Disney Animation has always been a direct source of inspiration for Disneyland. Some of the most iconic attractions, restaurants, and character experiences leap off the screen and into real life within the park. Disneyland’s magic transports visitors directly into their favorite stories. When the studio flourishes, the park has all kinds of characters and worlds to pull from. But when the studio went through serious hardship, that struggle trickled down to Disneyland.
DISNEY ANIMATION’S DARK AGE
If you’re a Disney movie buff, you may be familiar with Disney’s “dark age” (sometimes referred to as the “bronze age”). This was a period from the late 60s to late 80s when the studio struggled to reestablish itself after Walt Disney’s death. The studio released a long series of flops and scrapped projects, causing Disney to somewhat slip off the cultural radar for a time. In fact, it wasn’t until the release of the Little Mermaid in 1989 that Disney began its “renaissance”, climbing back to the top of the animation world.
By the 70s, Disneyland was 20 years old. Fantasyland – the main character and fairytale location in the park – hadn’t changed much. Watching movies at home didn’t exist for most people until the later part of the decade. And with Disney’s studio releasing flop after flop, Disney films weren’t as culturally relevant as they are today – especially older stories.
Imagineer Tony Baxter described, on one visit to Disneyland, seeing “a 5-year old little girl, with her 25-year-old mother, watching the Alice in Wonderland float going past in the parade. The little girl pointed to the Caterpillar and said, ‘Mom, what’s that?’ and the mother said, ‘Oh, I guess it’s a worm or something.’ And I suddenly realized that the girl’s mother wasn’t even born when Alice in Wonderland was at the theaters.”
Baxter and the other Imagineers had a problem – how could they keep Disneyland fresh and engaging for audiences, without any new stories to pull from? If the studio couldn’t recover from its slump, how could Disneyland tell new stories on its own?
CHANGING THE STATUS QUO
Disneyland survived the “dark age” largely from two new endeavors: thrill rides and LucasFilm. Imagineers began work on two massive roller coasters: Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. With thrill rides, Disneyland could compete with newer theme parks like Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain. These attractions weren’t based on Disney Animation creations, but they did tell stories and create rich worlds of their own.
And second, Disney partnered with a studio they would eventually own: LucasFilm. George Lucas had been a Disneyland fan since the 50s, and Disney had been discussing a partnership for some time. In the 70s and 80s, Disney and LucasFilm designed a thrilling new attraction using Star Wars universe. All three original Star Wars films were box office hits. That meant the stories were current and exciting for audiences. Star Tours opened in 1987 to rave reviews. And with some leadership changes and restructuring, Disney Animation finally pulled out of its slump just two years later.
THE NEW NORMAL = RETURNING TO ROOTS
In the end, what saved Disneyland was its original recipe for success: combining storytelling with new technology. Sure, the story wasn’t Disney’s, but the unparalleled immersion of the attraction and first-person adventure was Disneyland’s trademark.
With streaming, DVD & Blu-ray, and re-releases of old movies, Disney doesn’t have to worry as much about fans forgetting older stories as they once did. But Disneyland will always have to balance its classic charm with fresh and exciting stories. That’s how Disneyland survived the “dark age”, and will continue to grow and attract new audiences in the future.
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