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''This Whole Thing Started With A Mouse'' | ||||
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12/6/2001 LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - (ThrillNetwork.com) -- According to Walt Disney, it "started with a mouse" and hasn't stopped yet. Wednesday, December 5th, marked the 100th birthday of the man credited for making the theme park industry what it is today. Inspired by Disney's "Fantasia," world-famous jeweler Harry Winston crafted a $2 million satin, velvet, silk, and gold Sorcerer's Hat - studded with a 20-carat diamond. At yesterday's celebration, 100 Walt Disney World workers carried out 100 pieces of cake cut from a sheet cake bearing the image of Walt Disney. Roy E. Disney, Walt's nephew, said in an AP interview, "There's a tendency to mythologize things in the past and of course there is a tendency for people to say 'Oh well, Walt Disney is just the name of a company.' We'll just keep insisting that he was a real man and he really did all this stuff attributed to him and he had his foibles too." Albeit, not many. Walt, through animation, movies, television shows, and his theme parks, created what is now the world's second-largest media corporation with annual revenue of $25 billion. Disney's reach is worldwide...it's nearly impossible to grow up in today's world - anywhere - and not ever see something from Disney on TV, on T-shirts, in movies, publications, and more. It's only fitting that people from around the world attended the celebration held yesterday at the company's flagship park in Orlando. Things, however, haven't been the "happiest" for Disney of late. Reliant on park attendance and the ABC television network, Disney watched profits fall 68% in the fourth quarter...for a total of $53 million. Revenue for first quarter is expected to drop another 50%. Ed: It's for that above reason that President Bush is asking everyone to get out and go about your daily lives...visit that favorite theme park! With airfare and gas prices the lowest they've been in a decade, now is the perfect time to plan a trip to Orlando, California, or wherever fun may take you! |
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