Hello! This blog post is about my extraordinary field studies called “The Power of Imagination”. This is the biggest and most eventful field studies I have EVER done! The field study location was Disney World in Florida, USA. The driving question for this project is “How do Disney theme parks shape and influence the cultural, economic, psychological and social experiences of visitors?”. We created a video, which was the final product, that showcased how Disney brings nostalgia in a generational impact throughout celebrations and recognition of past creations. 

To start of this journey I learnt about the past of Walt Disney and learnt how to capture my knowledge in something called a PKM (Personal Knowledge Manager). I did an introduction to how to use a PKM by listening a recording information about a TED talk called “The Happiness Advantage”. After many tries at analyzing and recording summaries and personalized notes I was able to understand the importance of PKM’s. To start the building knowledge portion of this project I read articles about ‘How Disney Came to Define What Constitutes the American Experience’. I was able to process and analyze this information by recording my thoughts about the topic. This was a great start to the project because I really broke through the barrier of my views on Disney and was able to approach this project from a different perspective. 

Once I complete a few PKM’s I was assigned to a group, where we would create our video. In this group we keep created 5 PKM’s to answer our specific group’s question “How does visiting Disney World enhance well-being, reduce stress, and provide a sense of escape and enjoyment for some visitors?. To answer this question we, as a group, created a pitch board. We received feedback to revise our idea, so we did. We ended up have our idea based around a specific topic thread, nostalgia. When working in a group I think I showed good collaboration and communication skills. We were able to spilt up the work within the planning products of our film. The items we created were a Storyboard, Screenplay and Call sheet. To create these items we revised as we went along and I think our flexibility to change the concept showed great communication. I focused on creating the storyboard, as well as different parts of the call sheet and screenplay. I had many revision of the storyboard, but they were an important part in creating our final concept. 

Once our idea was created our trip was finally going to start, or so I thought. I woke up early prepared to get on a plane to find out that our flight was canceled. This was feasting news because all our of hard work and animation for this trip seem to be for nothing. To top it off I went to see a movie that day and I saw a Florida license plate in the parking lot. The day after it was cancelled I learnt that my teachers were working very hard to find an alternative way to get to Disney World. After the late nights our flight was four days after the original date. On the new day I was excited to be going to Disney World and luck was fortunately on our side and we were in the air. I was super excited for the week ahead of me. 

Throughout the many days at Disney I filmed for my video, had fun with my friends and grew closer with my peers. I followed my call sheet and storyboard, as well as taking some B-Roll when I felt an idea spark. I think our group was able to communicate effectively, causing the filming process to flow smoothly. 

In the filming process I was able to film things that were about the psychological impact that Disney World creates. While filming I saw many visitors immersed and amazed from the nostalgic aspects we were filming. This was really amazing because I felt like I was apart of cracking the code on what makes Disney World so psychologically influential. 

After learning about the psychological impact Disney World has on visitors I was really aware of the triggers within the park. I remember watching the firework 50 anniversary spectacular and I was really overwhelmed with a feeling of nostalgia. In that moment I felt the nostalgia, I was the audience. 

In the process of filming and going on rides and attractions we had another learning opportunity. In addition to filming we were lucky enough to go into two 3 hour workshops within Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The first workshop, in Epcot, was about leadership and we did different activities where we stayed in the park and went behind the scenes. We learnt about the three C’s in leadership: Compromise, Communicate, Consensus. This was an amazing opportunity that also happened in Hollywood Studios, where we learnt about Storytelling. I learnt about the specific details throughout the parks that immerse visitors, such as the architecture, colours and props. I also learnt about the different Easter eggs throughout the park, such as a mini Millennium Falcon inside the big version. Overall, these workshops were really fun and educational! 

After returning back home my group and I were able to edit our video. We all came together and communicated any last minute ideas that we had and were able to create the final video. 

In conclusion this project was amazing! I really enjoyed taking perspective about and in Disney, I got to have fun experiencing the content I was learning. Sure, I feel our video could be improved upon but I still think I was able to contribute to incorporating my knowledge about how to communicate throughout the video. I feel I’m also ready to answer the driving question, “How do Disney theme parks shape and influence the cultural, economic, psychological, and social experiences of visitors?”. Disney theme parks shape and influence the cultural, economic, psychological, and social experiences of visitors through creating these experience through theme merchandise, food, characters and attractions, which also pull onto visitor’s heartstrings. As our video shows, visitors are immersed and connected through the nostalgia of their childhood. The actual Nostalgia of Disney comes from the development of iconic characters throughout time, that makes an imprint on individual generations in different ways creating customized childhood memories. Disney World relives this nostalgia throughout the park’s anniversaries and attractions, proving that visitors are psychologically impacted. 

What is your favourite Disney movie?

Thanks for reading!

Alicia 😀