Abstract
Beginning with an analysis of the famous 2018 fire on the Maleficent dragon parade float, this introduction to Performance and the Disney Theme Park Experience: The Tourist as Actor lays out the theoretical framework of the book. Jennifer A. Kokai and Tom Robson challenge the traditional notion that Disney Imagineers control every aspect of a guest’s in-park experience, instead arguing that tourists exert much more influence on their story than previous scholars have accepted. Their chapter points to multiple examples of Disney guests reading/performing against the “intended” text laid out by the company, with tourists transgressing boundaries laid out by designers. Kokai and Robson argue that, as the included chapters will demonstrate, a Disney theme park experience aligns most neatly with the theory and experience of immersive theatre, cementing the collaboration between Imagineer and guest and solidifying the notion of the Tourist as Actor.
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Notes
- 1.
The title of this chapter is taken from the lyrics of the song “The Best Time of Your Life,” which replaced the original “It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” from 1974–1994. Sherman, Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. The Best Time of Your Life, n.d. For more information on this alternative song and its purpose, see Li Cornfeld’s chapter “Dream Away: Disney’s Robot Dramas Revisited” in this anthology.
- 2.
Porter, Stephen. 2018. “Fire-Breathing Maleficent Dragon Float Catches Fire in the Magic Kingdom,” The DIS, May 11, http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/fire-breathing-maleficent-dragon-float-catches-fire-in-the-magic-kingdom/. Accessed June 18, 2018.
- 3.
Roberge, Holly. @hollyer. 2018. “#festival of fantasy,” Instagram, May 11, Accessed 2019 April 21. https://www.instagram.com/p/BiprPi9jdjR/?taken-by=hollyer. Accessed April 21, 2019.
- 4.
Darkaxian. 2018. “WDW Dragon Catches on Fire [Original Upload].” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=9JU65og_TGY. Accessed April 21, 2019.
- 5.
Standridge, Taylor. Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/sk3letal. Accessed June 18, 2018.
- 6.
Clément, Thibaut. 2012. “‘Locus of Control’: A Selective Review of Disney Theme Parks.” In Media: The French Journal of Media Studies 2.
- 7.
See Wasko, Janet. 2001. Understanding Disney: The Manufacture of Fantasy. 1st edition. Cambridge, UK : Malden, MA: Polity. Bryman, Alan. 2004. The Disneyization of Society. SAGE.
- 8.
For example, see Brode, Douglas’ works including, 2009. Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment. University of Texas Press. And 2014. From Walt to Woodstock: How Disney Created the Counterculture. University of Texas Press.
- 9.
See the introduction to Knight, Cher Krause. 2014. Power and Paradise in Walt Disney’s World. Florida: University Press of Florida, where she confesses to liking the parks and being known at conferences as “the Disney Girl.”
- 10.
Eco, Umberto. 1987. Travels in Hyperreality, London: Picador/Pan Books.
- 11.
Baudrillard, Jean. 1983. “Precession of simulacra”, in Simulations, 1–79. Translated by Paul Foss, Paul Patton & Philip Beitchman, New York: Semiotext[e].
- 12.
Stephanson, Anders. 1987 “Regarding Postmodernism. A Conversation with Fredric Jameson.” Social Text, no. 17, 29–54. https://doi.org/10.2307/466477.
- 13.
Eco, 48.
- 14.
Clément, Thibaut. 2012. “‘Locus of Control’: A Selective Review of Disney Theme Parks.” InMedia. The French Journal of Media Studies, no. 2, November 15. http://journals.openedition.org/inmedia/463.
- 15.
Ibid.
- 16.
Allen, David. 2012. “Seeing Double: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.” European Journal of American Culture 31, no. 2, 123–144. https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac.31.2.123_1.
- 17.
Knight, Cher Krause. 2016. Power and Paradise in Walt Disney’s World, 71. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.
- 18.
Condis, Megan. 2015. “She Was a Beautiful Girl and All of the Animals Loved Her: Race, the Disney Princesses, and Their Animal Friends.” Gender Forum, no. 55.
- 19.
Hare, Breeanna. 2009. “Parents: Disney’s ‘Princess’ Is a Hop toward Progress—CNN.Com.” CNN, December 11. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/11/princess.frog.parents/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2018.
- 20.
Tesler-Mabé, Hernan. 2017. “A Mickey Mouse Kind of Europe: Representations of Europe at Walt Disney World.” Journal of Contemporary European Studies 25, no. 2, 197–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/14782804.2016.1198692.
- 21.
Boal, Augusto. 2008. “Empathy or What? Emotion or Reason?” in Theatre in Theory 1900–2000, 394–396, ed. David Krasner. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
- 22.
Knight 21.
- 23.
Adam the Woo. 2010. “Walt Disney World RIVER COUNTRY—ABANDONED!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4JwgmPEIDQ&index=24&t=0s&list=PLBFB8598DD4AAC8CC.
- 24.
Porter, Stephen. 2016. “3 Incidents that Got People Banned from Walt Disney World.” The DIS, August 19. http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/3-incidents-that-got-people-banned-from-walt-disney-world/. Accessed June 19, 2018.
- 25.
Leibacher, Herb. 2013. “Banned from Disney for Life—Adam the Woo.” World of Walt, January 24. https://www.worldofwalt.com/banned-from-disney-for-life-adam.html. Accessed June 19, 2018.
- 26.
Alice Royal message board post, August 19, 2012. https://www.disboards.com/threads/adam-the-woo-has-been-unbanned.3444137/. Accessed June 22, 2018.
- 27.
http://adamthewoo.tumblr.com/bio. Accessed June 22, 2018.
- 28.
For example, the dramatically titled “Death of Epcot Center” post from May 23, 2010, which states, “I have always wondered at what time WDI ‘jumped the shark’ and ruined what was the mighty Epcot Center. Here is written proof, published by Disney, that by the late 80’s they were done trying to expand peoples [sic] minds and make them think. The paragraph speaks for itself. Unreal (“Since the World Began: Walt Disney World”).” The paragraph in question cites the shift with the Wonders of Life pavilion (now defunct) to a more entertainment based attraction.
- 29.
Punchdrunk website. https://www.punchdrunk.org.uk/sleep-no-more/. Accessed June 28, 2018.
- 30.
Machon, Josephine. 2013. Immersive Theatres: Intimacy and Immediacy in Contemporary Performance, 21–22, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- 31.
Machon 28.
- 32.
Ibid. 27.
- 33.
Machon 27.
- 34.
Dinesh, Nandita. 2017. Memos from a Theatre Lab: Exploring What Immersive Theatre ‘Does,’, 11 New York: Routledge.
- 35.
Wozniak, Jan. 2015. “The Value of Being Together? Audiences in Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man.” Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies 12.1, 318–332.
- 36.
Mazza, Ed. 2018. “AAAAAAH! The Horrifying Moment: A Disney Animatronic Lost Its Head.” Huffington Post, January 29, sec. Weird News. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/disney-ursula-head-off_us_5a6eacd5e4b01fbbefb33ee7.
Bibliography
Allen, David. 2012. Seeing Double: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. European Journal of American Culture 31 (2): 123–144. https://doi.org/10.1386/ejac.31.2.123_1.
Baudrillard, Jean. 1983. Precession of Simulacra. In Simulations, 1–79. Trans. Paul Foss, Paul Patton, and Philip Beitchman. New York: Semiotexte.
Boal, Augusto. 2008. Empathy or What? Emotion or Reason? In Theatre in Theory 1900–2000, 394–396. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Brode, Douglas. 2004. From Walt to Woodstock: How Disney Created the Counterculture. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
———. 2009. Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
Bryman, Alan. 2004. The Disneyization of Society. London: SAGE Publishers.
Clément, Thibaut. 2012. ‘Locus of Control’: A Selective Review of Disney Theme Parks. InMedia: The French Journal of Media Studies 2.
Dinesh, Nandita. 2017. Memos from a Theatre Lab: Exploring What Immersive Theatre ‘Does’. New York: Routledge.
Eco, Umberto. 1987. Travels in Hyperreality. London: Picador/Pan Books.
Knight, Cher Krause. 2014. Power and Paradise in Walt Disney’s World. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.
Leibacher, Herb. 2013. Banned from Disney for Life—Adam the Woo. World of Walt, January 24. https://www.worldofwalt.com/banned-from-disney-for-life-adam.html.
Machon, Josephine. 2013. Immersive Theatres: Intimacy and Contemporary Performance. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Mazza, Ed. 2018. AAAAAAH! The Horrifying Moment a Disney Animatronic Lost Its Head. Huffington Post, January 29. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/disney-ursula-head-off_us_5a6eacd5e4b01fbbefb33ee7.
Porter, Stephen. 2016. 3 Incidents that Got People Banned from Walt Disney World. The DIS, August 19. http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/3-incidents-that-got-people-banned-from-walt-disney-world/.
———. 2018. Fire-Breathing Maleficent Dragon Float Catches Fire in the Magic Kingdom. The DIS, May 11. http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/fire-breathing-maleficent-dragon-float-catches-fire-in-the-magic-kingdom.
Stephanson, Anders. 1987. Regarding Postmodernism. A Conversation with Fredric Jameson. Social Text (17): 29–54. https://doi.org/10.2307/466477.
Wasko, Janet. 2011. Understanding Disney: The Manufacture of Fantasy. Malden, MA: Polity.
Wozniak, Jan. 2015. The Value of Being Together? Audiences in Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies 12 (1): 318–332.
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Kokai, J.A., Robson, T. (2019). You’re in the Parade! Disney as Immersive Theatre and the Tourist as Actor. In: Kokai, J.A., Robson, T. (eds) Performance and the Disney Theme Park Experience. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29322-2_1
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