Earlier in the week I spoke about how the abundance of
refurbishments took something away from the Disneyland experience. While I
stand firm on the point that having that many iconic attractions closed at one
time is bad for the guest experience, there was one thing I noticed as part of
Disneyland’s refurbishments that I’ve never seen at Walt Disney World, a sense
of history.
Walls were up around both the Matterhorn and Sleeping Beauty
Castle, with the castle also receiving a scrim treatment, in addition to other
areas. At these two wienies, however, there was something else present. At the
castle there were a set of two panels and at the Matterhorn a set of four panels
detailing the history of the attractions. Little details, hidden gems, and
stories that were straight out of the Disneyland history books that the average
guest may not know. My first thought was that with so much history, it’s no wonder
they choose to plaster it right up on the walls during a refurbishment.
As I chewed on this thought a bit longer, it occurred to me
that there is only sixteen years between the openings of Disneyland and Walt
Disney World. The Magic Kingdom does a wonderful job of paying homage to its
history in the attractions, such as the Nautilus in the rockwork of Under the
Sea or Mr. Toad handing over his deed in The Many Adventures of Winnie the
Pooh, but there isn’t anything that comes right out and addresses the history.
When New Fantasyland was being constructed, in particular the Seven Dwarfs Mine
Train, the windows into the construction were great, but why not have panels
talking about all of the attractions that have occupied that spot of land? Talk
about the submarines, Birthdayland, Toontown, Winnie the Pooh’s playground, and
the monumental effort it took to keep the tree structure and move it across the
way. There is a lot of history there to address, and no one putting it out
there to educate guests.
I love that there are differences between Disneyland and
Walt Disney World, it gives us something to compare and contrast, to have
informed discussions about, and to make up our own minds on. On this point,
however, there is no question that Disneyland has gotten it dead right. The
name Disney is synonymous with edutainment, and by not addressing its own history
when given the perfect opportunity to do so, Walt Disney World is missing out
on an extraordinary opportunity. These signs not only provide trivia and
history, but they engrain the guests into that history and provide a jumping
off point for guests to become invested in the story of the park and to seek
out other stories on their own.
I will grant that each refurbishment and construction
project is its own beast and must be examined through an entirely different
lens. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to incorporate this level of
looking back into the work done at Walt Disney World. If the Vacation Kingdom
is still watching the progress of its older sibling on the west coast, I think
this is one time we seek to emulate that behavior and reap the rewards of
renewed interest in Walt Disney World’s history when and where Disney can.
2 comments:
We're living through the "re-targeting" of Disney - aiming at the younger visitors now. Although I don't get to either place often, there are still things I've enjoyed over the years that are now gone or a lot different. Seems they're aiming at shorter attention spans.
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