Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America

by Stephen M. Fjellman

Walt Disney World is a pilgrimage site filled with utopian elements, craft, and whimsy. It's a pedestrian's world, where the streets are clean, the employees are friendly, and the trains run on time. All of its elements are themed, presented in a consistent architectural, decorative, horticultural, musical, even olfactory tone, with rides, shows, restaurants, scenery, and costumed characters coordinated to tell a consistent set of stories. It is beguiling and exasperating, a place of ambivalence and ambiguity. In Vinyl Leaves Professor Fjellman analyzes each ride and theater show of Walt Disney World and discusses the history, political economy, technical infrastructure, and urban planning of the area as well as its relationship with Metropolitan Orlando and the state of Florida. Vinyl Leaves argues that Disney, in pursuit of its own economic interests, acts as the muse for the allied transnational corporations that sponsor it as well as for the world of late capitalism, where the commodity form has colonized much of human life. With brilliant technological legerdemain, Disney puts visitors into cinematically structured stories in which pieces of American and world culture become ideological tokens in arguments in favor of commodification and techno-corporate control. Culture is construed as spirit, colonialism and entrepreneurial violence as exotic zaniness, and the Other as child.Exhaustion and cognitive overload lead visitors into the bliss of Commodity Zen—the characteristic state of postmodern life. While we were watching for Orwell, Huxley rode into town, bringing soma, cable, and charge cards—and wearing mouse ears. This book is the story of our commodity fairyland.

Genres: Cultural, Nonfiction, Psychology, American, Anthropology

512 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 1992

Reviews

[Jdetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a little surprised at the exceedingly good reviews this book has received, although perhaps I would have also felt as positively inclined toward this book had I read it upon its original release 30 years ago. I found the book rather dry, which is difficult to do when you're writing about Walt Disney World, or (for me) when you're discussing the dangers of uncontrolled capitalism in the world. More importantly, I found his conclusions incredibly obvious. However, to be fair, in the last thirty years there has been a lot written and said about Disney World...in the early 90s, this might have been much more ground-breaking. In any event, I was incredibly disappointed in a book that I had been looking forward to.

[Jenn Morgans · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lay person reading this for fun rather than an academic person, chunks of this went over my head, but overall this was an interesting, entertaining and thoughtful examination of Disney and Disneyworld (even if it is 30 years out of date!)

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating behind the scenes looks at the psychology of Disney's architecture and infrastructure.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely wild ride. I’d love to explore Disney World with Mr.Fjellman.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long-time Disney fan, I was excited to find this book used recently knowing that it is pretty much considered the definitive critical analysis of Walt Disney World in print. I had read pieces of it in College for a paper on EPCOT Center vs. World's Fairs, but had not had the opportunity to read it straight through until now.

If I were able, I'd actually give this book three and a half stars. Fjellman is extremely thorough in his descriptions of rides, shows and architecture at WDW, and I very much enjoyed his analysis of what Disney presents to the public as entertainment through the eyes of an anthropologist. His critique of the presentation of history and colonialism in the parks is both accurate and troubling, and gives the reader a new filter through which to view "the happiest place on earth." He also writes with great sympathy and compassion for those who are transfixed by what Disney offers up - he is also a self-professed Disney freak. Yet I felt that he spent too much of the book trying to catalog *everything* in the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT parks, rather than spending more time on his analysis of what he observed. Because the parks are constantly shifting and changing to keep up with the times, much of what he printed in 1992 is now obsolete. In light of how the world has changed in the past 17 years, I also found it hard to read his conclusions (Disney decontextualizes history and is often a mouthpiece/cheerleader for massive corporations) without any further investigation of the harm these messages can do to the American public at large.

Overall, a worthwhile, if dated, read.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated with (and simultaneously repelled by) Disney stuff since I was kid ... but as I grew older, obviously a nice skepticism settled onto the lens through which I view all-things-Disney(hence the repulsion). This book articulated some of my thinking on Disney in all its forms (the parks, especially, in Fl) and its/his take on history and our relationship to it (teleology, anyone?) I read this for a class not long after going to a great exhibit on the architecture of Disney at the Building Museum in D.C.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crazy, fun, disorienting book. The author is an anthropologist looking at Disneyworld, and he clearly both loves and hates the place. There's a wicked glee and lurking nausea to his analysis, which takes the reader step by step through every single part of Disneyworld, picking at the design and construction of it all, analyzing the symbols. It would make a great companion book with some Baudrillard, because it's chock-full of examples of simulacra--the faked reality that feels more real than reality.

Basically it's accessible, fun, hyper-detailed postmodern analysis.

[Amy Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and thorough book about the history of Walt Disney World and detailed description of WDW at the time of the book, around 1991. I loved the author's very detailed descriptions of each ride and show and even some shops and restaurants. I have to admit I mostly skimmed through the more academic detailed discussions of post modernism and philosophical stuff. I loved that every so often the author would say something a little sarcastic or funny about a ride. I found a few inaccuracies but mainly a nice study of WDW.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this has been updated in the last sixteen years, but this book is probably one of the best academic looks at Disney World. It's chock-full of trivia and fun facts (like Disney has the authority to have a nuclear reactor on site). If you wanted to know what Neil Postman would say about Disney, this is probably the next best thing.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book before going to Disney World, but for the 10th time. Lots of stuff I already knew, but there is always some background information they don't share at the parks. I was most interested in the parts about Celebration, the ideal city, which we were planning on visiting and had not been to before.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesome book. Calling it a little academic would probably be an understatement, but an interesting analysis.

[Kitty]

I tried. This isn't an easy book to read. I'm sure it's fascinating to the right people... but it wasn't worth the effort to me.