In 1992, Singapore banned both the import and the personal possession of chewing gum. The country, obsessed with the appearance of their land, was concerned that the gum would end up not in trash cans, but on seats and under railings.
The country practices a rigidly enforced and lengthly list of laws and statues to make sure that everything remains clean. Don't believe me? It is illegal to fail to flush a public toilet. Or ask Michael Fay, the American teenager, who spray painted some graffiti (clearly more serious than gum chewing or leaving the urinal without a flush, but a misdemeanor in the U.S.). He was sentenced to a caning (basically a public flogging). How's that for a totalitarian regime (actually they are a democracy, so all of this is done with the consent of the governed).
You can buy almost anything you can imagine in Disney World. In fact, the whole place is almost as much a shopping destination as it is a theme park. In addition to the obligatory $10 memory trinkets, there is a wide, wide field of products available.
Need groceries? The resorts have small convenience store like corners in their gift shops. Need toys, games, DVDs? All over the place. Want a camera or film? No problem. Cookware or home goods? You can get anything from subtle Mickey patterns to over the top screaming garish icons. And if you are looking for more exotic fare, they probably have it at Epcot: $1500 jade sculptures in China, wasabi coated peas and dried squid in Japan, perfume in France, and even athletic shoes in Germany.
But like Singapore, what you can't buy at Disney World is chewing gum. And the ban at Disney theme parks goes way past '92. When Walt opened Disneyland in California 55 years ago, he imagined not the enjoyment of those at the park chewing gum, but the terminus of said gum. He decreed that there would be no chewing gum on the overflowing racks of merchandise.
It is not illegal to bring it into the park, but that may be just because even Disney doesn't have that sort of governmental authority. But if you are caught defacing the property by leaving it in the wrong place, you can be certain there will be consequences.
Disney doesn't need the toilet law now that modern electric eye technology has made their toilets flush automatically. And graffiti is non-existent since the company would eject you from the park if you were caught and have been known to ban some persons from the property for life.
So the next time you are on Jeopardy and Alex looks you in the eye on Final Jeopardy with Ken Jennings smugly smiling beside you and says, "Its not available in Singapore or Disney World." You can smugly smile having risked it all and write the question "What is gum?"
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Church?
Yesterday, we went to church--sort of.
I had long wanted to attend the gospel brunch at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney, but the opportunity had never arrived until yesterday.
I waited outside in the wilting summer heat with curiosity and anticipation. We entered and turned in our tickets and were seated on a particularly uncomfortable pew in the balcony to the side of the stage. There was a table level board attached to the rail in front of us.
We were then directed to the abundant buffet, a celebration of excess which began with breakfast items and went into a creole lunch. If the 18 feet of food was not enough, there was another station set up by the bar where a carver could provide ham or beef, trays of corn bread and biscuits and a dizzying array of desserts.
It was a reminder that this was not like church the way I was used to experiencing it. In Baptist circles, the pot-luck is free and happens after the service, not as a prelude to it. We also don't have a disco ball on the ceiling or swirling spots on the stage curtains.
Finally, the curtains parted and revealed an ensemble of eight performers and a small band. From the very beginning, everything was unapologetically Christian in tone and concept. The show began with a quotation about worship from the Pslams. The performers/worship leaders were energetic, engaging and talented.
The first couple of songs were fast-paced joyous affairs with clapping and standing. The mood of the service then shifted to a more somber tone and the music became a more pensive ballad. The lead singer said, "You've come today for a show, but I hope you don't mind if we do a little ministry." She then listed the sorts of burdens that a person might have brought with them and launched into a song that reminded those present that God is with them all the time. As the program came to its conclusion, the mood shifted to celebration as all the July birthdays and anniversaries were invited to come and join the choir on the stage for a rousing song of praise.
The level of performance was exemplary. I also was pleasantly surprised by the Christian sincerity of the performers. What interested me most was that in the short period of time they were on stage the music created a powerful trajectory--joyful worship to thoughtful reflection on the imperfections of life to celebration for God's gifts.
I went into the House of Blues expecting a show but left having been to church.
I had long wanted to attend the gospel brunch at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney, but the opportunity had never arrived until yesterday.
I waited outside in the wilting summer heat with curiosity and anticipation. We entered and turned in our tickets and were seated on a particularly uncomfortable pew in the balcony to the side of the stage. There was a table level board attached to the rail in front of us.
We were then directed to the abundant buffet, a celebration of excess which began with breakfast items and went into a creole lunch. If the 18 feet of food was not enough, there was another station set up by the bar where a carver could provide ham or beef, trays of corn bread and biscuits and a dizzying array of desserts.
It was a reminder that this was not like church the way I was used to experiencing it. In Baptist circles, the pot-luck is free and happens after the service, not as a prelude to it. We also don't have a disco ball on the ceiling or swirling spots on the stage curtains.
Finally, the curtains parted and revealed an ensemble of eight performers and a small band. From the very beginning, everything was unapologetically Christian in tone and concept. The show began with a quotation about worship from the Pslams. The performers/worship leaders were energetic, engaging and talented.
The first couple of songs were fast-paced joyous affairs with clapping and standing. The mood of the service then shifted to a more somber tone and the music became a more pensive ballad. The lead singer said, "You've come today for a show, but I hope you don't mind if we do a little ministry." She then listed the sorts of burdens that a person might have brought with them and launched into a song that reminded those present that God is with them all the time. As the program came to its conclusion, the mood shifted to celebration as all the July birthdays and anniversaries were invited to come and join the choir on the stage for a rousing song of praise.
The level of performance was exemplary. I also was pleasantly surprised by the Christian sincerity of the performers. What interested me most was that in the short period of time they were on stage the music created a powerful trajectory--joyful worship to thoughtful reflection on the imperfections of life to celebration for God's gifts.
I went into the House of Blues expecting a show but left having been to church.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Largest Parking Lot
It never ceases to amaze me how the folks at Disney move so many people around in what seems to be such seamless ease. I know that there has to be a science to the whole process for it to work so well. When we visited London, the traffic was a disaster. Our bus tour may as well have been a walking tour.
But pulling off at one of the four interstate exchanges that proclaim Disney World, I have never seen a traffic tie-up (not saying it doesn't happen, just haven't seen it). Even at night when the parks close, the exit is quicker and easier than any other large event parking I have attended.
Don't forget to throw on top of it that the folks driving cars here at the park are almost all not locals. This means there are continuous ridiculous lane changes and slow drivers looking for signs. It is the recipe for a disaster, but somehow Disney pulls it off.
I got to thinking about this when the tram driver at Epcot told us to make sure where we parked our car because this was the second largest parking lot in North America. First, I was stunned and then I began to wonder just what the largest one was. Is it I-75 during the World Equestrian Games? Then I went to Google and determined that this claim is based either on area of the lot (the equivalent of 140 football fields) or parking facilities without garages (in which case Magic Kingdom is number one with over 12,000 spaces) or a tram operator spouting nonsense (there is a parking facility at a mall in Edmonton with 20,000 spots--and never one during Christmas I suspect--and several others over 13,000 spaces).
But whatever the case, there are a lot of cars there on any given day. The ride in never seems all that crowded as the numerous attendants direct you to the particular row they are filling at the time. This helps alleviate congestion as the trams line-up and wait there to pick up the newest arrivals. The attendants all have communicators and some are even on Segways to coordinate the process.
Most interesting are the parking spots. They are at an angle and designed for two vehicles with no line to separate them. The attendants point you to the next available one, filling first the front of the spot and then starting again once the row is filled with the back of the spot. This clears up two significant choke points. First, even though the people in the car next to you are getting out at almost the same time, the angle of the parking means that doors on the adjacent vehicles can be opened simultaneously and you don't have to do the courtesy dance (You, No you, No you, thunk). And because the car behind does not come until the next parking wave, the trunk of the car is clear to get out any needed items.
Further easing things, spotters later in the day find rows towards the front with open spaces and direct late arrivers to them. We have found that when you get to Epcot at 6 in the evening you end up closer to the gate than at ten in the morning.
The more I've watched, something as simple as a parking lot isn't that simple when it handles 30,000 or more people everyday. But, experience and strategy make the Disney parking lots run smoother than the much smaller one at Fayette Mall.
But pulling off at one of the four interstate exchanges that proclaim Disney World, I have never seen a traffic tie-up (not saying it doesn't happen, just haven't seen it). Even at night when the parks close, the exit is quicker and easier than any other large event parking I have attended.
Don't forget to throw on top of it that the folks driving cars here at the park are almost all not locals. This means there are continuous ridiculous lane changes and slow drivers looking for signs. It is the recipe for a disaster, but somehow Disney pulls it off.
I got to thinking about this when the tram driver at Epcot told us to make sure where we parked our car because this was the second largest parking lot in North America. First, I was stunned and then I began to wonder just what the largest one was. Is it I-75 during the World Equestrian Games? Then I went to Google and determined that this claim is based either on area of the lot (the equivalent of 140 football fields) or parking facilities without garages (in which case Magic Kingdom is number one with over 12,000 spaces) or a tram operator spouting nonsense (there is a parking facility at a mall in Edmonton with 20,000 spots--and never one during Christmas I suspect--and several others over 13,000 spaces).
But whatever the case, there are a lot of cars there on any given day. The ride in never seems all that crowded as the numerous attendants direct you to the particular row they are filling at the time. This helps alleviate congestion as the trams line-up and wait there to pick up the newest arrivals. The attendants all have communicators and some are even on Segways to coordinate the process.
Most interesting are the parking spots. They are at an angle and designed for two vehicles with no line to separate them. The attendants point you to the next available one, filling first the front of the spot and then starting again once the row is filled with the back of the spot. This clears up two significant choke points. First, even though the people in the car next to you are getting out at almost the same time, the angle of the parking means that doors on the adjacent vehicles can be opened simultaneously and you don't have to do the courtesy dance (You, No you, No you, thunk). And because the car behind does not come until the next parking wave, the trunk of the car is clear to get out any needed items.
Further easing things, spotters later in the day find rows towards the front with open spaces and direct late arrivers to them. We have found that when you get to Epcot at 6 in the evening you end up closer to the gate than at ten in the morning.
The more I've watched, something as simple as a parking lot isn't that simple when it handles 30,000 or more people everyday. But, experience and strategy make the Disney parking lots run smoother than the much smaller one at Fayette Mall.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Lines
Yesterday, we made our way to one of the Disney Water Parks. As we stood waiting to get on the longest and fastest water slide in the world (or so the sign claimed), I started thinking. Where else in life do people pay money to stand in line for 75 minutes for an experience that is over in 5 seconds.
Why do the normal laws of economics, time and expectations somehow suspend themselves in an amusement park? In any other context at the end of such an experience there would be complaining and anger or might even include violence and chaos in the line. And yet, when we got off the ride, the expression from almost everyone was "Wow, I can't wait to do that again."
It made me think, "What goes on in a Disney line that makes it work while if the line at Kroger was longer than an hour it would be a mob scene?"
First, like a shopping mall, there are no clocks in evidence. This creates a sense of timelessness. And in the water park, where most people don't have watches or cell phones, the effect is enhanced. You wait for a while--not for 39 minutes and 23 seconds.
Then at the beginning of each ride there is a sign with an estimated wait time. This creates an expectation from the beginning that the experience will not be an immediate one. In addition, there seems to be some subtle psychology going on with the posted time. Almost always the wait is shorter than what is posted. This creates a sense that when a 60 minute line takes only 40 minutes that you have gained 20 minutes, not wasted 40.
The lines at Disney also are not bare metal cattle gates. The lines have elaborate theming that create an expectation about the experience to come. There are any number of interesting things to look at. And Disney now is experimenting with adding interactive games in the line itself. We experienced one version of this when the Mr. Potato Head animatronic in Toy Story Midway Mania called out to Robby, "Hey, you, sir, in the white shirt, I bet I can guess your weight." (The groan inducing response--20-30 minutes). Efforts are made to make sure you are comfortable while waiting with shade and misters outside and air conditioning indoors.
No lines run straight and you are not able to see the load area until you are within minutes of the ride. This makes it very difficult to know either how many people are in front of you or how close your are to the end. In addition, some rides have pre-shows where you come to the end of the line at a large theater where there is a presentation. The show ends, the doors open, and viola, another line.
But most important in all of this is the agreement to an invisible social contract. Everyone behaves in orderly fashion that puts the enjoyment of the group over the individual. In a sense, Diseny enforces what could be deemed a benign totalitarianism that the masses willingly agree to abide with. This does not of course mean that people still do not attempt to gain personal advantage or to game the system, but in general there is the trust that the overlords will maintain a system that is ultimately fair to everyone.
The happiest place on earth requires everyone to put their needs and wants in the context of the entire society. I'm not sure what I think about that.
Why do the normal laws of economics, time and expectations somehow suspend themselves in an amusement park? In any other context at the end of such an experience there would be complaining and anger or might even include violence and chaos in the line. And yet, when we got off the ride, the expression from almost everyone was "Wow, I can't wait to do that again."
It made me think, "What goes on in a Disney line that makes it work while if the line at Kroger was longer than an hour it would be a mob scene?"
First, like a shopping mall, there are no clocks in evidence. This creates a sense of timelessness. And in the water park, where most people don't have watches or cell phones, the effect is enhanced. You wait for a while--not for 39 minutes and 23 seconds.
Then at the beginning of each ride there is a sign with an estimated wait time. This creates an expectation from the beginning that the experience will not be an immediate one. In addition, there seems to be some subtle psychology going on with the posted time. Almost always the wait is shorter than what is posted. This creates a sense that when a 60 minute line takes only 40 minutes that you have gained 20 minutes, not wasted 40.
The lines at Disney also are not bare metal cattle gates. The lines have elaborate theming that create an expectation about the experience to come. There are any number of interesting things to look at. And Disney now is experimenting with adding interactive games in the line itself. We experienced one version of this when the Mr. Potato Head animatronic in Toy Story Midway Mania called out to Robby, "Hey, you, sir, in the white shirt, I bet I can guess your weight." (The groan inducing response--20-30 minutes). Efforts are made to make sure you are comfortable while waiting with shade and misters outside and air conditioning indoors.
No lines run straight and you are not able to see the load area until you are within minutes of the ride. This makes it very difficult to know either how many people are in front of you or how close your are to the end. In addition, some rides have pre-shows where you come to the end of the line at a large theater where there is a presentation. The show ends, the doors open, and viola, another line.
But most important in all of this is the agreement to an invisible social contract. Everyone behaves in orderly fashion that puts the enjoyment of the group over the individual. In a sense, Diseny enforces what could be deemed a benign totalitarianism that the masses willingly agree to abide with. This does not of course mean that people still do not attempt to gain personal advantage or to game the system, but in general there is the trust that the overlords will maintain a system that is ultimately fair to everyone.
The happiest place on earth requires everyone to put their needs and wants in the context of the entire society. I'm not sure what I think about that.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Why Mickey?
Many people don't realize it, but Mickey Mouse was not Walt Disney's first cartoon character.
Walt began his animation career in Kansas City doing commercial cartoons to be shown between reels in the movie theaters. As his ability and resources grew, he began filming his own shorts starring a real girl named Alice who stepped into the cartoon world.
But Walt's first big cartoon star was a character called Oswald, the lucky rabbit. When Walt went to New York to ask for more money to dedicate to each of the popular Oswald cartoons, he was in for a rude shock. The distributor informed Walt that the cost of the cartoons was too high. He had the rights to the character and a secret agreement with many of Walt's employees. They were going to quit the Disney studio and continue to work on the cartoons for the distributor. Walt no longer had control of his own creation.
It was a real blow to Walt, as he felt both the loss of his creation and the betrayal of men he thought were his friends. He prepared to go home. Whether he believed it or not, he sent an upbeat telegram back to his brother explaining the situation, but promising that he had ideas to make everything o.k.
He didn't, but on the train ride home, he suddenly came up with the idea of a mouse character to replace the rabbit. In fact, the mouse looked a lot like Oswald, he just had shorter ears and a longer tail. He named his creation Mortimer. And the rest is history.
Well not exactly, the story has it that when he showed the cartoon to his wife Lilly and told her its name, she was unimpressed. She didn't care for Mortimer at all. Why don't you call him Mickey was her suggestion.
And so when later asked to describe his success, Walt was known to say, "It all started with a mouse." Or maybe the rabbit that got away.
Walt began his animation career in Kansas City doing commercial cartoons to be shown between reels in the movie theaters. As his ability and resources grew, he began filming his own shorts starring a real girl named Alice who stepped into the cartoon world.
But Walt's first big cartoon star was a character called Oswald, the lucky rabbit. When Walt went to New York to ask for more money to dedicate to each of the popular Oswald cartoons, he was in for a rude shock. The distributor informed Walt that the cost of the cartoons was too high. He had the rights to the character and a secret agreement with many of Walt's employees. They were going to quit the Disney studio and continue to work on the cartoons for the distributor. Walt no longer had control of his own creation.
It was a real blow to Walt, as he felt both the loss of his creation and the betrayal of men he thought were his friends. He prepared to go home. Whether he believed it or not, he sent an upbeat telegram back to his brother explaining the situation, but promising that he had ideas to make everything o.k.
He didn't, but on the train ride home, he suddenly came up with the idea of a mouse character to replace the rabbit. In fact, the mouse looked a lot like Oswald, he just had shorter ears and a longer tail. He named his creation Mortimer. And the rest is history.
Well not exactly, the story has it that when he showed the cartoon to his wife Lilly and told her its name, she was unimpressed. She didn't care for Mortimer at all. Why don't you call him Mickey was her suggestion.
And so when later asked to describe his success, Walt was known to say, "It all started with a mouse." Or maybe the rabbit that got away.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Childhood Interupted
The lives of Walt Disney and J.R.R. Tolkien share some interesting similarities.
Both men's lives took place during the same historical period. Each served in France during the First World War. Both were loving parents whose most important ideas came as they tried to entertain their own children.
Tolkien and Disney share one other very interesting similarity. In fact, both men pointed to it as one of their primary sources of inspiration.
When Tolkien's father died in South Africa, his mother and brother lived for a while in Sarehole. This English town (now incorporated into Birmingham) had a river mill and expansive countryside. Tolkien and his brother Hillary spent many idyllic days roaming the countryside. It was looking back on this period in his life that inspired Middle Earth.
Walt Disney also had a memorable childhood period. As a young boy, his family moved to Marceline, Missouri. It was there that he enjoyed the freedom of the countryside and the enchantment of farm animals. He had a favorite tree on the property which he referred to as the "Wishing Tree." He delighted in going there to look at the sky and pass the hours. He would take other members of the family there and regale them with tales of his imagination.
Unfortunately for both men, their Edenic experiences ended abruptly. Tolkien's Mother's family was angered by her conversion to Catholicism and stopped supporting her, and she was forced to move into the city. Disney's Father decided that there were better things to be had in Kansas City, and Walt was immediately forced as a young boy to take on the rigors of a paper route to help support the family in their new urban home.
This shared interruption of childhood seems to have forced their imaginations to go into a sort of hibernation. When their circumstances got better in adulthood and they were stimulated by their children, their sleeping creativity blossomed with the power of maturity.
The rest is a fearless storytelling by adult men that captures the power of a child's imagination.
It was a hard experience for Tolkien and Disney to lose their Eden, but the rest of the world is richer for it.
Both men's lives took place during the same historical period. Each served in France during the First World War. Both were loving parents whose most important ideas came as they tried to entertain their own children.
Tolkien and Disney share one other very interesting similarity. In fact, both men pointed to it as one of their primary sources of inspiration.
When Tolkien's father died in South Africa, his mother and brother lived for a while in Sarehole. This English town (now incorporated into Birmingham) had a river mill and expansive countryside. Tolkien and his brother Hillary spent many idyllic days roaming the countryside. It was looking back on this period in his life that inspired Middle Earth.
Walt Disney also had a memorable childhood period. As a young boy, his family moved to Marceline, Missouri. It was there that he enjoyed the freedom of the countryside and the enchantment of farm animals. He had a favorite tree on the property which he referred to as the "Wishing Tree." He delighted in going there to look at the sky and pass the hours. He would take other members of the family there and regale them with tales of his imagination.
Unfortunately for both men, their Edenic experiences ended abruptly. Tolkien's Mother's family was angered by her conversion to Catholicism and stopped supporting her, and she was forced to move into the city. Disney's Father decided that there were better things to be had in Kansas City, and Walt was immediately forced as a young boy to take on the rigors of a paper route to help support the family in their new urban home.
This shared interruption of childhood seems to have forced their imaginations to go into a sort of hibernation. When their circumstances got better in adulthood and they were stimulated by their children, their sleeping creativity blossomed with the power of maturity.
The rest is a fearless storytelling by adult men that captures the power of a child's imagination.
It was a hard experience for Tolkien and Disney to lose their Eden, but the rest of the world is richer for it.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Hyper-reality
When you walk down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, the buildings tower over you. But, not as much as you think. While they appear to have multiple floors, the buildings actually are cleverly designed using an optical trick. The facades of the upper floors diminish in size the higher they are. If you could view them at eye level, you would find that the windows on the third floor are dramatically smaller than those on ground level.
It is called forced perspective, and it is a technique used by movie makers for years. Many of the shots in the Lord of the Rings films used this technique to make the actors who played the hobbit characters appear smaller than the other members of the cast.
Disney wants to immerse you in its fictive reality by convincing you that it is real. For this reason, theming is extensive and elaborate. Small details that are noticed only subconsciously in passing are added to create depth of scene.
Umberto Eco, the Italian academic and author, went to Southern California and wrote a thoughtful essay about the experience. In Hyper-reality, he suggest some helpful categories when considering objects and their environment.
He begins with the real. Consider Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It is the actual historic work in its original setting.
If someone were to paint a poor copy of the master's work, and put it on display it would obviously be a fake.
But if one were to build a replica of the chapel and paint the ceiling to be an exact likeness it would be a real-fake. The identifiers between what was real and what was copy would diminish to a point that they are indeterminate.
If on the other hand, someone took the ceiling and placed it in a museum of modern art it would be an example of the fake-real.
Eco suggested that Disney used its techniques of immersion and art to create a reality that never existed anywhere, but appears to all intents and purposes as real. This is what he calls hyper-reality. It happens when the fake is so real that it appears more real than the real ever was.
Eco calls it hyper-reality. Disney calls it magic.
It is called forced perspective, and it is a technique used by movie makers for years. Many of the shots in the Lord of the Rings films used this technique to make the actors who played the hobbit characters appear smaller than the other members of the cast.
Disney wants to immerse you in its fictive reality by convincing you that it is real. For this reason, theming is extensive and elaborate. Small details that are noticed only subconsciously in passing are added to create depth of scene.
Umberto Eco, the Italian academic and author, went to Southern California and wrote a thoughtful essay about the experience. In Hyper-reality, he suggest some helpful categories when considering objects and their environment.
He begins with the real. Consider Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It is the actual historic work in its original setting.
If someone were to paint a poor copy of the master's work, and put it on display it would obviously be a fake.
But if one were to build a replica of the chapel and paint the ceiling to be an exact likeness it would be a real-fake. The identifiers between what was real and what was copy would diminish to a point that they are indeterminate.
If on the other hand, someone took the ceiling and placed it in a museum of modern art it would be an example of the fake-real.
Eco suggested that Disney used its techniques of immersion and art to create a reality that never existed anywhere, but appears to all intents and purposes as real. This is what he calls hyper-reality. It happens when the fake is so real that it appears more real than the real ever was.
Eco calls it hyper-reality. Disney calls it magic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
