History according to Disney

A comparative Analysis of the historical Theming in Disneyland

California and Disneyland Paris

2

Index

0.0 Introduction Pp. 4

0.1 – Introduction Pp. 4

0.2 – Method Pp.

0.3 – Theory Pp.

1.0 Chapter 1 Pp.

1.1 - Introduction Pp.

1.2 - Historical Theming Disneyland California Pp.

1.3 - Similarities Disney California and Disney Paris Pp.

1.4 - Conclusion Pp.

2.0 Chapter 2 Pp.

2.1 - Introduction Pp.

2.2 - Mainstreet USA Pp.

2.3 – Frontierland Pp.

2.4 - Conclusion Pp.

3.0 Chapter 3 Pp.

3.1 - Introduction Pp.

3.2 – Fantasyland Pp.

3.3 – Adventureland Pp.

3.4 – Discoveryland Pp.

3.5 - Conclusion Pp.

4.0 Conclusion Pp.

Bibliography Pp.

3

Introduction

For years now Disneyland Paris has been the number one tourist destination in Europe. This Walt

Disney company amusement park was opened in 1992 and has become increasingly popular ever

since. It was the 4th Disney park that was built in accordance with the model of the original

Disneyland California park which was designed by Walt Disney himself and opened in 1955. These

parks are not just popular for their rides but also for their themed snacks, parades, shows and

merchandise. Going to these parks is unlike going to a regular theme park. For one, these parks are

called resorts, and they all have multiple themed hotels that are part of the resorts, by which

designers ensure that people can enter a sort of ‘Disney Bubble’ and not having to leave it for the

entirety of their visit. These resorts also tend to consist of multiple smaller parks. Usually, there is

one large theme park within these resorts that is modelled after the original Disneyland California

park, which is often seen as the main park. Most resorts have even more theme parks that people

can visit, for example, Disneyland Paris also has a Walt Disney Studios park.

Overall Disneyland Paris is themed after the Disney characters and films, however, some

areas are also inspired by other, non-Disney themes, namely geographical locations and historical periods.

These themes are based on geographical locations and historical periods. There are 5 areas:

Mainstreet USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, and Discoveryland. While historically

themed amusement parks are quite common in the US, this trend of historically themed amusement

parks are scarcely executed in Europe. During the creation of the Disneyland Park in California Walt

Disney and the Disney company were very interested in history and were creating many ‘historical’

films. Therefore, as the main park of Disneyland Paris is modelled after the main park of Disneyland

California, it is reasonable to assume that Disneyland Paris was also themed after History. Or at

least, what was perceived to be history by Walt Disney and other ‘imagineers’ (Disney creators) back

in the 1950s. Moreover, in the case of Disneyland Paris the references to history are downplayed in

their advertising even though it is modelled after the California park in which they do emphasize the

historical theming. The official Disneyland Paris website describes the main park as follows: “Be

transported to a world that inspires the imagination, where wonder and enchantment fill the air all

year round. With Sleeping Beauty Castle at the heart of this fairy-tale setting, the attractions, shows,

parades and restaurants will immerse you in the Disney magic you know and love.” (Disneyland

Paris).

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For the creation of the Disneyland Paris park many choices were made pertaining to the

theming. Some areas were mostly kept the same as in Disneyland California, whereas, others were

radically changed. There are different motives for each of those decisions, many of which have to do

with the perceived differences and similarities between American and European culture. As such, in

this thesis I aim to answer the question: In what ways do the original Disneyland’s historically

themed representations inform Disneyland Paris’ themed environments? In the first chapter I will

discuss the historical theming in Disneyland California, and some of the larger similarities between

the park structures of Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. In the second and third chapter I

will discuss the theming in each of the themed ‘lands’ in Disneyland Paris and relate it to its

Disneyland California version.

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0.2 Method

In my research the focus will lie on the Disneyland park, and not on Walt Disney Studios park. This

is because the Walt Disney Studios park is undergoing very rigorous refurbishments and

construction and is changing too rapidly for me to be able to analyze it properly. While the

reconstruction in itself might be a sign of change compared to the arguments that I will present in

this paper, there is not enough clarity on what the constructions will be, and what they will mean for

the park. Furthermore, the source material that I will base my analysis on will consist mainly of the

texts and images that can be found on the Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris websites. As I

belief that meaning making processes and the aim of the company are most visible within the visual

material and texts which they provide themselves.

My research will mainly consist of textual and discourse analysis, as both the symbolism and

word use within the parks, on the website and other related materials are a large part of how

meaning is constructed there. To do this I will use Barthes’ semiotics, which is a method of reading

signs and what they mean in different cultures at different times. I feel that this method is very

appropriate to this case study because of how these theme parks are designed. Every color and every

building in the Disney parks was picked with the sole purpose of conveying a specific meaning.

Even the trees and paths are set up to influence the visitors’ thoughts and behavior (54 Jost).

Barthes’ Semiotics have proven to be specifically useful in the analysis of advertisements, and the

Disney parks themselves can be seen as walkthrough ads. It is also important to relate the texts and

symbols to their social context. I will be discussing perspectives on history, cultural differences, and

other social contexts, as well as the social and political values of Walt Disney.

Linguistics Professor Norman Fairclough argues that language is a tool of power, and thus

agrees that it can greatly influence people’s minds. He developed a model for critical discourse

analysis which builds on the social dynamics surrounding language and assumes that text is never

neutral. The model is very useful if one is trying to discover what the creator of a text is trying to

convey, and what behavior they are trying to stimulate. The model consists of three dimensions: “it

is a spoken or written language text, it is an instance of discourse practice involving the production

and interpretation of text, and it is a piece of social practice” (136 Fairclough). He describes these

dimensions as multiple perspectives from which a text can be read. And his critical discourse analysis

is particularly useful when dealing with businesses and organizations, as the multiple dimensions, or

perspectives, one can analyze from include the social practice dimension which deals with the social

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codes and symbols used by any social group. This can be a business, a village, or a country. This

makes the model very useful for the comparative analysis of theming in Disneyland California and

Disneyland Paris. As, both the Walt Disney Company culture and the cultural differences between

the USA and Western Europe, will have influence on the words that are used by Disney and how

they are interpreted. I plan to use his model to analyze written statements from the Walt Disney

company, most of which will be from the Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris websites.

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0.3 Theory

In this thesis Jean Baudrillard’s theories on constructed realities will be quite relevant, as they tie in

well with themed environments such as Disneyland Paris. His theories delve into how shared

experience is created, which also ties into meaning-making processes. He is quite radical in his

statements as he tends to argue that reality has now been completely replaced by symbols and signs

(386 Baudrillard). Especially his theories on the ‘simulacrum’ and ‘hyperreality’ will be relevant to my

work. Furthermore, he has done some writing on history in relation to meaning making and reality

that I feel will be useful. Baudrillard argues that simulations, or themed environments, are created

through the “generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal” (381 Baudrillard).

This is an interesting standpoint in relation to the Disney company as the company seems to argue

that their products do refer back to reality, which I will discuss more in depth in chapter 1.

Baudrillard describes simulacra as “never again exchanging for what is real, but exchanging in itself,

in an uninterrupted circuit without reference or circumference.” (384 Baudrillard), thus it is a self-

referential system, which no longer has any link to reality.

I also aim to use the theories on theming and themed environments by Mark Gottdiener. His

book The Theming of America: Dreams, Media Fantasies and Themed Environments discusses the trend of

giving themes to environments that used to have no theme, such as restaurants and sports events (2

Gottdiener). Moreover, he discusses how these themes are created and what their effects are on the

people within the themed environments. In relation to theme parks such as the Disney resorts he

argues that: “Visitors to a themed park consume the environment itself as well as the rides and

attractions, They adjust their behavior according to the stimuli they receive from the signals

embedded in built forms. Motifs and symbols developed through the medium of the park's material

forms may be highly stimulating, or conversely hardly noticed” (5 Gottdiener). Moreover, he argues

that, partially because of business competition, many spaces of social engagement have become

“nostalgic representations of American history that comfort us with a semblance of culture” (11

Gottdiener). His theories on themed environments created by big corporations, in which he also

pays attention to ‘historical’ theming are specifically relevant to my case study as Disney is such a

corporation. His description of how much power these companies have by creating these themed

environments and how they use them to influence people will lie at the core of my thesis.

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Chapter 1: Historical Theming in Disneyland California

In 1955 the world’s first Disneyland park was opened to much excitement and curiosity. Before the

opening of this park the US knew only amusement parks, but this park was a theme park inspired by

European theme parks such as Tivoli in Copenhagen (54 Wills). Disneyland California became so

popular so quickly that many other parks were inspired to work on their theming, and less than two

decades later the larger Disney World in Florida was built. Disneyland California was quite

influential on the ‘rise of theme parks’ and it could reasonably be argued that much of their historical

theming was influential as well. Many theme parks all over the globe now have a country western

themed area, and Disney transported their Disneyland California structure to regions all over the

world by building new Disney parks in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris etc.. When I say the Disneyland

California structure, I am referring to the subjects of the themed area and their location in the parks.

Especially Disneyland Paris looks very similar to Disneyland California as you can see on their

original maps in image 1 and 2. In this chapter I will discuss some of the choices related to theming

that were made in the creation of Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. I will also discuss

Walt Disney’s personal involvement and influence on Disneyland California. Furthermore, I will

delve into some of the more superficial similarities and differences between Disneyland California

and Disneyland Paris to establish a baseline from which to analyze the similarities in the theming in

later chapters.

1.1 Disneyland California

The Disneyland Park in Anaheim California is seen as the ultimate representation of Walt Disney’s

vision. Together with his brother Roy Disney, they designed and oversaw the construction of the

park. As Walt Disney was directly involved with the creation of Disneyland California his morals

and opinions are an immense part of what the Disney company has represented since its beginning.

Bill Walsh, one of Disney’s producers, said the following in promotion of the upcoming Disneyland

California park:

9

“Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts

that have created America. And it will be uniquely equipped to dramatize these dreams and

facts and send them forth as a source of courage and inspiration to all the world. Disneyland

will be something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of

living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic. It will be filled with the accomplishments,

the joys, the hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make

those wonders part of our lives” (6 Sorkin).

In this statement it becomes clear that the creation of America and the use of so-called facts are an

important part of Disneyland California. Their reference to being a ‘museum of living facts’ is

especially striking as it clarifies any doubt on whether their intention was to be truly ‘historical’ or

not. If they saw their theming as purely fantastical, they would not be referring to being a museum

and the importance of facts in the creation of their themes. The statement “the ideals, the dreams,

and the hard facts that have created America” is very interesting because it illustrates some of their

intentions with the Disneyland park. When you look at this statement from the perspective of the

discourse dimension of Fairclough’s model, the words ideals and dreams in relation to the US origin

story highlight how often these words are related to the origin story by very specific people. African

Americans or Native Americans are unlikely to describe the American origin story as such. From the

social perspective the statement also illustrates some of the Walt Disney Company’s values and

traditions, as the emphasis on dreams and ideals is very prevalent in their works and statements. By

referring back to dreams they aim to remind people of the ‘feelgood’ movies Disney produced and

by referring back to the American origin story as such they aim to link this feeling to a whitewashed

version of this origin story. Then they relate it to the future Disneyland park, emphasizing that this

will be a place where that feeling will come true and the American origin story will be represented

‘factually’.

1.2 Disneyland California and Historic theming

As it can now be reasonably assumed that Disneyland California was designed with the aim to show

the Disney Company’s version of ‘real factual history’ it is important to look at who decided what

these historical facts should entail. Back in the 1950s it was Walt Disney who was mainly in charge

10

of designing the Disneyland park (70 History after Disney). In combination with his influence on the

subjects of the films and clips that were produced by the company I would argue that most of the

historical theming is based on his personal ideas and theories about history and the creation of

America. Watts argues the following on Walt Disney theories on history:

“In the post-World War II world, Disney's populism was channeled into a fullfledged

defense of the "American Way of Life." This ideological influence pervaded a wave of

vaguely historical Disney films. Disney's version of history revived a populist image of the

American WASP ‘folk’ surrounded them with a defensive cultural embankment, and

homogenized the social norms and characteristics of the group within. This cultural structure

defended a sentimental view of the family, a traditional gender ideology of separate

spheres, and an ethic of rugged individualism and productive labor” (105-6 Watts).

As such Disney’s ‘history’ has a very specific flavor, that of conservative populism. Walt Disney had

a romanticized idea of what the American origin stories were and had limited ideas on who the true

Americans were. These ideas then shaped the way history is represented in the parks. Not to argue

that he is aiming to replicate history in a completely factual manner, as it is common for designers

like Walt Disney to “replicate essences of historic environments (historic architecture and historic

landscapes) through a complex process of selection and abstraction of landscape features or

elements … these elements are often stylized or stereotyped to enhance their effect” (69 History

after Disney).

The areas, or ‘lands’, in the Disneyland Paris park each represent a specific geographical

area/country during a specific historical era. Mainstreet USA represents the small-town main streets

of the USA in the 1920s. Frontierland represents the ‘wild west’ era in the USA from the 17th to the

19th century. Fantasyland represents a medieval western Europe. Discoveryland represents the

‘future’ from the perspective of 19th century French writer Jules Verne, and Adventureland is more

of a fusion of different areas and eras, as this area is themed after multiple Asian, South American,

and African locations.

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1.3 Disneyland Paris

When Disneyland Paris was being designed it was modeled after Disneyland California and was

slightly ‘Europeanized’. However, this ‘Europeanisation’ was originally very minor, which is

something that the park was criticized for during its first years (Wills 59). The structure of the

Disneyland Paris park is roughly the same as that of Disneyland California back in 1955. They both

consist of the 5 themed areas and despite Walt Disney not being involved in the design and

construction anymore, I would argue that Disneyland Paris was still designed with the same style and

thematic references to history and geography in mind. Image 1 and 2 show recent versions of the

park maps of Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. These maps illustrate some of the larger

similarities between the layout and thus the experience of the parks.

In relation to the design of the architecture and landscaping Disney employees say that

“Many of the stories are made-up histories revealed in the landscape to provide another level of

interest for visitors” (55 Jost). So, this idea of creating a place with a history is prevalent within the

company. Moreover, they discuss whether a themed area will have to be a real place or not, and

whether it will be in the past or the future (56 Jost). And these statements were made as recently as

2009, which means they still adhere to this notion of creating themed areas based on ‘real’ places and

historical eras. It also illustrates how the historical and geographical references are created through

imitations of the actual decorative elements (61 Jost) and stereotyped representations (69

Francaviglia History after Disney). This gives some insight into how the historical and geographical

elements in Disneyland Paris are set up and what their inspirations are.

There are some important differences between Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris.

Disneyland California contains an area inspired by the film Song of the South (1946), which is a film

that is infamous for its extreme racial prejudice and romanticization of slavery. It seems that when

Disneyland Paris was being built, they decided to not recreate this area even though it contains one

of the most popular rides of Disneyland California. The California park also contains some

references to American politics such as squares named after famous American politicians from the

past and a show called Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. These references to American political history

have not been replicated for the European park, moreover, there are no specific references to

European politics at Disneyland Paris. This might be due to the fact that Disneyland Paris is trying

to appeal to the entirety of Western Europe, and each country has a significantly different (political)

history. Moreover, throughout history European countries have been fighting each other, so to

12

appeal to everyone it is best to not refer back to specific historical figures, as one countries’ hero is

another countries’ enemy.

1.4 Chapter Conclusion:

It is clear that the theming of the Original Disneyland California is based more on history and

geography than just Disney’s stories and films. They have chosen specific countries and historical

eras to model their ‘lands’ after, and they argue that their theming is based on ‘hard facts’ and is a lot

like a ‘museum’. However, when reading descriptions of the historic themes in the park, and

acknowledging Walt Disney’s personal views of history, it becomes clear that these themes are likely

representations of a very specific view on history. These views are from the WASP perspective, and

often downplay or ignore the more negative aspects of the American origin story and of most

history since. Walt Disney designed most of the original Disneyland California park which is why his

personal views on history are very relevant to understanding the theming of the park. Disneyland

Paris was designed in the likeness of Disneyland California. As such, it contains the same themed

areas, and roughly the same references to history. However, some larger changes were made to

ensure that a European audience would still enjoy the park. Especially the references to American

politics that are present in Disneyland California have been removed for the Paris version.

Furthermore, an area based on a racially problematic film in Disneyland California was not recreated

in Paris. There are more differences between the parks, but those I will delve into in the upcoming

chapters.

13

Image 1: “Disneyland Map Credit Disney Resort”, Disneyland Resort,

https://www.adventurestudenttravel.com/8-differences-between-disneyland-and-disneys-california-

adventure/, Accessed on 28-04-2020.

Image 2: “Accessibility Map at Disneyland Park”, Disneyland Paris,

https://brochure.disneylandparis.com/HCP/UK/catalogue/catalogs/dlp/index.html#page/1,

Accessed on 28-04-2020.

14

Chapter 2: Disney’s United States in Europe

Chapter Introduction

There are two areas in the two Disney parks that are based on US history: Main Street USA, and

Frontierland. These areas exist in both parks and look very similar to each other. In the first chapter

I have illustrated that Walt Disney used his perception of history as the basis of his theming, and he

was especially interested in American history. This is embodied by Main Street USA and

Frontierland in Disneyland California and, as I will argue, Disneyland Paris. It is said that “Disney

created Main Street USA as the entry to the theme park because it would provide a "mood setting"

exposure to the familiar; he also created Frontierland as explicit testimony to the power of the

frontier experience in shaping America” (70 History after Disney). In this chapter I will discuss how

Disneyland Paris’ Main Street USA and Frontierland represent certain myths about US history, and

how they translate to a European audience. As such I will also discuss some of the changes that

were made to these areas in comparison to those in Disneyland California because they feared

negative responses from the European audience. It also very important to keep in mind that the

Disneyland Paris park was largely designed by American designers, and a lot of early criticism on

Disneyland Paris by Europeans was caused by the park supposedly being too American.

2.1 Main Street USA

Main Street USA is the central area of the park and is the area you immediately enter once you enter

the Disneyland parks. All of the Disney parks around the world contain a Main Street USA, and they

all look relatively similar. As is the case for Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. Both Main

Streets start with a large square next to a train station, which leads into a broad street with many

shops and restaurants. At the end of this street there is an even larger square which connects to the

other themed areas and at the end backend of this square is the Disney castle. As such these areas

are created in such a way that once you enter the first square you can already see the top of the

Disney castle. Both Main Streets have a similar layout, and they also have a similar style, as can be

seen in image 3 and 4.

15

I would argue that Mainstreet USA also represents parts of the American mythology.

However, these myths are newer and quite different from those represented in Frontierland.

Mainstreet USA represents small town (Midwest) civilized America, and one of the aims in

Disneyland California was to create a recognizable space that would feel like home to the visitors (71

History after Disney). This highlights Walt Disney’s views on who the park’s audience would consist

of and where they would be from. It is interesting that they kept this theme in Europe, rather than

making it Mainstreet Paris, because it is a very unfamiliar space to Europeans. Themed

environments do not evoke the same response in all people, moreover, the French have often

responded negatively to American themed environments (5 Gottdiener). To most Americans,

however, the same issue exists as many people do not live in Mainstreet like towns. Moreover, those

who do tend to be of the same WASP heritage as Walt Disney himself. Through the construction of

such an exclusive space:

“Disney emerges as an applied popular historian who stressed the continuity and validity of

the past in an era that espoused progress and advocated the erasure of most history from

the "real" (or everyday) American landscape. In designing a turn-of-the- century Main Street

as the main point of the park's entry, Disney utilized the power of historic association to

create a mindset about life at a treasured time (circa 1900) in a treasured place (the generic

American small town). By so doing, Disney reaffirmed the town as the nucleus of American

values” (71 History of Disney).

The space that was created in both California and Paris ended up being very indicative of idealized

white Midwestern American culture, and also represented certain ideas about gender and what the

ideal American town is supposed to be like. The one houseware store on Main Street USA in Paris is

called Lilly’s Boutique, which was originally one of the only stores of which the insinuated owner

was female. This hints at the perceived ‘role’ of women in society when this ‘town’ was created in

California and it is quite painful to still see it in Disneyland Paris which was built in 1992. What is

even more painful is that the Main Streets were modelled after a real town in the 1920s, namely

Marceline Missouri (70 History after Disney), during the segregation era. Meaning that this ideal

America was a white masculine space. Despite that no hints of segregation are present in either of

the Main streets, referring back to this era as ideal and representative of American values is unfair to

the many Americans who were being excluded back then. This is also representative of the

16

importance that Walt Disney put on nostalgia when designing this park. Nostalgia can be seen as

“longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed” (Boym), which seems to summarize

my aforementioned arguments perfectly. Many of those visiting the Mainstreet USA’s see it as a

romantic area in which they long to be, even if to them this is not a “home that has ever existed”.

Moreover, Walt Disney modelled Main Street USA after Marceline, yet Main Street USA does not

look like Marceline at all. Thus, visualizing how nostalgia influences the way in which people

envision the past.

To Europeans this space seems largely imaginary and is rather unrelatable as a historical

sight. Although the aforementioned gender roles are something that a European audience will pick

up on, they are generally less likely to perceive this space as ‘real’. As such, once many Americans

enter Main Street USA they enter into a romanticized historical space, whereas, Europeans enter

into a fantasy world. These distinctions create a very different experience, as Europeans are less

likely to look at Disneyland Paris as a historical or even political place. Even Though, Americans do

not perceive Disneyland California as truly historical or political, their experience of the theming is

more tied to history and reality.

Image 3: “Disneyland Resort and Parks to reopen July 17th”, Irvine Weekly,

https://irvineweekly.com/disneyland-resort-and-parks-to-reopen-july-17/, Accessed on 24-06-2020.

17

Image 4: “Main Street, U.S.A”, Park Planet, https://www.parkplanet.nl/disneyland/1212-main-

street-usa-in-disneyland-park, Accessed on 24-06-2020.

2.2 Frontierland

Frontierland is a themed area in Disneyland Paris that was inspired by the ‘American Frontier’. The

area looks like a ‘Wild West’ town with many wooden structures and it contains multiple steakhouse

restaurants. They sell merchandise in the shops that is exclusive to this area, which includes cowboy

outfits and plush dolls of Mickey Mouse wearing such outfits. This area is quite large, it is essentially

1/5th of the park, and there are only 3 rides: Big Thunder Mountain, Phantom Manor, and the

Molly Brown boat ride. These rides themselves are similarly themed and do not actually reference

any Disney movies, it seems they only refer to the original versions of these rides in Disneyland

California. In general it could be argued that this area in Disneyland Paris does not refer to any

Disney works that were popular in Europe, with the exception of a recently built restaurant which

was themed after the movie Coco (2017). Image 5 and 6 illustrate the incredible similarities between

the Disneyland California and the Disneyland Paris versions of Frontierland, the use of wood for

18

almost all structures, the fake rock formations, and even the lake all illustrate the similarities between

these areas.

Frontierland conjures a specifically strong image of the American mythology (158 Walt

Disney’s Frontierland). It refers to fantasies surrounding the American origin story and the manifest

destiny movement which often whitewash history in a way that makes it more pleasant to hear for

the white Americans themselves. In his article on historical theming in Frontierland in Disneyland

California Francaviglia argues that: “So powerful is the name "Frontierland" that its mere mention

evokes images of "the West" to most people. Those images are derived from television and novels

rather than serious historical research” (157 Walt Disney’s Frontierland). I also argue that with this

design, Walt Disney was trying to imitate the ‘look’ of the settings of the Country Western films

rather than that of actual historical town. However, odds are that he felt that he was imitating the

‘real’ historical look, but that his image of the ‘Wild West’ was strongly influenced by country

western films and a similar nostalgia as was present in the creation of Main Street USA. It evokes

notions of masculinity, freedom, and ‘taming nature’ which have little to do with the true historical

eras, but are ideas created by the Country Western film genre. The theming elements of “scenery,

culture, and technology reveal that everything had both a meaning and a place in this carefully

engineered, but ever-evolving, part of the park. These elements were enunciated as historical

metaphors positioned in time. Through their placement in a carefully arranged spatial pattern,

Disney created more than a contrived place” (181 Walt Disney’s Frontierland).

Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris’ versions of Frontierland are very similar.

However, an important distinction between the Frontierland in Disneyland California and the one in

Disneyland Paris is the amount of knowledge people have of the actual ‘reality’ of what live was like

in the American ‘wild west’. Francaviglia argues that Frontierland reaffirms “widespread popular

beliefs about the historical geography of the West” for an American audience (181 Walt Disney’s

Frontierland). However, the Frontierland setting is more of an imaginary setting to Europeans than

it is to Americans because Europeans do not see that supposed link between Frontierland and their

history. Many Americans have been told these romantic stories about the wild west from their

youth, whereas, Europeans have only seen cartoon and film versions that are advertised as

fiction. For Europeans, the Western theming can be seen as part of a referential system, which like a

simulacrum, has no true link to anything real.

19

Image 5: “Frontierland”, Disneyland Resort,

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/frontierland/, Accessed on 10-05-2020.

Image 6: “Big Thunder Mountain”, Disneyland Paris, https://media.disneylandparis.com/d4th/en-

gb/images/n017798_2050jan01_big-thunder-mountain_16-9_tcm752-159546.jpg?w=980, Accessed

on 10-05-2020.

20

2.3 Chapter Conclusion

In short, I would argue that while the ‘American’ areas of Disneyland California and Disneyland

Paris evoke a sense of history in American visitors, to European visitors these areas are mostly

imaginary. Main Street USA is modelled after a 1920’s US town, and thus appeals to a part of the

American visitor base due to its evocation of nostalgia. However, for women and non-WASPs this

era was not one that is likely to be remembered positively. Even though, all hints at segregation that

would have been present in such towns were removed for the creation of Main Street, whitewashing

history is not something that is generally seen as positive. Moreover, themed elements hinting

traditional gender roles are present in both Main Streets, and while Europeans are more likely to

experience this area as an imaginary one, such hints at ‘reality’ will be picked up on.

Frontierland was modelled after the Wild West which in itself already consists largely of

myths about US history. The ideas people have about the wild west ‘era’ are largely based on stories

and films of the Western genre rather than actual historical facts. Moreover, for a European

audience there truly is not tie to history. Just like both Main Streets are similar both Frontier Lands

also look very much alike. The specific architectural style and excessive use of wood and gaslights

might evoke notions of their ‘wild’ ancestors to Americans, whereas, for Europeans it could simply

remind them of the Lucky Luke cartoons. As such, one can again argue that to a European

audience this space becomes a fantastical space rather than a historical one. So even if the theming

of Main Street USA and Frontierland is the same in Disneyland Paris as it is in Disneyland California

the perception and experience by the visitors is likely to be very different.

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Chapter 3: Disney’s World History

3.1 Chapter Introduction:

Not all of the areas in the Disneyland Parks are themed after the US. The three other areas that

Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris have in common are roughly themed after the rest of

the world during different periods of time, including the future. However, these areas were still

created from the perspective of WASP Americans, and they tend to have very specific ideas about

the rest of the world and its history as well. It is thus important to emphasize that while there were

some people who were working on Europeanizing Disneyland Paris, this park’s thematic areas are

based on American perspectives on world history. As such, these ‘lands’ were created from an

outsider’s perspective, especially in the case of Adventureland. Much like with Mainstreet USA and

Frontierland it can be assumed that the meaning of the symbols and the details in the ‘lands’ change

based on the visitors’ cultures.

Image 7: “Mr. Toad's Wild Ride”, Disneyland Resort,

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/resize/mwImage/1/1920/1080/75/dam/wdpro-

assets/dlr/parks-and-tickets/attractions/disneyland/mr-toads-wild-ride/mr-toads-wild-ride-

00.jpg?1584641754538, Accessed on 21-05-2020.

22

Image 8: “Disneyland Paris: a Trip down Memory Lane”, Independent.ie,

https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/world/disneyland-paris-a-trip-down-memory-lane-

31207116.html, Accessed on 21-05-2020.

3.2 Fantasyland

Fantasyland is the area in Disneyland Paris behind the Disney castle, which forms the main entrance

to the area as well. It is the most ride-dense area of the park and can be seen as largely appealing to

younger children. If there is one word that describes the theming of this area it is ‘pink’. Some of the

buildings are pink, many decorative elements are pink, and even the pathing visitors walk on is a

shade of pink. This area contains most of the rides based on the ‘classic’ Disney movies, such as

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), and Alice in Wonderland (1951). The setting of

most of these films is Western Europe, and this is visible in the ‘architecture’ of the buildings and

the general aesthetics of the area. Within Fantasyland there are smaller areas which are implicitly and

vaguely themed after the architectural styles of specific Western European countries in the medieval

era up to the Victorian era. In general, one could say that this area illustrates a euro fusion theme

with added color.

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Historical accuracy was clearly not the aim for the theming of this area in Disneyland Paris.

However, Disneyland California’s Fantasyland is much less pink, and I would argue that for

Disneyland California the designers and engineers took the historical theming in this area much

more seriously than they did in Disneyland Paris. As can be seen in image 7, Disneyland California’s

Fantasyland is very much inspired by European architecture and seems to use the hues and style of

European cities. Whereas, in image 8, which shows Disneyland Paris’ Fantasyland, the colors that

are used are very unrealistic, and even more architectural periods and styles have been merged

together. Many of the buildings seem to refer to the Medieval era, just like in California, yet the

attractions made of glass and green metal seem to refer to the Crystal Palace, which was not built

until 1851. It is clear that the detailed buildings in Disneyland California were created to evoke a

sense of reality unlike the buildings in the Paris version. Therefore, I would argue that for the

creation of Fantasyland in Paris they were no longer trying to create a historical theme at all, but that

they were merely theming the area after the Fantasyland in California. Paris’ Fantasyland can be seen

as an area themed after a themed area, making it an incredibly contrived space. One could argue that

a ‘truly’ medieval area would look even more contrived to a European audience because they are

‘relatively’ familiar with the actual architecture, which is still visible in quite a few cities in Europe.

The Paris version of Fantasyland can thus be seen as a great example of a simulacrum. People are

completely immersed in the area, yet the area no longer represents or refers to anything real; it is a

theme of a theme, which is based on American ideas of what Europe was like sometime in history.

Fantasyland in both parks, but especially in Disneyland Paris is also one of the most

gendered spaces within the parks. The combination of certain ‘feminine’ colors and motives, with

merchandise that largely consists of princess dresses and tiaras makes this a very ‘girly’ space. This

forms a direct contrast with other lands, especially those with ‘scarier’ rides. The more thrilling or

scary the ride, the more masculine the merchandise and the decorations will be. There are no

princess Leia dresses on sale outside of the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain rollercoaster in

Discovery land, nor are there any Disney prince ‘swords’ on sale outside of the Princess Pavilion in

Fantasyland. Moreover, even the term Princess Pavilion rather than Royal Pavilion emphasizes the

female target audience of this area. In a way it seems like Disneyland Paris is even more gendered

than Disneyland California, due to the extreme gendering of the Paris version of Fantasyland. The

decorative elements and pink and purple colors that were added in the Paris Fantasyland are typically

seen as feminine, and thus signify how ‘girly’ this area is.

24

I argue that every object in Disneyland “conveys another meaning that exists at the

connotative level - that is, it connotes some association defined by social context and social process

beyond its denotative sign function” (9 Gottdiener). Disney took this into consideration when it

came to national differences between the US and Europe but seemed to have ignored this when it

came to gender. Or they chose to employ it because they wanted to created a ‘feminine’ space within

the park.

3.3 Adventureland

Adventureland is the most diverse area in the Disneyland Paris park. It presents a large part of the

park and can be seen as the combination of many smaller themed areas. Furthermore, it is the

greenest area of the park, and by creating natural barriers with the use of trees that block the sight of

visitors the area seems even larger. They help evoke the feeling that this area consists of many

smaller separate areas. Unlike most of the other themed lands, this area is not themed after a

specific country or continent in a set period of time. Adventureland contains rides, restaurants and

themed areas themed after Africa, South America, and the Middle East. The historical periods these

areas are themed after vary as well. For example, the Indiana Jones roller coaster: Indiana Jones et le

Temple du Péril, is centered around a ruin of what seems to be a Mayan temple and is thus seemingly

set in the 20th or even the 21st century. However, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is clearly set in the

early colonial days of the Caribbean islands around the 18th century. In image 9 it becomes clear

that the façade of the ride is based on colonial architecture. The Paris version of Adventureland is

very similar to the original version in California, and the Disneyland California website describes the

area as follows: “Tap into your sense of wonder as you journey through a world teeming with exotic

and whimsical experiences”.

The entire theming of Adventureland in both Disneyland California and Paris can be seen as

traditionally orientalist. Even the aforementioned statement from the California website is inherently

orientalist, with words such as “exotic” and “whimsical”, which have historically been used by the

global west to degrade the ‘east’. The elements that make this area different have to do with the

historical notions on which orientalism is based, and past Western representations of the

Orient. Historically speaking: “What gave the Oriental’s world its intelligibility and identity was not

the result of his own efforts but rather the whole complex series of knowledgeable manipulations by

25

which the Orient was identified by the West” (38 Said). And I would argue that Adventureland

represents many of these colonial fantasies of the orient, rather than the reality of Middle Eastern or

Caribbean history. For example, the Middle East was very much feminized in Western art

throughout history to appeal to the male European gaze, and the Middle Eastern area in

Adventureland is also the most feminine part of the ‘land’. Which is clarified by certain aesthetic

choices, but more importantly the abundance of ‘feminine’ merchandise that is specifically sold in

this area.

The most striking thing about this area is that, despite how these parks are supposedly

created for ‘everybody’, Adventureland is completely created to cater to the Western gaze. Even the

name ‘Adventureland’ refers to the dominant ‘Western’ perspective represented in this area of the

park. As one does not generally ‘adventure’ in their own home, and it truly evokes images of

Western explorers adventuring in the ‘untamed’ East, especially since it is represented on the

Disneyland Paris website with images such as image 10. The idea that visitors of this area would be

actual people who lived in e.g. the Middle East, contrast with the Adventure that people are

supposed to have. This Western gaze can be seen in how the area contains many ‘adventurer’s tents’,

archeological sites (See image 10), and Western cars that are emblematic to the periods of

‘Discovering’ the rest of the world. This emphasizes by who and for who Disneyland Paris was

created; US WASPs created this area for the ‘Western Adventurer’. Even Though, by the time that

Disneyland Paris was being built many people of Middle Eastern, Caribbean and African descent

were living in Europe, and the phenomenon of Orientalism had been written about extensively, the

decision was still made to repeat many of the mistakes of the Californian Adventureland in the new

Paris version. In general, one could say that this area clearly illustrates the target audience of the

European Disney park.

26

Image 9: Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland Paris, https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-

gb/attractions/disneyland-park/pirates-of-the-caribbean/, Accessed on 20-06-202.

Image 10: Indiana Jones™ and the Temple of Peril, Disneyland Paris,

https://media.disneylandparis.com/d4th/en-gb/images/n017905_2050jan01_indiana-jones-et-le-

temple-du-peril_16-9_tcm752-159311.jpg?w=640, Accessed on 20-06-2020.

27

3.4 Discoveryland

Discoveryland is quite different from the other areas, as its theming is based on the future rather

than the past. In Disneyland California, this area was created to be Walt Disney’s future utopia (72

History after Disney). However, in Disneyland Paris some significant changes were made. Whereas,

California’s Tomorrowland has a typical American 1950’s futuristic aesthetic as seen in image 11,

Disneyland Paris’ Discoveryland looks more like a steampunk area. Image 12 illustrates how the

French Discoveryland was heavily inspired by the works by the 19th century French author Jules

Verne, who is seen as the originator of the Steampunk aesthetic style. Therefore, this is the themed

land in Disneyland Paris that was most ‘Europeanized’ and is the most different from the ‘original’

in Disneyland California. The areas do not even share the same name.

What is interesting about this area is that in Paris it simultaneously depicts the past and the

future, as the theming is based on a 19th century perspective on the future. Nostalgia scholar dr.

Boym states that “The 20th century began with a futuristic utopia and ended with nostalgia”

(Boym), and I would argue that Disneyland California is right at the intersection of these two trends

with areas themed after both the past and the future. However, the creation of Disneyland Paris’

Discoveryland with its historical perspective on the future highlights the ‘tipping of the scales’

towards nostalgia.

It is interesting that they chose to change the ‘futuristic’ aesthetic of Tomorrowland for

Disneyland Paris’ Discoveryland. The area was not less popular than the other areas of Disneyland

California. It is not offensive to Europeans, or more unrealistic to a European audience than the

Steampunk aesthetic they have chosen to use is now. If their argument was that the 1950’s futuristic

style of Tomorrowland was no longer relevant or realistic, they could have just updated it to a 1990

futurism. However, they decided to make it another historical area that does not relate to any of

Disney’s films and/or products. It could be argued that they changed this area from a future utopia

to a representation of the future from the perspective of the past, because many Americans until

very recently had a very specific perception of the French. Much of Americans’ view on the French,

and the other way around, is based on literary works from the early 20th century. In these works,

Americans often painted the French as a part of the past (37 Cloonan). They were culturally

significant, but representative of a bygone era, ‘unlike the dominant global economic power that is

the US’. I think that this perception of the French and Western Europe in general influenced the

28

theming of Discoveryland, and is why the Disney company created an area that represents France’s

successful cultural and artistic history rather than its possibly great economic and innovative future.

Image 11: “Tomorrowland”, Disneyland Resort,

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/resize/mwImage/1/434/244/75/dam/disneyland/

destinations/disneyland/tomorrowland/space-mountain-night-16x9_1.jpg?1591918643753,

Accessed on 26-05-2020.

Image 12: Orbitron®, Disneyland Paris, https://media.disneylandparis.com/d4th/en-

gb/images/n013215_2019jul30_orbitron_16-9_tcm752-157227.jpg?w=640, Accessed on 26-05-

2020.

29

3.5 Chapter Conclusion

There are some significant differences between the Disneyland California version of Fantasyland,

Adventureland, and Discovery/Tomorrowland, and the Paris version. It seems that they tried to be

considerate of cultural differences but failed to so without building on at times offensive

preconceptions about many different nations from all over the world. It seems that they tried to be

careful during the creation of the Paris Fantasyland by removing most of the more realistic

architecture and color use that is present in Disneyland California from the Paris version. The added

decorations and the use of unrealistic colors such as pink and purple no longer made the area a

supposed representation of medieval Europe, however, it did end up making the area more

gendered. In Discovery land they ended up making the area more French, but they chose to do it by

creating an area based on Jules Verne’s perceptions of the future. This area thus represents the past,

but is framed as if it represents the future, as it does in Disneyland California’ Tomorrowland.

Which is largely caused by US notions of the French, that are very much based on literary

descriptions of the French, and Europeans in general. They were often described as culturally

significant, but a thing a thing of the past. It seems as if this notion made itself into the theming of

Discovery land in Paris.

The Adventureland in Disneyland Paris is similar to the one in Disneyland California but is

larger and contains more different areas. Within Adventureland there are multiple areas that are

themed after different countries from all over the world. However, these areas are framed through

the perspective of the European ‘adventurer’, by the use of tents and cars that refer to such periods

of ‘discovery’ in the 19th and early 20th century. While this is not a period that should be recreated

and romanticized at all, it is also inconsiderate of the diversity of Western Europe by the 1990’s. By

then, especially people of African and Middle Eastern descent were living in Europe and would be a

large percentage of those visiting Disneyland Paris. Adventureland highlights that they are not the

target audience, and that this park was not made for them. In conclusion, the lands in Disneyland

Paris themed after countries outside of the US suffer from the same differences in the perception

and experiences of the audience compared to Disneyland California. And the many changes that

were made to deal with these issues, were not always well received.

30

Conclusion

In this thesis I have tried to answer the question: In what ways do the original Disneyland’s

historically themed representations inform Disneyland Paris’ themed environments? I would argue

that the Americans that designed Disneyland Paris tried to take cultural differences into account but

failed to do so without being influenced by American preconceptions about Europeans. Disneyland

California was designed to be a museum-like space, and they aimed to strongly influence the

experiences and perspectives of the visitors. I would argue that they were reasonably successful at

this in Disneyland California, however, when they tried to do the same at Disneyland Paris, the

responses were not the same. An example of this is how Frontierland is not seen as a space that

refers to history by the Europeans, but as a space that refers to other cartoons and films about the

Country Western topic. The same can be said for the Mainstreet USA area, thus the choice of

keeping these areas exactly the same in both Disneyland California and Paris is interesting looking at

the Walt Disney Companies’ aforementioned aims.

Some lands were changed a lot from the original historically themed lands in Disneyland

California. Especially Fantasyland in Disneyland Paris is very different from the original. In

California they tried to make a medieval representation of Europe in this area, but this would create

a very contrived space if it were actually placed in Europe. Therefore, the space became more

‘imaginary’, as it looks as if all of the thematic elements of the original land were changed and

amplified to create a pink fairy tale village. This highlights one of the issues with all of the lands in

the park, which is that all of these ‘historical’ areas do not refer to history to a European audience,

but refer to other Disney parks, films, books etc.. Moreover, the first area in the park through which

everyone enters, Mainstreet USA, does not really refer to anything to Europeans, so to them it just

feels like an imaginary world from the moment they enter the park. So, the historical theming that is

still very present in Disneyland Paris does not actually reach the European audience the way it would

an American audience. The only area for which this might be different is Adventureland because this

area is steeped in Orientalism. This area is themed after preconceptions about the Middle East,

Africa, the Caribbean islands etc., however, these preconceptions are so old and so culturally

31

prevalent that most Westerners assume them to be reality. As such, white Europeans are more likely

to assume that this area is historically inspired.

When I started on this thesis, I assumed that the historical theming from the original would

still be prevalent in Disneyland Paris, and that it would strongly influence the experience of the

visitors. However, after this research I would argue that, despite the fact that the historical theming

is still present throughout Disneyland Paris, it does not create the same experience for a European

audience as it does an American audience for a multitude of reasons. One could even say that in

Disneyland Paris the lands’ themes are the original themed areas in California. E.g. Paris’

Fantasyland is themed after California’s Fantasyland. In conclusion, while many of the historical

theming elements are present in both of the parks, their location and target audience have strongly

influenced how the theming is perceived. Thus, while Disneyland Paris’ theming is very similar to

the clear historical theming of Disneyland California, it is generally not experienced as such.

I have based my research on the original designs of both Disneyland Parks. However, there

are radical changes happening within both Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris at the

moment, moreover, there seems to be a change happening in the Disney company ideology.

Therefore, I feel that future research should be done once many of the current renewals are finished.

Only recently a Star Wars land was opened in Disneyland California, which is a radical shift from the

historically themed lands of the past. I also think that it would interesting to expand this research

and my findings relating to cultural differences to other international Disneyland parks, such as

those in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. I was limited to doing research based on imagery, video

material and texts from the website, and I think this research could possibly be expanded with

interviews and questionnaires filled in by visitors of the parks. Which could help solidify or question

some of the statements relating to experience in this thesis.

32

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