You’ve walked there, you’ve shopped there, and you’ve eaten there, at least if you’re lucky. Disney Springs is the famed entertainment district of Walt Disney World, one with more than 40 years of history. It’s also only a couple of years old from a certain perspective, as Imagineers erased the final traces of Downtown Disney to start this “new” shopping destination. Today, let’s look at the special touches that you might have missed that reinforce the underlying premise of the area. Here are a few amazing details about the theming at Disney Springs.
Four lands after five villages
Image: DisneyLet’s start with the basics. Disney Springs is, believe it or not, the fourth iteration of this shopping district. The original version was Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, an early attempt by Disney to empty the wallets of all theme park tourists visiting Walt Disney World. I’ve previously described it as Disney Springs Alpha, although it didn’t last long. It existed for only two years before the company changed the name to something more homogenous, Walt Disney World Village.
After only two years, Disney executives understood that they needed a stronger connection between their shopping village and the Most Magical Place on Earth. They tried something new in 1989, altering the name to Disney Village Marketplace. Alas, guests mainly referenced it by its most memorable area, Pleasure Island, the late-night hotspot.
In 1997, park planners married Walt Disney World Village and its nightclub section, Pleasure Island, under one umbrella. This attempt proved so successful that they mirrored it at Disneyland in 2001. Known as Downtown Disney, it lasted almost twenty years before Disney Springs opened, but Imagineers learned something during this era. The idea of theming proved effective with tourists, as Merriweather Pleasure’s backstory amused guests.
What Disney needed was a similar theme that connected a planned expansion of the entertainment district. They wanted four different sections at their new shopping mecca, Disney Springs. Each quadrant of land earned its own name. They are The Landing, Marketplace, Town Center, and West Side. They’re loosely connected by one of the most important but subtle themed elements of Disney Springs: the bridges and man-made waters.
In true Floridian style
The premise of Disney Springs is hidden in plain sight. It’s the islands of Florida! Yes, all of those intercostal developments are the inspiration for the design. Imagineers took a look at some of the geographical oddities of cities like Coral Gables and St. Augustine, places that line the coast of Florida. They also took inspiration from the Florida Keys, noting that several standalone islands are inaccessible by bridges.
When you cross a bridge at Disney Springs, you’re effectively traveling from one disconnected part of an island to another. Without that bridge, your only other options to reach the other side are a boat or some swimming trunks. With these premises in place, Disney could construct four different styles of “lands” in plausible fashion. Each one is representative of a set time and place in Floridian culture. And here you thought Disney Springs was just a great place to get sloshed!
An amazing discovery
The backstory of Disney Springs is that it’s a natural wonder discovered by an 18th century cattle rancher. This interloper put down roots in the area, as he appreciated the appeal of the “natural springs” in the area. You know them as Lake Buena Vista.
The carpetbagger saw an opportunity and grabbed it, starting a new town near the springs. He knew that guests would flock to this majestic waterfront area, and time proved him right, with Disney Springs now home to scores of shops and restaurants. Each connector to the springs became its own standalone part of town, with special design and décor appropriate to the region/time period.
The waterway that connects the sections is supposedly a still river. In reality, it’s a series of man-made bodies of water akin to the others at Walt Disney World. This one is massive in size. The titular springs at the complex include 1.2 million gallons of water.
About the four lands
Disney structured each “land” as a core part of the city. You’ll find a business district, a shopping center, a marina, and a permanent exposition. Each part of Disney Springs has its own supporting logic, but it also has its own timeline. When you cross a bridge, you’re also traveling through the years. The parts of Disney Springs are trapped in time at the moment in history where they first appeared. Here’s what you need to know about each one.
The Landing is where the marina and transportation center of Disney Springs is. I mean this figuratively but also literally. The boat system that takes Disney guests from their resorts to Disney Springs has its hub here, although there’s also a (not as tightly themed) arrival dock at the Marketplace.
The theming here is the most straightforward of the four quarters and the hardest to miss. You’re at a marina, so the nautical theme is everywhere. There’s even a lighthouse. Disney also added Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar after the fact since it fit the premise so well.
The other lovely touch here is the brick in the hardscaping. For the sake of authenticity, Imagineers recycled 57,000 bricks from local sources including nearby Rollins College. It’s environmentally conscious and thematically appropriate.
Marketplace is the least subtle in concept, but the design is immaculate. You’re not at modern Disney facility. Instead, you’re in a 1930s era part of Florida. The shops all share the American Craftsman sensibility, which is to say that they share similarities with the British Arts and Crafts moment. The buildings here are charming and inviting.
Town Center is the “oldest” of the sections of the fictional city. As the story goes, its origins date back to the 1920s, the time when the visitors to the springs started to organize into a town. Like so many early civilized regions, Disney Springs had a hub where everyone would meet. Alert theme park tourists will even notice ancient machinery that’s still sitting in plain sight.
At this Town Center, several high-end businesses have set up shop, but the style remains 1920s Spanish Revival, with ornamental facades in vogue. Disney wanted white colors to emphasize the patrician nature of the area. So, they used 15 different variants of white to create the unique look. You’ll also see lots of stucco siding and tile roofing. Of course, the best part of this section is unmistakable. The proverbial springs flow through the Town Center, making it the visual highlight of Disney Springs.
West Side is the “newest” section, with a plausible explanation. Residents of the town wanted to emphasize its tourist options. During the 1950s, they built an exposition, a kind of recurring event where guests could see special events like the circus. Yes, the presence of Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs has been baked into the theming! That’s how much Imagineers cared about constructing a believable backstory for the entertainment district. They thought of even the tiniest details!
