Words From Walt
Page 12 of 20
December 19
Why be a governor or senator when you can be king of Disneyland? |
Though the idea of running for politics was often suggested to Walt, he always deflected the idea. Walt couldn't fathom the idea of being stuck in the inevitable red tape that bound bureaucrats and slowed the wheels of progress that Walt loved. Walt was always about improving the system, not being a part of it.
As king of Disneyland, Walt provided a much greater service to the United States as an ambassador to the world than if he served as an elected representative of the people. Walt delighted in taking dignitaries on the Matterhorn concluding with the climatic splash down. He loved that the Disney magic was so convincing that when a king had trouble sorting out the real from the fantastic that Walt teased him that even the water appeared real.
Walt would be embarrassed by the amount of attention he would receive when tooling around the park with his special guests. As the host of a weekly television series, Walt was easily recognizable to many Disneyland visitors. He would inform the crowd that gathered around him that they were in the presence of actual royalty, real-life kings and queens. But within the Disneyland realm, Walt was the only king that mattered.
Disneyland would become such an international destination for the world's leaders that it was part of a brouhaha involving the Premier of Russia. The famous story goes that Nikita Khrushchev became upset that he wasn't able to visit the park during a visit to the United States because police could not guarantee his safety with the Magic Kingdom. His rant about the missed visit made headlines around the world and became a joke for comedians such as Bob Hope. Walt was actually disappointed that Khruschchev could not visit because he was anxious to show the Premier the recently opened Submarine Voyage, the eighth largest fleet of submarines in the world.
As Disneyland continued to grow, Walt became increasingly frustrated with what he could and couldn't do with his park. City, county and state codes and regulations would often stifle his plans. At the same time, he became increasingly interested in learning about urban planning. Walt felt there must have been a better way to do some of things he was attempting. He felt that the current problems of the inner cities could also be solved through his ideas. Instead of becoming part of the system and try to cure these perceived ills, Walt decided that he would create an experimental community of tomorrow from scratch. Sadly, Walt would die before his ideas could be fully developed and implemented but he was able to create a government entity for his Florida Project that would not handcuff his designs and plans. The Reedy Creek Improvement District continues today providing much of the infrastructure for the Walt Disney World resort.
Famed futurist and author Ray Bradbury would suggest to Walt one time that he should become mayor of Los Angeles. Walt politely explained that he didn't have time for such nonsense. With all the aspects of his entertainment empire to tend to, Walt led a much larger kingdom than most government officials. With millions of kids and kids at heart as constituents, Walt's choice to retain his title as King of Disneyland was one that no one wished he'd renounce.
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-- Matthew Walker
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