Nate At The Movies

I know I’ve lambasted my recent documentary binging in preparation for the Oscars, so it doesn’t make sense that I’d willingly subject myself to yet another documentary, but when it’s about Disney, I’m all Mickey Mouse ears. The allure of colorized 50s footage of Disneyland was enough to get me to sit down for Disneyland Handcrafted two and a half hours before Super Bowl LX, and while this wasn’t the best thing I watched tonight (Bad Bunny!), it was in a closer race for 2nd place with the game than I expected.

With all my recent documentary experience, I’m learning that sometimes there isn’t a whole lot to say other than “I thought the events depicted were interesting”. Knowing how it all turned out for Disney, the ticking time bomb of Opening Day didn’t make for a stressful watch, but it was continually impressive to watch how much these people had to build in such a short period of time with a rapidly increasing budget and fewer plans in place than I bet they would have liked. Watching the magic all come together was pretty special, and hearing so many people behind it all was cool, too.

I know Disney has grown into a giant, occasionally evil corporation, but it’s hard not to remember the fondness I have for them when watching this. I haven’t even been to Disneyland, but watching Disneyland Handcrafted made me want to go so bad. We need a little hope and sunshine right now, and places like Disneyland—despite the prices—and the people within and behind them ooze with all that good stuff. This was such an enjoyable documentary, even if it didn’t reinvent the wheel or make visible a very important issue. A documentary that just had fun? Who’d have thought?