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When the subject of the Disney Enterprises is brought up, one often thinks of cartoons, musicals or other movies, amusement parks, and famous characters such as Mickey Mouse. 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 werent just his morals, they were shared by the countrys 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. Called the happiest place on earth, Disneyland was gorged with Disneys beliefs, hopes and values (that were in common with the nation) that were apparent not only in the movie-themed areas but in the whole park and the way it was run as well. Disney, a man keen on innocence and being happy, wanted Disneyland to be a representation of just that, as well as conveying a sense of Americana. The creation of Disneyland not only encompassed and showcased the ideals of Walt Disney but also served as a haven in which people with similar beliefs could come and celebrate such principles as the preservation of innocence, appreciation of simple joys, and nationalism in a postwar country.
Moreover, Disneyland was and remains an epitome of the American Dream. Walt Disney, the man who was the creator of the Disney Company and products we know and love today, was certainly extraordinary. He is considered to be one of the most successful people in American history, and rightfully so because the magnitude of his accomplishments is astounding. His films (and the films that are produced under his name now after his death), amusement parks and other merchandise are acknowledged and appreciated throughout the entire world. Nearly all the Disney films and merchandise, and all of the amusement parks target an audience of young children, and therefore Disney endorses his creations with stories containing good morals and an emphasis on maintaining innocence.
When Disney first started creating his hit animated features, the nation was in a postwar state and was going through some turmoil within itself as well. Times were changing. The pristine lives most of the adults of the 1950 s had been living were no longer so pure due to the war and the growing popularity of the media (for example, motion pictures, radios, etc. ) in every day lives. The standard morals of the country were undergoing a transformation. Walt Disney recognized this and sought to provide an outlet for those longing for the ethics from the days of yore.
As suburban America witnesses urban violence invading its schools, homes, and neighborhoods, Disney becomes a symbol for the security and romance of the small-town America of yesteryear- a pristine never-never land in which childrens fantasies come true, happiness reigns, and innocence is kept safe through the magic of pixie dust. Disneys target audience was young -and children were much more apparent than before, due to the postwar baby-boom-, so by filling his projects with good values and happiness he was able to instill them into his audience at a young age. While making animated films projected at youth and at others who Disney hoped to infuse innocence into, being the entrepreneur he was, he also had to keep in mind the business of his company. Disney wanted to promote the carelessness of being young, and desired to show even adults that they, too, could be happy and relaxed. Being able to do so and keep audiences of all ages interested enough to save his company from bankruptcy is indeed a challenge.
Nevertheless, Disney was able to generate films that people of many different generations to enjoy, and all the while become extremely successful. Disney [defined] innocence as part of the logic of home entertainment and also pedagogically, as a set of values and practices that [associated] the safeguarding of childhood with a strong investment in the status quo and in the market of consumption. After so much success with his films, Disneys next big step was opening his own amusement park to be located in Anaheim, California and named Disneyland. Some of Disneys most successful films would be featured in this park, with rides and other attractions based on these films to keep park goers occupied.
Because Disney instilled many of his beliefs and positive ethics in his films, this amusement park would support those beliefs and ethics and make them even more tangible. The status of the country was indeed better than it had been during war, but now with a lull in international conflicts the people of the United States were concentrating on their own lives, and realizing that raising children during or after a war can be difficult, especially when naive children are aware of the nations being in brutal combat. Disneys creation of Disneyland was precisely the answer to the nations pleas for a model of what is right and good that America needed. Disney held high expectations of Disneyland, wanting it to be ultimately a place of magic and happiness and all the while supporting America and in some ways the American dream.
This is evident in the speech Disney made of Disneyland's opening: The idea of Disneyland is a simple one. It will be a place for people to find happiness and knowledge. It will be a place for parents and children to share pleasant times in one another's company; a place for teachers and pupils to discover great ways of understanding and education. Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America. Disneyland will be something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic. He hoped that Disneyland could be an incarnation of American idealism.
Something that offers combinations of fantasy, fun, curiosity, and optimism as well as a strong declaration and celebration of a mainstream view of the United States values and culture. All of which are important to Walt Disney himself. Ultimately Disneyland was a massive projection of his personality. Disneyland was a living monument to himself and his ideas of what constituted the good, true, and beautiful in this world. To have a place where families are able to come and have a wholesome and fun-filled trip is exactly what Disney desired, being a family man himself.
Disneyland became popular immediately; thousands of people were now being exposed to Walt Disneys values at a level like never before. It turned out to be exactly what the country needed. Perhaps the most obvious principle of Disneys was his passion for the preservation of innocence. In Disneys moral order, innocence is presented as the deepest truth, which when unproblematized can be used with great force and influence to legitimate the spectacle of entertainment as escapist fantasy. After many of the nations young men were forced to grow up instantly and go to war, the maintenance of innocence was certainly important to the American people as well. Disney, too, must have been affected by the war in this way, which would most definitely make him even more emphatic about this particular notion.
Disney undeniably adored children and the hope that they held, and resented the passing of their childhood. One day as Disney was visiting friends a young girl came and sat on his lap and reminded Walt of his now grown daughters. He said to the girl, I think youd better get down, dear, or youre going to see your Uncle Walt cry. He was quoted many times saying how Disneyland isnt designed just for children. When does a person stop being a child? Can you say that a child is ever entirely eliminated from an adult?
I believe the right kind of entertainment can appeal to all persons, young or old. I want Disneyland to be a place where parents can bring their children or come by themselves and still have a good time. As Disney was very enthusiastic about maintaining innocence, he was sure that Disneyland was full of innocence supporting attractions. He certainly felt successful due to the fact that he believed parents would love Disneyland just as much as their children did, if not more. Disney was someone who knew that while there is very little grown-up in every child, there is a lot of child in every grown-up to a child this weary world is brand-new and gift wrapped. Walt Disney tried to keep it that way for adults.
That desire was most evident in Disneyland. It is safe to say that he was indeed successful, as the praise for Disneyland was and continues to be astounding. Ten years before Disneyland opened the nation was involved in World War II. There was a strong sense of nationalism after the war, and Disney was a fervent supporter of it. Within Disneyland he was emphatic about displaying American pride (most notably with Main Street, U. S.
A. ), as he felt it was a place where dreams and opportunities could come true something that was indeed true in his life and situation. The park had plenty of entertainment-based lessons that endorse an unqualified patriotic enthusiasm for the American way of life, occurring through the cultural matrix of sentiment, nostalgia, middle class family values, unfettered consumerism, and the celebration of the technological advancement. Disney thought Disneyland would be a representation of American concepts and display the views of everyday American culture as well as values. And inevitably, because Disney himself was such an American icon, and because the park truly did embody and reinforce such American beliefs, Disneyland turned out to be an American success.
Disney, a man for such strong support for what he believed was right and good in life and society, was not afraid to hold back his thoughts. He conveyed them throughout his films and in his own physical creation, Disneyland. Fortunately for both him and the people of the United States, both he and society agreed on what was morally right. The nation supported his ideals and was grateful for the outlet to this wonderland that he provided. As a man full of -not political- but social power, Disney used his influence to his advantage: to advertise these morals to people all over the world. He began with his creation of what some call his alter ego, Mickey Mouse, worked to producing films, and later opened his own amusement park.
From there the Disney empire expanded to beyond belief, more amusement parks popped up not only in America, but also all over the world, and films are still being created under his name. And Walt Disney, the man who started it all -and added a flair of his and the nations good morality-, will remain a household name forever.
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Research essay sample on Walt Disney And Disneyland
