The Effect of the Narrative: Choreographing Spectacle in the Disneyland Dark Ride

DISSERTATION NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

The Effect of the Narrative Choreographing Spectacle in the Disneyland Dark Ride By

Fan Tingzhang Fabian A0041108X Dissertation Supervisor: Tsuto Sakamoto Title: Assistant Professor 12th September 2011

Dissertation submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture at the National University of Singapore

Before we begin‌_______________________________________________________ Acknowledgements: Mum and Dad: Thank you for taking me on my first trip to Disneyland Anaheim in 1996. Without which, my obsession for Disneyland(s) and theme parks would not have been ignited and I would probably not have chosen to write about the dark ride.

Tsuto Sakamoto: Thank you for your patient guidance in the process of researching and writing this dissertation over the summer holidays. I have enjoyed your countless ‘omoshiroi’ anecdotes during consultation sessions. Also, thank you for taking me as your student despite the fairly novel and apparently challenging topic.

Friends: I am not going to name names but you know who you are. Thank you for tolerating my incessant complains and whining. Thank you to those who have helped me in the editing process in one way or another.

i

Abstract_______________________________________________________________ Keywords: spectacle, narrative, association, immediacy and effect This paper addresses the issue of architecture and its relationship with narratives and effect.

More specifically, the effect of spectacle produced in the context of the Disneyland dark rides and its narratives. Most dark rides found in run-off-the-mill amusement parks are designed with the main aim to scare riders in the form of ghost trains. The Disneyland dark rides however, make use of the narratives from Disney films as its main draw. The dark ride is a form of entertainment like the cinema; it however being the immersive, three-dimensional versions of the cinema.

It is not the first time architecture has been manipulated to cause effect and meaning within the observer. In the eighteenth century, picturesque gardens were also designed with allegorical associations through picturesque landscapes, objects and architecture. This will be used as a primer to show how objects can have effect and meaning within the minds of the observer, through association. The picturesque garden of Stourhead will be discussed to illustrate how its narrative can be read only through this process, with the help of the garden stroller’s inherent knowledge.

With regards to the dark ride’s narrative, this paper will show how the spectacle is produced and how it facilitates in the ride’s storytelling process, just as how films use the choreographed spectacle to help the audience understand its narrative. This effect of spectacle in the dark ride will be expanded on the premise of Yi-Fu Tuan’s essay, Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture. He defined the spectacle as a product of the movement of the ride vehicle interacting with the landscapes within the dark ride. This paper will attempt to expand on Tuan’s definition and show how the spectacle within the dark rides is produced. More importantly, how the choreographed spectacle facilities the process of story-telling. The spatial experiences of the dark rides will then be discussed in parallel with how the spectacle is choreographed in film and how similar principles are applied through the analysis of three different narrative categories of the dark ride - the non-narrative, familiar narrative and original narrative with familiar characters – in order for riders to piece together the plot of the narrative.

This paper will be concluded by touching on the idea of immediacy in architecture. The dark ride will be shown to be more immediate in terms of the how the observer is able to grasp its inherent narrative as compared to the picturesque gardens. Thus, this paper hopes to challenge the possibilities of what can architecture be as well as the importance of the observer in terms of understanding the emotive and narrative meanings behind architecture. (total word count: 10, 452 words)

ii

Table of Contents_______________________________________________________ Prelude .......................................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter 1: The Queue ................................................................................................................. 4 The Three-Dimensional Narrative .................................................................................................. 6 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 8

Chapter 2: The Preshow ............................................................................................................ 10 Meanings and Sensation behind Objects ...................................................................................... 12 The Picturesque Landscape of Stourhead ..................................................................................... 14 The Story of Art: The Narrative behind the Landscape ................................................................ 15 The Subjective Narrative.............................................................................................................. 19 The Non-Narrative: The Haunted Mansion ................................................................................. 21 Associative Landscapes and its Limitations ................................................................................. 24

Chapter 3: The Main Ride of Spectacular Narratives ............................................................. 26 The Reward of the Spectacle ........................................................................................................ 28 The Familiar Narrative: Snow White’s Scary Adventures ............................................................. 34 The Reward of the Kinaesthetic Experience ................................................................................ 36 Acting as Snow White... ............................................................................................................... 37 The Original Narrative with Familiar Characters: Splash Mountain ............................................ 41 Spectacular and Narrative modes ................................................................................................. 43 Choreographing Spectacle: Piecing the Story Together ............................................................... 45 Comparing Spectacle and Association ......................................................................................... 50

Chapter 4: Exit ........................................................................................................................... 52 Conclusion: Immediacy in the Dark Ride .................................................................................... 53

List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................................ I Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... IV iii

Prelude________________________________________________________________

Ghost trains, haunted gold mines and fantasy boat rides have been a mainstay at amusement parks and travelling fairs for as long as any living person can remember.

But very little has ever been written about their history and how they have evolved over the years. The history of dark rides is as mysterious as the gloomy space inside them.1

The dark ride is a ubiquitous attraction found in most amusement parks and carnivals. It is often land-based and takes place in an enclosed environment of a show building. This land-based model of the dark ride was also called the Pretzel Ride2 because the ride’s path would twist and turn in the show building, like a pretzel. It employed fairly primitive technology to scare riders. The most prevalent example being rides that plop riders into mechanical cars that follow a single track through a dark, often serpentine, indoor space and surprising them along the way with gags that often come in the form of spooky gross-out tableaus, pop-out surprises, jolts and scares.3 Due to the ease of setting up these gags, they are strategically placed along the path of the ride, frightening riders at appropriate moments. This tapped on the innate emotion of fear in the riders which led to the horror themed decor of many dark rides: the show building being refashioned into haunted houses with headless ghouls popping up at suitable intervals.

While majority of these dark rides found in carnivals and standard amusement parks still feature these simplistic scare tactics, these gags have been improved or

1

Laister, Nick.(2003) Spooks!: the history of ghost trains and other dark rides in Gary Radice’s The Magic Eye. http://www.joylandbooks.com/themagiceye/articles/ghosttrains.htm. (Accessed 13th August 2011) 2 WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/02/dark-rides.html. (Accessed March 21st, 2011).

3 Ibid.

1

replaced with effects such as lighting and immersive, elaborate interiors. Contrary to its name, it is important to note that it does not necessarily need to be dark and macabre in nature like the ghost trains and haunted houses. In Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), the dark ride, materialising in the form of a Tunnel of Love, becomes the scene of a murder. This scene banks on the ride’s psychological allure as a space of the unknown and mystery. A couple is seen hopping onto self operated boats that are driven into a rather lengthy, manmade cavern with minimal lighting. Like the back of a cinema, the darkness of the cave provided youths a place to engage in carnal desires. Midway through the tunnel, the same couple can be seen canoodling, oblivious of the murderer in the boat directly behind. This dark ride featured in the film is a version that is spawned off from an even earlier Victorian era version called the Old Mill. [1]

2

[1] Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train(1951) Tunnel of Love dark ride sequence (Source: Warner Bros.)

The Old Mill, similar to the Tunnel of Love, is a water based ride through an enclosed, dimly lit tunnel. Unlike the latter, the interior of the former had eerie scenery that is built into it. In order to break up intimate behaviour within the ride, automated noise makers such as crashing cymbals were built within the ride, and more often than not, scaring the riders. The addition of scare tactics was soon to be a main stay in most dark rides. The dark ride, through the years and its different incarnations, has taken the human sensation to its advantage, providing a symbolic, safe and controlled visit to the scary, primitive side of human behaviour.4

Moving away from the basic Pretzel Ride version of the dark ride, variants that combined different amusement park rides like the roller coaster or water flume ride with the enclosed show building were created, adding another layer of sensation that can be 4

WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/02/dark-rides.html. (Accessed March 21st, 2011).

2

physically felt by riders. In Disneyland, not only the effects within the dark ride were made more elaborate and sophisticated, a layer of narrative was also added to the ride’s experience. This paper will focus on the Disneyland version of the dark ride where special effects, elaborately decorated sets and scenery are employed to transport the riders into the narrative of the ride.

3

Chapter 1: The Queue___________________________________________________

[2] The elaborately themed queue of a Disneyland dark ride, Indiana Jones Adventure (Source: Tom Bricker, February 2011)

Getting there, however, entails a long, complicated trek from the jungle into the ruins, through narrow passageways, along tottering corridors, up and down steep staircases, through chambers topped with domes, brightened by crumbling frescoes, or obscured in shadow [2]. Maps posted on the walls offer false directions. Suspense builds because, in contrast to the rest of the park, with its wienies 5 and concern for absolute clarity, here the structure aims to confound, confuse, and stretch one’s perceptions of the length of the trip into the inky heart of Indiana Jones’s secret temple.

Because the journey – the dark ride – takes place indoors, architecture IS the attraction.6 A description of the queue area of Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland Park, Anaheim 5

‘Wienie’ is a term used to describe tall visual markers in theme parks.

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (pp. 113-114) 6

4

The Queue starts after the entrance of the dark ride; it is the area where riders wait in line for their turn to board the ride vehicle. Queues can be simple or, in Disneyland’s case, elaborately decorated, getting the rider in the mood for the narrative of the ride. The lengthy preamble or queue for Indiana Jones Adventure as seen in the quote above takes the rider through a series of mock temple chambers and passageways that set the mood for the ride itself. An element of interactivity is introduced, including notices and warnings to read and certain marked paved stones on which the riders are told to avoid standing.7

.....

7

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (pp. 180-181) 5

The Three-Dimensional Narrative The adventure of the dark ride begins at the queue, which is capable of transporting the rider into another realm through architecture. Just like Indiana, many dark rides in Disneyland are based on either films or a narrative; like a storytelling process. This is a process of animation in the round8, the grand combination of all the art9 using sculpture, painting, drama, theatre and film, combined with advanced electrical and engineering skills-made possible lifelike replicas of humans and animals capable of complex programmed motion and sound.10

Although these techniques are widely used in many aspects of the Disneyland theme park, it is most successful in its dark rides like The Haunted Mansion. It is also interesting to note that while dark rides are influenced by films, it happens the other way round too; rides like Pirates of the Caribbean was made into a major film. And like being in a cinema, the dark ride attempts to recreate this experience for the rider. The Walt Disney Studios, known for their animated and live action films, tapped on their experience in cinematic know-how in the creation of their dark rides. There is a strong connection between the dark rides and the films. With these rides not only built around and extending the spectacular potential of the films, they also play on narrative resonances.11 Riders thus become the audience, watching and participating in this threedimensional narrative.

8

Finch, Christopher. (1973) The Art of Walt Disney. New York: Harry N. Abrarns. (p. 392) Schickel, Richard. (1968) The Disney Version. New York: Simon and Schuster. (p. 267) 10 King, Margaret J. (1981) ‘Disneyland and Walt Disney World: Traditional Values in Futuristic Form’ in Journal of Popular Culture 15. (p. 120) 11 King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (pp. 182-183) 6 9

At Disneyland, the mechanism of the dark ride has been altered to create an experience specific to suit the theme and narrative of the ride. The dark rides discussed earlier only cater to satisfy and pique the primitive side of human sensations; however, the Disneyland version has taken this basic model of the mechanized track and car to another level with the addition of a layer of narrative and sophistication in terms of craftsmanship of the scenes within the ride. In the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the water flume ride model has been used as the base ride vehicle, similar to the Tunnel of Love. This model is most suited for the ride because most of the scenes have bodies of water, be it the sea or port, thus, fitting the ride’s narrative. When this is considered, it is revealed that there is more architecture at play as compared to the primitive versions.

7

Introduction Special effects in motion pictures always look spectacular because the best take – whether physically choreographed or computer generated – has been selected and edited, and captured forever on film. In our theme parks, there is no such thing as a second take. The effects must always look spectacular in one take, every few minutes, every single day. We call this art of illusioneering.12 The Imagineers13

This spectacle produced by the Disneyland dark ride is one of the three rewards for guests visiting Disneyland as mentioned by American geographer Yi-Fu Tuan in his essay Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture14. The spectacle, according to Tuan, is the result of the kinaesthetic experience that riders feel during the ride which causes the landscape and scenery within the dark ride to become the spectacle that they take in.

The focus of the paper will be the three different kinds of narratives in the Disneyland dark rides.

The ‘non-narrative’ in the form of the plot-less The Haunted Mansion dark ride will further expand on Tuan’s notion of the spectacle to illustrate how the effect is produced. The ‘familiar narrative’ of Snow White’s Scary Adventures will show the importance of the ride vehicle and the employment of a ubiquitous narrative in the dark ride. Finally, the ‘original narrative with familiar characters’ that is Splash Mountain will explain how spectacular and narrative modes in film is instrumental in facilitating the understanding of the ride’s narrative. Through the analysis of these dark rides, this

12

Imagineers, The. (1996) Walt Disney Imagineering: a behind the dreams look at making the magic real. New York: Hyperion. (p. 122) 13 The Imagineers are Disney Theme Park ride designers 14 This essay is found in: Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (pp. 191-199) 8

paper will reveal how choreographed spectacle is essential in the understanding of the narrative behind the ride.

As a primer, the paper will discuss the act of association and how it bridges the relationship between narrative and architecture. This is apparent in how landscape architects and theorist like Richard Payne Knight had attempted to produce narratives and meanings in objects in the form of eighteenth century picturesque gardens. Through the discussion of the narrative behind the Stourhead garden in Wiltshire, England, the paper shall illustrate how this narrative can be understood through the reading of the landscapes and objects within the picturesque gardens in the minds of the learned garden stroller through association. Association, however, has its limitations. How the narrative behind the garden can be read depends highly on the inherent knowledge of the stroller and how he interprets the objects that he perceives.

The paper will then be concluded by touching on the issue of immediacy and architecture by considering the difference in how narratives can be read in the context of the picturesque gardens and dark rides. Immediacy has been defined as the ability to perceive things without trying hard to make sense of them.15 The dark ride can be said as being more immediate than the picturesque gardens and the cause of this immediacy will be revealed. Thus, this paper challenges the possibilities of architecture as well as the importance in role of the observer in terms of understanding the emotive and narrative meanings.

15

Mitnick, Keith. (2008) ‘Introduction’ in Artificial light: a narrative inquiry into the nature of abstraction, immediacy, and other architectural fictions. New York : Princeton Architectural Press. (p. 19) 9

Chapter 2: The Preshow_________________________________________________

[3] Preshow of Star Tours (Source: Disney & Lucasfilm Ltd.)

In some rides and exhibits, the idea of a holding area, or preshow room, integrates the experience of the journey of getting to the ride that awaits the rider. The room itself is full of things to see and hear – glimpses of workshop, posters of planets that tempt the space tourist, announcements of departure time, even what appears to be an accident, with fumes spewing out of a docked spacecraft, to the alarm of its robotic caretaker16.

16

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (pp. 195-196) 10

The preshow is a briefing room prior to the main ride of most attractions in Disneyland. Not limited to its dark rides, the preshow continues the narrative of the ride after the queue, further immersing riders in it. Video monitors, posters and other media are used as ‘warm up’ devices, to keep riders amused during the wait and to prepare them to get the most out of the spectacle that follows in the main ride.17 Even though Star Tours is more of a motion simulator than dark ride, the description above of its preshow room shows how objects such as robots, sound and visual cues are employed to create an immersive and themed environment that is reflective of the narrative of the Star Wars Saga. Objects are thus capable of creating meanings and effect within the minds of the riders through their associative qualities with the narratives.

It is not the first time objects and architecture has been used to transport the spectator into other realms of thought through associative means. In the eighteenth century, architects were exploring the interaction between individual consciousness and architecture in places removed from the constraints of governments and social traditions, which resulted in startlingly original architectural design18. This chapter will explore how objects and architecture are capable of producing meaning and sensation, especially in the period’s picturesque gardens. These gardens were an example in the how the narrative’s relationship in architecture and nature is being bridged through the act of association, a process essential for the observer to relate to these narratives.

.....

17

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular narratives : Hollywood in the age of the blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 180) 18 Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p. 73) 11

Meaning and Sensation behind Objects Eighteenth century philosopher and doctor David Hartley had proposed a neural basis for sensationalism by demonstrating the origins of all mental occurrences in sensations were caused by vibrations of minute particles of the brain stimulated by external objects in Observations on Man, His Frame, His Duty, and His Emotions.19 Objects and architecture in this period were constantly used as tools to trigger sensation and effect within the observer, once specific sensation was that of the sublime.

The word – sublime – has many applications. A building or mountain may be sublime, as may a thought, a heroic deed, or a mode of expression. But the definition of the sublime is not restricted to value judgements; it also describes a state of mind20 The sublime is an aesthetic philosophy flourished as never before in the this period. Its greatest impact on architecture was the introduction of whole new categories of aesthetic experience, broadening the register of emotional appeal and dethroning the beautiful as the unique category of judgment.21 The most representative theory addressing the sublime was eighteenth century philosopher Edmund Burke’s Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757).

Quoting Burke, Barry Bergdoll explained in European Architecture: 1750-1890 that the idea of the sublime is attributed by the qualities of obscurity, power, privation, vastness and infinity. These qualities can be experienced ready in nature but require artful deception in architecture so that they might have a stirring effect on the imagination. 22 Burke’s Inquiry also contained descriptions of the physical basis of emotion and the

19

Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p. 77) 20 Shaw, Philip. (2006) ‘Introduction’ in The Sublime. New York : Routledge. (p. 1) 21 Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p. 83) 22 Ibid.

12

mechanics of the causal relations between natural objects and feelings, as well as concrete suggestions on how such knowledge could be deployed for aesthetic effect.23

The quest for this aesthetic effect influenced the growth and development of new principles of architectural composition in the second half of the eighteenth century, an important turning point in the history of modern architecture.24 Through architecture and nature, architects searched and perfected how sensation can be orchestrated and incited in the minds of the observer. In England, the trend of manipulating nature to produce emotive effects could not be more apparent in the form of the landscape gardens.

These gardens were designed with the characteristic of being ‘picturesque’, a distinct category of aesthetic experience with its own formal laws and emotive effects 25.

Its origin stemmed from Burke’s definition of how the sublime is produced: through natural phenomena like mountains, craters, storms, thunders and night skies. This notion of sublime beauty, with the new term of picturesque, initiated the replacement of landscape garden by the picturesque gardens.26

23

Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p. 84) 24 Lemagny, Jean-Claude. (1968) ‘Introduction’ in Visionary architects: Boullee, Ledoux, Lequeu. Houston, Tex., Printed by Gulf Print. Co.(p. 14) 25 Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p. 75) 26 Mitrasinovic, Miodrag. (2006) Total landscape, theme parks, public space. Aldershot: Ashgate. (p. 103) 13

The Picturesque Landscape of Stourhead The garden at Stourhead, Wiltshire, is regarded as "the one total and authoritative masterwork" of English landscape gardening still in existence. 27 It is a paradigm of the reaction against formality and the growth of picturesque sensibility, a harmonious composition of hanging woods, undulating lakeside paths, and irregularly placed temples, grottoes, and ruins. It is also now recognized as a serious work of art, an important piece of evidence in the study of visual meaning in the eighteenth century.28 This aptly describes the picturesque quality of the Stourhead garden by Henry Hoare, designed and completed in the mid-eighteenth century. Besides providing the garden stroller a place with scenic vistas for afternoon strolls, the garden has a narrative that is weaved seamlessly into its landscapes. The narrative in question is a symbolic form of Vergil’s epic, Aeneid29 which tells the story of the voyage of Aeneas, a Trojan hero, from the sack of Troy to the foundation of Rome.30 Even though the garden’s narrative is being open to various interpretations, it is this version made famous by Kenneth Woodbridge which became the widely accepted ‘de-facto’ narrative of the Stourhead garden. This dissertation will use this version to discuss how objects and iconography found in the garden are designed to help the garden stroller understand and unravel the narrative behind in it.

27

Hyams, Edward. (1964) The English Garden. London. (p. 48) Turner, James. (Mar., 1979) The Structure of Henry Hoare's Stourhead in The Art Bulletin, Vol. 61, No. 1. College Art Association. (p. 68) 29 Conan, Michael. ed. (2003) ‘Movement at Stourhead’ in Landscape Design and the Experience of Motion.

Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. (p. 267) 30 Conan, Michael. ed. (2003) ‘Movement at Stourhead’ in Landscape Design and the Experience of Motion.

Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. (p. 267) 14 28

The Story of Art: The Narrative behind the Landscape Inspired by seventeenth century French landscape painter Claude Lorrain’s Coast View of Delos with Aeneas, 1672 [4], the Stourhead garden is a ‘pictorial circuit’ which was created to show a series of shifting pictures from one scene to another round the edge of a large artificial lake,31composed like ‘stage sets’. These shifting pictures can be seen in ‘vantage points’ which actually reflect the scenes depicted in Lorrain’s series of six paintings illustrating Aeneas’s journey in Aeneid. This is a typical example of the picturesque gardens of the eighteenth century as the idea of picturesque was advocated by creating landscapes like paintings, substituting architectural criteria with that of the pictorial.32

[4] Lorrain’s Coast View of Delos with Aeneas, 1672 on the left with the actual Stourhead garden on the right (Source: Claude Lorrain.National Gallery, London, England. , left; Kenneth Woodbridge, right)

31

Watkin, David. (1982) ‘Early Landscape Gardens’ in The English Vision: The Picturesque in Architecture, Landscape and Garden Design. London: John Murray. (p. 28) 32 Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p. 75) 15

[5] Hand sketched map of the Stourhead estate showing the ‘prescribed’ route for garden strollers (Source: James Turner)

The Stourhead garden is located some distance away from the house, of the same name, in a secluded valley and laid out around a roughly triangular manmade lake that covers 27 acres. 33 The garden stroller will start from the house, moving down the prescribed path [5], the first vista perceived by the stroller would be reminiscent of Lorrain’s Coast View of Delos with Aeneas.34[4] The stroller that is familiar with Lorrain’s works would be able to grasp the obvious narrative association it has with Aeneas and Aeneid. After the stroller manages to link the first vista with Lorrain’s 33

Conan, Michael. ed. (2003) ‘Movement at Stourhead’ in Landscape Design and the Experience of Motion.

Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. (p. 267) 34 Kelsall, Malcolm. (1983) ‘The Iconography of Stourhead’ in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 46. (p. 133) 16

painting, walking anticlockwise around the lake, the next landmark in the garden that he would make his way towards is the Temple of Flora/Ceres: When the visitor proceeds to the right there is found upon the temple of Flora/Ceres, a clear Virgilian allusion in the Latin inscription, Procul, o procul este profani. A little further on, over the original pedimented entrance to the next ornament, a grotto, and the eighteenth century garden stroller would have found another Virgilian quotation: Intus aquae dulces, vivoque sedilia saxo, Nympharum domus35.

However, before entering the grotto, the inscription, Procul, o procul este profane which is taken from the sixth book of Aeneid, can be seen inscribed over the door of The Temple of Ceres. This is the first establishment of the Virgilian overtones in the garden. Through these textual inscriptions placed at various points in the garden, it transformed the intellectual game of reading the garden as text into popular entertainment by reducing the knowledge necessary for it. Since reading the garden as text implied a linear narration, many gardens had one-way paths leading from one scene to another, strengthening the act of association as the viewer becomes the actor as well.

Such gardens introduced a double role of the visitor, as both spectator and actor are reunited as they walk through these illusionary stage sets. 36 Moving on towards the grotto:

The grotto, it is claimed, is 'the Sousterrain' Henry Hoare referred to in a letter late in the development of the garden, 23 December I765, in which he quoted Aeneid again: facilis descensus Averno. Thus it is claimed that the grotto suggests the underworld visited by Aeneas, from which the stroller, like him, comes to a

35

Kelsall, Malcolm. (1983) ‘The Iconography of Stourhead’ in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 46. (p. 134) 36 Mitrasinovic, Miodrag. (2006) Total landscape, theme parks, public space. Aldershot: Ashgate. (p. 103) 17

representation of Rome itself, at Stourhead embodied in the Pantheon, and the ultimate ornament upon the walk, the temple of Apollo on a high hill.37 Virgil’s words facilis descensus Averno, translated as easy is the descent to Avernus, was quoted in a letter by Hoare in 1765 in connection to the steps leading down to the grotto. This implies that the path round the lake can be interpreted as an allegory of Aeneas’ journey in the underworld in the sixth Aeneid,38 with the underworld represented by the grotto.

These analogies above have provided a basis for positing further Virgilian allusions, in which the lake becomes symbolically Avernus; the river god in the grotto, Father Tiber of Aeneid; and the statue of Hercules in the Pantheon as representative of the site of Rome, for there he was worshipped as a god. The culmination of the circuit in the temple of Apollo would join Aeneas with the Augustan Palatine, though the connection has not been developed. A walk around the garden provides a parallel, therefore, to the journeys of Aeneas and the founding of Rome. 39 The garden’s entire winding path forms an itinerary that grows in accumulated experience and images alluded not only to Aeneas’s descent into the underworld but also the narrative of Aeneid.40 As established earlier, these scenes can only be unfolded when the stroller walks along the designated route. However, the similar composition of the landscape as that of the Lorrain painting needs to be obvious for the stroller to be reminded of the narrative.

37

Kelsall, Malcolm. (1983) ‘The Iconography of Stourhead’ in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 46. (p. 134) 38 Watkin, David. (1982) ‘Early Landscape Gardens’ in The English Vision: The Picturesque in Architecture, Landscape and Garden Design. London: John Murray. (p. 28) 39 Kelsall, Malcolm. (1983) ‘The Iconography of Stourhead’ in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 46. (pp. 133-134) 40 Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p.79) 18

The Subjective Narrative The way which the narrative can be understood from the Stourhead garden is therefore subtle and mediated. It is mediated in the sense that the effect does not reach the observer immediately, and very often, the effect varies from person to person. In Michael Charlesworth’s Movement, Intersubjectivity, and Mercantile Morality at Stourhead41, he had attempted to show how imagery and iconography found within the garden could in fact relate to the narrative of Hercules rather than Aeneas.42 This is also due to the fact that the garden itself contains iconographical references to the character of Hercules in the form of a statue in the Pantheon folly. To an eighteenth century garden stroller who is familiar only with the tale of Hercules visiting the Stourhead garden, he might relate the garden with the narrative of Hercules instead of Aeneas. The subjective process of association can explain this.

In the discourse of picturesque gardens in England, there were two main conflicting styles and approaches to which gardens were designed and conceptualised.

One of the more famous debates was between landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-1783) and Knight. Brown was convinced that visual and emotional variety could be achieved exclusively through the manipulation of plantings and terrain. He championed the abstract emotive of colours, density of plantings and the careful arrangement of his famous asymmetrical clumps of different tree species to create a landscape of moods of universal appeal in which nature spoke directly to the eye, mind and soul without the distractions of a historical or literary narrative.43 Brown’s method

41

This essay can be found in: Conan, Michael. ed. (2003) Landscape Design and the Experience of Motion.

Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. (pp. 263-285) 42 Conan, Michael. ed. (2003) ‘Movement, Intersubjectivity, and Mercantile Morality at Stourhead’ in Landscape Design and the Experience of Motion. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. (p. 263) 43 Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) ‘Experimental Architecture: Landscape Gardens and Reform Institutions’ in European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (p.79) 19

of landscape claimed to show nature in an idealised state, but in fact he left behind him evidence of his own intervention.44

On the other hand, Knight championed the associative links that the garden and landscapes should have with a narrative. He felt that the picturesque landscape should not be a mixing of art and nature. Hinting at its painterly roots, these words refer more to painters rather than paintings, and therefore imply a connection with painters’ methods rather than with finished pictures. This manner of representation is sometimes brought to mind in natural scenes, and the scene might then be said to have picturesque beauty because it has brought to mind the manner of painters45. This picturesque quality is in effect a theory of association, a function of the imagination, albeit rather a mechanical one46 as advocated by Knight. Not limited to the picturesque gardens, Disney landscape designers have also incorporated this technique of association in The Haunted Mansion dark ride’s queue.

44

Ballantyne, Andrew. (1997) ‘The Didactic Landscape’ in Architecture, landscape and liberty: Richard Payne Knight and the picturesque. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (p. 209) 45 Ibid. (p. 203) 46 Hunt, John Dixon and Willis, Peter, Ed. (1988) ‘Introduction’ in The Genius of the place: the English landscape garden, 1620-1820. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1988. (p. 342) 20

The Non-Narrative: The Haunted Mansion

[6] The exterior facade of The Haunted Mansion (Source: DoomBuggies.com)

Echoing the original dark rides, or fun houses, The Haunted Mansion is a plotless fun house, a series of mildly frightening episodes, each complete in its own right.

Doors belly out under the pressure of a ghostly rage confined within. Corridors recede into infinite distance. The paisley pattern on the wallpaper resolves itself into so many ferocious bats, preparing to swoop. But as the ride vehicle, known as a Doom Buggy, winds its way up into the attic, past the vestigial bride, the scene shifts into a cemetery, seemingly outside the mansion. The terror arises as much from the violation of dramatic unities, the abrupt turning inside out of the building, as from the graveyard tableau47 itself.48

47

Tableaus are illustrated descriptions or scenes, like those of a shop window.

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p. 114) 48

21

Located in the New Orleans themed section of Disneyland Park, the exterior of The Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland is pristine and white, reminiscent of a Louisiana plantation manor house, complete with French quarter-style wrought iron.

One would hardly expect that behind this seemingly innocent exterior, ‘999 happy haunts’ are dying to frighten guests inside. Once past the ornate entrance gates, ‘guests’ to the mansion follow a queue that snakes around the mansion grounds, passing by tombstones with ‘frightfully funny epitaphs’49, a hearse pulled by an invisible horse and a pet cemetery with lush vegetation.

The peculiarity about The Haunted Mansion facade and queue is that it does not resemble the stereotypical haunted house that is dilapidated and cobwebbed [6]. An important part of the queue decoration is the landscaping, and plant selection, which lends an aura of authenticity to the architectural settings proposed by the facade designs.

The Tokyo Disneyland and Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion grounds are carefully designed to appear overgrown and ancient. Disneyland, on the other hand, contains plants that may be carefully groomed to maintain a proper, well-tended appearance, while still offering a hint of sorrow. A number of drooping plants and trees are used in the landscaping, to give a "weeping" appearance, as if the plant life itself were in mourning.50 Its exterior landscaping makes use of the associative qualities of plants to build up the atmosphere of death and sorrow. In an interview with a landscape designer of The Haunted Mansion, he described how plants that were reminiscent of a macabre nature were essential in building up to the mood of the attraction:

49

Surrell, Jason. (2003) ‘The Grounds’ in The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions. (p. 48) 50 Doombuggies.com. The Secret of the Haunted Mansion: The Façade and Queue. http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets_facade.php. (Accessed 13th August 2011) 22

We also contribute to the creepy atmosphere by planting darker colours (black and blood red) and plants that remind us of funerals or overgrown graveyards – like Lilies, Dracaenas, False Aralia, and Wandering Jew for example.51

Another plant found is the Datura52 which is often used in black magic and spells due to its inherent toxicity. Only the informed botanic enthusiast will be able to draw the links between the macabre and plants through association. However, this prompted an almost elitist way of how such inherent meanings of objects can be appreciated as Knight felt that for association to work, the observer needs to be informed:

To the eye of the uninformed observer, the sublime spectacle of the heavens presents and nothing but a blue vault bespangled with twinkling fires: but, to the learned and enlightened, it displays unnumbered worlds, distributed through the boundless variety of unmeasurable space.53

He further added that these associative qualities can only be felt by persons, who have correspondent ideas to associate; that is, by persons in a certain degree conversant with art.54 This is for the case of the Stourhead garden. Needless to say, knowledge and education are thus crucial factors affecting the effectiveness of these picturesque gardens. However, the garden’s narrative is thus open to interpretation as there is no one

51

Doombuggies.com. The Secret of the Haunted Mansion: The Façade and Queue. http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets_plantlist.php. (Accessed 13th August 2011) 52 Datura is a woody-stalked, leafy herb growing up to 2 meters. It produces spiney seed pods and large white or purple trumpet-shaped flowers that face upward. Most parts of the plant contain atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. It has a long history of use both in S. America and Europe and is known for causing delirious states and poisonings in uninformed users. Source: The Vaults of Erowid. Plants: Datura. http://www.erowid.org/plants/datura/datura.shtml. (Accessed 30th August 2011) 53 Hunt, John Dixon and Willis, Peter, Ed. (1988) Introduction in The Genius of the place: the English landscape garden, 1620-1820. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1988. (p. 349) 54 Ibid.

23

fixed version that ties down the garden but rather, the narrative that has been most associated with the garden is the one that is the most apparent. To look at the garden from the eyes of the uninformed, the vistas and landscapes may be based on the paintings of Lorrain just for the aesthetic effects but not for the narrative. Furthermore, due to the obscurity of the myth of Aeneid, only the garden stroller that is well versed in mythology will be able to relate the landscapes back to the said narrative. The prevalence of the narrative among the masses is thus a crucial factor for association to work.

Associative Landscapes and its Limitations Objects, in the form of landscapes and architecture can immerse the stroller within the narrative of Aeneid and also the mood of The Haunted Mansion. These associative activities, most of the time, take place within the mind of the garden stroller, which hark back to one of Knight’s theories regarding how the stroller has to be involved in a great deal of mental activity while the gardener in none at all in order for the former to understand the gardens.55 One should be able to arrive at the ‘poetry of architecture’, that is, the observer should succeed in producing an ‘expressive picture’ that speaks to the imagination and intellect. 56

This belief stemmed from the fact that that association is linked to knowledge and one has to be ‘learned’ or informed in order for it to occur. It also speaks of the importance of an a priori knowledge for the act of association to take place. Not only must the narratives in the picturesque garden be ‘popular’ enough for the average

55

Ballantyne, Andrew. (1997) ‘Conclusion’ in Architecture, landscape and liberty: Richard Payne Knight and the picturesque. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (pp. 286-287) 56 Lemagny, Jean-Claude. (1968) ‘Introduction’ in Visionary architects: Boullee, Ledoux, Lequeu. Houston, Tex., Printed by Gulf Print. Co.(p. 17) 24

garden stroller to grasp, the same goes for the associated meanings behind Mansion’s landscaping. This calls for the observer’s inherent knowledge and experience. If knowledge alone fails in this associative process within the observer, hints in the form of text were then dropped to aid in this understanding, just as the inscriptions found in the Stourhead garden helped in the allusion back to the narrative. However, this also depends whether the stroller and rider is familiar with the meanings behind these clues in the form of inscriptions and plants respectively.

25

Chapter 3: The Main Ride of Spectacular Narratives______________________

[7] Loading area of the Haunted Mansion dark ride, with the Doom Buggies in limbo (Source: DoomBuggies.com)

Upon entering the foyer of The Haunted Mansion, the riders are greeted by the voice of the Ghost Host, welcoming them into the mansion. Suddenly, a wall opens up to reveal a windowless and door-less portrait gallery of the mansion’s previous guests in their ‘corruptible, mortal state’. The Host then offers riders a chilling challenge of finding a way out. With that, he reveals the answer through the form of a dangling corpse from a noose – death being the only way out! A panel in the wall then opens, revealing a long, dimly lit corridor.57 ‘And now, a carriage approaches to carry you into the boundless realm of the supernatural. Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step’, says the Ghost Host as riders approach their ride vehicles known affectionately as Doom Buggies.58

57

Surrell, Jason. (2003) ‘The Portrait Chamber (The Stretching Room)’ in The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions. (p. 54) 58 DoomBuggies.com. Media: Ride Transcript of The Haunted Mansion. http://www.doombuggies.com/media_audio_ridetranscript.php. (Accessed 11th July 2011) 26

The main ride portion of the dark ride begins at the load area, where riders board the ride vehicle into the show building. Continuing the narrative after the preshow, it takes the rider through scenes that immerses him deeper into the story. The main ride portion of The Haunted Mansion continues with riders moving through scenes that are supposedly within the different rooms of the mansion. As expected ‘ghosts’ materialise right from the start in front of riders in the form of mechanised robotic figures. The spectacle of the ride offers a range of pleasures associated with the enjoyment of ‘larger than life’ representations, more luminous or intense than daily reality59; in this case, it’s the subject of the supernatural. This chapter shall expand on Tuan’s definition of the spectacle produced by the dark ride attempt to show how, like the process of association, choreographed spectacle facilities in the reading of the narrative behind the dark ride.

This will be discussed in parallel with how the use of choreographed spectacle is used in film.

.....

59

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Introduction: Spectacle, Narrative and ‘Frontier’ Mythology’ in Spectacular narratives : Hollywood in the age of the blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 4) 27

The Reward of Spectacle

[8] The Graveyard scene in The Haunted Mansion (Source: DoomBuggies.com)

After the riders exit the attic scene and out into the graveyard, they encounter what appears to be hundreds of ghosts rising from their graves in a tour de force of character design. The spirits are all singing and playing along almost in a festive mood.

These spirits are materialised in the form of auto-animatronics figures, the most out of all the scenes of the ride.60[8]

This scene is reminiscent of the phantasmagoria, a light show that is invented by magicians at the end of the eighteenth century. 61 It used the same subject of the supernatural to create popular entertainment. Using magic lanterns, with special effects

60

Surrell, Jason. (2003) ‘The Graveyard” in The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions. (pp. 81-82) 61 Mannoni, Laurent and Brewster, Ben. (1996) ‘Phantasmagoria’ in Film History, Vol. 8, No. 4, International Trends in Film Studies. Indiana University Press. (p. 390) 28

that included projecting images on smoke, accompanied by music and noises off stage, the phantasmagoria comprised of a sequence of illusions in which pleasant landscapes were transformed into moonlit graveyards, spooks and skeletal forms glimmered in the gloom. It offered gothic sensations and spectacle through technological means. 62

Since the spectacle’s job is to cause a world that is no longer directly perceptible to be seen via different specialised mediations, it is inevitable that it should elevate the human sense of sight to the special place once occupied by touch; the most abstract of the sense, and the most easily deceived, sight is naturally the most readily adaptable to present-day society’s generalised abstraction.

Guy Debord

63

Guy Debord had commented in The Society of the Spectacle that it’s necessary for the spectacle to be produced through specialised mediation, where the human senses are heightened. This specialised mediation for the rider to experience the choreographed spectacle within the dark ride might be the technology of creating these spectres. While Debord’s definition of the spectacle was used to discuss about the society of commodity, American geographer Yi-Fu Tuan offered one in the context of the Disneyland dark ride.

In Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture, Tuan illustrated three rewards that the dark ride can offer to its riders – the mood of the place, kinaesthetic thrill and spectacle. He identified that these rewards are created via the landscape, scenery and background of the well crafted sets within the dark ride. Similar to the context of the European gardens built between the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, painting and gardening are two forms of art that were linked closely, the builders of great gardens 62 63

Brooks, Chris. (1999) ‘The Gothic Novel’ in The Gothic Revival. London: Phaidon. (p. 120) Debord, Guy. (1994) ‘Separation Perfected’ in The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone Books (p. 17) 29

were either themselves landscape artists or connoisseurs of landscape painting. These gardens then embody or suggest time64, just as how the scenes and landscapes within the dark ride enable the rider to be immersed in totally new environments that are not every day.

Tuan has suggested that these European gardens and their use of landscape have manifested themselves in modern times in the form of the Disneyland theme park and dark rides respectively. Even more interesting to note is how these ‘rewards’ utilise the landscape within rides to form and create the spectacle and illusion that the riders experience.

The third reward in the form of spectacle in the dark ride is defined by Tuan as the spectacle of the craftsmanship and splendour seldom seen elsewhere. This splendour refers to the scenery and landscapes within main show building of the dark ride.

However, this reward of the spectacle raises this question: What is the difference between spectacle and landscape?65 The difference between these two lies in the fact that the former excites while latter generally does not. However, a landscape may become a spectacle if riders see it for a few seconds while rushing along in the ride vehicle. That flash of colour and form, which are unavailable for prolonged viewing and considered a stable composition, is what makes it a spectacle. These include the sword fights and special effects as seen in the ride. Which gives a reason why these rides are usually short, less than five minutes most of the time, with the longest not exceeding a quarter of an hour.66

64

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p. 196) 65 Ibid.

66 Ibid.

30

The spectacle is thus created because the minds of the riders have no time to process the constant visual bombardment from the scenes, from their moving ride vehicles. Tuan has also compared this relationship between the spectacles of the landscapes in dark rides with the landscapes seen in films. This spectacle, according to Tuan, happens more readily in the cinematic landscape. Like a stage set, the landscape and scenes within the dark ride quickly becomes boring unless something happens, whereas this is not necessarily true of the cinematic landscape. On the movie screen, the human drama may be dull but not its background. Even if it’s the Nevada desert, this landscape can still command attention because it’s the image of a real place. The tumbleweed one sees dancing in the cinema screen’s lower left hand corner and numerous other details are put there by nature, not by the director’s or artist’s limited imagination and skill. Tuan believes that the authenticity of nature’s landscapes as seen in the cinema screen cannot be compared to the inherent artificiality of the dark ride landscapes. Unless these artificial landscapes are particularly well done, they will not hold the viewer’s attention.67 Therefore, viewing time has to be limited.

In The Haunted Mansion, riders move through the different scenes as though strolling through the scenes of a picturesque garden, except for the fact that riders cannot pause and stare at them. How the spectacle is produced lies in the construct of the various scenes of the ride; they are constantly in action, using special effects to engage the senses of riders, like a stage set with a continuous performance. Instead of the ride vehicle creating this spectacle, the constantly animated scenes are by themselves the spectacle. Next to the Graveyard scene in The Haunted Mansion, the Grand Hall scene [9] features a phantasmagoria of revelling ‘spirits’:

67

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (pp. 196-197) 31

[9] ‘Spirits’ materialising in the Grand Hall scene (Source: DoomBuggies.com)

As the Doom Buggies travel onto a balcony overlooking the Grand Hall, a group of otherworldly revellers have gathered at a long banquet table to celebrate a swinging wake. The guests slowly fade in and out of sight, seemingly in time with the hostess’s repeated attempts to extinguish the candles on a ‘death-day’ cake...Wispy wraiths fly in and out of the room through the upper windows as lightning flashes behind them while at the opposite end of the hall, couples dance the night away...screaming skulls, not musical notes, can be seen pouring from the organ pipes and vanishing into thin air.68 There is in fact a lot of movement and action in front of riders. Due to this visual and aural overload provided by these artificial spectres, the spectacle is created as riders needs time to mentally process all of these, despite the comparatively slow movement of the ride vehicle through the scenes. Furthermore, the special effects of the scenes are so

68

Surrell, Jason. (2003) ‘The Grand Hall’ in The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions. (p. 72) 32

novel that riders often end up wondering how they are done, neglecting any narrative, if any. With all these spectacular imagery being projected all at once, there is a need to control and filter these for riders. The ride vehicle then comes into the picture.

The secret to how the spectacles of the animated scenes are directed towards the rider lies in the Doom Buggies69 itself. The Doom Buggies is a train of swivelling, clamshell-shaped pods that can spin, turn and tilt to point the rider in each vehicle in any direction, narrowly focusing their attention just as film directors do with their cameras. These scenes are being observed from these vehicles that swivelled as they moved forward, putting the rider in the position of a moving camera that looks first in one direction and then in another. The selective or managed gaze would have permitted more efficient storytelling.70 Riders would see exactly what the ride designers wanted them to see, exactly when they wanted them to see it.71

Despite its relatively slow speed, the spectacle is created by the scenes and not the ride vehicles. Riders therefore remain as passive observers who witness the amusing antics of the ‘spirits’. Due to the inherent non-narrative nature of the ride, the ride vehicles act merely as a transportation device through the different ride landscapes and scenes. However, when a narrative is added, the ride vehicles make riders feel as though he is a participant of the story. This is also apparent in Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

69

Doom Buggies are what Disney ride designers call the ride vehicles in The Haunted Mansion.

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p.114) 71 Surrell, Jason. (2003) The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions. (p. 30) 33 70

The Familiar Narrative: Snow White’s Scary Adventures

[10] Exterior of Snow White’s Scary Adventures (Source: Chris Calabrese, 2003)

With its exterior reminiscent of conventional dark rides found in amusement parks, Snow White’s Scary Adventures (SnowWhite) is a short, three minutes ride narrating the famous Grimm Brothers’ tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The short ride duration works for the truncated storyline of the ride though. Although the scenes within the ride do not follow the sequence of the film, it will still make sense as the narrative of Snow White is ubiquitous enough for most riders to appreciate and piece together the scenes within the dark ride and relate it back to the film. Like how the Stourhead garden is inspired by the Arcadian landscapes with scenes that are recreated to remind the spectator of Lorrain’s paintings, the scenes and sets within Snow White are exact representations of the scenes in the film, aiding in the process of association.[11] 34

[11] A movie still from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, top, showing the evil queen consulting her magic mirror. The exact scene is recreated on the bottom for the ride.

(Source: Disney, Top; Kenneth Sundberg, Bottom )

Another peculiarity is that the character of Snow White is absent in most of the scenes. The reason being the riders are meant to take her place in the story. In other words, it is the family in the ride vehicle that met the dwarfs and fell into a swoon from eating the witch’s poisoned apple. The ride is a cinematic narrative with the riders as the star72, reiterating the importance of the double role of the riders, as both observer and actor. This is accomplished with the help of the ride vehicle providing this kinaesthetic experience.

72

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (pp. 75) 35

The Reward of the Kinaesthetic Experience

Historically, spectacle tends to move toward participatory narrative in order to retain our attention, to lengthen the immersive experience

Janet Murray73

For the dark rides to become participatory narratives, the sensation of movement is included through the employment of ride vehicles. In the early conception stages of dark rides like The Haunted Mansion, they were originally conceptualised as walk-throughs.74 Walk-throughs meant that the theme park visitor had plenty of time to consume and marvel at the sets within. Wouldn’t this be better since the extended viewing does justice for the craftsmanship and splendour of the dark ride scenes and landscapes? While it is important to note that severe time constraint in itself rules out the kind of leisurely viewing that a landscape or scene can command, more than a few seconds of this ‘starry-eyed’ watching risks dis-illusionment and boredom.75 It is thus evident that in order to cause this spectacle, the kinaesthetic experience is required, using speed and movement to enable its occurrence. This particular experience is what Tuan termed as the second reward of the dark ride.

Known as the sensation of movement, the kinaesthetic experience, also contributes to this kinaesthetic thrill spectators experience during the course of the ride.

As examined earlier, what sets the Disneyland dark ride apart from their conventional 73

Murray, Janet Horowitz. (1997) ‘The aesthetics of the medium: immersion; agency; transformation’ in Hamlet on the Holodeck : the future of narrative in cyberspace. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. (p.112) 74 Walk-throughs are defined as museum-like attractions where scenes are laid out alongside a path where theme park guest walk instead of riding in a vehicle to experience the attraction.

75 Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p. 196) 36

run-off-the-mill amusement park counterparts is the fact that their immersive quality is taken one step further: riders are not only being treated visually with the landscape of the various show scenes, but physically, the movement of the ride vehicles make them feel as though they are part of the narrative and adventure of the ride. Also, like the garden stroller of the Stourhead garden, riders become actors of the story. As Tuan elaborates, the difference between watching a movie screen and watching a theatre’s stage is that the movie makes riders feel as though the camera’s eye is the moviegoer’s eye and as the camera shows a car’s hood pointing and moving down a road, and in the dark cinema, this feels as though the riders themselves are driving the car.76 The dark ride is likened to a cinema with seats that move. This sensation of movement triggered by the moving dark ride vehicle, together with the landscape within the ride’s scenes presents the third reward of spectacle, as established earlier. In Snow White’s Scary Adventures, riders ultimately become Snow White as they embark on a perilous journey in her shoes.

Acting as Snow White As the ride vehicles approach the riders, they would realise that the vehicles are reminiscent of the beds owned by each of the seven dwarfs; with a specific dwarf’s name carved onto every vehicle. With a jolt, the ride vehicle starts moving, along the single track, and into the dwarfs’ cottage, where effigies of the dwarfs and Snow White herself are seen in a celebratory mood. Now as the vehicle exits the cottage, moving further into the ride building, standing behind a window is the Evil Queen who turns her head at the direction of the approaching vehicle and telling riders that ‘these dwarfs

76

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p. 196) 37

can’t hide Snow White from me!’77 From this point onwards, the ride takes on a darker tone, bringing riders through the dungeon of the queen, in which they see her transform, right before their eyes into an old hag [12] who then goes on to plot the death of Snow White. The rest of the ride takes riders through a succession of horrors until the Evil Queen is killed, emerging finally into the bright California sunshine.78

[12] In Snow White’s shoes, riders face the evil queen in the guise of an old hag (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

77

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p.196) 78 Ibid. (p.197) 38

This kinaesthetic experience however, is not unique to the dark ride. In the picturesque gardens of the eighteenth century, this technique was also used to create this sense of unfolding scenes in front of the eyes of the garden stroller, similar to watching a film. As pointed out by Miodrag Mitrasinovic in Total landscape, Theme parks, Public Space, a new emphasis was placed on kinaesthetic experience during that period, which meant that the previously static viewing subject was now in deliberate motion.

Walking thus became fashionable and proved an interest in surrounding fields, forests and hills; thus the creation of the static garden elements changed to an arrangement of multiple focal points and strategically placed visual attractors like grottos, canals.79 For gardens like the Stourhead, this progressive change in scenes had facilitated the process of association within the spectator, making the relation to the different scenarios depicted in the narrative of Aeneid easier.

Instead of myths, the narratives of dark rides are those of popular films produced

by Disney Studios themselves. Also, while picturesque gardens are based on the scenes depicted and framed in paintings, the dark ride recreates scenes of Disney films and the experience of watching it in the darkened cinema. From epic landscape to sumptuous interior; from visions of space, aliens and future cityscapes to explosive action and adventure: expansive vistas spread out across the width of the big screen. Everything shown in the cinema and film is larger than life; not real but hyper-real, leading us into the imaginary worlds of the film’s narrative but also leaving us to sit back and wonder at its creations.80

79

Mitrasinovic, Miodrag. (2006) Total landscape, theme parks, public space. Aldershot: Ashgate. (p. 104) King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Introduction: Spectacle, Narrative and ‘Frontier’ Mythology’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 1) 80

39

Similarly, the dark ride takes spectators on a trip through sceneries that are diverse and often not seen elsewhere, taking advantage of the spectacle of landscape.

This is the main difference between the kinaesthetic movement experienced in dark rides and roller coasters found in conventional amusement parks. 81 The other difference that the dark ride has with the conventional one is the layer of narrative.

Unlike the roller coaster there are no choreographed sudden drops or thrills that the ride vehicles in Snow White will make. Instead, the ride vehicle careens through the various scenes at a constant speed, presenting riders equal gazing time for each scene.

However, it made sure that it went past the scenes fast enough for them to become spectacles, with each scene having a gazing time of not more than 5 seconds. Like The Haunted Mansion, the ride is of pure spectacle, only because riders do not need to understand the narrative. In this case, the narrative of Snow White is ubiquitous enough that most riders are able to figure out the plot without giving it much thought. How then does the choreographed spectacle help in the dark ride which has an original narrative?

For this, there is a need to look at the dark ride of Splash Mountain; an original narrative based on familiar characters.

81

Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p. 196) 40

The Original Narrative with Familiar Characters: Splash Mountain

[13] The exterior facade of Splash Mountain (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

Loosely based on the 1946 Disney film Song of the South, Splash Mountain tells the story of 3 characters: Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear. Set in the deep south of the United States, the attraction exterior would be composed of the rolling green hills and red clay riverbanks of the region, overlooked by Chick-a-Pin Hill, a rocky peak topped by the gnarled tree stump that doubled as Brer Fox’s hilltop hideout, a location straight out of the film. The hill would be the attraction’s central icon and a landmark, as well as the point of departure for the climatic five-storey plunge into the Briar Patch at the base of the ‘mountain’.82 Essentially, the ride is combination of dark ride and flume ride element, telling the narrative of the three Brer characters. Rather than attempt a straight-ahead retelling of one of the Brer Rabbit tales from the film, often

82

Surrell, Jason. (2007) ‘You May Get Wet: Splash Mountain’ in The Disney Mountains: From Imagineering at its Peak. New York: Disney Editions. (pp. 84-85) 41

referred to Disney ride designers as a ‘book report’, the ride was a composite of all the stories, with its own distinct beginning, middle and end.83

In short Splash Mountain is a dark ride with plenty of surprises, and excitement, climaxing in the plunge down a high waterfall. Prior to the plunge, riders are taken through swamps, caves, and other scenes, and entertained by more than one hundred animated robotic characters. This includes the ‘Brer’ characters that are featured quite predominantly.84 With an original narrative being written for this ride, the experience for first time riders to this ride will be akin to the act of watching a film. Interestingly, it uses the spectacular and narrative modes mentioned by Martin Lefebvre in Landscape and Films in the ride sequence to help riders process this entirely new narrative.

83

Surrell, Jason. (2007) ‘You May Get Wet: Splash Mountain’ in The Disney Mountains: From Imagineering at its Peak. New York: Disney Editions. (p. 85) 84 Marling, Karal Ann, ed. (1997) ‘Disneyland: Its Place in World Culture’ in Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion. (p. 196) 42

The Spectacular and Narrative modes Similar to Tuan, Lefebvre also concurs that the landscapes in film are moments of spectacle that the audience sees. He then questions whether this spectacle is essential for the understanding of this celluloid narrative. In the act of watching a movie, these two modes of spectatorial activity, the narrative and spectacular mode, likely come into play at different moments. Thus, movie goers watch the film at some points in the narrative mode and at others in the spectacular mode, allowing them both to follow the story and, whenever necessary, to contemplate the filmic spectacle. 85

It is necessary, however, to emphasise that one cannot watch the same filmic passage through both modes at the exact same time, i.e. in a way that employs both modes absolutely simultaneously. That is why it can be said that the spectacle halts the progression of narrative for the cinema audience.86 However, this spectacular mode helps the audience in the comprehension of the story through contemplation. The tension noted above results from a tug-of-war within the audience between the narrative and spectacular modes. When an audience contemplates a piece of film, he has to stop following the story for a moment; this is when the spectacular mode can kick in.

However, the narrative doesn’t not completely disappear from the consciousness of the audience, and precisely because of this, the mind can pick up the narrative again. This interruption of the narrative by contemplation has the effect of isolating the object, in this case, the scenery of the gaze, of momentarily freeing it from its narrative function.87 This illustrates why spectacles in film, do not flood every single scene.

85

Lefebvre, Martin. ed. (2006) ‘Between Setting and Landscape in the Cinema’ in Landscape and Film. New York : Routledge. (p. 29) 86 Ibid.

87 Ibid.

43

Supporting Lefebvre’s stand of the importance of the spectacle in telling the story is Geoff King. In Spectacular Narratives: Hollywood in the Age of the Blockbuster, he explores the role of the spectacle in Hollywood blockbusters of recent years: Spectacle, the production of images at which we might wish to stop and stare, has long played an important part in the creation of popular entertainment, from contemporary and early cinema to pre-cinematic forms such as the diorama and the magic lantern show, theatre... 88

This is especially relevant in the context of the dark ride and cinema, both different forms of mass entertainment. This spectacle is often just as much a core aspect of Hollywood cinema as coherent narrative and it should not necessarily be seen as a disruptive intrusion of this storytelling process. Rather than seeing these spectacles as cinematic excess, as termed by Kristin Thompson89, it should be seen as reinforcing the narrative process where moments of spectacle sometimes help to move the plot forward and contribute to the play of narrative structures. 90 However, it is implied that in either the directing of a movie or the design of scenes in the dark ride, a balance of spectacle and narrative is critical.

88

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Introduction: Spectacle, Narrative and ‘Frontier’ Mythology’ in Spectacular Narratives: Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 4) 89 Thompson, Kristin. (1977) ‘The Concept of Cinematic Excess’ in Cine-Tracts, vol. 1, no. 2, Summer.

90 King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Introduction: Spectacle, Narrative and ‘Frontier’ Mythology’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (pp. 4-5) 44

Choreographing Spectacle: Piecing the Story Together

[14] Entrance to Splash Mountain (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

The ride of Splash Mountain starts with the queue, its entrance marked with the bold title of the ride juxtaposed with the image of the main protagonist, Brer Rabbit.[14] Immediately, iconography helps establish the character that the story revolves around for first time riders. Due to the popularity of the ride, the queue moves slowly. The queue marks the start of the ride’s narrative mode. Elements of narrative are structured into the process of waiting in line involved in the experience of such popular attractions91 like the illuminated tableaus located strategically along the queue. Such as the appearance of Brer Frog in one of these tableaus, informing the riders in queue the story of Brer Rabbit and Chick-a-pin Hill in an en-loop recording.[15]

91

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 180) 45

Like the Stourhead garden, inscriptions help in the process of associating with the narrative. A wooden framed cross-stitch with the phrase some critters ain’t gonna learn appears unexpectedly, referring to Brer Rabbit’s mischievous character which will eventually get him into trouble. The effort gone in to do this is also to help acquaint the minority of riders that are unfamiliar with the characters. However, these narrative clues have not become spectacles because of the slow speed at which riders walk pass these tableaus.

[15] Brer Frog narrating to riders waiting in the queue the story of Chick-a-pin Hill (Source: Jack Spence)

46

The loading area awaits riders at the end of the queue, where they board ride vehicles that are fashioned after hollowed out logs. Still in the narrative mode, the kinaesthetic experiences of the spectators start with their logs floating past practically bland and lifeless outdoor scenery after going up a lift hill.92[16]

[16] The first lift hill in Splash Mountain (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

The only reward for the spectators being the panoramic views the ride offers of Disneyland. After a minute or so of experiencing the same scenery, the log approaches a small drop, going indoors into the show building where the main scenes of the ride are.

Due to the drop, the ride vehicle picks up speed, and riders are rushed by the scenes of the anthropomorphised residents of Chick-a-pin Hill. Robotic figures of the three Brer characters suddenly pop up; Rabbit, in his mischievous ways, play hide and seek with Fox and Bear. The riders are definitely in the spectacular mode, rushing pass the action so quickly. [17] 92

The lift hill is the part of the flume ride when the ride vehicle is brought to a higher altitude by means of an upward sloping ramp.

47

[17] Capturing the spectacle taking place during the ride (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

48

Another drop down a waterfall ensues and the scene switches to a sombre mood, as Rabbit has been captured by Fox and Bear. The ride vehicle now slows down as it approaches an even longer lift hill. The fancy scenery disappears except for 2 evil vultures grinning at riders.[18]

[18] The two vultures gloating over the riders’ ‘misfortune’ (Source: Jack Spence)

Now, returning back to the narrative mode, riders are given a chance to recall what had just happened and contemplate about the impending huge plunge down the climatic waterfall. The inevitable approaches, what goes up must come down; the log finally plummets down into a thorny Briar Patch: Rabbit’s hideout and ‘safe zone’ for those familiar with the original movie. For the unacquainted rider, Rabbit’s safety and escape from the liar of Fox and Bear is implied in the ending scene where he is seen singing along with a huge, robotic animal choir ensemble.

49

Comparing Spectacle with Association This choreography of the tension of narrative and spectacular modes in the original narrative of Splash Mountain are perfectly balanced to create the correct state of mind for the storytelling process. However, the plot needs to be simple enough for the riders to piece together. Also, it is revealed that the kinaesthetic movement provided by the ride vehicle is crucial for this choreographed spectacle as the speed of the vehicles are well coordinated with the plot in each scene of the ride. Without which, the landscapes within the dark ride will just be pretty, well-crafted decorations.

Recalling Tuan, the landscapes become a spectacle only if the rider is given a quick glimpse at it. Splash Mountain effectively makes use of the spectacular and narrative mode through the use of dramatic, animated scenes and transitional, stark landscapes respectively in combination with the movement of the ride vehicle. The sudden drops of the ride vehicle also add on to the spectacle where guests are momentarily stunned and discontinued from their train of thought in piecing together the plot. This choreographed spectacle is essential for the understanding of Splash’s narrative because of its employment of an original plot, unlike the familiar narrative of Snow White. Most riders on Snow White need no introduction to its plot93 and narrative, the ride vehicle merely becomes a mediating tool for spectacle to happen.

Comparing these two rides with the non-narrative of The Haunted Mansion, a dark ride that is of pure spectacle, there is no differentiation between the spectacular and narrative modes. Furthermore, the plot-less nature of the ride meant that riders did not have to do any mental work in terms of interpreting the plot. All they have to do is to

93

The Grimm Brothers’ tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves have been translated into most major languages.

50

consume the spectacle happening right before their eyes. Even if they did attempt to piece together the narrative, it would not make sense at all.

There are parallels that can be drawn between the participatory role of the rider and the garden stroller for the process of association. In the Stourhead garden, the garden stroller as the sole interpreter of the meanings associated with the garden would result in the open and varied readings because each stroller carries with him different experiences and understandings. The mind and inherent knowledge of the stroller is essential as the picturesque sublime can only be felt by he who is familiar with the knowledge of Lorrain’s paintings and the narrative of Aeneid.

Even though riders need to have some prior knowledge of the narrative behind the dark ride, this knowledge will definitely not be as cryptic as the myth employed in the Stourhead garden. As established earlier, the rides are in fact a form of popular entertainment, which meant that it has to cater to the masses. In doing so, popular narratives are used as the basis for the creation of these rides. The meanings and resonances carried by the narratives behind the dark rides are important commercial considerations, helping to ensure that they have a ready-made audience and are able to establish clear and positive associations in the minds of riders. 94 The dark ride thus requires significantly less mental activity as compared to these gardens. Even if it’s an original narrative that is presented to the riders, it will be comparatively easier to grasp because of the choreographed spectacle created by the landscape and visceral kinaesthetic thrills provided by the ride vehicle. The effect of the narrative behind the dark ride is immediate.

94

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular Narratives: Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 184) 51

Chapter 4: Exit_________________________________________________________

[19] Riders leaving the ride vehicle (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

As riders leave their ride vehicles, exiting the dark ride and into the realm of the theme park, some move on to other rides while others rejoin the queue to experience the ride again. Like watching a film, there are details in the plot that might be missed or filmic spectacles that the audience would wish to re-experience. Once is never enough.

The Exit does not necessarily mark the end of the dark ride experience. It does however; mark the end of the spectacle. Shaking off the feeling of disoriented-ness as the rider steps into the light, he goes into the narrative mood, contemplating the adventure that was just over.

.....

52

Conclusion: Immediacy in the Dark Ride

In many discussions about immediacy in architecture, arguments are made for the ability of architecture to generate perceptual effects that may be experienced without interpretation.

Keith Mitnick95

The dark ride in this sense is capable of producing these perpetual effects of the spectacle that the rider can re-experience again and again, very much like watching the same film. The more intense experience of aspects of the spectacle offered by the dark rides is a major factor in their appeal.96 Even though elements of the narrative are interwoven into the ride through associations and identifications, it is the immediate effect of the spectacle that riders perceive more readily. For they already have prior knowledge of the story. The narrative behind the eighteenth century picturesque gardens is shown to be more obscure, the effect of the narrative being less immediate. It is understood that immediacy occurs due to the lack of a medium, when in the relationship of two parties, there exists no intermediary member. However, there is a paradox within the definition of immediacy itself. For something to be immediate, this intermediary member or medium actually exists but is abbreviated or hidden. Immediacy thus relies on the existence of a media to bridge the gap between two parties too.97

95

Mitnick, Keith. (2008) ‘Immediate’ in Artificial light: a narrative inquiry into the nature of abstraction, immediacy, and other architectural fictions. New York : Princeton Architectural Press. (pp. 60-61) 96 King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 184) 97 Weisel, Arianne. (2002) ‘Immediacy, the Impossible Absolute’ in The University of Chicago. http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/immediacy.htm (Accessed 6th September 2011) 53

King has said that spectacular and visceral thrills are the principal and most immediate stuff of contemporary attractions98, referring to the dark rides. The two parties in question is this effect of spectacle and the rider. The medium through which this effect can be bridged between with the rider is the ride vehicle; the effect of spectacle made when the ride vehicle passes by the well-crafted landscapes quickly. The rider is apparently unaware of the media’s existence because he is not involved in the creation of the spectacle. Also, the narrative comes off as an immediate effect because the rider will most probably be familiar enough with it so as not to contemplate about it during the progress of the ride.

On the other hand, the ability to grasp the picturesque qualities and the narrative behind the picturesque garden is a comparatively mediated and subtle experience since the garden stroller himself is the third party involved in trying to piece together what he sees and what he knows by associative means. The inherent knowledge within the stroller thus plays an important role in the mediation of the narrative.

What then is the role of architecture in both contexts? For the effects of architecture to be immediate, it would imply that it has to do most of the work in interpreting these effects in material form for the observer. Architecture thus serves as the mediating tool for which such effects can be produced. In conclusion, through the analysis of the dark ride, this paper thus hopes to show the other side of architecture that is not tectonic forms and volumes. It could very well be the meaning and effect that a built form has on the observer, whether immediate or not.

98

King, Geoff. (2000) ‘Conclusion: Into the Spectacle?’ in Spectacular Narratives : Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster. London : I.B. Tauris. (p. 179) 54

[20] Exiting The Haunted Mansion (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

Eventually, I was able to discern a glowing red emergency-exit sign, just out of view of the other luminous effects and mis-directions. I ran for it and found a black door beneath the sign. I shoved my way through it. As the door opened, I launched into a world suspended between two realities: the formless void of the dark ride with its fluorescent shapes, confusing spaces, and terrifying darkness and a view out through the doorway…Everything felt staged and without a centre, as though I was slipping between multiple worlds. I felt like I was standing apart from the things, places, and people that had formed me, as if I were looking at them from the outside.99 .....

99

Mitnick, Keith. (2008) ‘Affect’ in Artificial light: a narrative inquiry into the nature of abstraction, immediacy, and other architectural fictions. New York : Princeton Architectural Press. (pp. 49-50) 55

List of Illustrations______________________________________________________ [1] Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951) Tunnel of Love dark ride sequence (Source: Warner Bros. (1951) Strangers on a Train. DVD.) [2] The elaborately themed queue of a Disneyland dark ride, Indiana Jones Adventure [Source: Tom Bricker, untitled February 2011. Foto Friday the Ultimate Battle Dinosaur v.

Indiana Jones Adventure in TouringPlans.com. http://blog.touringplans.com/2011/02/04/fotofriday-the-ultimate-battle-dinosaur-v-indiana-jones-adventure/ (Accessed 29th August 2011)] [3] Preshow of Star Tours [Source: Disney & Lucasfilm. Star tours 2 startfreigabe erteilt guten flug starspeeder in Airtimers.com. http://airtimers.com/star-tours-2-startfreigabe-erteilt-guten-flugstarspeeder/009474/ (Accessed 29th August 2011)] [4] Lorrain’s Coast View of Delos with Aeneas on the left with the actual Stourhead garden on the right [Source: Claude Lorrain. Coast View of Delos with Aeneas.1672. National Gallery, London, England. http://www.claudelorrain.org/Landscape-with-Aeneas-at-Delos,-1672.html (Accessed 11th July 2011), left; Kenneth Woodbridge, right. Kelsall, Malcolm. (1983) ‘The Iconography of Stourhead’ in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 46. (p. 18)] [5] Hand sketched map of the Stourhead estate showing the ‘prescribed’ route for garden strollers [Source: James Turner. (Mar., 1979) ‘The Structure of Henry Hoare's Stourhead’ in The Art Bulletin, Vol. 61, No. 1. College Art Association. (p. 71)] [6] The exterior facade of The Haunted Mansion [Source: Secrets of the Haunted Mansion in DoomBuggies.com. http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets_facade.php. (Accessed 1st September 2011)] [7] Loading area of the Haunted Mansion dark ride, with the Doom Buggies in limbo [Source: Secrets of the Haunted Mansion in DoomBuggies.com. http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets_load2.php. (Accessed 1st September 2011)]

I

[8] The Graveyard scene in The Haunted Mansion [Source: Secrets of the Haunted Mansion in DoomBuggies.com. http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets_graveyard2.php (Accessed 1st September 2011)] [9] Spirits materialising in the Grand Hall scene [Source: Secrets of the Haunted Mansion in DoomBuggies.com. http://www.doombuggies.com/secrets_ballroom.php (Accessed 1st September)] [10] Exterior of Snow White’s Scary Adventures [Source: Chris Calabrese. (2003) Snow White’s Adventures in Chris’s Tokyo Disney Resort Fan Site. http://www.tdrfan.com/tdl/fantasyland/snow_whites_adventures/index.htm (Accessed 6th September 2011)] [11] A movie still from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, top, showing the evil queen consulting her magic mirror. The exact scene is recreated below for the ride.

[Source: Disney. (1939) Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. DVD. top; Kenneth Sundberg, bottom. The Magic Mirror, http://www.kennetti.fi/kuvat/swscary/cali_magicmirrordv1.jpg (Accessed 11th July 2011)] [12] In Snow White’s shoes, riders face the evil queen in the guise of an old hag (Source: Fan Tingzhang) [13] The exterior facade of Splash Mountain (Source: Fan Tingzhang) [14] Entrance to Splash Mountain (Source: Fan Tingzhang) [15] Brer Frog narrating to riders waiting in the queue the story of Chick-a-pin Hill [Source: Jack Spence. The ‘world’ according to Jack: Splash Mountain Part Two in ALLEARS.NET. http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/07/splash_mountain_part_two.html (Accessed 1st September 2011)] [16] The first lift hill in Splash Mountain (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

II

[17] Capturing the spectacle taking place during the ride (Source: Fan Tingzhang) [18] The two vultures gloating over the riders’ ‘misfortune’ [Source: Jack Spence. The ‘world’ according to Jack: Splash Mountain Part Two in ALLEARS.NET. http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/07/splash_mountain_part_two.html (Accessed 1st September 2011)] [19] Riders leaving the ride vehicle (Source: Fan Tingzhang) [20] Exiting The Haunted Mansion (Source: Fan Tingzhang)

III

Bibliography___________________________________________________________ Literary Sources: 1. Adams, Judith A. (1991) The American amusement park industry: a history of technology and thrills. Boston: Twayne Publishers.

2. Ballantyne, Andrew. (1997) Architecture, landscape and liberty: Richard Payne Knight and the picturesque. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

3. Bergdoll, Barry. (2000) European Architecture: 1750-1890. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4. Brooks, Chris. (1999) The Gothic Revival. London: Phaidon.

5. Burke, Edmund. Wormesley, David, ed. (1998) A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful: and other pre-revolutionary writings. London; New York: Penguin Books.

6. Conan, Michael., ed. (2003) Landscape Design and the Experience of Motion.

Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

7. Copley, Stephen and Garside, Peter, Ed. (1994) The Politics of the picturesque: literature, landscape, and aesthetics since 1770. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.

8. Crary, Jonathan. (1990) Techniques of the observer : on vision and modernity in the nineteenth century Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press 9. Debord, Guy. (1994) The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone Books 10. Finch, Christopher. (1973) The Art of Walt Disney. New York: Harry N. Abrarns.

11. Gottdiener, Mark. (1997) The theming of America: dreams, visions, and commercial spaces. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.

12. Herwig, Oliver. (2006) Dream worlds: architecture and entertainment. Munich: Prestel Verlag.

13. Hunt, John Dixon and Willis, Peter, ed. (1988) The Genius of the Place: the English landscape garden, 1620-1820. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

14. Hyams, Edward. (1964) The English Garden. London.

15. Imagineers, The. (1996) Walt Disney Imagineering: a behind the dreams look at making the magic real. New York: Hyperion.

16. Kelsall, Malcolm. (1983) ‘The Iconography of Stourhead’ in Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 46. (pp. 133-143) 17. King, Geoff. (2000) Spectacular Narratives: Hollywood in the age of the Blockbuster.

London: I.B. Tauris IV

18. King, Margaret J. (1981) Disneyland and Walt Disney World: Traditional Values in Futuristic Form in Journal of Popular Culture 15. (pp. 116-139) 19. Laister, Nick.(2003) ‘Spooks!: the history of ghost trains and other dark rides’ in Gary Radice’s The Magic Eye. http://www.joylandbooks.com/themagiceye/articles/ghosttrains.htm.

20. Lefebvre, Martin., ed. (2006) Landscape and Film. New York : Routledge.

21. Lemagny, Jean-Claude. (1968) Visionary architects: Boullee, Ledoux, Lequeu. Houston, Tex., Printed by Gulf Print. Co. 22. Locke, John. Woolhouse, Roger, ed. (1997) An essay concerning human understanding.

London: Penguin.

23. Mannoni, Laurent and Brewster, Ben. (1996) ‘Phantasmagoria’ in Film History, Vol. 8, No. 4, International Trends in Film Studies. Indiana University Press. (pp. 390-415) 24. Marling, Karal Ann., ed. (1997) Designing Disney's theme park: the architecture of reassurance. Paris; New York: Flammarion.

25. Mitnick, Keith. (2008) Artificial light: a narrative inquiry into the nature of abstraction, immediacy, and other architectural fictions. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

26. Mitrasinovic, Miodrag. (2006) Total landscape, theme parks, public space. Aldershot: Ashgate.

27. Murray, Janet Horowitz. (1997) ‘Hamlet on the Holodeck : the future of narrative in cyberspace. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

28. Raz, Aviad E. (1999) Riding the black ship : Japan and Tokyo Disneyland.

Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Asia Center: Distributed by Harvard University Press.

29. Watkin, David. (1982) The English Vision: The Picturesque in Architecture, Landscape and Garden Design. London: John Murray.

30. Wylson, Anthony. (1994) Theme parks, leisure centres, zoos, and aquaria. Harlow, Essex: Longman; New York, NY: J. Wiley & Sons.

31. Younger, Cole. (2010) Disneyland Aesthetics - The Co-development of Disney Theme Parks and Film; and Analysis of Theme Parks through Film Theory. Bachelor’s Dissertation, Nottingham Trent University.

32. Foucault, Michel and Miskowiec, Jay. (Spring, 1986). Of Other Spaces, Source: Diacritics, Vol. 16, No. 1. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

33. Shaw, Philip. (2006) The Sublime. New York: Routledge.

34. Schickel, Richard. (1968) The Disney Version. New York: Simon and Schuster.

35. Surrell, Jason. (2003) The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies.

New York: Disney Editions.

V

36. Surrell, Jason. (2005) Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. New York: Disney Editions.

37. Surrell, Jason. (2007) The Disney Mountains: From Imagineering at its Peak. New York: Disney Editions.

38. Thompson, Kristin. (1977) ‘The Concept of Cinematic Excess’ in Cine-Tracts, vol. 1, no. 2, Summer.

39. Turner, James. (Mar., 1979) ‘The Structure of Henry Hoare's Stourhead’ in The Art Bulletin, Vol. 61, No. 1. College Art Association. (pp. 68-77) 40. Morrison, Michael A., ed. (1997) Trajectories of the Fantastic: selected essays from the Fourteenth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

Internet Sources: 1. Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/ 2. DoomBuggies.com. http://www.doombuggies.com/home.php 3. WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/02/dark-rides.html.

4. Laister, Nick.(2003) Spooks!: the history of ghost trains and other dark rides in Gary Radice’s The Magic Eye. http://www.joylandbooks.com/themagiceye/articles/ghosttrains.htm.

5. Laff in the Dark. http://www.laffinthedark.com/.

6. The Vaults of Erowid. http://www.erowid.org/splash.php.

7. Weisel, Arianne. (2002) ‘Immediacy, the Impossible Absolute’ in The University of Chicago. http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/immediacy.htm 8. Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/

VI