“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.� - Walt Disney
Preface This book is about the Disney concept as an immersive world. In this book you can first read about what The Walt Disney Company means, what it owns and what its mission is. Then you can read about what Disney means to me personally. Next I will explain to you what an immersive world is according to Scott Lukas (2013) and how The Walt Disney Company does imagineering. All in preparation for the big question which I am going to answer: ‘What are the factors that make the Disney concept as an immersive world so successful?’ To answer this main question I am going to analyse and describe two worlds from a Disney Theme Park. I will discover their big ideas, their storytelling, their design, their theming and their experience. In final I will give a conclusion based on my findings.
Content The Magical World of Disney 1 What Disney means to me 3 What is an Immersive World? 4 Disney Imagineering 5 Two Worlds, Two Stories 12 Big Idea Animal Kingdom 13 Big Idea DinoLand U.S.A. 16 Big Idea Asia 20 Storytelling DinoLand U.S.A. 23 Storytelling Asia 29 Types of Stories 35
Design DinoLand U.S.A. 37 Design Asia 45 Theming 53 Experience 56 Conclusion 61 Sources 67
The Magical World of Disney “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.” On November 18 in 1928 ‘Steamboat Willie’ had its first world première. It was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon and also the first cartoon where Minnie made an appearance. The creator of this world famous cartoon was Walt Elias Disney. The founder of The Walt Disney Company. Since the 1920’s and now The Walt Disney Company has grown massively. When there were only cartoons in the beginning, The Walt Disney Company now owns Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive. Media Networks The Walt Disney Company is the owner of the Disney/ABC Television Group and ESPN Inc. Disney/ABC Television Group is targeted towards children/families. ESPN Inc. is targeted towards sports fans. Parks and Resorts On Juli 17, 1955 Walt Disney opened Disneyland Since then there have been 11 theme parks and 44 resorts built in North America, Europe and Asia with a new theme park in the making in Shanghai. The Walt Disney Company also owns The Disney Cruise Line, including four ships (Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy). Besides the parks, resorts and the cruise line, The Walt Disney Company also offers Disney Vacation Club (where members can purchase a ‘piece’ of Disney) and Adventures by Disney (guided family vacations around the world). The Walt Disney Studios The true heart of The Walt Disney Company lies in the animation of films. The Studio brings movies, music and stage plays to life. The Walt Disney Studios consist of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and Touchstone Pictures. Besides film The Walt Disney Studio also owns the Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Record Labels, Disney Music Publishing, The Disney Theatrical Group, Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live! 1
Disney Consumer Products The Walt Disney Company has a broad variety of merchandise, from toys and apparel to books and fine art. The Walt Disney Company wants to bring the magic of Disney into the consumer’s homes with products they can enjoy the entire year. Disney Interactive With Disney Interactive The Walt Disney Company wants to interact with their consumers online and trough content such as digital media platforms, mobile and console games and online virtual worlds. So it is fair to say that The Walt Disney Company is worldwide the most engaged in providing the finest entertainment by bringing their magic to life. Their mission statement matches exactly with what they are already doing. According to Barbara Farfan, Retail Industri Expert (n.d.) “The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.”
Mickey’s first appearance in Steamboat Willie in 1928
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What Disney means to me Before I go into further detail about the magical world of Disney by explaining their imagineering I want to take a moment first to describe what Disney means to me and how I perceive it as a cast member as well as a guest. When I think of Disney I think of happiness, magic and family. As a child I loved Disney and I was obsessed with Alice In Wonderland. I begged my parents to take me to Disneyland Paris and finally when I was fourteen years old my mother made my dream come true. I really enjoyed the park, but it was then that I realised I was already too old for totally immersing myself into Disney. I was not a little child anymore. From that moment one I just saw Disney as something cool and a nice place to go, nothing more. That was until I got the opportunity to go to Walt Disney World and I felt like a child again. I loved going into the parks as a guest and exploring the Disney magic. But when I started my job something changed. Guest expect so much from Disney, to expect every single thing to be perfect and if something is not perfect cast members will have to pay for it. I just do not always think the guest is right and seeing how easy Disney is with satisfying their guests it took some of the magic away. Some people really take advantage of this and use Walt Disney World as a place to get free stuff. Such a shame to see people not just enjoying the parks, enjoying their family and engaging in the magic. I must say I do have experienced not so great service by Disney so sometimes I can understand why guests are upset, but most of the time they have just to high expectations. Disney was and will always be a place for happiness, magic and family, but for me it will also be a place where I know what is going on behind the scenes. A place where I know how they make the magic happen.
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What is an Immersive World? To start off analysing the immersive worlds of Disney I will first describe what an Immersive World means. According to Scott Lukas’ The Immersive World Handbook: Designing Theme Parks and Consumer Spaces (2013) “an immersive world is a place which anyone can get wrapped up. Whatever your background in life, whatever your political or religious views, and whatever you enjoy doing in your spare time, an immersive world will take you in such that you won’t want to leave.” (see section Immersive Worlds p. 2) Basically an immersive world is a place where people can escape reality and ‘immersive’ themselves in a different world from their own worlds. But what is a ‘world’? According to Scott Lukas (2013) “a world is a place inhabited by beings. It is complete, diverse, consistent; it has a background or history, and a culture. It is ever-changing or evolving and is characterized by relationships and forms of interconnection.”(see section Defining a World, p.2) So a world includes everybody and everything in it, isn’t one dimensional or uninteresting and isn’t shallow. Second the word ‘immersive’ is very important, because it means that people will feel like they are really there in a created world. There should be nothing there that is distracting them of thinking of their own world. When designing an immersive world it is important to pay attention to details, to make the world believable and real, and to make sure people will still be excited when they visit the world according to Scott Lukas (2013). You start by using simplification, translation and adaptation. Simplification is all about making choices and trying to leave things out. Choose a few key areas and build around those areas. Translation and adaptation is about bringing ideas to life in the designed world. According to Scott Lukas the bases of a designing a world are: big idea, story, experience and design. The big idea is what you want guests to achieve from your world, the story is how you will show the narrative of your world, the experience is about how the guests will interact with your world and design is how you will create and make the world look like, so guests have that experience.
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Disney Imagineering Before I am going to analyse two worlds in Walt Disney World, I want to explain how Disney does their imagineering. What do they do to make their parks a success? Disney Imagineer John Hench, ‘the guru of Disney design’ shares his knowledge of Disney Imagineering in his book Designing Disney: Imagineering and the art of the show (2008). The idea of a ‘themed’ environment, a place designed so that every element adds to the storytelling, was developed by Walt Disney himself. He was a visionary and introduced people to this new kind of experience. Together with Disney’s Imagineers Walt further developed his vision in extraordinary and unsuspected ways. Art of the Show Disney’s Imagineers came up with the term ‘Art of the Show’ which refers to what they do at every level. From the elaborate conceptual outlines to the smallest details including visual storytelling, characters and the use of color. The heart of the ‘Art of the Show’ lies in the idea of Walt Disney that guests should feel better because of their experiences in the Disney theme parks. The Disney Imagineers create environments where not only children can play, but adults as well. They use the five senses to let the guests have a guided experience in a structured environment: see, hear, smell, touch and taste. Space and time Disney Imagaineers always take into account the elements of space and time. The space is the place where guests travel within and the time is how long it will take them to do that. ‘Fitness to form’ is the principle that guides them in every situation. A good example is the queue lines. At first the lines were just made from poles and tape, but they quickly learned that poorly designed lines resulted in irritated guests. So they came up with the idea of using the queue lines to build guests’ expectations for the attractions. Symbolism, representation and sensory information The three levels symbolism, representation and sensory information are ways Disney Imagineers use to understand how to communicate the identity to the public. They show guests what they want them to see and when by using staging. A good example is Peter Pan’s Flight. This attraction closely follows the film itself, it is a good representation of animation coming to life. During the attraction guests will ‘fly’ trough the story, 5
which is symbolic for the theme of adventure in Peter Pan. And lastly the attraction is build from the guests’ point of view, which makes it a sensory experience which matches with that of the characters in Peter Pan. Mood, sensation and creating an enhanced reality Besides the three levels, mood, sensation and creating an enhanced reality are important aspects of telling a story into a three-dimensional world. Each attraction must have their own mood, so guests have the real experience of an intensified reality, ‘the realer than real’ feeling which makes the Disney park so unique. Mood is created by using enhanced stimuli, of color, sound, form and movement. Play For Disney Imagineers ‘play’ is very important. For children play is natural, but for adults it isn’t anymore. They need to be reminded or encouraged to play again. Disney Imagineers try to transform that play into a three-dimensional world. Besides, memory is also very important, because that is the challenge to engage the imagination into visualization and play. It makes decision making easier for guests. Where do they want to go first? To places which will enhance their memories. The importance of guests The guests are also very important in telling the story. Liking the guest and giving the guest the best is the key to everything Disney does. To ensure the best experience for guests, Disney Imagineers always take the guests’ position and point of view into account. Storyboards To create the three-dimensional worlds Disney Imagineers use storyboards, so they can lay out the design. Later on they use scale models so it becomes even more clear. Strengths of Disney One of the most used techniques is forced perspective. This technique has the ability to create an optical illusion to make objects seem farther away of bigger. A good example for this is Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland where the facades of the buildings seem bigger than they are. The first floor is built at ninety 6
percent, the second floor at eighty percent and the third floor slightly smaller. Besides using forced perspectives, the attention to details is one of Disney’s strengths. The details is what makes the stories real and believable. Even the smallest details matter. And although some imagineers might think guests won’t even notice, it is still important. Details is also what makes guests fully immerse into the story. And if details contradict, guests’ experience will not be smoothly. Especially contradictions between the transition from one area to another can be a problem. Walt invented the three-dimensional cross-dissolve technique. By using this technique you let the guests experience little subtle clues that change is going to happen and also to which area they are going. For example going from Mainstreet U.S.A. to Adventureland. The pathways change into cut stone, the iron railing make place for bamboo, the music from Mainstreet U.S.A. fades into animals growing and a plank bridge at the end highlights the final transition. The Art of Color One of the most important design elements that creates the identity of character and story, and which controls mood and atmosphere in each setting is color. Color can be used in many ways. • Color as a storytelling element: place and time Color enhances the identity of the character of place and time in which a story takes place. It set’s the mood and emotional experience, and stimulates the story’s meaning. Color helps guests reminding them of their own memories of their lived experiences. • Color welcomes guests Color can send a message to guests to make them feel special and welcome. They have to feel safe so they can play and escape everyday life. • Color clarifies guests’ decisions To anticipate guests’ decision making Disney Imagineers look at color relationships and how they bring the stories to life. It is all about creating different yet similar experiences of color from one end of the park to the other end. • Color establishes identity Color can help guests recognize in what they see. Color helps defining the identity. • Color supports story structure Color helps to compose scenes that build to peak experiences for guests. This action is adapted from the 7
filmmaking, where color plays an important role when going from scene to scene. • Color established mood by creating sensation Guests respond immediately to the mood a color arouses. • Color enhances the illusion of reality Whatever the story may be for an attraction, color will always make it more real. • Color as play and theater In most cultures people beautify their clothing and building in playful and meaningful ways. Disney Imagineers use color to foster a culture of play by creating a special place for them, like a theater, with forms intensified by color. • Color encourages the suspension of disbelief In design terms the essence of drama is contrast. Contrast can be created by placing different forms, shapes and qualities of line next to each other, but the most important element for contrast is color. • Color supports special effects Many of the special effects in the Disney rides depend upon color to get emotional responses from guests.
Walt and John, two prioniers with a mission
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No contradictions Now John Hench has given us a look inside how Disney Imagineering works, let’s take a look at the imagineer himself. John Hench was also called the ‘color guru’. He knew exactly how to utilize color in theme park design, because he understood how to use images and colors people see in daily life to create familiarization with the design elements in the parks. Another part of his success comes from his believe in no contradictions in your own message as he describes in his book himself. “Walt had accomplished this in the pictures, that we would have to have a kind visual literacy. We should say things, use the forms to communicate, but it shouldn’t be contradictory. It should say one thing. And, of course, architecture is full of visual contradictions and cities are nothing but contradictions, because we understand how they’re put together. They’re put together by sheer accident.” (Kurtii, J. (2008). Walt Disney’s Imagineering Legends (and the genesis of the Disney Theme Park, p. 139). Similarities between Disney Parks across the globe In her book Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance (1997) Karal Ann Marling describes the similarities between the Disney Parks across the globe. Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland are all built and divided in the same way. All the parks have some sort of barrier which functions as an escape from the outside world, keeping the world of the parks inside. Besides the barriers all the parks have the same heart-shape plan, with only one entrance at the point and the castle in the middle giving guests the opportunity to explore the space. They all have a live steam railroad line, the Main Street modelled after the 19th century of a little American city and different fictive ‘lands’ based on Disney Films and Walt’s own look on history. Never trust blueprints Fun fact: they say Walt Disney never learned to trust blueprints, so he was a big fan of models so he could examine them from all sides. Because of this unique approach to architecture there were some consequences. Most important consequence is that the Disney Parks are full of believable, remarkable details. They even seem more real than the world outside the barriers, even though some styles in the parks, like the 19th century style in Main Street has long been gone.
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Two worlds, two stories The two worlds I chose to describe, analyse and compare with each other are DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia, both in Animal Kingdom. I specifically chose Animal Kingdom instead of Magic Kingdom, because firstly Animal Kingdom is only in Walt Disney World and no other Disney Park. Secondly everybody is known with Magic Kingdom and the castle and I wanted to do something different. Thirdly I personally like Animal Kingdom better than Magic Kingdom and it has become my favourite park. And lastly I wanted to do two worlds in the same park to compare with each other, because I also wanted to see how they would fit together in the big idea of the theme park itself. To go into further detail why I did not want to choose a world in Magic Kingdom. In Magic Kingdom you have Adventureland, Frontierland, Tommorowland, Fantasyland and Mainstreet U.S.A. I think Adventureland and Frontierland look very similar and I always forget which world I am in. Tommorowland is the odd one out. I think it looks very different than from the rest of Magic Kingdom and not every attraction fits the story I am seeing, especially the ‘Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor’ is not fitting at all. Fantasyland has all the fairytales and princesses and it s my favourite world in Magic Kingdom, but I do not find it interesting enough to describe/analyse this world, because fairytales is the main thing from Disney, you can almost say it is the core. I wanted to see how Disney would imagineer something else. And lastly Mainstreet U.S.A. It is where all the guests come in and see the big castle of Cinderella at the end. Mainstreet U.S.A. has a nice story as a ‘little town’ modelled after the 19th century, but there are no attractions and I wanted to have worlds where there are multiple attractions. So why did I choose DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia in Animal Kingdom and not Discovery Trail and Africa? I did not choose Discovery Trail because of the same reason I did not choose Mainstreet U.S.A., because there are barely any attractions, except of ‘It’s Tough To Be A Bug’. I did not choose Africa, because I did not want to have two worlds named after two continents. I chose Asia because I feel there is more storytelling. Almost everywhere you see ‘Anandapur’ and I wanted to know where this was coming from. Africa mostly just feels like you are in Africa, while Asia gives you more of a feeling of a special, magical Asia. Lastly I chose DinoLand U.S.A. because it has a lot of storytelling just as Asia and I thought those two worlds would be perfect examples to compare with each other. 12
Big Idea Firstly I want to describe the big idea of Animal Kingdom from which I want to describe and analyse the big idea of the two worlds into further detail. To do so for the two worlds, I put together a table for each world of which components the world exists. I have done this by looking, seeing and observing both worlds and talking to cast members. The table is based on Lukas (2013) table Components of a World. Big idea Animal Kingdom Melody Malmberg (1997) gives us an inside look at the big idea of Animal Kingdom. The initial challenge was to create a new theme park with animals as its main topic. But the Disney Imagineer team who was given the challenge soon found out the park could not simply be about live animals. They wanted to create themes who would be derived from humankinds’ emotional reaction to animals. “Our love for animals off all types – our enduring fascination with living, extinct and imaginary creatures – is the core of what would become Disney’s Animal kingdom.” (p. 5) To create this new concept Disney Imagineers came up with a three part experience combining fantasy-based theme park attractions with zoo components and an Epcot-style pavillon. They translated these three elements into three stages of the love humans have for animals. The childhood love of animal experienced trough stories and myths; the youthful adventure of going on safari to see live animals or even dinosaurs and the respectful love of animals we have as our knowledge of the animals grows and we see them as fellow beings of power, grace and beauty. And unlike any other Disney Park this would be the first park where architecture would not play a big role, because nature would be seen as more powerful than human landscaping. Barriers between humans and animals would disappear. And the designers hoped that with this kind of approach it would lead to guests better understanding animals and ecosystems. Disney wanted to something more than entertainment; they wanted to give something back.
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DinoLand U.S.A. Area Subcomponents Place Boneyard, Dino Institute, sightseeing, touristic place Beings Dinosaurs, students, professors, tourists, locals Environment Used to be just boneyard, now touristic place, sand, dirt Structures Cabins, huts, boneyard, examination places, souvenir shops for tourists, games for tourists Language and Communication English, road signs, information boards (for tourists) Transportation and Movement Walking, trucks (tracks on the ground) Population Students (18-25), professors (30+), tourists (all ages), not specific population, coming and going Health Maybe health issues living in cabins and huts for long time, stinky feed Diet Fast food, ice cream, snack (for tourists), provisions for students and professors Relationships Friendship (between students), student-teacher relationships, work relationship (between professors) Material Culture Cabins, huts, authentic boneyard, dinosaur institute, lab, fair, ground consist of dirt Belief and Worldview Open, showing tourists history, discovering history behind dinosaurs is important, but humor is important as well Evolution and History Examining the boneyard understanding dinosaurs, from just boney ard to tourist place, discovering more knowledge everyday Culture Friendly, open, humor, teaching, money (tourists) Behaviours Students use humor, not so much personal hygiene, happy tourist, learning, playing games, buying souvenirs Value Equality, openness, happiness, historic knowledge Social Order Professors higher than students, tourists not in hierarchy Expressive Culture Digging up bones, playing games, fooling around (students), learning about dinosaurs (professors, students and tourists) 16
DinoLand U.S.A. So, what’s the big idea? A little town just on the road where students and professors come to examine the bones of vanished dinosaurs and live in temporary huts and cabins while tourists visit the place to learn about the history of dinosaurs as well and find their way to the fair and the Dinosaur Institute. The town is very open and tolerant and every passenger will be their cherished guest. You can walk anywhere you want, no restrictions. The town can live and exist because of the tourists, because they pay money on the fair and pay money for the souvenirs. The boneyard is an authentic old boneyard, no fancy technology. You will only find technology in the Dinosaur Institute, where a lab examines every single piece of dinosaur life.
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Asia
Area Subcomponents Place Asia as we know in our world, Anandapur (Sanskrit or ‘place of all delight’), eco-tourist route Beings Asian animals (bats, tigers, monkeys, apes, etc.), zookeepers, expedition Everest leaders, tourists Environment Temples, Asian nature, Mount Everest, sand and dirt Structures Temples, Asian huts, ice truck, The Royal Anandapur Tea Company, souvenir shops, jungle treks Language and Communication Sanskrit, English (for tourists) Transportation and Movement Walking, boats, railroads (Mount Everest), trucks, carts Population Local villagers Anandapur (all ages), tourists (all ages), entrepreneurs Health Little known, only Yeti on the mountain can be dangourous Diet Asian food( Yak & Yeti restaurant), hummus, ice scream, tea, coffee Relationships Interrelationship between human and animals, villagers afrait of Yeti, tourists are welcome, respectful towards culture Material Culture Asian design, symbols and figures, huts, Asian drawings, simple equipment Belief and Worldview Respect the gods, locals fear the yeti on the top of Mount Everest, tourists don’t think it exists, respect for animals, treat them as equals Evolution and History Railroads used to be operated by villagers, now by enterpreneurs Culture Asian culture, Asian dancing, Asian signs and symbols, open, friendly, equality, believe in gods and honoring temples, be good to animals Behaviours Locals are afraid of Yeti and stay away from Forbidden Mountain (Ex pedition Everest), harvesting tea, kind to another, pray to the gods at temples, respect for shrines Value Equality, respect, kindness, strong believe, love, curiosity Social Order No hierarchy, everyone is equal, even animals are equal to human Expressive Culture Symbolic, shrines, tributes, temples, drawings, ruins, Asian/Bollywood dancing, respect 20
Asia
So what’s the big idea? Recreate Asia as we know to a Disney Asia where local villagers live in peace in a town called Anandapur (Sanskrit for ‘place of all delight’) besides the Forbidden Mountain where as they say a Yeti lives. Tourists can go up the mountain with an expedition tour founded by two businessmen. Besides the tour they can relax in Anandapur and enjoy the beautiful nature, temples and animals and have a lovely dinner in a typical Asian restaurant. They can enjoy walks which will take them to the most wonderful creatures Asia has to offer, they can learn how to dance just as they do in Asia/Anandapur and they can admire the beautiful symbolic art, carving and drawing which is all around them. But they must respect the local villagers and their traditions. Between humans and animals there is a close interrelationship and the animals are taken great care of.
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DinoLand U.S.A. Storytelling The storytelling of DinoLand U.S.A. comes from the book A Sneak Preview: Disney’s Animal Kingdom by Mamlberg, M. (1997), the website See Ya Real Soon (news and notes from the Worlds of Disney) (2010) and from talking to Hannah and Steve, both coördinators in DinoLand U.S.A. who I asked a couple of questions when I visited as guest. “DinoLand, official name Diggs County used to be no more than a stretch of two-lane highway along Florida’s Route 498 (named after the date Animal Kingdom opened, April 1998). In the area you could find farmland, an old fishing lodge and a run-down gas station owned by two locals named Chester and Hester. In 1947 a few amateur fossil-hunters discovered some dinosaur bones in the area. Soon archeologists and researcher came to the place to examine the bones. The findings were so substantial that The Dino Institute was formed. The Institute bought all the surrounding land, except for Chester and Hester’s, because they would not sell, and set up their headquarters in the old fishing lodge.” Boneyard “When entering the Boneyard you will see the 40-foot-tall Brachiosaurus as an unforgettable entrance. On the left kids can play and dig op bones from a Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex and other vanished dinosaurs. Above the boneyard and the Brachiosaurus kids can clamber and climb on a parkour especially built for them. This way kids can learn about dinosaurs in a fun and educational way.” Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama “With the growing flow of tourists coming to DinoLand U.S.A. Chester and Hester did not want to be outdone, so they turned their gas station into a tacky souvenir shop. Later on they set up a carnival/fair midway in the area of their remaining land just across the road from the gas station. If you look closely you can still see the lines of what used to be a parking lot. Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama is advertised miles down the highway. The signs remind us of the hokey roadside tourist attractions of the 1950s. Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama features a couple games you can usually play on a fair and they have the ride Primval Whirl which is a mocking version of The Dino Institute’s Time Tours.” 23
The Dino Institute “The Dino Institute is a majestic building leading you to a thrilling attraction where you go back in time in search for a specific dinosaur just before the meteorite destroyed dinosaur life. When first entering the building you will see fossils and information boards about dinosaurs. Inside there is the fossils of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Further down you will see a clip from a professor explaining to you where he is sending you. But his supervisor comes in and tells you, you are going to a different era, one where there is no danger. The supervisor tells the professor to lock the coordinates, which the professor ‘says’ he does. When the supervisor leaves the professor tells you he did not lock the coordinates and you are still going to the dinosaur era just before the meteorite hit. “What could go wrong?” are his last words to you. Then you go downstairs to the secret loading dock. You fasten your seatbelt and there you go into the time machine on your way to dinosaur life. During the ride you will see flashes of dinosaurs while the vehicle humps and bumps its way through the wilderness. But of course the meteorite is coming so you need to hurry and find the specific dinosaur. The meteorite is coming closer and closer and the ride is getting bumpier. You run from Tyrannosaurs Rex and just in time you find your way back into the time machine back to the future. And of course you fulfilled your mission and brought the dinosaur with you.” Professors and students “Besides all the souvenir shops and attractions you can find in DinoLand U.S.A. You can also find a lot of storytelling from the professors and students who set camp in DinoLand and are there to examine the bones and discover the truth behind dinosaur life. To begin with next to Restaurantosaurus you can find their camps and storage of provisions. Restaurantosaurus is called like this becayse the students put osaurus behind Restaurant as a joke. On the roof of Restaurantosaurus you will find some drying clothes, two chairs and shoes. The students used to play a game which student could keep their shoes on for the longest. Because they were working in the heat and the sand and dirt, the shoes quickly developed a terrible smell of smelly feet. The student who could endure the smell the longest won. And some students soon gave up and hang their shoes on the roof. The two chairs on the roof are for relaxing, but also for playing a game the students invented. Next to the chair you can see a bow and arrows. Across the roof is a tower with a target and from the tower to the roof there is also a line with a bucket where the student can retrieve their arrows. Accross the tower is a small basketball court, where the students could play. 24
Asia
Storytelling The storytelling from Asia also comes from the book A Sneak Preview: Disney’s Animal Kingdom by Malmberg, M. (1997) and talking to Jeff, a manager in Asia. Managers usually walk around in their area with a grabbing stick for whenever they see trash. They are very easily approachable and easy to ask questions. “In a small village called Anandapur (Sanskrit for ‘place of all delight’) local villagers live peacefully with the local animals. The village is near the Forbidden Mountain (Mount Everest) where as legends tells us a Yeti lives. Visitors from all over the world are welcomed by Anandapur Travel & Tourism and are stimulated to see all the beauty of Anandapur and to enjoy their culture and lifestyle. When first enter Asia you will see what looks like small little houses who sell healthy food in Asian style. Next on the left you will you see some ruins where an exotic bird show takes place Flights of Wonder. A little further down there is a small with temple and a bit further you will see the ruins of what used to be a majestic statue/shrine. On the way you will notice all these ribbons. These ribbons are placed by local villagers or tourists. When placing the ribbon you have to make a wish. Your wish will come true when your ribbon has vanished. So it is very important for tourists to not take any of those ribbons, because that means bad luck. On the right you will already see some signs of things you can do here at Anandapur, such as the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Then on the left you see the Yak & Yeti Restaurant where you can enjoy delicious food from Anandapur. Across you can see The Royal Anandapur Tea Company, because Anandapur used to be a great exporter of tea, until the Yeti came along, which you will find more about at Expedition Everest. But first you will find yourself in the little square where tourists can enjoy some Bollywood fun dancing. Or behind the square you can take a look at local apes. Or if you want something thrilling go into the Kali Rapid Rivers which symbolises the balance between the modern world and Anandapur where everything is still authentic and humans and animals have a close interrelationship. On the left from Kali Rapid Rivers tourists can enjoy the majestic Maharajah Jungle Trek where they can see tigers, bats, bird and other rare creatures. The Maharajah Jungle Trek located in the Anandapur Royal Forest. This forest used to be a hunting place for the Rajahs of Anandapur, until the villagers of Anandapur were given the forest in 1948 and it is used to protect the remaining tigers and other wildlife. When you walk back to the square and turn to the left you will walk towards Expedition Everest which had a long history. 29
The Story Of Expedition Everest On a bright and early Saturday morning (6:15 am) I participated in a backstage tour given by two fulltime cast members Casey and Ryan who told us the story of Expedition Everest. I later found a book called The Disney Mountains: Disney Imagineering at its Peak by Surrel, J., where the exact same story was told. Only during the tour they told me a little bit extras. The story is all about survival. Tourist will go on an Everest expedition and survive a conflict with the yeti. The journey will begin in Serka Zong (Fortress of the Chasm), a mythical place that was once home to a railroad that transported tea to and from the neighboring village Anandapur. The railroad suddenly closed their operations and locals heard rumors it was because of the yeti protecting the mountain. Afraid of the yeti’s power, locals would show their respect in form of multiple shrines and tributes to the yeti. And then Norbu and Bob came along, two businessmen who founded Himalayan Escapes – Tours and Expeditions, which offers guided (and safe) expeditions to the Forbidden Mountain. They rebuilt the railroad and used it to transport tourists and adventure seekers to the base camps of Mount Everest. After a short hike from Anandapur travellers will end up in Serka Zong, passing by the Shangri-la Trekkers Inn and Internet Café; the new Yeti Palace Hotel and Gupta’s Gear, where they can buy supplies for their expedition. They then see a few buildings that once supported the harvesting and shipping of the tea for the Royal Anandapur Tea Company, but are now owned by the Himalayan Escapes. Expedition members next go through Norbu and Bob’s booking and permit office and then proceed past the Yeti Mandir, a sort of temple which houses the most elaborate Yeti shrine. Next up it is Tashi’s Trek and Tongba Shop, also a story which sells supplies for the expedition. The last stop for boarding the train is the Yeti Museum which houses a collection of maps, photos, paintings and other artifacts that present the legend, knowledge and science of the truth of the mythical creature. Now it is time to board the train. Expedition member will first pass some calm nature before they proceed to go higher and higher up the mountain. They see the last yeti shrine before the train goes off and after a few seconds abruptly stops in front of ripped rails. The train is no match for gravity and proceeds to go backwards into the tunnels of the Forbidden Mountain. It then abruptly stops again and the expedition 31
members will see the shadow of the yeti ripping another set of rails. Next the train goes rapidly into the narrow tunnels and icy cannons before the adventure seekers face the yeti up close. It used to swipe his claw at a passing train, but for safety reasons the yeti no longer does this. After this traumatizing experience the train makes its way back to Serka Zonga, where the expedition members are safe again. So little extra facts they told me during the tour if you go further into the line you will see more red on the outside of the buildings. Red is the color of signal/danger, so closer to the mountain you will see more red, because it actually means danger/watch out. Outside the attractions you see a lot of prayer flags. If you look closer you will see writings/drawings promoting wisdom, strength, compassion and peace. The legend says that the wind slowly unravels the fabric, so that the threads are brought to heaven where the prayers can be answered. The last extra fact is how the Yeti is portrayed. One hand is up and points to the mountain, the other hand make the stop symbol. It refers to the legend of the Forbidden Mountain. The Yeti warns tourist to not to go up the mountain by pointing at the mountain with on hand and stopping the tourists with the other hand. In order to create a believable Yeti Disney Imagineer did a thorough research into how to shape the yeti. Their searched led to various monkeys. For the face they used the golden monkey’s and for the body they looked at an orang-utan.
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Types of Stories According to Scott Lukas there are a variety of type of stories. Let’s see what kind of stories live in DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia. DinoLand U.S.A. The story of DinoLand U.S.A. can be categorized into two types ‘Story’ and ‘History’. Story, because it is a based on fictional/real live-events. 50 years ago a few amateur fossil-hunters discovered those bones and the boneyard grew into DinoLand U.S.A. It is also ‘History’ because it can be seen as an account of things that happened. The bones were discovered, the place became more popular so the place got expanded with attractions and souvenir shops. Students and professors came to the boneyard and lived their lives, etc. Asia The story of Asia can also be categorized into two types ‘Story’ and ‘Legend’. Story, because this story is also based on fictional/real live events. Although Anandapur may not actually exists, it sounds like a real place. It is also a ‘Legend’ because of the Yeti who lives in the Forbidden Mountain. The Yeti is a historical/ locational creature which teaches us a lot about the culture of Anadapur.
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Design In order to analyse the design elements and principles of form I am going to take a look at how Scott Lukas applied these elements to an immersive world and apply them to DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia. DinoLand U.S.A. Design Elements Color: As talked about before color is very important to Disney Imagineers and color can have a lot of functions. Mostly in DinoLand you will find the colors green, brown, white, blue and black. These colors function as adapting reality, because a boneyard is supposed to be brown, the nature is supposed to be green, etc. It are all natural colors. The only place which is the odd thing out is Chester and Hester’s Dinorama. The colors are more bright and attract attention. Because it is a fair it has to have bright colors and it also functions to create visual excitement. It is something people want to look at. Shape: In DinoLand U.S.A. there are lots of different shapes, rectangular shapes, square shapes, round shapes, etc. It all started when the bones where discovered and then the site grew into what DinoLand is today. Students and professors came to set up camps, which are usually temporary spaces. The Dino Institute was found, so a majestic rectangular building would fit well with the story, so function of the shapes is important here in DinoLand U.S.A. and meaning, memory of value are more found in how well DinoLand U.S.A. reflects the reality, like how well it presents a boneyard, a campsite, a institute, etc. Texture: In DinoLand U.S.A. texture can be found in the boneyard (sand, dirt), the campsite (tents, temporary material, etc.) and the ground. Texture helps tell the story. In a boneyard you would expect sand and dirt and bones of course. The campsite is made of tents and temporary material which makes sense to the story. The ground show tracks of trucks (probably jeeps used in the early stages to discover the bones) and the road on the side where they built Chester and Hester’s Dinorama all makes sense to the story. Size, Mass, Scale and Proportion: In Chester and Hesters’ Dino-Rama on both sides of the entrance are huge dinosaurs, on one side even bigger than the other, they make a good contrast to the games/attractions inside. Guests know that behind those big dinosaurs there must be something good. The Dino Institute is a majestic building which can functions as a place that can give guests a sense of place. The campsite 37
for the students and professors are in good proportion and portray a real life campsite. At the entrance of DinoLand U.S.A. you can find a huge Dinosaur which also functions as a place which gives guests a sense of place. Lines: In DinoLand U.S.A. there are no particular lines that take guests somewhere. Only the road by Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama follows a line near the fair and to the tacky souvenir shop ending a ‘parking lot’ (backstage area). As mentioned before (Disney Imagineering) Architecture would not play a big role in Animal Kingdom. Landscaping itself would be seen as more important, so guests could choose their own path and do not have to follow any lines. Also the lines on buildings do not really contribute to the story. Principles of Form Form versus Function: In DinoLand U.S.A. form and function perfectly go together. One is not more important than the other. Disney always tells every cast member ‘safey comes first’, so a attraction/ride should function properly, but it also should tell a story and immerse guest into the story, because that is what Walt wanted. Personally I think Disney could have done more with form for Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama, although they already put a lot of effort in it, I still feel it is the odd one out, because especially the form/ functions of the attraction inside are very similar to a normal fair, only with dinosaur theming, but nothing very special where Disney is known for. Unity and Consistency: In DinoLand U.S.A. there is visual and conceptual unity (consistency). Guests will understand the totality of DinoLand U.S.A., meaning the boneyard discovered 50 year ago, the campsite, the Dino Institute and Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama. The conceptual unity you can find in the storytelling and the matching design. For example the camp site and the jokes the student had (who could wear her or his shoes the longest, bow and arrow game, see storytelling) can all be found in the design. However I think Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama does not really fit in the unity. Not every guests will understand why it fits into the story and also because the design is different (other colors, form, etc.) is does not really match in the first place. If you know the story behind Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama it already makes more sense since Chester and Hester wanted to make money out of the place. But if you do not know the story I can imagine you don’t understand why it is designed this way. 38
Harmony and Balance: As people we often look for unity or harmony in space. I personally do that a lot, I especially look for symmetry. If I look at DinoLand just a guest I do not really see a harmony or balance. Not that the place looks chaotic, but to me the Dino Institute could be in the place where Restaurantosaurus is now and vice versa. Only with Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama I can understand it is placed near the highway and across the gas station/tacky souvenir shop. But the rest could be exchangeable. The only thing that creates an overview is the little open space in the middle of DinoLand U.S.A. Contrast and tension: As I previously mentioned before is Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama a little bit different from the rest of DinoLand U.S.A., so you could so Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama is the contrast which can create tension. Disney does use a postmodern approach for using a different style for Chester and Hester. But I still think it could have been better, would there not be such a big contrast. Emphasis, Dominance and Focal Point: In DinoLand U.S.A. the emphasis should be on the boneyard, because that is where the story started, but because Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama looks more appealing because of the colors, I would say the focus is on this part of DinoLand U.S.A., while it may not be the main attraction. Subordinate elements in DinoLand U.S.A. are the restaurants and snack trucks. Although they tell a big part of the storytelling, the attraction/rides are still more important. Repetition, Variety and Rhythm: The main element that repeats itself is a dinosaur. Every attraction is connected to a dinosaur, some only have the remains and some have a ‘live’ dinosaur. The dinosaur comes in variety, since it is not always the same and it creates a rhythm in DinoLand U.S.A. The Dinosaurs are the only thing that connect everything together. They are the foundation. It isn’t called DinoLand U.S.A. for nothing. Energy: Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama is a good example of energy as a form of principle. The place has its power to impact people as they walk through. The bright colors, the shimmering lights, it all attracts the attention and makes people want to play the games and ride the attraction. Or the boneyard is also a good example. For children this is the perfect place to play and it is the only big real playground in Animal Kingdom. The design of the boneyard has its effects on children, because they want to play, climb and clamber. 41
Detail: Disney is known for its sense of detail. In DinoLand U.S.A. a lot of details are found in the subordinate elements to support the storytelling, such as the chairs and the shoes from the students on the roof of Restaurantosaurus or the information boards nearby the Boneyard, where it looks like students and professors left notes for each other. Or the road where you can see tracks of the trucks, or the trash cans, which have the logo for The Dino Institute on them or the logo from Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama. Or the big truck in front of the souvenir shop, or the souvenir shop itself. There are so many details guest could see if they just looked around.
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Asia Design Elements Color: The colors used in Asia are bright colors, but they already look old and a little bit vanished, because Anandapur has been there for a long time. The colors achieve balance and variation, because in all Asia because of the colors you know it is Asia. They make a perfect fit. If you look at colors, one thing that attracts the attention is one of the ice cream trucks. The colors are bright and beautiful and look new, like it was painted yesterday. I am not sure why this truck does not have faded colours. During my backstage tour of Expedition Everest they told me that the story behind the truck is that the truck was found somewhere outside of Anandapur and the villagers brought the truck in and renovated it. They wanted to use the truck to do tours with tourists, but eventually they decided to let the truck stay in place. Shape: Most of the buildings in Asia are rectangular shapes, because it is supposed to be a village and usually in a village you will find rectangular or square shapes instead of for examples round shapes. The rectangular shapes also defines meaning to the story, because guests will understand the shape in the context of the story of Anandapur. Some of the ruins/temples and their shapes can also relate to memory, for example if guests travelled to Asia for a holiday, they will see the same/similar shapes in Disney’s Asia. Texture: In Asia the texture makes an immediate impact and helps tell the story. All the buildings have carvings, embellishments and symbolism. Every single building will tell you, you are in Asia. Most guests probably won’t pay much attention to all the detail, but they will still notice, because you can feel it. And when you go over to Expedition Everest the mountain and ruins will increase the feeling of making an impact. Another good example are the ruins and the shrines, who look like they could really be from Asia. They look perfectly real with every detail. Size, Mass, Scale and Proportion: Asia itself is a big piece of Animal Kingdom. The one thing which is obviously the biggest one is Expedition Everest where forced perspective is used to look the mountain even higher than it in reality is. The buildings before Expedition Everest are all a little bit smaller than the last one. So when you would walk from the first building, every building would be a little bit higher until you got to the mountain. The proportion of the buildings in Asia present a believable village. It would not make 45
sense if all the buildings/houses were of different sizes. The ruins however are of different sizes, which makes sense because a ruin is something which used to be a building but it got destroyed some worse than others. In the beginning of Asia there is also a massive ruin which used to a really big statue/shrine. For me this really contributes to the story, because it means that this peaceful village used to be a beautiful village who prayed to the gods and who had statues/shrines to be in good odds with the gods. It makes the story more believable Lines: For Asia the same applies as DinoLand U.S.A. There are no lines leading guests to a specific place. Guests can choose their own path. The only lines you see are the lines on the ground (tracks from trucks, carts, horses, etc.) and even those lines are higgledy-piggledy. Principles of Form Form versus Function: In Asia the same applies as in DinoLand U.S.A. Form and function go perfectly together. Disney would never push form over function if it was not safe. For example in Expedition Everest the Yeti used to slay its claw at a passing train, but because of safety reasons the Yeti does not do that anymore. Unity and Consistency: Asia is for me a perfect example of a well done visual and conceptual unity. Everything fits into the story of Anandapur and you find the name everywhere. Guests can understand the totality of the story. There is a lot of repetition and continuation, because of the symbolism, carving and embellishment on almost every single building. Asia has such a varied but unified storytelling. Not only is there the big story of Anandapur, but Expedition Everest has a great story of its own, but it is still connected to the big story. Such a well down job. Harmony and Balance: In Asia you will find harmony and balance. If you enter Asia on each side of the road you will find a little house, both sell healthy snacks. Further down you will find more houses on the left side, but there still going to be a few on the right side. Basically every path you take in Asia has almost an equal amount of houses/buildings on each side, except for the path to Mount Everest, but currently 46
there are working on something so on the side are fences, still in style of Asia. Harmony also is achieved by use of the same shapes, colors and textures throughout whole Asia. Contrast and tension: In Asia there is not a lot of contrast, because everything is in harmony and balance. The only thing that could be a contrast is Expedition Everst, because this ride/attraction has a more rough design because of the mountains, while the rest in Asia has a more graceful design. But that contrast is in a way also a perfect balance. Emphasis, Dominance and Focal Point: In Asia is it hard not to spot Expedition Everest, so the emphasis, dominance and focal point is all on Expedition Everest. The mountain also functions as a practical way, because it can orientate guests through the park. Repetition, Variety and Rhythm: Repetition can be found in Asia throughout the whole park. Especially the symbolism, carvings and embellishments are found everywhere. And those three factors also have a great variety, because not all carving or embellishment is the same. It creates a kind of rhythm throughout Asia. This is also what makes it consistent and a unity. Energy: In Asia Expedition Everest is a good example for energy. Standing in line you already feel the story and you want to ride the rollercoaster. And when it is finally time, you feel the energy flowing through your veins as you board the thrilling ride. It all came to this moment, and off you go up to the mountain. Although Kali Rapid Rivers could be as thrilling as Expedition Everest there is less tension to build on. The line for Kali Rapid Rivers does not reveal much. It is untill the boarding platform you know what is coming. Detail: In Asia the details are everywhere, from the carvings and embellishments on the buildings to the posters on the walls, you would only notice if you paid attention. Or the equipment for climbing mountains which hangs from the ceiling from a small building near Expedition Everest, or the many signs which makes it look like a touristic place, or the ground with the tracks of trucks, carts and horses, or the Asian boat on the riverside, or the typical Riksja on the side of the road. 49
Theming According to Scott Lukas theming is a powerful form for immersive world design and it functions as on overarching theme or key concept to organize a space. Theming has three other functions to why it is so popular. Theming uses recognizable symbols most people know, theming uses previous associations guests had with themes and it is a shorthand for designers to communicate with guests. Scott Lukas lists four types of theming: place and culture, brand, interest and lifestyle and mood and association. If we look at DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia the type of theming which is used it is place and culture. In this category a place of the present or past is brought to life. In DinoLand U.S.A. Dinosaur life is brought to life and in Asia the little village Anandapur and the legend of the Yeti has come to life.
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I feel that I feel that I am in I am on a another journey world
I feel excited, happy, sad....
I feel I feel I feel that I that I that I can am part of can find change something myself bigger than something me real
I feel that I have new ideas
I feel that I am something else
I feel comfort
Story Experience Sensory Sight
Hearing Taste
Cognitive Touch
Smell
Search for Meaning
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How do I understand the world?
Existential
Identity ( Who am I?)
Religion
Life Experience
Politcal/ Ideological
Emotional, Affective, Feeling
What Makes What Makes Me Feel Good? Me Feel Bad?
Empathy
Experience For analyzing the experience we are going to take a look at Scott Lukas’ chart of Story and Experience (2013) (see chart 5-4 section Story and Experience, p.7). Not all which you can see in the chart applies to the experience of DinoLand U.S.A. or Asia. Identity (who am I?)/Life experience and political/ideological do not really apply to DinoLand U.S.A. or Asia since they are no life changing experiences or provide any political or ideological meaning. Existential/search for meaning/religion can apply to Asia, since the temples, symbolism, shrines, etc. do present a form or religion/search for meaning, although guests will not look for them they still could be experienced. For example a guest walking through Asia notices all the statues, ruins, symbolism, shrines etc. and wonder what it will mean. Back home the guests start reading about real Asia and is interested in travelling to Asia to see what all these things mean in the real world. The experience in Disney’s Asia all made that possible. Emotional, affective and feeling is really important for the experience of DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia, since it was Walt Disney’s wish to have a theme park where guests could fully immerse into a different world, where they could escape daily life and could just enjoy family. So, what makes guest feel good? And what makes them feel bad, so what should we not do? Guests should not need to feel empathy necessarily. The story is there to make them feel good, so they can fully immersive themselves into a different world. For example Asia. Guests should feel like they are walking trough Asia, like they are visiting Anandapur. They should feel connected to this world and feel safe and happy, a good place to enjoy life and celebrate family. Especially DinoLand U.S.A. is a good place where families can enjoy life together. DinoLand U.S.A. is family-oriented with Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama and the boneyard for the kids and The Dino Institute (Dinosaur attraction) for the family members who seek a more thrilling ride. Both world are all about immersing the guests into the story, into a different world than their own, escaping daily life. The cognitive experience, ‘How do I understand the world?’, is about what the guests see and what they notice. What do they make of the world they see? Do they understand the story? For example In Asia it is hard to miss Anandapur, you see it everywhere. Guests will know they are visiting Anandapur, but the true story about for example the Yeti or the Royal Tea Company may not be noticed. Guests will primarily experience walking through a magical Asia seeing all these beautiful carvings, embellishments, shrines, statues, ruins, etc. In DinoLand U.S.A. guests will understand it is all about dinosaurs and if they would think a little 56
bit harder they would understand DinoLand U.S.A. is there because there were once bones discovered. They will see the campsites, but might not know why they are there in the first place. Basically the guests will understand the core of the stories in both DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia from just looking at the place and immersing themselves into those worlds. The sensory of an experience: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell are good measures to see how guests experience DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia. As said previously by John Hench Disney Imagineers always try to develop stories/attraction from the guests’ view. Sight In DinoLand U.S.A. you see the remains of Dinosaurs, the boneyard, the fair, the campsites, the Dino Institute and the restaurants. You understand you are in touristic site where you can dig for bones and learn more about dinosaur life. In Asia you see the beautiful houses, the carvings, the shrines/statues, the ruins. You understand you just walked into a magical Asia and are visiting Anandapur. Hearing Going into DinoLand U.S.A. the most noises you will hear come from Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama. The games you can play make a lot of noises and especially Primeval Whirl has an annoying sound kind of like a ticking clock, which makes sense because Primeval Whirl takes place just before the meteorite hit. You don’t really hear any other noises which belong to DinoLand U.S.A. which I would expect, because the ticking clock noise can get really annoying if you spend a lot of time over at DinoLand U.S.A. In Asia they play typical Asian music with typical Asian instruments. They also play Bollywood music in the square where you can learn how to dance Bollywood style. Touch In DinoLand U.S.A. you can literally touch bones of vanished dinosaurs. Figuratively you can feel you are standing the ground where used to be living dinosaurs. And the excitement you feel when digging for bones, or playing Dinosaur games at the fair, or riding the thrilling attraction Dinosaur. In Asia you can literally touch the shrines, statues, ruins, etc. But you also feel you are in a special place and you are 57
welcome to visit Anandapur. You feel how peaceful the village is and how animals and humans live together in a natural way. But when you come closer to Expedition Everest you can feel the danger and you know something is not quite right, but you don’t know what until you go up the mountain. Taste DinoLand U.S.A. does not have any special tastes. The food you can get at DinoLand is mostly fast food and ice cream. There is not a specific taste guests will experience being in DinoLand U.S.A, while in Asia guests can taste the Asian kitchen in many restaurants/snack trucks. Even The Royal Tea Company’s thee and coffee is available for guests to try. Smell DinoLand U.S.A. does not have any particular smell which makes an impact, it just smell neutral. In Asia however you do smell the nature, in a good way tough. And of course if you would go into the Maharajah Jungle Trek you would also smell the animals.
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Conclusion After looking at Disney Imagineering, DinoLand U.S.A., Asia, their big ideas, storytelling, design, theming and experience there are a couple of things we can conclude in answer to our main question: ‘What are the factors that make the Disney concept as an immersive world so succesful?’ Realer-than-real The feeling ‘realer-than-real’ which John Hench talked about is definitely something which you can find in any land/world in Disney. You can walk into any world and you know where you are and you can see and feel your are in that world. If you would walk into DinoLand U.S.A. you know you are in a boneyard, you know you can learn about dinosaurs, because it is all their right in front of you. Or walking into Asia gives you the feeling you are in Asia, you are not in your normal world anymore, you literally stepped into a different world. But how come those worlds make you feel you are really there? Why is there the ‘realer-than-real’ feeling? Art of the Show The first thing which lead to the ‘real-effect’ is what John Hench refers to ‘Art of the Show’. From the conceptual outlines to the smallest details including visual storytelling, character and the use of color guests should feel better because of their experience in any of the Disney worlds. Children and especially adults should be able to ‘play’ in a special created environment. Details Besides ‘Art of the Show’ details are what makes a world real and believable (Lukas, Scott. 2013). Walt already knew from the beginning, in order for guests to fully experience the Disney theme parks details are of such importance for the full experience. Even the smallest details can make a difference. For example in both DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia the trash cans are even in the theme of the world. There is nothing in those worlds that does not have a meaning or that does not contribute to the storytelling. Every single thing has a meaning. If you look at Expedition Everest in Asia which has such an extensive story, from the beginning of standing in line till the end when you rode the attraction every detail contributes to the story.
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Queue lines If we further go into storytelling from beginning to end that is also something that contributes to the feeling of a real and believable world. Disney soon found at poor designed lines resulted in irritated guests, so they knew they had to do something with waiting in line. Nowadays every attraction has a story from the beginning of the queue line till the end of the attraction. In DinoLand U.S.A. if you go to the attraction Dinosaur in the beginning you will already find information about dinosaurs, kind of like a little museum. When you go further into the line they show you the clip of the scientist who tells you what your mission is. Later on you go into the real attraction. In the Disney theme parks you not just enjoy an attraction of 4 minutes, but you can also enjoy waiting in line, because in that way you can tell the real story. Guests’ point of view Another important thing to mention is that Disney takes the guests’ point of view into account with everything they make. Everything has to make sense and there should be no contradictions (see John Hench). In order to see everything from the guests’ point of view Walt was a big fan of models, because he never learned to trust blueprints (see Disney Imagineering). With a model you can pick it up and look at it from any side. This way you can truly see how guests will experience a certain attraction/ride/show, etc. Use of color As talked about previously the use of color is very important to create a certain mood for guests or to let them orientate through the park. Using color to immerse guests into the worlds of Disney is also something which can lead to the feeling of ‘realer-than-real’. In DinoLand U.S.A. you can find natural colors which makes sense to the story and bright colors for Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama which makes sense as well since it is a carnival. In Asia you see bright colors, but they look vanished, because Anandapur has been there for a long time. The colors give you a sense of what kind of place Anadapur is, a peaceful village. Big ideas So what about DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia? Do they fit into the big idea of Animal Kingdom? And are these two worlds a good examples of the Disney concept as immersive worlds? Let’s take a look -again at the big idea of Animal Kingdom: a theme park where our love for animals would be the core. Where the three 62
stages (the childhood love, the youthful adventure, and the respectful love) would be translated into a theme park. So, DinoLand U.S.A. can fit into the childhood love, because most children, especially boys have an interest in Dinosaurs in their childhood. Asia can fit into the respectful love, because of the close interrelationships between animals and humans in Anandapur. And in both worlds animals are the core. In DinoLand U.S.A. it are dinosaurs of course and in Asia there are all kind of animals like apes, tigers, bats, birds and many more rare creatures, but also the Yeti who lives in the Forbidden Mountain. DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia Seeing if DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia are good examples of the Disney concept as immersive worlds let’s take a look again at the definition of an immersive world according to Scott Lukas “an immersive world is a place which anyone can get wrapped up. Whatever your background in life, whatever your political or religious views, and whatever you enjoy doing in your spare time, an immersive world will take you in such that you won’t want to leave” (see section Immersive Worlds, p.2) DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia are both places where anyone can get wrapped up. For Disney it very important that not only children, but especially the adults can ‘play’ as well. Children and adults from all over the world, no matter where they are from or what their political or religious views are. And seeing thousands of guests every day spending time in the parks both DinoLand U.S.A. and Asia are places which guests would rather not leave. Similarities and differences So Dinoland U.S.A. and Asia have some similarities, but they also have their differences. Both Dinoland U.S.A. and Asia have extensive stories and stories within stories (like the jokes of the students in DinoLand U.S.A. and Expedition Everest in Asia). In both worlds there are lot of details contributing to the story (like the trash cans). Both worlds feel real, both worlds have attraction where the queue line is part of the story, in both worlds color is used to create moods and enhance reality. The big difference between the two worlds is how fully guests can immersive themselves into the stories. In Asia everything fits together, from the story of a ice cream truck to the story of Expedition Everest. Everything just seems right and there are no contradictions. In DinoLand U.S.A. however if you do not know the story behind Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama it can feel like it is a contradiction with the boneyard and The Dino Institute because it looks so different. 63
And from being in DinoLand U.S.A. and looking and seeing you would not know the story only if you asked for it or did some research into it. That is why I feel Disney could have done a little bit better in DinoLand U.S.A. to make it a more holistic experience, something they did very well in Asia. So just to some up my final conclusion the factors that make the Disney concept as an immersive world so successful are: the feeling of ‘realer-than-real’, art of the show, details, the story from beginning of the queue line till the end of the attraction, taking the guests’ point of view into account, and creating a holistic experience.
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Sources Farfan, B. (n.d.). Company Mission Statements - Complete List of World’s Largest Retail Missions. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/Walt-Disney-Mission-Statement.htm Hench, J. (2008) Designing Disney: Imagineering and art of the show. New York, NY: Disney Editions. Kurtti, J. (2008). Walt Disney’s Imagineering Legends. New York, NY: Disney Editions Malmberg, M. (1997) A sneak preview: Disney’s Animal Kingdom. New York, NY: Hyperion. Marling, K. (1997) Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance. Paris: Flammarion. Lukas, S. (2013) The Immersive Worlds Handbook: Designing Theme Parks and Consumer Spaces. Burlington, MA: Focal Press See Ya Real Soon. (2010). Digging up the story on DinoLand U.S.A. Retrieved December 27, 2014, from http://seeyarealsoon.com/2010/02/26/dinoland/ Surrel, J. (2007) The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak. New York, NY: Disney Editions The Walt Disney Company (n.d.). Company Overview. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/company-overview The Walt Disney Company. (n.d.). Disney History. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/disney-history
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