Expert Article

The Happiest Place

Why Every USC Student Should Go to Disneyland

Where can you board an intergalactic roller coaster and hop on a flying elephant in the same day? Or search for treasure in a hidden temple and rocket through the Matterhorn on a bobsled within an hour? Now imagine walking into a magical place that houses all these attractions (plus 50 more), for only $97 a day. This is Disneyland

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For USC students, a trip to Disneyland is essential because Disneyland is:

• The Mouse’s House (Plus So Much More)
• The Best of the Best
• The Epitome of Education

The Mouse’s House (Plus So Much More)

When you scan your ticket and run through the glorious gates of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, make sure you grab a map. Take a look and you’ll see a humongous castle and 8 worlds surrounding it. I know the layout like the back of my hand. Starting from the entrance and moving clockwise:

• Main Street, U.S.A. is a town square that houses dozens of shops and food stops.
• Adventureland is a jungle with wild animals, wild scenery, and wild attractions.
• New Orleans Square is a beautiful recreation mixed with art and ghostly activities.
• Critter Country is a woodsy land that is home to lovable creatures and rustic delights.
• Frontierland is the Wild West and has a special island that you can only get to by raft.
• Fantasyland is where childhood stories, fantasies, and dozens of cultures come alive.
• Toontown is the place where all the Disney characters hang out and want to meet you.
• Tomorrowland is a peek into the future where space travel is common and so are churros.

The genius behind Disneyland was Walt Disney and his animated pal, Mickey Mouse. Walt began building Disneyland only 12 months before its opening. Initially, Walt wanted to build an 8-acre “Mickey Mouse Village,” but on its opening day in 1955, the 85-acre masterpiece was “a unique destination built around storytelling and immersive experiences” (Gabler). And it continued to improve and thrive every year since.

Disney remains the world’s leading provider of family fun (“Leadership”). Millions of guests each year continue to make lifelong memories here. You should too. With 54 attractions, both indoors and out, anyone can find happiness here. I suspect that Disneyland is even better than Walt could've imagined 60 years ago. I can see this in the development of parades, shows, expansions, and successful movies becoming successful rides. This includes additions like Indiana Jones wild treasure hunt and Pirate of the Caribbean adventure with Jack Sparrow.  

Although Disneyland has evolved, every attraction features at least one hidden Mickey Mouse. It’s as if Walt still has a say on every new ride. Even though he has passed away, his vision of a Mickey’s village continues to inspire the park.

There may be other theme parks with more rides that dangle you upside-down. There may be events with cheaper admission prices. But in no way do these measure up to the worlds that Disneyland expertly- and magically- creates 365 days a year. Disneyland’s domination in their industry proves my point that you should buy a ticket and head over.

The Best of the Best
Disney is able to make more money than its competitors. Consequentially, they can continually reinvest and continue dominating the theme park industry. Theme parks attract enormous crowds because they offer an experience unlike any other. They give you adrenaline rushes and smiles every day of the year. But the numbers show that Disneyland is by far the most superior.

No theme park parallels Disneyland because The Walt Disney Company maintains 50.1% of the theme park market. Competitors, like NBCUniversal (17.5%), SeaWorld (7.1%), Six Flags (6.4%), Cedar Fair (6.2%), and other companies (12.7%), drastically fall behind Disney’s success (“Amusement”). This didn’t happen coincidentally. For 20 years, I've seen Disneyland’s commitment to growth, diversity, and improvement.

By now it’s clear that USC students should get a ticket immediately after reading this. But for those of us who've already been (once, twice, or a couple hundred times), why should we put our mouse ears back on? Star Wars.

Disney has announced the newest expansion of Disneyland: “Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge”. Set to open in 2019, you and your friends will step onto to another planet where adventures await (Newton). Even if you have no idea what Star Wars is, don’t worry. Just know that Disney is going to take you to a far-off land where you will have the time of your life.

The Epitome of Education

Disneyland, more than any other park, is an educational goldmine for USC students. And it's only 40 minutes away. That’s less time than it takes to complete a piece of homework. Once you’re there, go on a few rides. But don’t forget to take some time to observe the world around you. Go grab pineapple soft-serve in Adventureland or a giant turkey leg in Frontierland and take a seat. Watching the gests walking by and reflect on everything that has contributed to creating and maintaining the success of this park.

Disneyland’s history is a perfect model for USC students looking to do something big. This is particularly accurate for business, communications, history, law, economics, and accounting majors. You should read the displays to learn about how Disneyland has been successful for so long. There are many books and Disney website on this topic as well, but nothing beats observing the park from within its gates. 

As students walk through the park, they should also spend time observing others. With 17,943,000 visitors in 2016, Disneyland is home to human interactions of all kinds (“Theme”). This is essential for student studying language, health science, humanities, social science, and public policy. If you’re interested in the effects of Disneyland on humans, read Baur Dillards' explanation of hyper-realities as you wait in line. Then apply it to what you see!

Lastly, the infrastructure and aesthetic of Disneyland never fails to awe guests. Students majoring in physics, engineering, and anything art-related should gather inspiration here. It's as easy as buying a Mickey-shaped ice cream (which is very easy to do). Even astronomy majors can look up to the sky after a long day of fun and observe the stars. You'll be able to see them in between the $18.25 million/year firework show that Disney puts on each night (Gabler).

When Walt Disney gave his famous speech on opening day, he proclaimed: “to all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future” (Gabler).

In Conclusion

Disneyland is the perfect spot for USC student because this theme park:

• features dozens of attractions that you won’t find anywhere else.
• has the largest share of the theme park market due to Disney’s superiority
• holds educational moments everywhere you look, including the sky.

Whether you go on a crowded Saturday night or a quiet Wednesday morning, Disneyland has pleasant and thrilling surprises around every corner. But trust me, avoid holidays if you want to keep maintain your sanity. College students are the perfect mix of fleeting childhoods and budding adulthood which is why I believe every USC student should go to Disneyland. They can learn about themselves and the world around them- while having fun too.

Works Cited

 “Amusement Park- Major Companies.” IBISWorld Where Knowledge is Power, IBISWorld, clients1.ibisworld.com.libproxy1.usc.edu/reports/us/industry/majorcompanies.aspx?entid=1646#MP349267.

Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: the Triumph of the American Imagination. Vintage Books A Division of Random House Inc., 2008

“Leadership, Management Team, Global, History, Awards, Corporate Responsibility.” The Walt Disney Company, thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/.

Martin, Hugo. “Disneyland prepares for crush of visitors during 60th anniversary celebration.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2015,                                                               www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-disneyland-crowds-20150519-story.html.

McLellan, Michael. “The Walt Disney Company.” Company Overview, Hoovers, subscriber.hoovers.com.libproxy1.usc.edu/H/company360/overview.htmlcompanyId=1160000000000.

Newton, Jennifer. “Incredible new aerial photographs offer a sneak peek of how Disney's Star Wars and Toy Story lands are shaping up.” MailOnline, Factiva, global-factiva.com.libproxy1.usc.edu/ga/default.aspx.

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Theme Index and Museum Index: The Global Attractions Report.” Edited by Judith Rubin, TEAConnect, Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), 2016, www.teaconnect.org/images/files/TEA_235_103719_170601.pdf.