Other Hollywood studios, all of which made fun of Walt Disney—syrupy, simplistic, corny—did not become the globally loved brands that is Disney. There was, and is, a uniqueness to the Disney offerings. That uniqueness came from Walt himself.

Walt was a lover of nostalgia. He alway looked backwards. His movies, tv shows, Disneyland and other offerings all revered the past in ways that touched the heart. But, with one foot firmly planted in the past, Walt firmly planted the other foot in the future. His team’s invention of talking and colorized cartoons, the theme park, audio animatronics,  and, more recently, the runaway success of Disney+, all demonstrate an ability to tell time honored stories with cutting edge technology.

This is germane to the situation we find ourselves in: our past practices—our very way of life—is disrupted. We’re hoping for a return to normalcy. I would suggest, however, that there is no return, only forward. Our energies would be best spent emulating Walt. The last Snap explained how. We should celebrate, appreciate and honor what was before while we simultaneously anticipate, embrace and engage the future. The future is bearing down on us, like it or not.

As Walt himself explained, “Cinderella believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace (recreated in the snap above) and got him.”

Looks like we'll have to do that too.