Disney and Eco

Having lived in Orlando until I was six years old, I have had my fair share of trips to Disney World. It’s safe to say I own majority of the Disney movies ever made and I’ve watched them all so many times the tape on the VHS is nearly breaking. It’s amazing to me having been to Disney so many times and watching the films so many times that I never once perceived them in a different light.

After reading Eco’s piece several things came to mind. First, it is hard to grasp the fact that during my many trips to Disney, though I thought I was visiting the most magical place on earth, I was actually being led through endless traps that kept me constantly consuming in a fairytale world that would do just the opposite of making my dreams come true and instead leave me with false promises, tired legs and an empty wallet.

The second thing I thought about was the way that I remember feeling while at Disney. These memories came to mind when Eco talks about the impression that the houses in Disney give you. He says “The houses of Disneyland are full size on the ground floor, and on a two thirds scale on the floor above, so they give the impression of being inhabitable but also of belonging to a fantastic past that we grasp with our imagination” (202). Thinking back, Eco is so right in the sense that the way the houses are portrayed are that of authentic homes that once belonged to a city long ago. While in the theme park, you become so immersed in what is going on around you that you begin to forget about the world outside Disney. After thinking long and hard about which point during my trip to Disney did I feel like I was traveling to a real city, I decided that for me, it has to be when they take you on the boat ride from the parking lot (one of several entry options). Going on a boat and having it take you somewhere definitely made me feel as a child that I was traveling to a legitimate city. Eco’s reading not only makes you realize how Disneys strategic marketing grabs hold of your wallet the second you step on the property, but also the ability it has to fog up our intuition as to what is real, hyperreal, and just a Disney fairytale.