A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Sofia and I attended a special screening of Walt Disney’s Cinderella, playing at the Studio’s main theater on February 12th.

As the lights went down, we first saw a 1952 Chip and Dale short called Two Chips and a Miss. It was a perfect love story to set the tone for the evening. Immediately after, Walt Disney’s Cinderella began. This was the first time I had seen the film on the big screen and I appreciated its animation and storytelling in a whole new way. Not only that, but I thought about the importance Cinderella played to the success of the company in 1950 and how we were watching this timeless classic sitting on the Lot – the place it was conceptualized, where it was animated, and where it was screened for Walt to critique and complete.

Almost 70 years ago during the 40’s, Walt Disney was in serious debt due to a series of catalysts; the outbreak of World War II, many of his films struggled to break even or bring in a profit, competition began to form including MGM and Warner Bros. – to name a few.

Like he had done with Steamboat Willie and Snow White, Walt decided to gamble everything he had on a single film; Cinderella. This wasn’t the first time he had worked with this story. In 1922, Cinderella was the last of the six Laugh-O-gram fairy tales Walt produced in Kansas City, Missouri. In this updated version, the Fairy Godmother presented Cinderella with a jazzy modern car instead of the traditional pumpkin coach. At one time a Silly Symphony was also on the cards.

Walt’s talented animators (his 9 Old Men), used skill and imagination when making the animated feature film of Cinderella. They took a well known story where the audience knew how it was going to end, and kept them filled with suspense as the story unraveled. Many animation artists agree that Cinderella remains one of the finest examples of storytelling at the Studio.

An interesting fact about the production of Cinderella is that Walt decided to film most of the story in live action for his animators to use as a guide. They didn’t trace the footage but instead learnt from the actions, making their drawings more real. They changed the proportions of many of the characters so it is difficult to see the live action references. This amount of live action footage had never been used before on the production of an animated feature. It allowed the team to edit the film together to see what worked to prevent unnecessary scenes being animated. This of course saved time and money which was crucial for the struggling Studio.

One of the scenes that stands out the most for me is Cinderella’s transformation with the help of the Fairy Godmother. The Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo sequence is a true Disney magical moment. The song was Oscar nominated for Best Song and the film was also nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound Recording.

Another character that stood out for us as we watched the film again was the evil villain. The Stepmother, Lady Tremaine, has no supernatural powers and no magic, yet she comes across as one of the darkest villains in a Disney movie. This is all done through the voice talent and acting skills of Eleanor Audley and the animation by Frank Thomas. The Stepmother’s power is simply her control to take away what the heroine wants.

And finally I want to mention that the basic look and palette for Cinderella was created by Mary Blair, one of the few women to play a major creative role in American animation at the time. During production, the designs lost some of her modern simplicity but her style can still be seen throughout the film, especially when looking at the dynamic castle shot.

When Cinderella was released to the world on February 15, 1950, it received positive reviews and brought in the needed profits for the Studio. Without that success, we most likely would not have been watching the film, sitting in a theater where the very film was devised.

After the film, Sofia received a white rose with silver glitter and we celebrated Valentines with a cupcake decorated with a slipper and pink lemonade in a champagne glass. It was an evening to remind us that dreams really can come true!    

* Information from the book: A Wish Your Heart Makes by Charles Solomon

Cinderella's slipper welcomed us to the theater.

Sofia's cupcake and white rose.

A royal celebration on the Studio Lot. 

 Walt used live action more than he had ever done before for Cinderella.

 The wedding scene - live action reference and the final animation. 

Eleanor Audley's voice brought the Stepmother to life.  

 In 1922, Walt made a short based on the Cinderella fairytale. 

The magical Disney moment Cinderella's rags turn to riches. 

Mary Blair's original concept painting of Cinderella's castle. 

A merry place to be inspired - Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round

After a short drive into Griffith Park and along some winding roads, our GPS brought us to this beautiful Merry-Go-Round. When parking, you are higher than the carrousel itself which allows you to see the old structure from an unusual position and you can see it sitting in all its glory in the distance. The first time we visited, like an excited child, I fast stepped down the hill to get a closer look. 

The carrousel is protected by an external railed gate which you enter first. A second gate then guards the ride which sits underneath a large red and white roof. There is no doubt that this carrousel is old; it's been sitting there since 1937. The 68 horses are all finely carved and are antique looking with hair tails. The paintings that adorn the top exterior have either been renovated or have almost completely decayed. But these imperfections adds to its unique charm. 

To ride the carrousel is inexpensive (only $2 each) and you can buy your tickets at a side window where they also sell snacks and refreshments. When I first saw the carrousel, I was astonished by its speed. I have never seen horses go so fast on this kind of attraction! On a later occasion I took my parents to see the carrousel and was initially concerned it would be too fast for them, but we bought our tickets and we were so pleased we did. However when I took my wife on it, she was pleased when it stopped as she suffers from motion sickness! 

When taking a ride, you feel light weighted and free from the world as you circle around. A Military Band Organ plays a selection of over 1,500 marches and waltzes as the horses go up, down and around.*

It was this very carousel that Walt would take his two daughters to after church on a Sunday. Sharon and Diane, his two daughters, would ride on it over and over. Back in those days there was some apparatus that had rings sticking out from a slot and you'd grab a ring as you went by. If you got the gold ring you'd get a free ride. According to a story from Diane Disney Miller, one day she kept getting the gold ring and felt so clever for getting the free rides. Years later Walt admitted he gave the kid working the ride a few dollars, and he kept putting the gold rings where she could get them.**

As Walt watched his girls enjoy their many rides on the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round, his mind continued to explore new possibilities. While sitting on a park bench in front of the ride, he dreamt of a place where parents and children could go to enjoy their experience together. This was of course the beginnings of Disneyland. 

At the back of the carousel, and behind another railing, sits one of the original park benches that Walt would have sat on in the forties. Another of these preserved benches is also in Disneyland, but more about that in a later blog.

* Information used from Laparks.org 
** Information from the book: Inside the Dream, the personal story of Walt Disney. 

The view of the Merry-Go-Round from the top of the hill.

The red and white roof that protects the Merry-Go-Round.

The view Walt had when he sat watching his daughters having fun.

The current information sign. 

A plaque on one of the attraction carriages that reads: 

Restored in memory of Walt Disney through the generosity of The Walt Disney Family Foundation.

Some of the scenic paintings that decorate the carrousel.

The antique looking horses with hair tails.

The bench Walt sat on in the forties, an image of him on the bench 
and an image of the second bench displayed at Disneyland.

 Recreating the image 60 years later of Walt on his bench at the carrousel. 

If you look closely, notice the same painting of a cottage at the top of the carrousel in both pictures.

The ticket to ride the Merry-Go-Round. 

I wonder if it was more expensive in Walt's day?

A little about me

I was born and grew up in a relatively small town in England, UK. My wife was born and grew up in Madrid, Spain. Working for The Walt Disney Company brought us together like an incredible fairytale, and we moved to Los Angeles, USA in 2014.

Through my personal interest and fascination about the history and heritage of The Walt Disney Company, I have been inspired by many things, but most of all, by the man himself, Walt Disney. The largest entertainment company in the world wouldn't exist without the early vision, passion and imagination of Walt. He wasn't a man who just wanted to be successful and wealthy for the happiness of himself. He instead wanted to create and deliver purposeful stories (via his many projects) to better enhance the world and to make people, most often families, happy! This was seen time and time again as he risked everything he had to deliver what he believed to be the right thing to do. 

Whilst living in England, I dreamed of visiting Disneyland during a once in a life time trip and I could only imagine what it would be like to stand on the Walt Disney Studio Lot. Since moving to California, and to our surprise and delight, we have had the opportunity to do those things many times and our paths have crossed with Walt Disney's life on multiple occasions.

With the start of the new year, I decided to begin logging our experiences so that we will always have our special memories to look back on. As I thought about doing that, I considered my younger self back in the UK and how interested I would have been to share in someone's experiences as they discovered more about the personal life of Walt Disney. 

In Disneyland you can take a private tour of the park called, 'Walking in Walt's Footsteps' which takes you through the history of the world famous tourist attraction. In a similar way, this blog will explore Walt's footsteps within the park, but also beyond.

Please join us as we share stories, photos and videos of the experiences we have been lucky to have and we will add to our blog when new occasions arise. 

We hope you enjoy this journey with us, it's sure to be magical. 

MJ