One of the most common refrains among Disney fans is that, over time, Disney has changed for the worse. Not that it’s now bad necessarily, or even anything less than excellent, but that it has declined in quality since Walt was running things back in the day.
In some ways, this is an impossible point to dispute. When Walt was at the helm, there was an innovative energy that has not been matched since. Arguably, no company has captured that spirit of innovation since, with the possible exception of Apple under Steve Jobs. That is how uniquely forward-thinking the Walt Disney Company was under its founder’s influence.
But, much of the complaining from Disney fans is more specific than that. I, myself, have been known to often look at the past with rose-tinted glasses when complaining about things like the new Frozen attraction replacing Maelstrom, or the new Sunglasses Hut in Frontierland. “This just doesn’t feel right,” we say. And, while we may be right, we aren’t saying anything particularly new.
While they may seem like new annoyances, there are some things that Disney has always done. And while we may like to complain about them now, it’s important to remember they’re as much an original part of the Disney experience as background music and audio-animatronics.
Let’s take a look at a few modern complaints about Disney … that have really always been the case:
1. “There are too many corporate sponsors!”
When you visit a Disney park, it’s hard not to feel like you’re being overwhelmed by advertisements. Like a well-designed Times Square, Disney spends nearly as much time selling you something – either their own product, or someone else’s – as they do telling you a story. Everything is sponsored, from the fireworks shows to the classic treats (like, say, Dole Whip).
But, while it may seem as though Disney’s barrage of brands has gained steam over time, if anything, it has actually slowed down.
In 1955, Disneyland opened with something called the “Monsanto Hall of Chemistry.” It was later joined by the “Monsanto House of the Future.” Monsanto is one of the largest multinational agricultural corporations on the planet, and yet it was a headlining name presenting some of Disneyland’s first attractions.
The point is that Disney has always had sponsors for its attractions – Walt used them as a way of helping keep costs down on the development of new attractions, which in turn helped provide the attractions more technical expertise.
Nowadays, most attractions have trouble retaining sponsors – particularly those at Epcot in Orlando. While Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space and Test Track continue to have fruitful sponsorship agreements, the Universe of Energy, The Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Journey Into Imagination with Figment have all failed to renew sponsorship agreements.
Sure, overcommercialism is a problem, but it’s hardly a new problem.
2. “Disney keeps removing my favorite attractions!”
Image: Disney
Of all the guests that visited Disneyland between 1955 and 1960, there must have been at least one for whom the esoterically-titled Hall of Aluminum Fame was their favorite attraction. Sadly (for that person), that attraction is no longer with us. The same was probably true of the original Circle-Vision show in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, “A Tour of the West.” That later became the beloved “America the Beautiful” and, eventually, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
Here’s the thing: Walt never intended Disneyland (or any other Disney park) to be a museum for nostalgia. Imagineers were constantly encouraged to “plus” certain attractions, or seek out ways to make them even better. If something was good, Walt taught his people to ask how to make it great.
The parks are meant not to simply exist in a timeless state of inertia, but rather, to change and grow over time – replacing older attractions with newer, more relevant ones. This has always been and will always be part of the Disney ethos.
Nowadays, some attractions have been around long enough that we can sometimes feel like they’ve earned tenure. Even if they don’t attract the crowds they used to, they should be retained for nostalgia’s sake alone. But, while keeping those attractions around will help some of us remain connected to our past, it prevents the Walt Disney Company from “plussing” things further. That was never Walt’s intention.
Disneyland, and by extension Walt Disney World and others, was meant to be ever-changing – when our favorite attractions get removed, sometimes it’s hard to remember that.
3. “There are just too many non-Disney stores in Disney parks!
If you wanted to grab a cup of coffee on at Disneyland when it first opened in 1955, this is where you would have wanted to go:
Yes, that’s a Maxwell House coffee shop. On Main Street USA. There was also an intimate apparel store operated by Hollywood-Maxwell featuring a character named The Wizard of Bras. Those are real things that existed in Disneyland – approved by Walt himself.
When a company like Starbucks or Sunglass Hut makes an appearance at a Disney park, it’s met with unparalleled derision – often suggesting, perhaps, this is an affront to the ways of old. In fact, the opposite is true. Disney has always invited outside companies to sell their wares inside their gates. In fact, the World Showcase at Epcot is basically just a bigger version of that idea – but no one has too much of a problem with that.
Yes, we’d all love to see more Disney merchandise in the parks – particularly if it were a bit more unique than a year-specific t-shirt, but it’s unrealistic to assume the company feels that way. And, beyond unrealistic, it’s just a tiny bit unfair considering Disney has long operated in this way.
4. “They keep integrating these lame characters into the parks!”
Image: Disney
I, like many people, loathe Stitch’s Great Escape. To me, it seemed like a half-hearted and hasty attempt to shoehorn a newly beloved character a place in the Disney parks. But, for Disney, the character integration doesn’t stop there – there are countless meet and greets, Mickey and Friends being added to It’s a Small World, Jack Sparrow showing up at Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. If there’s a popular character, Disney will do its best to leverage that character with its attractions. At best, it seems like fan service and, at worst, calculated synergy.
But, while complaining about how present Disney characters are at Disney parks, it’s important to take a step back. Integrating characters into the parks is literally why Disneyland and Walt Disney World are successful.
Think about it – how many people are going to Walt Disney World and expect to meet Mickey Mouse? Or Ariel? Or Anna and Elsa? Or Buzz Lightyear?
Could you imagine visiting Disneyland without riding Peter Pan’s Flight? Or Splash Mountain?
Yes, some of Disney’s best attractions don’t feature a single one of their popular characters, but that doesn’t mean Disney has never in the past attempted to feature them. They may go overboard when attempting to add characters like Anna and Elsa to the parks, but experience has proven them right time and time again – the characters are as much a part of the Disney experience as things that weren’t first born on the silver screen. That’s been true since Disneyland opened in 1955, and it remains true today. So, while sometimes it does feel like Disney is forcing characters on us, it’s often worked out well for us all in the past.
The point of all of this is not that we’re wrong for complaining about these things. Overly corporate ride experiences probably aren’t a good thing, nor are the removal of beloved attractions from the parks. However, when we complain about these things, it’s important to remember that we aren’t appealing to the memory of the parks from the past, but rather, an ideal that these parks should be striving toward. Disney has always operated this way – the only thing that’s new is that we now have a way to connect together and share with them, en masse, just how we feel about these things.
But, that said: Starbucks? Really? Come on, Disney.
