The Utilidors and Lost Magic

While seeing the Utilidors felt like a magical experience of its own, if all guests at Disney World used them, some of the magic of the parks would be lost. The Utilidors are obviously a fast and efficient way to navigate the park, but they take away from the themed experience that guests are offered at Magic Kingdom. Part of the magic of being at Walt Disney World is that it is an immersive and nostalgic world, carefully designed and managed to provide the guests with the best possible experience.

Houston and Meamber (2011) discuss how part of the appeal of Walt Disney World is its nostalgia and aesthetic values of the past. They describe how the American people have a yearning for the past that Disney World attempts to meet, by presenting an aesthetic of America one hundred years ago. In our guided tour of the Magic Kingdom, we discussed how walking down Mainstreet USA gives the guests a feeling of nostalgia and transports them back to an idealized time of American history, near the turn of the century. While the buildings of Mainstreet USA have impeccably detailed turn-of-the-century architecture, the Ultilidors have plain and drab walls and floors.  While there are brightly colored decorations and signs for the cast members, the area appears strongly industrial. Were guests to the park allowed to use the Utilidors, the sense of nostalgia and being transported back to the past would be completely broken by the sight of the undoubtedly modern and boring tunnels.

King (2002) considers Disney World’s theme parks to be representative of America’s values, which the Utilidors are certainly not. King explains, “With their panoply of themed stage sets, [theme parks] are a showcase of archetypal forms – the material artifacts foreshortened as icons and images free of contradictions” (2002, p. 9). The parks display the American values of nostalgia, family, community, consumerism, and more through their architecture, attractions, and guest-cast member interactions.  The Utilidors don’t display these values as they are largely plain and designed to be efficient, rather than to reflect American values. By allowing everyday guests access to them, some of the magic of the parks would be broken.

Allowing guests to use the Utilidors would break the magic of Disney World’s nostalgic appeal and representation of American values. The underground tunnels are designed for efficiency, not display and don’t match the tone of the rest of the park. I know that as a child, the tunnels would have reminded me of Home Depot or Lowe’s or another industrial-type setting. They don’t match the typical Disney experience that is focused on values and aesthetics being perfect. While fascinating to visit on a special behind-the-scenes tour and helpful to use as a cast member, the Utilidors don’t fit with the rest of the image that Disney paints in the Magic Kingdom.

Houston, H. & Meamber, L. (2011). Consuming the “world”: reflexivity, aesthetics, and authenticity at Disney World’s EPCOT Center. Consumption Markets and Culture, 14(2), 177-191. DOI: 10.1080/102538666.2011.562019

King, M. (2002). THE THEME PARK: Aspects of experience in a four-dimensional landscape. Material Culture, 34(2), 1-15. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29764155