Thank Disney It's Christmas

Today is 2nd January (Happy New Year). My humans are watching the end of "Mary Poppins" so I think it is time to get back to my Blog.

It's been a busy Christmas for us here in our little village in Lincolnshire - and an interesting one for a toy like me who is a Disney character. Without Disney films, I don't think the television companies would survive in England. Today the main channel (BBC 1)had 3 movies one after the other. On Christmas Eve, they had 4 -I counted through the day. Oh, and "Mary Poppins" wasn't one of them: that was on ITV 1. The far more intellectual and sophisticated BBC 2 channel showed "Calendar Girls". My human Andrew watched that one because it has such pretty views - of his home county of Yorkshire. I didn't see "Pinocchio" on any of them - so that's something for next Christmas.

Things are so different from Christmasses my humans can remember from long ago. I think their memories may be selective but some things have changed. In those days, you didn't have cable, satelite or DVDs. Today, if you want to see Tinker Bell, you can see her own movie several times on Disney Cinemagic. You could also have bought the DVD. My humans did that. It spoiled some friends plans for a Christmas gift but my humans claim it was essential for our trip to Walt Disney World where we met - and could recognise - all 4 of Tink's friends. It also meant we had seen the movie in November so there was nothing special for Christmas.

It the "Good Old Days", they only had "Disney Time" at Christmas. It's amazing that this programme always aired on the non-commercial BBC although it was nothing more than an extended commercial for Disney animation - often with links from Disneyland or WDW too! The usually had one from "Pinocchio". Most often it was "Honest John" and Gideon singing, "An Actor's Life for Me". As my humans grew up, they learned how clever the animation is in that scene - but my character doesn't appear!

You ended Christmas desperate to see all the movies. The new one would appear in your town for one week something like 18 months in the future. The old ones would come back once in the next 7 years. And if you were on holiday or sick that week - or your parents decided not to take you - then wait another 7 years. My human Andrew never saw the whole of "Pinocchio" until he saw it on video. He had never heard "Wish Upon a Star" as part of that film. He remembers the music and Tinkerbell from the start of the "Disneyland" tv shows and assumed they both came from the same film.

Come on guys: Christmas was't that great in the past - and we have a lot more good stuff to do all year round. We don't need to see tv shows of Disneyland at Christmas because we have all been by now - and if we haven't there are plenty of travel and lifestyle channels who will tell us about it all year round. And we have Pinocchio - and my six "shorts" on DVD to watch whenever I want.

Still the best thing about Christmas is the love of our family and friends. Another little cuddle, please.