By: Sarah Hampton

September 23, 2025

‘AVATAR’ Flight of Passage Ride Queue at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

After participating in the Disney College Program for sixth months and traveling to Walt Disney World for family vacations every year since before I can even remember, I have always appreciated the dedication and the intentionality behind Walt Disney World’s operations. Just thinking about the amusement parks brings a sense of nostalgia that I do not feel with anything else from my childhood. Maybe it is because of the memories that I possess of the parks, or maybe it is the time spent with family that makes it so special. However, I do think that Walt Disney World has a fascinating formula as to how they execute their daily operations. From the purposeful placement of recognizable characters across the parks, to the scents pumped through the air vents in specific lands throughout the parks, the Walt Disney Company has set the tone for amusement parks all across the globe.

I believe that there are multiple factors that make Walt Disney World the “best.” Like mentioned before, I believe that the placement of recognizable characters from the Disney produced films plays a factor. In addition to this, Walt Disney World is intentional about immersion. In just a waiting queue for a ride, you are already transported to a different world. Lastly, although it is expensive, you really do get a magical experience for how much you are paying.

For almost 90+ years, the Walt Disney Studio has been producing movies, TV shows, and short films with recognizable characters and quotable moments. One of the most prominent characters, who eventually became the main mascot of the Walt Disney amusement parks, Mickey Mouse, first appeared in the short film *Steamboat Willie* in 1928. Following this famous mouse’s debut, Walt Disney Studios continued to produce media with iconic characters such as Snow White from *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs* (1937), *Pinocchio* (1940), and *Cinderella* (1950). These characters still remain to be icons today and you are able to meet many of them around the Walt Disney World parks.

Image of Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney World has a unique experience where you are able to go around the parks to different meet and greets with these characters. You are able to interact with your favorite heroes like Spiderman and The Mandalorian, or your favorite princesses like Rapunzel and Moana. Many of the rides at these parks are themed after the Disney produced movies from our childhoods. For example, at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, they just built a brand new ride called Tron Lightcycle/ Run themed after the sequel movie, Tron: Legacy (2010). This film was a prominent movie in my childhood. I have many memories surrounding the Tron franchise, including going to the theatre to watch it with my dad when it first came out and watching the two movies over and over and over again with him. I think that this is an advantage that Walt Disney World has against other amusement and theme parks. While the Walt Disney Company has produced more films that bring a sense of nostalgia than most film production companies, they truly have set the bar when it comes to immersing guests into the worlds of their favorite characters.