Making Fun of the Mouse: Part II

Picking up where we left off yesterday … It wasn’t just Disney’s films & shorts that were targets for satire. Back in the early 1960s, “The Happiest Place on Earth” also regularly got lampooned.

 

It was Jay Ward that supposedly got the first volley in with his “Rocky and his Friends,” a prime-time animated series that originally aired on ABC back in 1959. Jay often used the “Fractured Fairy Tales” segment of this show to take swipes at Walt Disney and/or the movies that his studio made. But it was a “Fractured Fairy Tale” which satirized the story of “Sleeping Beauty” that finally allowed Ward to lay waste to Disneyland.

 

 

 

“What exactly did Jay Ward do?,” you ask. Well, let’s start with the handsome prince who was supposed to awaken Sleeping Beauty. Who bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain studio head.

 

Then let’s add to the fun by having this handsome prince suddenly decide that it’s just not financially expediant to actually awaken Sleeping Beauty. But — rather — the more profitable thing to do in this particular situation is to just let the princess continue to slumber and then charge the public admission to come & gawk at the girl.

 

It’s this scheme that inspires the prince to open the world’s first theme park … Sleeping Beauty Land!

 

 

And — sure enough — the public rushes to see the slumbering princess. Which quickly turns Sleeping Beauty Land into this huge financial success.  

 

 

Which is all well and good. Until the wicked fairy who originally cast the spell that put Beauty into her current slumber suddenly shows up. And this fairy now insists on getting a cut of Sleeping Beauty Land’s profits. Otherwise, she’s going to wake the slumbering princess up. 

 

The handsome prince first tries to buy off the wicked fairy by offering her a few books of tickets to the theme park. But when that doesn’t work …

 

 

 

… The handsome prince offers to show the wicked fairy Sleeping Beauty Land’s newest attraction, Dungeon Land! He then locks the crazy crone away in the castle’s dungeon and figures that that’s the end of his troubles.

 

But the very next day, who’s back again asking the handsome prince for her share of the ticket sales? You guessed it. The wicked fairy.

 

 

 

So the prince then uses some of Sleeping Beauty Land’s other “attractions” in an effort to rid himself of the greedy fairy. He first sends the crone off on the park’s “Submarine Voyage” (As in: The handsome prince has the evil fairy put her feet into quick-drying cement, then flings her off the tallest tower into the moat). And — when that “attraction” doesn’t do her in — he then offers the crone a ride on the theme park’s “Rocketship to the Moon.”

 

 

 

But — as it turns out — the evil fairy’s insistance that she gets cut in on the action at Sleeping Beauty Land turns out to be the least of the handsome prince’s problems. First the public tires of the theme park. Then — to add insult to injury — it turns out that Sleeping Beauty hasn’t actually been sleeping. The princess has just been pretending to slumber all this time with the hope that this stunt would then help her to break into show business.

 

 

 

As you can see, “Fractured Fairy Tales” version of “Sleeping Beauty” really had a lot of fun at Disneyland’s expense. But if you thought that this was bad, wait ’til you see what Bob Clampett did on the “Beanyland” episode of his “Beany & Cecil” show.

 

 

This episode actually starts out with the crew of the Leakin’ Lena blasting off into outer space. But little does Captain Huffenpuff know that there’s a stowaway on board: Dishonest John, AKA the villain of the “Beany & Cecil” TV show.

 

 

Once the Leakin’ Lena has landed safely on the moon, the good captain reveals that he wants to build the “Happiest Place Off Earth,” Beanyland. As Uncle Captain proudly shows his nephew the plans for his out-of-this-world theme park …

 

 

 

… We see that Beanyland looks rather familiar. Very much like a certain other theme park that we all know too well.

 

 

Though — instead of Fantasyland & Sleeping Beauty Castle — Beanyland has Fantastic Land, which is just down the street from Slipping Beauty Castle.

 

 

And — instead of having a Matterhorn towering over Tomorrowland — Beanyland has a Madhatter Horn just above Day After Tomorrowland.

 

 

 

And — instead of a “Rivers of America” — Beanyland has a Darn Old Duck Pond. Which appears to be home to both the Mark Twain as well as the Submarine Voyage.

 

 

Of course, before the crew of the Leakin’ Lena can actually enjoy Beanyland, they first have to build the theme park. So Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent pitches right in and starts moving around huge blocks of green cheese. (Yes, in this cartoon, the moon is made of green cheese).

 

But Captain Huffenpuff quickly stops Cecil. And — borrowing a few tricks from Tinkerbell …

 

 

… the good captain magically conjures up Beanyland. And soon the moon’s first theme park is open for business.

 

 

Mind you, this news greatly distresses Dishonest John. Given that he was planning on building Dismal Land on the moon. Whose chief attraction would have been a factory that was to have harvested all of the moon’s cheese.

 

Of course, the only way that Dishonest John’s plan can succeed is if  Beanyland were to fail.

 

 

So after quickly putting on a disguise, Dishonest John tries to blend in with all the locals as he enters Captain Huffenpuff’s theme park.

 

 

Once inside, Dishonest John begins to sabotage Beanyland’s attractions. Of course, Beany & Cecil have no idea what’s about to happen as the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent takes a spin on”Dumbo” and the captain’s nephew gets ready to board the Naughty-Less.

 

 

First Dishonest John chops down the main support pole of Beanyland’s “Dumbo” attraction. Which sends Cecil & the pink elephant that he was riding in crashing to the ground.

 

 

Then DJ (“You dirty guy!”) hijacks the Crazy Jr. circus train and attempts to run over the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent with it.

 

 

Then — while Beany is enjoying Beanyland’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” attraction — Dishonest John tosses a few torpedos in the water. Which quickly turns this futuristic attraction into “20,000 Leaks Under the Sea.”

 

 

 

So how do Beany, Cecil and Captain Huffenpuff eventually defeat Dishonest John … Well, to find that out, I suggest that you try & chase down a copy of the “Bob Clampett’s Beany & Cecil: The Special Edition” DVD.

 

Though this disc is currently available only on the secondary market, if you’re an animation fan, this DVD is well worth seeking out. Not only for the “Beanyland” episode of the “Beany & Cecil” TV show. But also for the test footage for Bob Clampett’s uncompleted “John Carter of Mars” project.

 

Anyway … Getting back to “Making Fun of the Mouse,” it turns out that Disney Feature Animation also takes great pleasure in twitting the company’s theme park. Though if you want to see the sequence that has the most fun at the Disney theme parks’ expense, you really need to pick up a copy of a Dreamworks Animation DVD …

 

 

… Which we’ll discuss in great detail tomorrow.

 

But for now … Given all of the attention to detail that Bob Clampett showed in creating his Beanyland in Disneyland’s exact image, what do you think? Did Clampett have any affection for the Anaheim theme park? Or was this more a case of the-closer-the-copy-the-better-the-joke?

 

Your thoughts?