Mist envelopes the riverbed as chirps of exotic birds are echoed among groves of foliage and vine. Grunts and roars of a variety of wild animals can be heard as our boat makes its path down the delta. The members of the crew seem to be quite comfortable and at ease although this is a first for all of them. Soon the boat docks and all passengers proceed to exit as overhead speakers speak in soothing multilingual phrases, “We hope you enjoyed your Amazon adventure…please come again and experience the magic of Walt Disney.” The people perceive to pay no heed to the monologue as smiles are exchanged with a few snaps of a camera; the jolly crowd walks down the plank as new shipments of human luggage pour into the vessel.

Sometimes what worries me is not so much that Disney has created this ultimate experience in meeting fantasy with reality for the supreme middle-class American dream, but rather the fact that many people simply wish not to admit that they have become pawns to such propaganda and feel there is no need to question it.

Fjellman proposes that this mentality is the result of postmodernity within the United States – “in which everything, including experience, nature and the unconscious, has become commodified” (254). Hence the world which we often times wish, is sought out even if it is immaterial, a mere concept. Disney capitalizes on this want by providing us arenas to fulfill and enliven this need. How does Disney go about doing this? Take Disney theme parks as mentioned in the fore set, “the lines between the real and the fake are systematically blurred” (255 Fjellman). While the roars of uncaged wild predators heard on the boat trip were obviously fake, the chirps and whistles of birds were real. And while the stork stooped on the robotic rhino was also fake the pigeons flying across were clearly real. These birds have become accustomed to their pseudo-“wild” surroundings providing in some sense an accurate representation of visitors who stream in billions throughout the year into the Magic kingdom of Disney. People pay for the hype that Disney offers because “Disney simulations articulate with the fantasies of middle-class America” (255 Fjellman). Umberto Eco explains that “the American imagination demands the real thing and, to attain it, it must fabricate the absolute fake.”

Of course in order to better understand how Disney has manipulated such spatial infrastructure in attaining such a strong following we would need to go back to Disney’s roots, namely that of animation. Characters such as Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and many more have virtually colonized the world, all stories being placed within cinematic presentation. This pattern is only replicated in the organizational principles of Disney as “attractions, lands, and worlds are put together in acts and scenes” (257 Fjellman). Everything of Disney is meticulously edited, where everything is calculated and aligned to fit overall autonomy. Parks are again good examples of this. In rides, most are constrictive, “we are strapped into a conveyance and sent passively through a story…they spin and turn, pointing us toward the next scene and away from anything that might spoil the illusion. They frame our view as we ride past in the dark” (258 Fjellman).  Once we leave the ride we are faced with a multitude of concession stands where we are offered food, drink, and souvenirs leading many of us toward impulse buying.
 
In animation Disney shines bright in its characteristic simplistic telling of stories of old. What Richard Schnikel has called “Disneyification” when classic stories are retold to which children already have access. Examples being Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio…by “appropriating these tales for commercial purposes, Disney imposes a number of changes on the material” (259 Fjellman). Using time old methods of classic myths and tales, Disney has animated these traits into their storylines and plots between characters. “Children are taught charter-like precepts about truth and falsehood (Pinocchio), jealousy (Snow White), and physiognomic differences (Dumbo)” (269-260 Fjellman). Pedagogical they messages might be, dramatically its content are subtracted. Contradictions of class conflict are replaced with animal figures as in The Three Little Pigs where the “law of nature” is thwarted by Protestant Ethic. The roles of parents are often split in extremes into good or bad such as the wicked queen in Snow White who receives punishment for her evil behavior. Yet stories of morality are by far the drive behind Disney animation. “Disney animation retells and creates children’s stories in the interest of commerce. These productions aim not so much at the cogmotive functions of these stories as ends but rather as means to sell theater tickets” (260 Fjellman).

Seeking to capture and retain an audience, Disney has proven to utilize an infallible formula, especially that of vengeance and vindication following moments of deep sadness and tragedy. When Disney films swing from emotional neutrality – filled with sentimental cuteness and simulated warmth – to emotional intensity, they do so with a vengeance…this emotional manipulation is especially strong in movies such as Dumbo and Bambi whose main characters are animals. Walt Disney claimed to believe that it was good for children to be frightened so that later joy might be heightened.  And such joy was what people craved more of as Disney was always generous enough to provide it, with a cost of course.

Disney cartoons have a fair share of animal cruelty and although it can be said to be all in good fun, Walt Disney himself never confessed about the deeper, darker, aspects of his cartoons. What is more puzzling is the very fact that most of Disney’s important characters are animals. This somewhat has to do with following tradition of fable-telling as Aesop did in the past providing animal models as anthropomorphic vehicles for human attitudes, foibles, and personalities. Disney simply re-appropriated this working apparatus converting it into “wholesome family entertainment.”

Take Mickey Mouse for example. Mickey began his debut on a short animated flick “Steamboat Willie” where he was a rather cruel mouse, a perpetrator of pranks and a general troublemaker. Over the years Mickey has mellowed considerably. He is now the nonjudgemental king of sweetness, master of ceremonies, and smoother of the water in his realm…his body and features have become more rounded and less pointed…Mickey became more childlike and less threatening.

In the parks, all tunes are “inoffensive, even cute, at first hearing” (267 Fjellman). And like “It’s a Small World After All,” Magic Kingdom tunes are difficult to get out of one’s head. With them Disney succeeds in capturing a portion of customers’ cognitive space. “Disney music and sound effects pervade the parks, adding their cacophony to their massive assault on visitors’ senses” (267 Fjellman) like scenes in a movie, each area is secured to bedazzle and sway. The EPCOT Center with its “Fanfare for the Common Man” proclaims that we should be celebrated for our advances through technology. If anything EPCOT shines in flying colors of Disney at its core. With a mass array of corporate sponsors each toting the future of a greater tomorrow promised through commercial interests, the image of Disney never strikes a finer chord. With a constant emphasis on “we” can dream it, “we” can do this, “we” will do this; we find ourselves confused yet fascinated of gadgets gizmos galore, experiencing Disney under a fine veil of all its capitalist-consumerist-driven-dollar-raking corporation as it is.

Fjellman, Stephen M. Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America. Oxford: Westview Press, date.