Originally Posted By TomSawyer When Disney took the Herb Ryman drawing of his proposed theme park to financiers, he also brought a summary of the park written by Bill Walsh. Here it is: "The idea of Disneyland is a simple one. It will be a place for people to find happiness and knowledge. "It will be a place for parents and children to share pleasant times in one another's company: a place for teachers and pupils to discover greater ways of understanding and education. Here the older generation can recapture the nostalgia of days gone by and the younger generation can savor the challenge of the future. Here will be the wonders of nature and man for all to see and understand. "Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, the hard facts that have created America. And it will be uniquely equipped to dramatize those dreams and acts and send them forth as a source of courage and inspiration to all the world. "Disneyland will be something of a fair, and exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic. "It will be filled with accomplishments, the joys and hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make those wonders parts of our own lives." Does Disneyland still educate? Is it still a place to find knowledge? Does it inspire kids with the wonders of the natural world, the inspiring story of our past, and the promise of the future? Does it still seem to be dedicated to the ideals and dreams that created America?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss In a word, no. Not that there aren't things still remaining that could be inspiring or educational, but the primary driving force behind today's Disneyland is synergy: movie and property tie-ins rule the day.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss This is one area where WDW is better than DLR. Both Epcot and DAK offer quite a bit of real "edutainment."
Originally Posted By smd4 >>>In a word, no. Not that there aren't things still remaining that could be inspiring or educational, but the primary driving force behind today's Disneyland is synergy: movie and property tie-ins rule the day.<<< I think this sums up the new "mission statement" nicely.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub It inspires me to self-hynotize myself and train my mind to ignore the movie and character commercialization.
Originally Posted By Bellella Frontierland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland were originally meant to inspire adventure and in the case of TL, progress. Now it's all about merchandising and character promotion. Even It's A Small World, which was supposed to inspire peace and goodwill, has been ruined by over-synergy. It's really sad and sick to tell the truth. Oh, Walt, I'm sorry your brainchild had to be taken over by greedy swell-headed philistine rotten capitalists!
Originally Posted By CuriouserConstance Bellella you seem to take things a bit too far and seriously. I think it's silly to say that Small World is RUINED. I mean, the characters added are barely noticeable. And seem to fit in with the rest of the attraction okay enough.
Originally Posted By mousermerf All i can think of when see this thread is the Inspiration Falls line.. ..named such because it's inspired so many people to go.. ... ...deeper into the jungle!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Disneyland used to inspire me greatly, certainly for the first 25-30 years of my life. But when they started shilling themselves at the expense of edutainment and theming, and lost their dedication to their original mission statement, I lost my dedication too. It is really sad when a local thrill park has a more efficient monorail system. Disneyland encouraged me to investigate more about the natural world, Africa, Asia and South America; I discovered the cultures of the south seas and different tribal dances; it inspired me to learn more about real pirate history; I first discovered glass blowing, geology, candle making and vaudeville thanks to DL; I wanted to learn the real history of Davy Crockett and the Alamo thanks to DL; I wondered at the international cultures represented in IASW (I even studied for my BS in International Relations with a goal for working for Unicef, partially inspired by IASW; I was always was facinated by the world on the move, the technology displayed in the post show of America the Beautiful; dreamt about being an astronaut on a Mission to Mars; read more about molecular science, inspired by Adventures through Inner Space; built an appreciation of Abraham Lincoln with history made tangible; and saw Dinosaurs brought to life. Almost all of DL inspired me, except Fantasyland, which held little appeal, even as a kid. Sadly, nothing has been built in DL that has inspired in the same way for decades. You could argue Big Thunder was the start of the decline, cemented by Toon Town. I had a flicker of hope with DCA, which we loved when we went for the opening year, but by our last trip 2 years ago, virtually all the edutainment had been ripped out. Disneyland is now an amusement park. It used to be an inspiration. The nostalgia and atmosphere brings us back occassionally, but to be honest, we can get a similar vibe at Tivoli Gardens (that inspired Walt).
Originally Posted By Bellella Oh, I remember all that great edutainment stuff at DCA. That didn't last too long, did it? Just shows how human nature is. People would rather be sold entertainment than education, progress or inspiration.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 DL doesn't inspire or educate the way it used to. But there are still nuggets there, at least.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones I don't think Disneyland did much educating back in the day, to tell you the truth. It's just an amusement park that a bunch of artists put a little more effort into than most parks, all directed by a megalomaniac genius.
