Heart and darkness : scary adventures and the evolution of Disney's dark rides

As a librarian, I'll always look for content to add to my collection that is going to engage potential readers, but there are certain types of books where a balance is required.  While of course it depends on the subject matter and the audience, I want something that isn't too dry but at the same time, can still be considered a serious effort.  I found this particular work to be both informative and insightful.  Though I have only visited one of the Disney theme parks (Walt Disney World), I have been there a few times and have seen it evolve considerably over the years.  However this type of attraction - these "dark rides" have been a core part of the experience since the first Disneyland opened in the 1950s.  Farrell looks back well before even then, with an introduction that references Darwin suggesting that this text will be about the ongoing evolution of these rides, and it most certainly is: from crude outdoor attractions that dotted the American landscape in the late 1800s to cheap thrill rides in moving carnivals and finally Disney's own contributions.  These aren't roller coasters, but the sort of rides that all but cast you in the role of star of one of their animated features: think Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan, or Alice in Wonderland.  Beyond that, there are attractions like Haunted Mansion, that came out of the creative talents of the Disney designers and don't owe their origin to any cinematic inspiration. Each of their attractions is looked at in detail, in the American as well as the international parks, but I think I most enjoyed the discussion of concepts that never came to be.  I had no idea that Pirates of the Caribbean in Orlando was originally intended as a sort of Western/Cowboys and Indians ride, but because people basically demanded the Disneyland ride be brought to the east coast park, that's what they got.  There's also discussion of what Disney might do with these rides in the future and how emerging technologies might play a role.

What starts as a history of how dark rides came to be, quickly focuses on how Walt Disney basically reinvented them when he opened Disneyland in the 1950s.  Rides at each of the Disney parks are discussed, with more time being devoted to some of the more iconic ones - Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion, especially.  We learn a little about the history of each park and how Disney had to adapt these rides to the different cultures so they would be understood and enjoyed and not offend their sensibilities.  And we learn why they're so successful.  These are the rides that my family keeps going back to.  When I was a child in the mid 1970s, they were my favorites and now that I have children of my own, they too enjoy them.  But they're not just for children.  I never thought so.

Tracing the evolution of the narrative "dark rides" made popular in Disney theme parks around the world, Farrell begins rather cleverly with a look at what it is that makes humans so drawn by fear.  Why are we so excited by being afraid, whether it's a scary movie, a haunted house, or a thrill ride?  Then it's on to the earliest inspirations for these rides in Great Britain and the U.S. before Walt Disney cleared the orange groves in southern California to let Peter Pan escort guests off to Neverland.  While I'm certainly a fan of Disney World (I've been there 3 times), I've never been to any of their other parks and there's a great deal of history included here that I didn't know.  The focus is on the immersiveness of this particular type of attraction and how guests can almost see themselves as the characters in the movies: they are Peter Pan or Snow White.  There's information on dark rides that were closed, rides that were planned but never realized, and some space is devoted to non-Disney attractions, as well.