WALT DISNEY WORLD

History of the Parks

Rene Burson, Haleigh Fischer, Madison McCrum

Disney Parks, both in American and

globally, and their economic success in
relation to culture and attractions

DISNEY PARKS IN
AMERICA
Haleigh Fischer

Disneyland
July

17, 1955

Ideas

as a commercial
cartoonist

Opening

day disaster

Financial

turn around

First Decade of Growth

Continuing

Opening

returning guest

of second park

Increased

characters

attractions and

Main Attractions
Disneyland

Main Attractions
Walt Disney World

Main Attractions

Epcot Center, Disney MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom

INTERNATIONAL DISNEY PARKS

Rene Burson

Tokyo Disneyland
Open to public April 15, 1983
Large number of Japanese
visitors to American parks
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo
DisneySea

Disneyland Paris
Open to guests April 12, 1992
Originally EuroDisney

Disneyland Paris and Walt

Disney Studio Park

Hong Kong Disneyland

Open to guests September 12,
2005
Smallest of the parks
Main park and man-made
lake

Shanghai Disneyland
Open to guests June 16, 2016

Mainland China
Features a single park

CULTURAL HISTORY OF
INTERNATIONAL PARKS
Rene Burson

Tokyo Disneyland

Cinderellas Castle instead of Sleeping Beautys

Tokyo Disneyland
The food was
created to mix
traditional Japanese
dishes with
American and
Chinese flavors

Tokyo Disneyland
This park was created as a mix of
American Disney and local
Japanese culture
The cultural mix has been a huge
success in Tokyo, but not as much
in other international locations

Disneyland Paris
Very disappointing in beginning
Had to change to meet cultural expectations

Disneyland Paris
Admission prices were
too high and many
Europeans were not
willing to pay so much to
visit the park

admission was
reduced to 74 for a
single day

Disneyland Paris
New attractions
were added to
incorporate more
French culture
and the Orbitron

Like Les Mystres de Nautilus

Disneyland Paris
Design and
architecture of the
park were
changed because
it was too
American

Disneyland Paris
Wine and other spirits were
added to the menu in
alignment with the French
culture of having a glass
with meals

Disneyland Paris
French intellectuals still did not
feel it incorporated enough of the
local culture
Arane Mnouchkine called the
park a cultural Chernobyl

Hong Kong Disneyland

The park failed to demonstrate an understanding
of local culture and changes had to be made

Hong Kong Disneyland

Prices were too high for the local visitors
when the park opened

so prices were reduced to HK295 in 2009

Hong Kong Disneyland

Mickey and Minnie
Mouse were given
Chinese makeovers to
appeal to guests

Mickey was given a red

Mau suit

Hong Kong Disneyland

Disney had to adapt to local food
preferences and eating habits

the park now serves primarily

Chinese food, with a Disney twist

Hong Kong Disneyland

Disney added local entertainment
offerings to improve attendance

One of which was celebrating the

Chinese New Year

Hong Kong Disneyland

Changes were also made to
existing attractions

Hong Kong Disneyland

To attract guests from the mainland
Feng Shui and traditional Chinese
elements were incorporated into the
design

Hong Kong Disneyland

Numbers hold significant
meaning in Chinese culture

Hong Kong Disneyland

Gift shops are also subject to cultural differences

There are no clocks, watches

or green hats

Hong Kong Disneyland

The main challenge for Disney was finding a way to keep
the Disney theme intact, while also tailoring its
philosophy and attractions to the local Chinese culture,
environment and mindset

Shanghai Disneyland
Disney set out to create a park that is
authentically Disney while distinctly Chinese

Shanghai Disneyland
Disney kept things as traditional as
they could for the groundbreaking
ceremony of the park

Shanghai Disneyland
There are ample
opportunities to take photos
with Mulan

ECONOMIC HISTORY OF DISNEY

PARKS
Madison McCrum

Before the Parks

Before

being known for amusement parks,

Walt Disney was an animator which left
him with a decent paycheck

He

produced and animated many hit

movies
Examples:

He

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Pinocchio (1940)
Dumbo (1941)

won several Academy Awards

Funding
Initially,

Walt Disney
struggled to find funding for
his parks!

He

went to investors that

did not think amusement
parks were a great way to
spend their money

Walt

Disney was becoming

depressed

For the Love of Liquor

Walt

Disney hated the idea of alcohol being served

where children are to play

At

first alcohol was prohibited in Disneyland

After

understanding the profit margin that he was

missing out on, Disney began to rethink their policy

For the Love of Liquor

Acceptance
Reluctantly,

Walt Disney
allowed alcohol to be served
at Club 33 in Disneyland at
specific times

You

had to be a member of
the club to be served.

Club 33 Today

Disneyworld Helps Florida

The

Orlando area was just

swamplands and fields where
cattle grazed before
construction

Disneyworld

created thousands

of jobs
Tourism

is the top economic

contributor to Florida today
mainly to do with Disneyworld

Once Upon a Dream

In

1993, Disney Co. announced the next Disney theme

park in the USA, Disneys America

Media

got wind that it was supposed to have a colonial

vibe
It

was to be right outside of Washington, D.C.

Slavery

the park

aspects were also said to be another portion of

Once Upon a Dream

After

13 months of talk,
Disney Co. pulls out

The

media was a key factor

in their decision who would
want to experience colonial
slavery at Disney anyway?

The

company lost millions

CONCLUSION

Due to a keen eye for perfection, today the Disney

theme parks are flourishing. They have been placed
meticulously all over the world in hopes that everyone
can experience The Happiest Place On Earth!

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Perform research on the culture before building the

parks

2. Expect the Unexpected

3. Know the importance of confidentiality

4. Listen to the media

Thank You!