Performance and the Disney Theme Park Experience by Jennifer A. Kokai & Tom Robson

Author:Jennifer A. Kokai & Tom Robson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030293222
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Learning to Say “Bonjour” to Beauty and the Beast

Attending a musical at the theatre in Disneytown or in the park can significantly extend visitors’ time on Disney property. If satisfying, the live performance experience may also influence decision-making over the rest of their visit—which may be especially lucrative given the number of shops one must pass between the Walt Disney Grand Theatre and the park’s metro station. But one live performance in particular may have done important work in substantially extending visits and influencing decision-making. Enchanted Tales With Belle was a 20-minute outdoor performance in Fantasyland, featuring strolling performers who invite park visitors to hear their story. They open a trunk and remove puppets, props, and costume pieces and begin to tell the story of Beauty and the Beast. Belle, played by a Caucasian performer, appears from behind a screen, reading a book in Mandarin. An abbreviated version of her story unfolds, with excerpts from the musical’s key songs, accompanied by an accordion player.

This relatively simple performance not only introduced children visiting SDL to the fairy tale, if they did not already know it, but it also introduced them to the pleasure of putting on a show, as the performers made use of multiple theatre elements, and exclaimed about the fun of performing and telling stories. Theatre is an ancient tradition in China, but for young children, such a performance could be one of their first live theatre experiences. That Disney is associating itself with the excitement of live theatre can be no accident; Beauty and the Beast would be the second musical produced at the Disneytown theatre, opening in June 2018. A decade earlier, Disney Theatrical Productions (DTP) President Thomas Schumacher published a children’s book aimed at young American readers, How Does the Show Go On?: An Introduction to the Theater, introducing every element of theatre, and using the front and back covers as entrances to either the box office or the stage door.38 The Lion King tickets and Tarzan script pages are just some of the book’s inserts encouraging young readers to begin actively engaging with theatre practice and reception. Whether through Schumacher’s book or the education programs linked with productions of Disney musicals, DTP has consistently used its stage musicals to educate children about theatre, so it is unsurprising that an introduction to live theatre might be offered to Chinese children in a Disney park adjacent to a Disney theatre.

When he opened the park, Bob Iger concluded his remarks by noting, “We are profoundly grateful for the opportunity, and we sincerely hope that Shanghai Disneyland will bring great joy to the people of China today, and for generations to come.”39 As he has often stated, Disney plans for the long term, and having welcomed the easing of China’s one-child policy, he was no doubt thinking about the 200 million Chinese children aged 4–17, “the demographic that matters most for Disney.”40 The outdoor storytime with Belle slowed down visitors’ journey through the park, encouraged them to purchase Beauty

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