FLAVORING THE RECIPE

Isn’t stealing Geraldine Laybourne from Nickelodeon like taking the Mona Lisa out of the Louvre (“She’s the Most Powerful Woman in Television,” by Sallie Hofmeister, Sept. 8)?

Disney’s quality is sublime, but its recipe for success is a product that looks (pretty), smells (flowery) and tastes (bittersweet) just the way we remember it from our childhood. Originality, imagination and diversity are left on the shelf.

Look what happened to “Doug” (another Nickelodeon success) after it went to ABC’s Saturday morning lineup. Gone is the whimsically sketchy, almost-crayon-textured drawings (restful to the eyes). In their place are bright, boldly outlined industrial-strength cartoons.

Disney images surround us. Like California pioneers going from one Spanish mission to the next (one day’s travel between each church), we go from one Disney feature to the next--simply because they’re there. The commercial influence in making Disney features creates a demand for artisans instead of artists, converting the public into mass consumers rather than a thoughtful audience. I just hope Disney doesn’t try to convert Laybourne into one of those commercial entities.

Pamela Wong Miller

Los Angeles