New Disneyland Park: Success or Disaster?

The heads of Disneyland O’ahu park faced intense controversy recently as hundreds of people gathered across Hawaii to protest against the creation of the new park. Both indigenous and nonindigenous populations alike stood together, angry at the purchase of Hawaiian lands by Disney that protesters claim could’ve been used for the native population. The protests left the 20 heads of the new park hastily attempting to calm the public and going through fierce debate on how to appease the people and create the park while respecting the native culture.

The head of guest services brought up ideas ranging from flamethrower shows to a volcanic version of splash mountain, but the largest debate was on the iconic Disney castle. The Head of Fantasyland’s idea of remaking the Beauty and the Beast castle was quickly shut down, with the Head of Costumes claiming that it was already done and didn’t accommodate any Hawaiian culture. Others such as Head of Fantasyland and Head of Resort and Hotels argued that the castle was an essential part of any Disney park.

While there wasn’t as much progress on the creation of the castle or centerpiece of the new Disney park, the heads implemented multiple plans. They creation of cultural gardens, as suggested by the Head of Advertising, was implemented, based off of the Garden of the 12 Friends at Shanghai. It would contain sculptures, created by Hawaiian imagineers, from the Hawaiian myth of Khama and Kapo. The public took the concept well, raising the image of the new Disney O’ahu park.

Three other plans were implemented as well, including a culture appropriation committee, the “O’ahu no protesters” plan and the defeating unemployment initiative. The culture appropriation committee included a group of six experts, chosen by the Head of Culture and Respect, who would be in charge of polling the population on ideas, along with making sure the park appropriately accommodates Hawaiian culture. The O’ahu no protesters plan was to explain the plans of the O’ahu parks to the public, explaining how much profit Hawaii would gain from the park, along with including natives within the park as waitresses, performers, and other workers. The initiative to defeat unemployment further expanded on that last point, including efforts to hire Hawaiian actors and professionals and provide financial assistance to workers. A press release was also produced during this time by the Head of Advertising, recognizing and taking into account the disagreement of the public.

The management of Disneyland O’ahu is planning for the park to be the “largest magic kingdom ever created”, containing over 200 acres of land, and is estimated to become one of the largest tourist attractions in Hawaii. Despite the controversy facing it, like every other Disney park, it’s ultimate goal, as stated by one of the heads of the O’ahu park is to help “keep the magic [alive].”