The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies

Disneyization

J. MICHAEL RYAN

The American University in Cairo, Egypt

DOI: 10.1002/9781118989463.wbeccs100

Disneyization, a phrase popularized by Alan Bryman (2004), is “the process by which the principles of the Disney theme parks are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world” (p. 1). Disneyization is composed of four central elements – theming, hybrid consumption, merchandising, and performative labor.

Theming is the coherence lent to a location or institution by the overarching application of a focal narrative. Museums, amusement parks, hotels, towns, and malls are all examples of social locations that have been themed. Although theming has its roots in themed attractions and grand exhibitions such as the world's fairs, it was Disneyland that popularized theming, especially by transforming themed attractions into themed environments and by providing a more permanent site. Theming also works through the principles of adjacent attraction and differentiation to allow those who employ it to compete in the entertainment economy.

Hybrid consumption is “the general trend whereby the forms of consumption associated with different institutional spheres become interlocked with each other and increasingly difficult to distinguish” (Bryman 2004, 57). It serves two general purposes – to create a destination, to entice people to stay longer in a given setting, and consequently to increase their spending. The ideas of hybrid, or dedifferentiated, ...