Now & Then﹕Hong Kong Disneyland 5th Anniversary

【明報專訊】Disneyland, as an icon of joy, laughter and fantasy, has cheered up children and adults in many parts of the world for more than half a century. Its first series opened in California in 1955. It had set foot on French and Japanese soil before it came to Hong Kong in 2005. As of 12 September 2010, the fifth anniversary of its birth, the gate of Hong Kong Disneyland had welcomed thousands upon thousands of anticipating visitors. Hong Kong Disneyland serves as a playground where children embrace their dreams and let their imagination fly.

◆Walt Disney

The man who started all these fantasies was Walt Disney, who was christened Walter Elias. He was an American film producer, director and entertainer. He and his brother Roy Oliver Disney co-founded the Walt Disney Productions (formerly Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio) in 1923 and kicked off the journey of producing children's movies. Walt Disney led a simple and ordinary life as a child. Not until 1919 did his artistic career begin. Like many other teenagers, he had many dreams, but he finally decided that he should become a newspaper cartoonist. The foundation for his animations was laid during that stint.

◆Mickey Mouse

Walt Disney brought about an important change in the world by bringing alive a little mouse everybody has got to know-the Mickey Mouse. "Mickey" was originally called Mitchell. Although Mickey made his debut in Plane Crazy in May 1928, Disney decided his birthday should fall on November 18. Plane Crazy is an animation co-directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, his friend. It is about Mickey trying to build and fly a plane with Minnie. In it Mickey loses control of the plane and that leads to a series of exciting events. Plane Crazy, which was first made in black and white, was subsequently colourised for its appearance on TV. Plane Crazy is only six minutes long. That may be quite a surprise to today's kids, who are used to seeing animations that are more than an hour long. However, considering the technology available then, it was a great work.

Today, Disney is not just a fairy tale for children. It means money to adults as well. As McDonald's is keen on "Mcdonaldising " the world, so Disney advocates extensive globalisation. Not only have Disney products gone worldwide, but many cities are interested in welcoming the "arrival" of the children's kingdom. Among them is Shanghai, where Disneyland Resort is expected to go into operation by 2013.