Walt Disney Company

          Walt Disney characters, films, theme parks, and products are loved by children all over the world. Disney World and Disneyland theme parks are each advertised as the ?Happiest place on Earth.? However, the Disney Americans love, isn?t necessarily the same as the Disney and its products that children and adults in other countries and cultures love. There are inevitable cultural differences. Like any other company, Disney must adapt to meet the needs, concerns, demands, and tastes of consumers in nations and cultures different from its own, not only in their marketing strategies and products, but in their manufacturing processes.

            For example, when the Disneyland Paris theme park opened in the early nineteen-nineties, it received large amounts of negative criticism for being culturally insensitive to its European tourists. Not only were guests to the theme park upset that wine was not offered, but Disney also did not understand, or take the time to research how Europeans plan their vacations. Unlike most Americans, Europeans tend to rely heavily upon travel agencies when booking their vacations, instead of directly contacting the resort itself (Holson, 2005).

            The Walt Disney Company took special care to avoid stepping on cultural toes again, when it began construction of  Disneyland Hong Kong by altering their normal practices and incorporating aspects of the local culture into their product and design instead of simply imposing their own on consumers; practicing localization (Hines, 2000). Engineers, architects, and construction workers ?Feng Shui-ed? their building plans. Incense is burned when a building is completed. A virtual pond with virtual fish will adorn an upscale restaurant in the park, and images of fire will be depicted on a screen behind the bar. Cash registers are going to be located in corners, where it is believed they will be more prosperous (Holson, 2005). Disney has even taken into consideration, the unlucky connotations associated with the number four in Chinese culture. Therefore, there are no fourth floor buttons on any of the elevators in the park. There is, however, plenty of evidence of the lucky number eight. For example, a ballroom in one of the hotels is eight hundred, eighty-eight meters squared (Holson 2005).

            Yet, while localization of the company?s practices and plans is a joint effort between Walt Disney executives and the Chinese government, there is a case of hybridization of a globally beloved Disney character that is clearly a lone work of the culture in which it appears. In Palestine, an animated look-a-like of Mickey Mouse, with big black ears and nose, peach colored face, squeaky voice, tuxedo with tails, and white gloves, is the star of a children?s show known as Tomorrow?s Pioneers (Riedemann 2007). The copyright infringement of the most well known cartoon character in the world, is known as Farfur, and is allegedly encouraging Palestinian children to hate Israeli and America, and pray for Islam?s world domination (Riedemann, 2007). The irony lies within the dependence of the producers of the Hamas television show upon the image of an American icon, to deliver messages of hatred towards America. This is further evidence of an emerging global Disney culture, as discussed in previous posts.

References

Hines, C.  (2000). Localization: A global manifesto. London: Earthscan. p.27

Holson, L. (2005, April 25). Disney bows to feng shui. The New York Times. Retrieved  June 13, 2007, from  http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/24/business/disney.php

Riedemann, D. (2007, May 9). Mickey Mouse clone teaches hate: costumed character on Hamas show violates Disney copyright. Retrieved June 13, 2007 from  http://international-animated-films.suite101.com/article.cfm/mickey_mouse_clone_teaches_hate

Posted at 09:42AM Jun 15, 2007 by COX, KATIE in General  |  Comments[3]