What I researched and Why:
One of the earlier posts talked about the transformation of Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyland into a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I thought the idea of a whole island which brings to life something that existed in a work of literature was interesting, so I decided to find out more.
What I found:
http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mk_tsi.htm
This site tells about Tom Sawyer Island, which other sites confirms is still Tom Sawyer Island, but with an area devoted to Pirates. Considering Tam, Huck, and Joe's adventures while they had 'drowned,' this does not seem altogether inappropriate. They have an 'Injun Joe' Cave, a raft that ferries tourists to the island, paths and hills, and an Ice Cream shop called 'Aunt Polly's that is designed to look like a period house. there are some other things not mentioned in the book, but do follow its character. There is a Mill and a Fort; perhaps these would be the product of the boys' imaginations.
After researching this I remembered another, similar piece of information. Orlando Studios is in the process of creating a Harry Potter theme park in Florida complete with castle, magical village, and train. The images on their website seem to promise a big visual payout on the investment.
http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/
My Interpretation:
I think it is very interesting that in the modern era we seek to live our fictions. It is not enough for us to simply read Tom Sawyer or Harry Potter or to simply watch Pirates of the Caribbean. We want to touch and taste and smell all of it. Why is that? I'm not sure I know the answer, but here are a few possibilities. Maybe we are spoiled by media systems that have grown beyond their creators so that our attention deficit cannot handle having only one ore two senses stimulated at a time. Maybe Disney and Orlando build them, and so we come. In other words, maybe the demand is driven by the production. Or maybe the technology and the economy have simply grown far enough for us to be able to do this and we would have in every era before, but didn't have the means. Or we could take a really optimistic view and say that we are simply more involved with the literature in the modern era than common people have ever been, and therefore want more and more of it, and in varying avenues of absorption.
What it adds to our discussion:
I think the question raised in my interpretation is a good one for discussion. I brought the topic forward and even I don't know what I think of it. Has our society changed so much? Has our media changed so much? What effect might such 'amusement parks' have on future generations and particularly on children's literature? And are these parks a way of subverting the subversive side of children's literature? I suppose I have more questions than answers.
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5 comments:
It seems that a lot of people are truly ambivalent over the effects of interpreting literature into other mediums. In some respects it presents a great way to stimulate interest in the original story for newcomers and expand on a beloved tale for its fans. But these fabricated "worlds" can also be stifling, especially when so often slick businesses and advertising agencies turn them into a commercialized travesty.
I think that our desire to visit these themed attractions comes from a desire for the willing suspension of disbelief. Like watching movies, we go to get away from the trials and tribulations of life, to immerse ourselves in an imaginary world for just a few hours. These parks or whatever you would call them are a physical willing suspension of disbelief, it allows kids to enjoy time in a world that they cannot have as their own. In times before big media, big parks, and big movies some found this in the world of books. I think a good question is, why has the recent generations steered away from reading as an avenue for escape?
Good last point there Jess. I just wish I had an example or two to add to help...
I guess the closest one I can think of is hearing that I think the Shrek franchise is going to make two more films. No offense, but I think maybe that's a bit too much. I also noticed how the third Shrek film had a lot more advertising than its two predecessors. Anyone else remember the nonstop Sierra Mist, Mastercard, and McDonalds commercials?
In Tom Sawyer, the kids don’t have “real” toys. They have things like dead rats on strings, sticks, bedknobs, and so forth, nothing like a dancing talking robot that jabbers all their favorite Disney quotes. They created their own fantasy world with pirates and wars all out of what they had in their environment. They didn’t need someone else to create some “Pirate World” for them to go to, they did it by themselves. I think that these theme parks in a lot of ways are actually geared toward adults wanting to give kids the experience of the book they’re reading or the movie they’re watching in the real world. Kids have no way of actually seeing these theme parks without the involvement of their parents or other adult. The tickets are way too expensive for a kid to be able to buy even if they could get there on their own. I think that adults want to create the fantasy worlds even more than the kids do. My graduating class took our class trip to Disney World. We didn’t bring kids along or anything like that, it was only for us. Disney World hosts an annual “Senior Night” for graduating seniors in which the park is closed down excepting the graduating seniors with tickets. There’s no way it could be less geared toward children than to not allow them in!
I just recently went to Disney World for the first time in my life... at the age of 22. It was loads of fun, because your allowed to be a kid again. Let me tell you, there's nothing shameful about riding through the Hundred Acre Wood in a giant "hunny" pot when the next person in line is a 65 year old woman wearing Minnie Mouse ears to match her husband's Mickey ears. They were celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that these overpriced attractions exist to make our fantasies a reality,so that for a fleeting moment a person of any age can see the characters that they grew up reading and say, "Yep, this is pretty much how I'd imagine it would be."
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