Video Madness 11/23/09 Robbins Barstow's "Disneyland Dream"

This week we are absolutely thrilled to bring you a certifiable Fan Made Classic. In this weeks "SHORTS!" podcast we featured an article about Robbins Barstow. In 1956 Barstow, his Wife and three children won an all expenses paid trip to Disneyland. Which in 1956 was not even a year old. Robbins, being an amateur film buff had the grand idea to film the entire trip. But not just film the trip, like any common family movie. No Robbins was inspired to make the entire Barstow family journey into an epic amateur film. The half hour film chronicle's the families trip from Connecticut to California, and their experiences in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Disneyland. The experience is nothing short of magical. First of all, given the obviously beloved subject destination of Disneyland, of course the film is magical. The magic also extends from seeing the land we all know and love in a more innocent time. The truly miraculous facet of Barstow's film is the imagination and endurance that was eventually needed to complete it. Barstow had been an avid film maker from his youth, so it isn't surprising that Barstow had the forethought to realize that he was going to have to shoot multiple angles and duplicate shots in order achive certain "special effects" and to make the film imaginative and fun. Though Barstow's film was shot in 1956 it was not truly completed until 1995 when he finally recorded the narration and added certain title screens to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Disneyland. The films untainted portrayal of the era is why it was chosen as one of 25 films to be archived in 2008 by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Annually, the Library of Congress names 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant films As part of the National Film Preservation Act. These films are considered "works of enduring significance to American culture." The national Film registry calls "Disneyland Dream" "a significant home movie record of Hollywood and Los Angeles in 1956." We here at DisFanReview couldn't agree more. Oh, and one last thing. What would a classic fan made Disneyland film be, without a celebrity cameo? From about 20:19 to 20:25 you can see an eleven year old boy in a top hat selling Programs to Dineyland visitors. That little boy is none other than Steve Martin. It's fun to think that this "Disney Dream" is quite possibly the dawn of the Disney Parks fan video. The first ever. -Admiral Duke