Credit: DisneyWhat would the world be like without Disneyland and Disney World?
Disney fans are very familiar with the story. Walt Disney took his two daughters to Griffith Park. They rode the carousel while he sat on a nearby bench. Being the grown-up kid he was, he thought that there:
“should be … some kind of amusement enterprise built where the parents and the children could have fun together”
He then set out in earnest to create Disneyland. Since 1955 the Disneyland Resort has been what it has been dubbed: the Happiest Place on Earth, and a veritable Magic Kingdom, fulfilling the promise of the signs above the archways, helping people leave the world of today and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.
Related: Disneyland Modifies Operations to Accommodate Beloved Nighttime Spectacular
The Walt Disney World Resort has done the same thing for millions on the other side of the continent. Constructed as an homage to his brother, Roy Disney poured his heart and soul into the property and created an endeavor that has grown and will continue to grow for decades. Each Park, including Disney Parks around the world, brings magic to the lives of those who attend and are unique in the world of entertainment.
So, What Is It About These Places That Make Them So Special?
The answer for everyone is going to be different, but below, you’ll find just a few of the things that make Disney Parks so special the world over, from Anaheim to Orlando, Paris to Tokyo, and everywhere in between.
Play
Simply put, Disneyland, Disney World and the other Disney Parks allow kids and adults of all ages the opportunity to play. In a world that encourages rigidity and structure, Guests at Disney Parks can enter the gates and feel free to choose where to go and when, and what they want to do!
From rides and attractions to shows, parades, and fireworks, there’s no shortage of places to go or things to do. Kids and grown-ups can laugh, shout, and enjoy the day on the same level because that was the Park that Walt intended! Disneyland and every Disney Park aren’t just for kids but for the young and the young at heart.
Escapism
When Guests walk past the main gates and into the Park, they can see all around them the berm separating them from the rest of the world. While there are some rides and attractions that offer quick glimpses at the outside world, there’s so much to see, hear, and experience on the inside; why would Guests look outside the berm?
Disney Parks are entirely immersive. Everywhere that Guests look, there are buildings, paintings, plantlife, sights, sounds, and smells that transport them from the day-to-day to a magical place. The average person can travel from the future to a storybook village, to the jungle, and back, all in a matter of hours.
Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Parks around the world allow Guests to escape their responsibilities and enter a world that, in a way, is entirely their own. With thousands of other Guests on any given day, how is that possible? Through the next topic.
Nostalgia/Memories
Disney Parks are memory factories. Each section of each Park is specifically geared to encourage a memorable visit, one that Guests can, and inevitably will reflect upon for years to come. Of course, the Parks are perfect for pictures with their immersive design, as well as plenty of great photo opportunities both around the Parks and on rides, but there’s another tool for creating memories that Disney has perfected: smell.
Whether it’s the water from Pirates of the Caribbean, the foyer of the Haunted Mansion, Popcorn on Main Street, U.S.A., or a hot churro or beignet, there are so many scents to be celebrated in Disney Parks, and that is most definitely by design. Many researchers have found that smell is the scent connected most strongly to memory, after all. Thanks to this fact, Guests can catch a whiff of something that smells like Disneyland or Disney World and are immediately transported back to that magical place.
That’s All Well And Good, But With Rising Prices, Why Do Guests Keep Coming Back?
This is the crux of the entire article. In recent years, a lot has changed when it comes to Disney Parks. That shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After all, Walt said that Disneyland would never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world. It’s the kind of changes, however, that are causing friction with Disney fans.
With rising prices and many offerings giving Guests less for more money, wherein lies the draw? Why do people keep coming back, and often in record numbers? The answer, as one might expect, lies in history, particularly the history of entertainment.
During the Great Depression, millions of people suffered economic setbacks the world over. People could barely afford the basic necessities, including food and shelter, and yet, something remained consistent. In a period of history in which many would think people would simply tighten their belts, they did just the opposite.
Movie theaters, sports games, live theater, and other entertainment venues all saw a boom during the Great Depression. Despite economic hardship, and difficult living situations, people all over the world prioritized entertainment. It’s a critical part of the well-being of a thriving society, and that is precisely why we need Disneyland and places like it.
Despite the recession, the threat of, or in some cases actual war, pestilence, starvation, and violence around the world, we, as a world culture, need that opportunity to play, escape, and relive memories of a happier, more carefree time. With so much bad going on in the world, sometimes the best remedy is to don a set of Mickey Ears and eat a churro on your favorite ride.
What’s the Takeaway Here?
There is one more key thing about Disneyland and Disney Parks in general that Walt and Roy realized, which they, and others after them, integrated into each Park. It’s a concept that the great poet Maya Angelou put into words so simple yet so eloquent that no one can misunderstand: “We are more alike, my friends than we are unlike.”
Disney Parks have such universal appeal because they appeal to the inner child, and there are things that every child, no matter where they are, can enjoy. Things like family, friends, playtime, good food, good music, and great entertainment. It’s a sentiment that Walt and the Sherman Brothers built into an attraction which, because of the repetitive lyrics, is often taken for granted: it’s a small world.
It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears. It’s a world of hopes, and a world of fears. There’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware: It’s a small world after all…There is just one moon, and one golden sun, and a smile means friendship to everyone. Though the mountains divide, and the oceans are wide, it’s a small world after all.”
So, even though there may be things that Guests and fans are upset about, they’re upset because of how special the Disney Parks are and have been to them. For millions of people, Disney Parks represent a second home, a place to escape, to feel comfortable, and just to be. A Happy Place, a Magic Kingdom, a place of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy, and they will continue to be as long as there is imagination left in the world.
Do you agree that Disneyland and Disney World are that important? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!