Disney World Reviews as being Postmodern.Walt Disney World: I am a college student writng a paper on the "Postmodern Disney World." I am looking for reviews of Disney World by using questions below, or reviews on similar topics. Did anyone experience Disney as a 'hyperreality"?...etc.
From Al Carpenito
I am a college student writng a paper on the "Postmodern Disney World." I am looking for reviews of Disney World by using the postmodern questions below, or reviews on similar topics.Posted November 1, 2007 at 3:49 PM Would anyone be willing, or already have an idea of a Disney World experience that they would call 'postmodern.' Did anyone experience Disney as a'hyperreality?' Do you find aspects of irony, pastiche, or reflexivity? Do you see rampant consumerism, the loss of authenticity, relativism, the loss of history, or fragmented identity? Does Disney World represent social-historical conditions such as taste,class, sexualitygender, national identity, and ethnicity? If anyone could write a review, or already has a review, could you please email it to me or leave it on the post. albert.carpenito@gmail.com Thank You for your help!
Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond. From Anthony Murphy
If you could define postmodern a little more and your other terms, I would be glad to help you out!Posted November 1, 2007 at 6:15 PM
From Lee Mak
I have experienced moments of hyperreality in the disney parks for sure. I think the one park that is more of a hyperreality than all the others would have to be the animal kingdom. Although not everyones favorite park, the animal kingdom does a fantastic job of blurring the lines between what is real and what is the fantasy. By placing psuedo-pens in ride queues with flightless birds or random large reptiles, you get the sense of total immersion into the animal world. Although fenced in, the enclosures come to below waist height and are easily seen by the smallest of the park guests (this is on the kilimanjaro safari queue). Posted November 2, 2007 at 1:01 PM Another way the hyperreality can be expressed in the Animal kingdom is the "Everest" attraction. From before you even get to it, you have to pretty much go through all of the Asia section, passing the monkey enclosure that looks like a temple with "vines" all over it. The statues of hindi and buddhist gods give you the feeling of reverence before you reach the attraction. Once on the line, you pass through a sherpa station, a musueum of yeti history that has the feeling of a homegrown and authenic mountain past. You are forever reminded of the size of Everest from the scaling involved on the ride itself. The sounds of ceremonial bells, the smell of insensce, and the overall remote location of the attraction all add to the suspension of disbelief. Now you owe me ten bucks for this portion of your paper! Enjoy
From Anthony Murphy
Oh you are talking about blurring reality!Posted November 2, 2007 at 1:37 PM Yeah, Disney does that! As mentioned the best park that does this totally is Animal Kingdom for the reasons mentioned. IOA does the same thing. Not that the other parks do not have it, but its more in the attractions than the entire park itself. Some good attractions that do this are The Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, Everest, Test Track, Mission Space, etc. I think one of the biggest aspects to the rides mentioned above is that the line is a bit of an attraction of itself. Using the ToT for an example, they use misters to simulate fog (also doubles for a cooling apparatus) and plays old swing band music while you wait in an overgrown garden. Though the music is not at all scary, it somehow makes the whole experience creepier. Still after more than ten years, it remains one of the creepiest rides! Another way, in my opinion, Disney does this is my ride technology. You can now talk to Crush or Mike Wazowski. Another example of this is Stitch's Great Escape. Yes, its a very weak ride, but the Stitch Animatronic is very lifelike. Now this also does not just stand with the attractions, but with your dining experince. MGM is well known for this with Sci Fi Dine in and 50s Prime Time Cafe or better yet, Cinderella's Royal Table in the Castle because lets face it, don't you want to be treated like royalty? Anyway, there are my ideas. This is also what I think makes IOA so appealing to people. It also blurs the line between what is real and what is not real. I always wonder what makes Disney World and IOA so popular and you have given me an answer!
From Karin S
Isn't the point of the entire resort to blur the line between fantasy and reality? That's one of the things Disney does so well. Granted, some attractions and restaurants do it better than others, but the whole point of the WDW resort is to transport the guest to another time and/or place. Between the themed parks to the themed hotels, you're invited to leave your reality at the door. Now, if we would only turn off our cell phones, the immersion would be complete.Posted November 3, 2007 at 8:32 AM
From Chris Walton
I concur, Disney is best at blurring the line between fantasy and reality.Posted November 4, 2007 at 4:41 PM
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