🎡Disneyland Needs Some Work🎡

  Disneyland has been a family favourite in my house for years. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve set foot in that park, it’s kind of ridiculous. But what is it that has continuously drawn my family into the magic of Disney year after year? The bliss, the idealism, the feeling that nothing can ruin a day at Disney? Disneyland was created in Walt Disney’s picture of perfection, and anyone with a basic understanding of the 1950’s in the Western World could easily guess that the park was dreamt up during that era. 

HenningE / Pixabay

   The 1950’s are often seen as the ideal era to have lived in. I’ve been trying to think of how to describe the decade without overusing the words “perfect or ideal.” In doing so I’ve thought about what the 50’s followed. WW2, arguably the biggest historical event of the 20th century, and the turning point in modern society. The 50’s were all about obtaining the American Dream. It was about prospering in new ways and industries, changing the lives of millions and enforcing standards as to what a family, man, woman, and child, should look like, do, and say. Imagine being a person with no understanding of how we have developed since the 50’s, from that lens, it seems like the perfect era to live in. Obviously that is not the case but that’s not what this post is about. I’m here to explain the one piece of the 50’s that is still abundant today. The aforementioned Disneyland. 

ArtsyBee / Pixabay

  Looking back on the previously stated idealism, bliss, and joy that Disneyland provides and relating it to the fact that the park was opened in 1955 allows for some critical thinking. If the 50’s were all about maintaining the magic, is Disneyland not the best example of that? The happiest place on earth is worry free, a place where all your problems disappear, and it continues to hold that standard 65 years later. Now, as an educated individual, I can recognize the multitude of changes that society has had since the 50’s. Some of the most relevant being rights and freedom granted to women and people of colour. Obviously we still have A LOT of work to do in the area of justice for POC, but since the 50’s there has been much progress. Where this relates to Disneyland is in the fact that the parks still have racist tendencies. The most recent examples of racism being “removed,” from Disneyland is in the refurbishing of Splash Mountain. The attraction first opened in 1989 and was based off the 1946 film, “The Song of the South.” The film is now unavailable due to it’s racist and discriminatory themes. The ride is now closed for refurbishment that stared in mid 2020 during the parks closure due to the pandemic. It’s taken over 40 years for Disney to address the racism in the popular attraction, but now it’s being themed after the 2009 film, “The Princess and the Frog,” which happens to be Disney’s first and only Black princess. 

UnratedStudio / Pixabay

   While Disney has done a fantastic job of maintaining the magic of the 50’s, they didn’t get the memo that racism and discrimination was a problem for a little too long. I’m glad they’re taking necessary action now and glad to see diversity across the Disney corporation. All in all, bringing the magic of the 50’s to a modern audience year after year is a wonderful thing, but maybe leave out the real world issues while your at it.