Feelings of Comfort
at the
~World,
Theme Parks
An Honors Thesis
(HONRS 499)
by
Brandon Smith
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Barb Stedman
~()-~
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
Spring 2001
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Abstract
For the past 30 years Walt Disney World has been entertaining guests like no
other vacation destination on the planet. Certain qualities, achievements and mindsets
have made the Walt Disney World Resort a highly successful development for the Walt
Disney Company.
Reasons exist for the success ofthe Walt Disney World theme parks. In general,
the theme parks have been designed to make guests feel comfortable. "Feelings of
Comfort at the Walt Disney World Resort" takes a closer look at several elements that
comprise this overall feeling of comfort. Everything from landscaping and storytelling to
synergy and terminology contribute to a park guest's positive experience.
Through words, pictures, sounds and interactivity, "Feelings of Comfort at the
Walt Disney World Resort" will provide a better understanding of what makes the
Florida vacation destination such a success.
Smith 2
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my thesis advisor Dr. Barb Stedman for her patience in this
long-distance partnership. Her willingness to oversee my progress on this project from
over 1000 miles away was a tremendous undertaking that should be commended! She
kept me grounded to reality while the Disney "magic" attempted to overwhelm my
thoughts.
Additional recognition should be given to all of the people that kept me focused
while spending time in Florida. My three roommates and all of my Disney co-workers
were wonderful people to spend six months with and they have provided a wealth of
ideas for this project...even if they didn't realize at the time that their offhand comments
would manifest into great ideas.
Finally, generous thanks is due to Dr. Joe Misiewicz for convincing me that I
could study, work and graduate on time while living in Florida. When it seemed like
making a six-month trek south would result in an extra semester of school, he was quick
to help me figure out a way to get the most out of my internship.
Smith 3
Reflections
Three years ago an idea popped into my mind that I found very worthy of pursuit:
working at the Walt Disney World Resort would be a very interesting and fun experience.
The summer of 1999 found me working a river-raft attraction in Disney's Animal
Kingdom, and the spring of2001 had me working full-time on a prime time ABC concert
special broadcast from Walt Disney World.
Working and living at the Walt Disney World Resort sparked my interest in the
creation of the parks and the reasons for their success. I began to wonder why guests,
myself included, have such fond memories of Disney World and continue to visit year
after year. Through books and personal exploration I was able to examine the parks more
closely during the summer of 1999, but the exploration was leisurely and undocumented.
Therefore, when the opportunity arose to study and work in Disney World during the
spring of2001 I thought it a perfect opportunity to record my observations and
experiences at the Resort.
After months of studying and experiencing Disney World I have formulated some
firm ideas regarding the many Feelings of Comfort found within each of the four theme
parks. The first steps in creating these ideas began with childhood memories and the
experiences from two years prior. Then, venturing into the park, closer observation of
guest reaction, architectural design, crowd control, landscaping, and environments led to
a firming up of these ideas. A journey into the written materials regarding the Disney
theme parks added supporting information for these ideas and even sparked a few new
ideas. Finally, having firmly shaped these ideas, I took them into the theme parks once
again for a final test of accuracy.
Smith 4
The presentation of these ideas in a multimedia CD format seemed appropriate for
a discussion about the Walt Disney World Resort. Multimedia graphic content is different
from a traditional text-on-paper approach and is much better suited to the non-traditional
theme parks Disney has created. The combination of photo, story, music and interactivity
is very similar to a day in a theme park: many elements uniting to create an overall
product.
Spending time examining the Walt Disney theme parks has been a very enjoyable
and eye-opening experience. Unfortunately, I can never again pass through the Disney
turnstiles and look at the parks with awed eyes like a typical tourist. However, the
incredible feats ofImagineering (Disney's term for the combination of imagination and
engineering) take on much more significance to me now than they ever have before. The
Feelings of Comfort in Disney theme parks is something people almost take for granted
when in reality there is a tremendous amount taking place behind the scenes.
Smith 5
Works Cited
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Walt Disney Productions, 1991.
"Disney's FASTPASS." Disney. com. Walt Disney Company. 15 Feb. 2001.
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Holm, Tyson. Personal interview. 18 Feb. 2001.
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"The Hunchback ofNotre Dame." The Numbers. 2001. 12 March 2001. <http://www.the-
numbers.comlmovies/1996/HUNCH.html> .
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2001: Expert Advicefrom the Inside Source. New York: Hyperion, 2000.
Smith 6
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Space. New York: Noonday Press, 1992.
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