Ross A. Laird

I’ve just returned from a week in Disneyland. And I’m pleased to report that I had a wonderful time. Both the original Disneyland park — which I have not visited since I was five years old — and its new companion, the California Adventure park, are outstanding examples of the fusion between creativity and commerce.

Unlike the attractions of Las Vegas, which are absurd monuments to plagiarism, Disneyland comes across as both innovative and sensitive to the artisitc traditions in which Disney stories and images have played a vital role (for generations of people who know almost nothing of their ancestral archetypes).

The customer service and staff engagement were excellent. No push, no hype, no compromise. Someone has done a great job training these folks.

I was much impressed by the careful attention to detail in many of the attractions, among them Sleeping Beauty’s castle, the Alice in Wonderland ride, and It’s a Small World. Small things made the difference: careful roof thatchwork, hand-drawn illuminated painting, music carefully synchronized to animatronic puppets. Even the Enchanted Tiki Room was cool.

Overall, my favorite attraction of the trip was Soarin’ Over California, a virtual reality ride that was simply fantastic.

It’s the 50th anniversary of Disneyland this year, and they’ve clearly made an effort to enhance the experience of visitors as much as possible. In this task they have done a superlative job.

Literary and creative people of all stripes are typically jaded and cynical about Disney and other contemporary vanilla-izing storytelling juggernauts. Sure, the Disney stories are watered-down versions of old motifs and mythological tropes. But the adult cynic is not the one who goes to Disneyland. The authentic visitor is the child, unencumbered by adult pretensions. If this child awakens within us, the experience of Disneyland can be magical. It was for me.