I was prepared for our trip to Disneyland to be a bit of a brain break for us, but it was funny how I couldn’t turn off my architectural analysis instincts because of just how many compelling elements were scattered all over Disneyland. Remembering that no matter what part of the park you’re in, you’re really in “Capitalism Land” adds another layer to analyzing your surroundings, when you know that everything around you was calculated to make you want to come back and funnel you into areas you’ll spend money.
It hadn’t occurred to me that French Disney World would feature a “Main Street, USA” and it was a delightful start to the day to wander through a pastel painted set dressing of an idealized American town in Europe. The fact that the even the dates on the buildings were faked and most were faux dated to the 19th century was amusing. I couldn’t help but wonder what French and other European visitors thought of this section of the park, whether they thought the boxed up and shipped American nostalgia was charming or pathetic.
The covered arcades behind Main Street were also very interesting. It’s obvious that the designers did keep the location of the park in mind, and one side of the covered area is themed around the Statue of Liberty, a great way to blend the French and the American. The covered arcades almost felt like stepping into a subway station at certain points, and certain parts of the construction of the roof reminded me of the metal and glass of the Grand Palais. I was wondering if the designers had turned to the world fairs for inspiration for this part of the park.
The Frontierland featuring western American architecture was something of a fever dream. Seeing structures with adobe and vigas in Europe was just so surreal. I had considered the “western” style an American obsession, and it was odd to realize that cowboys and outlaws had made their way to Europe and into the basement of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Paris.
All day, I marveled at just how much money Disney was able to sink into every detail of the park. The intricacies of the decoration of the buildings and rides were half the magic of the place. I found some amazing capitals that would send classical order purists into cardiac arrest. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarves ride had cutesy cartoon squirrel capitals, and a portion of Aurora’s castle had thorns and crows. I think the most entertaining and creative capital interpretation was the candy capitals found in the candy store on main street. They are colorful and made to look like literal candy, but the curling shapes of the rolled lollipops seemed to recall the shape of Ionic capitals or the volutes from Corinthian capitals.
Creating the park was definitely a lot of set dressing and adding whimsical and fantastic detail, the park definitely also had to be built for crowd control and thus had to be planned efficiently. Everything there walked a tightrope between global branding and local appeal to maximize the park’s immersion for every visitor. It was a fun space to be in because so much thought had been put into a visitor’s enjoyment of every part of the park, but also for someone like me it was fun to know that and analyze how the designers were trying to manipulate the space, and thus manipulate me, at every turn.