Publication Date
4-2022
School
School of Business
Major
Business Administration; Business: Management
Keywords
Intellectual Property, Disney, Theme Parks, Attractions, The Walt Disney Company
Disciplines
Business | Tourism and Travel
Recommended Citation
Zern, Aubree, "The Theme Park Throwdown: The Successes and Failures of IP-Related Attractions and Expansions in Disney Theme Parks and Strategies for the Future" (2022). Senior Honors Theses. 1213.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/honors/1213
Abstract
The Disney brand invokes strong feelings of loyalty from supporters and dissatisfaction from its opponents, and it many facets play an important part in society (Havard et al., 2021). It is certainly true that “the Magical World of Disney remains unsurpassed in terms of brand name recognition, planning complexity, and detailed execution. It is the paradigmatic ideal of how architecture can establish a universe around its landscape” (Dalov, 2019, p.10). For nearly 70 years, the Imagineers cultivated an idea from the mind of one man into a global phenomenon of twelve theme parks and counting (Tang & Iwerks, 2019). The Disney park is a grandiose land made accessible to mere humans. One forgets about aching feet as he races from one adventure to the next. The clean, safe environment is welcoming to guests of all ages. Complete strangers are impeccably kind to one another as they wait in line making pleasant conversation. Regardless of where the park is in the world, it is meant to be an escape: “Disney is not just offering entertainment: The Company is also selling… an antidote to everyday life. What we buy [at Disney] is not just fun and souvenirs but is also a welcome civility on a human scale” (Fjellman, 2019, p. 31).
