WALT Disney Pictures, What's In a Name??

WALT Disney Pictures What's In a Name??

 

          Over the last month or so there has been a lot of talk about Walt Disney Pictures dropping Walt from the name of the company. So Walt's name has been dropped from the company logo and replaced with Disney Pictures. Is this a big deal or not?

          My gut reaction to the change is disappointment and sadness. I believe that taking Walt's name away from the name of the company will allow the company to distance itself from the family values Walt Disney instilled in the company. Does the removal of his name from the name of the company allow the company to move further away from wholesome family entertainment? It is possible.

          It is also a piece of history being lost for good. The next generation will lose out on knowing about a fantastic man who gave our country and the world so much. It is a part of my childhood going away.

          This is the reason given for the change by the Disney Company. With the new distribution formats available for movies being released for home viewing the company wanted to make the logo fit into the smaller screens that people are watching them on. They want the name of the company clear in the logo.

          Over the years, since Walt's death the company has moved away from his vision for family friendly entertainment. That is what he wanted his name to be known as. Yes, he would have loved to make movies like Hitchcock but he made a choice to keep his movies Family Friendly. New divisions of the movie side of the business were made to give Disney the option to make more "adult" films. Keeping Walt's name as part of the company name will remind the current and future company leaders to stay true to the founders goals of the Best in Family Entertainment.

          In my opinion Disney need not drop Walt's name from the Pictures division of the company. They could easily leave Walt in the name and the logo itself would tell people what movie company made the movie. The castle logo is so clearly Walt Disney Pictures you don't even need the name. The company needs to remember the company started with a Mouse . . . and the dream of a Man.