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View Full Version : A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow...(pretty long)



wonderful
09-20-2001, 10:08 PM
The fact that our patriotism and overall concern for our fellowman all too often only comes in momentary waves is a sad one... but I believe Walt and many of our original dreamers had in mind with many of our attractions and traditions a spirit of revisiting these themes when you came to Dsineyland...
The well intentioned (yet ill-fated) Canal Boats of the World, of course "it's a small world", America Sings, America the Beautiful, Mr.Lincoln... even Tomorrowland's emphasis on a positive future (you know, one where we're not all blown away by nukes)... and I think many later Imagineers have also incorporated these ideas in projects like Hall of Presidents and Golden Dreams...
So I was thinking, what would I add to Disneyland/DCA in this spirit, a reminder to thousands of guests for years to come about what is important...
1.Flag retreat would be "an event"... it might become "old hat" for CMs and APs who see it every day, but think of the many, many people who will only see a real flag retreat on their trip to the resort and that's it! Fifteen minutes a night to have the DL Band strike up, do the retreat with no activity on Main St, and have one of our many performers "sing" the National Anthem...
well worth the wait and more entertaining than the current DL parade!
2.An attraction about America's history in Frontierland, highlighting our heroes and, hey, we can ALWAYS add another stirring, tear-jerking song (like the Golden Dreams and Believe... songs)... and Frontierland could stand to have an Animatronic host to call their own
3.American flags at DCA... everywhere... you say what about the theming, I say "what theming?"
4.Add all the great Disney-made insignias for WWII to the interior of Soarin Over CA, and play the Disney-made propaganda flicks on flat monitors in the queing area (well, the ones that aren't offensive... there are many of them!)... even clips from Pearl Harbor.. not the battle scenes, but just the pilots having a good time
5.Completely retheme Paradise Pier to a 40's (Our Finest Hour) type of feel... and have a DCA version of flag retreat in Golden State park (yes, I'm a WWII buff)
... and that's all I can think of right now.... but I'd like to see what you would add to remind guests of our great country and our care for our fellowman, so that when they leave our resort they just might believe "there's a great big beautiful tomorrow" to be had.
Wonderful (Proud American and Tour Guide!)

Nigel2
09-20-2001, 10:29 PM
Um, walt really didn't like the propoganda that the military MADE him make. Wouldn't it be against the point of a flag ceremony to make it big and showy like you are recomending. It is supposed to be a quiet little ceremony, not a production. What do you mean DCA has no themeing, its all California based things. I think a good reason that Tomorowland has no American Flags is due to the fact that it is supposed to be like there is one world body instead of a bunch of countires that hate each other. I think there are also enough flags at Disneyalnd, too many would make it look tacky and hokey. DCA could use a flag of 2 in the park, but that really isn't super vital to the park.

wonderful
09-20-2001, 11:01 PM
The point of Flag Retreat is a reminder... it could be big OR small... let me tell you, the military certaintly doesn't handle retreat lightly, nor do I think DL should. We do a good job now, but the band is needed to get everyone's attention... I think a lot of people simply don't know anything is going on and the soundtrack is pretty bad. The soloist singing the National Anthem is something major ball games have done forever... I think it says something to remember our country ESPECIALY in our liesure time... something many folks don't have.
You're right about DCA... I was just being a tad rough on them... read my other posts... I'm actually quite a fan of DCA.
Walt offered up ideas for the propaganda films... sure he was "asked" to make some films (not "made"... that would be the Nazis, my friend), but almost all of the films were pure Disney... in humor, style and, yes, absolute patriotism.
I think there's no flag in Tomorrowland because red, white and blue are against the color scheme =)

Nigel2
09-21-2001, 12:12 AM
He really didn't offer ideas, they told him what they wanted to see, plus it was propoganda so the military probably had the final say. Also would you really want to go against the Govt if you owned a cartoon studio that probably could be taken over to make the cartoons anyway? There is a major difference between the National Anthem at sporting events and the flag ceremony. The flag ceremony neither truly starts or ends the day at Disneyland, and if it were a big production it would feel cheap, and probably the large amount of people would also bring flash photography which would also take away from it. Its funny how people (as a whole) could have cared less about a thing like this, but all of a sudden they act like they go to it all the time. I still think that there is no US flag in Tland since many visions of the future have one world body, all countries get along and abandon the seperate governemts, blah blah blah, and everyone lives in nauseatingly sweet happiness.