Disney, Look Towards "Titanique" and Have A Laugh!
Can we have some fun? Is it possible to have a laugh? In the words of Kristen Johnston on Sex and the City, “No one has fun anymore!" I have been thinking about this for a while when yesterday, Titanique won a major Olivier Award for its West End production. For those unfamiliar: Titanique is a musical that retells the story of the Titanic (the movie), narrated by Celine Dion (who claims she was on the ship when it sank) and uses her entire discography (including “Beauty and the Beast"). It’s a clinically insane retelling of the infamous 20th Century film using improv and some laugh-out-loud bits that will have you rolling in the aisles.
In Titanique’s category, it was up against some weightier productions, but the absurdity and humor won out. It’s a testament to “having fun" and being able to make fun of oneself, which seems to be lost by The Walt Disney Company in recent years. (Mind you, while Titanique is about the 20th Century film, it is not produced by Disney Theatricals.)
The success of Titanique also brings to mind the frequently mourned Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The pinnacle of the weekend was always the Hyperspace Hoopla show that featured famed Star Wars characters being, for lack of a better word, ridiculous. They would dance to modern pop hits, being openly mocked through fan-heavy humor. It was a place where the franchise as a whole had the opportunity to let loose and live a little.
In recent years, the place for self-deprecating humor ceased to exist. Now, everything must remain the utmost sincere, with no opportunity to harp on the company or laugh at the absurdity of what’s presented. For a period of time, this was understood. As Disney continued to acquire, the necessary brand stability required this level of sincerity to allow everyone to comprehend the breadth of Disney’s catalog. However, we’re years into the 20th Century merger and everything has settled…can we have a laugh?
I’m not saying that the parks need a new live show making fun of the failed EPCOT transformation or we need to create a parody music video mocking Gal Gadot’s performance in Snow White (I volunteer to write that within three to five years, however). However, maybe Disney should be like The Muses and “lighten up, dude."
There’s something to be said about one's own confidence in their art when you are able to look back and laugh at it. Whether through absurdism or just a quick aside, laughing at what you’ve created can help others appreciate it even more. Personally, I appreciate Star Wars more when the company allowed Chewbacca to dance to Prince music. There’s no reason to take a space opera so seriously, let’s have a little fun! Can Disney look towards Titanique as a path forward for personalized humor? They do call it the ship of dreams, so maybe there’s a path towards laughing.