Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

[Joshrzmeup]

Ok, this semester, I am doing an independent Study for my major, History, and so I have to have a topic, (preferably a Disney one), and there needs to be a variety of books/videos available on the topic, and I need to explain why it has value in History.
I can't use the topic I did before, which was gender roles in Disney Films (mainly because it's not really THAT history related), but I want to do something Disney-related, does anyone have any ideas/thoughts????

Any help would be greatly appriciated.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Talk about Walt Disney's contributions to WWI and WWII. That is what I did when I wrote a final term paper for my College Political Science class and I aced it.

Look up on Google Image all the insignias Walt and his crew made for military airplanes and suits, etc.

Buy the DVD's "Walt: The Man Behind the Myth" because it addresses stuff he did for the Red Cross during WWI and how he took up smoking while in France. It talks about the propaganda cartoons he made during WWII. It shows footage of the military taking over his studios, it addresses how WWII made it hard for him to get money made from his films overseas. It addresses how he blamed communism for the Disney Artists strike of '41. Pluss it addresses his testimony in front of the House of Un-Americans Committee.
(Remember, the 1940's was a time where Senator McCarthy was interogatting people well known in Hollywood who were accussed of being communist. Walt was accused as being communist too. But I believe one of Walts competitors accussed him of that.)

Also buy "Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Frontlines." Leonard Malting gives you more information about how Walt helped America during WWII and you get to watch the Propaganda films he made.

Also visit the Disney Family museum website. I searched their audio clips and found clips of him describing what horrible conditions he had to deal with while in France during WWI.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

I enjoyed doing that report the most because I learned so many new things about Walt and I was getting bored of only knowing how he grew up and made the entertainment industry what it is today.

[FrumiousBoojum]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

I second the WWII aspect. That's probably going to be the easiest to show how Disney had some kind of mark on history. That is one studio that actually helped win the war, after all.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Plus Frum, So many images of the stuff Disney did can easily be found on Google.

I found it very interesting how Walt changed the date on his birth certificate so he could join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver during WWI.

In the "Man Behind the Myth" DVD they show his original birth certificate and how he changed it.

[ladyalmalthea]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

I love the WWII cartoons, with Donald...
You could also do something like race portrayals throughout the years.
Song of the South
Sunflower from Fantasia - http://www.thememoryhole.org/arts/sunflower.htm

I just found this comment, and thought it was intersting. It's about Bambi

Winter comes and snow covers the ground. Bambi attempts to cross a frozen lake in a humorous scene inspired by the "Eliza from Uncle Tom's Cabin crossing the ice" skit popularized by blackface minstrel shows. By this time, the entire audience is incredibly endeared (no pun intended) to Bambi and his friends, and if anything bad happened to them, we would be devastated.

http://www.disneylies.com/films/animated/bambi.shtml

Not really on track, but I would have never ever guessed a correlation between Bambi and Uncle Tom's Cabin

[Alchimedes]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Walt Disney An American Original by Bob Thomas The best book written about Walt and his career. There are others but this one is the tops!

[FrumiousBoojum]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Plus Frum, So many images of the stuff Disney did can easily be found on Google.

Or, just start here at MiceChat.

[FrumiousBoojum]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

I just found this comment, and thought it was intersting. It's about Bambi

http://www.disneylies.com/films/animated/bambi.shtml

Not really on track, but I would have never ever guessed a correlation between Bambi and Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uhm... that's DisneyLies.com... you're not supposed to take ANYTHING seriously from that site.

Seriously.

Spend some time on the site.

Then laugh away.

[ladyalmalthea]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Uhm... that's DisneyLies.com... you're not supposed to take ANYTHING seriously from that site.

Seriously.

Spend some time on the site.

Then laugh away.

Never believe anything on the internet.
I just want to know where they got that idea.
Of all the slipping on ice things that have happebned ever, how come they have to make it Uncle Tom-ish?

[Joshrzmeup]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

I enjoyed doing that report the most because I learned so many new things about Walt and I was getting bored of only knowing how he grew up and made the entertainment industry what it is today.

See, that's stuff I also want to know about as well, I was thinking of adding that in, but focusing on the great idea that you gave me (thanks for that btw - you too FB! Those book, dvd and website suggestions should really come in handy.).
I have to talk to the professor who is helping for the semester tomorrow, so i'll see what he has to say.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Hope your professor approves .

[FrumiousBoojum]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Never believe anything on the internet.
I just want to know where they got that idea.
Of all the slipping on ice things that have happebned ever, how come they have to make it Uncle Tom-ish?

Well, the idea came from their imaginations. DisneyLies.com, AllLies.com, and their other sites are all satirical sites. They're not meant to be taken seriously.

And I personally have trouble finding why some people do...

[Joshrzmeup]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Any good books/websites that really talk about Disneyland history, or other Disney compant advancements in the entertainment world? Cause I only have seen guidebooks on Disneyland and nothing about the disney company in general at the library.

[Disneyland Daddy]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

Ok, this semester, I am doing an independent Study for my major, History, and so I have to have a topic, (preferably a Disney one), and there needs to be a variety of books/videos available on the topic, and I need to explain why it has value in History.
I can't use the topic I did before, which was gender roles in Disney Films (mainly because it's not really THAT history related), but I want to do something Disney-related, does anyone have any ideas/thoughts????

Any help would be greatly appriciated.

I would advise you to go to the Anaheim Public Library (Harbor/Broadway). Look into any and all history of Anaheim. I would recommend you going to Google and look up History of Anaheim.

While it has been 26 years, I did a HUGE project in elementary school about Anaheim.....and would be happy to help you if there is anything I can do further to assist you in your Disney History Quest.

[Joshrzmeup]

Re: Need Historical Disney-ish topic for school

I would advise you to go to the Anaheim Public Library (Harbor/Broadway). Look into any and all history of Anaheim.

Only one problem there. I live in Ohio, not California. But thanks for the suggestion.