I recently was shopping at Barnes and Noble and found a DVD of the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels: Walt Disney World”. Now, it was done in 2005 so it is a little outdated but really, if you are a WDW enthusiast, and in need of seeing a little bit of the “magic” between trips, it is a must see for you!
I love learning all about the history of Walt Disney World and how Walt Disney, the man, worked. One of the perks to this DVD is that it is 90 minutes long. If you had watched the regular TV version, you would only have seen less than an hour of it with commercials. So to have all of this extra footage was definitely a bonus. With the fully allotted time less the commercials, each park has much more time dedicated to it and therefore, giving us Disney fans pictures, perspectives and information that can leave us hanging on the edge of our seats! There is even a segment on the building of Disneyland in California. It is interesting to see how far technology has come and how it all began.
While I’ve yet to visit Disneyland, the thought of walking the streets that Walt Disney himself oversaw and riding the rides that the man himself created makes me want to go there someday. It’s just that the Florida version is so much closer and so much bigger…maybe Modern Marvels needs to do an entire special just dedicated to Disneyland rather than adding it to the Walt Disney World edition as an afterthought or quick reference.
My older son once had dreams of being an Imagineer; this type of documentary was something that we would have loved. Although he no longer has that dream (it’s still painful for me to talk about), it was still interesting to watch. From seeing Cinderella’s castle under construction, how Spaceship Earth was created, the secrets to the Tree of Life…if you are curious about any of the “magic” of Walt Disney World, this show will feed it just enough without giving it all away.
If you are planning a trip to Disney, this would be a great planning tool, particularly if you have any ‘reluctant riders’, so they can actually see most of the rides and learn some of their secrets before they go. It may ease some of the tension and fears of riding one Disney’s thrill rides. It can also be helpful for the kids to see a little behind the scenes so that they see that there is nothing to be afraid of.
For the Disney enthusiast (as I mentioned before) this is a wonderful DVD to add to your collection. Each segment, while seeming familiar from other DVD’s and specials produced on Walt Disney World and behind the scenes, it still has the ability to bring a little smile to my face as I sigh and long for the days of childhood wonder when I experienced it all for the first time.
You’ve sold me! I’m going to look it up on Netflix. Maybe they have it.