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Monday, 22 December 2014

Deconstruction And Rehabilitation Of Disney


Nobody ever thought a nondescript mouse cartoon character with some humorous adventures would ever catch the imagination of the children way back then (and now). It had swept the Walt Disney Company along and transformed it into an entertainment empire that it is today.

For the last 87 years, the company founded by Walt and Roy Disney had defined the children’s first cultural tastes of likes and dislikes. Through the years, Mickey Mouse and his company of friends would delineate the kind of children’s entertainment for that generation.

Growing together

Through the years, each of the characters, new and old, had grown into the consciousness of the children’s sense of fun and adventure.

In the meantime, the Walt Disney Company grew along with the success brought about by Mickey and friends. The years boomed with more and more success in all the other areas – financial, creative and managerial.

The company’s growth was sideways, too. It did not waste time and started producing more and more children-oriented movies and shows. It also started acquiring production studios and TV properties as well as establishing theme parks for kids and the kids-at-heart.

Growing up

However, children do grow up. With it, they learn to dismiss the artificiality and childish, saccharine quality of Walt Disney and his creations – including those characters they so loved as children.

With post-adolescent cynicism brought about by hard-edged realities of life, these new grown-ups begin to deconstruct Disney and his creations, including anything associated with the company.

Self-styled criticism

Stories would be revived on Walt Disney’s virtual totalitarian corporate managerial style, his so-called exploitation of the “underside of American proletarian values of anti-intellectualism, consumerism” and others.

Most of the scorn is usually widespread among academics and intellectuals. They would reshape conversations to take a dismissive look into the man, bring about a  condemnatory approach to his media empire and wry amusement to the cultural force left behind.

Reanimation

Thankfully, the cynicism does not stay for long, but only for a period of time. Later, these cynics would get married and have children. Soon, they would marvel how their children would embrace the very same characters they had dismissed long ago.

Later, they would do their own examination of Disney’s contribution to America’s culture (nowadays, including the world’s), the man’s life and philosophy and his overall importance.

New myths, new stories, new characters

Scholars and historians have long accepted the Disney phenomenon as part of a child’s search for heroes and mythical friends to assess and compare their acts with. There are other wonderful mythmakers as well whose work will be here for a very long time: Dr. Seuss, Rowling, and many others.

Today’s children have a wider choice of many lovable mythical characters created by new storytellers and mythmakers. They also come in from old and new media  – books, films, television, newspapers, magazines, and even from the Internet.

Many of them have wonderful stories to associate with one’s dreams and aspirations. Some, like the wonderful and ever-growing platoon of Disney characters, have the knack of staying in one’s consciousness longer. Sometimes, for some, it could be forever.

Creativity Lessons From Disney


Before Disney became a dominant corporate brand, a very familiar company name and a respected industry icon, first there was Walt Disney, the man. From having been an animator to being the head of the 2nd largest entertainment organization in the world was certainly one great creative leap.

On hindsight, behavioural experts saw that Disney early on had all the necessary and correct mix of creative drive from the start. In layman’s terms, he was a dreamer, a realist and a critic – a very potent mix of attitudes that with the right mix can be very powerful.

Today, it is being modelled and developed as an NLP tool by Robert Dilts, author of Strategies of Genius. (NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a tried and successful motivational tool used in training company managers and executives.)

Power of passion

In Dilt’s words, Disney’s “ability to connect his innovative creativity with successful business strategy and popular appeal…qualifies him as a genius.” Added to this is the man’s chosen art medium, the animated film.

In animation [and in films, in particular], practitioners have the chance of taking something that exists only in the imagination and create something real to produce a positive experience on others. Again, in layman’s terms, this amply demonstrates the awesome power of passion.

Three roles

With Disney, the three vital roles of being a dreamer, a realist, and a critic were explored separately for better clarity and results. The most important ingredient, however, was his ability to effect the right balance between these roles.

In Disney’s own words: “The story man must see clearly in his own mind how…a story will be put. He should feel every expression, every reaction.” This was the dreaming part.

He continues: “He should get far enough away from his story to take a second look at it…to see whether there is any dead phase…whether…they are going to be interesting and appealing to the audience.” Disney played the realist part here.

Finally, he ends: “[The creator] should also try to see…that his characters are doing [something] interesting.” This was Disney, the critic, assessing the work.

Balance

Experts are of the opinion that Disney’s genius was his innate ability to strike the right balance into this mix.

Dilts wrote: “A dreamer without a realist cannot turn ideas into tangible expressions. A critic and a dreamer without a realist just become stuck in a perpetual conflict. The dreamer and the realist might create things, but they might not achieve a high degree of quality without a critic. The critic helps to evaluate and refine the products of creativity.”

Genius

Many believed Disney was a creative and problem-solving genius. His most interesting ability, however, was his seemingly seamless way of slipping into any creative person or role (dreamer, realist, and critic) on any occasion he decided on.

One remark from a co-worker summed it up: “There were actually three different Walts [and] you never knew which one was coming to your meeting.”

Dilts added: “Those [three different Walts] were the dreamer, the realist and the critic.” Each one played specific creative roles.  Together, they become the “Disney magic.”

A Hassle Free Disney Vacation


For many people, the ultimate Disney vacation would be going to the most popular theme parks in the world, the Walt Disney World Resort.  This is because the place is a one-stop-shop destination where people all ages can do something that they really enjoy.

Where dreams come true

Considered as world's largest theme park resort, Walt Disney World is located southwest of Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. In 1971, Disney World opened with only one theme park, the Magic Kingdom but now, they have three more: the Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom no to mention water parks and the shopping and entertainment district.

Being one of the most magical and enchanting vacation destinations in the world, a Disney World Resort is the utopia where stress and worries vanish. The Disney World Resort provides not only fantasy and but also exaltation of being in a land of dreams.

Being in a Disney World Resort vacation provides fun entwined extreme and exciting adventure. This is because it includes a tour on theme parks and water parks that will surely immerse you and your kids in a world filled with excitement, thrill, and wonder.

Planning for a perfect vacation

Like in any vacation, going into a Disney World vacation requires you to be knowledgeable about the place. You should conduct a simple research about the place so you would have an idea about the basics. Knowing something about the place would contribute a lot to the success of the trip.

Aside from knowing the basics, there are other things that you should consider to ensure that your Disney World vacation would be a success. One of which is the cost of the whole trip. Knowing and calculating your costs and possible expenditures during Disney World vacation can greatly help you set a realistic budget during your stay. By estimating the possible cost of your vacation, you can set your budget in advance so you wouldn’t be spending more than you can afford to spend.

Another advantage of knowing how much you will spend will also help your leave your worries behind because you have enough money to spend on something during the entire trip. If possible, always make sure that you leave an allowance or you allot at least 10 to 20 percent of the total of your budget to spend on emergency cases.

The most important expenses that you should expect from your from your Disney World vacation is accommodation. This very important in planning your budget because this is where you will stay once the busy day is finished.

Many people make good accommodations a priority because this is their home when out of the house while others are not so much into good accommodations because they think that they should be getting as much exposure as they can get when they are in a vacation destination.

During Disney World vacation, accommodations matters because this is where you will spend most of your time for resting. If you want ultimate comfort, choose a package where everything is laid out for you where you need not worry about anything such as food, lodgings, amenities and entertainment.

Vacationing Aboard an Overseas Cruise Ship

In the Untied States, many Americans dream of vacationing overseas and visa versa.  Despite wishing to vacation overseas in Europe, there are many individuals who are unable to do so.  If you are able to take the time and set aside the money to, you are encouraged to vacation there.  When vacationing overseas, you will see that you have an unlimited number of options. One of those options includes an overseas cruise.

Vacationing aboard an overseas cruise ship has a number of advantages and disadvantages.  The main disadvantage is the cost of doing so.  If you live in the United States, to arrive overseas you will often have to make the appropriate travel accommodations.  The most viable option is by airplane.  The cost of flying to another country can be high and travel time can be long.  Despite the length and cost of travel, many find the trip to be rewarding.

The main advantage of vacationing on an overseas cruise ship is that, in a way, you will be having two vacations at the same time.  A cruise, itself, can be considered a vacation.  Traveling to a foreign country can also be considered a vacation.  Combined all into one, you have the vacation that most individuals only dream of.

If you are concerned with the activities found onboard an overseas cruise ship, you will not have to worry. With all other cruise ships, overseas cruise ships activities include swimming, gambling, dinging, and dancing.  The only difference between a domestic cruise and an overseas cruise may be the cruise theme.  If you are vacationing aboard a cruise ship in Europe, you may find that the cruise ship décor has a European theme or style.

While the activities, services, and facilities found onboard a cruise ship is important, so is the opportunity to see foreign land.  Depending on the cruise ship in question, you may dock at a number of foreign ports. When researching the ports of call, it is important to determine exactly how long your cruise ship will stay docked there.  If the time is long enough, you may be able to leave the ship and see what the port area has to offer.

If you have never had the pleasure of traveling overseas, you may find an overseas cruise ship rewarding.  If you are able to leave the ship and sightsee, there are a number of attractions that you could visit. This is the time when it often appears that you are on a completely different vacation. Since the time an overseas cruise ship will stay docked at a port will vary, you are encouraged to research your stops ahead of time.

Simply by performing a standard internet search, you could familiarize yourself with the city or town that you will visit. In addition to internet search, you may be able to request travel brochures.  If requesting travel brochures, it is advised that you request them well before your cruise ship sets sail.  By familiarizing yourself with popular tourist attractions, you may be able to visit a number of attractions in a short period of time.

By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you could make the most out of your overseas cruise.  If you are interested in booking a vacation on a cruise ship overseas, you are encouraged to schedule your reservation today. Overseas cruise ships are popular, worldwide.  A reservation is the best way to ensure that you will be able to have this amazing experience.

Staying Safe aboard a Cruise Ship

Every summer, millions of individuals take a cruise.  The majority of those individuals have a memorable experience.  Over the past few years, there have been numerous reports of missing persons and cruise ship crime.  While it may seem like the cruise ship industry has a problem, the reality is that they do not. Cruise ship accidents are few and far in between.

Despite the fact that you are safe aboard a cruise ship, you should still take precautions to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings.  There are a number of steps that you can take.  Most of these precautions are simple and can be done with little or no effort.  Despite being simple, these precautions could keep you safe and your finances in check when you are on a cruise.

Many individuals believe that cruise ship safety should begin once they board the ship; however, it should begin well in advance.  When traveling on a cruise ship, it is likely that you will visit foreign countries.  In the event of a mistake or disaster, you are encouraged to have all of your important documents on hand. These documents should include your passport and driver’s license.  Before boarding your cruise ship, you are encouraged to make copies of all of these documents.  In addition to the originals, you should carry a copy with you and leave the other at home.

When you finally board your cruise ship, there are a number of steps that you should take to ensure your safety.  These steps include familiarizing yourself with the cruise ship.  Today’s most popular cruise ships are large in size.  It may take some time to examine the ship, but you are still encouraged to do so.  In addition to physically seeing the ship, it is advised that you request a map.  This map should be carried with you at all times; it may come in handy if you lose your way.

Familiarizing yourself with your cruise ship is important, but so is familiarizing yourself with other passengers.  You do not have to be outgoing or social to accomplish this. Simply keeping an eye out for individuals that appear to be shady or mysterious is a great way to protect yourself.  If you were on land, it is likely that you would avoid individuals that make you feel uncomfortable.  The same should apply aboard a cruise ship.

When walking around a cruise ship, you are advised not to travel alone.  As with land, traveling with others is likely to reduce or eliminate your chances of becoming a crime victim.  If you must move around the ship alone, you need to inform a number of individuals where you will be headed and when you expect to return.  In the event that something does happen, a relative or friend should know exactly where to find you.

When on a cruise ship, your personal safety should be your first concern.  In addition to personal safety, the safety of your belongings should also be important.  If you are traveling with expensive luggage or large sums of money, you may want to take extra precautions.  Before you leave home, you way want to consider leaving your expensive belongings behind.  Most cruise ships will not reimburse their passengers for lost money or belongings; therefore, if you can’t afford to replace it, you might not want to bring it.

When it comes to theft, cash and credit cards are often the most sought after items. Instead of carrying a purse or a wallet, you are encouraged to carry a money pouch.  To offer the utmost protection, you may want to obtain a money pouch that can be worn around your neck and tucked into your shirt.  These pouches often make it impossible for thieves to strike.

In the event that you are unable to use a money pouch or you left yours at home, you are urged to divide up your money.  Keeping your money in multiple locations may provide you with financial protection if a theft does occur.  If you must use a purse, you are encouraged to keep it with you at all times.  Women and men, with wallets, are urged to keep their wallets in their front pockets.

Cruise ships are exciting and, for the most part, safe. With a few simple precautions, you can safely enjoy your vacation aboard a cruise ship without fretting over the safety of yourself and your belongings.