Disneyfication

From ArticleWorld

Disneyfication is a term assigned designed to describe and denigrate a society that has an increasing similarity to the Disney theme parks. The phrase holds the same meaning and definition as Disneyization, which was coined by author A. Bryman in his book The Disneyization of society (1999).

Usage For Disneyfication

The term Disneyfication or Disneyization is used metaphorically to describe a society dedicated to themes, merchandising, huge consumption and emotion based labor. Disneyfication can be used to describe a diluted or simplified version of an original form. In terms of organizational structure, the term is mostly used to describe the stripping down of character and creativity to create an inoffensive neutral product in which similarity is preferable to originality. This risk free sanitized environment replaces anything negative with a neutral watered down alternative. When this Disneyfication filter is applied to education and the process of learning, it invariably becomes more enjoyable and markedly simpler.

Place Disneyfication

Disneyfication can be applied to all sections of modern day society where this filtering and uniformity can take place. In terms of physical places, be it streets, towns or whole cities, it is primarily used to define a wholly unoriginal ‘soul-less’ place. The comparison can be drawn directly from the realms of the Disney theme park franchise. The numb inoffensive Main Street USA, which is a feature of the parks, is often used as a direct comparison for these places which have succumb to a dull uniformity, as if they too were part of a franchised organization.

Baudrillard and Disney

The Disney franchise is defended by an unlikely source, albeit as a thinly veiled attack on US culture, in the form of French Philosopher Baudrillard. Describing Disneyland as ‘the only real place in America’ Baudrillard, who writes about reality and hyper-reality, uses the symbol of Disneyland to insult America. Justifying this claim Baudrillard says that Disneyland has no pretensions, simply claiming to be just a theme park. He claims it is presented as ‘imaginary’ to make the remainder of America seem real, whilst claiming that the truth is quite the reverse. But as with much of Baudrillard’s work this initial praise is not without criticism, in a scathing attack on Disney he says the he believes ‘behind these smiling eyes there lurks a cold, ferocious beast fearfully stalking us.’ Taken from his book America, this scathing criticism is Baudrillards reaction to what he considers to be the hidden corporate side of the Disney company.