Sure, people aren't perfect, and there's plenty to any person, especially famous people, that puts them in a less than favorable light when you learn it, but I have to say that I have a huge amount of respect for Walt Disney.

I was watching the DVD set of Tomorrowland, from "Disneyland" the precursor to Wonderful World of Disney, and it reminded me of what a genius Disney was.

He has a show, which is a advertisment for his park each week, *plus* it is actual entertainment on its own. And in the case of the Tomorrowland shows, something with actual educational content. Imagine that, network TV with educational content.

He covered space travel and atomic power in the 50s, featuring experts in the field, and made it not just understandable for the laymen, but you were actually excited about it when you finished watching it.

It wasn't enough to do a show on a subject, but he'd do companion books too. And he'd get experts to talk about the subject. He got Werner von Braun to talk about rocket power. That's like getting Thomas Edison to talk about light bulbs.

You go the feeling Disney really was interested himself, saw what great things could be accomplished by smart, creative people getting together to solve problems, and that enthusiasm was reflected in the shows.

And being the marketing expert, he could then relate it to the park, and I'm sure he made families dying to go to Disneyland.

You could feel the positivity about it, and you could tell he really was interested in educating and entertaining the whole family. It wasn't just showmanship. He saw he could educate while entertaining.

It's no wonder several of these shows were released as short films, and a few were nominated for Academy Awards for documentaries.

For that love of entertainment and education, and using his resources to bring that to the public, I will respect him. For his storytelling ability, and his ability to pick the right people to tell his stories, I'll admire him. And to be able to do all that, in a way that marketed his parks and other products, I'll always consider him a genius.

We may be jaded and cynical now, and see what the company has turned to in a world of giant corporations beholden to stock holders and bottom-line profits, but when Walt was in charge, it really was about more than that. A more noble endeavor. I can still see it when I go to Disneyland; there's bits still left. But when I saw these shows again, it reminded me of how it was so much more, and deserves so much respect still.