Aug
20
Disney World curriculum
August 20, 2009 | | Comments Off
Our Disney World vacation this summer was as enjoyable as it was Imagineered to be, and I mean this as a high compliment. A lot of work goes into the guest experience at Disney World, and those people are good at what they do. I found myself wanting to know more about things worked – not the underground tunnels and hidden Mickeys, but a bit of how they make the curriculum of the park – which is straight from a 1950s civics textbook – exciting, and especially how they keep morale so high among staff “cast members.”
The “curriculum” of the park is I’m sure covered in detail in books like this; in short summary here, it is something like “America is a great country. The rest of the world is neat, also. And every day, science and progress march forward.” Actually, a blogger captured it in Walt’s own words in his Disneyland dedication:
To all who come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
While the above text is America-centered, EPCOT certainly shows Disney’s fascination with the rest of the world. So what’s here is wholesome enough, and what’s missing in the parks is surprising. When the TV is on at home, it’s as likely as not to be showing an endless stream of sarcasm, innuendo, shallow consumerism and boorishness. I don’t have anything particularly against this – mud is muddy, and a large part of TV is crud – some things just are (including a lot of Disney TV shows). But these things are largely missing from Disney World – you don’t even notice that the jokes and thrills and interesting bits are all G-rated.
Yes, Disney delivers state of the art, multi-million dollar entertainment experiences, so maybe people only tolerate civil behavior to get to the roller coaster at the end. But I don’t think so. The roller coasters, specifically, at Disney aren’t nearly as cutting-edge as those at any regional theme park. I think that a positive, polite message and experience is a big part of what makes a day at Disney work.
My take away from this as a teacher is that positive can work, and that messages or activities that use low mindedness to build interest are unnecessary. I think it takes more work and skill to make positive messages interesting, but Disney World – and my 11 and 15 year old’s thoroughly happy faces – show that it is possible.
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