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| Photo by Gui Avelar on Unsplash |
This could also be considered a manifesto to everyone who has asked me "Why do you like Disneyland?" and all I could think was "Because I'm an immature child." Now I have a better answer.
Before Disneyland, "Amusement Parks" were shoddy, unkempt, and chintzy. The paths were dirt and littered with popcorn bags and the rides jutted up haphazardly among a sparse area. The "amusement" was meant to provide a temporary distraction to life and lasted only as long as the ride. The rides segregated families into different age groups and thrill levels while rarely allowing for a shared enjoyable experience.
A man with two daughters and a penchant for precision was not impressed by these carnival diversions. He wished for a clean and friendly place to take his daughters; a place to experience with his children and wife that would leave them with memories lasting much longer than a few minutes. He revolutionized the entertainment and theme park industry and here are a few of the principles that he used.
A Story
Walt Disney combined the physical experience with an emotional experience. He took the basic idea of a "ride" and elevated it to an "attraction" by giving it a story. You aren't just feeling the wind fly past your face, you are flying with Dumbo. You aren't just in a pirate ship, you are Peter Pan, saving Wendy from Captain Hook. You aren't just getting a kabab, you are at a remote trading post in the jungle.
Immersion
Everything in Disneyland has a purpose: to transport you to another time and place. Walt himself said, “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” The first sight that brings a swelling feeling of elation is the Disneyland Railroad. This is no coincidence. Trains symbolize a journey. The sight of the train station brings with full force the feeling that we are going somewhere happy and we are eager to start the journey. When I became aware of this I had a mini mind explosion. I did not even consciously realize why the beginning of the park felt so happy.
The Berm. Disneyland is surrounded by a berm or a earthworks wall. The berm preserves the illusion of a separate world. No signs of freeways, business offices or even a petty normal street outside of Disneyland distracts from the fantasy. However, you can still see open sky and you don't feel stifled or closed in.
The Senses. Walt wanted to immerse his guests and did so by carefully cultivating an experience for every sense. The music for each land isn't meant to command your attention, but subtly give the aura that you are in a fantasy land, the future, the jungles, or the wild frontier. The sights are perhaps an obvious contribution to the magic, but you may not realize to what extent it goes. The trashcans in each land are themed, the bathroom signs are themed, even the very pattern of the path on which you walk changes from land to land. It all contributes.
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| Trashcans themed for Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Adventureland. There are tons more. |
Mainstreet has a brick walk reminiscent of the turn of the century.
Fantasyland has cobblestone.
Adventureland has tan dusty paths to represent a dirt jungle or desert path.
Tomorrowland is more utilitarian.
Critter Country looks almost like a riverbed in my mind. Or maybe just the stamped dirt floor of a cabin in the wood.
Frontierland has a desert-y themed pavement.
New Orleans Square looks just like a street like you might find in Louisiana.
Temperature: Haunted Mansion is NOTICEABLY cooler than the other rides, all to give a chilling spooky vibe.
Touch: Have you ever seen a "Do Not Touch" sign at Disneyland? I haven't! All part of the immersion.
Taste: I don't think I even have to talk about this. So I won't.
Weenies
The Disney family had a dog named Lady. When Walt would come home from work, he would grab a hot dog (weenie) from the fridge and entice Lady over to him. Walt applied this principle to his park. Since Disneyland was landscaped, themed, and arranged carefully (unlike theme parks of old, where you could just see every ride right as you walked in), Walt wanted a way to draw guests to the different areas of the park where new experiences could be discovered. Thus was born the idea that every land should have a tall, visible attraction that would draw guests to that land.
Weenies or "visual magnets" are also great for navigation. I am HORRIBLE at geospatial reasoning and directions. Horrible. However, I have never felt lost or overwhelmed by finding my way at Disneyland. Why? Weenies.
The Hub: the central area of Disneyland that leads to the other lands. The visual magnet for this area is Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Fantasyland: The Matterhorn Bobsleds
Critter Country: Splash Mountain
Toon Town: I never go here, so I'm not really sure if this land even has a weenie.
Frontierland: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
New Orleans Square: The Haunted Mansion.
Tomorrowland: If I had to guess, I would say it's the Astro Orbiter? This one is hard to tell. Also, I'm not a big fan of Tomorrowland. MAYBE FOR THIS VERY REASON.
Adventureland: Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye has great potential to be a weenie, but it is not. I believe this is on purpose. Disneyland's website describes Adventureland as a place "where every step of the journey is a foot further into the unknown." "Enter a lost temple or delve into dark jungles." Is Adventureland going to seem unknown, lost, and dark if there is a giant weenie orienting you at all times??? No.
Entrance
Disneyland has one entrance and one exit. This may not seem significant, but it was unusual at the time of it's design. Previous amusement parks had many entrances and exits. Why did Walt choose to have one thoroughfare? Immersion. Once you are in Disneyland, you are totally enveloped in the experience. There are no indications of the outside world. Now that I think about it though, it is sort of amazing that fire code still allows Disneyland to only have have one entrance and exit....
The Art of the Reveal
Touch: Have you ever seen a "Do Not Touch" sign at Disneyland? I haven't! All part of the immersion.
Taste: I don't think I even have to talk about this. So I won't.
Weenies
The Disney family had a dog named Lady. When Walt would come home from work, he would grab a hot dog (weenie) from the fridge and entice Lady over to him. Walt applied this principle to his park. Since Disneyland was landscaped, themed, and arranged carefully (unlike theme parks of old, where you could just see every ride right as you walked in), Walt wanted a way to draw guests to the different areas of the park where new experiences could be discovered. Thus was born the idea that every land should have a tall, visible attraction that would draw guests to that land.
Weenies or "visual magnets" are also great for navigation. I am HORRIBLE at geospatial reasoning and directions. Horrible. However, I have never felt lost or overwhelmed by finding my way at Disneyland. Why? Weenies.
The Hub: the central area of Disneyland that leads to the other lands. The visual magnet for this area is Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Fantasyland: The Matterhorn Bobsleds
Critter Country: Splash Mountain
Toon Town: I never go here, so I'm not really sure if this land even has a weenie.
Frontierland: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
New Orleans Square: The Haunted Mansion.
Tomorrowland: If I had to guess, I would say it's the Astro Orbiter? This one is hard to tell. Also, I'm not a big fan of Tomorrowland. MAYBE FOR THIS VERY REASON.
Adventureland: Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye has great potential to be a weenie, but it is not. I believe this is on purpose. Disneyland's website describes Adventureland as a place "where every step of the journey is a foot further into the unknown." "Enter a lost temple or delve into dark jungles." Is Adventureland going to seem unknown, lost, and dark if there is a giant weenie orienting you at all times??? No.
Entrance
Disneyland has one entrance and one exit. This may not seem significant, but it was unusual at the time of it's design. Previous amusement parks had many entrances and exits. Why did Walt choose to have one thoroughfare? Immersion. Once you are in Disneyland, you are totally enveloped in the experience. There are no indications of the outside world. Now that I think about it though, it is sort of amazing that fire code still allows Disneyland to only have have one entrance and exit....
The Art of the Reveal
Everything you see fits into the theming and yet, you don't see everything at once. There is no hint of the "real world" and there are alleyways, doors, staircases, beckoning you to discover seemingly endless magic.
Something for Everyone
I'll leave you with a story from imagineer Rolly Crump. Walking through Adventureland one day with Disneyland landscape architect, Bill Evans, Rolly saw a group of people from another country all looking at one area. Bill Evans turned to Rolly and said, "Do you know what they're looking at?"
"No, what?"
"They're looking at their native flower."
The psychology of Disneyland may be about illusion and magic, but there is also an intangible reality and genuine attentiveness to people that permeates throughout the park and ties it all together.
I'll leave you with a story from imagineer Rolly Crump. Walking through Adventureland one day with Disneyland landscape architect, Bill Evans, Rolly saw a group of people from another country all looking at one area. Bill Evans turned to Rolly and said, "Do you know what they're looking at?"
"No, what?"
"They're looking at their native flower."
The psychology of Disneyland may be about illusion and magic, but there is also an intangible reality and genuine attentiveness to people that permeates throughout the park and ties it all together.
