Disneyland
The important thing in life is not where
you stand now, but where you are going.
Jesus Christ says, “I Am the Way, the
Truth, and the Life;
no one can come to the FATHER, except
through Me.” (John 14:6)
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What I discovered in Disneyland,
that may change the way
how a lot of Filipinos look at things
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I wrote this to awaken our fellow
Filipinos to the realities we can harness but often
disregard when it comes to foreign entertainment, be it
movies, TV programs, books, magazines, computer games,
toys, etc. I think, crucial to being globally
competitive, let’s ditch our colonial mentality,
that only foreign stuff are good, & ours are
nothing but 2nd class; but of course, we need to
improve on certain areas.
My purpose is to put a check on our
hearts & minds, so as not to magnify almost
anything other nations have to offer. Let’s align
our beliefs & values to what GOD Almighty sets
forth in the Holy Bible & act according to what He
requires & expects from us, as responsible
overseers of this world which He has given us to
cherish & our fellowmen, whom He asks us to love as
He has loved them.
Our kids were very excited on our
way to Disneyland, as you know, wow, it’s the
famous media-entertainment behemoth & most
sought-after tourist attraction globally.
What could be there that we
haven’t seen in our
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lifetime? But on reaching the
entrance gate, we were puzzled. The funfare we expected
to see to greet any new guests wasn’t there. You
know what greeted us? The throng of Chinese elderlies,
clad in all their native suits, apparently already
finished touring the place, then heading towards the
exit all the way up to the expansive parking lot where
their bus awaited them.
This was the only sign we saw, that
hey, we’re, actually at the entrance of that
world renowned place where “magic”
supposedly begins.
Sometimes, we really have to take
hypes with the grain of salt & not to be carried
away. Afterall, Disneyland, like any other
entertainment concept, is just a creation of men, with
finite minds & limitations. Perhaps we can send
forth our suggestions to them to improve on things.
Also, some part of Disneyland
Hongkong was still under construction at that time, so
it might have slipped their mind to post some sort of
welcoming committee up front. Anyway let’s
explore, sulitin natin ang bayad. Let’s peek
inside.
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They say, magic begins here. But we
didn’t see magical acts. What we saw was replication of
cartooning prowess of people at Disney Company: in rides,
buildings, trains, wall decors, in all places. Yes, an echo of
what we’ve already seen on TV & films. What’s
new is the implementation, how it makes things appear to be
real to your senses. Cartoons oversized right before your very
eyes, nice work.
Imagine the guests posing in front of
camera with oversized mice. Normally, people abhor rats, but
here, picture-taking with them. Look what TV & films have
reduced us into? Anyway, say cheese... click...
They say it’s a magical kingdom.
But think about it, who is the King? Apparently, none. Then why
call it kingdom? Misnomer we readily accept. C’mon,
it’s entertainment. But hey, it’s my kids’
mind, and my money they’ve got. They should have
put “PG”.
Replica of vintage cars of old times. The
idea is for you to reminisce.
Like any kind of business, merchandize
abound --souvenir & vanity items; though, the essence
of which are mere fairytales. Why don’t we cling to that
which is true? Well, this is how the world works, majoring on
minors, accepting the untrue as true, & at times,
disbelieving the true as false. All fantasy movies won’t
guide you towards the Bible, on the contrary, they say the
Bible is fantasy.
Dark glasses were given away at the
entrance of this moviehouse showing animations such as Lion
King, Alladin, Mermaid. The glasses allowed us to see 3D
cinematics in action, making them appear real & so close
for us to touch & smell -- good optical illusions. Echo of
today’s virtual cyber games. Why not use these tricks to
replicate, not fairy tales, but actual scenes from the Holy
Bible, that people might believe & have more faith in GOD
so as to solve our social chaos? But who will initiate this?
Anyone out there, please?
Near the center of Disneyland is the
Banquet Hall, where we ate our lunch. Like SM’s
Foodcourt, lots of stuff to choose from.
No magic in the food, we saw what we
normally have in the Phils. How could it be so different,
Hongkong is Asia and so close by, nothing new.
Shirly & Chris, Paul & Paolo
flying with Dambo, the fying elephant, the height of paradox,
elephants fly?
Hongkong nationals: one with dark
glasses, a door-keeper at Disney Train and the girl, a cashier
at foodcourt, were warm & jolly. This perhaps is one major
attribute you’ll notice in a company where American
culture was taught. But elsewhere many Hongkong nationals I met
never smiled even when I cracked jokes. They’re very
serious at what they do at hand.
The gruelling rides at Space Mountain
Capsule, right.
Space Mountain behind us.
Hongkong nationals beside us.
Musical band roaming the streets.
Shopping arcades at the back
CONCLUSION
The idea is clear, take what is common
& place it where grandeur resides: oversized mice inside
majestic castle, huge elephant up in the sky, colorful shopping
arcades set with glittering lights, as modern as it could be,
where (?), yes, along nostalgic streets where vintage cars
& musical bands roam -- reminiscent of old Spanish or
British empires. These will heighten the contrast &
therefore, the viewers’ interest.
Science tells us that mind hates common,
ordinary or typical things, but gravitates to what is weird,
uncommon, bizzare, different sights. Do you ever pause &
examine the green grass on your lawn each morning? No, even
though it got moistened by the midnight dew or got soiled by
the wondering animals around.
But suppose you saw the grass turned into
gold, would it not send goosebumps & make you linger for a
while, & ponder at what magical powers could have caused
such metamorphosis? That’s where Disneyland got its motto:
“... a place where magic begins.” But all it had
to do was take what is common, everyday stuff we see anywhere,
like mice, animals, trees, plants, river, etc. and transform
them into something different, the idea is contrast.
Obviously, Disneyland can be compared with
the Philippines’ long-time famous Carnaval, or in
tagalog, Peria. But what sets Disneyland lightyears apart in
terms of popularity? Is it only because Peria is from a lowly
nation as the Philippines, while, Disneyland is from such a
rich & technologically advanced super-power as the United
States of America? I don’t think so. If that’s the
reason, then why is Nokia celfones, from Finland (a relatively
new-comer in electronic gadgets) more popular &
fast-selling than Motorola (a long-time established U.S.
electronics maker)? The answer lies in the word,
“imagination”. Albert Einstein, multi-awarded
Jewish turned German Scientist, once said, “Imagination
is far better than mere knowledge”.
Before Disneyland was constructed, the lot
area on that former lowly fishing village part of Hongkong was
no extraordinary place -- it was just a common vacant lot
people see see everyday. But when a group of cartoonists,
well-versed in fairytales, trained in US schools on tinkering
with colors, shapes, drawings, characterization,
story-building, a little of civil, mechanical, &
electronics engineering, all came ashore, that tiny piece of
land suddenly burst with all imaginable shapes, color &
sizes that captivate not only the young but adults all over the
world.
They did not invent or create anything from
nothing; what they did was put together what we already have
all along, yes in this world, and tried to combine or match
things up such as: insects, pets, wild animals, trees, plants,
all kinds of colors, come up with strange-looking creatures
(which are nothing but mere combinations of different beasts
put together).
And there you have, Disneyland
Incorporated, presto. You see? Now comes the marketing guys,
telling us what we’re missing if we don’t go &
try their rides, see their movies, taste their foods, and all
stuff. That’s all part of the big world of business
entertainment.
Now, tell me, can Filipinos, do that, too?
C’mon, we can do that!
The answer is yes, a resounding, yes.
Filipinos are now emerging as major world players in the area
of sports (Manny Pacquiao, Efren Bata Reyes, Paeng Nepomuceno,
Eugene Torre, Mikee Cojuangco) science, information technology,
singing, movie-directing, acting, manufacturing (San Miguel
Corp., Lorenzana Foods, CDO, Happy Toothpaste, Telstar Mfg.
Corp., and many others).
Glory be to GOD, who loves all mankind, regardless of nationalities, has no favorites, but
shows Himself strong in behalf of the weak, the poor, and the
down-trodden.
Jesus Christ says, “For GOD so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not
perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
