my top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2023

my top 10 Movies of 2022

Christmas at the Disney parks on TV

Hello and welcome, 

Yes, I am alive (at least for the time being) but I have just been really, really busy. I was thinking recently about Disney, particularly about how they can do an advertisement and pass it off as entertainment, which is certainly not new. The Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, in some form or another, goes back to 1983; it is not limited to Christmas Day, as I will talk about later.  Walt did it on a weekly basis and won Emmys. What I was originally going to do was a big essay on the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade however I have a problem in that I came up with this idea only about  2 weeks ago and the parade is almost 40 years old and I don't have enough time right now to watch that many parades, so that will happen next year. Today I will look at 3 specials that could be considered a prototype of the Christmas Day special. Before I move on, it is worth noting that specials like these are not big in the ratings for Disney Parks Magical Holiday Celebration which airs right around thanksgiving and averages 2 to 3m viewers but the ratings do not matter because it’s marketing and they get 2m eyeballs on their product (eg Parks, movie, etc).

 Oh, and I would be remiss if I did not mention that August was the 8-year anniversary of this blog.

Background

I have already reviewed probably the earliest example of this type of special and that is One Hour in Wonderland (if you want info on that you can read my review). Instead, I will give you a brief History of the Disney anthology series (and I mean brief because, believe me, I could talk about it all day). The series premiered in 1954 on ABC under the title Disneyland with Walt Disney himself hosting, in exchange for ABC to help finance Disneyland the theme park (for all of you keeping score it would be over 40 years before Disney bought ABC). Long story short, after an argument with ABC about color in 1961 Walt moved the series to NBC and it was renamed Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. After Walt died in 1966 the Host was eliminated and was renamed The Wonderful World of Disney. I could go on but that is all that is relevant to this blog. 

Holiday Time at Disneyland

This is a 1962 episode of the Disney anthology series with the plot basically being Walt showing Disneyland around the holidays and not just Christmas, but also Easter and the 4th of July (side note, in the 80s and 90s Disney, did specials on both). The special focused a lot on the 1959 expansion which included the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage, and the Monorail. I was trying to figure out why they were focusing so much time on something that happened 3 years earlier, however, I believe that was the last major expansion up to that point. The special also featured a Christmas Parade remarkably similar to what we see on Christmas Day every year, overall it was good but unremarkable.

Christmas in Disneyland 

This is a 1976 episode of the Disney anthology series at that point in time  Walt had been dead for 10 years at that point but still 8 years prior to Michael Eisner became CEO in the time period Disney fans call the What Would Walt Do? era, the plot is an unimpressed Gramps (Art Carney), with his two grandkids in tow, who are preparing to leave Disneyland. His plan is quickly thwarted by a tour guide (Sandy Duncan) who devises a plan to prevent him from leaving. She then takes the three guests to the underground laboratory of Dr. Wunderbar (Art Carney Again), A few questions: What?  Was the laboratory there before the park and they built the park over it? Or did they build it after the park? Or is that where you keep Walt? Dr. Wunderbar offers Gramps a cash reward if he could resist being transformed from an unbeliever into a believer by midnight. (What, were you expecting a different time?). I think you can guess how it ends. There is a small world segment which is the most outdated part of the special.  

Snow White and the seven dwarfs appear a lot but I really don't know why I have a Theory that the special was initially planned for 1975 but was delayed and I say that because Snow White got a re-release in that year. Winnie the Pooh also makes an appearance but that is probably because The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was going to be released in 1977.  One character that you don't see a lot of today who makes an appearance is José Carioca. It might be because The Three Caballeros got a re-release in 77. Overall, the special is very cheesy and that's what I love about it.

Christmas at Walt Disney World 

This is a 1978 episode of the Disney anthology series. There is no plot or structure. Holiday Time at least had some structure thanks to Walt Disney hosting, but here we have nothing. It goes from one segment to the next, and it begins with 2 unfunny mimes going from LA to Orlando. There’s a Pinocchio segment, why Pinocchio? Well, Pinocchio got a re-release that year. There is a very unfunny Phyllis Diller segment, and a Sleeping Beauty segment. Why? Well, it was getting a re-release the next year. Finally, the only part that I can honestly recommend is the last segment with Andrea McArdle (AKA Broadway original Annie) singing Christmas carols. One thing of note is that Walt’s son-in-law and future/very short-lived CEO Ron Miller who is credited as an executive producer for the special and who at that time was the head of Disney’s movie division and a board member.

All of these specials do have some entertainment value (some in a so bad it's good way) but we can't deny the fact they are marketing. However, this is not meant as a criticism of Disney, in fact, it is more of the opposite, because I do like to watch these types of specials. For better or worse (probably worse) we live in a capitalist society and you cannot go anywhere without someone trying to sell you something. These specials are effective advertising. To be honest, after I watched Christmas at Walt Disney World (1978) I rewatched Pinocchio. Although I do enjoy these specials, I recognize why they are made. Just to let you know I have barely scratched the surface of this topic so I will come back to it at another time. 

Goodnight and merry Christmas, Bee Happy everyone 

Mr.Bee