Mouse Extra

As the first decade of the 20th century comes to an end, we here at Mouse Extra usually mark the holiday with a look back at the past year and speculate on what the next year may bring us. Hopefully we will have the time to do that before we leave for Walt Disney world this weekend. But there was one event this past year that stands out among the rest, and I wanted to be sure to talk about it. It is an event that may have the kind of lasting effects felt by fans for years to come, the passing of Roy E. Disney.

It has been reported that certain empty suit Disney executives would refer to Roy as the “idiot nephew”. However, he was anything but that. While he may not have had the type of creative influence over Disney as his uncle or the financial prowess of his father, Roy’s contribution to the company may be as important as anyone’s since the original Disney brothers And it is entirely possible that his absence could cast a fog of doubt over the future.

Twice, Roy saved his family’s company from those who seemed to be drifting too far away from what makes Disney Disney. In the early 1980’s, the company was in disarray and ripe for a takeover which could have meant the end of this American institution. But through Roy’s willingness to stick his neck out, things changed and Disney turned into the juggernaut it is today.

He did it again this past decade when he bucked the entrenched leadership, the same leadership he himself helped install and acheived amazing success before its eventual fall from grace. With his Save Disney program, Roy rescued Disney from a period of creative collapse and changed the company again for the good. The fruit of his work was the installation of Bob Iger as Chief Executive and John Lasseter as the creative leader of Disney. In that short time, we have seen Iger accomplish goals like ending the feud with Pixar and acquiring Marvel, while Lasseter has embarked on projects, such as the much needed remake of California Adventure and the return of hand-drawn animation, which have brought Disney back to the creative forefront of entertainment.

It should never be forgotten that it was Roy E. Disney who did this. It should be his legacy. Perhaps it was that Roy had the type of special insight into what made the company great that could only come from family, a combination of life, loyalty, and genetics. He was the only high ranking official left at Disney who knew what made his father and his uncle tick. Who lived through the toil and grinding that brought the Disney Brothers to the top. Many big shots claimed to know “what Walt would do”, but only Roy could ever really know.

Unfortunately for me and my fellow Disney fanatics, and for Disney executives, we no longer have that insight, and that is why his passing is so important to all of us. Should this current management team fail, or be replaced by people with lesser abilities, who then will save Disney from disaster? Who would have the kind of family loyalty to this company that is required to stick themselves in the line of fire and do what is right? Who else will have the kind of name recognition and connection to lifelong Disney fans and shareholders that Roy E. Disney had, the kind of connection needed to enact change in such a large corporation?

Perhaps there is an answer to these questions waiting within the ranks of the Disney family. Maybe there is another Disney, with a unique love for the company and understanding of what Roy stood for, waiting to pick up the torch and run. Only time will tell. But until those questions are answered, we enter a future with no Disney at the top of the Disney company, and no way of knowing what that means.

One of the best things about Christmas is that I tend to get a cool Disney gift somehow and this year was no exception. I was given the Lost Journals from Guide to the Magic by Tim Foster. Its billed as an Adventure Guide and it is just that, a fun filled book that I will bringing on my next trip. (Here’s a link to their site )
 
The set up is relatively simple. Each section of a park (like Adventureland or Sunset Boulevard or Dinoland USA) gets their own section. Within each section are several parts. You get a photo journal that shows little tidbits of that land and you have to find them. There is a scavenger hunt. For example, in Liberty Square you need to find 13 lantens, a dog, a steam whistle and many other items. There is also a blurb about various hidden mickeys in that land as well as a hidden symbol you need to seek out.

But my favorite part is the Fact Finding section. This lists numerous proposed questions. For example, in the Future World West section, one question is “I’ve heard that there is a tribute to the greatest thinkers of our time somewhere in Future World. Where is it?” The answer is a series of plaques in a little courtyard exiting innoventions.
 
As you can see, this is a lot different from the typical guide book to the world. There is no “when exiting Attraction A proceed immediately to Attraction B” or any comment about restaraunts, although the author has published a book with just that. The only drawback I can see from this book is it needs to expand to the resorts and the water parks.  But at $15 or so, its more than worth it.

This is a sad morning in the world of Disney fans, as many people wake to the news that Roy E. Disney passed away yesterday after a long struggle against stomach cancer.  He was 79 years old. 

There are two articles this morning that I think do a nice job with telling Roy’s story.  First, the Los Angeles Times has a great biographical piece by Dawn C. Chmielewski and James Bates.  And also, the New York Times has a nice tribute by Brooks Barnes…

As a boy the younger Roy would play in the halls of his uncle’s studio, where animators often used him as a test audience as they toiled on movies like “Pinocchio.” As an adult he helped bring the animation studio back from the brink, overseeing a creative renaissance that led to “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.”

But the soft-spoken Mr. Disney was primarily known for a willingness to question the company’s top managers, aggressively and publicly, when he felt they were mishandling the family empire. Some people in the company referred to him as its real-life Jiminy Cricket: a living conscience who was at times intensely disliked by management for speaking out.

Twice, Roy saved his beloved Disney Company from disaster, as well as helping to usher in the incredible years of animation excellence the article speaks about above.  He was certainly the voice of reason on many fronts at Disney, and often the ray of hope for longtime Disney fans.

The question one must inevitably ask now is “who will be the next savior?”  Without a Disney, without someone with a family connection to the principles the company was founded on, who will bring the company out of the darkness during the next potential disaster?  Roy will certainly be missed.  But it may be years before we really know how much.

Thanks to the good folks over at DVCNews.com, we now have artist renderings of the new feature pool that is planned for the Saratoga Springs Resort at Walt Disney World.  The Paddock Pool, which is now a quiet pool, will soon be closed so that crews can begin construction on a new, and much more involved, recreation area. 

The announcement was made during the Disney Vacation Club’s Condo Association meeting.  You can read a detailed report on the meeting here.

…A new feature pool will be constructed that will triple the size of the current pool. The new pool will be 3,300 sq feet and wiil feature a lighted, 146-foot long slide, a larger pool deck with more chairs, another spa pool, as well as a 1600 sq foot wt play area for kids. There will also be a quick service dining facility that will serve burgers and fries, and perhaps a refillable mug station. This will cost about 41 cents per point and will be paid out of capital reserves.

There are three things that stand out from this report.  First, is that even though it is going to be smaller than the main High Rock Spring pool, this does look like a really great addition to the resort.  (That certainly looks like a slammin’ slide!) Saratoga Springs is a big, sprawling place that in some areas can really make you feel like you are out in the sticks.  Having something like this will help brings guests in that area a little closer to some action.

Which brings me to my second point, and that is a not-so-subtle urging of the DVC to make absolutely certain they add the refillable mug station to this project, which in the report seems iffy.  I have stayed out in this area before, and just to get a cup of coffee or a soda can be a hike or even a drive away.  It was the number one complaint of myself and everyone in my party during that stay.  This would really be convenient and the club should make it happen.

Finally, I hope the announcement or report just happened to mistakenly leave out plans to add a pool bar to this area.  Being able to get something to eat without having to trek all the way to the main lobby is a good idea, but that isn’t all I want to do when spending an afternoon at my home resort.  Let’s not forget about us adults, okay?