Introduction
A basic of Disney theme parks is the Main Street USA zone. This section features highly in all of the parks, usually coming right after the entrance. Key services like Guest Relations are located in this section, inside the "City Hall" (HK Disney Source, 2014). There are a number of elements to the Main Street, USA exhibit, and these will be discussed along with the history of Main Street USA in this paper. In particular, how the different elements of Main Street USA work together are covered. The concept has proven to be long-lasting, even across cultures, because of its magical portrayal of idealized American life, which draws heavily on Walt Disney's own childhood experiences.
History and Background
Main Street USA is a concept that relates to the early 20th century in America. Many towns grew up around a central main street, which often became known as Main Street. These towns in the early 20th century especially were small, and in lot of the country served as the focal point of rural life, providing services for the surrounding rural areas. Over time, Main Street USA evolved into something of an ideal rather than a place (Wasserman, 2012). The ideal revolved around the values of simplicity, honesty and a less complex world – perhaps the idyllic world of childhood. The concept of Main Street USA is especially associated with the Midwest, though these types of scenes can be found in agricultural regions in particular across the country.
Walt Disney developed the concept of Main Street USA as part of his theme parks, starting with the original park in southern California. Walt had grown up in a town called Marceline, MO around the 20th century and it was his childhood memories around which the idea ...
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...se images as a sign of a lost world. Most of Disney's worlds are fantasy worlds, and Main Street USA essentially asks guests to enter a fantasy world by given them something familiar and yet fantastical at the same time. The time travel meanings are no accident – when you enter Main Street you are being transported into Disney's world, and that makes it a particularly effective entrance.
HK Disney Source. (2014). Main Street USA. HK Disney Source.
Retrieved from http://www.hkdlsource.com/park/mainstreet/
Wasserman, E. (2012). America's best main streets. Fodor's/Huffington Post.
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fodors/americas-best-main-street_b_4556756.html
Younger, C. (2010). Dissecting Disney's lands: Main Street USA. Disneyology. Retrieved May 4, 2014 from http://disneyology.blogspot.ca/2010/06/dissecting-disneys-lands-main-street.html
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"10 Crazy Things You Never Knew About Walt Disney World." Budget Travel. Web. 21 May 2014. .
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