Oh for goodness' sake! Word on the street is that certain higher ups in Disney have taken a liking to this feeble little blog. Seems there's a longing for some "old school" cast member types and attitude.
To these fine people we say: hi! Thanks for stopping by. We're always ready to chat.
Oh yeah, and Mike's free if you ever need him! Feel free to drop him a line.
To the rest of you Jungle devotees, carry on! You are four (4) of the finest people I know (hi, Mom).
Just got back from a trip to the Park today. Crow-ded! I mean like the upper queue in Jungle was STILL going at 6:30 p.m.
Good to see so many folks enjoying the Park.
Buy Disney stock folks.
: )
---Mike
4 comments:
I can weigh in on that notion of old school cast etc. I'll post more when I can spare the time to do the thought justice.
JG
It's true.
Just staggered into this wonderful blog...fun stories!
Sincerely,
Reader #5 ;)
OK, so here's my off-the-cuff views, as promised above.
First: The special nature of Old-School Disney came out of the values and commitment of Walt Disney. He clearly would not do things half-way and his traditional values were evident everywhere; sometimes directly stated, as in Mr. Lincoln, or indirectly, as in many other places. The profit motive was never in evidence, although apparently, Disneyland was profitable.
Second: As a result of the values of the Disney company, implicit and explicit in Disneyland, the staff embodied the same values, according to their individual gifts. The training documents you show and the feelings you and others relate are clear on this.
Third and finally, these first two points combined into a magical combination of physical place, mental focus, and spiritual well-being to make "old-school Disneyland" the kind of place that now has it's own existence, independent of time and space.
I'm not trying to be mystical, but can't help sounding that way. So many people, over so many years, having so much fun, in such a small place, have saturated Disneyland with a kind of Good Karma that may never dissipate. The comments of the bloggers, the photos of the collectors, the memories of the staff, all are witness to what a successful place Disneyland has become. The very soil has been consecrated, in a way.
And for example, the lack of this spirit is why the California Adventure feels so flat and uninteresting. People can feel it when they go in.
Hopefully, the downtown team will realize the depth of the value here, more goodwill than mere money could ever buy for any company. And they could regain it if they tried. The answers are written in the comments.
OK, I'm done.
Thank you Mike, for the opportunity to vent, and for posting things that bring up so many good memories for me.
JG
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