When you think of art, I doubt you think of Disneyland. But when you hear Disneyland, you automatically think, the “most magical place on earth”. Thomas Merton once said, “In art we both lose ourselves and find ourselves”. I can’t think of a place that embodies this concept better than Disneyland. When people go to Disney, they often don’t notice the large aspect of art present. But the truth is, a big part of the magic there, stems from the art incorporated everywhere you turn.
The park, as well as letting the visitors engross themselves in lands of imagination that they can walk and ride through, is also filled with how America interprets the world around itself. It’s stepping into a book filled with stories of our homeland that never existed. There are many different lands to fall prey to fantastic imaginings in Disneyland. There’s a version of the Wild West, filled with saloons and the excitement of the gold rush (Frontierland). There’s a vision of a retro utopian-like future and visions of faraway travel into space (Tomorrowland). There’s a take on the stouthearted South, filled with mean-spirited pirates, and terrifying ghouls (New Orleans Square). Sure, these mystical places may be fictional, but these tell us more about the country that created them, the dreams, and reflections; the bad and good.
But can this truly be considered art? Yes. Recently, there has been a heightened desire to see as such. Each little detail added to the park is there to further your fantasy world, where everyone has a chance to be a kid again. For all the cultural eminence in Disneyland, and even with the about 18.6m visitors it attracts every year, the park hasn’t much been discussed in that way. And the same goes for the other parks in Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Florida.
That has begun to change though. There are now documentaries on Disney+ that have highlighted the behind-the-scenes way the magic works at Disneyland, as well as the artistic ingenuity that was put into some of the most famous rides at the park. It also tells the in-depth history of the park. Mark Brickey, a presenter and artist who has a podcast called “Disneyland for Designers”, unwinds the design secrets that make the park tick and the magic start, said, “For the first time, Disney is trying to tell its own story and acknowledge the ingredients that make up the magic.” There have been many podcasts, YouTube channels, and Instagram accounts that have been breaking down the park’s inner workings and pushing for it to be seen differently in our culture. Since it was opened, Disneyland has been linked with frivolous fun and cotton candy-fueled entertainment. But now, many fans of Disney are wishing upon a star for Disneyland to be seen as more than that.
It’s difficult to do this though; if you’re an adult who adores Disneyland, you’re seen as childish and get weird looks over the dinner table. People go and love Disneyland because they truly want to be able to believe in the impossible. Personal spaceships and pirates can coexist, and it’s still possible to solve every problem with a true love’s kiss. Disneyland puts them under that spell where they can believe anything they want to believe.
Disneyland is quickly becoming a larger fascination for adults than for kids. In the podcast, “Very Amusing”, created by Carlye Wisel about various theme parks and the culture surrounding them, he said, “Disneyland is meticulously architected so that every single design choice reinforces the story surrounding it”. The intrigue of Disney lies in its detail, placed everywhere in all aspects of the park. If
you take the time to look, the pastel paints on the floor tiles or buildings beneath your feet in Adventureland are different from the ones in New Orleans Square. Its bathroom doors, plants around its walkways and even the garbage bins in the park have different aesthetic identities matching whatever part of the park you’re in. Every little design, even the ones most don’t notice, carefully follows the mood of the land you’re immersed in. It’s almost unbelievable when you think about all the details. So few people notice these details that are a part of the park’s romance. Every single magical touch is in the service of building, and holding onto the fantasy, that if out of place, would make the illusion of magic crumbles down around it. Disneyland is full of many designs that don’t draw attention to themselves, instead, it silently contributes to the magic surrounding you walking the streets. Although I suppose none of this depth in creativity should be a surprise when you take a glimpse at Disneyland’s past. The history reveals strong artistic roots, vital to the growth of Disneyland.
We’re so used to Disneyland simply being here, but back when it was created the idea of it was radical. When the people who animated movies were given the task of designing an amusement park, they were given the title of Imagineers, which they made up themselves, because there was no job like it before. Imagineers were artists, with artistic temperaments. Each of them had a rockstar personality with the freedom to exert their individualism as artists that Imagineers don’t have today. There was room for the artists to leave little pieces of themselves on their designs. Each of these artists had a distinctive style.
Today the designs are much more of a company thing. On the park’s opening day, the ripples of its success weren’t just artistic, they were societal too. Disneyland is the largest art project ever made. And it affects people with its design in magical ways, whether people realize it or not. Try to focus on the tiny details next time you go to Disneyland. It will make your trip seem even more magical. The amount of work the Imagineers went through to make magic prominent throughout the park for its visitors.
