Useless Knowledge

I'm going to Disneyland this month (a Bday treat from my sister). I've never been to any Disney park before, despite working near two. I admit I'm looking forward to it. Might buy me some Mouse ears....


Anyways, here's some useless Disney trivia for you:

1) Mickey Mouse is not Walt Disney's first reoccurring animated creation. That honor goes to "Oswald The Lucky Rabbit". Due to ownership disputes early on (he's now fully owned by Disney Corp), this character is rarely used/ seen.
2) In the beginning, Walt himself voiced Mickey (whose original name was Mortimer).
3) "Goofy" is the nickname; the character's full name is "George G Geef".
4) The term "Disneyfication" is generally used in a negative way, and implies homogenization of consumption, merchandising, and emotional labor. It can be used more broadly to describe the processes of stripping a real place or event of its original character and repackaging it in a sanitized format. References to anything negative are removed, and the facts are watered down with the intent of making the subject more pleasant and easily grasped. The historical inaccuracies of Pocahontas are a prime example.
5) Walt Disney personally holds the record for most wins and most nominations for an Academy Award.
6) Tommy Kirk (star of several Disney films and a regular on The Mickey Mouse Club) was fired from Disney (by Walt himself) for having a homosexual affair with a 15-year-old (Kirk was 23 at the time). He was soon rehired for a sequel, then let go again.
7) Despite their reputation as being the most conservative studio in Hollywood, several Disney films have met with controversy. Song Of The South and The Three Caballeros have been accused of racism (Disney has never released the full version of Song on home video in the U.S.). The original cover packaging of The Little Mermaid included several phallic shaped... hell, PENISES- and was recalled and reworked.
8) Beauty And The Beast is the only animated film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
9) There is no actual proof that Walt Disney's head is cryogenically frozen and in a bunker beneath The Pirates Of The Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
10) My favorite Disney animated film is The Jungle Book. According to my family, I could be found singing "Bare Necessities" on top of the countertop of the bathroom sink. I was 4 at the time.