The entirety of The American Adventure
Image: lorenjavier, Flickr (license)
Patriotism is a complicated concept. It can even be difficult for adults to unpack in a nuanced political debate. It’s even more complicated to try and convey that concept in a theme park attraction, particularly to an exhausted audience of vacationers.
And yet, Disney decided to try. The resulting triumph — The American Adventure — is so at odds with the popular conception of a theme park that it’s silly to try to explain it to an outsider. It’s a half-hour show that attempts to tell the story of America, filtered through the prism of a thesis about how the country has always been committed to progress.
Taking a half-hour out of your vacation to watch a sanded-down and simplified version of American history might seem to be, at first, entirely bizarre. And yet, the show works far better than it has any right to. The attraction’s animatronic cast is believable and engaging. The original music is moving and powerful. The message — that what makes America unique isn’t anything that it has done, but that it is always trying to do more — is surprisingly nuanced.
Essentially, Disney made something honoring America, and managed to do it without crossing a line into dismissively cheesy or uncomfortably overserious. It’s a tough line to walk, but Disney managed to do it. The show is a perfect reflection of the patriotism of Walt Disney -- and while, to paraphrase Captain America, its a bit old fashioned, sometimes a bit of old fashioned is just what you need.
Riding a Banshee
Image: ThemeParkTourist, Flickr
Admittedly, I’m not a big Avatar fan.
The movie didn’t really appeal to me, nor did the concept of a massive themed land designed to compliment that film’s universe. As time went on, and as Disney sunk more time and resources into what I assumed would be a flop, I got more and more opposed to the idea of Avatar on its own. Ultimately, I was hardly going into it with an open mind when I finally had the chance to ride Avatar: Flight of Passage. I basically had a sign around my neck that said in bold letters, “Impress me.”
What followed was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had on a theme park attraction. But what’s most surprising isn’t that Avatar became a good ride — rather, it’s how exactly Disney decided to make it into one.
The idea to have guests ride atop Banshees, and to create ride vehicles that simulate both the motion and breathing of those creatures, was nothing short of genius. But it’s an idea that is so audacious that it seems silly at first. The breathing and flexing of the Banshees as you ride them seems, to the uninitiated, like something of a gimmick. It is anything but.
In reality, the feeling of riding a living Banshee is something that is almost impossible to put into words. It feels real, but it also isn’t — and it heightens the vivid verisimilitude of Pandora as you experience it. It might seem like a dumb idea to make the ride vehicles feel like living things ... until you experience it yourself, and it becomes clear just how genius Disney can be.
Comments
Although the finale (starring two white males) of The American Adventure does get a bit cringy, the show has always felt right. It doesn't hesitate to put the spotlight on America's shortcomings as well as its strengths. The theme song is one of the best in all of Disney-- hearing those eight first instrumental notes of the intro always turns my heart into mush, and seeing the curtain raise, showing the silhouettes of the personifications of virtue in the theater is a touching moment. However, since the election of The Donald, I have been unable to bring myself to go in and see the show. I will wait until a functioning adult occupies the nation's highest office before I can once again enjoy it.
A good follow-up article might be Disney moments that started cheesy and never got any better. I'll start-- the now-extinct Ellen animatronic in Ellen's Energy Adventure. Oof.