THEMED SPACES
Disneyland, Walt Disney World, the Las Vegas Strip, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Six Flags, Goldfield Ghost Town, Colonial Williamsburg, Times Square, and Tijuana's Revolution Avenue are destinations noted for their use of theming and immersion.
Tiki bars, colonial villages, Western ghost towns, and living museums are templates of themed spaces and are thus integral to understanding themed design.
LESSONS FROM THEMED DESIGN
Tiki bars and clubs were designed to resemble an imagined South Pacific, usually with an implied Oriental or nautical motif. Like I mentioned in a different entry, Tiki culture wasn't exclusive to the continental United States. Keep the motif in mind. It's understandable to have the Tiki lifestyle tied to Spanish-Caribbean-Mexican motifs. For example, some Mexican resorts rely on the straw umbrellas for bars and thus evoke a Tiki vibe.
Colonial villages aren't always living museums and not all living museums are colonial villages. For example, Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's plantation, is technically not a living museum because living museums have actors demonstrating the activities of yesteryear. As an extension, the living museums seen in the English countryside are often villages that operate as tourist destinations, often competing with the draws of places like Stonehenge (I have yet to see Stonehenge, but next trip I'll hopefully visit) and London (now talk about a tourist destination!).
The debate over hyperrealism was quite entertaining, but when it was applied to the commodification of history in terms of a place's actual history, it was very disheartening to me as a fan of the ghost towns available in the Southwestern United States and even across the border in Northern Mexico. That being said, I figure that a place's history is part of the draw. Granted, all these places have history and relevance to the discussion, but when looking at how a town like Tombstone or Goldfield (just outside of Apache Junction, Arizona) can be marketed as an example of a major part of history, especially a major trend in one's national historical narrative, it outshines the modern fixtures (often more so examples of compliance with the building codes and safety regulations than anything else), the tourist "trap" angle, and the atmosphere of the place as being another "Disneyland" that was built within the past seventy years to profit off of the perceived history or even real history of a place. Luckily, the Disneyland Park in California has no reason to do this and thus can't do this. While it is very much a realization of a Hollywood mogul's dream and is seen cynically as a massive, well-themed studio lot, it has no references to the immediate area of Orange County or that area's history other than the adjacent theme park that opened in 2001. In fact, nearby Knott's Berry Farm with its world-famous ghost town (that actually used some of the remains of the silver-mining town of Calico) also falls into the same issue as Disneyland, but one must figure that the settlements of Anaheim or Buena Park all had a "ghost town" vibe prior to heavy development. I call it the "ghost town" dilemma because it poses the question of whether a historically significant space's commodification of said history distorts the history of the place or whether the allure of the place, which typically allows for nearby development and investment, disqualifies it from being a "ghost town" from an etymological perspective.
Criminals of Geography. This refers to the type of themed experience that gives a time and place to drive the story along with the imagined characters of that setting. What I mean is that typically we associate the Caribbean with the Golden Age of Piracy. We obviously associate cowpokes with the Wild West (the North American Frontier), Vikings with Celtic or Scandinavian countries, banditos with the American Southwest and Mexico, and the Renaissance with Europe. Attractions, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean at the Disney parks and the Western River Expedition planned for Disney World are both excellent examples of the "criminals of geography" concept as they not only based the attraction in the context of a historical setting, but with emphasis on the morally dubious characters who would inhabit such a place.
This concludes our adventurous lesson in themed design and be sure to return for the second part.
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Top Seven Tourist Destinations
I love to travel. The change of pace from the mundane, the thrill of seeing new places, and the general vibe associated with vacation or holiday. I've had the fortune of visiting a lot of places and yet in the past few years, I've largely visited a handful of the same places. Since 2016, I have visited three countries (including the United States) and I will be reviewing seven major destinations I've visited since 2016.
DISNEYLAND
Are you surprised that Disneyland is one of the places I've visited the most? After all, I write essays and essays and of course, essays on the Park, so it only makes sense that my frequent (bi-annual) visits to the original Magic Kingdom are included in such a list. Clearly, I feel attached to the theme park resort because even with the limited acreage, Disneyland Park has the most attractions of all the Magic Kingdom-style Disney parks. That's impressive considering how it borders not only a bustling road with buses, quirky hotels, and gift shops, but one of the busiest highways in the country.
MEXICO
This is our first international foray on the list and this is not exclusive to one border town here or there, but it's simultaneously not a detailed travelogue on such a complex and beautiful country. This is Mexico, after all, with the varied terrain and diversity of people and culture. In Mexico, you see not only the authentic Mexican culture that has been pollinated by Spanish and Indian (Native) influences, but the palette of cultures from as far as Asia to as nearby as the United States. The geography is no exception as Mexico isn't just deserts or jungles or beaches. In fact, the splendor of the Mexican interior may resemble the terrain of the American Southwest, but beyond different highways and routes lie exotic wonders with cascading waterfalls and greenery. However, please be careful if you visit Mexico as there are dangers involved with certain parts of the country.
Border towns, such as Nogales and Tijuana, are known to attract American, Canadian, and even European tourists on day-trips (or night trips if you feel so bold) and are meccas for shopping, drinking, and overall people-watching. Resorts like Cabo San Lucas are notable stops for college students on Spring Break and are overall the places that gringos visit while in the country. I didn't go to those fancy resort towns like my peers, but I managed to handle the border towns without incident, except a car accident on the American side, but that's a story for the memoirs.
CANADA
As per the country to the north, Canada is actually a safer and to be honest, better destination than Mexico. There is definitely less crime in cities like Vancouver than in the United States and Mexico, so that's a plus. Also, if you want to feel at home and you're British, American, or Australian, then Canada is your place. It wasn't even that cold when I was up there, so it's fine for a summer destination. Talking about what beauty these places offer, Canada wipes out Mexico in terms of natural beauty. From places like Vancouver and Whistler to Toronto and nearby Niagara Falls, Canada is well-endowed with natural beauty. For example, a nice little drive from the hustle-and-bustle of Vancouver up to the mountains via Lion's Gate Bridge will lead you to the Capilano River Park.
DISNEY WORLD
Back to the United States and our next stop is Walt Disney World in Florida. I've written extensively about the Florida resort, but I want to just say that it is honestly one of the highlights of a trip to Florida. I mean you have Busch Gardens in Tampa (I will admit that I have never been), Miami (another bucket list city), and the Kennedy Space Center on the Atlantic coast (it was closed the day I went to that end of the state), but most importantly you have the reason why Central Florida is one of the most visited regions in the States. It's not Universal nor Sea World, it's the place with a big golf ball and a tall castle next door marking its position as the living embodiment of Walt's dream.
I mean you have the Magic Kingdom, which is very similar to California's Disneyland, and that opened in 1971. You also have the progress-driven Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom park with a couple of water parks and dozens of themed resorts. I mean I will end up writing a travelogue about the Vacation Kingdom someday.
LAS VEGAS
As mentioned in a previous article, I went to Sin City early in January. I was thrilled with the city as I apparently was during my initial trip there in 1999 and clearly I was able to do more things. So Vegas is one of those places that is always changing. For example, I was born the year the New York New York hotel debuted and in the time that I've been alive, most of the casinos on the Strip at that time have either been demolished or have changed from their former selves. Compare that to the changes made in the past fifty years since Circus Circus opened in 1968 and you'll be amazed. In fact, this all stems from a desire in the 1980's and 1990's to revitalize Las Vegas and to turn its reputation of being a town ran by organized crime syndicates into a respectable, family-friendly destination.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
I love history. Ever since I was a little boy, I loved history and when I got the opportunity to visit the seat of the American government in 2016, I couldn't pass up such a chance. I went and I spent four days catching buses, photographing the sites, and touring the memorials. It was a special trip as it was for a national competition and I was a part of the team that made it happen, but that's again for my memoirs. So if you love American history, you'll feel right at home in D.C. If you are a moral person, you might not feel as comfortable with the government situated in that city.
HAWAII
Nothing quite sounds as relaxing as a nice day on a Hawaiian beach. Imagine it. You are lounging on a hammock with the blue Pacific in your view and you have a colorful drink. It's a sunny day and the scene is just right. You have Honolulu, which satisfies the honeymooners, the Tiki fanatics, and the naval history buffs in equal measure. Truly, Hawaii is a place that I felt comfortable visiting and it was the only one of the destinations I reviewed that required a flight off of the North American continent. Talk about exotic!
In conclusion, these places are calling for you and you should take the phone on this. Enjoy and be safe!
DISNEYLAND
Are you surprised that Disneyland is one of the places I've visited the most? After all, I write essays and essays and of course, essays on the Park, so it only makes sense that my frequent (bi-annual) visits to the original Magic Kingdom are included in such a list. Clearly, I feel attached to the theme park resort because even with the limited acreage, Disneyland Park has the most attractions of all the Magic Kingdom-style Disney parks. That's impressive considering how it borders not only a bustling road with buses, quirky hotels, and gift shops, but one of the busiest highways in the country.
MEXICO
This is our first international foray on the list and this is not exclusive to one border town here or there, but it's simultaneously not a detailed travelogue on such a complex and beautiful country. This is Mexico, after all, with the varied terrain and diversity of people and culture. In Mexico, you see not only the authentic Mexican culture that has been pollinated by Spanish and Indian (Native) influences, but the palette of cultures from as far as Asia to as nearby as the United States. The geography is no exception as Mexico isn't just deserts or jungles or beaches. In fact, the splendor of the Mexican interior may resemble the terrain of the American Southwest, but beyond different highways and routes lie exotic wonders with cascading waterfalls and greenery. However, please be careful if you visit Mexico as there are dangers involved with certain parts of the country.
Border towns, such as Nogales and Tijuana, are known to attract American, Canadian, and even European tourists on day-trips (or night trips if you feel so bold) and are meccas for shopping, drinking, and overall people-watching. Resorts like Cabo San Lucas are notable stops for college students on Spring Break and are overall the places that gringos visit while in the country. I didn't go to those fancy resort towns like my peers, but I managed to handle the border towns without incident, except a car accident on the American side, but that's a story for the memoirs.
CANADA
As per the country to the north, Canada is actually a safer and to be honest, better destination than Mexico. There is definitely less crime in cities like Vancouver than in the United States and Mexico, so that's a plus. Also, if you want to feel at home and you're British, American, or Australian, then Canada is your place. It wasn't even that cold when I was up there, so it's fine for a summer destination. Talking about what beauty these places offer, Canada wipes out Mexico in terms of natural beauty. From places like Vancouver and Whistler to Toronto and nearby Niagara Falls, Canada is well-endowed with natural beauty. For example, a nice little drive from the hustle-and-bustle of Vancouver up to the mountains via Lion's Gate Bridge will lead you to the Capilano River Park.
DISNEY WORLD
Back to the United States and our next stop is Walt Disney World in Florida. I've written extensively about the Florida resort, but I want to just say that it is honestly one of the highlights of a trip to Florida. I mean you have Busch Gardens in Tampa (I will admit that I have never been), Miami (another bucket list city), and the Kennedy Space Center on the Atlantic coast (it was closed the day I went to that end of the state), but most importantly you have the reason why Central Florida is one of the most visited regions in the States. It's not Universal nor Sea World, it's the place with a big golf ball and a tall castle next door marking its position as the living embodiment of Walt's dream.
I mean you have the Magic Kingdom, which is very similar to California's Disneyland, and that opened in 1971. You also have the progress-driven Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom park with a couple of water parks and dozens of themed resorts. I mean I will end up writing a travelogue about the Vacation Kingdom someday.
LAS VEGAS
As mentioned in a previous article, I went to Sin City early in January. I was thrilled with the city as I apparently was during my initial trip there in 1999 and clearly I was able to do more things. So Vegas is one of those places that is always changing. For example, I was born the year the New York New York hotel debuted and in the time that I've been alive, most of the casinos on the Strip at that time have either been demolished or have changed from their former selves. Compare that to the changes made in the past fifty years since Circus Circus opened in 1968 and you'll be amazed. In fact, this all stems from a desire in the 1980's and 1990's to revitalize Las Vegas and to turn its reputation of being a town ran by organized crime syndicates into a respectable, family-friendly destination.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
I love history. Ever since I was a little boy, I loved history and when I got the opportunity to visit the seat of the American government in 2016, I couldn't pass up such a chance. I went and I spent four days catching buses, photographing the sites, and touring the memorials. It was a special trip as it was for a national competition and I was a part of the team that made it happen, but that's again for my memoirs. So if you love American history, you'll feel right at home in D.C. If you are a moral person, you might not feel as comfortable with the government situated in that city.
HAWAII
Nothing quite sounds as relaxing as a nice day on a Hawaiian beach. Imagine it. You are lounging on a hammock with the blue Pacific in your view and you have a colorful drink. It's a sunny day and the scene is just right. You have Honolulu, which satisfies the honeymooners, the Tiki fanatics, and the naval history buffs in equal measure. Truly, Hawaii is a place that I felt comfortable visiting and it was the only one of the destinations I reviewed that required a flight off of the North American continent. Talk about exotic!
In conclusion, these places are calling for you and you should take the phone on this. Enjoy and be safe!
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Ideas
When I was nineteen years old, I wrote up a chart of "inventions" I wanted to see in the future, or at least when I predicted said technology or idea. Now I put inventions in quotes because some of the following were already around in some form or another by the time I started it in November 2016.
Inventions/Ideas
1. Dating App for Nerds and Geeks (2016-2017): This is self-explanatory because I am single and I am a nerd. Nerds on dating apps and sites don't have the best luck, so I was hoping this would be a thing to see. I was somewhat subdued on this point because someone did launch a dating app for professionals and academically-inclined people in 2017. I figured Facebook in its beta state was a college-based site that may have been influenced by the desire for a relationship of some sort, but apparently apps like Tinder are popular enough among college students for some reason.
2. Intelligent Androids Capable of Physical/Sexual Relationships, Spiritual/Intellectual Discussions (2007-2017): In 1997, Austin Powers saved the world by dancing seductively for a group of sexy androids that malfunctioned from his little striptease. That was a good year, believe me. Anyway, the idea of a "sex robot" was at least a material reality when the Animatronics of Disney fame married the plastic blow-up dolls of the time. Japan was/is certainly the hub of android technology where sex bots became a hot-ticket item. I mean we are talking about a country where a culture of repressed sexuality meets the high concentration of automation. Instead of just sex bots, which became subject to extreme derision from feminists in the past few years, we should also use AI to emphasize how human these androids can become without the vibes of 1980's dystopian films. So far, this is still a work in progress, but hopefully it'll be a thing in the next decade.
3. High-Speed Tubular Transportation (2013-2016): Back in 2016, I was reacquainted with an old friend from high school and he told me about his involvement in the Hyper-Loop Competition with Tesla. It reignited my old musings about a futuristic highway of tubular tunnels where high-speed pods race from one point to another. I wanted this when I was facing a long overseas flight, so I looked into the old transport designs used for Walt Disney's city of the future, EPCOT, and I realized that transportation is an important factor in various decisions, such as housing, labor, etc.
4. Automated Waiters/Cooks (2006-2016)
5. Automatic Turrets (2007-2010): Years of playing Splinter Cell and being involved with military technology, even at a non-participatory level, I always wondered if an automatic turret were being developed. I'd imagine that private military corporations developing technology for military ops have considered the application of sci-fi technology to protect high-value targets from hitmen or spies. I read an article in 2016 about the turrets being developed by various corporations and I also read somewhere that some of these turrets were going to be used to secure the borderlands of southern Arizona to erect the border wall promised by US President Trump, so maybe my prediction was a little too close to home.
6. Multi-Medium Television Sets (2007-2015): On a better topic, I noticed how some televisions have DVD players installed into the sets. I looked back further at the television advertisements from the 1940's to the 1970's and some of the television sets included record players, radios, and even bars.
7. Themed, Detailed Environments (2005-2017): Theme parks have been creating new realms for decades and often these environments offer an escape from reality. Disneyland, Disney World, Knott's Berry Farm, the Las Vegas Strip, Six Flags, and Universal Studios are all examples of how theming can be applied to various spaces to enhance the experience. I have written a lot about theming and it's one of my areas of expertise.
8. Motion-Detecting Cameras (2005-2017): This was another security measure inspired by Splinter Cell. The motion signals the camera to record the movement and to monitor the area. Talk about some James Bond level surveillance.
9. Amendable Houses (2011): This sounds obscure, but my obsession with architecture and technology had inspired me to design a pre-fab house that can be customized to the dictates of the occupants. Want another bedroom? Then a new addition to the house would be safely installed without ruining the rest of the dwelling.
10. PDF Archives (2014-2017): Back in the mid-2010's, PDFs were fairly new to me and I always wanted a "free library" of PDFs or some sort of archive to keep those files safe for posterity. So far, a cursory glance at my phone's library, you'll spot at least three hundred PDFs. In fact, I regrettably lost my old PDFs in a network glitch in 2017 and had to retrieve each of them.
11. Self-Driving Vehicles (2014-2015): This felt apparent at the time. So far, there are, in the works, self-driving cars. Hopefully, it'll be on a series of tracks that coordinate with other vehicles to avoid accidents. This is pretty much a conductor-less train.
Inventions/Ideas
1. Dating App for Nerds and Geeks (2016-2017): This is self-explanatory because I am single and I am a nerd. Nerds on dating apps and sites don't have the best luck, so I was hoping this would be a thing to see. I was somewhat subdued on this point because someone did launch a dating app for professionals and academically-inclined people in 2017. I figured Facebook in its beta state was a college-based site that may have been influenced by the desire for a relationship of some sort, but apparently apps like Tinder are popular enough among college students for some reason.
2. Intelligent Androids Capable of Physical/Sexual Relationships, Spiritual/Intellectual Discussions (2007-2017): In 1997, Austin Powers saved the world by dancing seductively for a group of sexy androids that malfunctioned from his little striptease. That was a good year, believe me. Anyway, the idea of a "sex robot" was at least a material reality when the Animatronics of Disney fame married the plastic blow-up dolls of the time. Japan was/is certainly the hub of android technology where sex bots became a hot-ticket item. I mean we are talking about a country where a culture of repressed sexuality meets the high concentration of automation. Instead of just sex bots, which became subject to extreme derision from feminists in the past few years, we should also use AI to emphasize how human these androids can become without the vibes of 1980's dystopian films. So far, this is still a work in progress, but hopefully it'll be a thing in the next decade.
3. High-Speed Tubular Transportation (2013-2016): Back in 2016, I was reacquainted with an old friend from high school and he told me about his involvement in the Hyper-Loop Competition with Tesla. It reignited my old musings about a futuristic highway of tubular tunnels where high-speed pods race from one point to another. I wanted this when I was facing a long overseas flight, so I looked into the old transport designs used for Walt Disney's city of the future, EPCOT, and I realized that transportation is an important factor in various decisions, such as housing, labor, etc.
4. Automated Waiters/Cooks (2006-2016)
5. Automatic Turrets (2007-2010): Years of playing Splinter Cell and being involved with military technology, even at a non-participatory level, I always wondered if an automatic turret were being developed. I'd imagine that private military corporations developing technology for military ops have considered the application of sci-fi technology to protect high-value targets from hitmen or spies. I read an article in 2016 about the turrets being developed by various corporations and I also read somewhere that some of these turrets were going to be used to secure the borderlands of southern Arizona to erect the border wall promised by US President Trump, so maybe my prediction was a little too close to home.
6. Multi-Medium Television Sets (2007-2015): On a better topic, I noticed how some televisions have DVD players installed into the sets. I looked back further at the television advertisements from the 1940's to the 1970's and some of the television sets included record players, radios, and even bars.
7. Themed, Detailed Environments (2005-2017): Theme parks have been creating new realms for decades and often these environments offer an escape from reality. Disneyland, Disney World, Knott's Berry Farm, the Las Vegas Strip, Six Flags, and Universal Studios are all examples of how theming can be applied to various spaces to enhance the experience. I have written a lot about theming and it's one of my areas of expertise.
8. Motion-Detecting Cameras (2005-2017): This was another security measure inspired by Splinter Cell. The motion signals the camera to record the movement and to monitor the area. Talk about some James Bond level surveillance.
9. Amendable Houses (2011): This sounds obscure, but my obsession with architecture and technology had inspired me to design a pre-fab house that can be customized to the dictates of the occupants. Want another bedroom? Then a new addition to the house would be safely installed without ruining the rest of the dwelling.
10. PDF Archives (2014-2017): Back in the mid-2010's, PDFs were fairly new to me and I always wanted a "free library" of PDFs or some sort of archive to keep those files safe for posterity. So far, a cursory glance at my phone's library, you'll spot at least three hundred PDFs. In fact, I regrettably lost my old PDFs in a network glitch in 2017 and had to retrieve each of them.
11. Self-Driving Vehicles (2014-2015): This felt apparent at the time. So far, there are, in the works, self-driving cars. Hopefully, it'll be on a series of tracks that coordinate with other vehicles to avoid accidents. This is pretty much a conductor-less train.
It's All Fair
Recently, I had this assignment, which required me to assume the role of a French journalist attending the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia. I enjoyed it, but I started thinking about world fairs in general because they always fascinated me.
Obviously, I immediately think of a handful of expositions, such as the 1851 Great Exhibition held in London to showcase Victorian England on the world stage (other than occupying large sections of the globe), the aforementioned 1876 Expo in Philadelphia, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis ("Meet me in St. Louis, Meet me at the Fair"), the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the 1934 Century of Progress in Chicago, the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Brussels Expo of 1958, 1962's Century 21 Exposition in Seattle (Elvis went there), the 1964 World's Fair in New York, Expo 67 in Montreal, Expo 70 in Osaka, and more.
One of the purposes of an international exposition or a World's Fair was to showcase the technology pertinent to the general theme of the Fair. For example, the world fairs of the 1970's really seemed to focus on the environment, reflecting the fears and even effects of severe environmental degradation, and these fairs would focus on specialized technology to combat those issues.
For the more geographically-based expos, the purpose was either to promote the development of a location or to at least, the purpose was to commemorate a certain aspect of history. For example, the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle was not only to promote the Pacific Northwest for future development, but it also served as a museum to recall the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Another motive in the development of this expo was based on a desire to rival the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition.
As a Disney historian and a historian in general, I've decided to look at how world fairs have not only shaped Disney history, but how world fairs intersect with Disney.
Of course, the most talked about international expo connected with Disney was the New York World's Fair in 1964 and 1965. As early as 1960, Walt was said to have displayed an interest in participating in international expositions. In 1962, he got that opportunity when infamous urban planner Robert Moses visited Walt in California and upon seeing an early prototype of the Lincoln animatronic, he knew Disney would do wonders for participants at the Fair. Disney initially signed on to help design the pavilions for the State of Illinois, General Electric, Ford, and Kodak, but Pepsi-Co needed a pavilion and Joan Crawford recommended Disney. The result was a boat ride called Children of the World, later renamed It's a Small World.
While Disney gave up on the Kodak Pavilion, they went to work on Small World, the Progressland show, the Lincoln exhibit, and a car ride through time (sponsored by Ford, of course), which all opened in April 1964 and ran for both seasons.
Afterwards, the attractions were either moved to California for installation at Disneyland or destroyed.
However, that wasn't Disney's first rodeo in the wonderful world of, well, world fairs.
Walt's father, Elias Disney, had worked in Chicago on the Exposition in 1893 and Walt attended a handful of expositions, including the original New York World's Fair in 1939. Part of his experience traveling to railroad expos or international showcases can be spotted in his Park.
Let's take a moment to also remember that Walt had contributed his directorial expertise to Brussels' Expo '58 with the Circlevision technology. The Monorail was replicated at the Century 21 Expo in Seattle just three years after debuting at Disneyland. When he died, the designers were working on New Tomorrowland were also working with Bell on an interactive exhibit where spectators at Disneyland can call and actually see fair-goers in Montreal in real time as part of Expo 67. Heck, Disney management and designers took a trip three years later to Expo 70 in Japan in order to gauge how to operate a massive operation like Walt Disney World.
In fact, those international expos played not only a role in introducing the technology and concepts seen in Disney's many beloved attractions, but it even shaped Walt's final dream, even after his death in 1966.
EPCOT was Disney's most ambitious dream after Disneyland. You see that by 1966 Walt had been involved with not only exhibits for corporate sponsors, but he understood the necessity of emerging technology to meet the needs of the population. While in New York for the World's Fair, he was reportedly impressed by the level of hospitality given to corporate sponsors and when he went back to California, he knew that a certain level of accommodation was appropriate for corporate sponsors, or lessees***. Initially, the Carousel Theater that would house General Electric's Carousel of Progress would also house the massive facilities needed for executives, but the lack of available space made a change in location necessary and that's sort of how Club 33 in New Orleans Square became a reality.
Knowing full well that Disneyland had already proved itself to be a game-changer in urban design and architecture, Disney went about addressing the issues that he felt would impact future generations by marrying his knowledge of design, hospitality, and technology.
With the WED-Way technology developed for the World's Fair, this ride system served as a prototype for the People Mover, another form of mass-transit Disney had marketed to the world, and this was a defining part of EPCOT as Disney imagined it. The layout of EPCOT would be based on the hub-and-spoke pattern of Disneyland where the spectators are transported into the center of the city and through People-Movers, they were then transported to the outer layers of the city.
It would probably have worked like intended had Disney lived for another five years, but at least the land Disney purchased was put to good use when Roy Disney continued to build the recreational aspect of EPCOT that opened in 1971.
Then, a miracle happened. It wasn't exactly Walt's Utopia, but it was certainly not a betrayal of his legacy. You see EPCOT still gestated in the minds of designers through the 1960's and 1970's, despite the death of its visionary. The Village at Lake Buena Vista was the urban realization of EPCOT on a smaller scale when it opened in 1975. Meanwhile, the name "EPCOT" was applied to a new theme park being designed for Walt Disney World as early as 1974. Originally, Epcot was supposed to be an international shopping center and technology showcase, but it transformed into a theme park focusing on those concepts. By 1980, Epcot was under construction with the duality of Future World and the World Showcase, both nods to the two overarching themes of various world fairs.
In essence, Walt Disney's last dream was a testament to his life's work as a designer, an artist, a pioneer, and a visionary.
***-Disneyland already had a private location for VIPs since 1955.
Obviously, I immediately think of a handful of expositions, such as the 1851 Great Exhibition held in London to showcase Victorian England on the world stage (other than occupying large sections of the globe), the aforementioned 1876 Expo in Philadelphia, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis ("Meet me in St. Louis, Meet me at the Fair"), the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the 1934 Century of Progress in Chicago, the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Brussels Expo of 1958, 1962's Century 21 Exposition in Seattle (Elvis went there), the 1964 World's Fair in New York, Expo 67 in Montreal, Expo 70 in Osaka, and more.
One of the purposes of an international exposition or a World's Fair was to showcase the technology pertinent to the general theme of the Fair. For example, the world fairs of the 1970's really seemed to focus on the environment, reflecting the fears and even effects of severe environmental degradation, and these fairs would focus on specialized technology to combat those issues.
For the more geographically-based expos, the purpose was either to promote the development of a location or to at least, the purpose was to commemorate a certain aspect of history. For example, the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle was not only to promote the Pacific Northwest for future development, but it also served as a museum to recall the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Another motive in the development of this expo was based on a desire to rival the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition.
As a Disney historian and a historian in general, I've decided to look at how world fairs have not only shaped Disney history, but how world fairs intersect with Disney.
Of course, the most talked about international expo connected with Disney was the New York World's Fair in 1964 and 1965. As early as 1960, Walt was said to have displayed an interest in participating in international expositions. In 1962, he got that opportunity when infamous urban planner Robert Moses visited Walt in California and upon seeing an early prototype of the Lincoln animatronic, he knew Disney would do wonders for participants at the Fair. Disney initially signed on to help design the pavilions for the State of Illinois, General Electric, Ford, and Kodak, but Pepsi-Co needed a pavilion and Joan Crawford recommended Disney. The result was a boat ride called Children of the World, later renamed It's a Small World.
While Disney gave up on the Kodak Pavilion, they went to work on Small World, the Progressland show, the Lincoln exhibit, and a car ride through time (sponsored by Ford, of course), which all opened in April 1964 and ran for both seasons.
Afterwards, the attractions were either moved to California for installation at Disneyland or destroyed.
However, that wasn't Disney's first rodeo in the wonderful world of, well, world fairs.
Walt's father, Elias Disney, had worked in Chicago on the Exposition in 1893 and Walt attended a handful of expositions, including the original New York World's Fair in 1939. Part of his experience traveling to railroad expos or international showcases can be spotted in his Park.
Let's take a moment to also remember that Walt had contributed his directorial expertise to Brussels' Expo '58 with the Circlevision technology. The Monorail was replicated at the Century 21 Expo in Seattle just three years after debuting at Disneyland. When he died, the designers were working on New Tomorrowland were also working with Bell on an interactive exhibit where spectators at Disneyland can call and actually see fair-goers in Montreal in real time as part of Expo 67. Heck, Disney management and designers took a trip three years later to Expo 70 in Japan in order to gauge how to operate a massive operation like Walt Disney World.
In fact, those international expos played not only a role in introducing the technology and concepts seen in Disney's many beloved attractions, but it even shaped Walt's final dream, even after his death in 1966.
EPCOT was Disney's most ambitious dream after Disneyland. You see that by 1966 Walt had been involved with not only exhibits for corporate sponsors, but he understood the necessity of emerging technology to meet the needs of the population. While in New York for the World's Fair, he was reportedly impressed by the level of hospitality given to corporate sponsors and when he went back to California, he knew that a certain level of accommodation was appropriate for corporate sponsors, or lessees***. Initially, the Carousel Theater that would house General Electric's Carousel of Progress would also house the massive facilities needed for executives, but the lack of available space made a change in location necessary and that's sort of how Club 33 in New Orleans Square became a reality.
Knowing full well that Disneyland had already proved itself to be a game-changer in urban design and architecture, Disney went about addressing the issues that he felt would impact future generations by marrying his knowledge of design, hospitality, and technology.
With the WED-Way technology developed for the World's Fair, this ride system served as a prototype for the People Mover, another form of mass-transit Disney had marketed to the world, and this was a defining part of EPCOT as Disney imagined it. The layout of EPCOT would be based on the hub-and-spoke pattern of Disneyland where the spectators are transported into the center of the city and through People-Movers, they were then transported to the outer layers of the city.
It would probably have worked like intended had Disney lived for another five years, but at least the land Disney purchased was put to good use when Roy Disney continued to build the recreational aspect of EPCOT that opened in 1971.
Then, a miracle happened. It wasn't exactly Walt's Utopia, but it was certainly not a betrayal of his legacy. You see EPCOT still gestated in the minds of designers through the 1960's and 1970's, despite the death of its visionary. The Village at Lake Buena Vista was the urban realization of EPCOT on a smaller scale when it opened in 1975. Meanwhile, the name "EPCOT" was applied to a new theme park being designed for Walt Disney World as early as 1974. Originally, Epcot was supposed to be an international shopping center and technology showcase, but it transformed into a theme park focusing on those concepts. By 1980, Epcot was under construction with the duality of Future World and the World Showcase, both nods to the two overarching themes of various world fairs.
In essence, Walt Disney's last dream was a testament to his life's work as a designer, an artist, a pioneer, and a visionary.
***-Disneyland already had a private location for VIPs since 1955.
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