Disneyland

When observing an autocratic atmosphere, one’s mind, body and soul becomes engrossed within their surroundings. Richard Francaviglia highlights this perspective through his article “The Mall as Disneyland. ” H e explains how Walt Disney’s Main Street USA has set the precedent for all malls around America because it incorporates all aspects that entice one to enter this environment. David Guterson maintains a similar perspective in relation to Francaviglia’s article.

Guterson further enlightens the reader in his article “The Mall as Prison” on the negative effects the Mall of America has, compared to Disneyland. The previous articles have provided thorough explanations on the social atmosphere of malls, whereas Lizabeth Cohen’s article “The Mall as Threat to Democratic Values,” addresses the legal aspects of malls in America. Each article, although not identical in their views, are effective in explaining each aspect a mall in America encompasses by using strong evidence to support each position maintained throughout the articles.

Walt Disney played a larger role in American society than just providing entertainment; many developers turn to his park, Main Street USA, for ideas when they are designing modern American shopping malls. Walt Disney purposely designed Main Street USA to create a joyful environment. He carefully designed each of his small towns to a specific feature. One of those towns, Main Street USA, sole purpose was social interaction. Shopping malls are an abstract reincarnation of Disney’s Main Street USA.

According to Richard Francaviglia in his article “The Mall as Disneyland,” Disney’s Main Street does not feature those inevitable services that indicate the other side, or darker sides of life. ” He did not have pool halls, bars, or funeral parlors in his town. Disney tried to make fantasy come true. He used magical lighting to brighten up his town at night. By placing abstract images in exact spots he made reality appear joyful. Like malls today, Disney made his town so perfect that people would not want to leave.

David Guterson’s narrative about the Mall of America delves into several facets that are embedded throughout the mall both physically and mentally. A vivid description about the mall’s interior design makes the audience feel like they have visited the mall. Guterson describes how people, individually and as a society, are affected psychologically by this pseudo-metropolis. The grandeur of the mall is, without question, second to none. Shoppers are drawn to visit because of all the modern frills contained within. A theme ark, arcade, hundreds of shops, and eateries are the staples of the mall, but the gardens, flowers, and trees define the mall as being “the best of the best. ” The atmosphere created by combining “Mother Earth” with twentieth century technology creates a certain mystique to the mall and gives the shopper a very comfortable place to spend the day or maybe even days. In “The Mall as Disneyland” Disney himself does not show any form of dark side of life, he created an abstracted image that it is so tempting to confuse with reality. Main Street USA is not the only instance of a shopping center providing an alternate sense of reality.

In David Guterson’s writing “The Mall as Prison”, malls are compared to prisons. Guterson writes about how every mall can be like a prison, or an entrapment for the mind. There are, as Guterson points out, no windows or clocks or anything else to distract you from your shopping. Therefore you are consumed in the atmosphere which was built for the sole purpose of spending money and not thinking of reality. In Lizabeth Cohen’s article she states the legal actions malls have to endure when confronted with situations of free speech and social class.

Diverse social groups are no longer integrated into central consumer marketplaces but rather are confined to differentiated retail institutions, segmented markets, and new hierarchies. In “The Mall as Disneyland” and “The Mall as A Prison” you are not limited to public shopping malls, according to your social status. Everyone is treated equally. Their main goal is to consume you into their world, the owners of the malls have used business strategies to keep their public focused on one thing; buying. By keeping you engaged with majestic structures and great distractions of light shows, movie theatres, roller coaster and much more.

As Disney tried to expand their empire further into Asia, they were not at all as successful as they had originally expected. With the success of Tokyo Disney Resort producers of Hong Kong Disney were projecting the same experiences to happen in Hong Kong. By using the failures found in Disneyland Resort Paris they knew what not to do in order to achieve greater worth of the Disney name abroad. Though Tokyo and Paris are completely different cultures, the adaptation of each culture was done in two different ways, varying the overall success of both parks.

In Tokyo, Disney forfeited their rights and handed it over to the Japanese, which essentially made it easier for the Japanese to take an American owned and operated business and make it into their own. After seeing the success Tokyo had, Disney did not want to surrender their rights a second time when they moved into France. Being seen as one of the largest consumers of Disney products outside of the US, France became an ideal location for what was originally named “Euro Disney. ” However, it was not as warmly welcomed as the Disney executives had thought.

The resistance of the French government was one of the main problems in achieving success in Paris. This key failure helped in figuring out how to best open a new park in Hong Kong. The Chinese, overall, were very excited and welcoming of the new Disney Park heading into their country. As the case study pointed out “Chinese needed Disney and Disney needed China. ” Both saw the addition of a Disney Park as a way to increase revenue and tourism, and more importantly, Disney saw Hong Kong as the gateway into China.

They were able to use the Chinese government as a way to get involved with the community and immerse itself into the culture. At first this all seemed ideal, but as time progressed and the park opened, it sought problems. Like any new business, things did not go as smoothly as anticipated. During the first year the crisis of the Lunar New Year Holiday happened, decreasing park attendance and revenue by a landslide. This lapse of miscommunication affected the company tremendously, and gave the Disney Resort an overall bad name.

After apologies and reimbursements, all that could really have been done after a crisis like that had taken place appropriately. This is where it was apparent that truly understanding a culture is necessary to efficiently run a successful business, which is what Disney should have learned from their Paris location. With complaints rising about the lack of activity in the park, and the mistreatment accepted during their stay, the attendance started to decline, and consumers started to speak out against Hong Kong Disney.

The character performers started to speak out as well, which is when the executives realized they needed to not only boost their sales, but boost the overall morale of the park. In order to bring back attendance, HKD adjusted their pricing and incorporated a new promotion with the local taxi drivers, so as to create word of mouth advertising. They worked with local TV stations and travel agencies in promoting the park.

Through all the negative publicity that was received during the first year, HKD overcame their mistakes allowing for a hopeful future. It is apparent that the successfulness of Tokyo is due to the way the company is run, which is by the Japanese. It is hard for a foreign company to claim land and just hope for the best, which is clear that happened in France, and potentially in Hong Kong. Though HKD has much more support with the government then Paris, both have had difficultly in establishing an understanding of the culture at hand.

When one doesn’t understand a culture, and accidentally disrupts it, the people of the country will have a hard time forgetting the situation, which will ruin the success of the company. Through the hardships acquired in Paris, Disney should have better prepared itself for another cultural difference, accepting the holidays, and implementing different rules appropriate for each country rather then the parks cumulatively. Disney should better understand this if they plan on operating another park abroad, because it is evident that the people will speak out, especially of an American based company.

It was registered In the Guinness World Records as the largest Indoor theme ark In the world on 1995. Moreover, It Is regarded as one of the worlds best theme parks along with Disneyland In the US and Japan (one of the world’s TOP 10 theme parks selected by Forbes Magazine). The theme park total is 128,nanny. It is visited by over 8 million customers on the average in a year. Lotto World is a major recreation complex theme park located in Chinches-dong, Song-GU, and Seoul, South Korea. It is made up of two main sections, the outdoor amusement park Magic Island, and Adventure (Indoor).

Magic Island (outdoor) An outdoor amusement park called “Magic Island”, an artificial Island Inside a lake linked by monorail, shopping malls, a luxury hotel, a Korean folk museum, sports facilities, and movie theaters. Moreover, it houses various attractions perfect for dating, including large-scale thrilling play facilities such as “Gyro Drop,” “Gyro Swing,” “Atlantis,” etc. In Magic Island, which features Young Zone, visitors can enjoy colorful festivals and events such as “Cherry Blossom Festival,” which Inspires a romantic atmosphere around the lake.

Adventure (Indoor) As the largest Indoor theme park In the world, Adventure was established with the theme “Small World. ” It will bring new pleasure to customers whenever they visit with various playing facilities where they can enjoy electrifying thrill until 11 PM at night, 365 days a year, regardless of weather, with spectacular shows and festivals over 70 times a day. In addition, various character products with Lotto and Lorry as the main characters and food ; beverage service will be provide to visitors during their stay at the Adventure.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. ” Walt Disney believed in this passionately. This is one of the many reasons Walt Disney accomplished so many things in his lifetime. With hard work and a great imagination you can truly do anything just as Walt Disney did. Even today Walt Disney’s company is extremely successful. All of the different things that Walt Disney and his company have done have contributed to the world’s popular culture. Walt Disney was born on December 5th, 1901. His parents were Elias and Flora Disney.

Walt had a good childhood although it is said that his father had a bad temper that at times he could not control. Walt started to become interested in acting and drawing at a young age. At school, instead of focusing on his work, he would draw endlessly. Among his classmates he was known as Walt Disney, the artist. In 1917 Walt attended the Chicago Art Institute where he gained more experience. He dropped out of school in an attempt to join the army but was too young. Instead of the army, Walt joined the Red Cross where he drove an ambulance for a year.

In 1919, Walt moved back to Chicago and started drawing for a living. After a couple fail attempts he and his brother were able to open Disney Brothers Studios. In 1927, Walt had created Oswald the lucky rabbit. Oswald turned out to be a huge success but Walt was betrayed. Universal pictures bought out Walt’s staff and he lost all rights to the character. Walt was desperate to create another successful character like Oswald. In 1928, Walt and his small circle of associates came up with a mouse character. The new character was named Mickey Mouse.

At the time they didn’t know how much this little mouse would impact America. Mickey Mouse hit stardom when Steamboat Willie, the first animated short with sound and movement, was released. That’s when Walt Disney Productions was formed. During the time in which Mickey Mouse was introduced America was in the depths of a depression. The economy was hit badly on Black Tuesday October 29th 1929 when the stock market crashed. Then, tragedy struck again when a long drought destroyed crops and farms. So many people lost everything they had. Mickey Mouse was someone to pick them up in those hard times; a source f wishful thinking. In this time unemployment reached historic levels and the whole country looked for prosperity ahead. Throughout the 1930s the Disney cartoons were a business stimulus. Mickey Mouse merchandising exploded and there were a hundred products not only across the country but around the world. Mickey Mouse products were the only thing getting some companies through the Depression. By 1934 Mickey Mouse merchandise was earning around $600,000 a year. Political historians would likely say that the 1930s were the age of Franklin Roosevelt but cultural historians consider it the age of Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney is famous for saying, “I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse. ” Mickey Mouse is now one most recognized faces of all time and an icon of American culture. There is no doubt that Mickey Mouse and his ears are the face of The Disney Studios but Mickey isn’t the only iconic character that the company has created. Hundreds of characters have been born from Disney Studios, although some are more popular than others, they all have contributed to Disney Studios. Around the same time Mickey Mouse was introduced his “friends”, as they have been come to be called, were created.

Mickey’s friends included Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. These characters represented friendship and often taught moral lessons like Disney often did. started the princess phenomenon. These movies lead to other Disney Princesses including The Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and Rapunzel. Girls around the world look up to these female heroes. The one thing that all these Disney characters have in common is that they will forever be embedded in pop culture.

In 1937, Walt Disney made history when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released. The film was the first full length animated film of its time. Critics had little faith in the productive of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but were proven wrong when the film earned over 8 million on its first release. The film was such a success that Walt built a studio specifically for the making of animated films. The film became a foundation for future feature length animated films. During the 1940s and 1950s the studio made many animated films including Fantasia, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice n Wonderland, and Peter Pan. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was an artistic and technological breakthrough in the entertainment world. Animated films lead to the production of live-action features and television programs. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs showed that animated films could be just as entertaining as other motion pictures. Walt Disney was known for transforming imagination into reality which was especially true when he made Disneyland, the first ever theme park. Disneyland changed the amusement park industry forever when it opened on July 18th 1955.

Disneyland was the first start in making theme parks popular. Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. ” Although Disneyland was successful, it wasn’t the perfection Walt was looking for. Disneyland in California didn’t meet his vision because of the sleazy restaurants and hotels that were around the park. Fifteen years later Walt decided to build a new theme park in Orlando, Florida that would be a magical experience all around. Walt tried to keep the operation low key by setting up dummy corporations to buy the land.

It was a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel newspaper who broke the news that it was Disney who bought the land. Walt never did get to see Disney World completed because of his death on December 15th 1966 of a cardiac arrest. Walt’s brother stayed on the project and Disney World opened to the public on October 1, 1971. Central Florida now has more theme parks than any other place in the world with Walt Disney World resort being the largest recreational resort ever built. The happiest place on earth didn’t just stay in the United States.

Besides Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida there are three other Disney resorts in Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong. Many people wonder how such a successful enterprise was created. At first, the Walt Disney Studio wasn’t profitable but it was staying afloat. Even when in debt Walt Disney looked to do more. He made smart moves to fundraise money to start new projects including Disneyland. As early as the 1930s Disney enterprises became global with branch offices in Chicago, Toronto, London, Paris, Copenhagen, Milan, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Sydney.

After the death of Walt and his brother, Roy, the company struggled. In 1980s and 1990s the stock grew rapidly which made Disney the largest entertainment empire in the world. Before Walt Disney died he managed to build the first multinational media corporation. Disney now has five business segments including media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. The Walt Disney Company is now a $60 million dollar company and is the complete entertainment experience.

Walt Disney is known for saying “if your dream it, you can do it. ” He and his company are an example of just that. Although Walt Disney died his legacy lives on. The Walt Disney Company continues to create blockbuster films, parks, and television. Disney has made a few hundred movies and more than fifty of them being animated films. There is now a Disney channel on all five continents in several languages. The Walt Disney Company has become part of the world’s culture especially in the United States.

He has created some of the most iconic characters of all time including the timeless Mickey Mouse. Disney characters have touched the hearts of people around the world. When the first full length animated movie was made it changed the course of film making forever. Disneyland and Disney World were the start of theme parks as we know them today. The achievements of Walt Disney are impressive and they have laid out the foundation for the whole entertainment industry. Even to this day, Walt Disney will forever be known as the king of animation.

The Disney resorts and parks were aiming for a market that focused on creating images, experiences and products to customers that emphasized fun, imagination and service. It aimed to provide a place where customers could escape the cares of the real world through the “magic” of legendary fairytale and familiar Disney characters. The market targeted families and children and the company had already built a popular brand that was associated with wholesome family entertainment.

Was Disney’s choice of the Paris site a mistake?

Yes, the choice of the Paris site was a mistake because the lifestyle, culture and ideas of Paris were very different from the culture of the Americans which caused many of the people of Paris to be in opposition with one critic referring to it as “a horror made of cardboard, plastic, and appalling colors… taken straight out of comic book written for obese Americans”. The site initially seemed ideal because of the location could provide access to millions of people. Paris was a highly attractive destination and Europeans generally take more vacation time than Americans.

Disney however did not anticipate the backlash they faced due to significant cultural differences such as eating behaviors were different, French visitors were highly intolerant of long lines, Disney’s grooming standards for employees were deemed too strict and excessive by the French and were met with protest and the area that Disneyland Paris was built did not have sufficient housing for employees which caused Disney to have to build its own apartments and rent rooms in local homes.

What aspects of their parks design did Disney change when it constructed Euro Disney?

Disney changed certain aspects of their designs such as having both their rides and hotel designs to emphasize the “wild west” theme which research showed was a view most Europeans had of America. They also gave the park a flavor that stressed European heritage of many Disney character, Snow white and her dwarfs were located in a Bavarian village. Cinderella was located in a French inn. Euro Disney also introduced more variety into its restaurants and snack bars, features foods from around the world.

What did Disney not change when it constructed Euro Disney?

Disney did not change its principles of safety, courtesy , show and efficiency. Employees were trained in their strict service standards. They also did not change their grooming requirements that insisted on a “neat dress code”, a ban on facial hair and an insistence on appropriate undergarments even though the dress code was in opposition of the French. They also did not change their policy of all Disney parks being alcohol free which was very unpopular with French visitors who liked to have a glass of wine or beer with their food.

What were Disney’s main mistakes from the conception of the Paris resort through to 2006?

Some of Disney’s main mistakes were that they underestimated the significant impact of cultural differences would have on the success of their park, inadequate accommodation available for their staff. They had a hectic pace of work and long hours which the staff was not used too, and the conditions were chaotic when the park opened. They also did not anticipate the lackadaisical attitude of some of the cast members. Poor planning and inadequate research before constructing the park also lead to the park being on the verge of bankruptcy which also caused a decline in visitors due to the negative publicity.