It's a Smart World After All

Tensions are rising out in California. Thankfully the fans understand that Disney is screwed up and they're fighting back. Now the family of Mary Blair has joined the fight. Courtesy of the reimagineering blog:

Dear Disney Executives,

It has recently been brought to my attention that the Walt Disney Company including WDI has proposed changes to the “It’s a Small World Ride” at the Disneyland Park in Anaheim. As I understand the changes include the addition of the Disney Characters (Mickey, Minnie, Lilo & Stitch, etc.) to the ride in select areas, and the replacement of the “Rainforest” section with Mickey Mouse in a tribute entitled “Up with America”. I also understand that the boats and trough they ride in will be expanded for the safety and comfort of the parks modern day guests.

While I fully understand and support the upgrade to the boats as a necessary safety upgrade, the addition of the Disney Characters and the “Up with America” section I do NOT support as it represents a gross desecration of the ride's original theme and my Mother’s stylized artwork.

The Disney characters of themselves are positive company icons, but they do NOT fit in with the original theme of the ride. They will do nothing except to marginalize the rightful stars of the ride “The Children of the World”. This marginalization will do nothing but infuriate the ride’s international guests and devoted Disney fans.

My Mother and I have always had a strong sense of patriotism for America and I DO support a tribute to America. Disneyland has several venues, which are perfect places for this tribute including “Main Street USA” or “New Orleans Square”; unfortunately the “It’s a Small World” ride is NOT one of them. Once again this will marginalize the children of the world theme and bastardize my Mother’s original art. Furthermore ripping out a rainforest (Imaginary or otherwise) and replacing it with misplaced patriotism is a public relations blunder so big you could run a Monorail through it.

As a former WED employee I am saddened to realize the degradation of the company’s talent and focus and the subsequent decline at the Disneyland Park itself. I cannot believe someone from WDI was paid to come up with such an idiotic plan as this.

As the head of the Blair family I cannot urge you strongly enough to abandon this idiotic plan and instead upgrade the boats and return the ride to it’s original classic form, design and colors. The desecration of Mary’s art is an insult to Mary Blair, her art, and her memory, and to the entire Blair Family itself.

Sincerely,

Kevin L. Blair
Representing;
Kevin Blair, Donovan Blair, Jeanne Chamberlain,
Maggie Richardson, Kevin Allison

Like a Grand and Miraculous Spaceship Earth v. 3

Now I present the script to the third incarnation of Spaceship Earth. This was the first version to contain significant changes to the ride itself, including the removal of many sets at the 180 top and descent. What was added, however, made a significant contribution to the story the attraction told.
Jeremy Irons narrated this version which debuted in 1994 and lasted until last year. The script is a return to the philosophical and ideological approach of the original, but with a more humanistic and emotional quality. Miraculously, the combination of Irons' voice, the new and powerful score, and the great writing made Spaceship Earth both majestic and personal, something that is very hard to do. The storyline had less emphasis on us obtaining knowledge and more on us being able to share our thoughts and come together thanks to new technology. By communicating with one another, we'd learn we all shared common "hope and sorrow, dreams and joys," and that would usher in our Future World.

Spaceship Earth v.3

Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers. From the very beginning, we have always sought to reach out to one another...to bridge the gaps between us...to communicate. Across a lonely, hostile planet, our early ancestors spread out in search of food and shelter.

With the development of language came a vital key to our survival. For the first time, we could share and learn from one another. We bonded together in small tribes and prospered, no longer isolated, no longer alone.

Ages later, the Egyptians invented the first written communication - a complex language of hieroglyphic pictures and symbols. With the creation of papyrus scrolls, came the world's first piece of paper. Now, without ever leaving their palaces, pharaohs could deliver proclamations and decrees to subjects across the land.

Phoenician merchants established the earliest commercial highways trading goods and information at distant ports of call. To aid in record keeping, they created the first common alphabet and shared this new tool across the Mediterranean.

In ancient Greece, the spoken word was elevated to a fine art. Philosophers debated with one another in plazas and storytellers found a new forum for personal expression. The theater was born.

The mighty Roman empire bridged three continents with a vast system of roads - the fastest information highways the world had ever known. East, west, north, and south - all roads led to Rome. But these same roads were turned against Rome by invaders whose destruction left ages of knowledge and wisdom in the ashes that would become the Dark Ages.

But all was not lost. For far across the land, from Cairo to Cordoba, Jewish teachers and Islamic scholars continued the quest for knowledge. In libraries of wisdom, they debated ideas and shared new discoveries with all who would listen. In Western abbeys, monks toil endlessly in lonely isolation copying ancient books of wisdom and revelations for future generations.

Finally, from the depths of the Dark Ages came the Age of Enlightenment - the Renaissance. And with this era, came a powerful new invention - the moveable type printing press. Scientists, explorers, and scholars spread their discoveries in books and essays. Poets, musicians, and artists fueled by the passion of the age created timeless works of beauty and majesty.

On this wave of inspiration, we sailed into a bold, new era of communication bringing an explosion of tools and technologies which would bridge people around the world as never before. And as our appetite for information and knowledge grew, the world began to shrink.

Today, we possess the ability to connect with one another instantly anywhere on the planet. A new communications supernetwork is being built before our eyes. Spaceship Earth glows with billions of interactions carrying news and information at the very speed of light.

But will these seemingly infinite communications become a flood of electronic babble? Or will we use this power to usher in a new age of understanding and co-operation on this, our Spaceship Earth.

Physical distance is no longer a barrier to communication. Today, the entire world is our next door neighbor. Our news is their news, their news ours. We share our hopes and concerns with the whole planet. We truly live in a Global Neighborhood. Wondrous new tools will help us learn more about ourselves, each other, and the planet we share. Spaceship Earth will become our virtual classroom.

As we greet the 21st century, yet another revolution in communication is upon us - as profound as all the progress that has come before. By using our new communication tools to build better bridges between us, we will discover we all share the common bonds of hope and sorrow, dreams and joys.

Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has revolutionized our lives and changed our world. We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us; to create a better world for ourselves and our children as we continue our amazing journey aboard Spaceship Earth."

Spaceship Earth Version 2

Today I'm going to share the script for the second version of Spaceship Earth that ran from 1986- 1994. The narration was by Walter Cronkite. As mentioned before, the original Spaceship Earth was apparently too dry and lifeless, so this version injected some star power in Walter Cronkite and included a song, which almost every Future World attraction already had. The change also took place because the pavilion was now presented by AT&T, rather than the now defunct Bell System, and a more friendly attraction was warranted. What's interesting is how Disney faced the same challenge in 2007 when Siemens took the reigns from AT&T, yet instead of making minor changes to an already great attraction, they decided to completely dilute the message and content. Though the second Spaceship Earth is more direct and less poetic than the original, the meaning and message are as strong as ever.

Spaceship Earth v. 2 Walter Cronkite Version

For eons, our planet has drifted as a spaceship through the universe. And for a brief moment, we have been its passengers. Yet in that time, we've made tremendous progress in our ability to record and share knowledge. So, let’s journey back 40,000 years to the dawn of recorded history. We'll trace the path of communications from its earliest beginnings to the promise of the future.

We have reached the dawn of recorded time, an age when mammoth creatures roam the land. But with spoken language, the ancient hunters learn to work together and meet the challenges of this hostile world. In primal tribes, the skills of survival are passed on to new generations through the art of storytelling. Not trusting this knowledge to memory alone, our ancestors create a lasting reminder with cave paintings.

Ages later, stories and knowledge are transcribed in complex pictures and symbols. Hieroglyphics mark the rise of written language and, soon with papyrus scrolls, the written word begins to travel out across the land. The value of writing for accurate record keeping appeals to Phoenician merchants. They create an alphabet, simple enough for any to learn, and share this new tool at ports along the Mediterranean.

In classic Greece, the alphabet grows and flowers with new expression and a new stage of storytelling emerges. A stage on which we examine our world and ourselves. The theater is born.

The Romans build a mighty system of roads - a long distance network to carry laws and tidings over a far-reaching empire. Glorious Rome falls victim to the flames of excess. Ages of knowledge are lost or forgotten in the ashes. But all is not lost, for Islamic and Jewish scholars continue to preserve ancient wisdom in noble libraries. In their travels, they record knowledge, and share their findings with cultures East and West. In western abbeys, Monks toil endlessly transcribing ancient writings into hand-penned books of revelation.

The dawn of the Renaissance brings a wondrous new machine, the printing press. Now books and authors flourish as never before. The Renaissance, a time of renewed interest in the worlds of poetry and music, science, philosophy and art. Behold, the majesty of the Sistine ceiling.

On this wave of inspiration, we sail into a bold, new era- an age of astounding inventions and ever increasing progress in communications. With electronic communications, we can send messages instantly over long distances. Signals and voices criss-cross the nation. Radio and movies inform and entertain millions. Then television brings the world into our homes profoundly changing our perceptions of life itself.

Instant communications create an ever-increasing flow of facts and figures. To manage this growing storehouse of information, we invent the computer. A revolutionary tool made practical by the tiny transistor. Today, we're merging the technologies of communications and computers to store, process and share information. And we're creating a vast electronic network stretching from our homes to the reaches of space.

We have entered a wondrous new age, the age of information. A time of new promise and new hope for ourselves and Spaceship Earth. Today, our search for understanding is unbounded by space and time. Centuries of information stand ready to reach us in an instant ... our link with the past ... our hope for the future. In the information age, our knowledge and tools of communication will continue to grow and improve. We'll discover new ways to share our ideas and dreams, to create a better world for today, tomorrow and tomorrow's child.

Yes, tomorrow's child ... embodying our hopes and dreams for the future, a future made possible by the information age. The technologies of this new era will extend our reach, expand the capabilities of the human mind and help us shape a better tomorrow. Ours is a time of unprecedented choice and opportunity, so let us explore and question and understand. Let us learn from our past and meet the challenges of the future, let us go forth and fulfill our destiny on Spaceship Earth.

Original Spaceship Earth

One of the major problems with today's imagineers is their show writing. Attractions like Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and the new Spaceship Earth have cringe-worthy dialogue that come across as either juvenile or dumb. I thought it would be appropriate to share all of the versions of the Spaceship Earth script throughout the years, starting with the original one.
The original script to Spaceship Earth was written by science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. Personally, I think his script is too dry and doesn't capture the human quality of the story. That's probably why it only lasted for four years before a song and simpler narration were added.
I'm not really a fan of Bradbury's work after struggling through his Fahrenheit 451 in 9th grade English. He uses very poetic structure, meaning there are plenty of incomplete sentences. Nevertheless, this work is far beyond the quality seen in today's attractions.

Spaceship Earth Original script

Where have we come from, where are we going? In the dust from which we were formed, answers recorded on the walls of time. So let us journey into that past, to seek those walls, to know ourselves and to probe the destiny of our Spaceship Earth.

Now, suns reverse, moons re-phase, let us return to ancient caves where first we learn to share our thoughts ... and to survive. Where are we now? It is the waiting dawn where vast things stir and breathe. And with our first words and first steps, we draw together to conquer the mammoth beast. It is the dawn of a new beginning, the dawn of recorded time. On cave walls we inscribe our greatest triumphs, a growing record of our deeds, to share with others so they too may greet tomorrow’s sun.

Ages pass and more walls rise in the valley of the Nile. Man-made walls of hieroglyphics. Then with new symbols, we unlock our thoughts from chiseled walls and send them forth on papyrus scrolls. On fine Phoenician ships, we take our scrolls to sea. Real scrolls simplified by an alphabet, eagerly shared at distant ports of call.

Deep in the shadows of Mount Olympus, our alphabet takes route ... flowering with new expression. Hail the proud Greeks: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides. The theater is born.

North, South, East, and West, all roads lead from Rome, a mighty network reaching across the land, welding far-flung garrisons into a growing empire. Glorious Rome, until consumed by the flames of excess. Imperial Rome, lost in the ashes of darkness.

Far from the dieing embers, Islamic wise men preserve ancient wisdom and weave a rich network of new knowledge linking East and West. In Western abbeys, Monks toil endlessly transcribing ancient wisdom into hand-penned books of revelation.

At last! A new dawn emerges. The dawn of the Renaissance ... and a wondrous machine performs as a thousand scribes. Now for all: the printed word. Our books fuel the fires of the Renaissance. It is a time to discover anew the worlds of poetry and philosophy, science and music. As our minds soar, our hands find new expression in the flourishing world of art.

Behold, the majesty of the Sistine ceiling. The Renaissance: a beacon through the mists of time, guiding us to a new era. A time of invention and exploding communication.

With each day come more paths, more ideas, more dreams, and we build new machines: computer machines that think, that store, sift, sort, and count, and help us chart our course through an age of boundless information. With these machines comes a wondrous new network of communications, a vibrant maze of billions of electronic pathways stretching to the very edge of space.

Verged on the threshold of infinity, we see our world as it truly is: small, silent, fragile, alive, a drifting island in the midnight sky. It is our spaceship, our Spaceship Earth.

Now our Future World draws near ... and we face the challenge of tomorrow. We must return and take command of our Spaceship Earth ... to become captains of our own destiny ... to reach out and fulfill our dreams. Our journey has been long. From primal caves we have ventured forth traveling the endless corridors of time seeking answers to our tomorrow. With growing knowledge and growing communication, we have changed our lives ... changed our worlds.

From the reaches of space to the depths of the sea, we have spun a vast electronic network linking ourselves as fellow passengers together, on Spaceship Earth. Today our search for understanding is unbounded by space and time. Vast stores of information, knowledge from everywhere, standing ready at our beck and call to reach us in an instant.

With our great network, we harness our knowledge, give it shape and form to serve us, to help create and communicate a better awareness of ourselves, and our world. Ours is the age of knowledge ... the age of choice and opportunity. Tomorrow’s world approaches, so let us listen and learn, let us explore and question and understand, let us go forth and discover the wisdom to guide great Spaceship Earth through the uncharted seas of the future. Let us dare to fulfill our destiny.

Laying Down the Ground Work

It seems to me like there is a war currently going on between different factions of discussion forums members on Disney fan sites. One group believes that we are on the verge of a renaissance of Disney theme park attractions, while the other group is dismayed by the lack of originality and the cartoonization of the parks. Consider me a member of the latter group. The biggest problem is that my group has a hard time making an educational argument for their position. We come across as whiny and afraid of change. The other group simply says, "Get over it," and "it's just a theme park." This mindset is a reflection of the current way of thinking at Disney, so it's no wonder these "fans" would think this way. Disney thinks of their parks as just theme parks whose sole purpose is to make money. While this is partially true, Disney does not give itself enough credit. Disneyland was dedicated as a source of joy and inspiration to all the world, not as a place to sell plush and DVD's of the cartoon characters on It's a Small World. Us hardcore fans would not be upset if we didn't know Disney could do better. Us fans wouldn't even exist unless Disney was capable of better. There was a time when Disney took pride in their work and never settled for simply making something that was a safe bet. If Walt only made what people thought they wanted, not what was best for them, Disneyland would have been a carnival. My goal is to add substance to the upset fans' argument, to explain what is wrong and why Disney needs to change to save itself from long-term brand erosion.

Welcome to my blog

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! This site is dedicated to sharing what Disney once was and has lost sight of in recent years. It is meant to point out the current flaws in its creative approach and to address how they can be fixed. I decided to create it after Spaceship Earth, my favorite ride at Walt Disney World, came out of refurbishment as an incredible disaster.