Conference koolit::disney

    The March  6th  issue  of  Forbes  magazines had a good article (mostly
    financial of course)  on  the  Bass brothers and their '84 $400 million
    investment in Disney (now worth about $1.8 billion, gee I wonder if I'm
    related ;^)) some of the highlights mentioned are,
    
        - Disney bought the Disneyland  Hotel  for $160 million in '88 from
          the Wrather Corp.
    
        - Plan to open 77 new Disney Stores by '92
    
        - Disney to develop 10,000 motel rooms worldwide during '88-'92
    
        - Disney Channel in cooperation with Rubert Murdoch and Sky Movies,
          will beam programming to and est.  1 million homes in England and
          Ireland.
    
        - talks about Euro-Disneyland, see note 10.1 for more details
    
        - MGM Studio Tour cost $500 million to date.
    
        - mention  new  financial arangement with Oriental Land Co.  owners
          of Tokyo-Disneyland, see note 9.1 for more details

    The Dec '88 issue of Personnel magazine,  on  pages  28-35,  has a real
    good  article  on  "Making  Magic:    The  Disney  Approach  To  People
    Management", I strongly suggest if you can obtain a copied to read it.
    
    It talks about how Disney has developed a Seminar designed to share its
    management  philosophy  and strategies with human resource managers and
    other business  professionals.    it is a 3 day seminar on site in WDW.
    Some of the things it says are;
    
        - It  mentions  from  Rick  Johnson  the  seminar manager, that the
          secret for Disney to  directing the energies of so many employees
          toward achieving it's goals is 'Pixie  Dust'.    The  formula  is
          simple Training + Communication + Care = Pride
    
        - because Disney World is essentially a "show business" enterprise,
          applicants are not merely "hired for a job";   they are "cast for
          a  role".    Thus  employees  at Disney are not  referred  to  as
          "employees" but as "cast members" in a very large production.
        
        - Covers how employees are interviewed, and how they go  through  a
          similar 3 day seminar if they are cast for the role.
    
        - How Disney strives  to communicates it's goals etc.  to the cast,
          as well as listen to  the  cast  member  if there is a problem or
          suggestions.
    
        - How  each  seminar  attendee  also  goes behind the scenes at the
          various places in WDW, to see the seminar messages in action, and
          that Disney actually practices what it preaches.
    
        - How at WDW,  there  is  a special area set aside for Cast members
          for recreational activities, such as family picnics and parties.
    
        - how Disney provides Day  Care  services  to  the  cast  member ad
          KinderCare at WDW.
    
    Claude

    	Gee do you think I could convince my Cost Center manager that
    this would be a good seminar for me to attend???
    
    
    Tom

    
    There's a film called "IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE". This film made
    its way around several facilities within DEC last year. I saw it
    when our management sponsered a special meeting last year in Colorado.
    Don't remember the actual reason for the meeting, but the film included
    3 or 4 "success stories" from different major companies (not DEC).
    Disney was one of them, (the first review on the film) in short
    its name bears true - EXCELLENT - . It briefly reviews a lot of
    what Claude just mentioned in 31.2.
    
    If you haven't seen it, then DO SEE it. try contacting personnel
    or marketing to locate a loaner copy. After I saw it, I was ready
    to head there "immediately". Of course this had nothing to do
    with my Disney addiction :-)
    
    Mark
    

    	A couple replies back someone mentioned how Disney
    	interviews.  Well, having interviewed with them, I
    	can tell you.  First, you go in and fill the application
    	out.  You speak for a short time with one of their
    	representatives who will then set you up with an
    	actual interview.  Be prepared to show that Disney
    	smile and be all bubbly!  It so happens that the
    	particular woman I spoke with was rather curt and
    	she proceeded to tell me all the things that I 
    	could NOT do and wear before anything else.
    
    	Having my friend work at Disney and having lived with
    	her for six months, I can put a damper of sorts on exactly
    	what Disney is.  It's a corporation.  Period.  I think
    	the majority of the people who say "I wanna work at 
    	Disney! That'd be fun!" don't realize everything involved
    	and what is required of you.  They see the tourist side
    	of things and not the business end.  Disney is a good
    	company to work for as far as benefits and how they run
    	it (they've got to be doing SOMETHING right!), but...
    
    	For instance, a man's hair cannot be longer than his 
    	collar, and he cannot wear a beard or a moustache.  Not
    	being a man, I cannot elaborate on what other constrictions
    	there might be.
    
    	A woman cannot wear earrings (this is behind the scenes,
    	I'm not sure about what goes in the park itself) that
    	are bigger than a penny, her hair must be worn 
    	conservatively and be one color (no highlighting, etc.)
    	nail polish may be worn, but it must be a creme, not a 
    	frost.  Shoes must have at least a 1" heel, one ring
    	can be worn on each hand and there are no bracelets 
    	allowed with the exception of a watch.  
        
    	Make up is not allowed.  The most that can be worn is
    	mascara and a pressed powder if you so wish.  The only
    	accepted colors for hair clips (banana combs, etc.)
    	are tortoise shell, silver and gold (if i remember 
    	correctly).  Slacks are not allowed unless there is a 
    	blazer worn with them which is hip length.
    

	Sorry to ramble on so long...I guess it just brings 
    	back LOTS of memories!!  
    
    	Tigg~~        
    

    Another  interesting article on Disney World power plant and it's  many
    uses, is Design News's Feb 27th article titled "A Power Station Fit For
    A  Kingdom"  on pages 50 thru 56.  highlights from the article  are  as
    follows "too long to type here" and are reproduce without permission,
    
    'Aircraft technology spawned by the gas turbine at the heart of a novel
    combined-cycle gas and steam cogeneration power plant.'

    'An efficient "cogeneration" design operates an adjacent steam turbine,
    and makes copious quantities of steam for many uses as a byproduct.'

    'Fluid power is the  essence  of  the  generator's  turbines-more  than
    16,000 lb/min of compressed air  for the gas turbine and 1800 lb/min of
    pressurized water for the steam turbine.'
        
    'The  power  cogenerated under the plant's  current  capabilities  will
    supply half the total need of the complex well into the 21st century.'

    'The system, independent of outside sources, needs only a steady supply
    of natural gas to function, Explains Bob Kohl,  director  of  the power
    station.  Ford, Bacon & Davis of Monroe, LA  designed  and  constructed
    the  turnkey  plant,  which  is  owned  by the Reedy creek  Improvement
    District.'
        
    'Even the generator's  water  supply  is self-generated:  15 deep wells
    tap the vast Florida aquifer and provide a reserve of 4 million gallons
    in four storage tanks.'
    
    'Backup fuel tanks  hold  more  than a million gallons of diesel oil to
    tide over the plant for several days if the natural gas supply is cut.'
    
    'Whatever the fuel, steam is  extracted  from  the power cycle, meaning
    it's diverted as needed through special  heat exchangers.  For example,
    it  feeds  steam-to-water  heat  exchangers  where  in-coming    system
    water-different from boilerwater-is warmed up to as much  as 350F, then
    circulated  throughout  Disney  World  to  do a variety of  jobs,  from
    district heating to heating cooking oil and laundry water.'
    
    'Interestingly,  the  extracted  steam provides heat energy directly to
    "chillers" that make cold water to circulate through cooling systems so
    visitors can endure the tropical heat in July and August.'
    
    'Central  to  the    plant    is  the  General  Electric  Co.    LM5000
    aeroderivative industrial gas turbine.    its immediate ancestor is the
    CF6-50 turbofan engine, with more  than  44  million  flying hours, and
    still  going  strong in aircraft worldwide.    70%  of  the  parts  are
    interchangeable.  ...GE quarantees a replacement gas  turbine delivered
    within 72 hours...'
    
    'Worst case scenario is a weather  disaster  suddenly shutting down the
    region,  including  neighboring  Orlando.    Then  there's  no  regular
    electrical power to get things started up again.    Reedy Creek has the
    answer in its "black start" diesel generator.  if power failure occurs,
    it  automatically  starts,  and  generates  enough electricity for  all
    critical  controls  and  auxiliaries,  including  the hydraulic turbine
    starting the system.  ten minute later, the entire power plant is again
    up.'
    

    

    a side  bar  article  in the Feb 27th edition of Design News on page 54
    covered the use  of hydraulics for the audio-animatronic figures.  Some
    neat info in hear  like  no patents for the audio-animatronic robots (I
    would of thought they would  be).    The  article  is reproduce without
    permission.

    Caption under photo of  Ben  Franklin in the American Adventure, "Fluid
    power works in mysterious ways  to  activate  and control famous Disney
    animations, such as a talking, moving  Benjamin  Franklin.    Disney is
    cautious about disclosing it's hydraulic and pneumatic techniques"
        
                      Maze of Pneumatics Powers Animations
    
        Another  fantasyland  of  hydraulics and pneumatics lies hidden  in
    private  passages  and  compartments  beneath the Magic Kingdom.   it's
    there  to operate the audio-animatronic figures, supply water and whisk
    away garbage.
        Technical  reporters  are  not granted entry to this inner sanctum.
    To tell  the  world  how  it all works would ruin the magic.  To ensure
    secrecy,  many  of    the    pneumatic  and  electronically  controlled
    animations, which are not  patented,  are  designed  and  built  on the
    premises without drawings.
        Only undetailed glimpse of the  inner  working have been published.
    For example, below the animated exhibits, pneumatic systems of up to 70
    psig energize the low-force motions, and hydraulic  systems  of  up  to
    1000 psig supply the force for more powerful motions.
        Pneumatic tubes, 2 ft dia, carry away trash  a  mile  a minute to a
    central  compactor.   No garbage trucks are needed, because  there  are
    collection  openings  in  the private back areas at a large  number  of
    points throughout the complex.  Periodically, the collection points are
    evacuated by suction using a system called AVAC.
        It's  all unseen  by  visitors,  so  nothing  interferes  with  the
    illusion of a magical, problem-free Disney World

    

    Also in  the  article reference in .6 was the following I forgot to put
    in
    
    Claude
    
    'In  addition  to  a  world-class  generating station, the reedy  creek
    District  includes  such  fluid innovations as a 120-acre tree farm,  a
    100-acre wetland,  a  percolation  pond,  and a state-of-art, in-vessel
    sewage sludge composing  system.  All of it is designed to cleanly cope
    with the six million gallons per day of effluent created by the tens of
    thousands of visitors and staff.    Many cities would benefit from such
    an efficient infrastructure'

>    Periodically, the collection points are
>    evacuated by suction using a system called AVAC.

    BTW, AVAC  stands  for Automated Vacuum Assisted Collection, and is the
    WDW trash collection system designed by a Swedish firm.
    
    Claude

    When Walt Disney first visualized the Florida entertainment complex, he
    actually planned for it to be a working city. EPCOT is an acronym for
    Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. He planned all the city
    infrastructure to show what cities could be like if we wanted them to
    be. Hence the (pollution-free) power plant, state-of-the-art sewerage
    treatment plants, and automated trash removal. After he died, the
    company abandoned many of the social goals of EPCOT, but still used
    many of his ideas.
    
    Many industries are now adopting the co-generation techniques,
    co-locating industries that use both power and steam. Dow Chemical
    here in Louisiana even makes their own gas fuel from coal. 

    
      For the facts behind the restructuring of Walt Disney Productions
    into The Walt Disney Company and for a novices look at the world
    of corporate raiders, white knights, poison pills, ect., I recom-
    mend the novel, "Storming the Magic Kingdom".  I don't remember
    who wrote it but it is "Disney approved".
    
      In order for you to understand the events in the novel, it also
    had to go into the details of the history of Disney and Walt Disney
    and his family, the feud between him and Roy (creation of RETLAW
    corp.(Walter spelled backward)) and other 'Dallas-type' events which
    shaped this American story (a little flag-waving there).
    
    Quite an interesting novel
    
    Rich

    I couldn't agree with you more.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
    You really do get the inside look of Walt Disney Company.  I
    recommended it to all Disney-aholics.

    	By the way.  I don't believe that the book you are refering
    to is a novel.  It is a factual account of the attempted take over
    of the Walt Disney Company.  I would also recomend the Biography
    'The Disney Vision', don't know the author's name, but it as a non-
    authorized biography and, be prepared, it tells the whole truth
    about Walt Disney.  While he was an innovative genius, he had his
    bad points too.
    
    Tom

    I received the new Disney News yesterday.  Its wonderful!!! It has
    page after page of the MGM Studio opening, even a map of the area
    and where everthing is.  If anyone wants a xerox copy send me mail.
    I'm not sure how it will copy but if your just interested in reading
    and don't care about the color pictures you still should enjoy it.
    Send me mail at SPGOPS::Campbell and I'll send one out.
    

    According to the article and  map,  not only will the MGM-Disney Studio
    Tour be recognizable from the ground by Earffel Tower (water tower) but
    also from the air, since the plaza and  surrounding  gardens  etc.   in
    front of the Great Movie Ride will be in the shape of Mickey's Face.
    
    Claude

    This week's (April 3, 1989) Newsweek has a cover story about the new
    Disney-MGM Studios/theme park that opens in May.  The article is about
    seven pages long and has some interesting info.  I suggest that you
    check it out.
    
    I'll post a few of the interesting tidbits in their appropriate notes.
    
    - Skip

    The April 3 issue of NEWSWEEK contains an 8 page article entitled
    "How Disney Does It".   This is the international edition of NEWSWEEK,
    printed in Switzerland.   I don't know, if the American issue runs
    the same stories as the international issue does.  If this issue
    is not available in the US and anybody is interested in a copy of
    the article let me know.
    
    Regards,
    
    Vinzenz Esser
    Munich, Germany
    

    	I'd be interested in obtaining a copy of the article.  I'm on
    Busy::Tbutler or at DLB9/D7.
    
    Tom

    Moved...
    
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KERNEL::MOUNTFORD                                    16 lines   8-JUN-1989 01:58
                                 -< BIG ears! >-
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    Taken from yesteday's London Daily Telegraph without permission:
    
    "Motorists on the clogged Ventura Freeway will soon be able to 
    contemplate a new landmark, on the skyline-in the shape of two giant
    Mickey Mouse ears.
    
    The dome-shaped ears will crown the Walt Disney company's new HQ
    in Burbank; & company chairman Michael Eisner & Disney president
    Frank Wells will each have an office in one of them.

    In case visitors are not aware, they are entering the Disney domain,
    an elaborate archway will frame the main entrance, supported by
    19 foot tall sculpted figures of the seven (not so) dwarfs."
    
    
    Richard.

    Did any of you catch WDW's latest attendance milestone in the news.
    
    I didn't catch the actual figure, but it was massive!!
    
    A nine or ten year old boy was the lucky person.  He got to be the
    Marshall of the days parade along with Mickey and Harvy Korman.
    Most importantly, he received lifetime passes to WDW for his entire
    family!!!
    
    When asked(by Harvy Korman) what was more exciting?  Meeting Mickey
    Mouse or Harvy Korman?  The boy looked puzzled and said who's Harvy
    Korman?!?!?!?  So much for the "Carol Burnet Show"

    Being reprinted without permission from the Miami Sun-Sentinel.
    From June 14th, 1989  by T.M. Shine (staff writer)
    
    Title: MOUSETRAP, ONE MAN'S OBSESSION WITH THE MAGIC KINGDOM.
                                                      
      Poor Eddy.  When he and his wife have to leave Disney World on
    a Sunday after a week's visit, he starts to get nasty around Friday
    afternoon.  Not just cranky like we all get after a weekend when
    we think about going back to work, but nasty and depressed because
    he has to leave Disney, the perfect world, behind.  His wife sits
    him down, strokes his forehead and tries to comfort him.  "We have
    to go, Honey.  We have to make some more money,"... he remains in
    a deep dark blue funk until she adds those few magical words...
    "so we can come back."
         And come back they do.  This year alone they've gone in January,
    February, March and, "Something must have happened in April," Ed
    Olsen says as if he wiped the whole month from his memory because
    he didn't get to go to the Magic Kingdom.  And May and of course,
    "we're going this weekend."  That brings us up to date.
         Eddy has made the three-hour pilgrimage from West Palm Beach
    to Disney World more than 100 times in the 17 years since it opened,
    the better part of his adult life.  During that time, his kids have
    grown, he has divorced and remarried.  Only Mickey Mouse has remained
    a constant.  Now with his new wife and no children, he finds his
    visits increasing.
         "The money I make know is only so I can keep going," he insists.
         Is he obsessed?  Should someone close to him try to stop this
    Disney insanity?  Try to get him professional help?  Or is this
    merely Eddy's cure for reality?
         "I guess it's a healthy addiction if there is such a thing,"
    says Dave Herbst, spokesman for WDW.  "I can identify with it myself,"
    he adds, remembering one of his own early visits to the Magic Kingdom
    when he was so exhausted he almost had to strap himself to a post
    on Mainstreet USA in order to see the parade again and he just kept
    muttering, "One more dose of magic, one more dose of magic..."
        It's not that the magic is so intoxicating that Eddy wants to
    be transformed into the eighth Dwarf, it's just that he works in
    a high-stress job - he's a store manager - and in Disney he has
    found the only place where he seems to be able to leave it all behind.
    "No problems.  Not only do I not have problems, but they don't seem
    to have any problems either.  I don't even have to see any problems."
        Eddy is as much in awe of Disney's employees and organization
    as he is with all the imagineering and attractions.
        "The same pigs come to this place as everywhere else," he says,
    "but they can handle it.  I don't know how they do it."
        What about Busch Gardens, couldn't you give that a try?
        "I have, I have, " Eddy says, " but it's just not the same.
     It just doesn't measure up."
        His mind is made up, nothing can sway him.  About a month ago
    he had the opportunity to spend a week at his sister's vacant house
    in New Port Richey.  "I'm talking about a free seven days relaxing
    and soaking up the sun on the Gulf,"  he says.  But as the day drew
    near he became somber and introspective, questioning himself. Why?
    Why, when he'd be so much happier at Disney?
         "My wife saw me moping and she understood.  We went to Disney
    instead," he says proudly.
          His wife, Mitchelle, tells of how they were supposed to just
    stop and see the new MGM attraction. (How long has MGM been open,
    anyway? A month or two? Eddy's been there four times.)  But one
    day led to two and then he just wouldn't leave.
         "I do want to go other places, but once I get to Disney I don't
    want to leave either," she says.
         They spent their honeymoon in the Grand Floridian Beach Resort
    on the grounds.  Let Eddy describe it.  "Words can't tell you the
    ecstacy of waking up that first morning on your honeymoon and you
    can see the fog on the bay, the castle and space mountain practically
    at the foot of your bed.  You have to see this, man."
         Ecstacy.
         He's already tempting her with the prospect of Fourth of July
    at the Floridain.  Fireworks in bed.  :and it is awful tempting,"
    she admits.
          But Mitchelle, when do you say enough is enough?
          "I want to, I really want to," she says in a pained tone,
    " but I don't want to break his heart."
          All of which is sweet and romantic and a little weird, but
    as Disneyman Herbst so aptly puts it, "This guy must have some bucks."
         "I tell him we just can't afford another week," Mitchelle says,
    "but there's no better way to spend money as far as he's concerned."
          So how does he do it?
          First, there is his Disney credit card and the trips are just
    another monthly payment, like paying off the car or mortage.  "I
    put 1,200 bucks on it this last time,"  Eddy says, and you get the
    feeling every penney was well worth it.  It may seem like a lot
    of dough, but when you think about the inner satisfaction Eddy gets
    from this amusement park, isn't it worth it?  Most od us would have
    to find religion or something to achieve this kind of inner peace.
           Eddy and Mitchelle also have world passes ($190.05/year)
    that give them unlimited access to the M.K., EPCOT, & MGM.  This
    freedom prompts them to swing by EPCOT on their way to Tampa to
    visit Mitchelle's grandmother, a short stop for dinner in Norway
    and then back in the car.  A quick fix and a good meal.
          Eddy's favorite saying is" nothing is permanent except change"
    and it fits his fixation with Disney.  His visits can never be compared
    to watching the same movie over and over again.
           "This month alone we've got the Typhoon Lagoon and Pleasure
    Island opening up," Herbst says.  And obvioulsy Eddy isn't alone.
     "The Florida residents aree a different kind of customer.  We always
    have to do more for them.  Keep changing and creating special events."
         Eddy reached a piont where he wasn't even satisfied with being
    a customer anymore and looked into getting a permanent job with
    Disney.  "But I'd have to start at the bottom," he says sadly, as
    if he just couldn't picture himself wearing Huey, Dewey ot Louie's
    headgear and suffocating in 95  degree weather.
         This weekend he's heading up to take Mitchelle's grandmother
    to the Magic Kingdom for her 91st birthday.  "I get to push the
    wheelchair around," he says giddily.  "We took her for her 90th
    and she just loved it.
          This is the kind of occasion Eddy has stooped to use so he
    can make this trek over and over again, but you have to love him
    for it.  He's a Disney slave.  A man possessed by Mickey Mouse.
     But Eddy is just doing what we all do, only on a grander scale
    with a whole cast of characters. 
       Eddy, do you ever dream about Disney World? 
       "I don't have to," he says.  "It's a relity."

Moved at the request of the author...
    
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Note xxx.x                     Mickey the mauler!!                    No replies
RATTLE::TLAPOINTE                                    10 lines  29-JUN-1989 13:41
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    I heard this one on the early morning news:
    
    A N.J. women is suing Disney for a incident back in 1983.  Supposedly
    her 4 year old son was assaulted by Mickey Mouse.  He had ran up
    to him and pulled his coat tales.  Mickey in turn "slammed" the youth
    repeatedly against the wall of a building.
    
    A Florida court dismissed the case due to a procedural error.  And
    this week a N.J. court threw the case out because it didn't happen
    in N.J.  A Disney spokesperson had "no comment" on the incident.

    This probably isn't the right place to put this, but after reading
    .23, I was reminded of the time my [then] 4 year old stepped on
    Donald's foot.  My son had an obsession with the character;s big
    feet.  Donald lifted my son and hung him upside down.  Then they
    proceeded to play.  Wish I had had my camcorder then.
    Of course it was all done in the spirit of play.  It did not cure
    my son from stepping on their feet that year though.
    ed
    

    
     Here are some Highlights from The Orlando Sentinel  June 29, 1989
    
     "FAST TRAIN GETS A GO FROM PANEL"
    
    A 300-mph train proposed for south Orange county won unanimous approval
    from a state panel Wednesday and could be carrying passengers from
    Orlando international to Epcot Center in four years.
    
    The decision by the seven member state high spedd rail commission
    triggered huge smiles and rounds of backslapping and handshakes
    by the would-be builders of the $ 500 million train, Maglev Transit
    Inc,.
    
    Maglev president Sam Tabuchi said," We are not the winners, I truly
    believe the community is the winner. We will bring high tech jobs
    to the community."
    
    Tabuchi's privately financed venture could be derailed because the
    train must also be approved by a state hearing officer, Gov Bob
    Martinez, and the cabinet.
    Another potential problem is a group of south Orange and North Osceola
    county hotelers and theme park owners who are fighting the train
    because they say it will run them out of business.
    
    Tabuchi intends to fly a train powered by electrified magnets along
    a 17.5 mile elevated guideway. Aone-way trip would take 7.5 minutes
    and cost up to $12.
    
    The train, developed by west Germans and backed by Japanese investors
    could be operating as early as October 1994. It would ride on a
    3/8 inch cushion of air and hit a top speed of 311 mph.
    ======================================================================
    
    
     There is quite a bit more to the article and there are many more
    prblems that must be ironed out before this train can become a reality
    but..........maybe 
    
                         -Rob
    

    Extracted (without permission) from the Travel Guide Section of 
    The Atlanta Journal / The Atlanta Constitution Sunday, July 16, 1989.
    
    (Editor's note:  Much of this info may be redundant to followers
    of this conference. /am)
    
   How to Avoid Pitfalls Of a Hectic 'World',  by Phil Kloer (staff writer)

    	Orlando, Fla. -- It was like a scene from a Disney movie we'll 
    never see:  "Honeypot Hell." 
	A Walt Disney World employee dressed as Winnie the Pooh trotted
    out to pose with children for their camera-toting parents.  It might
    as well have been Sean Penn wading into a crowd of paparrazzi: 
    The mob surged forward, kids clung to his knees, dads jostled for
    position, and down went the bear.
        Because of his cumbersome costume, as wide around the middle as it 
    was tall, Winnie was trapped on his back like a turtle.  People surged 
    over him and there was the possibility he'd be Pooh-pudding until a 
    couple of fathers came to his rescue. 

    	Hey, it's a jungle out there, and not just on the Jungle Cruise. 

    	Parents taking their children to Disney World and other central 
    Florida attractions envision days of luminous, excited faces wreathed 
    with smiles, followed by nights of peaceful slumber.  But if they're 
    not careful, they can wind up like that Winnie, flat on their backs and
    floundering. 
	Not everyone does Disney World with youngsters; according to Disney
    statistics, grown-ups outnumber children 4-to-1 at the park.  But
    sooner or later, most parents with offspring old enough to walk but not
    old enough to vote, find themselves considering taking that eight-hour
    trip down I-75. 
	This guide (by no means definitive) is for those who plan to take a
    Disney World vacation. 

   * The single best piece of advice for surviving Disney World is standard
    vacation advice:  Plan in advance how much money it will cost you. Then
    take twice as much.  And some plastic wouldn't hurt, either.  There's
    just no accounting for how fast that Mouse nibbles your money.  Snacks,
    souvenirs, ponchos or umbrellas if it rains, parking, aspirin, sunblock
    so the small fry won't fry... Park admission and hotel rooms are the
    least of your worries. 

   * Before you go, buy and read "Steve Birnbaum's Guide to Walt Disney
    World 1989," available in bookstores.  Given the hundreds or even
    thousands of bucks you'll drop on a central Florida vacation, it's the
    best $9.95 you'll spend. 

   * Plan to get to all parks first in the morning, then take a break at
    noon and go back to the hotel for a nap or a lounge at the pool. 
    You'll be skipping the biggest crowds and the hottest sun, lunch will 
    be cheaper and healthier, and you can go back refreshed in mid-afternoon
    and stay until evening. 

   * If you're on a budget, stay at the newly opened Caribbean Beach Resort.
    Its rates are considerably lower than any other hotel in Disney World
    ($69-$95 per night, comparable to many of the less-expensive hotels in
    nearby Kissimmee).  The Contemporary Resort, by comparison, is
    $150-$220 per night. 

     The Carribbean Beach Resort is geared to children, with a hugh
    playground on an island and a swimming pool partially covered by a fake
    fortress.  And it's definitely not a dump.  The rooms are roughly the
    same size as those in the Contemporary Resort and can accommodate two
    adults and one or two children reasonably well. 

     Advantages:  Unlike hotels such as the Contemporary, which is like a
    compound, or the Grand Floridian, which is so elegant it seems unseemly
    to wear flip-flops, the Caribbean Beach Resort's atmosphere is
    hang-loose, aided by a great outdoor bar where Mom and Dad can sip
    tropical drinks and listen to calypso music and oldies. 

     Disadvantages:  It's not on the monorail, so you'll have to drive. 
    And it only has a food court, similar to (but better than) those found 
    in shopping malls, rather than a real restaurant.  At half the price of
    any other Disney hotel, or less, those are minor inconveniences. 

   * The newest Disney World theme park, Disney-MGM Studios, is not the
    most exciting place for small children.  Older and more intelligent
    youngsters will get a kick out of it, but even then it's worth
    attending only if you buy the four- or five-day pass to the Magic
    Kingdom, Epcot and Disney-MGM.  It has the same one-shot admission as
    Magic Kingdom or Epcot, but not nearly as much stuff to do. 

     Kids will like the Great Movie Ride the best, a tram that takes riders
    past audio-animatronic scenes from "The Wizard of Oz" and "Mary
    Poppins."  The tram is "attacked" by the creature from "Alien" (which
    may be too intense for younger children) and "hijacked" by a Disney
    employee dressed up like a gangster, who gets his comeuppance when he
    gets to the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" display. 

     They'll also like the Monster Sound Show, which demonstrates special
    effects and has lots of nifty hands-on exhibits, and the Epic Stunt
    Theater, which George Lucas helped st up, with several live shows daily
    in which stunt men and fake explosives fill the air. 

     A bit iffier is the Backstage Studio Tour, the backbone of the new
    park.  It's two hours long, with more than half of it spent walking
    rather than riding, and the inside story of how movies and cartoons are
    made will probably appeal greatly to some youngsters and bore others to
    tears -- literally. 

   * Epcot Center has a lot more to appeal for children, although again it
    helps to pick your pavilions carefully.  It's divided into Future World
    and World Showcase, with Future World holding more interest. 

     Best bet:  Journey Through Imagination.  It starts with a 14-minute
    ride through the world of imagination, followed by a cavernous room
    full of neat, hands-on exhibits that let children be creative.  Capping
    it off is the out-of-this-world 3-D movie "Captain EO," starring
    Michael Jackson and producted by George Lucas. 

     After that, check out Spaceship Earth, a ride through the huge geodesic
    sphere that's the Epcot symbol; Universe of Energy, where you have to
    sit through two boring films to get to the good stuff, a ride through a
    prehistoric land with sulfur-scented air and huge battling robot
    dinosaurs; and Communicore East and West, featuring lots of interactive
    games, programmable computers, magic shows and the like. 

     To many kids, World Showcase is bo-ring, a collection of gift shops and
    restaurants.  Take them to Norway and Mexico, which are near one
    another and which both have good rides.  (Norway's Viking ride is the
    best in Epcot.) 

   * The third main Disney World park -- actually the first one built --
    is the Magic Kingdom, and it needs the least strategy.  Kids will like
    just about everything here, although Space Mountain and Big Thunder
    Mountain Railroad are only for the stout of heart. 

     Best bets:  Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise and the Haunted
    Mansion (very tame).  Save the Tropical Serenade (the Tiki Bird room)
    until later in the day, when a chance to sit in an air-conditioned room
    is -very- welcome.

     Biggest sacrifice:  Taking the little ones to "It's a Small World,"
    which they love but which parents universally seem to loathe for its
    incessant theme song. 

    A few more tips: 

   * If you can hold off until mid-August, do so.  Crowds drop
    considerably the last two weeks before Labor Day.  If your child gets
    sick and you're staying in a Disney World hotel, call the front desk
    and they'll contact a physician who makes hotel-room calls.  It'll
    cost you, of course, but the doctor accepts credit cards . 

   * If you're feeling indulgent, book a table at the Character Breakfast
    at the Grand Floridian Hotel.  It's $12 for adults, $8 for children.
    Both the ambience and the food are first-rate.  But what's really great
    is that the same Disney characters who are part of the periodic mob
    scenes in the Magic Kingdom go from table to table, spending time with
    each child, posing for photos.  Your child won't suffer the trauma of
    seeing Winnie the Pooh nearly stomped to death. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Tips for the trip. For reservations at Disney World, call
    (407)W-DISNEY. 

    The June '89 DELTA inflight magazine SKY has an article about DELTA's
    dreamflight ride at the Magic Kingdom explaining the whole ride
    in detail.
    
    The July '89 issue of the same magazine has an article about
    Disneyland's Splash Mountain, telling you everything you want to
    know about it.
    
    Vinzenz

    News article taken from Orlando Sentinal reprinted in its entirety
    without permission
    
                New Disney theme park to expand
    
    Orlando - Heavy crowds and unexpectedly long waiting lines will soon
    force Walt Disney World to double the size of the entertainment portion
    of its new Disney MGM Studios theme park, company Chairman Michael
    Eisner says.
    
    "The demand for it has been even greater than our wildest hopes,"
    Eisner said. |We do not want the lines to be that long.  We are trying
    to rectify it as soon as we can."
    
    Specific plans for the expansion, to be carried out in three years,
    will be announced in six weeks, Eisner told The Orlando Sentinel for a
    story published Tuesday.
    
    The $500 million, 135 acre Central Florida complex has two sections: 
    the themed area, which is the site of most of the major attractions,
    and the film production portion, where visitors ride trams and walk
    through a backstage tour.
    
    The studio park "needs to be bigger, and it needs to be on the scale of
    the other two parks"  - the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center - Eisner
    said.
    
    Both are bigger and require more time for a visit.  The Magic Kingdom's
    estimated capacity is 45,000 and Epcot's about 60,000.  The studeo
    theme park can handle about half the crowds of the Magic Kingdom.
    
    Because many of its attractions now are geared towards adults, the
    studio expansion would add more attractions for younger children and
    introduce more traditional Disney characters, the Disney chairman
    added.
    
    It would also introduce a nightime extravaganza - such as the fireworks
    show at the Magic Kingdom and a laser light show at Epcot -plus a
    themed "land" attraction such as Fantasyland and Tomorrowland at the
    Magic Kingdom.
    
    Eisner would not say how much the new construction would cost.
    
    MCA, Inc., which operates Universal Studios Hollywood, plans to open
    the theme park portion of its new Universal Studios Florida to tourists
    in the Orlando area this coming spring.
    
    Its working studio, which began movie and television production last
    fall, is billed as the nation's largest outside Hollywood.  The
    studio-and-tour complex is built on a 440 acre site, more than three
    times as big as Disney's.
    

    
                   Disney plans marine theme park in Long Beach, California
    
    
    The Walt Disney Co. is developing plans for a $1 billion
    marine-oriented theme park in Long Beach, Calif., where it manages the
    Queen Mary ocean liner and the Spruce Goose airplane, Disney officials
    said Wednesday.
    
    Plans for the theme park in Long Beach remain in the preliminary stages
    and company officials would not disclose details of the project.
    
    Disney officials said the proposed theme park in Long Beach would not
    affect the company's plans to speed up by six months to one year the
    expansion of Disney-MGM Studios Them Park in Orlando or to develop
    other projects at Walt Disney WOrld, such as hotels or a fourth gated
    attraction.
    
    "It wouldn't have any impact at all", Disney spokeman Charlie Ridgway
    said.
    
    Disney's stock soared again Wednesday.  On Monday, Disney chairman
    Michael Eisner told the Orlando Sentinel that within three years the
    company will dramatically expand the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park,
    which has attracted larger-than-expected crowds since opening May 1.
    
    The company's stock traded as high as $116 early in the day on the New
    York Stock Exchange before closing at $114.625 up $4.875 to set an all
    time high.  Disney spokesman Tom Deegan in Burbank, Calif., said
    the company does not comment on the movement of its stock.
    
    The stock may have been buoyed by Disney's planned expansion of its
    studio theme park in Orlando and by speculation of a possible takeover. 
    Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co of New York, a company that specializes
    in leveraged buyouts, Wednesday was rumored to be interested in
    acquiring Disney, said analyst Lise Buyer of Prudential-Bache
    Securities in New York.
    
    Buyer said she puts little faith in the aquisition rumors. "It has
    become a situation of another day, another rumor.  I wouldn't believe
    that any more than any of the rest of them", she said.
    
    Kohlberg spokesman Tom Daly said the company  does not comment on
    rumors.
    
    Fred Anschel, an analyst with Dean Witter Reynolds Inc in New York,
    said he believed the strong weekend performance of Disney's latest
    movie, "Turner & Hooch" could be another reason for the stock's rise. 
    The movie grossed $12.2 million on its opening weekend to break a
    Disney record.
    
    Under an agreemet with the city of Long Beach, the entertainment giant
    must submit by Jan 30 a master plan for its proposed theme park and a
    hotel it would develop near the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose
    Entertainment Center.
    
    In early June, the city awarded Disney the exclusive rights to build a
    hotel with up to 1,200 rooms on 14.8 acres in downtown Long Beach.
    
    Disney had acquired the management contracts for the Queen Mary and
    Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose in early 1988 when it bought the Wrather
    Corp. which had previously managed the Queen Mary.  Disney also
    acquired Disneyland hotel in Anaheim, Calif in the deal.
    
    The entertainment complex at the Port of Long Beach sits on 55 acres
    and includes retail shops and restaurants.  In addition, the leases
    includes the rights to 236 acres of submerged land adjacent to the
    complex.
    
    Alan Epstein, vice president of Southern California Disney Development
    Co., said the proposed theme park is "a high priority" for Disney, but
    he could not say when the company hoped to start developing the
    project.
    
    After the city of Long Beach approves a master plan, it would take at
    least six months to complete environmental impact studies and obtain
    approval from other local agencies before the project could get
    rolling.
    
    Epstein would not discuss specific details of the theme park, although
    it reportedly centers on man's relationship with the sea.  He would not
    say whether it would include live animal shows, something which Disney
    has never tackled as its theme park.
    
    An amusement park featuring live animals is one theme Disney is
    considering for a new gated attraction at Disney WOrld in Orlando,
    Eisner told the "Sentinel" Monday.
    
    The proposed theme park in Long Beach is being designed by Kym Murphy,
    Disney's senior vice president for strategic planning and development. 
    Murphy who also has worked for Sea World, designed Epcot's Living Seas
    pavilion, which opened in January 1986.  Tony Baxter, who helped design
    Euro Disneyland, which is scheduled to open in 1992 in France also is
    helping design the Long Beach attraction.
    

    
    
                Disney World Ride shut down 2 days for repairs
    
    Copied w/o permission in its entireity from the Orlando Sentinel
    
    
    A roller-coaster train ride at Walk Disney world's popular Space
    Mountain was shut down for about two days last weekend as a result of a
    partial derailment, employees said.
    
    A spokesman said no one was injured when the train was automatically
    shut down late Saturday after a computer detected a malfunction.  But
    other sources said one woman received minor rib injuries.
    
    The malfunction occurred on a "train" composed of two cars joined by a
    tow bar, according to employees who requested anonymity.
    
    "The back of the front car, and the front of the back car, were off the
    rails" but the train did not appear to be in any danger of falling off
    the tracks, one employee said.
    
    

    
    
                     Disney Earns Kudos
    
    Disney (DIS, NYSE, 120, 12 month range 64 7/8 - 124 1/2) has announced
    that it is acquiring Henson Associates, which includes rights to the
    Muppet TV shos and characters such as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy,
    notes analyst Alan Kassan of Shearson Lehman Hutton.
    Although precise terms were not disclosed, various reports have put the
    purchase price at between $250 and $200 million.  RIghts to the "Sesame
    Street" characters are not included in the package.  "In our view,
    Henson will be an excellent fit for Disney.  Disney will be able to
    leverage the Muppet Characters; Muppet attractions will be incorporated
    into the Disney Theme Parks.
    "Part of the expansion of the Disney-MGM studio tour will include a 3D
    Muppet attraction.  Overall this is an excellent acquisition for
    Disney.  We continue to award the stock our highest rating for both
    short and long term performance potential.
    
    
    Copied w/o permission in its entirety from the Orlando Sentinel
    
    

    Can someone elaborate on the recent uproar of Disney's treatment with
    animals on Discovery Island?  I don't know specifics (and I may even
    have these few details wrong, as well) but there was talk in the news 
    about going to court or some such...
    
    -Andy

    Disney may end up in court due to the accidental death of a large
    number of vultures. It seems that Disney obtained a permit to capture
    up to 99 vultures that were making life difficult at Discovery Island
    and River Country.
    
    It turns out that these vultures are considered an endangered species. Not
    only did Disney capture a lot more than the permit allowed but a large 
    number died of heat asphyxiation while waiting to be transported to the 
    realease site. 
    
    Because this is the third time in the last 12 months that Disney has had 
    problems at Discovery Island with care of animals the state wildlife
    agency is more than a little upset. 

    Here's the article that was in the Orlando Sentinel
    
    
                  Disney, workers charged with killing, abusing birds
    
    In the land of Mickey Mouse, Bambi and Donald Duck, workers routinely
    fired a rifle at hawks, beat vultures to death with a stick and
    destroyed the nests and eggs of ibises and egrets, according to state
    and federal investigators.
    
    That's what they found behind the scenes at Walt Disney World's
    Discover Island, an 11-acre zoological park.  They say the park's
    supervisor sanctioned the abuses.
    
    A two-month investigation resulted in 16 state and federal charges
    filed against Disney and five of its employees last week - most dealing
    with the death of vultures which were crammed into a tiny, overheated
    shed for days with limited food and water.  Disney has refused to
    comment on the charges.
    
    A state report concluded that "many of the employees at Discovery
    Island carried out illegal activities at the direction of (curator)
    Charlie Cook" and that the workers "were acting with the understanding
    that those activities were legal and authorized under Walt Disney World
    permits."
    
    The recriminations go beyond the legal problems that Disney faces.  The
    documentation of the killing and inhumane treatment of protected wild
    birds has led other zookeeping professionals to question Discovery
    Island's management.
    
    "It looks very, very bad" said Robert Wagner, executive director of the
    Wheeling, W. Va. - based Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.
    
    The association accredits Discovery Island and other zoos.  Wagner
    promised an investigation into whether Disney's accrediation should be
    revoked after reading the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commision's
    18-page investigative report.  Representatives from the association
    last inspected Discovery Island in January.
    
    "The report is scathing," Wagner said.  "this is surprising in a
    facility as well-respected as Disney.  There very likely will be an
    on-site inspection as well as a request for a point-by-point answer to
    the charges."
    
    DISNEY "MISUNDERSTOOD"
    
    Disney officials first blamed the incident on a misunderstanding
    surrounding the conditions of a federal permit that allowed the
    company to trap and relocate 100 black vultures.  The vultures were
    pecking a park animals bothering visitors and destroying vinyl seats
    and other park property.
    
    Maj. Kyle Hill, head of investigations for the state game commissions
    ridiculed that explanation:  "You can tell it was a lot more than a
    misunderstanding.  These were pretty blatant conditions."
    
    When confronted with that statement and investigation details - 72
    vultures being kept for days in a windowless, airless shed legally big
    enough for only three; two workers breaking the legs and smashing the
    bodies of trapped vultures; workers trying to shoot hawks - Disney
    officials had no comment.
    
    "We're still proud of what Discover Island is and will work very
    closely with wildlife officials to make any corrections that need to be
    made." spokesman John Dreyer said.  "We still intend to operate it as
    the first-class facility that we have always intended it to be."
    
    U.S., STATE PERMITS AT RISK
    
    Revocation of the accreditation would not end Disney's right to operate
    Discover Island.  But rescinding federal and state permits the company
    needs to keep and display animals could.  Investigators with the game
    commission and the U.S. FIsh and Wildlife Service said their agencies
    may consider revoking the permits if the cases result in convictions.
    
    In federal court, Disney is charged with three counts of unlawfully
    trapping or trying to trap vultures, ibises and egrets - all protected
    under the federal migratory bird act.  Disney could be fined as much as
    $30,000 and has been ordered to appear before U.S. Magistrate Donald
    Dietrich Oct 5, to anwer the charges.
    
    In state court, Disney and its 40 year old Discover Island curator,
    Cook, are each charged with illegally capturing or trying to capture
    vultures, ibises, hawks, falcons and owls; improperly holding vultures
    while in captivity and improperly caring for them.
    
    Howard Rejonis, 22, lead keeper at Discover Island, and Jeff Goodman,
    21, another keeper, both of Orlando, are charged with animal cruelty
    in the beating of trapped vultures to death with a stick.
    
    Donald Brumfield 38, of Sorrento, and Michael Cockrell workers at a
    pigeon loft, are charged with illegally trying to capture owls, hawks
    and falcons.
    
    All of the state charges are misdemeanors with a maximum penalty of six
    months in jail and a $500 fine upon conviction.  The five employees
    plus a Disney representative must appear in court Oct 30 to enter
    pleas.
    
    Brumfield and Goodman would not comment.  The others could not be
    reached.  All of the employees, including Cook, have been transferred
    to other jobs until the cases are resolved, Dreyer said.
    
    BIRDS ATTACKED, DEFECATED
    
    According to what Disney employees told state investigators, the
    vultures attacked animals, defecated on a boardwalk and stunk.  The
    hawks, falcons and owls attached show pigeons.  The egrets and ibises
    defecated and were noisy.
    
    Disney received a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service May 24
    to trap and relocate 100 vultures.  But Disney never got the approval
    of state or federal wildlife officials for its trapping and holding
    methods or a relocation site, Hill said, as federal and state laws
    required.
    
    Hill said he found that particularly disturbing because state
    investigators met with Cook and other Disney officials April 24 to
    explain the legalities of relocating protected birds.
    
    "We'd just had a meeting where we told them exactly what they had to
    do," Hill said.  "they should have known."
    
    In June, state game officials received an anonymous call about vultures
    being killed.  During several mid-July visits to Discovery Island,
    investigators learned that Disney had trapped about 10 vultures before
    applying for a permit.  They also learned that at least 149 vultures
    and as many as 200, had been caught.  Approximately 120 were relocated,
    although it's impossible to say how many, as Disney kept few records of
    how many were moved or where they went.
    
    During their second visit, July 14, investigators found the metal shed,
    20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 7 feet high.  There were no windows,
    ventilation, water or perches.  Old food, feces and feathers were on
    the floor.
    
    72 HELD IN SHED LEGAL FOR 3
    
    Ninteen vultures -one of them dead - were in the shed, but Cook later
    acknowledged that as many as 72 had been held there at one time. 
    Federal and state laws limited the capacity of the shed to three
    vultures.  Some were kept there as long as two weeks.  Reports on how
    many vultures died differ but it was at least 15.
    
    Another Discovery Island manager, Jim Found, told investigators that
    supervisors had discussed destroying vultures, a step allowed under
    state and federal law only under extreme circumstances.
    
    "He said that it was company policy that there should not be a permit
    or request for a permit in a public file that indicated that Walt
    Disney World Co. had requested a permit to kill animations," the report
    states.
    
    Other employees told investigators that as far back as the summmer of
    1988 Rejonis and Goodman were trapping vultures at Cooks direction. 
    Agents found a log book, which Goodman later acknowledged that he and
    Rejonis kept, with entries such as this one on Aug 5, 1988: "caught two
    black vultures in trap - very much fun," and another on Aug 8, 1988:
    "Found 3 or 4 dead vultures.  I guess you wouldn't know how they got
    that way."
    
    Another former Discovery Island employee, Lisa Reinert, told two state
    investigators that she saw Rejonis and Goodman kill eight to 10
    vultures by beating them while they were in a trap.
    
    "She said that she saw Rejonis lean into the trap with a 2-3 foot stick
    to strike at the vultures....causing the birds to thrash about wildly,
    smashing into the sides of the trap, and each other," the state report
    reads.  "She said she saw feathers flying, wings and legs being broken. 
    Then the crippled vultures were dragged out of the trap by Rejonis and
    Goodman, and both delivered blows with sticks until the vultures were
    dead."
    
    Rejonis would not talk to investigators.  Goodman said that he and
    Rejonis had beat on the outside of the trap with sticks to flush the
    vultures out of the trap, which caused vultures to thrash about wildly
    and injure or kill themselves.  He did not admit beating any.  Several
    workers said Cook, when notified of the beats, told the two men to
    stop.
    
    GUNFIRE DIDN'T SCARE THEM
    
    Employees tried several methods to get rid of the owls, hawks and
    falcons throughout late 1988 and early 1989, according to the reports,
    including firing bird shot from a .22 caliber rifle.  None of the
    methods worked.  All were illegal, investigators wrote.
    
    The explanations that several Disney employees, particularly Cook, gave
    to investigators during the inquiry were riddled with inconsistencies. 
    For instance, on July 13 Cook told agents that the only gun on the
    island was a flare gun used to frighten birds.
    
    But three days later, the investigators found several blow-gun darts,
    the rifle and several boxes of shot and bullets in a storage shed. 
    Cook had no explanation for why he hadn't told investigators about the
    other guns.  He admitted instructing employees how to use them to get
    rid of birds.
    
    Also on July 13 Cook told investigators that employees were no longer
    trapping vultures.  The next day investigators found 19 vultures in the
    shed.  Cook said he had forgotten about them.
    
    Finally the curator told agents that only nine vultures that he knew of
    had died.  Other employees said later that they had pulled at least 15
    dead vultures from the shed and told Cook about it.
    
    Cook's explanation:  He was very nervous during his first interview
    with investigators and was "just grabbing for straws."
    
    
    
    
    

    
    More on Discovery Island
    
    
                     Disney makes changes at Discover Island
    
    From the Orlando Sentinel
    
    
    Walt Disney WOrld officials have appointed a local environmentalist to
    run Discovery Island in the wake of charges that company officials
    trapped, abused and fatally beat birds at the attraction.
    
    The company of Thursday also formed an oversight committee that
    includes representatives of the FLorida Audubon Socierty and the
    FLorida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
    
    State and federal charges filed last week include accusations that
    employees at the 11-acre zoological park beat vultures to death with
    sticks and held dozens of thebirds in a small metal shed with little
    food and water.
    
    

    
    After reading this, it seems we all need to be in politics in Florida
    to get the freebies of WDW.
    
    
                  Many Officials take Disney's Freebies
                   (Orlando Sentinel)
    
    Two days after Charles Owen became an Osceola County commissioner last
    year, Walt Disney World executives bought him lunch and showed him
    around their theme park.  Owen calls it developing "a good
    dialogue....a good rapport."
    In February, dozens of Florida legislators and their families spent a
    free weekend at Disney World, riding space mountain, eating catered
    meals and staying in resort hotels.
    Government officials at all levels - from the City Hall of St. Cloud to
    the governor's mansion in Tallahasee - accept perks from the tourism
    giant.  Many elected and appointed officials in Orange and Osceola
    counties get the most common perk - Disney Silver Passes.
    The pases give a year's free admission to the holder and four guests,
    but who gets them is confidential, Disney spokesman John Dreyer said.
     May of the officials make decisions affecting Disney.  They decide the
    theme parks property taxes.  They approve increases in the resort tax
    paid by guests in Disney hotels.  They investigate crimes on Disney
    property.  And they have led efforts to make Disney pay for the
    consequences of its growth.
     Bill Jones, the director of Common Cause/Florida, a group that
    monitors government activities, called the gifts a conflict of
    interest.
     "The only reason why they get the cards is because they are public
    officials," Jones said. "Special privileges don't need to be a part of
    the public trust.  Gifts are given to influence.  No matter what the
    value, it is the motivation behind the gift that matters."
     The practice is not unusual.  Jones said Disney is among many
    businesses and poltical action committees statewide that give officials
    free trips, dinners and other gifts.
    
    PASSES 'a long-standing practice"
    
    Most officials said they aren't influenced by Disney's gifts.  Dreyer
    said the effort is a way to keep leaders informed about what Central
    Florida's largest private employer is doing.
     We have an active governmental affairs program, said Dreyer, adding
    that the Silver Passes are one part of that program.
     "It's been a long-standing practice that began in 1971.  We provide
    silver passes to those who are our principal contacts who have a need
    to know and understand our business," Dreyer said. "We give these
    people the opportunity to experience firsthand our parks and the many
    new attractions and developments created at WDW."
     A key event is the annual legislative weekend, when the company
    invites lawmakers and their families to Disney.  The company's
    Tallahassee lobbyist, Bernie Parrish, said it is a chance for
    "legislators to unwind."  Disney provides one night's lodging, dinner
    and breakfast.
     State Rep. Richard Crotty, R-Orlando, took his family on the Disney
    retreat in February.
     "It's important to both interests to have us out there because it
    keeps us informed," he said. "They are the biggest tourist magnet in
    the state, and I see the weekend as a real positive thing."
     Like Gov Bob Martinex, Cabinet Members and other Central Florida
    legislators, Crotty was given a Silver Pass.  Crotty said he uses it
    from time to time, but more often lately because his daughter 3, is old
    enough to enjoy the Magic Kingdom.
     Other public officials also said they occasionally use their cards.
     Osceola County Property Appraiser Bob Day said he got a Silver Pass
    when he was elected in 1983.  Later that year he raised Disney's
    property tax appraisal.  Disney sued and won a lower appraisal.
     Day said he hasn't gotten a pass since then.
     This year Day raised the appraisal again and Disney sued again.
     "They really don't like me because I'm always talking more taxes for
    the county," Day said. "And I guess they just want to flex their muscle
    and say "Well we'll show you."
     Dreyer said Day did not get a pass this year because of an oversight, 
    and one will be sent to him.  He said the passes are mailed every
    January and are never revoked as punishment.
     Orange County's poperty appraiser, Ford Hausman, also gets a pass.
     Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar, whose office filed animal
    cruelty charges against Disney on Sept 20, gets a pass.  but
    Orange-Osceola Public Defender Joseph DuRocher does not.
     "Theres no reason to keep me happy," DuRocher said.
     "We might represent some people accused of committing a crime on
    Disney property. "I'm sure we might represent a Disney employee from
    time to time because I'm certain some of them are poor enough to
    qualify for help from my office.  But there's no reason for Disney to
    give me a pass because I can't do them any good."
     Lamar's spokesman, Randy Means, said the state attorney received the
    passes during his eight years as Orange County Sheriff and sees no
    conflict of interest in accepting them.  Lamar, who was elected state
    attorney last year, rarely uses the card, Means said.
     A silver pass gives free admission to card-holders, their spouces and
    up to three other guests for an unlimited number of visits.  Admission
    for adults is $30.65 so the card is worth up to $153.25 every time it's
    used.
     LAW UNCLEAR ON DISCLOSURE OF PASSES
    
    Under state law, elected officials must list on yearly income
    disclosure forms any gift or campaign contribution worth $100. or more,
    said Floy Busby, attorney for the Florida Ethics Commission.  Officials
    can accept gifts as long as they are not intended to influence them,
    she said.
     Busby said the Ethics Commission never has decided whether officials
    should disclose getting Disney passes.
     Most officials list the passes on their disclosure forms.  Osceola
    County Commissioners, however, do not.  They said they do not consider
    the passes to be gifts and use them to show other officials the area
    and to gain admission to Disney functions.
     In Orange County, where Disney has built most of its attractions and
    hotels, commissioners list their passes.  Commissioner Linda Chapin
    said she thought every elected official in Orange and Osceola got a
    pass.  She added she never viewed them as an attempt to influence her. 
    But after learning about Dayt and DuRoucher, she's not sure.
     "Up until now I've regarded the Silver Card as a P.R. tool," she said
    "But now I think we'll have to rethink it.  Especially if it is
    withheld we'll have to rethink it. Especially if it is withheld as some
    kind of punishment or expression of Disney's disagreement over a
    decision."
     Orange County Commissioner Bill Donegan, who was elected in November,
    said he sent his Silver Pass back in January because he felt
    uncomfortable with the gift.  Disney sent Donegan a second card and he
    returned it too.
     Donegan said Disney wasn't trying to influence him, but he believed
    that accepting a year's worth of free admission was inappropriate.
     "You could use that thing quite often and it can run into a tremendous
    amount of money given the admission prices," said Donegan, who has
    criticized Disney for not paying for roads and other services strained
    by rapid growth. "I mean, here I am in a fighting match with Disney and
    here I am taking a pass from them?  I just felt uncomfortable."
     But in June, Donegan asked Disney for 75 free souvenirs for a Harvard
    University Class reunion.
     "The governor of Hawaii sent everyone a can of macadamia nuts.  I
    thought about sending a crate of oranges, but that seemed too
    expensive," Donegan said.  "I asked Disney to send some souvenirs like
    some key chains or something, and they refused.  I guess I'm not a
    buddy of theirs."
     
     REACTION TO DISNEY'S OVERTURES MIXED
    
     Disney has affected Orange and Osceola counties differently.  And
    officials in each county react differently to the company's overtures.
     Because most of Disney's land in Osceola is undeveloped, the company
    has paid less taxes there than in Orange County where its theme parks
    are located.  Osceola officials have become frustrated with Disney,
    aying the company has brought thousand of new residents and tourists to
    the county but pays little for roads and other services.
     To improve relations, Disney this year assigned a company executive as
    a liaison to each commissioner.  Osceola commissioners now are playing
    golf with Disney's director or marketing, dining with a vice-president
    and chatting on the phone with its president of finance and planning.
     "At some point, I got a call from him and he said "well if you ever
    need anything, here's my number", Commissioner Larry Whaley said of his
    liaison EPCOT engineering executive Cecil Robinson.
     The week before Disney sued Osceola for raising its taxes
    commissioners received calls and lunch invitations from their assigned
    Disney contacts.
     "He just informed me that corporate had made a decision to challenge
    the tax assessment, and that was about it," Commissioner Jim Swan said
    of his phone call from Disney Vice President Lary Slocum.  "I told him
    I was very disappointed. But these are not decisions he makes.  So I'
    can't blame him."
     Commissioner John Pate said his liasion calls or sends notes inviting
    him to events at Disney.  "Frankly, I like it," he said.  "I don't see
    it as any thing wrong.  Instead of reading about something Disney does
    in the newspaper, at least I get the courtesy of a phone call."
     Orange County Commissioners have assigned Disney contacts, too, but
    Commissioner Vera Carter said she doesn't know who her liaison is.
     "If I want to talk to someone at Disney, " call (Disney President)
    Dick Nunis," Carter said. "No one lobbies me or buys my lunch.  I don't
    go to lunch people.   I go to lunch to enjoy my lunch and keep my work
    limited to the office."
    

WDW has the cover story of yesterday's issue of the weekly newsmagazine
"Insight".  Their reporting is generally balanced and the title should
not lead you to believe that the stories are negative.  This mag should
be on most newsstands.
\Gary

    In the  December  4th  issue  of  Fortune,  their Corporate Performance
    feature  is an  article  title  'How  Disney  Keeps  the  Magic  Going'
    subtitled 'Want to turn  your  company  into  an  idea  factory without
    losing financial control?  try  CEo Eisner's elixir-an effective mix of
    Hollywood and high finance'
    
    The article is too long to  enter  here,  8  pages  with  pictures (pgs
    111-132) but a caption that is typical with some folks is as follows
    
    'Eisner resists the idea that he is  Disney's  creative spark plug, but
    when you tour backstage at the pavilions of  Epcot  Center  in  Orlando
    ,Florida, or walk through the miles of tunnels under  the Magic Kingdom
    at Walt Disney World...'
    
    No wonder people think that the MK if WDW and  that's  it in Orlando vs
    Lake Buena Vista FL.
    
    Claude

    I have a bunch of articles about Disney from the Orlando
    Sentinel 10/30-11/4.  I will enter them here when I get
    a chance, assuming the moderators approve.  They mainly
    cover the opening of the Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot
    but there is some information about the new construction
    going on around the park.

From the Nashua (NH) Telegraph, November 22, 1989:

	Researchers:  Disneyland a modern pilgrimage site for religious

    ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Magic Kingdom of Disneyland may be more than
    white-knuckle rides and a cast of animated characters -- it can also be
    a modern religious pilgrimage, two scholars say.
       In addition to Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Frontierland, the Magic
    Kingdom could add Sanctuaryland to the visitor agenda, Christopher and
    Debra Parr said at a joint session of the American Academy of Religion
    and the Society of Biblical Literature.
       The two Boston University doctoral candidates presented a paper Sunday
    [Nov. 19] on the religious significance and spiritual pleasures of
    Disneyland.
       The park, which evokes paradise and purity, is a sanctuary from the
    hectic outside world, the Parrs said.
       The couple admitted they were introducing unaccustomed whimsy into the
    annual meeting of religion scholars.  Debra Parr teaches American liter-
    ature; her husband teaches in Boston University's religion department.
       While Disneyland has no religious symbols on its grounds, the Parrs
    say messages are there.
      It begins with the huge parking lot that has tall signs painted with
    cartoon characters.  Perhaps, the Parrs ask, "Goofy, Pooh Bear, and Dumbo
    are the seraphim who will watch over your wheels while you're within the
    shrine?"
       "The park itself is secluded, walled off from the 'profane,' an island
    of harmony, order, peace," the Parrs say.
       The Magic Kingdom subtly assures people that this is America the
    Beautiful with a shiny future:  "The distinctly religious message...is
    that the future will bring happiness, as in the song 'When You Wish Upon
    a Star.'"
       Some recent churchgoing visitors to Disneyland were asked what they
    thought of the Parrs' theory.
       One compared the park's ambiance to a friendly church atmosphere.
    "You see all the cultures here mixing together.  God's family on a holiday
    together," said Bert O'Connell, of West Lafayett, Ind.
       But Cindy Myers of Orange County said she saw a darker side with
    "overtures of the occult" in the magical fantasies, the Palm Reader booth
    and Crystal Shop on Main Street U.S.A.

    WAs wondering if anyone has seen, heard, read anything on:
    
     The other week when at WDW we were in line for something and a
    man asked my wife if she had seen the person fall off "Thunder Mt."
    earlier that day, and if she did was the person ok?  He said it looked
    wild seeing it.  We hadn't heard anything else about this have any
    of you?  Or was this guy having "Dole-whip" withdrawals...

    Haven't seen anything either in the Orlando Sentinal or TV news
    broadcast.  The local media are real good at following Disney
    happenings, therefore I don't think they would have missed this.  If I
    see something I'll post it.
    

    The following was extracted from the February 1990 issue of Parents
    magazine and posted without their permission...
    
    -Andy
    

                            Disney on a Shoestring
(You don't have to spend a fortune to have a great time in Orlando's "World".)

                                 by Ann Banks

    It seems impossible to believe that just five short days ago I had
    never heard of a character breakfast; wasn't aware that Pluto signed
    his name with a paw print in place of the 'o'; hadn't any idea how to
    go by boat from the Fort Wilderness Campground to the Magic Kingdom
    without a time-wasting stop at Discovery Island; couldn't tell Chip
    from Dale; and had never laid eyes on something called a Disney
    Dollar.

    First-time visitors to Walt Disney World are on what is known as a
    steep learning curve -- as steep as Space Mountain itself (where, in
    spite of its reputation for thrills, I was too timid to venture).  As
    with any strange country, there is a phenomenal amount of information
    to absorb in a hurry.  No longer a total greenhorn, I now know the
    ropes -- some of them, anyway.

    At a character breakfast, where the Disney gang makes special
    appearances, Pluto scrawled his distinctive autograph in my notebook. 
    Early morning and late afternoon are the times for nonstop boat
    service.  Chip is the one with the black nose.  And Disney Dollars? 
    This is how they work:  Upon entering "the World," as it's called, you
    can exchange your U.S. currency for the Disney version.  Should any of
    these Disney Dollars remain in your pocket at the end of your stay,
    they may be traded back in for regular cash.  I decided to pass up
    this opportunity.  My own cash seemed enough like play money -- I
    hated to think about how freely I might spend bills with Mickey
    Mouse's picture on them.

    Actually, we'd planned our vacation to be relatively frugal, if not 
    precisely rock-bottom.  The trip was a reunion as well as a Disney
    visit, since my five-year-old daughter, Kate, and I were being met
    there by her grandparents (my parents) who live in Florida.  Kate's
    father couldn't join us, however, and I was determined not to blow the
    yearly family-vacation budget on this one getaway.  At the same time I
    didn't want "No, we can't afford it" to become the trip's refrain. 
    Saving money would be an important factor in our plans, I decided, but
    not the only one.

Accommodations

    The first step was figuring out where to stay.  I did some research and 
    learned that the area's cheapest rooms are at the budget motels located
    off Disney property -- Days Inn Resort or TraveLodge, for example. 
    There is now also a moderately priced hotel inside Disney World, the
    Caribbean Beach Resort.  Designed and decorated in the style of
    various tropical islands, the Caribbean Beach Resort has playgrounds,
    swimming pools, jogging trails, and other agreeable features.  (The
    two most useful resources I found were Steve Birnbaum's guidebook
    "Walt Disney World" [Houghton Mifflin, $9.95], which is the "official
    guide" and good on the nuts-and-bolts details; and "The Unofficial
    Guide to Walt Disney World & EPCOT [Prentice Hall, $7.95], which gives
    you the inside scoop on practically everything.)

    I decided that the best all-around buy for us was at the Disney-owned
    Fort Wilderness Campground.  Fort Wilderness is a 780-acre stretch of
    loblolly pine, scrub oak, and cypress hung with gray streamers of
    Spanish moss.  Its 800 or so campsites can accommodate everything from
    pup tents to the most colossal and splendid recreational vehicles
    (some owners even bring their own lawn ornaments).  I opted for a
    third possibility:  one of the 400 or so air-conditioned trailers,
    which rent for $140 to $165 per night.  These have a bedroom, a full
    bath (complete with complimentary bottles of Mickey Mouse shampoo and
    cream rinse), and a living room containing a pulldown or sofa bed. 
    The 35-foot model sleeps up to four; the 42-foot accommodates six . 
    The kitchen is amply equipped (microwave, automatic ice maker), and
    just outside the door is a charcoal grill cleaned daily by the maid. 
    All in all, it was, as Kate remarked when we first walked in, "much
    nicer than I expected."

    As an economy measure, I vowed that, except for the previously
    mentioned character breakfast, we'd stay from the restaurants.  The
    one time I weakened (on the first day), we stood in line for 40
    minutes at a Magic Kingdom eatery, fought with other patrons for a
    table, and then wolfed down a greasy, overpriced meal.  After that, we
    prepared almost all our own food.  I know that for some people the
    theme restaurants are an important part of the Disney experience, but
    we found that we actually welcomed the chance to eat at "home."

How to relax:

    Staying at the campground saved us money, but what it really saved was
    my sanity.  The chance to brush up against nature (real trees! real
    boulders!); the relaxed, unfrenetic atmosphere; the reassuringly
    folksy nighttime campfire activities -- all these made Fort Wilderness
    a welcome refuge after the wear and tear of a day at the Magic
    Kingdom.  No matter how keenly anticipated or hugely enjoyed, a visit
    to Disney World is a high-stress experience.  But just as it's
    possible to economize if you try, it's also possible to have a
    somewhat more relaxed stay in Disney territory -- if you try.  Since
    this advice appears to be contradictory (if you must work at 
    something, how can it be relaxing?), many people ignore it.  Don't be
    among them.  For example, the single most important time I have for a
    Disney-bound family is to get to the park gates early -- up to have
    hour before the official opening time.  Know exactly what you want to
    see.  Head directly for the most popular attractions, and don't waste
    time shopping or snacking along the way.  Having saved yourself hours
    of waiting, you will be ready to leave the park by 11:30.  The next
    three or four hours can be spent swimming, picnicking, boating on
    Disney World's Bay Lake, or simply resting.  In the late afternoon or
    early evening the crowds will again have thinned out (although they're
    never as sparse as first thing in the morning), and you can return,
    refreshed, to tackle a few more rides.

    By sticking pretty closely to this schedule, we were able to take in a
    half dozen attractions a day without ever standing in line for more
    than 30 minutes -- usually it was much less.  Of course, as commandant
    of our highly disciplined Disney operation, I had to endure a certain
    amount of verbal abuse from my troops.  As I announced a 6:00am
    wake-up call one morning (we had reservations for a 7:30 character
    breakfast), my father was heard to grumble about having certainly
    raised a "bossy daughter".

What to see, what to skip

    I made another tough decision that enhanced our quality of life in
    Disney World:  We wouldn't try to see everything on this trip.  There
    are now three theme parks on the property:  the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT
    Center, and the recently opened Disney-MGM Studios, as well as
    attractions such as Typhoon Lagoon and River Country.  Since Kate is
    still in kindergarten, and since I myself prefer the strictly
    fantastic to the educational, I decided we would pass up EPCOT and
    concentrate on the Magic Kingdom.  After having seen so many pictures
    of Cinderella's fairytale castle, Kate was thrilled when she saw the
    real thing.  And we both were drawn to the Magic Kingdom's storybook-
    come-to-life attractions -- its collection of rides, shows, and 
    adventures that features such favorites as the Mad Hatter, Peter Pan, 
    Tom  Sawyer, Mr. Toad, Snow White, Dumbo, and Mickey Mouse.  Both
    EPCOT and Disney-MGM Studios are generally considered to be better for
    older children and adults.

    We did buy admission tickets to River Country, the huge water
    playground located next to Fort Wilderness, but we wasted our money. 
    There is no point in visiting River Country (or the even bigger
    Typhoon Lagoon) unless your children are strong swimmers.  Since Kate
    is still in the water-wings stage, we'd have been better off taking
    her to the Fort Wilderness beach or to one of the two campground
    pools, which are not only free but also far less crowded.  As with so
    many things at Disney World, it seemed to work out for us that the
    cheaper way was also the preferable way.

    My favorite thing at Disney World cost four dollars (three dollars for 
    children).  We didn't have to wait in line to get on it, nor did we
    sign up ahead of time.  It was the 45-minute hayride pulled by a pair
    of black Percherons that twice nightly wound through the wooded trails
    of Fort Wilderness.  The hayride is among many low-tech, inexpensive
    entertainments available in the campground -- part of what makes Fort
    Wilderness, in my opinion, the best bargain at Disney World.

    There are sporting activities:  fishing, bicycling, horseback riding, 
    swimming (beach and pool), tennis, boating, and jogging.  There's also
    a very sweet petting zoo, where for a dollar children can ride a pony
    named Rosie.  There's a stagecoach ride -- not as much fun as the
    hayride but still quite satisfying if you've always wanted to ride in
    a stagecoach.  And every night at dusk there is an old-fashioned (and
    free to Fort Wilderness guests) campfire program, where Chip and Dale
    make guest appearances and beg chocolate chip cookies from the
    audience (come prepared).  When we were there, the sing-along was led
    by a young man named Wayne who really knows how to lead a sing-along. 
    Everyone, adults and children, seems to know the words to all the
    songs:  "B-I-N-G-O", "My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean", and, of course,
    "It's a Small World".  There is an actual campfire (bring your own
    marshmallows), and once the singing is concluded, a full length Walt
    Disney movie is shown on an outdoor screen.

Sticking to your budget

    With so much to do and so much space to run around in, kids love Fort 
    Wilderness.  Most of the adults I talked to liked it as well, with a
    few reservations.  Staying in a campground means stocking your on
    larder, and there is no easy, inexpensive way to accomplish this.  The
    two trading posts at Fort Wilderness are so overpriced and have such a
    poor selection that I would recommend making the trip to the vast
    Goodings Supermarket located across from the Disney Village Hotel
    Plaza.  Goodings is also expensive, but the quality and selections are
    better.

    My worry from the start had been that our budget version of a Disney 
    vacation would make us feel deprived -- and the pressure to overspend
    would be enormous.  After all, if you can afford to get your family
    there in the first place, why not just spend with abandon to ensure a
    good time?  As it turned out, we did save a considerable amount of
    money -- and ended up feeling quite pleased with ourselves.  Not only
    were our home-cooked meals healthier and cheaper than Disney fare, but
    we managed to retain a pinch of control over our own destiny -- no
    trivial accomplishment within the borders of Disney World.

      (Ann Banks is a writer who lives with her family in New York City)

                 Disney Expansion strikes fear
               New hotels could trigger shakeout
                Taken without permission from some Florida paper
    
    
    Walt Disney WOrld's plans to more than double the number of hotel rooms
    on its property by the year 2000 could prompt a shakeout among
    moderately priced hotels as well as those miles away from the giant
    resolt, hotel analysts said Monday.
    
    Disney, as part of a major announcement Sunday, said it will build a
    fourth theme park and 29 new attractions in the 1990's along with seven
    new hotels with a combined 5,030 rooms.
    
    Hotel analysts said Disney will have no trouble filling its new hotel
    rooms in Central Florida, but that moderately priced hotels - those
    with rooms priced from $45 to $74 a night - and those that lie miles
    from Disney, along U.S. 192 in Osceola County or in downtown or north
    Orlando, could have problems.
    
    Disney have five hotels with 5,078 rooms under construction on its 43
    square miles of land south or Orlando in addition to 9,534 rooms open
    on its property.
    
    By the year 2000, Disney said it expects to have 21,000 rooms at Disney
    WOrld, or 30.9 percent of the 67,811 hotel tooms now in Orange, Osceola
    and Seminole counties, according to the state Division of Hotels and
    Restaurants.
    
    Disney announced Sunday, that in the 1990's it will build the
    Mediterranean Resolt, a 1,000 room luxury hotel; the Wilderness Lodge,
    with 700 rooms; and Buffalo Junction with 600 rooms.  The latter two
    hotels may or may not be moderately priced, Disney officials said.
    
    Also, the company said it will build Disney's Kingdom suite hotel, with
    200 luxury suites; the DIsney boardwalk, with 530 rooms, and two
    Hollywood themed hotels, with 1,000 rooms each.
    
    Chuck Ross, a senior principal at the Tampa office of Laventhos and
    Horwath, an accounting firm that does consulting work for the hotel
    industry, said his firm's research has consistently indicated that
    "people show a preference for staying as close to Disney as possible."
    
    Ross said that as Disney increases its hotel inventory, it will be
    harder for more remote hotels in Osceola County and in north Orlando to
    appeal to tourists, especially if the time that tourists spend in
    Central Florida does not greatly increase.
    
    The Dow Jones News Service, with out crediting Wall Street analysits.
    said Disney World's expansion "could well exceed several billion
    dollars," but Disney didn't put a price tag on its hotel development.
    
    Patrick D'Sa, a senior consultant at the Miami office of Pannell Kerr
    Forster, an accounting and consultanting firm, said moderately priced
    hotels can expect to go head-to-head with Disney.
    
    "People will be willing to pay a little bit more to stay on Disney
    property.  That could affect the Holiday Inns, the Ramadas and other
    middle-range hotels," he said.
    
    Rooms in Disney's moderately priced Caribbean Beach Resort are $69 to
    $99 a night.
    
    Yet local hoteliers, including those that operate moderately priced
    hotels, are optimistic that they can hold their own against the giant
    resort.
    
    Metro Orlando hotel occupancy is among the highest in the nation.  D'Sa
    said hotels in metro Orlando were about 84 percent full in 1989 and
    occupancy is expected to remain there this year.  The usual break-even
    point in the industry is 65 percent.
    
    The average room rate, he added, is expected to rise to $59 in metro
    Orlando from $56 in 1989.
    
    Hoteliers said as long as Disney World adds significant new
    attractions, such as a fourth theme park it plans by the late 1990's
    they will have a fair shot at winning their share of a growing tourist
    pie.
    
    Neal R. McFarland, a spokesman for Holiday Inns International in
    Orlando, a company that includes 13 Holiday Inns, most of them in
    Central Florida, said, "Disney's fourth attraction will create more
    demand, a bigger tourist pie.  And the hotels will bne phased in over a
    decade.  That's a long time".
    
    

    
From: ecl@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Evelyn C. Leeper)
Newsgroups: rec.travel,rec.arts.books
Subject: HOLIDAYS IN HELL by P. J. O'Rourke
Message-ID: <3628@cbnewsj.ATT.COM>
Date: 25 Jan 90 16:35:26 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
 
 
		      HOLIDAYS IN HELL by P. J. O'Rourke
		  Vintage, 1989, ISBN 0-679-72422-2, $8.95.
		      A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
 
     If your idea of a fun vacation is Beirut, you could be another
P. J. O'Rourke.  On the other hand, if you wouldn't be caught dead there
(you'll pardon the expression), you should probably just stick to reading
HOLIDAYS IN HELL.
 
     P. J. O'Rourke managed to convince ROLLING STONE magazine to bankroll
his travel to such vacation spots as Beirut, Seoul, Manila (post-Marcos),
Warsaw (pre-Walesa), Johannesburg, Heritage U.S.A., and the Epcot Center.
If the last two don't sound so bad, wait until you read O'Rourke's
descriptions.  For example, of the Epcot Center, he says:
     Today the future is a quagmire of micro-chips.  They'll
     connect your television to somebody's typewriter, and if you
     can't score a million at Donkey Kong, you'll be out of work.
     Meanwhile, the rest of the world has become a jumble of
     high-rises, from which pour mobs of college students headed
     for our embassies with kindling and Bics.  Mickey, Donald,
     Goofy to the rescue!  Give us hope!  Give us joy!  Give us
     funny mouse ears, anyway, to wear while we man the ramparts
     of civilization.  Alas, it's not to be.  Walt is dead.  And,
     after a couple of hours at Epcot, you'll wish you were, too.
 
(Mark once described the Epcot Center as follows:
     "[If the] 'Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow'
     really is a prototype community of tomorrow, we have a pretty
     weird future ahead of us!  After working all day under a
     beautiful dome--where your job is sitting on a sort of open
     train listening to some industrial giant tell you everything
     it's doing for you, you'll return home to your modest half-
     scale mock-up of China's Temple of Heaven, pick up the spouse
     and kiddees, go out for some really bad Japanese food, and
     take in a show about the wonders of Canada that will
     completely surround you, but you will have to stand up
     through.  George Orwell in his worst nightmare never...
     Well, you get the idea."
so you can see where I might think O'Rourke was right on the money!)
    
    [...]
 
     In case it isn't obvious: I loved this book!  Of course, it is true
that O'Rourke's writing verges on bad taste, but it's not clear how one
writes about travel to the places he is describing WITHOUT being in bad
taste.  What can one say about tourism in Beirut that would pass muster with
Miss Manners?
 
Evelyn C. Leeper   |   +1 201-957-2070   |   att!mtgzy!ecl or ecl@mtgzy.att.com

    
    Reprinted without permission from The Orlando Sentinel
    Monday, October 30, 1989

    
               Disney to add 2 'moderately priced' hotels
    
Walt Disney Co. is expanding its presence in Central Florida's hotel
industry by adding 3,056 "moderately priced" rooms with nightly rates
from $74 to $94, company officials announced Sunday.

Disney will build two new hotels by 1992, said Dick Nunis, president
of Walt Disney Attractions.  One will be designed as a plantation-style
resort, the other resembling New Orleans' French Quarter.

Disney decided to expand its number of moderately priced rooms based
on last year's opening of the 2,112-room Caribbean Beach hotel, Nunis
said.  Caribbean Beach has rooms in the same price range, and tourism
officials say the hotel has been booked since it opened in October 1988.

Called Port Orleans and Dixie Landings, the new hotels will bring the
total number of moderately priced Disney rooms to 5,168, adding further
to Central Florida's market, which is already recognized as the largest
in the country with nearly 70,000 rooms.

The hotels will be built on a 325-acre wooded setting between Disney's
Epcot Center and the Disney Village Marketplace.  They will be next to
the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.

Nunis discussed the expansion at a news conference at the Contemporary
Hotel.  The announcement was tied to today's official opening of the
Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot Center and Sunday's opening of
Dreamflight, a new attraction at Disney World sponsored by Delta Air
Lines.

"Since we are building more places for people to play, we need more
places for them to stay," Nunis said.

Tourism officials - and competing hotels - said Disney's new hotels should
not create a glut in the Central Florida market.  They welcomed the
competition.

Harris Rosen, whose company, Tamar Inns Inc., operates four economy
priced hotels in Central Florida, said Disney's expansion will
challenge smaller hotel operators.

"They are just doing what is in their best interests, and we all work
that way," said Rosen.

On Nov. 15 Rosen's company is breaking ground on its fifth hotel, the
Clarion Plaza on International Drive, which will add 810 rooms to the
market.

Abraham Pizam, director of the Dick Pope Sr. Tourism Institute at the
University of Central Florida, predicted that the new Disney hotels
will compete with properties on International Drive, where the $74 to
$94 price range is common.

Despite the competition, Pizam believes Central Florida hoteliers will
thrive.

"It puts an internal pressure on Disney to further market its attractions
so they can attract more people or give their guests a reason to stay
longer," he said.  "So long as that happens, it really doesn't hurt
other properties."

When the Caribbean Beach hotel opened last October, hoteliers were at
first concerned about competition, said Gary Froeba, president of the
Central Florida Hotel-Motel Association.

Now the concerns seem unfounded, he said.

"They [Disney] have done extremely well and so it goes for the Central
Florida hotel industry," Froeba said.

He noted that in September - a weak month for tourism - occupancy rates
in Central Florida hotels were above 70 percent.  They normally run
between 50 and 60 percent.

"Let's just keep riding on the crest of that wave," Froeba said.

The designs for Disney's new hotels are based on Southern themes.  The
Port Orleans will have 1,008 rooms, while the Dixie Landings will have
a total of 2,048 in two buildings.

The two hotels will be joined by a waterway that will offer boat rides
to the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island.

The projects signal Disney's aggressive entry into a segment of the
hotel industry that was previously the domain of budget and moderately
priced hotels along U.S. Highway 192 in Osceola County and International
Drive in South Orange County.

In addition to the new hotels, Nunis discussed other Disney projects,
including:

o New attractions at the Disney-MGM Studio Theme Park, including next
  year's opening of a 3-D movie featuring Muppet characters such as Kermit
  the Frog and Miss Piggy and an attraction based on the Disney movie
  *Honey I shrunk the Kids*, that will include a back yard with blades of
  grass 15 feet high.

o Progress at the Epcot Resort Complex, which features the 1,509-room
  luxury Dolphin hotel, the 767-room Swan hotel, the 634-room Yacht Club
  and the 538-room Beach Club resorts.  Nunis said the Yacht Club and
  Beach Club will be open by late next year.  The Swan is opening Nov. 20,
  followed in July by the Dolphin.  The complex will also feature Disney's
  newest nighttime entertainment complex called Disney Boardwalk, which is
  scheduled to open in late 1991.

o Plans to build two more professional golf courses on Disney property,
  bringing the total number of championship courses to five.

o A "blue sky" vision to build a transportation station on the south end
  of Disney property.  Nunis said the station could link various proposed
  mass transit systems, including a high-speed train between Orlando
  International Airport and Disney and a train linking Orlando, Miami and
  Tampa.

    
    Reprinted without permission from The Orlando Sentinel
    Tuesday, October 31, 1989

    
                A pavilion of wonders at Epcot
    
Keitha Grant, 10, stumbled off the Body Wars ride Monday at Wonders of
Life, Epcot Center's newest pavilion, gripped her midsection in display
of mock nausea, then broke into a broad smile.

"All I can say is - whooooo!" beamed the youngster from Hoboken, N.J.,
after her experience on the pavilion's biggest and most expensive thrill
ride, which simulates turbulent aircraft motion.

Keitha and hundreds of other guests surged into the pavilion shortly
after the Wonders of Life was dedicated by the Walt Disney Co.'s top
brass in a grand-opening ceremony Monday.

Disney seeks to draw more youngsters and teen-agers to Epcot Center, and
Wonders of Life is the company's latest means of doing that.  The
pavilion is the ninth to be build in the Future World section of
Epcot, and, at $72 million, it is one of the most costly, according to
a Disney source who asked not to be identified.

The pavilion's showpiece is Body Wars, a 4 1/2-minute thrill ride
through the human body.  Its opening marks the first time Disney has
introduced and expensive, high-tech simulator ride to Disney World.

Disney's top executives said the simulator ride and pavilion's hands-on
exhibits are expected to draw a younger audience.

The pavilion, sponsored by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. of New York
also features live performances and visitors can monitor their fitness
on machines or receive a computer-generated analysis of their health
and fitness.

Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive officer of the Walt Disney
Co., Disney World's parent, said Monday, "What we're most proud of is all
the creative aspects of the pavilion."

Eisner said he hopes Body Wars and other new attractions that are part
of Wonders of Life "will change the demographic look at Epcot," bringing
in a more youthful audience and boosting attendance.

As part of Body Wars, four 26-ton simulators - each essentially a theater
that holds 40 visitors - give seat-belted guests the sensation of being
in an aircraft going through moderate turbulence.

In addition to Body Wars, Wonders of Life features "Cranium Command," a
nine-minute show about the relationship between a 12-year-old's brain,
his emotions and his actions.

Another of the pavilion's shows, *The Making of Me*, is a departure
for the usually conservative Disney Co.  In a humorous look at a
couple's decision to have a baby, the 14-minute film shows, from a
discreet angle, the baby's birth.

If anyone objected to the birth film, they were silent about it Monday.
Aleen Danner, 60, of Greenville, Pa., said she liked the show because
it treated a serious subject "in a light, humorous way.  There wasn't
anything that bothered me about it," she said.

Like *The Making of Me*, shows at Wonders of Life drew huge crowds
Monday, and most guests were enthusiastic about what they saw.

Caroline and Dominic D'Angelo of Torrington, Conn., were frustrated
by the long lines at the new pavilion.  The one-hour wait to get into
the "Cranium Command" show was far too long.  They said the show was
"cute" but not worth the wait compared with other Epcot shows they
had seen.

If Disney's past experience with simulator rides is any indication,
attendance at Disney World should get a boost from the Body Wars
ride.  Last year, Disney World's attendance was about 25.17 million.

Two other simulator rides, called Star Tours, are in operation at
Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and at Tokyo Disneyland.  The Star
Tours rides are the most popular rides at both parks, according to
Dick Nunis, president of Walt Disney Attractions, which includes
Disney World and Disneyland.  A Star Tours ride also will open in
January at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park.

    
     Reprinted without permission from The Orlando Sentinel
     Tuesday, October 31, 1989
    
                Disney won't enter plea so state halts bargaining
    

A state prosecutor halted negotiations Monday with Walt Disney World
over the resolution of animal cruelty charges because the company
refuses to enter a plea.

Meanwhile, four Disney employees pleaded not guilty to the charges in
Orange County Court.  Howard Rejonis, 22; Jeff Goodman, 21; Donald
Brumfield, 38; and Michael Cockrell all had their trials set for
Nov. 21.

Disney and the employees were charged last month with 16 state and
federal violations, most stemming from alleged mistreatment of
wild vultures that bothered animals and visitors at Discovery Island,
the company's 11-acre zoological park.

According to the charges, Disney employees beat vultures to death,
held dozens of the protected birds in a small overheated shed with
little food and water, shot at hawks and knocked eggs from the
nests of other birds.

Over the objections of the Orange-Osceola state attorney's office,
Disney has twice received permission from County Judge John Adams
to postpone its arraignment, the court hearing at which the
company must plead guilty or not guilty.  Although trials are
commonly postponed, arraignments almost never are.

As a result Chief Assistant State Attorney Bill Vose said his office
and attorneys for the state Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
would stop negotiating a settlement until Disney agrees to enter a
plea.  Vose accused the company of thwarting the judicial system.

Disney attorney Robert Eagan has told Adams that not entering a
plea at this point would help the negotiations, but at the direction
of Disney, has refused to elaborate in interviews.  Company
spokesman John Dreyer would not say how pleading not guilty for the
time being would harm negotiations, especially since the state now
won't negotiate until the company does enter a plea.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Dreyer said, referring to another
hearing Adams has scheduled on the issue for this morning.

Both sides have refused to comment on the negotiations.

      Reprinted without permission from The Orlando Sentinel
      Wednesday, November 1, 1989

    
                Disney offers to make ads that say be kind to animals
    
The same Company that brought you Donald Duck and Bambi could soon
be bringing you public service announcements that encourage
considerate treatment of the cartoon characters' real-life
counterparts.

Attorneys for Walt Disney World have proposed the announcements as
part of a deal to settle animal cruelty charges against the theme
park and five of its employees, said an attorney for the Florida Game
and Fresh Water Fish Commission who is involved in the discussions.

The commission has not agreed to any deal, so details such as the
subject matter or where and when the announcements would appear
have not been discussed, said Jim Knight, the commission's
assistant general counsel.

"They're in the business of media and that kind of thing, and it
would be an obvious way to employ their talents and educate the
public," Knight said.

The announcements could cover any number of subjects the commission
regulates, from hunting to boating safety.  "We have a great many
environmental concerns," Knight said.  "But we haven't gotten
down to the nuts and bolts of anything."

Disney and five employees of Discovery Island, the company's
11-acre zoological park, were charged in September with 16 state
and federal violations, most stemming from alleged mistreatment
of vultures that were bothering animals and visitors.

According to the charges, Disney employees beat vultures to
death, held dozens of the protected birds in a small overheated
shed with little food and water, shot at hawks and knocked eggs
from the nests of other species.

Orange-Osceola Chief Assistant Attorney Bill Vose had called
a halt to plea negotiations Monday because Disney refused to
enter a ;lea in the case.  But Tuesday the company relented and
allowed its attorney, Robert Eagan, to enter a written plea of
not guilty.

"We wanted to continue discussions," Disney spokesman Jonh Dreyer
said.  "Since it was that important to them, we decided to go
ahead and do it."

Disney officials never gave a reason for not wanting to enter a
plea, a standard part of any criminal case.

Dreyer and Vose would not comment on the plea negotiations.  But
Knight said the discussions primarily have centered on the
treatment of vultures, egrets, ibises, hawks, owls and falcons
that have taken up residence at Discovery Island.

Disney's attempts to rid the park of those wild birds is what
led to the criminal charges.  Knight said the commission is
willing to work with the company to move the birds but that Disney
must follow strict federal and state laws on handling the protected
species.

The company could apply to state and federal authorities for permits
to relocate some of the birds, but that might not be the best
solution, Knight said.  For example, one of the reasons the vultures
are attracted to the island is the food Disney gives tortoises there.
Other vultures might come back if the company doesn't change the way
it feeds animals, Knight said.

Egrets and ibises are attracted because of a bamboo patch where they
nest.  Even if the birds are moved, others might nest there.  The
company may need to look at removing the bamboo without disturbing
the birds, Knight said.

"They might have to be more creative than [just relocating]," he
said.  "They haven't proposed a lot of specific things yet.
Whatever the solution is, it likely will involve more inspections
by us than in the past."

Since the charges were filed, Disney has changed the management at
Discovery Island, hired a consultant to recommend solutions to the
vulture problem and created an environmental advisory committee
to study part operations and recommend any changes.

    
       Reprinted without permission from The Orlando Sentinel
       Thursday, November 2, 1989

    
                 Employers scramble for workers
    
When employers like Bob Wacker at Walt Disney Word recruit temporary
workers for the holidays, they hope to start relationships that will
last far beyond Christmas day.

At Disney, about half of the temporary workers this holiday season
will have worked for the company during previous holidays, said
Wacker, director of employee relations for Walt Disney World in
Orlando.  Recruiting efforts and help-wanted ads will be used to
attract the rest of the employees needed.

A tight labor market has forced employers like Wacker to rely on
familiar faces to meet holiday hiring needs, as workers become more
scarce in a highly competitive job market.

Despite the temporary nature of the jobs, holiday positions in Central
Florida often are filled by people who have had long-standing
relationships with employers.  The temporaries include students home
from college for the holidays, retirees and people simply wanting to
work a second job for the extra income.

"They come from all walks of life," said Robert Monroe, an economist
with the Florida Department of Labor and Employment.

So when Wacker recruits students at 34 highschools in Orange, Osceola
and Seminole counties later this month, he will look for prospects
he may be able to count on in the future.

"We have to do a better job with the help that is available," Wacker
said.  "We have to show them that there are future opportunities on
a full-time basis afterwards."

By next month, Wacker expects to fill 1,200 temporary jobs for the
expanded operating hours at Walt Disney World's theme parks and
resorts during the week of Dec. 24.

A tight labor market strained further by an expanding tourism
industry means efforts like Wacker's likely will continue.

Last year, Monroe said, 3,900 new jobs were filled in Orange, Osceola
and Seminole counties during October and November.  Many were
considered holiday positions.

Most of the temporary jobs are in retailing, he said, and pay hourly
wages ranging between $4 and $4.50 and hour.  But depending on the
type of work, Monroe said, finding some jobs paying closer to $5 an
hour would not be unusual.

By November, the holiday hiring effort is in full swing.

"In the next two weeks we will be extending offers" to job
candidates, Wacker said.

At Maison Blanche department stores in Central Florida, tables
providing information for interested applicants are set up on the
weekends.

"Obviously, this is the period of the year when most retailers
are experiencing their highest sales, and we are no exception to
that rule," said Hal Derr, director of personnel for Maison Blanche
in Florida.

Carey Watson, executive vice president of marketing for Burdines,
said the department-store chain relies heavily on referrals from
its sales associates who have friends or relatives interested in
jobs.  At the same time, the chain hopes to attract high-quality
candidates.

With the labor market so tight, Derr said, employers must go beyond
placing classified ads to find help for the holidays.

"We will try to get current and former employees to refer us to
people," he said.  "If we didn't get a head start on this we
wouldn't be able to satisfy our needs."

    
        Reprinted without permission from The Orlando Sentinel
        Saturday, November 4, 1989
 
    
                  A letter to the editor


'Land vultures'

SAID ONE fish to the other:

Q. How do you make a vulture mad?
A. Give him a 3-day pass to Disney.

The real joke here is the publicity given to Disney over a charge
of mistreating vultures.  We are talking about disease-infested,
putrid birds that eat the dead flesh of helpless animals, perhaps
even your own kitty accidentally smashed by a car.

If those so concerned about the welfare of the birds really want
to take action, I vote they set up feeding stations on their
own property and take in the cute feathered scavengers.

Granted, vultures have a right to live freely, but what about
the rights of fish, plants and other wildlife living in "protected"
areas such as the Wekiva River?  "Land vultures" are quickly eating
up and destroying what little natural beauty we have left in Florida.

If the concern that was given to the vultures were directed toward
saving Florida's environment, wildlife (including man) could live
in their natural environment instead of seeking refuge in the
plastic cement gardens nearby.


                                               Audia M. Andy
                                               APOPKA

    Anyone heard about the accident in the Haunted Mansion, it seems
    the molding fell from the ceiling in the room that shrinks.  6 people
    injured and taken out in the ambulance.  It was closed yesterday and
    was to reopen today. 
    
    

    
    Re: .52
    
       Was this in DL or WDW ??
    
    George

    The Haunted Mansion accident was here at WDW.  Also, yesterday about
    4PM there was an accident on SPACE Mountain.  Apparently a sensor
    detected something wrong with a vehicle and *ABRUPTLY* stopped the
    ride.  Sounds like three people were hurt (bruises, cuts and back
    injury).  The injuries were not stated as serious.
    
    This accident occurred on the "A" side ride.  Two previous accidents
    occured on the "B" side.
    
    I think it's important to note that there are all new vehicles on space
    mountain so the mishaps are not due to *age*.
    
    I still have a lot of confidence in Disney and will continue to ride
    Space Mountain.  But, you can see why rides like the new *simulator*
    will probably be the rides of the future.
    

    
                  The scopp on Disney's dirty laundry
                 written w/o permission from the Ocala Banner
    
    There are no illusions in Ed Fox's shop at Walt Disney World.  There
    are no animatrons, no goofy, grinning characters, no artificial cheer. 
    Ed Fox's shop is where Disney comes clean - the laundry.
    
    There's not much magic to it, just a lot of work:  400 people on duty
    365 days a year, two full shifts a day, with a little linen left over
    for a third shift.
    
    Disney's dirty linen gets done in a nondescript, two-story building the
    size of a city block.  Labeled "Laundry and Dry Cleaning," it has a
    logo that looks at first like just a group of bubbles, but on
    reflection resolves itself into a soapy Mickey head.
    
    Inside, the place looks truly un-Disneyesque - industrial, in fact. 
    There is no air-conditioning, no one wears a uniform, the staff
    contains a good measure of immigrants and many of the signs on the
    walls contain instructions in Spanish.
    
    The machines look vaguely familiar, except for their size.  The clothes
    dryers are the size of dump trucks.  The machine that irons and folds
    915 queen-size sheets an hour looks like a printing press.  The washers
    hold 900 pounds of laundry at a time, computers control the  mix of
    detergents.
    
    The laundry uses 400,000 cubic feet of natural gas a day and 350,000
    gallons of water.  It is one of the biggest facilities in the country.
    
    Every towel, napkin, bed sheet, table cloth, pillow case, bath mat -
    every piece of linen used in any Disney hotel or restaurant, every
    uniform or costume used in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot or Pleasure
    Island - they all come here.
    
    Every sheet in every occupied room is changed every day; every employee
    gets a freshly dry cleaned uniform.  Designed as Fox says, for the
    1,500 hotel rooms and  "one little Magic Kingdom" that existed when
    Disney first opened in 1971, "we're just bursting at the seams now."
    
    His people clean up after 6,100 hotel rooms and three big parks, plus a
    couple of smaller ones.  When Disney planners talk of new facilities,
    all Fox sees is more linen and no more capacity.
    
    The operation is full service.  Drivers pick up dirty laundry and
    return clean laundry to 260 locations at Disney on 13 pick-up routes.
    
    The facility is divided roughtly in half - laundry on one side,
    dry-cleaning on the other.
    
    During a holiday week, the facility did 818,000 pounds of laundry.
    Incoming laundry is dumped onto a conveyor belt, which takes it to a
    second floor sorting room.  It returns to the first-floor washing area
    through stainless-steel chutes that dump dirty linens directly into
    washing machines.  Eventually, closet-sized carts filled with pristine
    linens wait to be trucked out.
    
    Dry cleaning is also sorted first, according to color and pattern and
    the kind of attention it needs.  The dry-cleaning ranges from ball
    gowns and full-dress tuxedos to chefs' hats and emergency medical
    technician uniforms to Mickey Mouse costumes.  Much of it makes its way
    through the laundry on hangers dangling from elaborate moving
    conveyors, about 25,000 pieces a day.
    
    ALl of Disney is at the mercy of the laundry.  According to Fox, most
    hotels, restaurants and parks have no more than a four-day supply of
    their laundry.  To forestall disaster, three maintenance men work
    full-time each shift.
    
    Last summer, when a machine that provided heat to dry and iron sheets
    broke down, Fox says, "I just started calling every laundry guy I knew
    on the phone, and the first one who said yes got all my business."  He
    ended up trucking Disney's sheets to Space Coast Hospital in Rockledge.
    
    Among the secrets revealed amid Disney's dirty laundry is that the
    sheets you sleep on and towel off with in your suite at the new, luxe
    Grand Floridian may have last done duty in the most ordinary room at
    the Contemporary.
    
    At Disney, all linens are created equal.
    

     
    
                   Walt Disney World to raise ticket prices for 7th time
                     since 1984
    
                   taken w/o permission from Ocala Star-Banner 2/4/90
    
    
    Walt DIsney World announced Friday that it will raise ticket prices an
    average of about 5 percent on Feb 11, historically the beginning of
    Florida's peak winter tourist season.
    
    The price increase marked the seventh time in 5 1/2 years that Disney
    has riased prices since Fall 1984, when Michael Eisner and Frank Wells
    were appointed to head Walt Disney Co., Disney World's parent, based in
    Burbank, Calif.
    
    Disney last raised prices on May 1 to accompany the opening of its $500
    million Disney=MGM Studios Theme Park, its third major park.
    
    The company's announced price increases range from 3.3 percent to 9
    percent.
    
    Disney said Friday that it will raise the price of its one-park ticket
    to $32.86, including Florida's 6 percent sales tax, compared with the
    current one-day price, with tax of $30.65, an increase of 7.2 percent.
    
    A child's one-day ticket will increase to $26.50, with tax, from
    $24.30, an increase of 9 percent.
    
    Disney's four-day adult ticket which allos admission to each of its
    three major theme parks, will rise to $106 including tax, from $102.54,
    an increase of 3.3. percent.  Disney's three major theme parks include
    the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, and the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park.
    
    A child's four-day ticket will increase 4.3 percent to $84.80 with tax,
    from $81.30.
    
    Disney's five-day adult ticket will jump in price to $124.02 with tax,
    compared with $118.25, an increase of 4.8 percent.  A childs five-day
    ticket will remain $100.70 with tax.
    
    In a statement, Disney said it raised prices in light of the "increased
    entertainment value of five new shows and attractions" recently added
    at its park, as well as six more shows that will debut this summer.
    
    Disney World also boosed the price of its "Three Season Salute" a
    discounted admission offered only to Florida residents during January,
    May and September, but the company added a new season for which the
    ticket will be valid - from just after Thanksgiving until the beginning
    of the Christmas holidays.
    
    The Three Season Salute now costs $90.10 for adults and $79.50 for
    children, including tax.  Disney said the new resident pass, renamed
    the Four Season Salute, will cost $95.40 for adults.  A new price for
    the children's ticket was not announced.
    
    Disney said the current prices on the Three Season Salute will end Feb
    11.  In other words, Florida residents cannot now buy the Three Season
    Salute at current prices and be admitted to the Disney parks between
    Thanksgiving and Christmas.
    
    Company spokesman John Dreyer said extending the Three Season Salute
    ticket to a fourth time period represents increased value to
    Floridians.  He said that "more that half" of the park's annual
    attendance by Florida residnets occurs as a result of visits on
    discounted passes.
    
    A second ticket sold only to Florida residents did not increase in
    price, and Disney liberalized the ways it can be used.
    
    Called the "Florida Resident Salute," the ticket costs $19.99, or
    $21.18 with tax, and is good for a one-time, one-day admission to
    either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot Center parks during January and May.
    
    A Florida Resident salute ticket is not currently sold for the
    Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park, which open May 1.
    
    However, beginning in May, the FLorida resident salute-ricket will be
    sold for the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park.  Until May, FLorida
    residents cannot buy a Florida resident salute for the studio tour.
    
    In addition, Disney will add September to the time periods during which
    it will sell the Florida Resident Salute ticket.
    
    Disney will add six shows this summer including a live stage show
    starring the Muppets characters, as well as a Muppet parade.
    
    

    
    From yesterdays Daily Mail (13th February) ..... re-printed without
    permission.
    
   			 DISNEYLAND GIRL SHOT
                        
    LOS ANGELES: A girl of eight has been shot while out on a family
    outing to Disneyland.
    
    The girl from Downey, California, was riding an open-sided train
    near Fantasyland station when she complained to her parents that
    something had struck her in the back.
    
    Police believe she was hit by a stray bullet fired from outside
    the park, in Anaheim, California.
    
    The officer investigating said that the girl was taken to the Western
    Medical Centre at about 7pm on Sunday , where doctors found a small
    bullet wound.
    
    She was transferred to the University of California Medical Centre,
    where she said to be in a stable condition.
    
    
    
    hmmmm ... shot from OUTSIDE the park? I've never been to Disneyland
    but it sounds like it's a little different to the MK in Disneyworld
    I'm assuming that it is situated in a built-up neighbourhood.
    
    Can anyone confirm the truth in this story, or is it just a bit
    of the usual UK hysteria about the USA being plagued by gun-happy
    criminals?
    
    I HOPE it's not the start of something! 

    Rep to <<< Note 31.57 by KERNEL::WHITAKER >>>

>    hmmmm ... shot from OUTSIDE the park? I've never been to Disneyland
>    but it sounds like it's a little different to the MK in Disneyworld
>    I'm assuming that it is situated in a built-up neighbourhood.

    Yes Disneyland is in a built up area, and does not share the privacy of
    it's sister MK at WDW.
        
>    Can anyone confirm the truth in this story, or is it just a bit
>    of the usual UK hysteria about the USA being plagued by gun-happy
>    criminals?
    
    Yes, it was on the news here 2 days ago, I didn't have time to enter it
    and forgot.
    
    Claude
    

Sections (if not most) of Anaheim are, IMHO, "rough" to say the least.
The Fantasyland station is on the back side of the park which faces I-5.
Furthermore, the housing behind I-5 and the Travelodge in that part of town
is, again IMHO, questionable (I pulled a U-turn on the street behind the
Travelodge one time...I shant again!...*very* scarey).  The odds are amazing
against a bullet getting into the park (unless it was from sniper fire with
a precision rifle) but I could see where the girl was hit by a stray bullet
from the freeway and/or a neighborhood scuffle.  Also, for those of you who
have never been to Disneyland, yes, there are hotels, etc. inches from the
borders of the park.

    DISNEY, COCA-COLA EXTEND PACT INTO THE NEXT CENTURY 

    By Vicki Vaughan of the SENTINEL Staff 

    Reprinted without permission from the Orlando Sentinel.  Unfortunately,
    I don't have the date of print for this article.  Page C-1. 

    Walt Disney Co. and Coca-Cola Co. have signed a 15-year contract that
    will make Coke products the exclusive soft drinks at all Disney parks
    and give the beverage maker the right to use Disney characters in joint
    advertisements and promotions, the companies announced Wednesday. 

    The pact, which Disney and Coke announced in a joint news release, is
    broader and of longer duration than past agreements, Coca-Cola
    spokesman Randy Donaldson said. 

    Previously, most of Coke's agreements with Disney average three years,
    but the new one does not expire until 2005.  Also, Donaldson said, the
    agreement will allow the soft-drink company to use, in promotion and
    advertisements, character that have yet to be created by Disney's
    motion-picture studios. 

    The contractual rights to use the characters "haven't change,"
    Donaldson said, but Disney's filmed entertainment business "has so
    expanded that this means additional opportunities for us." 

    Neither company would say how much the deal may be worth. 

    The agreement also will include the sale of Coke products at a new
    Disney park, Euro Disneyland, which is to open near Paris in 1992.
    Also, as in past agreements, Coke will see it products at Disney's
    existing parks, including Walt Disney World near Orlando and Disneyland
    at Anaheim, Calif. 

    Coca-Cola soft drinks are available to Tokyo Disneyland in Japan under
    a separate agreement, the companies said. 

    The new agreement also give Coke the right to use certain Disney
    character in advertisements and promotion, but it does not allow the
    beverage maker to put the characters' likenesses on its products.  That
    means Coke drinkers won't be seeing bottle caps bearing Mickey Mouse's
    ears, but Mickey and other character may appear in Coke ads. 

    The new agreement is "a renewal and an extension of a long friendship,"
    said Erwin D. Okun, Disney's senior vice president of corporate
    communications. Coke and Disney, he added, "obviously have a mutually
    beneficial relationship." 

    The new pact also will allow Coke to have the right of first refusal in
    deciding whether to use character developed by Disney's motion-picture
    studio. 

    That means if Coke decides it does not want to participate in a joint
    promotion using characters from a Disney movie, Disney would be able to
    turn to another beverage company as a promotional partner.  But the
    other beverage maker would not be allowed to use the Disney Characters,
    Okun said. 

    -----------------------------
    
    Disney-Coke Agreement 

    TERMS:  contract valid for 15 years 

    COVERS:  all Disney theme parks, including Walt Disney World in
    Florida, Disneyland in California and Euro Disneyland, which will open
    in France in 1992. (Coca-Cola drinks are sold at Tokyo Disneyland in
    Japan under a separate agreement.)  Also, Coca-Cola Co. will have
    rights to use certain Disney characters in joint Coke-Disney promotions
    and advertisements. 

    

    This article is reprinted without permission from the 26-FEB-1990
    Amusement Business.  It is found on page 23 in a special section that
    highlights the mass entertainment industry in Florida. 


 
    DISNEY KEEP 31,000 "CAST MEMBERS" ON HAND "TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE" 

    By Tim O'Brien 

    Walt Disney World hires no employees.  They hire cast members.  In
    fact, as of mid-February, there were more than 31,000 cast members
    playing out their individual parts at the Disney behemoth in Central
    Florida. 

    The personnel department doesn't hire a body, it "cast a role in a
    show," said Duncan Dickson, manager of employment for the Walt Disney
    World Co. "And it's our job not to mis-cast anyone." 

    That 31,000 figure represents year-round, full-time, salaried and
    part-time employees.  An additional 4,000 workers are added for the
    summer months and Christmas and Easter vacation times.  Dickson told AB
    an additional 6,000 people work on Disney property, but are not Disney
    employees. 

    Hiring is done from the Casting Center, a building removed from the
    parks by several miles.  The center is open seven days a week, from
    8a.m. to 6p.m. and Dickson estimates the application flow at 1,300
    walk-in job seekers a week. 

    The employment staff of 120 is divided into six different departments: 


    o	General Employment is the largest department and handles most of
    the general employment for the company.  Interviews are by walk-in
    only. About 35 employees are trained as interviewers.  Besides their
    basic Disney Training (see below), Casting Center employees go through
    an eight-week training course. 

    o	Internal Staffing makes sure everyone who wants to be promoted from
    within gets a shot at the available jobs.  "We always ask the question.
    Do we already have someone here who can handle this," said Dickson. 

    o	The Employment Programming Group has nine specialists who analyze
    the market and the labor force.  That analysis is used to change and
    fine-tune recruiting efforts.  This group also works with the
    non-traditional worker. 

    o	The College Relations arm works with more than 200 colleges across
    America.  The company has a large co-op intern program where the
    student comes to Disney, lives in a student housing, works a specific
    job, and attends 10, three-hour seminar while there.  College credit is
    given. 

    o	 International Staffing is responsible for obtaining workers for
    the various international attractions and restaurants at Disney.  They
    travel abroad extensively in their recruitment efforts.  "We have no
    problem filling this department," Dickson laughed. 

    o	Professional staffing recruits the salaried and management staffs. 

    In December 1988, 24,000 people worked for Disney in Florida and
    Dickson projects an employment pool of about 45,000 by 1995.  How do
    they get that many people?  "We recruit and we promote how nice it is
    to work for Disney." 

    The company's current employment slogan, "Where the Job You Do Makes
    Dreams Come True," is used in all forms of recruiting, including local
    newspaper an television advertising. 

    College recruiting is conducted nationally (except Alaska, Hawaii, and
    California), as is recruitment for specific entertainers. 

    As most employers, Walt Disney World's major problem in recruiting is
    the general lack of people in the work force.  "It's somewhat tough,
    but I think we have an edge because we're Disney," said Dickson. 

    Although he wouldn't give an exact figure, Dickson said his turnover
    rate is low by industry standards.  Why? "We have a very good benefits
    package, we have a good product and good wage progression," he said.
    "We have a great deal of employee loyalty." 

    About 40 percent of the employees are members of the service trades
    union. Most of the hourly worker are covered by that contract, although
    many choose not to join the union.  The current hourly base rate for
    employees is: Host/hostess $5.05; food and beverage $5.25; and
    housekeeping, $5.50.  A five-year step progression take those wages to
    $7.30 per hour. 

    Those rates change on April 29 with the low base stating $5.35 and high
    at $7.75. 

    "We try our best to take care of our people because they are the ones
    who take care of our guests," said Dickson.  "And happy guest are the
    keys to our business." 

    All new cast members attend two days (16 hours) of Disney University
    taking two courses:  Disney Traditions I and Disney Traditions II.
    During these two days, new hires learn the history of the company and
    go through a general safety training course learning such things as
    correct fire extinguisher usage and CPR. 

    Once completed they head off to either the Resort or Park Division
    human resource departments for further specific training in that area.
    Employees heading off to the park division must attend an eight-hour
    course in showmanship.  Then, it's off to the specific assigned
    location, Dickson said about 75 percent of the prospective employees
    know what division they want to work in, while only about 15 percent
    have a specific job request.  "If we don't have an opening for that
    specific request and that person fits the skill code for the job, we'll
    put them on  a list and call when an opening occurs." 

    Earlier this month, the soon to open Universal Studios Florida
    announced its initial hire would be about 2,000 people.  Will this
    further cut into the Central Florida labor marker for Disney?  "Well,
    they are the new kids on the block and there's much excitement about
    opening an attraction, so I imagine it will hurt us a bit at first, but
    over long term, I can't see it as being detrimental," Dickson said. 
    

    
    
                  Following the Mouse's Tracks
       (Taken without permission in its entirety from the Florida Forecast
          Sunday March 4, 1990)
    
    
    Disney widens its lead with expansion plans that will cost $1 billion
    
    Despite the best efforts of economic boosters to diversify, Mickey
    Mouse is still king in Central Florida and is likely to reign well into
    the 1990's.
    
    In 1989, Walt Disney World cranked out a new theme park, a second water
    park, a night-entertainment complex, a new pavilion at Epcot Center and
    the better part of five new hotels.
    
    Michael Eisner, chairman of Walt Disney Co., earlier this year
    announced a $1 billion plan for seven more hotels, an additional theme
    park to be named later, and 29 new attractions for its three existing
    parks.  The hotels would bring Disney's room inventory to 21,000 by the
    year 2000.  By comparison, the Orlando area had 69,000 rooms at the end
    of 1989.
    
    Mickey and Michael have turned our plans for a Soviet and a Swiss
    pavilion at Epcot, the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland remodeled as an
    intergalactic spaceport, a haunted hotel, another nightclub complex,
    500 time-share condominium units and rides based on Disney's classic
    film Song of the South and a new release, The Little Mermaid.
    
    We're going to do nothing less than reinvent the Disney theme park and
    resort experience, Eisner said at a press conference announcing what he
    dubbed the "Disney Decade."
    
    Disney also is talking with major retailers, including Harrods's of
    London, Nordstrom Inc. of Seattle and Macy & Co. of New York about
    anchoring a shopping mall on its property in Osceola County.
    
    Disney's expansion added more than 4,000 jobs to Central Florida's work
    force in 1989, and that appears to be just the beginning:  Counting
    everything it has planned through 2000, only 22 percent of Disney's
    28,000 acres straddling Orange and Osceola Counties would be occupied.
    
    "We're going to be Orlando World, a suburb of Disney World", lamented
    Rick Bernhardt, Orlando's planning and development director.
    
    Disney's explosive growth has raised the hackles of public officials in
    Orange, Osceola and even Polk counties, who will have to figure out how
    to accommodate the influx of traffic and low-income workers that will
    converge on the Disney campus.
    
    "We are very concerned about getting enough affordable housing in that
    area," said Orange County Planning Director Ed Williams.
    
    Disney plans to build lost cost houses around its proposed shopping
    mall and 3,087 apartments along the southern extension of International
    Drive in south Orlando.
    
    Disney last year paid $27 million in property taxes to Orange and
    Osceola counties and agreed to give Orange County $13.8 million for
    road improvements to State Road 535.  But that doesn't come close to
    covering the need for new roads and schools that the burst of growth
    would create.
    
    "It's going to be a real challenge for us", said Michael Mekdici
    assistant superintendent in charge of pupil assignment for Orange
    Country Public Schools.
    
    New state growth-management laws require Disney to accommodate the
    growth it creates, even through the creation of Reedy Creek in 1967
    exempts the company from local growth laws.
    
    It might be the biggest, but Disney is clearly not the only tourist
    show in the region.  There are Sea World, Cypress Gardens and the new
    Universal Studios Florida to open this year.
    
    The Houston Astros draw some loyal fans to spring training in
    Kissimmee, and the Kansas City Royals say they'll be holding spring
    camp near Haines City even though Anheuser-Busch has closed Boardwalk
    and Baseball, the carnival-style-theme park that lured the team in
    1987.
    
    And in the face of still competition from Disney's new Pleasure Island
    and other nighttime entertainment complexes, downtown Orlando has
    developed a strong nightlife of its own.
    
    For the first time in years, there are revelers bar-hopping downtown
    well after midnight.  The whole feel of downtown has been changed by
    the arrival of restaurants and shopping complexes and the thousands of
    charged-up fans that pack the streets after basketball games and other
    events at the new Orlando arena.
    
    In Volusia County, the money is still at the race track and the beach,
    where race fans, bikers and college students flock annually.  Despite
    efforts to draw high technology companies and clean industry, Volusia
    County's economy remains in the hands of the leather-clad and
    lotion-slathered masses.
    
    The port of entry to Central Florida for millions of the cash-carrying
    visitors is Orlando International Airport, which last year handled 17
    million passengers.
    
    Orlando International which last year trailed only Miami in passenger
    traffic, is in the middle of a $1 billion expansion.  A third runway and
    7,000 parking spaces have been completed, and construction is under way
    on a  third airside terminal, a 450 room Hyatt Hotel and a doubling of
    the main terminal by January.
    
    Construction is scheduled to begin next month on ramps for a fourth
    airside terminal.
    
    Carolyn Fennell, a spokeswoman for the Greater Orlando Aviation
    Authority, said the airport is expected to handle 18.8 million
    passengers this year, a 10.6 percent increase over 1989.
    
    About half of those passengers are bound for business meetings or
    conventions, Fennell said.
    
    Central Florida's convention business is booming, according to David
    O'Neal, executive director of the Orange County Convention and Civic
    Center.
    
    Last year, the convention center hosted 321,235 delegates, a 26 percent
    increase from 1988.  That translated into $335.7 million spent by
    delegates in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties, O'Neal said.
    
    The convention center entered the big time last year when it completed
    a 520,000 square foot $85 million expansion, which nearly tripled the
    size of the center and allowed it to compete for the nations largest
    trade shows and meetings.  The hall already has twice hosted the more
    than 23,000 delegates of the Professional Golf Association, a
    convention that pours an estimated $20 million into Central Florida's
    economy during its four-day run.
    
    The expansion also has helped O'Neal and his staff book 132 conventions
    worth an estimated $750,000 to the region, more than double the 60
    shows recruited in 1988.
    
    There are 235 additional groups, worth an estimated $1 billion, that
    have tentatively committed to hold conventions at the center, more than
    enough to fill the existing hall - and another million square feel
    planned - 4 1/2 years, O'Neal said.
    
    "When we bring clients in to phase two, we just get them in the door
    and they're sold", O'Neal said.
    
    While tourism thrives, agriculture is on the wane.  Orange County lost
    its last dairy farmer in 1988, and Osceola's beef cattle are being
    headed southward as industrial parks spring up around Kissimee and
    FLorida's Turnpike.
    
    The Christmas freeze of 1989 may have wiped out half of Lake County's
    35,000 acres of producing citrus groves, accelerating an already
    increasing trend toward residential development in the former heart of
    Florida's citrus industry.
    
    Orlando's proposed beltway and expressway extension, scheduled to be
    completed over the next decade, are expected to bring Clermont and
    surrounding residential communities to within a 25-minute commute of
    downtown Orlando.
    
    Although real esate experts predict most of Orlando's growth will occur
    to the south, between Orlando Internaional Airport and Walt Disney
    World, the northward expansion of metro Orlando has passed Lake Monroe
    and is filling the streets of Deltona in Volusia County.
    
    With so many members of the region's future work force destined to work
    in minimum-wage service jobs at hotels, restaurants and attractions,
    affordable housing is gaining a lot of attention.
    
    Orange County so far has taken the lead in Central Florida with a task
    force devoted to the problem.
    
    Proposal's on the table include housing resource centers, $50 million
    lender consortiums, sweet equity programs and builder incentives.
    
    Although housing prices in Central Florida are only 82 percent of the
    national median, an Orange County task force study last year found that
    two-thirds of the existing population cannot afford the area's
    median-priced $80,000 home.
    
                  Chart in the middle of the page is
    
                        At a glance
    
                                     Most recent*         Previous
                                     12 months            12 months
    
               Central Florida         2,044,030           1,954,595
    
               Non-agricultural 
                  employment             824,120              779,172
    
               Taxable sales (billions)   20.8                  20.0
    
               Personal income (billions) 32.0                  28.7
    
               Single-family housing
                  starts                  25,733               25,344
    
               Multi-family housing
                  starts                   9,044                9,982
    
    
              *Most recent figures available
               Sources:  University of Florida Bureau of Economic and
                         Business Research, Florida Dept of Labor and
                         Employment Security; FLorida Dept of Revenue
    
    
    

FABULOUS FAKERY
Disney World is not a real place but a fascinatingly false
one -- and that's why we love it
    
        By Robert Campbell

	Reprinted without permission from the Boston
	Globe, February 27, 1990.

Orlando, Fla. -- I think I've finally figured out the
secret of Disney World.  I've discovered the source of
this place's incredible appeal and success.  I'd never
understood why people seemed to be so fascinated by
the things Disney World ostensibly presents - all those
stagey rides in the Magic Kingdom, all those very
obviously fake European villages at Epcot Center.

Disney World for me was mainly an experience of standing
in a long line under a broiling sun to see a brief and
never particularly interesting show or exhibit, then
moving on to another long line.

But now I think I understand.  Disney World isn't really
about the displays it seems to be about.  Instead it's
about how those displays are created.

Frontstage Disney World is kind of a bore, but backstage
Disney World is fascinating.  And we're always being
given tantalizing glimpses of that backstage.  Those
glimpses are what we love.

Another way of saying this is that Disney World is one
huge Wizard of Oz.  Just as with the wizard in the
movie, the illusion isn't what's so interesting.  What's
interesting is the machinery that makes the illusion work.
On display at Disney World is the machinery of illusion -
not illusion itself.

What made this clear was a recent visit to the latest
Disney World attraction, which is called Disney/MGM
Studios.  The Disney people have gone all the way this
time.  They've made the backstage the frontstage.  They've
reversed the universe.

At Disney/MGM there's a whole city neighborhood that
appears to be made of streets and buildings.  But just as
with the wizard, you can walk around behind these "buildings"
and see that they are nothing but painted plywood facades.
Going behind the scenes in this way is like crawling
beneath the skin of the universe.  It's like inhabiting a
world of antimatter that magically coexists with the world
of matter.  The experience is undeniably exciting.

Disney/MGM is only the apotheosis of what Disney World has
always been.  There was always, for instance, a backstage
tour of the Magic Kingdom that took you through the
basements and service yards that make the illusion work -
places where you might hope to see something like Snow
White smoking a cigarette.  Another example:  Years ago,
when I took a small child to Disney World, he showed no
interest in the Jungle Cruise ride until he discovered
that the wild animals that would be roaring at us from the
banks would not be real, but would be robots.  That fact -
that fact of fakery - made them suddenly interesting.

The fact of fakery - that's the essence of the Disney
World experience.  I used to complain of how inept were
the pseudo-European villages of Epcot Center.  After
Disney/MGM, I realize that their awkwardness is, precisely,
their appeal.  We're meant to experience them as fakes, as
sets, as stagecraft.  If they were better done, they would
lose their magic.  We would no longer sense them as products
of the machinery of illusion.  In that case, we might as
well be in Europe itself.

With its uncanny understanding of what Americans want,
Disney World continues to boom beyond belief.  Already,
the city of Orlando boasts more hotel rooms than New York.
When Disney Development's current building program is
complete, the company will own 12,000 rooms by itself,
with more to come, all built without borrowing money.
And, for the first time Disney is hiring star architects.
Here in Florida there are two hotels by Michael Graves,
two by Robert A.M. Stern.  One of these, the Dolphin by
Graves (not yet open), is a stunning sculpture of big
shapes on the land, although sometimes disappointing in
detail.  In Los Angeles, Disney headquarters will soon
be moving into an office building by Graves that features
a porch with columns in the shape of the Seven Dwarfs.
New Disney kingdoms in Japan and France, too, are
employing prominent designers.

Disney World deserves some serious thought.  It offers
what we want, apparently, more than anything else today.

For better or worse, Disney World offers us the pleasure
of an obviously simulated universe.

    An article I saw today in The Boston Herald.  Reprinted without
    permission.
    
             FAST FOOD WILL GET GOOFY
    
    Montclair, Calif. -  There's a mouse in the kitchen, but call off the
    exterminator.  He's a familiar guy named Mickey, and all he wants is to
    expand the vast Disney empire into restaurants.
      Walt Disney Co. already has captialized in the retail industry
    through stores at shopping malls selling clothing and other products
    adorned with its characters.
      On April 28, the 50th Disney Store is to open at the Montclair Plaza
    mall 35 miles east of Los Angeles.  Connected to it will be Mickey's
    Kitchen, a prototype that will be duplicated around the country if
    successful.
      Disney hopes store customers won't be able to resist stopping off for
    a quick bite to eat or a drink at the soda fountain next door.  Disney
    Stores range from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet; the new connected store
    and restaurant will be about 12,000 square feet, with seating for about
    150 at the counter and tables. -AP

    
       A couple of days ago I saw a 10 minute Disney feature on Inside
     Edition. It seemed to focus on the Mouse getting greedy and loosing
     the family image. They had some former castmembers, with bad feelings
     toward the Disney empire on. The show said nothing new, just that
     Disney has mislead Florida. It seems that Florida only agreed to
     to the Reedy creek set-up because they were impressed by Walt's
     original EPCOT plans, which were to built a working inhabited
     city of the future. Well, we all know that did not happen. The 
     Florida lawmakers now feel that Disney pulled a fast one on them,
     and due to Reedy creek, Florida really can't touch Disney without
     taking them to court.
     I agree that Disney has become more profit oriented, and has lost
     some magic, BUT Disney is first and foremost a corporation with
     a responsibility to it's stockholders. Economic times have really
     changed in the last 10 years or so, the only way to prevent a 
     takeover is to be a profitable company.
    
                                           -Rob
    
    
    

    
    If anyone is interested there's an excellant article on Disney 
    World, explaining just why Florida was chosen, upcoming attractions, 
    the Reedy Creek situation and the new location in France where 
    another one is being built in this weeks issue of U.S. News. 
    On the cover is The Hidden Life of Barbara Bush
    
                      Beth
    

    There is an article in this week's Entertainment Weekly (with Eddie 
    Murphy and Nick Nolte on the cover). One of the columnists and his 
    family (wife, 8 year old, 6 year old, 5 month old, and grandmother)
    went to WDW and Universal. The opinions are on a grading scale, A+ to
    F. The lowest score, D, went to Captain EO. 
    
    It's not very comprehensive, but there are some good pictures. 
    
    
    Linda 
    

    Which one scored highest, Linda?
    
    Just curious,
    
    Karen

    Highest score for all parks, the only A+ given, was for Big Thunder 
    Mountain Railroad. The author said it was the only ride his children 
    wanted to go on more than once. 

From: clarinews@clarinet.com
Subject: Disney starts juvenile book publishing venture
Keywords: books & publishing, media, advertising & pr, entrepreneurial,
Date: 3 Jul 90 00:35:21 GMT
 
 
	BURBANK, Calif. (UPI) -- Entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. said
Monday it is moving into a new venture, publishing children's books.
	The company said the Disney Publishing venture, which will be
operated within its Disney Consumer Products unit, will announce its
first juvenile titles at the Frankfurt Book Fair this fall.
	Disney Publishing will offer two imprints -- Disney Press, which
will publish books based on Disney film, television and characters, and
an unnamed imprint offering general titles.
	The unit will be headed by veteran publishing executive Elizabeth
Gordon, former publisher and senior vice president of Harper & Row's
Junior Books Group.
	Disney has a long history of involvement with children's books, but
its titles have been published through licensees.
	The announcement reflects an increased trend on the part of Disney
to establish a larger measure of control over its products, such as in
last fall's announcement that the company would create its own record
label, Hollywood Records.
	Disney also said that in the fall of 1991, it will begin offering
non-Disney properties ``from the world's best authors and
illustrators,'' but did not elaborate.

    I 'm curious as to the results of the Discovery Island incident.  The
    last information concerning the matter was entered back in January.  
    I would like to know if the matter ever went to court and what the
    results were.  If anyone has any more information on the topic, I 
    would be greatly interested in reading it.  Thanks.
    
    John

 Date Published:    28 MAR 1990
 Source:     DOW JONES NEWS
 Title:
       DISNEY Chooses Zoologist For New Environmental Position
 
 
   Walt Disney Co., which hasn't been responsible for any major oil spills or
   toxic waste dump disasters except perhaps on film, has taken the unusual
   step for an entertainment company of creating the new corporate position of
   vice president of environmental policy.  And it has filled the post with a
   Disney insider who has dealt with living animals as well as cartoon ones.
   Disney painted the move as one that would help it "improve the world in
   which we function" with amusement parks, consumer products and films
   sensitive to all the environmental concerns of the 1990s.  The move was
   also seen by some Disney observers as a way to counter adverse publicity
   Disney has encountered in Central Florida as its Walt Disney World complex
   continues a multibillion-dollar expansion over the next decade.  It might
   also mitigate the criticism Disney encountered over the rough handling of
   birds at one of its attractions.
 
   And the appointment might also serve as a hint that Disney's recently
   promised fourth theme park in Florida might be some sort of wild animal or
   marine biology park.  Disney officials wouldn't comment.  The new vice
   president is Kym Murphy, a zoologist and marine biologist who has held
   numerous posts with the entertainment concern since 1978, most recently
   looking into developing a second theme park in Southern California.  Murphy
   "will be responsible for developing company-wide policies and programs to
   assure Disney's active leadership in protecting and improving the
   environment throughout its business operations," said Michael D. Eisner,
   Disney's chairman and chief executive officer.  In his new post, Murphy
   will report directly to Mr. Eisner and to Frank G. Wells, president.  "I'm
   as excited about this as anything I've ever done," Mr. Murphy said.
   "There's great potential here for creating positive programs and having an
   impact on the public."  He also said he is prepared to be Disney's
   "lightning rod" for controversy about environmental matters.
 
   Disney was criticized recently for its handling of vultures that invaded
   Disney World's Discovery Island attraction, an 11-acre zoological site. The
   company was fined $10,000 and ordered to pay an additional $10,000 to the
   Florida Audubon Society's Center for Birds of Prey after pleading guilty to
   a single charge of violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  A
   Disney spokesman in Orlando said the new post makes sense in view of the
   company's recently announced expansion of its theme parks and resorts in
   Florida and California.  There are also plans for a 4,000-acre development
   in Osceola County, Fla., south of the Walt Disney World resort in
   neighboring Orange County.
                  (c) Dow Jones News -- FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
 

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (DAVE McNARY, UPI Business Writer)
Subject: Disney says `Dick Tracy' merchandise selling briskly
Keywords: entertainment industry, misc industry, advertising & pr, media,
Date: 12 Jul 90 00:48:26 GMT
 
 
	LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Walt Disney Co., declaring that the nation is
``in love'' with ``Dick Tracy,'' said Wednesday that its merchandising
campaign for the movie has broken all Disney records.
	However, no figures were disclosed.
	Still, the announcement could mean that the movie, starring Warren
Beatty and Madonna, has a good shot at surpassing the $500 million in
merchandise sales racked up by last year's mega-hit, Warner Bros.'
``Batman,'' one retail analyst said.
	``The timing for Disney right now is excellent, since there's
really no competition from other merchandise,'' said Frederick Marx, a
retail consultant in Detroit. ``It's wide open for a hot product.''
	Some of the ``Tracy'' items include lunch boxes, watches, action
figures, T-shirts, and a wide-brim hat like that worn by star Beatty.
	``Besides the Ninja Turtles and traditional things like Barbie, the
`Dick Tracy' items are about the only thing going,'' Marx said.
	While Disney did not disclose specific figures, it said that by
next week, Tracy merchandise sales will double those for ``Who Framed
Roger Rabbit,'' Disney's 1988 animated-live action film. Marx said
retail analysts believe ``Roger Rabbit'' merchandise produced about $100
million in sales.
	Disney's royalty fees for the merchandise are probably about 6 to
10 percent of wholesale sales, which will amount to about $250 million
if the retail sales reach $500 million. That would mean Disney's cut
could be $25 million.
	``Dick Tracy is a hit in the malls as well as at the movies,'' said
Anne Osberg, vice president of film and television licensing for Disney
Consumer Products. ``America is in love with Dick Tracy.''
	The film, which opened June 15, has performed well, with more than
$81 million in ticket sales. However, it clearly will not achieve the
blockbuster status of ``Batman,'' which rang up $251 million in domestic
grosses at the box office last year.
	Disney said suppliers are scrambling to meet the demand for new
orders of Tracy merchandise. Among the examples cited:
	--Playmates Toys has shipped more 2 million action figures.
	--Sales of the action figures are second only to the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles.
	--Alladin Industries said sales of lunch boxes could top 500,000.
	--Timex has increased its initial order of 170,000 watches by
20,000. The watches are the largest-selling Tracy item at Disney World.
	--Dobie Industries has sold more than 1 million T-shirts. The
Mervyn's chain sold half of their stock in a single day.
	Marx said that the demand for Tracy merchandise should remain
strong for the rest of the year.
	``First, you have back-to-school, which will start in August,''
Marx said. ``Then you have Halloween, which will be big for costumes,
and then you have the Christmas season.''

This is an article from the March 1990 issue of Progressive Architecture
on the Swan Hotel.  It is reprinted without permission.

                                  Story Time

          The Walt Disney World Swan Hotel manages to create a true
          fantasy amid the period pieces for which Disney is known.


   Disney Development Company president Peter Rummell boils down his philosophy
   of "entertainment architecture" to this: "In the end, it's all a bunch of
   stories, and you can pick the one you want."  In most of Disney's work, the
   architecture is a quick read; its theme parks and hotels parody
   architectural styles and period costumes to create the equivalent of a
   romance novel.  The new Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, though, is more a
   Busby Berkeley musical, lavish and entertaining but in a genre all its own. 
   Because it does not suggest any particular time or place, it is the most
   fantastic of the fantasy buildings in the Disney World complex.

   The Swan (along with its neighbor, the Dolphin, which will open this summer)
   does strongly suggest the presence of Michael Graves, who with Alan Lapidus
   was its architect.  The use of color, iconography, and a formal, axial plan
   are familiar enough elements in Grave's work and in the tenets of
   Post-Moderism.  But in the Swan, Post-Modernism's in-jokes and irony are
   not the rule; the architectural form plays it straight, while the decorative
   program goes for heartier, more accessible humor.

   This idea is made clear from one's first glimpse of the hotel, which is
   visible from within the nearby theme parks and from the highways that feed
   into the Disney complex.  The two 47-foot swans that top the hotel are, of
   course, the most startling sights, along with the whimsical coral-and-aqua
   wave pattern that covers the building.  But beneath the swans and the
   pattern (actually an EIF system), the basic form of the building is a
   curved profile, much like those Graves has employed elsewhere.  The
   entrance front is the plainer one, consisting of the decorated,
   billboard-like facade to which low appendages -- the convention center and
   porte-cocheres -- have been added.  The side facing the lake and the Dolphin
   is richer, with two perpendicular wings topped by clamshell fountains.
   The volumes of the Swan, if not the Dolphin, are simple Classical shapes - 
   but decorated with a liberal hand.

   The interior by and large adheres to similar rules; Graves says he tried 
   to "break down the seriousness" of the formal plan and Classically inspired
   spaces through bold patterns and other extra-architectural devices.  In
   plan, the large convention center is treated as a piece attached to formal,
   axial plan.  The three major lobby spaces of the hotel itself are lined up
   on the major axis, which runs between the Swan's frontyard fountain and the
   entrance to the Dolphin across the lake.  The first space, the long and
   narrow hotel foyer, has a tentlike vaulted ceiling and is lined with
   papyrus-reed columns.  Next is the main lobby, also rectangular but
   oriented perpendicularly to the axis.  Hallways leading to the elevators
   and the convention center branch off the sides of the lobby, which has a 
   centrally placed fountain and a barrel-vaulted ceiling painted with
   flowers.  The last of the three is the octagonal courtyard lobby, which is
   essentially a pavilion in the courtyard formed by the two hotel wings.
   Another set of perpendicular corridors leads from this room to the
   drumlike, double-height Garden Grove Cafe and the Il Palio restaurant.

   Most of these spaces are surprisingly comfortable and intimate, perhaps too
   intimate.  After the flamboyant gestures of the exterior, one expects a
   grand, definitive center along the main axis, but the succession of spaces 
   provides little change in scale.  Graves says this was a conscious 
   decision; he was "fighting the problem of bigness" in the hotels' programs
   and opted here for a series of smaller rooms in order to "make things
   human."  Still, a space more like the great entry rotunda in the Dolphin
   would have brought a clearer hierarchy to the Swan plan and given the
   plan's "narrative" a climax.  Instead, one is drawn to the real climax of
   the composition, the clamshell fountain at the entrance to the more
   spectacular Dolphin.

   The same decorative strategy employed in the richer public spaces helps
   fight the dullness of the conventional guest room floors upstairs:  The
   corridors are papered with a life-size beach scene, the doors are painted
   to resemble cabanas, and the carpet imitates quarry tile and lily ponds.  
   The guest rooms are typical for a convention hotel, with the welcome
   exception of their Graves-designed furniture, festooned with pineapples,
   palm tree, and floral prints.

   In a place where a certain chaos and randomness is cultivated, the "order"
   of the decorative system is little more than a series of loosely-connected
   (and sometimes conflicting -- what area the lily ponds doing on the beach?)
   themes, how does an architect go about making decisions?  "The order, I
   guess, is provided by one's eye or taste," says Graves.  The use of swans 
   and dolphins came from his Classical studies; he saw the "friendly
   water-borne creatures" that appeared in Classical architecture and
   sculpture as appropriate images for lakeside hotels that needed to be
   taken seriously as convention sites yet not "blow the Disney myth" for
   children.  The other decorative themes were chosen to meet similar criteria,
   and various uses and combinations were proposed on a sort of 
   trial-and-error basis within Grave's office and with clients (the owners
   and Disney, and Westin Hotels, who operate the Swan).  "If you were working
   with Walter Gropius, you'd say 'There must be a best way,' but there
   isn't one here; you could do it a variety of ways."  The process seems to
   have worked; the decor possesses a lightheartedness that retains a certain
   dignity - bearing in mind, of course, that this is Disney World; anywhere
   else that relative dignity might be lost.

   The Swan and Dolphin break a long-standing Disney World rule in that 
   they can be seen from within the theme parks, thereby running the risk
   of spoiling the illusions inside with a real-world intrusion.  Grave's
   decision to break the rule came in the competition that led to the
   commission; he found that a tall building best met the functional 
   requirements.  To compensate for his transgression, he proposed making
   his building a "green mountain" -- a nonarchitectural form covered with
   balconies and vegetation.  From that idea, the form of the Dolphin evolved.
   It apparently became clear to Disney officials as the design developed that
   these fantastic buildings would not dispel illusions but create new ones.
   Thus the giant swans were allowed to loom atop the treescape behind
   vignettes of various nations at EPCOT Center and above the imitation 
   Hollywood of the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park.  As other hotels go up
   between the pair and EPCOT, the entire Disney property begins to
   take on the aesthetic of the theme parks, where something unexpected and
   unconnected turns up around every corner.  Among the oddly juxtaposed
   "stories" in such a world, the Dolphin and Swan stand out for their 
   freshness as well as for their physical stature.  Though his plot is a
   little muddled at times (and who ever complained about that in a Busby
   Berkeley show?), Graves has proven himself one of Disney's best
   storytellers.

There is also another article along the margin. 

                          Report: Disney in Florida

   The Walt Disney Company has a 35-year history in the business of creating
   fantasy environments, beginning with Disneyland in Anaheim, California.  
   It is only recently, though, under the aegis of the five-year-old Disney
   Development Company, that the fantasy has begun to spill out of the Magic
   Kingdom proper.  With the construction of the Dolphin and Swan Hotels and
   many other projects in Florida, California, and Europe, Disney is blurring
   the once-clear separation between the inside and outside of their theme
   parks.

   After Walt Disney built Disneyland, he was dissatisfied with both the
   quality of the development that sprang up around the park and with the
   fact that his company was not profiting from the tourist business that
   went to those off-park hotels, restaurants, and attractions.  To avoid
   making the same mistake at Walt Disney World (1971), he secretly assembled
   43 square miles of land outside Orlando with which to make his second kingdom
   an empire.  Disney leased land to the major hotel chains that built the
   Modern high-rises that line "Hotel Plaza Drive" and built Walt Disney
   World Village, a 1970s-style outdoor shopping area with cedar-shingled
   roofs.  As far as design was concerned, the cartoon aesthetic didn't
   leave the park; a fashionable Sunbelt Modernism was the rule.

   In the 1980s, though Chairman Michael Eisner's Disney became more 
   aggressive in its development strategies; at the same time, the trend in
   mainstream architecture swung toward what Disney had been doing all along. 
   Disney Development has begun collecting architects who are well-known for
   employing allusion -- and illusion -- in their works, and has assigned them
   the task of making buildings with conventional programs, such as hotels and
   office buildings, as diverse and fantastic as the work of the "Imagineers"
   that design inside the parks.  Robert A.M. Stern, for example, has brought
   seaside imagery to the Yacht Club and Beach Club Hotels (both just next
   door to the Dolphin and Swan), and in his "Casting Center" has turned the 
   act of applying for a job at Disney World into an epic adventure.  Stern is
   also among the architects designing five hotels that evoke American
   architectural themes on the EuroDisney site outside Paris.  (Antoine
   Predock, who is also designing a "Mediterranean" hotel at Disney World, is
   another, as are Michael Graves and French architect Antoine Grumbach.)

   While Architects like Graves and Predock tend to produce abstracted,
   suggestive versions of environmental themes, Disney's in-house architectural
   team has contributed some of the more literal and flamboyant efforts,
   typically working with a specialty firm on functional considerations.  The 
   Disney staff worked with the Orlando firm of Fugleberg Koch Architects
   on the Caribbean Beach Resort, a moderately-priced Disney World hotel
   divided into four zones representing -- virtually caricaturing -- the
   architecture of four Caribbean islands.  The same team is now working on a
   project employing styles of the Mississippi River.

   The list of projects in the works is overwhelming; at the opening of the
   Swan Hotel, Michael Eisner took advantage of the press presence to announce
   a decade's worth of new plans for the Florida site.  Joining the three theme
   parks, 14,000 hotel rooms, water park, and other existing attractions will
   be a fourth park (reportedly involving animals), 5000 hotel rooms, and 29
   new attractions at its existing parks.  Also down the road, according to
   Disney Development president Peter Rummell, is the possibility of some 
   real-world development -- new towns -- on some of the still substantial
   undeveloped land.  The company has already out-Main-Streeted Main Street
   (the Magic Kingdom) and out-Hollywooded Hollywood (Disney-MGM Studios
   Theme Park); what might their attempt at a living, breathing community
   produce?

   
Picture of front of Swan with Dolphin behind it on pages 76 and 77.  
Inset is model of hotels.  Caption:  

    On its entrance side, the Swan presents a flat, billboard-like image to
    visitors, but the swans themselves--47 feet high--grab all the attention. 
    Guests enter through the porte-cochere at center left.  The triangular
    form of the Dolphin, now nearing completion, looms behind.  The scale
    of the buildings is so other-worldly that photographs of the finished
    product are not always easily distinguishable from model photographs
    (inset).

Page 79 picture of Swan from lagoon, picture of causeway connecting
Dolphin and Swan, and bridge to EPCOT.  Caption:

    The most appealing spot yet completed is the causeway (above and top)
    that connects the Dolphin and Swan.  The primary colors of the canopies
    were chosen to provide contrast with the subtler coral and aqua of the 
    buildings.  On second look, the architect and clients have decided to
    remove the blue-and-yellow rotundas.  The giant clamshells that top the
    perpendicular wings are fountains.  Sailboat bridges (above left) designed
    by Graves connect the hotels to EPCOT Center via a boardwalk that will be
    lined with entertainment facilities.

Five pictures of the inside of the hotel on pages 80 and 81.  Caption:

   A broad hall (top left) connects the hotel to the convention center, which
   also has its own entrances.  Prefunction areas in the center (top right)
   feature large murals.  The chair-rail moldings seen here are a constant 
   throughout the public spaces.  The axis of entry to the hotel leads
   through three spaces of somewhat indistinct hierarchy:  the column-lined
   hotel foyer (facing page, bottom), the barrel-vaulted main lobby (facing
   page, top).  The foyer and courtyard lobby were to have draping fabric
   ceilings, but because an appropriate flame-retardant fabric could not be
   found, they were painted.

Page 82, four more pictures of the inside.  Caption:

   Rotundas mark the end of the corridors leading to the elevators, but an
   unexpected turn is required to find the elevators themselves.  The beach
   scene on the guest room corridor walls (above left) is punctuated by doors
   disguised as cabanas (top right); the quarry-tile-and-lily-pond carpeting
   send to have sneaked in from another fantasy.  The standard-issue guest
   rooms (above right), like the corridors, are made much more pleasant
   through the colorful, playful furnishings.

Final two pictures of restaurants on page 83. Caption:   

   The Garden Grove Cafe (top) is the hotel's only high-ceilinged space, except
   for the more utilitarian convention center ballroom.  Graves achieves the
   appearance of a rotunda with a balcony, while in fact there is no mezzanine
   level in the restaurant.  The papyrus-reed columns used here and in the
   foyer are among the few tricks played with architectural elements.  The
   windows at right overlook pool and lake.  Il Palio, the hotel's Italian
   restaurant, is decorated with flags from the celebrated Siena horse race. 
   The chairs are Graves's commercially available "Finestra" model.  The
   murals used in the restaurants, as elsewhere, manage to maintain the
   hotel's light spirit without becoming cartoonlike.


Some of the architectural details are:

   Site:  (with adjacent Dolphin Hotel): 50 acres of lagoons adjacent to Walt
   Disney World's EPCOT Center.

   Program:  700,000-sq-ft hotel with 758 guest rooms and suites, convention
   center, health club, game room, swimming pool, retail space, two
   full-service restaurants, snack bar, grand bar, and lounges.

   Structural systems:  reinforced concrete (hotel tower); steel 
   superstructure (low-rise buildings).

   Major materials:  exterior insulation and finish system on metal studs with
   painted murals, hinged metal-frame windows, standing seam metal roofs and
   membrane flat roofing, gypsum board interior partitions on metal studs.

   Mechanical systems:  three 420-ton electric drive refrigeration machines;
   two 350-hp gas-fired steam boilers; air-handling units for public areas;
   vertical fan coil units with electric heaters in each guest room.

   Costs: $120 million.

    If anyone is interested I saw "Storming the Magic Kingdom" at the Royal
    Book Store in Merrimack. They had about 6 copies in hardcover selling
    for $3.98.
    
    They also had the new Disney Adventures book.
    
    Mike

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (DAVE McNARY, UPI Business Writer)
Subject: Disney to start adult book unit
Keywords: books & publishing, media, entertainment industry, misc industry,
Date: 15 Oct 90 22:58:29 GMT


	BURBANK, Calif. (UPI) -- The Walt Disney Co., in its continuing recent
efforts to move into new areas, said Monday that it will establish an
adult book publishing unit with the idea of becoming a major player in
the field.
	``Disney is an entertainment company engaged in the full spectrum of
American cultural interests,'' said Charles P. Wickham, group vice
president of Disney Publishing. ``General-interest book publishing will
be a perfect complement to many of the company's activities, including
our continuing licensed publications business.''
	Disney, which expanded in July into the children's book field, said
that it plans to publish 50 books in its first year, covering a wide
range, from commercial to serious. It will introduce its initial list of
titles at the American Booksellers Association convention in New York
next June.
	The company did not disclose how much it is spending to launch the
unit, but spokesman Chuck Champlin said the amount is ``substantial.''
	The division has not yet been named, but Champlin said that it would
not include ``Disney'' in it.
	The children's book division introduced its first titles at a
booksellers' convention earlier this month in Franfurt, Germany. The
books should be in stores by this spring, Champlin said.
	The division's publisher will be Robert Miller, 34, who was
previously a vice president at Dell Publishing and editorial director of
Delacorte Press.
	The company said distribution pacts covering the two units will be
announced soon.
	The moves into book publishing reflect Disney's continuing expansion
into areas that can help to boost existing businesses in ``synergistic''
way, as chief executive officer Michael Eisner has often noted.
	Since Eisner took over the top post six years ago, the company has
opened a movie theme park in Florida, become a major player in
mainstream movies, started its own record label, launched a chain of
more than 70 retail stores and committed itself to opening several more
theme parks during this decade.
	Disney earned $703 million on sales of $4.6 billion last year.

    
    Yes, straight from the campus of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, it's
    our old Disneyholic pal Joel Tomyl with more tidbits and articles full of
    fun and surprises. I got this over the net from him a couple of days ago
    I'll be posting more info as he sends it to me. 
    
============================================================================
    	
Subj:	Disney Article 

From: Joel Tomyl
 
This article was sent to me by a friend in the seminary.  The article
came from CITIZEN, July 23, 1990, volume 4, Number 7.  He had several
sidecomments that I have left out but they were interesting nevertheless.
 
HOW LONG WILL DINSEY BE SAFE FOR KIDS?
 
The company families have trusted for wholesome entertainment is
drifting toward more adult themes.
 
By Joseph Farah
 
The name Disney still evokes fond childhood memories of Mickey Mouse,
SNOW WHITE, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and IT'S A SMALL WORLD.  But how long will
this family image be accurate.
 
The release of DICK TRACY suggests that Walt Disney Co. may be
adandoning its traditional audience.  Until a few months before it
premiere, DICK TRACY carried the Disney Studios name, signifying family
entertainment.  But even the permissive LOS ANGELES TIMES expressed
surprise at the film's content.
 
"For a PG-rated film, the brief, silhouetted nudity, steamy dialogue
and amount of violence is a little stunning," the paper said.
 
Just before its June 15 release, Disney transferred DICK TRACY from
its family-oriented studio to its adult-oriented Touchstone
Pictures division.
 
The company only narrowly avoided soiling the Disney name on one other
occasion.  The 1988 blockbuster, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", was
scheduled as a Disney release but diverted to Touchstone, reportedly
because of discomfort over the film's sexually suggestive character,
Jessia Rabbit.
 
Some other recent developments at Disney:
 
o  Earlier this year, Disney hired Dawn Steel, a marketing director for
PENTHOUSE magazine in the mid-1970s, to produce feature films.  Disney
also signed Peter Paterno, who once represented the hard-drinking,
sexually aggressive Guns N Roses, to head its new Hollywood Records
label.
 
(Disney officials dismiss concerns over the company's recent hirings as
unfounded.  They say Dawn Steel's work at Penthouse is ancient
history, linking Paterno to heavy metal artists is "guilt by
association."
 
o  Disney helped sponsor a benefit dinner in May for the Liberty Hill
Foundation, which describes itself as a radical fund-raising
organization that assists homosexual activists, abortion activists,
and other radical groups.
 
(Disney said it was only interested in giving tribute to Oliver Stone,
the Hollywood director who was the dinner's guest of honor.)
 
o  Disney officials continue to express pride in their NBC situation
comedy "The Golden Girls," despite increasing criticism from pro-family media
watchdogs who say the show is loaded with profanity and often revolves
around salaciuous jokes and sexual innuendo.
 
("It is the first show to take on issues of concern to senion citizens.
And it's very funny and realistic," a Disney spokesman said.)
 
o  "Tonight marks the beginning of a new era in family entertainment,"
boasted Betty White last fall on NBC's "The Magical World of Disney."
A few minutes later an animated Baby Herman curses in an exchange with
Roger Rabbit.
 
o  "Dick Tracy" made more than $50 million in its first three weeks, an
impressive start.  "Dick Tracy" merchandise sold briskly, too,
indicating the movie's appeal to teens.  The switch from Disney to
Touchstone had little effect on the film's success, something Disney
offcials had forseen.
 
"Even though our preliminary research screenings have shown that
this film plays as appropriately to all segments of the movie-going
audience as any other live-action film we've produced to date, we
felt that the  Touchstone label would be more in keeping with the
particular PG content of this film," said Jeffrey Katzenberg,
chairman of Disney Studios.
 
The decision was made at the highest corporate levels, suggesting that
top officials still seek to protect the Disney name.  But a spokesman
seemed to qualify the issue.
 
"Our first concern is not image," said Erwin Okun, senior vice president
"it's quality."
 
OUT OF TOUCH
 
The same conflicting interests led Disney to create its Touchstone
division more than six years ago, allowing the company to produce,
distribute and profit from more adult-oriented PG, PG-13 and R-rated
films.
 
Touchstone allows top creative talent such as Steven Spielberg and
Warren Beatty to make films and TV shows without adhering strictly to
traditional Disney values.
 
"In effect, Disney is now the only studio to have its own self-imposed,
in-house ratings system to guide parents in selection of motion picture
viewing for their families," a top Disney official explained in 1984.
 
The first Touchstone picture was "Splash," starring Darryl Hannah as
a mermaid who sprouts legs on land.  Although PG-rated, the film
included profanity, brief nudity and premarital sex.  Since then,
the company has made the following R-rated films:
 
o  "Pretty Woman," the Pygmalion-inspired story of a prostitute
(Julia Roberts) who is given free use of an American Express card,
befriended and bedded by a wealthy businessman (Richard Gere).
the film has made more that $120 million, one of the year's first
blockbuster hits.
 
o  "Cocktail," the story of an upwardly mobile bartender, starring
Tom Cruise.
 
o  "Blaze," a fictional account of the affair between Louisiana
politician Huey Long (Paul Newman) and striptease artist Blaze Starr.
 
o  "Ruthless People," a clack comedy about a wealthy husband (Danny
DeVito) who wants to kill his wife (Bette Midler).
 
o  "Down and Out in Beverly Hills,"  the story of a wealthy executive
(Richard Dreyfuss) who rescues a bum from a suicide attempt in his
Beverly Hills pool.  The bum (Nick Nolte) later sleep with
Dreyfuss' wife, daughter and mistress-maid and encourages his
son's tranvestite experimentation.
 
o  "The Color of Money," about a pool hustler (Tom Cruise) and his
mentor (Paul Newman).
 
Like most mainstream Hollywood films, these Touchstone releases contain
a mix of violence, profanity and sexual situations.
 
Other films scheduled for release include "Scenes from a Mall," starring
Bette Midler and Woody Allen;  "The Marrying Man," a comedy with Kim
Basinger and Alec Baldwin; and the American remake of "Mama, There's
a Man in Your Bed."
 
As comedian Robin Williams, star of Touchstone releases "Dead Poets
Society"(PG) and "Good Morning Vietnam"(R) said:  "Disney is still
Disney, the one ingrained in the American memory.  But it's a
different Disney, doing different things.  Touchstone is from the
same family, but it's a new child in town.  This Minnie has nipples."
 
NERVOUS STOCKHOLDERS
 
Disney says it does not seek to offend.
 
"We never set out to make R-rated or PG-rated movies," said spokesman
Okun.  "We only set out to make quality movies."
 
But even some Disney stockholders are uneasy with Touchstone's
explicitness.  At a meeting in February at Anaheim, Calif., one
Stockholder expressed his displeasure over the excessive
profanity in the Touchstone filems starring Bette Midler.  His
comments were enthusiastically applauded.
 
Another stockholer said adult-oriented movies from Touchstone and
Disney's newest division, Hollywood Pictures, could betray Walt
Disney's vision for family entertainment.
 
"There is a place for all kinds of pictures, as long as they are
correctly labeled," said Michael Eisner, chairman and chief
executive officer of Walt Disney co.
 
Eisner and othe key Disney officials refused "Citizen's" written and
verbal requests for an interview.
 
Although some stockholders object to Disney's latest moves, don't
expect a revolt among their ranks anytime soon.  Since taking charge
of the company in 1984, Eisner has helped increase Disney's profits
seven-fold by upgrading the company's theme parks and releasing it
classic animated films on videocassette.  Eisner's been amply
rewarded, earning more than $9 million last year and $40 million the
year before.
 
Not too bad for a company that was, a few years ago, on the rocks
financially.
 
When Disney died in 1966, the company he founded became like a
rudderless ship.  Executives would not take action until they could
answer the question, "What would Walt have done?"
 
"One of the worst things that ever happened at this company was
when people started asking themselves that question," says Roy
E. disney, Walt's nephew and now vice chairman of the company.
It was Roy Disney who lured Eisner and Katzenberg from Paramount
Pictures to Disney.
 
Although Eisner is ambitious, he has told other interviewers
that business is not his idol.
 
"My priorities are simple," he said.  "My family comes first and
Disney second.  When I have to choose between them, I'll always
choose my family, whether it's a school play or a hockey game or
whatever."  The father of three sons, ages 20, 17 and 12, Eisner has
also been quoted as saying that he finds excessive violence in movies
"anti social."
 
On the other hand, Eisner, Katzenberg and Disney president Frank
Wells reportedly have exceeded federal limits on political donation
in their gifts to liberal politicians - Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ),
Rep. James Brooks (D-Texas), and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) - all
of whom have supported abortion and anti-family legislation.  Wells
was one of the top 10 Hollywood contributors to 1988 Democratic
presidential nominee Michael Dukakis.
 
As for reconciling the past with the present, company officials
compare the Walt Disney "vision" to the US Constitution.  Each
is a set of values and precepts whose application changes with
the culture.
 
"You've got to start everyday of you life with the premise that
the world and its tastes and entertainment values change, and
you must stay with them," said one top Disney official.
 
LESS MAGIC
 
For better or worse, under Michael Eisner's direction, Disney
has changed.  Christian movie critic Ted Baehr is not dismayed,
however,.  He says recent Disney films - "Honey I Shrunk the Kids"
and "The Little Mermaid" - did not show the same interest in
occult themese that Walt Disney's animated classics did.
 
"There is a constant theme throughout the old Disney classics
that somehow magic would save the day," Baehr said.  "Disney
was not sympathetic to Christianity.  He had a deep interest in
the occult and had a gnostic worldview."
 
(It has been noted more than once that most American instutitions
are represented on Disneyland's Main Street - post office, bank,
One thi school -  but not the church.)
 
"Today's Disney films, unfortunately, are much more likely to
included some sex, violence and profanity," Baehr said.
 
If not wholesome family entertainment, what does set Disney apart?
What distinguishes it from Universal, for example?
 
You might expect Disney officials to make allusions to family
values and wholesome entertainment for children.  Not so.  What
sets Disney apart from its competitors, says Okun, is "synergy."
 
"One part of the company feeds off the other,"  Okun said.  "We
can shoot scenes at the theme parks and use them on the Disney
Channel.  And all of the consumer products promote one another."
 
If such reasoning holds, families could expect to see Disneyland
attractions based on successful movies.  Disneyland's "Star Tours" is
modeled after "Star Wars," and the Disney/MGM Studios park in
Florida includes a re-enactment of scenes from "Raiders of the Lost
Ark."  Might future attractions be based on explicit, adult-oriented
films?
 
Christions might hope that Disney officials show restraint.
(End of Article)
 
(sidebar)
WHAT CAN YOU DO
 
One thing is certain:  Despite all its changes, Disney is still
concerned with its cherished family image.  Let Disney know you
care about its image, too.  Write:
 
Michael Eisner
Chairman
Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
 
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Date: 18 Oct 90 13:28:41 HST
From: Joel Tomyl     <CBASL35%UHCCVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
To: George Higgins <wmois::higgins_g>
Subject: Disney Article

I too have noticed Disney's leanings toward R rated entertainment.
It's too bad. There is enough "adult" type entertainment in the
world already.

Kids today don't need to experience anymore of it.

I hope Disney does show some restraint.

>I too have noticed Disney's leanings toward R rated entertainment.
>It's too bad. There is enough "adult" type entertainment in the
>world already.

I have to add a few thoughts here, before I sort of explode... :-)

Disney has made a very clear distinction between its childrens' output and
its teenager/adult output, by creating Touchstone Pictures. I don't think 
you can fault Disney for this. If you want to lay some blame, put it at the
door of the US ratings system which allows children to see an R-rated film.
In Europe, those same films receive different ratings, but generally there
is a miniumum age limit under which no way does the child get in. There is
therefore a better market distinction over here than there. (I am constantly
surprised at just what sort of film I can find small children watching with 
their parents in the US....)

I don't want to get into a morality debate here (I may have no choice...) but
I also feel that some rightwing groups in the US are capable of reading more 
into things than is really necessary and of being oversensitive in some areas.
This current topic is a good example. You say that Disney should show some
restraint yet, earlier studio productions showed:

      a young woman living with seven adult males
      a man kissing a sleeping woman who did not even known him
      a vagrant outlaw espousing lawbreaking and rebellion
      etc etc

Taken like this, these subjects seem quite objectionable, yet they are from 
films that most children have seen and enjoyed.

Children are more resilient and more capable of distinguishing real life from 
fantasy than a lot of adults.

In the spirit of the earlier note: I shall be writing to Disney to *support*
their current policy. I do this in an effort to balance things out a little...
I encourage others to do the same.

Gavin

Article          680
From: clarinews@clarinet.com
Subject: AT&T signs deal with Disney
Date: 24 Oct 90 18:56:19 GMT
 
 
	NEW YORK (UPI) -- American Telephone & Telegraph Co. Wednesday said it
has signed two contracts to provide long-distance service to more than
9,000 hotel room telephones at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in
Florida and the Disneyland Hotel in California.
	The two-year renewable contract, whose value was not disclosed, also
covers 900 public pay phones within the Walt Disney World Resort
Complex.
	AT&T Long Distance Service will be later provided to all Walt Disney
World Resorts currently under construction and will be made available to
the nine independently owned hotels with the Walt Disney World Resorts
Complex.

Here we go...

IMHO:

I don't consider myself "rightwing" however I think many people
have realized that the center of the "moral norm" of this
country (and probably the world) has moved somewhat to the left.

I think a lot of people also feel that much of the increase in
crime, drug abuse, etc can be linked to impressionable, "resiliant"
children that have been influenced by certain inappropriate
circumstances at a young age, without any moral guidence involved.

PLEASE don't get me wrong I am not saying that Disney is to blame for
these problems. I am saying however, that as Disney (and the media in
general) moves more and more towards "adult" themes, some serious
thought should be given as to how these things affect young minds.

*This current topic is a good example. You say that Disney should show some
*restraint yet, earlier studio productions showed:

*      a young woman living with seven adult males
*      a man kissing a sleeping woman who did not even known him
*      a vagrant outlaw espousing lawbreaking and rebellion
*      etc etc

*Taken like this, these subjects seem quite objectionable, yet they are from 
*films that most children have seen and enjoyed.

The above statement is ridiculus in that it tries to give the impression
that "Snow White and the Seven Drawfs", Sleeping Beauty, etc. can
somehow be linked to unacceptable sexual explicitness and violence.
There is a definite distinction that should be evident through common 
sense reasoning. 

This "bridge" type of argument has been used in many forms for many years
to promote or defend many offensive practices. I would also add that it
has been very effective and successful.

*Children are more resilient and more capable of distinguishing real life from 
*fantasy than a lot of adults.

This I agree with 100%.

If anyone want to carry on this dialogue you can send me e-mail
mail, rather than using the notes file.

OK, I'm off the soapbox.

Doug

    Re: .80 + .82
    
    If you want more inof on how and why Disney started Touchstone Pictures
    pick up a copy of "Storming the Magic Kingdom." The book gives insight
    into how the Disney Studios decided to "alter" their movie making.
    
    Mike

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (DAVE McNARY, UPI Business Writer)
Subject: Disney, Japanese investors strike deal on financing films
Keywords: entertainment industry, misc industry, non-usa debt, money,
Date: 23 Oct 90 18:49:33 GMT


	BURBANK, Calif. (UPI) -- Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday it has
entered into a $600 million limited partnership with a Japanese investor
group that will finance the production of Disney movies.
	The financing through Touchwood Pacific Partners I should be enough
to cover the costs of about two dozen films over a year's time.
	Disney, said spokesman Erwin Okun, will probably begin using the
money early next year, once the funds from a previous film-financing
partnership -- Silver Screen IV -- are exhausted.
	``This transaction is symbolic of the increasingly global market for
film,'' Okun said. ``It also reflects the attraction of the Disney name
in Japan, particularly with the success of (the) Tokyo Disneyland (theme
park).''
	The deal comes just a month after Disney announced that it was
joining forces with another Japanese financier, Nomura Babcock & Brown,
which will finance up to $200 million in production and marketing costs
of movies made by independent producer Interscope.
	Three Silver Screen partnerships, which attracted 140,000 investors,
have provided about $1 billion in financing for Disney movies over the
past five years. But Silver Screen was unable to agree with Disney on
extending the partnership.
	``The difficulties faced by Hollywood today, including rapidly
escalating film budgets and talent participations, made it impossible
for us to come to terms with Disney on a new Silver Screen offering,''
said Tom Bernstein, executive vice president of Silver Screen.
	Okun said that the current investment climate for films is better in
Japan than in the United States, in part because of tax benefits not
available to American investors.
	The deal comes at a time of growing Japanese interest in Hollywood,
starting with Sony Corp.'s $3.4 billion acquisition of Columbia Pictures
last year. Matsushita Electric Industrial began buyout talks with MCA
Inc. last month that could produce an $8 billion deal.
	The Touchwood transaction, one of the largest such deals in Hollywood
history, is based on the acquisition of $180 million in equity proceeds
from the sale of limited partnership interests by Yamaichi General
Finance Co., an affiliate of Japan's Yamaichi Securities.
	The balance of the funds will come in the form of a $420 million
credit line underwritten by several banks, including Fuji Bank Ltd.,
Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan Ltd. and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co.,
led by Citibank N.A., which will act as broker.
	The price of Disney's stock jumped $1.75 to $97.625 a share in
trading early Tuesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange.

    I didn't know where to put this article, so it should be moved please
    feel free to do so.  I thought is was pretty funny and it does take
    place at the Official Disney Travel Center on Route 75 in Ocala Florida
    so....
    
    Taken from the Ocala Banner Star
    
    
        Strangers ask Stranger Questions
    
    
    Florida is the land of sunshine and surf, a glittering jewel attracting
    millions of visitors to its shine.
    
    But it seems many people let their minds get blinded by the promise
    of fun in the sun.  The Season is almost here.  it last until just
    before Easter.
    
    And when tourists and new residents begin wandering around the state,
    things can get, well, a little strange.
    
    "Just in general, we get a lot of strange qustions.  Being the official
    Disney World Information Center, we get a lot of questions about Busch
    Gardens," said Alan Korb, manager of the center at State Road 200 and
    I-75 in Ocala.
    
    "We also get a lot of questions about whether our attractions are
    working because they think we're Universal," he added.
    
    As so often happens with tourists anywhere, when they are in unfamiliar
    places and situations they begin to believe that anyone who works in
    that place must be an expert on just about anything.
    
    Just ask Billie Gabel, a hostess at the welcome center, which is
    located a good 76 miles from Disney World.
    
    "They always think the weather here is the same as the weather down
    there," she said.  "You have to guarantee the weather all the time."
    
    And sometimes, it seems tourists on vacation leave their common sense
    back home to guard the homefront.
    
    "What time is the 3 p.m. parade at Disney?  That's the number one
    question here," said the hostess Meg Quinette.  "And they want to know
    whenthe bus leaves for Orlando."
    
    Quinette said in addition to being compared to Disney characters all
    the time, people frequently seem to forget that Florida still is a
    capitalist state.
    
    "They think that everywhere is Florida you should be able to get free
    orange juice," she said.
    
    And while place names such as Paddock Park are familiar to Big Sun
    residents, they frequently confuse some people.
    
    "You'll say "Days Inn Paddock Park" and they'll say "Paddy, we want to
    make a reservation," said a desk clerk at the hotel.
    
    Louis Norman, a waitress at Po Folks Restaurant on SR 200, said she
    frequently fields questions about the Silver Springs nature park, the
    states oldest tourist attraction just east of Ocala on State ROad 40.
    
    "Everybody knows where Silver Springs is," Norman said.  "I don't know
    why they can't ever find it.  We've got enough signs for it in this
    town."
    
    Po Folks is a distincltly southern restaurant and Norman said some
    people from Up North have a little difficulty with some regional
    cuisine.
    
    "They ask what is chicken fried steak?" she said. "And they ask 'Do
    you have to serve me out of a mason jar?"  Some people do get upset
    about it."
    
    When people are in trouble in most places, they frequently turn to the
    local police station.  Yvonne Shores, a record clerk, said the Ocala
    Police Department is no exception.
    
    "I have people come in a want to find their Aunt Ruth they haven't seen
    in 30 years," she said.  "They think that she lives in Ocala and don't
    know where to locate her."
    
    It is sometimes difficult for people to remember that theyw ay they do
    things at home is not necessarily the way they do things everywhere
    else.
    
    The state Department of Tourism's visitors services is one place where
    people find out quickly about the difference between life in Florida
    and elsewhere.
    
    "One woman wanted to know if it was a law that she had to have snow
    chains on her tires in Florida," said an information specialist in the
    visitor services division.  "I said it never snows in FLorida.  She was
    so embarrased she hung up right away."
    
    The specialist, who said it was department policy not to release her
    name, said the geography of Florida sometimes stumps some people
    planning to come to the Sunshine State.
    
    "They were wanted to know about some cruises that went of Orlando", she
    said.  "and then one asked what coast in Florida is Barbados located
    on. They thought Barbados was some small island right off the coast."
    
    
    Actually Barbados is located just under 1,600 miles southeast of
    FLorida in the Atlantic Ocean and about 270 miles northeast of
    Venezuela.
    
    Closer to home, Ocala Deputy City Cleark Valerie Foster said she has a
    sure-fire way to tell where someone is from by talking to them over the
    phone.
    
    "You can tell they're from up North, because there, evidently, the town
    clerk does everything," she said.  "They get a little frustrated when
    we have to refer them to the county or the state."
    
    But despite the absurdity of some questions, Shores pretty well sums up
    how the service industry feels.
    
    "We're always glad to help them," she said.
    
    
    
    

    
    
    From the October issue of The Photo District News
    
    Orlando, FL When you are working for a mouse of mega-proportions, you
    can't crawl out of bed early enough. The staff of seven photographers
    at Walt disney World in Orlando, has no choice but to shoot the
    majority of their outdoor assignments before the theme parks open in
    the morning or after they close. At the Majic Kingdom, the photo dept.
    is relegated to a virtual rat hole under Main Steet USA. Many
    department offices are housed in the bomb shelter-like tunnels that run
    under the park, but few are as crowded as photography. Disney's photo
    kings( alas there are no women) take a break from the scorching Florida
    sun in working-class cubicles that resemble a newsroom, long ago
    outgrown.
      Still there is something about the job... turn over is very low.
    Since the department was formed in 1971, few salaried people, and none
    of the shooters, have departed. "People don't leave. This job does
    offer the job of your dreams," says Bill Marshal, a department supervi-
    sor. And people are also eager to get in: More than 800 applicants
    applied to an ad when a position opened up several years ago.
      All seven staff shooters have leeway to try almost anything their
    hearts desire when putting together an image. Costume and set designers
    engineers and modelmakers are all at their disposal. And what's not in 
    Disney World can be ordered.
      Shooters have to handle a broad variety of assignments and work comes
    from all areas of Walt Disney World_ creative services,
    advertising,publicity, engineering, construction, and hotel management
    for a dozen on-site properties. And since MGM Studios has opened, the
    photo staff must handle even more technically spectacular assignments.
      While the photography department can say no to a job from another
    department, there must be a basis for rejection, typically tied to time
    or budget. Walt Disney World operates on a zero based budget, meaning
    that each department must deduct the cost of each photo shoot from its
    available dollars.
      The staff is supported by five lab technicians. Sitex work is sent
    out, but all processing stays in-house.
      Walt Disney World maintains a stock photography library of about one
    million images for its own use. While computers are coming to the
    library for filing and managing purposes, none are in place yet.
    
    
    

                                 Help Wanted at Disney
    
        The Walt Disney Co. would rather cur off one of Mickey Mouse's ears
        than admit it has a problem of any kind. But the world's number one
        theme park builder admits it is having difficulty coming up with
        ehough qualified architects, engineers, and project managers to
        handle an onsloght of work expected in the 1990s.
    
        "We're doing just great, but we need more people," conceds Stanley
        "Mickey" Steinberg, executive vice president of Walt Disney
        Imagineering, Glendale, Calif., unit that designs, builds and renews
        the parent company's theme parks.
    
        .
        .
        .
    
        But Disney's recruitment efforts have not filled all the availbale
        slots. "I did not hire my maximum quota, let's put it that way,"
        says Bill Simms, vice president of architecture and facilities
        engineering at Imagineering. One reason is the inherent difficulty
        in finding people with related experience. Disney doesn't
        necessarily expect direct experience. For example, there are few
        people around who can design and build an artificial rock mountain.
        "It may look like a mountain, but it's still a building," says
        Simms. Also, "We are very picky, very choosy about the people who
        work here," adds Sklar.
    
        Source: Engineering News REcord Nov 1990

             Undaunted by the downturn
    
             Disney Steams ahead with expansion
    
             (printed without permission from some newpaper in South
              Jersey, December 30, 1990)
    
    
    Disney World's done it again.
    
    A couple years back, the giant theme park in Orlando, Fla., built a
    stunning period hotel, the Grand Floridian.  It was an instant success,
    proving that the public appreciates style and substance.
    
    Now the Disney folks have come up with a new pair of themed hotels with
    the same kind of charm:  Disney's Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts,
    built in the style of the turn of the century summer resorts that used
    to dot the Atlantic coast from Cape May to Cape Cod.
    
    Picture fancy-cut shingles, ceiling fans, wicker furniture and wooden
    wainscoting.  Close your eyes and you may smell home-baked bread and
    steamed clams on seaweed - both on the menu at the Beach Club's Cape
    May Cafe.  Pennants and blazers conjure the classy ambience of a Long
    Island yacht club.
    
    That's the kind of image the new hotels project, and image is something
    in which Disney people are expert.
    
    Give them a theme and they jump all over it.  In the Beach Club, the 
    wallpaper is imprinted with seashells, the lamps are shaped like sea
    horses and the bellhops and valet parkers wear knickers.  At the Yacht
    Club, the restaurant windows are portholes, a croquet court graces the
    lawn and staffers wear blue blazers.
    
    Both hotels were designed by Robert A.M. Stern, an architect noted for
    his East Coast seaside homes.
    
    The themes carry into the restaurants, whose chefs and food managers
    toured the Northeast in a quest for authenticity.
    
    "We were looking for an understanding of New England life" said
    Executive Chef Jerry Kuchinslas.
    
    To give Beaches and Cream, an old-fashioned ice cream shop, an
    authemtic ambiance, designers installed a Wurlitzer juke box that plays
    nostalgic tunes as customers order such items as Fenway Park Burgers
    and root beer floats.
    
    An unusual water recreation area called Stormalong Bay lies between the
    two hotesl, which share a convention center and are linked by a covered
    walkway.  it has three meandering swimming pools - two with sandy
    bottoms and one with a whirlpool - bridged here and there by wooden
    walkways.  The central lagoon has been designed as a snorkeling lagoon
    in which guests swim with bass, crappie and other fresh-water fish
    indigenous to Florida's springs.  Sure to be a winner with children is
    a replicated shipwreck with a "broken" mast that is actually a water
    slide.
    
    At the same time, Disney is moving ahead with a barrage of new
    additions to its theme parks:  a play area in Disney's/MGM Studios that
    should captivate youngsters.  Themed after Disney's hit movie, "Honey,
    I Shrunk the Kids," it takes kids ( and adults too) into a magnified
    backyard.
    
    Huge blades of grass tower over the paths.  Children can scamper atop a
    giant Cheerio loop, sit on a magnified ant, slide on a tongue of
    slipping film out of an out-sized film can, whizz through and down
    other tunnels and face up to the sniffing nose of a dog.
    
    If the "Honey I Shrunk" attraction is bigger than life, so are Disney's
    expansion plans.
    
    It's damn-the-downturn, full-speed-ahead for Disney.
    
    "We've felt few effects of a recession.  We're going ahead with all our
    plans," said spokesman Charles Ridgway.
    
    That's saying a lot, because Disney World has a number of substantial
    projects in the works.
    
    This spring, Disney will open a full-service Sci-Fri Restaurant in the
    Disney/MGM Studios theme park.  Guests will sit in simulated 1950's
    convertibles and watch science-fiction movies as the dine.
    
    In June, Disney/MGM Studios Theme Park will open its new Muppet theme
    area.  Main attraction will be the Muppet Vision 3-D Theater, a movie
    completed for Disney by  Muppet creator Jim Henson shortly before his
    death.  Around the theater will be simulated old New York City
    neighborhood with a lot of Muppet character about it.  Eventually, the
    "Here Comes the Muppets" show will move into a theater in the theme
    area, as well as rides and restaurants.
    
    Another whole new theme area is envisioned at MGM Studios by 1994 or
    1995.  Named Sunset Boulevard, it will house several major attractions,
    including rides themed to Roger Rabbit and perhaps to Dick Tracy.  When
    complete, the addition of the Muppets and Sunset Boulevard theme areas
    will double the original size of the MGM Studios.
    
    Though recent emphasis at Disney has been on the highly successful
    Disney/MGM Studios, the original Magic Kingdom is not being neglected.
    Construction of a new thrill ride, Splash Mountain, is to begin there
    next month.  The log flume ride will open in 1992.  And a new hotel is
    to rise on the monorail circuit around Bay Lake, this one in
    Mediterranean style.  Construction will begin early in 1991, with
    completion expected in about two years.
    
    Disney's hotel plans seem endless.
    
    Port Orleans, a moderately-priced hotel complex with a French Quarter
    ambience, will open 1,000 rooms between April and July.  Also under
    construction are Dixie Landings, a 1,000 room hotel carrying an
    antebellum theme, Alligator Bayou, another 1,000 room hotel with a
    rustic Louisiana backwoods look.  SOme of the complex will open in
    September, the rest in the following year.
    
    

    
    
    
    Heard on the news last night. Paraphrased of course.
    
    Disney stock down 2 1/2 pts due to rumor of impending lower ticket
    prices to Disney World...
    
    Also seen waffle maker that makes waffles in the shape of Mickeys
    face. 
    
                           -=-=-R~C-=-=-

Disney has lowered the price into Disneyland for those how live
in California until the end of March 1991.  The price of an
adult passport (1 day) has been lowered to $20.  The price
before this decrease for 1 day/adult with MKC was $25.50.

Attendance in the parks here in Southern California has decreased
this last year with the exception of Magic Mountain.  It increased
by 4%.  I guess Disney wants to attract those who live here.  Having
some people come at a reduced price is better than no one at a 
higher price.

Bill

Where was the waffle maker seen?

I looked all over last time I was down there, and couldn't find one.

   Gary

    
    
    I saw the waffle maker on the TV, they were doing some story about
    home products, sorry.....
    
                          -=-=-R~C-=-=-
                             

 
This story is taken from the December 24, 1990 Amusement Business and comes
to us from a fellow Disney_holic, Joel Tomyl.
****************************************************************************
 
Disney-Henson Prods. Deal Called Off; Companies Fail to Reach Agreement
 
By Tim O'Brien
 
The much ballyhooed marriage of Jim Henson's Muppet characters to the Walt
Disney parks is over. In fact, it never even really began, officially.
 
It has been announced that the deal between the Disney organization and Jim
Henson Productions for the acquisition of the Henson Co., including the Muppet
characters, has fallen through.
 
An official statement from the late Jim Henson's family said: "We would have
liked to see this deal succeed. Unfortunately, after 18 months of negotiating,
the companies could not reach a mutually satisfactory agreement."
 
Michael Eisner, Disney chairman and chief executive officer, said he regretted
that "we could not come to terms. We wish the continuing Henson Co., the
children of Jim Henson, and Kermit the Frog our best wishes in their endeavors
and know they all will extent the great legacy left by Jim."
 
Although the paring appeared amicable, it left many unanswered questions, the
most obvious being the status of the planned Muppet-themed attractions and
shows and those which already exist at Walt Disney World, Lake Beuna Park,
Fla. (the article stated park, not Vista)
 
Will they be permitted to continue under a special licensing agreement or will
Disney have to take a big loss and cancel those attractions? "That is yet to
bedetermined," Irwin Okun, a spokesman for Disney's corporate communications,
told AB.
 
Although the deal was never completed, Disney officials proceeded as if it
were. When the Disney Decade was announced in January, 1990 Eisner announced
four major Muppet attractions for Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios Theme
Park and three for Disneyland in Anaheim.
 
One of those, the Here Comes the Muppets live stage show, opened this past
summer at the Florida park. The production was to have opened at Disneyland in
'91.
 
The MuppetVision 3-D film , which was to have been featured at both Disney
properties is in post production and its fate is unknown.
 
The Magnificent Muppets all-Star Motorcade parade was to premiere this summer
in Florida and in California in 1991, but voice was was being done on it when
Jim Henson died. The parade was temporarily put on the shelf upon Henson's
death.
 
BEGINNING OF PROBLEMS
 
Jim Henson's death on May 16 appears to have been the beginning of problems
between the two companies.
 
Although the purchase price was never officially released, various new reports
estimated the sale to be in the $100 million to $150 million range. When
Eisner made the initial announcement of the agreement to buy the company, he
made it clear he was interest not only in the company's assets and reputation,
but also in Henson's lively imagination.
 
As a result, the original deal was to include a long-term contract form
Henson' creative services. When he died and the deal began to be renegotiated,
it was determined that Henson's five children would have faced a 55 percent
inheritance tax on the sale of the company to Disney.
 
Although Eisner reportedly raised the price he was willing to pay and offered
advice on ways to reduce the tax responsibility, the family declined and
called off the deal.
 
Several analysts have surmised that Eisner wasn't as interested in the package
when it didn't include the creative service of Henson, and he didn't try as
hard as he could have to save the deal.
 
Some are predicting that the family-owned Henson Associates will seek another
partner now that Disny is out of the picture. Mentioned as potential suitors
are Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and MCA Inc.
 
Warner Bros. is a major stock holders of the Six Flags theme park chain while
MCA own Universal Studios Hollywood and is a partner in Universal Studios
Florida. Both would benefit greatly from a competitive standpoint with the
Muppet character in their respective amusement parks.
 

[Article taken from "Vous" magazine, a supplement enclosed with La Suisse
newspaper, 10 February 1991. Translation from the French by yours truly with 
my comments in brackets.]

                       Disneymania European style

         Mickey the winner, Asterix and the Smurfs out of action?

During its first year of operation, the Asterix theme park did not achieve the
level of success expected. Less than one and a half million visitors in one
year: a figure that Disney World, for example, can manage in two weeks. The
Gaulois, even on his home ground, is less of an attraction than Mickey.
Impossible, therefore, to make a profit from this company which employs 1200
people and whose budget exceeds 200 million Swiss francs [about $160 million]. 

That should be enough to cause a moment's reflection to those who envisage
creating an amusement park in Switzerland, notably in the Valais, near St
Maurice, using William Tell as its basic theme. [The Valais is a small canton,
with limited accessibility, surrounded by mountains.]

As for the Smurfs, they at least had the merit of creating jobs for the
unemployed of the mining region of Lorraine [northeast France]. But their park
has also failed to show any profit. The Lilliputians of Peyo have only managed
to attract two-thirds of the million visitors which were hoped for. In short, 
Smurfland in Lothringen is a total failure!

Mirapolis was also cause for hope. The presence of Club Med amongst its
principal shareholders brought it credibility and incontestable management
experience. After starting off in 1988 with just under a million "Kindly
Members", it only managed to attract a little under half a million in 1989. Its
"Kindly Organisers" had hoped for more than two million. The weather had been
absolutely perfect. A mirage in Mirapolis? 

Despite the financial courage and evident determination of their promoters,
there is something rotten in the Kingdoms of Asterix and the Smurfs. In fact,
the French theme parks had copied Disneyland, but their products, at least as
far as quality was concerned, bore the label "Made in France". What works for
gastronomy and fashions doesn't necessarily work for mass amusements. 

                   Anchored by the "Chirac Contract"

This rather morose period hasn't however stopped the Walt Disney Company from
selling shares in its planned EuroDisneyland (or Espace Euro Disney). The Magic
Kingdom, the classic centrepiece of this giant park, should open in Marne-la-
Vallee in April 1992. "Made in the USA", Mickey, Donald and the others will
therefore burst forth just outside Paris in a little more than a year's time.
Yankee know-how should be enough to overcome any obstacles in its path,
including the reticence of certain French "consultants" who have been bitterly
complaining that the Americans won't... consult them. And their advice is
virtually ignored anyway. 

It is true that Disney's designers are doing what they want in Marne-la-Vallee.
It is only by obstinately doing so, they claim, that the future success of
EuroDisneyland can be assured. Whenever there is a dispute, the lawyers "from
across the pond" pull out the contract signed by former Prime Minister, Jacques
Chriac, and Michael Eisner, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the all-powerful
Walt Disney Company. A dynamic boss, he is the highest paid CEO in the US: his
annual salary is almost 60 million Swiss francs [about $48 million].

                  The efficiency which makes you wince

The misadventures of the various French theme parks ought to nevertheless
give pause for thought to those local personalities involved in the process of
creating EuroDisneyland. "Forgive them, they know exactly what they are doing,"
implore all those who have seen Disneyland and Disney World at first hand.

"But they don't know the French mentality or French fantasies," is the retort
of certain French developers, upset at not being able to create their own
personal version of EuroDisneyland using other peoples' money. 

The fabulous success of the Tokyo Disneyland only reinforces the optimism of the
Americans. These parks which enchant both the USA and Japan have no reason not
to do the same for Europeans. Those Europeans who have had the opportunity to
visit California or Florida return home filled with enthusiasm from their
Disney experience, whose success does not depend upon knowing a given mentality
but from the organisation, conception, diligence and seriousness with which each
attraction is created.

In this regard, the Walt Disney Company does not deprive itself of the
wherewithal to get things done. Nothing is left to chance, every detail is
scrupulously examined. Those French partners with contractual links to Disney
know something about this. The Americans have foreseen everything. This doesn't
mean that everything is done without a certain amount of grumbling near Paris,
but the European shareholders can sleep soundly knowing that their investment
is being perfectly managed. 

Local officials do, however, often find themselves protesting about the
Americans' methods; they "only talk once everything is over". Their contract
allows them to. The businessmen from the other side of the Atlantic have been
able to display their aptitude in matters of law and finance on many occasions.

                     The rush for Ebenezer's gold...

In October 1989, 51% of the shares in EuroDisneyland SCA, with a total value of
around 2 billion Swiss francs, were put up for sale at a price of less than 20
francs [$16] each. There was a veritable stampede; 50 million shares sold in
just a few hours! They will be worth more than twice their opening value by
1992. Yet, in 1987, Disney paid less than a seventh of that price for the 49%
of the shares that had been allocated to it by the new company. Not bad, eh? 

As far as the Americans are concerned, EuroDisneyland has already been a very
sound business decision. Even if the park doesn't achieve the expected success,
the value of the land which was bought from the French state has increased a
hundred times since its acquisition.... And we are still more than a year from
the opening of the park. 

These figures are well able to make any Genevois promoter jealous. A Cinderella
story? A real fairy tale... But that's not all. The Walt Disney Company holds
the copyrights to all its legendary characters. Seduced by Disney World, a
councillor from Seine-en-Marne had the excellent idea upon his return from
Orlando of putting Mickey's image on a plaque celebrating the merits of his
department's [a bit like a State or large county] public works. The Walt Disney
Company sued him for 175 000 francs in damages for misuse of a copyrighted
character. The fact that EuroDisneyland was to be built in his department did
not permit him to appropriate their rights without authorisation... 

The suit was settled amiably. The plaques concerned were consigned to the
dustbin. There, the French have been warned. You do not mess around with
Disney's characters. 

                        Trapped by Mickey's universe

Costing almost four billion Swiss francs, the first stage of the construction
works encompass some 57 hectares [about 140 acres] and should be finished by
Spring 1992. It will be the fourth version [of the Magic Kingdom], practically
identical to the first Disneyland in Los Angeles (Anaheim), the others being in
Disney World (less the Matterhorn) and in Tokyo Disneyland. There is absolutely
no reason to change a winning formula. 

In surface area, EuroDisneyland will be more like Disney World than Disneyland.
They have learnt the lesson of Anaheim where the first Disneyland provides a
living on its periphery for some 500 restaurants and 170 hotels containing
20,000 rooms without reaping a single cent for itself. In Florida, near
Orlando, the Walt Disney Company has created a State within the State
[article's capitals] which it controls entirely, complete with numerous hotels
linked to the various theme parks (EPCOT, the Magic Kingdom and MGM Studios) by
regular bus services. 

The visitor to Disney World is thus drawn into a world entirely devoted to
leisure; gigantic hotels, restaurants, TV channels, nightclubs, souvenir shops,
lakes, swimming pools, roads, rental cars etc.. He is given no reason to want
to leave this holiday "country" where everything has been designed to distract
him from the real world and make him dependent upon Disney 24 hours a day, and
that for three weeks at a time if he really wants to see everything. The
dedicated Disneyphile can even change his US dollars for Disney dollars which
are legal currency anywhere in the 113,300 hectares [279,851 acres] that make
up Disney World. 

OK, so this area isn't quite comparable with the... 1943 hectares [4800 acres]
foreseen for EuroDisneyland when you consider that by the year 2017 it will
contain two theme parks (the Magic Kingdom and another park similar to EPCOT).
There will also be numerous hotels with almost 20,000 rooms in total, various
golf courses, offices, shopping centres and housing complexes for their
employees. The budget for the whole operation has been estimated at some 12
billion Swiss francs! More than for the whole of Rail 2000... [A project to
increase the speed and capacity of Switzerland's railways by the year 2000.]

                     The fortune at the end of the park?

The countdown started a long time ago as far as the five communes affected by
the project are concerned. Magny-le-Hongre, a hamlet of 300 inhabitant, has
already seen the arrival of thousands of construction workers. According to
various town halls, there have been reactions against the caravans which have
been set up near the site and against the continuous procession of noisy trucks
driving to and from the construction area.

EuroDisneyland, it's certain, will bring considerable financial rewards to
those communes which are having to put with the inconveniences today. Within
the next 25 years, Marne-la-Vallee will go from 5000 inhabitants to 60 or even
a hundred thousand. They will have access to a regional railway, a station for
the high-speed TGV trains, a motorway, a modern university and a new
contemporary arts centre. It's not forbidden to dream. Why shouldn't Mickey
achieve in Seine-en-Marne that which he managed in California, in Florida and
then in Japan? 

They are just asking the French not to touch anything and the local business
people to stick to the plans which they have been given. The Americans have
brought thirty years' worth of work to the area. For thousands of workers. They
are already talking seriously of 12,000 new jobs. It's not surprising therefore
that the Yankees consider themselves to be at home. 

Marne-la-Vallee, will it be tomorrow's Disney-sur-Marne?

                                          Bertrand Jacques [author of article]

----------------------------------

[Sidebar]

                           The Swiss chez Donald

The Swiss will also be represented in EuroDisneyland. At the beginning of last
year, Nestle signed a partnership agreement with the Americans, thus joining
Renault, Kodak, the BNP [Banque Nationale de Paris] and others. The large
Vevey-based company will become EuroDisneyland's exclusive partner, notably in
the food sector. EuroDisneyland, based in the land of the gastronome, will "eat
Swiss"! 

Nestle will have eleven points of sale or distribution within the park. The
contract provides for the company to have the exclusive rights to Disney food
merchandising within Europe and the Middle East. The Swiss multinational will
be entitled therefore to use Disney logos and characters on its products. 

The contract is renewable and has been valued at some 200 million dollars over
the next eleven years. "It was a worthwhile investment," commented one director
from the Vevey firm.

-----------------------------------------------------

[There were six colour photos with the article: 

a. the model of the site, 
b. an aerial view of the current work in progress, (it's taking shape!),
c. Mickey in the Magic Kingdom surrounded by youngsters, 
d. fireworks behind the castle and the Electrical Parade looking down Main 
   Street, 
e. some singers (couldn't work out where it was taken, I'm afraid) and 
f. a Japanese lady with a Mickey Mouse hat on.] 

Gavin

Article          593
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (DAVE McNARY, UPI Business Writer)
Subject: CBS stock jumps on Disney buyout rumors
Date: 5 Mar 91 23:57:29 GMT
Lines: 51
 
 
	LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Investors boosted the price of CBS Inc. stock for
a second consecutive day Tuesday on renewed speculation the company is
holding merger talks with Walt Disney Co.
	New York-based CBS, which climbed $5.25 Monday, gained another $8.125
to $187.125 a share Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. The advance
also came as the stock market moved sharply higher, with the Dow Jones
Industrial Average closing up 58.41, and the announcement that CBS had
won the Nielsen ratings last week for the third week in a row for the
first time in six years.
	Disney, of Burbank, Calif., gained $3 to $125 a share Tuesday after
losing $1.875 on Monday.
	Both companies have refused to comment on the reports.
	The Federal Communications Commission currently restricts networks
from merging with companies that operate television-production
facilities, but the panel is currently considering changing those rules.
	The FCC is expected to issue a ruling on March 14 on the rules, first
adopted in 1970 and known officially as the Financial Interest and
Syndication Rules. The FCC chose to limit ownership by the three major
television networks of programs they broadcast because of the huge
market power they had obtained in buying programs.
	The Hollywood studios, which are lobbying heavily against changing
the rules, say the restrictions prevent the networks from obtaining a
monopoly in program production. The rules also bar the networks from
selling programs they own as reruns, excluding them from a $3 billion-a-
year market.
	Investors believe if the FCC loosens or scraps the ``fin-syn'' rules,
CBS could become more attractive to a possible buyout.
	Christopher Dixon, who tracks entertainment company as an analyst
with Kidder Peabody & Co. in New York, said the jump in CBS stock
reflects continuing speculation about the pending FCC decision. Disney
has long been mentioned as the most likely candidate to buy CBS.
	``There's no question that there will be continued speculation as to
what life will be like after March 14,'' Dixon said. ``Given that CBS is
perceived as a stand-alone network, people are going to give it a lot of
attention.''
	``The bottom line is that there are a number of studios and networks
that may be considering some kind of merger,'' Dixon said.
	The attractiveness of CBS may have been boosted recently by winning
the February primetime ratings ``sweeps'' -- its first major ratings
victory in five years.
	``Fundamentally, CBS has improved. But it's still got a long way to
go before it's really profitable,'' Dixon said.
	The network's 1990 profits were $110.8 million, off 63 percent from
1989, and dragged down by a $156 million fourth-quarter loss stemming
from current and future losses on its contract to cover major league
baseball. Sales for 1990 were $3.26 billion, up 10 percent.
	Disney earned $170.4 million in its first quarter ending Dec. 31, off
slightly from the year-earlier quarter's profit of $174.4 million -- the
company's first earnings decline in five years. Sales were $1.49
billion, up from $1.29 billion.

[From "The European" of March 1st-3rd 1991.]

Hollywood fantasy has run up against French pedantry in a row over signs at
Europe's answer to Disneyland, one of America's most famous tourist
attractions. The grand opening of Euro Disneyland next year may be spoiled by
the row, between the French government and Walt Disney representatives. The
theme park, 32 kilometres east of Paris in Marne-la-Valle, will be Europe's
largest. 

The dispute, quickly dubbed "Mickey versus the Academie", is over a typically
touchy issue in France: language. The French Delegation on Language, which
advises the prime minister's office, leaked news of its unhappiness last week
to Le Monde. 

The government agency closely monitors the uses (and abuses) of the French
language. It wants Euro Disneyland to respect their promise to use French as
the official language in the theme park. Disney representatives agree, and
claim that they have done so. All signs will be in French with English
translations, they say.

But the row has developed over half a dozen words which the agency wants to see
translated. The Americans claim that it is "impossible" since each of those
words is a Disneyland trademark. The quarrel is over the names of future
attractions. "Frontierland; Adventureland; Pirates of the Caribbean; Big
Thunder Mountain; Adventure Isle and Phantom Manor" have been singled out as
foreign words which should be translated according to the French. 

"Non," the Americans have replied. According to their legal advisers, these
words represent famous Disney trademarks, protected by the convention signed
between the State and the American company. They rest their case on Article 6,
paragraph 3 of the bilateral convention, which states: "It is agreed that the
English names of famous attraction will not necessitate translations". American
"legalese" was soon answered by French semantics. Le Monde wondered: "Is
something which is famous in Florida famous in France and in Europe?" Letters
were exchanged, meetings held, all to no avail. The Americans refused to budge.
Hence the "press leak" designed to alert French public opinion. 

In a rare display of chauvinism, the usually staid Le Monde asked whether its
readers could accept an all-English version of the "Pirates of the Caribbean"
when told that it featured "the saga of old buccaneers who, for the most part,
originated from Brittany, Normandy, Castile and Andalucia". A Euro Disneyland
spokesman admitted that the Americans had been taken aback by the onslaught.
The dispute is the latest in a series of embarassments for Disneyland
officials. Their recruiting policy - which imposes a stringent dress code and
etiquette for all employees - had been criticised, and Mr Jack Lang, the
Minister of Culture, announced on French television that "he would rather not
be seen" at the park's opening ceremonies. 

Mickey Mouse must now be wondering what it will take to make friends with
Asterix, the proud and feisty Gaul. 

                        [Article by Robert Meicher. Drawing of proposed 
                         centrepiece castle accompanied article.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to my boss for bringing this article to my attention.

Gavin

    Those of you who do not like the Swan or Dolphin might enjoy reading
    this editorial from Building Design & Construction.  It was written by 
    Phil Schreiner and published in the March 1990 issue.
    It is reprinted without permission.

    When word first went out that Michael Graves had been commissioned to
    design the Dolphin and Swan hotel and convention center complex at Disney
    World, we were amused.  After all, what better place for Graves, who
    describes his work as "whimsical," to play his little jokes on the world at
    large?  Disney World is, after all, a fantasy land.

    Furthermore, style and taste are very subjective, and if Graves can get
    away with laughing all the way to the back while delivering his whimsy to
    development teams who really should know better, so be it.  He'll probably
    never work again in the public sector after with Portland debacle.  He got
    a slight reprieve in the corporate sector after he unveiled the Humana
    headquarters in Louisville.  And his Crown American, though definitely
    whimsical, seems functional.  Still he's wreaking havoc in the hotel
    industry...on both coasts, yet (he also designed the new Hyatt about 
    to open in La Jolla.)

    Although I haven't been to La Jolla, I've been to the Swan, which had a
    truly Disney-style grand opening in January.  The wonderful hospitality 
    of the Disney folks and co-owner Tishman Realty & Construction couldn't
    camouflage the fact that the Swan is, in fact, an ugly duckling; but worse,
    doesn't function.  Graves' collaboration with interior design Wilson &
    Associates was obviously not a marriage made in heaven.

    We ask, what good is a hotel (which is supposedly going to cater to
    convention crowds) that isn't designed to move crowds?  Put another way,
    what good is a hotel which was obviously designed by parties who didn't
    know the first thing about basic good hotel design:  ease of access to
    amenities, traffic pattern simplicity and flow, functional public areas
    and accommodating guest-room design?

    Public spaces at the Swan are riddled with annoying, awkwardly placed
    support columns that block sight lines and make movement difficult.  The
    Lobby Court Lounge, partly because of these pillars, is a terrible
    place to have drinks.  They should install call buttons (or maybe desktop
    bells a la New York's old Algonquin).  The traffic corridor leading to
    the hotel's Grand Ballroom is too, too narrow to accommodate the crowds, 
    so thank God the Swan boasts the latest in life safety equipment (in
    addition to lots of exit doors along the promenade).

    One has difficulty getting seated in the rotunda known as the Garden Grove
    Cafe (the main eatery) because the poor maitre d' cannot monitor the
    elevated dining floor without leaving his post and climbing three stairs. 
    Waiters', waitresses' and buspersons' only access to diners is up one
    sloping, semicircular ramp from the kitchen (about 20 feet long).  Try it
    balancing a 20- to 30-lb. tray of food.

    Of course the (average) guest rooms are whimsical (ugly), and we were not
    privy to the supposedly elegant suites on the two concierge floors, but
    aesthetics aren't the point.  These (average) guest rooms, like the public
    spaces, also aren't functional.  What they "are" is cramped, and with
    totally inadequate closet space.

    There's more, but why go on.  We should consider ourselves lucky nobody's
    approached "Whimsical Mike" to design a working hospital, or God forbid, a
    trauma center.  It could make the beginning of the end of civilization 
    as we know it.

    
    	Read in last Sunday's Times that Disney and London Weekend
    Television are 'joining forces' to bid for a breakfast television
    franchise in the UK.  Does anyone else know any more about it?
    Does this mean we can look forward to getting rid of the current 
    crop of weirdos that appear on TVAM?
    
    	Perhaps we'll have News From Goofy .... now that WOULD be an 
    incentive to get up a bit earlier.
    
    
    	Andy.  

re .-1
    
    >> 	Perhaps we'll have News From Goofy .... now that WOULD be an 
>>    incentive to get up a bit earlier.
    
    
    Out here we've had that for years...Actually, it's Willard Scott doing 
    the weather, but that's pretty close.
    
    
    tom

According to this morning's Globe, Disney has replaced USX in the Dow Jones
Industrial Average.  The DJIA is computed by a complex weighted formula from
the prices of a select group of 30 stocks.  They don't change that group of
30 very often; at least two of the three stocks that were replaced have been
part of the DJIA since it was created.  

Disney is the first entertainment company to be included.  I'd interpret this
as an acknowledgement by Dow Jones of a) that the entertainment industry as a
whole is now a significant industry; and b) Disney is the premier performer of
the entertainment industry.

   Gary

    
    
    Boston Globe
    May 25 1991
    C W/O P
    John Koch
    
    The all too wonderful world of Disney
    
    As Walt Disney World approaches 20, its powers of seduction seem
    virtually invincible. Having recently visited the vast Florida park and
    read dozens of journalistic accounts by other visitors spanning its
    lifetime, I am wowed by the power of Disney to elicit positive thinking
    and mantra like praise.
    
    And yet I'm frightened by it.
    The gloriously warm day my 9-year-old son and I recently spent in the
    Magic Kingdom, for instance, was notable not least of all for the
    aromatic sweetness of almost everyone around us.
    
    Not just the tram drivers, ticket-takers, ice-cream vendors,
    broom-wielding custodians, and variously costumed performers, all of
    whom, after all, are oblidged to perfect their smiles in a "Disney
    University" traing program. But grannies and nannies and even babies
    seemed, virtualy without exception, to be grinning. Brothers and
    sisters and moms and dads chattered cheerfuly like exemplary families
    in bygone TV sitcoms. Couples seemed propelled along sunlit walkways by
    newfound harmonies.
    
    The whole clean machine, more hygenic than any place outside of an
    operating room, functions with the many geared efficiency of a giant
    clock. The sleek elevated monorail trains skirting the Magic Kingdom
    and connecting it to Epcot center accelerate with a whispering woosh.
    The thousands of acres of grounds are pruned and plucked with the care
    of a fashion models eyebrows, the great blacktopped parking plazas are
    buttless, the facade of the fairytale architecture sparkle in the
    drenching daylight.
    
    At the same time, people seem robitized and anesthetized. It's like
    Switzerland on Valium.
    
    Is there something sinister in the air responsible for this Stepford
    effect?
    
    How else account for so much concurrent contentment?
    
    It's no enough to say that WDW is a self-contained, perfectly oiled
    43-square-mile bliss factory. The labors of its 31,000 DU-programmed
    employees surely deserve credit, but not even that much elbow grease is
    lubricant enough to explain the scary smoothness of the Disney
    expirience. The springtime weather in the Orlando area-an almost
    consatant sunshine massage-is a big plus, but that's not the answer
    either.
    
    As many as 100,00 people a day crank through the turnstiles at about
    $25 a pop and go on emptying their pockets on overpriced food and
    Disney gimcracks until they return next day. Perhaps those invisible
    particles in the atmosphere tranquilize patrons as they and the
    contents of their wallets are so neatly, painlessly seperated. No one
    does a dollar-ectomy like Disney.
    
    And people keep coming back for the surgery. The average visitor to WDW
    spends four days on the sprawling premises, often in the kind of
    cartoon daze induced onscreen by a blow to the head with an enormous
    mallet.
    
    WDW is relaxing. If its not the soporific mist that does it, maybe it's
    all the walking in circles trying to relocate the attractions your
    youngster liked so much the first time round. My son had to revisit the
    Haunted Mansion, a little slice ofthe Disney expirience he continues to
    talk and even dream about. 
    
    Kids love WDW but I'm misanthropic enough to wonder how any adult can,
    what with the long lines, short rides and attractions. On the bow of
    the Libety Square Riverboat, I met a pleasant woman leading a group of
    grown-ups on a 13-day tour of WDW she seemed perfectly sane, but,
    thankfuly, none of her charges, whose mental health I seriously
    doubted, were anywhere in sight. By the way, the riverboat, freshly
    painted like everything else, perhaps including the grass, takes a
    twenty minute cruise that is less fun than lacing a shoe.
    
    The briefly distracting entertainments are either so plastic or so dumb
    that the awesome mechanics and organizational genius that keep WDW
    going kept making me think of the expandind hole in the ozone layer.
    
    I feel like a traitor to my son and even my country, knocking Disney.
    Especialy now that it has launched an invasion of France, I know I
    should at  hoist a flag or at least wear a Mickey pin on my lapel.
    
    Not long after WDW celebrates its 20th birthday next fall in Lake Buena
    Vista Fla., Euro Disney is scheduled to open 20 miles east of Paris.
    Next to the Channel-spanning Eurotunnel now underway, ED is the largest
    construction project on the continent.
    
    I can sympathize with France's cultureminister, Jack Lang, who has
    reportedly said he would prefer not to attend next April's opening
    festivities. He has frequently critisized American "cultural
    imperialism" but countless French citizens who decry our vulgarity
    usually can't get enough of ti. (They probably rationalize this
    philosophically as an example of their love of pradox.)
    
    Actually, Disney World-with its squeaky cleanliness and styrofoam
    fantasies-isn't vulgar enough.
    
    The problem isn't something insidious in the atmosphere after all. Its
    the lack of atmosphere altogether, the odorless order of the operation.
    
    Maybe the mere fact that it works while so much else around us is
    broken is what keeps everybody smiling.
    
    EOA
    
    typos are to my credit
    
    steve
       

	I guess people with a cynical outlook have a hard time understanding 
what it is that creates the 'magic'.  If you're always looking for the 'angle'
you never see the goodness.  One of the things that makes WDW so enjoyable is
that you know that it is not reality and you go there to escape reality.  
We can't fault this guy, because it's just his opinion, but I don't understand
the use of the concept of the enjoyment that people get from WDW being 
'frightening'.  This is not a cult it's just an amusement park after all, people
are not somehow induced into lemmings as he seems to suggest.  
	Oh well, I'm off the soapbox now.

Tom

    I suspect the guy's problem is he went to WDW to do some WORK.
    Sorry, but in my opinion, the two just don't mix.  How do you
    escape from reality if you have to work, yuk!

    
    
    I didn't put any commentary in my entry(tuckered out my didgets.) But
    my feelings are: he hit it for one day there is no way to get the feel
    for the World in that time and who knows what day of the week it was.
    you're are right he was working, but I shoot stock photography while
    I'm down there and it doesn't cramp my style. Also I think he went with
    preconcieved ideas and attitudes about the World(maybe he thought his
    spin would get his story published) It's all spec but what heck it
    takes all kinds. 
    
    steve
    
    I like the "Dollar-Ectomy" have to remember that one
    steve

    
    After it said, "Boston Globe" I knew how the article was going to go.
    Globe reporters would probably be happier at Guilt World, where they
    all could...  ah never mind, I'm getting too sarcastic for the Disney 
    Notes file, sorry!  :^)
    
    - Sean

    I think reporters are expected to come across with a certain
    ambivalence regarding a subject they are reporting on. Also, they think
    it's chic although I don't subscribe to that theory.
    
    I worked at the GLobe for four years and I found very few of the
    reporters real down to earth people.
    
    Mike

    In contrast, there was an article about WDW in yesterday's
    "The Boston Globe Magazine" which reminded me of some of
    the trip reports I've seen in here.  It's not too too long
    so I'll try to enter it when I get a chance.
    
    Ruth

    Well here's another article complements of mom from the Orlando
    Sentinal (I think).
    
    
              DISNEY EXPANDS INTO NEW WORLDS
    
     Time-share villas, lottery in works
    
    
      Disney fast-food.  Disney gambling.  Disney time-share.
    
    What's going on here?
    
    Having scored success after success in its them park and movie
    divisions, Walt Disney Co. is diversifying into some decidedly
    non-entertainment areas.  Some of the proposals are on the drawing
    board and a few might not be implemented.  Nevertheless, Disney
    expansion efforts have been so broad-based that the Burbank-based
    company is taking on the scopr of a l960s-style conglomerate.  Those
    same conglomerates proved susceptible to corporate raiders in the
    1980s.
    
    Disney is now considering:
    
      - Time Share villas
      - A national lottery
      - Commerical office and residential housing developments
      - More retail stores
      - More Mickey's Kitchen fast-food restaurants.
    
    All this is being juggled along with a massive buildup of Disney's key
    cash generating machine:  its theme parks.
    
    Critics contend the expansion could be too much of a good thing,
    especially in todays weakened economy, and that the company risks
    fragmentation and customer alientation in its search for new profits.
    
    "The word is out on the street..... They are spreading themselves very
    thin, in terms of product....Mickey's risking losing his mystique,"
    said a Disney consultant in Los Angeles.
    
    "The company is really not diversifying," said Erwin Okun, Disney's
    senior vice presidence of corporate communications.  "It really is
    sticking to its knitting.  Our ventures are all in allied fields where
    we feel we have management expertise."
    
    That expertise will be tested as the company embarks on its
    rapid-growth plan.  Here is a look at Disney's expansion, why the
    company thinks it makes sense and what analysts said could go wrong.
    
    "The company is interested in being engaged in the full spectrum of
    America's popular culture," said Chuck Champlin, manager of
    communications for Disney's consumer products division.
    
    Disney plans a fourth theme park in Florida and a second in Japan and
    Europe.  The company also has proposed a new marine theme park in Long
    Beach, south of Los Angeles, and has an Epcot Center-type expansion on
    the drawing board of Disneyland in Anaheim, farther south in
    California's Orange County. 
    
    The company has said that it might build parks in both areas according
    to published reports.
    
    In addition, about 60 new projects are planned at existing parks,
    including at least nine more hotels in Florida alone.
    
    There's also a second record label and a third movie unit under way.
    
    The company will open more than 25 more retail shops this year,
    bringing the number of Disney Stores to more than 100.  The second
    Mickey's kitchen restaurant is set to open in June.
    
    Disney also is testing the children's book field with two new units. 
    One will publish books based on Disney characters, while the other will
    have non-Disney books for kids.  Disney also will be publishing books
    for adults - mostly non-fiction work under the Hyperion label.
    
    Disney has ambitous plans to promite a national lottery and then
    package it - game show style - for a television audience.  (The Disney
    ane would not be mentioned on the show)
    
    At the same time, the company is working to plish the shady image of
    time-share resorts in an effort to get its own international time-share
    project office the ground.  To make the plan work, Disney must get
    California's time-share law revised, a job its Sacramento lobbyist is
    working on now.
    
    The revision would involve a requirement that the state real-estate
    commission appraise out-of-state time-shares and set prices.  It also
    is working with the Department of Real Estate regarding the rights of
    owners associations and itself as property manager.
    
    Meanwhile, the company has announced plans to build an entire city
    near its Florida theme parks.  The high-tech community would include
    commerical office facilities, a housing development, a 1.5
    million-square-foot shopping area, schools and museums.  Disney also is
    including an office building in its Euro-Disney project near Paris.
    
    When Michael Eisner took over as chief executive in 1984, profits came
    pretty quickly at the once-stagnant company.
    
    Eisner aggressively leveraged Disney's name recognition value and
    exploited its well-known cast of characters.  Projects soared 80
    percent in 1987 and have averaged 38 percent a year over the past
    five-years.
    
    But the easy gains have been made.  Growth slowed to 17 percent last
    year and the double whammy of war and recession have walloped Disney
    profits over the past six months.
    
    Profits for the second quarter ended March 31 were down 29 percent from
    the like period a year ago.  This included a 33 percent drop in
    operating income at Disney's theme parks and resorts.  Filed
    entertainment dipped 20 percent, while consumer products dropped 7
    percent.
    
    Analysts aren't too optimistic about the rest of the year.  "1991 is
    going to be a wash," said Douglas Lowell, an analyst at the Western
    Group in Beverly Hills, Calif.
    
    With its theme parks and consumer products vulnerable to recession and
    box-office successes far from a sure thing, Disney's new ventures could
    provide additional revenue sources, analysts say.  They also could
    safeguard hard-won market share.
    
    "For the longer term, to maintain market share, they need (the
    expansion)," said Harold Vogel, an alalyst at Merrill Lynch Research.
    
    The fact that Disney has a solid marketing base makes the new ventures
    less risky.  After all, Disney has long used its different businesses
    to promote one another.  The Disney Channel, for instance, might
    feature the making of "Dick Tracy" or "Rocketeer", serving to promote
    those Disney films.
    
    While Disney is largely untested in some of its new fields, analysts
    say lack of expertise is not a major concern.  Disney's executives have
    proven adept at packaging movies and theme parks and will use that
    experience to market their new ventures.
    
    "One part of the success of Disney is that it develops and rolls out
    these plans in a very well-researched and controlled fashion," said
    Edward Hatch an analyst at Nomura Equity Research in New York.
    
    A key ingredient in the Mickey magic has been Disney's reputation for
    quality; consumers rely on the company to provide safe, consistent,
    products.  But that reputation could be at risk if resources are
    stretched too far.
    
    "If Disney does not deliver quality product and services in its new
    ventures, the company could be hurt very deeply and quickly," said
    Archie Kleingartner, a professor and director of the entertainment
    management program at University of California, Los Angeles.
    
    Questions have been raised, for instance, about Disney's product
    licenses, which now total 3,000 worldwide.  Concern for quality and a
    desire to improve efficiency have caused the company to yank some of
    those license agreements as they expire and instead deisng products
    inhouse.
    
    In some cases, the company has consolidated a number of small licenses
    into one, under a larger manufacturer.  From about 300 manufacturers a
    few years ago, Disney now is working with "close to 200", said
    Champlin.
    
    Quality control is only one portion of the image issue.  Disney's
    proposal for a national lottery threatens to tarnish its family motif.
    
    "Gambling is associated with naughty activity," said Stephen A.
    Greyser, progessor of consumer marketing at Harvard Business School. 
    There are still major segments of the American population who don't
    believe it's a good social idea.
    
    "The company might ask "How does (this) fit with the overall image of
    our core brand and its core constituent," said Greyser.
    
    Disney also risks cannibalizing its own business by increasing the
    number of side-by-side parks, resorts and other attractions.  The new
    ventures could end up competing for the same customers,  "The issue
    certainly can be riased," said Paul Marsh, an analyst at Kemper
    Securities Group in Los Angeles.
    
    The question is whether the new operations would steal existing
    business of increase the total customer pie, he said.
    
    If the recession doesn't ease of theme park attendence doesn't pick up,
    cannbalization is "obviously....going to be some cause for concern" he
    said.
    
    The recession raises other fundemental issues.  Although consumer
    spending is predicted to pick up by next year, Disney's cash-generating
    theme parks have taken a hit, disproving a long-held belief that the
    entertainment business is recession-proof.
    
    Economists are not predicting a big bounceback in the economy; rather,
    a slow upturn seems to be in the picture.  The prospect of continued
    lower profits for the near term could put a crimp in the company's
    ambitious expansion plans.
    
    "Disney is a very hungry company," said Kleingartner.  The company has
    the ability to think about the long run he said, "behaving more
    Japanese than Japanese-owned companies in this country."
    
    While it's unlikely every new venture will fly, analysts say Disney
    will probably make a go of enough of them.
    
    Investors just hope Eisner meant it when he promised in an annual
    report to tie himself to the mast "like Odysseus" to avoid succumbing
    to the lure of profitable short-term choices that could damage the
    Magic Kingdom in the long run.
    

    Heard on CNN yesterday that Disney has scrapped their plans to produce
    the National Lottery program.

    I just received my July 1991 issue of TOURS & RESORTS Magazine. Anyone
    care to guess the cover picture and the special feature article?
    The article is in honor of the upcoming 20th birthday of WDW. Most of the
    discussion is about MGM, Typhoon Lagoon, Pleasure Island, and the newer
    hotels. There are some OK colored pictures, and a brief boxed-off
    article about 20th birthday parades and entertainment in the various 
    parks for the following year. Almost nothing we noters didn't already
    know, but enough to give me another case of "-itis".
    
    Linda 

Three Generations Do Disney (Testing tribal ties on vacation)
by Norman Boucher

    reprinted without permission from The Boston Globe Magazine,
    June 2, 1991

They are frisking my father.  There he stands, his pants unbuttoned,
the tail of his carefully pressed shirt hanging free.  Embarrassed
and bewildered, he has hoisted his herringbone jacket to his waist
and now holds on, like a nonswimmer clinging to Reader's Digest, my
father cannot board this flight to Disney World until he proves that
it is not his intention to blow up the plane.

He deposits his wire-rimmed glasses and a metal shoehorn in a little
plastic tray for the security man's inspection, but still the metal
detector squawks.  My sister speculates that the problem may be the
fasteners placed in his sternum during a bypass operation a year
ago, but I am distracted from replying by the startling sight of my
mother's fingers, stiffened with arthritis, fumbling to undo a metal
clasp in the small of my father's back.  I step in to help, and a
homemade money belt - the product, no doubt, of my parents' persistent
if exaggerated fear of being robbed - falls free.  Buckling his pants,
my father steps once more through the yawning metal detector.  This
time it is mercifully silent and allows the growing line of waiting
passengers to begin moving forward again.

Aboard the Boeing 757, we occupy an entire row of seats, from one
wing to the other.  There are six of us, three generations of one
family, traveling together for the first time.  Two months ago this
trip seemed like a fanciful, wholesome idea, but in recent weeks it
has also been the cause of late-night apprehension.  Through the years
we have tried to remain a close family, but, like most, we have at
times been riven by an assortment of jealousies, feuds, suspicions,
secrets, intrigues, ridicules, resentments, slights, and furies.
Any of which, it should be said, would seem ludicrously petty to
anyone unschooled in the totemic movements of our tribe's psychological
minuets - in other words, to anyone without our particular mix of
genetic material.

To us, however, the risk that an offhand remark by a family member might
plunge one or two others into weeks of brooding is as much the stuff of
life as hemoglobin itself.  "Happy families are all alike," Tolstoy
wrote, long before family therapy became a growth industry.  Underlying
the panicky phone calls that I, as trip organizer, received from family
members about the layout of hotel bathrooms or the division of expenses
was the primal, unstated question:  "But are we really happy enough to
travel together?"

In his book, Baghdad Without a Map, author Tony Horwitz describes an
encounter with an anti-American demonstrator at Ayatollah Khomeini's
funeral, in Tehran.  In between chants of "Death to America!" the man
confides to Horwitz that his dream has always been to visit Disneyland
and "take my children on the teacup ride."

I am on the teacup ride.  Officially, it is known as the Mad Tea Party,
after the 1951 Disney movie version of Alice in Wonderland.  To my left
sits my wife, Kathryn, who has been talking about this, her favorite
ride since we began planning the trip to Florida.  To my right is Alex,
my 6-year-old nephew, on whose behalf, ostensibly at least, we chose
Walt Disney World as our destination.  My parents are in another teacup
somewhere on this whirling platform.  My sister Flo, Alex's mother is
standing near the ride, her video camera at the ready.  The rotational
speed of each teacup is controlled by turning a metal wheel in its center,
Kathryn, Alex, and I are jointly turning ours as fast as we can.  "Other
way!" Kathryn cries out, and we force the wheel, and our teacup, in the
other direction.  We are shrieking, mostly for effect.

During our first day at Disney World we are on our best, if guarded,
behavior..  We're still trying to live up to the happy-family ideal.
My secret hope is that Disney World, described in Steve Birnbaum's
guidebook as "the most popular manmade attraction on this planet,"
will distract us from the irritants that are bound to arise.  Here
we can relinquish our troubled adulthood.  Here we can be uninhibited
tourists, protected from unpleasant surprises.  Even the picture
opportunities have been laid out for us: The best vantage points are
labeled with signs that say "Kodak Photo Spot."

Here the world is flat and measures 43 square miles.  By sleeping in
a Disney hotel and eating at Disney restaurants, visitors can spend
days, even weeks, cocooned in make-believe.  Here the myth is nourished
that life can be as clean and smooth as a whitewashed picket fence,
that surface and substance are one and the same.  At the Magic Kingdom,
Disney World's centerpiece theme park, details such as the delicate
moldings crowning the buildings along Main Street, USA, and the filigree
reaching skyward on the Cinderella Castle are the architectural equivalent
of the magic pixie dust sprinkled about by Tinkerbell in Peter Pan.

These details suggest a world without disillusion and decay, a world
where the paint is always fresh.  It is said, in fact, that some of the
wood along Main Street is actually fiberglass and that the cast-iron
hitching posts are repainted 20 times a year.  By night the spoor of
tourists is blasted off the Magic Kingdom streets with fire hoses, and
by day so many sanitation workers are on patrol that horses drawing
trolleys down Main Street seem to produce no excrement at all.

Yet all the magic in the Magic Kingdom can't make our fingerprints of
personality disappear.  My family is enjoying many of the rides and
shows - we gasp while descending 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, chuckle
at the Pirates of the Caribbean, scream through the Haunted Mansion,
feel appropriately patriotic in the Hall of Presidents - but some
attractions elicit more complicated responses.  Sporting his lurid Dick
Tracy hat, Alex, who is drawn to the most turbulent rides, emerges from
piloting a Starjet and boasts, "I was trying to make Mommy nauseous."
On some rides, though, his stab at grownup bravado gives way to
uncertainty and even fear.  He skips the roller coaster called Thunder
Mountain, and on Jungle Cruise he asks if the snakes and hippos in the
river are alive.

My parents, on the other hand, are drawn to performances rather than
rides.  We follow them inside a mock-Polynesian hut to see the
Enchanted Tiki Birds show, which, it turns out, consists of 225
mechanical birds, flowers, and statues performing songs like "Let's
All Sing Like the Birdies Sing."  They are led by four parrots, each
with a different foreign accent, an effect that reminds me of Maurice
Chevalier movies.  My parents tweet along happily, and Kathryn and I
make a brave attempt to sway with the music.  But to me this seems
like one of those shows meant to appeal to the "child in us all," when
in fact its charm is apparent mostly to people over 60.  Sure enough,
when I turn to note how Alex is responding, I see he is sound asleep.

As the hours and days pass, we ease into the fun of this place,
surrendering to the illusions so skillfully conjured before us.  On
occasion we are co-sorcerers in creating an illusion, as at Disney-MGM
Studios, where Kathryn becomes an extra for the Indiana Jones Stunt
Spectacular.  We are astonished when she leaps up to volunteer and,
chosen, clomps down the steps of the theater in her red cowboy boots.
And when she emerges on the set, in the robes of an Egyptian on the
streets of Cairo (her red boots still incongruously visible), I shout
down to her and hoot like a kid, thinking, "This is great!" even as I
feel the heat from the explosions erupting in the stunts around her.
"This is just great!"

Yet something else, something more disconcerting, is taking place.  I
sense it in myself and see it, I think, in the other adults.  A certain
petulance briefly runs through us like a phantom, and for the briefest
instant 30 years vanish and I am trapped again in the old, exasperating
complexities of the family that shaped me.  The line between illusion
and reality keeps blurring.  It blurs even on the first day, at the
Magic Kingdom, when, waiting in a dungeonlike corridor to board the
Pirates of the Caribbean ride, I catch myself peering at cobwebs on a
wall lantern and ask Kathryn, "Are those cobwebs real?"  The next day,
pausing outside the Mexican pavilion at Epcot Center, we spot two live
macaws perched in a tree out front - or are they Tiki birds escaped
from the Magic Kingdom, off-key crooners with phony French accents?

Kathryn, the newcomer to our clan's psychodramas, has become our navigator.
The rest of us are putty in her hands.  It is an immutable natural law
that whenever my sisters, parents, and I assemble, the ability to make
even the simplest decision goes up in smoke.  Apart, we are opinionated,
headstrong individuals, but together we induce a crippling current of
irresolution in one another that confounds outsiders.  When, on our
third day, Kathryn returns to the hotel and tends to an hour of unfinished
business, the rest of us are left high and dry amid a sea of purposeful
theme-park tourists.  In a daze we stare at buildings and at maps,
waiting for someone to pick a direction and a ride, each of us reluctant
to commit, fearing that someone will be displeased.  We dread waking the
sleeping beast, the bundle of suppressed grievances that each of us carries
as steadfastly as the fanny packs secured to our waists.  Alex too young
to comprehend any of this, finally speaks up.  "Let's go to the Muppet
Show!" he says, rousing us from our paralysis.

We have our closest call over lunch at Epcot Center.  Assuming that we
would simply eat our way around the 11 pavilions of the World Showcase,
we have failed to anticipate the effect of so many choices on our
Achilles' heel.  Even Kathryn has trouble steering us when the decision
is made to sit down somewhere and eat.  In our strategy session the night
before, foods were eliminated as either too familiar (Chinese), too spicy
(Moroccan), or too unusual (Japanese) for one or more of us.  That approach,
unfortunately, has left eight countries to choose from.  Fortunately, a
chance conversation with a woman who clams to have dined at every pavilion
leads to a recommendation and a choice:  the English pub.

There are murmurs of discontent.  While we wait for a table, my parents
study the menu for a long time.  I enter the pub, order a pint of lager,
two half-pints of stout, and a Coke with cherries at the bar, then carry
them outside, where Kathryn, Flo, Alex, and I sit in the sunshine with our
drinks.  My parents still have not joined us.  After a while, Flo goes to
investigate and upon returning announces, "They don't want to eat here.
They said it's all fried food, and with their heart conditions they can't
eat fried food."

The stout has emboldened me.  I go over to the bench where my parents sit
memorizing the menu.  "What's wrong?" I ask, sitting beside my father.

"There's nothing here we can eat," he says.

I look at the menu over his shoulder.  "What do you mean?  Look, here's
broiled fish, here's a vegetable plate, here's a vegetable pie..."

Slowly I convince them, but it is a vaguely unsatisfying lunch.  I feel
the tension rising, the illusions slipping, and not until Alex has his
picture taken hugging a kimono-clad Minnie Mouse at the Japan pavilion
am I able to fully relax again.

And so it goes, long periods of unbridled laughter and soaring joy
darkened suddenly and, it seems, randomly by a cloud of disquiet and
vertigo.  Only later does it occur to me what is happening:  We are acting
like children.  we are acting like wounded, bratty children.  I have heard
the cliches about Walt Disney connecting you with the child within, but
this, certainly, is not what he had in mind.  Or is it?

One afternoon, at Disney-MGM Studios, we stop for ice cream sundaes
(sugar is love in my family) at the '50s Prime Time Cafe, a campy shrine
to the Formica culture of the 1950s and 1960s.  Here waiters and
waitresses sport period dress, and every seat has an unobstructed view
of boxy television sets playing nonstop segments from sitcoms such as
I Love Lucy and The Donna Reed Show.  Alex knows these programs as
reruns on cable, but Kathryn, Flo, and I were about his age when they
first appeared.  They are the images of our childhood.

Seated, we read our menus and marvel at the details around us.  It has
been a day of especially unruffled fun - Star Tours, The Great Movie
Ride, autographs from the Ninja Turtles.  Yet when the waitress approaches
our table and asks, "Have you all washed your hands?" there is a second
of uncertain silence as, off-balance, we wonder how to react to this
stern parental inquiry.

"Yes," Kathryn the Navigator replies.

"Then what color is the soap?"

Another silence.  Kathryn:  "Pink!"

We all chuckle over this exchange, but when the waitress leaves, I find
I am thinking about my dirty hands.  Excusing myself, I go off to find
the men's room.  For a few minutes I am alone, happy to be away from the
others.  Tomorrow we will be leaving the world of Disney for that other
world again.  But now when I look into the mirror above the sink it
reveals to me an obedient, slightly guilty, sometimes irritated, and
often irritating child.  The awakened beast.  How did this happen?  I
put my hands beneath the soap dispenser, and a pink powder sprinkles down
onto them.  It has the texture of pixie dust.

re: .102

My reaction when I first .102 was that it explained why Japanese
businesses are doing so much better than American ones.  The author
seems so cynical, that he doesn't even believe that excellent service
can be sincere.  I bet that if he greeted with politeness and good
service at a department store he'd complain that they were giving him a
hard sell.

re: .112

Much gentler and more amusing, but I was surprised by the preconceived
notions about food.  Moroccan food isn't spicy (at least not in the hot
sense), and
the Japanese steak house at Epcot is hardly what I'd call unusual.  

Where are people's sense of adventure?

   Gary

    
    	Disney fans who have groused for years that EPCOT-was-supposed-be
    -a-city-not-a-theme-park can finally take heart. It appears that the
    Walt Disney Company may finally be getting ready to make good on Walt's
    promise to build a futuristic city on its Florida property. The follow-
    ing has been culled from a variety of sources. This info is reprinted
    here without permission :
    
    	A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION !! : Disney Development Company unveils
    	plans for a futuristic city of 20,000 residents
    
    	On April 29 Disney provided more detailed plans for the previously
    announced development south of U.S. Highway 192, which falls in Osceola
    County. Now the city has a name -- CELEBRATION -- and the 4,000 acre
    project will offer office, works, shopping and cultural centers. While
    the project is still in the conceptual stages, Disney is expected to
    present the entire project to the East Central Florida Planning Council
    for review by mid-May.
    	Based on press releases and sketches made available to the press,
    Celebration seems like a really ambitious project -- even for a very
    ambitious company like Disney. Among the many highlights of the
    proposed project are :
    	CELEBRATION CENTER -- A two million square foot international
    shopping district with famous name retailers from many nations,
    designed by world-reknowned architect Helmut Jahn and targeted for
    a 1994-1995 opening.
    	ENTERPRISE PARK -- A 240,000 square foot office center designed by
    Italian architect Aldo Rossi, the first phase of a planned 3 million
    square foot office park.
    	RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY -- Four villages with a variety of
    architectural styles -- 8000 units in a pedestrian-oriented setting,
    20 miles of wlak and bikeways, a unique video library with fiber optic
    link to homes plus an electronically indexed grocery store.
    	THE DISNEY INSTITUTE -- A new kind of Disney learning resort to
    entertain, educate and revitalize guests with movies, gourmet cooking
    and lectures. The Institute will feature an Entertainment Arts Academy,
    a performing arts center and fitness spa, master-planned by AIA Gold
    Medal architect Charles Moore.
    	MEDICAL AND HEALTH CENTER -- with wellness services and a 150 bed
    medical facility.
    	ENVIROMENTAL CENTER -- adjoining expansive wilderness area, this
    unique center will teach residents and guests about the heritage of 
    Florida wilderness and forest lands.
    	THREE CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSES -- Winding through each of
    Celebration's villages, these courses will feature a " Signature
    Hole " course, where designers kiosks will provide video on each 
    hole's design and tips for playing it.
    	SCHOOL / CIVICS AREA -- Schools are being planned to cater to the
    needs of the residents, with innovative techniques and guest-teacher
    plans in structures that might be designed by world famous architects
    whose talents will be applied for the first time toward classroom
    design. Other civic amenities are planned.
    	THE DISNEY WORKPLACE -- Guests visiting here will be able to enjoy
    the creative ingenuity of industrial " wizards " from around the world
    -- designing and making everything from tennis balls to compact discs
    to cars in facilities created to inform and entertain.
    	MULTIMODAL STATION -- A transportation facility to respond to the
    needs of the region and able to accomodate all forms of rail and other
    ground transportation. ( Translation : If Florida finally gets its act
    together, this is where the high speed train as well as the magna-lev
    passengers will disembark for WDW. Plus -- sometime in the not-so-
    distant future -- Disney World may get its very own airport ... )
    
    REDUNDANT INFORMATION FOLLOWS -- BUT IT FLESHES OUT THE IDEAS AND 
    	       		    CONCEPTS LISTED ABOVE
    
    	Space for 20,000 residents and 15,000 employees will include 
    8,000 " moderately upscale " homes of all sizes and values. They would
    be built in four themed villages between 1993 and 2015. Three of the 
    villages would be wrapped around championship golf courses.
    	All homes would include a fibre-optic computer network, central to
    plans for a cashless society.
    	A computerized debit card system would allow homeowners to select a
    movie without going to a video store. Shoppers would also be able to
    call up a recipe and get a printout of ingrediants, including their
    location in the store.
    	A 2 million square foot, open air shopping center will be designed
    by architect Helmut Jahn of Chicago and is projected to attract 10
    million visitors a year. The first 1 million square feet of retail
    space is expected to be open to the public by late 1994 / early 1995.
        The Disney Institute -- a concept that Disney Chairman Michael
    Eisner has been touting since 1984 -- would be the " cultural heart
    and soul of the community " and would included Disney-sponsored
    academies teaching classes on anything from gourmet cooking and acting
    to physical fitness.
    	Enterprise park would be the first of two planned business office
    center starting in late 1992. This project would include the Disney
    Workplace, an attraction that would promote the free enterprise system
    as well as " industrial wizardy. " Tourists would pay to watch a 
    product's creation.
    	This project -- estimated at over $ 2.5 billion -- would be a
    welcome addition to Osceola County, which has long felt slighted by
    Disney's vaste theme park resort complex across the road in Orange
    County and all those millions of tax dollars. What particularly
    intrigues Osceola County residents about Disney's " Celebration "
    project is -- upon completion of the development review process --
    the Walt Disney Company's plan to de-annex its Osceola County
    properties from the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This would
    mean that -- right from the start of construction -- " Celebration "
    would fall under the jurisdiction of Osceola County, which means that
    the long-overdue cash windfall this county's residents expected to 
    recieve from having the world's greatest vacation resort on its door-
    step would finally start to flow their way.
    
    	-----------------------------------------------------------
    
    	Anywho, this is the gist of several newspaper reports I read while
    visiting in Orlando late last month. As you read over the " specs " for
    this project, please keep in mind that -- like most of Disney's
    projects -- any and all aspects of " Celebration " are subject to
    change without notice.
    	But -- after all these years of promising to build a " experimental
    prototype community of tomorrow " -- Disney's finally getting ready to 
    deliver on that promise. It should be interesting to see if Eisner and
    his team of over-achievers pull this off.
    
    	Comments ?
    				jrh

    where do I sign up to be one of the residents ?

    RE: .114

    Sounds GREAT!  Now...how do we get the current EPCOT's name changed to
    Celebration, and the planned Celebration's name changed to EPCOT?

    (Actually, the existing EPCOT should be called Technology Center and
    the World Showcase should be done away with.  That way it fits in with
    the other sections of the proposed Celebration campus and you can
    safely call *everything* EPCOT Center as Walt intended it.  Yes?  Of
    course, EPCOT sounds like it's nowhere *near* the land for this new
    project...)


    David.

    Walt Disney Company's plan to de-annex its Osceola County
    properties from the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This would
    mean that
    
              the 20,000 residents would vote in Osceola and not in Reedy Creek

Reprinted without permission from the Washington Post, July 7 1991 edition


     HOW I SPENT (AND SPENT AND SPENT) MY DISNEY VACATION

     BY BOB GARFIELD

     It was meant to be a wholesome, five-day vacation for our family of four 
in the world's most visited theme park. It proved instead to be a monumentally 
unrewarding pilgrimage, characterized mainly by anthropomorphic vermin infesting 
my wallet.
     EXPENSE WORLD! OVERRATED WORLD! DISNEY WORLD!
     What an experience. Before it was over (and not counting airfare), Mickey 
and his pituitary-afflicted friends ate into us for $1,700. That's a sum Disney 
chairman Michael Eisner earned by 1:19 am of New Year's Day, but that ordinary 
mortals take somewhat longer to sock away. In my case, since the last Iowa 
caucuses. Park admission alone cost $551.30. 
     Yes, $551.30. For admission. And I paid it, which I suppose is what they
mean by "Disney Magic".  But the Magic didn't bring out the kid in me; what it 
brought out was the comptroller in me. For $551.30, I could have taken my kids 
on the Burke Lake Park carousel 500 times each and had money left over to get 
my car detailed. Instead we purchased entry into the Magic Kingdom, Epcot 
Center, Disney-MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon water park, where we luxuriated 
in 113 hours and 47 minutes  of eating, sleeping in our "affordable Disney" 
accommodations, riding on buses and standing in line, punctuated by a cumulative 
6 hours and 47 minutes of fun, fun, fun. That amounts to $261 c.p.f.h.
(cost per fun hour), and it is by no means the most horrifying statistic I can 
site. 
     We spent about a quarter of our time in the Magic Kingdom, where, apart
from the time spent queuing up and schelpping from place to place, the 17 
attractions we saw thrilled us for a total of 44 minutes. That number is 
approximate, because Disney refused to furnish exact elapsed-time figures for 
its attractions, on the grounds, a spokesperson said, that "It's not our policy 
to reduce a visit to Disney World to mundane statistics." No wonder. Our 
c.p.f.h. in the Magic Kingdom alone was $579. 
     I did the math myself, and how delighted my wife was to hear my 
up-to-the-minute reckonings. 
     "Yeah," she said, "you're a guy who really knows how to enjoy himself."
     Oh, I put on a good face for most of the trip. I didn't hurry the 
children through meals; I didn't bark at them to have more fun, or else. But 
Tinkerbell I wasn't. It's hard to have a Fulfilling Family Experience while 
doing a cost-benefit analysis on "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". And it's hard not to 
wonder whose fault it is that I couldn't just enjoy myself. Months later, the
guilt lingers.
     Am I that much of a curmudgeon, a miserable Scrooge McDuck who can't allow 
himself the pleasure of a family vacation? Am I a six-alarm sucker, completely 
overpowered by the Disney marketing juggernaut? Or am I just the average 
American, so inculcated in the research-driven, prepackaged, trademarked ways 
of the consumer society that I actually believed there was real fun  and real
imagination in store -- only to be confronted with an extruded, 
injection-molded, civil-engineered brand of fantasy, which is to say: no 
fantasy at all. 
     From the network of chutes and corrals channeling people into attractions, 
to the chillingly programmed Stepford Wives demeanor of the employees, to the 
compulsively litter-free grounds, to the generalized North Korean Model 
Socialist Society sense of Totalitarian Order, to the utterly passive
nature of the entertainment itself, Disney turns out to be the very
antithesis of fantasy, a remarkable technospectacle in many ways squandered on 
the very young people it is designed to delight.
     What's most precious about the imagination of a child is it's 
boundlessness. Kids have the infinite capacity to amuse themselves within the 
magic kingdom of their own minds--requiring no five-day passes, no mute rodents 
with pituitary conditions, and, guaranteed, no waiting.


     Far from liberating the imagination, Disney succeeds mainly in confining 
it. Like the conveyer "cars" and "boats" that pull you along fixed steel tracks
through  "Snow White" and "World of Motion" and the "Speedway" rides, Disney is 
a plodding, precise, computer-controlled mechanism pulling an estimated 30 
million visitors a year along the same calculated, unvarying, meticulously 
engineered entertainment experience. It occupies its customers without engaging 
them. It appeals to everybody while challenging nobody. It is just an 
overwrought Mecca of mass-market escapism: network television with a monorail. 
     Not that our visit left nothing to the imagination. Imagine, for instance, 
lining up for "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," waiting God knows how long, and 
being rewarded with a fake submergence in a fake submarine for a fake voyage 
past fake coral and fake seafood, knowing full well that there are two 
magnificent aquariums within a 70-minute drive of your house. Imagine entering 
the allegedly educational future-prototype world of Epcot Center and finding the
1964 World's Fair, including the Exxon "Universe of Energy", the General Motors
"World of Motion", the Eastman Kodak "Journey into Imagination", General 
Electric's "Horizons", and "The Land" brought to you by Kraft, the Velveeta 
people. We got educated, all right: in the marketing of corporate image.
     And imagine the disappointment of learning that by refusing to set foot 
in the  World Showcase replicas of 11 foreign nations, which are to 
international travel what Colonial Williamsburg is to history, you missed out
on Mexico and its exciting "River of Time" excursion. One can only...well, one 
can only imagine, and one imagines being towed on a conveyer-belt boat through 
a swarm of barefoot children selling Chiclets.
     But I'm sure my imagination is getting the better of me, because it is
only in its sanitized, Pollyanna worldview that Disney World truly lives out a 
fantasy. Riding the Magic Kingdom's "It's a Small World" attraction, which, to 
protect the sensibilities of innocent children literally reduces foreign 
cultures to smiling puppets in bright native costumes, the one image that leaps 
out is the depiction of Baghdad: a smiling Iraqui puppet on a flying carpet.
     To paraphrase Mark Twain, the difference between cultural education and 
Disney cultural education is the difference between a carpet and a carpet 
bombing.
     It's only fair to note, I suppose, that the color, buoyant music, and (in 
my view) oppressive cheerfulness of the ride left both my 9-year old and my 
6-year old bedazzled. They liked "It's a Small World." They liked "Captain EO,"
a 3D swashbuckler featuring Michael Jackson as a space warrior in sequins and 
Mickey Mouse falsetto. They liked "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" and "Journey Into 
Imagination" and the "Body Wars" fantastic flight simulator voyage to the heart 
and the "Typhoon Lagoon" waterslides and Disney-MGM's artificial facsimile of 
Indiana Jones's death-defying movies stunt exploits. The girls liked almost all 
of the attractions at Disney World. 
     They just didn't like them enough.
     "Are you having fun?" I would ask, no more than nine times a day, with a 
big theatrical smile on my face. It was a naked attempt to lead the witness, in 
desperate hope that they'd express surpassing delight, gratitude, and the sense 
of being the luckiest little children on the face of the earth. Fat chance. 
What they answered, 45 times in a row, was "Yep."

     YEP? At a c.p.f.h. of $261, "Yep" wouldn't do. Indeed, what struck me 
repeatedly at Disney World was that the spectacle and illusion that so 
impressed my wife and me left the children maddeningly underwhelmed. Where 
we were in awe of the technical virtuosity and sheer scale of, say, "The 
Haunted Mansion," or the earthquake effect in the Disney-MGM studio tour, 
or the (way too precious) architecture of "Main Street USA," the girls-with 
their storybook frame of reference-merely accepted it all at face value. 
Again, the irony: the very limitlessness of their imaginations diminishes 
their sense of the spectacular.
     Yes, the girls were absorbed, but every night of their lives they are 
more absorbed reading books before bedtime. Yes, "The Land" and the 
"Universe of Energy" at Epcot offered their enlightening moments, but, for 
heaven's sake, the Smithsonian is a million-fold more educational-and free 
to the public 364 days a year. Yes, they had fun, but I've seen them have as 
much fun doing science experiments in the kitchen. I've seen them having as 
much fun on the back deck with an empty corrugated carton. I've seen them have 
as much fun--far more fun, actually, with laughter and squeals of delight-- in 
the front yard with the garden hose. 
     So unmoved were my girls by their Disney experience that they didn't even 
bother, as far as I could tell, to brag to their friends. While I flatter 
myself in thinking that I have unusually gracious children, it's probably 
fairer to say they just know their audience. Allison told some of her 
kindergarten playmates that she rode the "Thunder Mountain Railroad," but the 
news elicited no oohs or aahs. It turns out they'd all ridden it too.

     This gets to perhaps the most bewildering truth of all about Disney 
World: Even at $551.20 five-day admission price for a family of four, it is 
not the exotic fantasy destination it pretends to be. The 30 million people 
who pass through its gates each year represent one-eighth of the nation's 
population. Even allowing for foreign visitors, the arithmetic of such 
gigantic numbers over the course of 20  years deflates any question of 
exotica. Disney is not a rare indulgence. It is a given, an 
at-least-once-in-a-lifetime expedition for the majority of American families. 
Even Californians, who have their own Disneyland and movie-studio theme park 
(called Hollywood) make the trek in droves. The Disney spokesman who refused 
to specify ride durations or to confirm a security analyst's overall 
attendance estimate threw caution to the winds and acknowledged that "Los 
Angeles and San Francisco are two of our better markets."
     Those earlier references to Mecca and pilgrimage were not tossed off 
lightly. Somewhere between an entitlement and a sacred duty, the Disney 
World vacation has, through our own tragic poverty of imagination and through 
the sheer cunning of the Walt Disney Corp., become the middle-class American 
hajj, the compulsory visit to the sunbaked holy city.
     One also thinks of lemmings, rodents with a decidedly un-Disneylike 
mythology and no licensed merchandise to speak of. And the student of obscure 
cinema can't help but recall a certain scene from "The Time Machine", the HG 
Wells adaptation, depicting the Eloi, a devolved future society of docile 
near-zombies, all filing mindlessly from a vast, smoking shuddering mountain 
cavern that serves as their pagan inner sanctum. The only material difference 
between Wells' vision and closing time at Disney World is that the Eloi didn't 
wear tank tops.
     It pains me to dwell on the state of American culture that brings all 
these people converging on Central Florida, but $1700 later I think I can say 
I won't be joining them for a third visit.
     Yes, this past expedition was my second trip to Disney World; the first 
one was five years ago, when Katie, my eldest, was four--and I hated it just 
as much then. So why did I go back? Fear.
     I suggested to my wife that there is no actual law compelling parents to 
take every child to Greater Orlando, and that our money could be more 
efficiently spent elsewhere, and that Wild World amusement park and the 
Smithsonian beckoned. My wife agreed.
     "You're right," she said. "We don't have to go to Florida. We can 
explain to Allison that it's just too expensive. And in 10 years, we'll find 
the letters D-I-S-N-E-Y stenciled on her arm...in needle marks." 
     And so off we went. But that ends it. Next time my kids want empty 
entertainment, I'll turn on the TV. Nothing noxious, mind you. Something 
wholesome. What we're considering, actually, is the Disney Channel.





     		**************************************************



(Note: the cynic, er, author, writes for Advertising Age magazine)

Reprinted without permission from Time Magazine -- July 29, 1991

LOOK MICKEY, NO KITSCH!

Disney has become the world's foremost patron of high-profile architecture

by Kurt Anderson

     As architects began rediscovering the virtues of color and history and
whimsy a decade ago, the buildings that resulted were often derided as 
cartoonish exercises in kitschy nostalgia.  Disneyesque became a standard 
pejorative applied to the work of such post-Modernists as Michael Graves and 
Robert A.M. Stern.  Now, rather suddenly, the figure of speech is biting back:
under chairman Michael Eisner, Disney has become the premiere patron of 
architecture of the late 20th century, commissioning major works by a majority 
of the world's most celebrated architects.

     Disneyites occupy a zany new Neoclassical corporate headquarters that 
Graves designed in Burbank, Calif. (the Seven Dwarfs, each cast 19 ft. tall in 
concrete, support the pediment).  In December the first quests checked into 
Stern's two ersatz-turn-of-the-century hotels at Disney World in Lake Buena 
Vista, outside Orlando.  May marked the opening of the most interesting of the 
Disney architecture, an administration building in Lake Buena Vista by Arata 
Isozaki.  And at Euro Disney outside Paris, where a $4.1 billion theme park and 
resort will open next spring, buildings designed by Graves, Stern, Frank Gehry, 
and Antoine Predock are all under construction.

     Eisner's rationale for hiring practically every famous architect on earth 
is complicated: part corporate imagemaking, part personal enthusiasm and part a 
natural extension of the new Disney self-confident show-biz relentlessness.
And there is some enlightened despotism thrown in.  "It costs the same to do
well as badly,"  Eisner claims.  "It's exactly the same price if you build
1,200 ugly rooms."

     Shortly after arriving at Disney in 1984, Eisner had his first working 
dinner with some of the company's executives and offhandedly suggested they 
build a hotel in the shape of Mickey Mouse.  They were shocked - and galvanized.
But some of the Old Guard was not amused.  Ground had already been broken at 
Epcot for a new hotel complex, and Disney's partner in the project was 
determined to hire a conventional architect to create a conventionally upscale 
hotel - a meretricious riot of Trumpian brass and glass.  Eisner, however, 
wanted Graves, at the time the hottest architect in the country, to design the 
758-room Swan and the 1,514-room Dolphin.  "I said, 'Look, we're an enter-
tainment company.'"  Eisner got his architect, and the Disney adventure in 
big-time, high-profile design had begun.

     "We're Disney.  We've got to have the biggest, the best, the most 
tasteful,"  says Eisner.  Most tasteful is a new Disney superlative, yet taste 
and aesthetic surprise and a certain rigor are what make the recent 
architectural fantasies more than Vegas kitsch or shopping-mall saccharine.


     Disney has a reputation among architects (as among filmmakers) for 
tightfistedness and micromanagement.  On each project Eisner is brought in five 
times to review the plans, approving masonry textures, paint colors, and light 
fixtures.  One reason the chairman says he meddles more in the design of a 
hotel than he does, for instance, in the production of The Marrying Man is that 
"movies go away, but buildings stand as monuments to your bad taste."  Plus he 
thinks he's good at inspiring architects.  "I know how to make creative people 
see that something is not as good as they can do.  Or I tell architects, 'Don't 
give up.  Don't accommodate.'"

     Eisner is ambitious in the best sense.  Like the founder of his company,
or an overgrown child, he thinks big and will not take no for an answer.  He 
wants to redeem Walt Disney's dream for Epcot - it was supposed to be an 
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow - by creating a new town on 3,800 
acres at the southern end of his Florida fiefdom.  Eisner's vision is a mixture 
of the predictable ("the biggest mall in Florida"), the high-minded ("I've been 
obsessed with creating a new chautauqua") and the intriguingly original ("We 
want to build workplaces, pilot factories").  He has already rejected schemes
by Stern and Gwathmey Siegel.  A design competition going on among Helmut Jahn,
Charles Moore, Aldo Rossi and the firms Arquitectonica, Morphosis and Kohn 
Pedersen Fox has so far produced accepted designs by Jahn, Moore and Rossi.  
Trying to realize this biggest dream has been "a nightmare," Eisner says.  He 
doesn't know exactly what he wants, but he wants it to be amazing, and he wants 
it badly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Accompanying the article are photographs and profiles of some of the
 architects currently or having recently worked for Disney on various projects.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROBERT A.M. STERN

     Stern's first finished work for Disney is the Lake Buena Vista, Fla.,
employee-hiring facility, a capricious checkerboard-painted building described 
by Disney flacks as "Venetian-palace-themed."  It is certainly more diverting 
than anything else on Interstate 4 and all but shouts Disney.  Before the
advent of chairman Michael Eisner, Disney buildings nearly all came from the 
drawing boards of the Imagineers, the in-house designers, and local architects.
It's not a long stylistic leap from the Imagineers' white clapboard Grand
Floridian (1988) to Stern's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, but with good-old-days
fakery the details are everything.  At Stern's Yacht Club, the freestanding 
shingle-clad lighthouse and marina are superb, and the snug lobby is a fairly
scrupulous synthesis of real turn-of-the-century models.  It is inevitably 
funk-free and a bit too cute, but more deeply charming than anything Disney 
could have built on its own.  At Euro Disney, Stern has two hotels under way, 
one of the them the Cheyenne - 1,000 guest rooms in the guise of an Old West 
town - which may, after all, entirely blur the line between Imagineering and
architecture.

[Included are photos of the pool area of the Yacht and Beach Clubs, and an 
 exterior view of the employee hiring facility.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARATA ISOZAKI

     One of Japan's best architects, Isozaki is a natural-born radical, 
determined to make every new building unlike anything that's been done before.  
At his new Team Disney office block in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the interior 
corridors are as sparse as anything the Bauhaus ever imagined.  The exterior,
meanwhile - the office wings covered in a grid of gray and pink panels, a giant 
mouse-ear silhouette and a tall pink-and-green cylinder - is a remarkable 
admixture of Cubism, Erik Gunnar Asplund and Pee-Wee's Playhouse.  But for all 
of that manic showiness, the core of the building is an astonishing space, 
primeval and serene: the cylinder is open to the sky and, with a 74-ft-long
beam fastened to the rim of the cylinder overhead, becomes one of the world's 
largest sundials.

[Included are an exterior view of this building and a view from inside looking 
 up at the beam that forms the arm of the sundial.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MICHAEL GRAVES

     Grave's work is often bombastic, dreams of antiquity gone hypertrophic.  
And sure enough, the Dolphin and the Swan, his big hotels in Lake Buena Vista, 
Fla., which are probably the best known of all the new Disney buildings, are 
goofy and overblown - imagine if Albert Speer had been Toontown's architect.
But for a Disney World resort to worry about violations of small-is-beautiful
decorum seems prissy, even beside the point.  And in fact the two hotels, set 
close together, have a certain mad urbanity, Miami Beach thoughtfully recast by 
an intellectual.  The interiors are carefully, charmingly detailed, the marine 
and tropical imagery more abstract than standard Disney decor.  In the Dolphin, 
the lobby ceiling is a tent top of blue-and-white-striped fabric, producing a 
relaxed, vaguely North African air.  At Euro Disney, meanwhile, work is under
way on Graves' Hotel New York, a curious-looking hybrid of the town-house and
skyscraper forms suggesting a Manhattan cityscape.

[Included are interior and exterior views of the Dolphin, as well as an exterior
 view of the yet to be completed Hotel New York.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FRANK GEHRY

     Disney is all about tidiness, sweetness, niceness.  Gehry's sensibility is 
almost the opposite: rough, tough, thrillingly weird, his work a melange of 
materials such as raw plywood and chain-link fence.  To commission - and build -
work from Gehry, a fellow Southern Californian, is Eisner's most adventurous
act of patronage yet.  Gehry, an architect of immense natural talent whose 
punkishness has lately mellowed a bit, designed the "entertainment center" for
Euro Disney.  The place is going up outside the theme park proper, among the 
resort hotels, and it will be wild: it is, like Stern's Euro Disney hotel, 
partly inspired by Buffalo Bill imagery (cowboy-and-Indian shows will be staged 
in a 1,000 seat theatre), and will include orthodox Disney diversions (a "surf
shop," a boutique selling movie-theme merchandise, the "Neverland Club" for
children, restaurants, discos).  But Gehry's building is deconstructionism on
Prozac, a cheerful madhouse of an Old West settlement built with odd angles and 
clad in plaster and stainless-steel strips, with a suspended 2.5 acre grid of
lights overhead.

[Included is a picture of the model of the entertainment center.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHARLES GWATHMEY & ROBERT SIEGEL

They are not known for playful or colorful buildings; their work tends to be 
suave but sober, rectilinear, crisply modern in the 1970s fashion.  So it was 
understandable that Gwathmey and Siegel were chosen to append an exhibit-and-
convention center to Disney World's Contemporary Resort, the hotel that evokes 
modernity circa 1971.  They were free of what Siegel calls "theming."  The new
building is nevertheless a departure for Gwathmey Siegel: the beige-and-green-
striped stucco exterior and two salmon-colored rotundas with square windows 
unmistakably recall the portentous whimsies of Michael Graves.  "They are a very
good client," says Siegel about Disney.  They sure are: the firm is building
golf course club houses at Euro Disney and Disney World, and has been hired by
a Disney executive to build a house in Malibu, Calif.

[Included are two different views of the Contemporary Resort's new convention
 center.]

    Oh God!  Ha ha ha ha ha ha hoo hoo hoo...  I'm laughing so hard the
    tears are rolling down my legs!  Ha ha ha, hoo hoo...  If I don't
    stop laughing soon, facilities will have to come pull me off the
    ceiling.
    
    We have this:
    
    >"We're Disney.  We've got to have the biggest, the best, the most 
    >tasteful,"  says Eisner.
    
    and this:
    
    >Eisner, however, wanted Graves, at the time the hottest architect in
    >the country, to design the 758-room Swan and the 1,514-room Dolphin.
    >"I said, 'Look, we're an entertainment company.'"  Eisner got his
    >architect, and the Disney adventure in big-time, high-profile design
    >had begun.
    
    and this:
    
    >"It costs the same to do well as badly,"  Eisner claims.  "It's exactly
    >the same price if you build 1,200 ugly rooms."
    
    all in the same article!!!!!  I guess he speaks from experience.

    
     Jeez I'm dusting off the cobwebbs. It's been so long since I've been
     in the conference. Thought I would add a small article that appreared
     in the Worcester (Ma.) Telegram on this past Sunday. It could (I wish)
     be tied to Disney & the Northeast.
    
     Seems that a private jet has been circling the Westminster/Hubbarston
     area at low altitudes for about a week now. The flights started on or
     about Aug 1st and Westminster officials stated to the paper that they
     had stopped on August 8th. I was golfing on August 5th at the
     Westminster CC and can confirm the activity.
    
     The article mentions that this activity was happening everyday with
     the jet making multiple circuits over the towns for hours !! On the
     day I was golfing the jet made over 10 low passes (500ft !!) for about
     a 1:30 duration.
    
     What does this have to do with Disney ??? "Rumor" has it that this
     could be Disney doing some major aerial surveillance. Town officials
     for days tried to get the plane tracked out of Worcester and also 
     tried to identify the plane to no avail. It is possible this could be
     something to do with the 2nd major airport study but who knows. The
     Disney theory is kinda neat. anyone else hear anything ??
    
    George

    
    
           Close Encounters of the Mickey Kind
    
          (From the Florida Magazine section of the Orlando Sentinel
           9/6/91 - w/o permission)
    
    
    A few weeks ago, in that other column I write, I mentioned that CEntral
    Florida could lay claim to yet another attraction.  This one was a bit
    more subtle, than all the rest.  It did not charge admission.  But it
    demanded a rather elevated view of the local landscape.
    
    Call it: As-Seen-From the Air-World.
    
    Take an airplane ride over this place we call home.
    
    Look down on the Hard Rock Cafe and you'll see it resembles a giant
    electric guitar.
    
    Buzz over the new Disney office building (the one that contains what is
    reportedly the World's Largest Sundial) and you'll notice that the
    "time" theme is carried out on an even grander scale.  Seen from the
    air, the building looks like one of those funky "Swatch" wristwatches.
    
    And not long ago, Disney quietly announced that it was embarking on
    another endeavor for the benefit of those with an aerial view.  On a
    chuch of land in Lake County, where orange groves once stood, the
    company is planting 32,000 pine trees.  Not only will Disney get a tax
    break by maintaining the land's agricultural use, but those 32,000 pine
    trees, as seen from the air, will resemble a giant Mickey Mouse face.
    
    All very well and good and Central Florida kitschy.
    
    Then I received a letter from a reader who asked to remain anonymous.
    The reader had recently visted Disney-MGM Studios and passed along one
    of those brochures that includes a map of the theme park.
    
    "Look at that map very closely," the letter said.  "Do you see anything
    peculiar?  No, of course not.
    
    "But turn the map upside down and tell me what you see right in front
    of the Great Movie Ride."
    
    I did as instructed and .....Ye Gads!  It was chilling.  It popped out
    at me -- another Mickey face.
    
    One big ear is formed by the park's Echo Lake.  The other ear stands
    out by painting the rooftop of the Brown Derby Restaurant and the
    adjorning shops.  The Mickey nose, mouth and eyes are all done with
    shaded inlays and shrubbery on the theme park's main plaza.
    
    It is extraordinary:  No special attention has been called to this
    clever piece of design work.  Why go to all that trouble if no one is
    going to notice?  I called Jennie Hess, a Disney publicist.
    
    "Oh, we figured that people are flying over Disney property all the
    time, coming to and from Orlando, and we just like to make it
    entertaining for them," said Hess.  "We don't make a big deal about
    it."
    
    That was the official explanation.  But it just didn't jobe.
    
    About that same time, I was reading a magazine story about a vast
    network of shallow trenches carved out by some ancient South American
    Indians in the Argentinian pampas.  Viewed from the air, these
    monumental etching resembled various gods worshipped by the Indians. 
    But it's not as if South American air routes were bustling some 4,000
    years ago.  So speculation is that the pampas-diggers were going to all
    that trouble for the benefits of those who could view it from outer
    space.
    
    And that's when it hit me:  Disney is secretly trying to communicate
    with aliens from outer space!
    
    But of course!  I don't know why we haven't figured this out before. 
    Consider:
    
     - All those garnish new buildings that have been popping up at Disney
       lately.  The offical explanation is that DIsney has hired world-
       famous architects to help it create a signature design for the
       company, a new architectural style.  Bright colors.  Flamboyant
       shapes and angles.  Something that definetely beckons to space craft
       hovering at 50,000 feet.
    
     - Disney is the world's largest user of fireworks.  But don't believe
       for a moment that the nightly theme park pyrotechnics are solely for
       pleasure of the paying crowd.  It's all done to register a major blip
       for whoever is watching Out There.
    
     - Two of the acclaimed new Disney hotels feature gargantuan swans and
       dolphins.  What better alien-attractors than these almost other-
       worldly creatures?
    
    Besides, what other corporation has such a stake in interplanetary
    tourism?  Disney is already in Japan.  It will soon open a park in
    Europe.  Before long the entire planet will be Disney-saturated.  Where
    are those future customers going to come from anyway?  Why, from outer
    space.
    
    Yes, Disney is making darn sure that if extraterrestrials do come to
    earth they will land at Disney first.  What a coup.
    
    I called Jennie Hess again and told her that I was to Disney's big
    secret.  I told her that, for the record, I would like Disney to
    confirm or deny whether it is trying to communicate with space aliens. 
    I told her that I would like for this response to come from the very
    top of the Disney organization.
    
    Jennie Hess is a very pleasant and efficient publicist.  She returned
    my call within the hour.
    
    "I have an official statement from the top" she said.
    
    "Let's have it," I said.
    
    "We are not in the business of far-out experimentation, except in the
    field of entertainment," she said.  "We are NOT trying to reach space
    aliens."
    
    So there you have it.  An official denial.  Believe it.  Or believe it
    not.
    
    But just envision all those giant Mickey faces dotting the landscape,
    those big ears, the vacuous grin, those beady eyes.
    
    Maybe, just maybe, space aliens already have spotted a giant Mickey
    face, and just don't feel like waiting in line.
    
    
    
    Bob Morris is a columnist for Florida Magazine and The Orlando Sentinel
    
    

    I grabbed my Disney/MGM guidebook to check, and sure enough, there 
    is the Mickey Face. Hmmm, visitors from outer space, could be!
    
    It throws a whole new interpretation on Star Tours, perhaps it's 
    actually a receiving station. Perhaps the visitors are already 
    amongst us! It could explain the strange, alien behavior of 
    Brazilian Tour Parties, if they're actually Martians in disguise.
    
    Sacrilegious Thought. Perhaps Mickey himself is an alien! How else 
    could you explain an 'off the wall' concept like 6' rodents?
    
    Only Joking (I think!),
    
    Mike B.

    
    
    	Speaking of Disney and inter-galactic travel, in one of the more
    recent " Star Trek " novels ( Yes, I admit it. I'm an ambidexterous
    dweeb. I'm obsessive about inside info on the Walt Disney Company as
    all Trek matters ... Which means -- of course -- that I'm in serious
    need of a life. But I digress ... ), Sulu and Chekov are supposed to
    going on leave to -- I shudder to even * THINK * about this --
    " Eisner's Planet. "
    	I know, I know ... It's little more than a nice throwaway line 
    in a pretty forgettable novel ( As well as a cute sort of tribute, if
    you're aware that Michael Eisner -- back in the late '70s / early '80s,
    when he was the head of film production at Paramount -- personally oversaw
    the make-over of " Star Trek " from cult favorite TV series to highly 
    successful film series ), and -- yet -- could it be a harbinger of
    things yet to come ?
    	First Disneyland. Then Walt Disney World. Then Tokyo Disneyland
    and Euro Disneyland ... Is it too far fetched to think -- 300 years
    hence -- Disney ( Or Eisner ) will be offering weary space travelers
    a bit of fun on a themed planet ?
    
    	Oh -- one other thing -- this " pine-forest-planted-to-resemble-
    Mickey's-face " is not the first time the Disney Company's used large
    amounts of greenery to recreate the mouse's profile. Anybody remember
    back in 1988 -- in the middle of Mickey's 60th birthday celebration --
    where Disney hired this farmer out in the mid-west to plant acres of
    wheat, alfapha and corn to make this massive mouse ? I've seen a
    picture of the thing -- taken from some jet flying over the property 
    that summer -- and it was pretty impressive. If the pine forest project
    ends up looking anything like this, aliens can't help but stop by to
    find out what's the deal is with the giant mouse head.

    Re last several,
    
    I beleive  that  Disney  News mentioned Mickey's face, when they did an
    article on MGM back  around '88/89.  If not, I sure remember picking it
    out of the artist map and I've  yet  to go to MGM (Gee Mike S.  weren't
    we talking about this back in July when I was in MKO?)
    
    Also let us not forget the sandtrap in the shap of Mickey on one of the
    fairway's at WDW (I beleive it's on the Magnolia course?)
    
    Claude

    I can see it now.  Thirty thousand years in the future archeologists
    start digging up the area once known as Orlando and conclude that the
    inhabitants were a group of giant, intelligent mice with a god named
    Mickey.
    
    George

    Yep Claude...that day we took that MGM Guide and turned it upside down.
    
    I'd like to see an actual photo though.
    
    Mike

    There is NEWS of a new "bundle of joy" at EPCOT Center.  A manatee has
    been born at the Living Seas. (9/14/91)
    
    Mother(Lorelie) and baby are reported to be doing fine.
    
    When  we last visited Epcot(over a year ago) we noticed something
    "different" about Lorelei and asked if she might be pregnant.  They
    weren't sure but thought she might be.  Now we know she was.
    
    

                Residents:  Disney magic made traffic, jobs appear

                (without permission from The Orlando Sentinel)

                            September 29, 1991



Is Walt Disney World a good neighbor?

Has Disney done enough for Central Florida in the 20 years since the Magic 
Kingdom opened its doors on October 1, 1971?

How many of 1991's growing pains - crime, traffic congestion and environmental
damage - do residents blame on the tourism boom that Disney set in motion two
decades ago?

How much of the Disney "magic" has touched the lives of Central Floridians?

In a survey of attitudes toward Disney, commissioned by The Orlando Sentinel,
Central Floridians gave the amusement giant a large share of the credit and
a good bit of the blame for the way things are.

The telephone survey interviewed 290 residents of Orange, Seminole and Osceola
counties about their views of what Disney and the tourism boom have meant to
Central Florida.  The results are considered accurate within plus or minus
6 percentage points.

The survey found that residents see plenty of ups and downs about what 
Central Florida has become since Disney arrived:

  - 73% blamed tourism for increased crime
  - 85% said tourism has created job opportunities
  - 78% blamed it for increased property taxes
  - 55% said it has increased education opportunities
  - 62% said the tourism boom has damaged the environment
  - 72% rated Disney as an average or above average corporate citizen for
     its support of charities and local events
  - 98% said the tourism boom is responsible for increased traffic
  - 63% said it was Orlando's tourism popularity that helped attract its
     professional sports team, the Magic of the National Basketball Association.

Disney paid Orange County $39 million in property taxes last year, but many
of those surveyed said Disney hasn't carried its share of the burden.  36%
of those surveyed said they believe that Disney pays less than its fair share
of taxes and fees, compared with 26% who said Disney pays its fair share.
7% said they believe that Disney pays more than its fair share.

Many residents apparently didn't know enough about the issue to have an
opinion.  An unusually high percentage of those surveyed - 31% - said 
they simply didn't know if Disney pays its fair share.

I think we should consider it, in general, very positive, Dianna Morgan, Disney
World vice president for government relations said of the survey results.

"But I am concerned that people would think that Disney and tourism are
responsible for higher taxes," Morgan said.  The results may mean that Disney
needs to do a better job of telling residents what the tourism industry
contributes to Central Florida in taxes and economic spinoffs, Morgan said.

The survey shows old-timers and newcomers alike have similar attitudes about
Disney's effect on Central Florida, despite the notion that longtime residents
are more resentful of the boom brought by Disney.

39% of those surveyed have lived in Central Florida more than 15 years.
31% have been here five years or less.

81% of residents who have lived here for two to five years said the tourism
boom has increased property taxes.  Among residents of 6 - 10 years, 69%
blamed tourism for higher taxes.  The percentage was 78 for residents of
11 - 15 years and 80% for residents of more than 16 years.

There was also little difference between longtime residents and newcomers 
views on tourism's creation of jobs and whether Disney pays less than its
fair share of taxes and fees.

Despite perceptions that Disney and tourism have had effects on everything
from traffic to jobs, most of those surveyed said they think they would be
living in Central Florida even if Disney World had never come.

82% said they definitely or probably would be here even without Disney.
10% said they definitely or probably would not be here.

The numbers may reflect, in part, Florida's attraction for retirees.  Of
those surveyed who were 65 years and older, 77% said they would probably
be in Central Florida even if Disney weren't.

But 49% of those ages 18 - 24 said they would be in Central Florida without
Disney.

Many residents - 39% - of those surveyed -  also said they felt that Disney's
presence has had no overall impact, good or bad, on their lives.  Another 
45% said Disney's impact on them has been positive.  12% said Disney's impact
was negative.

15% of those surveyed had a past of current Disney employee in the household.
Yet in many cases that appeared to have little effect on the person's attitudes
about Disney.

Those with a Disney employee in the household were slightly more likely to
credit tourism with providing job opportunities.  But they were also no less
likely to blame tourism for increased traffic, crime and property taxes.

And 36% of those from households with part of current Disney employees said
they believed that Disney doesn't pay its fair share of taxes - the same
percentage as those in households without Disney workers.

16% of those with Disney employees in the home believe, however, that Disney
pays more than its fair share, compared with just 5 percent of those in
households with no Disney employees.

The survey also solicited comments about how residents' lives have been
affected by Disney and the tourism boom.  Most are part of a familiar refrain:
   "Traffic terrible"
   "Too many tourists"
   "Congested roads.  Takes forever to get anywhere"
   AND "Too damn many people"

One resident addressed an attitude that was not raised by the survey but
is perhaps a universal feeling among Central Floridians.

"Everyone needs a guest room in their house," he ventured, "for the people
up North who come to visit".


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the survey:

The survey was conducted by telephone from  Monday morning through Wednesday
night by New Directions Marketing Research, Inc. of Winter Park.  It used a
sample group constructed from a demographic mix based on results of the 1990
census.  A total of 290 residents were interviewed, all of whom have lived
in Central Florida at least 2 years.  184 lived in Orange County, 80 in
Seminole County and 26 in Osceola County; 172 are female, 118 males; 227
are Caucasian, 33 African-American, 15 Hispanic, 5 Asian-American. 165 are
married, 79 single, 20 divorced, 24 widowed.  47 are ages 18-24, 53 ages 25-34,
70 ages 35-44, 41 ages 45-54, 30 ages 55-64, and 47 are over the age of 65.
(Numbers may not total 290 because some respondents declined to provide
demographic information).


___________________________________________________________________________

                         The Disney Survey

In which of these ways, if any, has this areas tourism popularity affected
your life as a resident?


                                            YES          NO       DON'T KNOW


Increased Job Opportunities                 84.5%        13.8%        1.7%

Increased Traffic                           97.9%         1.7%         .3

Increased Entertainment choices             91.4          5.9         2.8

Increased crime                             73.1         21.7         5.2

Increased travel connections                90.0          7.6         2.4

Increased social needs                      70.3          17.6       12.1

Help in paying for public facilities        51.0          31.0       17.9

Increased property taxes                    78.3          10.3       11.4

Help in attracting professional sports      63.1          25.9       l.0

Damaged the environment                     62.4          31.0        6.6

Increased educational opportunities         54.5          38.6        6.9

Made it a more impersonal place than it
   once was                                 65.9          27.9        6.2

Increased racial and ethnic mix of 
   our community                            79.3          15.5        5.2

Brought more interesting people to the 
   area                                     83.4           11.4       5.2

 



                       Growth of an entertainment giant

                (w/o permission from the Orlando Sentinel Sept. 29, 1991)


            Once upon a time, Disney was a company specializing in cute
            characters.  Now its a worldwide powerhouse.


They could call it Change World.

In the 20 years since Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, the 28,000
acre park and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., have been transformed.

The 1971 American institution beloved for its cuddly characters, for
Disneyland and for wholesome entertainment today is a much-imitated $5.8
billion  entertainment powerhouse with interests that span the globe.

In 1971, Walt Disney Co., "was a niche player, a highly specialized and
unusual company," said Harold Vogel, first vice president and entertainment
analyst at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, the New York brokerage.  Disney
"operated in a fairly closed environment and in its own little world," Vogel
said.

Today all that has changed.

Disney "is now a worldwide media powerhouse in movies and television and
it runs an awful lot of restaurants, hotels," Vogel said.  And it has interests
in theme parks that it didn't have before.

Orange County Commissioner Fran Pignone, a lifelong resident of Central
Florida, said, "I don't think anybody in those days (1971) thought Disney
would become a worldwide entertainment company that has a huge influence.

Harris Rosen, one of the first employees of Disney's hotels and now Orlando's
biggest independent hotelier said, "Disney was held in awe in 1971, and it
held in awe today.

"The playing field has grown immensely," he said, "and all of us in Orlando
have grown more sophisticated - but so have they."

Today, Disney is a dynamic conglomerate and a growth company that's hailed
on Wall Street, even though its theme parks have been buffeted by double-
digit attendance declines this year and so far this year its movies have 
declined to No. 3 in box office share from No. 1 in 1990.

Now, as in 1971, you can still visit Disney World's Magic Kingdom and
Disneyland and see Disney television shows or movies.  But these days if
they Disney movie carries the Touchtone label, it may include foul language,
partial nudity - or Woody Allen.

As in 1971, you can munch on a hot dog at a Disney park, but today you can
also grab a bite that's low in cholesterol and nearly fat-free.  If you live
in Los Angeles, you can chow down at a Disney first:  Mickey's Kitchen, a
fast food restaurant.

As was the case 20 years ago, Disney merchandise is sold by hundreds of
licensees in this county.  But now you can go to a single retail outlet,
one of the 79 Disney Stores, in almost every state of the union or in London.

Disney sold children's records in 1971, but Disney albums were conspicuously
absent from the rock 'n' roll bin.  Today the leather-clad rock foursome
Queen has been signed by Disney's Hollywood Records label.  The label's
next goal:  a rap album.

You could read a Donald Duck comic book in 1971, but only in the United
States.  Today you can grab a broad selection of comics and magazines
throughout the world, including Egypt, Hungary, Turkey, Italy and France.

You could buy a Disney children's book in 1971 but not a Disney-published
novel.  But by 1992 you'll be able to curl up with fiction that carries
Disney's imprint and put a Disney non-fiction book onto your coffee table.

And, of course, 20 years ago could have spent a day at Disney World or
Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.  Now you can spend a day at Tokyo Disneyland
and come April 12 at Euro Disneyland near Paris.

In Central Florida, though, one thing hasn't changed:  Walt Disney World
remains, as it has since 1971, the nation's no. 1 theme park.  Attendance
though has jumped from about 10.7 million in 1971 to more than 28.4 million
clicks of the turnstile in 1990.  That amounts to about 14 million people,
though, because Disney counts those who buy multiple-day tickets more than
once.

Now you have your choice of more than 6,000 hotel rooms on Disney's property,
vs 2,000 hotel rooms in 1971.

Today you can spend your money at two more major parks than in 1971:
Epcot Center, which opened in 1982, and the Disney-MGM Studios Them Park
which opened in 1989.

If you're one of the 680 current Disney World employees who joined the
Company 20 years ago, you were one of 7,000.  Today you're one of about 
33,000.

By the end of the decade, you'll be able to live in a Disney time-share
condominium in Florida, and by the year 2000 you'll be able to shop in
Central Florida's biggest mall on Disney land in Osceola County.  Or you
could live in one of its 8,000 residential units.

Finally, if you're an investor, you know that today Disney makes almost
31 times as much profit in a year as it did during all of 1971, when it
threw open the doors to the Magic Kingdom.

You could own Disney stock in 1971, as you can today, but now you also can buy
zero-coupon bonds tied to the price of Euro Disneyland stock.  And since 1971.,
the Walt Disney Company has gained a new measure of prestige:  In May of this
year, it became one of the 20 companies that constitute the Dow Jones
Industrial Average.

If you've been a Disney observer since 1971, you know that a monumental
change occurred in September 1984.

At that time, Chairman Michael Eisner and President Frank Wells were
appointed to head Disney after the company was rocked by two takeover
attempt, including a plan by corporate raider Saul Steinberg, who aimed
to slice up Disney and sell off its most valuable assets, including Disney
World.

The Walt Disney Co. has wisely used Walt Disney World as a springboard for
ventures in this country, and around the world, said Alan Gould, an
entertainment analyst with Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc in New York.

"The company has had 20 years of profit from Walt Disney World," he said,
"and with that, they've been smart."

    
    
    This was in the Boston Herald today in Liz Smith's column
    
    
          Upbeat tome gives Disney studios and bosses a PR break
    
    
    The Disney Company, which has grown into a mountain from a mere
    mouse, is busy these days working on its "attitude."  The studio
    has been criticized as being more ogrelike than necessary as it 
    goes about the business of fairy tale make-believe.  Disney has
    had more PR downs than ups of late.  And, now, just in the nick of
    time, like a prince to the rescue, comes writer Joe Flower, who
    sums it all up in "The Prince of the Magic Kingdom:  Michael Eisner
    and the Re-Making of Disney."
    
    He started out with Michael Eisner telling him he'd get no cooperation
    from him.  He describes the Disney studio as "a corporation intent on
    the bottom line."
    
    But Flower's ultimate view of Eisner, Jeff Katzenberg, Barry Diller -
    and others who influenced the Disney outcome and success story - turns
    out to be pretty positive.
    
    

    Some new tidbits from my mom in Florida:
    
    1)  Everyone who bought a ticket in Disneyworld this weekend received a
        free copy of Fantasia.  They are hurting for tourists!
    
    2)  The workers settled there contract.  No news on what they got
    
    3)  Picked up a great little magazine supplement at Caldors on
    Saturday.  Newsweek Supplement on just Disney's 20th anniversary. 
    Anyone interested in a xerox let me know off line and I'll send you
    one.  Its great.  

 Title:            DISNEY Hits Bad Patch  After Six Years Of Expansion 
 
 Source:           DOW JONES NEWS 
 
 Date Published:   12 NOV 1991 
 
 
 BURBANK, Calif. -- Many of the executives who work in the new "Team Disney" 
 corporate headquarters building here, the one with seven huge stone dwarfs 
 on the pediment, say they hate the place. They don't say it too loudly, 
 though, because it is the pride and joy of Michael Eisner, the chairman of 
 Walt Disney Co. A patron of ambitious architecture, he has been compared to 
 the Medicis. From the outside, the neoclassical structure is a striking and 
 original monument to Disney's successes of the past decade. Inside, people 
 call it a "rabbit warren," because of all the isolated little hutches and 
 cold, uncommunal corridors. Disney has become the butt of particularly 
 nasty jokes. 
 
 It is a regular object of ridicule by the satirical magazine Spy, for 
 instance, which notes that disaffected Disney employees describe their 
 workplace as "Mauschwitz." Others say the building is claustrophobic, like 
 being trapped in a cartoon nightmare with the walls closing in. In a sense, 
 the walls are closing in on Disney. After half a dozen years of giddy 
 expansion, Disney has raised ticket prices at its theme parks about as high 
 as they can go ($33 for a one-day adult ticket to Walt Disney World). Its 
 home-video division has squeezed much of the value out of what had been an 
 underexploited film library. Even as Disney announced a plan last week for 
 a $600 million studio expansion, its movie-production rate has reached 
 capacity. 
 
 Businesses that once were unique -- feature-length animated films and 
 Disney Stores -- are facing unprecedented competition from such 
 entertainment giants as Time Warner Inc. Disney's nascent record business 
 is off to a terrible start. Disney wants a major presence in recording, 
 with that industry's low overhead and big rewards. But getting into it is 
 expensive, with record labels such as Geffen and A&M fetching $500 million 
 or more. 
 
 Hollywood Records, started by Disney from scratch last year, reportedly has 
 gone through $25 million this year, with little to show for it, except an 
 underwhelming comeback by the rock group Queen and records by such artists 
 as WW3 and The Scream. And Disney's management has been found to be mortal 
 after all. Eisner, Disney President Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the 
 chairman of Walt Disney Studios, no longer are treated as gods in Hollywood 
 or on Wall Street. So, in a business that lives on image, the buzz about 
 Disney is depressing. 
 
 News articles skewer the company for everything from a cold streak in movie 
 making to its menacing three day-care centers with threats of lawsuits for 
 depicting Disney characters on their buildings without permission. Disney 
 executives have been criticized for fighting with the late Jim Henson's 
 cuddly Muppets, which Disney was to acquire. Negotiations with the Henson 
 family broke down into recriminations after Henson's death. Disney tussled 
 with singer Peggy Lee over song royalties. 
 
 Lee, confined to a wheelchair, was awarded $2.3 million by a jury. Disney 
 is appealing. Reviews of a new Disney film, "Billy Bathgate," have 
 critiqued the company's management style along with the movie. Vincent 
 Canby in the New York Times said the film, while "not a disaster," seemed 
 "homogenized" and influenced by "the front-office types who shadowed its 
 production. . . ." The film business has won Disney the most unwanted 
 attention lately. 
 
 Many film makers, actors and agents say they feel stifled by the way Disney 
 asserts its control over every little detail of movie production. (Studio 
 chief Katzenberg chose Richard Gere's collar stays in "Pretty Woman.") And 
 some people say they won't work with Disney. The week before "The 
 Rocketeer" opened to disappointing box-office returns last summer, director 
 Joe Johnston publicly blasted Disney's micromanagement and said he would 
 never do another film for the studio. Early this year, Katzenberg moved to 
 cut budgets. "Dick Tracy," which cost $100 million to make and market, had 
 been a watershed, he said: It was a departure from Disney's policy of 
 making films with tight budgets and reasonable returns, not huge 
 hit-or-miss blockbusters. 
 
 At Hollywood Pictures, the hard-luck new Disney film division with the 
 Egyptian logo, the average film budget has been cut to less than $15 
 million from more than $20 million. The new plan is embodied in films like 
 Disney's Touchstone remake of "Father of the Bride" starring Steve Martin 
 and, from Hollywood Pictures, a thriller called "The Hand That Rocks the 
 Cradle." A week ago, a longtime bull on Disney stock, analyst Richard Simon 
 of Goldman, Sachs & Co., took Disney off his recommended list, and the same 
 day a First Boston Corp. analyst quietly downgraded it from "strong buy" to 
 "hold." Analysts have been lowering earnings estimates ever since 
 theme-park attendance started slipping more than a year ago. 
 
 "Look, you take a couple of smart guys, and you hand them one of the great 
 franchises in America," says Emanuel Gerard, a securities analyst and 
 former Warner executive. "They figure out how to skin the mouse more ways 
 than you can skin a mouse. But they've done it all. They've gotten big, and 
 their overhead has gotten high. So a consumer recession happens, and they 
 get hit by a buzz saw." "It's more interesting reading about a company like 
 ours tripping up," Eisner grouses, while conceding certain minor 
 public-relations failures. "We're the big guy on the block, not some sleepy 
 little company in the Valley anymore. (Movie chief) Jeffrey (Katzenberg) 
 runs it strong, and we protect our copyrights. 
 
 We've had some bad luck." But, he adds, "We do a lot of research about 
 exposure, and there are no indications of (ill will). Our esteem is higher 
 than ever." Disney has done a lot that's right. It has been innovative in 
 corporate financing, letting investors foot the bill for much of its film 
 output (and now for some of its television programs), without giving up 
 control or too high a return. Its film division under Katzenberg had an 
 unmatched record of consistent box-office success, producing films with 
 efficiency, restraint and -- crucially -- a minimum of expensive flops. 
 Disney beat rival MCA Inc. in building a Florida movie-studio tour, and 
 went off on an unprecedented hotel-building jag, adding nearly 10,000 
 lucrative rooms on its own property in Orlando. 
 
 Disney is an easy target because it has been so successful in the past six 
 years under Eisner. Goldman Sachs's Simon says his removal of Disney from 
 his recommended list, where it had been most of the time since 1985 --- has 
 nothing to do with long-term expectations. "I'm just saying that at a 
 multiple of 20 times earnings, I don't want to be a buyer," he says. "I 
 don't mean to suggest it's a fragile company." Indeed, the analyst predicts 
 that the $3.6 billion Euro Disney, a huge theme park opening April 12 on 
 former sugar beet fields outside Paris, will be packed from the start. 
 (Disney owns 49 percent of Euro Disney; 51 percent of its shares are 
 publicly traded in Europe.) 
 
 Eisner says he runs Disney for parents who buy its stock for their children 
 at birth with the expectation it will pay for college. "I like to think in 
 50-year periods," he says. He hasn't backed down from his pledge to produce 
 20 percent earnings growth and return on equity compounded annually. But 
 Disney executives lately haven't been willing to say just how many years 
 Eisner is talking about. He used to say "five." Bad vibrations and Disney's 
 slippage have caused the company to shed some of its hauteur. Katzenberg 
 has held conciliatory meetings with other Hollywood filmmakers and their 
 representatives. But few expect Disney executives to embrace a new 
 humility. 
 
 Disney has mapped its future far into the next century. And while films 
 will remain a big part of the picture, the company will continue to be 
 centered on theme parks. After Euro Disney, Disney plans to build a second 
 theme park in Southern California, and possibly a third. The master plan 
 calls for a second Japanese park, too, yet another one in Florida, and yet 
 another in Europe. That's probably it for the giant parks, but Eisner muses 
 about creating smaller attractions in major cities, to bring the 
 "California dream" of open space -- "people looking for something safe, 
 clean and fun" -- back to increasingly crowded and stressful cities. But 
 others doubt that, as a practical matter, Disney will find it opportune to 
 stretch itself that thin and risk cheapening Mickey Mouse with less than 
 spectacular parks. 
 
 Though Disney has long been mentioned as a possible buyer of a TV network, 
 some analysts believe Eisner will simply never make a big, expensive 
 acquisition with the company's $1.5 billion in cash or from the $3 billion 
 to $4 billion that it could comfortably borrow. Besides that, owning a 
 network isn't crucial if those who own the networks right now need Disney's 
 programming. Eisner says a big acquisition isn't his mission. 
                (c) Dow Jones News -- FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 
 
      *****************************************************************

           Disney, union agree to possible contract
    
           (With out permission from the Ocala Banner)
    
    
    
    Walt Disney World and its biggest union agreed Friday to a tentative
    contract that would combine an annual pay raise with higher job
    classifications for some workers.
    
    Union leaders said they would recommend that their rand-and-file
    members accept the contract, which covers 17,708 Disney workers who
    make an average $6.50 an hour.
    
    Federal mediator Richard P. Deem asked both sides not to divulge the
    details of the tentative agreement until it can be explained to union
    members.
    
    "I can say that I think both sides are pleased with the results," said
    Bill Ward, Disney's vice-president of labor relations. "I'll have to
    give the credit to the collective bargaining process and to the
    mediator that we were able to resolve some major differences."
    
    Ron Parsell, secretary-treasurer of the six-union Service Trades
    Council, credited Disney for "making significant improvements - they
    addressed several issues that they previously refused to talk about."
    
    Disney withdrew a demand to hire more subcontractors, a plan that they
    union coalition viewed as a threat to thousands of union jobs.  And
    the new job classifications, "coupled with an enhanced across-the-board
    increase, is ahot ticket," Parsell added.
    
    The Service Trades' current contract will be extended until the day of
    the union members' vote, which could be as late as November 15, Parsell
    said.
    
    Deem was called by both groups on Oct. 31, when talks reached a stale-
    mate over wages and other issues.

    $6.50/hour
    
    $260.00/week
    
    $13520/year
    
    Next time you're down there treat them well.

                        Disney's newest creation
               (w/o permission Boston Globe, Sunday 12/1/91)


When it comes to making money by using pen and ink, the animation folks at
the Walt Disney Co. who created the Beauty and the Beast cartoon movie
have nothing on the Disney financial types who create new securities.
Disney's new financial beast, known as a ZEBRA, may well make as much money
for the company as the new Celluloid one.  Which shows you how goofy the
world can sometimes be.

For Disney, the beauty of the new financial beast is that, if all goes as
planned, it will deliver cheap money from the investing public, not to
mention millions of dollars worth of benefits from the taxpaying public.
Almost as good as combining Snow White with a bunch of dwarfs.

In the real jungle, zebras are horses with stripes.  In the Wall Street
jungle, ZEBRAS are ZEro coupon Based Rate Adjustment Securities, a dreadful
name that makes for a great acronym.  They're another creation of the Merrill
beastmeisters, the folks who brought us LYONs, TIGRs, LYNXes and the never-to-
be-forgotten OPPOSSMS.

Even though ZEBRAS are a Mickey Mouse security, we're not dealing here with
Minnie-dollars.  The ZEBRAS are designed to raise more than $200 million
to finance Disney's network television business, while enabling the
commission-hungry hordes at the Merrill Lynch brokerage house to knock down
$5 million or so in fees.

I don't think ZEBRAS are something you should run out and buy - Disney
doesn't sell anything cheap.  But they seem better than the big batch of
LYONs Disney peddled 17 months ago.  I called those securities bad names.

They're up 16.5 percent since they were issued.  I still wouldn't touch them.
As we say in the column-writing biz, often wrong, never in doubt.  With
ZEBRAS Disney has created something that looks like a partnership,walks like
a partnership and quacks like a partnership, but is technically a bond.  The
distinction is important, because payments to partners are deductible;
interest payments are.  So Disney can deduct the payments it makes to its
partners - oops, its bondholders.  As an extra bonus, Disney gets to pay
Merrill Lynch a fee I estimate at  3 percent for selling bonds, rather than
the 6 percent to 10 percent Merrill gets to peddle partnerships.

The deal works like this.  You pay $552 for a ZEBRA.  In 15 years, Disney
will give you $1,000, absent certain unlikely circumstances.  That's a
whopping 4 percent a year, compounded semiannually.  In addition, Disney will
pay you up to $1,792 more in cash interest (if I've done my math right),
depending how its new TV shows do.  Maximum interest to holders:  half the
TV projects cash flow or 20 percent a year, whichever is less.

Assuming all of this passes muster with the IRS, Disney could save
hundreds of millions of dollars on taxes if its TV shows make money.

My problem with ZEBRAS isn't that Disney is exploiting a tax loophole.
Hey, I'd do the same if I could find one.  My problem is that Disney is
keeping good stuff for its own account while graciously giving ZEBRA
holders a pack of dead dogs and other shows on their way to the pet cemetery.

The way Disney has cut this deal, its two sure-syndication shows - Golden
Girls and Empty Nest - aren't in the ZEBRA accounts. But ZEBRA buyers get a
whole flock of dead dogs - among them Lenny, The Fanelli Boys, Singer & Sons,
Acting Sheriff and STAT.

The unofficial explanation:  ZEBRA holders are buying into the program
Disney started in October, 1988, getting possible hits such as Blossom, in
its second season, and the dogs.  Golden Girls and Empty Nest predate 1988.

So there you have it.  Heads, Disney wins.  Tails, Disney wins.  If the coin
lands on its side, Disney wins anyway.  Scrooge McDuck bonds, anyone?


Alan Sloan is a columnist for Newsday in New York.

                        The Disney Difference
                (w/o permission Florida Trend, 12/91)

           Walt Disney laid the groundwork for a strong tourism
           economy, and the progress continues 20 years later


Opening Day at Walt Disney World, October 1, 1971, was, by all accounts,
a watershed event in Florida history.  People said the state would never be
the same.  But no one could fully perceive the giant step that was taken as
Walt Disney laid the groundwork for a strong tourism industry that today
attracts millions and encompasses the entire state.

During the spring of 1964, five corporations quietly began buying ranch
land in the vicinity of Interstate 4 and State Road 535.  Although Disney's
involvement was a closely guarded secret, local leaders soon recognized that
these transactions represented a major business venture in its infancy.  The
rumor mill went wild with speculation ranging from McDonnell Douglas to
the Atomic Energy Commission coming to town.  In October of 1965, the
Orlando Sentinel published a banner-sized headline that read, "We Say;
Mystery Industry is Disney."  At that point, 27,500 acres had been acquired.

The company's search for a location encompassed the entire country, but
Florida's climate and potential for year-round tourism carried the day.  Walt
Disney, himself, decided that the Magic Kingdom would be built inland, where
large parcels of land were available, and Florida's growing transportation
infrastructure was quickly being brought to bear.  When it became clear
Orlando would be the crossroads, the choice was made.

Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick was young lawyer when the groundwork for the
Magic Kingdom was laid.  He admits there was some skepticism that the fields
of southwest Orange County would be transformed into one of the world's
greatest tourist meccas.  But he remembers an even stronger sense of elation.

"It was sort of like being a teen-ager and hearing that your folks were
going to buy you a car," he said. "It really had an interesting and exciting
flavor to it that materialized as a transitional moment for this community."

THE FIRST AND LARGEST DOMINO

When Disney's grand experiment began in 1971, the areas 6,932 hotel rooms
were 66 percent occupied, and 301 conventions were booked.  By 1990, hotels
reported an 80 percent occupancy for nearly 78,000 rooms, and the convention
calendar carried more than 1,500 events.  Last year, Business Travel News
ranked Central Florida the nation's fifth most popular convention region.

"If you look at where Central Florida is now, versus where it was 20 years
ago - before Disney - it's pretty impressive," said Gov. Lawton Chiles.
"In 1970, there were about 1 million Orlando airport passengers and in 1990,
there were more than 18 million.  And I don't need to tell anyone just how
much these tourist dollars mean to our state's economy."

As commerce boomed, community leaders came to view Disney as the first and
largest in a long line of dominoes.

"They were the catalyst that unleashed a tremendous chain of events that has
taken this community to a pre-eminent destination in the world," says
Bill Peeper, the Executive Director of the Orlando/Orange County Convention
and Visitors Bureau.  Peeper promotes a local tourism industry that already
tops $5.4 billion per year, and is expected to keep growing with statewide
ramifications.  Florida's $30 billion tourism industry accounts for roughly
700,000 jobs, or 11 percent of the state's work force.

The tourism sector accounts for 17 percent of metro Orlando's employment,
according to Winter Park economist Hank Fishkind.  Factor the multiplier
effect and that number rises to 24 percent.

"Without the tourism industry, Central Florida would be entirely different,
quite possibly with an economy dominated by affordable retirement housing,
cattle and citrus," said Fishkind.  He adds that tourism also is less
susceptible to recessions, because, while families frequently are willing
to delay the purchase of durable goods, such as cars and refrigerators,
they tend to be less inclined to cancel their vacation plans, which are
often developed months in advance.

State Rep. Alzo Reddick, D-Orlando, chairman of the Florida House Tourism
Committee and a member of a new state commission on tourism, credits
Disney as being "the engine that drives the train" of the states economy.
Reddick believes Fishkind's assessment of tourism as a buffer against
recession is right on the money.

"I think the hard (economic) times that we talk about now would be
immeasurably worse if we did not have the resilience of the tourism industry
to depend upon.  We're coming out of this recession with less damage than
a lot of states have suffered."

Unemployment statistics in the tri-county area (Orange, Osceola and Seminole
counties) during the first six months of 1991 were roughly half a percentage
point lower than state and national figures.

The strong tourism sector also has brought about a substantial reduction
of the local tax burden.  In 1990, Disney collected over $12 million in
resort taxes, which corresponds to nearly 30 percent of the entire amount
paid in Orange County.  In recent years, the money has been spent on
construction of the Orlando Arena, improvements to the Citrus Bowl and
expansion of the Civic Center.  In addition, tourism generates 20 percent
of the state's sales tax revenues; 1 percent of which is collected on
Disney property.

A NATIONAL IMAGE

U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who has had a front row seat to enormous growth,
recalls one occasion that drew the attention of the entire nation.

"I especially remember their 15th-anniversary celebration near the end 
of my term as governor," said Graham. "The event underscored how much
change had occurred in a very short period of time.  In addition, media
coverage of the festivities helped to bring a renewed vigor to the state's
tourism industry that reached well beyond the borders of Orlando and
Central Florida."

Although a few attractions already were present when Walt Disney formally
announced his plans, the Magic Kingdom opened the gates for many more.
The vast increase in visitors generated expansion of the city's airport,
making it the 26th busiest in the world.

Orlando International Airport links Central Florida with more than
100 non-stop destinations, and has become a major catalyst for growth
in its own right.  Orlando is one of six major hubs for Delta, the official
airline of Walt Disney World.

Orange County commission Chairwomen Linda Chapin says efficient airport
facilities are a necessary hallmark of any major economic center.

"Disney's presence put Orlando on the map," said Chapin.  "They spurred
more than just tourism development.  They spurred the airport's growth
and made Orlando a household name.  It's because of Disney that no one
has to explain where Orlando is anymore."

For those of us convinced that planes at Orlando's airport are filled with 
parents and children wearing mouse ears, guess again.  Jacob Stuart, president
of the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce, says recent studies show 51
percent of those passengers are business travelers.  As evidence, Stuart
points to the crowded decks of the jetport's parking garages, saying, "Those
cars don't belong to tourists."

Stuart also credits Disney with revolutionizing the entire resort concept
in America, and elevating the community's standard of professionalism.

"I hear as a matter of routine 'We have to do this the way Disney does.'
That tells me, 'Let's hit those quality standards.' "

Stuart also commends Disney's ability to bring employment to Central Florida.
As the company's expansion projects for the 1990's begin, Stuart claims, the
requirement for white-collar services will continue to escalate.

NEW INDUSTRIES ATTRACTED

While catering to visitors will continue to be the region's main breadwinner,
the watchword among business leaders today is "diversification."  In the
years ahead, we're likely to see different industries develop more fully in
Central Florida; most prominently high-technology, movie production and
distribution.  Rick Tesch, President of the Economic Development Commission
of Mid-Florida, says the migration already has begun.

"We in the industrial sector see international and U.S.companies coming,
because they can attract their clients here," said Tesch. "So the customer
will come on a business trip, but is able to bring the family to a very
positive experience.  We see that as a very crucial part of our marketing
strategy."

That strategy already has met with considerable success.  For example, the
American Automobile Association moved its headquarters to nearby Seminole
County in November, 1989 and Delta Air Lines has invested millions of dollars
in a new terminal and hub facility at the airport, which has also been
designated as a "connecting complex" for United Airlines.  AT&T, FMC, General
Electric and Westinghouse are just a few of the other companies that also have
established permanent facilities in the area.

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH

Quality education is an essential building block for any growing community,
and Disney has taken an especially active role in education by providing
financial and motivational support to students and teachers.  As Orange
County's largest taxpayer (approximately $39 million in 1990), Disney pays
almost 50 percent more in school taxes than all other businesses combined.

Walt Disney World has embarked on a statewide scholarship program covering
tuition, fees and books for one senior from each of the 21 high schools in
Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties who wished to attend a Florida college or
university.  The award is specifically intended for youngsters with a strong
sense of commitment who can demonstrate a financial need and are less likely
to receive other scholarships.

For the third consecutive year, Disney's Teacher Merit Awards will honor
outstanding contributions by educators who bring innovative and creative
programs to the students of Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties.  Each
year $178,000 from the Disney company - $1,000 for each of 178 schools -
is divided between one teacher and their school.

Overcoming obstacles to success is the special focus of the annual "Dreamers
and Doers" program, which has honored more than 1,800 youngsters from across
the United States since its inception in 1984.  Its objective is to recognize
elementary, middle and high school students who "give 110 percent to everything
they undertake."  Superintendents of public schools throughout the state are
canvassed to select the winners, based on "the 4 Cs of success:  curiosity,
confidence, courage and constancy."  Three students from each county are
brought to Disney World for the event each spring.  Speakers have included
former Chief Justice Warren Burger, pitcher Dave Dravecky and astronaut
Alan Shepard.

Getting the message of the war on drugs to America's youth has been a
challenge faced by officials nationwide.  Working with the premise that
children will more eagerly absorb information presented in an entertaining
fashion, Disney, in cooperation with the Center for Drug Free Living, has
produced a 30-minute puppet show targeted at third graders.  The show
features characters who are tempted and then discouraged from experimenting
with drugs.

The show was presented to about 16,000 third-graders in Orange, Seminole
and Osceola counties during the 1990-91 school year.  Dick Nunis, chairman
of Walt Disney Attractions, said he hopes to see it circulated nationwide.

"Its been a tremendous success and a great program," said Nunis.  "We're
going to meet with Bob Martinez, the director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy, and possibly make it available to every third-grade
classroom in the United States."

Disney also has taken a leadership role with the Orlando/Orange County
COMPACT.  This program targets high school students identified as likely
dropout candidates and pairs them with mentors from the local business
community who meet with them to reinforce appropriate behavior.

Last year, the Walt Disney World Co. dedicated 100 mentors to COMPACT's
efforts at Orange County's Dr. Phillips High School.  Disney's 100
mentors amounted to nearly one-fourth of COMPACT's volunteer force last year.

In addition to their efforts with COMPACT, the Disney Company helps to reduce
Central Florida's high school dropout rate through two other special projects.
"The Challenge Center," now in its third year, offers full-time jobs (with
full benefits) and on-site classes to Orange County teens who are considered
likely dropout candidates.  Each participant must go through normal hiring
processes prior to beginning the program.  Each student is then issued one
of a variety of jobs at the Magic Kingdom, including food service, custodial
and merchandise sales.

"Project Future" offers similar assistance to Osceola County students and
is in its first year.

Approximately 180 celebrities, pro golfers and amateurs visited the Disney
resorts in October to take part in the third-annual Bryant Gumbel/Walt
Disney World Pro-Am to benefit the United Negro College Fund.  The popular
"Today Show" host was joined by a wide variety of familiar faces, including
U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, former baseball greats Joe
DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Willie McCovey, as well as recording artists the
Gatlin Brothers.

The benefits have raised a combined total of more than $800,000 for UNCF.

While the Disney folks are quick to tell you that all their guests are
special, thousands of people suffering from life-threatening illnesses have
received the red-carpet treatment through the company's Compassion Program
and a Kissimee-based foundation called "Give Kids the World."  Disney
provides complementary passes for the patient and immediate family.

Henri Landwirth, founder of "Give Kids the World," says he doubts his
organization could accomplish its mission without Disney. "For all the
wishes around the world, about 70 percent of the children want to see
Mickey Mouse."

Another major recipient of the company's community service efforts is the
Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, which does its best to help
over 2,400 transients, despite a limited staff and budget.  Coalition President
Steve Salley says Central Florida's not-for-profit agencies need to win the
support of three community institutions to find success.  "If you want to be
accepted as a charity with a major role, you've got to be accepted by the City
of Orlando, you've got to be accepted by Orange County, and after that, the
next stop is Disney.  If those three organizations support you, the business
community opens up."

To help ensure the continuation of Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties' most
effective social service agencies, the annual Community Service Awards were
instituted in 1972.  Winners are selected by a panel of business and political
leaders who, thus far, have administered a combined total of more than $2 
million.

In addition to cash donations and special programs, Disney offers extensive
professional assistance, ranging from entertainment at community events to
creative design services and in-kind contributions measured a nearly
$1 million per year.  Examples include the design and partial funding of
a band shell at Orlando's Lake Eola Park in 1989.  Now the "Walt Disney
Amphitheater at Lake Eola," its ribbon-cutting capped a multimillion
dollar restoration project for the park.

The Osceola County government received similar assistance with the
renovation of its historic courthouse in Kissimmee.  In conjunction
with the county's centennial celebration of 1987, Disney restored the
structure's cupola and completely remodeled a 19th-century courtroom which
can now serve the citizens of Osceola county well into the 21st Century.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

While Central Florida has been the seen of extensive change over the past
20 years, it's unlikely that the trend is anywhere near running its course.
Business continues to identify the region as a growth area upon which they
can capitalize.  More than 10,000 new companies open their doors in metro
Orlando every year.

Disney officials have announced plans for Celebration, a 3,800-acre town
to be built on Disney property in Osceola County.  An international shopping
experience, an office park, championship golf and an environmental center
are being planned for the new town.  Ground breaking is scheduled for 1992,
with the first homes and offices to be occupied by early 1994.

A world-reknown medical research center is projected to open 1955, focusing
on wellness and nutrition.  In cooperation with Osceola County's public
school board, Celebration's public schools will set new standards for 
excellence.

In addition, Disney CEO Michael Eisner recently announced the "Disney Decade,"
adding major resorts and new theme park adventures in the Vacation Kingdom.

Among upcoming thrill rides are Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom (opening
fall 1992) and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at the Disney-MGM Studios
Theme Park (opening 1994).  The studios' expansion also includes a new Sunset
Boulevard to open in mid-decade.

Disney's Dixie Landings Resort opens in early 1992, followed by Disney's
Boardwalk Resort and entertainment complex, and Disney's Wilderness Lodge
and Buffalo Junction Resort and Disney's all-star Village Resort.  All are 
planned to open in 1994.

Other 1990's projects include new Soviet, Swiss and space pavilions at Epcot
Center, a re-design of Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom and a fourth major
theme park.

Film and TV production also will continue to play an important role:  "Since
the June 1988 opening of the Disney-MGM Studios, four feature films, 30
series, 30 TV specials, 45 special film and video projects and more than 100
commercials have taken advantage of the soundstage and services.

MORE GROWTH AHEAD


The expansion of transportation infrastructure has been a common theme in
Central Florida for a long time.  Economist Fishkind believes that will 
continue.

"This metropolitan area is growing at a rate of about 40,000 people a year,"
said Fishkind.  "There are approximately 1 million people now.  In 20 years
there will be approximately 2 million.  In other words, for the entire
Orlando area that we see today, there'll be another one built on top of it -
or built around it is probably likely.

"Growth has been going east in the last five years toward the University
of Central Florida to take advantage of the new beltway.  It will also go
strongly south as we have a dramatic expansion of the roadway network in
northern Osceola County."  Disney is involved with regional roadway planning.

Osceola County Commission Chairman Jim Swan says 20 years ago, Disney officials
tried to make community leaders aware of the need for careful planning.  He
says, because many people failed to heed that advice, citizen are paying the
price in terms of traffic congestion and some of the less desirable effects of
growth.

"You have to respect it and at time you're jealous of it, but Disney does a 
very good job of long-term planning," said Swan.  "They planned 25 years ago, 
at least to some extent, for what we see today on Disney property.  And they're
looking 20 years from now, projecting future growth internally."

Walt Disney, intended that his Florida project be in a constant state of
becoming.  Vision, commitment, responsibility and excellence - the company's
hallmakers - will sustain progress and keep his dream alive as the company
continues to grow and bring people from around the world to Florida.

*Kim Presti is a free-lance writer living in Winter Park







There were quite a few pictures that I'll try to explain below.

Disney World Castle Hot Air Balloon Picture - Caption reads:  Walt Disney
World's 20th Anniversary "Castle in the Sky" balloon floats over downtown
Orlando.

Picture of the Orlando Sentinel front page:  a 1967 Orlando Sentinel front
page outlined plans for Walt Disney World Resort, promising to boost the
state economy with thousands of new jobs.

Picture of Mickey Mouse and President of Walt Disney Attractions Judson
Green is leading the company's "Disney Decade."

Picture of the new national headquarters of American Automobile Association
that moved to Central Florida in 1990.

Picture of some person at a drawing board:  Caption:  As Walt Disney World's
expansion projects for the 1990's begin, the requirement for professional
services will continue to escalate.

Picture of Orlando International:  Orlando International Airport opened a
48-gate terminal in 1981.  An additional terminal leased by Delta Air Lines
opened in 1990 with 24 gates to accommodate visitors

Picture of antique car on Main Street of Magic Kingdom:  Caption:  During
one of his "workdays" as governor, Bob Graham visited the Magic Kingdom and
assisted guests on Main Street, U.S.A.

Picture of Governor Lawton Chiles:  Says he understands how much Disney-
generated tourists dollars mean to the State of Florida.

Picture of Puppet Show:  Walt Disney World and the Center of Drug-Free Living
created The Disney Crew, and anti-drug puppet show seen by every third grader
in the tri-county area.

Picture of house that looks like a gingerbread house with Mickey Mouse and
Snow White holding hands with a child:  Caption:  The Give Kids the World
Village provides an enchanted environment for terminally ill children.

Picture of Dave Dravecky hugging a student:  Caption:  Former Major League
pitcher Dave Dravecky was a moving inspiration for high school students from
across the U.S. at the 1991 Dreamers and Doers awards.

Sketch of Russia:  Caption:  A Russia showcase is the addition most requested
by Epcot visitors and will add a breathtaking silhouette to the World Showcase
Skyline.

Sketch of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror:  Will send Disney-MGM Studios
Theme Park guests on a 13 story free-fall drop.

Picture of a Courtroom:  Caption:  Soundstages at the Disney-MGM Studios
are busy with productions like the recent miniseries "Separate But Equal."




There were also little boxes with extra little stories on some of the pages
I'll list those below:


                VACATION DREAMS:  SUNSHINE AND DISNEY

When vacationers consider a Florida destination, Walt Disney World, the
beaches and other natural attractions top their lists, according to
a recent Florida Tourism Association survey.

"Last Year millions of people came to Disney, and often had other
destinations as part of their vacation packages," said Florida Commerce
Secretary Greg Farmer.  "I believe that Disney has a phenomenal impact on
the tourism industry in the entire state of Florida."

New York based Penn & Schoen Associates conducted 600 random telephone
interviews of non-Florida, U.S. residents in September 1991 for the FTA;
the results showed that 47 percent identified Florida as their prime vacation
choice.  And as a result of Disney's ambitious marketing efforts, 52 percent of
the people who remembered Florida tourism ads recalled Disney, the highest
recall for any area in all of Florida.

"Twenty years ago when Disney first opened its gates there were about 23 
million people a year coming to Florida," said FTA President John Evans.  "Today
we have 41 million visitors, and less than one-quarter of them come to visit
Disney.  Yet it's generally conceded that most of them would not have
discovered Florida as a vacation destination had it not been for the many
other attractions, hotels and spin-off companies that Disney triggered."





                  BUSH NAMES ORLANDO FIRST "CITY OF LIGHT"

Disney's gala 20th anniversary celebration was honored with a visit by
President Bush and his wife, Barbara, at which he proclaimed Orlando 
"America's First City of Light."

"I'm confident that the leaders of cities and town's across the United
States will be able to learn from your experience and from your inspirations,"
the president said during his visit.

City of Light carries added responsibility as well as political recognition.
After extensive dialogue between the White House, Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick
and Dick Nunis, chairman of Walt Disney Attractions, the city offered to take
a leadership role in the "Points of Light" initiative.  The plans call for
the weaving of community efforts into "clusters of light."

"If everyone would do something small but significant, the collective force
of those small acts taken together would be large enough to over-whelm any
set of problems in any neighborhood," said Gregg Petersmeyer, director of the
Office of National Service.  

In response to the president's call to action, The Walt Disney Company has
instituted a "VoluntEars" program, open to all 33,000 employees.  As the
needs of the community are identified, strategies are developed and
implemented from the grass-roots level.  Special emphasis is placed on
programs involving children, family, education, arts and culture.

"Key Disney management serve on more than 250 local boards," said Judson
Green, president of Walt Disney Attractions.  "And thousands of our cast
members devote personal time and energy to working in the community."

Nearly 600 "Point of Light" were guests of Disney and Delta Air Lines at
the 20th anniversary celebration.  They have been designated as individuals
who have tackled important social problems with a "hands-on" approach.





                      PAYING ITS OWN WAY


With the creation of Walt Disney World Resort, Reedy Creek Improvement
District was established to ensure that taxpayers outside the district
would not be burdened with the cost of providing essential public services,
and to allow innovative, futuristic construction unforeseen by contemporary
building codes.

Sponsored by Orange and Osceola counties, the Legislature created the
district in 1967.

The district has spent more than $250 million on roads, sewers, water and
electrical facilities within Disney parks.  Another $13.5 million also
has been provided for improvements to heavily traveled roads adjacent to
the property.

Thousands of acres have been set aside as a conservation area.

                    A few moments with.......

                      Henri Landswirth
         offering terminally ill children some fleeting happiness
              
                  (w/o permission for the Florida Magazine 1/19/92)

It is a Christmas party to make the eyes of a child sparkle in disbelief
and delight.

In a corner of a gingerbread house, a white, upright player piano offers
Christmas carols.  Round, red tables are filled with peppermint candies.
Table and chairs are small, scaled to child size.  Just outside, a singing
group offers Christmas carols - sometimes sidetracked by an occasional
request, like the theme from "The Little Mermaid."

There is food - hot dogs, fried chicken, french fries, potato chips, ice
cream, double chocolate cake, cookies as big as a child's face, hot
chocolate and soda - as much as any child wants.  As if to make a point,
the desserts are first in line.

Some of Disney's most popular animated characters - Goofy, Snow White -
have come to life and move among the kids.  You can see in the eyes of the
children whom Snow White kisses and talks to that she's even more unbelievable
than unlimited cookies, cake and Coke.

The quiet host of this event, Henri Landswirth, is off by the player piano.
He looks out across the gingerbread house, across the parents and their
children playing in a little slice of child paradise he has created for
them, but there is no merriment in his face.  Even when he smiles, there is
something like sadness and resignation around Landwirth's eyes.

He sees himself as a child.  He sees death, he sees little faces who may
not see another Christmas.  They know it, he knows it, Snow White knows it.

Henri Landswirth says "thank you" more than any person you're likely to meet.
He touches everyone, squeezing an upper arm, rubbing someone's back, making
affectionate contact, hugging kids.

Landswirth is a very smart man - trained as a diamond cutter, he has been a
hotelier for three decades and he owns two big Holiday Inns near Disney
World that are the source of his wealth.  He has created Give Kids the World,
a foundation in Kissimmee that arranges for terminally ill children and their
parents to have all-expense-paid vacations in Central Florida - rental car,
meals, entrance to any theme park that tickles the fancy of a child, or
entrance to all of them.  The centerpiece of Give Kids the World is the Kids
Village, 34 villas where most of the families stay while they're here.  The
centerpiece of the Kids Village playground is a real fire engine.

Landswirth always seems slightly distracted, listening, but with an ear 
pitched for something else - and if a child should come along, that child
instantly has his full attention and affection.  And although there is
nothing childlike or playful about him, children clearly have an affinity
for Landswirth, and they sweep in regularly to touch base with him.  Usually,
he urges them to have another cookie.

Henri Landswirth, now 64, was in Hitler's concentration camps from the time
he was 13 until he was nearly 18.  He spent his childhood in the black and
white world of Auschwitz, "waiting to die," as he says.  It is where he came
of age, it is where he lost his mother and his father and nearly lost his
twin sister.

He does not shrink from talking about this part of his life, but neither
does he volunteer it.  Still, it is not possible to understand the shape
of his life now without some hint of the shape of his life then.

"One thing was sure.  We never thought we would come out.....
"The worst suffering in all this five years in the camps, the worst thing
was the hunger.  You cannot imagine it - you had to live through it.

"The daily hunger, the thirst - almost an animation instinct takes over.

"There is no limit to what you're able to do to get something in your
stomach.  It was the worst thing a human can live through."

Just then, he sees Snow White sweeping along the hall outside his office,
and he jumps up and calls her over for a hug.  "Thank you," he says.
"Thank you for coming for today's party.  Thank you for what you are doing.
Thanks you."

It is hard to connect the child the German soldiers shooed out of the
death camp just before the war ended - the boy, near starvation, who
spent the next month hitchhiking through the German countryside, until
he found his twin sister - it is hard to connect that child with this
gentle man, who came to America in 1950 with nothing but $20.

"If I wouldn't have been able to put life as a child aside, I couldn't
function normally," he said.  I couldn't go forward."

Landswirth started give Kids the World in 1988, persuading area hotels to
put up the families.  Soon enough, it was clear, the foundation needed
its own facility.  "I came here two years ago, just to open this," says
Landswirth.  "I was going to stay a month, just get under way, and I never
went back to the hotels......I never go there.  I'm just so taken by what's
going on here."

Dying children and their families - beset by doctors, hospitals, bills,
medical treatments that leave the children bald, ill and prematurely old -
they come to Kids Village and find wonder and relief.  "All we can do," he 
says, "is try to give them the best time of their lives."

The only thing Landswirth cannot offer the children - and this is clearly
the source of the sadness he never sheds - is the future he got.

I tell you, I sometimes go out and wander around the village and look at
these children, and I see myself as a child," he says.  "They are thin,
like I was.  They look sick.  I just wonder how long they are going to
be with us."

                             VITAL STATISTICS

            Original Occupation:  Trained as a diamond cutter in Belgium
            Career:  Hotelier, philanthropist
            Original business partners:  The Mercury 7 astronaunts - Cooper,
                 Carpenter, Shepard, Schirra, Slayton, Grissom, Glenn.  He
                 opened a hotel with them in Cocoa Beach, the Cape Colony Inn.

    Walt would have liked him.

    I like him too.  I wonder if they need or accept private donations?
     sounds head over heals better than the United way to me.

    
    
    
    In STARLOG magazine thre are multipage articles on the opening of
    EURODISNEY and a poster of the inside of the STAR TOURS ride. Also
    included is an article on the 20000 L.U.T.S. ride and the submarines.
    
    
                        -=-=-R~C-=-=-

			Give Kids The World
			210 South Bass Rd.
			Kissimmee, FL  33746

			(407)396-4567

	We are all invited to vist the Kid's Village anytime, meet
	Henri Landswirth (if he's in), and see the foundation in action.

	Paul.

	(All the standard disclaimers about not being affiliated with
	this group apply, although in this case I wish they didn't :-)

Article 8365 of rec.arts.disney:
Path: e2big.mko.dec.com!engage.pko.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!att!fang!tarpit!tous!bilver!jwt!arb.uucp!archive
From: archive@arb.uucp (CARL  L  SAGE)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Celebration And All-Star Resort
Message-ID: <archive.01by@arb.uucp>
Date: 11 Jun 92 04:23:59 EST
Organization: Not an Organization
Lines: 52

(Exerpted from the June 11,1992 issue of "Eyes & Ears")

  The new town of Celebration and Disney's All-Star Resorts are 
scheduled to start breaking ground in late 1992,Disney Development 
Company (DDC) told the  Osceola County Commissioners late last month.

  "We are challenged by the opportunity to contribute to achieving 
your vision for Osceola County into the 21st century," Frank Wells
(President and Chief Operating Officer/The Walt Disney Company) told
the commissioners.

   DDC is prepared to meet that challenge with the innovative sports 
and music themed All-Star Resorts and the hometown resort atmosphere
of Celebration.

   Todd Mansfield (Senior Vice President/DDC) indicated that Celebration's 
phase one construction including Celebration Town Center and initial 
residences could begin later this year,with residential occupancy in 
early 1995.

   The project team working on Celebration is studying some amazing
amenities,which will set the town apart.The DisneyLink system,a 
communication concept that will connect a central "brain" to each
household,will virtually put the world at every residents fingertips.
DisneyLink would provide home-base access to services such as banking,
grocery shopping or even emergency medical care.

   People desiring a Celebration residence will have the option of
buying land or purchasing homes thet are already built.In order to 
maintain the theme of each village,an architectural review board will 
approve housing designs prior to construction."We don't want an art 
deco styled house in a traditional neighborhood," said Residential 
Project Manager Charles Adams.Instead,he feels 8,000 homes separated
into several villages will offer residents a wide variety of housing 
options,including apartments.

   "The residents of Celebration will be able to experiance an 
unparalleled mix of the energy and recreational amenities of the 
world's number one vacation destination with the educational ambience
and commitment of a small college town.We want every element of 
Celebration to be innovative and unique,yet flexible enough to react
to our ever changing way of life,"said Todd Mansfield.

   Disney Development Company anticipates having a final development 
order before the Osceola County commission by mid-September.

"Any sufficiantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Arthur C Clarke-
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." -Walter Elias Disney-
C.L.Sage-Disney University(Class of '90)
jwt!arb!archive@peora.sdc.ccur.com     <INTERNET>
peora.sdc.ccur.com!jwt!arb!archive     <  UUCP  >

Reprinted without permission from Boston Globe,
				  Monday, September 14, 1992

N.Y. man kills self at Disney World
-----------------------------------

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - The former boyfriend of a Walt Disney World employee
fired a shotgun at guards and took two hostages before fatally shooting
himself inside Epcot Center, a sheriff's spokesman said yesterday.  Allan J.
Ferris, 37, of Rochester, N.Y., told to leave the park after it closed Saturday,
fired four shots at guards and held two briefly, officials said.  They said
Ferris shot himself in the head after sheriff's deputies ordered him to drop
his gun.

    Michael Eisner will be on CBS This Morning on Tuesday, Sept. 15. I
    don't know the purpose of the visit but I can speculate that it's to
    hype Splash Mountain and Aladdin.
    
    Mike

    Did anyone catch Eisner on CBS This Morning? I spaced it. Maybe he was
    there to hype the Disneyana Convention in Orlando later this month.
    
    Mike

    I only caught the tale end of the interview, but he was there
    there with two children who had been at a camp for musicians.
    They had both played with an orchestra and it sounded like this
    orchestra was going to be preforming on or at some show, but
    they didn't specify what or when, unless they did before I tuned in.
    
    Carol

    They've been hyping this young musicians thing on the Disney Channel
    over the last few weeks and apparently the debut of this orchestra is
    imminent. From the clips I've seen these kids are good....of course we
    knew they'd have to be good to play for Disney. I believe John Williams 
    was conducting when I saw the piece.
    
    Mike

From clarinews@clarinet.com Fri Nov 13 06:46:20 1992
Article: 12935 of clari.news.top

	ORLANDO, Fla. (UPI) -- An off-duty employee of Walt Disney World was
startled by wasps and plunged 110 feet to his death from one of the
resort hotel's observation decks, police said Thursday.
	Brian Hribek, 24, died instantly when he hit a fourth floor patio
after falling from the 15th floor of the Contemporary Hotel, said Orange
County sheriff's spokesman Doug Sarubbi.
	"Hribek had worked at the Top of the World as a food and beverage
host since January," Sarubbi said. "He and another employee -- his
roommate -- had come to pick up Hribek's pay check, and Hribek asked his
friend to step out on the observation deck to see the view."
	The Orlando man was sitting on the concrete ledge, with his feet
facing inward when a large mass of wasps flew into the area.
	"He apparently lost his balance and fell 110 feet," said Sarubbi. 
"His death has been ruled accidental."
	There was no one on the patio where Hribek landed.
	"There was speculation that alcohol was involved, but we have ruled
that out," the spokesman said. "It's just tragic, and very
unfortunate."
	Disney officials declined to comment on the accident.

    From Phila Inquirer, Nov. 12, 1992
    
    DISNEY RECALLS WATCHES
    
    Disney Consumer Products is recalling about 73,000 movie-related
    childresn's watches because of high lead content in the characters
    painted on the watchbands.  The company has sent warning letters to
    owners of its Beauty and the Beast and Rescuers watches, offered as
    premioums to those who ordered newly released Disney Videotapes.

Reprinted without premission.

                      Voice behind Winnie the Pooh dies

Associated Press

Los Angeles - Actor Sterling Holloway, who gave the voice to the cartoon Winnie
the Pooh and the snake in "The Jungle Book," has died, his agent said Monday.

Holloway, 87, died Sunday morning at Good Samaritan Hospital, agent Kingsley
Colton said.

Walt Disney put Holloway's voice to good use in a number of cartoons, including
"Alice in Wonderland," (as the Chesire Cat)' "Dumbo," (as the stork); "Winnie
the Pooh"; "The Aristocats"; and "The Jungle Book."

For the honey-grubbing bear Pooh, Holloway created a sweet and innocent,
sing-song voice for four short films.

Holloway is survived by his adopted son, Richard.

    I heard on the news, this am, that Disney has been granted permission
    to own and operate an NHL Hockey team out of Anaheim, California next
    year.

	Heh, heh, heh.  

	Another Mickey Mouse team.  

    		Owner; Scrooge McDuck.
    
		Someone crazy enough to play in goal; Goofy.

		Someone big, brawling and articulate on defense; The Beast.

		League leader in penalty minutes; Donald Duck.

		Checking line; Huey, Dewey and Louie.

    
	I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

    

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+    
|  I M S I S                      |  Profile:                              |    
|  ============================   |  =======                               |    
|  Automatic Information Update   |  1. Industry:         Travel/Transport.|    
|                                 |  2. Account :                    Disney|    
|  05-Apr-1993 to 12-Apr-1993     |  3. Keyword:  .........................|    
|                                 |  4. Subject:  .........................|    
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+    
|              All information in IMSIS and in this message is             |    
|                      FOR DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY                       |    
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+    
                                                                           
 
 Title:            DISNEY Pulls Ads in Tiff with TIME WARNER's Six Flags 
 
 Source:           DOW JONES NEWS 
 
 Date Published:   02 APR 1993 
 
 
 An aggressive ad campaign for the Six Flags amusement parks, targeting 
 theme park powerhouse Disneyland, has reignited a nasty feud between their 
 two giant corporate parents, The Wall Street Journal reported. A new wave 
 of springtime ads from Time Warner's Six Flags theme parks jabs pointedly 
 at the industry leader, making sharp and humorous comparisons with the 
 venerable playlands of Walt Disney Co. One ad that ran in the Dallas area 
 has the tag line "Bigger than Disneyland, and a whole lot closer." While 
 far from slanderous, the ad campaign, which actually began last summer, has 
 personally angered none other than Disney's Chairman Michael Eisner. In an 
 interview yesterday, he called the campaign "reasonably despicable." 
 
 So steamed is Eisner that for months he has personally prevailed on Time 
 Warner Chairman Gerald Levin and other Time Warner executives, such as 
 wunderkind Robert W. Pittman, to halt or alter the Six Flags campaign. 
 While Time Warner tinkered with some of the ads, the campaign's central 
 theme -- that Six Flags is on a competitive par with Disney's lush parks -- 
 was never changed. "They finessed us" says Eisner about the changes, adding 
 that the campaign escalated anew as spring vacation approached. So Mickey 
 Mouse Inc. recently removed its white gloves. Eisner wielded the most 
 potent weapon he could find, pulling a small fortune in Disney park 
 advertising from all Time Inc. magazines. Disney shifted those ad dollars 
 to rivals Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. Eisner said Disney was at 
 one time the 20th largest advertiser in Time Warner's magazines. 
 
 "We told them, `We're your customer. If you choose to continue to do this, 
 we don't have to choose to continue being your customer.'" Eisner added: 
 "At our company, no one's allowed to offend our customers." The retribution 
 campaign could escalate. Although Eisner said Disney's relationship with 
 Time Warner's entertainment unit was healthy, a host of other alliances 
 between the two companies could be affected, including agreements for Time 
 Warner to distribute Disney's records, books and magazines, when they 
 expire. Until recently, Time Warner distributed Disney films in theaters 
 internationally. "We will continue to fulfill our contractual obligations," 
 Eisner said. However, when they expire, "we will analyze each of those 
 contracts." The tussle between the two entertainment giants is now even 
 drawing in other, unwitting companies. 
 
 Coca-Cola, which supplies both Six Flags and Disney parks, has found itself 
 caught in the middle for promotions it has done with Six Flags. Some of the 
 TV spots for Six Flags end with a tag line from Coke. Insiders at both 
 companies say Disney has objected to Coke's lending its name, if only 
 selectively, to an ad campaign that compares the theme parks. Disney's 
 Eisner described Coke as being "steamed" at its involvement in the 
 promotions. Time Warner executives describe it differently, saying the soft 
 drink company was surprised by Disney's reaction, and fears offending two 
 major clients. So far, the issue with Coke hasn't been resolved. A 
 Coca-Cola representative says he couldn't reach any of the company's 
 executives who are familiar with the theme park advertising controversy. 
 Time Warner executives refused to respond to Disney's comments or to speak 
 about the campaign. 
 
 But Time Warner insiders, privy to relations with Disney, say Eisner's 
 humorless response has only strengthened their resolve to continue the Six 
 Flags campaign. "They won't move us off the dime," said one Time Warner 
 executive. Time Warner expanded its interest to 50 percent of Six Flags in 
 1991. (Time Warner, however, has full operating control.) 
                (c) Dow Jones News -- FOR DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY 
 

 
 
 Title:            TIME Hits Back At DISNEY In Spat Over Theme Parks 
 
 Source:           DOW JONES NEWS 
 
 Date Published:   05 APR 1993 
 
 
 NEW YORK -- Time Warner Inc. counterpunched Walt Disney Co. as the two 
 entertainment industry companies continued to tussle over theme park 
 advertising that Disney has called offensive. Time's publishing unit 
 abruptly canceled a scheduled national sales meeting at Walt Disney World 
 after Disney's chairman, Michael Eisner, took public swipes at an 
 advertising campaign for Time Warner's Six Flags theme parks. From April 18 
 to 22, about 400 Time Inc. sales and marketing staffers were to have 
 converged on Disney's Yacht Club Resort and Beach Club Resort hotels at 
 Disney's sprawling complex outside Orlando, Fla., but the meeting was called 
 off. In a report in the Wall Street Journal, Eisner called the Six Flags 
 campaign "reasonably despicable," and criticized Time Warner's "corporate 
 direction" under its new chairman, Gerald Levin. Eisner said he had pulled 
 Disney park advertising from all Time Inc. magazines, which include Time and 
 People. The theme of the Six Flags campaign is that many of its parks are 
 bigger and closer than Disneyland, and less expensive for families to reach. 
                (c) Dow Jones News -- FOR DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY 
 

Reprinted without permission from The Boston Globe, Thursday, May 6, 1993

WALT DISNEY'S DARK SIDE

Walt Disney was a brooding figure who married on a whim and never got over
doubts about his parentage, according to Marc Eliot's coming bio, "Walt Disney:
Hollywood's Dark Prince."  In portions excerpted in May's Los Angeles mag,
Disney is portrayed as a hard-drinking, sexually impotent loner who impulsively
asked animation inker Lillian Bounds to marry him right after his older brother,
Roy, told him of is impending wedding.  Eliot writes that Disney was obsessed
most of his life with not being able to find a birth certificate.  That influen-
ced youth-abandonment themes in "Snow White," "Pinocchio," "Bambi", and "Dumbo",
the author writes.

    I noticed another author by the name of Thomas(?) disputes many of
    Elliot's facts.
    
    ELliot's claims of Disney being Anti-Semitic are thrown down by Thomas
    who authored four books on Disney. "Walt", says Thomas, "hired the best
    talent around and he hired and worked with many Jews."
    
    For a Dark Prince he sure has brought light to millions of people.
    
    MIKE

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (UPI)
Subject: Disneyland faces nearly $400,000 in INS fines
Date: Thu, 6 May 93 12:30:00 EDT

	ANAHEIM, Calif.  (UPI) -- The Immigration and Naturalization Service
has levied nearly $400,000 in penalties against Disneyland for allegedly
hiring illegal aliens. 
	Disneyland spokesman John McClintock said Thursday that the famed
amusement park has been ordered to pay a $394,840 fine by May 23 or request
a hearing with the INS. 
	INS agents said investigators found 1,156 paperwork violations in
employee authorization forms. 
	The INS investigation also revealed that about 150 Disneyland
employees had questionable work papers, including fake "green cards" or
counterfeit Social Security cards. 
	McClintock said Disneyland fired those workers more than a year ago
after learning about the papers. 
	But McClintock said most of the violations are a result of Disney's
inability to produce thousands of documents within 72 hours. 
	McClintock said the violations do not involve "intentional breaking
of any rules." 
	"A lot of dicusssion still has to be done between Disneyland and
the INS," McClintock said.  "I think we'll have a little more to say to the
INS in 30 days." 

    I read a small article in the Orlando Sentinel last week when I was
    over there which mentioned that the Disney Corporation was going to
    build a timeshare resort on Vero Beach.
    
    I meant to save the paper and bring it back with me so that I could
    transcribe it in here ... but I musta thrown the thing out by mistake
    as I couldn't find it in my luggage when I unpacked in the UK.
    
    Anyone else know anymore about it? ... as I don't remember seeing
    anything in here before (but memory fades with age!)
    
    Lots of coverage of this latest `dark prince of Hollywood' book over
    there as well ... basically saying that Walt was in cahoots with J
    Edgar Hoover, and that he `informed' on some of his left-of-centre
    Hollywood chums.   Also says that he had to change some of his feature
    film story lines on advice from the FBI.
    
    Seems they enjoy dishing the dirt about him.
    
    Andy.
     

 UPI Arts & Entertainment - VideoView
                     United Press International
	What's new on the home video scene ...
  

	The summer video doldrums are still with us and while most of the
major summer theatrical product will not be visible on videocassette
until November, undoubtedly the hottest ticket this holiday season hits
the racks Oct. 1 -- Walt Disney's ``Aladdin.''
    
	At $24.99 per copy, it doesn't take a magic lamp to see how well 
``Aladdin'' will fare on home video where many will see it as the
perfect stocking stuffer. Most everybody in the industry seems to think
it could be the biggest video seller yet -- topping 30 million copies by
time it goes off the market early next year. That would be 10 million
more than the record 20 million sold by ``Beauty and The Beast.'' Elated
public relations director Steve Felstein, trying to sound cautious and
staying away from specific figures, says flat-out for the record, 
``It'll be bigger than huge.''
  
	In a made-to-order business where sales are growing by about 25
percent a year while rentals level off, Disney products definitely are
video-friendly and astute marketing releases the animated hits for a
limited time at just the right time. Consequently, ``Little Mermaid''
sold 10 million copies in 1990 followed by ``Fantasia'' in 1991 and 14
million, and ``Beauty'' in 1992, 20 million. After ``Pinocchio'' in
1985, the animated gems have been hitting the market the following year
at the right time to replace the previous release. As Bill Mechanic, the
company's president of worldwide video puts it, ``One feeds on the
other.'' Only the ``mother of them all,'' the first full-length animated
feature, ``Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs,'' has never been released on
video and Disney folks say it never will be. ``I'm asked that every day,
'' says Felstein. ``There are no plans, no discussions about releasing
'Snow White' on video.'' But, in a business this rewarding, it's best
never to say never... 
 

    re: .167
    
    Grrr... blank statements that say that "Snow White" is the only Disney
    animated feature not released on home video yet always set my teeth on
    edge...  
    
    Because it's not true.
    
    Of the 31 features, there are 5 (including "Snow White") that have not
    been released on video.  The other 4 are:
    
    	"The Aristocats"
    	"The Fox and the Hound"
    	"The Black Cauldron"
    	"Oliver and Company"
    
    There, I feel much better... :-)
    
    - Skip

    Skip,
    
    We may be able to remove "The Fox and The Hound" from your list next
    year.
    
    Mike

    
    
      What about Song of the South?
    
      -Dean
    
      BTW, I just got back Saturday from WDW, great time.

    re: .170 (what about "Song of the South"??)
    
    Well, as silly as it sounds, Disney does not consider "Song of the
    South" as one of its 31 animated features, due to the considerable
    amount of live action in the film.  
    
    Also, I doubt we'll ever see "Song..." on video due to its perceived
    racist overtones.  If Disney "politically corrected" the lyrics to
    "Arabian Nights" in "Aladdin", how would they handle "Song..."??
    
    Check out 162.99 for the list of fully animated features up to and
    including BatB.  I also recommend that we take the rest of this
    conversation over to that topic... :-)
    
    - Skip

	NEW YORK (AP) -- Disney animators with mischief on their minds
inserted X-rated scenes into laserdisc versions of ``Who Framed
Roger Rabbit?''
	Thousands of discs already sold contain full frontal nude views
of the shapely cartoon character Jessica Rabbit, along with an
X-rated sexual encounter and graffiti offering Disney boss Michael
Eisner's home phone number as that of a brothel run by Allyson
Wonderland, The Daily News reported Tuesday.
	At 24 frames per second, the action is too fast for the eye to
pick up the subliminal inserts, but laserdisc technology lets
viewers watch one frame at a time.
	The most revealing scene comes when Jessica is riding through
Toon Town with actor Bob Hoskins. Their taxi crashes and they
tumble out. As Jessica tumbles, her skintight red dress rides up.
At normal speed she appears to be wearing underwear. But slowed
down, three frames show her wearing nothing.
	``You can see right down Broadway,'' said Daily Variety
columnist Michael Fleming, who uncovered the prank.
	Officials at Walt Disney Co. are trying to find the culprits.

    
    REPLY -1
    
    Well I guess working for disney one must releave stress somehow.
    Back about 3 years ago I was on the backlot tour I saw a hand written
    sign in the animators building saying "I'm a person not a mouseketeer".
    Maybe the same person had a hand in that LD.
    
           -=-=-R~C~W-=-=-

News story this AM about "the president and Chief Operating Officer" of
"Walt Disney" having been killed in a helicopter crash while on a
skiing trip. Eisner says he can't find the words to express the loss or
his sorrow. (I missed the name - Hall?)

Anyone have further details as to who this was and what his actual
function was?

-Jack

    
       ELKO, Nevada -AP- One of the top-ranking officials of
    the Walt Disney Co. was among three people killed Sunday
    when a helicopter crashed into a mountainside in
    northeastern Nevada, authorities said.
       Frank Wells, president and chief operating officer for
    Disney since 1984, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two
    others killed were not immediately identified. Two others
    were taken to Elko General Hospital, where they were listed
    in critical conditon.
       Elko County Sheriff Neil Harris said the helicopter was
    returning to Lamoille from a heli-skiing outing in Nevada's
    Ruby Mountains when it experienced mechanical problems and
    hit a slope at about 7,500 feet.
       Wells was one of three skiers who arranged for the
    flight through Ruby Mountain Heli-Ski, based in Lamoille.
       A surprise storm dumped about four inches of snow in
    the Rubies on Sunday, but it wasn't snowing when the
    helicopter crashed and weather didn't appear to be a factor
    in the crash, Harris said.

This isn't really DISNEY in the news, but I thought the article pertained to
Disney as well.  If it belongs someplace else, feel free to move it moderator.
Mr. Scopa might be interested in this ;-)

In an article in the April 5, 1994 Boston Globe titled "Europeans still shy
of Florida, after slayings", by Diego Ribadeneira, I quote the following (with
out permission):
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In the wake of the killings of nine foreigners since October 1992, European
tourism to Florida was down last year, even as it rose from other locations,
and analysts say it stayed down."

"The number of visitors from [Germany] to southern Florida last year was down
7.4 percent, according to Travel Industry Indicators, a Miami-based monthly
trade newsletter. The number of tourists from Western Europe to the area 
dropped 5.5 percent, in contrast to a solid rise of 9 percent in overseas
visitors generally, led by a surge from Latin America."

"Business from Germany and England, the two largest European markets, has dipped
as much as 20 percent in some parts of the state."

"Ironically, the drop-off in tourists came as the overall crime rate in Florida
last year dropped to its lowest level since 1985. The level of crime against
visitors also fell last year. In 1992, 3.2 percent of Florida's total crime
victims were nonresidents, compared with 2.8 percent last year."

""The problem is that the entire picture has been colored by one or two very 
sensational, emotional and tragic incidents that have captured the imagination
of the traveling public," said Mayco Villafana of the Greater Miami Convention
and Visitors Bureau."

"Florida's loss may be the Caribbean's gain as tourists flock there in larger
numbers. Canadian business in Florida is also down, about 10 percent."

"One bit of good news for Florida's tourism industry is found in an increasing
number of visitors from Latin America and the Caribbean. More Latin Americans 
are visiting as growing economies generate larger amounts of disposable income. 
Latin Americans also are being drawn to Florida because of the huge Hispanic
communities here."

"Seeing an opening, Florida officials are planning to increase their marketing
to Latin America and the Caribbean."

    That's just Peachy!

     BURBANK, Calif., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Frank G. Wells joined The
     Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) in September 1984 as president and chief
     operating officer.
      Together with Chairman and CEO Michael D. Eisner, who joined Disney
     at the same time, they immediately set out to revitalize the company's
     motion picture, television and theme park operations.
      Under their guidance, Disney has:
      -- Become the leader in network television, children's animated TV
         programming and home video sales.  It is now the world leader in
         feature animation, with such major films as "The Little Mermaid,"
         "Beauty and the Beast," "Jungle Book," and "Aladdin."
      -- Greatly expanded its overseas presence and gained worldwide
         prominence as a major motion picture studio, having produced such
         hits as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Good Morning, Vietnam,"
         "Three Men and a Baby," "Dick Tracy," "Pretty Woman," "Dead
         Poets Society," "Sister Act," "The Joy Luck Club," and "Honey, I
         Shrunk the Kids."
      -- Grown its cable television business, created a Vacation Club and
         The Disney Stores, while at the same time embracing a company-
         wide philosophy of concern for the environment.
       In the years since, Disney has greatly increased the number of motion
     pictures distributed annually and made a successful return to
     prime-time network television. In addition, it has entered TV syndication
     and strengthened theme park attendance with new attractions and an
     intensified marketing and promotion effort.
       It also moved into commercial television with KCAL-TV in Los Angeles,
     magazines with the purchase of "Discover" and "FamilyFun," book publishing
     with the formation of Hyperion Press and contemporary music with the
     formation of Hollywood Records.
       In nearly 10 years under Mr. Eisner and Mr. Wells, Disney's annual
     revenues rose from $1.5 billion to $8.5 billion.  Disney's stock value
     increased 1,500 percent as Theme Parks and Resorts revenues tripled,
     Consumer Products revenues increased 13-fold and Filmed Entertainment
     revenues increased 15-fold.
       Under new management, Disney has become one of Hollywood's most
    successful film studios.  From 1988 through 1991 it twice led the
    industry in domestic box-office receipts and was near the top the other two
    years.
       The company also began releasing a new, full-length animated movie
    each year.  "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) and "The Little Mermaid" (1989)
    now rank as the top two such films at the box office in initial release.
       In network television, Disney's "Home Improvement" and Emmy Award-
    winning "Empty Nest" remain among the top-rated shows.
       Disney has become the leader in children's animated TV programming.
    The Disney Afternoon -- four daily half-hour series -- was a hit from its
    inception in 1990.  Later "Darkwing Duck" became part of the daily show
    and also appeared on Saturday mornings, where it immediately won its
    time period on ABC-TV.
       Before joining Disney, Mr. Wells was vice chairman of Warner Bros.,
    Inc., the motion picture subisidary of Warner Communications, Inc.
       He joined Warner Bros. in 1969 as vice president-West Coast and was
    named president in 1973.  In 1977 he was appointed to the added post of
    co-chief executive officer.
       Earlier he had been a partner in the Hollywood law firm of Gang, Tyre
    and Brown, which specializes in all branches of entertainment industry
    law. After he joined that firm out of law school, Mr. Wells concentrated on
    the field of motion pictures for 10 years before moving to Warner Bros.
      A native of Coronado, Calif., and the son of a career naval officer,
    Mr. Wells earned his BA at Pomona College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. From
    1953 to 1955 he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar in
    jurisprudence.  He completed his education with an LLB degree from
    Stanford University.
      Mr. Wells spent two years in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of
    first lieutenant.  He and his wife, Luanne, are the parents of two sons,
    Kevin and Briant.
      He is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar
    Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the New York-
    based Explorers Club.
      He is a member of the board of trustees of Pomona College, the J.
    Paul Getty Trust, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the
    California Institute of Technology.  He is a director of the American
    Himalayan Foundation.
      He also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Rand/UCLA Center for
    the Study of Soviet International Behavior and on the Boards of the
    Rockefeller Foundation, the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse,
    the Yosemite Restoration Trust Services Corporation and Rebuild L.A. He is
    a member of the Services Policy Advisory Committee, office of the U.S.
    Trade Representative.
      In 1989, Mr. Wells and his wife created Environment Now, an organization
    dedicated to addressing a broad spectrum of environmental problems and
    issues involving the land, air, water and environmental consumerism.
      In 1983 Mr. Wells set out to climb the highest mountains on each of
    the world's seven continents within a single year, a feat never before
    accomplished.  He scaled six but was forced to turn back near the top
    of Mt. Everest.
      His mountaineering adventures were chronicled in a book he co-
    authored, "Seven Summits," published in 1986.
      Mr. Wells was born March 4, 1932.
      Statement by Michael D. Eisner, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney
    Company, on the death of Frank G. Wells, president and COO:
      "There are no words to express my shock and sense of loss.  Frank
    Wells has been the purest definition of a 'life force' I have ever known. 
    His wisdom, his charm, his zest for experience and challenge...his naked
    and awesome intelligence...set him apart and beyond.  The world has lost a
    great human being.
      "He behaved in the corporate world with an ethical standard unparalleled
    in my experience.
      "I have lost a dear friend and my most treasured colleague. We will
    all be challenged to meet the high standards he has set and the legacy he
    has left.
      "And I with the entire cast of the Disney Company and its shareholders
    extend our deepest condolences to Luanne, his wife; to Kevin and
    Briant, his two sons; to Betty, his mother; and the rest of his wonderful
    family."
            

    RE.176
    
      There is a television programme on here tonight in England, showing
      all about the rising crime against tourists in the Sunshine state of
      Florida..( ITV 7.30)..
    
      Andy..B

    BURBANK, Calif. -- Walt Disney Co., moving quickly to fill a void in
    its top ranks, said that Michael D. Eisner, its chairman and chief
    executive officer, has assumed the additional title of president,
    following the death of Frank G. Wells.
      Mr. Wells, 62 years old, died in a helicopter accident Sunday after a
    ski weekend in Nevada. The news sent shockwaves through the entertainment
    industry.
      Mr. Wells had been president and chief operating officer during the
    nearly 10 years of the management team led by Mr. Eisner, who came in
    and reinvigorated the once sleepy Disney. In fact, Mr. Wells, a long-time
    entertainment industry lawyer and executive, had been considered for
    the chairman job himself. He had strongly recommended the hiring of Mr.
    Eisner.
      Although he wasn't so well-known to people outside the business, he
    was regarded as a talented operating executive and a shrewd dealmaker who
    was seen in Hollywood as a true gentleman.
      Mr. Eisner frequently said that he and Mr. Wells ran the company as
    "partners," with industry observers noting that Mr. Wells's strong
    business grounding provided an important balance to Mr. Eisner's
    creative background. He spent much of his time tending to legal matters at
    Disney, but also was deeply involved in the company's theme park and
    consumer-products operations, as well as its real-estate developments.
      Mr. Eisner also frequently used Mr. Wells on a project-by-project
    basis, especially where difficulties arose. In the company's most recent
    annual report, the chairman noted that Mr. Wells had been concentrating his
    "full attention" on problems at troubled Euro Disney SCA. Mr. Wells was
    involved in the long negotiations with the resort's bank creditors, which
    resulted last month in a successful financial restructuring.
      The company didn't say whether it plans to fill the post of chief
    operating officer, or whether it eventually will name another executive
    to the post of president. Mr. Eisner, who counted Mr. Wells among his
    closest friends, said: "Our business unit heads and other executives are an
    extremely talented group who are accustomed to operating as a coordinated
    team. We will continue to operate in the same fashion."
      Wall Street analysts yesterday praised Mr. Wells for his contributions to
    the company, but also said Disney's management team is so strong that
    the company won't falter in his absence.
      Richard P. Simon, an analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co., said that while
    "it is impossible to measure Frank's contribution to Disney's success . . .
    we believe Disney's management has positioned the company for growth that
    is based on a broad management team."
      In New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday, Disney shares
    closed at $41.625, down 37.5 cents.
      At the company's annual shareholders' meeting in February, the two
    executives stood exultant, pointing out that it was the 10th such meeting
    they had co-chaired. They used the occasion as an opportunity to celebrate
    how Disney had changed over that decade, growing into a company the
    stock market valued at more than $20 billion, from one valued at about
    $2 billion when they took over.
      Mr. Wells, not surprisingly, shared in that success financially and
    was one of Disney's most highly compensated executives. Although he had a
    base salary of $400,000 plus a bonus, he also had rights to lucrative stock
    options. In 1989, and again in 1992, he exercised and cashed in his
    options for a total of about $110 million.
      Aside from being a buttoned-down corporate executive, Mr. Wells was
    equally at ease leading the life of a daredevil. In 1983, he set out to
    climb the highest mountains on each of the world's seven continents
    within a single year. He scaled six, but was forced to turn back near the 
    top  of Mount Everest. He chronicled the adventure in a book he co-wrote,
    "Seven Summits."

    
      BURBANK, Calif., April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A memorial tribute to honor
    Frank G. Wells, late president and chief operating officer of The Walt
    Disney Co., will be held Monday, April 11, at 4 p.m. in Sound Stage 2
    at the Disney Studios, Burbank.
      The tribute will be broadcast live to Disney cast members at
    Disneyland and Walt Disney World, Florida.
      In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to
    Environment Now, a foundation formed by Luanne and Frank Wells
    dedicated to environmental restoration and protection.  All
    contributions should be sent to: 
     
       Environment Now, 
       450 Newport Center Drive
       Suite 450
       Newport Beach, CA 92660
    
     To All Burbank/Glendale Cast Members:
      
     With the passing of Frank Wells, we have lost a trusted colleague,
    business associate and irreplaceable friend.
     To honor Frank, we will close all Burbank/Glendale facilities Monday,
    April 11, in order for our cast to spend a day reflecting on what a
    fine man Frank was.
     Frank's death was a shock to us all.  We will never forget his
    wisdom, his awesome intelligence, his fiery competitiveness, his zest for 
    life and the many lessons he left as a legacy to us all.
     Frank held a moral compass that was true and unmatched.  Over the
    years, he was a sounding board for every major idea or new business venture
    that Disney entered or entertained.  His judgment was unfettered by
    jealousy, competition or personal politics.  Any advice he gave came
    without bias or prejudice.
     Frank Wells was a man open to all suggestions and ideas.  He was
    willing to embrace the most creative and theatrical solutions.
     To the world, Frank Wells was an adventurer willing to test his courage
    and strength against the forces of nature.  Fortunately for all of us at
    Disney, he was also a buccaneer in the office.
     The world has lost a great human being ... and we have lost a loyal
    and generous leader.
      We will miss him terribly and we will never forget him or what he
    taught us.
      Michael D. Eisner

Headline: Heard On The Street(WSJ):Disney Seeks Profits In Wide Area
 
                      By RANDALL SMITH 
 
  NEW YORK (AP-DJ)--With their Euro Disney debacle bandaged by a debt
restructuring, executives of Walt Disney Co. are left pursuing a slew of
wildly disparate growth opportunities. 
  Too many, say some Wall Street analysts who aren't sure whether this
amoeba-like expansion can have much impact on Disney's already gargantuan
operating profits, Thursday's Wall Street Journal reports. 
  It seems that barely a month goes by without some new Disney business
making news. This week was the opening of Disney's first Broadway show, a
musical 'Beauty and the Beast,' based on the company's 1991 animated-movie
hit. 
  February brought word that Disney is eyeing the cruise-line business to
bring more vistors to its theme parks. The prior March, Disney announced
plans to build a new resort in Vero Beach, Florida, as part of a foray
into vacation time-sharing. 
  There is already a Disney professional hockey team, 'The Mighty Ducks,'
named after another Disney movie. Not to mention the books and records
divisions, retail stores and video games. 
  On the drawing boards are the Disney Institute, which Disney calls 'a new
genre of vacation experiences combining enrichment and entertainment,' and
Celebration, 'an all-new city that ultimately will house 20,000
residents,' not to mention a new theme park outside Washington, D.C. 
  Disney executives say all the new activity is aimed at helping Disney
reach its target of 20% annual profit growth. Most of that growth is still
expected to come from Disney's core businesses of movies, theme parks and
consumer items based on Disney characters or properties. 
  But some analysts wonder whether so many different ideas may spread top
management too thin. 
  'Disney is trying to find avenues for new growth,' says Emanuel Gerard,
chairman of Gerard Klauer & Mattison, an entertainment-research firm. He
    adds, 'A lot of effort goes into each of these initiatives. If the
opportunity isn't big enough, is it worth the effort? I don't know.' 
  Because Disney's 1.7 billion dlrs annual operating profit has grown so
large, Gerard says, Disney executives might be 'better served screwing up
their courage, making a (larger) acquisition and putting all their energy
into that.' 
  But Disney executives say they have chosen a lower-risk strategy
deliberately. 'If you're going to try to grow 20%, you can either do one
big thing that may or may not work out, or 20 smaller things, 10 of which
might work well-like the Disney stores,' says Richard Nanula, chief
financial officer. In any case, he adds, the smaller things 'may not be
movies or TV, but all these things are entertainment-driven.' 
  The 1984 investment that Bass family members made in Disney was
indisputably one of the great stock-market successes of the 1980s. The
Basses, who at one point owned 25% of Disney, saw their investment grow
more than tenfold. 
  The man brought in to head the company, Disney Chairman Michael Eisner,
boosted revenue from 1.5 billion dlrs in 1984 to 8.5 billion dlrs last
year. Although the Disney movie studio seemed to lose momentum a few years
ago, and operating losses at the Euro Disney park in France have sapped
corporate resources, Eisner did well enough to make more than 200 million
dlrs last year, mostly through exercising long-term stock options. 
  Analysts trace the diverse growth initiatives to the success of Disney's
retailing division, which has grown to 268 Disney stores in seven years.
Since then, movie studios from Warner to Paramount have followed Disney
into retailing. Although the Disney stores have been a big success, some
analysts say their profit margins have been hurt by the costs of a
corporate infrastructure designed for 500 stores. 
  Some investors argue that the many new ventures are a sign of a healthy
corporate culture. 
  'What you've got is an example of vibrancy and creativity and ingenuity
rather than being stuck in your cocoon,' says entertainment analyst
Lawrence Haverty of State Street Research & Management, which owns more
than 1.4 million Disney shares. 
  But some other analysts speculate that Disney may be announcing so many
new ventures to demonstrate that it hasn't been laid low by the problems
with the Euro Disney park. And one analyst believes the new businesses
reflect a certain insecurity on the part of top managers arising because
they 'have not participated in hardware on the multimedia side.' 
  David Londoner of Wertheim Schroder & Co. says that because Disney has
had problems such as Euro Disney, and theme-park attendance has been hurt
by tourist shootings in Florida and earthquakes in California, the
company's stock has returned to a 'very reasonable' valuation level of
below 20 times this year's expected earnings. He said he recently put
Disney back on the recommended list for the first time in about three
years. 
  Londoner says Disney's plans to step up overseas videocassette sales of
its animated features, together with a boost in its current
animated-feature production, could have a far greater impact on profits
than any of 'the little pockets and subdivisions.' A movie like last
year's 'Aladdin,' he notes, wasn't only a box-office hit, but also sold
close to 30 million cassettes in the domestic market alone. Some in both
the filmgoer and investor categories expect strong theatrical and video
showings from this year's 'The Lion King,' which opens June 15. 
  Disney also is counting on far more prosaic businesses for a big chunk of
growth. In Latin America alone, Disney expects sales of licensed
merchandise, such as Mickey Mouse T-shirts and the like, to triple by the
year 2000 from 600 million dlrs last year. As for the Broadway shows,
Disney believes they can be turned into touring companies, Ice-Capades
style. 
  But Euro Disney isn't the only new venture to have produced losses. So
has Disney's record business. One analyst complains that the hockey team
particularly seemed to be taking up a lot of Eisner's time. And analysts
think Disney's growth prospects are probably more like 12% to 15% instead
of the company's 20% target. 
  Harold Vogel, who follows entertainment stocks for Merrill Lynch,
believes that Disney's size and deep reservoir of entertainment properties
give the company ''sufficient resources to go in all these different
directions at the same time.' 
  All the same, Vogel downgraded his intermediate-term opinion of Disney to
'neutral' from 'above-average' Tuesday morning. In doing so, he said
Monday's increase in short-term interest rates by the Federal Reserve will
'probably take some of the wind out of the sails of consumer sentiment and
spending,' as will higher income-tax payments by upper-income families. 
  Another analyst says Disney has 'pretty much exhausted' the growth
possibilities of its theme parks, because ticket-price increases have
helped jack up the total cost of a four-day trip to DisneyWorld to as much
as 3,500 dlrs for a family of four. Ticket-price increases, which totaled
65% in the four years ended in 1987, slowed to 20% in the four years ended
in 1993. 

    

    Livin' mighty high on the hog at those prices, don't you think?
    
    I only spend 3200 in '91 for 10 days!
    
    J

    
    
   Headline: Disney's Films Helped 2Q Net; Theme Parks Dragged


   By Dean Orser 
   Dow Jones Staff Reporter 
 
 
  NEW YORK (AP-DJ)-- Fewer people visited Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) theme
parks in the first three months of 1994, but the company's film library
was strong enough to carry second-quarter earnings, analysts said. 
  Revenues from Disney's filmed entertainment operations rose 19% to 1.1
billion dlrs from 929.8 million dlrs in last year's second quarter, as the
company's net income of 45 cents a share met Wall Street's expectations. 
  Also helping earnings was a 15% gain in quarterly sales of consumer
products to 368.7 million dlrs from 320.7 million dlrs. 
  PaineWebber analyst Christopher P.Dixon said the revenue gains from
filmed entertainment was an important factor, given that attendance levels
were down at the company's theme parks. Disney still posted a 3% revenue
increase in its parks and resorts segments, but noted that the performance
limited overall operating income. 
  'They've superbly diversified their operations,' Dixon said. 'They can
still report good results when only two of three cylinders are still
firing.' 
  But the accolades stopped there, as analysts noted that expectations
weren't high in the second quarter and that Disney still has to grapple
with its European problem child, Euro Disney. 
  As reported, Disney posted earnings of 248 million dlrs, or 45 cents a
share, for the second quarter ended March, compared with 215 million dlrs,
or 39 cents, in the year-ago quarter. 
  Salomon Bros. analyst Jill S. Krutick continues to estimate that Disney's
troubled Euro Disney theme park will force the company to take a 100
million dlrs charge, equivalent to about 12 cents a share, in fiscal 1994.
  PaineWebber's Dixon sees the charge at about 90.6 million dlrs, or 11
cents. 
  Disney is restructuring Euro Disney's financing but hasn't yet secured
final approval from the 63 creditors involved. The plan, which would
forgive interest and defer principal payments, didn't leave an imprint on
the latest second-quarter results because Disney set aside 350 million
dlrs in 1993 to cover itself through the first half of this year. 
  Analysts believe Disney will spread this year's Euro Disney losses
between the third and fourth quarters. Krutick sees the company posting a
loss of 7 cents a share in the third quarter and 5 cents in the fourth
quarter. 
  In last year's third quarter, the company earned 48 cents a share. It
earned 38 cents in the second quarter of fiscal 1993. 
  But Krutick raised her fiscal 1994 estimate for Disney to 2.05 dlrs a
share from 2 dlrs to reflect the second-quarter results. 
  'By and large it was better than fairly mild expectations,' she said,
adding that she expects Disney's films segment to get a boost from new
video releases in the U.S. and abroad and theme park attendance to pick up
by the fourth quarter. 
  Theme park attendance was down 5% in Florida as international tourism
waned thanks to weak foreign economies. The California earthquake kept
out-of-state and foreign vistors away from Disneyland in Anaheim, which
saw its attendance drop 8% from last year's second quarter. 
  Dixon said he expects attendance in Florida will pick up by the fourth
quarter as new hotels and attractions open but said it's 'premature to
begin arguing for significant growth at this stage.' 
  Dixon said Disney's main strengths in the quarter resulted from its
consumer products sales and filmed entertainment, which he said my bypass
theme parks and resorts as the company's primary money-maker this year. 

                Walt Disney Co.'s  Not-So-Magic Kingdom

Reprinted without permission from Dowvision

  By Maggie Mahar
  When the chief financial officer of Walt Disney Co. read Vladimir
Bushkanitz's letter at the company's shareholder meeting earlier this
year, a wire service picked it up and CNN ran with it. The tale had
everything: money, human interest, humor and, for once, something nice
happening in Bulgaria. Trouble was, Bushkanitz didn't exist, Barron's
reports. The letter was a fabrication, invented by Disney executives
riding high on the company's good news: 1993 operating income from
Disney's businesses (excluding the Euro Disney theme park) up 20%, another
20% quarter-to-quarter gain in the first three months of '94, and to cap
it all off, Disney shares trading at an all-time high of 48 5/8.
  But it's no wonder some in the media believed Vladimir's good-luck story
(embarrassed Disney brass hadn't expected anyone to take the letter
seriously). Ever since 1984, when Frank Wells and Michael Eisner arrived
at Disney, nothing but glad tidings have been coming from Burbank.
Notwithstanding the Euro Disney debacle, even the past few years have been
sweet: In 1992, the company's share-price rose 50%, and in '93, even as
Eisner played bluff with wily French bankers, Wall Street demonstrated
both trust and forgiveness: At year-end, Disney's shares closed down only
1%, and then made a new high in February of '94. At this point, both the
media and Wall Street are ready to believe any good news Eisner & Co. have
to offer -- including the pledge that, over any five-year period, the
earnings of a $24.6 billion company will continue to snowball at a
compounded rate of 20%. Such a pledge could prove the company's Achilles'
heel.
  Eisner, 52, Disney's CEO, concedes that "as the market cap gets bigger,
the 20% goal gets harder and harder -- that's why I get grayer and grayer
each year." Indeed, since Barron's interviewed him in 1991, Eisner's curly
brown hair has grown dusty. He's still boyish-looking, still pug-nosed,
but now middle-aged. Undaunted, Disney's chieftain declares, "I've seen
companies as big as ours grow 20%." When asked for an example, Eisner
pauses. Can he give a model from the entertainment industry? The pause
stretches until, finally, Eisner replies: "No, because entertainment is a
more fickle, more glamorous business. Our goal is not to be so
glamorous."
  But in fact, even family entertainment is a hit-or-miss business. (As the
company well knows from those bleak years in the 'Seventies when, after a
series of flops, virtually no one would go to a movie carrying the Disney
logo.) Most important, in recent years, Disney's profits have begun to
rely more and more on the least-predictable part of its businesses: filmed
entertainment.
  In 1984, theme parks accounted for a solid three-fourths of the company's
operating income, film just 1%. By 1990 the score was theme parks 62%,
film 22%; and in the past three years, the dramatic shift has continued.
In the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1994, the parks are likely to account
for about 40% of earnings, while filmed entertainment will probably
provide well over one-third of the total. To a startling degree, Disney's
fate in the 'Nineties has been turning on the success of just one
blockbuster animated feature each year. In fiscal 1992, it was Beauty and
the Beast: Domestic home-video sales alone provided roughly a third of the
full year's earnings from filmed entertainment. (Disney doesn't break out
the numbers, but Richard Nanula, chief financial officer, says the
estimate "sounds about right.") And that doesn't count the money Beauty
made at the box office, or from video sales abroad. In '93, Aladdin did
even better, and this year The Lion King was cast in the hero's role. But
animation isn't merely driving filmed entertainment.
  In the company's third big division, consumer products, The Little
Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin are responsible for "nearly
one-fourth of all profits," according to Barton Boyd, president of that
division. Of course, Disney's animated classics also have helped lift
video profits -- and home video makes up "more than half" of all filmed
entertainment earnings, according to Disney's CFO. But in the 'Nineties,
the company has been putting the classics on cassettes at an accelerated
pace. This fall, Disney takes the final jewel out of the vault: Snow
White.
  Now, the pressure is on to create "new product." Jeffrey Katzenberg,
Disney's irrepressibly ambitious film mogul, is calling for 1 1/2 major
new animated features each year, while Roy Disney, who runs the animation
division, says he hopes merely to complete one a year from now until 1997.
Walt's nephew, Roy Disney took over the animation department when no one
else wanted it in 1984, nurtured the new generation of animators who drew
Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King -- and
knows that the creative process behind animation is both time-consuming
and fragile. As many as 60 animators may be required to draw just one
character, 300 artists to create a film -- and "every artist on God's
earth has an ego," Disney observes mildly. Katzenberg, who says nothing
mildly, is adamant that the company's next major animation, Pocahontas,
will roll out on schedule. Roy Disney sounds less certain that 300 muses
will cooperate (or understand just who Jeffrey Katzenberg is): "The goal
for Pocahontas is the summer of '95 -- and I'm knocking on wood furiously
when I say that. It's too early to say we can't do it."
  But this year Disney has more than met its targets, covering itself with
glory from Broadway (where a stage version of Beauty and the Beast is
playing to standing-room-only audiences) to the Champs Elysees (where in
just one year the Disney Store has become the top performer in the
268-store Disney chain).
  Disney's lucrative spinoffs are twirling out into a third dimension. Many
predict Beauty and the Beast will play as long as Cats -- which, as David
Letterman recently observed, seems to have been in New York for about 40
years -- and Disney is now setting up an international touring company.
Meanwhile, The Return of Jafar, a made-for-video sequel to Aladdin
(already available on video) is selling twice as many units as expected.
"There's another $100 million we didn't know we had," notes CFO Nanula.
And while theme-park attendance stagnates, in Florida, Disney World's two
new hotels are 99% occupied.
  But the best news about theme parks is that Disney may own less of one:
If all goes well with Euro Disney's new stock offering, Disney's share
will be reduced to 36% from 49%, thanks to HRH Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal
Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi billionaire who has become Euro Disney's
new white knight. Under the terms of the agreement, if the prince cannot
buy a sufficient amount of stock from other shareholders, Disney is
required to sell him up to $178 million worth of its own shares. Disney
still insists that, in the end, Euro Disney will prove a profitable
investment. Isn't the company disappointed at the idea that its equity
position may shrink? "We planned this," says Nanula.
  Disney also planned that The Lion King, scheduled to open "wide" at the
end of this week, would be its next mega-hit. Some early reviews suggest
that the story isn't quite up to the level of Beauty and the Beast or
Aladdin; the harshest suggest that The Lion King lacks spontaneity, seems
"cold," formulaic and even "derivative," relying too heavily on devices
from other Disney films.
  Nevertheless, the critical consensus is thumbs-up, if not always high up,
that the Disney magic works: "One million drawings ultimately turn into a
film that lives and breathes," says L.A. Times critic Kenneth Tynan. "Even
with its flaws, Disney once again delivers what its audience wants."
Profits will spill over into the fall, when The Lion King will be released
in Europe, an event that will coincide with the video release of Snow
White and the international video distribution of Aladdin, virtually
assuring stellar results for fiscal 1995's first quarter, ending Dec. 31,
1994.
  Indeed, at the moment, all news seems good news at Disney -- even the
possibility of a major stock-market correction. In April, at the end of a
week when the Dow Industrials had taken a beating, Jeffrey Katzenberg
declared "a market dive is the best thing that could happen to us. It
would blow out some of these companies that are leveraged up to their
eyebrows, and interest rates would go up," he added, laughing heartily.
"We'd like to be a buyer in a buyer's market -- what's wrong with that?"
  The answer reflects Disney's need to keep investing in order to keep that
$24.6 billion base growing -- and, perhaps, a certain hubris as well.
Hubris is always perilous, but the company's supreme confidence is
understandable, and largely justified -- at least this summer, and through
the first quarter of '95. Looking further ahead, however, the screen
becomes fuzzy. Beginning in the second quarter of '95, filmed
entertainment will be up against some tough comparisons. Video sales of
The Lion King should provide a big boost, particularly if it proves a hit
abroad. But much also depends on the success of Pocahontas, assuming it
comes out in the summer of '95. What if the animators' hot streak is
cooling?
  There's little hope that theme parks could fill the hole. Even with
economic recovery, the parks won't regain the momentum they had in the
second half of the 'Eighties, when Eisner & Co. were able to keep raising
ticket prices -- up 65% in the four years ended in 1987, another 20% in
the four years ended 1993. At this point, ticket costs are simply too high
to be pushed further. Indeed, in 1994, total operating income from the
parks is likely to be flat to down. And '94 isn't just one bad year;
throughout the 'Nineties, neither theme-park attendance nor earnings has
been able to recover to the levels set in 1990 -- before the '91 Gulf War.
A rebounding U.S. economy will affect only 70% of the parks' potential
customers; 30% come from abroad.
  The siren call of Las Vegas also is providing formidable competition.
While crime-conscious American families flee Disney World, they're
flocking to casinos nationwide. This is one area where Walt Disney Co.
can't compete. "No," says Nanula firmly, despite the company's interest in
new investment opportunities. "We have no plans to open a casino." Not
even one with a very nice child-care center.
  Meanwhile, once Euro Disney's bailout plan is consummated, the Paris park
still will be a financial drain. If Disney continues to own 49%, Euro
Disney will cost it $90 million in '94, roughly $100 million in '95 and
another $80 million in '96. An "insignificant amount," according to Wall
Street, paring only a few cents from earnings. Nevertheless, a paltry $100
million would eat up the windfall from what's hailed as a significant
success -- The Return of Jafar.
  Over the next four or five years, theme-park earnings are, at best,
likely to grow 10% or so a year -- assuming the recovery continues,
assuming no more crime sprees in Florida, no more natural disasters in
California, no more economic disasters on the outskirts of Paris. Even in
this brightest of scenarios, if Disney is to make its stated goals for
growth, profits from the other two divisions would have to expand well
over 20%. At present, the consumer-products business is booming, but, as
noted, it has been coat-tailing animated films. If the animators falter,
fuzzy dolls will follow.
  There's always the hope, of course, that after a long dry spell,
Touchstone Pictures, Disney Studios or Hollywood Pictures might turn up a
mega-hit. When David Hoberman was named president of Walt Disney Studios
at the end of April, he announced a new strategy. Rather than sticking to
the formula that Eisner and Katzenberg have favored -- low-budget,
"high-concept" movies (which means they're based on an idea that can be
summed up in a one-liner) -- Hoberman declared that the studio wanted to
attract more high-priced filmmakers and stars, and give them more freedom.
Michael Eisner was not amused, though he tries to be generous: "I know he
said these things -- it was the day he got the job. We had a talk
afterward." In other words, Hoberman was in an unduly expansive mood. "I
think if you talked to him today," Eisner adds, "he would say something
quite different."
  Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hoberman's boss, explains that while some of the
movies Disney is putting out this summer may look extravagant --
Renaissance Man, for example, directed by Penny Marshall and starring
Danny DeVito -- "it's not our money; we didn't pay for it." The deal is
typical: When making an expensive film, Disney seeks outside financial
partners. Renaissance Man was made by Cinergi Productions, an independent
production company, and Disney is distributing it. But in curbing its
risk, Disney also limits the upside. By contrast, when Disney makes an
animated feature, it takes no partners.
  When Eisner talks about meeting his pledge, he doesn't focus just on the
company's three major divisions; he emphasizes that it has a myriad of
smaller subdivisions, and many new ventures. That's ultimately how Disney
hopes to keep the $24.6 billion operation growing at a 20% rate. Indeed,
as Nanula describes it, Disney functions rather like Fidelity's Magellan
Fund, constantly searching for places to invest. "In the next three years,
it's likely our spending will exceed our operating income," he suggests.
"We'll try to find enough investment opportunities to do that." Eisner
chokes a little on the idea that Disney will have to spend more than it
takes in: "We don't want to act like an out-of control game-show winner."
  Nevertheless, Disney recently announced plans to build two
2,400-passenger cruise ships (at an estimated cost of $300 million each).
Eisner also has set his sights on developing a theatrical touring company
a la Andrew Lloyd Webber -- one that might ultimately have a repertoire of
two or three plays. And the company continues to invest in its other
units: television, music, publishing, video games, a hockey team, a new
movie label, a new theme park in Virginia. Another group is working on
interactive video. But most of those enterprises are either relatively
tiny, or merely a gleam in Michael Eisner's eye. Near-term, television is
the most promising growth area. When Disney's television hit Home
Improvement goes into syndication in '95, for example, it could bring in
$100 million during the first year of its run but only $50 million in each
of the following three years.
  For the near future, then, animation remains, depending on whom you're
talking to, the "heart and soul" of the company -- or "the engine that
drives profits." Animation has become the profit center, in large part
because, with the proliferation of VCRs, home video has become a golden
goose. More than half of Disney's filmed entertainment earnings (which
include profits from television as well as movies using human actors) come
from home video, Nanula reveals, the bulk from sales of animated features
that parents buy for their children. When an adult likes a movie, he rents
it, and Disney's profits from rentals are relatively minuscule.
  And Disney owns the most lucrative part of the video business: The top
five films in the international video marketplace are The Jungle Book,
Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Fantasia and The Little Mermaid. The
Jungle Book became No. 1 in '93, taking in more money from video sales
than Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park took in at the box office. And it
cost a great deal less to put The Jungle Book on a videocassette than it
did to mount Jurassic Park.
  The Jungle Book's success in 1993 also illustrates how the worldwide
home-video market has grown in the past five years. Ann Daly, head of the
video division, talks about re-releasing some of the films. "When we
distributed Little Mermaid in 1990, we sold only nine million units; if we
released it again, it would sell 15 million," she predicts. But Disney
must worry about overexposure. Putting a classic on video already means
that it can't be brought back in the theaters as often. Roy Disney says he
expects that the traditional seven-year cycle will be stretched to 12
years.
  Daly acknowledges that, domestically, the home video market is peaking
precisely because so many homes now have VCRs, "though we still get growth
as the result of families buying a second VCR." The biggest opportunities
for growth, everyone agrees, lie in the international market -- though, at
the moment, that market is still littered with obstacles and
uncertainties.
  In developing economies like Mexico's, everything depends on how fast
consumers begin buying VCRs. Currently, only about 10% of all homes in
Latin America have the needed equipment -- in contrast to 65%-70% of
European households.
  In Europe, although most homes have VCRs, there's still room to sell many
more videocassettes. While Wal-Mart offers a wall of videos, European
retailers are just beginning to catch on. But the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade and other trade restrictions are crimping Disney's video
profits. "In France, we can't sell a video until 12 months after the film
is in theatrical release," notes Michael Johnson, who heads Disney's
international video unit. "That hurts us very badly. We want to sell it in
the heat of the title -- before it cools down, and before it's pirated."
(Counterfeiting is a huge problem in Europe.) Other countries are imposing
local tariffs and value-added taxes, which run as high as 40% in
Scandinavia and at least 20% in the rest of Europe. As a result, Disney
must charge more in Europe -- videos retail for $33 apiece in Germany, $40
in France, and from $24 to $30 in most of Europe. "We've brought prices
down in response to the recession," Johnson adds, "but retailers have been
discounting them even lower, which makes us think about raising prices.
This leads to very, very lively discussions internally," he adds, hinting
at just how difficult strategic pricing has become.
  The biggest opportunities lie in the more affluent Asian countries:
Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore. In Japan, fully 80% of the population
own VCRs, but "so far, half of the marketplace isn't interested in our
product," Johnson explains. The Japanese, it turns out, use the VCR
primarily for the purpose its makers intended: to tape television shows.
(Americans, who could never figure out how to set their timers, turned
VCRs into vehicles for watching movies.) "The opportunities are
extraordinary," Johnson declares, predicting that the business could
double in the next couple of years.
  But even if the Japanese learn to push "rewind," will they like The Lion
King? The vagaries of international taste are hard to predict. Europeans
loved The Jungle Book, for example, but weren't as wild about Cinderella.
So, who knows whether the Japanese or the Germans will take to Pocahontas
in '95?
  And after Pocahontas, "What's next, Lewis and Clark?" asks a cynic in
L.A. Roy Disney concedes that "running out of stories is always a worry,"
but in fact three others are already in the works: The Hunchback of Notre
Dame, Fa Mulan (based on a Chinese folk tale) and Hercules.
  Yet none of the three is a time-tested bedtime story. Walt used up most
of the classic fairy tales. Indeed, reviewers who suggest that The Lion
King lacks "spontaneity," or seems "derivative," are hinting that a new
generation of animators may already be running low on fresh material.
  Then there are the uncertainties of the process itself -- and it's an
evolving, temperamental process. Animators don't begin with a finished
script. Instead, the story line is developed as story-boards are drawn.
Frequently, animators will flesh out their characters with their own
bodies, acting out the parts in mirrors, trying different forms and
expressions. At some point, they may well throw out a large chunk of the
story and begin again. "A year after we started Beauty and the Beast, we
saw where we had gotten, junked it, and started over," Katzenberg recalls.
It's rumored that Katzenberg wasn't in favor of making Beauty and the
Beast; he concedes that he was "surprised" when it became the first
animated film ever nominated for Best Picture: "It changed the course of
how we run our animation business."
  Roy Disney emphasizes how long it takes to create an animated film: four
years -- "though Jeffrey is always telling me it's really only three and a
half," he notes, smiling. The argument appears to be a running joke, at
least from Disney's perspective -- but it also sums up the differences
between the two men.
  It remains to be be seen whether -- and how -- Katzenberg's incorrigible
ambition can be married to Disney's more innocent vision. The outcome is,
beyond a doubt, the most interesting wild card in Disney's new deck.
  ---
                      Changing Mix
  -- Back in the 'Eighties, Disney was perhaps best known for its theme
parks, and earnings from that source dominated. Today, movies are grabbing
a growing share, as shown in this breakdown of operating income.
  1984
Theme Parks                                          77%
Consumer Products                                    22%
Filmed Entertainment                                  1%
  1990
Theme Parks                                          62%
Filmed Entertainment                                 22%
Consumer Products                                    16%
  1993
Theme Parks                                          43%
Filmed Entertainment                                 36%
Consumer Products                                    21%

    Yesterday, I read a very brief article (one paragraph) that stated 
    Micheal D. Eisney, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, underwent quadruple
    heart bypass surgery, last week.
    
    Has anyone seen or heard anything else?
    
    Dan
    
    

    Yes, I heard this Sunday evening on CNN.
    
    It was a successful operation. He went in on Thursday or Friday last
    week I believe, and the operation was performed on Saturday.
    
    
    
    Mark

    Last night the NH news had a short report about a lightning strike
    at WDW.  I think they said it struck near a tram which was unloading
    passengers.  Some people were injured but it wasn't clear how serious
    the injuries were.  Anyone have more info?
    
    Ruth

I saw in the paper that lightning struck a tram at WDW while it was unloading
passengers.  The tram was in the Happy parking section.  Seven people were
injured.  Four were taken to the hospital, treated, and released.

    I was surprised yesterday while reading the write-up in my local paper.
    One of the guests involved is a friend of mine. We coached little
    league together. When he returns I will get some details and post
    them here.
    
    John

    
    
      VERO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 1994--In a shower of
    beautifully colored nerf balls and with a bright red shovel in hand,
    history was made near Vero Beach as Mickey Mouse and friends joined state
    and county officials to break ground for the start of construction for
    the Disney Vacation Club at Vero Beach.
      Thursday's ceremony marks the first-time ever that The Walt Disney Co.
    has expanded its resort development beyond the boundaries of its theme
    parks.
      More than 300 people attended the ``sand breaking,'' which was themed
    to capture the resort's turn-of-the-century Florida beach atmosphere.  As
    the band played hits from a by-gone era, guests had the opportunity to slip
    back in time to experience a slice of ``old Florida'' as character-actors,
    artifacts, renderings and period memorabilia set the outdoor stage for
    the construction of an oceanfront resort that will be early Florida's
    elegant reflection of Northeastern seaboard-style architecture.
      ``This is truly a milestone for the Disney company,'' said Kenneth
    May, general manager and vice president, North American, of Disney Vacation
    Club.  ``We are very excited about coming to an area known for its
    natural beauty and relaxed lifestyle.  Our resort will be a first-class
    facility designed to complement Indian River County almost as if the
    resort was built here a century ago.
      ``We have carefully blended into the resort's design the historical
    theming of the area, which includes beach, citrus, treasure hunting,
    environment and baseball.''
      The Disney Vacation Club at Vero Beach, which will have the Atlantic
    Ocean as its scenic backdrop, will offer a 115-room inn and 60 vacation
    villas upon opening in fall of 1995.  When completed, the resort will
    include an additional 260 vacation villas on two adjoining parcels.
    Architects have designed the resort to strike a harmonious balance and
    be reflective of those things unique and indigenous to Indian River
    County.
      The four-story, open-atrium lobby will carry a citrus theme with a
    collection of antique citrus labels and live ornamental-variety orange
    trees.  Even the front desk reception area will resemble an old citrus
    stand.  There will be dozens of old-time photographs and postcards
    displayed in the lobby, and behind the front desk will be a large mural
    to highlight the turn-of-the-century activities.
      The villa interiors will feature pastel colors of light greens, pinks
    and blues; and a seashell and turtle wall border will add to the beach
    motif.
    Shutters restaurant will carry the beach theme further as this 150-seat
    restaurant features an exhibit kitchen, rotisserie, wood-burning oven
    and grill, with seafood as the principal fare.  Some of the tables indoors
    will come equipped with beach umbrellas, and the flooring will be
    designed with a day at the beach in mind.
      Indian River County also is known as the spring training site for the
    Los Angeles Dodgers and for its treasure hunting off the coast. As a matter
    of fact, the beautiful coastline is commonly referred to as The Treasure
    Coast.  With its bat and ball graphic, Bleachers Bar & Grill will
    feature America's favorite pastime as its decorative theme.
      And The Green Cabin Lounge, named after the ``Green Cabin Shipwreck,''
    where a 1618 Spanish galleon is said to rest in water a couple hundred
    yards off the beach, will be a true treasure hunter's delight as guests
    will be able to look up and see a massive treasure map painted on the
    ceiling.  The lounge and other areas of the resort will be filled with
    many treasure artifacts.
      The foremost constitution of the new resort will be what attracted
    Disney to the area in the first place -- the natural environment. Along the
    outdoor promenade, the story of the beach and its environment will be
    told through a series of interpretive signs and pictures.  From the story of
    the summer-time rites of the sea turtles laying eggs under the sand, to
    the importance of sea oats and sand dunes, guests will be entertainingly
    reminded of nature's delicate balance.
      Disney's attention to detail will be ever-present throughout the resort,
    creating a beauty that will blend perfectly with its surroundings.  The
    designers will tease guests with ``Disney detail'' as well-known images
    of the company will seem to pop up in many unexpected places, including
    the architecture and artwork.  The historical and cultural activities of
    the area will be a delight as guests explore the county with its menagerie
    of water-related activities.
      And Vero Beach itself will greet guests with a charm that keeps people
    coming back year after year.  Part of that enjoyment is the vast array
    of activities found ``on the beach.''  From treasure hunting for the kids,
    to bird and turtle watching, it will all be part ofthe magnificent story
    shared by man and nature as the Disney Vacation Club moves to the
    beach.
      Indian River County Commission Chairman John Tippin added:  ``We are
    delighted to welcome Disney to the area.  We applaud Disney for choosing
    us, and we're convinced that a resort of this high caliber will offer a
    very positive profile to Indian River County.''  Florida State
    Representative Charles Sembler concurred:  ``This will be a fine  marriage
    between a quality resort and a quality area.''
      The first guests to arrive at the Disney Vacation Club at Vero Beach
    will unpack their bags in fall of 1995.  Other planned Disney Vacation
    Development (DVD) resorts include locations on Hilton Head Island,
    S.C., and in Newport Beach, Calif.
      DVD, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co., currently has one resort --
    the award-winning Disney Vacation Club at Walt Disney World.

    
Headline:   Former Disney Executive To Join Gaylord Entertainment Company 


  NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 1994--Eric A. Westin, a
former vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering, is joining Gaylord
Entertainment Company as Senior Vice President of the Design, Development
and Construction Group, it was announced today by Richard H. Evans, chief
operating officer and executive vice president of Gaylord Entertainment.
  Westin, 50, who will assume his duties at Gaylord Entertainment on
September 1, will replace Valentine Smith, who is retiring from Gaylord
Entertainment on September 1 after 37 years with the company.  Smith will
continue as a consultant with the company through the completion of the
current expansion of the Opryland Hotel due to be completed in June 1996.
  "We are truly fortunate to find someone with Eric Westin's imagination
and proven abilities to replace Val Smith, who is one of the legends in
this business," said Evans.
  As head of the Gaylord Entertainment Design, Development and Construction
Group, Westin will oversee all projects of the company, including the $175
million addition to the Opryland Hotel. He will also oversee various other
projects that are in the design and development process.
  During his 37 years with Gaylord Entertainment, Smith has overseen the
development of some of Nashville's top tourist destinations.  He selected
the original site for the Opryland complex and has overseen the
development of the Opryland theme park, Opryland Hotel, the Grand Ole Opry
House, and the studios and administrative offices for TNN: The Nashville
Network and CMT: Country Music Television.  He also oversaw the successful
renovation of the Ryman Auditorium and the construction of the Wildhorse
Saloon, both in downtown Nashville.
  "Val will be truly missed at the company," Evans said.  "Just look at
what we have become under his valuable leadership and you can see a true
monument to his capabilities."
  Westin began his Disney career at Disneyland while still in college. 
Subsequent to college, he served as a supervisor in operations and
entertainment.  In 1970 he joined Walt Disney Imagineering to work on the
design, development and construction of the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom in
Orlando, Fla.  During the 1970's he held various management positions at
Imagineering in production, administration and design.  In 1980, as
Director of Production, he was involved with the development of both EPCOT
and Tokyo Disneyland.
  In 1980, Westin joined Skywalker Development Company, a division of
Lucasfilm, Ltd., as Vice President and General Manager.  He was
responsible for the overall planning, design, development, construction
and start-up operations of Skywalker Ranch, filmmaker George Lucas' film
and digital sound facility in California.
  He rejoined Disney in 1987 as Vice President and General Manager of the
Creative Group Euro Disneyland Theme Park.  He returned from France to
Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, Calif. in July 1992 where he assumed
the position of Vice President of Participant Services.
  Born in Southern California, Westin is married and has one child. He has
a BA degree in Industrial Arts from California State University at Long
Beach.

**************************************
Headline:  DISNEY REORGANIZES FILMED ENTERTAINMENT AND CORPORATE OPERATIONS 


  BURBANK, Calif., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:
DIS) is reorganizing its filmed entertainment business into two distinct
entities, one for television and all telecommunication services and one
for motion picture production and distribution, Michael D. Eisner,
Disney's chairman and chief executive officer, announced today.
  Mr. Eisner also announced that Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has been chairman
of The Walt Disney Studios since 1984, will leave the company when his
contract expires at the end of September.
  Regarding the departure of Mr. Katzenberg, Mr. Eisner said, "Jeffrey has
made an enormous contribution to the growth and success of our animation,
live action motion picture and television business over the past ten
years.  The Walt Disney Company Board and I are grateful for the support
he has provided and for the dedication he has demonstrated to the company.
 We have had wonderful years together, both here at Disney and previously
at Paramount working together in the entertainment industry.  With
heartfelt thanks and obvious regret, I wish him well in his future
endeavors."
  Joe Roth, former chairman of Twentieth Century Fox and currently chairman
of Caravan Pictures which is a Walt Disney Studios label, will become
chairman of Walt Disney Motion Pictures.  Richard Frank, who has been
president of The Walt Disney Studios since 1985, has been promoted to
chairman of the newly-created Walt Disney Television and
Telecommunications unit.  Both Mr. Frank and Mr. Roth will report directly
to Mr. Eisner.
  Mr. Roth, in his new position, will be responsible for the worldwide
production of all live action motion pictures as well as the worldwide
marketing and distribution of all motion pictures.
  In his new role, Mr. Frank will oversee all of Disney's efforts to
broaden its activities in television, telecommunications and related
fields.  He will also have the worldwide responsibility for all aspects of
production, marketing and distribution of television programming and The
Disney Channel.
  As part of a parent company reorganization, Sanford M. Litvack, the
company's executive vice president-Law and Human Resources, will assume
the role of chief of Corporate Operations responsible for the day-to-day
supervision of internal matters as well as external relationships and
dealings with governments, communities and other corporations.  He will
also work closely with Mr. Eisner in other important company matters. The
chief financial officer and the heads of the various corporate divisions
will continue to report to Mr. Eisner.
  Walt Disney Feature Animation will continue to report to Roy Disney, vice
chairman of The Walt Disney Company since 1984.
  "While we will miss Jeffrey and wish him well, I am confident that, with
the addition of Joe Roth and the new roles Rich Frank and Sandy Litvack
will play, our new organization will enable us to take full advantage of
the wealth of talent that we have throughout our company," Mr. Eisner
said.  "As we move forward in the decade, I believe that the personnel
changes we are making match up perfectly with the talented players already
in place and position us well for the future.  We have one of the deepest
creative and managerial groups in Hollywood."
  About Mr. Roth, Mr. Litvack and Mr. Frank, Mr. Eisner said:
  "Joe Roth is a highly regarded industry executive with a proven track
record in the motion picture business.  We are pleased to have someone
with his experience, talent, and relationships in the industry now lead
our team.  Joe will provide the vision to continue our successful strategy
of developing creative software and to maintain our leadership position in
producing movies.  I look forward to continue working with Joe who moves
over from our Caravan Pictures to the chairmanship of our motion picture
unit."
  "The company is fortunate to have Sandy Litvack as its general counsel
and now its chief of Corporate Operations.  Sandy, who came to us as a
highly respected trial lawyer and assistant attorney general, had the
opportunity to work closely with Frank Wells during these past three years
and gain greatly from his experience.  He is the perfect executive to
assume many of Frank's responsibilities.
  "Rich Frank has never been content to simply maintain what has been
created.  He has proven himself a builder.  Under his guidance, Disney has
reestablished itself as a major player in the entertainment industry as a
producer of television programming.  He is driving our efforts to expand
our broadcast interests around the world.  And he has been our point man
on the journey to the information superhighway.  As we continue to grow
our television business -- producing, broadcasting and cable, both
traditionally and satellite delivered, we see Rich as the key to our
continued success.
  Added Roy Disney, "The Walt Disney Company is blessed to be able to tap
these three gifted individuals.  Rich, Joe and Sandy are top talents in
their fields.  In addition, I think that in the past few months our
executives have proven that creative and managerial depth is the strength
of our company.
  "We are also proud to have the services of the most talented and creative
people who have ever produced animated features.  They have revitalized
Disney animation which is the soul of our company with the likes of 'The
Lion King' and 'Beauty and the Beast.'
  "With the leadership of Peter Schneider [president of Feature Animation]
and Tom Schumacher [vice president -- Feature Animation Development], I
know that we will continue to put the stamp of Disney excellence on
upcoming features  such as 'Pocahantas,' 'Hunchback of Notre Dame,' and
'Hercules.'"
  Mr. Litvack joined Disney in April, 1991 as senior vice president and
general counsel.  He became executive vice president and general counsel
in December 1992.
  Prior to Disney, he was a member of the executive committee and chairman
of the litigation department of the international firm of Dewey
Ballantine.  He also served as assistant attorney general of the United
States during the Carter Administration.  In 1977, he became a Fellow of
the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor accorded to about one
percent of the country's trial lawyers.
  Mr. Frank came to Disney in March, 1985 from his position as president of
the Paramount Television Group.  Currently, he is also the president of
the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
   Under Mr. Frank, Disney television has increased its presence on
domestic television, begun exploring interactive video programming, and
expanded its broadcasting reach internationally.
  Since he joined the company, Disney has become one of the leading
producers of programming with 40 hours on the air each week including
America's number one program "Home Improvement" and the new hit comedy
"Ellen" as well as "Blossom," "Empty Nest," "Boy Meets World," and "All
American Girl."  Disney also produces "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,"
"Mike and Maty," "The Crusaders," "The Disney Afternoon," and "Bill Nye
the Science Guy" as well as specials and made-for-television movies.
  In addition, The Disney Channel has become the country's fastest growing
premium cable network with more than eight million subscribers.
  Earlier this week, Mr. Frank's international efforts were rewarded when
Disney announced that it is forming a joint venture with Compagnie
Luxembourgeoise de Telediffusion (CLT) Multi Media for the launch of a new
family channel which would go on the air in Germany in 1995.
  Mr. Roth left Twentieth Century Fox, where he was chairman, in November
1989 to form Caravan Pictures, a motion picture company based at The Walt
Disney Studios.  Under his leadership, Fox enjoyed the two of the most
successful years in its 77-year history.  Highlights included such box
office hits as "The Last of the Mohicans," "Home Alone," "Home Alone 2:
Lost in New York," "My Cousin Vinnie," "Edward Scissorhands," "Die Hard
2," and "Hoffa."  One of the last films he developed for Fox was the Robin
Williams star vehicle "Mrs. Doubtfire."
  Prior to joining Fox, Mr. Roth founded and co-owned Morgan Creek
Productions where he served as executive producer for such films as "Major
League," "Young Guns," "Young Guns II," "Dead Ringers," and "Enemies, A
Love Story."
  Caravan Pictures has produced "Three Musketeers" and "Angels in the
Outfield."
  /CONTACT:  John Dreyer of Walt Disney, 818-560-5400/
17:28 EDT


**************************************
Headline: Disney - Film Units -2-: Katzenberg's Contract Ending


  BURBANK, Calif. (AP-DJ)-- Walt Disney Co. (DIS) said Jeffrey Katzenberg,
chairman of Walt Disney Studios, will leave the company when his contract
expires at the end of next month. 
  In a press release, the company said it will reorganize its filmed
entertainment business into a television and telecommunications services
unit and a motion picture production and distribution unit. 
  The company named Joe Roth chairman of Walt Disney Motion Pictures and
Richard Frank chairman of Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications. 
  (MORE) AP-DOW JONES NEWS 24-08-94
  2146GMT
-


**************************************
Headline: Disney head Katzenberg to resign


  LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24 -- 
  Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of Walt Disney Studios since 1984, will
resign when his contract expires at the end of September, it was announced
Wednesday.
  The surprise announcement was made by Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, who
praised Katzenberg's 10-year contribution to the company's growth and
success in animation, live action motion pictures and the television
business.
  But rumors have flourished about an internal power struggle following the
death of Walt Disney Co. president and Eisner confidante, Frank Wells, in
a helicopter crash in April.
  Although they both left Paramount 10 years ago and together have achieved
great success in rebuilding Disney, with current company revenues reaching
4.5 billion dollars, Eisner reportedly was never entirely comfortable with
the preppy style of Katzenberg.
  Katzenberg was responsible for overseeing film and television production
and distribution, and the creation of Disney's highly successful animated
musicals.
  Under his reign, the studio branched out and produced films such as
"Pretty Woman" and "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle."
  Former Twentieth Century Fox chief Joe Roth, who is presently chairman of
Caravan Pictures, a Disney Studios label, will take over some of
Katzenberg's duties as chairman of the newly formed Walt Disney Motion
Pictures, Eisner said.
  According to reports, 43-year-old Katzenberg, whose screen successes
include "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," may be
headed for Sony Pictures, which operates TriStar and Columbia.
-


**************************************
Headline: CHAIRMAN OF DISNEY STUDIOS RESIGNS


By BERNARD WEINRAUB
c.1994 N.Y. Times News Service
   HOLLYWOOD - Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday that Jeffrey Katzenberg,
the longtime chairman of its Disney Studios and one of Hollywood's most
powerful executives, was leaving at the end of next month.
   Katzenberg had sought - and failed to get - the No.2 job at Walt Disney
Co., after Disney's president died in a helicopter accident last April.
   Disney said it was reorganizing its filmed entertainment business by
creating two distinct operations, one for motion pictures and one for
television. Katzenberg's film-making responsibilities will be partly
assumed by Joe Roth, the former chairman of 20th Century Fox and now head
of Caravan Pictures, a Walt Disney movie label.
   Richard Frank, who had served as president under Katzenberg at the
Disney studio since 1985, has been promoted to chairman of the
newly-created Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications unit.
   Both Roth, who will have the title of chairman of Walt Disney Motion
Pictures, and Frank, will report to Michael D. Eisner, the chairman and
chief executive of Walt Disney Co.
   The news of Katzenberg's departure, whose film division has been
integral to the success of Disney during the last 10 years, startled
Hollywood. His resignation leaves the company without two of its most
prominent executives: Katzenberg and Frank G. Wells, who was killed in the
helicopter crash while serving as Disney's president and chief operating
officer.
   At the same time, Eisner is recovering from quadruple-bypass heart
surgery performed last month.
   During the last several weeks, there had been talk at Disney and in
Hollywood that Eisner was reluctant to promote his old friend, Katzenberg,
despite their long association at Disney and, before that, at Paramount's
movie-making operations.
   Katzenberg's associates said Wednesday that if he had been offered the
president's job at Disney he would have stayed.
   In an interview, Katzenberg said, ``It never got to an offer. It was not
about a job opening. It was about an opportunity and a type of partnership
that really wasn't in the cards.''
   ``I've not made any plans at all,'' he added. ``I don't know what the
opportunities are that are out there. I need to finish out the last 30
days of my contract.''
   The 43-year-old executive said he had informed Eisner and Wells a year
ago that he might leave after his contract expired in September.
   ``I told them of my need for greater challenges, new mountains to
climb,'' Katzenberg said. ``At the end of the day this was not about a new
job title. People have never really understood that. It's about me looking
for bigger challenges.''
   In a telephone interview, Eisner, asked how he felt, said, ``I've had
less stressful days in my life.'' He added that Katzenberg had yearned to
run his own company and his decision to leave was not based on the Wells
job.
   ``Jeffrey needs to run his own store,'' Eisner said. ``Our store has a
lot of shopkeepers already. The one job that was open is not one we felt
was suited to his skills.''
   Almost immediately, speculation centered on Katzenberg leaving for a top
job with Matsushita Electric Industrial, which owns MCA/Universal; Sony,
which owns Columbia and TriStar Studios; or the ABC or NBC television
networks.
   During Katzenberg's tenure at Disney, animated musicals like ``Beauty
and the Beast,'' ``The Lion King,'' and ``Aladdin,'' have turned into
billion-dollar-plus franchises for the studio.
   Friends of Katzenberg said his intention to leave the company as far
back as last year was underscored by the fact that he failed to exercise a
contractual clause that would have extended his stay at Disney for two
more years and guaranteed him at least $100 million in stock options.
   Under the arrangement, Katzenberg would have been compelled to remain
two more years beyond 1994. But Katzenberg decided last year not to extend
his contract, telling close friends that he had enough money and did not
want to give up two more years of his life to Disney.
   The impact the decision will have on Walt Disney Co., Hollywood and Wall
Street is unclear. The decision stunned producers and top executives at
Disney, many of whom are close to Katzenberg. Several of them wept at the
news.
   The reaction on Wall Street was muted, where the news broke at about
4:30 p.m., after the close of the market.
   David Londoner, of Wertheim Schroder & Co., said: ``One of the good
things to come out of this is that the policy of releasing 60 films a year
will probably go by the boards, and Disney will concentrate on a more
modest number of films. It is no secret that Disney's live-action films
over the last couple of years have not been as good as they were in the
first five years, when this management group took over.''
   Shares of Disney rose 75 cents, to $43.25, on the New York Stock
Exchange on Wednesday.
   Roth will be responsible for all live-motion pictures as well as the
marketing and distribution of all Disney films.
   ``My immediate intention is to go in and read the material and hopefully
continue to supervise the slate of films,'' he said. ``If somebody asked
me how many films I'd make, I'd probably answer, `As many good ideas as I
can find.' ''
   But Roth indicated that his taste probably differed from Katzenberg's,
who has made some highly successful live-action films like ``Pretty
Woman,'' ``The Hand that Rocks the Cradle,'' and ``Good Morning,
Vietnam,'' but has also been criticized for producing too many weak
family-style and teen-age comedies.
   ``I come at it from a slightly different way with a slightly different
appetite,'' Roth said.
   Eisner's decision not to give Katzenberg the No.2 job had been in the
planning stage for several days, and may have caught Katzenberg by
surprise. Eisner had been in private negotiations with Roth, and had
discussed his plans concerning Katzenberg with members of the Disney
board.
   Board members apparently agreed that Katzenberg's talents as a film and
television executive did not match Wells' skills as a labor negotiator,
businessman and Wall Street deal maker.
   Raymond L. Watson, a member of the Disney board and chairman of the
executive committee, said the situation had been ``fully discussed in the
board room.''
   Watson, who is vice chairman of Irvine Co., a large land developer in
Southern California, added, ``There is tremendous respect for Jeffrey. We
understood that he had the desire and ambition to do something
different.''
   Watson added: ``He wanted to be the No.2 person and the chief operating
officer of the company. That was the kind of job that he was interested in
as we, the board, understood it.''
   ``We heard his ambition was to move on to something else more than what
he had been doing,'' he said. ``And within the company there was no
opportunity to go beyond the job he has there.''
   ``Frank's job was a totally different kind of job,'' he added. ``This
job is a partnership in which Michael needs complimentary kinds of talent.
This is a different person than Jeffrey. The most important thing is to
reinforce Michael.''
   But the departure of Katzenberg may prove especially painful for the
animation side, which has been extraordinarily lucrative for the company
and in which Katzenberg has played the dominant role.
   Now the responsibilities fall to Roy Disney, vice chairman of the
company, and nephew of Walt Disney, the founder. While Roy Disney has
played a role in animation, it was Katzenberg who led the division to its
enormous success.
   00:47 EDT   AUGUST 25, 1994
-


**************************************
            Katzenberg, Bid For Post Foiled, To Leave Disney
            Studio Chief to Step Down At End of September;   
            Unit to Be Reorganized ---
       By Richard Turner   Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal


  BURBANK, Calif. -- Jeffrey Katzenberg, foiled in his desire to be named
president of Walt Disney Co., will leave the company when his contract
expires at the end of next month.
  The move ended a showdown that had been looming for a year, but was
pushed into the spotlight in recent months by the death of Disney's
president and its chairman's heart surgery. The ultimate question was
whether Disney Chairman Michael Eisner would agree to share power with his
longtime protege, Mr. Katzenberg, or lose one of Hollywood's top creative
executives.
  Yesterday morning, Mr. Eisner called Mr. Katzenberg into his office and
made the decision final. The two already had talked about a succession
plan.
  "This was not about a job title," said Mr. Katzenberg in an interview.
"It was about creating new opportunities for me and redefining our
partnership. Michael just couldn't create those opportunities."
  Mr. Katzenberg, 43 years old, has been chairman of the Walt Disney
Studios for 10 years and largely responsible for revitalizing Disney's
near-dormant film-production arm. He also has been credited with the huge
creative and financial successes of Disney's recent animated films
including this summer's blockbuster "The Lion King." Indeed, his
filmed-entertainment unit has surpassed theme parks as the company's
leading revenue producer and fastest-growing area.
  "You have to do what you think is right for the company," Mr. Eisner said
in an interview. "I wouldn't have chosen to do this, but Jeffrey wanted a
position we didn't have here, and nothing else would satisfy him. It
didn't exist here, just as it didn't exist for Barry Diller at Fox." Mr.
Diller left News Corp.'s Fox unit several years ago when he couldn't wield
more power at what was essentially Chairman Rupert Murdoch's company.
  It was the quadruple-bypass heart operation that Mr. Eisner, 52,
underwent in June that brought the issue of succession to the fore, since
Disney hadn't named another executive to fill the position of president
after the death in April of Frank Wells in a helicopter crash.
  Mr. Katzenberg made no secret of the fact that he felt it was time to
move up to a near-equal footing with Mr. Eisner. Indeed, he raised the
issue a year ago by accelerating his contract's expiration.
  Mr. Eisner appreciated Mr. Wells's self-effacing ability to work in the
background and clearly wanted Mr. Katzenberg to remain in the
filmed-entertainment area. Mr. Katzenberg wasn't wellknown among the
company's directors, and some opposed naming him president, even at the
risk of his departure.
  "The board's position all along was to leave the decision to Michael,"
said Ray Watson, former chairman and head of the executive committee. But
he reflected a widely held view on the board when he added, "Frank Wells's
job was a different kind of job, supportive of Michael. We don't need two
Michael Eisners. They don't complement each other."
  With Mr. Katzenberg's departure, Disney said it is reorganizing its
filmed entertainment business into two entities. It named Joe Roth,
one-time head of News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox studio and current
chairman of the Caravan Pictures division of Disney, as chairman of Walt
Disney Motion Pictures, a new entity. He will be responsible for all
live-action motion picture production and distribution. The two top
executives of Disney's feature animation division, Peter Schneider and Tom
Schumacher, will report to Roy Disney, company vice chairman.
  Rich Frank, president of the Walt Disney Studios since 1985, was named
chairman of a new Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications unit,
including Disney's growing interactive software unit, which recently had
been given to Mr. Katzenberg. Hollywood Records now will report to the
consumer products unit, while the theater division's place in the new
hierarchy hasn't been determined.
  Mr. Katzenberg says he hasn't made any specific decisions about his
future. "I have no rules about being No. 1 somewhere," he said. But four
major entertainment companies, each nearing a transitional phase, have
been mentioned by industry observers as possible roosting places. Peter
Guber, chairman of Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures unit, reportedly has
indicated he may leave the company. But Sony's U.S. unit issued a
statement denying any reports of a change at the top or that Mr.
Katzenberg might join the company. At Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.'s
MCA Inc., the top two executives, Chairman Lew Wasserman and President
Sidney Sheinberg, are working under contracts that expire at the end of
next year.
  Capital Cities/ABC Inc. Chairman Thomas Murphy is expected to step down
soon, and although there's a frontrunner to succeed him, Robert Iger, no
one has been named. And if CBS Inc. was prepared to have Barry Diller run
the network, some argue, why not Mr. Katzenberg? None of the other
companies had any immediate comment, and Mr. Katzenberg said he had no
conversations about job opportunities.
  Mr. Katzenberg had laid the groundwork for leaving the company a year
ago, when he exercised an option in his six-year contract to have the
right to terminate the contract this year, two years early. "By doing
that, he walked away from $100 million in stock options and grants," said
music mogul David Geffen, a close friend of Mr. Katzenberg.
  What Mr. Katzenberg wanted was a larger, more strategic role in the
company. He had wanted to help Messrs. Eisner and Wells implement a
corporate transformation they were planning, and advocated such measures
as buying a TV network to do it. Mr. Eisner, always reluctant to spend
money on acqusitions, was more reluctant. Mr. Katzenberg also wanted some
authority over Disney's theme parks.
  Mr. Wells's unexpected death created an empty chair, but one Mr. Eisner
didn't wish to fill, at least with Mr. Katzenberg, with whom he has had a
complex relationship. They worked closely together at Disney for 10 years,
and for years at Paramount before that. But they were never close. Several
company executives also say there was tension between Mr. Katzenberg and
Roy Disney, Walt's nephew and one of the main forces responsible for
bringing Mr. Eisner to the company. Mr. Katzenberg wouldn't comment. Mr.
Disney reportedly was in Ireland and couldn't be reached.
  The directors and some company investors were deeply loyal to Mr. Wells
and never trusted Mr. Katzenberg. To some, he was a "movie-picker" rather
than a hard-nosed businessman. Mr. Katzenberg's division, however, is
known as the most hard-nosed, cost-conscious, tough-negotiating film arm
in Hollywood.
  Sanford M. Litvack, executive vice president for law and human resources
who has been mentioned as a possible successor to Mr. Wells, will assume
the new role of chief of corporate operations, an assignment that gives
him many of the late president's duties. But Disney said its chief
financial officer and divisional heads will continue to report to Mr.
Eisner. Mr. Eisner and Mr. Watson also said the company isn't ruling out
eventually naming a successor to Mr. Wells as president and chief
operating officer.
  Mr. Katzenberg, for his part, said he was going on vacation as planned
next week -- to Walt Disney World.

     NEW YORK (AP-DJ)--Time Warner Inc. is negotiating to buy NBC Network
     in a deal worth $2.5 billion in stock and cash, Thursday's New York
     Times reports.
       Walt Disney Co. also has apparently approached both CBS Inc. and NBC
     about buying one of those networks, the Times said.
       Time Warner, which has extensive cable television holdings, has been
     talking with General Electric Co. about buying its subsidiary, NBC, the
     newspaper quoted unidentified sources close to the talks as saying.
       Under the proposed Time Warner-NBC deal, Time Warner would acquire the 
     NBC Network, along with cable television services such as CNBC, the Times
     said. It would not acquire the seven television stations that NBC owns and
     operates.
       GE acquired NBC as part of a takeover of RCA in 1986.
       The newspaper quoted an unnamed source familiar with NBC's side of
    the negotiations as saying Time Warner has held talks with GE chairman
    and chief executive John F. Welch Jr. and NBC president Robert C. Wright.
    

    I'm suprised at the little fanfare I've heard about Katzenberg leaving
    Disney. From what I understood, he was a driving force in the animation
    department. His vision was to make Disney's animated films more for the
    adult audience as well. I feel his influence is on the Lion King quite
    a bit, as evidence by the death scene.
    
    Did he and Roy Disney have problems? I thought he was in line as a
    possible successor to Frank Wells?
    
    Mark
    

    Mark,
    
    Some of the disney execs thought Katzenberg got a little too much
    credit for the work of the last several films.
    
    What Katzenberg did about 7 years back is change the way they worked
    on the animated films. That is, he initiated a project team atmosphere
    whereby a group of animators worked exclusively on one project. 
    
    In the past people would come in and out of a project. With people
    assigned to a film ownership and bonding came into play and you can
    see how "Beauty..." "Aladdin..." and "Lion King" has resulted from this 
    experiment which I believe started with "The Little Mermaid."
    
    Mike

    Last weeks(8/28) Orlando Sentinel, sunday edition had a lengthy article
    about Katzenberg's departure and a realted article on the state of
    Disney.
    
    Unfortunately my wife through the paper out.
    
    From what I recall the article did reference Katzenberg's ego and his
    desire to be a mogul...  Other than the recent animated super successes
    most of the other film's produced under his control were not
    blockbuster box office wins...  The article mentioned only 2 or 3
    recent releases that were acceptable.
    
    The related article was concerning the state of the company with
    Eisner's health in "poor shape", Euro Disney problems, the death of
    Wells and the apparent lack any successors in the Disney ranks.
    
    That's all I can recall.  If anyone is from the Orlando area or like me
    subscribes to it remotely and has the articles, please post.
    
    Regards,
    
    Tony  

    
    
      LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- For the Smith family
    from Decatur, Ill., their vacation at Walt Disney World Resort took an
    extraordinary turn:  as they strolled through the Magic Kingdom
    turnstiles this morning, the mother, Mary Pat, was selected in 
    commemoration of the one billionth guest to visit a Disney theme park.
      Disney characters danced, bands played and Executive Vice President
    of Theme Parks Bruce Laval, greeted the surprised family -- Mary Pat and
    husband Dave, 12-year-old Jenna and 10-year-old Tim.  But there was a
    hitch:  the celebration also had to include Disneyland, where the first
    Disney theme park guest was welcomed on July 17, 1955.
      So when The Walt Disney Co. needed the family in California in time
    to serve as grand marshals in the afternoon parade, who did they depend on
    to deliver the 1 billionth guest?  FedEx, of course, who wisked the Smiths
    to Disneyland in its corporate jet.  While FedEx normally delivers packages,
     not people, Disney and FedEx recently formed a long- term relationship
    that makes FedEx the company's official express company.
      At Disneyland, the family will be honored as grand marshals in the
    afternoon parade, treated to lunch at the park's Club 33 and, following
    a VIP Tour and dinner, checked into a luxury suite in the Disneyland
    Hotel.
      "Unbelievable," shouted Jenna.
      "We're going to Disneyland," squealed Mary Pat.  "This is the memory
    of a lifetime...we'll never forget this moment."
      After a night's rest, the family will return to Walt Disney World
    Resort for the rest of their week-long vacation.
                             -----
      ONE BILLION.  It's nine plus nine zeros.  A thousand million.  One-
    fifth of the Earth's population.
      Disney theme parks worldwide celebrated this significant attendance
    milestone at the seven Disney playgrounds -- Disneyland; Magic Kingdom,
    Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World Resort; Euro Disney
    and Tokyo Disneyland.
      "A billion visits represents a lot of smiles and happiness," said
    Walt Disney Attractions President Judson Green.  "They represent millions of
    children who have realized their dreams, and millions of adults who
    were able to feel like children again."
      From heads of state to the stars of stage, screen and television, almost
    four decades of VIPs have signed the guest book at Disneyland. Opening
    Day stars included Art Linkletter, Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Sammy
    Davis, Jr., Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Danny Thomas and Roy Rogers and
    DaleEvans.
      Disneyland has grown from 18 attractions in five themed lands in 1955
    to more than 60 attractions in eight lands today.
      Walt Disney World Resort created a stir with its grand opening in
    October 1971, with a "who's who" guest list of American entertainment and
    business.  In more than two decades the park has hosted luminaries
    including five U.S. presidents -- Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy
    Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, world leaders, astronauts and
    cosmonauts, sports heroes and film and TV stars.
      The premiers of Epcot (1982) and the Disney-MGM Studios (1989) have
    tripled the Vacation Kingdom's theme park adventures.
      The magic of Disney moved to Japan, with the opening of Tokyo
    Disneyland
    in 1983.  The popular attractions and restaurants from the U.S. Disney
    parks were won rave reviews, as well as several new attractions created
    just for the park.
      Euro Disney continued the tradition with its opening in 1992.  From
    29 attractions and adventures at opening, the park now offers 35, and is
    Europe's leading travel destination.
      "The Disney theme parks truly are a part of our culture," said Green.
    "Mickey Mouse is recognized in all corners of the world and stands for
    the finest in family entertainment."
      Federal Express also presents Space Mountain at both the Walt Disney
    World Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
      

    According to one of our UK newspapers the billionth visitor to WDW
    went through their gates, possibly yesterday. Their prize was a flight
    on a "private jet" to LA, a day at WDL and then flown back to Florida.
    Presumably it was their corporate jet.
    
    Not bad though.
    
    
    				Dave

    I heard that they also received lifetime passes to any Disney park.
    Anyone else hear that?  And we were so close, we were there last
    week!

 DISNEY ROILED AFTER DISMISSAL; UNCERTAINTY IS SEEN WITHOUT KATZENBERG

Reprinted without permission from the N.Y. Times News Service
    
By BERNARD WEINRAUB with GERALDINE FABRIKANT
c.1994 N.Y. Times News Service
   HOLLYWOOD - In a decade, Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg
transformed the slumbering Walt Disney Co. into an $8.5 billion
entertainment giant whose success has seemed magical. Investors surged to
the company, and its stock price multiplied. Its top executives were
lavishly rewarded. Eisner, the chairman, earned more than $203 million
last year.
   And this year Disney is enjoying the most profitable film ever, ``The
Lion King,'' the top-rated television show, ``Home Improvement,'' and the
most successful musical on Broadway, ``Beauty and the Beast.''
   But three weeks ago Eisner shocked the entertainment industry by denying
Katzenberg's request for a promotion to the No. 2 position at the company
and essentially dismissing Katzenberg, his longtime colleague and ally.
   Now Disney is suffering the consequences.
   Without Katzenberg, the studio division that was the most profitable in
Hollywood and the star performer at Disney in recent years has been nearly
paralyzed, according to Disney studio executives and Hollywood producers
and agents. And the company has been embarrassed as Eisner and Katzenberg
have lashed out at each other.
   Entertainment executives in Hollywood and New York are watching Disney
as if passing a car wreck, shocked that such a dazzling team could come to
such an end.
   Since Katzenberg's departure, an animated movie in production, ``The
Hunchback of Notre Dame,'' has been delayed, according to Disney
executives. The theater division that Katzenberg also ran, which is
responsible for ``Beauty and the Beast,'' is leaderless.
   And there is uncertainty about the timing of the show's openings and the
shape of future theatrical projects like ``Aida'' (with music by Elton
John).
   Katzenberg's efforts to sign a superstar, Janet Jackson or Whitney
Houston, to record songs for Disney's next animated film, ``Pocahontas,''
due next summer, have been halted.
   Several Katzenberg projects have been discarded and Disney executives
have been told that the company plans to halve the number of films it
makes each year.
   One of Disney's newest and most profitable divisions, interactive games,
which was also run by Katzenberg, is now rudderless as the holiday season
approaches.
   And the producers of several coming Disney films said the marketing side
of the company seemed crippled. Katzenberg was especially good at using
Disney characters in profitable merchandising ventures.
   ``It's an incredibly distressed organization,'' said one top producer
with a Disney film set for release. ``When someone as powerful as Jeffrey
leaves, insecurity in the ranks takes a tremendous toll.''
   Even Disney's interest in acquiring the NBC television network from
General Electric - Eisner is in New York for talks with network officials
and others - has been shadowed by the departure.
    
    Moderator's Note - It appears that Eisner has broken off talks with 
    GE over the acquisition of the NBC network.
    
   ``Losing Katzenberg was like losing an important piece of manpower,''
said Emanuel Gerard, of the investment firm Gerard Klauer Mattison. ``If
you go out and buy a network at a time when you are restructuring
management, it puts a lot of pressure on management.''
   Then there was the remarkable animus between two men who were once
allies. The anger is so intense that Katzenberg has been told that he will
not be welcome next month at the London premiere of ``The Lion King,'' at
which John, the composer of the score, wanted to have a party for him.
   Animators at the studio who sought to hold a farewell party for
Katzenberg were barred from doing so by Eisner. Moreover, Katzenberg has
been told to leave his office at the studio as quickly as possible.
   Perhaps most cutting for Katzenberg, Eisner has sought to diminish the
impact of his role in animation and even taken some credit for the new
film ``Quiz Show,'' approved by Katzenberg.
   ( Eisner has said that he saw a PBS special on the quiz show scandals,
and told Katzenberg to get a movie script on the subject. Actually, Robert
Redford, the director, and Barry Levinson and his former partner, Mark
Johnson, were largely responsible for the idea for the film.)
   The level of genuine rage now between Eisner and Katzenberg hardly
diminishes their extraordinary success. Taking over the moribund company
with Frank G. Wells in 1984, the men built an empire embracing theme
parks, stores, hotels, publishing, sports and, notably, films and
television.
   Except for ``Jurassic Park,'' which was made by Universal Pictures, the
highest grossing films in history are from Disney - ``The Lion King,''
``Aladdin'' and ``Beauty and the Beast.''
   Revenues climbed to $8.5 billion last year, from $1.45 billion in 1984.
Shares of Disney closed at $40.25 yesterday, down 50 cents on the day, but
up from $3 in 1983. (The company's main problem in recent years has been
theme parks, notably Euro Disney, near Paris.)
   Eisner oversaw the growth of the whole company, from its theme parks to
its stores to its films. Katzenberg ran the movie side of the company,
including animation; was responsible for Disney's Broadway musicals;
dominated Disney's successful television production with hits like ``Home
Improvement,'' and, perhaps most important, had the sheer force of
personality to energize Disney's merchandising worldwide of products
spawned by animated films.
   ``The Lion King,'' for example, is expected to earn $1 billion
worldwide, partly because of its merchandising and video success.
   Certainly Katzenberg's record was flawed. He oversaw dozens of movies in
the last two years that were duds. There have been exceptions like ``The
Joy Luck Club'' and ``Quiz Show.'' But other films like ``Hocus Pocus''
and ``Life with Mikey'' embarrassed Eisner.
   Moreover, Eisner has made it plain that he saw Katzenberg's efforts to
rise within the company as too aggressive. Eisner believed that the studio
chief had made a mistake in not only taking over animation from Roy E.
Disney, the vice chairman of the company and nephew of Walt Disney, but
brushing him aside.
   (Katzenberg's allies say Roy Disney spent long periods on golfing trips
in Ireland and was barely visible at the studio).
   In fact, Eisner's dissatisfaction with Katzenberg's aggressive style is
among the roots of their rift. Others include Eisner's unhappiness with
the studio's non-animated films and the sense that his protege was
crowding him.
   Katzenberg's responsibilities have been divided by Eisner, who appointed
Joe Roth, former chairman of 20th Century Fox, to run the nonanimated
movie business. Roth's mandate is to reduce the number of films to 20 or
25, from 40.
   Eisner also promoted Richard Frank, former president of the Walt Disney
Studios, to the newly created job of head of television and
telecommunications. As for the pivotal job of head of animation, Eisner
has chosen to take charge himself.
   Eisner's move involving animation was highly unusual, given his
responsibilities as chairman and the fact that he is recovering from heart
surgery in July.
   Except for some weight loss, Eisner, 52, seems vigorous and healthy. But
several Disney officials said Eisner could hardly replicate Katzenberg's
schedule of spending two or three hours a day, five days a week, on
animation.
   Eisner has denied that the departure of Katzenberg, 43, came about
because Eisner viewed Katzenberg as a threat. Instead, Eisner has told
friends, the growth of the company during the last 10 years required him
to decentralize the organization.
   He began planning to overhaul Disney's structure about two years ago, he
has said, and Katzenberg's days were numbered since then.
   Eisner has said that he is taking his model, in part, from William
Paley, who successfully ran CBS for 30 years ``and kept re-inventing it.''
That means new people, old people taking new jobs, moving people almost in
the Japanese style, he has told associates.
   Yet top-level studio executives at Disney said that dividing
Katzenberg's responsibilities had proven far more difficult than Eisner
had expected, and there was great confusion at the studio.
   Privately, the animus between Eisner and Katzenberg seems boundless.
Both men declined to comment publicly. But Eisner angrily told a staff
meeting last Monday that he was sick of hearing about Katzenberg.
   ``I don't want to hear any more about who is happy and who is unhappy
and who is staying and who is leaving,'' Eisner told his staff.
   He added that Katzenberg would probably run a studio or high-technology
entertainment company or ``run his deli - I don't know what he's going to
run.'' The reference was to Dive, the restaurant in Century City, Calif.,
that Katzenberg owns with Steven Spielberg.
   Eisner has also said that he failed to promote Katzenberg - and
essentially ousted him - because the quality of non-animated films
produced by the studio in recent years had been embarrassing.
   Eisner also told associates that it was incomprehensible that he could
promote Katzenberg to the No. 2 job at the company - replacing Wells, the
president and chief operating officer, who died in a helicopter accident
in April.
   Eisner has gone so far as to say on various occasions that Katzenberg's
lack of a college education and his ownership of the restaurant worked
against his promotion to the Wells job. ( Eisner graduated from Denison
University in Granville, Ohio, in 1964.)
   Of Katzenberg's departure, Frank, who now heads the television and
telecommunications divisions, said the feelings at the company were mixed.
``There's a little bit of an adrenalin rush for people,'' he said. ``The
feeling is, `Let's go out and do it ourselves now; let's prove what we can
do.' ''
   But Frank said he missed Katzenberg. ``There's been a wrenching away,''
he said. ``Frank Wells died. Now Jeffrey's gone. The family's been broken
up.''
   

   ERIC JACOBSON APPOINTED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, WALT DISNEY IMAGINEER


  GLENDALE, Calif., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI)
today announced that Eric Jacobson, executive designer, has been promoted
to senior vice president, effective immediately.
  WDI is responsible for the creation, design and building of all
Disney Theme Parks worldwide.
  A native of San Gabriel, Calif., Jacobson is one of WDI's key
creative executives heading major Walt Disney World (WDW) attractions. Two
of the major projects he led creatively open officially this week at the
Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, Fla.  They are "The Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror(TM)," a major thrill adventure, and "Sunset
Boulevard," a broad thoroughfare filled with Hollywood-themed shopping and
dining experiences.
  Other upcoming WDW attractions Jacobson is responsible for
include "The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter" and the "Transportarium"
time-travel adventure, both for a newly themed Tomorrowland at the Magic
Kingdom, and Blizzard Beach, the resort's third water adventure park. He is
also responsible for continuing expansions and enhancements of the
Typhoon Lagoon and River Country water parks and the Pleasure Island
nighttime entertainment venue.
  "Eric Jacobson has been one of Disney's creative leaders in the
theme park world for more than a decade," said Martin A. Sklar, WDI
president.
"He has a wonderful working relationship with talent both inside
and outside Imagineering -- from the Jim Henson organization to the
Rod Serling family.  This promotion recognizes his current and future
leadership role."
  After attending USC and Pasadena's Art Center College of
Design, Jacobson began his Disney career in 1975 as a designer in the Creative
Entertainment Division at Disneyland.  Three years later, he
transferred to WDI to work on Epcot where he designed and built models,
supervised the show quality of Disney "Audio-Animatronics(R)" figures, and
directed general show aesthetics.
  Following Epcot's opening in 1982, he was production designer
of "Audio-Animatronics" figures for Tokyo Disneyland.  His
involvement with the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida began with the project's
inception in the mid-1980s.  As show producer of "The Great Movie Ride," he
headed a large design team for over three years.  During that period, he
learned a great amount of movie history, which remains a prevailing
interest for him.
  Since the opening of the Disney-MGM Studios, Jacobson has
overseen the addition of new attractions, restaurants and
merchandise locations.
These include "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure,"
"Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D" and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.
Jacobson makes his home in Glendale.

    Heard on the radio this morning that Katzenberg is teaming up with
    Steven Spielberg to form their own production company.  They'll
    be focusing mostly on animated features.
    
    Pam

    That's not how I heard it on the news last night - but I was very
    tired!  Spielberg, Katzenberg and some other guy I didn't recognize
    have formed their own production company which will concentrate on
    features and music CDs.  Again, I was sleepy (fell asleep just after
    the opening of Letterman - "From New York, the city with enough cracks in
    the sidewalks to break the backs of all mothers" or some such!), but I
    was surprised that I didn't hear them mention animation.  I probably 
    missed it!  Anyone else watch channel 7 in Boston?
    
    
    Susan

    
    The third person is David Geffen, billionaire record producer.
    Spielberg is said to be worth 400-500 Million and Katzenberg is
    merely a multi-millionaire.
    

      Report Katzenberg, Spielberg,Geffen To Form Entertainment Co

 
   LOS ANGELES -AP- Three of Hollywood's most powerful 
players - former studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, filmmaker 
Steven Spielberg and record industry leader David Geffen - 
are forming a company to compete with the major studios, the 
Los Angeles Times reports. 
   Katzenberg, who headed Walt Disney Studios until last 
month, will announce plans for the venture at a Beverly 
Hills news conference Wednesday, unidentified industry 
sources told the Times. 
   Katzenberg is well-known as the tenacious studio chief 
behind film hits such as "The Lion King" and "The Little 
Mermaid." 
   One of the new company's priorities is expected to be 
animation. Katzenberg is credited with helping revive 
Disney's enormously profitable animation franchise. 
Spielberg has produced animated hits such as "Who Framed 
Roger Rabbit?" and "An American Tail." 
   The new company is expected to compete with Disney. 
   Katzenberg will run the new firm. The precise nature and 
extent of Spielberg and Geffen's involvement in management 
of the company is not known, the Times reported in 
Wednesday's editions. 
   The company's financial backing is unclear, though 
Katzenberg recently returned from a round of meetings with 
prospective investors in New York, the newspaper said. 
   Sources speculated that Geffen, whose net worth is said 
to be nearly $1 billion, may be a backer. Spielberg, said to 
be worth more than $600 million, could also invest in the 
company. 
  Katzenberg will run the new firm. The precise nature and extent of
Spielberg and Geffen's involvement in management of the company is not
known, the Times reported in Wednesday's editions. 
  Spielberg is coming off a year in which he directed 1993's most popular
and most honored movies, respectively - 'Jurassic Park' and 'Schindler's
List.' 
  Geffen is considered a record industry legend for his success with acts
ranging from John Lennon and Elton John to Nirvana. 
  Katzenberg has been searching for his next venture since August, when he
was forced out of Disney after a bitter falling out with Walt Disney Co.
chairman Michael D. Eisner. 
  After 10 years at Disney, Katzenberg's split with Eisner came over his
failed campaign to be named president and chief operating officer of the
company, a job vacated when longtime executive Frank G. Wells died last
April. 
  Katzenberg and Spielberg are partners in a successful restaurant venture.

  Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment production company is based at Universal
Pictures under a nonexclusive deal. It is unknown if his involvement in
the new company will affect that relationship, the newspaper reported. 
  Geffen is also tied to Universal's parent, MCA Inc. - after selling his
Geffen Records to MCA in a deal that netted him more than 700 million
dlrs. In addition, Geffen has a movie deal with Warner Bros. His next
release is the upcoming Tom Cruise movie, 'Interview With the Vampire.' 

Headline:   AL WEISS PROMOTED TO TOP WALT DISNEY WORLD POST 


  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Al Weiss has been
promoted to executive vice president of Walt Disney World, it was
announced today by Judson Green, president of Walt Disney Attractions.
  The 40-year-old Weiss will assume leadership of the entire Walt Disney
World resort destination including its three theme parks, five gated
resort attractions, five tournament golf courses and 23 themed resorts. 
He will be responsible for all park and resort operations, entertainment,
finance, marketing and sales as well as future attractions, resorts and
theme park creation.
  Weiss joins Paul Pressler, recently named president of the Disneyland
Resort, Tom Elrod, president of Walt Disney Attractions Marketing and
Entertainment, and Eddie Carpenter, president of Disneyland International
and chief financial officer of Walt Disney Attractions, on the Attractions
executive management team.
  Weiss moves into his new role from his position as executive vice
president of Walt Disney World Resorts where he had overall responsibility
for the day-to-day operation of the Disney owned and operated resort
hotels and resort attractions as well as landlord for the non-Disney
resort hotels located on the Disney site.  He began his Disney career in
the vacation destination's accounting unit in 1972 during the resort's
first year of operation.
  "Al Weiss has proven himself at every step of his career at Walt Disney
World.  He has accepted and excelled at every challenge we have given
him," said Green.  "Having Al as the top Walt Disney World executive will
enable us to focus on the opportunities by which Walt Disney World can
maintain its position as the number one vacation destination in the world.
 He gives us a firm, hands-on leader to guide the resort to realize its
full potential."
  Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney
Co. (NYSE: DIS), said, "We think that installing Al Weiss as the
management and creative leader of Walt Disney World is vital to the growth
of the business.  In him, we have a strong individual who is part of the
Disney culture, who shares our creative vision and who can achieve our
financial goals.  I am confident he will grow Walt Disney World while
maintaining the special value, integrity, uniqueness and quality that have
been Disney hallmarks through the years."
  Weiss has held a series of positions during his 22-year Disney career
including finance manager for marketing and entertainment, division
manager for the Disney Village Marketplace, Disney's Village Resort, Fort
Wilderness Resort and River Country, vice president, Resort Finance and
Planning and vice president, Resort Operations Support.
  He took his first Disney job while he was still a student at the
University of Central Florida where he earned a bachelor of science degree
in accounting.  He received an MBA from Rollins College in 1980.
  A native of Illinois, Weiss is married and has two children.  They live
in Kissimmee, Fla.
  The Walt Disney World resort is located on 30,000 acres southwest of
Orlando, Fla.  It consists of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and
Disney-MGM theme parks, the River Country, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard
Beach water parks, the Pleasure Island nightclub complex, the Disney
Village Marketplace, five championship golf courses, 600,000-square-feet
of meeting and convention space, and 22 resort hotels with 20,815 rooms
and a campground with 784 campsites (13 resort hotels with 15,025 rooms
and the 784-site camping area are Disney owned and operated).

Headline:   Disney Legends honored in studio ceremony 


  BURBANK, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Nov. 22, 1994--Adrianna Caselotti,
the voice of Snow White, and the late Frank G. Wells, former president and
chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Co., led the list of honorees
who received the 1994 Disney Legends Award Tuesday at The Walt Disney
Studios in Burbank.
  The two-foot-tall bronze award, which signifies imagination, creativity
and magic, the attributes of a Disney Legend, was presented at a ceremony
presided over by Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive officer of
The Walt Disney Co., and Roy Disney, vice chairman of the board.
  Caselotti originated the voice of Snow White in 1937 in Disney's first
feature-length animated film, the classic "Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs."
  Just 18 years old at the time, Caselotti was the first of 150 girls
tested for the role.  The selection was made by Walt Disney who listened
to each sing and speak while he sat behind a screen so as not to be
influenced by the girls' physical appearance.  Caselotti's voice perfectly
captured the natural sweetness and innocence he was seeking for the
character.
  The Disney Legends Award was posthumously presented to Frank G. Wells,
The Walt Disney Co.'s former president and COO, who was killed in a
helicopter accident on April 3, 1994, near Elko, Nev. Wells joined the
Disney organization in September 1984, and spent nearly 10 years, along
with Eisner, guiding the entertainment company to unprecedented success.
  Wells' wife, Luanne, accepted the Disney Legends Award on his behalf.
  In addition to Caselotti and Wells, recipients of the 1994 Disney Legends
Award included 38-year Disneyland veteran, Jack Lindquist, recently
retired president of the Anaheim-based theme park; Bill Cottrell, a
53-year employee whose film-production credits as a sequence director and
story writer include "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Pinocchio,"
"Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan," in addition to serving as president
of RETLAW, the Walt Disney family corporation; David Hand (posthumous),
director of many of Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon shorts including
"Three Orphan Kittens," for which he won an Academy Award; Marvin Davis,
art director and designer who worked on the master plan for Disneyland as
well as working in Disney motion pictures and television, winning an Emmy
Award for the art direction and scenic design for Walt Disney's "Wonderful
World of Color" television series.
  Also honored was Paul Smith (posthumous), Academy Award winning
"Pinocchio" composer who also scored such Disney classics as "Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs," "Cinderella" and "Song of the South"; Bill Martin,
art director and project designer for such Disneyland attractions as
Sleeping Beauty Castle, Peter Pan's Flight, the Monorail, Submarine
Voyage, the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean; and Van Arsdale
France, founder and retired Professor Emeritus of The Disney Universities,
the company's key employee training, management and leadership development
division.
  In addition to receiving the award, Caselotti, Lindquist, Cottrell,
Davis, Martin and France, ceremony attendees, were invited to establish a
permanent spot in Disney history by placing their hand prints and
signature in cement in front of The Walt Disney Studios Theater on the
Disney lot.
  Instituted in 1987, the Disney Legends Award Program honors individuals
once each year whose body of work has made a significant impact on the
Disney legacy.  The program is supervised by a Disney Legends Committee
representing various divisions of The Walt Disney Co.
  Previous honorees have included Fred MacMurray, Julie Andrews, Fess
Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Annette Funicello and Disney's legendary "Nine Old
Men," all key animators in the majority of the studio's classic animated
films.

           CONTACT:  The Walt Disney Co., Burbank
                     Lorraine Santoli, 818/972-5132
14:59 ET   NOV 22, 1994




Headline:   SIDNEY POITIER ELECTED TO DISNEY BOARD OF DIRECTORS 


  BURBANK, Calif., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Acclaimed actor-director- writer
Sidney Poitier has been elected to the board of directors of The Walt
Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) it was announced today by Michael D. Eisner,
chairman and chief executive officer.
  The Academy Award-winning entertainer will fill the unexpired term held
by the late Frank G. Wells, who served as Disney's president and chief
operating officer until his death in a helicopter crash last April.  The
term runs until the annual stockholders' meeting in February.
  The first African-American to be a leading man in mainstream motion
pictures, Poitier, 67, has been one of the entertainment industry's most
respected figures for nearly four decades.  He was knighted by Queen
Elizabeth II in 1968.
  Nominated for an Oscar in 1958 for his role in "The Defiant Ones,"
Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor five years later for his
leading role in "Lilies of the Field."
  "The world knows Sidney Poitier as a superb actor and a true artist,"
said Eisner.  "But Sidney's talent is more than screen deep. His election
to our board brings us not only his exhaustive knowledge of the
entertainment industry but the judgment and wisdom of an exceptional
man."
  Born in Miami, Poitier grew up on Cat Island in the Bahamas, where his
parents owned a tomato farm.  After Army service during World War II, he
worked as a janitor at the American Negro Theater in return for acting
lessons.  His first professional role was on the stage in "Lysistrata",
and his first Broadway role was in "A Raisin in the Sun," which later
became a movie in which he starred.
  Poitier has starred in 40 films and two TV mini-series -- the most recent
being "Children of the Dust," a mini-series released this year. He
directed nine shows and has written four.
  He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Sarah Lawrence College, the
University of Miami and Morehouse College.  He has received the American
Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, five NAACP Image Awards, a
Golden Bear Award from the Berlin Film Festival, a Venice Film Festival
Award, and the Georgi Cini Cultural Foundation Award.
  He is chief executive officer of Verdon-Cedric Productions, co-president
of First Artists Productions Ltd., and serves on the board of
SpectraVision Inc.
  Poitier is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of
America, Writers Guild of America, the American Film Institute, the
American Museum of the Moving Image, and 100 Black Men of Los Angeles. He
is on advisory committees for New York University's Tisch School of the
Arts, Sarah Lawrence College, University of Southern California School of
Cinema-Television, Buckley School, and Harvard AIDS Institute.
  In addition, he belongs to numerous civic organizations, including the
Algebra Project, the Carter Center, Children's Defense Fund, Children's
Diabetes Foundation, Crittendon Center, Cities in Schools, Education
First, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Natural Resources Defense
Council, Southern Christian Leadership Center, TransAfricia and the Urban
League.
  He is married to Joanna Shimkus Poitier.  He has six children and three
grandchildren.
  /CONTACT:  John Dreyer of Walt Disney, 818-560-5400/
16:23 EST



Headline: Disney 4Q Beats Consensus Views: Outlook Appears Bright

 
   By Thomas Granahan 
   Dow Jones Staff Reporter 
 
  NEW YORK (AP-DJ)-- Fueled by strong growth in its filmed entertainment
and consumer products divisions, Walt Disney Co. (DIS) posted
fourth-quarter results better than Wall Street's expectations. 
  Revenues from Disney's filmed entertainment segment jumped 43% to 1.26
billion dlrs, largely on the back of the tremendous success of 'The Lion
King,' Disney's most successful feature ever. 
  Consumer products revenue increased 36% to 489.8 million dlrs, helped by
film character merchandise and records, mostly from 'The Lion King.' 
  Of some concern to the company and industry analysts, however, is the
performance within Disney's theme parks and resorts segment. The division
posted fourth-quarter sales of 950 million dlrs, basically unchanged from
the year-earlier period. Operating income for the segment fell 18% to
153.3 million dlrs. 
  'We're seeing some indications that the theme park business is doing...
less bad,' said Drew Marcus, who covers Disney for Alex. Brown & Sons Inc.
'Attendance is still weak, but hotel occupancy numbers are solid.' 
  In a press release, Disney said lower operating income for the theme
parks segment resulted primarily from a decline in international tourist
visitation, in addition to the write-off of certain development costs
associated with Disney America. 
  Marcus, who rates Disney shares 'strong buy,' had been looking for
fourth-quarter earnings of 40 cents. 
  As reported, the company posted overall net income of 42 cents for the
period, which included a restructuring charge for Euro Disney and the
write-off from Disney America. 
  'They were about a penny higher in all three divisions, and a slightly
lower tax rate added another 2 cents,' Marcus said. 
  Jill Krutick, an analyst at Smith Barney Inc., said the results were in
line with expectations, and added that recent trends suggest a turnaround
at the theme parks. She also said that, looking ahead to 1995, comparisons
at the theme parks should improve, and she thinks an increase in theme
park operating income of at least 8% next year is possible. 
  The analyst raised her rating on Disney shares earlier today to 'buy'
from 'neutral.' 
  An I/B/E/S Inc. survey of 17 analysts reflected a mean earnings estimate
for Disney's fourth quarter of 39 cents a share. 
  In a broadly lower market, Disney shares were up 1 1/8, or 2.7%, at 43
1/2 on composite volume of 2.5 million. Average daily volume is 1.4
million. 
  Disney's once-highflying shares have traded diffidently as the company
was roiled by bad news about losses at its Euro Disney SCA affiliate, weak
domestic theme park attendance and management strife. 
  Still the company Tuesday reported record fourth-quarter earnings as
successful animated films and videos offset the impact of lower theme-park
attendance. 
  The results slightly exceeded analysts expectations, and Disney shares
bucked the overall down-market trend by closing at 43 dlrs a share, up
62.5 cents in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. 
  Net income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 225.9 million dlrs, or 42
cents a share, compared with a loss of 77.7 million dlrs, or 15 cents a
share, a year earlier. Disney's 1993 fourth-quarter results were hurt by a
414.5-mln-dlr loss related to its investment in Euro Disney, including a
350-mln-dlr charge. Before Euro Disney reserves and the effect of a
tax-law change in the year-earlier period, Disney's net income climbed
38%. 
  For the latest fourth quarter, Disney reported a 57.6-mln-dlr loss on its
40% share of the equity of Euro Disney. The resort, which now is
24.6%-owned by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, last
month reported a loss for the fiscal year of 346.7 million dlrs. 
  Revenue for the quarter rose 24% to 2.7 billion dlrs from 2.17 billion
dlrs. 
  Disney has taken on a different complexion in recent years as home-video
profits and animated films have had to compensate for a stalled theme-park
business that once dominated profits. The Orlando Sentinel recently cited
internal documents revealing that Disney, which doesn't disclose
attendance figures, has seen attendance decline at Walt Disney World by
nearly one million a year to 28.9 million this year, from 33.7 million
dlrs in 1991. 
  Accordingly, while revenue for Disney's theme park segment was flat,
operating profit decreased 18% to 155.3 million dlrs for the quarter.
Disney blamed a declining number of tourists from abroad and the write-off
of development costs related to Disney's aborted plans to build a
historically themed park, Disney's America, near the Manassas battlefield
in Virginia. Disney has said it will seek another site. 
  But in the fourth quarter 'The Lion King' roared, even though the film's
single biggest market won't even be tapped until next March when the home
video is released. Disney's most successful film ever, the animated
feature contributed to a 98% boost in operating profit for the filmed
entertainment division to 188.5 million dlrs from 95 million dlrs. 
  'Lion King' merchandise and music sales helped the company's consumer
products unit to post a 33% increase in quarterly operating profit to 94.8
million dlrs. Other films that contributed to growth in home video and
international markets were 'Aladdin' and 'The Return of Jafar,' along with
several 'classic' films from Disney vaults like 'Bambi' and 'The Jungle
Book.' 
  Analysts are sanguine about coming entertainment prospects, and some are
hopeful about improved theme-park performance as well. 'Disney's stock
price has languished because as the films were chronically better and the
theme parks chronically worse, the investment community was uncomfortable
with the increasing dependence on filmed entertainment,' said Richard
Simon, analyst at Goldman, Sachs. 'But the dependence on film is good.
Consumer products will perform in a machine-like way, filmed entertainment
will continue to do well into 1996 and the theme parks have the potential
to surprise rather than to disappoint.' 
  For all of fiscal 1994, Disney's revenue rose 18% to 10.1 billion dlrs
and operating profit grew 14% to 1.97 billion dlrs. Net income increased
25% to 1.11 billion dlrs, or 2.04 dlrs a share, compared with 890 million,
or 1.63 dlrs a share, before Euro Disney reserves and the effect of
accounting changes in the prior year. 
  The first quarter of fiscal 1995 will reflect much of the video release
in the U.S. of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' with sales that could
exceed 25 million units. And Disney's desultory performance in recent live
action movies got a reversal this month with the successful opening of
'The Santa Clause.' 
  (END) AP-DOW JONES NEWS 23-11-94
  0511GMT

     MIAMI, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday evening, December 15, Parrot
    Jungle and Gardens will host the exclusive South Florida preview of
    Walt Disney Pictures' "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book," a new live-
    action feature film for the whole family.  All proceeds from the
    preview will benefit the Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee
    Conservation and the American Zoological and Aquarium Association.
    
     Based on the beloved animated classic "The Jungle Book," comes this
    all-new live-action updating of the film favorite about a young boy
    named Mowgli (Jason Scott Lee) who is raised by wild animals and learns to
    follow nature's laws.  Cary Elwes, Lena Headey, Sam Neill and John Cleese
    also star.  A Walt Disney Pictures presentation, "Rudyard Kipling's The
    Jungle Book" is directed by Stephen Sommers from a screenplay by Sommers
    and Ronald Yanover & Mark D. Geldman, and a story by Ronald Yanover & Mark
    D. Geldman, based on characters from "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling.
     Produced by Edward S. Feldman and Raju Patel, the executive producers
    are Sharad Patel, Mark Damon and Lawrence Mortorff.  Buena Vista Pictures
    distributes.

                Tim Allen: Disney's New Mickey Mouse
       
     (reprinted without permission)
     By Thomas R. King   Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal


  Walt Disney Co. gave actor Tim Allen his Christmas gift a little early
this year: Porsche's new Carrera 4, a four-wheel-drive sports car that's
just now arriving in U.S. showrooms.
  "We have a policy that anybody who has a No. 1 movie, a No. 1 book and a
No. 1 TV show gets a car," says Michael Eisner, Disney's chairman and
chief executive, with a laugh. "We were just fulfilling corporate
policy."
  But then, Disney has already gotten its share of presents from Mr. Allen.
Not only is his Disney-produced TV show "Home Improvement" at the top of
the ratings, but his Disney-produced movie "The Santa Clause" is expected
to be the No. 1 film of the holiday season. And his new book, "Don't Stand
Too Close to a Naked Man," a whimsical look at gender wars published by
Disney's Hyperion book unit, is at or near the top of several best-seller
lists.
  That's the kind of grand slam Hollywood studios dream about. What's
surprising to many is that Disney has found its slugger in the form of a
decidedly un-Hollywood, former stand-up comic from the Midwest who once
served jail time for peddling cocaine. But how long the honeymoon will
last remains a question: Mr. Allen has a certain comfort level at Disney,
but he doesn't have any exclusive longterm movie or book deal there, and
these days agents advise their clients to sell their services to the
highest bidder.
  Mr. Eisner declines to estimate how profitable Mr. Allen's projects will
be for Disney. They won't produce a bonanza on the order of "The Lion
King," whose world-wide film and video distribution has generated up to $1
billion, but the numbers are substantial nonetheless. "The Santa Clause,"
which cost a modest $18 million to make, had grossed through yesterday
about $85 million, which the studio will roughly split equally with
exhibitors. The studio will likely reap another windfall when it sells the
movie on videocassette next fall. Additional income will be generated when
the film plays in overseas theaters next year.
  The money is already pouring in from "Home Improvement," which in its
fourth season is estimated to be a $400 million property for Disney. Much
of that money comes from syndication sales: The show has generated the
second-highest per-episode fee in history. ("The Cosby Show" is still
king.) The book, for which Mr. Allen was paid a $1.6 million advance, is a
runaway bestseller, with 950,000 copies in print.
  What next?
  "I'm going to start gardening here," says Mr. Allen, 41 years old. "The
hibiscus bushes and ficus trees on the lot need trimming, and Eisner asked
if I'd work on the landscape crew."
  Seriously, though, Mr. Allen's success has propelled him to the upper
reaches of Hollywood stardom -- and his price tag on future projects will
jump accordingly. Disney hopes to use him in a variety of ways: Rich
Frank, chairman of Disney Television and Telecommunications, says he'd
like to involve Mr. Allen in the development of CD-ROM interactive games
for kids. Mr. Eisner has an idea, too: "Obviously he'd be great on
Broadway," the chairman says, pointing to one of Disney's newest business
ventures.
  What's making all this possible is "The Santa Clause." Mr. Allen has
successfully made the tricky transition from boob tube to silver screen --
a leap many TV celebrities fail to make. Disney executives and Mr. Allen's
managers say the movie has succeeded because Mr. Allen shrewdly chose a
role that's a variation of the popular "Home Improvement" character his
fans love.
  In fact, the film even includes a clever bit inspired by the series:
While walking through Santa's workshop, Mr. Allen grins after pausing
briefly to pick up a tool belt -- an obvious homage to "Home
Improvement."
  But therein may lie his biggest challenge. Just how much of a stretch Mr.
Allen can make as an actor is a matter of debate -- and audiences may soon
tire of the same old shtick. "It's something that we belabor every day,"
says Richard Baker, who, with Rick Messina, manages Mr. Allen's career. Of
constant concern, he says, is "whether it makes better business sense to
continue to play variations of that known popular character, or whether as
an artist it would be worthwhile for Tim to explore roles that are counter
to his type."
  Mr. Allen says he's been surprised by the number of film offers he's
received in recent weeks. He says he loves action-adventure and
science-fiction movies and dreams of playing a part in the next round of
"Star Wars" movies that George Lucas is now writing. "I might be too old,
I might be too funny, I might be too funny-looking," he says.
  "The incredible thing is that Tim knows who Tim is," Mr. Frank says. "I
think he'll want to try different types of roles . . . but I don't think
you'll see him show up in `Much Ado About Nothing.'"
  Meanwhile, Disney is trying to keep its star happy. Although Mr. Allen
says he has the utmost respect for the company, he won't say he's married
to Disney. He was a big fan of former studio boss Jeffrey Katzenberg, who
left Disney a few months ago following a rift with Mr. Eisner. "I'm sorry
he left Disney," Mr. Allen says. "Jeffrey was able to make a handshake
deal with me that was so unusual in this business."
  Disney does have Mr. Allen for at least another three years on "Home
Improvement," and that time-consuming schedule will make a full-scale
movie career nearly impossible. But beyond that his services may be up for
grabs. "I'm sure each of our competitors has eight scripts on their way to
him," Mr. Eisner says. Says Mr. Allen: "For all intents and purposes, I
want to continue this relationship. But I want to leave my options open,
too."
    

    From The Boston Globe, Monday, March 6, 1995
    Reprinted without permission
    
    Fumes at resort put 26 in hospital
    
    LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Noxious fumes from pool chemicals sent 26
    people at a Disney World resort to the hospital with nausea, coughing
    and breathing trouble.  Among those sickened when an employee added
    the wrong chemical to a holding tank at the Wilderness Lodge pool
    were 15 children.  Guests were swimming and lounging around the pool
    Saturday when the employee poured chlorine bleach into a holding tank
    meant for muriatic acid, used to adjust the acidity of the water.  (AP)

>    Saturday when the employee poured chlorine bleach into a holding tank
>    meant for muriatic acid, used to adjust the acidity of the water.  (AP)

  OK, you amateur chemists, what do you get when you mix chlorine and muriatic
acid? 

>> OK, you amateur chemists, what do you get when you mix chlorine and muriatic
>> acid? 

26 sick guests ;^)

          Headline: Sales Of `Lion King' Home Video Reach 20 Million


  By Thomas R. King
  Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
  BURBANK, Calif. -- The top executive at Walt Disney Co.'s home-video unit
said the company might sell more than 30 million copies of "The Lion King"
on videocassette.
  The animated movie has sold more than 20 million copies in its first six
days on sale, "shattering all retail sales records for any single product
in history," the company said. That's an incredible number considering
that the all-time best selling video movie is Disney's "Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs," which has sold about 25 million copies since its release
last October.
  "Sales of `Lion King' will beat `Snow White' this week," said Ann Daly,
president of Buena Vista Home Video. "Certainly I would say it is not
inconceivable that we could exceed 30 million."
  Sales at that level would add several hundred million dollars to Disney's
bottom line. In response to the news, Disney shares jumped $2.25 to close
at $56 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.
  "The Lion King" videocassette carries a suggested retail price of $26.99
and wholesales for an estimated $15.75. With 30 million units, the revenue
to the company would be more than $470 million. Each videocassette costs
about $3 to manufacture and perhaps $3 to market. So Disney's profit would
be in the neighborhood of $300 million in the U.S. alone. Disney said the
product has racked up more than $350 million in retail sales since the
product went on sale Feb. 28.
  The video is a big hit in part because of a well-timed promotional
campaign orchestrated by Disney's vaunted home-video distribution company.
But its release was also helped by recent publicity generated by the
movie's re-release in theaters this past Christmas as well as promotion
from a "Lion King Sing-Along-Songs" video that was released in January.
  It also didn't hurt that the movie recently garnered four Academy Award
nominations and had a song that picked up a Grammy Award last week. "The
title has very much been in the public eye," Ms. Daly said.
  Although Disney said it was pleasantly shocked at how well the movie was
selling, it apparently isn't going to have any trouble meeting the
bigger-than-expected demand. Two facilities at Technicolor are working
around the clock to produce about 600,000 copies a day.
  Competitors have tried for years to figure out how Disney wins in the
video arena, a terrifically competitive market for shelf space. But aside
from having appealing family product, the company scores because it deals
directly with major mass retailers -- not with middlemen, as its
competitors do. Disney also has developed its own proprietary forecasting
model to keep in contact with individual stores electronically on a daily
basis to distribute just the right amount of product.
  The video also is aided by two promotional tie-in partners, Mattel Inc.
and the Pillsbury unit of Grand Metropolitan Plc. Each is offering rebates
of $5 each. In addition, many retailers are heavily discounting the film,
even taking losses on it to attract customers. Disney says it has seen
pricing as low as $4.99.
  Disney is also adding some urgency to its sales campaign, advising that
the video is available for only a limited time. While that's true, it's
relative. The cassettes will be available from Disney until the spring of
1996. To date "The Lion King" has sold more than $740 million of tickets
at theaters world-wide.


**************************************
Headline: INVESTEXT REPORT: Walt Disney Company (the) 01/31/95, MERRILL LYNCH CAPITAL MARKETS


  COMPANY REPORT - number 1556588
  By Reif, J., et al
  Estimated Investext information units for report: 56.1   Words: 6585

  Results for FY:94 reflected a 20% decrease in international attendance at
the company's theme parks (caused by Florida crime, unfavorable exchange
rates, and weak European economies). Earnings for FY:95 are expected to
show signs of recovery. In the hotel sector, with 40% additional room
capacity brought on during 1994, advance bookings are running higher than
the previous year, at a double digit pace. Plans are to reach 20,000 rooms
from the 15,520 rooms that will be open by March 1995. In addition to live
shows based on Disney's animated films, the parks are refurbishing
existing attractions, such as Tomorrowland and Epcot Center, as well as
building major new attractions in each park. Twilight Zone: Tower of
Terror opened during the summer of 1994 at Disney World, and the new
Indiana Jones Adventure will open at Disneyland in March 1995.
                                         

 
  NEW YORK (AP-DJ)--Hoping to take advantage of America's changing
demographics, Walt Disney Co. (DIS) unveiled plans for a resort marketed
exclusively to adults and parents with older children. 
  Called the Disney Institute, the 457-room resort will be at the Walt
Disney World resort near Orlando, Fla. It is scheduled to open Feb. 9,
1996. 
  At a press conference in New York, the company said the Disney Institute
will offer Baby Boomers programs and activities in nine areas including
design, cooking, performing arts and sports and fitness. 
  Disney Institute will intentionally adopt a 'low-tech look' with grids of
tree-lined streets set around a central lake. 
  'We want our guests to feel as relaxed and secure as they do in their own
neighborhoods,' Disney Institute vice president Richard Hutton said in a
press release. 
  The complex, designed to accommodate up to 1,400 guests, will include an
amphitheater, cinema, 'broadcast-quality' performance center, sports and
fitness center and golf course. 
  Guests will pay between $551 and $706 for a minimum stay of three nights,
while a four-night stay will run between $735 and $941, based on double
occupancy. 
  Analysts said Disney Institute reflects the company's re-emphasis on
marketing to adult couples. 
  Smith Barney Inc.'s Jill Krutick said the resort will 'add another
dimension to the Disney experience,' letting the company tap into
additional revenue sources. 
  Disney Institute will draw people who typically would go to golf or
computer camps, for instance, over a weekend to learn or sharpen a skill,
said Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst at Seidler Cos. 
  At the same time, the resort will have 'enough of a recreational
component' to make it an attractive vacation site, Logsdon said. 
  Analysts said it was too early to determine the new resort's impact on
revenue or earnings. 
  A company spokesman declined to immediately provide revenue or attendance
projections. 
  Speaking at a news conference, Disney Chairman Michael Eisner said the
concept of the Disney Institute arose from a vist he made eight or nine
years ago to the Chautauqua Institute in Jamestown, N.Y. 
  Eisner also compared the Disney Institute to the Aspen Institute, a
center for humanistic sutdies set in the Colorado ski resort. 
  The Disney Institute will combine the company's traditional emphasis on
mass amusement with innovative, hands-on learning in a charming, relaxed
environment, Eisner said. 
  The Disney Institute has no plans to incorporate any of the company's
characters, according to Richard Hutton, a Disney vice president. 
  Hutton estimated that in the first year of operations about 80,000 people
would visit the new resort. He declined to give revenue or earnings
projections, citing corporate policy. 
  Eisner said the Disney Isntitute would become an important part of the
Disney ''landscape,'' but it would not be an ''economic engine'' of the
company. 
  Hutton said the cost of the resort's physical plant was about $35
million. He declined to provide further details of the project's total
cost. 
  The company said it would study plans to expand the Disney Institute in
Florida and other locations, depending on its success. 

     Preview Center opens for Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort 


  HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 1995--With Disney,
things often begin a little different, sometimes unusual or even
extraordinary, but one thing always stands out -- the element of fun and
the Disney magic.
  Wednesday, to mark the opening of Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort
Preview Center, guests arrived to be greeted by Royce Edmunds, who was
dressed in his favorite white outing suit, passed down from his
great-grandpa Thaddeus, who wore it proudly in the era following the Civil
War.
  Edmunds took hold of the large brass Mickey Mouse door handle to allow
guests entry to the new Preview Center building, which is located just off
Highway 278 at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island.
  The Preview Center is where vacation ownership sales now are underway for
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, a 102-unit resort currently under
construction on a 15-acre island -- Longview Island -- just across the
bridge in Shelter Cove Harbour.  The resort is scheduled for opening in
March 1996.
  Also under construction nearby is Disney's Beach House, which will be
only a few short steps away from the ocean via a private boardwalk.
  Now, all of this may sound ordinary so far...
  But, Edmunds, who has a passion for storytelling, is a Disney's
``character'' created for Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort anthology, a
charming story about his family, who for generations, have come to their
special second home -- Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort -- and created
years of exciting vacation memories he's more than willing to share.
  It is the Edmunds' family story, paying tribute to over 100 years of
Hilton Head Island's history and charm, that is helping the Disney
development team create a most unique mold for the new resort.  Part of
the story, that soon will become reality, is Adventure Island, a 60-acre
nature activities island that will be accessible only by boat and for use
by resort guests for a fee.  Adventure Island is located in Port Royal
Sound, about an hour from the resort site.
  The Preview Center also is notably different.  Guests enter a well-lit,
courtyard-style lobby and quickly stop to take in the view: a central
fireplace, wooden floors, lively and warm colors, seating that looks
in viting and wall murals sporting the lifestyle that has made Hilton Head
Island famous.
  A few Disney characters have been added to the scenario, too. Are there
any hidden Mickey Mouse silhouettes?  Of course.  You'll find them in the
wall murals, pictures and other places throughout the Preview Center.
  ``We've taken a lot of care to incorporate Hilton Head Island's rich
history and charm into the design of our Preview Center and planned
resort,'' said Bill Ernest, general manager for Disney's Hilton Head
Island Resort project.
  ``The resort will be themed in classic Carolina island-style
architecture; and the interior design will reflect the history, natural
features and attractions of the area, including Low Country heritage, the
pristine beach, world-class recreation, the environment and a fishing camp
theme from the 1940s and 1950s,'' he added.
  To the left of the Preview Center lobby is the theatre from where the
well-loved sounds of Hilton Head Island can be heard, including all of the
typical wildlife calls found in a natural island paradise. Here, Preview
Center guests will learn more about the new resort and Disney's commitment
to ``creating the best vacation experience ever.''
  To the lobby's right is a supervised Fun Center, a place where kids can
play and be entertained while their parents tour the Preview Center.
  The tour is informational, entertaining and low key; and Disney's
vacation club guides can custom design the tour to fit guests' time
constraints.
  For a one-time purchase price and annual dues, guests purchase a real
estate interest in Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort and automatically
become a member of the Disney Vacation Club.  Members receive an annual
allotment of vacation points that can be used for stays at the resort for
either one long vacation or a series of short getaways.  In addition,
members can exchange their reserved accommodations for stays at other
Disney Vacation Club resorts, select Disney hotels or at more than 100
premium resorts worldwide.
  Minimum purchase price currently is $12,915 and ownership continues until
the year 2042.
  Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is a Disney Vacation Club ownership
resort.  Currently, there is a Disney Vacation Club Resort at Walt Disney
World near Orlando, Fla., and another one under construction -- Disney's
Vero Beach Resort -- near Vero Beach, Fla. The resorts are owned by Disney
Vacation Development Inc., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co.

     Stalwart Disney Is Roiled    By Defections


  By Thomas R. King and John Lippman
  Staff Reporters of The Wall Street Journal
  Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael D. Eisner is running a company whose
business couldn't be better: There are record home-video sales, a hot new
theme-park ride, a slate of movies that's the envy of Hollywood and a
stock at a historic high.
  So why have some top executives been running for the exits?
  Late Friday, Richard H. Frank, chairman of Walt Disney Television and
Telecommunications, stepped down after becoming increasingly frustrated
with Mr. Eisner. His departure follows that of Walt Disney Studios
Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, who quit last August after an acrimonious and
public falling out with Mr. Eisner, who refused to promote him. Mr. Frank
will be succeeded by Dennis F. Hightower, a top Disney consumer products
executive with no television experience.
  Underneath the veneer of Disney's well-oiled money and publicity machine,
its management ranks are roiling. Over the past 18 months, nearly 20 key
executives have left or changed roles; a few have died. What's more, the
company was dealt a severe blow when Frank Wells, president and chief
operating officer, was killed in a helicopter accident last April.
  Once proud of its management stability, Walt Disney is in the throes of
executive turnover unusual even by Hollywood standards. People in the
company say that several high-level division executives have told
colleagues they plan to leave when their contracts expire.
  Many people in the industry point at one man: Mr. Eisner. Some see the
departures as evidence that Mr. Eisner's carefully crafted image as a
charming, creative and effervescent "idea guy" may be just that -- an
image. Messrs. Wells and Katzenberg, some people at the company say,
helped maintain that persona and served as a buffer between Mr. Eisner and
the troops. But now the company's operating heads are dealing directly
with Mr. Eisner, a chief executive who some critics say appears to be
increasingly isolated as he enters his second decade at the entertainment
giant.
  "If all of a sudden people think I'm not the goofy little '70s executive
with unkempt hair standing on a sound stage, that may be," Mr. Eisner
says. "But I have a different job today. My job is to keep the quality and
the vision of our company intact." So far his judgment has been
impeccable, taking a sleepy studio in 1984 and transforming it into one of
the country's most profitable corporations.
  Mr. Eisner puts no special import on the rash of defections. "One of
these men worked for me for 18 years, the other for 19 years," he says.
"It's hard to say that nobody can work for me. I've had many close
relationships with very little turnover throughout my career. This is not
an issue."
  But others say the executive turnover reveals fissures at "Team Disney."
  David Geffen, who began the DreamWorks entertainment company with Mr.
Katzenberg and director Steven Spielberg, compares the exodus to that at
Paramount Pictures in the 1980s, when Martin Davis, chief executive of
then-parent Gulf & Western, pushed out top Paramount managers, in part
because he was annoyed with the kudos and attention the studio executives
were getting. One of those executives was Mr. Eisner, notes Mr. Geffen, no
friend of the Disney chairman.
  Mr. Eisner clearly doesn't look at it that way. For the past year he has
talked often about the importance of reinventing companies every 10 years
or so and says that may include moving managers into new positions or
bringing on outsiders. "The most important thing I have to do is to
instill the Disney culture in people and make sure the baton gets passed
on from one generation to another," he says. Disney directors have been
steadfast in their support of Mr. Eisner.
  Despite insistent speculation over the past two weeks, Mr. Frank -- and
Disney -- repeatedly denied that he was leaving. One of the hangups,
people familiar with the situation say, is that Mr. Eisner demanded he
promise not to work for Mr. Katzenberg's new company for two years. Mr.
Frank was also said to be concerned that if he left, Disney might withhold
a big chunk of his compensation, valued at $30 million to $40 million,
including bonuses tied to his division's performance.
  Mr. Frank says he's leaving because he wants to become an entrepreneur in
the converging markets of cable, computers and telecommunications. Many
expect him to land a top spot at a network or another studio. "I had
accomplished what I wanted to," he says of his decade at Disney.
  While Mr. Frank, 52 years old, denies that tensions increased between him
and Mr. Eisner, he acknowledges that the dynamic had changed since Mr.
Wells's death and Mr. Katzenberg's departure. "We were a team. The four of
us were close, but all doing what we wanted to do," he says. On the other
hand, "there were two less people and it made it more difficult" to get
the job done. "It wasn't personal."
  Mr. Hightower, 53, who will be president of Walt Disney Television and
Telecommunications, is an odd choice to succeed Mr. Frank. Executives at
Disney's television unit, which created the top-rated shows "Home
Improvement" and "Ellen," were stunned when the news broke on Friday, most
saying they had never heard of him. Mr. Hightower has no experience in the
clubby world of television, where longtime relationships with stars and
producers can dictate success or failure.
  Mr. Eisner delights in having taken everyone by surprise. "My instinct is
that two years from now, all of our competitors are going to be saying,
`Where do we find our Dennis Hightower?'" he says.
  Wall Street usually applauds Mr. Eisner's moves, but when reports
circulated that Mr. Frank's departure was imminent, even some influential
fans winced. Jessica Reif, an entertainment analyst at Merrill Lynch &
Co., worried that it would be "a very big negative." She adds: "Mr. Wells
was the quiet glue that held everything together. (His death was) shocking
and hard on everybody." Mr. Frank's departure was announced after the
market closed on Friday.
  It doesn't look like Disney will settle down anytime soon. In what
threatens to become an ugly and embarrassing public spectacle, people
close to Mr. Katzenberg say that he believes the company owes him tens of
millions of dollars -- his share of the profits from films made during his
tenure. He has retained powerful Hollywood attorney Bert Fields in the
matter. Mr. Katzenberg could not be reached.
  Mr. Eisner, while saying he has "no reaction" to that, contends that "it
is not the policy of our company that executives have participation" in
film and TV projects. However, people close to Mr. Katzenberg say he is
confident because of a memo signed by Mr. Wells that they say suggests the
former studio chief is entitled to the money.
  Over the weekend, Mr. Eisner lauded Mr. Katzenberg's contributions to the
studio. "Jeffrey did an excellent job. He left us a legacy of enthusiasm,"
he says. But he also says that under new studio chief Joe Roth, "we are
stronger now than we were before."

From what I gather Disney has been completely silent
about the uproar caused by the movie "Priests".

Has anyone heard of any Disney response in the news?

I find it perplexing that when the Arab community was
offended by some words in the movie "Alladin"; Disney
apologized and made some quick edits, yet to the 
best of my knowledge, Mr. Eisner has completely 
ignored a large segment people who have been upset 
over "Priests".

I have read that a rather sizable boycott of Disney
products is having some effect on the bottom-line
at Disney.

I hope that Disney does not start to stray from Walt's
ideals concerning wholesome, family centered entertainment.

Doug

< I hope that Disney does not start to stray from Walt's
< ideals concerning wholesome, family centered entertainment.

Well, it depends on what you mean by "Disney".  Years ago, the Disney
corporation (or whatever it is called) decided they wanted to get into
the movie and TV market with more than just G rated films.  Because of
that, they spawned off other production companies.  The overall head of
them, the company, is still "Disney".  However, you won't see the word
"Disney" on them.  Instead, you'll see "Touchstone" or "Hollywood Pictures"
or whatever, depending on which sub-company produced it.  Touchstone is
kind of PG, from what I remember, and Hollywood Pictures is more R.

"Disney" continues to be the producer for films like Pocahontas.

       Carol

    The Walt Disney Company did distribute the movie
    _Priests_, but certainly not under the Walt Disney
    Pictures label (ie, no blue screen, white castle and 
    _when you wish upon a star_ music played before opening 
    credits :-). I don't even recall the Disney name anywhere in 
    the movie credits - I did see the film.
    
    As far as non-traditional and less-than-wholesome family movies, 
    that's why Disney created Touchstone pictures and Hollywood
    Pictures - to make more mature themed films, and keep
    the children's films under a seperate well recognized
    company. That way the Disney label isn't diluted with
    more mature themes, or themes which some perceive as
    contriversial.
    
    From what I have read, the proposed boycott from 
    several religious organizations had none or little
    if any affect on Disney's bottom line. I just read
    this in some Newsweek, or US NEWS type magazine -
    it was discussing the affects of focused write-in
    and boycott campaigns by target organizations.
    
    todd///

    For more on what Carol is talking about read "Storming the Magic
    Kingdom." I don't know the author offhand but I do know that the book
    talks about the decision to branch out into different movie companies
    and to explore more mature subject matter.
    
    This effort started with "Splash!"
    
    Mike

    If the actions of 'the Disney corporation' surprise you, 1) my sincere
    congratulations on noticing (many people dont even think about it), 2) look
    for more, depending on your views of what is offensive.  Disney has done a
    number of things lately to offend those with traditional views, beyond
    what they did with Priest.  They traded the historic reality of Pocahontas'
    adoption of Christianity (read some other versions of the story) for
    Nature worship.  Another is the bad language, violence and murders in
    the new Jungle Book.  Another is the great evil in Return of Jafar.
    Another is the sexiness of characters in Pocahontas, Aladdin, etc (read
    some interviews done with little girls as to what effect that has, and
    look at some of the resulting products).  Again, these are but a few
    recent examples of new age /anti-tradional /anti-Christian attitudes and
    actions by the whole Disney corporate structure.  I would not absolve them
    of their actions, simply due to divisions tageting mature audiences, even
    if they were limited to certain divisions, which they are not.  Likewise,
    I do not see many of their actions/attitudes as reasonable even for adults
    (Priest), not that those attitudes are different from much of the rest of
    the movie industry.
    
    I also used to expect better of Disney.  I think we reasonably could expect
    better in the past, and we got it. Dont get me wrong, I certainly dont
    expect Disney to preach traditional values, but I also know that there
    are large groups of people who will not accept attacks on their beliefs,
    let alone an imposition of any 'alternative' value system!  There is
    no question that is their intention!  It would be very intere$ting to know
    how much Mr Ei$ner has to do with thi$.  It will be interesting to see
    what the views of the educational institute will be!
    
    Our family spent hundreds of dollars on all kinds of Lion King garbage 
    (despite its mystic leaning), but we will not on Pocahontas.  We have
    also given second thoughts to a trip to WDW.  Whether our non-support,
    and others with the same intentions, are just 'pebbles in the ocean',
    it matters not.  Disney will Not be getting my money as long as they
    continue this trend.
    
    Yes, I am a bit upset about it.  Caring and standards tend to do that.
    
    I believe in voting with money.  For many companies, its all that counts.
    Disney now unfortunately needs this method to guide their actions too!
    
    - Jim

So what's Priests about?

Any reviews.

Maybe I should check it out.

I believe that to most people "Disney is Disney is Disney" no matter
as to what companies it decides to buy so that is can expand into new
areas. After all, there is already a plethora of entertainment 
companies that present all sorts of "mature-adult" themes. Disney's
entrance into this arena puzzles me, other than the obvioous monetary
reasons.  

I think that Mr Eisner is "playing with fire" and that if he strays
too far from Walt's original concepts he will eventually see some
severe effects in revenue and stature. One small example is Regal 
Cinema's decision to not show "Priest" in any of it's 855 theaters.

Doug

RE .222 -

> So what's Priests about?
>
> Any reviews.

Yes, see topic 806 in the ORION::MOVIES conference. (The movie title is
"Priest," by the way.)

All:  Please discuss the movie itself in the MOVIES conference.  Thanks.

-- Nina (a moderator of both MOVIES and DISNEY)

    CNN is reporting this morning on a merger between Disney and the
    company the owns ABC (Capitol City mumble ?).  The deal gives Disney
    control of ABC with 225 affiliate stations, a few other independant tv 
    and radio stations, and a controlling interest in ESPN.  I heard numbers
    like 19 billion thrown about in the discussion.
    
    Geez, like these guys aren't into enough already?
                                                  
    

    
    
    Ironic, if true that the network which gave Walt the funding to build
    Disneyland may now be itself just another business under Disney's wing.
    Did they say who would end up a CEO - Eisner or Cap Cities CEO
    (Swanson?)??
    
    

    
    I thought they said Eisner would CEO the whole show.....but I just
    caught the tail end of it.  I would bet we see more info about it
    by this evening or tomorrow morning.

    Yep, Eisner is going to be the CEO of the whole thing!!
    

The article I read says Eisner was interviewed on Good Morning America
about the merger.  He said that He and the Capitol CEO passed each other on
the sidewalk.  Eisner said "What do you think about a merger?"  After
a moment of though, the other said "Okay, why not?" or something to that
effect.  Each board approved the offer within a week, and then the matter
became public news.

bill a

I tried to get USA Today the day after the announcement so I could 
get some details about Disney's plans for ABC.

Did anyone receive any news concerning what Disney's plans/changes
are for ABC?

Doug

    Reprinted without permission.
    from: The Providence Sunday Journal
    August 6, 1995

    Disney empire: Anything but a small world

    It would be hard to name another company that has ever exercised such
    influence on American culture.

    Associated Press

    Last fall, the Walt Disney Co. did something rare. It conceded defeat
    in its fight to build a history theme park in northern Virginia.  The
    park was going to be called "Disney's America."

    By now, some people may be wondering if Disney lost the battle and won
    the war.  These days, it seems we're all living in Disney's America.

    With its purchase of ABC last week, the company founded by Walter Elias
    Disney in 1923 deepened its claim on the American psyche, from Main
    Street to Tomorrowland.  It would be hard to name another company that
    has ever exercised such influence on American culture.  It would be hard
    to find another company so widely admired -- even loved -- by
    Americans.

    As a nation, we flock to Disney films, and then replay them -- over and
    over and over -- on Disney videotapes.  We read Disney books to our
    Disney pajama-clad children.  We watch Disney shows on Disney TV.

    We make pilgrimages to Disneyland and Disney World, where we stay in
    Disney hotels and eat Disney food.  We buy Disney products at Disney
    stores, and listen to Disney records of Disney songs.

    By next year, we will be able to send our children to a Disney school
    (near Orlando, Fla.) and educate ourselves at the Disney Institute, an
    adult-education resort in Florida where, The Wall Street Journal
    observed, "Goofy can get in touch with his inner self."  The world of
    Disney is becoming anything but a small, small world.

    All of this is making some people more than a little grumpy.  Listen to
    Harold Bloom, professor of humanities at Yale University and author of
    The Western Canon, an analysis of the cultural legacy of Western
    civilization (hint: there is no index listing for Mouse, Mickey):

    "At the end of this road lies cultural homogenization of the most
    ghastly kind," Bloom told The Philadelphia Inquirer after the
    Disney-ABC deal was announced. "It's a disaster."

    Critics of Disney, and there are many, see its films and spin-off
    products as rife with sexism, racism, and a dumbed-down, cheered- up
    vision of American history and folklore.

    "There's a kind of... anesthesia at work here," said Henry Giroux, a
    professor of secondary education at Penn State University.  Like all
    Disney critics, he can cite chapter and verse of Disney's crimes
    against culture; he gets particularly incensed about the treatment of
    American Indians in Pocahontas.

    "I mean, the entire history of what happened to the Indians, which some
    people would call genocide... is sort of played out as a love story,"
    he fumed.

    Giroux believes that Disney has become a primary educator of America's
    children, most of whom will be able to recite the complete script of
    The Lion King long before they ever learn the Gettysburg Address.

    To others, Disney is more than a teacher -- it is a religion.

    In her book, The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of
    Technology and Thrills, Judith Adams argues that Disney World has
    become a spiritual shrine on par with Mecca, Canterbury and Lourdes.
    "The perfect world of Disney has replaced the biblical Garden of Eden
    as the American vision of paradise," she writes.

    And Len Sweet, dean of Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, N.J.,
    argues that Disney has become central to the "civic religion" of
    America -- the secular values that once were the domain of Lincoln,
    Jefferson, and Fourth of July parades.

    "What has happened is that Disney has taken this over," he said.
    "What's happening is that we're all being dragged down to this
    infantile level."

    Of course, even the critics are quick to note that Disney embodies many
    positive values -- optimism, good-hearted fun, a tradition of artistic
    quality -- that help explain its success.  And critical or not, most
    are Disney consumers.

    "I think a lot of people do maybe know that what Disney is telling is
    ultimately a lie, but it's a lie they can't live without," observed
    Robert Thompson, associate professor of television, radio, and film at
    Syracuse University.

    "I know a lot of my most critical and cynical academic friends --
    nevertheless, you walk into their house, and if they've got kids, sure
    enough, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Bambi, Pinocchio -- the
    videotapes they choose to own tend to be the same ones everybody else
    owns."

    Reprinted without permission.
    From: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
    By: THOMAS R. KING
    Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
    July 12, 1995
    
    Disney Jumps Into Sports to Pep Up Its Theme Parks
    
    Mickey, Minnie and Goofy are going athletic in a big way.

    Their creator, Walt Disney Co., not only bought the franchise for the
    expansion Mighty Ducks hockey team but is also building a huge amateur
    sports complex at Walt Disney World, its Florida resort.  There is
    more: Disney, based in Burbank, Calif., just took a 25% stake in the
    California Angels baseball team, and an Indy 200 racetrack is going up
    at Walt Disney World.

    What next?

    Chairman Michael Eisner says the purchase of a National Football League
    franchise isn't out of the question. "We would buy a team ... if it
    makes economic sense," he says. Speculation that Disney might be a
    possible acquirer has heated up since the Raiders' recent announcement
    of a move back to Oakland, following the Rams' flight to St.
    Louis-leaving the NFL without a franchise in Los Angeles. "We won't do
    it if it's going to be a drain," Mr.  Eisner says.

    Even without football, the company's athletic push is bound to have
    enormous long-term implications for the sports world. It's clear that
    the family-oriented company plans to subtly change the nature of
    spectator sports.

    Consider this: The Pond, the Anaheim, Calif., arena where the Mighty
    Ducks play, is a pristine place where even hard-bitten hockey fans feel
    uncomfortable dropping their peanut shells on the cement floor.  The
    concession stand stocks cappuccino and tiramisu. Actors from Disney's
    "Mighty Ducks" movies have performed at intermission, and Mr. Eisner
    occasionally shows up to sign autographs.

    Disney is expected eventually to own 100% of the Angels; and while the
    company isn't divulging its plans for the team, observers predict that
    a neat-as-a-pin stadium featuring family entertainment along with
    baseball is in the Angels'

    Some wonder whether Disney's squeaky-clean approach to professional
    sports will alienate the kind of diehard fan for whom "Take Me Out to
    the Ballgame" means cursing at umpires and crushing hot-dog wrappers
    under foot. Still, "When all is said and done, sports is just another
    facet of entertainment, and [Disney is in the entertainment business,"
    says Barry Frank, senior group vice president at International
    Management Group, a large sports-management firm.

    Facilitating the family-entertainment approach, Disney's sports efforts
    are in the vicinity of its two theme parks, Mr. Frank notes. "It makes
    sense for them to hang out in Orange County [the California location of
    Disneyland and in Florida," he says. "I guarantee you Disney wouldn't
    put a team in the Bronx. They wouldn't have bought the Yankees."

    At the heart of Disney's sports strategy in Florida is a plan to draw
    new visitors to Walt Disney World and to get regulars to extend their
    stays there. The idea is this: Spend a couple of days at the Magic
    Kingdom, maybe a day at Epcot Center and then hang out for another day
    or so al the sports complex to see, or even participate in, a baseball
    game, a volleyball tournament or a tennis match.

    The complex, which will cover nearly 200 acres, is scheduled to open in
    the spring of 1997. "It's really being driven by a goal to fill up our
    theme parks and fill up our resorts, and at the same time have a whole
    new area to deal with," says Al Weiss, executive vice president of the
    Walt Disney World Resort.

    "I had never been to Walt Disney World before I took this job," says
    Reggie Williams, a former linebacker with the Cincinnati Bengals and
    now vice president of sports development at Walt Disney World. In his
    pre-Disney days, he says, "given the chance of going on vacation to
    Disney World or taking some sort of sports-related vacation, it was a
    non-issue for me or any of my friends. This is an opportunity to get
    those [athletically oriented] people down here."

    With the lure of the sports complex, Disney has struck an alliance with
    the Amateur Athletic Union, which is moving its headquarters to Walt
    Disney World from Indianapolis. The AAU says it plans to conduct more
    than 60 national championships at Walt Disney World by the year 2000,
    including 40 events by 1997.

    Although "amateur" is the key word at the complex, there will be some
    professional sports activity, too. Mr. Weiss says the company is
    hunting for a baseball team that might call the complex home for spring
    training. Others say Disney might host National Basketball Association
    exhibition games there.

    Licensing of sports-related merchandise is also expected to produce
    revenue.  Even so, Mr. Eisner says it's unlikely that sports will ever
    generate revenue to rival that from films, parks and consumer products.

    Nor is the company going too far afield, Mr. Eisner says, noting that
    founder Walt Disney made many early cartoons with a sports theme. And
    over the years, the company has been involved with such sporting events
    as the Disney/Oldsmobile Golf Classic and a marathon that goes through
    the Magic Kingdom. Says Mr. Eisner:  "We bring an understanding that
    the word sports is a fun word, and it should stay that way."
    
    

    Reprinted without permission.
    From: Providence Journal Bulletin
    By: Froma Harrop
    August 4, 1995

    Froma Harrop is a Journal Bulletin editorial writer and columnist.  Her
    E-mail address is: froma,harrop@proio.com.
    
    Editorial

    DISNEY'S planned purchase Capital Cities/ABC raises some questions best
    answered by mental health professionals. It will give Disney still more
    outlets to market Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pocahontas and the others
    prompting some of our leading psychologists to ask: "How much more can
    the public take?"

    Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health are already
    working on the matter. Using volunteers, the scientists are studying
    the capacity of the average American to absorb repeated exposure to
    Donald Duck, Snow White, the Lion King.

    This is a serious concern. Many Americans are already experiencing
    intense Disney marketing through the Disney Channel, Disney theme
    parks, the 400 Disney stores, Disney stage productions, Disney motion
    pictures and innumerable Disney product tie-ins with other retailers
    and fast-food chains. The acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC will only
    increase the dosage.

    For example, ABC's ESPN cable network will be used to promote new
    Disney sports resorts. Disney's cartoon characters will dominate ABC's
    Saturday morning programs, which can also advertise the theme parks and
    movies.  More promotional opportunities await Disney in Capital Cities'
    20 radio stations and eight television stations, newspapers and home
    video ventures.

    Studies on Disney exposure levels and the human body have been
    structured around several control groups. The high-tolerance group
    comprises individuals who can spend weeks at Walt Disney World, in
    Orlando, Fla. They are known to endure round-the-clock marketing of
    Disney products for days at a stretch and under a hot sun. Researchers
    noted that several subjects left their questioning early to sneak off
    to Burger King for Pocahontas glasses.

    One investigator is studying a subset of this group for possible
    evidence of personality disorder. Specifically, he is looking for
    similarities between these subjects' behavior and the so-called
    Stockholm Syndrome, in which hostages sympathize with their captors.
    Indeed, several volunteers seemed-pleased to pay hundreds of dollars to
    bring their families to Disney World, where they were subjected to an
    onslaught of Disney advertisements.

    Researchers are closely monitoring another group: individuals who have
    demonstrated an ability to maintain high interest in media events but
    no special predilection for Disney offerings. These subjects have shown
    impressive staying power in following the O.J. trial, Baby Jessica and
    Joey Buttafuoco. Scientists hold out great hope for this group.

    Disney has been expanding abroad and is closely watching the trials
    involving foreign subjects.  Company marketers were particularly
    troubled by a less-than-over-whelming response to the Disneyland Paris
    theme park, outside of that city. The French population had
    demonstrated a great fondness for Disney characters, but only in low
    doses. They are known to have rejected the more intense and costly
    experience of Disneyland Paris. This ability to digest Disney products,
    but only in moderation, fascinates scientists who have dubbed the
    phenomenon the French Paradox.

    One control group is limited to children. Disney has long held great
    power over younger Americans, who increasingly control the family purse
    strings. A study at Texas A&M indicates children directly influenced
    the purchase of $157 billion of goods and services in 1993, a
    three-fold increase from 1984. If these trends continue, Disney may not
    have to bother with any of the other control groups.

    As Disney releases its culture into the environment at unprecedented
    levels, new questions will arise. For example, how do genetics, diet,
    pollution and social factors influence the body's capacity to absorb
    Mickey Mouse product tie-ins?

    Pharmaceutical researchers are observing metabolic activity in the
    living brain when exposed to new Disney stimuli. The day may not be far
    off when psychotropic drugs will enable patients to receive Disney
    merchandising in unlimited quantities.

    Sharp cultural changes have always aggravated mental disorders in
    segments of the population. Some people, who have difficulty
    concentrating on Disney programs, may refuse to take their medication.
    Thus, involuntary hospitalization will be required in extreme cases.
    The beds are being readied at the Magic Kingdom Medical Center.

I have received an official response from a Disney VP regarding the
movie "Priests".

I'll post it here sometime this week.

They have been somewhat vindicated.

Doug

Here is the contents of the letter I received from John Dryer,
Disney's Vice President Corp Communications:

Dated  Aug 9, 1995

"	I am responding to your letter of July 21 regarding the movie, "Priest".
Thank you for writing to us about your concern. We find it both important
and useful to know what all members of the audience are thinking.

	First, I would like to give you some background on both the movie and
on Miramax. "Priest" is a production of the British Broadcasting Corporation
which originally intended for it to be a four-part television mini-series. The
BBC subsequently decided to edit the footage into a movie for theatrical
release and Miramax acquired the North American distribution rights.

	Miramax is an independent film company which we acquired two
years ago. Under the purchase agreement, Miramax operates as an
independent company with the exception of the condition that it cannot
release an NC-17 film, which "Priest" is not. As you may know, Miramax has
established a strong track record in the independent distribution of movies
in the U.S., including films appealing to widely deivergent audiences. It has
earned 60 Academy Award nominations and won 13 Oscars.

	Reagarding the content of "Priest", allow me to quote from the
statement released last February by the Catholic Media Ofice of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of England and Wales: "The film examines a range of
issues which the Catholic Church encounters in its pastoral activity. The
church recognizes that each individual's relationship is bound up with issues
of personal identity and vocation, including the importantance of sexual
maturity. Much Catholic thinking on these subjects has developed from our
understanding of the commitment to celibacy, so it is therefore reasonable for
the film to focus on priests."

	As members of the creative community, we think that the issues
portrayed in the movie legitimately serve as material for drama and other
forms of artistic treatment. The filmakers have reflected one element of 
the intramural discussions within the Catholic community. And certainly, 
the BBC production is not the first to use a dramatic format to examine those
concerns.

	At the same time, neither Disney nor anyone else intended any 
disrespect to the Catholic Church, Catholic believers or religion in general.

	The Catholic Media Office statement about "Priest" concludes: "It is
not anti-Catholic to depict church members struggling with their pastoral and
spititual problems, and we certainly do not see this film as being part of the
same genre of ill-founded comments on the church which has been 
witnessed in some recent TV programmes."	
 
	When the film was released in the United States, the Catholc News
Service wrote: "Any movie that treats the Catholic faith as seriously as this
one does can hardly be said to be anti-Catholic, let alone irreligous." We
believe this statement accurately reflects the facts; we know it reflects
the filmmakers' intentions.

	I thought you might be interested in knowing about "Father Greg
& the Homeboys," the story of Jesuit priest Greg Boyle and his heroic work with 
the Latino ganags of East Los Angeles. It is being published by Disney's 
Hyperion Books Division.

Sincerely,

John Dreyer
------------------------------

Mr. Dryer's Address is

The Walt Disney Company
500 South Bueana Vista St.
Burbank Ca 91521-0990



Doug

    Reprinted without permission.
    The Providence Journal Bulletin
    September 7, 1995

    Group Says Disney Sneaks Sex Into Films

    By LEEF SMITH
    The Washington Post

    You say you've watched The Lion King 50 times with your children and
    never caught the "sex" scene?

    Look again, says a Stafford, Va. based Christian group that is
    protesting split-second imagery that it says has debased the G rated
    animated movie.

    American Life League (ALL), an anti-abortion organization boasting
    300,000 supporters across the country, has asked Disney to apologize to
    its fans for including what it says is inappropriate sexual material in
    several of its films.

    The most recent example, it says, involves Simba, star of Disney's Lion
    King. Forlorn over the death of his father, the young lion flops
    dejectedly on the ground near the edge of a cliff. The result, offended
    viewers say, is a cloud of dust particles that swirls and swoops to
    form the word "sex," and then quickly fades away.

    "The Walt Disney Company claims to be a provider of wholesome family
    entertainment, but the message in The Lion King is not clean, it is not
    wholesome, and it is not fun," said ALL spokeswoman Tracey Casale. "It
    has no place in a child's movie."

    Disney spokesman Rick Rhoades rebuffed the group's claims as a
    "perception thing."

    "They're seeing something there that isn't," Rhoades said. "It's just
    ridiculous to think that we'd put out a movie containing something less
    than a wholesome image."

    ALL says it first learned about the Lion King scene in July when a New
    York woman called to say that her 4-year-old son caught the message.
    The group -- which began a boycott of Disney films in April to protest
    the movie Priest, saying it misrepresented the Catholic Church --
    claims the company has a long history of sneaking "sexual messages"
    into its animated films.

    In particular, ALL has denounced a scene in Aladdin in which it says a
    voice whispers, "Good teenagers, take off your clothes." The Disney
    script reads: "Seat! Good Tiger. Take off and go."

    Even more troubling, the group says, is a scene in The Little Mermaid
    in which the minister at Ariel's wedding allegedly gets an erection.
    Disney says the critics are seeing the minister's knee.

    Last year, viewers of a laser disc version of Disney's Who Framed Roger
    Rabbit claimed that when they freeze-framed the animation, they found
    everything from frontal nudity to Michael Eisner's home phone number.

    "All of these movies contain something sexual in nature," insisted
    Casale. "You can't help but think that Disney is not what they have
    portrayed themselves to be."

    

    Don't these people have anything better to do with their time?  And I
    wonder how Michael Eisner feels about having them imply that his
    telephone number is sexual?  Thanks for the laugh, Dan.  --S

    
    i was just going to say that...i mean, they seem to be the only ones
    seeing these messages.  those who go looking for trouble usually find
    it...one way or the other...
    
    
    -raquel
    

    It's like the joke about the person who is being administered a
    Rorschach (sp?) test.  After describing the series as various pictures
    of people in amorous poses, the doctor says, "You seem to be obsessed
    on this subject," to which the patient replies, "Me?  You're the one
    with all the dirty pictures!"
    
    tom
    

    Reprinted without permission
    From: The Providence Sunday Journal 
    August 11, 1995
    
    A Brand new Mickey is not so mousey

    By JOHN CANEMAKER
    New York Times News Service
    
    The rumors are true. Mickey has had a mouse-lift. The beloved
    67-year-old star took the big step in Paris at a Disney animation
    studio where he was filming Runaway Brain, his first cartoon short in
    more than 40 years.

    Although public relations executives at the Walt Disney Co. in Burbank,
    Calif., were hush hush about the six minute film, to be coupled with A
    Kid in King Arthur's Court, a Disney feature opening at theaters today,
    they have now confirmed that audiences will see a refurbished rodent.
    
    Nothing radical, mind you. Having learned from the past, the Disney
    artists didn't dare tamper with the famed circular head and ears, an
    internationally recognizable icon. No, the change is more a return
    to the insouciant Mickey of the mid-1930s.  Audiences will also see a
    more active and more emotive performer than the previous model.
    
    In Runaway Brain, a mad scientist turns Mickey into a Jekyll and Hyde,
    allowing the mouse (and his animators) one of the best opportunities
    since Fantasia, released in 1940, to show off his spunky versatility.
    But this is not the first time Mickey Mouse has gotten a few nips and
    tucks.
    
    The basic elements of Mickey's look first appeared in Plane Crazy, a
    silent film made in 1928: a white mask on a black circular head with
    pie-shaped eyes, two smaller ear circles and two-button short pants on
    a round black body. But Mickey was also a grungy, goggle-eyed,
    long-snouted ratlike creature, with tubular arms and legs, no gloves,
    no shoes and no class.
    
    This first creation, a hurried collaboration between the struggling
    cartoon producer Walt Disney and the animator Ub Iwerks, was based on
    the generic rubber hose and circle design used by animated cartoon
    studios of the period; mainly, ear shapes distinguished one rounded
    character from another. The style derived from Felix the Cat (until
    Mickey, the world's most popular 1920s cartoon film star), who had a
    white face surrounded by a black double-arched skullcap.
    
    Changes in the rodent's appearance came that same year, 1928. In a
    second film, Gallopin' Gaucho, also silent, he wore oversize
    clodhoppers, giving him "the look of a kid wearing his father's shoes,"
    said Walt Disney.
    
    Soon, white gloves were added to his black hands. "We didn't want him
    to have mouse hands," Disney told his biographer, Bob Thomas, in 1957,
    "because he was supposed to be more human. So we gave him gloves. Five
    fingers seemed like too much on such a little figure, so we took away
    one. That was just one less finger to animate."
    
    Mickey's easy-to-draw circular shape helped the animators meet their
    film footage requirements.  "He had to be simple," Disney said.  "We
    had to push out 700 feet of film every two weeks.... There was no mouse
    hair or any other frills that would slow down animation."
    
    Indeed, simplicity ruled when the animator Ward Kimball, now 80,
    arrived at the Disney studio in Hollywood in 1934.
    
    "Animators were using coins to establish where the head circle and
    pants circle would be;" Kimball said. "For close-ups we used the silver
    dollar everybody carried around with them, a 50-cent piece for a
    medium-close shot, a nickel for medium-long and a dime for a real
    long shot."
    
    Loose-change animation may have speeded up production, but the rigid
    circles did nothing for Mickey's expressiveness as an actor. The 1930s
    was a period of experimentation at Disney in which the animators
    tried to bring a new believability to their characters, many of whom
    were based on aspects of the animators themselves. It was Fred Moore, a
    young, small, mouselike animator, who changed Mickey's head and body
    shapes.
    
    "Fred was the first one to escape the old school," said Kimball. "He
    gave Mickey cheeks so they could work with the dialogue. When he opened
    his mouth, his head became longer;  when it closed, the cheeks
    squashed.  The body became more fruit shaped."

    In a 1935 in-house how-to-draw manual, Moore wrote that the body
    "should be pliable at all times" and "can assume anatomy as it is
    needed, such as a chest, stomach, fanny." 

    The animator found that "Mickey is cuter when drawn with small
    shoulders ... and I like him pigeon-toed. . . .The ears are better kept
    far back on the head."
    
    Moore's redesign -- seen in basic shorts like Two Gun Mickey (1934)
    and Brave Little Tailor (1938) -- is considered by most cartoon
    connoisseurs today to be the classic image of Mickey Mouse. His
    enduring popularity very likely has much to do with the cute appearance
    Moore gave him.
    
    Perhaps that's because, as the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Could
    wrote in a 1979 article titled The Neotenic Evolution of Mickey Mouse,
    "babyish features tend to elicit strong feelings of affection in adult
    humans."
    
    The famous mouse's power as an image may also derive from the circle
    shape itself, a symbol of continuity, perfection, survival, eternity
    and sensuality.
    
    "Circles never cause anybody any trouble," said the Disney artist John
    Hench, now 86. "We have bad experiences with sharp points, with
    angles, but circles are things we have fun with."

    Yet two changes were in store for Mickey in 1938, both controversial:
    the addition of eyeballs to replace the sliced pie-shape eyes, and a
    pinkish flesh tone on his face instead of stark white.
    
    The animators were delighted with the increased possibilities. Animator
    Frank Thomas liked the flesh color "because it made Mickey more
    realistic and it was in keeping with the new pictures we were doing
    that were making him popular, like Brave Little Tailor and The Pointer,
    films requiring strong, strong attitudes and acting." 
    
    The public first saw the new Mickey in 1940, in the
    sorcerer's-apprentice segment of Fantasia. The new Mickey found
    acceptance among the public, with some exceptions.
    
    Artist and author Maurice Sendak said recently of the post-1930 Moore
    mouse: "I have nothing good to say about the fat Mickey. It was
    basically Mickey and Walt selling out to Hollywood. It was a deliberate
    attempt to make him softer, cuter and cuddlier and to take away any of
    the spice or acidity of the original.

    "He was a malignant little creature in the beginning, which is why he
    was so charming."
    
    Mickey purists were in for another shock in 1941. In the short film
    The Nifty '90s, a turn-of-the-century nostalgia piece in which Mickey
    attends a vaudeville show complete with animated caricatures of Moore
    and Kimball, the two animators removed the mouse's tail, added a
    light-colored interior section to his ears and dressed him as a dandy
    -- straw boater and all. "More, quote, experimentation," said Kimball
    ruefully.
    
    Mickey's shoes and head were so exaggerated in contrast with his tiny
    body, and the animation so loose and gooey, that he moved like a
    quivering water-filled balloon. "I thought it was terrible," Thomas
    said.
    
    After 1947, Mickey made only six theatrical shorts until his last one,
    The Simple Things, in 1953. By then the once irascible, adolescent
    Mickey -- dressed in long slacks, a short sleeve shirt and loafers
    -- had evolved into the personification of a bland Eisenhower era
    suburbanite and taken a back seat to other characters, like Pluto.

    With the 1950s, of course, came the golden age of television, and Walt
    Disney was one of the first film producers to embrace the new
    technology. His historic Disneyland series (which changed names
    throughout its run) had its premiere in 1954 and was televised through
    1990.
    
    Mickey appeared from time to time on Disneyland and, from 1955 through
    1958, regularly as the genial host of The Mickey Mouse Club. There
    his tiny shape was encased in a thick black outline and animated with
    smooth subtlety by Johnston, who had begun his career at Disney as
    Moore's assistant two decades earlier.
    
    During those years and after, the peripatetic mouse was also seen in
    the Disney theme parks and merchandised in doll form, on T-shirts and
    greeting cards. He has appeared in comic strips and movie featurettes.

    In the 1970s, the Disney merchandising folk turned him into a
    Travolta wannabe called Disco Mickey, a mercifully brief transformation.
    Two 24-minute featurettes -- Mickey's Christmas Carol (1982), in which
    Mickey was Bob Cratchit, and The Prince and the Pauper (1990), in which
    he played both starring roles -- brought the mouse back to the screen
    in costume comedies that cast him once again as a less-than-exciting
    nice guy.
    
    Each age has had its own horrors. For the 90s, the Disney merchandisers
    have come up with Rapper Mickey, complete with shades (obscuring the
    embattled eyes), flipped back baseball cap, hiking boots and low-rider
    jeans loose enough to reveal part of the famous red short pants.
    Perhaps this latest creation indicates that Mickey has been running
    around in his Calvins for more than six decades.
    
    Or maybe the image is a tacit acknowledgment of Mickey's ancestral
    roots.
    
    In any case, this too shall pass.

    Reprinted without permission
    
    DISNEY AIMS TO STRETCH LIMITS OF VIDEO GAMES

    September 28, 1995
    Web posted at: 8 p.m. EDT

    From Entertainment Correspondent Dennis Michael

    HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- Pocahontas, characters from "The Lion
    King" and others from the daytime animated "Gargoyles" series and the
    coming "Toy Story" film -- all are part of new video games being rolled
    out by Disney Interactive for the fall and Christmas season. And they
    all have something to live up to.

    "We have no choice but to do the best quality product," said Kendall
    Lockhart, part of the creative development team at Disney Interactive.
    "(Otherwise) the company wouldn't let us release it even if we wanted
    to release it. The standard, the bar is extremely high. Look at our
    animated films.  Look at our properties. Look at the amount of money
    and time that are put into those things. We have to do the same
    amount." 

    Users will come to the Disney Interactive characters with ready
    familiarity. But Disney game designers are assigned to go beyond the
    original film or TV show, making each game something new.

    "I always ask the question, `Now I know the world, now we know the
    story, now we know the characters, what do I get to do?'" Lockhart
    said. "And that is the toughest question, because it's the difference
    between film and other art forms and what we're going to be doing in
    interactive. You and I want to do something in this world, we want to
    play, move around. We want to be moved, but it's by our actions. It's
    being proactive rather than reactive, and active rather than passive."

    Disney is concentrating right now on the mainstream platforms for
    interactive games, Sega and Nintendo, and on expanding older 16-bit
    platforms to the needs of such unprecedented products as the game for
    the coming computer-animated film "Toy Story."

    "The size of the characters, the number of characters on the screen at
    the same time -- it's not been done to date," Kendall said. "So again,
    just on a technology side, we've delivered breakthrough programming,
    breakthrough engineering that has not been done on other games. ... The
    reason for doing these things is that we think we have delivered the
    film experience. You get to play, in the comedy, with these really big
    characters."

    Between the 16-bit video games, the 32-bit platforms and the personal
    computer CD-ROM products, Disney sees its year-old interactive division
    as going beyond the hard-core gamer audience, stretching the business
    into the mainstream.

    "People that have never been drawn to the computer or game player as a
    form of entertainment experience are going to find the products that
    are being developed now very engaging," said Marc Teren, vice president
    of Disney Interactive. "And I think we are going to find a much broader
    market than the traditional video game enthusiast." 

    The October 18, 1995 edition of USA Today has a front page article on
    Disney's new town, Celebration.
    
    I don't have time right now to enter it.  So find a back copy or if
    really interested I can fax it to someone.
    
    TL

RE .242 - If someone does enter the Celebration article, please
put it in topic 474 (which is devoted to discussing Celebration).
Thanks.

-- Nina (moderator ears on)

    Reprinted without permission.
    Providence Sunday Journal Bulletin
    October 22, 1995

    Disney Snow White Postage Stamps Incite Collector Stamp-ede!

    Mania over new issue is no fairy tale!

    Owings Mills, Maryland

    Disney fans and collectors are suddenly scrambling to obtain a new
    Limited Edition 9 Stamp set that has just been issued by Grenada to
    commemorate the very first full length animated feature film, Disney's
    Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs.

    "Collector demand for these stamps has been unbelievable" stated John
    Van Emden of the International Collectors Society, distributor of the
    stamps in the U.S. and national clearinghouse for Disney collectible
    stamp issues.

    "Disney's fairy tales have touched the hearts of all of us, and
    collectors know this will be their only opportunity to get actual
    government issued legal tender Stamps that are both beautiful and rare.
    In fact, we're nearly sold out."

    Collectors are already predicting that in the very near future these
    stamps will be far more sought after and be more desirable than the
    U.S. Elvis stamp, the most popular stamp of all time.

    "Over 500 million Elvis stamps have been issued. When you compare this
    to these Snow White stamps, which are a Limited Edition of just
    thousands world wide, you can see the irresistible appeal that these
    stamps have to stamp collectors and Disney fans" added Van Emden.

    Each of the 9 stamps is about four times the size of a regular U.S.
    postage stamp.  They're legal for postage in Grenada and are accepted
    by every postal authority around the world.

    Gotta have 'em? They are available for a short time at $9.95 (plus $3
    postage and handling) for the complete set of nine colorful stamps,
    accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The most you can
    buy is six sets.

    Send your check or money order to ICS, 10045 Red Run Blvd, Suite
    170-IND, Owings Mills, Maryland, 21117. Credit card holders may call
    toll free 1-800-468-9706.

    
    This wasn't exactly in the news, but from the Disney Web site under
    mousellaneous Events:
    ===============================
    
    BE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION!
    
    Walt Disney World Attractions and Brad Lachman Productions need your 
    funniest Walt Disney World vacation videos for the show "Walt Disney
    World Inside Our" on "The Disney Channel".
    
    If you have something FUNNEY on your home videos from your Walt Disney
    World vacation, please send it to us at:
    	Disney Vacation Videos
       	Brad Lachman Productions, Inc.
    	PO Box 2640
    	Toluca Lake, California 91610-0640  Be sure to make a copy of your
    tape becasue we can not return it.
    
    Best of all... if we select your video to use on "Walt Disney World
    Inside Our,"We'll pay you $100!  We look forward to laughing with you!
    
    
    ===============
    
    sounds like they'd like to buy them from you before they end up on
    funniest home vedios.

    Disney head buys oceanfront lots, home
    
    Reprinted without permission from:
    The Providence Journal Bulletin
    
    By Ruth Ryon
    Los Angeles Times
    
    Disney chairman Michael Eisner and his wife, Jane, have purchased a
    couple of oceanfront lots an adjacent home in Malibu for slightly more
    than $5 million, sources say.  A building permit for "a major estate
    with pool and tennis court" was included in the deal.
    
    Eisner, 53, who led Disney in acquiring Capital Cities/ABC last year,
    has been one of the highest-paid executives in the motion picture
    industry since becoming the CEO of Disney in 1984.
    
    The Eisners, who have been married nearly 30 years and have three sons,
    live in a 60-year-old Beverly Hills house that they have owned since
    1979.
    

    Reprinted without permission
    July 14, 1996
    
                   DISNEY NAMES PRIEST TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    BURBANK Calif. (AP) - A theologian-educator named to the Disney Co.'s
    board of directors hopes to use his experience to help the company when
    religious values clash with popular culture.

    The Rev. Leo J. O'Donovan, president of Georgetown University, was
    named to the board last week, not long after Southern Baptists and
    other religious conservatives accused Disney of adopting "anti-family
    and anti-Christian" positions.

    O'Danovan, a Jesuit priest and professor of theology said that the
    values of "secular Hollywood" are not much different from those of
    popular culture in general.

    "You look at painting, sculpture, theater and the movies - we don't
    have an easily identified corpus of religious art," he said. "But we
    do have a reoccurrence of religious themes in popular entertainment
    because the American people remain an intensely religious people - more
    so than most every European country."

    The 62-year-old priest said it was "utterly accidental" that his
    election to the board was announced soon after the company was hit with
    protests by religious groups.

    Reprinted without permission
    The Providence Sunday Journal
    July 28, 1996
    
                                    LOOK OUT MICKEY
    
    Rivals are giving Disney a wild ride
    
    By: Jeff Rowe
    Orange County Register
    
    ANAHEIM, Calif.

    WALT DISNEY CO. officials speak of "severe competition," "protecting
    assets" and "intense challenges" when they talk about their proposed
    California Adventure theme park adjacent to Disneyland.  It's not
    hyperbole.

    From Tokyo to New York, competitors are challenging Disney's theme park
    supremacy -- sometimes head-on. And cities from Kuala Lumpur to
    Cincinnati are expanding their efforts to take advantage of one of the
    world's great growth industries -- tourism.

    Just the other day, Duell Co., a Santa Monica, Calif. based designer of
    theme parks, took a call from a business group in Malaysia. Could Duell
    designers come and help them design a theme park?

    "We get calls from all over the world," said Phil Turner, chief
    operating officer. Duell is working on three park projects in Indonesia
    alone.  US. companies are racing to build parks at home and abroad. A
    delegation of Disney executives created a sensation two years ago when
    they made several stops in Asia as part of an exploratory trip for a
    possible theme park site. "Someday, somewhere," Ken Wong, president of
    Disney's imagineering unit, says of the Asian mainland.

    Not too long ago, theme parks were divided into two groups: Disney
    parks and all others. So clear was the difference that other parks
    routinely acknowledged Disney's supremacy in design and erection.
    That's changing.

    For its just opened $110 million Jurassic Park ride, Universal Studios
    Hollywood hired several former Disney imagineers to  help design the
    attraction, which simulates a trip through a land populated by hungry
    dinosaurs. The ride opened last month and has been so popular that
    visitors wait up to three hours for the 5 1/2 minute excursion.

    The attraction put Universal Studios Hollywood on track to exceed its 5
    million annual attendance record.

    Moreover, buoyed by the success of CityWalk, its promenade of shops,
    restaurants and entertainment adjacent to the park, Universal says it
    expects to replicate that venture elsewhere. "We have a very exportable
    product nationally and internationally," said Jim Yeager, a Universal
    spokesman.

    Universal is challenging Disney head-on in Florida and in Asia, where
    it recently announced plans for Universal Studios Japan, a $1.6 billion
    theme park in Osaka.

    I Not to be out done, Disney also is advancing its stake in Japan,
    planning on building an ocean oriented park adjacent to Tokyo
    Disneyland.

    Domestically, Universal, Six Flags Theme Parks Inc., Paramount and
    others are embarking on ambitious expansion projects at their theme
    parks, buoyed by increasing attendance. Last year, theme park
    attendance at the top 50 parks in the United States rose 7 percent,
    according to Amusement Business, a Nashville, Tenn. based trade
    magazine. With 15 million people passing through the turnstiles last
    year, Disneyland regained its crown as the nation's best-attended theme
    park.

    Still, competitors think they can challenge Mickey Mouse.

    Not only are rivals striving to design thrilling rides that are the
    equal of Disney, they are weaving movies and merchandising together at
    the parks, long a tactic successfully employed by Disney. For example,
    Disney opened a "Hunchback of Notre Dame" stage show at Disneyland the
    same day the movie opened. As they file out of the stage show, visitors
    pass by carts selling Hunchback trinkets.

    Now though, Time Warner, Paramount and Universal are expanding on the
    tactic of linking merchandising, movies and theme park rides.

    "Merchandising has become very important," said Garry Bickett, senior
    vice president of marketing for Paramount Parks. Among other
    projects, the unit of New York-based Viacom Inc. plans a $50 million
    Star Trek attraction with the Las Vegas Hilton. Planned for an opening
    next summer, the attraction will include sales of Trek merchandise.

    Paramount also draws on the movies. It already has a "Wayne's World"
    attraction at its Carowinds theme park near Charlotte, NC., and "Days
    of Thunder''' at all five of its parks -- in Charlotte, Cincinnati,
    Toronto, Santa Clara and Richmond, Va.

    Paramount also stages MTV dance parties at its four U.S. parks. MTV is
    another Viacom unit.

    Through its dozen theme parks around the nation, Six Flags Theme Parks
    Inc. builds companion rides to Batman and other movies and is building
    merchandising ties, such as those at its Looney Tunes superstores.
    Time 'Warner Inc. owns a 49 percent stake in Six Flags. Time Warner's
    influence is everywhere -- from rides such as Batman to Bugs Bunny
    World, a children's attraction at most of the parks.

    Later this summer, Six Flags Magic Mountain hopes to have its "Superman
    The Escape" thrill ride open. Earlier this month, Six Flags said it
    plans to build a $200 million theme park on 200 acres leased from an
    Indian tribe in Connecticut.

    Six Flags is direct about its intentions. We want to be the No. 1 theme
    park company in the world," said Eileen Harrell, a spokeswoman.

    While few can compete in size and finesse with Disney, even in an
    expanding economy, people have only so much money and time to spend on
    theme parks, movies and merchandise.

    To be sure, Time-Warner and Paramount parks lack the mystique and
    drawing power that Disney parks command. Last year, Disney's four U.S.
    parks accounted for 30 percent of total park visitation at the top 50
    parks. Last year, revenue at Disney theme parks rose 14 percent to
    $3.96 billion.

    Yet Six Flags also had record attendance last year at its parks, and
    Paramount attendance also grew.

    Moreover, the way the Disney competitors look at themselves is
    changing.

    Even parks that consider themselves secondary attractions are acting
    more like first tier players. Earlier this year, for example, Knott's
    Berry Farm forged an arrangement with a tour packager to bring Japanese
    tourists to the Western theme park near Los Angeles -- directly from
    the airport. To maximize the Japanese visitors time at the Buena Park
    attraction, Knott's created a luggage storage area for the visitors.
    So what's next in the theme park movie merchandising competition?

    More of everything.

    "We haven't seen any diminished interest in theme parks," said Duell's
    Turner. "As long as movies are produced, theme park rides are going to
    be bigger and better and higher and faster.  Who knows where it all
    will end?"

    This was posted recently in the Disney Newsgroup by 
    Bob Ripley.
    
    Some sad news to report. For those of you who have had the pleasure of
    seeing and hearing the wonderful barbershop quartet (called the Dapper
    Dans) on Main Street at the WDW Magic Kingdom, you might remember the
    tall, hin, older gentleman in the quartet who always wore the
    yellow-stripped vest and always seemed to clown around while he was 
    singing. Charles David Thomas, better known as "Bub", was killed this past 
    Tuesday in a car accident in Orlando. He was 85.
    
    Charles was a founding member of the Dapper Dans at WDW when they began
    singing in 1971. Before that he also sang with the Disneyland Dapper
    Dans for a few years. He had decades of experience in show business, having
    appeared with the likes of Bob Hope, Groucho Marx and other Hollywood
    stars. When he wasn't busy bringing smiles to the guests on Main Street,
    Charles was busy bring smiles to people through his correspondence.
    From his office in the Magic Kingdom, Charles wrote to thousands of people,
    many of whom were sick. From a photograph of the person, he would sketch a
    caricature and sometimes Disney characters and send it to them. He sent
    out 14 to 15 sketches a day.
    
    We will miss Charles' voice and smile on Main Street. Fortunately, the
    Dapper Dans will continue singing to the guests on Main Street,
    carrying on the tradition he began over 25 years ago.
    
    If you would like to see a picture of the Dapper Dans, I posted a picture
    to the alt.binaries.misc newsgroup (no smut there). The post is dated
    Jan 30, 1997 and titled "WDW Main Street Dapper Dans - daprdans.jpg -
    (101K)".

    Reprinted without Permission from the Orlando Sentinel (2/10/97)
    
    
    "GM's Test Track thrill ride revs up at Disney's Epcot (sic)
    
    
    General Motors Corp. and Walt Disnet World released details Friday
    about Test Track, the thrill ride that's scheduled to open this spring
    in the GM-sponsored pavilion at Epcot (sic).
    
    For starters, the 'test cars' will go more than twice as fast as any
    roller coasters on Disney property.  The speedometers will hit 65 mph
    during the five-minute ride around the track, which is just shy of a
    mile long and winds inside and outside the pavilion.
    
    But speed isn't the only thing that makes the ride different.  Test
    track (sic) is modeled after GM's own test sites, where the brakes,
    suspension and other features of new vehicles are tested before a car
    hits the market.
    
    The ride begins with a steep climb to a height of three stories before
    it descends to the second level over harsh road surfaces.  A couple of
    passes through traffic cones simulate an out-of-control skid.
    
    In the 'environmental chamber,' the cars- and riders- will be exposed
    to intense cold and heat, with a 100-degree temperature change.  Next,
    the cars do the 'barrier' and 'high-speed' tests, crashing through a
    wall for a quick run outside the building where the track banks at a
    50-degree angle."
    
    
    
    

    Last week the Orlando Sentinel reported that two families have moved
    out of Celebration. A gag order is in effect and neither Disney nor the
    two families are talking.
    
    The paper is speculating that the Celebration school system may have
    been a factor in the decision to leave Celebration.
    
    Mike

    ** Starwave/Disney, CBS/Sportsline deals brewing
    
    The New York Times reports Tuesday Michael Levy's Sportsline USA
    web venture is drawing potential investment attention from CBS.
    Levy tells the Times "We've been looking for a media partner, and
    the talks we've had are promising." Meanwhile, the president of
    Starwave, Mike Slade, is quoted in Tuesday's Times saying only
    "We've done things with Disney in the past, and we'll do more in
    the future." In other words, Slade has not confirmed last week's
    reports, the latest Friday that Disney had agreed to put $80 into
    Starwave and manage the Internet web site development venture.
    Jupiter Communications analyst Adam Schoenfeld is quoted saying
    these talks could be precursors to both web ventures going public.
    

    
    * DreamWorks SKG signed former WALT DISNEY CO's ABC Inc executive
      Ted Harbert to an exclusive deal to develop and produce
      television shows for the studio. Harbert resigned his position as
      chairman of Walt Disney Co's ABC Entertainment on February 15.
      DreamWorks said Harbert would immediately join the situation
      comedy "Arsenio" as executive producer, along with Tim O'Donnell
      and Arsenio Hall. The show makes its debut on the ABC television
      network on Wednesday, March 5. (Reuters 07:39 PM ET 02/18/97) For
      the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1596545-a21
    
    

    * WALT DISNEY CO sold more than six million video copies of its
      animated classic "Bambi" in the first two weeks it has been
      available. Disney initially shipped 10 million copies of "Bambi"
      but it now plans to take additional orders to meet demand as it
      launches a key Easter advertising campaign. The entertainment
      giant said it is guaranteeing two-day delivery of all Bambi
      re-orders to prevent out of stock inventories. Disney sold 8
      million copies of "Bambi" when it was first released in 1989. By
      re-releasing copies of its classics, Disney has been able to
      provide a steady stream of profits to its bottom line."Bambi"
      goes off sale on March 31. The video sells for $26.99. before a
      $7 rebate. (Reuters 01:24 PM ET 02/20/97) 
    

    I got Bambi as a valentine's gift...gonna buy myself "Hunchback..." in
    two weeks.
    
    Mike

    * WALT DISNEY CO will open its newest center for family
      entertainment, Club Disney, a small-sized magical kingdom near
      Los Angeles filled with learning games for kids under 10. The
      Burbank, Calif.-based film, television and theme park giant plans
      to test its Club Disney concept at its first center in affluent
      Thousand Oaks, Calif., and may open as many 100 across the United
      States in years to come. At the clubs, kids can play in different
      sections and learn about the arts and sciences with their parents
      and meet Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Simba the lion.
      (Reuters 07:39 PM ET 02/20/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1626290-dec 
    

    * The board of resort company Club Mediterranee is expected to
      appoint Euro Disney's chairman Philippe Bourguignon as its new
      head, replacing Serge Trigano, the newspaper Le Monde said on
      Friday. It also said Club Med was expected to show a loss for the
      1996/97 year of more than 700 million francs ($123 million) after
      taking a 600 million franc restructuring charge. Officials at
      Euro Disney, 39 % owned by The WALT DISNEY CO, were not
      immediately available for comment. (Reuters 07:04 AM ET 02/21/97)
      For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1633552-004
    

[http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1678132-14e]

02:42 PM ET 02/24/97

Disney taking stake in Pixar

    BURBANK, Calif., Feb 24 (Reuter) - Walt Disney Co is buying
a small stake in Pixar Animation Studios, and the pair have
signed a five-movie production deal, the companies said Monday.
    Disney said it would buy one million shares of Pixar common
at $15 a share, and will receive warrants to buy an additional
1.5 million shares at higher prices. If the warrants are
exercised, Disney will own about five percent of Pixar.
    Disney and Pixar will be equal partners on the five movies
and related products. The films are to be made over the next 10
years.
    Pixar and Disney jointly produced the Academy Award-winning
film "Toy Story" under a three-picture deal signed in 1991. The
remaining two pictures from that deal will become the first two
pictures under the new deal.
    Terms of ther new pact were not disclosed.
    The partners said an animated feature tentatively called
"Bugs," directed by Academy Award winner John Lasseter of
Pixar, will be the first picture under the new deal. It is
planned for release during the 1998 holiday season.
    "Toy Story," released in 1995, was the first full-length
feature animation produced entirely by computer. Lasseter won
an Oscar for special achievement. To date, the film has grossed
more than $350 million worldwide.

    
    * Former Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Richard Connor filed a
      lawsuit against WALT DISNEY CO , the corporate parent of the
      paper that dismissed him, Connor's attorney said. Disney, ABC
      Inc, ABC senior VP Phillip Meek and Capital Cities/ABC president
      Robert Iger were named as defendants in the suit. Connor is
      seeking "reasonable damages" not to exceed former president
      Michael Ovitz's $90 million severance package. Connor accused the
      ABC executives of alleged scheming for his dismissal, while
      providing assurances that he was secure in his job. (Reuters
      05:58 PM ET 02/24/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1680050-a01 
    
    

    
    * A local sports television group in California filed a lawsuit
      Monday against WALT DISNEY CO, the Mighty Ducks hockey team and
      ESPN accusing them of trying to block its access to cable
      subscribers so Disney could launch a rival service. According to
      the lawsuit, filed late on Monday in the U.S. District Court,
      Prime Ticket Networks L.P., which operates the Fox Sports West
      and Fox Sports West 2 channels, has been unable to get its Fox
      Sports West 2 channel on many cable systems. The complaint said
      Disney, ESPN and the Ducks organised an agreement among the
      largest cable providers to boycott the second channel and
      therefore destroy its viability. (Reuters 12:29 AM ET 02/25/97)
      For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1683997-6b6 
    
    

    
    * WALT DISNEY CO shareholders sent the company a strong message
      about executive pay and the independence of its directors at
      Disney's annual meeting. About 12.7% of the company's
      shareholders voted to withhold their support to reelect five
      members of the company's board. And about 88.8% of the company's
      voting shareholders supported the company in a vote on Eisner's
      new compensation package. About 11.2% either voted against the
      package or abstained. Eisner defended his board's independence at
      the meeting, but he made a strong statement that he had made a
      mistake in hiring Ovitz in 1995. (Reuters 04:21 PM ET 02/25/97)
    
    

    
    * WALT DISNEY CO's ABC Inc President Robert Iger said he intended
      to focus in coming years on restoring the company's television
      network to its past glory. Iger, who has been at ABC for 23
      years, said the company was concentrating on strengthening its
      prime time line-up and adding more events and distinctive
      programs to its schedule. Iger said fixing the network will take
      time, but its affiliation with Disney provided the company with a
      wealth of creative talent. Iger said ABC planned to expand
      overseas with cable channels like the Disney Channel and ESPN,
      its all sports network. (Reuters 11:30 PM ET 02/25/97) For the
      full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1698193-5ba
    
    * WALT DISNEY CO unveiled a plan to open a group of sporting goods
      stores featuring ESPN, the all-sports cable television channel,
      as their theme. The first retail store, called ESPN - The Store,
      will open this autumn in the Glendale Galleria, a mall in the Los
      Angeles suburb of Glendale. In a statement, Disney said it
      planned three more locations in the United States during 1998,
      with several hundred stores will follow in the years ahead. ESPN
      - The Store is a new division of The Disney Store Inc, the Disney
      unit currently responsible for stores that sell Disney movie and
      cartoon-related merchandise. (Reuters 08:09 PM ET 02/25/97) For
      the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1695795-6bb 
    
    * WALT DISNEY CO shareholders approved a new contract Tuesday for
      Chairman Michael Eisner despite a hailstorm of opposition from
      critics who called the compensation package excessive. Disney's
      board of directors has come under fire for the decision to pay
      Ovitz nearly $39 million in cash and stock options on 3 million
      shares currently worth about $56 million. Some investors,
      including the influential California Public Employees' Retirement
      System, voted against the nominees, claiming the board has become
      a rubber stamp for Eisner. (Reuters 08:05 PM ET 02/25/97) For the
      full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1695746-85c
    
    

    
    * A U.S.-based Haitian rights organization on Wednesday accused
      WALT DISNEY CO and other U.S. firms of using Haitian sweatshops
      to make products sold in the United States. Disney has denied
      that its plants in Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest nation with an
      estimated 80 percent unemployment rate and a minimum wage of
      $0.28 per hour, were marked by poor conditions. (Reuters 07:46 PM
      ET 02/26/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1710424-dd1 
    

[undated; I got this from http://www.magicnet.net/~tudlp/wdcnews.html. -NE]

Disney and AAA Form Official Alliance

WDW News Release

Building on more than 20 years of good relations, Disney and AAA have announced
an official agreement that will present the more than 39 million members of AAA 
with an array of benefits at Walt Disney World Resort. The AAA Hospitality enter
will open in 1998 on Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom, giving guests the
opportunity to purchase AAA memberships and allowing AAA members to use basic
services. AAA members also will enjoy discounts on select vacation packages and
benefits at Disneyland Park in California and the new Disney Cruise Line.

    * WALT DISNEY CO's ABC Inc, elevated longtime ABC News President
      Roone Arledge to the newly created position of chairman.
      Arledge, in turn, named David Westin president of ABC News.
      Westin has president of ABC's television network group since
      1994. ABC Inc President Robert Iger said in a statement that
      the appointments were part of a succession plan at ABC News.
      "Roone's record in building this division speaks for itself,
      and his creativity and instinctive understanding of the medium
      of television are legendary in this business," Iger said.
      "Roone and David will be formidable team in guiding ABC News
      into the future." (Reuters 08:48 PM ET 03/06/97) 
    

     WALT DISNEY CO will announce a major expansion of its animation
      operations at Disney-MGM Studios, The Orlando Sentinel
      newspaper said. The expansion will be anchored by a new
      200,000-square-foot building and help house 150 additional
      animators, the newspaper said. Disney already employs 360
      artists and support staff, up from 70, when the Disney-MGM
      studio and theme park opened in 1989. Some current animators
      now work in temporary buildings. Disney animators in Orlando
      are working on "Mulan," a movie based on Chinese folklore set
      for theatrical release in 1998. (Reuters 11:38 AM ET 03/07/97) 
    
    * WALT DISNEY CO said it would build a 200,000 square-foot,
      four-story building to house animators at its Disney World
      theme park complex near Orlando. "In just seven years, Walt
      Disney Feature Animation Florida has more than quadrupled in
      size and expects more growth in the near future," feature
      animation President Peter Schneider said. The new building will
      be constructed next to an existing cartoon studio and will
      house more than 400 cartoonists and support staff by summer
      1998, the company said. A spokeswoman for Disney declined to
      detail the costs of the new building. (Reuters 03:34 PM ET
      03/07/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1836583-bb2
    
    

08:55 PM ET 03/07/97

Disney World workers file discrimination suit


            LOS ANGELES (Reuter) - Four employees at Walt Disney World
filed a lawsuit Friday against the entertainment giant accusing
Walt Disney Co. of racial discrimination.
            According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in
Los Angeles, four African-American employees working at the
company's Florida theme park or related hotels or resorts were
denied the opportunity for promotions, raises and bonuses that
are typically given to white employees.
            The lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, also
claims Disney retaliates against African-American employees by
"intimidating and threatening them, diminishing their work
responsibilites and terminating their employment."
            "Disney's retaliation policy is well known and feared by
its African-American employees," the lawsuit said. "Disney
uses this pattern of retaliation to intimidate its employees and
deter them from asserting civil rights claims based on Disney's
practices, inbcluding those relating to promotion, hiring and
work assignments."
            The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory
damages.
            A spokesman for Disney said the company had not seen the
lawsuit and could not comment on it.
         

05:04 PM ET 03/07/97

Politically correct pirates invade Disneyland


            By Dan Whitcomb
            ANAHEIM, Calif. (Reuter) - They're still a bunch of drunken,
pillaging rogues, but there's one thing the pirates in
Disneyland's most popular ride will no longer do in this
politically correct age -- chase the womenfolk.
            The change was unveiled Friday, as "Pirates of the
Caribbean" at Disney's original theme park re-opened after two
months of refurbishment.
            The same automated pirate figures who used to lustfully
chase after buxom wenches are now shown to be in hot pursuit
only because the women are carrying trays of food.
            It was the first opportunity for the members of the public
to ride "Pirates" since Disney announced the change two months
ago, prompting critics to charge the park was sacrificing
historical accuracy and sanitizing reality.
            Speaking to reporters at a ceremony re-dedicating the
30-year-old attraction, Disneyland President Paul Pressler
insisted the change was not made for reasons of political
correctness.
            "Very little is politically correct about 'Pirates of the
Caribbean,'" he said. "I'm afraid to be politically correct
we'd probably have to close the whole ride, and we don't want to
do that."
            Pressler pointed out that the knaves who have inhabited the
water ride still carry on acts of terror, arson and wanton
destruction, all the while singing their theme song, "A
Pirate's Life for Me" (complete with the lyrics "We pillage,
plunder, we rifle and loot/We kidnap and ravage and don't give a
hoot.")
            In one scene, a group of buccaneers auction off five
"wenches" -- young women who have apparently been kidnapped
from their sacked village.
            Disney had no obligation to re-create reality, Pressler.
            "We are not painting a historically accurate picture," he
said. "In fact, we're in the entertainment business. We work
very hard to keep reality outside the park."
            Pressler said adding the trays of food was not an effort to
sanitize the ride, but to complement the theme of that particular
scene.
            "The trays were about the whole scene, which talks about
gluttony," he said. "And the guys are still chasing the
women."
            "Pirates of the Caribbean" first opened at Disneyland
March 18, 1967, as one of the last attractions that Walt Disney
helped design before his death in 1966.
            On hand to help re-dedicate the ride were several of the
Disney "imagineers" who helped build it.

      Descendants of 19th century French writer Victor Hugo denounced
      WALT DISNEY CO's film "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" on Monday,
      saying it amounted to "commercial pillage." Charles, Adele,
      Jeanne, Sophie, and Leopoldine Hugo said that posters for the
      film, a box office hit in France based on Hugo's masterpiece
      "Notre-Dame de Paris," do not even mention the author's name.
      And they wrote that a string of commercial spinoffs from the
      movie -- including cartoon books, electronic games, plastic
      models of the characters and advertisements in hamburger
      restaurants -- seemed "scandalous and obscene." (Reuters 02:22
      PM ET 03/10/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1875130-9ae 
    

    
    * WALT DISNEY CO's ABC News and Discovery Channel, a unit of
      TELE-COMM INC, are planning to join forces to cover science
      news. The two companies were expected to announce the venture,
      called "Discovery News," at a news conference tentatively
      scheduled for Thursday. Discovery News is to premiere on the
      Discovery Channel on April 4, the two companies said. Neither
      company would comment further on the deal. A spokeswoman for
      ABC also said it was possible that the news conference would
      not take place Thursday as originally planned. (Reuters 07:30
      PM ET 03/12/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1907323-da8 
    
    

    
    * A California judge Wednesday set a Nov. 18 trial date for
      former WALT DISNEY CO studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg's $250
      million breach-of-contract suit against the company.
      Katzenberg, who left Disney in 1994 after Chairman Michael
      Eisner decided not to promote him to president, is seeking $250
      million from his former employer, based on his claim that he
      should be entitled to a portion of the studio's profits from
      blockbusters such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion
      King". Disney has repeatedly denied Katzenberg's claim, saying
      he relinquished his rights to share in the profits of those
      films when he opted out of his contract early. (Reuters 06:42
      PM ET 03/12/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1906813-0ab 
    

    
    * MCDONALDS CORPORATION and WALT DISNEY CO kicked off their
      previously announced exclusive 10-year marketing alliance with
      three consecutive promotions. In May, McDonald's will feature a
      "Celebrate Disney Music" promotion, offering three different
      collections of music from Disney films. A portion of the
      proceeds from each sale will be donated to Ronald McDonald
      House Charities. McDonald's also will offer collectible toy
      Disney characters in its Happy Meals for children during May.
      (Reuters 12:05 PM ET 03/19/97) For the full text story, see
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2010204-073 
    

    * WALT DISNEY said it is close to buying CINERGI PICTURES ENT for
      a likely price of about $20 million, Daily Variety said on
      Friday. The agreement, which could be completed as early as
      next week, would give Disney access to Cinergi's library, which
      included films such as "Nixon" and the recently-released
      "Evita," the report said, citing sources. It would also include
      a small amount of cash, Daily Variety said. (Reuters 05:20 AM
      ET 03/21/97) 
    

    * EURO DISNEY's new chairman, Gilles Pelisson, said the sales
      trend in the 1Q 1996-97 signalled an "excellent outlook" for
      the Disneyland Paris theme park in the first half. But
      Pelisson, who replaced Philippe Bourguignon last month after
      the former chairman went over to Club Mediterranee, reiterated
      that 1997 would be "a difficult year." The company has said
      lease and financial expenses will rise by around $35.2 million
      this year. Nonetheless, "the trend in the 1Q gives us an
      excellent outlook," Pelisson said. Sales in the
      October-December quarter rose to 1.13 billion francs from 1.01
      billion. (Reuters 07:45 AM ET 03/26/97) 
    

    ** Details of Disney subscription service
    
    Disney Online Monday unveiled its plan to launch Disney's Daily
    Blast, an Internet subscription service for kids and families.
    Beginning April 9, a free two-week Sneak Preview will open to
    10,000 families selected in a "Digital Drawing" consumers can enter
    through April 8 at www.disneyblast.com. The service will be offered
    on the Internet for $4.95 per month, and will also be available on
    The Microsoft Network, at no extra charge to MSN members. Disney
    says the site "will offer new content each day including games,
    stories, comics, activities, and kid-centric ESPN sports and ABC
    news." Subscribers will also get access to the company's
    Family.com, featuring content from parenting publications.
    

    * DISNEY launched of The Disney Channel-Middle East, bringing
      Disney programming to 23 nations in the Middle-East and North
      Africa. This follows by 11 days the launch of The Disney
      Channel in France, which will operate 19 hours a day and offers
      much European programming and dialogue in the French language.
      The Aladdin sequel, "The Return of Jafar," was the first
      program shown when The Disney Channel premiered in France,
      while "The Jungle Book" was the first program shown on The
      Disney Channel-Middle East. (PR Newswire 05:00 PM ET 04/02/97)
      Full story:
      http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2231068-27f 
    

* Euro Disney has started 1997 well and has an "excellent"
  outlook for 1998 which will help it meeting its royalty
  payments to WALT DISNEY CO. from 1999, its chairman said on
  Sunday. Gilles Pelisson said that the company was reviewing
  ticket prices even though the absence of inflation made price
  rises difficult. He said that a direct rail link between the
  Disneyland Paris site in Marne-La-Vallee and London would bring
  in an additional 800 British visitors per day. (Reuters 01:22
  PM ET 04/13/97) For the full text story, see
  http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2409800-6d8

* WALT DISNEY CO's ABC Radio said it has agreed to acquire two
  radio stations for $105 million in cash. ABC is acquiring the
  stations, WDRQ-FM in Detroit and WJZW-FM in Washington, from
  EVERGREEN MEDIA CORP and CHANCELLOR CORPORATION, who are
  shedding some stations as part of their agreed merger. The
  merger is scheduled to close in the third quarter. The new
  company is to be called Chancellor Media Corp. As part of the
  deal, the companies have agreed to purchase 10 radio properties
  owned by VIACOM INC. ABC Radio owns 21 stations in the United
  States, reaching about 14 million listeners weekly. (Reuters
  10:26 AM ET 04/14/97) 

* DISNEY WALT CO Disney Interactive unit confirmed the company
  has laid off 90 of its 425 staffers, Daily Variety said on
  Thursday. The company was the latest to suffer casualties in a
  weakening entertainment CD-ROM business. A number of
  freelancers and independent contractors were also released,
  Daily Variety said. Disney was not immediately available to
  comment. (Reuters 05:13 AM ET 04/17/97) 

** Disney buys Family Planet

Disney Online announced the purchase of Starwave Corp.'s Family
Planet Web site -- a deal it said was "all in the family." (Walt
Disney Co. recently made an investment in Starwave, giving it
managing control of the Web site developer.) "By joining forces, we
can give Family Planet and Family.com guests the best of both
worlds in a single place," said Susan Wyland, vice president and
editorial director of Disney's Family.com. "Family Planet offers a
lot of information about early childhood and child development,
while Family.com has chosen to focus more on children aged 3 and
up. Their features are a perfect complement to ours

from:

WEIRDNUZ.477 (News of the Weird, March 28, 1997)
by Chuck Shepherd
Copyright 1997 by Universal Press Syndicate.
...
CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE

* According to a recent Walt Disney World newspaper
advertisement, an Ashland, Ohio, couple, Bill and Vicky
Meredith, have been journeying to the park since 1974 and spend
10 days of every month there, staying in the same room at the
Caribbean Beach Resort. 

...

NEWS OF THE WEIRD, founded in 1988, is a nationally syndicated
newspaper column distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.
Individuals may have the columns mailed to them electronically,
free of charge, approximately three weeks after the cover date,
which is the date when most subscribing newspapers will publish
the column.  Send a message to notw-request@nine.org with the
Subject line of Subscribe.  To read these News of the Weird newspaper
columns from the past six months, go to http://www.nine.org/notw/notw.html
(That site contains no graphics, no photos, no video clips, no
audio.  Just text.  Deal with it.)

This article is from today's (4/21) Orlando Sentinal.



  Walt Disney World
  will announce today
  that it is bringing the
  Fantasmic show to
  Disney-MGM
  Studios next year, an expansion that likely will
  become one of the park's top draws. 

full text in note 311.9

** Disney's Daily Blast-off

The Walt Disney Co.'s new kid-oriented online service, Daily Blast,
is out of beta and into realtime. The Internet-based subscription
service is on the Net at www.disneyblast.com, and on the Microsoft
Network. Families can get a free two-week trial. Net subscriptions
cost $4.95 per month, while Blast is free to MSN members. Disney
says it will offer 8-12 "fun programs," or up to an hour's worth of
new content every day. The material includes interactive comic
books based on Disney characters and stories, skill-based games
with multiple levels, sports highlights from ESPN, and news for
kids from ABC. 

* DISNEY reported 2Q EPS of $0.49 vs. $0.47 last year, on
  revenues of $5.48 bln. vs. $4.54 bln. in 1996. Analysts' mean
  estimates were $0.46, according to First Call. NOTE: 1996
  amounts exclude the impact of charges related to the SFAS 121
  accounting change ($300 mln.) and acquisition-related costs
  ($225 mln.). (Reuters 08:16 AM ET 04/23/97) For the full text
  story, see
  http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2580902-4af 

* DISNEY said its broadcasting revenues rose 9% for the 2Q to
  $1.5 billion. Theme park and resort revenues were up 14%, to
  $1.2 billion, while creative-content revenues rose 9%, to $2.8
  billion. The broadcasting results benefited from significant
  reductions in program amortization and other costs attributable
  to last year's acquisition of ABC, partially offset by lower
  network ratings. Cable results, helped by higher advertising
  revenues and subscribers at ESPN, were a key contributor to the
  increase in broadcasting revenues. (Reuters 08:49 AM ET
  04/23/97)

* DISNEY merged its domestic and international home video units
  into one subsidiary headed by Michael Johnson. The newly
  organized business, named Buena Vista Home Video Worldwide,
  will manage all facets of Disney's home video business and
  distribute Disney interactive products on a worldwide basis.
  Disney said Ann Daly, who headed Buena Vista Home Video and was
  responsible for video distribution in the U.S., will be leaving
  Disney when her current contract expires in September. (Reuters
  11:51 AM ET 04/24/97) For the full text story, see
  http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2601672-d36 

This isn't really DISNEY in the news, but it's close-by.  I guess I'm happy
that Disney takes such extreme security measures.  

This was taken from the Boston Globe, May 1, 1997:

KILLINGS PLAGUE FLA. TOURIST AREA

Orlando, Fla. - A woman's body was found yesterday on a golf course near Sea
World.  Earlier this week, a man was bludgeoned to death and his companion was
raped behind a hotel near Universal Studios Florida.  The bodies of two women
were found about a mile away.  The murders in this tourist destination 
apparently weren't related, "but we're not ruling out anything," said
Commander Steve Jones of the Orange County Sheriff's office.  One man was
arrested yesterday on an outstanding battery charge and confessed to the latest
killing.  Ricky Rhodes, 24, will be charged with first-degree murder for
killing the woman found yesterday. (AP)

    We just got back after two weeks in the Orlando Area.  According to the
    Orlando Sentinel (which makes USA Today look like an intellectual
    paper) .....
    
    The Killing/Rape at the Radison twin towers has been solved.  It is a local
    23 year old who has been in and out of trouble for years. He has living
    home after being released from prison for assault and battery. They are 
    searching for him.  
    
    The two women found in the woods were local hookers and police believe
    they may have a problem with a serial killer like the Green River
    Killer.  There weren't too many details on this one when we left.
    
    The woman on the golf course was killed by Ricky Rhodes, a 24 year old
    drifter. He was caught when the car he was driving got stuck in the mud
    near the golf course.  After a tow truck was called to pull him out he
    tried the stiff the tow truck operator, who called the police.
    
    /jim

    This is what appeared on the AP feed today ......
    
    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A highspeed chase ended the weeklong search for a
    suspect police say murdered a former Mainer in Orlando's tourist
    district, raped the victim's friend and kidnapped a woman. 

    James Sears Hartsock, 25, was captured Monday after a police officer in
    the small town of Holly Hill spotted him driving a Jeep stolen from his
    latest victim - an airline employee who was held captive for four days,
    Orlando police said. 

    ``We're very relieved. We thought the chance was very great he would
    commit another crime,'' said Sgt. Bill Mulloy, an Orlando police
    spokesman. ``Thank goodness he was caught.'' 

    The Holly Hill police officer pursued Hartsock through Daytona Beach
    and Ormond Beach before Hartsock's vehicle blew a tire. The officer
    used his patrol car to ram and trap Hartsock's vehicle at a parking lot
    in Ormond Beach, said Sgt. Mark Barker, a spokesman for the Holly Hill
    police department. Hartsock struck two cars during the chase. 

    Two hitchhikers from El Campo, Texas were with him in the vehicle,
    Barker said. Hartsock had picked up 22-year-old Nancy Ann Montez and
    32-year-old Carl H. Petersen about an hour before the chase and they
    were very surprised to find out he was wanted by police. 

    The arrest ended a weeklong search that began last Monday with the
    murder of 26-year-old Richard Anthony Banaitis and the rape of a woman
    Banaitis had just met, police said. The attack occurred outside the
    Radisson Twin Towers, across the street from Universal Studios Florida. 

    The arrest came hours after Banaitis, who grew up in Sabattus, Maine,
    was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in nearby Lewiston. An aspiring model
    who moved to Florida seven years ago, Banaitis worked at an Orlando
    resort. 

    The murder was the first of four in a three-day period last week near
    International Drive, an entertainment corridor lined with hotels,
    family restaurants, water rides, miniature golf courses and outlet
    shopping malls. 

    Police said the woman was raped twice and escaped by inviting her
    captor to her hotel room after convincing him she wouldn't call police. 

    A hotel security camera captured an image of the two entering the hotel
    elevator. Hartsock fled as soon as she opened the room door, and he
    realized there were people inside, police said. 

    The search for Hartsock intensified with the kidnapping of the
    22-year-old Virgin Atlantic Airlines employee. She was abducted
    Wednesday night in the parking lot of a shopping mall. Her friends
    became worried when she didn't show up for a band rehearsal and called
    police. 

    She was released Sunday night and examined at the Orlando Regional
    Medical Center for evidence of sexual assault. Police said her ATM card
    was used once in Orlando and once in Sarasota during her abduction. 

    Police said she thanked Hartsock for sparing her life after he dropped
    her off north of downtown. 

    ``Why do criminals do the things they do?'' said Orlando police
    spokesman Cheryl DeGroff-Berry. ``Who knows, but at least they get
    caught, thank God.'' 

    Also Monday, authorities said they were running out of leads in the
    murders of two women last week and released the name of a fourth murder
    victim. 

    The body found last Wednesday behind the driving range of a golf course
    near Sea World was identified as that of Ching Lin Payne, 43, of St.
    Cloud. Rickie Lynn Rhodes, 24, was charged with the first-degree murder
    last week. Police haven't released further details of the slaying. 

    Police were running out of leads in investigating the murders of Mary
    Ann Voepel, 22, and Stephanie Singleton, 26, whose bodies were found
    last Tuesday in a wooded are near International Drive. Voepel had a
    history of prostitution arrests and Singleton had a history of theft
    and drug arrests. 

    ``A lot of times a killer will brag about murders, but with these two
    it's not the type of crime someone would talk about,'' Mulloy said.
    ``It's not something (the murderer is) proud of.'' 

    

[It's not bad, my kids (and I) have been enjoying it. If only it 
wasn't AM-only, though.  -Sjv]

* WALT DISNEY CO's ABC Radio Networks said it plans to move
  forward with a national rollout of Radio Disney, a network
  geared toward children and family-oriented programming. Radio
  Disney debuted on November 18 in four markets: Atlanta,
  Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Birmingham. ABC Radio said that
  Radio Disney's test phase witnessed solid interest from a large
  number of blue-chip advertisers, and that it has received
  significant interest from owners of radio stations. Radio
  Disney's format includes a Top 40-style playlist of songs and
  several short-form features per hour, such as ABC News for
  Kids, ESPN Sports for Kids and Kid of the Week. (Reuters 03:56
  AM ET 05/09/97) For the full text story, see
  http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2846507-95b 

* KNIGHT RIDDER and WALT DISNEY completed the previously
  announced acquisition of four newspapers owned by ABC, Inc.,
  for $1.65 billion. The newspapers are The Kansas City Star
  (circulation 291,000 daily and 424,000 Sunday); the Fort Worth
  and Arlington Star-Telegrams, (with combined circulation of
  240,000 daily and 342,000 Sunday); the Belleville (Ill.) News-
  Democrat (circulation 51,000 daily and 62,000 Sunday); and The
  Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (circulation 48,000 daily and
  70,000 Sunday). (PR Newswire 04:06 PM ET 05/09/97) For the full
  text story, see
  http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2855213-f9f

08:28 AM ET 05/12/97

Disney launches London's most expensive musical

         
            LONDON (Reuter) - Walt Disney is to stage the most expensive
show ever mounted in London theater history with "Beauty and
the Beast" already taking more than $8 million in advance
bookings.
            A company spokesman said Monday that the musical cost $16.5
million to stage, including its cast of 40 and a 25-member
orchestra.
            The show, with lyrics by Oscar-winning writer Tim Rice, has
already run for three years on Broadway in New York and been
staged in Tokyo, Vienna, Toronto and Sydney.
            This is Disney's first foray into London's West End, already
dominated by Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals.
            The Dominion Theater, where the show opens Tuesday, has been
specially extended to make room for the wardrobe department's
230 costumes.

* The "Disney Magic," WALT DISNEY CO first cruise ship, was
  officially launched at a ceremony at Italian state shipbuilder
  Fincantieri's Venice-Marghera shipyard. Esta Rodney, wife of
  Disney Cruise Line President Art Rodney, broke a traditional
  bottle of champagne over the ship's bow at the technical launch
  before the 85,000 gross tonne vessel was floated out of a
  building dock to a fitting-out pier. The Disney Magic is the
  largest passenger ship ever designed and built to transit the
  Panama Canal.(Reuters 01:15 PM ET 05/13/97) For the full text
  story, see
  http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2916321-e84 

    Reprinted without permission
    Valley Breeze, Wednesday May 21, 1997

    By: Thomas Ward
    
                     Disney's real magic is in its people.
    
    It seems Walt Disney World really is magic.  There's magic in the
    sights and sounds, the music and fantasy, to be sure.  Everyone gets to
    see that. But there's another, more deeper and special magic that lives
    in the hearts of its people, and I and my wife and three daughters were
    lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it during our recent vacation.

    I'm not exactly sure when my wife Carol first told me she was having a
    few small contractions.  Seven months pregnant with our fourth child,
    she had been given the "all clear" by her doctor and told to not over
    do it.  We had been pretty careful our first two days there, and Carol
    was feeling fine.  
    
    It was Sunday evening, May 4, and we were all gathered in the Magic
    Kingdom on Main Street for the "Spectromagic" parade of lights.  If
    you're going to go into labor, this is about as pretty a place as any,
    I suppose, and Carol reported that the pains were getting a bit
    stronger.  
    
    By the time we reached our little "home" at Disney World, it was time
    to check in with the doctor back in Rhode Island.  On a Sunday night,
    we never had a chance.  The on call doctor told Carol she'd have to be
    looked at.  Now.  So here we were, in a place called Fort Wilderness at
    10 p.m., our obstetrician 1,500 miles away and taking the night off,
    three little girls as quiet and heavy as three sacks of concrete under
    the covers, and no car.

    Call 911, I suppose, and tell them to bring a bus.  Instead, I called
    the front desk and watched the magic unfold before our eyes.  
    
    Sherri took my call.  Having figured out pretty quickly that the only
    real problem here was the kids, I asked about their baby-sitting
    service.  Sorry, I was told, but they're closed for the night.  Sherri
    then promised to call me back in a few minutes.  She did, with a plan,
    it was about 10 minutes later that the rescue showed up, with Sherri
    and Danielle right behind it.  Danielle, it seemed, had desk duty that
    evening, but had done plenty of baby-sitting in the past, and was
    hastily reassigned to our trailer for the night.  
    
    I woke my comatose daughter Michaelle to tell her about her new
    guardian and off Carol and I went on the 30-minute drive to Orlando's
    Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women.

    Being a guy, I assumed they could just give Carol some medication and
    stop the labor, so after everything was under control I headed back to
    the Wilderness, arriving at 2 a.m. (Disney, of course, paid for the cab
    $31). I gave Danielle the rest of the night off.

    Alter a few very early morning phone calls, my faith in labor-stopping
    medication was shattered.

    With another call to the front desk, we met Mary, who drove the entire
    family back to the hospital at 7 a.m. for the imminent birth.  Upon our
    arrival, labor slowed dramatically and we met Brenda, Carol's nurse for
    the day.  Brenda, an experienced nurse and mom, sized up the situation
    perfectly and plopped me and the kids in the room adjoining Carol's.

    Activate the TV, give the kids and few snacks, and all is well...except
    that the blessed non-event was on hold.  By afternoon it was time to
    head back to Fort Wilderness, so Mary was summoned and again happily
    gave us a ride.  She even found me a pager and said it was mine for the
    week, so I called the birthing center with the number, only to have
    Carol call back 30 seconds later (I swear it was that fast) and tell me
    to head back in to the hospital.

    Now Mary was sweet, mind you, but only a zombie Stepford wife would
    have driven us on this 20-mile run for the third time and do it with a
    smile, so I got a rental car.  When I got back to the hospital, Brenda
    had taken charge I settled the kids in and resumed my place as husband
    and coach, exhibiting the confidence that comes from years of
    pretending to have a clue.  A few more pushes by Carol and we had a
    son, our first.  And despite the pressure on us to name him something
    related to his unique entry into our world (Mickey, Donald, Goofy) we
    settled for the name we had first discussed a decade earlier, Steven
    Thomas.

    In the days that followed came the flowers and balloons from the Disney
    staffers who had been so helpful. There were follow-up phone calls to
    us asking how they could do even more.  It's hard to imagine how they
    could have made it any more memorable.

    Disney may be just a huge company to some, but it's a company made up
    of people -- tens of thousands of people.  The magic of Walt Disney
    World rests in the hands and hearts of people like Sherri, Danielle,
    and Mary.  It rubs off on special nurses like Brenda.  I and my family
    will never forget their kindness.

    Thomas Ward is the publisher of The Valley Breeze, Cumberland, RI

What a terrific story thanks for sharing it.......