Disney’s American History Theme Park: What Happened to the Controversial Project?

Photo byDisney

Walt Disney's early animations and the company's subsequent work often presented an optimistic and nostalgic viewpoint of America. Consider the beloved 1995 film Pocahontas, a romanticized and historically inaccurate story of what was actually a ten-year-old native girl who was later captured and married off. Disney became an interpreter of American History and its ideals long before Disneyland or Disney World opened to the public. Original depictions of Mickey Mouse (often depicted in a glorified 19th-century rural America) were an optimistic, every man's ordinary hero who was always triumphing against foes. 

‘Steamboat Willie’ (1928)Photo byDisney

By WWII, the company was hard at work producing propaganda films and war-related goods. In February 1943, The New York Times called Mickey Mouse  "a salesman of the American Way." In Disneylands worldwide, a curated 'Maint Street, U.S.A' is designed to represent an idealized 20th-century small town. Then there is Liberty Square, brimming with national pride, and its centerpiece is the Hall of Presidents. 

Photo byDisney

Given this, it did not come as much of a surprise when, in 1984, Disney's new CEO, Michael Eisner, was inspired to create a U.S History Theme Park outside of Washington, D.C. A few years later, the company began to quietly purchase up real estate in northern Virginia, with the land acquisitions only becoming public knowledge before the official announcement of what would be the 'Disney America' theme park. The news was widely celebrated and applauded by political leaders at the time. The new park was to be built in Haymarket, Virginia, a small, wealthy area just outside of Washington, D.C., a few miles from Manassas, the site of two major Civil War battles. 

An illustrated map of Disney’s America.Photo byJim Hill

What happened next, however, was a precursor to today's seemingly 'culture wars' that embroiled the company. In a news conference, Disney Vice-President Bob Weis told reporters : 

"This is not a Pollyanna view of America… We want to make you a Civil War soldier. We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave or what it was like to escape through the underground railroad."

The proposed new themepark was to feature several distinct areas which, on the surface, seemed appropriate to the historical recreations they were attempting to cover: a Colonial-era Presidents Square, an Indigenous village, Ellis Island, a factory town from the Industrial Revolution, a Civil War fort, a county fair, an early 19th-century port, a World War II-era battlefield, and a Depression-era family farm. Debates soon unraveled about how the company would depict some of the less savory moments in our country's history while still selling entertainment, such as the enslavement of Africans and the genocide of Indigenous peoples. Twitter and Facebook weren't around then, but you can imagine how these conversations spiraled. 

Disney’s America was going to include an exhibit on the history of immigration.Photo byJim Hill

In June of that year, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a resolution opposing the park, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to evaluate the proposed theme park's environmental impact. With ongoing debates and hand-wringing, the company repackaged the project as 'Disney's American Celebration' in 1994, and in a significant move, the theme park would no longer set out to depict periods or events in American history but rather themes of American life; such as Democracy, Work, Family, Generations, Streets of America, and the Land. Along with sidestepping sensitive or unsavory topics, the themepark would return to its comfort place of idealization and easy commodification. 

But then, in September of 1994, Disney abruptly announced the discontinuation of the project and their planning. Many understood, at the time, the effect of political discourse that had shrouded the project, but the company cited concerns over theme park attendance with the chosen location during the colder months, something you think they would have thought of sooner. What was left unsaid publicly was that the company was also facing financial turmoil and uncertain executive leadership. Many ideas developed for the secondary plan of 'Disney's American Celebration' were eventually absorbed and incorporated into existing theme parks. 

A fascinating history and story for a company today that seems to be embattled within the supposed American culture wars, whose origins come from some of the great architects of American exceptionalism, patriotism, and idealization.