Disney’s Art and Management of the Theme Show
By 1970, Disneyland was not just a unique theme park business, but a well running piece of machinery. But now they had to replicate that kind of thinking to a larger stage as they opened up Walt Disney World. To better prepare for that, they had to educate everyone on how Disneyland worked. To that end, Van France, who originally created along with Dick Nunis the Disney University, wrote Art and Management of the Theme Show. This document, written originally in 1970 and then updated three years later, provides us a snippet in how the organization was ran during that time–a time that included no Big Thunder or Space Mountain, no Mickey’s Toontown, no Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, no Indiana Jones Adventure, no adjoining Disney California Adventure, and not even hotels. It was just Disneyland with a parking lot in front. Still, we cover the fascinating insights that are gleaned from this document, as a way of understanding the organizational approach Disney used to create “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Join us on our 493rd podcast for Disney’s Art and Management of the Theme Show.
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Introduction
Throughout the document many comparisons are made to the film industry, particularly in what it takes to create a theme park as opposed to a movie. Van France frames it this way: “Disneyland employs more permanent people than any movie studio. We harness more diverse talents than any city. We house, feed, and entertain more people than all western National Parks. We sell more merchandise than most major stores…And yet…very few people think of raising kids to be Disneyland Key Men…and no academic institutions…Our basic premise is that Disneyland was the birth of a new entertainment form. We haven’t even begun to analyze the reasons for its success…to define what it is and how works. To do this, is the purpose of this text.”
“Build a golf course in nowhere, and the lot on the edge of the course automatically increases by about 400% in value…plus the balls you collect. Build around Disneyland and the real estate values increase even more.”
Cast
“Production of the Disneyland show requires…during the peak season…a cast of more than 6,000 people. These people break down into more than 251 different skills…34 different unions…six lands…34 lessees…53 different attractions…three shifts working over a seven-day operation…and an endless variety of permanent, part-time, seasonal and casual classifications.”
Under all of this is actually several subsets are called out beyond those typically thought of as Cast Members:
The WED Complex
“WED Enterprises…named after Walter Elias Disney is housed in a separate series of buildings about three miles from the Studio. It is a wholly owned subsidiary (rather than a Division)…of Walt Disney Productions, with its own Board of Directors and Corporate Organization.”
In defining “The Living Stage”, Van France states:
“Obviously the producer of the movie must be sensitive to the demands of those who will attend the movie. But, he is not even slightly interested in the design of the popcorn machine…as it is integrated with the theme of the shows. The creative design of a Disney Theme Show follows a completely different process. the Popcorn Stand…the Restrooms…the seats for the audience…are part of the creative process for the show. The sensitivity pattern…from audience to show creator…is much more complex than in the production of other forms of entertainment.
This quote by Walt was shared: “I’m not the perfectionist any more. It’s my staff. They’re the ones always insisting on doing something better and better. I’m the fellow trying to hurry them to finish before they spoil a job. You can overwork drawing or writing and lose the spontaneity.”
Before we dismiss Imagineers as perfectionists, there was another statement made about animatronic figures. “Walt’s comment about the Jungle Cruise reflects our early problems with animation. ‘I know those alligators work. I’ve seen it on television.'”
RETLAW
RETLAW is referred to in this document. It is “a separate corporation with offices located in the WED complex…At Disneyland RETLAW owns and operates the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad, and the Monorail. They handle both the operations and the very complex maintenance problems in these activities…Historically, RETLAW is as much a pioneer in the theme show as is Disneyland itself. It is owned and controlled by Disney family interests, but it is as much a part of the family as any other division.”
Lessees
“Lessees…those who pay money for the privilege of identifying with Disneyland, or who wish to invest money for the opportunity of making money…were extremely important in helping financially to “get the show on the road”.
“Walt Disney referred to lessee investments as ‘found money’ when Disneyland originally pined the way in developing a totally new concept of image development for major corporations. Today…Lesseees are important not only for their financial investment, but for what they contribute to the show. In terms of numbers of people, Industry Sales is our smallest division. But in terms of revenue, it is one of our most important.”
“Historically, our lessees have shifted from being working lessees as in food operations…to a much greater emphasis on what are called ‘institutional’ lessees. The part paid by institutional lessees becomes increasingly important for financing the show, as Disneyland becomes more important as a show case for image-conscious corporations.”
“Huge corporations have become…in recent years…much larger, more dehumanized. They may attempt to create a favorable image with their consumers via radio, tube and print, but the results are impersonal. The Disneyland Theme Show provides these huge institutions with an opportunity to meet their consumers on a person-to-person basis.”
Park Operations
Much of the book focuses on different organizations. We can’t cover all of them, but here are some highlights:
Finance
In speaking of the importance of payroll, Van France makes note of the fact that Disneyland was one of the early companies to use a computer to prepare pay checks, promptly, accurately and economically.”
Relative to admissions and cash control, it was noted: “During our peak season, we must control cash….by the ton. Literally, several freight cars would be required to carry our annual cash receipts…in the form of every type of coin and currency.”
Telephone Systems
Relative to the PBX or business telephone system they had in place at that time, Van France notes the complexity of having special lines that were dedicated to WED, RETLAW, the Studio and of course, the park. “If you worry about your phone bill, our Disneyland phone bill is over $100,000.00 a year. So, you can help save some important money, by selecting the proper line. and if you are long-winded, you might think of writing a letter.”
The Cast of the Lobby
Van France seems to have been the first to liken the Disneyland arrival experience to going to the movies.
Relative to emphasizing the first impression the parking lot makes, “Our Operations Division has pioneered in what might be called “Vehicle Reception”. It is they who start the chain reaction which ends up in the guests’ enjoyment of the park.” Van France would refer this, trams, toll booths all as the “Outer Lobby”.
“Ninety-four percent of our guests arrive by car, and a significant percentage suffer from “freeway fright” on their way here.
The “Inner Lobby” was referred to as a “sensitive” area as it related to separating people’s money from their wallet. This is one of the few times Van France refers to Cast Members in the feminine form–a sign of how very different times are today. “If the ticket sales hostess does her job of selling the right admission package…and is followed up with a courteous and friendly job of taking tickets, the guest then starts out in a happy mood for a happy day.”
You can see more of how this occurs today in the following video:
Security
Security here is differentiated from other roles as they have a “uniform” not a “costume”. Van France talks about the love-hate relationship people have with Security, the former being emphasized by people needing directions, finding a lost purse or help with their car. The latter is described as the “arrival of a suspicious looking gang of motorcyclists.” Van France contrasts the control of security in a theatre as opposed to Disneyland which may have an audience of 80,000 and a personnel population of 6,000.
Food & Beverage
“A Disneyland Theme Show audience travels on its stomach. The way to his or her heart can be through the stomach. To do this is sustenance in show business…Disney style.”
“In terms of quantity, Disneyland buys and sells more food than most organizations or individual hotels in the world. We order our staple foods by the ton; and yet we sell it person-to-person in a highly individualized and personalized manner.”
In those days, kiosks that we often refer to like an ice cream stand selling Mickey bars was actually referred to as Character Stands. “‘Character’ stands were so named to utilize the showmanship of our many Disneyland characters.
Cafeterias. “We found out-through surveys…that our personnel were just as sensitive as guests about the quality and prices of food.”
Food Purchasing. “The secret of selling [food] is in the buying…Have you ever made out a grocery list for your family? Try making one for nine million people, with a cost exceeding five million dollars!”
Merchandising
“The Disneyland Theme show does a greater merchandising business than most big department stores…and yet we don’t in the conventional way, sell anything…As a pioneer in the design of souvenir merchandise and theme park displays”, merchandising specialists focus on the entertainment and show value of retail. “The word ‘souvenir’ doesn’t tell the whole story. Our guests want tangible reminders of their day at Disneyland tangible items which will survive in Iowa long after the memory of their Disneyland trip has faded back into the world of reality. And, too, a souvenir from Disneyland is a status symbol. It is something to show to friends and neighbors…a convenient conversation piece for the returning traveler.”
“If you’ll check your watch, you can bet that at this moment one of our guests is showing his Mickey Mouse watch to some friend. Little does he know the complex organization which was required to have it designed…displayed…legally protected and finally sold.”
Maintenance
“At Disneyland we feel that ‘cleanliness’ is next to showmanship.” That’s the way Walt Disney wanted it, and that’s the way we keep it. We have a world-wide reputation for our sparkling Disneyland…and receive thousands of letters every year from people thanking us for it.”
“Cleanliness at Disneyland is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job. There are the floors, streets and windows (thousands of them). Of course, we also have to regularly clean the snow on top of the Matterhorn…brush the teeth of the Whale…polish 77 brass poles at King Arthur’s Carrousel…wash 700 benches…empty and clean 500 uniquely designed trash cans…clean 300 cigarette urns…brush and was 534 umbrellas…and regularly check 150 restrooms.”
“And there is another job which falls in this department. The leaves on the treehouse…made and designed by our Staff shop…are pure plastic. And who cleans them…one by one..Building and Ground Maintenance.”
“To maintain the Disneyland Theme Show at our Disney standards is an expensive proposition. The annual budget works out to approximately $1.00 per guest. We feel it is a good investment.”
The paint department purchases about 20,000 gallons a year, enough to completely paint a neighborhood of 400 split-level homes. To “stay true to our colors” there is a catalog of 4,000 shades of colors which are maintained in a Master Color Book, the Bible for color selection at Disneyland.
There are 20,000 signs of various sizes and shapes and colors that must also be maintained.
Arcade Maintenance addresses six hundred machines from pinball machines to time clocks, to 140 entrance and exit turnstiles. Some 15 old-time band organs and pianos, some of which date back to 1890, require creativity and innovation as most replacement parts are not available for these antiques.
Organizational Culture
“We may have divisions”, but in no sense are we divided. Because of the wide variety of skills involved in our organization…and the geographic distances between working groups, there is the hazard of “provincial” thinking. By “provincial” thinking we refer to a natural tendency for one to think that his or her individual function is of supreme importance. The fact is that each function is interdependent on another function. We may speak different languages…live in different climates…perform widely different skills, but it is all one organization.”
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