How do you define disney magic?

[fizz13]

There is a thread at the moment on tem park attractions and strategies where a mother has just taken her first trip to WDW and was astounded that so many adults would be in lines to meet charcters in particular Once everybody had chipped in she asked what "disney magic" is that everybody talks about as she doesn't get it. So leading on from this I thought I would ask you how you define the "magic".

I responded with this:
OMG, the "magic" is so hard to describe, but it is a disney feeling where your inner child comes back to play, you are in a disney bubble and everything around you becomes real somehow, you are allowed to enjoy this fantasy world and for me I enjoy right on my children's level with them. You get this rush of emotion when you see Mickey, its not a costume, it really is him, when you hear the music for Wishes and the characters voices you wish right along with them, all your childhood fantasies that magic is real, that you can really fly with Tink and Peter. That all the cast members are right there to promote this magic feeling, that you are sharing in this disney immersion, Cinderella really lives in the castle, when you take the safari you are in Africa.....
I think the magic is allowing yourself to accept the fantasy as your temporary reality and getting sucked right in, because once you do you just feel pixiedusted all the time, and it truly becomes your happy place. its not just rides and elaborate shows, its not just cleverly designed scenery, it is a whole sensory experience. Everything smells better, feels happier, and you escape from that real world and all my stresses and home crises are gone. Ulitmately it is allowing yourself to believe in it all.


So what do you think? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't understand?

 

[angel659]

I think you hit the nail on the head. I couldnt put it in better terms. Especially believing everything is real and you are THERE!!!

 

[Goofysmate]

Well put & must agree with you on how you have defined the Magic.

 

[natalielongstaff]

exactly what i would have said

 

[wilma-bride]

I am obviously in a minority here because I don't 'get' this 'Disney Magic' thing. WDW is a fun place to visit and I love it there - we always have a great time but I'm obviously too much of a realist because, to me, it's just that - a holiday destination. I'm not saying that the rest of you don't feel some kind of 'magic' but, for me, that is not what keeps me going back over and over - it's more a combination of everything - the food, the people, the rides, the shows, everything really. Not magic - but great fun

 

[UKDEB]

I fall somewhere between the two extremes. WDW isn't the be all and end all for me, but I do understand, and feel, the Disney Magic concept. Trying to define it, though, is like trying to describe the colour purple.

Cinderella really lives in the castle, when you take the safari you are in Africa.....

that you can really fly with Tink and Peter

Ulitmately it is allowing yourself to believe in it all

I can't go along with this idea, but I do understand what you're trying to say.

There are many things which combine to create that magical feeling - all of them cleverly engineered (or imagineered ) to do just that. This was exactly the way Walt wanted us to feel. The theming, staging, music, background stories, cast members, attention to detail, immaculate upkeep, its location in sunny Florida, even the homogenisation which makes it all so reassuringly Disney - none of these elements is there by chance.

It's the original entertainment playground and the one which still does it best. It's pure escapism. It's permission to lose oneself in a world of fantasy, regardless of age. It's safe. It's familiar. It's a happy place.

 

[pixiepower04]

It's seeing the smile on my childrens faces when they meet Mickey Mouse!

 

[CustardTart]

The 'Magic' for me is all about how beautifully Disney present everything. It's about re-visiting familiar old favourites and excitedly discovering new ones! But it's mainly about the shared memories we have as a family and the quality of the time we spend there together...

I can't say it's an exclusively Disney thing tho'. We've had other experiences that rank right up there so I think it's partly to do with the fact that we like to have a good time and are able to create our own magic...

 

[TotallyAngelic]

I would find the Disney magic very hard to describe, but for me it is a very powerful and positive emotional feeling which I experience whenever I am in a Disney park, watching a Disney film, or dare I say it, even a Disney advertisement on TV, listening to Disney music, or even walking through the door of a Disney store. It is so powerful that hearing certain Disney music, even when not in the parks, can reduce me to tears, and at any time Disney magic can certainly put a smile on my face and elevate my mood. Being in a Disney environment is pure escapism, whether you are in a theme park or watching a Disney film. It comes from allowing yourself to "believe" that for that moment, in that place, the fantasy and the magic is real and not imagineered.

 

[Nubbedy]

For me, it is the feeling of escapism, the feeling that anything and everything is possible, it's a happiness and a 'childishness' that I just love.

As well as that it is a time for us to bond as a family, experience things together and share the 'magic'.

It's just our Happy Place.

Sara.

 

[Vicki1971]

For me it's that first walk out of the airport to feel the climate and see the trees. There is a happiness which washes over me. While in the parks I wouldn't describe it as believing it's all real, but pure escapism. I've travelled to other places but I've never been as happy as I have been when in Florida. It's a dramatic change to a very stressful working life.

 

[jjk]

for me it a place where we all truly relax together as a family , and indulge in a little bit of escapism. leaving all the pressures from our everyday lives behind its " where our family magic lives"

 

[Tink78]

For me it's the whole build up knowing that you are going to a place where almost everyone is happy, not many people are grumpy.

The staff, customers and everyone just gets along.

There is no feeling of racism, or size-ism or anything like that.

It's true, it's like going into a bubble for 2 weeks or however long you are there.

The look of the little kids faces as they meet Mickey or watch the parade.

It's just a lovely happy place to be.

 

[cherjp]

There is a thread at the moment on tem park attractions and strategies where a mother has just taken her first trip to WDW and was astounded that so many adults would be in lines to meet charcters in particular Once everybody had chipped in she asked what "disney magic" is that everybody talks about as she doesn't get it. So leading on from this I thought I would ask you how you define the "magic".

I responded with this:
OMG, the "magic" is so hard to describe, but it is a disney feeling where your inner child comes back to play, you are in a disney bubble and everything around you becomes real somehow, you are allowed to enjoy this fantasy world and for me I enjoy right on my children's level with them. You get this rush of emotion when you see Mickey, its not a costume, it really is him, when you hear the music for Wishes and the characters voices you wish right along with them, all your childhood fantasies that magic is real, that you can really fly with Tink and Peter. That all the cast members are right there to promote this magic feeling, that you are sharing in this disney immersion, Cinderella really lives in the castle, when you take the safari you are in Africa.....
I think the magic is allowing yourself to accept the fantasy as your temporary reality and getting sucked right in, because once you do you just feel pixiedusted all the time, and it truly becomes your happy place. its not just rides and elaborate shows, its not just cleverly designed scenery, it is a whole sensory experience. Everything smells better, feels happier, and you escape from that real world and all my stresses and home crises are gone. Ulitmately it is allowing yourself to believe in it all.


So what do you think? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't understand?

that pretty much sums it all up for me, hey great thinking.

 

[mandymouse]

That 'Disney Magic' for me is taking a deep breath and realising that you're 'back home' and all those special (and mainly little) things that bring a tear to your eye

 

[Dimplenose]

For me it's changed over the years. The "magic" was much stronger when DD was just 4 on our first visit. We've only been 3 times and to DLP twice, partly due to cost and partly because we don't want it to become too familiar that the magic is lost completely.

To me the Disney Magic is being able to get up every morning of our holiday without having to worry about what we're going to do today, being with people who even though we don't know them have the same interests, and realising I've been walking around with a huge grin on my face only when my face muscles begin to ache.

Libby

 

[mark&sue]

Being able to forget about real life and work. It makes me have a smile on my face. WDW is like no other theme park as it truly imerses you into living the fantasy. I love all theme parks but Disney is just the one where dreams come true and the surroundings become real.

Also Claire, Disney has enabled me to meet special people like you


Susan

 

[UKDEB]

I wouldn't describe it as believing it's all real

Precisely. That's what I was trying to explain in my previous post. For me, it's the polar opposite. It's knowing it's all make believe, but being able to succomb to it regardless. It's a blissful suspension of reality. I suspect, though, that's what we're all attempting to articulate in different ways.

 

[scottishsue]

Being able to forget about real life and work. It makes me have a smile on my face. WDW is like no other theme park as it truly imerses you into living the fantasy. I love all theme parks but Disney is just the one where dreams come true and the surroundings become real.

I totally agree with everything you have said Susan - this sums up Disney for me too !!

 

[BRobson]

Precisely. That's what I was trying to explain in my previous post. For me, it's the polar opposite. It's knowing it's all make believe, but being able to succomb to it regardless. It's a blissful suspension of reality. I suspect, though, that's what we're all attempting to articulate in different ways.

I do think this is a really difficult thing to put into words as I feel the goosebumps when I am there and just love my Disney holidays When I read what Debs wrote it hit the nail on the head -" It's a blissful suspension of reality" Everyone needs that now and again