Disney’s dynamism: Exploring the festive and interactive aesthetics of Disney World
From artificial “snoap” to immersive ride queues, Disney World creates a winter wonderland for everyone to enjoy, despite the infamously torturous wait times.
Do you ever wish you could experience the holiday season without the cold weather that comes with it? Or maybe you’ve always fantasized about stepping into the world of your favourite childhood movie? Disney World turns these dreams into reality by creating winter wonderlands and interactive queues for their guests to enjoy.
My family and I went to Disney World during the winter break to escape the cold temperatures in Canada. We visited all four parks during our vacation and were pleasantly surprised to see them covered in Christmas decor. Each park had a fifty-foot Christmas tree, decorated with ornaments and lights, as well as wreaths and large silver snowflakes hung onto the streetlights.
Because it rarely snows in Orlando, Disney creates artificial snow using soap. They call this artificial snow “snoap,” and it is created using a device that changes the shape of soap into snowflakes. Disney places these devices on the top of large buildings and sometimes even in the air to create the winter wonderland effect that people crave during the holiday season. Guests can play their part by purchasing a snoap wand from any store at Disney World.
If you’ve been to Disney World before or any other theme park, you’ll know that wait times can get out of hand. My family and I spent almost 3 hours waiting in line for the new Avatar Flight of Passage ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. At most theme parks, waiting in line consists of walking outside through seemingly endless rows of stanchions. You feel exhausted watching each minute go by on your phone or watch. But at Disney World, the experience of a ride begins as soon as you join the queue.
When Disney develops new rides for its parks, they anticipate large demand and long wait times. Knowing this, Disney creates queues that immerse guests into the world of the ride they are on. Some examples include Pandora from Avatar, Arendelle from Frozen, and Andy’s Bedroom from Toy Story. While we waited to ride Avatar Flight of Passage, we entered the lab where human beings become connected with their Avatar. My family and I got so distracted by the captivating visuals, that we found ourselves getting told to keep moving forward. Even though we waited for around two-and-a-half hours, it felt like ten minutes.
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is another ride at Disney World that offers an interactive queue. Guests enter the dwarf’s mine and can interact with the gems scattered throughout. As soon as my brother and I entered the mine, we were met with large barrels of gems. These barrels can be spun to create a shimmering sound effect. They also project an image of one of the seven dwarfs, depending on which barrel you spin.
I could go on and on about the dynamic and immersive aesthetics of the queues and festive decorations, but seeing them for yourself is much more exciting.
