It's a Commercial World After All

Well, I guess I've spotted my cue to be shocked once more that Disney would reveal itself to be motivated primarily by commercial interests.

The culprit this time? The "Small World" attraction, a childhood rite since its introduction at the 1964-5 New York World's Fair, beloved by all except those who'd prefer to stick a screwdriver in their ear rather than hear that damned song again.

Now Disney is reopening the Anaheim version of the ride after a hiatus with a little more "magic": the addition of movie characters like Ariel, Stitch, and Aladdin.

What was that? Did I hear your childhood-self cry out through the interwebs?

Yeah, I think it sucks too. But I can hardly profess to be surprised.

Reading an article about the creeping commercialism into what had once been known as an irony-free Model United Nations for kids, I came across a nearly omnitopian quote:

"What message are they actually saying about the world?," said Jerry Beck, an animation historian who runs the blog Cartoon Brew. "That you can go anywhere and there will be a Disney theme park?"

Here's another one:

"Disney wants to brand the diversity of the entire world and somehow say that it's Disney derived," said Leo Braudy, a cultural historian at the University of Southern California.

Sad, but hardly shocking.

Am I disappointed? Yes. Will I go to see for myself?

Of course.

Read the entire article: MSNBC, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29019618