Why do I write?  I’ll tell you why … Walt Disney makes me want to write,  He inspires me, him and men of his ilk.  Dead and buried in a Chronologically frozen state under the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ride as far as rumour goes.  Definitely not substantiated and more than likely untrue, but a great hook for tourists and gives us fans hope he will return within our lifetime.   But he still inspires me.  Him and his version of Jules Verne’s classic sci-fi fantasy 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The wonderful Darby O’Gill and the Little People which visualised DEATH himself as a physical arch enemy of Darby.  (Though I thought Sean Connery‘s Irish accent to be even scarier than DEATH traveling in his flying, horse drawn carriage, scythe by his side.)  And the many other scary animated classics that he made with great love and care such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and segments of the original Fantasia, Pinocchio and Dumbo.

Walt wasn’t worried about giving tender young minds the fright of their lives.  He never saw the need to pander to wowser’s concerns about the long term effect some of the themes and scenes in his animated films could have on a young child’s mind in the years ahead. (a wowser is an Australian word that means a person who constantly tries to inflict their high held morals on anybody, and everybody, in sight. eg: i don’t need to drink – so neither do you!)  The preceding information is for our u.s.a and n.z cousins. – no, not you Annette, you probably have been living in N.Z. too long if you have forgotten the word.  Now, back to Walt …

Walt based the style of his films on the intention and tone of original children’s stories and nursery rhymes from many years earlier, when the wicked step-mother character was based on the impression that all step-mothers really were evil.  Purported, in their day, to only marry the widowed father in order to get their clutches on his money.   The child’s death was imminent once the marriage had taken place was a common thought in the minds of many of the day when they became aware of the marriage.  This, and many other simialar events that have become the basic stock for many a children’s story or nursery rhyme were either based on truth, or perceived truth.   Hansel and Gretal were not just a figment of the imagination of an over imaginative author, you know, there was a back door story behind it.  Most fears and horror stories of the time were based on interpretation of rumors and gossip of the day and Walt simply took those original interpretations and ran with them … and made some very scary movies for children and their parents.

TRIVIA ALERT:  Do you realise that Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary is believed to have different connotations to its words than just a pretty little nursery rhyme.   Mary is believed to be Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry the VIII (I’m Henry the eighth, I am, I am … you can sing along if you like) (a.k.a. Bloody Mary), Silver bells are believed to be thumb screws, a