Photo by Joe Shlabotnik [Flickr]
Like Coca-Cola and Hollywood itself, Disney is a brand. Therefore, there are certain things we expect from Disney. And certain things we don't.
That's not to say that the things that come from Disney that we would never expect to see from them are bad things. Just that they are surprising. In fact, some of the best things to come from Disney are those that we would never have expected. Well, some of them.
Craziness Ensues at Hong Kong Disneyland
Photo by Dave Q [Flickr]
What happens when you open a theme park in Hong Kong, but your ticketing system can't meet the demand of a country long denied the Disney?
Riots. That's what. When Hong Kong Disneyland opened, millions of guests had already been sold tickets that were valid for up to six months. The problem? Just because you held a ticket didn't mean you were guaranteed admission for the day you showed up. Ouch.
Understandably, people were upset and what happened was the equivalent of a horde of cats trying to swarm a mouse motel. People tried to tear down the gates. Parents attempted to drop their kids over the gate. For awhile there, Disneyland Hong Kong was anything but the happiest place on earth.
While the furor has settled down, Disneyland HK is still going through its growing pains while it suffers from a lack of attractions and operating in a country that is quite different from those in which it has operated in the past.
Disney Weddings Takes On Gay Unions
© Walt Disney Co.
In 2007, Disney made the bold step to offer its Fairy Tale Weddings to gay couples. While gay couples still won't be able to overcome the issues of having a court recognized marriage, they can still have their own Fairy Tale ceremony on Disney grounds courtesy of the Fairy Tale Weddings programs.
It was a progressive statement and one that made the news and, no doubt, will one day be looked upon as a small victory for the move towards gay civil unions.
Disney Hires Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
© Walt Disney Pictures
When you have a beloved park attraction featuring pirates and you want to turn that attraction into a blockbuster film, you obviously need someone who can fill those big pirate boots on screen.
It might have seemed a given that Disney would have went with someone "safe." Someone whose name was synonymous with good old fashioned family entertainment.
Instead, Disney went with an actor known for his risky roles that ranged from drug dealers to crossdressing Hollywood directors to a man who had scissors for hands. When Disney took on Johnny Depp to play the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, no doubt there were more than a few executives who balked and contested the idea.
Thankfully, they didn't get their way and today, Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most successful movie franchises of all times. Thanks mostly to the swaggering drunkenness of its lead character, Captain Jack Sparrow.
Disney Joins Forces With George Lucas
Photo by Official Star Wars Blog [Flickr]
In 1986, Disney, looking for new ways to revive both Disneyland and, eventually, Walt Disney World's soon to open bare-bones movie theme park, Disney-MGM Studios, joined forces with one of Hollywood's biggest creative giants: George Lucas.
It was a meeting of the monsters that surprised Disney fans and Star Wars fans alike. The offspring of this union was Disney's brand new theme park ride, Star Tours, which allowed guests to travel, via simulator, through the Star Wars Universe.
Over the years, the relationship would strengthen with Disney-MGM's Star Wars Weekends and Indiana Jones attractions in Disneyland California, Walt Disney World and Tokyo DisneySea.
Currently, there are rumors that this relationship might become even more prevalent throughout the parks with Star Tours 2.0 and a possible land within Disney Hollywood Studios which would highlight Lucas' main properties: Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Disney Infiltrates Broadway
Photo by minimoniotaku [Flickr]
In 1994, Disney opened its first Broadway musical, Beauty and the Beast, based on the animated film. It was a bold move, but one that paid off. Since Beauty and the Beast's opening, Disney has created even more Broadway shows based on its films including The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Tarzan and The Little Mermaid.
Disneyland Opens California Adventure
Photo by robertpaulyoung [Flickr]
After plans fell through to build a third American theme park in Virginia and plans were scraped to build the West Coast equivalent of Walt Disney World's Epcot that was to be known as WestCot, Disney opened California Adventure in 2001, adjacent to the original Disneyland park.
And ever since, they've been trying to "fix" it. The problem seemed simple - much of Disneyland's traffic came from local visitors. So why would local visitors be interested in a park that mimicked the state in which they resided day after day?
Pair that with the fact that the park seemed to lack the trademark Disney magic and you've got problems. In 2007, Disney announced that it would be expanding and refurbing the park to the tune of $1.1 billion.
Disney Acquires ABC
Photo by dbking [Flickr]
In 1996, Disney took a bold step into the world of television when it acquired ABC. Now, Disney was a major player in television and ABC, under its new owners, began a slow revamp of its ailing network as the face of television changed from one that coddled the unrealistic family sitcom to one who demanded more realistic and gritty programming.
It took several years for ABC to move out of its slump, but it currently holds many of the ratings top spots with series such as Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Dancing With The Stars.
EuroDisney Opens in France
Photo by Dan Kamminga [Flickr]
Ah. Disneyland and the French. They just seem to be synonymous with each other, right?
When Disney opened up its EuroDisney park in France, the news was met with a chorus of "Huhs?" and "Oh boys." And for years, it seemed that the idea was one that was, well, a bad one.
However, after some growing pains, some revamps and a rename (from EuroDisney to Disneyland Paris), the park has finally grown out of its awkward stepchild phase and into one of a successful Disney park.
Disney Finally Acquires Pixar
Photo by Andrew Butt [Flickr]
For months, it seemed that Pixar and Disney would finally part ways for good. After a long and successful relationship that had begat such films as Toy Story, A Bug's Life and The Incredibles, fans worried that Pixar would go their way and Disney another.
The problem stemmed from a long, nasty feud between former Disney head honcho Michael Eisner and Steve Jobs. However, once Eisner was finally booted from Disney, the talks resumed and in 2006, Disney finally obtained Pixar and with it, John Lasseter as CCO of Pixar and Disney animation as well as Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.
-----------------------
No doubt, there are other "Holy Cow" moments within Disney's history. These are only 9 and I struggled over these and nixed others. What were your "Holy Cow" moments with Disney?
