Walt Disney World…
How do they do it???
If you have young children you can’t escape Walt’s world. Disney’s
ubiquitous characters gaze out from T-shirts and lunch boxes;
commercials for the latest Disney animated film blanket children’s TV
programming. And Disney comics reach even the most isolated rural
regions. The Disney machine has touched us all, spreading the values of
the marketplace, colonizing the fantasy life of children and changing the
world irrevocably in the process.
Disneyfication

Disneyfication (also called Disneyization)
is a term which describes the transformation
of something, usually society at large, to
resemble The Walt Disney Company's
theme parks
What s Disneyfication?

Often used as a negative term
 Implies that a region has been stripped of its
culture and identity and repackaged
 Facts are watered down, and negative
images are removed
Let’s Tour Disneyland…
Company Information

Founded in 1923
 Includes both the Walt Disney Studios and
the Parks and Resorts
 Disneyland Park, Anaheim California (the
first resort) opened 1952
 Today, the company includes 11 theme
parks on three continents, cruise lines, and
adventure travel
Stats

Covers 40 square miles
 Net income: $3.32 billion
 Number of employees: 150 000
 WDW is the largest single side employer in
the US
 15.98 million people visit the park
Food Facts

2 600 000 chocolate covered Mickey Mouse
ice cream bars are sold yearly
 1.4 BBQ turkey legs are consumed yearly
 6 million hotdogs are consumed yearly
 75 million soft drinks are sold annually.
 9 million pounds of French Fries are sold
annually
Weird Misc. Facts

3.8 million pens are purchased yearly
 9 acres of tunnels are under Magic
Kingdom
 15 million gallons of water are used each
day
 11,000 firework shows per year makes
WDW the largest consumer of fireworks in
North America.
Down side of Disney
Employees are paid poorly – often
minimum wage or below ($7.50-$9.15/hr)
 Skills are not often transferable
 Employees are disposable
 Positions are based on age
and looks

Inside the Disney Dream
Machine

What are some economic challenges the
employees of Walt Disney World and
Celebration Town living.