The Disneyization of society argues that the contemporary world is increasingly displaying characteristics of the Disney theme parks. The people are surrounded by the themed atmosphere, which is usually a complementary of the main purpose to why they visit a particular place. However, it has become an increasing trend for themed environments, as they appeal more to the customers.
The dimensions of Disneyization are:
Theming - clothing institutions or objects in a narrative that is largely unrelated to the institution or object to which it is applied.
Hybrid consumption – a general trend whereby the forms of consumption associated with different institutional spheres become increasingly difficult to distinguish
Merchandising – the promotion and sale of goods in the form of or bearing the copyright images, under license.
Perfomative labour – the growing tendency for the frontline service to be viewed as a performance, especially when the staff deliberately displays a certain mood at work
Here are some examples of "Disneyization" that I have spotted in Taiwan in relation to some of the dimensions above:
1. Doraemon Story House at Window on China
Located in Taoyuan County in northern Taiwan, the Doraemon Story House at Window on China is one of Taiwan's leading theme parks. Common gadgets like the “anywhere” door, time-machine, telephone booth device and many more which we saw on TV taken out from Doraemon's 4D pocket, are now all available at the theme park. Not to forget, the main characters of the show: Doraemon and his friends, are all brought to life to give welcoming performances to the children.
Merchandises featuring the characters are sold in souvenir shops. This is to help promote the theme park itself as these merchandises have the theme park's logo printed on them. When tourists buy products from the theme park, logos are printed on them for copyright issue and to help market the place.
2. Leofoo Village Theme Park
Located in Longtan, Taiwan, started its operations in 1979 as a wild animal park. Like Disney, it is divided into separately themed areas. Currently, it houses 4 themed areas - Wild West, South Pacific, Arabian Kingdom and African Safari--and is the first park in Asia to combine a zoo with other amusement components.
Why is it so popular?
This is due to a growing trend in towards a social environment that are driven by combinations of eating out, playing and living.
Its architecture, landscaping, recreational facilities, music, costumes of staff, merchandise, F&B are carefully planned and produced to complement to the themes.
There are now many other interesting ways to watch the animals other than standing outside their cages. For examples, they can take a steam train called the Nairobi Express, for an excursion to observe herbivores like the rhinoceros or hop on a tour bus for an adventure through the predatory animal area to see American black bears and baboons.
Still not satisfied?! There are more facilities!
The place also has three different roller coasters, including an inverted shuttle coaster called the Screaming Condor. The other roller coasters in the park are called Sahara Twist and Little Rattler.
A 164-room hotel which is able to accommodate about 800 tourists, allows the guests to observe the animals just by popping their heads out of the windows. This has provided an opportunity for the guests to live in a wildlife environment. Now, visitors can sleep, play, and watch the animals all at one go.
This can be related to the process of convergence, where there is a growing trend towards places which consist of a combination of consumers' activities such as eating, shopping and sightseeing. Also, in relation to hybrid consumption, the different aspects (Food outlets, accommodation, sightseeing, and play) are blended together; it is hard to distinguish them as we cannot define what the visitors really look for when they visit the theme park.
3. Taiwan modern toilet theme restaurant
People are curious, and seeking quality and unique experience, are reasons why there’s increasing number of toilet-themed outlets in Taiwan.
This is not a new trend in Taiwan as it has already started since 2004. It is a restaurant where people dine in a toilet-like ambience and eat their food from mini toilet bowls. Toilet rolls are hung over the tables for use as napkins, and drinks come in miniature urinals. "WC" signs are hung on the walls as a form of decor to complement to the atmosphere. This is one of the dimensions of Disneyization: Theming. In this case, the restaurant with a toilet narrative is applied. Diners in the restaurant are surrounded by visuals and ambience that are aligned with the toilet-themed environment.
In my opinion, the reason why the toilet-themed restaurants are becoming a trend is because of the popularity of the successful overseas themed-restaurants such as Hard Rock Café. Also, due to globalization, people are becoming more demanding; they seek different aspects in a product. For example, they are no longer satisfied in patronizing a restaurant which provides them with basic food and rest place. They desire for more qualities in a consumer product. Hence, themed outlets have become increasingly popular nowadays.
