Great article but way too short. Could have read much more for sure. Will have to check out the book.
I found "Walt Disney - The Triumph of the American Imagination," a fairly thick biography on Disney, to handle Disneyland's creation pretty well.
How Disneyland Came to Be
11–20 of 44 posts
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#12Kinda interesting ... I'd be really interested in an exploration about how a sizable number of American adults have become Disney(land/world) fanatics. It strikes me as very strange and regressive behavior.
I'll bite. I think "fanatic" is too strong a word, but I enjoy going to Disneyland, and have occasionally bought an annual pass despite living a day or two drive from Disneyland. I've also made a point to visit other Disney parks when I've been near them (Florida, Paris, Tokyo). Fundamentally, it's fun escapism. You go spend a few days enjoying some of the same stuff you enjoyed as a kid. My wife enjoys going too, so…
What makes you return there each year over other things you could reach with the same amount of driving? If you're near California or Florida, you are a day or so from a huge range of amazing places. Is it ease and familiarity?
I'm Australian but have been to Disneyland (CA) twice and Disney World (FL) once; twice with kids, once without. It's a polished experience for sure, but we spent a lot of time baffled by people in themed t-shirts, spending days there or returning year after year in place of other holiday options.
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#13Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#14Kinda interesting ... I'd be really interested in an exploration about how a sizable number of American adults have become Disney(land/world) fanatics. It strikes me as very strange and regressive behavior.
I worked as a Disney "Imagineer" for several years. Don't underestimate the sophistication of Disney fans.
I've met many elitists who look down upon anything that's popular. These people miss out on many great things, from profound art to good clean fun. Disney has both.
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#15The advertising in this page is strange. At first I thought it was part of the article.
Agreed. It made me wonder if sites should blacklist certain ad categories based on the article content.
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think it has a different underlying root than being a [whatever else] fanatic? There's been some research done into sports, for instance.
Sports don't tap into tribalism in the same way Disney does. Sports also have loyalty to an inferior product. Disney would not be Disney if it were the media version of the Cleveland Browns.
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Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sports don't tap into tribalism in the same way Disney does. Sports also have loyalty to an inferior product. Disney would not be Disney if it were the media version of the Cleveland Browns.
I assume you meant that the other way around? Sports fans are the definition of tribal.
I did; not sure how that edit slipped through, but now it's too late.
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll bite. I think "fanatic" is too strong a word, but I enjoy going to Disneyland, and have occasionally bought an annual pass despite living a day or two drive from Disneyland. I've also made a point to visit other Disney parks when I've been near them (Florida, Paris, Tokyo). Fundamentally, it's fun escapism. You go spend a few days enjoying some of the same stuff you enjoyed as a kid. My wife enjoys going too, so…
What makes you return there each year over other things you could reach with the same amount of driving? If you're near California or Florida, you are a day or so from a huge range of amazing places. Is it ease and familiarity? I'm Australian but have been to Disneyland (CA) twice and Disney World (FL) once; twice with kids, once without. It's a polished experience for sure, but we spent a lot of time baffled by peop…
> If you're near California or Florida, you are a day or so from a huge range of amazing places.
What makes you think they don’t go to those places as well?
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#19The Disney+ show The Imagineering Story does a pretty decent job going over the history. https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-imagineering-story/6ry...
Re: How Disneyland Came to Be
#20Disneyland has been undergoing endless improvement. My parents visited there in the 1950s and it's fun looking at the photos and seeing how primitive it looked then.