Fantasyland vs. World Showcase

[mharrington]

I would like to know something about the difference between Fantasyland and World Showcase. They both utilize the same architecture in some areas.

Just to give you an example, the Pinocchio Village Haus has similar architecture to the Germany Pavilion. Here's the architecture for the Pinocchio area:

And here's the architecture for the Germany area:

They even both have similar (if not identical) music. Here's the Pinocchio Village Haus area music:


And here's the Germany area music:


That's just one example. Actually, two examples.

So what, then, are the differences between Fantasyland and World Showcase? Is it that one celebrates culture while the other does not? Even that's not entirely true, if Small World is any indication.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Ones more a showcase of authentic cultures (Atleast it was) and the other is mainly Disney films

 

[JoeCamel]

I would like to know something about the difference between Fantasyland and World Showcase. They both utilize the same architecture in some areas.

Just to give you an example, the Pinocchio Village Haus has similar architecture to the Germany Pavilion. Here's the architecture for the Pinocchio area:

And here's the architecture for the Germany area:

They even both have similar (if not identical) music. Here's the Pinocchio Village Haus area music:


And here's the Germany area music:


That's just one example. Actually, two examples.

So what, then, are the differences between Fantasyland and World Showcase? Is it that one celebrates culture while the other does not? Even that's not entirely true, if Small World is any indication.

German/Austrian buildings look like German/Austrian buildings? German/Austrian music is German/Austrian music?

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Japan. And Beer.

 

[wm49rs]

Incidentally, here's a shot of the Germanic-looking Pinocchio's Village Haus in Fantasyland...

...and here is similar architecture for the Germany Pavilion:

How is it that it's okay to accept unreality in one (i.e., Fantasyland), but that the other (i.e., World Showcase), by virtue of being about world culture, must not allow fantasy elements in it? The two locales don't look all that dissimilar to one another.

Again? Seriously?

 

[mharrington]

Japan. And Beer.

Except now the Be Our Guest restaurant serves alcohol.

 

[JIMINYCR]

WS is building upon a specific land and what they offer. The archetecture in the buildings and the atmosphere is trying to capture a feel and look for the guest to imaging they have been transported to that country. You are given a " taste " of what each place holds and maybe interest you enough to visit the real thing. In Fantasyland you are not being fed anything about a country or what it has to offer. Its a setting connected to Pinocchio, the characters and where the animated film takes place. The goal being not to educate you but to feed you. By the way, Pinocchio supposedly takes place in a village in Italy.

 

[mharrington]

WS is building upon a specific land and what they offer. The archetecture in the buildings and the atmosphere is trying to capture a feel and look for the guest to imaging they have been transported to that country. You are given a " taste " of what each place holds and maybe interest you enough to visit the real thing. In Fantasyland you are not being fed anything about a country or what it has to offer. Its a setting connected to Pinocchio, the characters and where the animated film takes place. The goal being not to educate you but to feed you. By the way, Pinocchio supposedly takes place in a village in Italy.

But it's a Germanic Italy, if that's even possible. And I was just using the Pinocchio area as an example.

You also mentioned that Fantasyland's goal is to not feed you, yet in the next sentence, you say that Fantasyland's goal is to feed you. Which is it?

Moreover, I wanted to open this up to more comparisons between Fantasyland and World Showcase in general. For example, how is it more acceptable to have characters in Fantasyland than in World Showcase? Is it that Fantasyland is less cultured than World Showcase?

 

[NelleBelle]

Don't they have characters in WS?? I mean besides Elsa and Anna in Norway, I thought you used to be able to occasionally meet Mulan in China, Aladdin/Jasmine in Morocco, etc? Actually, I know we met Mulan in China one visit...

 

[Married5Times]

this entire post looks as if you have something to say, something bigger than Fantasy vs Showcase, but yet aren't really coming out and saying it.

just a feeling I have; maybe I'm mistaken.

 

[mharrington]

this entire post looks as if you have something to say, something bigger than Fantasy vs Showcase, but yet aren't really coming out and saying it.

just a feeling I have; maybe I'm mistaken.

Part of it is that I have already posted more than once on the topic of what business the Frozen boat ride has being in World Showcase when it seems better suited for something like Fantasyland since Arendelle is not even a real place. Apparently Fantasyland is about something entirely different than World Showcase. It led me to wonder how/why Fantasyland is different than World Showcase, particularly since there are times when they use similar, if not identical, scenery and even music.

It's really a case of one thing leading to another.

 

[NelleBelle]

I'm still not following if this is supposed to be something that is construed as negative? Obviously when I go to WS, I'm not taking anything as something I'm going to actually see in a country. I think it's supposed to all be fantasy, the nuances from each country are taken and then exaggerated to make you want to go see the real country (or maybe just let you "pretend" you're there while imbibing on a "local" drink). I'll say this, I try not to think so deeply when I'm on vacation at WDW...that IS when I'm trying to escape to a world of fantasy and I don't care one iota if the Aztec pyramid is represented exactly like those in Tulum (or wherever it's supposed to be).

 

[mharrington]

I'm still not following if this is supposed to be something that is construed as negative? Obviously when I go to WS, I'm not taking anything as something I'm going to actually see in a country. I think it's supposed to all be fantasy, the nuances from each country are taken and then exaggerated to make you want to go see the real country (or maybe just let you "pretend" you're there while imbibing on a "local" drink). I'll say this, I try not to think so deeply when I'm on vacation at WDW...that IS when I'm trying to escape to a world of fantasy and I don't care one iota if the Aztec pyramid is represented exactly like those in Tulum (or wherever it's supposed to be).

Like I said, this whole thing about Fantasyland vs. World Showcase grew out of my curiosity about why some people find the Frozen boat ride in the Norway pavilion so objectionable, mainly because Arendelle is not a real place and as such trivializes the World Showcase theme. It's not just the people on this forum, either, it's also people who write books about WDW, including Bob Sehlinger and Aaron Wallace, who think that World Showcase should be about real countries first and characters second, and that Arendelle should have been put someplace else, like maybe Fantasyland, which is apparently not about cultures (though even that's slightly debatable given Small World), but about stories. I personally don't have much of a problem with the Frozen boat ride, but a lot of people do.

 

[NelleBelle]

Like I said, this whole thing about Fantasyland vs. World Showcase grew out of my curiosity about why some people find the Frozen boat ride in the Norway pavilion so objectionable, mainly because Arendelle is not a real place and as such trivializes the World Showcase theme. It's not just the people on this forum, either, it's also people who write books about WDW, including Bob Sehlinger and Aaron Wallace, who think that World Showcase should be about real countries first and characters second, and that Arendelle should have been put someplace else, like maybe Fantasyland, which is apparently not about cultures (though even that's slightly debatable given Small World), but about stories. I personally don't have much of a problem with the Frozen boat ride, but a lot of people do.

Ah, now the point of your thread is more clear to me. Yeah, I have no issue with the Frozen boat ride in Norway...don't really care that Arrendale doesn't exist, it's the nuances the film gives to Scandinavian culture (having grown up 1/2 Swedish, I totally realize that Frozen is fictionalized) but my hope is that it makes people curious enough about the culture to want to visit any of the Scandinavian countries, not just specifically Norway. I happen to like that there is something for young children to hold their interest somewhat. While Epcot is now my kids' favorite park, it wasn't always so. They often slept through WS when they were young and there are only so many KidStop spots (or whatever they're called) to hold their interest. I don't mind having a mix of things for kids and adults in WS.

 

[mharrington]

Ah, now the point of your thread is more clear to me. Yeah, I have no issue with the Frozen boat ride in Norway...don't really care that Arrendale doesn't exist, it's the nuances the film gives to Scandinavian culture (having grown up 1/2 Swedish, I totally realize that Frozen is fictionalized) but my hope is that it makes people curious enough about the culture to want to visit any of the Scandinavian countries, not just specifically Norway. I happen to like that there is something for young children to hold their interest somewhat. While Epcot is now my kids' favorite park, it wasn't always so. They often slept through WS when they were young and there are only so many KidStop spots (or whatever they're called) to hold their interest. I don't mind having a mix of things for kids and adults in WS.

But that doesn't really answer my question about the difference between Fantasyland and World Showcase when they both involve characters and, in some cases, similar architecture and even music.

 

[UNCgolf]

But that doesn't really answer my question about the difference between Fantasyland and World Showcase when they both involve characters and, in some cases, similar architecture and even music.

Fantasyland has similar architecture to the Germany pavilion because actual German architecture is what they used as a reference when designing part of Fantasyland -- I assume because so many fairy tales originated in Germany (although not Pinocchio, which is neither from Germany nor a fairy tale).

That's basically it.

 

[JIMINYCR]

But it's a Germanic Italy, if that's even possible. And I was just using the Pinocchio area as an example.

You also mentioned that Fantasyland's goal is to not feed you, yet in the next sentence, you say that Fantasyland's goal is to feed you. Which is it?

Moreover, I wanted to open this up to more comparisons between Fantasyland and World Showcase in general. For example, how is it more acceptable to have characters in Fantasyland than in World Showcase? Is it that Fantasyland is less cultured than World Showcase?

Read it more carefully. Youre not being fed anything about the country. As in they arent trying to give you details or educate you. And Fantasy lands goal is for fun revolving around characters and scenes from Disneys films and cartoons, WS goal was to educate you, although with fun but not as much character driven.

 

[Married5Times]

WS goal was to educate you,

Anyone getting a quick education as to basic architecture, food, clothing and props/toys/souvenirs from a trip around the lagoon is likely one extremely ignorant, sheltered, no traveling, no book reading, no movie or TV watching dolt.

I mean if you lived alone in the mountains your whole life and descended the terrain and found your way to the lagoon then I could see how one could get educated really fast.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Anyone getting a quick education as to basic architecture, food, clothing and props/toys/souvenirs from a trip around the lagoon is likely one extremely ignorant, sheltered, no traveling, no book reading, no movie or TV watching dolt.

I mean if you lived alone in the mountains your whole life and descended the terrain and found your way to the lagoon then I could see how one could get educated really fast.

Guess you have to read up on the history on EP. The pavilions were put in place to give guests a taste of the countries they may not have visited. Placing CM ‘s in their countries shops and area was to give guests a chance to talk in person with them and get more actual information as to their life and culture. Disney wasn’t looking to give a complete educational lesson but just a brief view to entice guests to look further. Yes EP was started on an educational level and to be different from an amusement park. And remember EP was begun before the ability for the majority of guests had access to computers, the internet and instant information gathering.