Define what "Disney" means for You?

[merlinjones]

Inspired by posts in another thread, I thought it might be interesting to read the different, personal perceptions of the word "Disney" to ever-passionate members of the MiceChat community. Starting with the positives - What aspects originally made you bond with the body of work, made you care, made it meaningful?

Mine came from Walt's time:

The Art of Animation - cartoons
Fun and wonder
Beauty, color, and design
Yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy - leaving today behind
Escape from reality
Reassurance - everything will be okay
Release of the inner child, the spirit of youth
Triumph of good over evil, hope over despair, kindness over anger, persistence over adversity
Laughter, humor, caricature, soft satire
Timelessness
Fantasy
Exotic adventure
Comfort, nostalgia
Archetypes of the collective unconscious
The glad game - optimism
Utopian futurism
Beautiful music
Imagination and exploration
Quality
The unexpected
Wishful thinking
"The finest in family entertainment"
Happy endings

[Pips]

merlinjones , that's a great list. Mine would be much the same.

Now maybe I'll go through the list in my own mind and see which boxes they are still ticking.

[Mr Wiggins]

The Art of Animation - cartoons
Fun and wonder
Beauty, color, and design
Yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy - leaving today behind
Escape from reality
Reassurance - everything will be okay
Release of the inner child, the spirit of youth
Triumph of good over evil, hope over despair, kindness over anger, persistence over adversity
Laughter, humor, caricature, soft satire
Timelessness
Fantasy
Exotic adventure
Comfort, nostalgia
Archetypes of the collective unconscious
The glad game - optimism
Utopian futurism
Beautiful music
Imagination and exploration
Quality
The unexpected
Wishful thinking
"The finest in family entertainment"
Happy endings

Everything on that list nails it for me for "classic" Disney in general, and Disneyland in particular.

The only things I might add pertain to Disneyland, from my experience of the Park's first 30 years:

World class customer service.
Constant plussing -- the Park continually expanded while retaining the values on the list.
Under-promising and over-delivering -- new additions not only delivered more than Disney promised, they delivered more than we fans imagined.

[Eagleman]

Everything on that list nails it for me for "classic" Disney in general, and Disneyland in particular.

The only things I might add pertain to Disneyland, from my experience of the Park's first 30 years:

World class customer service.
Constant plussing -- the Park continually expanded while retaining the values on the list.
Under-promising and over-delivering -- new additions not only delivered more than Disney promised, they delivered more than we fans imagined.

Statement about the same to me too.......X2.......on your post

[Brian PieGuy]

When I close my eyes and try to picture what "Disney" is, imagery that comes to mind includes...

Eating a big bowl of clam chowder as I sit and eagerly await to see "mysteries and magic visions fantastic" materialize

Drifting through the laughing place without a care in the world

Seeing its a small world light up in a breathtaking display of Christmas lights

Taking a big whiff of gingerbread as I glide by the ballroom on Haunted Mansion Holiday

Wandering through nearly empty theme parks at night during extra magic hours

Relaxing by the fire in the Grand Californian Hotel

Looking through a big dusty collection of VHS tapes that still sits in the cabinet below my television

Lastly, fondly looking back on past attractions I experienced that no longer exist in the Disneyland of today

[Lighthope]

I'm going to borrow a phrase from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart and say that I can't define what Disney is, but I know it when I see it. And Disney today isn't Disney.

[Smitty]

Inspired by posts in another thread, I thought it might be interesting to read the different, personal perceptions of the word "Disney" to ever-passionate members of the MiceChat community. Starting with the positives - What aspects originally made you bond with the body of work, made you care, made it meaningful?

Mine came from Walt's time:

The Art of Animation - cartoons
Fun and wonder
Beauty, color, and design
Yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy - leaving today behind
Escape from reality
Reassurance - everything will be okay
Release of the inner child, the spirit of youth
Triumph of good over evil, hope over despair, kindness over anger, persistence over adversity
Laughter, humor, caricature, soft satire
Timelessness
Fantasy
Exotic adventure
Comfort, nostalgia
Archetypes of the collective unconscious
The glad game - optimism
Utopian futurism
Beautiful music
Imagination and exploration
Quality
The unexpected
Wishful thinking
"The finest in family entertainment"
Happy endings

I think you nailed what it means to me with all of that. There is no place like it for me and my family. To be able to create lasting memories that continue for generations is really cool. There is nothing else like it for me when it comes to memories. You nailed it..

[YeaDZNY]

Def not what it used to...

[Starcade]

For me Disney is a unique creative collage of whimsy, joy, sounds, colors and shapes, and last but not least disconnection from current societal pressures and norms.

It is truly the only place that I know of personally that flushes out all the anxiety of life as it fills my eyes and ears with one narrative after another all beautifully presented with a soundtrack that plays along. With DLR my brain is constantly stimulated by the work of others and finally gets to sit in the passenger seat for awhile and it's glorious.

Unfortunately as I find my self being sold to more than entertained this magic is starting to dwindle and if not for the nostalgia of the parks I experienced in the 70's and 80's I might not still hold out hope.

[Eagleman]

Unfortunately as I find my self being sold to more than entertained this magic is starting to dwindle and if not for the nostalgia of the parks I experienced in the 70's and 80's I might not still hold out hope.

I about were you are........except I lost the hope..........
I face the fact, that Disney is not the same company it use to be
as I was younger and grew up with.......even the park.........SAD
IMO- it is another company now !

[DLHMFAN]

What Disney means to me is a world where dreams come true and fantasies become realities. We get to escape from reality we would have good clean fun movies.