The Disney Theme Parks

From the day it opened in July 1955, in an event given live TV coverage, Disneyland has been a key symbol of contemporary American culture. It has been both celebrated and attacked as the ultimate embodiment of consumer society, a harbinger of shopping-mall culture, a symbol of American hegemony in entertainment, the epitome of fantasy, simulation, pastiche, and the blurring of distinctions between reality and mass-media imagery. Yet for all the power of Disneyland as metaphor, almost no one has discussed the making of this unique place, with its far-flung colonies in Florida, Japan, and France. Written to accompany an exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, "Designing Disney's Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance" is the first book to look beyond the multiple myths of Disneyland. Uniting a roster of authors chosen from wide-ranging disciplines, this study is the first to examine the influence of Disneyland on both our built environment and our architectural imagination. Tracing the relationship of the Disney parks to their historical forbears, it charts Disneyland's evolution from one man's personal dream to a multinational enterprise, a process in which the Disney "magic" has moved ever closer to the real world. Editor Karal Ann Marling, Professor of Art History and American Studies at the University of Minnesota, draws upon her pioneering work in the Disney archives to reconstruct and analyze the intentions and strategies behind the parks. She is joined by Marty Sklar, Vice Chairman and Principal Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, historian Neil Harris, art historian Erika Doss, geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, critic Greil Marcus, and architectFrank Gehry to provide a unique perspective on one of the great post-war American icons.

The writing is academic, but it is not inaccessible. It will have wide disciplinary appeal within academia, as tourism studies cross into a variety of fields including history, American studies, fandom studies, performance studies and cultural studies. It will be invaluable to those working in the field of theme park scholarship and the study of Disney theme parks, theme parks in general and related areas like world's expositions and spaces of the consumer and lifestyle worlds. It will also be of interest to Disney fans, those who have visited any of the parks or are interested to know more about the parks and their cultural situation and context.

This book addresses Disney parks using performance theory. Few to no scholars have done this to date—an enormous oversight given the Disney parks’ similarities to immersive theatre, interpolation of guests, and dramaturgical construction of attractions. Most scholars and critics deny agency to the tourist in their engagement with the Disney theme park experience. The vast body of research and journalism on the Disney “Imagineers”—the designers and storytellers who construct the park experience—leads to the misconception that these exceptional artists puppeteer every aspect of the guest’s experience. Contrary to this assumption, Disney park guests find a range of possible reading strategies when they enter the space. Certainly Disney presents a primary reading, but generations of critical theory have established the variety of reading strategies that interpreters can employ to read against the text. This volume of twelve essays re-centers the park experience around its protagonist: the tourist.

Disney the World Over. Clemson University professor Stephanie Barczewski delivers a scholarly but accessible comparative history of the Disney theme parks, from Anaheim to Shanghai, with a focus on the engineering, cultural, and political challenges that Disney overcame to build its "happiest places" across the globe.

Walt Disney World: The Full Report is a compilation of tips, tricks and information gathered over years of visiting "The Most Magical Place on Earth". The book breaks down every ride, show and attraction for each of the Walt Disney World Resort's theme parks. Unlike other theme park guide books, Walt Disney World: The Full Report is written with a sense of humor, in hopes of "lightening up" the typical travel book. The Full Report informs you without bogging you down with complicated, structured strategies that make you feel as though you are studying for a college entrance exam. In this edition, we welcome a new addition to the WDW: Full Report, Greg McNaughton. Greg is a former Disneyland Cast Member, and he adds his insights and experience on what the Disney parks should have been or could still be. Greg is a co-host for the popular MiceCast podcast as well as the host for Imagineering My Way and At The Main Street Cinema. Greg feels that being part of three podcasts is not enough, he is also part of the Travelears podcast.

The autumn and winter holidays are more than individual, celebrated feasts; they are an exceptional concoction of feelings, dreams, hopes, reawakened memories, and (perhaps more than at any other time of year) a renewal of traditions. Sounds a bit like the Disney theme park experience already, doesn't it? Disney magic and holiday enchantment blend smoothly, and the result has delighted guests for decades. This spectacular oversized coffee table book offers visual storytelling at its best. More than 1,800 photographs (more than half of them taken just for this book) showcase Disney's key locations filled with special holiday menu offerings, the big biggest parade and stage productions and nighttime spectacles, the tiniest decorating details from amazing artists and designers, and of course the most significant historical holiday events. A harmonic trio of researchers, writers, and photographers logged more than 150,000 miles in visiting every Disney park and resort across the globe, personally documenting the holiday installations through fifty-five thousand photographs and, wherever possible, meeting the talented and endlessly passionate artisans behind it all. With twelve theme parks and dozens of resorts, plus numerous cruise ships, dining and shopping districts, and more than six decades of holiday experiences, there're a lot of pumpkin treatments and ornate trees to reflect upon. (The smallest holiday tree at a Disney property is just four inches high, while very tallest ever put up was seventy feet.) Every parade or show requires dozens (sometimes hundreds) of creative magicians both onstage and off. And each decoration is chosen carefully to fit within a story and is placed on its tree or garland by craftspeople backstage. The decor is installed onstage, maintained, and, ultimately, de-installed and disassembled by small armies of technicians before it is once again cleaned, prepared, and stored in vast warehouses for the next year's use. The stories and contributions from so many unsung employees (usually working hard at hours of the night when so many people are asleep) fill these pages, along with the joys of Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year celebrations. Time to join the party!

50 years ago, Walt Disney utterly transformed the concept of outdoor entertainment venues. Using his innate talent for combining disparate skills and personalities, he assembled a creative team that blended imagination with engineering and called them 'Imagineers'. Kurtti introduces a core group of the originators of Disneyland and the other Disney parks. He explores their individual relationships with Walt and each other, their creative breakthroughs and failure, their rivalries and professional politics. Lavishly illustrated with rare never-before-seen photos.

It all started with a map. . . . Maps of the Disney Parks are more than just atlases used by guests to find their way to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They are snapshots of a place and time, relics treasured by collectors, and gorgeous pieces of artwork. In fact, it was a map-imagined by Walt Disney and drawn by Herbert Ryman-that was used to sell the idea of Disneyland to investors. Unfold this book bursting with beautiful maps from when the very first Disney Park opened in 1955 right up to today. Discover details on how and why the domestic and international parks have changed over time, and enjoy six decades worth of skillful creativity.

How much pixie dust is there at Walt Disney World, anyway? Can you count it? Nope. But there are many things at Disney World you can count, and Tony Caselnova has counted and measured and calculated and quantified them all. You'll learn things about the Disney World theme parks and resorts that you never knew before—and that you never thought to ask. Think you know Space Mountain? Tony knows the length of the tracks, the speed of the rockets, how many guests can ride per hour, how much of the ride is below ground, the weight of the concrete beams that support the mountain, and much, much more to amaze and edify any Disney fan (and especially the ones who think they know it all). And that's just Space Mountain. Every Disney World theme park, resort, attraction, and show is "enumerated" in the book, as well as Disney dining, Disney transportation, Disney recreation, and Disney water parks. You'll even find out how much Disney pays in taxes! Disney by the Numbers: a unique look at your favorite theme park!

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Sociology - Media, Art, Music, grade: 1 (A), University of Leeds (Culural Studies department), course: Media Theory, language: English, abstract: In many parts of our world today people dream a dream of magic and illusion, prosperity and happiness, which is essentially an American dream, exported by the wizards of branding, by companies like McDonald′s, Nike, Coca-Cola and especially The Walt Disney Company (WDC). Known for being `the inventor of modern branding′ and `modern synergy′, the Disney company `has managed to insinuate its characters, stories, and image as good, clean, fun enterprise into the consciousness of millions around the earth′. The WDC today boasts revenue of more than $25 billion from its operations in media networks, consumer products, studio entertainment, Internet, and parks and resorts, and employs 120,000 people worldwide. Furthermore, it can be seen as `the single most powerful and influential force in the globalization of Western culture'. Having themed parks in California (Disneyland, Anaheim), Florida (Walt Disney World, Orlando), France (Disneyland and Disney Studios Paris), Japan (Tokyo Disney Resort), China (Hong Kong Disneyland), and as rumours suggest having plans for parks in Shanghai and Delhi, Disney spreads its `value-laden environments′ across the world. Thereby, it is `extending and expanding Classic Disney - `the Disney universe′ or `Disney vision′ - into a material and physical existence, as well as ′providing a strong dose of All-American ideology′. Since the theme parks `contribute significantly to Disney′s overall corporate goals, providing ongoing revenues and promotion for other parts of the corporate empire′ it is worthwhile to closer examine the parks which are viewed by many observers as `showcases for postmodernism′ and `panegyrics to capitalism′.