Nine Disney Videos You Should Watch on YouTube
When Google started a video service, it couldn’t have anticipated the lasting importance of the decision.
For many, YouTube represents the video equivalent of the Library of Congress. It’s a treasure trove of human endeavor, one even non-readers enjoy.
Photo: Disney
Disney fans can and do get lost in YouTube videos as hours pass by while we consume clips.
You’ll find literally millions of Disney-related videos on the site. So, I’ve taken this opportunity to spare you the trouble of searching through it all.
Here are nine Disney videos you should watch on YouTube. And yes, I’ve linked them here so that you don’t need to leave this page!
Kurt Russell Talks Disney
Diehard Disney fans know one of the most bizarre pieces of Walt Disney trivia.
As the company’s founder sat on his deathbed, he tried to relay a message to the family and friends at his bedside.
Before he died, Walt Disney mumbled his final words, which understandably confused everyone else. He said, “Kurt Russell.”
For this reason, Russell has always had a job at Disney, starting with his teen movies during the 1960s and continuing through today.
(Ryan Wendler, photographer)
The actor recently appeared as the villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the latest in a long line of Disney gigs.
In March of 2020, Kurt Russell performed an interview with Disney that includes discussing memories of time spent playing ping pong with the boss.
A 1951 Disney Christmas
Last year’s Disney park celebration felt thin at Christmas. Disneyland remained closed, and Magic Kingdom didn’t host many yuletide festivities.
Still, Disney has been synonymous with holiday special programming for longer than you could possibly imagine.
In fact, this television episode from 1951 shows that Disney has hosted some form of Christmas event for more than 70 years!
Some of Disney’s most recognizable characters appear in this special, too!
Toy Story Behind the Voices
Pixar makes its characters seem so real that you’ll sometimes forget that you’re listening to Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
This video plays up that point by showing some behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast. These took place during filming.
Image Credit: Disney
A buddy of mine has worked in the sound booth for some of these. He swears it’s the most grueling work in Hollywood.
You try saying the same thing 25 different ways and see how much fun you have!
Opening Day for the Happiest Place on Earth
As I discuss in detail in one of my books, Disney Demystified Vol. 1, Disneyland’s opening day turned into a debacle.
Construction hurdles and setbacks caused several hysterical mishaps, such as the pavement not drying and a ship nearly capsizing.
Even then, Disney had mastered the art of marketing, though. This opening day video is little more than a 70-minute commercial for Disneyland.
Hilariously, even this broadcast came with some awkwardness. One of the hosts, a married man, gets busted on live television as he makes a move on a dancer.
https://d23.com/this-day/walt-disney-world-resort-opens/
Through it all, Uncle Walt proves he’s the consummate pro, never wavering from his goal of selling the audience on the majesty of his new theme park.
Imagineering in a Box
Are you looking for ways to entertain your kids this summer? I mean, you may have just gotten them back at school, and now the year’s over!
You need a way to keep their minds occupied, and you’re fresh out of ideas after a year of homeschooling, right?
Well, Disney can help. It created an online video series for young, wannabe Imagineers to learn how to tell stories the Disney way.
The series includes 33 videos plus homework. So, you should have enough lesson plans to get you through summer vacation!
And your kids will have a terrific response to the “How I spent my summer vacation” question!
Michael Eisner on Larry King
As far as time capsules go, this one’s a doozy. Then, Disney CEO Michael Eisner appears on Larry King and explains his thoughts on the industry.
This interview took place in 1993, which means that it occurred toward the start of the infamous Disney Decade.
Eisner hadn’t gotten his comeuppance yet. As usual, King softballs his questions, but the timing of this interview is remarkable.
Disneyland Paris had opened the year before and garnered negative headlines. It hadn’t yet impacted the company’s bottom line, though.
Eisner also answers questions about Disney’s America, which would never open due to public backlash.
Amusingly, the current issue about uncomfortable attractions at the parks comes up at the 13-minute mark.
A caller asks whether Disney will remove the Captain EO attraction due to Michael Jackson’s…unpleasant rumors.
Eisner’s emphatic “NO!” response demonstrates how much things have changed.
Pirates of the Caribbean Grand Opening
Walt Disney tragically died before Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland. However, he committed fully to the project.
Before his death, Disney had Imagineers strap together pulleys so that he could experience the boat ride as customers would.
Fitting, Pirates of the Caribbean became one of the most iconic theme park attractions ever, justifying Uncle Walt’s faith in the project.
In this video, The Wonderful World of Disney dedicates an entire episode to the ride’s debut. A humorless narrator matter-of-factly describes the triumph.
Somehow, I think the video is better because he’s so deadly dull.
I cannot link to the whole movie for copyright reasons, only the opening, although you can find it online if you don’t mind a bit of piracy.
(Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)
PS: Marty Sklar wrote the narration for the episode!
Mickey Mouse Club Revival
If you want to feel old and amazed, this is the video for you. It includes outtakes from the 1989 Mickey Mouse Club revival.
This intro came from the legendary 1993-1994 season when cast members included *deep breath* Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, and Keri Russell.
THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, Karen Pendleton, 1955-59.
In this clip, you can see what they looked like as children. It’s surreal.
The 2019 D-23 Expo
I’m posting this because I think it exemplifies how much the world changed in a short time.
In August of 2019, The Walt Disney Company had the momentum of a runaway train.
All its D-23 announcement that year seemed certain to happen, and the audience joyfully applauded all of them.
Then, Coronavirus became a thing, and the world changed overnight. However, most Americans are vaccinated now.
September of 2022 is just around the corner, and we’ll all experience this sort of Disney-based euphoria again soon!
