor Case Ootes said he'd been to Epcot with his family in September and saw the movie. "My wife and I were very disappointed, and embarrassed as a matter of fact.
"The Toronto scene was basically a picture of the CN Tower," Ootes (Ward 29, Toronto Danforth) said, adding it's so old that the Rogers Centre (SkyDome), which was completed in 1989, is nowhere to be seen.
Epcot is one of five theme parks in the massive Disney World facility. Canada is one of eight countries featured in Epcot's World Showcase pavilions.
It features an ersatz canyon and waterfall, totem poles, a reproduction of old Quebec architecture, gardens, a restaurant and shops where Mountie keychains and the ubiquitous bottles of maple syrup can be purchased.
It could use a Tim Hortons, or maybe a Beer Store outlet. At least there are no igloos.
The movie plays in a circular theatre with nine overhead screens, called CircleVision 360. At points where timeless features such as wildlife or the Rocky Mountains are shown, the effect is spectacular.
But then the stereotypes kick in. A guy in a flannel shirt and fuzzy hairdo from the mid-'70s is shown, proudly displaying a salmon. While an outdoorsman paddles a canoe, the narrator intones that, "you can be part of nature out here, and see life in the wild all around you."
It moves on to herding caribou by helicopter, chuckwagon races, the Mounties' Musical Ride and a marching highland pipe band. There's a bobsled run, kids playing hockey and skaters on Ottawa's Rideau Canal.
During an aerial shot of Montreal, a narrator takes over. Her phony French accent is so forced and syrupy that some Canadians in a showing we attended were rolling their eyes.
"I don't think they could find any more clichés," said Zach Schwartz of Niagara Falls, Ont.
"I'm a proud Canadian, but I'm not proud of this film."
Alex Solovotus, who immigrated from Russia to Florida a few years ago, watched it with his girlfriend, Ramune Nielsen, a native of Denmark. "It makes Canadian people seem nice, but it is sort of old," said Solovotus.
"But I'd still like to visit Canada. The nature part of it makes Canada look awesome."
Gary and Roberta Albright, a couple from Seattle who've been to Disney World many times, said they have seen the film four times now and enjoy the stereotypes.
"The clichés are what we like about you Canadians," said Roberta Albright, laughing. "You know, Mounties and dog sleds and hockey. I don't think people who aren't Canadian see it as clichés. It's what is endearing about your country."
We figured the Canada Pavilion was a joint initiative between Disney and an agency of the federal government, especially after meeting two Canadian lads, dressed in checked flannel shirts, who were hosting screenings of the film.
They said it has nothing to do with the Canadian government. It's totally a Disney production. We usually focus on problems that are a government responsibility, but with hundreds of tourists watching the film each day, it amounts to a huge opportunity to promote Canada to travellers.
So we went looking for someone in Canada who might encourage Disney to update the flick.
Duncan Ross, executive director of tourism for the City of Toronto, said he's well aware of the movie and its shortcomings. From a Toronto perspective, Ross said it would be great if it reflected the cosmopolitan nature of the city.
"The film needs to be updated to present an accurate, contemporary image of Toronto that reflects our diversity, vitality, creativity and sophistication," said Ross. "This city has changed immensely since that film was made in the early 1980s."
He added that the Canadian Tourism Commission in Ottawa has been "making overtures to try to get that film updated." We couldn't get anyone at the commission to comment on it.
But to Disney's credit, it seems to be aware of the need to produce a film that reflects contemporary Canada.
"Walt Disney World is in the process of looking for partners to update the film, and currently we don't have a timeframe that's been established as yet," said Angela Saclamacis, a publicist with Walt Disney Canada in Toronto.
Ross said Toronto would be glad to help, and would accommodate any Disney film crew that shows up.
JACK LAKEY
TORONTO STAR
STAFF REPORTER
May 2, 2005
ORLANDOThere's a Mickey Mouse movie playing here at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, but it has nothing to do with the famous rodent.
The film, entitled O' Canada, is intended to feature the best of our country for visitors to Epcot's Canada Pavilion.
It should be Woe Canada. The movie captures and magnifies almost every hokey cliché about the Great White North, from dog sleds, herds of caribou and men in lumberjack shirts to a narrator who keeps saying "eh."
Toronto is kissed off in the 18-minute film in a matter of seconds, in an aerial shot of the skyline. It offers not a hint of the culture, diversity and sophistication of Canada's largest city.
The Fixer usually sticks pretty close to home. But an email from Angie Filipowich of Mississauga, who wrote that the film was embarrassing to Canadians and badly in need of updating, piqued our curiosity.
We came. We watched. We cringed.
"I thought, `Here's something you can fix,' because it's been bugging me for a long time," Filipowich said in an interview.
"As it is, Americans don't know anything about us, and this just adds to the myths, especially that `eh' that's thrown in. It made my skin crawl. And Mounties riding in on their horses. Could anything be more cliché? We get stereotyped enough.
"And it's so old. It doesn't make sense that they haven't updated this movie. It's gotta go."
Concerns were also raised at a committee meeting of Toronto city council last December, during a discussion of funding for tourism promotion.
Councillor Case Ootes said he'd been to Epcot with his family in September and saw the movie. "My wife and I were very disappointed, and embarrassed as a matter of fact.
"The Toronto scene was basically a picture of the CN Tower," Ootes (Ward 29, Toronto Danforth) said, adding it's so old that the Rogers Centre (SkyDome), which was completed in 1989, is nowhere to be seen.
Epcot is one of five theme parks in the massive Disney World facility. Canada is one of eight countries featured in Epcot's World Showcase pavilions.
It features an ersatz canyon and waterfall, totem poles, a reproduction of old Quebec architecture, gardens, a restaurant and shops where Mountie keychains and the ubiquitous bottles of maple syrup can be purchased.
It could use a Tim Hortons, or maybe a Beer Store outlet. At least there are no igloos.
The movie plays in a circular theatre with nine overhead screens, called CircleVision 360. At points where timeless features such as wildlife or the Rocky Mountains are shown, the effect is spectacular.
But then the stereotypes kick in. A guy in a flannel shirt and fuzzy hairdo from the mid-'70s is shown, proudly displaying a salmon. While an outdoorsman paddles a canoe, the narrator intones that, "you can be part of nature out here, and see life in the wild all around you."
It moves on to herding caribou by helicopter, chuckwagon races, the Mounties' Musical Ride and a marching highland pipe band. There's a bobsled run, kids playing hockey and skaters on Ottawa's Rideau Canal.
During an aerial shot of Montreal, a narrator takes over. Her phony French accent is so forced and syrupy that some Canadians in a showing we attended were rolling their eyes.
"I don't think they could find any more clichés," said Zach Schwartz of Niagara Falls, Ont.
"I'm a proud Canadian, but I'm not proud of this film."
Alex Solovotus, who immigrated from Russia to Florida a few years ago, watched it with his girlfriend, Ramune Nielsen, a native of Denmark. "It makes Canadian people seem nice, but it is sort of old," said Solovotus.
"But I'd still like to visit Canada. The nature part of it makes Canada look awesome."
Gary and Roberta Albright, a couple from Seattle who've been to Disney World many times, said they have seen the film four times now and enjoy the stereotypes.
"The clichés are what we like about you Canadians," said Roberta Albright, laughing. "You know, Mounties and dog sleds and hockey. I don't think people who aren't Canadian see it as clichés. It's what is endearing about your country."
We figured the Canada Pavilion was a joint initiative between Disney and an agency of the federal government, especially after meeting two Canadian lads, dressed in checked flannel shirts, who were hosting screenings of the film.
They said it has nothing to do with the Canadian government. It's totally a Disney production. We usually focus on problems that are a government responsibility, but with hundreds of tourists watching the film each day, it amounts to a huge opportunity to promote Canada to travellers.
So we went looking for someone in Canada who might encourage Disney to update the flick.
Duncan Ross, executive director of tourism for the City of Toronto, said he's well aware of the movie and its shortcomings. From a Toronto perspective, Ross said it would be great if it reflected the cosmopolitan nature of the city.
"The film needs to be updated to present an accurate, contemporary image of Toronto that reflects our diversity, vitality, creativity and sophistication," said Ross. "This city has changed immensely since that film was made in the early 1980s."
He added that the Canadian Tourism Commission in Ottawa has been "making overtures to try to get that film updated." We couldn't get anyone at the commission to comment on it.
But to Disney's credit, it seems to be aware of the need to produce a film that reflects contemporary Canada.
"Walt Disney World is in the process of looking for partners to update the film, and currently we don't have a timeframe that's been established as yet," said Angela Saclamacis, a publicist with Walt Disney Canada in Toronto.
Ross said Toronto would be glad to help, and would accommodate any Disney film crew that shows up.
