Would Walt Be Proud?

[BillSears]

Well actually AC would not have been built. Walt would not like people drinking on property.

Except for places with a separate admission primarily intended for adults. Like Club 33 which is inside Disneyland and serves alcohol. Or places outside of the park proper like the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[bytheblood]

In a lot of ways I am sure he would be pleased. I am sure there are many areas he would be very displeased over as well.

 

[michelleiada]

I think he would be very proud of all that has been accomplished in Florida. It truly is a magical world. His vision was of a place that people and their family could go to escape the real world. A magical place for all to enjoy. There is something at WDW for everyone. Theme parks, golfing, horseback riding, race car driving, swimming, fishing, boating, parasailing, eating, drinking, shopping.........beautiful resorts....it is all there. How could he not be proud of a place that makes sooooo many people happy??? A place where dreams come true!!! There is nothing wrong with them making money, or profiting from it. People are willing to pay for good quality entertainment, hospitality, and services. You are getting your moneys worth with a trip to Disney.

 

[Lynn5700]

Yes he would be very pleased Knox thank you for posting that. It was neat to see.

 

[eliza61]

Well He died before it was opened so... I doubt he would miss it. And if we are going on the "original Walt view" for Disneyland the whole Pleasure Island concept doesn't fit. It was not a place to "take your girls on Sunday afteroon as a family" Yes, I know folks took thier kids there, but.... that wasn't the goal LOL!

I have actually done a lot of reading on Walt.

1. The "Saint Walt" view on the DIS does not really appear to jive with reality! As a matter of fact when it came to "merchandise" one of his first deals was to sell Mickey stuff that only HE got paid for and not the company. (Roy was not happy as this presented issues with bankers etc LOL!) Walt also engaged in what we would refer to as "union busting"
2. Walt liked to make money. He liked to spend it too, but he did like to make it.
I often think that with his attention span.... he would have long ago moved on from amusment parks. He moved on from movies (see union busting) to amusement parks.... I think he would have found something else "new" if he had lived longer.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Where in the heck did this distorted view about Walt Disney come from?
The man suffered a nervous break down in 1931, often suffered from depression and wasn't really that hot of a husband. Mainly because his business came first, he had a vision but he wasn't about to give that vision away for free.

I think Walt would have been very pragmatic he would have adapted to the world we now live in, he may have been more of a stickler for the quality aspect but making it affordable to every body would not have been his first priority.

 

[centurythree]

Well He died before it was opened so... I doubt he would miss it. And if we are going on the "original Walt view" for Disneyland the whole Pleasure Island concept doesn't fit. It was not a place to "take your girls on Sunday afteroon as a family" Yes, I know folks took thier kids there, but.... that wasn't the goal LOL!

I have actually done a lot of reading on Walt.

1. The "Saint Walt" view on the DIS does not really appear to jive with reality! As a matter of fact when it came to "merchandise" one of his first deals was to sell Mickey stuff that only HE got paid for and not the company. (Roy was not happy as this presented issues with bankers etc LOL!) Walt also engaged in what we would refer to as "union busting"
2. Walt liked to make money. He liked to spend it too, but he did like to make it.

I often think that with his attention span.... he would have long ago moved on from amusment parks. He moved on from movies (see union busting) to amusement parks.... I think he would have found something else "new" if he had lived longer.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Where in the heck did this distorted view about Walt Disney come from?
The man suffered a nervous break down in 1931, often suffered from depression and wasn't really that hot of a husband. Mainly because his business came first, he had a vision but he wasn't about to give that vision away for free.

I think Walt would have been very pragmatic he would have adapted to the world we now live in, he may have been more of a stickler for the quality aspect but making it affordable to every body would not have been his first priority.

Thank you both. I've never really understood why people let Disney get away with the Saint Walt myth . . . it's truly amazing, when you think about it. On top of that, some people turn Walt Disney into a character that magically agrees with everything they think about the way the Disney company should do business.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Animal Kingdom, I dont know what he would think. On ne hand it's amazingly well done, however, I cant see HIM making it. I think he would love it, but I cant see him being the reason behind the park. It's well themed, well made, everyhing a Disney Park is, just themed around Animals. He would be proud.

Why not? He originally wanted the Jungle Cruise to feature live animals, but the invisible containment mechanisms just didn't exist back then. Kilimanjaro Safaris is what the Jungle Cruise should have been. Kali River Rapids is a somewhat common ride system, granted, but the ride tells a story, and tells it so well you don't even realize you're being told a story. Dinosaur is a really unique way of not only telling a story, but putting you inside the story as it's being told.

I don't claim to know everything about Walt's life, I don't claim to know his thoughts on everything, but I do know that he liked the idea of immersing his audience in the stories, and a lot of what exists now at WDW does a very good job of that.

 

[NeverLandDreamer]

Upon Walt's death, Roy sent out a two page memo to all employees of the Walt Disney Company.

I think there are many words in here that highlight the answers to the question posed by this thread.

Walt was proud of the fact that at the time of his death, there were over 4000 employees of Walt Disney. How proud would he today knowing that over 50,000 are employed in Florida alone?

Disney understood business. And he would understand that you can't continue to offer the same services and features when you have 50,000 guests / day as when you have 15,000 guests/day.

What he would stick to .. is whatever those services and features are that are still offered - they should be at the same high quality regardless.

Here's the memo..

I'm trying not to cry.

 

[quantumottle]

Would Walt Disney be proud to see the world he created for everyone around the world to enjoy? Or would he be disappointed to see what has happened to it over the years?

I know I'm about to get flamed/make enemies/cause' some to shake their heads/ but I believe that Walt would be at least a little disappointed in what WDW has become.

It's difficult to explain, and maybe it's just me, (I'm sure most people will say it's just me) but when I am at DLR I feel the one word that best describes it is "FUN". I suppose you could also say "MAGICAL". When my family and I are at WDW the one word that I cannot seem to get past is "PROFIT" or I suppose you could say "CORPORATE". It's just a very different feel IMHO.

Walt made DLR, he was involved and on hand every step of the way and it was truly HIS park. But Walt did not live long enough to see WDW completed. As far as I can tell, his brother Roy stepped in to finish the job - and it shows.

 

[disneyworldluvr349]

You know, I think that he would be proud of our progress, but maybe not so proud of how much that progress costs to witness. He was all about family, and dreams coming true, and I think that the parks fit his vision, but I am not so sure of how he would deal with the prices of everything.

 

[luvthemouse71]

Thank you both. I've never really understood why people let Disney get away with the Saint Walt myth . . . it's truly amazing, when you think about it. On top of that, some people turn Walt Disney into a character that magically agrees with everything they think about the way the Disney company should do business.

When I took the KTTK tour, they said that he could be a very stubborn man and could have a temper. But, actually, I think his failings make him more likeable. I mean, someone with that much drive, creativity and resilience is bound to get cranky every now and then...

I think it's amazing that WDW retains as much as his vision as it does..He's been gone over 40 years now. I think for the most part he'd be pleased..it's still a place that people go to make lifelong memories with their loved ones. It's also still a place where people can just let loose and have fun. I really think he'd love Philamagic...they said on the tour that originally, he wanted to make Fantasia interactive like that, but it would have been very difficult to do back then and very expensive.

 

[jamstew]

OK, EPCOT didn't work out the way he had envisioned it, but it is hard to understand how that concept was going to work in a freedom loving country anyway.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand what this means

 

[SeeDisney]

I think if Walt was still alive he would have wanted monorails transportation to every park in WDW and moreso to the disney hotels.

 

[bradk]

Walt is very proud, especially of me. At least that's what he told me through the psychic.

Walt was even going to reveal to me his plans for the next project which was set to put all other past projects to shame, but I ran out of cash and didn't feel like paying the ATM fees.

...

the issue with the jungle cruise wasn't the invisible barriers, it was that animals would be sleeping most of the day and not necessarily on display. JC (disneyland) did actually have live alligators (or was it crocodiles?) on display outside the attraction but they had to be removed after repeatedly being taunted by guests thinking they were fake.

...

as for walt, the best tidbit i like to offer is the fact that he actually made the company license the name from him (Retlaw Enterprises held the rights to the name). Disney eventually bought their name outright, but the family made a pretty penny off that. Who else could pull something like that off?

 

[N10CJT]

It's obviously a difficult question to ask about a man who liked being at the center of all the building, but I think I can guess on a few things.
1. First, I assure you he would HATE all the buses on property. His vision for Disney World was for a place where automobiles were hardly visible.
2. I'm pretty sure he would love the Animal Kingdom. It's unlike any park I know, and he reveled in innovation. Plus it has a train in it....
3. The de-mobilization of the characters probably wouldn't go over too well.
4. I think he'd really enjoy most of the new hotels.
5. The internal details of the "mountains" would amaze him. Remember, the Matterhorn was originally essentially hollow.
6. He would have a heart-attack over the new Tiki Room.

But overall, I'd have to say it would be a positive response. In 1971 Lilly said Walt would have been proud even though he never wanted to build a Magic Kingdom, but I think it's still a valid statement because Disney World is essentially in line with Walt's vision of a place to be enjoyed across the generations. I'm 32 and me and my girlfriend love it. My parents are 72 and 68 and they love it. And every child they've taken loved it.

I'm with those who aren't taken by the Saint Walt thing.... One Man's Dream, for instance, conveniently omits his HUAC testimony. And underneath the environmentally sound and forward-thinking plans for EPCOT is an uncomfortable Big Brother undertone and an unrealistic notion about employment and unemployment in America. But flawed men can do amazing things. We can all complain about price-gouging and outsourcing and a seemingly endless corporate sponsorship, but after all we still are willing to spend our money there. I'm sure that just like all of us he would want to change some things, but a place millions of people want to visit? I doubt he'd be ashamed of it.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I think Walt would have been very pleased to see what WDW became. The Disney company has experienced financial success that Walt could scarce have imagined. I would think he'd be a bit aggravated about some of the corners that have been cut in the park though.

He did love money and he loved technology. It's a shame he didn't live in this era, with that grand imagination of his.

 

[quantumottle]

Walt is very proud, especially of me. At least that's what he told me through the psychic.

Thanks for this bradk, but you now owe me a new keyboard. Mine was just ruined when I laughed so hard that my coffee came out of my nose and all over my keyboard.

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

Why not? He originally wanted the Jungle Cruise to feature live animals, but the invisible containment mechanisms just didn't exist back then. Kilimanjaro Safaris is what the Jungle Cruise should have been. Kali River Rapids is a somewhat common ride system, granted, but the ride tells a story, and tells it so well you don't even realize you're being told a story. Dinosaur is a really unique way of not only telling a story, but putting you inside the story as it's being told.

I don't claim to know everything about Walt's life, I don't claim to know his thoughts on everything, but I do know that he liked the idea of immersing his audience in the stories, and a lot of what exists now at WDW does a very good job of that.

Like the other person said, he would have moved on. He was going to move on be making the EPCOT, a controlled urban environment. I cant see him going from that to improving a zoo.

Like I said, I think he would love it; the rides you mentioned are great examples WHY he would love it. However, I dont think he, himself, would have come up with the idea. He did not have the mind for it. He seemed to keep moving forward and never going back, but useing the past to improve the future. That is the reason I think he would LOVE Epcot and Disneyland, enjoy (just not make) Disney's California Adventure, Animal Kingdom, and would be disappointed with Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

 

[jlima]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand what this means

He envisioned a place where people would live. The concept evolved into a theme park.

 

[bicker]

Like the other person said, he would have moved on.

Absolutely.

It is amusing to see how many posters view themselves as Walt reincarnated, ascribing to him their own personal preferences and proclivities.