Quote of the Day (Disney’s Jennifer Lee, on ‘The Lenses of Self-Doubt’)

“People talk about the dangers of rose-colored glasses, but let me tell you, the lenses of self-doubt are far worse. They are nasty. Thick and filthy… they’re covered in swamp scum and mold – there’s like a family of snails living on them. And they’re nearly impossible to see past.”— Jennifer Lee, writer-director (Frozen) and Chief Animation Officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios, in a commencement address at her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire, May 2014

(Photo of Jennifer Lee taken when she was signing lithographs of the film's visual development art at D23 Expo in Anaheim, California on August 16, 2015, by Coolcaesar.)

Quote of the Day (‘The Economist,’ on Disney’s ‘Industrialisation of Mythology’)

“The first Star Wars title since Lucasfilm, the owner of the franchise, was acquired by Disney in 2012 for $4.1 billion, it [“The Force Awakens”] represents more than just the revival of a beloved science-fiction series. It is the latest example of the way Disney has prospered over the past decade from a series of shrewd acquisitions…. Having bought Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney has skilfully capitalised on their intellectual property—and in so doing, cemented its position as the market leader in the industrialisation of mythology. Its success rests on its mastery of the three elements of modern myth-making: tropes, technology and toys.”—“Star Wars, Disney and Myth-Making: How One Company Came to Master the Business of Storytelling,” The Economist, Dec. 19, 2015

Photo of the Day: Disney Ice Castle

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was sweating out the humid walk on the way through New York’s Times Square on my way to my office. These days, though, the temperatures have dropped, and onlookers in this busy thoroughfare are more likely to be in the mood to ooh and aah over this ice castle that the Disney people were promoting.

Photo of the Day: Ain’t She Sweet?

Midtown Manhattan just seems flooded by the Disney Empire this summer. The other day, it was Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. This morning it was Mickey’s better half, Minnie.

I’ve already run Donald’s picture here. Now, I took a shot of Mickey, too, the other day, but it just didn’t seem to come out well.

Besides, the male readers of this blog have expressed a strong preference for the female of the species. In this case, one presumes they would mean the female of any species, even if non-human.

Photo of the Day: Disney’s Ambassador to the World

I snapped this shot of Donald Duck the other morning while I was on the way to work, just north of Times Square in midtown Manhattan. Then, around the corner from where this was taken, I saw Mickey Mouse, also greeting passersby.

You never know who you’ll bump into these days…