Building a gigantic fairytale castle and putting it on TV on Sunday night in color might have been the smartest PR move in the history of marketing.Ah yes, I remember it well.
It’s impossible to look at the thing without feeling like you’re ten, sitting in front of the First Color Set your family had, happy it was Sunday night, hoping it was a cartoon tonight instead one of those nature shows. They were okay, I guess, but you would prefer a Chip and Dale to learning about beavers.
Unfortunately, they're not memories my kids will share. A great gulf separates me from my children - the boys hate Disney. I mean it, they really hate Disney - the saccharine story lines, schmaltzy songs, bloated merchandising and Disney stores full of overpriced plastic junk.
I guess I hate all that too. But the commercial excesses of Disney Corp, while they color my judgement, don't cloud my memory. And, like Lileks, when I see that fairytale castle, it takes me back to happy times.
