Down Under Disneyana Australian Disney Forum

As the subject says, I like Disney because...

Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on my Grandmothers knee while she read Disney comics to me. She read them in attempts at the voices. Even then I was pretty sure she wasn't very close but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the stories. I collected the comics voraciously and I probably learnt to read from trying to matching the words up to the pictures. Scrooge was always my favourite and ever since my ambitions have been to have lots of money (failing miserably) and to travel to exotic places on adventures (managing a little more successfully).

There were some dark years in there when Disney comics stopped being produced and some average cartoons were released but it all changed when Gladstone started publishing and Beauty and the Beast arrived. Things haven't looked back from then.

In rough order I would have to list my interests as comics, cartoons and theme parks.

Greg

My earliest memories? Well, I can't go past watching Wonderful World of Disney on the television in the late 1970's with my sister. However, once I was in my teens, Disney dropped off the radar for me with the advent of home computers etc.

What rekindled my interest? It all comes back to one Sunday evening in 1991. I was at home and mum and dad were watching something on TV in the lounge room that held no interest to me. I went to my room to channel surf and stumbled on "The Making of Beauty and the Beast" on Channel 7. (Remember when they used to show making ofs for Disney movies?)

I almost switched off the TV, but instead kept watching - it looked and sounded fabulous. Next day, I went out and bought the soundtrack - and the rest is history...I became massively hooked on the animated classics and soundtracks. At one stage I was also collecting the movie posters until I realised I had run out of walls...

Finding the Disneyana Downunder Club was a masterstroke, as it opened my eyes to many other Disney aspects as well.

I don't want to order my interests, I value it all


KeithS

I think I saw Beauty and the Beast about 15 times at the movies when it first came out. I also have the movie poster (predominately purplish with hazy figures of Beast and Belle dancing) on my living room wall. luckily women find it shows my artistic and sensitive side.

I also have an autographed photo of Glen Keane (To Greg with Beast wishes), a Jerry Orbach autographed collector card and a video cover autographed by Paige O'Hara that she did for me when she was here doing South Pacific.

I guess you could call me a fan too.

Greg

Wow! Very big fans of Disney here! But I actually do something sooooooo embaressing that practically none of my friends know about. I collect McDonalds Disney Happy Meals. I try to get all of the toys, the traymat, the box, and I even tape the ad of the happy meal. Is that really sad?
-James

I try to get all of the toys, the traymat, the box, and I even tape the ad of the happy meal. Is that really sad?
-James

Not when, in 50 years time, you can sell it all for enough to buy a couple of houses.

Not that I would ever encourage anyone to collect something because of it's potential future worth. Everything I have collected has been because I enjoy it and for no other reason. I even sit down and actually read my comics, which would be sacrilege to those "keep them mint" types.

Greg

I collect McDonalds Disney Happy Meals.
-James

James, I read somewhere that the McDonalds / Disney contract is up for renewal and McDonalds is sounding the war-drums. It is not that they are entirely unhappy in producing Happy Meal stuff for Disney, they are just worried about the future quality of Disney films, especially now that Disney aren't distributing future Pixar movies after Cars next year.

Over half of McDonalds Happy Meal tie-ins are Disney related, they are looking at changing that so they can promote other stuff (eg. Sony stuff - they've just signed a marketing deal with them)

So hopefully the Happy Meal / Disney line will continue, but I'd say there will not be as much in the future (from 2007 onwards...)


KeithS

p.s. I loved the Finding Nemo toys...

The Disney THemeparks always fascinated me. THey would show clips of it sometimes on the "wonderful world of Disney" - and the Haunted mansion scared me to death (it took me several rides to go all the way through with my eyes open)

I also collected Donald Duck comics - all the old originals by Carl Barks - and the Gladstone reprints. Till they were all stolen from my Garage. I had moved house, and hadn't unpacked them yet.

Still, I have my mania for the theme parks still.

I also remember the wonder world of disney as a kid, it looked so magical and took you to places I'd only read about.

My parents saved for almost 10 years to take me to disneyland in 1982, and with them being on a really low wage, that was amazing. I also think its the fact that when its disney, you know its quality.

So I have my parents to thank for being a disney fan.......We travelled to WDW in 2003 togeather with my eldest son...an amazing trip of a lifetime.I am just sad they are too sick to go with my youngest son and I this december.

Hopefully i'll pass the love I have for disney on to the next generation....

My happiest childhood memories are those times i spent in front of the tv on a sunday night, 6.30 watching 'Disneyland"...sometimes they'd show the park and I just fell in love with it. I was born almost 12 months after the park so it became a huge part of my life. My first visit was in 1973 and it was a dream come true, was a huge break until my next visit, 3 kids later...lol.. Now we go every other year, or more often if finances allow it. My youngest daughter is as keen as I am, and dh, who hadn't been before our first visit a couple years ago and didn't want to go...just loves it.
In November 2006 we rode
HM- 37 times
POTC- 39 times
IASM- 45 times (and it was closed the first 10 days we were there...lol..)

I could just sit in Main street all day and watch the world go past.

Disney magic all the way

Vicki

In November 2006 we rode
HM- 37 times
POTC- 39 times
IASM- 45 times (and it was closed the first 10 days we were there...lol..)

I've got no more words than that!

I love a small world. particularly in its christmas clobber...just beautiful and the light show on it at night is just spectacular.
Vicki

I can't believe I've never answered this thread..... its high time I did I think.

OK, why do I love Disney?
Reading everyone elses responses its easy to see that family had a great deal to do with it being passed on. And yes, I spent blissful hours watching WWOD on Sunday nights too. But then so did my sisters.... how come they were immune to its charms then? And all 3 of us read my Dads sizable collection of Donald Duck comics and loved them. But I am the only one that is a Disney nut. I think it has something to do with what Walt set out to do. He wasn't just drawing cartoons... he was selling dreams. And still is. Surely that is the premise of the entire Disney Empire('Million Dreams' ring a bell - and lets face it, we would all like a slice of those million - right?) For those of us that are a bit on the 'dreamer' side, it touches a chord. All things are possible in a 'Disney world' ( Think 'when you wish upon a star') Fairytales not just for kids.
So for me personally, it has palpable magic. I can see the magic, I can read the magic, I can taste the magic, I can hear the magic, I can touch the magic. I can immerse myself in it.

It has Je ne Sais Quoi...... an indefinable something, that never fails to lift my spirits.

Oh... and I like to collect stuff......

IASM- 45 times

And sorry Vicki.... but I would literally rip my ears off if I had to listen to that song that many time in such a short space of time.....

Do I dare tell you I've ridden IASW a sum total of 3 times in my life?



~ Lisa ~

Yes, but they play a couple different songs when its dressed up for christmas.lol...

but I would literally rip my ears off if I had to listen to that song that many time in such a short space of time.....

I'm with you Lisa. If you get to Sydney some time this year, I'll show you the 20 minute highlights DVD of our world tour. At the very end after the credits, I give a light-hearted dig at "Its a Small World". I filmed myself being "tortured" by the ride in all the parks around the world Those that have seen it know what I mean.

Only time we felt tortured by songs was once when we rode potc and the ride got stopped. we sat in the same place for half an hour and they didn't stop the music. some young 'gentlemen' had gotten out of their boats and were running amok in the scenes...security soon removed them but they stopped the ride in the meantime..
vicki