MICKEY MOUSE
Mickey Mouse history, what is it? It's a term that defines trivial history. History you knew as a young, wide eyed 4th grader. It's the good, not the bad. It focuses on our heroes and not the people our heroes had to overcome. One of the best examples of Mickey Mouse history is the belief that Christopher Columbus discovered North America. Walt Disney may very well be the father of Mickey Mouse history. At Disneyland and Disney World he created his own version of historical exhibits. He wanted Americans to remember their past, but focused on the good, not bad. From his historical views and empowered by his celebrity, Walt has been able to push a certain view of US History to our youth.One of Disney's first exhibits was his Hall of Presidents. Disney uses the best available technology of the time. He shows an informational video before revealing the exhibits main attractions. Once the video ends, a group of robots appears on stage, all resembling one of the US Presidents. Walt originally had this vision in 1957-58, but lacked the technology to bring it to life. It wasn't until 1970 that the Hall of Presidents became a permanent attraction at Disney parks; although it made an appearance in the 1964 World's Fair. Abe Lincoln becomes it's centerpiece. They focus on George Washington and Andrew Jackson putting down rebellions and denying evil intentions toward society, yet a mention of both being slaveholders is never mentioned. Walt Disney decided to only focus on what people wanted to hear; he leaves out anything unadmirable and aims for entertainment value.
Hall of Presidents today. Courtesy of Talk Disney.
Perhaps Walt Disney's greatest vision was the EPCOT Center in Orlando. Originally it was not meant to deal with history. It was supposed to be an artificial community in which 20,000 people would live and serve as Disney's own utopia. He soon gained corporate sponsorships and the project became about remembering our past, while looking toward the future. The major sponsors were Kraft, General Motors, Kodak, AT&T, and Exxon. Each company takes it's expertise and takes a look at where we've come from and where we will go. GM takes transportation, AT&T takes communications, Exxon takes energy, etc. Each corporation travels through the history of man, making stops at different eras along the way. For example when GM hits the Renaissance there is a robot Leonardo mulling over a new flying machine. The time table continues and GM brings us to today showing improvements in transportation like carriages, bikes, trains, cars, and airplanes. Each corporation becomes the focal point of a certain aspect of advancement. The EPCOT Center is Disney's way of showing us that we must look at our past to find clues of where we are going in the future.
The EPCOT Center in Orlando. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Even after his death, Walt Disney's love of history remained alive in the Disney corporation. In 1993, Michael Eisner attempted to build a Disney park in Virginia called Disney's America. The park was intended to focus strictly on US history. Due to political disagreements and financial problems the project was unfortunately scrapped. Disney America was hoping to show Americans of all ages about our past, present and future, through videos, exhibits and rides. The plan was to have visitors enter the park in a Civil War era town and have the option to to travel on the timeline into the past or toward the present. Some of the attractions included replicas of a native American village, Civil War fort, a Muppets interpretation in Ellis Island, a State fair, a Dust Bowl farm, and World War II era airfield. Part of the reason the project fell through was because of the proposed sites proximity to the Manassas Battlefield National Park. Although Eisner's dream of the park never came to fruition parts of it were incorporated into other Disney parks around the nation.
Proposed site of Disney America. Courtesy of The Disney Drawing Board.
The Disney name and US History have gone hand in hand since the 1950's. Starting with Walt Disney's love for the past, the Disney corporation has made history a part of its view. Their view of history may not agree with leading historians but Disney's contribution to public history is undeniable. They sought out to make history fun and interesting for all ages and that can't be replaced. Some find Mickey Mouse history childish and simplistic but Disney has used it to teach civilians in a fun and unique way.
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