In The Field: Tokyo Disneyland

During my recent visit to Japan I visited Tokyo Disneyland. I’ve been very fortunate to have visited other Disneylands previously (Disneyland Park, California Adventure and Disneyland Paris) but it was especially wonderful to experience this park through the eyes of “first-timers” especially those under the age of 10.

And even though I certainly enjoyed my time, I can’t help but have my “designer” hat on as I walk through the park and take mental notes about how the designers have created these spatial experiences and why they work (or sometimes fall short).

In this article, I document some of my thoughts and how elements relate to creating spatial experiences in mixed reality.

Throughput

Disneyland are masters at the design of queuing and moving visitors through experiences. The rides are designed to have a certain number of people in each cohort. Multiple cohorts are then ushered through the experience, one shortly after another, allowing a large volume of people to constantly move through the ride. Despite this, visitors experience a feeling of intimacy while on the ride because you’re seated with a small group. On some rides you never even see other visitors at all.

This is one of the core issues facing co-located multiplayer VR and MR experiences. When there are only a certain number of headsets that can be synced at a time how do you maximise the number of people that get to try the experience? Anyone who has been at a conference or festival and waited in line for an XR experience knows the frustration.  

Narrative

All the rides are linear and literally on rails. There is no opportunity for choice and everyone gets the same experience. In this way, the attractions are like a movie with a beginning, middle and end. Always the same story. This is not a criticism - just an observation. I can certainly appreciate how expensive it would be to create multi-branching narrative in a Disney theme park. As well as the reliance on technology and manpower to execute such a feat.

Disney is fortunate to be able to capitalise on well known IP so their rides tend to continue a well established narrative from movies or TV series, rather than tell a new story from scratch. Moreover, most people who visit a Disneyland want to fully experience and immerse themselves in the world of their favourite movie or character, that they already know so well.

Audience role

Which is why it’s important to note that most Disney rides don’t ask the audience to take on a specific role. For the most part, you are in fact, an observer. You aren’t a pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean. On Peter Pan’s Flight, you’re not one of the lost boys.

Again, the cost factor of creating roles and actions that truly impact on the scenario would be very complex and costly. Additionally if you were bestowed a role it would suggest you are responsible for something or need to take a specific action. And while this might appeal to some people, not everyone wants to get hands on.

(There are exceptions including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance where you are part of the rebellion and Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run where you are part of the flight team. Both in Disneyland Park. However, your actions are generic and don’t change the story).

In terms of audience interaction in mixed reality experiences, yes we can design branching narratives and multiple story endings. But there is also a development cost in creating such an experience. You have to create a lot of content that may or may not be seen by the user. You also have to ensure that when you are providing the user with a choice, it’s a real choice that truly impacts the outcome otherwise you risk leaving them with a sense of dissatisfaction.

User Interactions

Some attractions feature action but few interactions. For example, on Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek each participant has a torch that you shine on any helmets you see during the ride. It was an “okay” experience – things did react (via movement and sound) but I was surprised there was no tally at the end to indicate how well we did. (Although this may be an expectation from the gamer in me.) Again, I understand the difficulty in creating interactions for a diverse audience.  

In order to cater for anyone – from 5 to 73 – one has to consider accessibility and usability factors. Moreover, how quickly can you induct people on what to do without time for a proper tutorial or instruction? Despite the fact that Disney visitors spend a lot of time lining up, its remarkable how few people read (or even notice) the material that is available along the queue.

World Building

Throughout all their parks, Disney ensures that everything is meticulously designed to make you feel as though you are really walking through that world, transforming everyday fixtures such as restaurants, menu items, street lighting, rubbish bins and even bathrooms utilise narrative-consistent colours, graphics and motifs.

(Although I would recommend Tokyo Disneyland if you get the chance to visit, I have to say that the attention to world building is best experienced in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland Park in California. Ok, I’m a massive Star Wars fan so I acknowledge a personal bias.)

Engaging the Senses

My favourite rides are the ones that include multiple elements that engage as many senses as possible. Star Toursincludes 3D glasses and a motion simulator ride where the movements are perfectly aligned with the visual display and audio. When these are synced with music and audio – the experience is amazing! Especially for a Star Wars fan like me. Even the act of putting on a seat belt – which is obviously for safety – has the additional effect of performing a familiar tactile motion. In that you really are about to take off in an intergalactic flight.

Similarly, the Jungle Cruise ride is also quite sensory – you’re on a boat sailing down a river enclosed by jungle, encountering animals, past a waterfall and through a darkened tunnel and temple. The changes in scenery, temperature and audio make it very immersive. Additionally, being on a boat which is helmed by your tour guide/Disney staffer supports the narrative that as a passenger you have little control over the direction or course of the journey.

Shared Experiences

One of the things that Disney does exceptionally is understand that almost all visitors come as a group. Thus, its imperative for the group to have a shared common experience by riding together.

Disney staff constantly count the number of people in groups and then guide people to certain lines/lanes so that their group will be seated together or in sequential cars. During the ride they can see each other’s faces, speak in whispers or grab each other’s hands. As soon as the ride is over and the group exits – the first thing everyone does is gush over their favourite moments.

Even the restaurants are designed to cater for large groups eating together. Modular tables and chairs can be easily rearranged to accommodate different sized groups.

Summary

Visiting a Disneyland park is a lot of fun but it’s also a great reminder of all the elements that are at our disposal to create memorable immersive experiences. As technology progresses, Disney may look to incorporate these into their park attractions. Of course, they are probably working simultaneously on bringing these experiences straight into your home via mixed reality! I have a few fun concepts for these which I may share in a future article :)