Let's Give a Hand to Walt!!

Recently, my family and I went to Disneyland. First off, can I tell you how much I love that place? It has the power to make even the most grumpy people grin. Not to mention that most rides that would be deemed "childish" in other theme parks are fun to ride on in Disney! Here's proof of it below: My sister Aly and me (I am in the pink), usually two level-headed individuals, sitting on the Dumbo ride grasping our magic feather (a placeholder to tell the ride attendants that it was our turn to ride) as if it were actually going to grant us flight.



See what I mean? We're having a grand time! Disneyland is great! That being said, Disney has some great rides; it's impossible for me to choose just one "favorite," but the section of the park that seems the most magical to me is Fantasyland.

Fantasyland is home to many Disney classics. It includes great rides such as: Peter Pan, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and Dumbo. One thing I realized while wandering about Fantasyland is that most of Disney tales and characters are based off of old tales: myths, legends, fairy and folk tales, etc. Many of these tales, though I am sure they would still be around without Disney, owe much of their awareness to Disney's genius. I am almost positive that some of the stories would have faded into near-oblivin were it not for Disney. So let's give a hand to Walt Disney and his people for years of family-friendly entertainment!!

I add emphasis on "family friendly." Disney has a great way of giving us a great story, without a lot of the depression or graphics of some of the original tales. I'm not saying Disney movies don't have drama, bloodshed, unease, etc. Because they do. It's what makes a story great. I may regret admitting this, but there is no other movie that can make me cry quite as hard as the Lion King does. But that's okay! Because with Disney, you know to expect the "happily ever after" end, no matter what happens throughout the story. Unfortunately, it seems that not all of the original writers to the now-Disney-classics had Disney's positive outlook on life.

Take the little mermaid for example. Have you read the original story by Hans Christian Andersen? If you haven't, you ought to. Here's the URL to the story online: http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html. In the Disney version, the little mermaid and prince get married and live happily ever after, right? Well, let's just say (for the sake of those who don't want to know the real story for fear of ruining their favorite Disney tale) that the real story doesn't end like that. It is quite different.

At least we still get the gist of the story, right? So once again, let's give a hand to Walt Disney and all that he stands for!