I’m a HUGE Disney fan. I have loved Disney all my life. It started with Disney animated and live action films. Foremost in my mind are Peter Pan and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Oh! And Swiss Family Robinson. These are timeless films that really began my love affair with Disney.

Nowadays, Disney is perceived more as a brand than a cultural icon, but to me Disney IS American culture. Sure, a lot of it is pretty cheesy. Some of it is “politically incorrect.” I’ll never understand why Disney chooses to sanitize certain things. I recently re-watched Swiss Family Robinson on Disney+ and they stuck the following disclaimer to the top of the intro to the film, “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.” That’s fine (although I never viewed the film with any particular interest in the stereotypical elements. In SFR, the pirates are the bad guys, period. They could have been of any ethnicity.) but what I don’t understand is why Disney refuses to give Song of the South the treatment it deserves. They don’t even market the film at all in the US. There is a third-party vendor selling it on Amazon. It’s a VHS to DVD transfer of passable quality. It’s panned and scanned (formatted for a square TV screen). Disney could remaster it on Blu-Ray, in widescreen format and include the same damned disclaimer, but they don’t. Call me ignorant, but why?

I digress. The title of this article is “Once Upon A Studio,” which is a short, ten-minute film Disney dropped onto the Disney+ streaming platform this month. It is an unbelievably charming and touching 100th anniversary tribute to the studio in which MANY Disney characters pop out of framed stills on the walls of the Roy Disney Animation Studio building and gather for a giant group photo in front of the building. Characters from classically animated films as well as newer digital products are present. All of the originals, many from the second wave (thanks Roy!), as well as from films like Wreck It Ralph, Frozen, Moana, and more. Here’s a link to the Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Studio

At one point, Mickey pauses in front of a picture of Walt and gives him a warm smile. From that point until the end of the thing I was sobbing like a 10-year-old. I just couldn’t stop. As I mentioned at the top, I’m a big fan. I have had an emotional connection to Disney movies, parks, and music since I was very young (I’m 62 as I write this).

While I have my issues with the company in the areas of their “wokeness” (their desire to be PC and not offend anyone) and the ever-increasing cost of entry to Disney parks, upcharging for things like the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and now even Christmas events, Genie+ and Lightning Lane charges, I still love Disney. I love the cleanliness of their parks, the attitude of their cast members, the overall quality of their entertainment whether it be music, movies, Broadway productions, or the smaller things they do in the parks. These are the things that keep me coming back and loving the brand. Clearly, I’m not alone because millions of people visit the parks around the world each year. Millions of people around the world watch their films. People go into debt to take Disney vacations, or spend a lot of time saving up for them.

And then there’s Walt himself. His vision and high standards have created a juggernaut that largely still maintains those standards and tries to remain aligned to his vision. Disney and its ancillary companies provide a tremendous number of jobs at all levels to people around the world. The value generated by the Disney brand is, in my humble opinion, incalculable.

Thanks Walt!