I know an awful lot has been written about Walt Disney, both positive and negative, which is pretty much true for any public figure of that stature. I won’t deny that he was most likely a tough shrewd business man, but I don’t think he could have totally faked the kind of warmth that I recall from seeing him on television in the 60’s.
They claim children can spot a phony. I always thought he seemed like the pro-typical grandfather. So, if he was faking his kindness, I sure bought into it.
It’s strange that for all the times I watched his programs that were in part advertising for Disneyland, it never once crossed my mind that it was some place that my parents would actually take us. California was pretty far away from Massachusetts. Even after they opened Walt Disney World in Florida it still was not something I considered possible, nor did I have a burning desire to go there. In fact, I only knew one kid that ever went.
Eventually my wife dragged me down to Disney World on our honeymoon and we have been back every year since. I won’t go into great detail here as to why we enjoy the place so much, but I do understand those that don’t care for it. It requires a certain perspective to really enjoy it to the degree that we do. An ability to regress into childhood helps.
For me, nothing could be more demonstrative of the magic of those Disney theme parks than the effect they had on my dad. This surprised the heck out of me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my dad, but when I was growing up, he wasn’t exactly the carefree happy go lucky type. But, boy, Walt Disney World sure could get a laugh out of him. I was always close to my father, but somehow those Florida vacations allowed us to bond in a different way. Even though I worked with him in a couple of businesses, the relationship still was distinctly that of father and son, but at Disney World, we became much more like peers. I presume it was becuase we were both taking temporary leave from our otherwise adult existence. Whatever the reason, I am grateful for those vacations.
So, to paraphrase an old childhood taunt, “My dad likes Disney World” more than your dad!”