My first time

Going to Disneyland that is ... did you think I was going to talk about something else?

Like most kids my age - in the US at least - I grew up knowing that my Sunday nights would mean watching Walt Disney and Ed Sullivan. Naturally I was more interested in Walt than Ed, though I did enjoy Topo Gigio. But of course it was a different mouse that I looked forward to seeing, and that was Mickey. Over the years Walt Disney's presence on Sunday night was legendary. Although the name of the show changed many times, my favorite segments were always those that showed Walt's little park, Disneyland. I loved watching all of the rides and attractions, and the people enjoying them. The only problem was that Disneyland was on the totally opposite side of the country, so while I enjoyed watching the shows about Disneyland, I never seriously thought I would be there. People really weren't in the habit of flying for vacations yet. And this being the fifties and the sixties, there was only one Disney park.

I watched with great excitement as Walt talked about four new projects though. He told us that a lifelike Lincoln who would stand up and speak was being developed. And how about that ride where you would drive a car through history, from the dinosaurs to the caveman to the present and the future? Or that other history ride where you would sit in a theater which moved from scene to scene from the beginning of the twentieth century to the very modern present of 1964!! And finally he told us about a boat ride through the countries of the world - with little children singing a wonderful Sherman brothers' song. (Shhhh ... I heard that!)

What made this so exciting for me was the fact that I would actually be able to experience all of these attractions! They were being prepared for the State of Illinois, Ford Motor Company, General Electric and Pepsi/UNICEF. They were going to be at the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair, and since I lived in New York City I knew I would see each of them a number of times. And I did.

And then, before school was out for the summer of 1968, my parents (teachers by profession) informed me and my brother and sister that we would spend our summer vacation driving cross country. You know what that meant? We would be in California ... and Disneyland was in California. (Oh yeah, a few other things as well, but ... Disneyland!!!)

The end of June came ... school was out for the summer ... and we were on the road! Yes indeed we saw some great things on the way out there, but Disneyland was the "wienie" as Walt would have put it. And then, on July 26th, 1968 the day came that I finally got to go to Disneyland. (I just realized for the first time that 10 years to the day later, my daughter - the current Walt Disney World Cast Member - would be born.) I remember the excitement as we saw the Disneyland sign from the highway ... the highway which had no signs about the park. How exciting it was to finally be in the parking lot, about to have my parents buy that booklet with the ABCDE tickets in it? The wonderful things I saw on my black and white television (we wouldn't have color TV until late in 1969) now appeared before me (as they would say on TV) in living color ... ready to capture with the same Ansco Cadet camera that I had used at the NY World's Fair!

As we walked into the park and underneath the Disneyland Railroad, Main Street and the castle (The Castle) appeared before us.

I couldn't wait to walk down the street and look into all the stores which I had seen on Walt Disney's Sunday night television shows.

How many times had I seen an animated Tinkerbell (who I still insist is a jealous/murderous sprite ... a strange choice as a corporate spokesfairy) splash the front of the castle in an array of color to start another Sunday night Disney show? To me it looked so large and amazing standing there at the end of Main Street - the famous "wienie" Walt wanted in the center of the park.

But of course, the most exciting things were the attractions. I wanted to ride the Jungle Cruise, which I had seen so much of on TV. I had to experience something that was still unique to Disneyland back then - the steel rollercoaster type ride that was the Matterhorn. I couldn't wait to ride the traditional dark rides which were not super scary as they were back home in Brooklyn (at Coney Island), but much more family friendly with Disney characters. And what about Walt's fleet of submarines - or the skyride ... or the monorail ... and the other rides and attractions that I had seen for so long?  I had to do it all. But I think the attraction that I wanted to see the most, was the newest. I watched it take shape over the years on the Sunday night tv program, and now I would get to see it in person ... The Pirates of the Caribbean! And I wasn't disappointed. (The Haunted Mansion, which became my all time favorite - and still is - wouldn't be open until my 1969 visit. My son would be working in the Walt Disney World version at the moment 1999 became 2000.)

I also had to see the four World's Fair attractions which I had experienced just a few years earlier back at home; Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Illinois), The Grand Canyon Diorama on the train trip around the park (Ford), Carousel of Progress (General Electric) and It's a Small World (Pepsi/UNICEF).

It was exciting finding out which type of ticket each attraction required, then ripping the appropriate one out of the booklet for admission. And as always ... the day ended much too soon. I would be back the next summer, and again a few times since I have been married, but nothing can match the excitement of that first time.

Today, as a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World, I get a completely different feeling upon walking in to that first park - whichever it is on that trip - from the excitement of my first time in Disneyland. Today is more of a comfortable "I'm home again" feeling.

But that first time in Disneyland .... ahhh ... that was something special!

How about your first trip to a Disney Park?

When should you bring the kids to a Disney Park?

When Disneyland was less than a decade old, my grandfather and my aunts became the first in our family to visit. I remember one of my aunts saying upon their return that Disneyland wasn't for kids. What she meant was that this is not a park with just amusement park rides for the kids and nothing else. After all, wasn't that Walt's purpose for building Disneyland in the first place?

But at what age should you bring a young child to one of the (now multiple) Disney Parks? Is there such as thing as too young to bring a child?

I have heard both sides of this argument, and there are points on both sides, but I think it really depends more on the individual child than any set and fast rule.

Many people would argue against it saying that if the child is too young they will not remember it. That is certainly true, but is it important to be remembered? Again, it depends. If going to a Disney Park will be a once in a lifetime event, then most certainly you should wait until the child is old enough to not only enjoy him/herself in the moment, but be able to remember it for years to come.

However, if you know that this will be just the first of many trips, why not let a young child enjoy the experience. But then you have to ask, how old are we talking about? Again you have to know your child, as well as your own tolerance for the extra care they will require. Is your child used to traveling and being in public situations, or will the theme park atmosphere overwhelm your child? Will your child be able to enjoy the characters and the atmosphere, or will it scare him/her? These are things you need to ask yourself before you consider when to bring (or not bring) them to a Disney Park. Remember also that if your child is having a melt-down, not only may it disrupt your day in the park, but the day of other guests as well.

But if your child is comfortable and happy in new situations and can handle the hubbub of a theme park with thousands of people, loud sounds and music, then why not bring them and allow them to enjoy themselves? They may be of an age where they will not remember their first visit, but they can certainly enjoy the experience as it happens.

Had it not been raining on the day my wife and I visited in 1979, my daughter would have made her first visit at 7 months old. As it turned out, she made her first visit at 4 years of age, while my son was 2 years during that same visit ... his first as well. Neither of them remember that trip, but we have been back many times since then. (Boy is that an understatement!)

Last August, my son - now the father of twins - and my daughter-in-law took those twins to Walt Disney World for their first trip. They were 10 months old at the time. They experienced attractions, parades, and food that they hadn't before. Did they enjoy themselves? You tell me ...

And no, this will not be their only trip ... they will be heading back this August as well.

3 great DVD's for Disney fans and historians

I recently purchased and watched three DVD's on three different times in the history of the Disney Company. In chronological order they are Walt & El Grupo, The Boys - the Sherman brothers' story, and Waking Sleeping Beauty. Anyone interested in the history of the Disney Company will be well served by one or all of these DVD's.

The first of the three is Walt & El Grupo. In the years before World War II, The Walt Disney Studios was facing a crisis. Union organizer Herb Sorrell was trying to get Walt's employees to unioninze. Though Walt had agreed to allowing a vote, Sorrell insisted that Disney agree to let his artists sign with him - without a vote - or he would call an immediate strike against the studio. Walt refused, and a strike was indeed called. Walt was dispirited and at a low point in his life. He felt betrayed. At the same point in time, FDR asked Walt if he would undertake a good-will tour of South America, with the purpose of attempting to swing certain countries who might be leaning towards the Nazis into becoming allies of the U.S. in the war that was certain to come. At first Walt declined the request, but when the government agreed to sponsor it as research for a film project, and then further subsidize the film, guaranteeing the studio a profit, Walt agreed. He took his wife and a collection of artists from the studio, leaving his brother Roy to oversee the settlement of the strike at the studio. Among the talent he brought with him were a number whom we have come to know today as classic Disney artists. Frank Thomas and Mary Blair are two who come to mind. In fact, it is interesting to note that the Mary Blair style that she came to be known for actually developed during this tour. While in South America they visited Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. In these days before pagers or cell phones, the artists would often sit in the hotel lobby waiting for their assignments for the day. When Walt would call with those assignments, a staff member would go to the lobby and call for "el grupo Disney" which produced the nickname of El Grupo. The story is told by family members reading from the letters that the members of El Grupo sent home to friends and family, as well as through home movies, Disney produced movie clips, photos, and the sketches made by the artists at the time. The tour eventually produced two Disney features - Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. In addition to all the usual extras you would expect to find on a DVD of this nature, you also have the original 1943 release of Saludos Amigos.

The next in the trio is The Boys - the Sherman brothers' story. When you think of Disney music you could think of Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline, if you are old enough. If not you may think of Howard Ashman, Alan Menkin, Tim Rice or Phil Collins. However, the most prolific team when it comes to Disney music is without a doubt The Sherman Brothers, Robert and Richard. The Boys is a DVD about that duo. Sons of Tin Pan Alley songwriter, Al Sherman, they started writing songs when their dad challenged them to make some money by writing and selling their first song. (It was recorded by Gene Autrey.) This DVD is not only the history of their partnership, but of their stormy personal relationship. Though they created so many wonderful songs, including the totally ubiquitous It's a Small World, their own relationship with each other was never as close as you may have thought. This DVD explores why and where that relationship has gone. The bonus features on this DVD are as interesting as the main feature, and includes a "jukebox" of some of their songs in which they talk a bit about the creation of each. It was produced by Greogory and Jeffrey Sherman, each the son of one of the brothers. It is fascinating viewing.

The final DVD is Waking Sleeping Beauty. This is the story of how the Disney Animation group was in such disregard by the company at the time Michael Eisner and Frank Wells were brought in to run Disney, that they were kicked out of the Animation Building and the Disney Studio itself and banished to Glendale. This DVD documents the rise and fall of Jeffrey Katzenberg as on his watch, this almost abandoned part of the Walt Disney company regains its footing and re-establishes itself as the once proud production company that it once was under Walt himself. We see how the studio went from the disaster that was The Black Cauldron to the successes of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alladin, and the Lion King to regain the prestige that it once had. But it also shows a bit of the inner workings of the company at the time, and it is not always the nice, sanitized Disney story that we are usually presented. Anyone interested in Disney history will be well served by this DVD.

All three of these DVD's are available through Amazon.com and can be accessed by clicking the ads which accompany the descriptions. If you decide to purchase any of the DVD's spoken about here, please do so through the above ads and help support this blog.