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Media In My Childhood

Disney. It's a word that can mean "light and fluffy family fun" or "anal and conservative overcharging prudes." No matter how anyone defines Disney, it's a culture, and it affects millions of people. The long-term relationship a person forms with Disney is often filled with such colorful characters as Donald Duck, Chip 'n Dale, and the ever-popular Mickey Mouse. Disney has certainly affected my life to a point of obsession. Be it the movies, the cartoons, or the theme parks, I've found an obsession with one aspect of them. However, I doubt anyone else's family has had a mere bathroom that for nearly ten years was devoted to Disney. If just a bathroom could be "Disney-fied", could you imagine the rest of my life? Better yet, could you imagine my whole family's Disney-fied life?

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Ever since I was little, there were several "essential" Disney videos our family's video cabinet. The first two were Disney Sing-Along Songs, Heigh-Ho and Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. Two others were a compilation tape of black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons and another compilation tape of Silly Symphonies cartoons. While those four tapes would be watched day in and day out in my youth, there is one in particular that I continue to watch to this day, one that I never get tired of. Mary Poppins. Having Mary in our home was...well Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

I still remember the very first time we watched Mary Poppins. I was about four years old, and we were at Acme doing grocery shopping. It was always cold in Acme, and my younger brother and I didn't like to walk around in the cold. My sister didn't mind the walking, I think she wanted to walk around with my parents rather than hang around with us. So they would always let us just browse around the small video rental area, then come back and see which video we wanted. While browsing through the videos, the words Mary Poppins caught my eye. I had no idea what it was, but then I remembered, "Hey, this is where the kite song is from!". On Sing-Along Songs Volume 1: Heigh-Ho, it ends with the song Let's Go Fly A Kite, from Mary Poppins. I had always figured that it came from a rather boring old movie, and never cared for it when it was on the Sing-Along. But for some reason, I was curious as to what the rest of the movie would be about. So I picked it up and asked Mom and Dad if we could rent it. That night, the five of us gathered in the family room, on those ugly brown sofas we thankfully gave away, and watched Mary Poppins. From the moment they showed her sitting on a cloud up until she flew away at the end ("Goodbye Mary Poppins, don't stay away too long!"), I was glued to the television.

Part I: A Jolly Holiday

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It was so...exhilarating to see such wonderful things on that television. I immediately wanted to slide up the bannister, and snap my toys back into the closet. The chalk-picture segment especially was a joy to watch, and I begged my parents for some colored chalk to draw the same pictures that Bert had. The circus, the park, the "Punting on the Thames". I wanted so much to be able to draw those pictures and jump right into them. Another moment in Mary Poppins that I continually enjoyed was the Chimney Sweep number, Step in Time. My siblings and I would actually get up and start kicking around, trying to imitate their moves any time that dance scene played. God, that was embarrassing.

Unfortunately, all rental videos had a return date, and after only three days, there was no more Mary in our house. It was not such a big deal to me then, we almost always re-rented it if it was on the shelf. But one time, someone else got to Mary before we could, and I just about died. A trip to Acme was not complete then unless I had the chance to rent Mary Poppins. Instead, we picked up a Mary Poppins-like movie, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which has become another favorite of mine. But it wasn't Mary. And life without Mary was rather...incomplete. I was obsessed with having that tape. I wanted my own copy, my own chance to watch that movie over and over again. Every time we went to the mall or a store, I would rush over to the videos section and hold up Mary Poppins, asking if we can get it. The answer was always no, and I'd scream and run around angrily for ten minutes before I'd calm down. There actually was a time when Mary Poppins was on ABC, and we had gotten home about an hour after the movie started. I was so mad at Mom and Dad for not getting us home early, I sat in anger watching the second half of the movie. I sat angry while watching Mary sing Feed the Birds. I sat angry seeing Jane and Michael run away. I even was angry while watching Step In Time, and didn't even bother getting up to imitate them. It wasn't until 1990 or so that my parents gave in, and they bought Mary Poppins at the Deptford Mall.

We were probably at Macy's, or some other department store. Around the same time that Mary Poppins came out, 1989's The Little Mermaid arrived on video as well. While we all were still interested in The Little Mermaid, it was Mary Poppins I cared for. From the moment that they gave the cashier the credit card and the cashier gave my parents the bag, I immediately seized it and held onto it like a security blanket. It was mine, all mine, and no one would ever touch it but me! When we finally got home, it was rather late, but I insisted on watching Mary Poppins. And watch it I did, day in and day out for the past 14 or so years. Of course, today, I'd probably just watch it once a month, but it's still a treasured movie that I know I'll share with my kids 15 to 20 years from now. As the song goes,

Bert : It's true that Mavis and Sybil have ways that are winning And Prudence and Gwendolyn set your heart spinning Phoebe's delightful, Maude is disarming-
Penguins : Janice, Felicia, Lydia.
Bert : Charming! Cynthia's dashing, Vivian's sweet Stephanie's smashing, Priscilla a treat.
Penguins : Veronica, Millicent, Agnes, and Jane.
Bert : Convivial company, time and again. Dorcas and Phyllis and Glynis are sorts I'll agree are three jolly good sports But cream of the crop, tip of the top, it's Mary Poppins, and there we stop."

Part II: Where Magic Lives

By 2004, I had gone to Walt Disney World eight times, and to Disneyland four times. It had become a bi-annual pilgrimage. But by 2004, the joy in going to Walt Disney World become...lackluster. I had seen the same rides, the same characters, and frankly, I lost any sense of magic in that place. It became just another vacation, hardly special at all.

In 1991, though, my perspective of Walt Disney World was completely different. The car trip alone took three days, which to a six-year-old can be an eternity. We finally got to that Magic Kingdom, and I still recall just how in awe I was at this world. Another world, a place of happiness and eternal sunshine (well, except when it rained, but Disney can't control everything!). It definitely was where magic lived.

Our first park was Magic Kingdom, a hot and crowded area filled with more children than you can shake a stick at. This whole world was ours for the day, and we could choose to go to a jungle cruise, or take an old train around the world, or even check out what the future had for us. Perhaps because it was so readily available, we took the Main Street steam train around the park. All six of us (Mom, Dad, Sister, Me, Brother, Grandpa), fit into one row, a feat in itself, and we began our journey into the world of magic..

Since most of our vacation to Walt Disney World was recorded, I could easily cheat here and describe the events from the videotape. But there are things that were not taped, that I can easily remember from my first trip to Walt Disney World. I was only six years old, and at the time, I was terrified of the Haunted Mansion. All kids usually are, and they make it a point not to go on until they're older. Our family was different.

By the end of the night, there wasn't much us kids wanted to do except go home to the hotel and sleep. Our parents had different plans. Without telling us, we got into a line that stretched out across an old house. I was half-asleep and could not figure out what we were doing, only that we were walking every so often, then stopping, then walking again. Finally, we got to the front door.

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Still having no idea what we were doing, the three of us went with Mom, Dad, and Grandpa into the door, only to be led into that small chamber. I had no idea why the castmembers looked like French servants, or why they were speaking with that screechy accent. Suddenly, the door closed, and the lights turned off!

"Welcome, foolish marbles!" a voice bellowed from above. Foolish marbles? What the heck was that? I wasn't that terrified of the dark, but this voice was a little creepy, especially if it was calling us marbles. Of course, later on, I realized that it was "mortals", but still, at six, things sound different. The voice went on, almost sounding pleased that he had us in this little room. The room then began to expand upwards, and those paintings...those paintings were stretching! Now this confused me, and I still had no idea what ride this was. Then, a crack of thunder! The ceiling disappeared and we could see nothing but rafters...and a skeleton hanging by the neck.

Almost immediately, a door suddenly opened, and we all rushed out, hoping it was the way out. Of course, it was the long way out, and I found myself sitting in a "Doom Buggy" with my mom, sister, and grandpa. The entire time, that spooky song played, and the only way I could drown it out was if I cried. So I cried, and cried, and cried, and soon my sister began crying too. It was such a horrible experience, sitting in near-darkness for ten minutes, crying our eyes out, while all my mom and grandpa could do was cover our eyes. The darnkess was especially frightening in the attic, where we encountered the bride. Ahh, the bride! She had this glowing red heart, and I remember opening my eyes to it, and seeing this dead thing come at me. I bawled even more and shut my eyes again. I hate this ride, I thought to myself. I'll never go on it as long as I live! What kind of parents would allow their kids to go on such a ride? They must be sadists. Taking pleasure in seeing their children cry in fear, shameful...

And now, of course, Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride.

Part III: A Laughing Place

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"It happened on one of them zip-a-dee-doo-dah days. Now that's the kind of day where you can't open your mouth without a song jumping right out..."

Song of the South. A wonderful children's film about a young boy living in post-Civil War Georgia, and his friendship with Uncle Remus, a former slave-turned-worker who enjoys telling the tales of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, Br'er Bear, and all the other Br'er animals.

But, I'm sure no one's seen this movie at all.

The reason? Perhaps it's the rosy portrayal of black workers living on the plantation they once were enslaved in. Perhaps it's the little black boy who looks like his sole purpose is to amuse the little white boy. Perhaps it's the seemingly white trash family that lives near the little white boy.

Disney has essentially banned this delightful film for reasons that officially have never been disclosed.

Part I: A Jolly Holiday
Part II: Where Magic Lives (Supplement)
Part III: A Laughing Place (Supplement)

With Disney being such a large medium to work with, there are actually three memoirs written here. Only one, however, is the actual assignment, as I realized that the second two are not as related to media as the first one is. So consider the other two readings just for one's amusement.

I first found out about Song of the South the way many other children have, through Sing-Along Songs Volume 2: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. It's a half-hour collection of musical numbers from various Disney movies, and Volume 2 along with two others featured musical numbers from Song of the South. Now, these songs are very catchy, and certainly a part of the Disney jargon today. But the movie behind these songs are especially interesting.

Disney released Song of the South in 1946, making it the first live-action film for Disney, and one of the first to blend live-action with animation. While not a box-office success initially, it was a critical success, despite its politically incorrect views of the time. People believed that it was a positive portrayal of slavery, when in reality, Song of the South takes place post-Civil War, and all these "slaves" are actually workers, having stayed on and getting paid.

Throughout the years, Song of the South had been the target for several civil rights groups. In the 1960s, the NAACP reacted negatively to the movie, and as recently as 2000, a proposed DVD of Song of the South was permanently shelved, when their proposed "host", Maya Angelou, blasted the movie for its portrayal of blacks.

But this all has nothing to do with why a child would love the movie as I did. I had always enjoyed watching the clips of Uncle Remus and the children singing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, and never quite knew what movie they were from until several years ago. It didn't bother me at all that the movie was banned, until I read a review that explained the movie, and its cultural impact. Soon, I became obsessed with getting myself a copy of this "banned" movie.

I started looking through Google, typing in such things as "Song of the South VHS" and such, but they all brought me to scalpers that charged an arm and a leg for a PAL to NTSC transfer of legitimate European VHS's. Unsuccessful at finding a reasonable price for this movie, I gave up hope, and continued on with my life.

The discussion of Song of the South has often risen up at a messageboard I frequent, Ultimate Disney (devoted to Disney DVDs). Several members there had legitimate copies, either a European PAL tape, or the very rare Japanese or Hong Kong laserdiscs. I stumbled upon a member who had the laserdiscs, and we got to talking about Song of the South.

Looking at some legal views, it would be perfectly legal for someone to make his/her own personal/backup copy of a copyrighted material such as say, Song of the South. Charging someone else for this "personal copy" is illegal. But there are loopholes, and loopholes to those loopholes. And through these loopholes, I was able to acquire a DVD of Song of the South, strictly for educational and private purposes, protected by the Fair Use copyright (in a nutshell: it's basically okay for someone to make a copy of copyrighted material, under the provision that it is for educational or personal use and not acquiring any commercial gain.). The generous person that gave me Song of the South did it out of the goodness of his heart, wanting to expose more people to the film. He charged nothing for the film, thus, protecting him from copyright infringement.

Song of the South was finally mine to own, and I immediately watched it for two reasons. One, to finally see what the hype was about, and two, to finally attach a movie to the songs I loved as a child. I was not disappointed.