Page 151 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

many attractions or to the commercialism of the parks. Even among sceptical
visitors to Disney theme parks, a similarly uncritical response is not uncommon.
142 Buckingham quotes a British visitor:

I enjoyed Disneyland in Paris. Against all my better judgement, I really enjoyed it. I went with a party
of school kids – 10 kids – and I really expected to hate it. … I went with all those assumptions of
‘Disney, bloody Disney’ – Americanization of culture, modulization of culture, all that. But it was
really fun. I had a lovely time. I had a really, really good time. 19
Predominantly ludic responses among visitors to the Disney theme parks, such as
20
those emphasizing fun, have been described as uninteresting but they are in fact
indicative of the kind of uncritical reception that themed environments are capa-
ble of creating. These findings are consistent with those relating to the reception
of Disney products more generally. Wasko summarizes findings from the Global
Disney Audiences Project (see Box 3.1, p. 69) as follows: ‘People’s similar under-
standings of Disney suggest that there is relatively little room for active or alter-
native readings of texts, like Disney’s, which are carefully coded and controlled,
and not polysemic and open.’ 21
Consequently, theming in malls, restaurants, shops, and so on is often likely to
be introduced in order to create a more playful reaction on the part of the con-
sumer and in tandem a greater willingness to spend more than might otherwise
have been the case. Shields, for example, has argued that malls like the West
Edmonton Mall in Canada differ from what he calls ‘conventional convenience-
oriented malls’ because the emphasis on theming and play ‘places it outside the
realm of the mundane and the quotidian. It promises a fulfilling fantasy and con-
22
sumption experience as a break from the humdrum of everyday life’. This sense
of a different kind of environment, which mixes consumption with play, is the
kind of context where the ludic response uncovered in the research on visitors to
Disney theme parks is likely to be found. Hybrid consumption sites, like West
Edmonton Mall, underscore the process by fusing shopping with activities that
are more or less exclusively associated with leisure (cinemas, bowling alleys,
theme park attractions, ice skating, and so on). Even the normally more cynical
journalists can take this view, as the following remark in connection with
MetroCentre in Gateshead and its Metroland amusement park shows:

Campaigners weep for dying high-street shops. … The malls are more fun. They remind me of the
old Fun Palace at Blackpool pleasure beach. Coming in from the bus station at MetroCentre, you
reach Metroland. A friendly dragon floats above the entrance. You can buy a day ticket for your
children. A roller coaster whooshes overhead. A ferris wheel turns. The toy train ride clangs its bell
without ceasing. The din is all very satisfactory. 23

At the Girl Heaven chain of shops for young girls, there is an explicit organiza-
tional ethos of ‘having fun’ that staff are expected to personify. 24 The designer of
the Girl Heaven concept has written: