Things that might have been....

This will be brief because I've got an early start tomorrow, but did you know:

1. Danny DeVito's role in Who Framed Roger Rabbit nearly went to Harrison Ford.

2. In the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts goes to the bathroom to floss her teeth, she was originally supposed to be going to the bathroom to take drugs.  Disney execs decided, quite sensibly, that dental hygenie was a better fit for the studio's family-friendly image than shooting up.

3. There was a third thing.  There was definitely a third thing. I'll update when I remember what it was.

As you may have guessed, I am still reading Disney War.  It's still ace.

**UPDATE**
The third thing: Disneyland Paris was nearly Disneyland Barcelona.

"Be silly, loose, clumsy and loveable......"(WARNING : CONTAINS INFORMATION WHICH MAY SHATTER CHILDHOOD ILLUSIONS)

No, Virginia, it has nothing to do with Santa Claus. But who is this guy?:

Traits: Frequently uncoordinated, klutzy, ever cheerful, optimistic, heart-of-gold, jolly, likes nearly everybody, bumbling,awkward, devoted, sincere, honest, a dreamer.


He may strike the passer-by as a typical village half-wit, but in truth he is a kindly, eager soul, a little on the silly side but always harmless.  ...strives to be a gentleman......has none of the physical attributes usually associated with a "star". His back is bowed, and his shoulders are narrow, sloping down to seemingly heavy arms and a protruding stomach. As he walks, his head, stomach and knees seem to take the lead. This, however, has not stopped him from becoming a foremost authority on any kind of sport or occupation you can name

Have you worked it out yet?

The above is just a snippet from the briefing notes given to Disney employees before they dress in a Goofy costume and wander around the Magic Kingdom to meet and greet people. Which is what author James B Stewart got to do while researching the   (so far) excellent Disney War: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom.

There is more; the instructions go on to explain how Goofy laughs, how he should pose in photographs, what his autograph should look like (if the f isn't backwards you've got yourself a fake), the sorts of activities he should engage in.  There are several paragraphs just on how to walk. "Be silly, loose, clumsy and loveable", is the over-riding message.  I love the amount of detail and the attention to character. 

For a long time journalists weren't allowed to write about the costumed Disney characters who wander the theme parks; at leat not in a way which implied they were anything other than real.  Mentioning costumes or the people inside them was strictly forbidden - all part of the company's commitment to creating and maintaining illusions.   Then several years ago, during a run of bad publicity for the company, The Wall Street Journal ran an article which disclosed (among other things) that dressing in character is a standard part of the induction for top level Disney executives.