Disneyland: Beyond the Magic

The “Deconstructing Disney” Class Visits the Happiest Place on Earth to Investigate the Impact of The Walt Disney Co.

By Texas Christian University

November 16^th, 2022

Examining Goliath

The “Deconstructing Disney” course analyzes The Walt Disney Co. and its several enterprises — films, merchandise, parks and more. Students learn how Disney impacts the economy, society and culture. Associate professor in the College of Education and Honors faculty partner Gabriel Huddleston, Ph.D., studies the intersections between curriculum and pop culture – specifically Disney. He has worked on several research projects about Disney and taught the graduate course “Disney as Curriculum” before bringing Disney studies to the Honors College.

“It’s kind of immense the way that the Disney Company has impacted society. One of the points of the class is to take that as a given but then think critically about that impact,” said Huddleston. “We talk a lot in class about the cycle of cultural production. We have the producers of culture – Disney, texts that they produce – movies, for example, and then the readings of the text – perception of the movie by society. Disney thinks we will perceive a movie one way, but you never quite know how society perceives them. And those perceptions impact everyday people and what we do.”

The "Deconstructing Disney" students with Professor Gabriel Huddleston (back row, fourth from left, wearing ears) and Honors College Dean Ron Pitcock (back row, seventh from left, in a TCU polo)

Measuring Impact

To prepare for their trip to Disneyland, the class read books about Walt Disney and the history of the parks, as well as listened to guest speakers related to the company. Groups led each class’s discussion by creating questions and prompts surrounding the topic of the day. Students participating in the trip also chose a research topic they would collect data on in the park for their final project.

Beth Anthony ’24 is a political science and philosophy major in the class. Her project centers around American exceptionalism and idealism showcased through symbols and historical references in the park.
Political science and psychology major Gracie Harris ’23 observed the marketing and sales of limited-edition merchandise.
Brady Pardue ’23 is a mechanical engineering major with a math minor. He analyzed how Disneyland physically controls crowds through park layout, line queues and wait times.

Exploring Disneyland

Disney Parks are the hallmark of Disney culture. The John V. Roach Honors College provided funding for Huddleston, Honors College Dean Ron Pitcock and the students of “Deconstructing Disney” to visit Disneyland over fall break. Students were immersed in Disneyland, using the park as a text analysis and bringing their classroom discussions to life.

“With Disneyland and Disney World, it’s not only their intellectual property, but it’s their company values in a real tangible way that’s right in front of you,” said Huddleston. “It’s one thing to talk about it in class, and it’s another thing to be completely immersed in it. Then, can you still keep that critical voice in your head and while being so immersed and having a good time?”

According to Anthony, “Seeing something in person, in real-time, is different from just reading about it in a paper or book of someone analyzing [Disney]. It allowed me to see what was going on in the park and form my own opinions and think on my own about why the company is displaying this aspect of American life in this way.”

Each day of the trip was jampacked with class activities, observations and discussions. “One of the underrated aspects of going to the parks is seeing how we were wrong in class,” said Pardue. “I feel like we assumed whatever we talked about in class was 100% true but getting to go [to the parks] and realize that some of what we talked about isn’t what we were experiencing and discussing that was such impactful learning.”

Making Memories

In the evenings, some students stayed late in the parks with Dean Pitcock, which was their favorite part of the trip.

“The last night we stayed and were trying to get on Space Mountain again. The line was really long, and the ride kept breaking down, so we were worried we wouldn’t get on again,” reminisced Harris. “But then we have a picture with a timestamp of us getting on Space Mountain at midnight as the park was closing. I think that’s my favorite memory.”

“It was really cool to get to do that with Dr. P. because at what other school are you going to get to ride Space Mountain with the Dean of the Honors College – that’s a super rare opportunity. I saw how invested he is in the students,” mentioned Brady. “I didn’t know him very well before the trip but doing things throughout the trip with him and then culminating in our final ride together, is something I’ll never forget.”