“Get into the movies!”: the theme park’s relationship with post-classical Cinema

Dixon, Alexandra Elizabeth (2017) “Get into the movies!”: the theme park’s relationship with post-classical Cinema. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

This discussion examines the growing relationship between cinematic texts and the theme-park industry. Primarily focused on the post-classical period in Hollywood and its relationship to theme-park environments, this thesis analyses the evolution of the movie-based attraction from a passive retelling into an immersive and inclusive experience. The post-classical cinematic style, usually identified with the contemporary blockbuster movie, has its origins in the sensory experience of early cinema. I draw similarities between the two eras, emphasising the distinctiveness of a modern “cinema of attractions” that develops as films and theme-park rides become more closely intertwined. I elaborate the concepts of “immersion” and “inclusion” to describe and explain this process, identifying these as the distinguishing features of the evolving relationship between movies and theme-park attractions. Film-based attractions such as Back to the Future (1985), Star Wars (1977-2015) and Avatar (2009) exemplify how immersive and inclusive techniques are developed out of post-classical film aesthetics in order to enhance the affective experience of customers. Similarly, attraction-to-film adaptations, such as Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003-present), combine immersion and inclusion with strategies of narrativization, incorporating film and attraction into a unified and self-referring storytelling world.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (MRes)
Supervisors: Heffernan, Nick
Hutchison, Anthony
Keywords: theme parks, rides, amusement parks, cinema, motion pictures, films, movies, blockbusters
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation. Leisure
P Language and literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion pictures
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Arts > School of American and Canadian Studies
Item ID: 41918
Depositing User: Dixon, Alexandra
Date Deposited: 21 Jul 2017 04:40
Last Modified: 05 Jun 2018 16:37
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/41918

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