Genius Mad Scientists

From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in 1923 The Walt Disney Company has developed into an international media empire that provides amusement through movies, television, and theme parks. At the same time they have strived and succeeded in becoming a major influence on society by inundating the imagination with their super sweet concoctions. The Walt Disney Company is creating an inclusive fantasy world in order to replace reality.

Walt Disney once said "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." (Disney.com.) Such a simple start for what has become one of the most powerful companies in the world. Disney films restructure classic fairytales and create original characters in order to portray a world where the animals are our personal friends, the villains are easy to spot and there is no such thing as an unhappy ending. They then merchandise these films to the hilt in order to help the stories come alive and become a part of everyday life. Finally they have created the ultimate amusement parks where consumers or "guests" can experience a world "where dreams come true"

The first piece in Disney's fantasy puzzle is their animated film empire where well known fairytales and original storylines are homogenized in order to fit into the Disney mold. In Walt Disney and Europe, Robert Allan describes the Brother's Grimm version of Snow White. Grimm's tale includes three attempts on Snow White's life, including a poisoned comb, a bodice, and then the poisoned apple. Disney chose to fill this time with music and amusing sequences with the dwarves and forest animals. In Grimm's story the evil queen is punished by having to dance to death in red hot shoes at Snow Whites wedding and in Disney's version she is pushed neatly off a cliff by the seven dwarves (37).

Another example is The Little Mermaid which was also changed to be more Disney was adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale. In the original telling of The Little Mermaid, the sea witch offers to give the little mermaid legs but warns that every step will feel as if she was treading upon sharp knives and cuts off her tongue to obtain her voice as payment. Disney's version makes the transformation painless and turns her voice into a floating entity that can be transferred back and forth. Andersen's tale depicts the mermaid throwing herself into the ocean from heartbreak and becoming the sea foam while Disney shows Ariel and Prince Eric being married and living happily ever after (Anderson). The elimination of the frightening parts also removes the moral relevance in the story, and in Vinyl Leaves Bruno Bettelheim suggests, that removing the violence and sadness from such tales in the interest of protecting young minds from disturbing information does children a disservice (Fjellman, 260). Despite the fact that removing strong negative emotions from their feature length films cause an atrophy of young imaginations; it also serves Disney's purpose by giving the films a sentimental feel and provoking the audience to have an instant nostalgic connection.

The next method employed by the Disney Company is to take the movies and design a vast array of merchandise that can be mass produced for distribution around the world. Movie posters, stuffed animals, coloring books, and plastic figurines are widely available. One can now have Disney characters on every kind of clothing possible, including accessories like purses and hats (Fjellman, 157). Disney also produces collectible figurines that range in price from reasonable to very expensive items that are hand painted and stamped with a serial number. One could even purchase one of the Disney themed foods that include strawberry flavored princess flakes that turn your milk pink and Mickey Mouse shaped waffles, macaroni, and ice cream sandwiches. Whatever the nature of the trinket Disney makes sure to infuse the item with bright colors and happy images. The souvenirs bring the stories from the movies into real life and allow Disney to bring a little bit of magic straight into the homes of countless Americans. Disney stores are found in almost every major city, and www.Disney.com provides the perfect place for 24/7 shopping. At the Disney parks most of the rides end in an appropriately themed gift shop to let "guests" obtain a keepsake from the adventure they have just experienced. In Vinyl Leaves, Suzy Gershman observes,

That once inside... it is the grown ups who relax, who drop their guards and become childlike. They buy everything in sight, shoving off much of it on their kids, wearing some of it and stashing some of it as gifts for others... the adults themselves lose control over not only the purse strings but their very sense of self. (162)

With the high quantity of merchandise available Disney creates an environment where people feel like they need to bring a piece of the fantasy into their homes and that happily ever after could be just one purchase away.

Disney's theme parks embody the corporation's beliefs and bring its core values to life. Every imaginable aspect of the park is controlled and orderly for the purpose of creating the illusion of perfection. This is what Walt had in mind when he first began thinking of building Disneyland in the 1940's. it was due to his distaste for local amusement parks (Disney.com.) In The Disneyization of Society Alan Bryman notes that,

Walt disliked traditional amusement parks because he felt they were often dirty, contained unimaginative rides, and were seedy and tawdry...He detested the atmosphere and often mentioned in his reflections how uncomfortable he felt when he used to take his two daughters to them. (20)

Walt had defended Disneyland by saying "that his park would not be like those parks" (20, 21). Walt's parks would then have to be a place where adults as well as children could enjoy themselves. They would be a place where, as Walt put it, "the older generations can recapture nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savor the challenge of the future." (Bryman, 21)

Disney's theme parks are the incarnation of the fantasy world they are creating. Each area of the park is carefully choreographed in order to leave the most magical impression. For example, in "Disneyspeak" the consumer is a guest, the employees are called cast member and the ride or show is an attraction (Bryman, 11). So from the moment one walks into Disneyland they are transformed into guests, and directed to Main Street USA the main thoroughfare of the parks. Main Street has shops on either side that are disguised behind façade Victorian style buildings. This picturesque fantasy small town features trolleys and perfect topiary gardens, a guest can see and hear birds chirping and flying about but they can also hear chirping being piped out from empty branches (Fjellman, 255). Main Street also serves as the connection between the different "lands" which are separated according to theme and include Fantasyland, Tomorowland, Adventureland and Frontierland. All of the lands include customized rides, language, costumes, restaurants and even the bathrooms are themed to fit the land.

In Frontierland as well as Adventureland there are outdoor adventure themes. Frontierland centers on the Wild West and you can ride in a mining cart through the caves of Big Horn Mountain or eat at the Stage Door Cafe. While Adventureland has more of tropical feel with lions and tigers and elephants. You can travel down the Nile on a Jungle cruise or join Indiana Jones on a trip through the legendary lost temple and when you're through stop for a bite at Bengal Barbeque. In both places there is meticulously kept "overgrown" gardens and talk of adventure and glory. Fantasyland allows you to walk through Sleeping Beauty's castle, fly over London with Peter Pan, ride in teacups at the Mad Hatter's Tea party or visit Toontown, a town modeled after where Mickey and friends "really" live. If you get hungry you can stop by the enchanted cottage for an ice cream treat. In Tomorrowland "the wonders of tomorrow come alive today", including automobiles, submarines, and of course, spaceships. Drive along the track of Autotopia or ride on a submarine to visit Nemo and his underwater friends from Finding Nemo Ride the Buzz Lightyear ride to defeat alien invaders, or go on a Star Wars Star Tour through the galaxies of far far away. You can make a pit stop at Red Rockets Pizza Port to refuel from your travels. Each land is also equipped with appropriately themed gift shops at anytime one is likely to see one of the many recognizable Disney characters walking around posing for pictures, signing autographs and occasionally riding the rides with the guests. The uniformity of the perfectly planned and maintained lands distinguishes the park as a whimsical place and further disconnects it from the real world. Disneyland is a classic example of The Disney Company's effort to create a world of pure make believe where everyday reality can be forgotten.

The Disney Company has been a major influence over the years contributing greatly to the fields of entertainment, technology, and business while simultaneously building a world of make believes. Feature films are used to present a world of perfection and absolute goodness and instill in viewers the Disney beliefs. Beliefs that lead viewers to believe that happily ever after exists and that if you wish upon a star your dreams will come true. The animation is then manufactured into highly promoted souvenirs and distributed to willing consumers. Finally everything comes together in the magical kingdom when guests are transformed and become part of the "show." While the Disney company couldn't possibly eliminate reality all together it has succeeded in creating an alternate world of fantasy that children and adults alike can escape to. Society has been a more than willing participant in this experiment and Walt Disney expressed it best when he said, "You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality" (Disney).