MICKEY HAS JUST TURNED 90:
Mickey Mouse celebrated his 90th birthday at the weekend. LINDSAY SUTTON takes a family break to celebrate
Welcome to the mouse of fun in Florida
AS BIRTHDAYS go, Mickey Mouse’s 90th takes some beating. The mischievous but loveable character, that became a Disney mascot made his first appearance on November 18, 1928, just a year after the first ‘talkie’ revolutionised the movie scene.
Walt Disney himself did the voice for Mickey in his first animated film ‘Steamboat Willie,’ with Minnie making an appearance running along the river bank in pursuit of the vessel.
The animation was only seven minutes and 42 seconds long, but it kick-started the rise and rise of the Disney empire. The mouse in red shorts with white spots, large yellow shoes, and the white gloves would go on to appear in more than 130 films, along with his girlfriend Minnie, his dog Pluto, his friends Donald Duck and Goofy, and his nemesis Pete.
Who would have thought back then that more than 134 million people would still be mad about Mickey 90 years on? That’s how many annually visit the Disney theme parks worldwide.
When Walt opened Disneyland in California in the 1950s, he said: “We must never lose sight of one thing: it was all started by a mouse.”
Florida’s DisneyWorld followed in the autumn of 1971, and the Orlando experience of ‘fun, family and fantasy – and above all magic,’ is still pulling them in from throughout the world. More than six million Brits alone head there each year.
Now, you and I know that a ‘three-generation vacation’ in Orlando’s DisneyWorld has only one central focus.
Not the agenda of grandpa and grandma, not the tick-list treats of my 34-year-old daughter and her husband – but the wants, wishes and wonderment of my six-year-old grandson, ‘Alexander the Great.’ Some killjoys warned us: “Too young, too far, too hot, too expensive.” Not true for a once-in-a-childhood experience. Alex not only survived, he went into overdrive and shone brightly in the Florida sunshine.
He loved the whole experience, and will remember it all of his life. It was a joy to see and to be a part of, even if the total immersion in all things Disney has you drowning in the choice available.
It’s certainly a baptism by fire for a generation that has forgotten the small print details of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and is not exactly up to speed with all the characters and intricacies of Toyland.
Mickey, Bluto, Popeye, Olive and Donald – and yes, the Duck’s quiff IS like that of the US President – are all in the memory bank. Safe territory. However, by the end of the ‘theme park-a-day and more’ experience, even the Old Stagers had caught up with the action and the latest characters to come off the Disney production line.
It’s a steep learning curve, but well worth it, just to see the joy and magic etched on the face of young Alex, who was as animated as, well, the animations.
Disney World might well be re-named ‘Disney Whirl,’ as you revolve round the four Disney theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios – the two water parks; and the handy and wellappointed B Hotel at Disney Springs, a new and exciting shopping, eating and entertainment hub.
‘Pace yourself,’ is the advice given to ‘freshers,’ who get a bright orange ‘First Time Visitor ‘ badge. We ‘old timers’ came here with our daughter 20-odd years ago, but with all the creative development and constantly evolving world of high-tech Disney, it seemed like we’d never been.
So I wore the badge and threw myself into it wholeheartedly. I love Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets, but ‘grouchy and grumpy’ was not the way to go.
So what was it like, through the prism of a six-year-old?
For him, there really was ‘magic round every corner.’
The Magic Kingdom lived up to its billing of ‘timeless fantasy;’ Epcot offered ‘global culture,’ with the dusk fireworks show adding the spectacular.
The Hollywood Studios gave you, well, ‘Hollywood limelight,’ and Animal Kingdom really did deliver ‘the pristine wild.’
As my wife observed: “We saw more wildlife here than we did on the real jungle safari in Africa.”
Naturally, you have to watch out for height, weight and ‘scare factor’ restrictions with a youngster.
To be honest, a couple of badly advised rides quite spooked him.
In Magic Kingdom, the Everest
Yeti ride was just too scary. But the Jungle Safari ride round Animal Kingdom was hugely impressive; the Indiana Jones film set at Hollywood Studios was entertainment writ large; Soarin’ Round the World was quite an experience for all generations as you ‘flew’ over all five continents, strapped into a harness on your seat; and the Muppet Show was a great blast from the past.
Nice touches, too. As you queue up, waiting for the doors to open, there are side doors with signs on, such as ‘Department of Artificial Reality,’ and the ‘Stress-testing Department,’ no doubt where Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were conducting ill-fated experiments.
In Animal Kingdom, the Festival of the Lion King was in the style of a showcase Broadway spectacular, with Alex one of the young guests joining the cast on set for the finalé.
Grandparents and parents looked on, smiles full beam.
So what about the place of rest, the B Hotel on Buena Vista Boulevard?
Big adjoining studio rooms, with connecting-door access, helped the three-generation experience greatly. Comfortable beds for all, great views over Orlando, with spectacular red skies at sunset, added to the attraction.
The staff were really helpful on the front desk, in housekeeping, in the handy restaurant and the provision shop near the foyer.
The price was not prohibitive, and the free and regular hotel buses to the theme parks was a huge boon.
There’s even a free shuttle every half hour to nearby Disney Springs, which lived up to its billing as an ‘eclectic shopping, dining and entertainment hub.’
There are 100-plus retail outlets, from the big-name brands to the one-of-akind stores.
There’s a public dancing zone, acrobats in the walkways, and boats on the surrounding waterways.
Our Disney tickets were booked in advance with Attraction Tickets Direct, offering the advantages of saving money; giving the best value compared to buying at the gate and having the convenience of having real tickets sent to your home before even leaving the UK.
Crucially, they save time as you don’t have to queue at the parks to buy tickets or redeem a voucher.