Pollyanna

I can't imagine why.

So Bob Weiss actually makes headlines here at this press conference by asserting that the park would not offer a Pollyanna view of America.

So I actually had to look up what Pollyanna meant.

But... an optimistic view of America, like a rose-colored view.

And so the goal was to make guests feel what it was like to be a Civil War soldier or to experience an escape through the Underground Railroad.

You know, I think of Snow White was my grandmother's favorite animated film when she was growing up.

And then another one that she loved was Pollyanna.

And both of them are very special to me today because of the connection I had watching those with grandma on that side.

And then I think of my other grandparents who... introduced me to lady and the tramp and you know that was the first disney film i ever owned on vhs and i still smile when i think of that today and how they gave that to me for christmas which seemed very appropriate because you know that's when lady was given um but uh those connections are made and carried on from family to family.

You know, it's an hour long program, a breezy round table, uh, if you will.

And yeah, They want to, not in a Pollyanna way, you know, get back to how it was, but they want people to show up and to test their ideas and to listen to each other.

And

we should say it is the most watched show on cable news.

output from these focus groups, like the ones that Sarah Longwell is always doing.

And you listen to these voters and they're sad that they don't have these people in their lives anymore.

So I think the focus and the book is very much rooted in the humanity aspect and not doing it as a Pollyanna, but just... facing reality that we are sharing this country and that loosely speaking, we all want the same things, right? The American dream fits into broadly the same, you know, five to 10 points.

Uh, and so diving in and starting with that, I call it the soft start helps a lot.

that's exactly right so there was a lot of pressure to keep up with you know um what episode have i missed i mean that was the beauty about cartoons because they really didn't matter much if you missed a storyline but um but there was also a thing called disney i think it was on sunday nights from memory maybe friday nights it was a movie night that all the family gathered around and disney walt disney put on a movie I think it was every Sunday.

Yeah, so that was a good time because everyone would get together and you'd sit in the lounge room and you'd do the popcorn and then everyone would sit around and watch, you know, Herbie or, you know, Pollyanna or some philosophical movie that I, you know.

Or a

bit of Anne of Green Gables here and there.

Yep.

I gotta see Pollyanna again.

I know Larry's a big Trouble With Angels dude.

Yep.

You have to have some energy.

She's literally Pollyanna.

Literally, she played Pollyanna as a child.

Yeah.

There's some sort of symbolism in that.

... look at America.

I mean, we're a young struggling democracy, and we've, I'm not being a Pollyanna.

I know there's bad stuff too, but at least we are trying and we're getting there.

But I want to tell you something.

I haven't, I haven't even told them, [laughs] Ga- Gareth.

No, no, no.

Actually, do you know, now this is an interesting thing, and this also makes me sound like Pollyanna.

[clears throat] I don't believe in my very long life, and I've met thousands of people, I really have, um, I don't believe I've ever met anybody who's evil, evil, and I'm not sure-