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Why For Returns!

Jim Hill

First, Brother Bare writes in to ask:

Jim:

I’m glad to hear that you’re soon going to be starting up your weekly “Why For” columns again. But what I don’t understand is why you stopped writing that column in the first place. It was honestly my favorite feature at JHM. And I know that a lot of friends liked “Why For.”

So why for did you stop writing something that was so popular?

Brother Bare

Brother Bare;

You know, it was really never my intention that almost eight months would go by before I’d finally get around to writing another one of these columns. I just figured that “Why For” would go away for a few weeks during the summer. Then I’d start this feature up again once Fall rolled around.

But then September gave way to October … And suddenly it’s the last week of January in 2006. And the last time I put together a new “Why For” was … Back in May of 2005?! Yikes! I gotta seriously make up for some lost time here. So let’s get started with your questions, okay?

Next up, Richard F. writes in to say:

Jim —

Love the site. I’m glad to hear that you’re bringing back “Why For.” That column used to be my favorite thing about your website.

The question that I’d like you to answer deals with in-jokes. Specifically an in-joke that’s supposed to be on public display at Disney-MGM that has absolutely nothing to do with a Disney film. A WDW cast member once challenged me to find this gag. And since then, I’ve repeatedly searched the studio theme park only to come up empty-handed.

So can you help me out, Jim, by telling me where this non-Disney in-joke might be?

Richard F.

Dear Richard F.

I think I know what that WDW cast member was talking about. And what’s particularly cool about this particular Disney-MGM in-joke is not only doesn’t it have any Mouse-related ties, but that this gag actually references a recent Universal Pictures release!

Okay. You know the studio theme park, right? Specifically Disney-MGM’s Echo Lake area. Right next to the “S.S. Down the Hatch,” you’ll find a bunch of cargo boxes stacked next to this faux tramp steamer. Have you ever taken a close look at the labels on these boxes?

Photo by Robert Bish

Well, if you had, you’d notice that they’re all addressed to various famous film characters. For example, there’s a box here for Scarlett O’Hara of “Gone with the Wind” fame. She’s supposedly receiving a shipment of dresses from Fleming Fashion Ltd. of Atlanta, GA.

Now what’s really great about this gag is how thorough the Imagineers were. Take — for example — that “Fleming Fashion” portion of the address. That’s actually a sly tribute to “Gone with the Wind” ‘s director, Victor Fleming.

You’ll find these sorts of labels on all of the boxes stacked near “Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner.” Rick Blaine (I.E. That’s the name of the character that Humphrey Bogart plays in “Casablanca”) is recieving a shipment of liquor from Curtiz Wine & Spirits. Curtiz (As any good film historian will tell you) refers to “Casablanca” ‘s director, Michael Curtiz.

But you know what my favorite shipping crate in this stack is? It’s the one that’s being sent from …

Photo by Robert Bish

to …

Photo by Robert Bish

Now, as any good Mel Brooks fan will tell you, Max Bialystock is the name of the sleazy Broadway producer that was initially played by the late, great Zero Mostel in the 1968 Academy Award-winning comedy, “The Producers.” But — more recently — this colorful character was portrayed by Nathan Lane. First in the Tony Award winning stage musical, then in the movie version of this same musical.

Now there’s a couple of reasons that I really love the labels on this box. First there’s that return address: the Anita Doubleset Ledger Company. As in: I need a double set of ledgers so that I can scam everyone who wants to invest in my deliberately terrible musical, “Springtime for Hitler.”

Then there’s the address of Bialystock & Bloom Theatrical Productions. 246 West 44th Street. Which is actually the address of the St. James Theatre in NYC. Which is where the stage version of “The Producers” will soon begin its fifth year of performances.

Now add to this the fun that the recent movie musical version of “The Producers” was actually a Universal Pictures release … And you can understand why WDW cast members might find it cool that this particular shipping crate is still on public display at Disney-MGM.

Photo by Robert Bish

Next up, Alex writes in to say:

I had a friend tell me recently about the new dining offer Disney has made available as a part of their vacation packages. She told me that the plan costs significantly less than buying the same meals on your own. Forgive my skepticism, but I find it hard to believe that Disney would offer anything that would actually REDUCE the price a guest had to pay for something. Can you provide some more details on how this whole thing works and whether it really is a good deal or not?

Well, Alex … To be honest, I’m probably not as well versed with WDW’s dining plans as I should be. So why don’t I hand this question off to Scott Liljenquist of Mouseketrips.com. Take it away, Scott!

Thanks you, Jim. And hello, Alex. Please don’t apologize for being a little dubious about the claims you’re hearing about the new Disney Dining Plan. Here at Mouseketrips we’ve been flooded with questions about this new offering ever since it was announced earlier this year. Believe it or not, it actually does work out to be a great deal and can save you a significant amount of money on your food bill.

First, for those who might not be familiar with the plan, here’s how it works: If you book a vacation package through Disney (which includes lodging at a Disney hotel and theme park admissions), you can add the Disney Dining Plan to your reservation. The cost of doing so is $35 per adult, and $10 per child (age 3-9) per day. The number of days on your Dining Plan must match the number of days of your vacation package – in other words you can’t book a 7-night vacation package and only get the Dining Plan for 3 days.

All taxes and gratuities are included in the price, so all you have to do is make Advance Reservations, show up at the appointed time, enjoy a good meal, give the server/cashier your Dining Plan voucher, and then head back out to the parks.

There are a few limitations to the plan, but nothing too onerous. If a child’s menu is offered at the dining location, anyone on a child’s Dining Plan must order from the child’s menu. Not every Walt Disney World Dining location participates on the Dining Plan, so you do have to do a little planning in advance.

There is, however, also some nice flexibility in the Dining Plan as well. You can use one of your table service vouchers for a Character Dining meal, or you can exchange two table service vouchers for a “signature” dining experience at some of the best and most expensive restaurants on property, or for a dinner show such as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.

Okay, but is it really worth it? Does it really save you money or is this just another way for the Mouse to remove more of your money for less value? Let’s consider a fictional family planning to visit Walt Disney World this fall. Tom Morrow and his wife Maybetu want to spend 4 nights at the parks with their two kids, ages 3 and 8.
We’ll assume that the Morrows stop at the grocery store on their way to the hotel to buy milk, cereal, bagels, cream cheese, juice, paper bowls and plastic utensils, a few snacks, etc. We’ll further assume that they always pay a 15% gratuity at any table service restaurant.

First off is a summary of the Morrow’s food budget if they were to forego the Disney Dining Plan and eat on their own:

Day 1

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, juice, coffee in hotel room – $8
Snacks at food cart in Animal Kingdom – $12
Lunch – Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom – $34.68
Dinner – Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge – $93.77

Day 2

Breakfast – Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary- $68.22
Lunch – Snacks at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom – $14
Dinner – Pecos Bill’s in Magic Kingdom – $31.78

Day 3

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – Electric Umbrella at Epcot – $31.68
Snacks at food card in Future World – $10
Dinner – Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness – $151.30

Day 4

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – ABC Commissary at Disney-MGM Studios – $33.32
Dinner – Snacks at Hollywood Hills Theatre before Fantasmic – $12

Total – $516.75

Now let’s look at the same plan for the Morrow family should they choose to purchase the Disney Dining Plan:

Day 1

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee in hotel room – $8
Snacks at food cart in Animal Kingdom – $ 1 Snack Voucher
Lunch – Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom – $ 1 Counter service voucher
Dinner – Whispering Canyon Café at Wilderness Lodge – $ 1 Table Service Voucher

Day 2

Breakfast – Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary- $ 1 Table Service voucher
Lunch – Snacks at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom – $ 1 Snack voucher
Dinner – Pecos Bill’s in Magic Kingdom – $ 1 Counter service voucher

Day 3

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – Electric Umbrella at Epcot – $1 Counter service voucher
Snacks at food card in Future World – $ 1 Snack voucher
Dinner – Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness – $ 2 Ttable service vouchers

Day 4

Breakfast – Bagels, cereal, coffee, juice in hotel room – $8
Lunch – ABC Commissary at Disney-MGM Studios – $ 1 Counter service voucher
Dinner – Snacks at Hollywood Hills Theatre before Fantasmic – $ 1 Snack voucher

Total – $384.00 (Cost of the Dining Plan plus the grocery store bill)

As you can see, the Dining Plan actually does end up saving the Morrows over $130.00 on their food bill. In preparing the above examples I did not use the most expensive restaurants in every case, nor did I choose the most expensive items on the menu. You can save even more money if you do some planning and select the venues and menu choices that maximize the value of the Dining Plan.

So, Alex, believe it or not, the Disney Dining Plan does really offer visitors to Walt Disney World a way to save some money. With a little bit of careful planning, vacationers can enjoy days of wonderful meals at a great value while visiting Walt Disney World. Do keep in mind that Disney will increase the price of the dining plan in 2006 to $37 for adults and $12 for kids, but even then it’s still a good deal.

Anyway, that’s my take on Disney’s new dining plan. Let’s now throw this week’s “Why For” back to Mr. Hill. Jim?

Thank you, Scott … Our final question for this week comes from Atom Aunt writes in to say:

Don’t you think that you were awfully hard on John Lasseter with Wednesday’s column? Here’s a man who could potentially have a huge impact on both Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering, turning those two divisions entirely around. But all you could say was that you’d doubted that Lasseter would actually be able to accomplish much of anything. That doesn’t seem like a very smart thing to say about a man who’s about to become an extremely powerful executive at the Walt Disney Company.

Atom Aunt:

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say in that article. The point that I was trying to get across is that John faces some pretty significant challenges in the weeks & months ahead. As he & Ed Catmull try to decide to integrate Disney Feature Animation and Pixar Animation Studios. Given the current redundancies between these two animation studios, there are almost certain to be lay-offs and firings. And one wonders if John is actually going to be able to keep his nice guy image intact once he & Ed have to start making significant changes.

But — that said — I’ve been a John Lasseter fan from ‘way, ‘way back. I can remember how excited I was when I first got to see that “Where the Wild Things Are” animation test that Lasseter and Glen Keane put together in the early 1980s. How it seemed to herald that something truly remarkable lay just beyond the horizon.

So having John Lasseter come back to Disney … There’s a lot about that news that just feels right. Of course, some of that feeling comes from the knowledge that John is a hardcore Disney geek. That his ties to this company run deep.

Don’t believe me? Then take a look at this photograph …

Copyright Walt Disney Productions

… Which Disney’s Publicity Department included as part of a press release that the studio sent out in the early 1980s. As the Mouse proudly talked up its newest employee.

John Lasseter
A Biography

It is the task of every artist to stimulate an audience, to evoke mood or emotion based on human experience. When John Lasseter, then a student at California Institute of Arts, was planning an animated film for his senior project he toyed with the story of a small boy whose bedroom filled with monsters when the lights went out. His classmates found the idea provoking. Lasseter was inundated with descriptions of the monsters which had haunted the darkened rooms of their youth. He had tapped a common experience. “Nitemare” went on to win the 1980 Student Academy Award for Animation.

“Nitemare,” five minutes of pencil animation was John’s second award-winning film. In 1979 he won his first Student Academy Award for animation on “The Lady and the Lamp.” Today Lasseter, who wears granny glasses on a head blonde and ruddy-cheeked like a peach, is a story artist with Walt Disney Productions. He is developing an untitled project based on the music of different cultures, a film that he hopes will bring Mickey Mouse back to the big screen.

Lasseter was born on January 12, 1957, in Los Angeles. Saturday morning cartoons first stimulated his interest in animation. “I realized that some cartoons like Bugs Bunny were better than others. Then I wanted to learn why,” he says

With advice from his mother, a high school art instructor, he began drawing. His models were waht he saw in the comic strips, particularly the work of Hank Ketchum. It was always his ambition to work for Disney, and while he was in high school he sent many drawings to the studio, asking for artistic and educational guidance.

At Disney’s suggestion, he enrolled in California Institute of the Arts. During his four years there he completed the Disney Studio’s animation training program in addition to winning his undergrad Oscars.

Before starting full time as a story artist he appeared on “The Today Show” and “Good Morning, America,” traveled alone in Europe for three months (“When you’ve seen five cathedrals, you’ve seen them all. What fascinated me was the people.”) and worked with Richard Williams Animation (“Just to know that there is life outside of Disney.”) Lasseter, who has a twin sister and an older brother, is single and lives in Glendale, California.

What amazes me about this press release is how many hints to John’s future you can find in this press release. “The Lady and the Lamp” serving as the jumping-off point for “Luxo, Jr.” “Nitemare” providing inspiration for “Monsters, Inc.”

As for that unnamed animated feature that was supposed ” … to bring Mickey Mouse back to the big screen” … Well, that was “Musicana,” an early 1980s attempt to follow up on “Fantasia.” And the portion of that production that Lasseter was developing was an animated version of the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale, “The Emperor and the Nightingale.”

Copyright Walt Disney Productions

One wonders if John would have stuck with Walt Disney Productions if “Musicana” had actually gone into production. Or — for that matter — if the studio had greenlit that all CG-version of “The Brave Little Toaster” that Lasseter had wanted to make in the mid-1980s. Would Pixar even exist today if John had stayed with Walt Disney Feature Animation?

These are all interesting questions. Maybe we can talk about some of them as part of next week’s “Why For.” Til then … Well, you folks all have a great weekend, okay? And we’ll see you all again come Monday morning.

Later,

j

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