Walt - "Disney World will not be a place that is used to sink your money"

[Walt Disney1955]

Walt once made a quote along the lines of "while Disney World might have a carnival type of feel in some places it will not have games meant to sink your money."

Now we all know going to a Six Flags park or any average carnival they have stuff like this. "Step right up and try to.........." you know the drill. Maybe you'll get a teddy bear, maybe you won't. Maybe the game has a 5% chance at you being successful.

This is a nice change of pace at WDW. Yeah if you want to buy a lollipop or a hot dog it's an arm and a leg. But it isn't there to entice you like a carnival game. It isn't at MK. It isn't at Epcot. It isn't at DHS and certainly not the water parks. But it's in Animal Kingdom at Dino land. Why is that?

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Because they specifically designed that part of Animal Kingdom to be a "Carnival"....there is a whole book out there devoted to why. See "The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom."

As to Walt's original quote - he was referring to Disneyland. He wasn't even alive when Walt Disney World opened.

 

[wolf359]

You also have to consider Walt's feelings about carnival midways in context with his time and the rest of his story about them.

To Walt carnivals were dirty places run by questionable folks, and carried a stigma he was trying desperately to distance himself from. He had to focus on the positive differences Disneyland would have in terms of a carnival because at the time there was no other place like Disneyland to compare it to, so people had no other frame of reference.

But today? You can't really compare the kitchy little midway in Animal Kingdom to carnivals of Walt's day because they are nothing alike. Animal Kingdom's midway is clean, harmless, and meant to evoke idealized memories of that kind of place. It's hardly any kind of literal translation showing a violation some kind of "Walt Rule."

 

[Vernonpush]

Walt once made a quote along the lines of "while Disney World might have a carnival type of feel in some places it will not have games meant to sink your money."

Now we all know going to a Six Flags park or any average carnival they have stuff like this. "Step right up and try to.........." you know the drill. Maybe you'll get a teddy bear, maybe you won't. Maybe the game has a 5% chance at you being successful.

This is a nice change of pace at WDW. Yeah if you want to buy a lollipop or a hot dog it's an arm and a leg. But it isn't there to entice you like a carnival game. It isn't at MK. It isn't at Epcot. It isn't at DHS and certainly not the water parks. But it's in Animal Kingdom at Dino land. Why is that?

There are also carnival games at the Boardwalk Resort.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

But today? You can't really compare the kitchy little midway in Animal Kingdom to carnivals of Walt's day because they are nothing alike. Animal Kingdom's midway is clean, harmless, and meant to evoke idealized memories of that kind of place. It's hardly any kind of literal translation showing a violation some kind of "Walt Rule."

That's always been my thought. These days, those old boardwalks and midways Walt hated are idealized and nostalgia-ized much like the small town early 20th century main street was when Walt was making parks.

 

[googilycub]

Walt once made a quote along the lines of "while Disney World might have a carnival type of feel in some places it will not have games meant to sink your money."

But it's in Animal Kingdom at Dino land. Why is that?

It might have something to do with the fact that Walt Disney is no longer in charge of the company?:shrug:

 

[imagineer boy]

You also have to consider Walt's feelings about carnival midways in context with his time and the rest of his story about them.

To Walt carnivals were dirty places run by questionable folks, and carried a stigma he was trying desperately to distance himself from. He had to focus on the positive differences Disneyland would have in terms of a carnival because at the time there was no other place like Disneyland to compare it to, so people had no other frame of reference.

But today? You can't really compare the kitchy little midway in Animal Kingdom to carnivals of Walt's day because they are nothing alike. Animal Kingdom's midway is clean, harmless, and meant to evoke idealized memories of that kind of place. It's hardly any kind of literal translation showing a violation some kind of "Walt Rule."

I agree completely. I think people are too hard on dinorama sometimes because they don't get the idea behind it. And believe it or not, it actually has some genuinely good themeing. Look at the pavement, its all patched up like the carnival was built over an old parking lot.

 

[googilycub]

I agree completely. I think people are too hard on dinorama sometimes because they don't get the idea behind it. And believe it or not, it actually has some genuinely good themeing. Look at the pavement, its all patched up like the carnival was built over an old parking lot.

I agree. I started liking dinorama a lot more when I found out the backstory behind it.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Sorry, I've always been aware of the back story behind Dinorama and still think it's cheap and a waste of space.

 

[ryno1982]

They never bark at you though to play the games at Dinorama, nor do they yell out "Cold Beer!" at Fantasmic. So even though Disney's doing un-Disney things, at least they are doing it with decency and politeness, which I think is more important anyway.

 

[Yankee Mouse]

Not every park that has carnival games is out to "sink your money."
We went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg a few weeks ago and my daughter wanted to play the game where you throw the darts at the balloon to try and win a stuffed animal. It was five bucks for unlimited darts. Basically you kept playing till you won. I would hardly consider that sinking my money and actually I thought it was pretty neat that they did that.

 

[Tigger#1]

Why do people hate Dinorama so much:shrug:
There are plenty of things at Disney that I don't care for bou I don't dwell on them I just pass them by on my way to something I like because I know there are other people who do like these things and Disney is a place for everyone not my personal theme park.
Lighten up apparently there is a group of people for every attraction at Disney or they would get rid of it and build something else.

 

[graphite1326]

Yeh I have agree somwhat with some of the comments here. I don't care for the carnival theme. It really doesn't fit with WDW (in my opinion). We do Dinasour, which doesn't fit with the carnival theme at all (I know it's in a different area), and move on. My son wanted to ride Primeval Whirl. We will be skipping that ride from now on.

However, I am sure that the theme works for some people, which is fine with me. I will just pass on that area.

 

[loveofamouse]

Yeh I have agree somwhat with some of the comments here. I don't care for the carnival theme. It really doesn't fit with WDW (in my opinion). We do Dinasour, which doesn't fit with the carnival theme at all (I know it's in a different area), and move on. My son wanted to ride Primeval Whirl. We will be skipping that ride from now on.

However, I am sure that the theme works for some people, which is fine with me. I will just pass on that area.

Ditto. I don't care for it but the area is never empty. I just dont go there.

 

[TimNRA757]

They never bark at you though to play the games at Dinorama, nor do they yell out "Cold Beer!" at Fantasmic. So even though Disney's doing un-Disney things, at least they are doing it with decency and politeness, which I think is more important anyway.

Someone beat me to it. That is what makes Disney Disney. No harassment at all, even from the photopass photographers and DVC guys. It's all about just smiling and being friendly with no pressure or anything.

 

[Thrill]

As to Walt's original quote - he was referring to Disneyland.

Wait... Don't they have midway games at Paradise Pier?

 

[SeaBase86]

Wait... Don't they have midway games at Paradise Pier?

Because once again it goes along with the theme of the area. DinoLand has the best backstory of all areas in WDW. Everything works well.

Paradise Pier is to evoke the feeling of a Victorian Californian boardwalk. And yes those boardwalks had midway games. It matches the theme perfectly.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

To me, this is an issue of whether you believe in the letter or the spirit of the law. If you follow what Walt said at its literal meaning, then carnival games should be out.

But if you look at what Walt's career was about at a deeper level, then there should be a place for carnival midways, provided they are designed to a.) evoke nostalgia of a bygone era and b.) are not operated in an aggressive/seedy way.

Whether Dinorama fits the nostalgia bill or not is maybe up for debate, but I think the games along Paradise Pier evoke the period that section is themed to very nicely.

 

[WondersOfLife]

You also have to consider Walt's feelings about carnival midways in context with his time and the rest of his story about them.

To Walt carnivals were dirty places run by questionable folks, and carried a stigma he was trying desperately to distance himself from. He had to focus on the positive differences Disneyland would have in terms of a carnival because at the time there was no other place like Disneyland to compare it to, so people had no other frame of reference.

But today? You can't really compare the kitchy little midway in Animal Kingdom to carnivals of Walt's day because they are nothing alike. Animal Kingdom's midway is clean, harmless, and meant to evoke idealized memories of that kind of place. It's hardly any kind of literal translation showing a violation some kind of "Walt Rule."

Yeah, you can only compare Country Bear Jamboree in florida to what happened in Disneyland, and the better version in Tokyo:brick:

 

[Tigger1988]

If you follow what Walt said at its literal meaning, then carnival games should be out.

If you follow what Walt said in the literal meaning then the DCA and AK carnival games shouldn't be an issue. He was speaking of Disneyland park specifically.