An Orange County research university within the shadow of Disneyland may soon develop into home to an educational think tank dedicated to studying Walt Disney's life's work and the Anaheim theme park's impact on the world.
Disney historian Jeff Kurtti and Chapman University Professor Brian Alter explore the feasibility of developing a Walt Disney Think Tank on the research university, positioned 5 miles from Disneyland in Old Towne Orange.
The think tank would examine the life, legacy and global impact of the Disneyland founder, in addition to his influence on art, music, culture, business, economic development, transportation, urban planning, thematic environments, placemaking, science, technology and innovation.
“A think tank on Walt Disney is such an interesting and deep area of research,” Kurtti said during a telephone interview. “Even today, almost 60 years after his death, the things he imagined are still relevant. People keep coming back to them. Our intention is to explore this aspect of Walt Disney’s personality – biographically, creatively and professionally.”
Alter has taught science and education at Chapman, Harvard and McGill universities. His hottest course at Chapman: The Pursuit of Happiness and Knowledge: Charles Darwin and Walt Disney.
“Walt Disney is a visionary whose career has spanned numerous industries and continues to shape everyday life around the world. From an academic perspective, Walt Disney remains woefully under-researched,” Alter said in an announcement released by Chapman.
Almost the whole lot Walt Disney worked on either expanded an idea, evolved an idea, or pushed it forward with a brand new dynamic that continues to resonate today, Kurtti said.
“Whether it's movies, music, parks or placemaking, these are all things that Walt Disney still touches on, long after he's gone,” Kurtti said.
Kurtti visited Disneyland for the primary time as a baby in 1971 and immediately became a “huge Disney nut.” He was hired by the Disney company in 1986 and spent the following many years working on projects at Disneyland.
“For me, there's always this great feeling because it's Walt's Park,” Kurtti said. “It’s the one he got his hands on.”
Kurtti can't consider a greater place for a Walt Disney Think Tank than Chapman University.
“In the evenings I sat on my laptop and could hear the fireworks every night at 9:30 because it's so close to Disneyland,” Kurtti said. “It’s almost as if Chapman was created to have something important to do with the study of Walt Disney.”
Alters and Kurtti are expected to finish the Walt Disney Think Tank feasibility report in a couple of yr.
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