Journey Planet - Weeblyjourneyplanet.weebly.com/uploads/1/5/7/1/15715530/issue36-disney.pdf · From...

Journey Planet

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Ifirstsuggestedthis issuetoChrisandJamesin2016,Ibelieve.Unfortunately,IhadaseverecaseofRealLife™anddidn’tgettoit-untilnow.I’mexcitedtobeabletofinallypresentittoyou! TosaythatallthingsDisneyhaveanimmensefannishbasewouldbesomethingofanunderstatement.FromfilmstomusictoTVtothemeparkstobelovedfranchise acquisition, there are opinions and feelingsgalore.WenarrowedourfocustobeonconnectionsbetweenDisney fandomandSF/F fandom,specificallyon“core”Disney.Let’sfaceit–thefranchisescanbeanissuealltothemselves! I remember going toDisneyland when I wasaround 5 years old with my parents and youngerbrother.ProbablythemostvividmemoryofthattripwaswhenChip (orDale?) tookoffwith the strollerandmybrother.Oddlyenough, Idecided Ihadtogoafterhim…Theoverwhelmingsenseofthattripwasbeing happy – which makes sense, considering thatDisneylandisbilledastheHappiestPlaceonEarth.I’vebeenbackmany,manytimesasanadult,andstillloveit.

Evenwaitinginline,it’shardtobecrankywhenthere.OneofmyfavoritethingsthereisspottingtheHiddenMickeys – it’s brilliant branding (and helps keep youoccupiedinline!),andIenjoyeddoingsomeresearchintothemforthisissue. A few years later wewent toDisneyWorld.ItwasshortlyafterEPCOTopened,and it’s theonlytimeI’vebeendownthere.Ikeepmeaningtoremedythatandkeephavingotherthingsget in theway,butsomeday I really will get back there! My memoriestherearemoreofEPCOT–IstillhaveaplushFigment–andreadingStevenSilver’sarticleremindedmethatwhen itfirstopened,GMwasthesponsorand Ihadthesamebackstageaccesshedid. DisneyissomeoftheonlycosplayI’vedone–Ihave theEvilQueencostume fromSnow White andwore itoneHalloween.Generallycostuming isn’tmything, but as you’ll see inWhitneyRandolph’s article,there issomuchpotential there,and fanshavedonesomephenomenalcostuming/cosplaybasedonDisneycharacters.

JourneyPlanet36

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Everyoneseemstohavetheir favoriteDisneyfilm,favoriteDisneysong,favoriteDisneyhero(ine)andvillain.Thethemeparkfanshavetheirfavoriterides.WedidsomeInstantFanzinesonFacebookaskingpeopletosharetheir favoritesandwhy,collatingallofthemintothisissue. I wrote a longer article about my love ofMaleficent – I have so many things honoring her.Clothing,artwork,mouseears,pins…Here’saquickstory-in2006,IwasintheWorldofDisneystoreatDisneyland’sDowntownDisney.Whileintheartworksection, therewas a portrait ofMaleficent. I walkedup to it and just stared, jaw dropped, stunned.Thesalesperson, being observant, came up to me andcommented on how great the piece was. My onlyquestionwas,“doesitcomeinalargersize?”WhenImovedtoSeattleearlierthissummer,mypartnerwasmadeawarethatfindingaplacetohangthatportraitwasnon-negotiable.Afewweeksago,wesatdowntowatchSleeping Beautywithmystep-son,whohadneverseen it, andwas fascinatedwithmy fascinationwithMaleficent.Heagreessheisabadass,andtakesitonestepfurther.Hiscomment?“Actually,she’smorelikeademigod.” As a convention runner, I’ve always beenimpressedby how smoothly things run in the parks.I’vealwaysthoughtthereareagreatmanytakeawaysthere for SF/F conventions, and you’ll see in articlesfrom John Donat,Tracy Lunquist,Adam Beaton, andDebGeisler that I’mnot theonlyone to see thoseconnections.TherehasbeenmorethanoneWorldconbidinvolvingpropertiesatDisneyWorld! TherearesomanyconnectionsbetweenSF/Fand Disney.Traditional fairy tales, an early form offantasywriting, is the influenceofmanyDisneyfilms,as are more traditional fantasy works such as Alice in Wonderland, and SF novels such as20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.ChrisGarciawalksusthroughmuchoftheDisneyfilmhistory, looking at classic shortfilmsandtheircompleteSF/Ffilmcatalog,withanadditionalin-depthpieceabout20,000 Leagues. I wish we could have touched on moreconnections between the two fandoms in this issue.ConnectionsbetweenDisneyanimationandJapaneseanime. The influence of SF/F on the theme parks,everything fromTomorrowland and EPCOT centerto rides like 20,000 Leagues and Space Mountain.Themusic!SomuchcouldbesaidaboutthemusicofDisney.DisneyanthropomorphismandFurryFandom.TheevolutionoftheDisneyPrincessandtheevolutionof the Strong Female Protagonist in SF/F literature.

SF/FcollectingvsDisneycollecting.(Isenseafollow-upissueatsomepoint…) Ifyouhaven’talreadyseenit,pleasecheckoutanissuewedidinOctober(JourneyPlanet#34),“DisneyonRails”.Believeitornot,there’senoughcontentonDisney andRailroads for an entire issue, and there’ssomefascinatinghistorythere!(journeyplanet.weebly.com) Back to2006.L.A.Con IVoccurred inAugust2006attheAnaheimConventionCenter.Thatweekend,Plutowasdowngradedtodwarfplanetstatus.Chicagohadbeenbiddingforthe2008Worldcon,andlostby12votes.Atthegatheringofbidmembersandfriendsthatevening,wecriedanddrankchampagne.Laterthatevening as I wandered the other parties and peopleasked how I was feeling, my answer was“I just lostaWorldcon bid. I’m going to Disneyland!” And so,I did.We determined that the best seats for SpaceMountainarethefirstrowofthesecondcar.IboughtmyMaleficentpainting.PerhapsmostfunwasmeetingPlutothatweekend,andasIsaidtohim,“Don’tworryPluto.You’llalwaysbeaplanettome,”Icouldhearthecast member laughing inside the suit. It was a greattime. IhavealotofloveforDisney,andalotoflovefor theScienceFictionandFantasygenre. I’mclearlynottheonlyone,and Isuspectthat ifyou’rereadingthis,youdotoo.Enjoy,andpleaseshareyourstorieswithusaswell!

HelenMontgomeryEditor

http://journeyplanet.weebly.com/journey-planet/issue-34-disney-on-rails

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http://journeyplanet.weebly.com

http://L.A.Con

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InMemoryofDaveKyle1919-2016

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TableofContentsFrontandBackCoversbyHillaryBliss-Pearlman

Page2-Editorial-HelenMontgomery CollagebyChrisGarcia PhotofromHelenMontgomery

Page4-DaveKyleimagebyUnknowncaricature artistatDisneylandinthe1960s

Page6-TheDisneyBubblebyJohnDonat

Page8-DisneyCosplaybyWhitneyRandolph PhotocollagebyChrisGarcia

Page10-MyFavoriteTheatre-MainStreetCinemabyChrisGarcia

Page13-TheEPCOTYouWON’TSeebyStevenHSilver PhotoofOriginalEPCOTconceptfromWalt DisneyFamilyMuseum

Page16-HiddenMickeysbyHelenMontgomery HiddenMickeysbyHillaryBliss

Page19-InstantFanzinePart1-What’sYourFavoriteDisneyRide PhotospurchasedfromeBay(grandtotal spent:$17.45)

Page26-TheBestDisneyWorldconThatNeverHap-penedbyDebGeisler

Page28-KeysfromtheKingdom:WhatConsCanLearnfromDisneyParksbyTracyLunquistPage30-InstantFanzinePart2-WhatIsYourFavor-iteDisneySongandWhy? PhotobyChrisGarcia

Page34-DisneyDoesSciFi...LIVE!1954to1999byChrisGarcia PhotocollagebyChrisGarcia

Page40-OnMars and Beyond (Adaptedfromanep-isodeof52 Episodes to Science Fiction Film Literacy)byChrisGarcia

Page43-MyFavoriteDisneyCharacterbyHelenMontgomery PhotofromHelenMontgomery

Page46-Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Adaptedfromanepisodeof52 Episodes to Science Fiction Film Literacy)byChrisGarcia

Page49-InstantFanzinePart3-IfYouLikedDisneyMovieX,ThenYouShouldReadScienceFiction/Fanta-syStoryZ.SolveforXandZ.

Page51-WorldconBiddingwithWaltbyAdamBea-tonChairperson,Orlandoin2015WorldconBid

Page52-InstantFanzinePart4-FavoriteDisneyHero/HeroineANDFavoriteDisneyVillainandWhy?

Page45-EnditorialbyJamesBacon

The Disney Bubbleby John Donat

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FansandDisney...FansandDisney?!Yes,fansandDisney.Ididn’trealizetheoverlapbetweenSF/FfansandDisney-everything fromthemovies,tothemusic, to my favorite Disney obsession...the themeparks. I’ve been going to the parks since 1972, andhavelovedthemsincethen.Why?ManyofuscallittheDisneyBubble. OnceyougettoWaltDisneyWorld,you are in abubble. Abubbleof imagination, happi-ness,notbeinginthe“realworld”.PartofthatbubbleiswhatmanyofusinSF/Ffandomcall“sensawonder”(howDIDtheydothat!!)”Therearemanyinstancesintheridesthatdothat(thebanquetroomintheHaunt-edMansion,forone). Walt,andthecurrentgroupofcastmembers,lovedelightingtheguestswithlittlethings.Unexpectedthingsthatdon’ttakemuchtimeorfinancestodo,butwill staywith that guest for the restof the trip, andpossiblytherestoftheirlives.We’vehadsomeofthoserecently.MagicalMoments,they’recalled. If youcan stayatoneof themanyresortsatWDWinFlorida,themagicbeginsthere.Mosthotels,heck,mostresortsareprettybasicallaround.They’rehotels,forgoodnesssake!NotatDisney.Onelookslikealodgeinthemiddleofanationalpark.OnelookslikearesortinthefancierpartsofWestPalmBeach,FL.OnehasaMONORAILrunning through it!Onehasanimalsinasavannahinfrontofyourpatios.They’reallthemed!SomeofthempayhomagetoacertainareaoftheUS,andsomeofthemarethemedwithlarger

than life animated characters! Awordwas invented-don’tknow ifDisney Imagineers invented it,but theresorts,andthethemeparksallusethisphilosophy-Placemaking.TheImagineersusesimple,andoftennotsosimple,trickstohavetheguestimmersedinwheretheyare, fromMainStreetUSA, to theworldof theNav’iinthenewAvatarpartoftheAnimalKingdom.It’samazing,andaddstothemagic. Disney’sattentiontodetailalsofascinatesme,asI’msureitdoesmanyfans.Thefolkswhohavehadtheatre training see all the tricksWaltDisneyWorlduses to make their placemaking more believable;amongthem,asoneexample,istheforcedperspectiveonupperfloorsofbuildingstomakethemlookbigger.TherearesomanylittlethingsthattheImagineershaveput intothestagingofthebuildingsthatmostguestswon’tnotice,butmanyDisneyfansobsessedwiththeparks find out about them, and again it adds to themagic. Lightingandmusicplayapart, too.TheshiftsfromonecountrytoanotheratEPCOT,forexample,arealmost seamless.Youcanwalk fromonecountrypaviliontowardsanother,andwithin20feet,thelight-ingandmusichavechangedtothenewcountry.Disneytriestomakethecostumesbothbelievableandusablefordaytodayuse.TheyusemoreadvancedfastenersthanwhatwouldbeusedforperiodcostumestomakethemeasierfortheCastmembers,andmaymakecre-atingcostumeseasierforfanstomakeandwear. Yesindeed.FansandDisney.

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Disney Cosplay by Whitney Randolph Fairytalesaresomeoftheearliestfantasysto-ries,andnoonedoesfairytaleslikeDisney.WhileFanConventions are getting increasingly popular and ac-cepted, it’s still verymuch considered to be a fringeactivity.Ontheotherhand,Disneyisincrediblymain-stream.Disney’sroleinmostofourchildhoods,aswellas their current trend of impressive performance inmoviereleases,isapartofwhyconventionsareslowlybreakingintothemainstream.Forsomanyofus,ourfirstfantasymovieswerebyDisney.Iknowformyselfand a goodmajority ofmy friends and family, itwastheloveofthefantasticalelementsintheDisneymov-iesthatinspiredustobroadenourscopetoseekoutother formsof Fantasy entertainment. From there itwasonlyasmallstepovertosciencefictionandthenaheadlongrunintotheentirefanconventionscene. WhilethereisD23,theofficialDisneyconven-tion,Disneyhasastrongpresenceinthemorebroad-strokes fan conventions as well. Many of the guestshaveDisneymoviesintheirportfolios.Thereisnoendto panels that revolve around analyzingDisney char-actersandtheirmovies.ThenyouhavetheArtistsand

Exhibitors.Disney’sstrongpresenceininspiringartistsand encouraging purchases of souvenirs is easily thelargest of any single brand. However, formyself, andthoseIlove,themostfuncomesfromthecosplay. Disney characters are extremely popular tocosplay and it’s easy to seewhy.The breadth of thecharacter choices inDisney is second to none.Theydo an amazing job of incorporating characters of alltypes and personalities. It doesn’t matter what yourhaircolorisoryourattitudeyoucanfindacharacteryouidentifywithandwanttobeforaday.TheuseofarchetypesalsomakesDisneycharactersaprimebaseformashupcosplays:PrincessJedi,pin-upfemalechar-acters,andsteampunkbeingsomeofthemorepopular.SteampunkDisney isonethathasgottenparticularlypopular,which is interestingasthe1954WaltDisneyFilm,20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,isconsideredtobeoneoftheearlyoriginatorsofthesteampunkaesthetic. In general, Steampunk has been gettingmoreand more popular on the con/cosplay front. Severalyearsago,myfamilyandIhadnotyetdiscoveredourloveofconventions.Ouraffairwiththesteampunkaes-

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theticactuallystartedwithmyhusband.Hehadgottenintothedesignelementsofsteampunkandhadstart-edbuilding lamps andotherdecorative elements forourhouse.Thisispartofwhatturnedmyselfandsomeofmyfamilyontothegenre.Oncewestartedgoingtoconsanddevelopingcosplaysitseemednaturaltocombineour loveofDisneywiththis interestingandunique(atleastwethought)element.Lastyearwefi-nallygotitalltogetherandmySteampunkversionofBellefromBeauty and the Beastwasjoinedbymycous-inandherboyfriendasArielandEric.MyauntandherboyfriendwentasMeridaandJiminyCricket.AnothercousindressedasTinkerbell.WeevengotsomefriendstojoinusasSnowWhiteandMaryPoppins.ItwasanamazingtimeandacreativeprocesstodeterminehowourfavoriteDisneycharacterswouldexistandinhabitasteampunkinspiredworld. Whileelaborateandhighlythemedcosplaysarethenorminthefanconventionworld,itiscertainlynotso ubiquitous formost.Most of the general popula-tiononlydressupforHalloweenandthereforedonotputnearlyasmuchtime,energy,andmoney intotheprocess.Fortunately,Disneyhastheirownmainstreamapproachforthisaswell;thoughofcourse,thiswasnotdevelopedbyDisneythemselves,butavidfansseekingawaytocombinetheirloveforattendingDisneyparksandcosplayingassomeoftheirfavoritecharacters. Foradults,attendingDisneyparks incostumeisnotallowed,exceptatcertainevents;thisisduetoDisneynotwantingtheimpressionthatthesepeopleworkforthecompany.So,creativefolkswhowantedtoshowtheirDisneyspiritwithsomethingmorethanat-shirtcameupwiththeconceptofDisneybounding.Disneybounding is theartof invokinga characterbywearingnormalclothingthatapproximatesthatchar-acter’scolorpalateand/orstylewithoutactuallywear-ingafullcostumeofthatcharacter.Tousemyself,andBelle,asanexample,itwouldbewearingayellowcoldshoulderdresswitharosepurseandhairdoneupthewayBelle’swasintheclassicballroomscene.It’safunway to get in the cosplay andDisney spirit withoutbreakingtherulesorputtingtoomanyresourcesintoacostume.Disneyboundingisslowlygettingmorepop-ularandwellknownand,onceagain,Ihopethiscanbeusedasasteppingstonetocosplaybecomingamoreacceptedactivity. TosaythatDisneyhasa lotof influenceoverpopularcultureisanunderstatement.Formanyofus,ithasn’tjustshapedthewayweconsumeentertainment,it has shaped who we are.To see its vast influence,

oneneedsgonofartherthanthenearestfanconven-tiontolookatthepanels,wares,andcosplays.Tothemainstream public, too nervous to venture into thisunknown quantity, I hope that Disney, through theirownD23conventionandmorecommonactivitieslikeDisneyboundingattheparks,willbeaguidinglighttothosewhowouldhavefuntakingtheplunge.

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I loveDisneylandmore than any other singleentityonEarth.OK,it’stiedwiththeWinchesterMys-teryHouse,butstill. IhavenothingbutabsoluteloveforthetimeI’vebeenallowedtospendthereovertheyears.Ilovetherides,thecharacters,thefood,theTikiRoom,thefauxrealitythatintersectswithrealrealitydirectlyinavisitor’swallet.Ilovetheflowoftheplace,thewaythatkidslosetheirminds,thatadultsfloatbe-tweendespairandelation,theconstantmovementthatis only interrupted by the presence of something asamazingasaparade.Maybeit’sthatrelentlessflow,thatever-presentneedtomoveandcirculate,thatmakesaplacethatissoutterlyrootedinstandingandstillnessmyfavoriteplacetohangout.RightonMainStreet,lessthana3-minutewalkfromtheentrance,sitsaroom,asingleroom,thatwarmsmyheart. MainStreetCinema. About2/3ofthewaydownMainStreet,asyouheadtowardstheCastleandFantasylandbeyond,to-wardsTomorrowland, is a brick buildingwith amar-quee. It doesn’t look like much to most folks whowalkonby,movingwithpurposetowardstherealmsof imagination,but to thoseofusfilm theatregeeks,

we know this design. It is theUptownTheatre fromWalt’shometownofMarceline,MO.ItistheAlamedain Sacramento, or probably even closer in spirit, theAlvaradoinUnionCity.Thisisnotamoviepalace,nota centerpiece theatre like theFox inOakland,RadioCityMusicHall inNewYork, or the Egyptian in LA;thisisatheatrethatisdesignedtobeapartofaMainStreet,notthedefinitionofit.Itissimple,andclean,andthere’saticketwindowasyouwalkinside,andthere’safiguresittinginthere,asifshe’swaitingtotakeyourticket.Yougothroughtheturnstile,andthenthroughacoupleofcurtains,toarriveatthesix-sidedroom,withascreenoneachwall,araiseddaisinthecenterwitharail. Oneach screen is aGoldenAgeDisneyCar-toon. Now,supposedlytheychangethemfromtimeto time, and specialeventsmightbe showing relatedfootage,butwheneverI’vebeeninthere,it’sbeenthesamesixfilms.Thesamesixwonderfulfilms.SixfilmsthathelpeddefinewhatIlovedaboutcartoons,aboutmovies,thatshowedmethewaytoappreciatingthingsthatweren’tofthenow,butweresothoroughlyofthe

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My Favorite Theatre - Main Street CinemaBy Chris Garcia

then.TheexperienceofMainStreetCinemaissofor-eign,ifyouthinkaboutit.Sixfilmsshowingatonce,andonlyonewiththesound,andthey’reviewedbypeoplewhoarestanding.Noneofthoseideasisstandard,andyet,italsofeelssorightandnatural. EachofthesixfilmshasaconnectionwithwhoIam,andwhyIlovefilmthewayIdo.

Steamboat Willie It’s likely the most famous of all the MickeyMousecartoons.Here, it isshowninaneditedform.Disney, long ago, began to realize thatmuchof theirbackcatalogwasracist,andsotheyshelvedmanyfilms,andothers,likethefirstMickeyMouseshorthere,theycutup.Honestly,it’sforthebest,andinSteamboat Will,itreallymakesnodifferencetothefilm.Whatcharmithasinfull,ithasintheedit. I’mnotahugefanofSteamboat Willie;honestly,it’sneverbeenmyfave.Thereareflashesofbrillianceinit,andhintsthatthisMickeycharactercouldgoplaces,but it’s kindof a flat experience. I’ve seen it dozens,ifnothundredsof times,andwhile I loveUb Iwerks,the director, it’s also an early sound cartoon, whichissomethingIneverreallyenjoyed.Ittookaboutfiveyearstogethowtomakeanaturalisticsoundscape,soitwasn’tquitethereyet.

Yes, there are some great moments: Mickeypullsacow’stailandgetsdousedwithmilk,theactualtravelofthesteamboat,thewaythehooktransformstopickupMinnie.It’scute,atbest,andwhenitbreaksintobeingamusicvideo,it’skindajoyous.Ofcourse,Iwasn’taroundthen.I’mapartofthegenerationafterthefirstgenerationwhowasbroughtuponconstant-ly available cartoonson Saturdaymornings and afterschool.Still,itfeelslikehistorybeingmade.

Plane Crazy ThisisoneofthemoreimpressiveearlyDisneycartoons,anditalsohelpstodemonstrateWalt’sob-sessionwithtransportation.Here,MickeyfindshimselfwantingtobeLuckyLindy,goingasfarasadoptinghishairstyleandflyinhishomemade,dog-poweredplane.This was the first Mickey cartoon made, but it wasoriginallysilent,whichIthink iswhythesegagsworksomuchbetterforme.Re-donewithsoundadded,it’sstillverygood,becauseit’sbuiltonastrongfoundationofgagsandthatshows.Sinceit’sshowninMainStreetCinemawithout sound, itworks perfectly, and reallyshowcasestheIwerksDisneystyle.

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The Moose Hunt ThisisMickeywithPlutofrom1931,andsome-how, it feelsmucholder than even SteamboatWillieFromcharacterdesign to sound, it feels like it couldhavebeenthefirstMickeycartoon.Itdoeshaveawon-derfulmomentofMickeybreakingthefourthwall,call-ing“Isthereadoctorinthehouse???”whenhethinksPlutoisdead. TheevolutionofDisney’scartoonsisnotnear-lya straight line. It is fullofculverts, cul-de-sacs, andculledcattleneverallowedtobreed.Watchingthis isoneofthethingsthatmademedigintoDisney,tryingtofigureoutwhytheywentsofarbackwards inthisonetowhere Iclearlybelievedthat itwastheorigi-nalMickeyMousecartoonsomehowheldbackthreeyearsinfavourofSteamboatWillie.

Traffic Troubles Again,transportation.SomuchofDisneylandistransportation,andsomanyofhiscartoonsareaboutthe difficulties of transportation.This one is anotherthat feels like a step-back.This feels likePlaneCrazydone three years later, right down to the ridiculousdrivingmethodforavehicle,whenMickey’scarendsuprunningoncowpower. Thisisnotwithoutitscharms,ofcourse.Thatscenewith the cow running,wearing the car like anelephant in aBantha suit, is hilarious, andoverall, it’sgotverygoodflow.Maybethat’sthethingthat’smissingfromThe Moose Hunt.Thisflows likea1930sMickeyMouseshort,andfeelsfarlesscompactedtofittotheform.

The Dognapper I’moftheopinionthatthisisthesecondbestoftheblack-and-whiteMickeyshortsoftheearly30s.It’s somuch fun, and though the character design is

rougher,thebackgroundsaremorethorough,theac-tion more fluid, the concept, Mickey and Donald asbeat-cops,zanier.Theentireshortisbasicallya“catchthetoughbadguy!”sortofthing,andit’ssomuchfun!Thissortofcartoonwouldneverflytoday,ofcourse,butit’salsoagreatexampleofthewholeconceptofslapstick.ThisisaKeystoneKopskindofshortanima-tionwhere the logicof the scenario is farmore im-portant than the actual reality of character, location,orphysics.Thisisexactlythekindofpresentationthatparents’ groups roseup against in the1980s, but it’salso thebest exampleofDisney’spath to success. Itplays theviolence, and there is a lotof shooting, forcomedy,butthegoodguyswin,justlikeWillHayessaidtheyshould.

Mickey’s Polo Team Noothershortfilm,withtheexceptionofThe Life & Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra,hashadmoreimpactonmy life. I can remember seeing it as akid,probablyfirst atDisneyland, and lateron theDisneyChannel.It’sasillyshort,MickeyandhisteamoftheBigBadWolf,Donald,andGoofy,takeontheHollywoodteamofCharlieChaplin, Laurel &Hardy, andHarpoMarx.When Iwasakid, I probablyknewChaplinbysight,butnoneoftheotherswouldhavebeenrecog-nizableuntilIwasinJuniorHighatleast.Iwatchedit,andthenretreatedtolearnaboutittheold-fashionedway–throughweirdbooksatthelibrary.Idiscoveredwhothesefolkswere,andwhytheydidsomeofthethingstheydid. I learnedwhyChaplin’shorsewalkedfunny,whyHarpo rode anOstrich,why therewas aguywithatinyheadbutgiantearssittinginthestandscheering theHollywooderson. Itwas this film,THISFILM, that got me interested in Hollywood historymorethananyother.

Whenever I goback toDisneyland,andspecificallybacktotheMainStreetCin-ema, this is the film I stand in front of tomakesureIseeitallthewaythroughatleastonce.It’samasterpiecefromwhereI’msit-ting,andwhenIshowedittomykids,two-yearoldswhohatetraditionalanimationforthemostpartandcertainlywouldhavenoideawho any of the characterswere sup-posed tobe, they satwith100%attentiontheentiretime!

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The EPCOT You WON’T SeeBy Steven H Silver

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When you think of EPCOT, chances are youpicture themassive geodesic sphere that houses theSpaceshipEarthattractionand isDisney’ssymbol forEPCOTCenter.Whatyoumaynotrealizeisthatuntilearlierthisyear,thatridewassponsoredbySiemens,alargecompanyforwhichI’veworkedforthelastnineyears. Siemens’sponsorshipoftheride,whichcouldbe seen if you knewwhere to look, was part of anoverarchingalliancebetweenthetwocompanies. Even if youwere aware of all that, what youprobablydidnotknowisthat inadditiontotherideportionofSpaceshipEarthandtheexhibits,therewasasecretloungelocatedinthesphere,availableonlytoSiemensemployeesandtheirguests. Inordertogainadmissiontothisrespitefromthehustle,bustle,andheatofEPCOT,aSiemensem-ployeehadtoplanaheadandsubmitarequestforanaccesscodepriortotheirvisit,althoughIalsofoundthattheturnaroundwassoquickthatapplyingtodayofthevisitwouldoftenresult inreceiptofacodeintime. Thecodecamewith instructionsthatmywife,Elaine,describesas iftheywereoutofaJamesBondfilm.Findtheunmarkeddoor.Typeinthecode;whenthe door slides open, hurry through and go up the

stairstowhereMissMoneypenny,orratheraSiemensreceptionist,issitting,waitingtoconfirmyourrighttobeinthelounge. Thefirstthingthatstrikesyouabouttheloungeis that it is nicely air conditioned andoffers compli-mentary beverages…soft drinks, hot chocolate, cof-fee,andtea.Theentryroomhasseveralcouchesandsmall tables so you can sit around in comfort. Onewall has a large video display which can be used tofeatureinformationondifferentSiemensdivisionsandtheirproducts. Visitorsarealso invitedto insertthememorychipfromtheircamerastodownloadphotosof themselves fromDisneyand tag thepictureswiththeirnames,homelocations,andSiemensdivision.YoucanalsosearchtofindotherSiemensemployeesfromyourareaordivision. Thewall isn’t theonly fun little techiegadgetinthelounge.Thereisapathwayofglassbrickswitharheostatsetupsoyoucanchangethecolorofthepathwayandamagicmirrorthatallowsyoutosuper-impose cowboy hats, mustaches, crowns, and othercartoonystickersoveryourself. Perhapsevenbetterthantheairconditioning,theloungecontainsextremelynicebathrooms,practi-

callyguaranteednottohaveawaitandtoofferalltheprivacyyoucouldpossiblywant. There’s more to the lounge, notably a largeconferenceroomwithpanoramicwindowsoverlook-ingthepark,althougheverytimeIwasabletovisitthelounge,meetingsweretakingplace,soIwasn’tpermit-tedbackintotheconferenceroom. Oncefinishedwithyourrespiteinthelounge,thereceptionistpressesabuttonthatopensupanoth-erdoorandthereisalongstairwaydown.Thisleadsto theroom inwhichridersareoff-loaded fromtheSpaceshipEarthride. Peoplecomingdown fromtheSiemensLoungeareallowedtogetontherideinthisroom,soifyouareeverwaitingtogetontoSpaceshipEarthandyouseecarsenteringtheloadingroomthatalreadycontainpeople, that’swhere theyarecomingfrom. Severalyearsago,afewmembersofmyworkteam were attending a conference at the Swan andDolphin.WewonderedifitwouldbepossibletobookourselvesameetingintheSiemensLoungetogettheopportunitytovisitEPCOTwithoutpayingtheadmis-sionfee,figuringthatsurelytheywouldn’tchargetheadmission fee to attend aworkmeeting. Our plansmerelyturnedupthefactthatwewouldn’tbeabletobookameetingthere.

A few years later, a co-worker actually didhavethechancetoattendamulti-daymeeting intheSiemens Lounge. When she was back in the office,Ihad thechance toaskherabout the logistics. Sheexplainedthateachmorning,theyweretakenbybusfromtheirhoteltotheEPCOTCastParkinglot.Whentheyalitfromthebus,theywereescortedintoEPCOTthroughastaffentranceandtakendirectlytotheSie-mensLounge.Lunchwasbroughtinandattheendofthedaytheywereescortedbacktothebuses. Theywerethereformeetingsonlyandiftheywantedtoseeanythingmoreofthepark,theywouldhavetopaytheadmissionlikeeveryoneelse. TheSiemens-DisneyAllianceconcludedin2017.Theloungeisstillthere,andmostlikelysponsoredbysomeothercorporation,asarethesimilarloungesthatexistsinmostoftheotherpavilionslocatedthrough-outFutureWorld.

Hidden MickeysBy Helen Montgomery

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Hidden Mickey: A Hidden Mickey is a representation of Mickey Mouse that has been inserted subtly into the design of a ride, attraction, or other location in a Disney theme park, Disney properties, animated film, feature-length mov-ie, TV series, or other Disney product. The most common Hidden Mickey is a formation of three circles that may be perceived as the silhouette of the head and ears of Mickey Mouse, often referred to by Disney aficionados as a “Classic Mickey”. Mickeys may be painted, made up of objects (such as rocks, or three plates on a table), or be references such as someone wearing Mickey Mouse Club ears in a paint-ing. Hidden Mickeys can take on many sizes and forms. Hidden Mickeys are slipped into many Disney animated films. They are also hidden in architecture and attractions in Disney parks and resorts, and in studio buildings and many other Disney-related features. (Wikipedia)

Iwish Icouldrememberwhen Ifirst learnedaboutHiddenMickeys.There’snodistinctmemoryofthe phenomenon being explained.Maybe one ofmyparentsnoticedthemduringatriptoEPCOTshortlyafteritopened,andI’vebeennoticingthemeversince?OrIjustreadaboutthematsomepoint,sincethefirstpublishedmentionofthemwasn’tuntil1989.Theyarefascinating,andaddanadditional layer toanyDisneyexperience.Perhapsyou’rewatchinganewerDisneyfilm,andsuddenly there’saHiddenMickey. It canbea gamewhile in the parks to keep people occupiedwhilestandinginline–whocanfindthemostHiddenMickeys? One wonders if they might be clues in abiggerpuzzle…

Interlude: Sneaking into the park after hours was no easy task. One, two, three…press the upper left circle. Down two, press the upper right. Then up 4 and press the center. With a creak of disuse, the wall swung open. The true treasure of Sleeping Beauty’s castle was almost in their grasp!

The history of Hidden Mickeys can be traced back to when the Imagineers were designing Epcot in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Disney Company had decided that EPCOT Center would be a more adult park, including selling alcohol. As alcohol and Disney characters were deemed to be an improper combination, it was decided that none of the Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, would ever be seen at EPCOT Center. To some of the Imagineers working on EPCOT Center, this was taken as a challenge. (Wikipedia)

IhaveonlybeentoEPCOTandDisneyWorldonetime,whenIwasabout10yearsold.IhavebeentoDisneylandmuchmore often.The silhouettewasnot really incorporated into the initial building ofDisneyland,atleastbasedonphotosI’veseen,butasrepairs,upgrades,andotherchangeshavebeenmade,the silhouette appeared. The building of CaliforniaAdventurealsobroughtnewopportunitiesforHiddenMickeys.Ihaveseentheminlandscaping,onbridges,inwroughtironfencing,inthegiftshops–alloverbothparks,andinDowntownDisney.

Interlude: The newest cast member, Snow White the 34th, rushed through the tunnels, hoping desperately not to be late to the Princess Tea, but realizing she had become terribly lost. “Follow the Hidden Mickeys, she said.” “It will be obvious, she said.” Apparently, even backstage, the Evil Queen really stays in character…

Common locations for deliberate Hidden Mickeys include the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, where they are most commonly found in attractions, stores, and decor around the environment. Although approximately 1,000 Hidden Mickeys have been recorded, The Walt Disney Company has never compiled a complete list of all the “known” or “deliberate” Mickeys (whether created by an Imagineer or a Disney Cast Member), so there is no way to confirm or disprove any reported Mickey sightings. (Wikipedia)

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TherearemanyimagesontheinternetshowingHiddenMickeys,andtherearewebsitesandbooksdevotedtothem.Disney itself has never officially acknowledgedthe Hidden Mickey phenomenon, other than onecontest during the 50-year anniversary, and selling abookaboutHiddenMickeysinagiftshop.Duringthe50-year anniversary (the“Happiest Homecoming onEarth”), the park hid 50 of the silhouettes, with thenumber50inthem.TheywereallremovedbytheendofthecelebrationinSeptember2006,leavingonlytheunofficialHiddenMickeys.

Interlude: She finished closing the circle around herself. Carefully, she added two additional circles, making sure they were properly places and in correct proportion to the main circle. A summoning of this sort is tricky, and won’t work if the symbol is incorrect. All three circles completed, she took a deep breath and uttered the magic words – “Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo!”

IwasluckyenoughtogotoDisneylandduringthe50-yearcelebration,sinceL.A.ConIVoccurredinAugust2006.Chicagohadbeenbidding for the2008Worldcon, and lost by 12 votes.At the gathering ofbidmembers and friends that evening,we cried anddrankchampagne.LaterthateveningasIwanderedtheotherpartiesandpeopleaskedhowIwasfeeling,myanswerwas“I just lost aWorldconbid. I’m going toDisneyland!”And so, I did. I have themouse ears toprove it–gold incolor, featuring thesilhouettewiththe50init,andmynameembroideredontheback.Onthatday,despitetheloss,DisneylandtrulyliveduptoitsreputationofbeingTheHappiestPlaceonEarth.

http://L.A.Con

Instant Fanzine Part 1 What’s Your Favorite Disney Ride?

Tiffany Cart Frye:InevermissPirates.

Julia Long: NeverbeentoDisneyland,butfavatDis-neyWorld was Splash Mountain because it’s just sowhimsicalandhasagreatstorylinethatreallypullsyouin.Plus,thedropattheendisfun,butnotover-the-top.

Andrew Trembley: I always thought Rockin’ Roll-ercoasterwasanexcellentsimulationoftheLAFree-ways...atleastinmydreams.Butthat’sWDW,notDis-neyland.

Lillian Csernica: TheToyStoryridewhereit’sonebigshootinggallery. Adam Beaton:IworkattheFloridaversion, it’sahoot.

Liz Zitzow: IreeeeallylovedthePeterPanoneandSmallWorld.AlsoHauntedHouseandThunderMoun-tain.Andyoucannot top thewalkthroughsubmarineone,ILOVEthatoneanditisn’tevenaride.

Adam Beaton: ForDisneyland,I’dhavetosayIndianaJones.DisneyWorld, it’s a toss upbetweenHauntedMansionandTowerofTerror.

Jen Heck: Soarin.Epcot.Justbecauseit’sgreat

Mariah Waite: IHAVEN’TBEENTODISNEYLANDSINCE1987,BUTILOVELOVELOVEBIGTHUNDERMOUNTAIN.whoops,capslock.

Susan Rojo: SmallWorld!Gotmeinterestedintrav-elingandcuriousaboutcultures.Pluswhodoesn’tlovetheearworm!

Cynthia Geno: HauntedHouse!

Ashley Cox: HauntedMansion!ButJungleCruiseandPiratesareclosebehind.

Douglas E. Berry:AdventureThruInnerSpace.Longgone,butstillmyfavorite. Jim Sullivan: Metoo! Kelly Buehler: Lovedthatone! Daniel Spector: Yup. Kelly Mccoy-Prael: Irememberthat.That wasPeoplemoverbeforeitbecametouring unit. Christopher J Garcia: Thereisanamazing

animationthatrecreateditonyoutube Kelly Buehler: Irememberbeingontheride withmyuncleinabout‘72andhereachedout toagiantsnowflakeandbrokeit.Iwassoem barrassed. Kelly McCubbin: The“MightyMicroscope” appearedintheoriginalStarToursfilm,though Idon’tknowifit’sthereanymore.AndIthink theminiatureoneusedtobeinoneofthose basketsthatmovedaroundintheStarTours queue.

Mary C. Knapp: TheORIGINALPiratesoftheCa-ribbeaninAnaheim,CA,beforethemovies!Karen Schnaubelt: ^^THIS.Nancy Alegria: Ditto.Elizabeth Siemanski:DittoKelly Mccoy-Prael:Metoo.

Karen Tully: JungleBoat! David Clark: IlikedtheJungleCruisewhen itwasslower,andtheguideshadmoretimeto dotheirspiel. Nancy Alegria: Ithinkingeneral,wecould saythebestridesatDisneylandaretheones youcanonlygettoviatimetravel. David Clark:Ineversaidthat...butwhileI dorememberAdventureThruInnerSpace fondly,IthinkitwouldneedaMAJORupgrade today.(AndIrecentlymadetheDay’sTopTen scoreboardonBuzzLightyear’sAstroBlasters.)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-4-RUuuqQw

Mike Gendimenico: TheAnaheim Marriott poolride-sitbythepoolanddrinktastycocktailswhilethemobsdownthestreetdragtheirkidsallovercreation...

Matthew B. Tepper:I’mold.“FlyingSaucerswasanamusement ride atDisneyland inAnaheim,Californiafrom 1961 to 1966. Guests rode on personal flyingsaucers on a cushion of air, similar to an air hockeygame,which played in away similar to bumper carswithguestsrammingeachotherwiththeirsaucers.”More info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Sau-cers_(attraction) Mark Bessey: They’reback,inCarsLand.Still don’treallyworkworthadamn. Mark Bessey: No,wait.Closedagain,apparently.Someday,thesaucerswillreturn,I’msure. Matthew B. Tepper:ThedayafterIdie. Durelle Kurlinski:Nopetheyturneditinto afunDancingcarride.Lovethatride,themus- icisfrommychildhood.

Nora Kelly: PeterPan.Love“flying”overLondon.

Kory D. Doyle: Thehauntedmansion.

Kathryn Duval: lWhenIwasakidwewouldspintheteacupsuntilwewerecrazydizzy.Itwassomuchfun. Mary C. Knapp: Notifyou’djustguzzleda glassofwhitegrapejuiceonahotday,JUST beforeyougotonit!

Guy Lillian:JungleBoatride.FirsttimeIwentonittherewasnofoliage,no‘gatorsorhippos,nothingbut

baresandandariver.TheguykepttellinguswhatMr.Disneywasgoingtoputtherewhenhewasfinished.1956.

Kathryn Duval:OnceasIwasmaybe6yearsoldIrodeontheoldMonsantoridewherethebigeyelooksdownatyoufromthemicroscope.Iaskedmydadifwewerereallyshrinkingandhesaidyes.Hesaidwe’dnev-erbebigagain.Istartedtocry.Hedidn’tunderstandwhyIdidn’tknowhewasjoking.

William Howard: PiratesoftheCaribbean,alwaysandforever.

Mark Bessey: TheHauntedMansion. I lovetheva-rietyof19th,20th,and21stcenturymagictricksthatmakesthewholethingwork.It’sgotPepper’sGhost,it’sgotaudio-animatronics,it’sgotLCDprojectors...

Kathryn Duval:MydadwasabigfanofDisneylandsohemadesurewewenttothehauntedmansionrightafteritopened.Healwaysmadeusridethetrainasthefirstride-we’dgoallthewayaroundandthenontoNewOrleansSquaresowecouldgettothehauntedmansionbeforethe“tourists”gotthatfar.WeprobablywenttoDisneyland4timesormoreayear.Wewentoneveryone’sbirthdays.

Rik Ault: Matterhornjustfun

Derek McCaw:TheHauntedMansionwillalwaysbemyfavorite. It issupercool. Ihadamodeloftheor-ganist.

Vernon Putman: UsedtobePiratesof the Caribbean, before they, if youwillpardonthepun,jackeditup.NowitisHauntedMansion.

Carol Kennedy: It’saSmallWorld.Yes,really!

Durelle Kurlinski: Matterhornhas always beenmy favorite, but notthrilledwiththenewbobsleds.

David Stein Always the HauntedMansion.PeterPan,Pirates,BigThun-der.Ihaveasoftspotforanyofthe‘64World’s Fair attractions, so do enjoy

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Saucers_(attraction)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Saucers_(attraction)

MisterLincoln,It’saSmallWorld.AndreallyloveIndi-anaJones

Julie Shepard: HauntedMansion(regularandholidayversions)John Barrows:I’dtellyoubutdeadmentellnotales.

Paula Helm Murray: HauntedMansion-gottorideitbrandnew,isscaryenoughandstillisfun.

Linda Bushyager: HauntedMansion.Iwillneverfor-getseeingthatlittlehologramofthewomanattheend.Also lovePiratesofCaribbean, funsong,niceride inthedarkonahotday.IhaveawarmspotforPeterPanride,Jungleride,andTomSawyersIsland.IjustlovealltheDisneyproperties,lovetheflowersandtreesandtopiary,justwalkingaroundonanicedayissonice.Iwant to go back! (SawEpcot andDisney studio andUniversalonlasttrip.IwanttogotoAfricaandMagicKingdomagainonnexttrip).

Cathy Mullican: BuzzLightyear

Earl Cooley III: IthoughtthatSpaceMountainwasgoingtobeascienceexhibit...

Sharan Volin: SpaceMountain!Iloveit!Forme,it’stheultimateanti-depressant.Ifeelgreatfromthemo-mentitmakesthefirstturnintotheride.I’mabigfanofrollercoasters(Ilovetheacceleration)andalthoughIalwayslikedflumesevenmoreIthinkthefactthatit’sinthedarkwithaspacethememakesmeloveitmore.

Beth Vallacqua: Ihavetwo:PeterPanandHeimlich’sChewChewtrain.Ohh..andthenewGuardiansoftheGalaxy:MissionBreakout Christopher J Garcia:Ilovethattrain!!!

Haragano OgMari:Teacups

Leslie Johnston: HauntedMansion!

Sharee Carton: Theywouldn’t letmeintoDisney-landbecauseIhadamohawk.....LACon1984?85?

Jennifer Brown:HauntedMansionbothnormalandwhenit’sNightmarebeforeChristmas.Ireallyneedthepurplewallpaperinmyhouse.

George Wells: It’snotthereanymorebutwasde-

scribedinasongbyHomerandJethro:Iknowadarkand gloomy spot, it’s ninetymiles from PossumTrot,it’s upstairs over a vacant lot, it’s called Hernando’sHideaway.Theyusedtohavesixcandlestall,aburningbrightlyinthehall,tillLiberacestolethemall....away.....

Steve Mix: PiratesoftheCaribbean.It’sjustfun.

Kelly McCubbin:Nuffsaid?

Ryan T. Jones:Nemo.Theyletmedriveit.777times.

Dennis Harvey: TowerofTerror

Mitzi Jones:HauntedMansion

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Craig Smith:Haven’tbeenthereindecades,butI’dsay Pirates of theCaribbean followed closely by theHauntedMansion. I can’t commentonnewer attrac-tions.IfirstwenttoDisneylandinDecemberof1961yikes!

Bradley Cozzens: Mr.ToadsWildRidewillalwaysbemyfavorite.MetSeanAstininline8yearsago.Cheesyridebutstillfuninmybook.

Joshua Keene:Thespaceone,withthemountain,buttheWinniethepoohonewasverystimulating.

Heather Shaw: SpaceMountainbeforetheymadeitallStarWars...Iusedtogetsuchavisceralthrillwhentheydidthecountdownandweblastedoff!Thenthewholeridewasdarkandstarryandmysenseofwon-derwasonfullblast.Thenewonelacksthatfeeling,andthebitsoffilmshowninthedarkaren’tconvincingandmakeitfeeltoobrightanddistant.Bleah.

Karl Lembke: Monsantorideintoadropofwater.IfDisneyeverdoesaremakeofFantasticVoyage,maybethey’llbringitback... Kirsten M. Berry:MonsantoMicroscope 5EVER.

Josh McElravy:Toughquestion...somanygoodones.IreallyenjoyedStarTours.Thebackrowisthebest.

Erica Mulkey:Spacemountain,pirates,andhauntedmansionwe’realwaysmyfavorite

Susie Rodriguez: SmallWorld.“Still?”“Always.”

Chuck Serface:Mr.Toad’sWildRide.HowcanyounotlikearidethatendswithatriptoHell? Pat Turner: (Bracingfortheonslaughtofcrit icism...)IadoreSmallWorld.Isingalongthe entireride. Christopher J Garcia: Metoo!Oneofmy faves! Sue Ann Barber: It’smyfavouriteridetoo!I lovethevariationsofitaroundtheworld. Mark Bessey: It’sbeautiful.Anybodywho doesn’tlikeithasnosoul. Jackson Garland: Iloveittoo.Infactthe firsttimeIeverrodeitwaswithyouChristo- pherJGarcia! Debbie Bretschneider:Anybodywhohad tohadtodobandpracticeforaparadeto thatsonghadthesoulsuckedoutofthem.

Edward Hooper: ImissAdventureThrough Inner-space. Christopher J Garcia: ImissPeopleMover

James Langdell: Disneyland’sSkyway(longmissed).

Lou Anders:20,000Leagues

Don Glover:Ican’tsayIhaveafavorite,butIalwaysmakeapointofdoingSmallWorldandPirates.

Patrick White: Mansion,classicstyle(non-NBC)

Paul DeYonghe: SpaceMountain.

Ken Meshke: Piratesmostentertainingandthebe-ginningoftheridefeltabsolutelyreal Brian King:Yep,Iconcur. Melissa Pentecost: HauntedMansion

Kevin Andrew: MurphyMr.Toad’sWildRide.IreadtheWindintheWillowswhenIwasyoung,andIap-prove of the ride because it’s something thatwouldneverbemade forkids in thisdayandagebut isal-lowed to stay around grandfathered. Because there’snothinglikeajoyridingtoaddrivingastolenmotorcartoHell. Kelly Mccoy-Prael: Theyusedthecrazy weaselsfromthatin“WhoFramedRodger Rabbit?”. Kevin Andrew Murphy:Yes.

Jane Dennis:Pirates*.Becauseitwas112ºFinAna-heimthatday,anditwasinside.August1984.We’djustwrappeditupatLACon2.2ndfave,(actuallyMyfave)sameday:SpaceMountain,because itwas112º-andtherewasnolineforiteither.Andthatwasactuallyfun.Tilt-a-whirl,basically.Mypoorbabyhusband-we’donlyactuallygottenmarriedafewweeksearlier-wasmiserable...well,Ilikesidewaysstuff,giantdropsnotsomuch.Idon’tjudge.SothenextdaywefledtoPhoe-nixbecauseitwascooler.Ohfuck,maybeitwasSep-temberbythen.Mybrainwasmeltingbythenanyway. *Well,wewent on Pirates 3 times . Christina M. O’Halloran: HauntedMansion - be-causeIrodeitthefirsttimeonHalloweenwhenitfirstopenedandwastrulyterrified

Karen Tully:Oh,andnoride?TikiRoom. Bradley Cozzens: Tikiroomisn’tarideit’s aprivatesliceofheavenforallwornout parentsneedingaquietandcoolbreak. Adolewhipand15minutesofgloriousair- conditionedseatinglisteningtothebirdiessing.

Rhawnie Pino-Marshall: Pirates!!!!Itjustmakesmefeellikeakidonanadventureagain:)

Joanne Sterpin: PeterPan!

Melissa Takahashi: Oooooh,man,sohardtochoose!Probably Pirates, I alwayswanted to hangout in thetreasureroom.TylermademebelievethosecannonswererealandIhadtoducksoIwouldn’tgethit.

Bryan Barrett: Pirates&HauntedHouse

June E Vigil-Storm: IndyJones Leslie Evers: AmericaSings,nowdefunct. AndHauntedMansion,stillgoingstrong

Oscar Arguello:IndianaJones.

James Ersted: SpaceMountainbecauseIlikeridingrollercoastersinthedark.

Max Meyer: SpaceMountain! Iwish itwas oneofthoseneat3-DinsideStarWarsonesbutthosemakemesicktomystomach.

Kelly Mccoy-Prael: Can’t reallypinpoint a favoritebecausethey’resomany.PeterPanbecauseoftheil-lusionandperspectivedrawingsandminiatures.AliceinWonderlandandMr.Toad’sWildRidearesimilartoeachother,exceptoneisslower.Matterhornwiththeglowing eyes ofAbominable Snowman andThunderMountainbecausetheywerethefirstIriddenwithmyhighschoolchoirgroup.SpaceMountainisalwaysafa-voriteoverandoveragain.Indyisfun.SpaceTours,pastandpresent.HauntedMansionalwaysgreatespeciallyifyougetstuck.AndonthePirates,onourhoneymoon,wesatinthebackoftheboat,rockingitbackandforth,singingatthetopourlungswiththepiratesandfreak-ingoutthetwomondainswithus.

Daniel M. Kimmel: TwilightZoneTowerofTerror.Handsdown.

Mike Walton: AlwaysPirates.PlusyouhavetogoeatattheBlueBayou…getaMonteCristoofcourse.Getthefullexperience.(Minusthesmellofchlorinatedwa-ter)

Brian King: Not a ride but Great Moments withAbrahamLincoln Kelly Mccoy-Prael: ThefirsttimeIsawthat, Iwasblownaway.

Barbara Chepaitis: It’saSmallWorld.(butIwouldn’twanttohavetopaintit.)

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Kent Brewster: AdventureThroughInnerSpace,be-causeyoucouldactuallyseethepeopleinfrontofyouinlinebeingminiaturized.SOGREAT! John Pierce:TheoriginalHauntedHouse wasdamncool.

John Pierce:TheoriginalHauntedHousewasdamncool!

Ian Moore:Whichevervehicletakesmetoanon-Dis-neyParkwithrealrollercoasters.

Hillary Pearlman-Bliss: Thehauntedmansion,PeterPan,Pirates.TheLand,StarTours,20,000Leagesr.i.p.,andTowerofTerror.

Krys Blackwood:Hauntedmansion!

Helen Montgomery: Space Mountain! Extensivetestinghasshownthatthebestseatsarethefrontrowofthesecondcarfromthefront.

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The Best Disney Worldcon that Never Happenedby Deb Geisler

I still contend,19yearsafterwe lostourbid,thatitwasthegreatestWorldconthat…wasn’t. The year was 1997, andWorldcon had justwrappedupinSanAntonio,Texas,whentheBostonin2001 bid got the bad news:we had lost any chancetobidforthe2001WorldcontocometoBoston.Wecouldn’taffordwhatthehotelsinthecitywanted,andthatwasthat.Bostonwastoopopularasadestination,andthehotelswerenotwillingtobudgeonsomein-crediblyhighrates. ThisallhappenedintheeraofzonedWorldconbidding:everythreeyears,afangroupcouldtrytobiditshome,asthezoneswereeastern,central,andwest-ernNorthAmerica(withforeignbidsbeingeligibleanytime).A“carpetbagged”bidwasprettymuchunheardof.(Itwouldn’tbeuntil2011,whenthefirstbidfrom“outoftown”wouldrunadamnedfineWorldconinReno,Nevada.) Still,MCFI(thegroupwhichranBostonWorld-cons,akaNoreascons)didn’twanttogiveuponhost-ing the2001Worldcon.Wehad someamazing ideas,andwehadbeenbiddingforaverylongtime(5years),andsowelookedaroundatthepossibilitiesinourna-tive“easternzone,”whichwouldhostthe59thWorldScienceFictionConvention.Itstruckusthateveryoneof us knew the city ofOrlando.We’d allworkedonMagiConin1992,whichhadbeenattheOCCCinOr-lando,Florida,andoneofourmembers(JoeSiclari)hadbeenitsChairman.

Butwedidnotwanttoupsetthelocalgroupbycominginandmusclingthemout.Wefloatedtheideawith the local Florida fans:“Would you like anotherWorldcon?”Theanswer:“Well,wedon’twanttorunanotherone.”“Howaboutifweranit?”“Sure!Comeondown!” So,weknewthelocalfanswelcomedus(andatFloridaconventions,theypre-supportedusindroves).Next,asite.SinceMagiConfiveyearsbefore,twonewsite combinations had opened up.There weremorethan 1.5million square feet of convention spaces inOrlando…butthebestonewasatDisneyWorld.TheWaltDisneyWorldSwanandDolphinhotelswerein thehugeDisneyWorld complex.Theywere (well,are)situatedacrossaman-madelagoonfromeachoth-er.Therewere bridges crossing thewater.Walkwayswithflowers andplants andhot tubs. In theevening,tiki torchesandgentle lightinghelppeoplefind theirway.At dusk, guests could stand on the bridges andwatchtheDisneyWorldfireworkseachnightoverthelake.Underneaththetwohotels,therewasalargecon-ferencecenter,plustherewereballroomsandfunctionspaceinbothhotels.Itwasenoughspace.Itwasalsoverybeautiful. Weaskedourfriendsandpre-supporters:Giv-enthatwecan’tbeaBostonWorldcon,shouldBostoncon-runnerstrytorunaWorldconinOrlando?Wehadseveraloptions,includingtheMagiConsitefrom1992.Wesentalettertoallofourfriendsandpre-support-

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ers,puttingthequestiontothem:whichsiteshouldwechoose? Theresponsefromoursupporterssaid,over-whelmingly:givetheMouseashot.Ithasbeen19yearssincetheamazingteamofJoeSi-clariandBenYalownegotiatedthecontingentcontractwesettledonwiththeSwanandDolphin.Peoplehaveheardwhispersofthatcontractforyears,buttheactu-alpieceofworkbelongstohistory.Still,letmetellyoualittleaboutwhatJoeandBenmanagedtonegotiate(andIsigned,astheChairmanofMCFI,severalweekslater).ThehotelrateswerelowenoughtomakemostWorldconattendeescry.Freeparking.Freeshuttletoallofthethemeparks,shopping,dining.Freefunctionspace…everythinginthetwohotels,includingthecon-ferencecenter.Acorkagewaiverthroughouttheprop-erties.Better:becausetheyreallywantedus,theprop-ertiesweregivingusacorkagewaiverandthrowingin$5,000offreefoodandbeverageasanincentive. NeverhaveIseenapairnegotiatelikeJoeandBendidthatweekendwethreewereinOrlando.Fasttalkers:becarefulofthem! Thefinal contingent contract, signedby all ofus,satinmysafetydepositbox,withcopieselsewhere,waitinguntilwewonthebid,whenitwouldautomat-icallybecomeacontract. Inthemeantime, Ichortledgleefullyaboutthepossibilities:champagneandstraw-berries in an outdoor Hugo reception. Not rentinganyspacemeantwecouldkeepthemembershipcostto$100max.ToursofEpcot’sbackstage…themagi-calmysterypneumaticsoftheMagicKingdom.Every-wherewelooked,wethought,“Thatwillbeso*cool*.”Ah,well.Whenthevoteswereallcounted,ourfriendsinPhiladelphia(who,afterall,weren’ttryingtocarpet-bagtoadifferentcity,andwhohadn’thadaWorldconin a very long time)won the right tohost the2001Worldcon,theMillenniumPhilcon. Really, everything worked out, I suppose, forthebest.By2004,whenwedidrunNoreasconFour,the 62ndWorldcon, Boston hotelsweremanageablypriced,andwewereinourowncity–anamazingplacethatwe lovebest.Wegave away all of theflamingoswe’dusedtobidwith(literally*thousands*of them)beforeweheadedforhome.Andhotflamingopinkis*so*notmybestcolor. ButIstillsigh,alittle,whenIthinkofwhatmighthavebeen.Itwassuchabeautifulagreement,andthehotelsweresobeautiful. And I absolutely guarantee we would NOThavehadHugotrophieswithmouseears!

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InDisneyParkslore,therearefourfoundation-alideasthatcomprisewhattheycallthe“KeystotheKingdom.”TheseareinstilledinDisneyCastMembersfromdayoneof theirDisneycareers,andtheydriveeverything that happens in aDisney park. TheKeysare, in order: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency.Safety first, because aDisney park is a place with alotofpeopleandalotofwaysforpeopletogethurt.Courtesy next, becauseDisney’s customer service isaworldwidestandardbywhichallothersare judged.ThenShow,becausethat’swhatpeoplecometoDis-neyparkstosee.Andlastly,Efficiency,becauseaslongasthefirstthreearebeingdoneaswellastheycan,aprofit-makingcompanyalwaysseekstodomorewithlessifpossible. Conrunners can learn a lot fromDisney, andsimplyadoptingDisney’sKeyswouldnotbetheworstwaytheycouldstart.Thatbeingsaid,Iwouldliketoin-vitethegentlereadertoconsiderfiveadditionalthingsDisneydoesthatallconscan,andshould,do—ordo

better.

Have a vision. WaltDisneyhad a simple vision forhiscompany:“MakePeopleHappy.”Inoneofthegreattragediesofmoderntimes,morerecentDisneyleadersapparentlyhiredoverpricedconsultantstowritethemanewmissionstatement,whichismealy-mouthedandinvestor-focusedandmeaningless.YourconventioncanlearnfromWaltandalsofromhissuccessors’mistake,andcreateaninspiringvision.Getadetailedpictureinyourheadofwhatyouwantyourcontobe,do,looklike,andevoke.Capturethatpictureinafewwords,andgetyourconcomonboardwithit.Measureeverysinglethingyoudo—everyaction,everyinvitation,ev-erydollaryouspend—onwhetherornotitgetsyouclosertothatvision.Beamazedbyhowmucheasieritistomakedecisionsaboutyourconandhowyouuseyourtime,moneyandenergy.

Keys from the Kingdom:What Cons Can Learn from Disney Parks

by Tracy Lunquist

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Make an emotional connection with your audi-ence.Therearepeoplewho loveDisney. TherearepeoplewhohateDisney.Therearenotalotofpeoplewhoshrugandsay,“sowhat?”aboutDisney.Forgoodorill,Disneyinspiresstrongemotionalreactions.Formillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld,theemotionsarepowerfully positive. For this reason,Disney rakes inbillionsof dollars in revenue every year, andmillionsofpeoplevisittheirparkseveryyear.Anot-smallper-centageofthosepeoplescrapeandsaveformanyyearstohave thatonce-in-a-lifetime trip to aDisneypark,andahugenumberofothersmakeaDisneypilgrimageatleastonceayear.Doesyourconinspirethatkindofloveandloyalty?Howmanyofyourmemberswillgivesomethingelseuptogotoyourcon,or“wouldn’tmissitfortheworld”?Whatwouldittaketomakethatkindofemotionalconnectionwithyourmembers? Whatwouldthatlooklike?(Hint:see“vision”,above.) Give world-class customer service.Disneyparksmight have every great ride, every brightly coloredfacade,everygiant smiling furry,everybell andeverywhistlethatDisneyfanshavecometoadore,butiftheemployeeswere surly or incompetent, guests wouldnotgoback.Thetrue“magic”ofaDisneyexperienceliessquarelywithCastMembersandtheservicetheyprovide. Even beyond the quality of the people theyhireandthetrainingtheyoffer,theyhavemasteredthesystemicartofguestexperience.Fromthe“FastPass+”line bypass system to the latest enhancement in the“MyDisneyExperience”mobileappthatletsyouor-derandbuyyour lunch fromyourphoneandpick itup at your convenience, Disney is constantly raisingthebaronservice.Yourcondoesn’tneedexpensivetechnologytoenhancethememberexperience—allyouneedisforyourstaffandvolunteerstobecheer-ful,feelvalued,andknowhowtohelpyourmembersgetwhattheyneedtohaveagreatweekendwithyou.Makesureyourpeopleknowtheanswerstothefre-quently-askedquestions,andareempoweredtosolveproblems as theyoccurwith as little intervention aspossiblefrom“management.”Teachthemtolistenandtomakesuretheyunderstandthequestionorproblembeforetheyrespond.Setupyoursystemstomaximizefunandminimizelinesandbureaucracy.Avoidthe“SE-CURITY”modelofOpsasmuchaspossibleinfavorofthe“troubleshooter”model.Yourstaffarethehostsoftheparty.Theyaretheretohelppeoplehavefun,nottomaintainpolice-stateorder.ThesecurityguardsatDisneyaresomeofthe friendliestCastMemberson

property. Remember thatyourregistrationstaff andyouropsteamarethefaceofyourconvention.Createanexpectationamongyourpeople that the face is afriendlyone.

Practice “Yes, if”. In theDisneyCompany, the an-swerto“canwe?” isnot“No,because….” It is“yes,if….”Thisisthedifferencebetweenthinkingintermsof limitations and thinking in terms of possibilities.“CanwehaveMarkHamillasourGoH?”Yes,ifheisavailable andwilling andwecan raiseenoughmoneytopayhim,andifwecanfigureouthowtorunacontentimesthesizeitwaslastyear.”NOT,“no,becausewecan’taffordit.”“Yes,if”meanshonestlyconsideringoptionsyouusedtodismissoutofhand.Anditcanleadto your con doing thing you never believed it coulddo.Anythingispossible.“Yes,if”givesyoupermissiontoexplorewhetheragiventhingispractical.

Never throw anything away. ThisisalittlebitofadangerousthingtosaytoSFfans,amongwhomhoard-ingisaveryrealplague.Disneyneverthrowsanythingaway.YoucanseeevidenceofoldDisneyideasinlat-erDisneywork.“Eastereggs”inmoviesandparkat-tractionsreferencepriormoviesandpriorattractions.Evenprops,sets,andsignsfromfinishedmoviesandde-functattractionsgetkeptwhenpossible.ButwhereasDisneyhasdozensofgiganticwarehouseswheretheycan keep everything, cons generally don’t quite havethatluxury.Andsointhecaseofconrunning,whatyoushouldneverthrowawayisanidea.Keepyournotesfromprogrammingbrainstormsessionsandinitialcon-com meetings. Keep the program books from prioryears’cons.Curateanarchiveofthevaluableknowl-edgeyouhaveacquiredovertheyears.Agreatideaisagreatideaevenifyoucan’tuseitforthisyear’scon.Don’tletthegreatideasgetaway.

There you have it: five“key” takeaways fromDisneythatyoucanuseinconrunning.Thebestpartis,noneofthesethingscostmoneyorrequireexcep-tionaltechnologyorexpertisetoaccomplish.Andthatmaybethemostimportantkeyofall—fundamentally,Disneymagicisabouttreatingpeopleandideasastheamazingtreasuretheyare. Withaclearvision,somegreatideas,andsomefriendlypeople,yourconcanbethenextbestthingtoaweekendinaDisneyPark.

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Instant Fanzine Part 2What Is Your Favorite Disney

Song, and Why? 30

Helen Montgomery: “Supercalifragilisticexpialido-cious”fromMary Poppins. It’s JulieAndrewsandDickVanDyke,whoarebrilliant.Funtosay,funtosing,andI love the combination live action and animation se-quenceinthefilm.

Christopher J Garcia: Scales andArpeggios fromAristocats!

Chris rose:“PartofYourWorld”from The Little Mer-maid. I listenedtothatsongoverandoveragainasaheavilybulliedteenagerforweeksdeliveringpapersinagrey,coldDecemberinGrandePrairie.Ithitallthebuttonsformeatthetime.Therearesongsthathavestuckinmyheadmore,orbeenbetterwrittenorper-formed,butwhenIthink“Disneymusic”that’sthefirstsongthateverpopsintomyhead. Charlie Bernstein: Ihavetosecondthis oneasthefirstsongthatalwayscomestomind whenIthinkDisney.EventhoughtheIt’sa SmallWorldIthinkisprobablybetterknown, thiswouldalwayscometomindformefirst.

Pablo Miguel Alberto Vazquez: Hakuna Matata!It’sjusttoomuchfunandreallyexemplifiesthesillinessthatDisneysongscanpulloff.Also,whodoesn’twanttoliveaccordingtothepreceptsofHakunaMatata?

Sandra Levy:“Davy,DavyCrockett,KingoftheWildFrontier”BecauseIwas5.Ifnotthat“WeareSiamese,ifyouplease...” fromLady and the Tramp forthepuresnarkinessofit.

Sydnie Krause:“I’llmakeamanoutofyou”–Mulan. Thesinglebestkaraokesongtogetawholeaudiencesingingwithyou. Adam Beaton:Tothisday,everytimesome oneinameetingoranywheresays,“Let’sget downtobusiness,”Iimmediatelychimein with,“TODEFEAT...THEHUNS!!!!!!”I’velost andgainedmanyafriendshipwiththatverse.

Don Glover:TheGnomeMobile.ItisfromthefirstDisneymovieIcanrecallseeinginthetheateranditjustmakesmefeelgoodsingingit.

Timothy Cummings: “Poor Unfortunate Souls”fromLittle Mermaid.Ilovehowdeviouslythevillaindis-playshervillainyas justasimplecontractual infringe-ment!

Jesi Lipp:IfIcanpickfromaDisneymusical-EndlessNight fromThe Lion King. If Ihavetogowithamov-ie...I’llgowithAPartofYourWorld.IthinkJodiBensonperformsitamazingly-“whatd’youcall‘em?Oh,feet!”Thepianomotif throughout it ispossiblymyfavoritesequenceever.It’sjustareallyfreakinggoodsong.OrPoorUnfortunateSouls.OrOutThere.

Dennis Dombrowski: AWholeNewWorld fromAladdin.Itremindsmeofwhenmynieceswerebabies.Somedaywhenyougetoldyou’llunderstand.

Jon Walbrun:Iwouldn’tsayIhadafavorite,perse,butifIweretonarrowitdown,thetwothatarethemostrecallableandjustpopintomyheadunbiddenwouldbe“WhistleStop” fromRobin Hood and“LittleBlackRaincloud”fromThe Adventures of Winnie The Pooh.

Jackie Kamlot: It’s aSmallWorld.TheonerideatDisneyWorldmywholefamilycouldrodetogether.

Amy VanKauwenbergh:“RoomforEveryone”fromPete’s Dragon. Such a great message about living andlettinglive.

Dan Berger: Is it too soon to say,“TheStarWarstheme?” Helen MontgomeryYes.:)

David Abzug:TheBareNecessities,becauseit’sthesongfromthemI’velovedthelongest.Andit’salessonIREALLYneedtolearn.

David Friedman:TheTomWaitsversionofthedwarfmarchingsongfromSnow White

Katharine Bond: CandleontheWater fromPete’s Dragon.BecauseIusedtosingittomybrotherwhenhewasababy.

Peter Heltzer:Thetheme(?)fromRobin Hood (RobinHoodandLittleJohnrunningthroughtheforest).Robin Hood wastheonlyDisneymovieIsawgrowingupforsomeunknownreason.

Steven Silver: “Bare Necessities,” from The Jungle Book. I really like and agreewith the sentiment (evi-dencetothecontrary)andPhilHarris’voicejustnailsthatsong.

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Dave McCarty:IWannaBeLikeYoufromThe Jungle Book.TheLouisPrima-nessofthefilmfortheLouisPri-masongturnsanotherwise*reallycatchy*tuneintoameta-masterpiece.

Deb Geisler:“SmallWorld”...itwaslikefingernailsonachalkboardformyDad.Wecouldmakehimscreamwithlessthanonestanza.

Vincent Docherty: “TheWonderfulThingAboutTiggers” fromWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. I sawitwhenveryyounganditalwaysmakesmesmile.:-)(Somanygoodsongs...)

Jennifer Cross: “Shadowland” from the BroadwayversionofThe Lion King.ItwasaddedasanexplanationforwhyNalaleftandhowshestumbleduponTimon,PumbaaandSimba[again].Thesongspeaksofdespairatthecurrentstateofherhomelandandherdetermi-nationtosaveit,evenifitmeansleavingtheonlyhomeshe’severknown.

Geri Sullivan:“MyMonkeyandMe”fromthe1960Swiss Family Robinsonmovie.Why?Six-year-oldmecom-pletelyadored it,andnodoubtdrovetherestofmyfamily completely mad. Family’n’neighbor rules werethatmynextdoorneighborLindaJefferiesandIhadtowaituntil8amtogoovertoeachother’shousetoplay.I’velong-sinceburnedoutallofthemorningpersonIoncewas,butinthosedaysIwouldrisebetween6and6:30,thenplaythebrief1:34songover,over,over,andoveragainuntilitwas8amwhenLindaandIcouldplay.Ihavenoideawhyorhowmyfamilytoleratedit,whytheydidn’tkillmeoratleastbreakthe45rpmsingle.Weallsurvivedtheexperiencetoadulthood,andI’mdelightedtohavefoundacopyofthe45oneBayafewyearsback.ThankstoMichaelBenveniste,Inowhaveadigitalversion.:)

Cary Williams: One JumpAhead fromAladdin, be-cause the song is happy and fun like a Disney songshouldbebuthasdarkundertonesaboutwhat’sgoingon.ThoughWeKnowtheWayfromMoanaisaclosesecond,becauseIlovethefeelofthesong.

David Stein: WhenYouWishUponAStar...Causeitplays right at twilight in frontof theCastle atMKWDWand it started themoment I kissedDianaonourHoneymoonandIwellupeverytimeIhearit

Adam Beaton: “Go the Distance” from Hercules. Oneof the bestmotivational songs evermade.OneofthestarsinmymotivationalplaylistwhenIneedapick-me-up

Lisa Michelle Garrison: “How Far I’ll Go” fromMoanabecauseitspeakstomysoul.

Surya Sabhapathy:“EverybodyWantstoBeaCat”fromThe Aristocats-it’sjustagreatsong,andinspiredanexcellentcoverbyPsapp:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJcyrK1J-Lg

John Donat:FromThe Lion King“Helivesinyou” Michael Lee:HeighHofromSnow White,be causeit’scatchyandsimpleinthewayof classicDisney,andit’sagoodmotivationsong whenyouneedtoworkinthedaysuptoa triptoaDisneyPark.

Michael Benveniste:Liveaction:Let’sGoFlyAKite.Animated:WhenYouWishUponaStar

Alice Bentley:ColorsoftheWind.Ididn’tenjoythemovieitselfmuch,butIlovedthatsong.

Cheryl Renee Farney: A Dream is aWishYourHeartMakesfromCinderellabecauseit’strue!

Pam Burr: Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (myohmywhatawonderful day!) from Song of the South, which yes, IknowisnotaPCmovie.However,Istilllovethesong.It is justsoupliftingandhappy.Plus Irememberasalittle girl dancing and singing along to itwhenever itplayedonmyDisneygreatesthitsalbum.IalsolovetheoriginalFantasia.

Michael Finnegan: “YouAin’tNever hadA FriendLikeMe”FromAladdin.CuzRobin.

Kevin Nickerson:GrimGrinningGhosts.Funspooky.

Tom Hanlon:BelleNotte!

Janice Gelb:SnarkySiamesecatsongfromThe Lady and the Tramp

Katy M. Loebrich:CircleofLife,becauseit’samazing,SleepingBeautyWaltz,becausenostalgia,&UndertheSea,becauseitrocks(orcalypso’s).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJcyrK1J-Lg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJcyrK1J-Lg

Jeremy Jack:I’llMakeAManOutofYou,Mulan...it’safunsongandactuallyinmyrangesoIcansingit.

Nantale:IamMoana,Moana-lovehowupliftingthetrackis.

Jared Mitchell Dashoff:FriendLikeMefromAladdin becauseRobinWilliams.

Michelle Rhoades: “Who’sAfraid of the Big BadWolf”because it is suchametaphor for the time inwhichitwaswritten.It’ssocialcommentarydisguisedasacatchytunejustlikemostMotherGooserhymes.MichaelUnger: BeOurGuest, fromBeauty and the Beast - i love JerryOrbachandAngelaLansbury, andthis is just abig gawdybroadwaynumber,donewithanimation in a brilliant fashion; the first timeDisneyREALLYleveragedcomputeranimationtoshowwhatitcouldreallydowhenyouputyourfootonthegas!EmmaEngland:TheBeautifulBrinySeafromBedknobs and Broomsticksbecauseitremindsmeofmychildhood.

Sabine Furlong:PartofYourWorldfromLittle Mer-maid.BecauseIwassohopingthatIcouldbepartofsomeone’sworldatthetime.Andthen Iwas!Happyendings do happen. (Well... for a couple of years atleast!)

Mike Gucciard:LetItGofromFrozen.Suchalove-lyangrysong.

Kat Fin: “Part ofYourWorld”--I owned theVHS,and I rewound andplayed that song in snippets so Icouldwritedownthelyricsandmemorizeit(inmiddleschool).Forsomeonewhowasn’treallyquitepartoftheworldaroundher,andneverfitinasachild/youth...itspoketoahopefulandyetstillsadplaceinmethatneededavoice.

Kathy Lehman:‘ASpoonfulofSugarHelpstheMed-icineGoDown”. I had theMary Poppins soundtrackalbumasakid,andIloveditevenbeforeIhadseenthemovie.OnceIsawthescene,Ijustthoughtitwassomuchfun.

Jo Carter: Ooo da Lally, fromRobin Hood.A guiltychildhoodpleasure.

Christopher J Garcia:You’reWelcomefromMoana,because it’sbasicallyTheRockbeingTheRockinan-imated form. It doesn’t hurt thatmyLittleGuyswillrun around the house singing“You’reWelcome” butwiththeonlywordstotheirversionofthesongbeing“You’reWelcome”inavaryingcadence.

I often thinkDisney’s live-action offerings getabitover-looked.Therearealotofthem,acoupleofhundredIbelieve,buttheyreallyrepresentthebreadthoffilmforfamilies.I’velovedthemeversincetheycameoutinvideostoreswiththosegiganticclam-shellcasesthatweresoiconicforVideoStoreGeekslikemyself. DisneydoesSci-Fi,alwayshas,atleastsincethe1950s. ThelistofDisneyScienceFictionisafascinatingcollectionoffilms,subgenres,influences,andfilmmak-ers.Therearesomehits,somemisses,somenear-hits,andsomeiconicfilmsthathelpeddefinethegenre!I’mstickingtoSci-Fi(whoknows,theremaybeaDisneyFantasy article someday!), andonly goingup through2000,thoughI’lltalkaboutthatlater. Let’stakeacloserlookatmycuratedcollectionforyou.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Thefirstofthelive-actionDisneySci-Fioffer-ings,andarguablythemost important. ItdefinedSte-ampunkaesthetic for thenext sixty years, aswell asproduced adamnfinemovie. Iwritemore about itsimportanceelsewhereinthisissue,butnootherfilmspeaksasdirectlytotheimportanceofDisney’ssci-fisignificanceas20,000 Leagues.

The Absent-Minded Professor FredMacMurray.Man,hewasanincredibleac-tor.Yes, Iknowhewasmore-or-lessawholly-ownedDisneypropertybythelate1950s,butifyoulookathiswork,likeDouble Indemnity,you’llseeexactlyhowawe-somehewas.HehadpreviouslystarredinThe Shaggy Dog,alovelylittleDisneyfantasyfilm(lookforanepi-sodeofFantasyFilm101onitcomingsoon!) The Absent-Minded Professorisaboutachemistryprofwhomanagestoinventsubstancethatgainsener-gywhen it’sstruck. It’scalledFlubber.Thisfilmstart-edthe long lineofFlubberfilmsthathavepopulatedtheatres, and the Disney Channel, pretty much eversince.ThefilmwasactuallypitchedtoWaltbyarealPrincetonprofessorwhowasnicknamedDr.Boombyattendees of theWorld’s Fair in Brussels,whichwaswhereWaltencounteredhim.MacMurray,aseriousac-tor,evenmethimandgothismannerismsdown,whichactually shows in his performance.Thiswas also thedebut ofMedfieldCollege for theDisneyCinematicUniverse:thesinglemostsciencefictionuniversityonEarth! ThefilmincludesbothEdWynn,andhisson,aswellasWallyBoag,whowastheincrediblylong-runningstaroftheGoldenHorseshoeReviewatDisneyland.

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Disney Does Sci-Fi... LIVE! 1954 to 1999by Chris Garcia

Moon Pilot OK, this one is pretty obscure, and it’s for agoodreason.Itain’tverygood.Still,comedysci-fihasaplace,andthat’saboutallIwillgiveit.Ithasacertaincharm,ofcourse,but it’smostnotable in littlethingsoutsideofthefilm.SallyFieldsisinit,briefly,asaBeat-nik.TheFBIhatedthewaytheywereportrayed.Waltread the story Starfire in the Saturday Evening Post(andI’veheardthathetriedtogettheirfamouscoverartist,NormanRockwell,todoartforDisneyland,butcanneverseemtofindareference)andmadethemov-ie.Iactuallyreadthestoryabouttwentyyearsago,andit’s farbetter than themovie.TheShermanbrothersdidthemusic,whichalwaysmakesmehappy.

Son of Flubber OK,thisistheFlubbermovieIthinkofwhenIthinkofFlubber.It’snotquitethesamejoyousexpres-sionofafilmthatThe Absent-minded Professorwas,butit’salotoffun,andisthatraresequelthatdoesnearlythesamethingastheoriginal,butsomehowmanagestofeeldifferent.Thedirector,RobertStevenson,isoneofthereallygreatDisneytalents.HedirectedMary Pop-

Swiss Family Robinson,playsMerlinJones,astudentwhohasmanaged to create a helmet to record thoughts.Somehow,heendsupable toreadminds.That leadstokookyfun,andeveryreviewofitseemedtousetheword‘kooky’ and it’s a finefilm for a teen audience.Likeallofthesefilms,it’shadsomeproblemswiththewayit’saged,butit’sstillfun.Itwassupposedlythefirsttwoepisodesof anever-producedMerlin Jones tele-visionseries(whichmakessensewhytheywouldcallit‘Midvale’insteadofMedfieldCollege)anditmadeabunchofmoney,evenafter thecriticspanned it.Thesecondhalf dealswithhypnotism, a judge, and crimenovelwriting.Definitelykooky.

The Monkey’s Uncle ThesequeltoThe Misadventures of Merlin Jones, itisactuallyaslightlybettermovie,anditwasahitonthesamelevel.Sadly,itwasalsothelastfilmKirkandFunicellodidforDisney.Therewaswaymoremoneyto bemade in theBeachmovies than in theDisneyfamily, apparently.The story is about a sleep-learningsystem,andthestructureofthefilmismuchliketheoriginal,whichallows it toplayout in twosegments,

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pins, Bedknobs & Broom-sticks, and the Herbiefilms,allofwhichIhavealotoflovefor.PaulLyndeisinit,andI’mahugefanof his work.The effectsaregreat,andoneofthethingsthatDisneyalwaysseems to do right is gettherightpeopleintothetechnical aspects. I lovethismovie, andwhile it’snot my favorite Disneyscience fiction film, it’snearthetopofthepile.

The Misadventures of Merlin JonesMidvale College is thesetting for the MerlinJonesmovies,andthey’rea hoot, and not just forthe wonderful AnnetteFunicello performanc-es. Tommy Kirk, a Dis-ney child star regular infilms like Old Yeller and

neither of which wears outitswelcome. The theme song isreally notable in that itwassung by Funicello, but hasTheBeachBoysdoingback-up!

The Love Bug I’mtornastowheth-erornottheHerbieMoviesarebestdescribedasScienceFictionorFantasy.Nomatterwhatthey’rebestcategorizedas,Iadorethesefilms.MuchlikeThe Barefoot Executive, itridestheline.WhenIwasakid,wheneveritwouldshowup onThe Disney Channel,I’dwatch it; when it was atRangoon Video, I’d rent it.I love it story. Herbie, theLove Bug, is a car thatmaybepossessed,or itmay justhavegainedsentience,whichwouldputit intherealmofShort Circuit. Still, it’s oneof

themost funfilmsever, featuredBuddyHackett in agreatrole,reallymadeDeanJonesintooneofmyall-timefavorites,andisjustamagnificentexampleofwhatyoucandowithastrongcast,asillyscript,andthelastofWaltDisney’spersonalgenius,ashehadworkedonitbeforehisdeath.

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes WhenPatrickSwayzedied,thatopenedupthedoor for Kurt Russell to become the greatest livingAmerican actor. He was already the greatest livingAmericangenreactor,andthisisthefirsttimewehadproofofthat! The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes,whichhas anamazingtitlesong,isthestoryofDexterRiley,astudentatMedfieldcollege,andtheleaderofagroupofgoodkids.Yousee,Medfieldcan’tafford itsowncomputer,so they convince local businessman, and under-cov-ergangster,AJArno,todonateanoldmainframe.Theclassictropewhereacomputerisstruckbylightningplays out here, and because of that, Dexter gets alltheknowledgeof thecomputer, including the secret,password-protected info that details the bets made

money,awifehasgivenherhusbandAlbertsomefailedapplesaucesohedoesn’thavetogooutforlunch.TheduckAlbert is working with eats it, somehow endsup in a room fullof radiationand thencan lay gold-en-yolkedeggs.Ofcourse,hegetsarrestedforhoard-inggold,whichIneverunderstoodasakid. Thestoryissilly,butSandyDuncanandDeanJonesarereallygoodtogether,andingeneral,it’sasillymoviethatisalotofgoodfun.

Now You See Him, Now You Don’t WelcomebacktoMedfieldCollege!ThisisthesecondoftheDexterRileyfilms,andwhileit’snotthesame level of awesome at The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, it’sstillgreatfun.That’sthethingaboutDisneySci-Fi;it’salwaysfun.ThisonebringsbackCesarRome-roasArno,butalsogivesusJimBackus,oneofmyfavesofthe1960s!ThestorythistimeisthatDextercanbe-comeinvisible,whichleadstosomefuneffectswork!ThisoneshowsthatDisneywasoutoftouchwiththekidsoftheday:thoseMedfieldkidsaren’tanythinglikethosethatyou’dhavefoundonthecampusesofcollegesaroundtheU.S.,butatthesametime,Disneyobviously

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though theArno gang. Ofcourse,when youbecomethesmartestpersonintheworld, you go on a gameshow, and that leads towackinessandakidnapping.Cesar Romero is a greatvillain,andthevoiceofcar-toons,FrankWelker,makesa rare, on-screen appear-ance.Itmadedecentmoney,andit’sbeenre-madewithKirk Cameron as the star,but that didn’t really hurttheoriginal;KurtRussellis,andalwayswillbe,DexterRiley. It’s an absolute blastofasci-fiflick!

The 1,000,000 Dollar Duck This is anothernear-the-line science fic-tionfilm,but ifSpider-manissci-fi,soisthis!Thestoryissuper-silly;IeventhoughtsowhenIwasakid.Tosave

understoodthatkidsgrowup,andreally, they’remak-ingthesefilmsasmuchfortheadultswhohadgrownupwith the Beachmoviesof Annette Funicello and1950ssitcoms.

Herbie Rides Again It’s a sequel, and itdoes what a sequel does.No, it’s not as much funas theoriginal, but it’s stillworth watching!This oneis also one of the trulygreatSanFranciscomovies.There is a lotmore inter-actionwiththeCityinthisthanintheoriginal.There’seven a chase that takesHerbieuponeoftheGold-enGateBridgecables!Thescenery fromHerbie Rides AgainisprettymuchwhatIthinkofwhenIthinkofSanFranciscointhe1960s.

The Strongest Man in the World DexterRiley’s back again!This time, there’s amix-up andDexter eats some super-powered cerealandbecomesthestrongestmanintheworld.It’safunmovie;sillyliketherest,withtheexactsameformulaastheoriginal,butwithPhilSilversasthemainbadguywithRomeroinasecondaryrole. I liked it,thoughitwasacompletere-tread,andastheendoftheDexterRileyseries,itwasdecentsend-off. Inreality,thisisaslightlymorecomplexstory,as it brings ideasof corporate espionage into it, andSilversisgreat.Thewaythefilmplaysoutisfun,evenifitain’tThe Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.

Escape to Witch Mountain Anincrediblycreepyfilm,tobesure,andalsothe reason why I read the book. I was completelyturnedoff from it. It’s just garbage compared to thislovely film about a pair of kidswho turn out to bealiens.It’sagreatfilm,andonethateverylittlegothkidshouldwatchatleastoncebecausethethemeis“wearenotofyou.” The mid-1970s Disney genre films were sol-

Return from Witch Mountain Bette Davis. Christopher Lee.These are theheaviesforthissequelthatIadore.It’safinefilm;Ilikeitatleastasmuchastheoriginal,andhavere-watchedit farmoreoften thanEscape to Witch Mountain. Be-causeBetteDavis.AndChristopherLee.AndoneofthemostunderratedofallLaloSchifrinmasterfullycin-ematicscores. Atthispoint,Disney’sproductionvalueswereattheirhighestinthemusicarena.Theywerenotonlybuyingthebestmusicaltalentintheworldatthetime,theywerealsogivingexposuretoyoungercomposers,andthathelpedDisney’s1980sanimationexplosion.

The Cat from Outer Space This one has another Schifrin score, and it’snotaverygoodmovie,thoughIcertainlywatched itoftenonTheDisneyChannel in the 1980s.The castshouldhavemadethisamuchbettermovie.You’vegotRoddyMcDowell, SandyDuncan,HarryMorgan,Mc-LeanStevenson,andAlanYoungallinonemovie!Still,by the later 1970s, thequalityofDisney’s live-actionfilmshaddeteriorated.Whileyousometimesthatgreat

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ones, like theWitch Moun-tain movies or The Apple Dumpling Gang, mostly itwasgarbage.Thedifferenceseems tobe that thebeststuffwas in genre, andof-ten in the combination ofcrime, western or fantasywithcomedy.

Unidentified Flying Oddball Worst. Title. Ever.It’s basically A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court meets straight-up sci-fifaster-than-lighttimetravel.It’snotaverygoodmovie,though I always liked thescore by Ron Goodman.Theideaisthatthekidwinsa tourney using the tech-nologyofthe20thcentury,which Iguessmakessomesense.

id, though theywere amida series of weak Disneylive-actionersoverall.

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo Thisisafunmovie,andDonKnottsasWheel-ieApplegate(norelationtomywife...)isalwaysfun.Thereal key to this movie istheappearanceofBernardFox and RoyKinnear, twoBritswhoarealwaysgoodfor laughs!This is the lastof the better-than-decentHerbie films, and the set-tingisaneattwist,thoughImissSanFrancisco. I know I saw thisinthetheatre,andIwouldhave been 2 years old. Itwas in theatresduring theheight of Star Wars, whichprobably helped it makemoney, as movie atten-dancewashuge.

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The Black Hole The Black Hole is consideredoneof the leastaccurate sciencefictionfilmsever. I loved it asakid,andthere’salottoenjoyaboutitifyouignoretheplot.There’sthefactthatitwasPGrated,aDisneyfirst,andthattheyusedcomputer-controlledcameratoachievea very distinct look to the film.The credits featuredalong-for-the-timecomputeranimatedsequence.Thecastwasgreat, including a strong turn fromAnthonyPerkins, but it often seemed like theywere phoningitin,asitwasobviouslyanattempttocashinonStar Wars.Still,theoverturetothefilmisgreat,thescorebyJohnBerrywonderful,andtheboxofficewasgood,whichisnicebecauseitwasthemostexpensiveDisneyfilmeverupuntilthatpoint.

Herbie Goes Bananas Nope.Notgood.Withnomembersoftheorig-inalteam,theheartisgone.ThenovelizationofHerbie Goes Bananasisactuallyworthreading,though. TheDisneycompanywashaving issuesatthetime,especiallyinanimation,butwhat’samazingisthatthelive-actionfaretheywerefeaturingmanagedtoim-provegreatlyfromthelate1970s.MovieslikeThe Devil and Max Devlin, Popeye, Dragonslayer, andThe Watcher in the Woodswereallreallystrong,anditshowedthatDisneywasunderstandinganolder,morematureaudi-ence.Sadly,Herbie Goes Bananaswasnotoneofthosefilms…

Condorman Disneydoessuperheroes!Thisisabadfilm,andit’snotsomuchMichaelCrawford’sfault.It’sreallytak-inggreatsourcematerial,RobertSheckley’s The Game of X, and fiddlingwith it and still expecting it to bestrong,nottomentionthattheproductionvalueswereweak,atbest. Therearemoments,ofcourse,and it’ssome-thingofacultfavethesedays.Thenovelization,byDis-neyhousenovelist JoeClaro, is amuchbetterpieceofwork,andthecomicbookthatcameoutaboutthesametimewasstronger,too. Still,it’sawfulandmoreorlessdestroyedCraw-ford’scareerasafilmstar. PerhapsthethingthatlivesonthelongestfromCondormanistheHenryManciniscore.It’snotnearlyhisbest,butitdoesshowMancini’sfullunderstandingofhowhisscoresinteractwiththefilmitself.Seekitout,becauseit’sreallygood!

Tron IcansayalotaboutTron,andIfrequentlyhave.Thebig thing aboutTron is that it showedwhatwaspossible with computer graphics, and John LassetterhassaidthatwithoutTron,therewouldhavebeennoToy Story.Itotallyagreewiththat,especiallyaswithout Tron,therewouldbenoPixar.Thefilmwasavisualmar-vel,astunningpieceoffilmmaking,andwhile itdidn’texactlysettheworldonfireattheboxoffice,thecrit-icslovedit.WhenRogerEbertdidhisUnderappreciat-edFilmFestival,heopenedwithTron. ItdidwinatechnicalOscarfortheinventionofPerlinNoise,whichhelpedearlyCGIimagerytobreakout of a serious rut.The score, byWendyCarlos, isalsoamazing,andwhilethenovelizationisprettymuchgarbage,the Art of Tron bookisanall-timeclassicbookthelookofsciencefictiononfilm.

Return to Oz OK,it’smoreofafantasy,butliketheoriginalbooks, it’sdifficult tosaythere isn’tconsiderablesci-encefictioncontent. Still,it’salsoaworkofpuregarbage.Complete-lydisrespectfultothesourcematerial,atthesametimenot nearly as artful, and kinda dull. Itmisunderstooditsaudience,andnotjustinthemarketing.Itwastooscaryforkids,andtoodumbforadults.WithSomething Wicked This Way Comesstillonmymind,releasedjustabitprior,itjustdidn’tliveuptoDisneylive-actionstan-dardsofthe1980s.

Flight of the Navigator Anotherimportantpartofthestoryofcomput-eranimation,Flight of the NavigatorisamuchbetterfilmthanIexpected,andHowardHessemanisagenius!!!ThefilmthatobviouslyinspiredAnishKapoor’sCloudGateinChicago,it’salovely,well-made,andwell-toldfilmthatfeelsasifthestudioputalotofthoughtandmoneybehindit.Funnythingis, itwasaconsiderablestepbackfrommostoftheDisneyproductionsofthetimeas farasbudgetgoes,so itshitstatuswasabigboonforthecompanythatwasinitsdarkesthours.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Aspecialeffectsfilmfromacompanythathasalwaysdonestrongspecialeffects.RickMoranisgoesinto fullAbsent-MindedProfessormode (which suitshisstyle,really),andplaysascientistwhohasinventedashrinkraythattiny-fieshisfamily.Theyhaveanadven-ture,andthingsworkoutintheend.

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This is a theme park ridewaiting to happen,andwhentheyfinallydiddoaHoney, I Shrunk the Audi-enceattractiontoreplaceCaptain Eo,itwasamajorhittoo. Ialways likedthecombinationofsciencefiction,action,adventure,comedy,anddramainthisone.

The Rocketeer ThisisAWESOME!!!!!It’savisualfeast,anab-soluteblastasfarasastorygoes,hasJenniferConnellyatthepeakofherprowess,featuresTerryO’QuinnasHowardHughes,andhaswhatIconsidertobeJamesHorner’sbestscore.It’samasterpiece,blendingstylesand era inmuch the sameway that20,000 Leagues did inthe1950s. Itstill feels100%fresh,withall theelementsseemingsomuchmorecontemporarythanyou’dexpectforafilmmademorethan25yearsago.Also,theexplosionoftheHollywoodlandsignisagreatbitforaHollywoodhistoryjunkylikemyself!

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid Adecentsequel,thoughatthesametime,it’sabasiceffectsfilmatatimewhentheyweregettingtobecommonplace.Honey,IShrunktheKidswassome-thingofarevelation,butthis just feels likearetread.Theeffects,andababyplayingGodzilla,moreorless,iskindafunthough.

A Kid in King Arthur’s Court Thetaglinewas“JoustDoIt.”Fromthere,itgotworse…

RocketMan HarlanWilliamswasbriefly abig star, andhewasafunnyguy.ThisisastoryaboutFred,asoftwareengineer,whoendsupbecominganastronaut.Thefilmisterrible,andit’sbasicallyalamecombinationofbitsandpiecesofeveryother sciencefictionfilmof the1950sthrough70s.

Flubber Robin Williams ain’t Fred MacMurray. He’sgoodintheroleastheAbsent-MindedProfessor,butreally this is a film that ismade by an amazing castthatincludesEdieMcClurg,ClancyBrown,MarciaGayHarden, Christopher McDonald, andWilWheaton.Thestoryisveryfamiliar,buttheupdatingisjustaboutthebestoftheseDisneyre-makes.It’sveryimpressivetheway theymade itboth respectful to theoriginalandmadeamoviethatfeltofthetime.Yes,Iknowthecriticshatedit,butit’sbetterthantheygiveitcreditfor.

My Favorite Martian It’sabadmovie.ItwasabadTVseries,butthisis even worse. Disney’s live-action division is in themidstofatailspininthe1990s,largelybecausetheat-tentionofthestudiowasontheirthrivinganimationdivision.Whileeveryanimationwasmakingbigmoney,manyofthe live-actionflicks justdiedonthescreen.It’sashame,astheyweredoingreallyimpressivestuffvisually.Thiswasterrible,anditwaslargelythefaultofthewaytheytreatedthescript.

Inspector Gadget Let’sbeclear–IloveInspector Gadgetthecar-toon.The Big Screen versionwas awful. Just flat-outawful.Theproblemis,ofcourse,thescript,butthecastalso didn’t help at all by taking their roles less thanwhole-heartedly.Theyweretryingtomakeupforitbyhavingabevyofcomputereffects,butalas,itdidnotatallmanagetomakeupforit.Thebudget,90million,wasbig, and itdidmake theproductionbudgetback,butnotwiththeadditionofthingslikepromotionalcosts.The fact that Dabney Coleman and Rupert Everettcouldn’tsavethisfilmsayshowbaditwas.

After2000,thenumberofsciencefictionfilmsproduced byHollywood in total exploded, but odd-ly, theDisneybranddidn’texactly follow.When theymadesci-fi,theytendedtowardsre-makes,likeHerbie: Fully LoadedorRace to Witch Mountain,orsci-fiadven-turepieceslikeNational Treasure.TheonebighitasfarasI’mconcernedwasSky High,aboutasuperherohighschool! WhilemanyoftheDisneysciencefictionoffer-ingsweregreat,partofthelossofDisneyasadrivingsci-fiforcewasthefactthattheyhadspunoffsomanydifferentcompanies,likeTouchstoneandMiramax,thatdealtwiththeseriousadultmaterial.SinceDisneywasthefamilybrand,andassciencefictionthatworkedinthe21stcenturytendedtowardsthemoreadult(andsinceMarvel and StarWars were already their owncinematic universeswhen they bought‘em), theDis-neyworldofsciencefictionstartedtofade.Luckily,thecompanyhasbeenreleasingnewBlu-Rayandstream-ingversionsoftheclassics,whichareworthlookingatagain!

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On Mars and Beyond (Adapted from an episode of 52 Episodes to Science Fiction Film Literacy)

By Chris Garcia OnethingIamalwaysinterestedindoingises-tablishingtheimportanceoftheeducationalfilmtothehistoryof sciencefictionfilm. It’s actually gotahugeimpactforabunchofdifferentreasons.One,scienceisanimportantpartofsciencefiction,andbyhavingthataspectrepresentedinawaythatisaccessibletofansofSci-Fi,itallowsforeasierabsorption.Thesecondpartistheexplosionofeducationalfilmintelevisionlead-ingtotheincreasingnumberofsciencefictionauthors,filmmakers, and all sorts of different things from thelate 50s into the 60s, and certainly into the 70s andbeyond. What’s fascinating, andnot at all surprising, isprobablythebesteducationalfilmsweremadebyDis-ney.Theymadeabunchforclassroomuse,ofcourse,butreally itwastheTomorrowlandseries,asapartoftheirABC ProgramDisneyland, that really started tochangeeverything.

One of the reasons for thatwas theMan InSpaceseries. Thiswasathree-episodeseriesshownoveracoupleofyears.DirectedbyDisneyLegendWardKim-ball,thefirstonedealtwithgoingintospace,thesec-ondaboutgoingtothemoon,andthelastonewasallaboutMars. Mars and BeyondiseasilyDisney’sbest.Period.Iconsiderthistobeequaltoanyoftheiranimatedfea-turesforanumberofdifferentreasons,oneofwhichbeingthatthere’ssomuchanimationinit.It’snoten-tirelyanimated,butit’slargelyanimated,anditpresentsnotjusttheideasofwhatittakestogetusontoMars,butwhatitwilltaketogetusmovingtowardsthatgoal.TheanimationofpotentiallifethatcouldbefoundonMarsisgreat,inspiredbyeverythingfrom19thcentu-ryanatomy,botany,andbiologytexts,tothecoversofpulpsciencefictionmagazines. It’sreally just fascinat-

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ingwhatsortofconjecturestheyhaveaboutcreatureswemightencounter,somewiththesegiantfoldingandrolling/un-rollingwings,weirdplants,andalltheseoth-ersortofconceptsthatblendrecognizableelementswiththefar-outandwacky,whilenevergoingtoofarintotherealmofsilly.Itallfeelsbelievable,butatthesametime,super-strange. Butthat’snottheimportantpartofthisseries.Remember,this isatelevisionepisodeandI’llexplainwhy thismatters tofilmhistory in a second. Itmat-terstosciencefictionhistorybecauseofasegmentinwhichtheydiscusspulpsciencefiction,moreor less;moreaccurately,theytalkaboutthemagazinesciencefictionthatwasoutatthetime.Itisabrutal,kindofananti-patriarchy send-upofwhat’s goingon in sciencefiction stories, but also in the editorial process, andbusinessworldingeneral.Andit’sbrilliant.Itreallyis. Basically the idea is there’s this great thinkingscientistwhospendshisentiretimejustthinkingwhilehissecretarygoesoutintothefield,getskidnapped,andtakentoMars.Shehastheseadventuresandischased,shotat,eventuallyovercomestheevil,andgetsbacktoherjobasthescientistsays,“thereisnoevidencefortherebeinglifeonMars.”ThenheisobliteratedbyanAlienfromMars.It’sbrutaltohowperfectlyitsendsupthesciencefictionofthe50’s,andtheanimationstyleisamazing.Youcanseethe influenceof thatstyleonyearsandyears.AnyonewhorememberstheNo-neckJoeseriesofshortfilmsthatwerefavoredontheSpikeandMikeFestivalofAnimation,that’sreallywhatthis

and coherent without losing stylistic considerations.Today,there’salotofbuzzaboutanimateddocumen-taryfilms,withthings likeStickyandChrisLandreth’sRyanreceivingmassiveacclaimforbeinganinnovativeform,whenDisneywasdoingthisstuffdatingbacktothe1940s. Andthereareactuallyscientists.WernhervonBraunshowsup,ashewastheprimaryadvisertotheMan in Space series. It reallyworked to give peoplethisexcitingviewof scienceand space,not somuchpresentingitasastuffythingthatisdistantandinsignif-icant,thoughIhavetoadmit,listeningtothescientistwhotheypicktoexplainthemechanicsofthetriptoMars,hesoundslikethestuffiesthumanwhoeverlived. Buttheexplosionofcontentwegetissogood,andatthesametime,it’sgivingoffthissenseofwon-der. It’snotsomuchaboutthepowerofthescienceasitisscienceisawonderful,magicalthing.ThatwholespeculativesectionofwhatMartianlifemightlooklikeissciencefictionatitscore,doneinanon-fiction(oratleastnon-narrative)form.ItissomethingevenWellsandVernewouldhave instantlyrecognizedassciencefiction,thoughtheyneverwouldhavecalleditsciencefiction; theywouldhavecalled it scienceromanceorscientificfantasyorsomethinglikethat,butit’ssoevi-dentandsopoignantandsopowerful,anditworksineverydimension. Nowwhat’s really fascinating about the influ-enceofthis-one,havingWernhervonBraunpresent-ing this gave it a senseof gravitas, and two, thiswas

isabout.Ifyoulookatthat,it’ssoobvioushowinfluen-tialthatartstyleis. Of course, it’s di-rected by Ward Kimball,one of the old men thatWalt Disney leaned on,and his fingerprints are alloverthis,particularlyinthedesign of the theoreticalMartian lifeforms. This isimportantisonacoupleofdifferentlevels.Oneisthatitisafilm,andIwanttocallit a film because it reallyfunctionsasafilm,andIbe-lieveithadalimitedreleaseintheaters,butitrelayssci-enceinformationviaanima-tioninawaythatisnatural

shownonTV, and at that pointwhen youonly havethethreenetworks,everythingthatgetsonTVcarriedincredibleweight.Disneylandwasoneofthetopshowsintheworldatthatpoint.There’salotofpeoplewhogiveourentryintospace,whogivetheMan in Space series,andinparticularMan and the Moon,abigpushasthemostimportantaspectastowhatgotthepublicinspaceexploration.Icanseethatargument,andknowthatwhen I talked aboutMars on a panelwithKimStanleyRobinsonandRobertJ.Sawyeryearsago,bothsaidIshouldfindit.Ofcourse,IlatersawtheMartianLifesegmentasapartofTheAnimationShowrunbyMikeJudge(Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill)andDonHertzfeldt(Rejected, Billy’s Balloon),anditwassoincred-ibleprojectedontheCastroTheatre’sgiantscreen. Of course, this featured the voice of the guywhomaybethepatronsaintof52 Episodes to Science Fiction Film Literacy,PaulFrees.Hislovelybaritone,may-beit’sbass,isdefinitelyalloverthis.Andwhynot?Atthis point, hewas everywhere - sciencefictionfilms,natural documentaries, and commercials.He showedupinThe Thing From Another World.Hisvoiceissoau-thoritative,andIthinkthatisoneofthereasonsthisseriesworkssowell.Youhavethissenseofaudioau-thority to it,Frees’voice,coupledwith thepresenceofWernhervonBraun’scredibilityatthetimetothepublicat large.Whenyoucombineallthat,youreallygetthisauthoritativeconceptthat’spowerful,leavingalastingimpressiononagenerationofcreatives. Thedirect influenceof this isnotonly in theanimationstyle,notonlyinthecontext,butinthecon-tent.TherewasahugeMartianpushintheearly60’sinparticular,andwhileMarsasatargetofsciencefiction

datesbacktoWellsreally, itsortoftookover.We’veseen somany great treatmentsofMars.This is a faroutonewhenwelookatittoday,butatthatpoint,welargelyknewthatMarswasn’tquiteasrobustaplanettoholdthissortoflife,butwestillhadthesequestions.Scientiststhoughtthat itwasfairlybarrenasearlyasthe1840s,butthepublicprobablythoughtthatwasn’tquitetrue. Wedidpushalongtheboundariesofrealityatthatpoint,butwhathappened inresponsetostorieslikeMars and BeyondwasthatwestartedseeingalotofpeoplewriteaboutMarsinamoreseriouslight,ortakingitastheirtopicandgivingitamoreimportantsenseofreality,oratleastascientificromanticismthatwasfosteredbyMars and Beyond. Thebestexampleofthishappened, I think, inthe90’s.KimStanleyRobinson’sRed Mars,Blue Mars, andGreen Mars books. Really, really impressive stuff,andRobinsondefinitelywouldhavebeenalittleyoungtoexperiencethisinthefirstrun,butitwasshowninclassroomenvironmentsforyears,rightupuntilIwasinMiddleSchool. Disney as a creator, not justWaltDisneybutthewholecompany,reallychangedsciencefictionwith-outgoingintothatrealmdirectlytoooften.ThingslikeMars and Beyond,theentireMan in Spaceseries,Your Friend the Atom,andalotoftheireducationaldocumen-taryshortfilms,theywentintothatdirection,buttheyweren’treallypushingitastheirraisond’etre.(I lovesayingthat.)Theyweregivingusthesesmallsnippets. Theweirdthingis,whentheywentfullsciencefiction, itactuallygotkindofweak,but let’ssavethatforanissueaboutThe Black Hole...

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At some point inmy childhood, I latched ontoMaleficentasmyfavoriteDisneycharacter.NotmyfavoriteDisneyvillain,butcharacter. I lovedCinderella (particularlythemice),andthedwarvesinSnow White were fun, but none of the Disney princesses reallyspoketome.ThethreegoodfairiesinSleeping Beauty were also interesting and could do magic (shrinkingthemselves, grantinggifts, changingcolorsofobjects),but did not have the same sense of power as wasprojectedbyMaleficent.AsIhaveexplainedtopeople,my thought process was something like ‘why be aprincesswhen I could turn into a dragon?’ and thatneverchanged. AsIgotolder,myfeelingsonMaleficentneverwavered. Shewasbadass. Shewaspowerful. Shewassmart. She was creative with her evil plans. She canteleport,showsomeonethefuturesheplansforthem,hurlslightning,anddidImentionshecouldchangeintoadragon? She is the initiatorof all the action in thefilm–shecursesAurora, luresAuroratothespindle,capturesPrincePhilip,andonlyherdestructionallowsthePrincetogettothecastleandrescueAurora.Heronlyflawisthatherminionsarebumbling. Shewasalsooneofthefewfemalevillainswhoownedbeingavillain.ShewastheMistressofallEvil.ShesaystoPrincePhilip,“Nowshallyoudealwithme,OPrince,andallthepowersofhell!”Theembodimentoftheevilsorceress.Therewasnowaffling.Shereveledinit.

Withinsciencefictionandfantasy,andgeneralfictionaswell, there isatropethatthe femalevillainbecomesbadasaresultofatrauma.(Thistropeisalsousedforheroines,butthat’sadifferentarticle.)IntheoriginalSleeping Beauty,therewasnosuchbackstoryforMaleficent.Shewasjustevil.Done. Thenalongcomes2014’sliveactionMaleficent. NolongerisMaleficenttheMistressofallEvil.Shestartedherlifeasagoodfairy(beautiful,innocent,pure),wasdruggedandmutilatedbythemansheliked/loved,and thenwentonarevengebender.Sinceshewantedtobesurehercurseworked,sheneededtokeepaneyeonAurora,whowasbeingraisedbythethreepixies.Asallwomenarewonttodo(cough),shedevelopsmaternalfeelingsforAurora,regretsinvolvingherinherrevenge,andendsupbeingAurora’srescuerintheend. Sigh. No longer is she the powerful evil sorceress.Shewasn’tbornbad,shewasmadethatwaybecauseofaman.Maternalinstinctssaveherfromherself.Shelostherhumanity,butfounditagainbybecomingAurora’sfairygodmother.Nolongerisshetheinitiatoroftheaction,butnowsheisreactionaryinstead.Evenworse,atleasttome,theytookawayoneofhermostpowerfulabilities(shapeshiftingintoadragon)andgaveitto…hermale sidekick. Insteadofherraven,Diablo, thereisnowaman,Diaval,whohas thecool shapeshiftingpower.Really,Disney? There has been a lot written on this topic(referencesbelow),butIthinkthissumsitup:

“Evil—actual, absolute evil—is always obliterated. Good women remain feminine and kind, and always morally understandable, as they should be, and the villainess almost always regrets the qualities that made her an outcast. By the end, she’s been absorbed into the very “happily ever after” template the retelling purported to subvert.”–DevonMaloney,Wired.com,June2,2014

Sodisappointing. There are good things about themovie.Truelove no longer has to be boy/girl, and aman is notrequired for happy ever after. The importance ofrelationshipsbetweenwomenandgirlsisemphasized.AngelinaJoliehadgreatcheekbones. It wasn’t good enough. Maleficent deservedbetter.

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http://Wired.com

Inthemeantime,Icontinuetolovetheoriginalanimated version of Maleficent. Yes, she used herpowersforevil.Possiblynotagreatrolemodelinthatrespect, I’llgrantyouthat.Butshewaspowerful.Shewassmart(intheanimatedversion,MerryweathersaysaboutMaleficent,“Sheknowseverything”,likeit’sabadthing!).Intheend,shelostandwaskilled,butshenevergaveup,nevergaveherpoweraway,andownedwhoshewas. Inthatrespect,shewasagreatrolemodel.

References:Once Upon A Dream: From Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty to Disney’s Maleficent.CharlesSolomon,2014.

How Could Disney Do This To Maleficent? MeredithWoerner,io9.gizmodo.com,June3,2014.

‘Maleficent’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and Rethinking Fairy Tale Rape. TierneySneed,U.S.News,May30,2014.

Maleficent: Once Upon a Feminist’s Dream? JillPantozzi,themarysue.com,June2,2014.

Maleficent and the Big Problem With Disney’s Fairy Tale Reboots.DevonMalony,wired.com,June2,2014.

Dumped by Her Prince, So Watch Out. ManohlaDargis,nytimes.com,May29,2014.

http://io9.gizmodo.com

http://themarysue.com

http://wired.com

http://nytimes.com

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Iknowwhatyou’rethinking.YouthinkI’mgonnatalkallaboutSteampunkandtheaestheticsof20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,andthatwouldbeagoodguess,but I’m not gonna do that for a couple of differentreasons.Oneisthatthere’sjustsomuchtothe1954versionbyDisney,andthefactthatitwasdirectedbyRichardFleischer,whoisthesonofMaxFleischer,theguywhomadetheSupermancartoonsinthelate‘30s,early‘40s.RichardwenttoworkforDisney,thecompa-nythatbasicallytriedtoputhisfatheroutofbusiness,andhedirectedthisphenomenalfilm.Whenyouwatch20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,there’salottounpack.Youhavetolookatitasapartofacontinuumthat,whenIthinkaboutit,startswiththenovelbyJulesVerneandgoesallthewayupthrough2003whenThe League of Extraordinary Gentle-men wasreleased.Inthattimeframe,wegrapplewiththisconceptofNemo,andthat’sreallythekeytotheentirething.CaptainNemoisthekey,andyouhavetocometogripswithalotofperceptionsfromthetimeofVerne,thetimeof1954,andthenthecontemporaryview,anditshowshowitallsortofworksagainst,andwith,oneanother.

Thebasicstory isprettysimple.Therearerumorsthatthere’saseamonsterandtheUSsendsashiptoinvestigate. It’sbeensolongsinceI’vereadit,andI’vereadatleasttwodifferenttranslations.IshouldpointoutthatVerne’swork,and20,000 Leaguesspecif-ically,havebeenvictimsofterribletranslationsovertheyears.Theproblemisnotsomuchthattheywerebadtranslators,but thatVernehadaveryparticularstyleandwaswritingnotsomuchundercover,butwasput-tingconceptsandlayeringtheminawaythatitbecomesdifficulttounpackthatallandstillmaintainanaudiencewithoutlosingthescience.ReallytherearetwobooksthatconcernNemo,thefirstonebeing20,000 Leagues, andthesecondonebeingThe Mysterious Island. The Mysterious Islandisimportantbecauseitgivesus thebackstoryofNemo,but20,000 Leagues, thebook,isreallyhugelyimportant.Itwasoneofthefirstsciencefictionnovelsadoptedintoeducation.Ire-memberhavingtoreaditwhenIwasin4thgrade,andIrereaditagainin,Ithinkitwasin9thgrade,andthat’swhenIrealizedwhatabadtranslationthiswasbecauseitreallydidn’tmakemuchsense,alotofthewaysthatthings sortof playedoff eachother. Even the title is

by Chris Garcia

mistranslated.InEnglish,we’vealwayscalledit20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.InFrench,thetitlemoreaccu-ratelytranslatesas20,000 Leagues Under the Seas.Theoriginalbookisreallyanadventurevisitationpiecewithawonderfulandsmartthroughline.Thefilmissimilar,ofcourse,butalsodifferent.Thiswasn’tthefirsttimepeoplemadethismovie.Well,thefirsttimetheymadethismovie,butthestoryof20,000 Leagues. Méliès,Ibelieve,shotsomescenesfromit.Idon’tthinkheevermadeafullversion.Thesilentversion,Ithinkfrom1913,Italkedaboutin52 Weeks to Science Fiction Film Literacyaswellrenownedforitsearlyunderwaterfootage.Andit’saneatstory.Thewaytheydidthingswasverystiff,ofcourse,because it’searlyfilm,but itworked.TheFrenchdidacoupleofversions,Ibelieveone in the1920sandone in the1940s. Ibelieve theoneinthe‘40smayhaveactuallyevenbeenashort.Itmayhave justbeenasegment. I’veneverseen it.TheRussianshavedoneatleasttwoversionsthatIknowofandprobablymore.IthinkthePolishFilmInstitutedidone.Ibelievetherewereatleasttwodifferentani-matedversions;oneofthemmighthavebeenCzecho-slovakian. It’shard toknowbecause someare actualadaptations,andsomeareundercoveradaptations.PartofthereasonforthatisJulesVerneandthewide-scaleadoptionofhiswork.IwenttotheEatonConferenceyearsago;itwasaconferenceaboutJulesVerne,whereI learned to say his name properly, apparently.Therewerealotofpeoplecomplainingabouttheadaptationsofhiswork.Andonepersonactuallysaidthatanyofthe Eastern Bloc adaptations are going to be betterbecause they had better translations early on,whichmakes a little bit of sense. If you’re gonna have bet-tertranslations,you’regonnagetabetterresultoutofyourwork.ThatandtheEasternBlocsensibilities,whattheyweretryingtopushatthatpoint,politically,wouldhavefitmorewiththeVerniansortofidealismthathewaspushing.Thebiggestandmostimportantcharacterofall,inallthefilmsofit,isNemo.Well,youcouldarguethatit’stheNautilusbecausehowtheNautilusispresent-ed aesthetically is important at settingwhat thefilmmeans.Andofcourse,it’sanuclearsubmarineandit’sgoingunderthewatersandit’smakinghuge,longtripsandblahblahblahblahblah.Inthe1954version,what’sreallykeyisthatdesign.Hugelyimportantbecauseit’sabandonedthescience.Disneydoesthat.Theywillsetupascientific,science-fictional,somesortofconcept,andasitgoes,theyrealizethattheyneedtoditchthatandgoforapurelyaestheticthing.

TheperfectexampleofthatisTomorrowland,whichhadbeenmoreorlessahard-scienceattractionup until about 1990s,when thingswere outstripped.Therealitiesthatwerehappeningandthefuturethattheyhadbeenpresentingdidn’tlooklikewhatwebe-lievedthefuturewas,sotheywentback.Theydidthewhole steampunkingofTomorrowland, and I’vewrit-tenaboutthatafairamount,mostnotablyforTor.com.TheyrecasttheNautilusinthissortofVictorian-influ-encedbutArtNouveauconceptthatreallywouldnothaveworked. But it’s a beautiful beast, and itmakessensethatthatwouldbeconfusedwithaseamonster.Nowgoingbacktothebook,booksinthiscase,whatwe learned in the secondbook,The Mys-terious Island, is thatNemo is the descendant of theTipu Sultan, whomost famously rose up against theBritishEastIndiaCompanyand,ifyou’veeverbeentotheV&A, theVictoria andAlbertMuseum inLondon,theyhaveTipu’sTiger,whichisatigerwhichattacksaBritishEastIndiaCompany’sagent,andthatwassortoftheattitudethere.SohewasaMuslimfromMysore.(Ihavenoideahowit’spronounced.)Yethehasalwaysbeenportrayedbyawhiteguy,upuntilThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,whentheyhadanIndianactor,whoisphenomenal,bytheway.(HewasgreatinMon-soon Weddingasthefatherofthebride, Ibelieve, justspectacularlygood.Areallystrongperformancethere.)InThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,hedidn’thavegoodmaterialtoworkwith,andyetthereareacoupleofcoolscenes.He’spresentedasaseriousbadass,andthat’swhatwe’resupposedtowalkawayfromNemowith,isthisideathatheisthetoughestsonofabitchintheroom,nomatterwhatroomhe’sin,thathe’sthesuperscientist.Andinthe1954version,havingJamesMasonplayNemoisabsolutelyperfectcastingifwehavenoideawhatthebackstoryofNemois.IfwehavenoideaaboutthewholeTipuSultanandabouttheMuslimfromMysoreconnection,ifnoneofthatexists,heisperfectbecause every line is deliveredwith calculation,withprecision.EverythingweexpectfromNemo,fromthebooks,hehits,exceptforhisidentity,andweonlylearnthatinThe Mysterious Island.It’snotin20,000 Leagues.Also,herecaststhecharacterofNemointhisnolessangry,butdifferentlyangryway,butit’scalculatedanger,andhisresponsesarecalculated.AndthatNemohasinformedeverythingthat’s...EverytimeNemoap-pearsinanyscenario,whetherit’s The League of Extraor-dinary Gentlemen,whetherit’sinanyoftheSteampunkpastichesthathavebeendoneoverthepastabout10

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http://Tor.com

years,JamesMason’sNemoistheemotionalbasis,theintellectual basis, for those follow-ons.WhileVerne’sNemomay inform the scenario and the activity, thepersonification in JamesMason’sperformanceof it iswhatalotofitattachesto.Therearealotofgreatperformancesinhere,twothatIreallywanttocallout.PeterLorre,whoisamazingineverything,isphenomenal,andIthinkpartofthat isbecausehe isplayingtherolebothstraightand twisted.There is subtextual stuff goingon in hisperformancethatIhavetoadmitIdidn’tseeforalongtime, but it’s obviously there.When you realize thatheissittinginforus,heistheaudience’sadvocatefarmorethananyoftheothercharacters,heistheonewhoisobservingeverythingthat’sgoingonandismak-ingthejudgments.Ireallythinkheisthefocalpointofnothing,buthe is theobservationpoint thatwecanseethrough. Nowtheother incredibleperformance,ofcourse, is KirkDouglas, who is phenomenal asNedLand.Can’tbebetter,thecockyharpoonistwhotangleswiththegiantsquid.He’samazing.Hereallypulleditofftothepointwherehekindoftakesoverthestorytoadegree,becauseit’snotsupposedtobehisstory,it’s

supposedtobeNemo’s,anditstillis,buthedoeshisdamnedesttopullittohimself.ThisistheKirkDouglasthatisintheracesinSpartacusandthefights,butnottheinterpersonalinteractions.He’sallthesizzleandnosteak,thoughhedoeshavealittlebitofsteakinthisone.Andhejustlookstheexactpart.Andhissong...Whatisit?WhaleofaTale?Hesingsthatsongandit’swonderful.He’sgreat.Aesthetically,ofcourse,wehavetotalkaboutthe Steampunk movement.The visuals for this film,brilliantlyshot.Cinematography,amazing.Artdirection,incredible, and the only reason that the art directorcouldn’twintheOscarwasthathewasn’tamemberoftheirunion.He100%shouldhavewon.IbelievehewasthesameguywhodidthefirstpassonTheHauntedMansionrideatDisneyland,whichmakessense.Therearealotofsortoftheoreticaltiesyoucanseeinim-ageryforboth,especiallyintheearly.Thisistextbookartdirectioninfluencinghowafilmisnotonlyreceived,but portrayed.Andwhen you look at the costumingfrom theearly Steampunkconventions.Thefirst realSteampunkconventionintheUSwas inSunnyvaleattheDomainHotel,nottheDominionasmywifeandherfriendTofawouldcallit.Whenyoulookedaround,what you were seeing was reflections ofVerne, butmoreimportantly,reflectionsofthe1954film,becauseit’snotjustVictorian;it’sDisneyVictorian.SteampunkgetscriticizedforbeingVictorianfantasy,whichalotofitsortofis,buttheelementsofArtNouveau,whichagain,Iguess,iscontemporarytoVictorianism.Don’tcloudthesubject.Stickwithme.El-ementsofArtNouveau,particularlytheFrenchvariety(whichmostArtNouveauwas,tobehonest),allthatcamefromthis.Ifyoulookatwhatwewouldconsid-erSteampunk idealaestheticsprior to‘54,andthereisa lotof itactually,althoughnoneof it isasunifiedinvisionasitbecameparticularlyinthe2009,‘10,‘11frame,asyouwouldseeatSteampunkconventionsandso forth.All thatwas influencedby1954and20,000Leagues.It’saphenomenalfilm.Youshouldreallyseeit.It’sDisney,butit’sreally,really,goodDisney.ItwasalsoapparentlythefirstsciencefictionfilmshotinCinemaScope,whichIimagineitmadeamazinguseof,but I’veneverseenit inbigscreen.WhentheCentury21reopens inSan Jose,Godwillingandthecreek don’t rise, I hope they’ll show it on the giantscreen,thewayitwasmeanttobeseen.

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Instant Fanzine Part 3If you liked Disney Movie X, then you should read Science Fiction/Fantasy Story Z.

Solve for X and Z. (Obviously adaptations of the story by Disney don’t count, nor do the novelizations of Disney films.)

Pablo Miguel Alberto Vazquez:IfyoulikedAtlantis: The Lost Empire, then you should readVril, the Power of the Coming Race by EdwardBulwer-Lytton. If youliked Aladdin, thenyoushouldread Throne of the Cres-cent MoonbySaladinAhmed(betterthanAladdin inmyopinion).

David Stein: Atlantis:readJourney to the Center of the Earth.

Steven Silver: If you likedMulan, you should readKaraDalkey’sThe Nightingale. IfyoulikedRobin Hood, youshouldreadParkeGodwin’sSherwood.

Deb Geisler: IfyoulikedShipwrecked,giveAndyWeir’sThe Martianachance.

David Stein: Ifyou liked20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, youshouldread20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Steven Silver: HGWellscapturesthefeelof 20,000 Leagues Under the Seabetterthan Verneevercould.:) Pablo Miguel Alberto Vazquez:Theyspe- cificallysaidnoobviousadaptations! Steven Silver:Sowecan’tsuggestStrang- er in a Strange Land forpeoplewholikeLilo & Stitch?:) Pablo Miguel Alberto Vazquez: That’sin nowayobvious! David Stein:Pablo-yeah,couldn’thelpmyself

David Friedman: If you like theearlymovies (e.g.Snow White),youneedtoreadtheBrothersGrimm. Peter Heltzer:Ifyoulikedanyoftheprin-cessmoviesyoushouldreadJimHines’pric-essseriesstartingwithThe Stepsister Scheme.

David Friedman: If you like theearlymovies (e.g.SnowWhite),youneedtoreadtheBrothersGrimm.

Emma England: IfyoulikeTangledreadNaomiNo-vik’sUprooted.

Michelle Rhoades:IfyoulikedTreasure Planet,readTime for the StarsbyHeinlein.

Cheryl Renee Farney:IfyoulikedanyDisneymovieyoushouldreadtheFables seriesbyBillWillinghametal.

Christopher J Garcia: If you likeSnow White, you’llloveThe Snow Queen. Ifyouliked20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you’regonnaloveThe Other Log of Phileas Fogg by Philip Jose Farmer. If you likedThe Love Bug,Her-bie Goes To Monte Carlo, orHerbie Goes Bananas,you’regonnaflipover Killdozer!

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Worldcon Bidding With WaltBy Adam Beaton

Chairperson, Orlando in 2015 Worldcon Bid

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TherearemanyanecdotesaboutWaltDisney;here’sonethathasalwaysstuckwithme.Waltoftenliked to visit Disneyland before it opened to guests.OnemorningWaltwaswalkingaroundtheparkwhenoneofthegardenerscameuptohim.“Walt,”hesaid,“theguestsareconstantlywalkingthroughoneofmyflower beds.They’re tearing up all the flowers!Weneedtoputasmallfenceuptostoptheguestsfromwalkingthrough.”Walt’sanswerwasimmediate.“No,”saidWalt,“whatwe need to do is pave that area tomake it easier for the guests towalk through. If theguestsarewalkingthroughthatway, itmustbe foragoodreason.” Theanecdote illustrates a greatpoint that allofus,especiallythoseofusintheworldofconventionrunning, can learn from. Always put your guests’ -your membership’s - your attendees’ wishes andexperiencefirstoverwhatyoumaywant. Intheend,you as the convention staffer only exist because ofthemembership.Keep themhappy, and youwill findeverythingwillrunmuchsmoother.Thisidea,andtheaforementioned anecdote, was prime in my head asChairoftheOrlandoin2015WorldconBidwhenwemadethedecisiontochangeouroveralltheme. Whenwebegan,wehadchosenathemethat,tosome,wascontroversial.Weknewitwouldgeneratealotoftalk,andgiventhatmanyofuswerenotaswell-knowninSF/Ffandomasothers,wewantedtomakeasbigofasplashaspossible.However,werealizedthatasizablenumberofpeoplewerepayingmoreattentionto our overall theme as opposed towhatwe called“TheOrlandoManifesto” -our vision forWorldcon.We could have chosen to be the gardener in theanecdote - double-down and put up a fence. In theend,wechosetobelikeWalt-putthewishesofthemembershipaheadofourownwishesandchangethetheme.Wefoundthattherestofthebiddingprocessranmuchsmootherasaresult. ManyofWalt’s ideas found themselves inour

Orlandobid.Theyareideasthatcanbeusednotonlywith Worldcon bids and conventions, but in youreveryday life. One such idea was one of two thatspurredmeontostartaWorldconbid forOrlando.Whenaskedwhyhewassosuccessfulinhislife,Waltexplainedhissuccessinfourparts:“Idream,Itestmydreams againstmy beliefs, I dare to take risks, and Iexecutemyvisiontomakethosedreamscometrue.” InOrlandoWorldconBidterms,thefirstpartwas our dream.Wewanted to bring aWorldcon toOrlando.WewantedtoshowawaytorunWorldconthatwouldnotonlybepleasingtomembersthathavebeencomingfordecades,butalsobeenticingtopeoplewhohaveneverevenheardofWorldconbefore.Testingourdreams againstourbeliefs,wenotonly believedourdreamwasachievable,butfitwithourbeliefsthatWorldconcouldappealtothewiderrangeoffandombothnewandold.Daringtoactuallyputtingtogethersuchabidwasabigrisk;however,webelievedenoughin our dream to execute the vision and go forwardwiththebid.Iwouldencourageyou,wheneveryouarecontemplatinganewventuresuchasaWorldconbid,touseWalt’sfour-partformulatohelpyousucceed. AndwhatwasthesecondofWalt’s ideasthatspurred on the Orlando bid? One last quote fromWalt that I encourage everyone to follow:“Thewaytogetstartedistoquittalkingandbegindoing.”Youcanspendyourwholelifejusttalkingaboutideas,butunlessyou’rewillingtodotheworkandtakethatfirststep in your journey to turn those ideas into reality,allthoseideasarejusttalk,nothingmore.WeontheOrlando bid had heard quite a few people expresssimilarideasthatwerefoundinourOrlandoManifesto,butwehadn’tfoundmanywillingtotakethatstepfromtalking to doing. CombiningWalt’s four-part formulawithwantingtostoptalkingandstartdoing,wewerewillingtotaketheriskandgoforit.Weweren’tafraidtofail,wewereafraidofwhatwouldhappenifnooneevenbotheredtotry.

Instant Fanzine Part 4Favorite Disney Hero/Heroine AND Favorite Disney Villain and Why?

Steven Silver: JudgeFrollowouldbemy“favorite”villain because he strikesme as being themost evil,hypocritical,andegotisticalofallthevillains.

Andrea Hawkins-Kamper:IhavethoughtsaroundMaleficentasananswertobothquestions.Ijustcan’tpoundthemoutonmyphone.

Edward Hooper: Mulan,becauseshekicksasswithasword.JamieChungplayedagreatMulaninOnce Upon a Time.

Bob Hollister: My favoriteDisney herowould bePhineasfromPhineas & Ferb.Imaginative,smart,friendly,andkind.Thetotalpackage.Myfavoritevillain isJafarfromAladdin.PartiallybecauseJonathanFreemanisoneof my favorite actors, and partially because he’s justsucha‘mustachetwirling’melodramavillain!

Sandra Levy: Forvillain itwouldprobablyCaptainHook,fromtheDisneyanimatedversionofPeter Pan. Hewassounctuous,meanandmy ideaof‘mustachetwirling’villain.I’llhavetothinkabouthero/heroineabit

Adam Beaton: Hero - Merida from Brave. Shedoesn’t need a prince tomake her happy, stays truetoherself,andherstrongwillanddeterminationcarryher throughthemovieadmirably.Villain -ChernabogfromFantasia.ThepersonificationofEvil itselfwithagreatsinistersong. Janice Gelb: Perfectillustrationoftastes differing:IthoughtMeridawasaspoiledself- centeredbrat:-) Bonnie Jones:Well,sheisateenager!

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David Stein: Hero-CaptainNemo.Disneycreation-Mulan.Villain-Maleficent.Gantu(Lilo and Stitch)andShan-Yu (Mulan) coming in close behind. Frollo getshugepointsatthe“BEST”villain,perhapsnotafavoritethough,he’sjustgoodatit.

Deb Geisler: Hero-Herbie,theLoveBug.Villain-CruelladeVil.Becauseshejust*is*. Tracy Lunquist: Ifshedoesn’tscareyou,no evilthingwill!

Don Glover:CaptainJackSparrowandMCP/Sark

Liz Bragg: Mulan was always my favourite Disneyprotagonist,becausenotonlydidshekickass,butshewasoneofthefirstAsianheroinesIsawinmainstreampopularculture.

Katharine Bond: Heroine-Moanabecauseshehadthebestsongs.Villain-UrsulafromLittleMermaid.

Sabine Furlong: Villain - Doofenschmirtz. He justhadabadupbringing.Hero-PerrythePlatypus.Causehehasahat.

Jynell Greenfield: Fav-WinniethePooh.Ilovehisgeneralpositiveoutlookonlifeandtrytomodelmyselftothataspect.Notproblemistoogreattosolvewiththehelpofyourfriends.Villain-thewood.Poohdoesn’treallyhavevillains,butthewoodofferslotsofcaperstogetinvolvedinandlearnlessonsfrom.

Joel Finkle: Hero -Aladdin.Who doesn’t want amonkeypal?Andvillain?GottobeShereKhan.

Michael Benveniste: Hero-JackSparrow(1stmovieonly).Villain-Cruellad’Vil

Chris Rose: Villain-Dr.HansReinhardt&Maximilian,withanedgetowardsthe latterbecause itwasholy-shit scaryasakidandreading thegold-spineDisneybook of that movie was a harrowing experience.Hero... I don’t usually findDisney heroes compelling.They’rethereinserviceofthestory,whichcanbe,butinthemselvestheyrarelyinterestme.

Christopher Hensley: Idon’tknowabouthero.Byandlarge,Ijustdon’tconnecttoDisneyheroesonthatlevel.Villain is easy though.The scariest villain in theDisneyCanon,JudgeDoom.

Janice Gelb: Aside-JustwantedtosayitmakesmesadthatPoohisnowconsideredaDisneycharacter... Joel Finkle: Disneyhasdonethecartoons fordecades.Theirimageryisverydifferent fromMilne’s. Deb Geisler: WhenIwasakid,Poohwas a*Sears*character.DadworkedforSears, whichdidabunchofmarketing,sowegota specialadvancedshowing,avisitfromPooh andEeyore,andcharmbracelets.Cuzwewere special. Janice Gelb: Joel,yup,Iknowthatbutitstill makesmesad. Emma England: Igrewupverynearthe AshdownForestwherePoohisfrom.Iused toplayPoohSticks(andhaveatattootoprove it).Disneytriedtobuytheforesttoturnit intoaPoohthemepark.It’saplaceofspecial scientificinterestandtheBritishequivalentof aNationalPark.Itwasblockedbeforeiteven started,butstilltheytried.

Christopher J Garcia:Hero-DexterRileyoranyof theAppleDumplingGang.VillainswouldbeeitherthePrincipalortheIceCreamTruckDriverfromMax Keebles Big Move.

John O’Halloran:Merida.Brave,IntelligentandSelfSaving.Evenifabitimpulsive.Jafar.Becausehe’sevil,heknows,andherevelsinit.

Jeremy Jack:Hero-Baymax.Baymaxiswonderful.Heisjusttryingtohealandhelp...andthatistheherothisworldneeds.Villain-TheHornedKingfromThe Black Cauldron.Totally, irrevocably evil intent on destroyingtheworld.SecondplacetoMaleficent…

Nantale: Hero – Moana. Focused on communityabove all else, striving tofix and improveherworld.Whatweneedinaleader.Villain–ErnestodelaCruz,Coco. Possibly themost real-world villainwe’ve seenfromDisney.

Cheryl Renee Farney:Villain-Scar.He’sevilthroughandthrough.BePreparedisthebestvillainsonginthecanon. Heroine - PrincessAnna. She’s selfless in herloveforhersister.

Emma England: Frollo is terrifying but I love

Ursulabest.She justdeliciousandcreepyand funallatonce.MoanaandAnnaaremyfaveheroes.Neitherofthemrelyonbeingsavedandtheybothhavegreatpersonalities, are fun, fearless, clever, and put femalerelationshipsfirst(grandmaandsisterrespectively).

Tannis Baldwin: My favorite characters aren’t thehero/heroineinthemoviesbutsecondarycharacters.Eeyore:SomefolksseehimasdepressedIseehimasarealist.Merryweather:Shealwaysmademesmile,thinkbecausesheremindedmeofmygrandmother.Villain....hmmm,probablyUrsula,justbecauseeventhoughshewasevil therewassomething funabout thewayshewasportrayed.

Janice Gelb: GottagowithScarfromThe Lion King forpureevil,althoughintermsofshivers-down-the-spinescary,ShereKhanfromThe Jungle Bookwins.Forheroes,I’mclearlywaymore/d/i/s/c/e/r/n/i/n/g/judgmentalthanmypeers:forexample,IthoughtMeridafromBravewasaspoiledbratandAnnafrom Frozenwaswimpy.(Don’tgetmestartedontheincrediblypoorparentinginthat

movie either...) I’m goingwith an obscure, not-pure-Disney choice: Ralph fromWreck-It Ralph. He showsunlikelysmartsandcourage,andpersonalgrowthandsacrifice.

John Donat: Villian-Gaston.Looks likeeveryone’sfriend,butum,no...Hero...stillthinkingaboutit.

David Abzug:Hero-Lilo.NooneinthehistoryofDisneyhasherheart,fiercebelief,andabilitytostanduptoanything!Villain-Yzma.Novillainhasmademelaughsomuchinmylife,inanyfilm.BonnieJones:TheevilqueenfromSnowWhitescaredme.

Helen Montgomery: Villain–Maleficent from theoriginalSleeping Beauty.Iwroteawholearticleaboutherforthisissue.Hero–intheanimatedDisneyfilms,probablyRobinHood.He’sdelightfullysnarky,loyaltohisfriends,andtryingtomakethingsbetter.FromliveactionDisney, I loveMaryPoppins.She’sgota lovelycombinationofrealismandmagictoher.

Enditorial by James Bacon Disney,thecartoonsandfilmsofWaltDisney,wasnotaspervasivewhenIwasachildas it isnow.InIrelandwhenIwasachildinthe70’sand80’s,therewasararitytothefilmsandlackofmerchandise.Thismaysoundstrange,butitwasnotforwantofwilling. Film screenings seemed to have no pattern,well tomeasachild. Ihaveabsolutelymixeduptheknowledge of seeing an animated film and reading itin a book. Seriously,The Fox and the Hound,Tod andCopper,did I see itwhen Iwaseight?Did I seeThe RescuerswhenIwasfour?Iamtrulynotsure,butIhadbooks,andevenahugeposterofTheRescuersinmyroom.Auniquesituationtobefacedwith.IknowMary Poppins, The Aristocats, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Book, wereallfilmsIsaw,butIamnotsureoftheywerere-releasesintheearlyeighties,onvideo,oronTV. Clips were a big deal. TV programmes andspecialsatChristmaswouldhavepartsofDisneyfilms

cut together,with real people introducing them, andso I got to see parts of films, andmaybe then readthebookintheLibrary,andsothinkIknowthefilm,andindeed,havenotwatchedit.Thisrangesformanyfilms-TheLadyandtheTramp,thespaghettiscene,Ihaveseenmanytimes.PartofSleeping Beauty, Song of the SouthwiththeZippityDoDahsong,Dumbo’sICanFly-theseareallveryvivid,bututterlyoutofcontextasthewholefilmwasnotshown. What I did know at the time was that thepromiseofaDisneyFilmwasadoubleedgedsword.Myexpectationsofacartoonwouldsuddenlybedashed,whenaCatorVolkswagenBeetlewouldappear,andIwouldbeexpectedtolaugh,whilewonderingwhatcanIdotomakethisdreadfultimegobyfaster.TheamountofliveactionDisneyfilms,thatreally,Ihavewonderfullychosenneverevertowatchagain,thattaintedmyviewofwhatDisneywas,isunreal.

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There were Disney elements, so I knew ofDisneylandandWaltDisneyWorld,andphotosoftheseplaces lookedso faraway,delightfully fantasticand inmanyrespectshighcolouredfakefeeling,forinstanceIneverrealisedthatthetrains inDisneywereactualsteamtrains,butatthattime,theirpaintschemeswerebrightredsandbluesandnotatallclosertothemoretraditionalstyles,andofcoursetheshapeofVictorianAmerican train engines looked so strange comparedto the engines I knew.The excitement and interestwashigh,andlookingatbooks,orthepieceofabookthat made mention of one of the parks was alwaysentertaining. Sometimeinthelate80’sandearly90’stherewas a sudden and huge release of the videos of theanimated Disney feature films, as Disney realised ordecidedtocashinontheproducttheyhad.Wecouldget compilations in video stores in the early 80’s -Mickey,SportGoofy,andtherewouldstillbeclipsonTVprogrammes,andIwatchedsomeDisneycartoonsrepeatedly and still love Donald Duck taking on hisnephewsinthegreatestsnowballfightever. Now, my brother Trevor loved Winnie thePooh,asdidmyfirstfiancéandsoIcametolovethebooksandfilm,andIcanprobablysaythewordstothefilm, justbecauseofrepetitiononthevideomachine.MomandDadwereadeptatfindingfilmsorthingsthatTrevor loved andwewould all buy into, and indeed,theywenttoDisneylandParisandbroughtmebackafewStar Warsmementos. Even when I visited Disneyland Paris myself,althoughIlovedsomeoftheperformances,IhadnotwatchedMulan,orTarzan,andthereforewassomewhatunawareofthesefilms.Indeed,IamcertainthereisavastamountofDisneyIhavenotyetseen,andIhaveavoidedit,asIhavenokids,andmynephewwasnotthatbothered,andStar Warsfilledthatgap,asdidlotsofmyownactivities,andmynieceisnownearly4sowewillseeandnowFrozen issomethingthatIknowabout. I haveboughther someDisney stationary forChristmasthough,althoughIfailedorrathersucceedatBadUnklingwhenIsentherafirstdaycoverofaDisneyVillain, SCAR,who she immediately identifiedandthenpointedoutwasnotatalltoherliking. Ofcourse,myinterest intheTrainsatDisney,andthetrainsinDisneyfilms,andThe Great Locomotive Chase and so are has been peaked, as one wouldsee fromaprevious issue,butwhen itcomes to the

Disney that everyone loves and likes, I am definitelyavoyeuristicimposter,pickingandchoosingdelicatelyitemsthatareofinterest. Thestampsfascinateme;thereareover5,000stampsworldwidethatfeatureaDisneycharacter,andIdidnotrealisethatinitiallyastateillegallyusedDisneyimages on their stamps, which Disney contested inthe French courts. Subsequently Disney then set upa process for countries to use their imagery,with aspecialist group to facilitate it, and furthermore thentherewasacollectingclubwhereonecouldbuyfoldersand subscribe (I assume) to get these worldwidestamps. IfthereisonethingDisneycando,itisseemoneyandgetpeopletopartwith it. IwasflabbergastedatjusthowslickandhighareturnDisneycouldmakeonstamps.Themodernday stampsmust bepin badges,whicharesuchabigdeal,andsocollectable.Even15years ago at comic andfilm fairs therewereoneortwo traderswho existedwith frames and frames ofpinbadges,andtheinterestseemstobegrowingwithswapmeetsandsoon. Yet, Ido feel that ithaspassedmeby.Nicely,likeavistaoutofawindow,asunsetwhereitisnicetoponderorlookat,butnoneedtoactuallystandonthesurfaceofthesun. ItisnicetoreadhowDisneyisforothers,andthe impact and entertainment value that people getfrom themachine, asonemight say. I am grateful toHelen for this idea and issue and as ever to all ourcontributors.The art and photos and layout here isreallynice,sothankyouall,andit’saniceissueIfeelandthecoverisexceptional.ThankstoHilaryPearlmanforit. Ithasbeenabriskendofyear,andwemightjustgetanother issueoutyet.Hardtoknow.Wedofind ourselves with more ideas and good intentionsthan issues, which is a problem of success that oneshouldnotcomplainaboutandindeed,Idonot,theywillpercolateandwhenthetimeisright,comeforth. IwillsoonbebackinIrelandwithNiecesandNephew,andnodoubtDisneywillformsomesortofpresencethough,be ittheFrozenChristmascrackersorthehats,andIshallofcoursewatchwhateverthechilderswantto,andenjoyitmorethanIexpected. Andnow,IamsurethatIrecallMickeyMousesaying‘MerryChristmasEveryone’.

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