This video of WDW Splash Mountain1992 Grand Opening was uploaded on Youtube in 2010 but Mice Chat member Evanator posted it some days ago on the Mice Chat forum with this title "Did this actually happen?" and he added: "this video seems a little over the top...". Frankly, when you look at this grand opening from our present time i can understand that someone asks this question, but in the meantime the question itself reveals what has changed between 1992 and 2011.
After all, all the enthusiasm of this ceremony, even the fact they put dancers up to the top of Splash Mountain is fun and sympathetic, isn't it? So what has changed and make this grand opening looking "over the top"? Well, it's the innocence that you can feel when you look - i should say "feel" - at the cast, and even the whole thing. Back in 1992 they were not afraid to be over the top or even a bit cheesy, the quality of energy with which it was done was more important than anything else. Sure, the whole ceremony looks a bit "over the top" but in our pessimistic days so much innocence seems to come almost from another century, if not from another planet.
Since 1992, Sept 11, two wars, the increase of corporate cynicism, politicians irresponsibility and the big trouble that we all know in the economy transformed radically our society. So, for sure, our time have less innocence and the reality is more violent. That's the price to pay for greed and foolishness: the loss of innocence. It's a tragedy, really.
Back in 1969 the U.S.A were stuck in another war, the Vietnam war. At that time legendary John Lennon and Yoko Ono did a famous "bed-in" during a week against the Vietnam war. During that week they've stay in bed and received anyone who wanted to discuss with them. It became one of the most famous 1960's events/happenings and today Yoko Ono decided to put online the rare documentary directed by Nick Knowland, only released a long time ago in VHS. It will be online only until August 21 and Yoko Ono said that "There are things in that movie who can be useful to today's activist". She added "We were so naive John and I at that time that we thought that we could change the world only by giving interviews while we were in a bed in front of cameras! Remember that a war can be over if we want it, it all depends of us. John would have been happy to say this". I've embedded it below, and for those of you who would like to download this piece of history, i remind you that you can do it thanks to the latest version of Real Player.
These videos also give me a chance to repeat what i've said before, i.e that the Time Machine already exist, so no need to look for it in the future, it's already there, and it is movies. The great thing with cinema, when you look at any film at least twenty years old is that you can go back at the time it was shot. Of course it's even more obvious when you look at early last century movies but just take a 1960's movie and look at it without any ego to be able to get "inside" the film, in "fusion" with it if i can say, and you have no idea how you will travel back in time. So, it's time for you to travel back to 1992 at this Splash Mountain grand opening and in the 1960's with John Lennon and Yoko Ono!
Video: copyright Disney and Lennon-Ono
4 comments:
You are right that it is all very happy and innocent, however I can understand them celebrating the opening of Splash Mountain, as I think it is a very nice ride. Still hope that a modern remake of this ride will be built sometime in Paris! Alain, do you have any new signs for Splash Mountain to be built or even considered by DLP management?
Brian, not only there is no sign of a Splash Mountain coming at DLP in the future but the last news i've heard about this - quite a while ago, i admit - was that the Imagineering itself was "not suggesting" it as a good idea to DLP management considering the rude winter weather in Paris - which is quite right, the winter are long and colder than ever in Paris, longer than in Tokyo where they do have a Splash Mountain.
So, i wouldn't bet one cent on Splash Mountain at DLP in the future, unfortunately.
Having worked on the "Original" Disneyland Splash Mountain and the Paris Disneyland Thunder Mesa,I like the "Original" team, would like to see a more realistic Logging Ride in keeping with Big Thunder and Thunder Mesa's Lore. It could be designed as a largely indoors attraction like Pirates with outside drops. This would make it feasible with the Paris weather. When Walt Disney World's Spalsh was opening we were opening Euro Disneyland. That was a big year for us as Desert Storm was also coming to an end.
I totally see your point about happier times, and maybe I was more cynical in '92, but I remember watching this when it showed up on the Disney Channel back in the day and thinking it was too over the top *then*. This was sort of SOP for Disney, I remember that 35th anniversary special they did for Disneyland and thinking the same thing. The weird, forced cheerfulness just seemed really phony. Still and all, the nineties were a good era for the Disney Parks.
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