Are you a Disneyland or Walt Disney World devotee? If so, and you’re among the legions of Disneyphiles who can’t get enough of the Happiest and Most Magical Places on Earth, but you haven’t yet seen Season 1 of the Disney+ original series ‘Behind the Attraction’, now is the perfect time to start streaming.
Why? Because, with six new episodes, Season 2 of the docutainment series just dropped on Disney+, bringing viewers more deep-dive explorations of the fascinating history of how the world’s most iconic theme-park attractions came to be. Viewers will discover how these completely original creations have been updated over the years, reimagined for new parks around the world, and, most importantly, continue to endure across the years for new generations of park-goers to enjoy.
With unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, the series illustrates how these epic attractions and experience—including classics like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Space Mountain and more—sprung from the minds and sketchbooks of Walt and his legendary team of innovators into real life for millions of visitors to enjoy.
Through captivating firsthand accounts from the Imagineers and Disney legends involved in each project, plus archival interviews, on-the-scene footage and concept artwork borrowed from inside Imagineering’s vaults, you’ll discover that the development of these groundbreaking entertainment concepts—along with the extensive world-building they required—was far from a straightforward process. It took the ingenuity and imaginations of hundreds of artists, designers, architects and all kinds of engineers to bring these innovative concepts to life. And, the road to their realization was often a bumpy one.
The Indiana Jones Adventure at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. (Photo Credit: Disney/Gregg Newton)
Perhaps the most engaging element of the show is the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. After all, to preserve the “magic” inside properties, the Walt Disney Company carefully guards its secrets and only ever puts its best foot forward. Explaining its tricks of the trade to members of the public almost seems on par with an illusionist revealing his secrets. So, it isn’t often that we get to peek behind the curtains and see into the inner workings of the elaborate “shows” that make up the Disney theme parks.
The show’s lightheartedness is largely derived from some delightfully cheeky narration, with an overall tone that’s both playful and slightly mischievous. The Imagineers being interviewed add to the levity with their open-heartedness sharing of anecdotes and a sense of humor about things that didn’t seem humorous at the time.
Editors also added some pseudo-reactions in the form of snippets lifted from the Disney film and animation canon, which make it seem as if iconic characters themselves are remarking on the script. Episodes are filled with clever quips, little puns, ironic observations and callbacks to previous moments that come across as almost-inside jokes aimed at the fandom audience.
As a storytelling tool, it’s at once effective and hilarious, especially when a perfectly timed remark takes the words right out of your mouth.
I asked Director and Executive Producer Brian Volk-Weiss if the show’s comedic aspect was inspired to some degree by his body of work, which includes numerous stand-up comedy specials. His answer: “One hundred percent,” He said, “When Season 1 was greenlit, you know, I—as with anybody in any job—I hire the people I've worked with before, who, they know me and I know them. And, because of my background, every single one of those people comes from the comedy world. And we use comedy as a storytelling device. We want people laughing and, if we do our job right, maybe even tearing up a few times”.
The "World of Color" nighttime spectacular at Disney California Adventure Park, Anaheim, California. (Photo Credit: Disney/Matt Beard)
“I think that's what I appreciate about the show,” Jeanette Lomboy, Vice President, Walt Disney Imagineering said in our interview. “Its perspective is with a sense of humor… And, I think, when you think about the kinds of things that we create and the stories that we tell in our parks—and all the stories that go into creating those stories that we tell in our parks—you have to have a sense of humor about it because it runs the gamut from failure to success to joy to sadness.”
When asked about what her experience in working with the documentarians was like, Lomboy replied, “It was really fun.” She said, “They're very disarming in terms of how they ask questions,” adding, “sometimes we look silly and funny and snarky, and that's okay, because that’s who we are and that's part of the storytelling.”
Reflecting on the final product, she said, “To see it thrown together in this very holistic way with Cast Members, with legends from the past [in] footage we’ve never seen before—I mean, it’s great. For fans and Imagineers alike. Really, truly, it's amazing work.”
Luc Mayrand, VP, Creative Portfolio Executive, Hong Kong and Shanghai Disney Resorts (Walt Disney Imagineering), called the experience, “Absolutely amazing. It was really, really fun to sit down with them because they’re fans. I mean, they are so interested and… they're extremely well-informed, too.”
Mayrand said he enjoyed watching every finished episode himself, too. “I know everyone in the episodes and I love to hear from them because, even amongst each other, we don’t know all of these stories,” he said. “I don't know a lot of the stuff that my very teammates have done on other projects and, you're like, ‘Oh, my God, you did that? That’s amazing, you’re so cool!’.”
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland, Anaheim, California. (Photo Credit: Disney/Matt Beard)
Seeing as TravelPulse caters to travelers and travel advisors, I asked Volk-Weiss whether, in making the show, he had intended for ‘Behind the Attraction’ to appeal primarily to potential travelers or to people who are already hardcore park-goers. He said, “What we always try to do with every show that we make that's connected to pop culture is try to have it operate at two levels. It's supposed to be for the obsessed fan, which in this case is me,” he smiled. “It's [also] supposed to be for people who have never been to a park, ever.”
He said, “If we hit the bullseye, what we're trying to do is find stories that are relatable to both sides.” He points to his own wife’s outlook on the Star Wars franchise, saying, “My wife could care less about Star Wars. She thinks it's like a weird religion I'm a part of or something.” So, when it came to Season 1’s episode about Star Tours and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, he said, There are certain stories that a nutcase like me will love because they didn't know that. If we do our jobs right and we picked the correct stories, my wife will love it, too, and not keep getting up to go make tea.”
In conclusion, if you have ever been a Disney park or parks, I’d say this series will trigger your sense of nostalgia, deepen your appreciation for the amazing innovations within and, also, answer many of the questions you may have asked yourself about the world-famous attractions. And, if you haven’t, it will pique your curiosity about the real-world rides and experiences, and have you dreaming of the day you get to see them for yourself.
Obviously, if you’re an absolute Disney Parks addict, this is the show you’ve been waiting your whole life to watch. And, even if you’re not, but hold some special memories connected to past park visits, I’m betting you’re going to love it, too.
The "Beauty and the Beast Castle" at Tokyo Disneyland, Japan. (Photo Credit: Disney)
'Behind the Attraction' episode guide:
Season One:
- Jungle Cruise
- Haunted Mansion
- Star Tours
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Space Mountain
- The Castles
- Disneyland Hotel
- "it's a small world"
- Trains, Trams, and Monorails
- Hall of Presidents
Season Two:
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Indiana Jones Adventure
- EPCOT
- The Food
- Nighttime Spectaculars
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