12: Animal Theatre

Below, some images from one of Disney's newest theme parks, Animal Kingdom. Even the title informs us that this will be a place that denies flora and institutes the monarchy of evolution, the simplified chain of being that begins with the small and cuddly and of course ends with man, the consumer.

Let me quote from the web page[4]:
THE OASIS
“Leave the urban world behind and enter a lush tropical forest brimming with exotic birds and animals that greet you the moment you enter the Park. The Oasis is ringed by vine-covered crags that surround an enchanted world filled with streams, grottoes, flowering glades, and tumbling waterfalls that fill the air with cooling spray. Inhabitants of The Oasis include miniature deer, brilliant macaws, shaggy anteaters, iguanas, sloths, and tree kangaroos. These exotic creatures were all chosen for their brilliant color and beautiful shapes.”


The Disney Oasis provides a refuge from the mechanised urban to the mechanised natural, where 'exotic birds and animals' are always on hand for you. The Oasis is rooted in ninetieth century devices like the 'English Garden', where each garden element (stream, grottoes, flowering glades, etc.) serve as a memory device — the garden was in essence a memory theatre [4]. The Disney experience, however, functions to deny most reflection. While there are still some aspects of memory theatre, its primary function is as refuge —not for the animals (most are not real anyway), but for the people who visit.

 

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