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stander3
12-22-2004, 12:41 PM
Hi guys,

I have to come up with a topic on a research paper and I get to choose my own topic. The instructor suggests that I choose a topic that I know about or which I am passionate about. How about Disneyland! I was wondering if any of you guys had a topic that you can think of about Disneyland. Of course, I have to be able to find some reputable information about the topic and have enough info to create a 3000 word paper. Any suggestions you guys could come up with would be greatly appreciated.

Lorrie

Corwin17
12-22-2004, 12:45 PM
Actually, it would help to know what subject this is for: English? Journalism? Physics? Managment? (or in the case of Eisner, lack thereof) :~D

zugzug15
12-22-2004, 12:48 PM
there are the obvious ones,

What would walt think today? (personal opinion)

The Presler/Harris era (Disneyland needing repairs, short term gain over long term, ect)

the fantasy of disneyland(why people like it, escapism(sp?), ect)

yeah that should get the wheels working.

the mad hatter
12-22-2004, 12:49 PM
How about 'The theories and ideals of disney imagineering as it pertains to modern society.'


or you could just write about POTC...hee hee

SallySkellington
12-22-2004, 12:52 PM
I would do it on my favorite ride, maybe give info on ride mechanics, etc.

disneyperson
12-22-2004, 01:44 PM
There's all kinds of good stories about the HM and why it took so long to finish. It was originally meant to be a walk through, early designs were too scary, stuff like that. Or you could take a cue from another thread and write about all the skeletons in Dl and the legends surrounding them.

stander3
12-22-2004, 03:03 PM
The paper is for a writing class. No particular subject, so any reasearch topic would be ok

Corwin17
12-22-2004, 03:10 PM
The paper is for a writing class. No particular subject, so any reasearch topic would be okOk, then.

Compare/contrast replicated attractions with the orginals. What are the pros/cons for the company? The guest? What about public perception of building a copy instead of creating something new?

*THAT* should give you a few volumes worth right there!

figmentspark
12-22-2004, 03:36 PM
I've done 2 papers on Disneyland.

The first paper was about how the Disneyland attractions came into being (essentially WDI, but with an emphasis on Disneyland)

The second was about Walt Disney and the creation of Disneyland.

I never had so much fun doing a research paper before! :p

Villains Fan
12-22-2004, 04:18 PM
I had to do a speech last year for school and I did it on the construction and opening day problems of Disneyland. It definitely was not the "happiest place on Earth." :eek: I got alot of the information from here on Mouseplanet doing a search on history. There's also alot of cool construction pictures you can find at different sites. Good luck!

ChipmunkStar
12-22-2004, 05:41 PM
I once did a paper on the hauntings of Disneyland. I Did the standard research onloine, and then went into the park and asked some CM's in the areas I read about online if they'd had any paranormal experiences while at their work locations. Made for an interesting paper, an interesting day, and some interesting stories...

Uncle Remus
12-22-2004, 06:50 PM
How about the corruption of the Disneyland Parking lot and the possible Westcot that could of been.

Fab Plaid Gal
12-26-2004, 11:38 PM
From my own geeky interests I would think that it would be fascinating to write a paper witht the POV on the amazing training that had to be developed from the groud up in 1954. Imagine if you will a world where there is no Disneyland, :eek: no "theme parks". And you are charged with the task of attempting to effectively communicate what Disneyland is (I think that the best modern-day illustration I have heard for this was in 1985 when someone said that "..it would be the same kind of folly today if George Lucas announced that he was going to build a place called "Lucasland" based on his movies.")

Van France created the first training program for Disneyland. If you are interested you can read more about his tenure at Disneyland and much more about his training methods and ideals in his book Window on Main Street.

Here are the basics of what Van presented as part of the first traing sessions for Disneyland:

How to operate a dream:
Based on a quote from Walt himself: "You can dream, create, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it still takes PEOPLE to operate it." The challenge was to train people to produce Walt's dream in the Park.

We Create Happiness
At Disneyland we are responsible for far more than just parking your car, serving food, selling merchandise or entertaining patrons. We are creating happiness. Here is an excerpt from the original portion of this part in the traing program:

"Welcome to Disneyland

To make the dream of Disneyland come true tool the combined skills and talents of artisans, carpenters, engineers, scientists and planners. The dream the built now becomes your heritage. It is you who will make Disneyland truly a magic kingdom and a happy place for the millions of guests who will visit us now and in future years.

In creating happiness, I hope you will find happiness in your work and in being an inportant part of Disneyland.

-Walt Disney"

Other key elements of this program was/are:

It all started with a Mounse
We Don't Have Customers We Have GUESTS
We Work While Others Play

And one of the most groud-breaking ideas to come from this 1950's program was:

EVERY GUEST IS A V.I.P.
This was an anti-prejudice point. The guests pay us. We present to everyone regardless of race, creed, color or political views, with V.I.P. treatment.

Even thought the traing program has changed and evolved over the past 50 years (as recently as two months ago, -infact!) these core values are still at the heart of what it means to be a Disneyland Cast Member for the thousands of Cast Members that have/had/do work at the happiest place on Earth. :D

mikala
12-28-2004, 08:51 PM
I too had the pleasure of doing a paper, debate, and presentation on Disney. It was last quarter, and I debated against my partner about who is better- The Disney Company or The Warner Bros Company. As a huge fan of everything Disney, it was easy to pick which one I was going to do. It included retail, history, theme parks, and stock holder information. It was a pleasure researching, presenting, and of course debating. I got a "A", and even created a board with colored pics of the most current popular retail items from clothing, to toys, to collectibles.

Enjoy it, and good luck.
Mikala