History According to Disney a Comparative Analysis of the Historical Theming in Disneyland
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History according to Disney A comparative Analysis of the historical Theming in Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris Index 0.0 Introduction Pp. 4 0.1 – Introduction Pp. 4 0.2 – Method Pp. 0.3 – Theory Pp. 1.0 Chapter 1 Pp. 1.1 - Introduction Pp. 1.2 - Historical Theming Disneyland California Pp. 1.3 - Similarities Disney California and Disney Paris Pp. 1.4 - Conclusion Pp. 2.0 Chapter 2 Pp. 2.1 - Introduction Pp. 2.2 - Mainstreet USA Pp. 2.3 – Frontierland Pp. 2.4 - Conclusion Pp. 3.0 Chapter 3 Pp. 3.1 - Introduction Pp. 3.2 – Fantasyland Pp. 3.3 – Adventureland Pp. 3.4 – Discoveryland Pp. 3.5 - Conclusion Pp. 4.0 Conclusion Pp. Bibliography Pp. 2 Introduction For years now Disneyland Paris has been the number one tourist destination in Europe. This Walt Disney company amusement park was opened in 1992 and has become increasingly popular ever since. It was the 4th Disney park that was built in accordance with the model of the original Disneyland California park which was designed by Walt Disney himself and opened in 1955. These parks are not just popular for their rides but also for their themed snacks, parades, shows and merchandise. Going to these parks is unlike going to a regular theme park. For one, these parks are called resorts, and they all have multiple themed hotels that are part of the resorts, by which designers ensure that people can enter a sort of ‘Disney Bubble’ and not having to leave it for the entirety of their visit. These resorts also tend to consist of multiple smaller parks. Usually, there is one large theme park within these resorts that is modelled after the original Disneyland California park, which is often seen as the main park. Most resorts have even more theme parks that people can visit, for example, Disneyland Paris also has a Walt Disney Studios park. Overall Disneyland Paris is themed after the Disney characters and films, however, some areas are also inspired by other, non-Disney themes, namely geographical locations and historical periods. These themes are based on geographical locations and historical periods. There are 5 areas: Mainstreet USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, and Discoveryland. While historically themed amusement parks are quite common in the US, this trend of historically themed amusement parks are scarcely executed in Europe. During the creation of the Disneyland Park in California Walt Disney and the Disney company were very interested in history and were creating many ‘historical’ films. Therefore, as the main park of Disneyland Paris is modelled after the main park of Disneyland California, it is reasonable to assume that Disneyland Paris was also themed after History. Or at least, what was perceived to be history by Walt Disney and other ‘imagineers’ (Disney creators) back in the 1950s. Moreover, in the case of Disneyland Paris the references to history are downplayed in their advertising even though it is modelled after the California park in which they do emphasize the historical theming. The official Disneyland Paris website describes the main park as follows: “Be transported to a world that inspires the imagination, where wonder and enchantment fill the air all year round. With Sleeping Beauty Castle at the heart of this fairy-tale setting, the attractions, shows, parades and restaurants will immerse you in the Disney magic you know and love.” (Disneyland Paris). 3 For the creation of the Disneyland Paris park many choices were made pertaining to the theming. Some areas were mostly kept the same as in Disneyland California, whereas, others were radically changed. There are different motives for each of those decisions, many of which have to do with the perceived differences and similarities between American and European culture. As such, in this thesis I aim to answer the question: In what ways do the original Disneyland’s historically themed representations inform Disneyland Paris’ themed environments? In the first chapter I will discuss the historical theming in Disneyland California, and some of the larger similarities between the park structures of Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. In the second and third chapter I will discuss the theming in each of the themed ‘lands’ in Disneyland Paris and relate it to its Disneyland California version. 4 0.2 Method In my research the focus will lie on the Disneyland park, and not on Walt Disney Studios park. This is because the Walt Disney Studios park is undergoing very rigorous refurbishments and construction and is changing too rapidly for me to be able to analyze it properly. While the reconstruction in itself might be a sign of change compared to the arguments that I will present in this paper, there is not enough clarity on what the constructions will be, and what they will mean for the park. Furthermore, the source material that I will base my analysis on will consist mainly of the texts and images that can be found on the Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris websites. As I belief that meaning making processes and the aim of the company are most visible within the visual material and texts which they provide themselves. My research will mainly consist of textual and discourse analysis, as both the symbolism and word use within the parks, on the website and other related materials are a large part of how meaning is constructed there. To do this I will use Barthes’ semiotics, which is a method of reading signs and what they mean in different cultures at different times. I feel that this method is very appropriate to this case study because of how these theme parks are designed. Every color and every building in the Disney parks was picked with the sole purpose of conveying a specific meaning. Even the trees and paths are set up to influence the visitors’ thoughts and behavior (54 Jost). Barthes’ Semiotics have proven to be specifically useful in the analysis of advertisements, and the Disney parks themselves can be seen as walkthrough ads. It is also important to relate the texts and symbols to their social context. I will be discussing perspectives on history, cultural differences, and other social contexts, as well as the social and political values of Walt Disney. Linguistics Professor Norman Fairclough argues that language is a tool of power, and thus agrees that it can greatly influence people’s minds. He developed a model for critical discourse analysis which builds on the social dynamics surrounding language and assumes that text is never neutral. The model is very useful if one is trying to discover what the creator of a text is trying to convey, and what behavior they are trying to stimulate. The model consists of three dimensions: “it is a spoken or written language text, it is an instance of discourse practice involving the production and interpretation of text, and it is a piece of social practice” (136 Fairclough). He describes these dimensions as multiple perspectives from which a text can be read. And his critical discourse analysis is particularly useful when dealing with businesses and organizations, as the multiple dimensions, or perspectives, one can analyze from include the social practice dimension which deals with the social 5 codes and symbols used by any social group. This can be a business, a village, or a country. This makes the model very useful for the comparative analysis of theming in Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. As, both the Walt Disney Company culture and the cultural differences between the USA and Western Europe, will have influence on the words that are used by Disney and how they are interpreted. I plan to use his model to analyze written statements from the Walt Disney company, most of which will be from the Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris websites. 6 0.3 Theory In this thesis Jean Baudrillard’s theories on constructed realities will be quite relevant, as they tie in well with themed environments such as Disneyland Paris. His theories delve into how shared experience is created, which also ties into meaning-making processes. He is quite radical in his statements as he tends to argue that reality has now been completely replaced by symbols and signs (386 Baudrillard). Especially his theories on the ‘simulacrum’ and ‘hyperreality’ will be relevant to my work. Furthermore, he has done some writing on history in relation to meaning making and reality that I feel will be useful. Baudrillard argues that simulations, or themed environments, are created through the “generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal” (381 Baudrillard). This is an interesting standpoint in relation to the Disney company as the company seems to argue that their products do refer back to reality, which I will discuss more in depth in chapter 1. Baudrillard describes simulacra as “never again exchanging for what is real, but exchanging in itself, in an uninterrupted circuit without reference or circumference.” (384 Baudrillard), thus it is a self- referential system, which no longer has any link to reality. I also aim to use the theories on theming and themed environments by Mark Gottdiener. His book The Theming of America: Dreams, Media Fantasies and Themed Environments discusses the trend of giving themes to environments that used to have no theme, such as restaurants and sports events (2 Gottdiener). Moreover, he discusses how these themes are created and what their effects are on the people within the themed environments. In relation to theme parks such as the Disney resorts he argues that: “Visitors to a themed park consume the environment itself as well as the rides and attractions, They adjust their behavior according to the stimuli they receive from the signals embedded in built forms.