The Walt Disney Company

Disneyland was Walt Disney’s dream of a theme park that would be, in his words, “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Walt understood too well that the people that were hired would need to be taught how to create that elusive atmosphere. He called on Van France to assist him in creating what has become a world renowned training program. This program taught their employees, or “cast members”, to achieve the ultimate result, a “good show”.

The Disney order and how their structural barriers, surveillance and constant instructions can avert deviation through many features that tourist may appear to be too negligible to notice due to it not being apparent. These incorporate distinguishability, a constant company instructing you what to do at all times. Shearing and Stenning (1987) revealed how this urban space control structures introduced in every characteristic of it design and supervision. From promoting comfort, security and familiarity between customers and to ease their control. Both authors define the stages people have to go through from the moment they arrive and leave the park. Inoffensive structural barriers such as the flowerbeds, pool features and fountains therefore

“Disneyland will never be completed, it will continue to grow as long as there is imagination in the world.”-Walt Disney. Imagineering, imagining and engineering put together.

Janet Waskos the author of “understanding Disney: The manufacture of fantasy” this book uncovers many truths about the business of Disney and their motives behind the company. In order for Waskos to provide her readers with a deep understanding of Disney’s invisible motives behind their actions, she investigates ways in which Disney constructs society. Waskos first provides the audience with an analysis of Disney and synergy. She then focuses on how Disney promotes the idea of capitalism. Waskos supports this notion by using examples, such as, Disney theme parks, the concept of mass production and mass merchandising. In addition, Waskos outlines ways in which Disney fails to meet reality, and inflicts social norms on society. Janet

And now, nearly four decades after his death, the maker of said creations, Walt Disney, is not nearly as recognized as he should be. Not only are his works and other projects intriguing, his morals and techniques personally behind them are as well. And yet they weren’t just his morals, they were shared by the country’s people who so desired an example of good principles. Perhaps the most significant scheme of all was his creation of his very own amusement park in 1955, Disneyland, located in Anaheim, California.

Walt Disney, and his company’s, history with urban planning had an unexpected start. Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., among one of the amusement park’s more ambitious “lands” (and one close to Walt Disney’s heart), inadvertently acted as a model for urban planning at the time of its opening and for years to come. While Tomorrowland was actually set in the future, it was Main Street, U.S.A. that first served as the model for real cities in designing their downtown and entertainment areas. The “land” successfully blended a small town-like setting with amenities often found in large cities, even in its small scale, and became a basis for the most exhaustive park at Walt Disney World: EPCOT Center (and later, simply Epcot).

1.Which authors discuss Disney parks as conveying a “movie” or cinematic experience? What aspects of the parks do they discuss for making their argument? How is this movie-like experience expressed in park elements?

A basic of Disney theme park is the Main Street USA zone. This section features highly in all of the parks, usually coming right after the entrance. Key services like Guest Relations are located in this section, inside the "City Hall" (HK Disney Source, 2014) . There are a number of elements of the Main Street USA exhibit, and these will be discussed along with the history of Main Street USA in this paper. In particular, how the different elements of Main Street USA work together are covered. The concept has proven to be ultimate, even across cultures, because of its magical portrayal of idealized American life, which draws heavily on Walt Disney's own childhood experiences.

The selected company that I have chosen is The Walt Disney Company, it was founded October 16 1923; 92 years ago, in Los Angeles, California by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney. They have grown since then and have 11 parks in the world; five business segments which are media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. Their main competitors being, Viacom Inc. (VIAB), Time Warner Inc. (TWX), Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA), CBS (CBS), and Comcast (CMCSA). Their mission is, “The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.”

A conglomerate is a large company that owns several media products. The conglomerate I have chosen is Disney/ ABC. headquartered in Burbank, California. It is one of the largest media conglomerates in the world in terms of revenue. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (SEGD 2014). Widely known and bringing in a lot of revenue, this company continues to grow.

Strong product portfolio. Walt Disney’s products include broadcast television network ABC and cable networks such as Disney Channel or ESPN, which is one of the most watched cable networks

The Walt Disney Company has come a long way since Steamboat Willie where, the iconic face representing the brand, Mickey Mouse appeared in 1928 (Telotte, 2008). Walt Disney theme parks and the iconic mouse were accessible only in America for 28 years; more specifically, in California and Florida (Ferrell, O., Hirt, & Ferrell, L., 2009). Mickey Mouse, who is “arguably known by more people around the world than any other American” (Eisner, 1995, n.p.) brought fans and tourists from all over the world to visit the “happiest place on earth” (Ferrell, O., Hirt, & Ferrell, L., 2009, p. 112). Naturally, the clever minds behind the success of the of the Walt Disney company theme parks recognized the draw from a global perspective, which led to the assumption its theme parks would be successful internationally.

The swamp lands of Orlando, Florida seemed like useless space to the common eye, but to Walt Disney it was the perfect place for an enchanting kingdom. “Turning Florida’s swamp land into a Magic Kingdom was nothing short of a miracle” (Behind the Scenes). Disney slowly started purchasing small sections of the land a little at a time. His top Imagineers helped with the purchasing of the land in order to keep the new park a secret. “It was one of the world’s largest private construction projects. He had enough land and space to make and grow on whatever he wanted” (Behind the Scenes). Walt’s imagination saw worthless swamp land, as a place worthy for his next amusement park. Walt once said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” (Brad Aldridge Productions). And this

There are many fantastic theme parks around the world, but some of the most popular are located in Florida. Out of these Florida parks, Sea World, Universal Studios, and Disney World, from Central Florida stand out. However, I believe one of these three parks is arguably superior, and that is Disney World. Since 1971, Disney World has undeniably become the world’s premier and most popular theme park attraction, bringing in around 52 million customers every year. Disney World has a fantastic assortment of fun-filled rides, amazing attractions, and phenomenal world-class entertainment, that, combined with their friendly and enthusiastic personnel, provide such a satisfying customer service experience that people make it their primary vacation spot year after year. If you have never been to Disney World, they will not disappoint, as they also have a convenient park layout that caters to first-timers. This essay will show not only what about Disney World has made it the world’s premier theme park, but that the popularity of the other two does not necessarily mean they are a pleasant experience.

Walt Disney Company is famed for its creativity, strong global brand, and uncanny ability to take service and experience businesses to higher levels. In the early 1990s, then-CEO Michael Eisner looked to the fast-food industry as a way to draw additional attention to the Disney presence outside of its theme parks - its retail chain was highly successful and growing rapidly.