Featured Attractions

Friday, February 12, 2016

Freaky Fridays: Disney's Confusion Kingdom


In 1955, Walt Disney introduced his concept of a "theme park", a place that would be like none other. DISNEYLAND was a bit overwhelming for guests who were not used to the concept, so Walt Disney carefully planned out its entrance.



Main Street at DISNEYLAND was designed to be a welcoming, familiar place. First time guests would instantly feel at home in this Magic Kingdom, enchanted by the beautiful castle that would attract them down the street.



Main Street would put guests at ease, make them feel comfortable and excited to be in DISNEYLAND. This grand entrance did everything it was designed to do perfectly. Who would mess with perfection? The Walt Disney Company, apparently.



Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida scrapped Walt Disney's tried and true design. Instead of making people feel comfortable, the park presents guests with the baffling Oasis, in which they are made to feel as though they've been dropped in the middle of nowhere and left to their own devices.



There are no attractions or anything of interest to see here in the Oasis; guests have to stumble forward, uncertain of where the actual theme park begins.



The dense foliage and manmade rock work are beautiful, though one can literally wander through this area for quite some time before encountering something of interest to see. Stumbling through the Oasis, one eventually reaches the more traditional area of the park where the attractions, restaurants and shops exist. By this time, guests are so disoriented they may be tempted to turn around and walk back out. The imagineers probably had the best of intentions in designing what they thought was an intriguing entrance, but the result is confusing and off putting. The rest of the park can be just as confusing to navigate, requiring that exit signs be placed so that guests can find their way out.



The park is currently going through a major expansion project, though these shortcomings won't be rectified.