Is Golden Oak an ultimate betrayal of Walt Disney's principles?

The Disney Company recently announced a new luxury home area they intend to build on Walt Disney World property. Not only are they offering these homes for $1.5 million - $8 million, but they are also selling exclusive experiences at the parks and other events as part of the package. No doubt this sounds like a wonderful idea to the accountants and other bean counters at Disney. I am sure it sounds fantastic to those with the money, as well, but it doesn't work when analyzed from the perspective of what Walt Disney wanted to do with the property.

First of all, naming it after the studio's ranch is an insult to the man. It is the one and only thing that is related to Walt Disney in any sort of way.

Second of all, it was never the intention of Walt Disney to make a playground for the rich. He wanted to entertain and give hope to everyone. He wanted to build EPCOT in Florida, and in this case I am referring to the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow (not the theme park we have left now). This was a chance for free enterprise to test innovations that could improve life for everyone, not just a new version of an exclusive community that few could be a member of.

Walt, more than once, said they did not do what they did in order to make a lot of money. He also never was content to just churn out the money by doing the same things over and over. He would come up with a new concept and go all-in, often mortgaging his own personal assets to raise the funds.

He did not even want to make the Magic Kingdom / Disneyland-East park in Florida. It was part of a compromise he made in order to get the Board of Directors to approve what he really wanted to do (EPCOT). If you ever watch the EPCOT film, which I believe is available on Youtube (and the Tomorrowland Walt Disney Treasures set), you will see how the theme park was well out of the way at the North end of the property. He laid it out so that everyone would see the real show (the EPCOT innovations) as they traveled the monorail to get to the theme park. This was no accident. The theme park was NOT what he wanted people to experience the most.

This is an example of what happens to a company that has no visionary at the helm anymore. A company that is consumed with making money, to the exclusion of almost all other concerns. When Walt Disney bought all of that property, it was to do something that would change the world. Instead, it has turned into yet another vacation resort. I do like the Disney company, but I can also admit that they fall short of what they should be on a regular basis.

Just One More Disney Fan.

There is no shortage of people out there who have something to say about the Disney company. It ranges from travel advice to their various resorts, simple reporting about current events with the company in general, current happenings at the resorts, retrospective looks into the history of the company, a whole lot of mythology about the company, and more. I can enjoy some or all of it, given the time to engage in it.

The Disney company has a long and varied past, starting with animated shorts, and then into animated feature films, live action short films, live action feature films, television shows, a re-imagining of what amusement parks could be, and more. Throughout most of its existence, the pushing of technological boundaries was a crucial part of what they did. This is one of the traditions of the past that is still carried on to this day.

Walt wanted to do more than just that. He pushed the boundaries and gave people something they wanted before they had any idea that they wanted it. Unlike the Disney company of today, he had very little interest in doing the same thing over and over again. It seems he was happiest when he was able to get into something new, all based on the foundation of trying to spread happiness and bring a little more joy into the lives of ordinary people. While the Disney company of today certainly does a lot of good, they are not pushing any major boundaries these days. There is nothing as legendary out there as Walt's original imagining of The Florida Project.

Still, they bring together a package that is more full of inspiration than any total package any other company brings to the table these days. My enjoyment of the Disney company began as a kid, being able to watch a lot of classics on a regular basis before the days of home video. This was due to my grandmother working for a film distribution company, so virtually every Disney film in print, including lots of the animated shorts, were able to be enjoyed on the weekends courtesy of a home projector.