迪士尼乐园:“我”是这样诞生的
2016-06-12
2016年6月16日,上海迪士尼乐园盛大开园。它和已经问世的所有迪士尼乐园一样,吸引了成千上万的游客蜂拥而入,在这个梦幻的童话王国中尽情玩乐。那你知道第一座迪士尼乐园是如何建成的吗?你又知道迪士尼乐园为何会在全球不计其数的游乐园中脱颖而出、拥有独一无二的地位吗?
Until the 1940s, the American amusement park was limited to merry-go-rounds1), Ferris wheels2) and carnival games3). All that changed when Walt Elias Disney envisioned4) a new amusement park called a theme park. Disney's innovations reenergized amusement parks in the United States and created an entirely new approach to the real estate development and commercial construction of theme parks and the areas surrounding those attractions.
直到20世纪40年代,美国的游乐园里都只有旋转木马、摩天轮和摊位游戏。当华特·埃利亚斯·迪士尼设想出名为“主题乐园”的一种新型游乐园之后,所有这一切都发生了改变。迪士尼的革新重新激发了美国游乐场的活力,也首创了房地产开发和主题乐园及景点周边地区商业建设的一种全新方法。
An Amusement Park Started with a Problem
Walt Disney once said, "It was all started by a mouse", but in reality, Disneyland started with a problem. Sitting on a bench in Griffith Park watching his daughters on the carousel5), he wondered, why isn't there some sort of amusement experience that the entire family can enjoy together?
His idea for displaying Disney characters in a fantasy setting was a bold departure from amusement parks and carnivals that offered rides, games and inexpensive food. Instead Disneyland was conceived as an extension of the Disney brand, and would be the first "theme park" built in the United States.
When Disney decided that he would be building a place that told a story, he knew that he would need people and technology to help create the magic and tell the stories. In 1952, Disney assembled6) a staff of designers, planners and artists and formed WED Enterprises7), standing for Walter Elias Disney. The WED group began a long process of creative brainstorming. Its members conceptualized8), designed and reworked Walt's broad ideas. They visited other amusement attractions around the country to gather data and impressions and flesh out9) development plans, and with the help of commercial contractors10) created a rough construction timetable.
A New Paradigm11) in the Construction
of Amusement Parks
With financing in place and a location secured, the construction companies began in the summer of 1953.
Disneyland was designed in a wheel-shaped configuration12). The idea was to provide a fun entrance area with a long walkway where visitors would wander through, led by a grand visual attraction, to the park's center. From there, visitors could branch off13) to the rest of the park on paths that radiated outward like spokes14) on a wheel.
This became the design for Disneyland. Visitors entered the park through Mainstreet U.S.A. and made their way to the center part of the wheel, where they found the park's majestic centerpiece, Sleeping Beauty's Castle and Fantasyland. Winding "spokes" led from the castle through the rest of the park, guiding visitors to other different themed "lands", including Adventureland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland. This wheel design layout with an iconic centerpiece has become the standard approach for designing theme parks and has been adopted by the majority of theme parks constructed since that time.
Construction for Disneyland began on July 21, 1954, just 12 months before the park was scheduled to open. Construction companies worked frantically15) to meet the tight schedule and completed the project on time. Disneyland was formally opened a year later, on July 17, 1955, to glowing16) reviews. Unlike other amusement parks of the day, Disneyland was developed and constructed to be instantly recognizable as an extension of the Disney brand and the Disney philosophy. The rides used an array of Disney motifs17), costumed Disney characters roamed18) the park, and Sleeping Beauty Castle, the attraction at the heart of the park, was instantly recognizable to millions of people since it was seen every Sunday night on ABC television. Disneyland became, in a sense, the capstone19) of Walt Disney's career.
The capstone of his career also quickly became the cornerstone of an empire. In its first six months, one million people visited the Disneyland; in its first full year, three million people passed through its gates. The park quickly generated capital to finance a vast expansion, and in subsequent years, each time the park expanded its capacity, revenues increased more than proportionately20) to the added capital. In spite of his lack of real estate development experience, Disney had created park plans that allowed for expansion and resulting construction that would not interfere with ongoing park operations.
Cinderella's Castle is a masterpiece of design and construction. Standing 189 feet tall, the Castle is made of fiberglass21) veneer22) crafted23) around a 600-ton steel framework. It features ten spires24); portions of the castle are finished to look like solid granite25) and other parts look like brick. The fa?ade26) bricks nearer the top of the Castle are actually smaller than the ones closer to the ground. This technique of designing higher features to be disproportionately small makes the Castle look taller than it actually is.
From Walt Disney's unpleasant experience as a father taking his daughters to an amusement park has emerged the multi-billion dollar industry of modern theme parks. Disney's theme parks dominate tourism on both coasts, as well as in Paris and in Tokyo. Disney's diversification from cartoons and movies into vacation environments even includes a Disney cruise line as well. In fact, Disneyland and Disney World signaled a major shift in amusement and theme park development and construction. Almost every major amusement park in the U.S. today is a descendant27) of and aspires to the Disney model: a focus on convenience, a superior guest experience, development planning allowing easy and seamless28) expansion, innovative construction techniques and most importantly a "theme" that gives a park a sense of identity and uniqueness. While Walt Disney is best remembered for creating ageless cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck, his impact on commercial real estate development and the construction of major entertainment venues is just as historically significant for the entertainment and the construction industries.
始于一个问题的游乐园
华特·迪士尼曾说,“一切都始于一只老鼠”,但实际上,迪士尼乐园却是始于一个问题。当年迪士尼坐在格里菲斯公园的长椅上看着玩旋转木马的女儿们,不禁产生了一个疑惑:为什么没有全家人可以一起尽情享受的某种游乐体验呢?
他想到的是在一个奇幻的场景中展示迪士尼的那些卡通形象,这一想法大胆地背离了提供游乐设施、游戏和廉价食物的游乐园和露天游乐场。迪士尼乐园反而被构想为迪士尼品牌的一种延伸,并将成为在美国建立的第一家“主题乐园”。
当迪士尼决定自己将建造一个有故事的地方时,他知道自己将会需要人才和技术来帮忙创造魔法、讲述故事。1952年,迪士尼召集起了一队设计师、规划师和艺术家,成立了WED公司(WED是他姓名首字母的缩写)。WED团队开始了漫长的创意性头脑风暴过程。其成员将华特粗线条的想法形成概念,对其加以设计和重新改造。为了收集数据和印象、完善发展规划,他们参观了美国各地的其他游乐项目,并在商业项目承包公司的帮助下制定出了大致的施工时间表。
游乐园建设的新典范
在资金到位、地址选定之后,建筑公司于1953年的夏天开始动工。
迪士尼乐园被设计成轮状布局,其理念是向游客提供一个饶有趣味的入口区,游客可沿着一条长长的走道,在一个视觉上十分吸引人的宏大景点的指引下,漫步到乐园的中央。从那里,游客可以顺着如同车轮辐条一样向外辐射的道路转到乐园的其他地方去。
这成为迪士尼乐园的布局设计。游客经由美国大街进入公园,一路走到“车轮”的中心,在那里会发现乐园宏伟的核心景点——睡美人城堡和奇幻世界。从睡美人城堡发出的弯弯曲曲的“辐条”通向乐园的其他所有地方,引导游客前往其他不同主题的“乐园”,包括探险世界、边疆世界和明日世界。这种中心为标志性景点的轮状设计布局已经成为主题乐园的标准布局设计,已为此后建成的大多数主题乐园所采用。
1954年7月21日,迪士尼乐园开始施工,离计划开园的时间仅有12个月。建筑公司为了赶上紧张的工期疯狂地工作,最终按时完成了项目。一年之后的1955年7月17日,迪士尼乐园正式开园,获得了热情洋溢的好评。不同于当时的其他游乐园,迪士尼乐园的开发和建造旨在让游客一眼就认出这是迪士尼品牌和理念的延伸。园内游乐设施大量采用迪士尼的主题,身穿卡通服装的迪士尼卡通形象在公园里四处游走,乐园中心的睡美人城堡则是成千上百万游客一眼就能认出的景点,因为它在每周日晚上都会出现在美国广播电视公司的节目中。从某种意义上说,迪士尼乐园成了华特·迪士尼事业的顶峰。
迪士尼个人事业的顶峰也迅速成为迪士尼帝国的基石。在开园的头六个月中,有100万游客来到了迪士尼乐园;开园第一年全年,迪士尼乐园总共接待了300万游客。乐园很快产生了大举扩建所需的资金,在随后的几年里,乐园每次提高容纳能力后收入的增长都会远远超过新投入的资金。尽管迪士尼缺少地产开发经验,但他制定的园区规划让他得以实现园区的扩建,并且相应的扩建施工还不会干扰乐园的持续运营。
灰姑娘城堡是一大设计与建造杰作。城堡高189英尺(译注:约57.6米),由约600吨重的钢铁结构骨架和精心覆于其上的玻璃纤维镶板打造而成。城堡独有十座尖塔;完工时有些部分外观看起来像是坚固的花岗岩,有些部分看起来则像砖块。城堡正面靠近其顶部的砖块实际要比靠近地面的砖块小一些。将高处部分不成比例缩小的这种设计方法可以令这座城堡显得比实际更为高大。
由身为父亲的华特·迪士尼带女儿去游乐园遇到的不快经历,催生出了一个价值数十亿美元的现代主题乐园产业。迪士尼主题乐园影响着美国东西海岸以及巴黎和东京的旅游业。迪士尼从漫画、电影向度假领域进行多元化发展,甚至还成立了迪士尼海上巡游线。事实上,迪士尼乐园和迪士尼世界标志着游乐园和主题乐园开发与建设的一个重大转变。今天,美国几乎每个大型游乐园都是迪士尼模式的衍生物或效仿者。迪士尼模式注重便利,卓越的游客体验,能轻松、流畅实现扩建的发展规划,富于创意的建筑工艺以及——最为重要的是——一个能够赋予乐园认同感及独特性的“主题”。虽然华特·迪士尼最为人铭记的是他创造了诸如米老鼠、高飞狗和唐老鸭等永恒的卡通形象,但在娱乐业和建筑业,他在商业地产开发和大型娱乐场所建设方面的影响也同样具有重大的历史意义。
全球迪士尼乐园一览
1. 加利福尼亚迪士尼乐园(Disneyland Park)
位于美国加利福尼亚州阿纳海姆市,1955年7月17日开园,是全球第一座迪士尼乐园,也是在迪士尼的亲自指导下设计和建造的唯一一座迪士尼乐园。它是全世界最受欢迎的主题乐园之一,被誉为“地球上最快乐的地方(the happiest place on earth)”。
2. 奥兰多华特迪士尼世界(Walt Disney World)
位于美国佛罗里达州奥兰多市郊,1971年10月1日开园,是目前全球最大的迪士尼乐园度假区,拥有四座超大型主题乐园,分别是魔法王国(Magic Kingdom)、未来世界(Epcot)、迪士尼好莱坞影城(Disney's Hollywood Studio)和迪士尼动物王国(Disney's Animal Kingdom)。
3. 东京迪士尼乐园(Tokyo Disneyland)
位于日本东京,1983年4月开园,是美国境外的第一座迪士尼乐园,号称“亚洲第一游乐园”。
4. 巴黎迪士尼乐园(Disneyland Paris)
位于法国巴黎,1992年4月开园,是欧洲游客最多的主题乐园。
5. 香港迪士尼乐园(Hong Kong Disneyland)
位于中国香港特别行政区,2005年9月开园,是中国第一座迪士尼乐园。
6. 上海迪士尼乐园(Shanghai Disneyland Park)
位于中国上海市,2016年6月16日开园,是中国内地的第一座迪士尼乐园。