Archive for the &;Cold-War&; Category
Notes fromDisneyland
June 22, 2007
I recently attended the launch, literally and figuratively, of the Finding Nemo submarine ride at Disneyland. Although I didn&;t grow up in Southern California, I&;m starting to understand the sometimes-creepy nostalgia for a Disneyland of the past that almost seems like a Coney Island of the Mind, as Lawrence Ferlinghetti put it.
While many rides of the mythical &;E-Ticket&; era are gone, the Cold War era Disney submarine fleet (launched 1959) has returned from mothballs with a vengeance, to take us on a wonderous undersea journey chasing the little fish Nemo. Disney has also bowed to the green era; the 8 subs are now clean electric-powered.
The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland
Disney should open an attraction called &;The Line Experience.&; No ride, just a long line, with lots of hot, tired people from around the world waiting to be entertained.
Disney employees have two retirement plans: their 401K and the stuff in their basement.
As press, we had an unusual experience&;visiting Walt&;s apartment. Anaheim was strawberry farms when Disneyland was built, with no freeways or hotels. Rather than drive the 35 miles back to Holmby Hills, Disney had a small apartment built above the fire station on Main Street.
Like much of Disneyland, it&;s preserved in immaculate creepiness; the early 20th century furniture and footstools covered in doilies, the inevitable Edison phonograph (a victrola-like device with a huge horn) and the two day beds, 15 feet apart, where Walt and wife slept apart from one another. It smelled like Grandma&;s house.
I picked up the ornate white rotary dial phone. There was a dial tone, as if waiting a call from The Maker. At night, they leave the light in the window on for Walt.
Posted in 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, Cold-War, Disney, Disneyland, Finding-Nemo, Uncategorized | 1 Comment &;