Disneyland
TO ALL WHO COME TO THIS HAPPY PLACE: WELCOME.
DISNEYLAND IS YOUR LAND.
HERE AGE RELIVES FOND MEMORIES OF THE PAST . . . .
AND HERE YOUTH MAY SAVOR THE CHALLENGE
AND PROMISE OF THE FUTURE.
DISNEYLAND IS DEDICATED TO THE IDEALS,
THE DREAMS AND THE HARD
FACTS THAT HAVE CREATED AMERICA . . .
WITH THE HOPE THAT IT WILL BE A SOURCE OF JOY
AND INSPIRATION TO ALL THE WORLD.
JULY 17, 1955
—Plaque in Town Square at Disneyland (Finch, 1983, p. 393)
Welcome to the Disneyland chapter where we will explore the promise of play.
[Remember, you can click on the planets and BPMs chart at the top of each page and get more detailed descriptions on each of the different images. You can also click on any of the images in the dissertation to see a bigger picture on a blank page.]
Click on the running conversations ∆RC's to see what's going on behind the scenes.
Guide to Disneyland
The cultural piece we will consider now is Disneyland, which opened July 17, 1955. Disneyland looks back imaginally to childhood—to Walt Disney’s own childhood at the turn of the Twentieth Century depicted in Main Street USA, and also at the more distant pasts of Frontier America and the geographic past of the colonial period in Frontierland and Adventureland.
Disneyland Beneath the Stars—Astrological Aspects
Before we see how the world was gathered in the 1950s, we will look at how the sky was gathered for Disneyland’s birth on July 17, 1955. [link to Disneyland's chart] In this section, I will briefly describe the archetypal combinations that were present at the time and give a few examples from both culture and a preview of what we will find in Disneyland, before we actually go there ourselves. I will also be referring back to the turn of the Twentieth Century as I do so, because this is the time period that Disneyland looks back to.
Flashback to Fabulous Fifties
As the 1950s began, America had just been through two World Wars, Prohibition and the Great Depression. 100 million people had lost their lives, and these massive traumas reverberated in the collective psyche. And as if that weren’t enough, America was now in the middle of the Cold War. We will now consider the decade of the 1950s keeping this in mind.
Overview and Orientation of Disneyland
When you arrive at Disneyland, you get a map of Disneyland that points out the various attractions that can be found in each of the different themed lands, so that you can plan your journey. Not everyone visits every attraction, and there is so much to do at Disneyland that it often takes several trips to see everything.
Impact of Disneyland—Lessons Learned From The House of Mouse.
Just as fantasy creations escaped from amusement parks early in the Twentieth Century, and found themselves all along roadsides in Southern California, Disney designs have followed their fantastic ancestors and made their way out into the world influencing just about everything. Disney design has become the prototype for more and more “real” environments – both urban and residential, from strip malls and shopping centers, to urban restoration; whole townscapes have been models after Disney’s Main Street USA. Disney’s genius for theming influenced not only other rival theme parks, but is present in themed restaurants and the Las Vegas strip. Disney design is not the only thing that Disneyland has to offer the world; here are some important lessons that Disneyland has to offer about life and play. So, we will take one last stroll around Disneyland, going through each land in turn, beginning with Main Street USA taking a freewheeling tour, and a backwards glance at these archetypal lessons of the lands.