Scrooge does not live in Scandinavia (RE: Where Scrooge lives)

Fluks, H.W. H.W.Fluks at kpn.com
Tue Jan 15 19:29:28 CET 2002


Martin S. Thoresen:

> What I think is arrogant is the attitude of European writers 
> that they can
> simply take and change completely the background and location of other
> peoples characters. Just because they're allowed to, and that 
> it appeals to readers doesn't make it right.

You could also call it revenge. Walt Disney and his people did it all the
time: take European tales or literary pieces, and change them to their
liking for a movie. Now the Europeans (and the Brazilians) take the Disney
characters and change them to their liking.
With Disney's approval, BTW. In the 1940s, no-one considered the writers and
artists of the stories a party in this.

In the Dutch case, the Dutch editors simply thought the children would
better accept the Disney stories if they were set in "an undefined nearby
place".

With one funny exception: when Scrooge was introduced, he was called
"Donald's rich uncle from America". I guess a person that rich in those
post-war days *had* to come from the USA... (But still, he went *living* in
that nearby Duckburg.)

> (I don't real[l]y consider Scandinavia as a part of Europe)

Should I take that serously? Do Scandinavians consider themselves
non-Europeans?
That might be the reason that Finland is the only Nordic country sensible
enough to use the euro.

> I constantly get shocked at the lengt[h]s Europeans sometimes go to
> make something 'belong' to their country.
> What is this? To me it is horrible, to just mangle a set 
> story to fit your own National Pride.

What do the Americans do in stead? They re-create a foreign sit-com or
movie, with their own actors and their own settings.
Apparently, every country needs entertainment in their own language, and in
familiar settings.
Except maybe in the part of Scandinavia that isn't in Europe.

> it real[l]y upsets me when people write about the ducks as if 
> no[]one invented them.

That's Disney's fault, and the fault of the creators who agreed to work for
Disney, or a Disney licensee. They agreed to be anonymous, and to lose all
rights over their creations.
This is how things usually worked in the past, also with Hanna/Barbera,
Lantz, etc.
The only *really* annoying thing is that Disney still wants to operate like
that today.

--Harry.



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