We’ve all heard of those theme park rides based on movies – Harry Potter rides, Spiderman rides, etc—but a while back I read that the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was actually inspired by the Disneyland ride of the same name. Yes, the ride I last traveled on as a twelve-year-old, which was, um, some time before the movie came out. It was the movie-to-theme park journey in reverse.
Wow, a whole movie inspired by a theme park ride! Which got me thinking, why not a whole novel inspired by a theme park ride? I guess Pirates of the Caribbean is kind of taken. But what about, say, It’s a Small World? If, say I wanted to bring new saccharin levels to the concept of “sweet†romance? Or for an action novel, I guess I could use Space Mountain or the Matterhorn as inspiration. I see there’s a new attraction called Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Walkthrough…now that sounds promising!
Or maybe I’ll just a book about a strange town populated by oversize, benevolent, cartoonish characters… But where’s the conflict, folks, where’s the conflict?
My current preoccupation with Disneyland isn’t solely because Up just won the Best Animated Feature Oscar. It’s because in a few weeks’ time we’re taking the kids to Disneyland (Anaheim) for the first time. I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with the place, and draw whatever inspiration I can from letting my imagination out to play!
If you have any favorite Disneyland experiences or tips, let me know!
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