In his book Travels in Hyperreality, Umberto Eco tells us “Disneyland technology can give us more reality than nature can” (p 44). What does he mean? Discuss with reference to the text and your own experience. 300 words in the comments
About author
related...
4 total comments on this postSubmit yours
Silas
29/11/2009
Disneyland is a land for the imagination, a magical place where animals, when in reality are much smaller than humans, are bigger and are wearing clothes. This would not be possible in reality as animals and humans know their place in a term Disney made famous “The Circle of Life”.
The Disneyland technology is one that brings the mind and imagination of a child to life, a place where dreams come true and everyone and is happy.
Umberto Eco states
“ and from the wild river of Adventureland to a trip on the Mississippi, where the captain of the paddle-wheel streamer says it is possible to see alligators on the banks of the river, and then you don’t see any, you risk feeling homesick for Disneyland, where the wild animals don’t have to be coaxed. Disneyland tells us that technology can give us more reality than nature can.”
In Disneyland, the animals and humans come together as one and celebrate the magical place the animals call home.
It is very rare to see these types of animals being so friendly and either not running away from humans or not pursuing them to devour them.
When I was in South Africa a few years ago, we went to two wildlife parks in the hopes of seeing the big five animals of the jungle in the flesh and not behind cages, but in their own settings. We saw elephants, giraffes, rhinos, but no lions or tigers. I found this strange and very annoying, as I wanted to see a lion or at least hear one roar.
Eco simply stated that to show that nature may not provide as the opportunity to get close to some animals, whereas on the other side Disneyland allows for us to get close to such animals and befriend them thus going against the idea of nature.
In real life, we can’t easily find a pride of lions and befriending a warthog or meerkat, these beings are prey and may taste delicious, but in Disneyland, they’re the best of friends.
Eco also spoke of the robots at Disneyland and how they were produced to copy actors’ movements and portray humans and how they cost much less to produce and carry out the work intended at Disneyland than humans. Walt Disney has indeed provided a place that seems to be more real than reality.
caroline
01/12/2009
The expectation when a visitor goes to such as place as Disneyland is that s/he will become completely absorbed and involved with the fantasy, the make-believe. The concept of there being a ‘real’ world outside the gates is intentionally dissolved from the mind of the visitor. In order to create such a condition, it is necessary to provide a complete alternative to or, in the case of this genre of place, exaggerated version of the norm. Disneyland is divided into several ‘lands’ or ‘worlds’ which the visitor can explore at his/her leisure (although there are guides/maps/signs/paths). This creates the sensation of being transported between different places whilst never leaving the park.
The believability of this is increased by the combination of both the genuine and the fake. For example, Eco references the fact that the environments within Disneyland are made up of actual materials, e.g. ‘…when rocks are involved, they are rock, and water is water…’; whilst creatures and animals (such as a ‘hippopotamus, dinosaur, sea serpent…’) will be represented by mechanical, fake versions. Eco refers to the idea that this fakeness is not interpreted as a negative factor by the visitor as such methods enable a instantaneous response to the ‘needs’ of the the viewer, e.g. the visitor wants to see a crocodile, so this is catered for immediately in a realistic (and safe) version – in contrast to nature, which is free of such demands and can choose what to reveal to the ‘curious’ and what to keep hidden. The visitor will allow themselves to feel as though they have experienced the genuine.
From personal experience, visiting EuroDisney aged 9 years old I did not get ‘taken in’ by the façade. I knew at all times in the back of my mind where I was and that it was not ‘genuine’. I really enjoyed my time there thoroughly as a young child- apart from the crowds, queues, etc, but it was these such factors in particular I think which discouraged the sense of suspension of disbelieve for me during my visit, queuing for two hours or so for a ride tends to put a dampener on the make-believe in my opinion. I’d much rather see (or not see) a genuine hippopotumus in the context of its natural environment than a mechanical replica set up for the amusement of wealthy tourists.
Tim Lunn
01/12/2009
Well the idea of Disney land is based on imagination well the imagination of Walt Disney a man who all way wanted to make his dream come true. He try a lot of think of a lot of things e.g. he made the first full cel-animated film snow white which was a idea that every one told he could not do his next big project Disney land came up yet again he was told by everyone this is not going to work. But walt did not leson again and Disney land was made and did well now we can look at the qutison “Disneyland technology can give us more reality than nature can” what dose this mean well Disney land is imagination and is the and will be try to diffent from what is in nature Disneyland must find more and more technology to make these dream more possible befor walt Disney die in 1966 he had come up with this project after diseny land, epoct this project was made but as a theam park walt diseny as seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9M3pKsrcc8 walt wanted to make a city of the futer where every this again is use imagination trying to by past nature. When you enter Disney land it is a an fell real almost like you walk into a dream with all them cartoon charet walking around also it fill like you walk back in time as it fill like the 30’s then there are so many other land with diffent fills thank to the many diffent technology this in a way the need for technology is what make technology as walt Disney before then the need to make this theme park the technology that is made can help in other way that help make this fill more real and help drive the worlds technology than nature.
chn
02/12/2009
Disneyland reproducing the fantasy and is a real fake, city of robots and it is simulating the fantasy. Disneyland is just like what is in your head. Something that you can not see in reality.
Umberto Eco says technology can give us more reality than nature can.
What he means is technology provides reality just like Disneyland, the difference between reality and fake and how the reality is what you don’t really see. Just like his example of saying about Disneyland that the water and trees and rocks are the real thing that you know as real and they are not fake, even in a fantasyland such as Disneyland. But other things like animals that some of them you can only see in the zoo and some only would be able to see in some part of world are not real in Disneyland. They are all people dressed up as different animals and walking around. Even if you have never seen an animal before but you would be able to see the simulation of it in Disneyland, so in this case this fantasyland is able to make a point of how technology can give you more reality than nature can.
The reality is what is in your head and what you don’t get to see, something that nature can’t provide you but Disneyland can. Disneyland provides you what nature can’t such as hippopotamuses even if they made with plastics.
Which reminded me of an example, For example kids when they have toys such as dinosaur and they get to see and play with but they would never be able to see in reality, they still get to see the plastic toy which is made by technology, so technology provides even kids to see the reality in a better way than nature can.