Because we have no real tradition, we have created fantasies, many of which can be seen at Disneyland, whose Main Street USA, the small town in the midst of the scrambled past and the idealized future is there to ease the shock and dispel the fears of those who are about to encounter the meaning of Southern California in its most concentrated form.  The older generation may not take LSD, but when they go to Disneyland, they are taking real trips through heightened space and time.  The Gothic cathedral summed up the worldview of the medieval town; Disneyland is the technological cathedral of Southern California.  (Thompson, 1972, p. 21)

Thompson is alluding to a very important part of play, the ability to experience a nonordinary state of consciousness. ∆RC[dl13]  In the Mary Poppins chapter, we will discuss this in detail.  Through play and ritual, we are able to access the transcendent and Disneyland has been known to invoke feelings of awe in people when they contemplate its technological genius, as Stanford university professor of psychiatry, Don Jackson, bravely described:

I claim to have felt a great sense of awe, wonderment, and reverence while sitting in the synthetic, fabricated instant-Polynesian Tiki Room at Disneyland, as I have experienced in some of the great cathedrals . . . Chartres, Rheims, and Notre Dame . . . . coldly, simply, this wild vision was the production of the factual minds of electronic engineers.  A programmed tape, or perhaps a computer, created exact mathematical sounds and movements as near to real beauty or art as faradic current applied to the vocal chords of Galli-Curci . . . . Disney was a master executive capable of harnessing vast numbers of talented people to work out the details of his childlike vision.  Like an innocent, Disney did not recognize the ordinary limitations implied by knowledge.  All his creative productions realize the visions of childhood—they reach beyond the stars.  (Bright, 1987, p. 169)

I concur.  Disneyland’s sheer technological brilliance, all in service to play and the imagination is amazing, especially when considered against the backdrop of when Disneyland was created.  At the present time, in the year 2006, Disneyland might not seem that extraordinary, but if you consider that the personal computer and the internet were only twinkles in the eye of Doug Engelbart and his fellow engineers, and that national television was in its infancy, you can see the astounding nature of Disney’s vision.

Well, that's it for our tour of Disneyland.  "Remember to take all of your belongings with you and take small children by the hand when exiting the vehicle!"  The next section contains descriptions of the different possible excursions and links to them. After these excursional explanations, stay tuned for the Impact of Disneyland, where the lessons we can learn from Disneyland are found.

Explanations of Different Excursions and Links to Them

The Antistructure Excursion

Located in Adventureland/New Orleans Square, the "Antistructure" excursion explores the liminal nature of Disneyland.  Here we can glimpse into liminality and rites of passage; how they play out at Disneyland; how carnival and communitas abound; the role of rebellion and we can look at Disneyland as a pilgrimage center, and see that Walt may indeed have been a rebel with a cause. [Link to the "Antistructure" excursion]

The Art of the Show Excursion 

Located in Fantasyland, the "Art of the Show" excursion explores the illusionary nature of Disneyland, going behind the scenes and seeing how Disney creates its magic through many different “C’s”:caring and cleanliness, complementarity, color, cinematic nature, and the role of control.  There is also a mini-excursion along the way into transitional space. [Link to the "Art of the Show" excursion]

The Cherishing of Childhood Excursion 

Located at the hub, the "Cherishing of Childhood" excursion explores the importance of childhood, and discovers neoteny as a cosmological calling to childhood. There is also a mini-excursion into the roots and history of neoteny.  Neoteny is our species' most precious gift, and yet most people have never even heard of it. [Link to the "Cherishing of Childhood" excursion]

The Looking-Back and Looking-Forward Excursion 

Located in Tomorrowland, the "Looking-Back and Looking-Forward" excursion explores Disneyland’s connection with the concepts of paradise, nostalgia, and utopia. As a bonus, this excursion includes mini-excursions into both nostalgia and utopia.  Nostalgia and utopia are both looking for an ideal paradisal place, in fact they might be said to be different sides of the same paradisal coin.  See how Disneyland playfully combines the two as part of its magic on this excursion. [Link to the "Looking-Back and Looking-Forward" excursion]

The Child of the Times Excursion

Located on Main Street USA, the "Child of the Times" excursion explores Disneyland as a product of the 1950s. Disneyland might actually be the most influential Baby Boomer.  The excursion also focuses on how Walt and Disneyland are alike: "like father like child," and in this excursion we can learn about Disneyland’s relationship with its sibling—television, and the impact that growing up in sunny Southern California had on this "California Kid." [Link to the "Child of the Times" excursion]

The Amusing Ancestry Excursion 

Located in Frontierland, the "Amusing Ancestry" excursion explores Disneyland’s historical precedents, ancient and immediate—from parks and gardens, to Worlds Fairs and other exhibitions, from amusement parks to Los Angeles Streetscapes and research field trips.  Disney’s ancestry is pretty "amusing."  We begin with amusement and then go on to see the different contributions each ancestor made and how Disneyland blossomed from these roots. [Link to the "Amusing Ancestry" excursion]

End of section, continue to Impact of Disneyland

or proceed to Extra-Extra Excursions