Contexts OGR

Title: The relationship between themed park attractions and art in comparison to other forms
of media.

Paragraph 1: Introduction – Key points/sources introduced

For many the idea of a theme park attraction being considered art is something to be scoffed
at, simply seen as a short tacky yet fun way to entertain the children or pass a few minutes.
Rarely are attractions of this nature viewed as pieces of art, in relation to how a painting,
film, piece of music or any other form of media are viewed and respected. To fans and
enthusiasts this physical man created lands and adventures are sacred but to others they are
just a simple experience. This essay will be exploring the way in which theme park lands and
attractions are examples of art just like other forms of media and the way in which they are
not archived and seen as such. Key sources include Karal Ann Marling’s book, ‘Designing
Disney’s Theme Parks – The Architecture of Reassurance’, talking about the art and design
put into the creation of the Disney Parks and an article by Josh Young talking about the
documentation of older attraction. This essay will be looking at three different defunct theme
park attraction, ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Jaws the
ride at Universal Studios Orlando and Professor Burps Bubbleworks at Chessington World of
Adventures. As well as looking at how the preservation and appreciation of this form of
media has changed over time.

In 1955 Walt Disney changed the world of themed entertainment with the opening of
Disneyland and his initial dream, for a simple themed land of yesterday, tomorrow and
fantasy to be enjoyed by young and the young at heart alike, has evolved the world over. The
world of themed entertainment, through lands like ‘Pandora the world of Avatar’ [Fig 1] and
attractions like ‘Splash Mountain’ [Fig 2], just like books and films allow us to be transported
out of our normal lives and into an immersive fantasy world. Immersive environments like
this go beyond the 2D experience of a book or film and by many still isn’t art……

Paragraph 2: Comparison between traditional media and attractions and relation to art

• Discuss and compare attraction with traditional forms of media and how its regarded
in comparison.
• Bring up the way films are achieved, restored preserved.
• Can never ‘lose’ traditional media, once a ride is gone it GONE.
• Discuss how is just as art other media

• “In the first place, traditional museums have not often regarded the world of theme
parks, or the artworks and artists behind them, as “legitimate” subjects for their
sacred halls. Personally, I never quite understood this attitude, because World’s
Fairs and International Expositions have “traditionally” showcased great art and
artists.” (Marling 1997)

• “Only in men’s imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable
existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life.”
(Rafferty 1996)
Paragraph 3: Alien Encounter & EPCOT, deterioration, the demise of originality & the
destruction and loss of Skippy and Buzzy.

• Discuss the tragic fate of Alien Encounter and the dormancy of its replacement
Stitches Great Escape.
• [Fig3,4]
• Epcot its deterioration and then abandonment loss of Buzzy in later years.

• Bring back round to the way in which films are preserved and taken care of and how
as part of history they should be taken care of.

• “When you consider that Disneyland opened more than sixty years ago and Disney
World forty-five, it doesn’t seem too out of place to start thinking of them as places of
potential historic significance.” (Lynch 2016)

Paragraph 4: Prof. Burps Bubbleworks: a corporate transformation and the loss of

charm

• Explain the creativity, time and original idea that went into the 1990 attraction just for
something that may be seen more of an asset than a piece of art or history.

• Left to rot and deteriorate

• Sold out and refurbed for the lesser corporate imperial leather bubbleworks
• Left to rot again until refurbed and changed completely.
• Explain how original experience can never be experienced today
• Relationship to the creativity put into it and story and explain how it wasn’t treated as
art it is.
• [Fig 6-7]
• “Some fans may be surprised to learn that attractions were rarely filmed back then
(in the UK at least), even after all that amazing talent and years of planning. All the
work would go into creating the best experience “in the moment” for the riders, so
actually recording their work for posterity was rarely thought about. Designers were
often quite humble and wouldn’t have guessed people still loved the rides years
later!” (Young 2017)

Paragraph 5: Jaws the Ride: destruction of a classic

• Explain story of the Jaws ride

• An amazing narrative driven, immersive environment that can never be relived today.
• Compare legacy of attraction with movie and the way in relation to art and respect.
• Universal disregard for history and classics, money.
• [Fig 8]
• ‘With the original Jaws movie having pulled in an incredible $470 million at the box
office and being one of Universal Pictures’ best-known productions, the decision to
bring the shark to Orlando was not a difficult one. But the reality of implementing a
major, water-based attraction would prove to be anything but easy…” (Sim 2015)
 Paragraph 6: Conclusion
Bring all points together and close up argument.

• Attractions and art

• Abandonment/popularity
• Historical context
• Monetary value

Fig 1. Pandora the world of Avatar Fig 2. Splash Mountain

Fig 3 Skippy, Alien Fig 4. Skinned Fig 5. Buzzy, Cranium

Encounter Skeleton of Skippy Command

Fig 6. Professor Burps Bubbleworks Fig 7. Imperial Leather Bubbleworks.

Fig 8. The Demolition of Jaws the Ride
 Contexts Sources

Author: John Hench

Critical Position: Imagineer/Designer
Publisher: Disney Editions
Place of Publication: USA
Date: 2003
Book: Designing Disney – Imagineering The Art of The Show, p56
Subject: Explaining the level of detail that goes into authenticity and realism of the Disney
Parks.
Quote: “Imagineers carefully select images essential to each story we want to tell in a Disney
park. Mood, sensation and creating an enhanced reality are aspects of storytelling that we
translate into three-dimensional design through theming and form. The “theming” of an
attraction identifies in with a Disney story, and allows guests to experience that story through
their senses. Each attraction must create a distinct mood if it is to give quests the experience
of an enhanced reality, the “realer than real” thrill that is the signature of the Disney parks.”

Author: Karal Ann Marling

Critical Position: Art History/ American Studies Professor
Publisher: Flammarion
Place of Publication: Paris, France
Date: 1997
Book: Designing Disney’s Theme Parks – The Architecture of Reassurance, p13
Subject: An explanation of Museums not seeing theme parks as traditional art.
Quote: “In the first place, traditional museums have not often regarded the world of theme
parks, or the artworks and artists behind them, as “legitimate” subjects for their sacred halls.
Personally, I never quite understood this attitude, because World’s Fairs and International
Expositions have “traditionally” showcased great art and artists.”

Author: Kevin Rafferty

Critical Position: Imagineer
Publisher: Welcome Enterprises
Place of Publication: New York
Date: 1996
Book: Walt Disney Imagineering – A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real,
p41
Subject: A quote explaining Imagineering as art.
Quote: “Only in men’s imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable
existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life.”

Author: Robert Tieman

Critical Position: Manager of Walt Disney Archives
Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd
Place of Publication: UK
Date: 2005
Book: The Disney Experience
Subject: A quote describing some of the scepticism for Disneyland.
Quote: “All in all, for a park that sceptics believed would fail within a year, by Disneyland’s
tenth birthday Walt’s dream had become the most talked about, most written about
entertainment idea of the century. Returning to the Tencennial banquet, Walt summed ITUP
UCCINCTLY: “Everyone said: ‘What the hell does he want that damn amusement part for?”
As the audience laughed, he continued, “I couldn’t think of a good reason except – I don’t
know – I wanted it!”

Author: Josh Young

Critical Position: Author
Title: British Theme Park Archive Expertly Preserves Extinct UK Attractions
Publisher: Theme Park University
Place of Publication: Online at - https://themeparkuniversity.com/theme-parks-101/british-
theme-park-archive-expertly-preserves-extinct-uk-attractions/
Date: 2017
Subject: Talking about the documentation of older attractions.
Quote: “Some fans may be surprised to learn that attractions were rarely filmed back then (in
the UK at least), even after all that amazing talent and years of planning. All the work would
go into creating the best experience “in the moment” for the riders, so actually recording their
work for posterity was rarely thought about. Designers were often quite humble and wouldn’t
have guessed people still loved the rides years later!”

Author: Melanie Grossi

Critical Position: Author
Title: Imagineer Joe Rohde Talks Pandora, Animal Kingdom, and Art History at the Orlando
Museum of Art
Publisher: Laughing Place
Place of Publication: Online at -
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2017/08/07/imagineer-joe-rohde-talks-pandora-
animal-kingdom-art-history-orlando-museum-art/
Date: 2017
Subject: Joe Rohde talking about the way he views the parks and quests as an audience.
Quote: “They’d open the curtain and there would be this grand, vast landscape in which you
mentally wandered for an hour. Because no matter how big that painting was — if you
looked into the tiniest, tiniest sections of that painting — there was another painting. And
another painting. And another and another… down to the size of a nickel, that sounds
familiar to me; a ticket, a theater, a presentation, a vast world that presents itself with
grandeur that allows one to wander down to the tiniest detail… That sounds like us!”

Author: Yariv Padva

Critical Position: Author
Title: Grand Interview of WDI Legendary Imagineer Tony Baxter - Part One
Publisher: Disney and more
Place of Publication: Online at - http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2016/01/grand-
interview-of-wdi-legendary.html?m=1
Date: 2016
Subject: Tony Baxter talking about the emotional weight of attractions.
Quote: “I always say, “You’ve got to discipline yourself to think about when you’re
designing. Don’t design for the first time you’re going to go on a ride or see a movie. Design
for the 20thtime you’re going to see it and force yourself to say, “I’ve seen this 19 times
already. Why am I waiting in line at Disneyland to go on the Peter Pan ride for the 20th time?
I’m waiting a half an hour to get on that boat and do it again. Why?” I can tell you, it’s
always about the emotion of it. It’s not necessarily about what you’re going to see on the
floor or down below you or anything like that. It’s the fact that there’s something that’s
aspirational and it’s worth it to you to get to have that feeling again, that emotional
experience.”

Author: Michael Lynch

Critical Position: Historian/Author
Title: Do theme parks need preservation?
Publisher: Past in Present
Place of Publication: Online at - https://pastinthepresent.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/do-
theme-parks-need-preservation/
Date: 2016
Subject: The historical significance of the parks.
Quote: “When you consider that Disneyland opened more than sixty years ago and Disney
World forty-five, it doesn’t seem too out of place to start thinking of them as places of
potential historic significance.”

Author: Nick Sim

Critical Position: Author
Title: Jaws: How Universal’s Shark Ride Turned into a Real-Life Disaster
Publisher: Theme Park Tourist
Place of Publication: Online at -
https://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20150414/30158/jaws-how-universal-s-shark-
ride-turned-real-life-disaster
Date:
Subject: The story of the Jaws ride.
Quote: ‘With the original Jaws movie having pulled in an incredible $470 million at the box
office and being one of Universal Pictures’ best-known productions, the decision to bring
the shark to Orlando was not a difficult one. But the reality of implementing a major, water-
based attraction would prove to be anything but easy…” (Sim 2015)