Retelling the old, old stories
The church and Disney World have something in common: they seek to make old stories fresh and real to new generations. I just got back from Disney World with my kids, and although there’s a lot I could say about Disney that isn’t positive (consumerism, colonialism, its desire to overtake my children’s imaginations), I hadn’t anticipated that Disney would set me thinking about how stories get told and passed on.
Disney World conserves, preserves, and continues its well-loved traditions with an awareness of how the world is changing. Disney is highly invested in its stories and the songs and images that go with them, and it takes great care to conserve these stories creatively.
The Magic Kingdom, for example, has some of its original 1971 attractions and doesn’t apologize for their oddities. The Swiss Family tree house is still around even though most children are unfamiliar with the story. The Bible on the staged dining room table of the tree house seems quaint.
