If you enjoyed the Farming for the Future film series, you may also wish to screen When Mickey Came to Town, a 30-minute film about a campaign, waged more than twenty years ago, to stop The Walt Disney Company from building an American history themed park in the historic countryside of the Virginia Piedmont.

The campaign to stop the theme park, known as “Disney’s America”, was based on a conviction that the hotels, golf courses, homes, and condos slated to be built by the massive project would have desecrated historic battlefields, natural resources and nearby quality of life. The film also highlights efforts to preserve farmland and a culture of farming on the edge of a large metropolitan area.

If the Disney proposal had succeeded, it would have destroyed productive farmland.

Available on the film’s website are the film, discussion guides, and additional resources spotlighting how concerned citizens mobilized, and achieved a surprising victory through creative and courageous actions.

The Farming for The Future film series is made possible through generous funding by the Prince Charitable Trusts. Chris Palmer and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University provided integral leadership and support in producing these films with alumnae Aditi Desai and Vanina Harel. Many thanks to all of the participants including The Piedmont Environmental Council, Mount Vernon Farm, Heritage Hollow Farms, Waterpenny Farm, Potomac Vegetable Farms, Michael Twitty, Three Part Harmony Farm, and City Blossoms.