In 1956 Walt Disney was asked to submit a letter predicting the future of entertainment to a 50 year time capsule. Now, 50 years later, the capsule has been unearthed and the contents of Walt’s letter to the future revealed (in PDF).
Walt admitted that it would be difficult to predict the changes to come in selection of media, but thought that little would change in the need for entertainment in its existing and new forms (such as the recently opened Disneyland). He was definitely right about that.
Walt also made a grander prediction, well a hope really, that we all should take to heart:
If our fondest hopes prevail, the world of 2006, anno domini, will have outlawed war and this old earth will be in such a flowering of civilization as the family of man has never seen. And that will have a profound effect upon the subject matter of the world’s playtime and escapist mechanisms.
Unfortunately we’re still working on that Walt.
(via BoingBoing!)
[ disney, prediction, time+capsule, 1956, 2006, walt+disney, uncle+walt, disneyana, disney+history, peace, world+peace ]