Spring Break
Simple things in life can be best entertainment
Scott Dennis
Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: Forum
If your curiosity ever compels you to poll the Disney fan community in order to identify the most popular park attraction ever, don't bother. Sure, you'll start with a variety of favorites old and new, but quality - be it at a Disney park or a university campus - will not be denied.
I like the Disney theme parks, and who doesn't? Dadaists, maybe, but that's not important right now. Those of us who aren't early 20th century anti-artists find Mickey's popular playgrounds thrilling and enjoyable places where one can have fantastical adventures - while keeping our hands, arms, feet and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
Many of us, upon returning from one of said parks, are bombarded by our peers with questions as to the nature of our trip. How was the weather? When did the prices send you into shock? Did you buy me something?
One of the most common questions we are asked is "What was your favorite ride?" Well, any real Disney fan will tell you that Disney doesn't have "rides," it has "attractions," but that's beside the point. While the casual visitor will likely name one of the more thrilling attractions, such as "Splash Mountain" or the "Tower of Terror," a fan who's studied park history and theory will, when pressed, invariably chose one of the two most celebrated attractions in entertainment history.
These attractions prove that you don't have to create some intricately philosophical study of the human experience in order to remain popular and timeless, as so many authors and artists seem to believe. Sometimes being fun is enough.
The rides in question opened to astonished audiences in 1967 and 1969, a time when the world was under the shadow of the Cold War and the United States was fighting a war in Vietnam as well as a cultural war at home. Even in this time of serious psychological dilemma and brutal reality, something as frivolous and lighthearted as a Disney ride struck a chord with audiences.
All too often these days, students get the impression that for entertainment to be worthwhile and important is has to be "serious," and very often depressing. There's little wonder why they get this idea. The sorts of compendiums of short stories used in writing classes, for example, tend to be full of severe, grim narratives that leave the reader wanting to hug his or her pillow and contemplate the meaning of life.
I like the Disney theme parks, and who doesn't? Dadaists, maybe, but that's not important right now. Those of us who aren't early 20th century anti-artists find Mickey's popular playgrounds thrilling and enjoyable places where one can have fantastical adventures - while keeping our hands, arms, feet and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
Many of us, upon returning from one of said parks, are bombarded by our peers with questions as to the nature of our trip. How was the weather? When did the prices send you into shock? Did you buy me something?
One of the most common questions we are asked is "What was your favorite ride?" Well, any real Disney fan will tell you that Disney doesn't have "rides," it has "attractions," but that's beside the point. While the casual visitor will likely name one of the more thrilling attractions, such as "Splash Mountain" or the "Tower of Terror," a fan who's studied park history and theory will, when pressed, invariably chose one of the two most celebrated attractions in entertainment history.
These attractions prove that you don't have to create some intricately philosophical study of the human experience in order to remain popular and timeless, as so many authors and artists seem to believe. Sometimes being fun is enough.
The rides in question opened to astonished audiences in 1967 and 1969, a time when the world was under the shadow of the Cold War and the United States was fighting a war in Vietnam as well as a cultural war at home. Even in this time of serious psychological dilemma and brutal reality, something as frivolous and lighthearted as a Disney ride struck a chord with audiences.
All too often these days, students get the impression that for entertainment to be worthwhile and important is has to be "serious," and very often depressing. There's little wonder why they get this idea. The sorts of compendiums of short stories used in writing classes, for example, tend to be full of severe, grim narratives that leave the reader wanting to hug his or her pillow and contemplate the meaning of life.
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