Kyle is one of the main reasons I pushed myself into a film degree and am now interning with film festivals and film foundations. He has contributed incalculably to my love of film and I’m overjoyed to see a new video in my feed from him! Thanks Kyle

Disney thought that his speech to the workers would be so powerful and influential that any thoughts they might be harboring of unionization would dissolve forever.  Instead, one of the union organizers said, "That speech did more to radicalize Disney's workers than our previous ten years of organizing."  The striking picketers' rage exploded in the aftermath, with anyone previously opposed to,. or on-the-fence about the strike throwing in with the leaders of the proposed union.

For his part, Walt he recognized a strike leader who was verbally baiting Walt.  Walt then jumped out of his car and challenged him to a fistfight, but was pulled back into his car.

At his brother's behest, Walt then took off for a Goodwill Tour of Latin America, and in his absence, his brother and other company leaders recognized the union and negotiated the company's first management-labor contract.  For the rest of his life, Walt felt disgust for his unionized work force, which he barely concealed at times.

Six years later in 1947, Walt testified before the House Un-American Activities and blamed this earlier result --- union recognition, having to negotiated regular contracts with that union --- on the infiltration into his workforce of provocateurs taking direct orders from Stalin, of which there was ABSOLUTELY ZERO ACTUAL EVIDENCE.

Regarding that speech, though ... wow ... talk about not being able to read the room.

Wow. Did not know about the Cosgrove Hall version of Pied Piper. That was powerful, man.

"Disney is the opiate of the masses."
~Sergei Eisenstein

Sometimes, “bearable” is all one has.

Anyway, I’m off to finish The Clone Wars.

It’s been too long since there’s been an episode, so it’s so nice to see this

Eisenstein's approach to Disney sounds like a textbook case of separating the art from the artist: examining the impact of Disney's work in its cultural context, without giving as much weight to Disney himself.

Strange, if you asked me the same question "Did Disney make my life better", I'd come to a different conclusion than you did. I would say yes, in a lot of ways, it did. Not just from the lessons the films taught me, but from the experience of watching them and sharing them.

Offering relief from the realities of Capitalism (for a price) and perpetuating the same system are not in conflict, in-fact they often go hand-in-hand. I think that's why American culture in particular value escapism and "apoliticality" so highly; "it's just a movie", "it's just a game", "it's just a burger", "I just want to be entertained, not have opinions shoved down my throat", etc.

I had this classmate, the child of one of the many families that moved to my country dissapointed with the turn Eastern Europe had taken after the fall of the USSR. Her parents had not showed her any Disney as a child (according to her calling it "insidious capitalist propaganda") and when she finally watched it as a teen she did not understand the massive appeal of most of it. She was confused by her friends insistance that it was "just fun" and eventually we came to roughly the same conclusions as Eisenstein, though far from as well formulated, that Disney offered, as Marx would have put it,  an "opium for the masses".

Never before I watched Disney's version of the Piper, and it weirdly reminded me of Soviet version of Pinnoccio, that has nothing to do with becoming a real boy and ends with Pinnoccio and other puppets leaving the circus where they are treated as objects, and starting their own puppet theatre, to be treated the same way as human actors. The imagery of them, rushing through the door towards the "paradise" is very reminicent.

1.  Congrats on whistling that entire section of Whistle While You Work. Everyone gives up after the first phrase.

2. I used to work for Cosgrove Hall as a teenager. It was my first ever job. I highly recommend Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, the BFG and any of the animated Terry Pratchett series' for some classic British humour.

3. Now I'm depressed and I'm stuck between wanting to resist the comforting nostalgia of Disney. . . While simultaneously being drawn to it.

Yes, the creators of all of my childhood wonders - “I’m Going To Build ME-land” and “Pity Him - He Went Through Life With The Name ‘Ub’.”

It is hard to reconcile the fact that I love and cherish the art of Disney while despising their business practices with every fiber.

The truth is that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism - so I shall happily consume all my Disney movies while fighting for a change in the system that will break their stranglehold over everything and allow their workers and everyone's to be treated justly and fairly.

1. It's good to see you back Kyle and again with another brilliant video. You've pretty much summed up all my feelings about Disney and my attempts to reconcile my love of the art AND the artists with my distaste for the company itself.
2. I need to track down that Cosgrove adaptation. The only other version of Pied Piper I've seen was a Czech adaptation released in 1986, also stop motion.
3. David Lynch had to have been inspired by Eisenstein when he made 'Eraserhead', just look at the man's hair!

I have often been touched by various works of art, but I can't remember a work of non-fiction which touched me in the same way - except for some of your videos, Kyle. Thank you for that.

When you mention at 15:19 that you saw a non-Disney version of The Pied Piper story, it reminded me of being an '80s kid and first seeing a very sad (ie. accurate to the text) animé version of The Little Mermaid that included, well, the 💀. When the Disney musical came out at the end of the decade, my young self tried resolve the dichotomy of the two.

I'll likely never get Disney+, but I see what Eisenstein thought he was getting at. Humanity needs respite. Eisenstein just couldn't see that such was not a wanton thing for Walt, it was the goal.💵

I love the cursor hovering over Curiosity Stream at the end, and gliding straight on down to Disney+... Fantastic video, Kyle. How it was edited, the theme transitions, the pacing. Gorgeous work!

Disney has always been a huge part of my life, and I will never let it leave.

I saw the rough cut and let me just say this Eisenstein character sure has... the hottest of takes about Disney.

Does anyone else is wanting to cry right now? Good to know i'm not alone. PS: The Seven Dwarfs must form a union of mine workers.